16 March 2007
By Prashant K. Nanda,
New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) In a revelation that many would find startling, Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss has said that nearly 75,000 people commit suicide in India every year for varied reasons, including mental disorder.
"Suicide in India is a major threat and nearly 75,000 people commit suicide every year. Poverty, debt, illiteracy and mental imbalance are the main reasons for this menace," Ramadoss said.
"Seven to eight percent of the Indian population is facing some sort of mental problem, of which over 1.5 percent (15 million) needs special care," the minister told IANS on the sidelines of a conference in the capital.
Portraying a grim picture of the little understood world of mental health, the minister said mental illness was the cause of about l00,000 people trying to commit suicide in the country each year.
"I do confess that the national mental health programme of my ministry is not performing well. I am worried and we are in the process of reviewing the programme.
"Besides, we are planning to provide basic mental health training to doctors at the primary healthcare centres as rural India is prone to such problems. Plans are afoot to train the MBBS doctors on this subject so that they can handle situations at the sub-division and district levels," he said.
He said the proposal would cover 400 districts in the next three years and all the districts of India within five years' time.
According to statistics available with the ministry of social justice and empowerment, there are over 900,000 females in India who need treatment for mental illness.
Of these nearly 280,000 fall in the age group 10-29 and nearly 250,000 in the age group 30-50.
Older men commit suicide more than younger men. However, more women who commit suicide were below 30 years or above 65 years of age.
Experts believe that mental health in India is far from getting due attention.
"Treatment of mental health in India is still a taboo. Moreover, there is a ten-fold shortage of psychiatrists in India. There are only 3,000 psychiatrists in India as against a demand for over 32,000," said R.C. Jiloha, head, department of psychiatry, Maulana Azad Medical College.
"See India has 3,000 psychiatrists but the US has 6,000 Indian psychiatrists. This describes our lack of focus in this stream of treatment," said Nimesh G. Desai, medical superintendent of the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS), the only mental hospital of Delhi.
Desai said blind believes and stigma are still restricting people from coming out to avail themselves of medical treatment. Further, the mental health infrastructure in the country is not very good.
"We have 37 mental hospitals, of which three including IHBAS have been revamped. While the country needs more such hospitals, we should not forget to upgrade the existing hospitals.
"I believe, over 90 percent of mental illness can be cured through OPD (out patient department) treatment. Only 10 percent mentally ill people need hospitalisation."
Experts at Sanjivini, an NGO working in the field of mental health for decades, said treatment of this disease was not focussed in India.
"Mental illness in India is considered as a behavioural disorder rather than a health menace. The growing stress, increasing competition among youngsters and feeling of loneliness among old people are aggravating the problem," said Anandita Paul, head of the mental health intervention unit of Sanjivini.
"In today's world there is no scope for failure. From school students to working executives everyone is facing stress to become first, which later leads to depression and metal illness. Though women attempt to commit suicide more, it's men who get success in their attempts," Paul added.
By Amitabh Sharma,
Kingston (Jamaica), March 16 (IANS) From the Steel Pans to the Mexican wave, Port of Spain is ready to roll into one serious partying zone as India play their first match against Bangladesh Saturday - and the Trinidadians of Indian descent will, of course, cheer for Team India.
"When Tendulkar goes out to bat, the reception is going to be tremendous," says Dr. Satnarine Maharaj, an avid cricketer and lecturer in the University of the West Indies. "For the people the only thing bigger than Sachin is Lara," Maharaj added.
While Tendulkar is the all-time favourite, captain Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly are the other crowd favourites.
There is going to be a full house at the Queens Park Oval, one can expect shake of calypso, with a tinge of the home-brew Soca, a dance music derived from the Calypso and "Chutney", a Trinidad cocktail of Hindi or Bhojpuri songs stirred in the tunes of Soca.
While the West Indies is the clear favourite among the fans here, Indians are the darlings of the crowd as the home team does not play in Trinidad.
"We always enjoy coming to Trinidad because we have always had good support here. And since we are not playing the West Indies, we expect even more support in our matches," Dravid said upon arrival at Port of Spain.
"There are divided loyalties," points out Ravi Rambarram, a top executive in an insurance company and a fourth generation Trinidadian of Indian descent. "My grandparents and parents will whole heartedly support the Indian team, if they play against the West Indies, while people of my generation are die-hard West Indies supporters," adds Rambarram.
The love for the game can be traced to the grassroots, where like any Indian neighbourhood, children can be seen playing cricket, making do with wooden sticks as makeshift wickets.
"There would be 'lime', which is the local connotation of eating, drinking and making merry," says Maharaj, "people, like in India, I am sure will be praying for India to win their matches in Trinidad."
"I am going to see the matches and cheer for India," remarks Sharmaine, an executive with an airline.
India is in Group B of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 with Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Bermuda; Sri Lanka handed a 243 run defeat to the debutants Bermuda in their opening World Cup match on Thursday.
Rabat, March 16 (NNN-MAP) Morocco's security services have arrested 18 people for alleged links to the perpetrators of Casablanca bomb blast on Sunday, as part of the probe into the attack that killed one person -- the suicide bomber -- and injured four in a poor neighborhood of the city.
Moroccan Government Spokesman Nabil Benabdellah, quoting Interior Minister Chakib Benmoussa, told a news conference here Thursday following the weekly Cabinet meeting that six other suspects, allegedly linked to the attack, are being sought across the country.
Investigations have revealed that the suicide-bomber had been hatching the project since November 2006 by setting up a group of former inmates living in the Casablanca Sidi Moumen neighborhood, Benabdallah told the press.
The group members were planning to target economic institutions and locations in Morocco's economic capital, the official explained, adding that several quantities of explosive materials were discovered in a house in the Moulay Rachid neighbourhood less than two days after this terrorist crime.
The bombing occurred in Sidi Moumen neighbourhood, home of the suicide bombers who killed 45 people in Casablanca in May 2003, including the 12 suicide bombers.
By Millicent Awour and Nicholas Kigondu
Nairobi, March 16 (NNN-KBC) More than 8,000 Illegal firearms were destroyed here Thursday as the government made good its promise to adhere to the Nairobi Protocol on elimination of small arms.
Internal Security Minister John Michuki set the illicit arms ablaze with a pledge to fight insecurity in the country. He said a bill will soon be tabled in parliament to mete out stiffer penalties to those found in possession of illegal firearms.
The minister urged all the security agencies, civil society organizations and the people to support the on-going disarmament programme.
Police Commissioner Major Gen Hussein Ali said that he has cancelled all temporary firearms licences, which he says are suspected of being misused. He appealed to the public to continue informing the police about those with firearms.
Michuki said the general amnesty for those who voluntarily surrender illegal firearms is still in place while warning that the government has embarked on forceful disarmament starting with the North Rift Region.
In similar exercises carried out in 2003 and 2005, the government destroyed a total of about 12,000 illegal firearms.
Government statistics estimate that there is one illegal gun for every 300 Kenyans. It is believed that an estimated 100,000 illegal weapons are in the country and are to blame for increasing killings in the country.
Police say it is difficult to win the war against gun crime unless there is a significant reduction in the number of illegal weapons available to criminals.
The Co-ordinator of the National Focal Point on Small Arms and Light Weapons, in the Office of the President, Peter Erege, says voluntary surrender of illicit arms is the only way the public can assist the government to fight crime in the country.
A survey by the unit singles out Rift Valley and Nairobi Provinces as having the highest concentrations of illegal guns. The survey indicates that 1.2 million Kenyans have access to weapons.
Only about 4,000 weapons are properly licensed and an unknown number held on the basis of temporary three-month permits which the firearms bureau is no longer renewing.
The illegal weapons problem is regional with the executive secretary of the Regional Center on Small Arms, Francis Sang, saying there are more than three million guns in Sub-Saharan Africa.
By Arun Kumar,
Washington, March 16 (IANS) Suspected 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has confessed to the beheading of Slain Wall Street American Journal reporter Daniel Pearl and a central role in 30 other terrorist attacks and plots around the world.
"I decapitated with my blessed right hand the head of the American Jew, Daniel Pearl, in the city of Karachi, Pakistan," Mohammed, a Pakistani national, is quoted as saying in a revised transcript of a military tribunal hearing at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, released by the Pentagon Thursday.
"For those who would like to confirm, there are pictures of me on the Internet holding his head," he added.
Mohammed's claimed involvement in the 2002 slaying of the Wall Street Journal reporter was among 31 attacks and plots-some of which never occurred-he took responsibility for in a hearing Saturday at the US naval prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the Pentagon said.
Pearl was abducted in January 2002 in Pakistan while researching a story on Islamic militancy. Mohammed has long been a suspect in the slaying, which was captured on video.
Portraying himself as Al Qaida's most ambitious operational planner, Mohammed claimed he planned and supported a series of terrorist attacks, topped by 9/11.
The gruesome attacks range from the suicide hijackings of Sep 11, 2001 -- which killed nearly 3,000 -- to a 2002 shooting on an island off Kuwait that killed a US Marine, according to an account released by the Pentagon.
In listing the 28 attacks he planned and another three he supported, Mohammed said he tried to kill international leaders including Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, Pope John Paul II, and former US Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton.
"I was responsible for the 9/11 operation from A to Z," Mohammed said in a statement read Saturday during a Combatant Status Review Tribunal at the US detention facility at Guantanamo Bay.
Defence department spokesman Bryan Whitman said authorities would decide how credible it is that Mohammed participated in so many plots if he is tried by a military tribunal, which many expect will eventually happen.
"These are his words," Whitman added.
By Arun Kumar,
Washington, March 16 (IANS) The United States has asserted that Pakistani national Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's confession that he organised the 9/11 attacks was not obtained through torture in secret US prisons.
"We don't...again, the policy of this government is we do not engage in torture," White House spokesman Tony Snow told reporters here Thursday in reply to a question whether Mohammed was subjected to any torture.
Mohammed was handed over to US custody after his arrest in Pakistan in Mar 2003. He was among 14 prisoners identified by US authorities as "high-value" terrorism suspects and transferred to US military's Guantanamo Bay prison camp in Cuba last year from secret CIA prisons abroad.
Asked if he could guarantee that Mohammed was not tortured in all the years he spent in jail, Snow insisted, "I'm telling you the policy is that we don't do torture, and furthermore, that there are - very specific guidelines have been laid down in terms of the questioning of people who, in fact, have been in US custody."
"Well, I'm not going to... we have been through long conversations about that. There was a big debate on Capitol Hill about this. We're not going to relitigate it," he added in response to a persistent question about why in that case would US send suspected terrorists to secret prisons in the first place.
Finally Snow responded with a simple "Yes" when asked if he was saying that Mohammed was not tortured.
In reply to another question about where US stood with regard to Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and other terrorists in Pakistan as it was not clearly satisfied with what Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf was doing, Snow said, "The fact is that this administration remains determined to prosecute the war on terror on all fronts".
But he would not specify what was being done as the "question involves highly classified matters, and I can't do that. I'm not going to do." And "There's not a lot of unclassified information about what we're doing with regard to Osama bin Laden."
Meanwhile, at his separate briefing, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said US is "monitoring very closely for some time" the situation in regard to the suspension of Pakistan Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry though "it's an internal Pakistani matter".
"It is a matter of deep concern. And we believe that the resolution of this matter should take place in a way that is completely transparent and strictly in accordance with Pakistan's laws."
"It's essential for any developing democracy to adhere to the rule of law and conduct any investigations, any proceedings that may follow on from those investigations in a clear, aboveboard, transparent manner that strictly accords with Pakistan's laws," he said.
Asked if investigations had indeed been conducted in a transparent manner thus far, McCormack repeated, "We're-again, we're early on in this and we're going to be watching it very closely."
Asked if US had sent a formal complaint to the Pakistani government and asked them for further information, he said, "It's not a matter of our complaining about it. It's an internal Pakistani matter."
"But clearly, it's something that in terms of Pakistan's functioning as a democratic state, that we would watch very closely and that ...would have initially deep concerns about what has taken place."
McCormack said US had "talked to them about it. I can't tell you at what level we have, but we have talked to them about it. I wouldn't use the word 'complaint' because I don't think it's appropriate in this particular case, but we have talked to them about it."
"We want to understand better the action that was taken," he added in response to a query if it meant that US had just approached them for more information.
New Delhi, March 16 (indianmuslims.info) National Conference of Minorities and All India Urdu Education Committee have decided to hold an All India Urdu Conference in Hyderabad. The two-day conference will start on July 30. An announcement to this effect was made by the conference chairman Muhammad Jaleel Pasha here Thursday.
About 1000 delegates belonging to the various walks of life besides many Union and State Ministers are expected to participate in the conference.
Mr Pasha said the agenda includes discussion on making Urdu second official language.
Penang, March 16 (NNN-Bernama) Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi wants Muslims to be a group that is accepted by everyone and not a group that is a burden to society.
He said Muslims would be respected if they could become progressive, successful, honourable and steeped in charitable deeds.
The Islamic symbol would continue to be the pride of all parties if Muslims constantly look for the good and avoid animosity, he said when opening the Tanjung Bungah Floating Mosque here Friday.
"We want Muslims to be an asset to the symbolism of Islam," he said expressing the hope that Muslims would do away with acts that contravened Islam.
Abdullah hoped that mosques would be used not only as houses of worship but also as places for activities like discussions and knowledge sessions.
He also advised Muslims to prioritise cleanliness of the mosques because Islam demanded cleanliness.
The RM15 million Tanjung Bungah Floating Mosque is the only one in the country to be built in the sea and is located near the Tanjung Bungah Beach, a popular tourist spot. It can accommodate 1,500 congregation at any one time.
Construction on the mosque began in 2003 and was completed in early 2005.
Jakarta, MARCH 16 (NNN-ANTARA) Indonesia is the world's fastest destroyer of forests, eradicating 300 football fields' worth every hour, environmental group Greenpeace said Friday as it staged a demonstration.
Activists dressed as loggers chain-sawed a 20-metre (65-foot) wooden wall in the capital, Jakarta, to symbolise the destruction, saying industrial and illegal logging were mainly to blame.
Greenpeace said data from the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation showed Indonesia destroyed nearly 1.9 million hectares (4.6 million acres) of forest annually between 2000 and 2005.
But the official Indonesian figure was higher at 2.8 million hectares, it said.
Greenpeace Southeast Asia campaigner Hapsoro said a series of recent Indonesian natural disasters, such as floods, landslides and droughts, were all linked to the "unprecedented destruction" of forest cover.
"The government must realise that massive forest degradation in Indonesia is responsible for major disasters that killed a lot of Indonesians," he said.
Only Brazil destroys more forest annually, but Indonesia's smaller forest area puts its deforestation rate at 2 percent against Brazil's 0.6 percent, the group said.
Greenpeace said it had written to the Guinness World Records to nominate Indonesia as the fastest destroyer of forests, based on its deforestation rate.
Luanda, March 16 (NNN-ANGOP) The third session of the Angola-China Inter-Governmental Bilateral Commission that met on Wednesday and Thursday in Beijing has stressed the need to promote and expand the economic and technical-trade co-operation, based on mutual advantages and equality.
The two delegations, led by Angolan Deputy Minister for Co-operation, Irene Neto, and by Chinese Deputy Trade Minister Wei Jianguo, analyzed the boosting of economic and bilateral trade co-operation, since the second meeting held in Luanda from May 21 to 23, 2001.
The parties voiced satisfaction at the positive execution level and showed interest in strengthening and further boosting bilateral co-operation.
As to the level of implementation of the conclusions from the second bilateral session, they observed that the volume of bilateral trade in 2006 reached USD 11.8 billion, making Angola the biggest trading partner of China in Africa.
Neto and her delegation expressed Angola’s readiness to encourage national companies towards creating initiatives to boost imports and exports of equipment and products with the Asian country.
Concerning the mechanism of the joint work team, as an element that favours mutual communication, sharing of information and solving of problems during co-operation, the sides agreed to reinforce their operations, through a meeting to be held on a date and venue to be agreed on, in order to secure a stable interchange.
The Angolan delegation in Beijing included Minister of Public Works Higino Carneiro who, in his capacity as co-chairman of the Angola-China Bilateral Commission, met with Trade Minister Bo Xilai, with whom he discussed bilateral issues.
Luanda, March 16 (NNN-ANGOP) The First Vice-Speaker of the Angolan National Assembly, João Lourenço, left Thursday for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), to attend the opening of the first legislature of that country’s third republic.
João Lourenço will remain just a few hours in DRC, representing the National Assembly speaker, who has sent a message to the Congolese people reaffirming “the historic ties of unity of the two peoples".
Joao Lourenco said relations between Angolan parliament and that of DRC are "good and have the obligation to be better", taking into account the ties of proximity.
"The Congolese parliament is too young, it is only a few days old and it is the Angolan parliament’s obligation to do its best to help the DRC parliament to contribute in a significant way to the strengthening of democracy," said João Lourenço.
The DRC third republic started with the elections of Oct 31 last year, won by Joseph Kabila, that set the re-establishment of constitutional order in that neighbouring country.
New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) Justice A.R. Lakshmanan of the Supreme Court almost broke down in court Friday saying he had received an anonymous letter in the morning casting aspersions on him in his tackling of a case inquiring into the alleged disproportionate assets of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Justice Lakshmanan and Justice Altamas Kabir were to hear a petition filed by Akhilesh Yadav, MP and son of Mulayam Singh, seeking review of an order directing a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into charges of corruption against the Yadav family.
When the matter was taken up, Justice Lakshmanan told the counsel Mukul Rohtagi: "I am not in a mood to hear this case because I received a letter. I am very much disturbed. I don't want to hear this case. In my entire 17-and-a-half years as a judge of various high courts and five years in this court, I have never received such a letter. Myself, my wife and family are disturbed."
His voice was choked in emotion as he spoke.
Senior lawyers Soli Sorabjee, Ashok Desai, Rajeev Dhawan, Mukul Rohtagi and Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramaniam came out in support of the judge as they had "full faith and confidence in you and this court". They asked him to continue to hear the matter by ignoring the anonymous letter and "the entire bar is with you".
Justice Lakshmanan, however, refused to hear the matter and directed that the review petition be placed before the chief justice for posting it before a bench of which Justice Altamas Kabir will be a member.
The review petition pleaded for stay of a CBI probe till May 31 in the case when the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections would be completed.
Cairo, March 16 (NNN-KUNA) Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abul-Gheit has ruled out the possibility of normalising relations between Arab countries and Israel before reaching comprehensive peace.
"The whole affair is based on the land-for-peace principle," he told reporters here Thursday.
"The Arab peace initiative calls for Israeli pullout from the occupied Arab territories, peace between Israel and the Palestinians, and establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
"Only after settlement of Arab-Israeli conflict on the land-for-peace principle, we can talk about full normalisation of relations," he stressed.
Rebutting claims and speculations on possible amendment of the initiative, Abul-Gheit said: "Egypt will never accept any amendment."
"The Arab leaders reached the initiative in Beirut summit in 2002, and will reassert commitment to it in the coming Riyadh summit.
"The initiative is an Arab effort to show the world the desire of the Arab countries for peace," he noted.
On the ongoing intensive pan-Arab contacts, the Egyptian minister said they aimed to clear the atmosphere and develop a consensus during this highly delicate period before the coming summit.
Egypt and Saudi Arabia are making active moves to stabilise the situation in Iraq, Lebanon, Sudan and Somalia with a view to securing success of the coming summit, Abul-Gheit pointed out.
The Arab foreign ministers meeting on March 26 will work out all resolutions to be endorsed by the summit.
Asked about the coming meeting between US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and representative of the so-called Arab Quartet -- Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates -- in Aswan, south Egypt, Abul-Gheit said Rice would brief the Arab side on her contacts with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
Egypt hopes that Rice would suggest a "political prospect" during the meeting, he said, expecting another Middle East tour by Rice in April.
By Sujeet Kumar,
Raipur, March 16 (IANS) Maoist guerrillas who slaughtered 55 policemen in a remote police camp in Chhattisgarh set fire to the complex to make the sleeping cops run out - and then simply began to mow them down.
As the authorities pieced together the country's worst ever Maoist attack on security forces, bits and pieces of what really happened at the Rani Bodali camp in Bastar region began to emerge, with some gruesome details.
Initial reports after the pre-dawn raid Thursday said some 300 Maoists quietly ringed the camp housing men from the Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) and Special Police Officers (SPOs) and then stormed it hurling grenades and bombs and also opened fire.
On Friday, a senior police officer who visited the site, about 510 km from here, spoke on different lines.
Police sources said the rebels first set the camp on fire at 2 a.m. As the rebels had expected, most CAF personnel and SPOs, most of whom were asleep, began running out assuming it was an accidental blaze.
"Once the jawans ran out, the Maoists opened firing from all directions," trapping the security personnel in the open, the officer said. "Some rebels had walkie-talkies. Probably they were updating their bosses about the attack."
Chhattisgarh Home Minister Ramvichar Netam provided more details of the massacre site, saying the scenes of the dead he saw were "gruesome".
A numbed Netam told IANS that the guerrillas had "repeatedly axed" some of the policemen and smashed their heads at the end of a four-hour onslaught that shook the Indian establishment all the way from Raipur to New Delhi.
"I have never witnessed such a gruesome scene," Netam said here. "Probably the horror scenes I witnessed will never get erased from my memory. Some of the bodies had been repeatedly axed and heads were smashed."
About 8,000 security personnel, mostly drawn from the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and CAF, meanwhile combed a vast forested stretch in Bijapur area of Bastar.
"About 8,000 policemen have entered the Maoist den, from Bhairamgarh area. We will search out the rebels within an 80 km radius till sunset," a CRPF commander told IANS over telephone. "The operation will continue for several days."
The commander's words betrayed the limitations imposed on the security forces by the unruly terrain, where sunset leaves the area virtually in rebel control.
Sixteen CAF personnel and 39 SPOs, a group of civilians who assist the police in the campaign against Maoists, were killed in a meticulously planned attack on an isolated police camp at Rani Bodali village in Bijapur.
It was the bloodiest attack by leftwing extremists on security forces since the Maoist rebellion erupted in India in 1967.
Netam added: "Police have launched one of the biggest exercises in Chhattisgarh to avenge the killings. The rebels have to pay the price."
Local news channels Friday splashed footage of the attack site. One TV showed a dog licking nearly dried-up blood in the camp.
The Maoist attack began at 2 a.m. and lasted almost until 6 a.m. Fresh security forces reached the scene almost five hours later, only to find 55 of the 74 policemen in the camp dead and others struggling to stay live.
B.K. Ponwar, who heads the Counter Terrorism and Jungle Warfare College in the state, said the Maoists selected the area because it was where "Salwa Judum", an armed campaign by a pro-government tribal militia, emerged in June 2005 to take on the Maoists.
Mahendra Karma, a tribal leader of Bastar and founder of "Salwa Judum", told IANS that the state government was to blame for Thursday's killings.
"It's a security lapse. The forces were already on high alert since a Lok Sabha MP was killed in Jharkhand this month. The BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) government lacks strategy," said the Congress legislator who tops the Maoist hit list.
Chhattisgarh has recruited about 5,000 SPOs from local tribes on a monthly salary of Rs.1,500 to act as spies and to assist the police force. A few have been given weapons training, but most are armed only with bows and arrows.
Bastar - a forested area largely inhabited by tribals - has been one of the oldest hubs of the Maoist movement in the country. The Maoists' goal is to bring about an armed revolution.
Bridgetown (Barbados), March 16 (IANS) The Barbados Postal Service (BPS) will release new commemorative stamps this month featuring the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007.
Barbados's Home Affairs Minister Dale Marshall will launch three stamps marking the cricket World Cup Monday morning at the Grand Barbados Beach Resort, according to the Government Information Service (GIS) of Barbados.
One stamp with a denomination of 1.75 Barbadian dollars (BDS) will feature legendary West Indies fast bowler Joel Garner, another of BDS$2.10 denomination will show the Old Kensington Oval, while a third stamp of BDS$3 will feature the New Kensington Oval.
A mint set of stamps will come for BDS$6.85, the first day cover for BDS$7.45, the souvenir sheet for BDS $10.00 and the souvenir sheet first day cover for BDS$10.60, according to GIS.
Kolkata, March 16 (IANS) A 12-hour shutdown called by the opposition Trinamool Congress and Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) began in West Bengal Friday with angry mobs torching a public bus to protest the killing of 14 people in Nandigram two days ago in police firing on villagers protesting takeover of farmland for industry.
However, flights operated on schedule from the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport here.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has called a 24-hour shutdown.
A bus was set on fire in Kolkata by angry bandh supporters, while clashes were reported with police from other places across the state as bandh protagonists damaged vehicles, police said.
Most trains from the city - both Eastern and Southeastern Railway - were cancelled while several long distance trains bound for Kolkata's Howrah and Sealdah stations were halted at various places by protesters.
In Kolkata, the city wore a deserted look with no private vehicles on the roads while government buses were also few.
Shops, schools, colleges and all business establishments remained closed in West Bengal.
In Nandigram, 150 km from here, the scene of clashes between police and villagers protesting acquisition of farmland for the setting up of a special economic zone, the situation was tense and the shutdown was reported to be complete, official sources said.
While an unfazed Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and his Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) defended the police action, saying they had acted in self-defence after coming under attack from hundreds of protesters, a Left Front meeting on the issue Thursday night remained inconclusive.
Kolkata, March 16 (IANS) Buses were torched and protestors tried to storm the residential area of West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya Friday as normal life in the state was wholly paralysed by a shutdown staged to protest the killing of 14 villagers in Nandigram in police firing even as reports of violence came in from Singur, another volatile spot in the state.
A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team reached Nandigram, 150 km from here, Friday and began investigations into Wednesday's killings.
Meanwhile, there were reports of tension from Singur, 50 km from here, where angry farmers are protesting the takeover of farmland for a Tata Motors car project. Some protesters tried to damage the fencing of the Tata Motors project but were stopped by the police.
The Trinamool Congress and the Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) had given a call for a 12-hour statewide shutdown Friday that was to run in tandem with another call for a 24-hour strike given by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to protest violence in Nandigram.
Mobs on rampage torched public buses, assaulted officials, burnt chief minister Buddhadev Bhattachrjee's effigy and even tried to storm his residence at Palm Avenue in south Kolkata.
"The situation is tense. Many buses were damaged in and around Kolkata. The bandh supporters also attacked some government employees in districts while they were in their offices.
"A CITU (Centre for Indian Trade Union) party office was ransacked by some Trinamool Congress activists at Panchla in Howrah," said West Bengal Home Secretary Prasad Ranjan Roy at the state secretariat Writers' Building.
Inspector-General of Police Raj Kanojia said some 800 people were arrested across the state.
Police said some Congress workers in a truck tried to enter the security zone at Palm Avenue but were prevented, and the men, arrested.
SUCI supporters also tried to storm West Bengal government secretariat the Writers' Building and burnt the chief minister's effigy while Trinamool Congress and Congress supporters demonstrated at Hazra Road in south Kolkata near the residence of Trinamool leader Mamata Banerjee.
In Uttar Dinajpur district in north Bengal a deputy district magistrate was assaulted by bandh supporters.
In Kolkata, the shutdown began with the torching of a government bus early in the morning near Sealdah station. At some places, the strikers scuffled with the police.
Train services were also thrown out of gear in both Howrah and Sealdah sections. Several long distance and local trains were stopped at different places by the protesters.
Train services in South Eastern Railway (SER) and Eastern Railway (ER) were badly affected as several long-distance trains, including the Mumbai-Howrah Mail, Varanasi Express and Howrah-Sambalpur Express, were stopped.
However, most flights operated on schedule from the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) Airport here.
Work was affected at the city's IT hub in Salt Lake's Sector V area. "The IT sector has been partly affected in Sector V due to the shutdown but we always try to keep the IT and ITeS sectors open during any shutdown in West Bengal," West Bengal principal secretary of IT Siddharth told IANS over telephone from Germany.
"We made police arrangements and had escorts for the employees so that they could come to offices safely," he said.
In Nandigram, in East Midnapore district, the scenes of clashes between police and villagers protesting acquisition of farmland for the setting up of a special economic zone, the situation was tense and the shutdown was reported to be complete, official sources said.
Some TV reports showed footage of clashes at Nandakumar near Nandigram.
"There has not been any major incident in Nandigram," East Midnapore Superintendent of Police Anil Srinivasan said.
While an unfazed Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and his Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) defended the police action, saying they had acted in self-defence after coming under attack from hundreds of protesters, a Left Front meeting on the issue Thursday night targeted Bhattacharya.
Berlin, March 16, (IRNA) German deputy foreign minister, Gernot Erler on Thursday expressed great concern over US, British and French efforts to modernize their nuclear weapons arsenal, calling it a threat to the international nuclear non-proliferation regime.
Speaking with the Deutschlandfunk radio, Erler said, "I am personally very concerned about the chances of a future
non-proliferation policy because we have been faced with a series of decisions. The Americans have decided to modernize their atomic program, so did the French and the British have just decided to do so."
"This means that three of the most important atomic states are pursuing rearmament ...," he added.
Erler stressed that while the European Union is following a global strategy of cooperative security, it is faced with an "almost provocative rearmament of the official atomic powers".
"This needs to be discussed because what in fact unites all of us, is the interest in non-proliferation," the German official said.
Germany which has no nuclear arms of its own, has repeatedly warned that the latest US, French and British nuclear weapons plans will trigger a new global arms race.
The US, France and Britain have been signatories to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) whose main main aims are to stop the further spread of nuclear weapons.
Another objective of NPT is to provide security for non-nuclear weapon states which have given up the nuclear option, to encourage international co-operation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and to pursue negotiations in good faith towards nuclear disarmament leading to the eventual elimination of all nuclear weapons worldwide.
Notable non-signatories to the NPT are Israel, Pakistan, and India as the latter two have since tested-fired nuclear weapons.
Israel is viewed by most to be an unacknowledged nuclear weapons state with hundreds of atomic warheads.
Patna, March 16 (IANS) It is official now. Bihar generates no power of its own, State Energy Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav has admitted.
"The state's own power generation is zero at present. We have a demand of 1,500 MW and the state is getting about 800-900 MW from the central pool," said Yadav.
Taking transmission losses into account, the demand-supply gap in Bihar is nearly 600 MW.
According to Yadav, Bihar's two thermal power plants - at Kanti in Muzaffarpur and Barauni in Begusarai district - are under maintenance. The minister said the government was hopeful that both the Muzaffarpur Thermal Power Station (MTPS) and the Barauni Thermal Power Station (BTPS) would start functioning to full capacity soon.
He blamed the previous Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) government led by Rabri Devi for not doing anything for generating power following the state's bifurcation in 2000.
"The government has initiated efforts to augment our own power generation capacity, but it is a time consuming process and the state will have to wait for some time before power generation starts," Yadav said Thursday in the state assembly replying to a debate on a cut motion for his department's 2007-08 budget demand.
Official sources in the state energy department told IANS Friday that power generation would start only by the year-end.
The combined installed capacity of the two power plants is 540 MW.
Yadav said the government has initiated a move to set up hydropower generation units in the state. Some private investors are said to have shown keen interest in the project.
Besides, the state's last hope for power lies with the proposed setting up of a nuclear power plant with a 2000 MW capacity.
The poor power situation is evident as power cuts are regular in the state capital even in winter. Most of the 37 district headquarters and small towns remain in darkness as they hardly get four to five hours of power supply in a day.
Guwahati, March 16 (IANS) At least six people were injured, two critically, in a powerful explosion Friday in Assam's main city Guwahati - the latest in a string of blasts.
Police said the bomb went off at a crowded street at 1 p.m. "Initial reports suggest about six people were wounded and about a dozen motorbikes and two shops went up in flames after the blast near a parking lot," an official said.
"What saved many lives was the fact that the explosion took place at a parking lot where there were few people," said Rana Baruah, a trader who was nearby.
Police said they suspected the separatist United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) for the attack.
On Thursday, there were six explosions in different parts of the state, leaving one person dead and wounding 11 people, besides blowing up a crude oil and a gas pipeline.
Friday's blast comes on the ULFA's 'army day' celebrations Friday - the armed wing was formed March 16 after being founded in 1979.
"Let us pledge on this auspicious day to fight and achieve independence at any cost," ULFA commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah said in a statement Friday.
There were two bomb explosions earlier this week in eastern Assam killing one person and injuring 24 people. A ruling Congress party leader shot dead near Guwahati.
The ULFA, fighting for an independent homeland since 1979, has been blamed for a string of attacks in January that killed about 80 people, 61 of them Hindi-speaking migrant workers, in eastern Assam.
Kingston (Jamaica), March 16 (IANS) A fine unbeaten knock of 115 by Jeremy Bray helped Ireland to reach 221 for eight in 50 overs against Zimbabwe in a Group D World Cup match at the Sabina Park here Thursday.
Brief scores: Ireland 221/9 in 50 overs (Jeremy Bray 115 n.o.; Elton Chigumbura 2/21)
New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) The Union Budget was passed in the Lok Sabha Friday with Finance Minister P. Chidambaram tabling his reply to budget discussions amid loud protests, slogan shouting and disruptions by the opposition over the killing of 14 people in police firing in West Bengal's Nandigram.
The Banking Regulation (Amendments) Bill was also passed even as the entire opposition shouted slogans, demanding the dismissal of the Left Front government in West Bengal over the Nandigram violence Wednesday.
The Lok Sabha, which was adjourned twice earlier, witnessed acrimonious scenes as Chidambaram stood up to reply to the three-day-long budget discussion in the house, attacking the opposition for being harsh on the budget.
He said: "The harsher the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is, the brighter our economic future."
Immediately after passing the budget, vote on account, Appropriation Bill and the Banking Regulation (amendment) Bill, the lower house was adjourned till 3.30 p.m.
Chemical and Fertiliser Minister Ram Vilas Paswan moved the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (amendment) Bill, which was also passed amidst the din.
Earlier, the Lok Sabha suspended business two minutes after it met with BJP members running to the speaker's podium raising slogans against the Left Front government over the killings in Nandigram.
Similar scenes were witnessed in the Rajya Sabha. In the upper house, trouble began after MPs from BJP, Shiv Sena and Trinamool Congress said they had served notice on the Nandigram killings. Left parties led by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) opposed any discussion on the issue.
Even as opposition MPs shouted slogans like "Buddhadev hatyara hai, pradhan mantri ka sahara hai" (Buddhadev is a killer, he supports the prime minister), an irate Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat tried to restore order. When he failed, he adjourned the house till 12 p.m.
When it met again for Zero Hour and Deputy Chairman K. Rahman Khan assumed the chair, BJP members were back on their feet sloganeering against the CPI-M and the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
CPI-M members also rose to counter them. Soon Congress members like Rajiv Shukla, V. Narayanasamy and Satyvrat Chaturvedi too raised counter slogans.
Having completed the pre-lunch business, Rahman adjourned the house till 2.30 p.m. for the post-lunch session.
Jakarta, March 16 (NNN-ANTARA) The government hopes the naming of State Logistics Agency (Bulog) chief Widjanarko Puspoyo as a sucpect in a corruption case will not distrub the implementation of its rice policy, Coordinating Minister for Economy Boediono said.
"The naming of Widjanarko as a suspect in a corruption case is a legal process and market operations (to stabilize rice prices) and rice importation are expected to continue," Boediono said here Friday.
He said Bulog was playing an important role in the implementation of the national rice policy because it was responsible for the execution of the rice market operations.
Asked if the Bulog chief would be replaced in the near future, Boediono said the matter was something outside his domain.
Widjarnarko was named a suspect in the case involving cows imported from Australia, an official at the Attorney-General`s Office (AGO) said.
Hendarman Supandji, an AGO graft prosecutor, told reporters the case in which Widjanarko was implicated happened in 2001.
"Investigators in the Australian cow import case have declared Bulog chief Widjanarko Puspoyo a suspect, and information from witnesses indicated he was one of the people who had ordered the cow import," Supandji said.
By Ryan O\'Brian
Gros Islet (St Lucia), March 16 (IANS-CMC)) Canada were struggling to find positives while Kenya were revelling in their comfortable seven-wicket victory, in the wake of Wednesday's opening Group C match of the cricket World Cup.
"There are not many positives for us. Geoff Barnett got a good start for us but when he got out he did not receive much support from the rest of the guys," Canada's captain John Davison said.
Opening batsman Barnett top-scored with 41 as Canada were dismissed from the last ball of their allotted 50 overs for 199.
Kenya replied strongly with 203 for three to carve out an easy victory, at the Beausejour Cricket Ground.
Canada laboured through the middle overs of their innings and were undermined mainly by spinners Jimmy Kamande and Hiren Varaiya who both bowled their quota of overs for a combined 45 runs, picking up three wickets between them.
"We have to get on terms with facing the spinners. We need to do some work in the nets and get our feet moving. It is a matter of using the crease a bit more," Davison stressed.
Davison said he was also disappointed with his team's effort in the field, where they conceded 28 extras, five of them being penalty runs for a ball that hit the helmet behind the wicketkeeper.
"We haven't bowled that well and there were too many extras. Maybe the pressure of the occasion got to us," Davidson said.
Kenya's captain Steve Tikolo said he was extremely pleased by his team's performance.
"It was a good game. Both teams played some good cricket and our spinners came good. When we batted we came back well after losing an early wicket and finished off the job," said Tikolo.
"It was important for us to have won our first game so we can get momentum going into the next game."
Tikolo credited his team's display to the fact that they have been playing together for the past year and said the World Cup presented an opportunity for players to show their talent on the "big stage".
He was full of praise for West Indian Roger Harper who was now coach of the Kenyan team.
"He has done well for the team. He has brought in discipline, his work ethic is high and he stresses on fitness and we do a lot of drills," said Tikolo.
Named man-of-the-match for his two for 34 and undefeated 72, Tikolo was still guarded on Kenya's prospects for the rest of the campaign.
"It's important being a senior member of the team that I lead from up front. I am pleased with my form at this stage," Tikolo said.
"All 16 teams are here to win. We have to continue doing the right things and take all we have learnt into our next game."
Canada will next play England on March 18 while Kenya's next engagement is against New Zealand on March 20.
Kolkata, March 16 (IANS) A 10-member Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team reached Nandigram Friday to probe the police firing on villagers that led to the deaths of at least 14 people and injuries to over 70.
"The CBI team has reached Nandigram and is at the spot where the firings took place," a senior police official told IANS.
He said the CBI team was marking the areas of Wednesday's police firing in Nandigram, 150 km from here. The police had reportedly fired on angry villagers protesting the takeover of farmland for industry.
Villagers broke down when the authorities handed over the bodies of two of those killed in the violence,an official said. The situation in the East Midnapore district is so charged that the CBI team has plastered the probe agency's stickers on all sides of the vehicle.
Dubbing the police firing on villagers at Nandigram as unconstitutional, the Calcutta High Court had Thursday ordered a CBI inquiry into the killings following a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) by a group of lawyers. The court asked the CBI to constitute a special team to probe the firing and asked the state government to file an affidavit on every detail of the incident.
It also asked the CBI to file a report within seven days on who ordered the firing, said lawyer Kalyan Bandopadhayay, one of the lawyers who moved the PIL.
Beijing, March 16 (Xinhua) China's top legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC), adopted a landmark property law here Friday morning, granting equal protection to public and private properties.
It only took less than a minute for the nearly 3,000 NPC lawmakers to pass the much-revised bill, which had gone through a lengthy legislation process of more than 13 years and a record seven readings, by an overwhelming majority as the NPC concluded its annual full session in the Great Hall of the People in downtown Beijing.
The lawmakers applauded warmly after NPC Standing Committee Chairman Wu Bangguo announced the voting results. A total of 2,799 lawmakers voted for the law and 52 against. Thirty-seven abstained and one didn't cast vote.
The 247-article law, which is due to come into effect as of Oct 1, 2007, stipulates that "the property of the state, the collective, the individual and other obligees is protected by law, and no units or individuals may infringe upon it".
This is the first time that equal protection to state and private properties has been enshrined in a Chinese law, which analysts say marks a significant step in the country's efforts to further economic reforms and boost social harmony.
Beijing, March 16 (Xinhua) China will launch a new direct broadcast satellite later this year after its predecessor, Sinosat-2, suffered a fatal technical failure in space one month after its launch.
Chinasat-9, also the country's second direct-to-home satellite scheduled to be launched in September or October, said Du Baichuan, deputy director of the science and technology sector of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.
Du gave no specific timetable for the launch.
The France-made Chinasat-9 is capable of covering almost all of China, making it possible for at least 98 percent of the population to receive satellite television using small dishes.
Chinasat-9 was originally planned to complement Sinosat-2 as mutual back up to form China's first-generation direct broadcast satellite system.
SinoSat-2, China's first direct-to-home satellite was launched last year. But it failed to deploy its solar panels and communication antennae and was deemed inoperable.
China has 12.6 million digital TV subscribers and a total of 400 million television sets, suggesting a huge potential market for satellite TV.
Kingston (Jamaica), March 16 (IANS) West Indies team coordinator Clive Lloyd said he was concerned about the number of inexperienced regional players who had advanced to the international level.
The former captain, who led the West Indies in successive World Cup triumphs in 1975 and 1979, noted that while the Caribbean side was represented by talented players, too many of them were still learning the game.
Lloyd, 62, also admitted the current side was not as strong as the West Indies teams that claimed the first two World Cup tournaments in England.
"We don't have the players of that calibre. We have players who can rise to the occasion once they can put their minds to the task. The point is we have a lot of players who are still learning the trade. They learn at work, which is unfortunate," Lloyd told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).
"It's very difficult to learn the trade when you should have learnt all the rudiments of the game and we have that problem getting guys to understand certain things. There are too many things you have to tell them when they get to this level, which is a bit late."
Following their 54-run victory against Pakistan in Tuesday's opening match at Sabina Park, Lloyd said the West Indies would need the will to win and the right attitude, if they were to reclaim their title as world champions.
"You can't come in to one-day cricket searching for form. If West Indies can just turn the corner and be more consistent with their play ... we'll beat anybody," Lloyd said.
Lloyd also stressed the importance of practice and consistency, as the West Indies prepare to face Zimbabwe on Monday in their second, preliminary round Group D match.
Lloyd said Brian Lara's side needed to focus on their game, play "smart cricket" and bowl out their opposition as quickly as possible, throughout the competition.
"It's one day cricket, anything can happen. When the right team turns up, if our guys get all disciplines right, I think we can be a match for anybody like we did in the last ICC trophy," he said.
New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) A parliamentary panel has rapped a premier defence research and development (R&D) body for failing to meet its import substitution targets by as much as 50 percent, saying huge time and cost overruns in its big ticket projects warranted a "thorough review" of the organisation's functioning.
"(We) are not happy to be informed that during the 10th Plan (2002-07), against the target fixed to reach 70 percent indigenisation, only 30-35 percent could be achieved," parliament's standing committee on defence said Friday in its report on the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
Noting that the country was still largely dependant on imports of military hardware and the DRDO "even after 48 years of its formation has not been able to achieve its targeted mission of self reliance" in defence products, the committee pointed to the "urgent need for a thorough review" of its functioning and organisational structure "to increase its efficiency".
The committee, headed by Lok Sabha MP Balasaheb Vikhe Patil (Congress), expressed its "displeasure" over the fact that the scientific advisor to the defence minister had been assigned "multifarious responsibilities" of heading the DRDO and other research establishments.
"Any officer who holds various posts simultaneously cannot be expected to devote adequate time and energy to visit R&D laboratories under him and to contact other scientific labs for motivational leadership purposes," the panel said, adding: "One person should not be entrusted with a number of responsibilities by making him hold a number of posts simultaneously."
The panel also sought greater superintendence of DRDO's functioning through an independent committee of experts and professions, as was the case with entities like the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) that "enjoy greater autonomy in their functioning, particularly with the (private) industry".
Pointing to specific projects that had been delayed, the committee was "perturbed to note" that in spite of 32 years having passed and costs having risen from Rs.150 million to Rs.3.06 billion, DRDO had not been able to deliver its Arjun main battle tank (MBT) to the Indian Army.
In the case of the Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA) and its Kaveri engine, the committee expressed "displeasure" over time and cost overruns, saying that in spite of 530 flights, the aircraft "is years away from induction into the IAF (Indian Air Force)".
To overcome such glitches, the committee that state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and the Aeronautic Development Agency (ADA) "may be allowed to develop their own leadership and separate organisation/institution/company independent of DRDO".
Referring to the integrated guided missile development programme (IGMDP), the committee was "constrained to note" that four missiles were meant to be designed at an original cost of Rs.3.88 billion "which has now been revised substantially and their probable date of completion, which was 1995, has also been revised to 2007".
In all this, the committee noted that, "there is no scientific audit at any point of time of DRDO and its projects" and recommended that the organisation's projects "must be audited by external and independent groups of experts approved by the government.
"This will facilitate the government to understand the scientific environment, fundamentals in delays and to check growing costs and their overruns," the panel maintained.
New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) Delhi Police said Friday they were unaware about a car speeding through a heavily-guarded VIP zone in the heart of the city every night for the past month, a day after a high court judge told the police about the "rogue" car.
High Court Judge Swatanter Kumar said in an open court Thursday that the car passes through the high-security Tughlaq Road stretch at over 120 km every night.
The judge said the vehicle comes from near the prime minister's residence, goes past a roundabout and stops on Tughlaq Road, near the police station at 11.30 p.m. every night. The judge said he had received a tip-off about the car from a high profile friend residing in the same area.
"We have no idea about such an incident and if there is a car travelling in the area since the past one month, the security agencies responsible for guarding the prime minister's residence would have caught the car and its driver," a senior official told IANS.
An official in the PMO's security told IANS that there was no such incident or a written complaint brought to their notice, "but we have launched a massive hunt to nab the mysterious car on the judge's statement".
The judge asked Delhi Police how they had consistently failed to get hold of the speeding car.
A senior Delhi Police official said though there were no directions from the court, "but we have asked the concerned officials responsible for security to file a detailed report on the issue. The matter has come to our notice through media reports".
The Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), responsible for security and traffic management, have been asked to prepare the report, police sources said.
The security of the PMO is jointly guarded by Delhi Police and intelligence agencies and the National Security Guards (NSG).
By Sanjay Sharma,
Bhopal, March 16 (IANS) A Mumbai-based company has purchased the bungalow of United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based underworld don Iqbal Mohammed Memon here for a whopping Rs.48.5 million in an open auction, giving rise to speculation that he has re-purchased his own property.
Iqbal Mirchi, as he is popularly known, is wanted by police in India in several cases, particularly the 1993 Mumbai blasts. The UN also considers him among the top 50 drug barons in the world and believes that he is a senior figure in the 'D' (Dawood Ibrahim) Company.
Spread over 8,343 sq ft, the bungalow came into focus in 1999 after the body of Anil Sharma, a sharpshooter working for another underworld don, Abu Salem, was found there.
Registered in the name of Mirchi's wife Hawa Bibi, it was attached by the Central Excise and Customs Department in 2001 under the Narcotics Drugs & Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act 1985 and The Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act, 1976, officials said.
It is said that Mirchi got hold of the bungalow from an Anglo-Indian lady whose husband worked as a railway contractor in Bhopal. Mirchi got in touch with the old and ailing lady, took her for treatment to Mumbai and got the huge bungalow registered in his wife's name.
However, a special team from Mumbai - comprising additional commissioner of customs and excise M.R. Mohanty; superintendent Nalini Kaveel and others succeeded in auctioning it to a Mumbai-based company Thursday for Rs.48.5 million as against the declared reserve price of Rs.9.4 million.
"The aggressive attitude of the buyer since the beginning of the auction showed that he didn't want to lose it to anyone at any cost," said an eyewitness.
Sources identified the buyer as Aamitr Khan of ID Construction Company, Mumbai. Officials, however, declined to reveal name of the buyer due to security reasons.
It is suspected that the buyer could be someone connected to Mirchi as he paid five times the reserved price of the bungalow.
Madhya Pradesh, it may be pointed out here, is increasingly becoming a haven for Pakistani intelligence agency Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI)-underworld combine.
The police here may though not be fully convinced that the state has become a favourite haunt of ISI-underworld combine, the intelligence officials are worried over tell-tale signs of their presence showing in various parts of the state every now and then.
By Marwa al-A\'sar
Cairo, March 16 (DPA) The power game between the Egyptian regime and the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) movement has got more intense ahead of a public referendum April 4 on planned constitution amendments.
The security forces have arrested MB leader Hassan Zalat. Earlier, an executive bureau member of the group, Mahmoud Ghozlan, and 16 others were arrested and jailed for 15 days pending trial.
Some 40 MB members including the deputy leader are awaiting trial before a military court. They were charged with "money laundering," operating a "militia," using "terrorist tactics" to serve their goals and being members of a "banned movement." Military court verdicts cannot be appealed.
About 240 MB members have been detained, including leaders and senior members.
"The latest detentions represent a direct reaction against the MB's stand, especially that its MPs have announced their withdrawal from the parliamentary sessions," MB first deputy leader Mohamed Habib said.
In December 2006, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak asked the legislature to amend 34 articles of the constitution as part of a political reform package - the first major change in the constitution since 1971.
The opposition and the MB specifically opposed an amendment cancelling the judicial monitoring of the voting process in elections, a second one that imposes conditions for nominating presidential candidates and a third banning the formation of political parties based on religious denomination - a restriction clearly aimed at preventing the MB from emerging as a political party.
The Egyptian leadership openly expressed concerns over the MB's growing political power while adopting an Islamic cover.
Mubarak said in January that "the banned Muslim Brotherhood movement represents a danger to (state) security because it adopts a religious path.
"You stand here before many groups comprising the weave of Egyptian society and before different - and even conflicting - opinions about whether Egypt should be a civil or a religious state," he said.
MB members believe they suffer most from "suppression." "It is a dictatorial political system based on a single person repressing the opposition in general and the MB in particular," Habib said.
Winning 88 seats in parliament, the MB has become the strongest bloc in parliament after the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), which occupies 333 seats with its allies.
The MB's gains in power have raised concerns about their real intention and their motto: "Islam is the solution." The question is whether religion for them is just a means to a political end.
After the parliamentary elections in November and December 2005, Gamal Mubarak, the president's son and an NDP leader, who it is believed may succeed his father in office, said the movement's emergence was having "negative repercussions on the electoral and political process".
The MB was founded in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna, a schoolteacher, to promote a social renewal based on an Islamic ethos of altruism and civic duty, in opposition to political and social injustice and to British imperial rule.
The organisation initially focused on educational and charitable work, but quickly grew to become a major political force as well, by championing the cause of the disenfranchised classes, playing a prominent role in the Egyptian nationalist movement and promoting a conception of Islam that attempted to restore broken links between tradition and modernity.
In the 1970s, a large student Islamic activist movement took shape independently from MB. In the 1980s, during Mubarak's presidency, many of these activists joined the MB, enabling it to win a number of elections to the executive boards of prominent professional associations.
Addis Ababa, March 16 (NNN-ENA) Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said Ethiopia was aware that the Eritrean army’s intelligence section recruited, trained, and led the individuals who kidnapped five Europeans and eight Ethiopians, Al Jazeera TV reported on Wednesday.
In a broadcast monitored here, it quoted Meles as saying that it was outrageous the Ethiopians have not been released while the five Europeans were set free. “We know who was involved in this kidnapping affair.�
“We know they were taken across the border to Eritrea and therefore we hold the Eritrean government responsible for the safety and security of our people,� the satellite new channe quoted Meles as saying.
It is becoming very clear to everyone in the region that Eritrea is becoming a hot bed of terrorism, Meles said, adding that it has been involved in backing terrorist groups in Somalia, it has also been involved in the kidnapping of these individuals.
Therefore, it is becoming a cause of serious concern for us in the region and hopefully for the international community as a whole, he added.
New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) A five-year tax break for hotels coming up in and around the national capital ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games should be extended to hotels in other parts of the country to overcome a severe shortage of rooms, Tourism Minister Ambika Soni said Friday.
Addressing parliament's consultative committee attached to the ministries of tourism and culture here, she said she had addressed a letter to Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on this as the move would help in promoting domestic as well as international tourism in the country.
Chidambaram announced the tax break while presenting the budget for fiscal 2007-08 in parliament Feb 28.
According to the minister, an audit conducted for 2003-04 had established that tourism contributed 5.9 percent to India's GDP of the country. This apart, the 41.8 million people employed directly and indirectly constituted 8.78 percent of the total employment in the country.
Soni said the anticipated growth will have a huge impact on the volume and sweep of tourism and much larger and superior infrastructure and manpower would be needed to deliver the services.
Stating that "Development of Human Resource in Tourism Industry" and "National Archives of India" (NAI) had been selected as subjects for discussions, the minister said while the central government was making all efforts to promote tourism and preserve India's heritage, the state governments had to equally share the responsibility.
In this context, Soni said the state governments should identify and develop tourist circuits or places, give land to develop hotel management institutes and properly utilise the money given under centrally sponsored schemes.
She said her ministries were constantly working on schemes for employment generation through tourism and promotion of rural handicrafts so that common citizens could enjoy the benefits of the tourism boom.
During the meeting, committee members said the government should allocate more funds in view of the increasing importance of the two sectors. They also wanted priority attention to areas like security and safety of the tourists, promotion of tourism related schemes in rural areas and crash courses in human resource development to get better results.
Among those who attended the meeting were Pratibha Singh, Chander Kumar, Nand Kumar Singh Chauhan, B.S. Dangawas, Parasnath Yadav, Prasanna Acharya, V.K. Thummar, Shripad Yasso Naik, and Sunil Khan (all from Lok Sabha), and Chandan Mitra, Tarini Kanta Roy, Ajay Singh Chautala, Surendra Motilal Patel and Barun Mukherjee (all from Rajya Sabha).
New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) India is in the process of reviewing its foreign direct investment (FDI) regulation policy for necessary amendments, Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath said here Friday.
Having a single FDI cap for each sector is also under consideration, Nath told reporters on the sidelines of a conference here organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
According to the minister, the government is focusing on those areas that have employment generation potential.
On the issue of the government approving new special economic zones (SEZ), he said: "No new SEZ approval yet where land is still to be acquired."
SEZs have become a sensitive issue in the country, especially after Wednesday's killing of 14 people protesting land acquisition for such a project in Nandigram in West Bengal.
Qamdo (Tibet), March 16 (Xinhua) Almost a thousand fire fighters are struggling to control a high-altitude blaze that has been spreading through virgin forest in Tibet Autonomous Region since Tuesday.
The fire started in Konjo county of Qamdo prefecture in eastern Tibet Tuesday night, and a 100-strong team arrived at the scene after the local police received a call, said Shi Ruifa, a local police officer.
"Nearly a thousand police and local residents have joined the fire fighting operation, but the fire is still spreading," Shi said.
But, the operation has been hampered by the 4,900 meter altitude and winds exceeding 60 km per hour, Shi said.
A second 100-strong team was travelling to the site, Shi said.
The area hit by fire was hard to estimate and the cause was under investigation, Shi said.
Drought and strong winds had affected Konjo country since February and the daytime temperature had exceeded 22 degrees Celsius, Shi said.
Konjo country has 142 hectares of primary forest, the second largest forest area in Tibet.
M.R. Narayan Swamy,
New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) Less than three years after it remarkably came back to power in India to head a hurriedly-cobbled coalition, the Congress party is not smiling any more.
While the resounding electoral defeats in Punjab and Uttarakhand are the latest and most visible evidence of the reversal of fortunes for the 122-year-old party, the malaise seems to run deep.
This week's shocking scuffles in the Lok Sabha between MPs of its two major allies, DMK and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), over the location of a maritime university have added to the Congress' worries.
Worse, party president Sonia Gandhi is finding her authority being challenged by some disgruntled colleagues.
The Janata Dal-Secular and the Telangana Rashtra Samiti in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh respectively have ceased to be allies of the Congress. The Congress ended up losing control of Karnataka.
Relations with the People's Democratic Party have soured in Jammu and Kashmir. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) is also miffed with the Congress. The Samajwadi Party, which rules Uttar Pradesh, has turned into a bitter foe.
It was the support of all these parties that had helped the Congress win a respectable 145 Lok Sabha seats in 2004 and put together the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) with Left backing.
Political analyst G.V.L. Narasimha Rao said the Congress was indeed in a bad shape.
"Their governance has taken a huge hit. There is a sort of paralysis. Suddenly, not just the Congress president, even Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appears to be under siege," Rao told IANS.
"Unfortunately, a series of elections until the end of next year is likely to bring more bad news to the Congress. Already there is talk of realignment of forces in New Delhi."
The Left has not stopped squabbling with the Congress. Admitting that the DMK-Left tiff had dented the government's image, a central minister said on condition of anonymity: "We don't know how long we are going to last."
Sonia Gandhi's problems may have only just begun.
After disgraced former external affairs minister K. Natwar Singh shockingly raked up her "foreign origin", suspended Congress MP Kuldeep Bishnoi has hit out at her, charging her with arrogance and more.
And in Meghalaya, outgoing chief minister J.D. Rymbai created a stir when he refused to resign despite Gandhi's order, though eventually he did give in.
Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D. Raja, who often interacts with Gandhi, admitted that the Congress was facing a credibility crisis.
"Sonia Gandhi is a good listener, she shares some of our concerns. How far she is able to influence the government's policies, that is a different matter.
"Unless the Congress goes in for some mid-course corrections, it is going to be tough," Raja warned. "But the party fails to see its problems. There is a lot of self-deception."
All this is already taking a toll. The Congress refusal to tie up with the Nationalist Congress Party in Maharashtra's municipal elections ended in its rout at the hands of the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Even in Delhi, where the Congress is in power, its prestige has taken a heavy blow.
Few are giving it a chance in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh - three states that will see elections in the coming months.
According to party insiders, rising prices of essential commodities have dented Congress popularity. Continuing distress in the farm sector and policies perceived to be pro-rich are said to be alienating the common man.
The Congress' worst nightmare will come true if a resurgent BJP, having come to power in Uttarakhand besides Punjab, emerges as the single largest party in a splintered Uttar Pradesh verdict.
If that happens, Rao warned, UPA allies might start putting pressure on the Congress to cede more ground in the central government.
As an MP from Tamil Nadu said: "The Congress is needlessly haughty. It behaves as if it rules India on its own. Even the BJP, with 180 seats in the last Lok Sabha, was more accommodating towards allies."
By Arun Kumar,
Washington, March 16 (IANS) A former major in the Bangladeshi army wanted for his alleged role in the 1975 military-backed coup and assassination of Bangladesh's founder and first president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman has been arrested in the US.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said it arrested Mohiuddin A.K.M. Ahmed, 60, from his residence in Los Angeles Tuesday.
In 1998, the Bangladesh High Court convicted Ahmed in absentia for his role in the coup and assassination and sentenced him to death.
President Mujib was slain Aug 15, 1975, along with his wife and several family members. The coup also resulted in the death of a number of the president's trusted aides.
Ahmed, who first entered the United States in 1996 on a visitor's visa, had appealed a deportation order handed down by an immigration judge in 2002. Late last month, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco denied Ahmed's petition to review the case, allowing the earlier removal order to stand.
For two decades following Mujib's assassination, Ahmed represented the Bangladeshi government in a variety of foreign diplomatic posts.
In July 1996 when he arrived in the United States, Ahmed was ordered to return to Bangladesh to face criminal charges for his role in the plot. Ahmed then applied for permission to remain in the country permanently. The Ninth Circuit Court's action last month denied Ahmed's legal appeal.
Jakarta, March 16 (Xinhua) The G-33 countries will meet in Indonesia later this month to reaffirm the position of developing countries on the Doha Development Agenda (DDA).
The meeting will be attended by representatives from the G-20, G-10, Least Developed Countries Group, and the African, Caribbean and Pacific groupings, the Indonesian trade minister Mari Elka Pangestu was quoted Friday by English daily The Jakarta Post as saying.
So far, 15 ministers have confirmed that they will attend the meeting, including Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath and Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorin, as well as 28 senior officials from various countries.
The G-33, in which Indonesia is currently serving as the chair, is actually a grouping of 46 developing countries.
The Doha negotiations, which failed to reach common ground because of deadlock over agricultural issues, and farm subsidies in particular, resumed on Feb 7.
Mari explained that currently the US was willing to lower its agriculture subsidies to $20 billion per year. However, most developing countries wanted to see the figure reduced to as low as $12 billion dollars.
The G-33 has also sponsored the introduction of the special product (SP) and special safeguard mechanism (SSM) proposals.
Both the SP and SSM concepts require exemptions from tariff cuts for certain products that are specific to each country for the purpose of protecting domestic food security, the livelihood of citizens and promoting rural development in developing countries.
Berlin, March 16, (IRNA) Germany's Federal Crime Office (BKA) called on the government to raise the terror alert follwing the latest terror threats issued on the internet, the German-edition of Financial Times said in a report to hit the newsstands on Thursday, citing no sources.
A BKA spokeswoman did not want to comment on the report, referring the case to the German Interior Ministery where a spokesperson said he could mot say anything on the issue.
According to the BKA this is the highest terror threat level in as many years.
In terms of the terror danger, Germany's gap has been drastically reduced vis-a-vis the US, Britain and Israel.
Meanwhile, the BKA said earlier it was unaware of any concrete terror plans inside Germany which was the logistic base for the 9/11 terrorists in the US.
Islamist militants threatened last weekend to attack Germany and Austria if they did not withdraw their troops out of Afghanistan, according to a statement read out by a masked man on a website linked to Al-Qaeda.
Berlin is also facing growing pressure over two purported German hostages in Iraq where a militant Islamist organization has also threatened to execute them, if Germany fails to pull out its 2,750 soldiers from Afghanistan.
German terror experts have repeatedly warned that it was only a matter of time, before Germany would become the scene of a major terrorist attack.
By Saeid Najar Nobari,
Berlin, March 16, (IRNA) Germany on Thursday called on the five major emerging states - China, India, Brazil, Mexcio and South Africa - to boost their climate protection cooperation with the top industrialized countries ahead of the opening of three-day summit of the Group of Eight (G8) environment ministers in the eastern city of Potsdam.
G8 environment ministers from Germany, the US, Russia, Japan, France, Britain, Italy and Canada will be discussing climate change at the summit meeting with their counterparts from the five emerging countries which are some of the world's biggest greenhouse polluters.
"International negotiations on climate protection need urgent political impetus. This is the only way to master the challenge of the century," said German Environment Minister Sigmund Gabriel during a news conference, joined by the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Achim Steiner.
The talks on climate protection in Postdam are seen as a prepatory meeting ahead of the G8 summit in the German Baltic Sea resort of Heiligendamm in June and the UN climate confab on the Indonesian island of Bali in December.
According to Gabriel, the series of meetings between the G8 states and the leading advanced developing countries could eventually set the stage for a post-Kyoto Protocol agreement.
"The objective of the Potsdam meeting is now to point out the successes and deficits. A meeting of this kind brings together the perpetrators of two-thirds of the world's greenhouse gas emissions and the consumers of around three-quarters of the planet's biological capacity," said the German minister.
"The G8 Summit in Heiligendamm will also focus on the economic impact of climate change," added Gabriel who compared the danger of global warming with the threat of the Cold War.
The German official urged a "security partnership" between industrialized and developing countries to cope with problem of climate change, calling this year "decisive for climate control".
For his part, the UNEP chief agreed with Gabriel that global warming had become a "national problem" for all countries in the world.
"For countries like China and Brazil, it is a matter of survival," said Steiner.
"From the point of view of the UN, 2007 is a critical year (for climate control)," the UN offcial added.
Steiner stressed no new international climate deal can be reached "without an active US engagement".
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has taken a lead role as the president of the G8 and European Union (EU) in tackling the climate problem.
"The impact of climate change affects industrialized countries and emerging economies to the same extent. Protecting our economic future through innovation, energy efficiency and renewable energies is a global challenge," said Merkel, addding there was a good chance for finally finding a common basis for global climate protection.
"I have made this one of the priorities of the German EU and G8 Presidencies. I'll be looking for fundamental answers on how we can prevent global warming of the Earth's atmosphere from rising more than 2C Celsius and how we can guarantee our energy supplies in the long term," the German leader added.
Merkel said the upcoming G8 Summit would focus on three key elements of a climate strategy - a global and ambitious increase in energy efficiency, renewable energies and CO2-free power plants, and efficient economic incentives through a global carbon market.
All of the G8 countries, with the exception of the United States, are legally bound under the Kyoto Protocol to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change by an average of 5.2 percent by 2012. However no emissions targets have been agreed beyond that date.
Meanwhile the EU wants to limit global warming to no more than 2C above the temperature in pre-industrial times.
Beyond the 2C increase, scientists suggest there is a tipping point beyond which they predict catastrophic environmental and economic events such as the loss of 95 percent of coral reefs, irreversible damage to the world's major forests, and sea level rise that threatens human life, property, and even whole societies.
The German Economic Research Institute estimated earlier that global climate change could inflict 800 billion euros in costs to Germany by 2050.
By Subhash K. Jha,
Mumbai, March 16 (IANS) Cricket World Cup 2007 is on the go and the passion for the game has certainly not left Bollywood and small screen stars untouched. While some are cricket fanatics and some are not, they all promise to cheer loud enough for the Indian team to hear it in the Caribbean!
Shabana Azmi: I know nothing about cricket but I resent it. I cease to exist for my husband Javed (Akhtar) and the staff when the matches are on. I've to fend for myself even for a cup of tea. Farhan (Akhtar) drapes an Indian flag around the TV and everybody goes mad. Of course, I want India to win.
R. Madhavan: It would be great for the country's morale if India won. But, I'm not a cricket fanatic. It isn't mandatory for me to watch all the matches. But I will whenever I get time off from my schedules.
Urmila Matondkar: I'm not really a cricket fan. But it is 'the World Cup'. My favourites are Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni. And it is of utmost importance that we win. I'll cheer so loud from down here that our team would hear it down there and get the Cup for us.
Arshad Warsi: It's very important for India to win because then I can walk with my head held high. My favourite player is Sachin. I won't be able to watch all the matches as I'm shooting in London and my time belongs to my producer and director. And I'm not a huge cricket fan.
Malaika Arora: I certainly will watch the game. Brian Lara is my favourite. He's certainly the most stylish and flamboyant player. And this just might be his last World Cup. And obviously we all would be cheering the Indian team.
Irrfan Khan: I was once madly in love with cricket. But now it's come down to barely knowing who won and who lost. My favourite cricketers are Lara, Sachin and Steve Waugh. Will cheer for India. But my mind tells me India might surprise us.
Hema Malini: I don't know much about the game. But I'd any day be happy to see India win.
Hiten Tejwani: I'm a huge cricket fan. Sachin is my favourite cricketer. Yes, I'll certainly try to watch the matches. I think I'll watch them with some of my friends, around 10-12 of us cricket lovers.
Iqbal Khan: Yeah, I like cricket... but only to the extent that I just watch the finals and that too if India is playing. Yes, it's important for me that India wins...and not just in cricket but in any competitive endeavour. You won't find a more patriotic Indian than me.
Amrita Arora: My favourite players are Ricky Pointing and Rahul Dravid. They're both very reliable players. I guess it's a matter of pride for all of us if India wins.
Sohail Khan: More than a cricket fan I'm a Sachin fan, for being a humble genius. I met him once and was very impressed. I'll definitely watch some of the matches with my dad and his friends, specially the last few games. Actually, dad's middle name is cricket.
Rahul Bose: I love sports -- chess and cricket included. I could quote statistics on both with equal confidence. Cricket is the sport I love watching the most.
One-day cricket is a matter of who plays better on that day. I mean Bangladesh has beaten Australia in the past. Can it get any more bizarre than that? I don't want to get obsessed about us winning or losing on a particular day. But, yes, there's an abundance of talent. The only question is will there be at least five out of 11 players on a given day who play their best? If they do, fine. If they don't, no problem!
Have cricketers become over-merchandised? That's utter rubbish. In the olden days cricketers played for 100 days and sat at home for the rest of the year. If now cricketers decide to do an ad in their spare time, what's wrong with that? Since they're visible in their free time, there's resentment. It's fair that sportspersons make lots of money outside their sports. Unlike you or me, who can be functional till 60 or 70, these boys' careers will be finished in four-five years.
Bangalore, March 16 (IANS) Google, the world's largest search engine, Thursday launched its Hindi news service and Hindi transliteration on blogger as its web publishing service.
The Indian subsidiary of the US-based firm said here in a statement the twin services would enable the Hindi-speaking people to have quicker and easier access to more information in the country's most popular language.
Google News in Hindi gathers news stories from various Hindi news sources and presents a ranked one-page view with links to news sources.
Similarly, Google's transliteration technology enables the conversion from English text to phonetically equivalent text in Indian languages. Hindi transliteration on blogger enables users to publish content in Hindi while using English keyboards for text entry.
For instance, users can write 'mera Bharat' and this feature will convert it into the corresponding Hindi script. As the user audience is mostly bilingual, Google allows users to freely switch from English to Hindi and back.
"Google is committed to promoting the creation and consumption of content in Indian languages. These launches will enable our Hindi-speaking users to express themselves better and access information in a language they are comfortable with," Prasad Ram, Google R&D centre head, said in the statement.
Google's search is already available in five Indian languages such as Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Tamil and Marathi. The toolbar also has a search bar in Hindi.
New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) The government is considering moderating the cement prices, which has currently seen a tremendous surge post-budget, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said here Friday.
He added that the government was hopeful of cement companies controlling the spiralling prices.
Last week, cement manufacturers had hiked their prices by Rs.10-12 per 50 kg bags after the minister presented the union budget for the 2007-08 fiscal.
Chidambaram proposed to cut excise from Rs.400 to Rs.350 for those who retailed cement at up to Rs.190 per 50 kg bags and raise the levy to Rs.600 per tonne if the commodity was sold at a higher price.
Adding that the government is keeping a close watch on cement prices, Chidambaram told the parliament that stock limit might be imposed on certain commodities as well.
Ranchi, March 16 (IANS) Jharkhand is on high alert following the massacre of 55 policemen in the Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh.
"High alert has been sounded in the state following the killing of 55 security personnel in Chhattisgarh. Security personnel here have been asked to be on alert while on duty. The killings were an outcome of the casual attitude of security personnel during duty hours," a top police officer involved in anti-extremist operations told IANS.
He added: "We are concerned about the security of our forces and VIPs in the state. After the Sunil Mahto (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha MP) killing we have already beefed up the security of VIPs and issued dos and don'ts to the security forces posted in Maoist-infested areas".
According to police sources the central committee of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) has passed a resolution to kill politicians and security personnel in Jharkhand and at other places.
"We have learnt that the central committee of CPI-Maoist last month passed a resolution to kill some high profile politicians and security personnel in the country," said a source in the state intelligence department.
He added: "The killing of Sunil Mahto and the massacre of 55 security personnel indicate that the Maoists are desperate to kill politicians and security forces."
"The state police has new plans to counter the Maoists and thwart any move by them to kill VIPs," said J.B Mahapatra, director general of police, Jharkhand.
The police headquarters directive has suggested that the security forces do not move into jungle areas without getting intelligence clearance. They should not move on vehicles on non-tarred roads. Also, the security guards should be alert while guarding police stations.
Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh share the border and the Maoist rebels sneak into other states by carrying out killings in one state.
Two days back a meeting of police officials of Jharkhand, West Bengal and Orissa took place in Jamshedpur. The officials discussed joint patrolling to nab the Maoist rebels and share the intelligence feedback.
Dhaka, March 16 (IANS) Special prayers will be conducted in Bangladesh by an organisation of Hindu youth for the success of the Bangladeshi team in its World Cup cricket clash with India on Saturday.
The youths of 'Astitte Bangladesh' will perform a 'jagyo' (special prayers) to invoke the blessings of Lord Krishna for the success of the Bangladeshi side, fondly called the "Tigers".
The prayers are to be held Friday noon at the Sri Sri Natun Kali-Bari temple in Moulvibazar, a town in Sylhet district in northeastern Bangladesh, the Daily Star newspaper said.
Bangladesh meet India in a Group B encounter at the Queens Park Oval in Trinidad and Tobago.
The organisation has invited all well-wishers to join them in the prayers. Hindus comprise 16 percent of the population in Muslim-majority Bangladesh.
The match has sparked excitement across the India-Bangladesh border, although former world champions India are heavily favoured to win. Bangladesh's victory over New Zealand in a practice match last week has enthused the people and made them hopeful of a possible win, the newspaper said.
Dhaka, March 16 (IANS) An organisation of Hindu youths in Bangladesh are to hold a ritual to invoke divine blessings for the success of the Bangladeshi team in its World Cup Cricket clash with India on Saturday.
The youths of 'Astitte Bangladesh' will perform a 'Jagyo' ceremony to invoke the blessings of Lord Krishna for the success of the Bangladeshi side, fondly called "Tigers".
The ritual is to be held Friday noon at the 'Sri Sri Natun Kali-bari' temple in Moulvibazar, a town in Sylhet district in northeastern Bangladesh, the Daily Star newspaper said.
Bangladesh meet India in a Group B encounter at the Queens Park Oval in Trinidad and Tobago.
The organisation has invited all well wishers to join them in their prayer.
The match has sparked excitement across the India-Bangladesh border, although former world champions India are heavily favoured to prevail. Bangladesh's victory over New Zealand in a practice match last week has enthused the people and made them hopeful of a possible win, the newspaper said.
Beijing, March 16 (Xinhua) Oil giant Sinopec has announced its discovery of a huge gas field in southwest China's Sichuan province, China Securities Journal reported Friday.
The natural gas reserve of the field is very likely to exceed that of Puguang, a gas field also in Sichuan province with proven reserves expected to reach 500 billion cubic meters by 2008, according local media reports.
Since the gas field is still under exploration, the company will not reveal its estimated gas reserves, the newspaper said.
The company will build a pipeline to supply natural gas from Sichuan to Shanghai, the country's financial hub in east China.
Prior to the new gas field, China only had five natural gas fields with deposits exceeding 200 billion cubic meters. The new gas field will make a massive contribution to meeting the country's demand for natural gas, experts say.
Raipur, March 16 (IANS) Thousands of security personnel Friday fanned out in the forests of Chhattisgarh's Bastar region in search of Maoist guerrillas who killed 55 policemen in a well-planned attack, with Home Minister Ramvichar Netam describing scenes of the dead he saw as "gruesome".
A numbed Netam told IANS that the guerrillas had "repeatedly axed" some of the policemen and smashed their heads at the end of a four-hour onslaught that shook the Indian establishment all the way from Raipur to New Delhi.
"I returned from the blast site. I have never witnessed such a gruesome scene," Netam said here. "The attack and its impact were beyond my expectations. Probably the horror scenes I witnessed will never get erased from my memory."
He added: "Some of the bodies were repeatedly axed and heads were smashed."
About 8,000 security personnel, mostly drawn from the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF), combed a vast forested stretch in Bijapur area of Bastar.
Sixteen CAF personnel and 39 Special Police Officers (SPOs), a group of civilians who assist the police in the campaign against Maoists, were killed in a meticulously planned attack on an isolated police camp at Rani Bodali village in Bijapur.
It was the bloodiest attack by leftwing extremists on security forces since the Maoist rebellion erupted in India in 1967.
"About 8,000 policemen have entered the Maoist den, from Bhairamgarh area. We will search out the rebels within an 80 km radius till sunset," a CRPF commander told IANS over telephone. "The operation will continue for several days."
The commander's words betrayed the limitations imposed on the security forces by the unruly terrain, where sunset leaves the area virtually in rebel control.
Netam added: "Police have launched one of the biggest exercises in Chhattisgarh to avenge the killings. The rebels have to pay the price."
Local news channels Friday splashed footage of the attack site. One scene showed a dog licking nearly dried up blood in the camp, located about 510 km from here.
The Maoist attack began at 2 a.m. and lasted almost until 6 a.m. Fresh security forces reached the scene almost five hours later, only to find 55 of the 74 policemen in the camp dead and others struggling to stay live.
B.K. Ponwar, who heads the Counter Terrorism and Jungle Warfare College in the state, said the Maoists selected the area because it was where "Salwa Judum", an armed campaign by a pro-government tribal militia, emerged in June 2005 to take on the Maoists.
"The killing of policemen is a clear setback to the police and their morale but it is temporary," Ponwar added. The Chhattisgarh government set up the CTJWC in Bastar's Kanker district in 2005 to train Indian policemen in guerrilla warfare.
Mahendra Karma, a tribal leader of Bastar and founder of "Salwa Judum", told IANS that the state government was to blame for Thursday's killings.
"It's a security lapse. The forces were already on high alert since a Lok Sabha MP was killed in Jharkhand this month. The BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) government lacks strategy," said the Congress legislator who tops the Maoist hit list.
Chhattisgarh has recruited about 5,000 SPOs from local tribes on a monthly salary of Rs.1,500 to act as spies and to assist the police force. A few have been given weapons training, but most are armed only with bows and arrows.
Bastar - a forested area largely inhabited by tribals - has been one of the oldest hubs of the Maoist movement in the country. The Maoists' goal is to bring about an armed revolution.
Hyderabad, March 16 (IANS) Taking a strong note of surrendered Maoist Nayeemuddin's escape during hearing of a murder case, a local court Friday directed police to arrest and produce him on March 19.
The second additional metropolitan sessions court gave this direction while adjourning to Monday the trial in the police officer K.S Vyas murder case.
Nayeemuddin alias Nayeem, the second accused in the murder case, had escaped dramatically from Nampally criminal court Thursday when the court was hearing the case. On the pretext of answering nature's call, he left the court room even as examination of witnesses was going on. He, however, did not return.
When judge L. Kedaracharyulu asked defence counsel B. Krishna Rao to summon his client, he apologised to the judge saying he could not access his client and the latter's mobile phone was switched off.
The judge then issued non-bailable warrant against the former Maoist leader. The court directed the Special Intelligence Bureau to execute a non-bailable warrant.
Deputy Inspector General of Police K.S. Vyas was shot by Maoists at Lal Bahadur stadium here Jan 27, 1993.
Civil liberties group alleged that Nayeem, who had surrendered to the police about a decade ago, is involved in the murders of civil liberty activists and the plan to kill Maoist sympathiser and writer Varavara Rao.
He is believed to be heading a gang of surrendered Left radicals allegedly formed by police to eliminate rebel sympathisers.
The rights groups accuse police of going soft on Nayeem despite several cases pending against him.
Castries (St Lucia), March 16 (IANS) Immigrants coming from the Indian subcontinent are helping popularise cricket in Canada, according to Mike Colle, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship in the Canadian province of Ontario.z
"The new immigrants that are coming from Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh are further promoting the game, so now you have the strong base with the West Indians/Canadians that love cricket, being supplemented by immigrants that are coming in great numbers," Colle told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).
He said the Canadian team, with five of Caribbean origin, represented the diversity of the Canadian population, as it included people from several others cricketing nations including Pakistan, India, and England.
He said that Canada had a long history of welcoming people from all across the globe, especially from the Caribbean area, and hoped to be able to continue to facilitate this exchange of persons for business, education and sporting purposes.
The minister said that after a disappointing show Wednesday against Kenya he expected Canada to bounce back and become a major contender in Group C of the cricket World Cup.
Colle, who is in St. Lucia to witness the performance of the Canadian team in the competition, said that while the Canadian cricketers were not highly paid they had a strong love for the game of cricket and were determined to do well.
"While they certainly did not perform anywhere close to their best in the match against Kenya on Wednesday, I think they will bounce back and give some of the Test match teams a real surprise," Colle said.
The other countries playing in the group are England and New Zealand who will do battle at the Beausejour Cricket Ground here Friday.
Colle said cricket remained the number one sport in Canada among West Indians and there were clear indications that the sport was growing from strength to strength.
Port of Spain (Trinidad & Tobago), March 16 (IANS) India, champions in 1983 and runners-up in 2003, start their campaign to regain the cricket World Cup when they clash with potentially banana skin Bangladesh in a Group B here Saturday.
Although Bangladesh have beaten India only once in 14 meetings, the next-door neighbours are potentially dangerous as they have already upset New Zealand a few days ago in a warm-up encounter before the group matches started Tuesday.
India have won 13 of those matches and should add the 14th win at Queen's Park Oval, if one goes by the team's current form.
The Rahul Dravid-led India are on a high after winning back to back home series, against the West Indies and Sri Lanka, just before coming to the West Indies.
And in the West Indies, they won both their warm-up matches with huge margins, beating the Netherlands by 182 runs and a full-strength West Indies side by nine wickets to get ready for the 16-nation tournament.
Batting is India's main strength, with the like of Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh adorning the line-up.
They are followed by a wicket-keeper - Mahendra Singh Dhoni - who is one of the hardest hitters in world cricket at present.
The bowling is also in good hands. Although all five speedsters, namely Ajit Agarkar, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, Irfan Pathan and Sreesanth, might not play, they all are potential match winners on their day.
They are backed up by two world class spinners in leg-spinner Anil Kumble and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh. One of them is likely to play Saturday.
If the players remain in form for the next 45-odd days and the team as a whole plays to its full potential it could emerge as the biggest threat to Australia's bid to make it a hat-trick of titles.
Ricky Ponting's side won the second successive title in South Africa thrashing India in the final in Johannesburg in 2003 after Steve Waugh had won the cup in 1999 in England.
Now Ponting is on the threshold of making Australia the first country since 1975 to win the World Cup three times in a row.
Habibul Bashar's Bangladesh, on the other hand, are also in fine form these days.
Their upset of New Zealand was not a flash in the pan. Bangladesh had won 17 of their last 20 one-day internationals starting August last year before reaching the Caribbean, though most of those victories had come against weak teams like Kenya, Zimbabwe and Canada.
But any team will take Bangladesh lightly at their own peril. Bangladesh have showed that they can upset the big guns on a given day. Their stunning win over Australia in June 2005 was one such result.
In batsmen Mohammad Ashraful, who scored a fine century in that win over Australia and Shahriar Nafees, and speedster Tapash Baishya the tiny nation have talented players who are capable of tilting the balance of a match.
Teams:
INDIA: Rahul Dravid (captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, Robin Uthappa, Yuvraj Singh, Dinesh Karthick, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wicket-keeper), Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Sreesanth and Munaf Patel
BANGLADESH: Habibul Bashar (captain), Shahriar Nafees, Tamim Iqbal, Aftab Ahmed, Sakib-al-Hasan, Mohammad Ashraful, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Rafique, Abdur Razzak, Mashrafee-bin-Murtaza, Tapash Baishya, Shahadat Hossain, Syed Russel, Rajin Saleh and Javed Omar
Umpires: Aleem Dar (Pakistan) and Steve Davis (Australia)
Third umpire: Ian Howell (South Africa)
Match referee: Alan Hurst (Australia)
Chennai, March 16 (IANS) The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has started a pilot project in cities and neighbouring rural areas for introducing a new anti-rabies oral bait vaccine that will be fed to dogs.
Every year more than 70,000 stray and community dogs are being sterilised in India, says AWBI. The stray and community dog population in the country is estimated at nearly 20 million.
Headquartered in Chennai, AWBI is the only organisation engaged in a nation-wide rabies control programme, helping municipalities reduce the incidents by cooperating in the WHO recommended Animal Birth Control programme.
"One of the major problems in rabies control is immunisation of strays," says Maj Gen (retd) R.M. Kharb, the new chairman of AWBI.
Indians do not have the expertise to catch animals, nor the infrastructure to house them.
The oral vaccine is being tried in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Pune, Huderabad, Kalimpong and in Bangalore (where dogs are being impounded cruelly without any infrastructure to support internment).
WHO expert Francois-Xavier Meslin launched the pilot project in India this February.
The union ministries of forest & environment and agriculture are jointly supporting the programme.
The government has also undertaken a very ambitious programme in 2007 to Catch-Neuter-Vaccinate and Release (CNVR) 45,000 strays, in each of the five pilot-project cities, which include Delhi and Chennai.
New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) As a confident India Inc has started bidding for more and bigger deals abroad, in 2007-08 overseas investment from India will be around $15 billion - surpassing foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in the country, says a study.
The bulk of outward FDI flow will be driven mainly by India's booming manufacturing sector, said the 'Study on FDI Outflow & Role of Manufacturing in the Mergers & Acquisitions Front, 2007', by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham).
Indian companies' preferred investment destinations are the European countries and the US, as also Africa taking advantage of its cost competitiveness.
Sectors such as pharma and automobiles will give a major thrust to the FDI outflow, though IT will continue to dominate the scene, said the report released Friday.
"Riding on strong balance sheets, good credit ratings and confidence shown by global business community, Indian manufacturing is leading India Inc.'s global quest," said Venugopal Dhoot, president, Assocham.
The main factors fuelling the growing hunger for mergers and acquisitions (M&A) among Indian companies are huge fund supply, globally competitive business practices and favourable regulatory environment, besides higher margins, revenue, volumes and growth prospects.
"The number of outbound M&A deals has increased sharply over the past six years from about 37 in 2001 to more than 170 in 2006. The transactions gathered tremendous momentum in 2005," the report said.
"The total number of deals actually doubled in 2005 from 2004 to reach a figure of close to 150 from 70 in previous year."
According to Assocham, the Indian conglomerates that are upbeat on inorganic growth are the Tata group, Bharat Forge, Ranbaxy, ONGC, Infosys and Wipro.
"The sectors attracting investments by Corporate India include a whole gamut of sectors - metal, pharmaceuticals, industrial goods, automotive components, beverages, cosmetics and energy in manufacturing; and mobile communications, software and financial services in services," the report said.
Talking about specific examples, the study noted: "The Apollo Group of Hospitals may strike cross border deals to expand its global footprint through strategic partners with some of the local hospital chains overseas while pursuing mergers and acquisitions in the US and Europe.
"Nicholas Piramal India Ltd plans to invest $50 million over a three-year period in its plants in the UK and India," it added.
In the energy sector, India's Suzlon Energy Limited, the world's fifth largest wind turbine manufacturer, has offered $1.3 billion for Germany's REpower.
New Delhi, March 16, (IRNA) India's Left parties Friday found themselves cornered in Parliament on the killing of farmers in Nandigram in West Bengal as they faced a determined attack by the opposition which stalled proceedings of both the parliament Houses demanding dismissal of the CPI(M) (Communist Party of India - Marxist)-led state government.
Both the Lok Sabha (Lower House) and the Rajya Sabha (Upper House) saw several adjournments before calling it a day as the BJP (Bhartya Janta Party)-Shiv Sena in the Lower House and the saffron party and the Trinamool Congress of West Bengal in the Upper House created a furore targeting the Left, PTI said.
No business could be transacted in either House in spite of the fact that in Lok Sabha Indian Finance Minister P Chidambaram was to reply to the discussion on the General Budget.
The ruling side had issued a three-line whip for the purpose.
Despite being key outside allies of the UPA (United Progressive Alliance), neither the Congress nor any other party in the ruling alliance came out to offer a helping hand to the Left.
A couple of days ago in the Lok Sabha, the Maritime University Bill controversy had left the Left embarrassed due to conduct of its members.
It was trouble from the word go Friday in both the Houses which saw slogans like "Communists are murderers" and "Communist high-handedness will not be tolerated" being raised by the opposition which stormed the well in Lok Sabha.
Jakarta, March 16 (NNN-ANTARA) The Indonesian government firmly rejects proposals to abolish capital punishment for drug offenses on the ground of respect for human rights as all forms of criminal retribution are basically violations of human rights, Attorney General Abdul Rahman Saleh said.
Saleh made the statement at a session of the Constitutional Court here Thursday to hear the cases of a number drug offenders sentenced to death who had filed requests for a judicial review of articles mandating the death sentence in Indonesia`s narcotics law.
He said the government firmly rejected the requests "as all criminal penalties are in essence violations of human rights."
"But these human right violations are legitimate because they are based on existing laws," he said.
On the argument that the right to life cannot be reduced under whatever circumstances as stated in an article in the country`s 1945 Constitution, Saleh said the costitutional provision was actually qualified by another clause in the Constitution saying that in exercising his or her rights and feedoms, every one must abide by rules laid down in laws.
The judicial review requests were submitted to the court in two dossiers. The first dossier concerned the cases of four convicted drug offenders, namely Indonesians Edith Yunita Sianturi, Nani Andriani (Melisa Aprilia) and Australians Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan. The second dossier was about the case of another Australian, Scott Anthony Rush.
The two female death-row convicts are being held in a woman prison in Tangerang, Banten province, and the three Australian men in Grobogan jail in Bali. They filed the judicial review requests through their respective lawyers.
Saleh also said the adoption of capital punishment for serious drug offenses in Indonesia had not deterred drug traffickers. But the situation would have been much worse if there was no law banning drug dealing. "Without an anti-drug law, Indonesia would no doubt be threatened by the loss of an entire generation," he said.
Meanwhile, Police Commissioner General I Made Mangku Pastika, executive chairman of the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), was quoted in the Constitutional Court`s website as saying the number of drug cases in Indonesia had increased by 14.4 percent a year over the past five years.
Every year, 15,000 people in Indonesia die because of drug addiction. "This means, every day, 41 people die either because of a drug overdose or HIV/AIDS contracted through drug use," he said.
Law and Human Rights Minister Hamid Awaluddin said there were about 2.3 million drug users in the country. Prisons throughout the country were inhabited by a total of 111,000 people and 30 percent of them had landed in jail because of drugs.
Singapore, March 16 (NNN-ANTARA) Singapore and Indonesia have agreed to set a date for ministers and military officials to discuss an extradition treaty and defence cooperation pact, the Singapore ministry of foreign affairs said.
Foreign Minister George Yeo met his Indonesian counterpart Hassan Wirajuda on the sidelines of a meeting between the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Germany, it said late Thursday.
Singapore and Indonesia are members of the 10-nation ASEAN bloc.
They have been at odds over Indonesian resource exports to Singapore as well as alleged foot-dragging by Singapore on an extradition treaty that would allow Jakarta to recover allegedly illicit assets of Indonesians in the city-state.
"On joint negotiations to conclude the Extradition Treaty and the Defence Cooperation Agreement, both ministers agreed to set an early date for the foreign and defence ministers to meet together with representatives from the armed forces," the statement said.
The statement also said the Indonesian minister clarified that Jakarta was not considering a proposal to ban granite exports to Singapore, whose recovering construction industry depends heavily on imported materials.
Indonesian media have cited Hassan and other ministers as saying the government was mulling a ban on granite exports.
Jakarta already banned the export of sand to Singapore in January, saying it was intended to protect the environment, although critics say the move was aimed at pressuring the city-state into signing an extradition treaty.
A number of suspects wanted in Indonesia on corruption charges have fled to Singapore to escape the reach of Indonesian justice, officials in Jakarta alleged.
United Nations, March 16 (NNN-KUNA) United Nations Security Council president Dumisani Kumalo has said that the draft resolution seeking sanctions on Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions has been officially circulated among all council members and that the ambassadors will meet again next Wednesday afternoon to discuss it further.
In the meantime, he told reporters Thursday, the council's experts will begin their discussions on the text as early as Thursday afternoon to seek clarifications from the council's five permanent (P5) members before sending it to capitals for review.
"The ambassadors will meet to discuss the draft next Wednesday afternoon," he said.
No date has been set for a vote yet.
The P5 agreed on a text earlier Thursday and British envoy Emyr Jones Parry subsequently circulated it officially to the council members.
US acting ambassador Alejandro Wolff described the text as a "good" text, "an incremental step".
"Our goal is a speedy adoption of this resolution ... We'd like to see the entire council on board," he told reporters.
On Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's intention to address the council when it votes on the draft next week, Wolff said he did not hear anything "official."
But "I find it ironic that a president who is quoted today as saying that he tears up Security Council resolutions and has no respect for what the council does is interested in coming to speak to the council".
The draft addresses travel restrictions on individuals involved in Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, embargo on any export of arms from Iran and constraint and vigilance on imports of arms by Iran.
It also calls on member states not to engage in new financial commitment, grants and loans to the government.
The annex to the draft lists a number of individuals and entities who support Iran's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programme, and who are subject to travel restrictions and asset freeze.
The focus remains "getting Iran to suspend its nuclear enrichment activities. If Iran suspend these activities and that is verified by the IAEA, these measures will be suspended and the priority will be to turn to the negotiating table and deal with this issue politically," Wolff said.
Tehran, March 16 (RIA Novosti) Iran will proceed with its civilian nuclear energy research program despite possible new economic sanctions against the Middle East country, the Iranian president said Friday.
A new draft resolution of the 15-nation UN Security Council (UNSC) on Iran, issued Thursday, stipulates sanctions against 10 Iranian companies and three companies of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, an elite military organization in the country.
"Iran has developed nuclear cycle technology and has no intention of giving up its civilian program," President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said.
The draft resolution, which seeks to impose further sanctions on Iran over its failure to suspend uranium enrichment, has been prepared by the Iran-Six, comprising Germany and the five permanent Security Council members - the US, Britain, France, Russia and China.
"The West have been pressurising Iran for 28 years and accuse us of having no freedom and democracy in our country, and they are also concerned that Iran will deviate from its peaceful nuclear program. They should know that the world is concerned by their actions." Ahmadinejad said.
The new draft document says all the companies facing possible sanctions - the Ammunition and Metallurgy industrial group, the Karaj nuclear research center near Tehran, and the Sepah bank - were associated with Iran's nuclear research program or ballistic missile development.
The UN could also apply sanctions against 15 individuals, including eight top managers of state companies and seven key figures in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, which is also responsible for Iran's missile forces. The draft resolution says all financial assets of the companies and individuals must be frozen.
The document also provides for an embargo on weapons supplies from Iran and urges all countries to stop arms exports to the country. The draft resolution bans new grants, financial aid or loans to the Iranian government, except humanitarian programs.
The draft document, which the UNSC will vote on next week, also gives Iran 60 days to abandon its nuclear programme.
Islamabad, March 16, (IRNA) Iran's Ambassador in Pakistan "Mashallah Shokri" on Thursday voiced readiness of Iran to generate electricity in this neighboring country.
In a meeting with Chief Minister of North-West Frontier Province "Akram Khan Durrani" in Pishawar, the Iranian envoy said Iran has gained profound experience in construction of thermal and
hydro-electric power plants and is willing to transfer its know-how to Pakistan. He said Iran's industrial and technological
achievements in power generation like dam construction can be very helpful for Pakistan.
The Iranian ambassador underlined the importance of the projected gas pipeline from Iran to Pakistan for meeting a major part of the country's energy needs.
He referred to the visit to Tehran by a high ranking Pakistani delegation headed by President Perviz Musharraf and also the current month trip of Pakistani Minister of Water and Power "Liaquat Ali Jatoi" to Iran as good signs of great progress in bilateral political and economic cooperation.
The Pakistani official said in the meeting that Iran's know-how and experienced man power has set the ground for cooperation in many fields. He said both states benefit from each others' development, adding that the federal government has been advised to implement the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project as soon as possible.
On Afghanistan, he said that suitable solutions should be found for security in this neighboring state through trilateral
cooperation.
Kingston (Jamaica), March 16 (IANS) Ireland tied with Zimbabwe in a nail biting finish in a Group D World Cup match at the Sabina Park here Thursday.
SCOREBOARD
Match No.5, Ireland vs. Zimbabwe, Group D, Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica, March 15
Ireland:
William Porterfield c Sibanda b Mpofu 0
Jeremy Bray not out 115
Eoin Morgan c Chigumbura b Brent 21
Niall O'Brien c Taylor b Chigumbura 1
Andre Botha b Chigumbura 1
Kevin O'Brien c Taylor b Rainsford 10
Andrew White lbw b Brent 28
Trent Johnston run out (Matsikenyeri/Mpofu) 20
Kyle McCallan st Taylor b Williams 0
Dave Langford-Smith c Taylor b Mpofu 15
Extras: (b 1, lb 1, w 5, nb 3) 10
Total: (for nine wickets in 50 overs) 221
Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Porterfield, 0.6 overs), 2-43 (Morgan, 9.5), 3-44 (Niall, 10.4), 4-64 (Botha, 14.3), 5-89 (Kevin, 21.6), 6-145 (White, 37.3), 7-182 (Johnston, 43.6), 8-182 (McCallan, 44.3), 9-221 (Langford-Smith, 49.6)
Bowling:
Christopher Mpofu 10-3-58-2 (2w)
Edward Rainsford 7-0-44-1 (1nb, 1w)
Elton Chigumbura 6-2-21-2 (2nb)
Gary Brent 10-1-40-2 (2w)
Prosper Utseya 10-0-29-0
Sean Williams 6-1-21-1
Stuart Matsikenyeri 1-0-6-0
Zimbabwe:
Terry Duffin c Niall b Rankin 12
Vusumuzi Sibanda hit wicket b White 67
Chaamu Chibhabha c Langford-Smith b Johnston 12
Sean Williams c Rankin b McCallan 14
Sturat Matsikenyeri not out 73 75 9 1 97.33
Elton Chigumbura c Bray b McCallan 4
Brendan Taylor run out (McCallan) 24
Gary Brent lbw Botha 3
Prosper Utseya c Morgan b Kevin 1
Christopher Mpofu run out (Johnston/Niall) 0
Edward Rainsford (Niall /White) 1
Extras: (lb 1, w 7, nb 2) 10
Total: (all out in 50 overs) 221
Fall of wickets: 1-26 (Duffin, 5.6 overs), 2-92 (Chibhabha, 20.5), 3-107 (Williams, 23.2), 4-128 (Sibanda, 28.1), 5-133 (Chigumbura, 29.6), 6-203 (Taylor, 43.4), 7-212 (Brent, 47.3), 8-213 (Utseya, 48.1), 9-213 (Mpofu, 48.6)
Bowling:
Dave Langford-Smith 9-0-34-0 (5w)
Boyd Rankin 7-1-43-1 (2w)
Andre Botha 10-2-32-1 (2nb)
Trent Johnston 10-2-32-1
Kyle McCallan 9-1-56-2
Andrew White 2.5-1-15-1
Kevin O'Brien 2-1-8-1
Result: Match tied
Man of the Match: Jeremy Bray (Ireland)
Umpires: Ian Gould (England) and Brian Jerling (South Africa)
Third umpire: Billy Bowden (New Zealand)
Match referee: Roshan Mahanama (Sri Lanka)
Kingston (Jamaica), March 16 (IANS-CMC) Zimbabwe and Ireland played to a thrilling tie - the third in cricket World Cup - in a Group D match Thursday.
After opener Jeremy Bray's unbeaten 115 off 137 balls lifted Ireland to a competitive 221 for nine from their 50 overs, Zimbabwe appeared on course for victory when they reached 203 for five in the 44th over at Sabina Park.
But, in a dramatic turn of events, Ireland kept their nerve and defended tenaciously to snatch the last five wickets for 18 runs to dismiss Zimbabwe for 221 off the last ball.
There was plenty of excitement at the end when Zimbabwe started the penultimate over needing nine runs with three wickets in hand.
Fast medium Andre Botha bowled a magnificent 49th over in which two wickets fell without a run being added.
It left Zimbabwe needing to score nine runs from the final over from off-spinner Andrew White, and despite Stuart Matsikenyeri hitting two twos at the start of the over, drama followed to leave the two teams featuring in the third tie in the history of the World Cup.
From the penultimate ball, Matsikenyeri was dropped by a diving Trent Johnston at backward
point as the batsmen scampered two runs.
With one needed from the final ball, Matsikenyeri missed a drive and non-striker Edward Rainsford was run out at the bowler's end.
It left Matsikenyeri stranded on 73 off 77 balls, including nine fours and a six.
It was a memorable day for Bray, who carried his bat and helped Ireland to recover from early worries to post to a competitive total.
Zimbabwe, lifted by half-centuries from Matsikenyeri and Vusimuzi Sibanda had a stunner in the middle, and at the end.
Sibanada launched the run-chase with a well-played 67 off 84 balls, but Ireland fought back through the efforts of the tight stuff from Botha and captain Trent Johnston, who had the identical figures of one for 32 off 10 overs.
Ireland, who showed resolve in recovering from 89 for five, were also purposeful in the field.
Bray, 33, who was born in Sydney, batted in a workmanlike manner in compiling his second one-day hundred.
With Ireland losing wickets at regular in the first 15 overs, Bray's steadying influence helped them to a fighting total.
The left-hander struck 10 fours and two sixes and featured in valuable lower order partnerships that gave scores of Ireland supporters something to cheer about.
Sent in under overcast conditions, Ireland lost William Potterfield to the last ball of the first over, when he was caught by an alert Sibanda at second slip after wicket-keeper Bredan Taylor missed the initial chance.
Bray and Eoin Morgan solidly added 43 for the second wicket, but the fall of three quick wickets dented Ireland's progress.
Morgan, a promising left-hander, who has played for English county Middlesex, made 21 before edging a catch to second slip of fast-medium Gary Brent.
More trouble followed in the next over, as Elton Chigumbura grabbed the first of two wickets by removing Niall O'Brien, who nibbled at a ball outside the off stump and snicked a catch to the wicket-keeper.
Chigumbura continued to apply the pressure with the wicket of Andre Botha with a ball to which the batsman offered no stroke and was bowled.
Ireland's problems were not eased when Kevin O'Brien fell to a catch by the keeper, as he searched for a drive against a ball from pacer Edward Rainsford that moved away.
The slide was eventually halted in a sixth wicket partnership of 51 between Bray and Andrew White with the pair playing sensibly in trying to consolidate.
White contributed 28 off 48 balls before he was lbw to Brent after attempting to hit across the line against a slower ball.
Captain Trent Johnston helped Bray in the recovery in a partnership of 37 and Ireland were able to get past the 200 score they seemed unlikely to get at one stage.
The early part of Zimbabwe's response contained a bit of excitement in the sixth over in which Terrence Duffin was twice dropped off fast bowler Boyd Rankin before finally running out of luck to the last ball.
Justice Chibhabha never found his touch and used up 36 balls in making 12 before giving a catch to mid-off after adding 62 with Sibanda.
There was a bit of hope for Ireland when they accounted for the next three wickets for the addition of 26 runs to leave Zimbabwe needing 89 from the last 20 overs with five wickets in hand.
Sean Williams fell to a disappointing stroke, giving a catch to mid-on off off-spinner Kyle McCallan who also took care of Chigumbura with a catch in the same position.
The key wicket came in between the dismissals of Williams and Chigumbura, when Sibanda stepped onto his stumps after playing a defensive stroke off the back-foot against off-spinner Andrew White.
But the real drama came at the end.
SCOREBOARD
Match No.5, Ireland vs. Zimbabwe, Group D, Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica
Ireland:
William Porterfield c Sibanda b Mpofu 0
Jeremy Bray not out 115
Eoin Morgan c Chigumbura b Brent 21
Niall O'Brien c Taylor b Chigumbura 1
Andre Botha b Chigumbura 1
Kevin O'Brien c Taylor b Rainsford 10
Andrew White lbw b Brent 28
Trent Johnston run out (Matsikenyeri/Mpofu) 20
Kyle McCallan st Taylor b Williams 0
Dave Langford-Smith c Taylor b Mpofu 15
Extras: (b 1, lb 1, w 5, nb 3) 10
Total: (for nine wickets in 50 overs) 221
Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Porterfield, 0.6 overs), 2-43 (Morgan, 9.5), 3-44 (Niall, 10.4), 4-64 (Botha, 14.3), 5-89 (Kevin, 21.6), 6-145 (White, 37.3), 7-182 (Johnston, 43.6), 8-182 (McCallan, 44.3), 9-221 (Langford-Smith, 49.6)
Bowling:
Christopher Mpofu 10-3-58-2 (2w)
Edward Rainsford 7-0-44-1 (1nb, 1w)
Elton Chigumbura 6-2-21-2 (2nb)
Gary Brent 10-1-40-2 (2w)
Prosper Utseya 10-0-29-0
Sean Williams 6-1-21-1
Stuart Matsikenyeri 1-0-6-0
Zimbabwe:
Terry Duffin c Niall b Rankin 12
Vusumuzi Sibanda hit wicket b White 67
Chaamu Chibhabha c Langford-Smith b Johnston 12
Sean Williams c Rankin b McCallan 14
Sturat Matsikenyeri not out 73 75 9 1 97.33
Elton Chigumbura c Bray b McCallan 4
Brendan Taylor run out (McCallan) 24
Gary Brent lbw Botha 3
Prosper Utseya c Morgan b Kevin 1
Christopher Mpofu run out (Johnston/Niall) 0
Edward Rainsford (Niall /White) 1
Extras: (lb 1, w 7, nb 2) 10
Total: (all out in 50 overs) 221
Fall of wickets: 1-26 (Duffin, 5.6 overs), 2-92 (Chibhabha, 20.5), 3-107 (Williams, 23.2), 4-128 (Sibanda, 28.1), 5-133 (Chigumbura, 29.6), 6-203 (Taylor, 43.4), 7-212 (Brent, 47.3), 8-213 (Utseya, 48.1), 9-213 (Mpofu, 48.6)
Bowling:
Dave Langford-Smith 9-0-34-0 (5w)
Boyd Rankin 7-1-43-1 (2w)
Andre Botha 10-2-32-1 (2nb)
Trent Johnston 10-2-32-1
Kyle McCallan 9-1-56-2
Andrew White 2.5-1-15-1
Kevin O'Brien 2-1-8-1
Result: Match tied
Man of the Match: Jeremy Bray (Ireland) Umpires: Ian Gould (England) and Brian Jerling (South Africa)
Third umpire: Billy Bowden (New Zealand)
Match referee: Roshan Mahanama (Sri Lanka)
New Delhi, March 16 (indianmuslims.info) Congress president and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Union Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh once again reiterated the government’s promise to implement Sachar Committee recommendations to remove the socio-economic and educational backwardness of Muslims, and assured to provide them with their due share in the fruits of development. Mr Singh was addressing the “Seek Justice Conference� organised here Thursday by Jamiat Ulam-i-Hind while Ms Gandhi’s message was read out as she could not attend the conference.
Mr Singh called upon the Muslims to make use of all the resources available to get education so that they may also walk along their counterparts from other communities.
Different political and religious leaders participating in the conference demanded reservation for Muslims not as a community but on the basis of their overall backwardness.
Political and religious leaders and scholars belonging to the various parties and organisations, including Union Minister of State for Foreign Affairs E Ahmed, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan, Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Ajeet Singh, All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat president Syed Shahabuddin, Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen MP Asaduddin Owaisi, and Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Ameer Dr Abdul Haq Ansari besides thousands of political, religious and social workers coming from the length and breadth of the country gathered together in Talkatora Stadium here to participate in the conference.
The conference released a Declaration which demands implementation of Sachar Committee recommendations without making any delay. The Declaration also appeals to all parties irrespective of their political affiliation, as well as social organisations to help bring the Muslims, particularly Muslim backward castes and Muslim Dalits, in the mainstream of the nation.
K Rahman Khan stressed that besides fighting for their right to reservation Muslims should take measures on their own to solve their problems and issues.
Syed Shahabuddin demanded declaration of all Muslims as backward and reservation for them in every field while Dr Abdul Haq Ansari was for a separate quota for backward Muslims under the OBCs category.
Assaduddin Owaisi wondered when Dalits belonging to the Hindu, Sikh and Buddh communities can be given reservation, why not Muslims?
Ranchi, March 16 (IANS) On high alert for possible Maoist strikes, Jharkhand policemen have been told to carry their weapons always, even when they go to the toilet!
The directive came after the killing of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MP Sunil Mahato March 4 by suspected Maoist guerrillas in Narsingh village of Jamshedpur district.
The state police have launched a drive to beef up the security for VIPs.
The police instruction says: "Keep weapon every time with you even when you go to bathroom; do not wear 'lungi' when you are in barrack or in police station; security guards who are on duty should not speak to anyone."
It has further suggested that officers-in-charge of police stations should have dogs as their pets.
A police official involved in anti-Maoist operations told IANS: "We issue such directives on a regular basis but the junior policemen hardly follow them. The killing of Mahto could have been avoided if the security guards, who were armed with sophisticated rifles, were alert. Mahto's guards were casual and watching a soccer match instead of providing security to him."
Kolkata, March 16 (IANS) Amid threats by Left Front constituents to pull out of the West Bengal government, communist patriarch Jyoti Basu has censured Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya for the Nandigram carnage.
"I am compelled to say that of late the government is taking decisions keeping the Left Front partners in the dark," Basu said at an inconclusive meeting of the Left Front Thursday night.
At the same meeting, partners like the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), Communist Party of India (CPI) and Forward Bloc turned the heat on Bhattacharya and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) that leads the ruling Left Front.
"Is this the way the Left Front government should function? Some one or two leaders are taking all decisions now," Basu said.
"I have been told that the mob went violent but on the contrary I saw men with bullets on their back on TV. Why is it so?" he asked.
The inconclusive Left Front meeting would resume Saturday. There was a statewide shutdown in West Bengal Friday.
Bhattacharya called on Communist Party of India (CPI) leader A.B. Bardhan Thursday. Nandigram's legislator is from the CPI.
At least 14 people were killed and 71 injured in Nandigram, about 150 km southwest of Kolkata, Wednesday as police opened fire to quell mobs that were protesting the acquisition of farmland for a special economic zone.
By Syed Zarir Hussain,
Shillong, March 16 (IANS) President A.P.J Abdul Kalam Friday unveiled a roadmap for the overall socio-economic development of Meghalaya by focusing on ways to exploit its natural resources, besides promoting tourism and medicinal herbs.
"Value addition to horticulture and floriculture, enhancing the tourism potential, cottage industries, handicrafts, wool and sericulture on the state's core competencies and technologies, will lead to higher incomes and employment opportunities and therefore higher growth rates," the president said.
Kalam was addressing members of the Meghalaya assembly in capital Shillong on the last leg of his three-day visit to the northeast.
The roadmap visualised by the president for Meghalaya for becoming self-reliant by 2017 includes optimum stress on the five national missions - water, energy, education and skills, infrastructure, besides employment generation.
"Meghalaya can increase its per-capita income to Rs.60,000 from the existing Rs.23,381 in five years, besides improving the human development ranking of the state from the present 24 to less than five," Kalam said.
He also called for promoting business ties between Meghalaya and adjoining country Bangladesh.
"I can see the political environment, you have to continuously improve relations with the neighbouring countries, so that Meghalaya can benefit in business at the same time keeping security as a primary need in mind," the president said.
He emphasised the need for exploiting the immense tourism potential of Meghalaya with a call to the state government for encouraging public-private partnership.
"The state government should enter into a public-private partnership agreements with tourism-based institutions which can create infrastructure from hotels, roads, water systems, power systems, wayside amenities, tourism spots on a build, own, operate and transfer model," Kalam said.
Meghalaya received 375,000 national tourists and 5,000 foreign tourists last year.
"You should aim at generating minimum one million national tourists and 50,000 foreign tourists by the year 2012. The required infrastructure in the form of roads, civic amenities, hotels, healthcare facilities has to be built on a mission mode. This will enable generation of over 250,000 jobs for the youth in the tourism sector," the president said.
Kalam later interacted with students and faculty members of the North Eastern Hill University in Shillong and reiterated his vision for Meghalaya.
Bangalore, March 16 (IANS) Karnataka is poised to post a record gross state domestic product (GSDP) growth of 9.2 percent by the end of the current fiscal (2006-07) as against 7.8 percent in the last fiscal.
According to the economic survey released Friday, the higher growth rate has been achieved on account of the secondary sector (manufacturing, construction and power) registering an impressive growth of 9.9 percent in 2006-07, up from 8.3 percent in 2006-07.
"The overall growth rate has been consistent over the last three years and in line with the pro-active development policies and programmes. Value addition in the manufacturing sector comprising 14 industrial groups increased to 10.7 percent in the current fiscal as against 6.9 percent in the last fiscal," said the survey.
The primary sector, including agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining and quarrying, suffered a setback due to the prolonged drought situation in 128 taluks, resulting in a sluggish growth rate of 2 percent as against the projected growth rate of 6.3 percent.
"As against the annual target of 7.4 million hectares, the crop area during the kharif season remained at 6.7 million hectares. As a result, the foodgrain production at 9.8 million tonnes is below the anticipated target of 11.5 million tonnes," the survey pointed out.
Though the manufacturing sector accounted for 63 percent of the secondary sector, the contribution of the industrial sector to the state's income remained flat at 16 percent as in the previous fiscal.
"About 31,000 new jobs were created in the manufacturing sector leading to a 7.6 percent decline in the unemployment rate to 1.15 million between April-December (2006) from 1.25 million in the corresponding period of the previous year.
"Riding on the economic boom, growth sectors such as finance, insurance, real estate and business have created a whopping 85,000 indirect jobs during the current fiscal," the survey said.
The tertiary sector is expected to generate Rs.801 billion in the current fiscal as against Rs.734 billion in the last fiscal.
Maintaining pre-eminent position in the IT sector, software exports from Karnataka are projected to grow by 25 percent by the end of this fiscal. In the first eight months (April-November 2006), the IT sector exported software valued at Rs.171 billion.
"The state's share in the central taxes is projected to increase by 17.5 percent year-on-year (YoY). The per capita development expenditure is estimated to be about 17.9 percent this fiscal," the survey noted.
On account of buoyant economic growth in all sectors barring the farm sector, tax receipts have been projected to grow up by 19.2 percent YoY. Tax collections have gone up by 66 percent during the first eight months (April-Nov) to Rs.149 billion as against the target of Rs.225 billion for the entire fiscal.
"As most of the tax collections take place in the last quarter (January-March), we are on track to achieve the target set for the year," said state commercial taxes commissioner B.A. Harish Gowda, who released the survey.
Bangalore, March 16 (IANS) The Karnataka government Friday proposed to waive short-term crop loans upto Rs. 25,000 taken by farmers from cooperative banks in the state during fiscal 2007-08.
Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minsiter B.S. Yediyurappa, presenting budget proposals for the next fiscal in the state legislative assembly here, said cooperative loans of equal amount taken by weavers and farmers would also be waived.
"In addition, farmers who availed cooperative loans above Rs.25,000 during the current fiscal (2006-07) will get waiver of four percent interest provided they pay the principal loan by March 3, 2007. Farm credit facility at four percent interest will continue in the ensuing fiscal as in the current fiscal.
Besides weavers and fishermen, "stree shakthi" (self-help scheme for women) and other self-help groups will be entitled to get credit at four percent interest," Yediyurappa said.
The coalition government has also decided to ban sale of country-made liquor (toddy) across the state with effect from July 1, 2007. Similarly, the minister has proposed to ban sale of lotteries.
"In order to set right the regional imbalance in the state, a special financial assistance of Rs.15 billion will be allotted to the backward districts of Hyderabad-Karnataka and Mumbai-Karnataka regions, as recommended by the D.M. Nanjundappa committee.
The government has decided to implement the fifth pay commission recommendations to the employees of the state. Senior citizens will be granted Rs.400 social security pension per month under the novel Sandya Suraksha scheme.
Similarly, monthly pensions to widows, aged and disabled people will be doubled to Rs.400. Honorarium for freedom fighters will be doubled to Rs.3,000 per month. Goa liberation movement activists will get a monthly pension of Rs.2,000.
The mid-day meal scheme "Akshara Dasoha" will be extended up to Class 10 from Class 7. Similarly, free textbooks and uniforms will be extended to boys up to Class 10.
The minister also said the state government would soon come out with a bio-fuel policy and wine policy to remove the "liquor" tag to promote the growth of the wine industry in the state.
"A draft version of the wine policy was approved by the state cabinet recently. The policy envisages sale of wine through restaurants, hotels, grocery and retail outlets without a liquor licence," Yediyurappa said.
The plan, based on the Maharashtra model, is intended to liberalise the wine industry in the state to promote its growth. Entrepreneurs and farmers willing to shift to winery will benefit in the process.
By Stanley Wabomba
Nairobi, March 16 (NNN-KBC) The Kenyan government will give free maize seeds to farmers in Eastern and Coast Provinces in order to boost maize production in the country, Agriculture Minister Kipruto arap Kirwa said.
More than 10 million Kenyans suffer chronic food insecurity because of unpredictable weather and high poverty levels, he said here Thursday.
Kirwa said the ministry of agriculture had initiated a review of the national food and nutrition policy in order to increase food production in the country.
Free seeds will be provided to farmers in Eastern and Coast Provinces to encourage production of more maize.
The measures are aimed at ensuring that Kenya reduces the population of people living without adequate food from 48 per cent to less than 10 per cent by the year 2015 as envisaged in the Millennium Development Goal.
A number of village-based projects have been initiated to combat poverty and ensure food security in the country.
Kuwait, March 16 (NNN-KUNA) The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) has signed a loan agreement worth KD 4 million (USD 36.13 million) with the government of Lesotho to finance a water project.
A KFAED statement said the agreement was signed in Lesotho's capital, Maseru, and aimed at accommodating increasing demand on drinking water and water used in industries in the capital and three smaller cities around it.
It added the project would create jobs and protect public health, as well as improve living and health standards of local residents of these cities.
The KFAED explained the project included the building of a dam, a water treatment plant, pumping stations and storage tanks.
The agreement was signed on the side of Lesotho by its Minister Finance and Development Planning Timothy Thahane and on the Kuwaiti side by KFAED Deputy Director General Hisham Al-Wugayan.
With this agreement, the KFAED has granted Lesotho six loans worth KD 7.13 million.
Kathmandu, March 16 (IANS) After a string of rebuttals by Nepal's palace, now a trusted aide of King Gyanendra has crossed swords with the media, saying he did not read out the monarch's message at a Hindu ceremony in India, as reported by some dailies.
Reacting to a report in Kantipur, Nepal's biggest daily, and its sister publication in English, the Kathmandu Post, Pashupati Bhakta Maharjan, principal secretary of King Gyanendra and the monarch's trusted go-between for confidential parleys with prime ministers and ambassadors, said contrary to reports, he did not participate in a nine-day yajna ceremony in India's holy city Vrindavan from Feb 21.
"(The report) that I had read out a message from His Majesty at a religious gathering in Vrindavan... was misleading," the palace envoy said in a denial that was carried by the Post Friday.
"I would like to clarify that I did not participate in the ceremony," Maharjan said.
However, while the Post carried the denial immediately, Kantipur, that carried a bigger report Thursday and is more widely read, is yet to publish the palace official's statement.
The two front-page reports Thursday had said King Gyanendra sent a message at the ceremony organised to seek divine help to save monarchy in Nepal and restore Hindusism as the state religion in the Himalayan nation.
They said the ceremony, attended by nearly 30,000 people from Nepal, praised the kings of Nepal, calling them brave and religious.
They also said it was widely rumoured that King Gyanendra himself would attend the meet. However, instead of the king, his emissary Maharjan read out his message on the last day that said though the monarch wanted to take part in the ceremony, "special circumstances" kept him away, the reports said.
The newspaper report appeared at a time that has been especially trying for King Gyanendra, who faces an election in June that could result in the abolition of monarchy.
As the polls come closer, all kinds of allegations have been levelled against the palace, including from the Maoists, who are accusing monarchists of plots to incite violence. The rebel allegations have been refuted as baseless and malicious by the palace.
Kolkata, March 16 (IANS) With West Bengal paralysed by a shutdown called by opposition parties to denounce the Nandigram killings, work has been affected at the city's mushrooming IT hub in Salt Lake's Sector V area.
"We had to reschedule our Off-shore Development Centre (ODC) work for Saturday, which is a holiday in the IT industry, instead of doing it today. Since it's a sensitive issue we don't want to take any chance," Bikram Dasgupta, CEO of Globsyn Technology Limited, told IANS.
He said tensions were simmering over Wednesday's police firing in Nandigram that claimed 14 lives. As IT employees came from different parts of the city and outside, most big and medium IT companies had stopped their ODC work.
"But the online services which comprise mainly BPO and call centre units have been kept open for the day as these are considered to be 24-hour services."
He said ODC was basically project-based work and could be deferred for a day.
"We made police arrangements and escorts for the employees so they could come to offices safely," West Bengal principal secretary of IT Siddharth told IANS over telephone from Germany.
"The IT sector has been partly affected in Sector V due to the shutdown but we always try to keep the IT and ITeS sectors open during any shutdown in West Bengal," he added.
However, the trade union wing of the communists in the IT sector claimed that the sector was functioning normally in general.
"Some offices are affected and have decided to work over the weekend. But the IT and BPO units at large are open and they are working normally," claimed Prasanta Nandi Chowdhury, working president of the West Bengal IT Services Association (WBITSA), which is backed by the Centre for Indian Trade Unions (CITU).
New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) Giving honesty a high berth, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav Friday showered his pearls of wisdom on 57 management students from the US at the Railway Museum in the capital.
Sharing with them the turnaround story of the Indian Railways, which currently posts profits, Lalu Prasad highlighted the reasons behind it as well as the areas that needed to be worked upon.
"I told the students the mantra of the railways' success story is one, honesty," Yadav told the media which had gathered there.
"The 1.4 million railway officials have been working shoulder to shoulder with full dedication and honesty in order to face all the challenges. It's because of this that we are where we are today.
"The other two qualities which I told them to keep in mind were determination to achieve the goal and a vision to realise that."
Thirty-five students from McCombs School of Business, University of Texas, and 22 students from the Darden School of Business, University of Virginia, arrived March 3 in India and have since been travelling to different places and taking trips in trains. They will leave March 17.
"There are a good number of Indian students in various foreign universities and I urge them to come back to India. I will give them job opportunities in the Indian Railways," the minister said.
And the visiting youngsters were clearly impressed.
John Hardy from the University of Virginia said: "The interaction session with the minister has been fruitful. While sharing the success story of the Indian Railways, he also mentioned the weaknesses that have to be worked upon."
Claudia, another student, said: "Maintenance of the railways, environmental issues related to it and punctuality of trains were the three things which he stressed upon."
Seven students of the University of Virginia had taken a trip from Agra to Varanasi by train, which was delayed by five hours.
"He's got the vision and the people around him to change the face of the railways," said another student, Brian Briscoe of the University of Texas, about the minister. A couple of students from his university had travelled from Goa to Delhi.
Rampur, March 16 (Indianmuslims.info) Raza Library Rampur will organise a workshop for manuscript preservation in its premises here Saturday. The programme is being organised under the national manuscript mission of Union Ministry for Culture, said the Library’s Officer on Special Duty WQ Siddiqi.
Raza Library has established 16 sub-centres of this programme in important educational institutions in Uttar Pradesh, including Aligarh Muslim University, Banaras Hindu University, Darul Uloom Deoband, Shibli Academy Azamgarh, and Tibia College Aligarh. It also arranges training programmes for these sub-centres from time to time, Dr Siddiqi said adding that a number of manuscripts have been thus preserved.
The Rampur Raza Library is a treasure house of Indo Islamic learning and Art founded by Nawab Faizullah Khan in 1774 AD. The Central Government took over the library with effect from July 1, 1975 under Rampur Raza Library Act (Act No.22 of 1975). The affairs of the library are managed by the Rampur Raza Library Board which has been set up under Section 4 (2) of the Act.
Raipur, March 16 (IANS) Maoist guerrillas in Chhattisgarh are illegally excavating columbite, an atomic ore, in the state's Dantewada district, a mining department official said Friday.
"Extremists who are technology savvy have excavated hundreds of kilograms of columbite," the official said, referring to the Communist Party of India-Maoist, which Wednesday killed 55 security personnel in a police camp.
"The state government is well aware of the illegal mining and has stepped up patrolling to stop the smuggling of columbite," the official told IANS on conditions of anonymity.
The atomic material - officially called niobium - is a superconductive material that helps in developing magnetic fields using less power. It is used in magnetic-ignited trains and rocket launchers. Columbite, which is said to be black in colour, can be used as structural material in nuclear reactors.
The official claimed that the illegal mining had been going on for at least two years but the government woke up to it only in January.
The issue found mention in the Chhattisgarh assembly Feb 22, and Chief Minister Raman Singh said the government "is taking all measures with the Atomic Energy Department to ensure that columbite ore, an atomic mineral, is not illegally excavated and smuggled".
A top counter-terrorism expert said the Maoists had set up a research and development training centre near the Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra border close to Abujhmad region.
"Maoists always look for technological back-up for bigger attacks. Now the time has come for the Indian government to look into the angle. How much success have the Maoists had in recent years?"
Mining officials say the Atomic Energy Department is conducting a comprehensive survey in Bastar region, including Dantewada, to locate actual stocks of columbite reserves.
Islamabad, March 16 (IANS) President Pervez Musharraf has assured US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher that fresh parliamentary elections will be held in Pakistan this year.
"President Musharraf has promised to hold general elections this year. We are satisfied over the progress with reference to democracy in Pakistan," Online news agency quoted Boucher as saying here Thursday.
Boucher said relations between Pakistan and the US were flourishing in all fields.
"I met General Musharraf. I talked to him on the present judicial crisis. I told him that it was a sensitive matter and it needs to be dealt with great caution. We are looking at it minutely," he said.
Boucher's reference to the tensions sparked by Musharraf's decision to suspend Pakistan's chief justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, who has refused to step down.
By Sujoy Dhar,
Kolkata, March 16 (IANS) It is a big mistake, confesses eminent Bengali author Sunil Gangopadhayay, breaking his self-imposed silence as West Bengal is sucked into a political maelstrom over the mayhem at Nandigram.
If Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya is facing the political heat after the killings of at least 14 men and women in Nandigram in police firing Wednesday, his writer friend Sunil Gangopadhyay, one of the state's foremost intellectuals and an internationally acclaimed poet, is drawing no less flak from all sections of society for his silence over the developments in the state.
"I am heart-broken. To set police on villagers is barbaric. The attack in Nandigram was barbaric. It will only set the pace of development back in West Bengal I am afraid," Gangopadhyay told IANS, but cushioned his expressions with words that also criticised his detractors, especially his intellectual comrades, and spared any virulence against the chief minister.
"I am against bandhs (shutdowns) per se but I think today's shutdown is different because the opposition apart, this is a spontaneous and emotional outburst of the people... the police was set on people," he said.
The Bengalis were waiting for what he had to say on the ongoing events and on Friday they woke up to read his post-edit article in the largest circulated Bengali daily Ananda Bazar Patrika in which he himself broached the issue of "Buddhijibi or Buddhajibi" (An intellectual or a Buddha crony?).
In Bengal, an intellectual close to Buddhadeb Bhattacharya is often called "Buddhajibi" (a crony of Buddhadeb) sarcastically and a litterateur of Sunil Gangopadhyay's stature was living with the slur for long now.
"I did not join the protests because I did not want to be associated with protests where extreme right wing and fundamentalist people were associated," Gangopadhyay said.
Are people like filmmaker Aparna Sen, painter Suvaprasanna, or writer Nabaneeta Dev Sen right wing people? "No, but I am against using extreme language against the chief minister like many are doing," said Gangopadhyay, who has not been keeping well for long.
"A writer should not lose control over the language," he said.
Have you spoken to your friend (Buddhadeb Bhattacharya)? "I did not have any direct talk with him yet but I will talk to him," said the 72-year-old novelist whose Neera series of poems endeared him to generations of Bengali.
Gangopadhyay said: "I cannot close my eyes to what is happening around. Sarcastic comments were hurled that I am not a 'buddhijibi' (intellectual) but a 'Buddhajibi' (a Buddha crony). I don't deny the allegation altogether because I don't consider myself an intellectual but what favour I can get from the chief minister is yet to be decided by me. Neither could the chief minister decide yet I think."
"I cannot deny that I love talking to him (Buddhadeb). Whenever we meet we discuss literature and seldom politics. His memory amazes me. He can recite at ease my poems written long back while enquiring about my health. Is not such a chief minister exceptional?" asked Gangopadhyay.
"I am a 100 percent supporter of Buddhadeb Bhattacharya's industrial policies. Agriculture has to be modernised and the picture of a thin bare-torsoed conventional farmer with a plough seen since the days of the Mughal period has to change. Even a farmer in Vietnam wears a shirt and a gumboot," said the Sahitya Akademi vice-president and writer of celebrated novels like "Sei Samay" (Those Days).
"But you cannot really control the people or their emotions by bullets," said the writer.
New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), under attack for justifying the police firing at Nandigram that claimed 14 lives, asserted Friday it would not allow let parliament agenda get "hijacked" under the guise of probing the incident.
"It is a question of parliamentary procedure. Up to now, no all-party delegation has been sent after such an incident," CPI-M Rajya Sabha member Brinda Karat told reporters outside parliament after the upper house was adjourned for the second time Friday over the firing at Nandigram in West Bengal.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) L.K. Advani, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, had Thursday demanded that an all-party delegation be immediately sent to Nandigram to study first hand Wednesday's firing on villagers opposing the acquisition of land for a special economic zone.
Referring to the protests by the BJP, the Shiv Sena and the Trinamool Congress that have stalled parliament for two days on the Nandigram issue, Karat replied: "The BJP has a political agenda, but parliament's agenda should not be hijacked in the name of this.
"The constitutional agenda should not be hijacked. This we are totally opposed to," Karat maintained.
"If an all-party delegation is sent, it will be setting a precedent that a state subject is being made a central issue," she contended.
When it was pointed out that an all-party delegation had been sent to Gujarat in the wake of the 2002 riots, Karat retorted: "That was because it was a communal issue. Do you now want to give Nandigram a communal flavour?"
New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) Both houses of parliament were adjourned Friday for an hour after the opposition disrupted proceedings demanding dismissal of the West Bengal government over the killings of 14 people in police firing.
The Lok Sabha suspended business two minutes after it met with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members running to the speaker's podium raising slogans against the Left Front government over Wednesday's killings in Nandigarm.
Similar scenes were witnessed in the Rajya Sabha. Both houses were adjourned till noon.
In the upper house, trouble began after MPs from BJP, Shiv Sena and Trinamool Congress said they had served notice on the Nandigram killings. Left parties led by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) opposed any discussion on the issue.
Even as opposition MPs shouted slogans like "Buddhadev hatyara hai, pradhan mantri ka sahara hai" (Buddhadev is a killer, he supports the prime minister), an irate Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat tried to restore order. When he failed, he adjourned the house till 12 p.m.
In the Lok Sabha, the Left MPs were tried to raise the killings of 55 policemen by Maoists in BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh.
Kabul, March 16 (DPA) US-led coalition forces opened fire on an Afghan police vehicle, mistaking it for the enemy, killing five policemen and wounding another six, in the southern province of Helmand, officials said.
General Mohammad Esa Eftekhari, the provincial police chief of Helmand, told DPA that the incident occurred Thursday night in the Spin Jumat area of the Gerishk district, when coalition troops mistook the vehicle for enemy forces and opened fire.
Another six policemen went missing after the firing, and Eftekhari said they most likely fled the scene.
He added that a team had been sent to the area to investigate the incident.
While Coalition forces could not immediately comment on the incident, the spokesman for the NATO forces in the country said that coalition forces were implicated in the incident and that NATO troops had no involvement in it.
Dozens of Afghan government soldiers have been killed in the past by foreign troops mistaking them for Taliban militants.
Kathmandu, March 16 (IANS) The top leaders of Nepal's major parties began frantic consultations Friday amid speculation that a new mini-interim government will be announced during the day.
The anticipation that a new government, with the Maoists as partners, could be announced Friday began mounting after Maoist spokesman and newly-named legislator Krishna Bahadur Mahara announced Thursday that the rebels had reached an understanding with the ruling seven-party alliance.
Earlier, Shekhar Koirala, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala's nephew and an influential leader of his Nepali Congress party, was reported as saying that his party, the Maoists and Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (UML), the three biggest groups in parliament, had agreed to share power.
Koirala was reported as saying that each party would get five ministries in the new government.
Former deputy prime minister and UML leader Bharat Mohan Adhikari was also reported as saying that an initial cabinet of 27 ministers would be announced.
Prime Minister Koirala is expected to lead the new cabinet that will have the key mandate of holding elections by June to choose a special assembly.
The special assembly, at its first meeting, will take a historic decision - whether Nepal should stay a kingdom or axe its 238-year-old monarchy to become a republic.
Though the international community, especially the US, have been urging the government not to include the Maoists in the government till the rebels lock up all their arms, apparently an understanding has been reached between the guerrillas and the seven-party alliance to go ahead even though a large cache of rebel arms and soldiers still remain outside barracks.
The Maoists, tacitly admitting they still have arms and soldiers outside the barracks in violation of a pact signed with the government, say they are ready to remain outside the government but the interim government should be formed soon.
Otherwise, they have warned, elections would not be held by June, in which case they would start an unarmed but powerful pro-republic campaign.
Kingston, March 16 (IANS) The toss will be done again and the teams could be changed on the reserved day if there is no play on the scheduled day of a match in the ongoing cricket World Cup, according to the changed playing conditions.
"It was agreed that in the event of a toss but no play taking place on the first scheduled day of a match, the toss could take place again and the teams changed for the reserve day," International Cricket Council (ICC) said in a statement here Friday.
It said that this and two other amendments were agreed at the pre-tournament meeting between event officials, captains, and coaches and managers of the 16 competing teams, held in Montego Bay March 10.
The 49-day, 51-match World Cup started Sunday, with the final scheduled for April 28 at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados.
ICC also clarified the situations concerning the calculation of net run-rate during the tournament and the role of the ICC match referee in relation to Law 21.3 ("Umpires awarding a match").
"Under the original playing conditions, the result of the toss was carried over to the reserve day even if a ball was not bowled on day one but there was a groundswell of opinion against that in the meeting," said David Richardson, ICC general manager (cricket) and chairman of the tournament technical committee.
"The concerns included the fact that conditions may change overnight and that might result in a side being unfairly disadvantaged if the original toss remained in place."
Richardson, a former South Africa wicket-keeper, pointed out that these possible changes in conditions could also necessitate the need for a team change for tactics or a player could fall ill overnight.
This amendment, done with rains in mind and which caters for all these eventualities, will apply only to the World Cup while the ICC cricket committee will debate the issue when it meets in May.
Richardson clarified that if the circumstances envisaged in the amendment came to pass then it will still be regarded as only one match taking place, not two.
"In effect, in those circumstances, the captains have agreed to discount the first toss. As such the first toss will be deemed not to have taken place at all and that means there is no question of players being awarded caps on the basis of that first day."
Regarding the calculation of net run-rate in the tournament, the first sentence of paragraph 21.9.5 of the tournament playing conditions should now read: "A team's net run rate is calculated by deducting from the average runs per over scored by that team throughout the relevant portion of the competition, the average runs per over scored against that team throughout the relevant portion of the competition."
This clarifies that a team's net run-rate in the second round, or Super Eight, will be calculated on the basis of matches against other sides that have qualified for that stage and not on the basis of all matches it has played, said ICC.
In addition, paragraph 21.9.3 states that in the event of a no result in the semi-final, the team with the highest net run-rate in the Super Eight matches shall proceed to the final.
"It is necessary to clarify that the relevant matches to be taken account in this instance includes all matches played against the other Super Eight qualifiers, including the match played in the group stage," it said.
This paragraph has accordingly been amended to read as follows: "No Result: The team with the higher net run-rate in all matches played against the other Super Eight series qualifiers (in both the group stage and Super Eight series matches) shall proceed to the final. If still equal, the finalist shall be determined by the drawing of lots."
It should also be noted that the decision to alter the role of the ICC match referee, taken by the ICC board at its March meeting in Cape Town, applies to this World Cup.
The board adopted the recommendation of the ICC chief executives' committee, which, at its January meeting, suggested an amendment to the ICC playing condition that relates to Law 21.3 ("Umpires awarding a match").
As per the recommendation, it is the responsibility of the match referee to make the final decision on the termination of a match in the circumstances envisaged under that section of the laws.
Australia are defending their title that they won in 2003 beating India in the final in Johannesburg.
Wellington, March 16 (DPA) New Zealand researchers claimed Friday that vitamin C was vital for good health and could even help beat cancer by making chemotherapy treatment more effective.
Dr Margret Vissers, from Otago University's Free Radical Research Group, said laboratory experiments showed for the first time that vitamin C was a vital part of healthy living and not just a health supplement to be taken when people had a cold.
"I've found that vitamin C is absolutely fundamental in controlling many cell activities, cell death and the growth of cancer cells in tumours," she said. "Without it our cells don't work properly.
"Without it you're in big trouble, and with low levels you're not healthy."
Vissers said that ever since the voyages of British explorer Captain James Cook, who kept his crew relatively free of the disease scurvy with citrus fruit, in the late 18th century, the importance of fruit and vegetables for the body's health had been recognised.
But no one had determined the processes in the body, which made the active ingredient vitamin C so important.
Vissers said a series of experiments had shown that vitamin C played a key role in all healthy cells and had a major function in controlling cell activity throughout the body.
She said it was not a cure for cancer, but the research showed that when vitamin C was low or absent in the body, cancer cells in tumours could make more blood vessels grow well and resist chemotherapy.
"This also means that a lack of vitamin C increases tumour growth and prevents effective treatment," she said. "It follows that restoring vitamin C to normal levels means less tumour growth and more successful chemotherapy."
But Vissers said she was not suggesting that people should take high doses of vitamin C supplements as eating fruit and vegetables regularly should be enough.
Otago University said Vissers had published her results in two peer-reviewed journals, The Journal of Leukocyte Biology and Free Radical Biology and Medicine, re-focusing medical and scientific attention on the importance of vitamin C in the diet, and as an adjunct treatment for disease.
Baghdad, March 16 (NNN-KUNA) Iraq Securities Commission (ISC) has approved allowing non-Iraqis to make trade at the Iraq Stock Exchange (ISX).
In a press statement on Friday, ISC's chairman Abdulrazzaq Al-Saadi said the exchange was addressed to organise all matters relevant to non-Iraqi investors, hoping this procedure would support all traders.
The ISC has issued detailed rules governing the trading of non-Iraqis in ISC, noted Al-Saadi.
Dubai, March 16 (IANS) Prominent Gulf-based non-resident Indian businessman B.R. Shetty has announced plans to invest in Bahrain's medical and money exchange sectors.
UAE-based Shetty, the managing director and chief executive officer of National Medical Centre (NMC) and UAE Exchange Centre, was the recipient of this year's Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award given by India's Overseas Indian Affairs ministry.
On Thursday, Shetty agreed to invest multi-million dinars in Bahrain, starting with a money exchange centre in Manama.
"We shall start our business with one branch in Manama, to be followed by another in Muharraq, in association with Dadabhai group of companies," he said.
Shetty also said that he is studying the possibility of establishing a hospital in Bahrain.
The UAE Exchange Centre is one of the largest financial institutions in the Middle East offering money exchange and remittance services all over the world.
With more than 350 offices and 115 correspondent bankers worldwide, UAE Exchange has outward remittances of nearly $8 million a day.
Shetty was in Bahrain with his wife Chandrakumari and son Binay to attend a reception hosted in his honour by the Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam, according to the Gulf Daily News.
Shetty founded the New Medical Centre Hospital in Abu Dhabi in 1973. He also set up the NMC Speciality Hospital in Dubai and Sharjah. His medical institutions treat over one million patients a year.
Srinagar, March 16 (IANS) One person was killed and seven others wounded in a powerful blast in a market in Baramulla town of Jammu and Kashmir Friday afternoon.
Police said the improvised explosive device (IED), planted in a handcart on the roadside went off just as a vehicle of the paramilitary Border Security Force (BSF) passed by.
"One civilian identified as Ghulam Nabi Bhat was killed on the spot and seven other civilians wounded. The condition of two is serious," said a senior police official.
He said the passing BSF vehicle was damaged but the troopers inside were not injured.
Security forces and police have cordoned off the area.
No group has claimed responsibility for the explosion.
Islamabad, March 16 (NNN-PTI) Several Opposition leaders in Pakistan were put under house arrest and over 100 activists and lawyers rounded up by police to stop them from taking part in Friday's planned protests against the suspension of Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikar Muhammad Chaudhry.
Heavy security arrangements were made around the Supreme Court here Friday in the wake of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) hearing allegations against Justice Chaudhry.
President of Islamist alliance Muthahida Majlis Amal (MMA) Qazi Hussain Ahmad and General Secretary Fazlur Rehman were among the leaders confined to their homes. Both took active part in the protests in front of the Supreme Court when the trial began on March 12.
A number of roads leading to the court have been barricaded and a heavy police contingent deployed.
Police Thursday arrested several opposition leaders, workers and lawyers from Lahore and Islamabad to stop Friday's protests against the sacking of Chaudhry.
Lahore police arrested over 100 opposition leaders, workers and lawyers during late night raids, the Daily Times reported.
Those arrested included Lahore High Court Bar Association President Ahsan Bhoon and Lahore Bar Association President Syed Muhammad Ali. A lawyers' representative confirmed the raids and arrests.
PPP Punjab President Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that about 20 party activists had been arrested till last night. Pakistan Muslim League-(Nawaz) said several of its leaders have been arrested. MMA Punjab unit chief Liaqat Baloch said houses of several of his activists were being raided.
President Pervez Musharraf suspended Chaudhry a week ago on charges of misconduct and abuse of power.
Karachi, March 16 (IANS) Pakistan has banned the private Geo TV channel from airing a programme that dealt with the suspension of Chief Justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, and the resulting protests.
The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) ordered the management of Geo television network to stop airing its flagship daily news programme "Aaj Kamran Khan Key Saath" with immediate effect Thursday night, according to a spokesman for Geo News.
As per the government order, Geo News aired an apology to its viewers at 11.05 p.m., the regular time for the programme, explaining that the government order had led to show being taken off the air.
The show was apparently taken off because the government disliked the coverage on the show of Chaudhry's suspension and the angry protests following it. "I never knew that the government would get so desperate and lose patience so soon with this free flow of information," said Khan.
"We never had an agenda other than providing people the most accurate news and an objective analysis on this most important turning point in our history," Khan was quoted as saying in Daily Times.
Islamabad, March 16, (IRNA) Richard Boucher, US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, met Foreign Secretary Riaz Mohammad Khan at the Foreign Office on Thursday and exchanged views on Pakistan-US relations and regional issues, including Afghanistan, a Foreign Ministry statement said.
While reviewing bilateral relations, Assistant Secretary Boucher briefed the Foreign Secretary about the progress on the US side on various initiatives, including Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZs) and FATA Development Plan.
The Administration was preparing draft legislation on ROZs which would be introduced in Congress soon.
Boucher also stated that the Administration had requested the Congress for funding to support the tribal development Plan.
The Foreign Secretary and Boucher reviewed proposals being discussed by the two sides in the identified areas on economy, education, energy and science & technology.
The Foreign Secretary emphasized that both sides should now work for developing concrete projects in these areas.
The draft legislation under consideration of the US Congress on Implementation of the 9/11 Commission Recommendations was discussed.
"Assistant Secretary Boucher showed understanding for Pakistan's view-point and stated that the Administration would continue to work with Congress, bearing in mind our interests," the statement said.
The Foreign Secretary reiterated Pakistan's firm resolve to fight extremism and terrorism.
"Noting Pakistan's vital stake in a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, he highlighted the whole range of steps being taken by Pakistan to strengthen security along the Pak-Afghan border." He stressed the importance of similar measures on the Afghan side of the border.
The Foreign Secretary expressed satisfaction over the cooperation taking place within the framework of the Tripartite Commission.
He also emphasized the comprehensive strategy being followed in the FATA region with political, military, administrative, and development dimensions.
Assistant Secretary Boucher appreciated Pakistan's important role in fighting extremism and terrorism.
The Foreign Secretary shared with Assistant Secretary Boucher the outcome of the latest round of Pakistan-India composite dialoge.
The Foreign Secretary emphasized that the discussions and exchanges on various issues and problems had reached a stage where, through determination and political will, the two countries should be able to address them for resolution.
Boucher expressed US support for the Pakistan-India dialogue process.
Assistant Secretary Boucher briefed the Foreign Secretary about the recent meeting in Iraq, where the US and Iranian delegations were present.
He stated that the United States was pursuing a diplomatic course with Iran for resolution of issues.
Islamabad, March 16 (DPA) Pakistani authorities have rounded up dozens of lawyers and opposition politicians ahead of an unprecedented hearing of allegations against the country's top judge in Islamabad Friday.
More that 50 activists and parliamentarians mainly belonging to the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) religious alliance were taken into custody Thursday midnight in the capital and its twin city of Rawalpindi, local media reported.
Around 40 lawyers were also detained in the central city of Lahore where there were clashes with police in which several dozen people were injured Tuesday.
Meanwhile, police reportedly intended to prevent MMA chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed arriving in the capital from northern Pakistan to join hundreds of protesting lawyers and other supporters of suspended Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry.
There were turbulent scenes at the Supreme Court building this week as Chaudhry attended a preliminary hearing by a panel of senior judges of accusations that he misused his office after his appointment in June 2005.
But police refrained from using force on hundreds of demonstrating lawyers who escorted Chaudhry to the hearing.
Courts across the country have also been paralysed by a lawyers' strike that has rallied opposition forces against President Musharraf, who relieved Chaudhry of his duties a week ago.
Tokyo, March 16 (NNN-KUNA) Palestinian and Israeli envoys have agreed here to work on a Japanese initiative aimed at achieving peace in the Middle East through economic development, while urging Japan to continue to help promote peace and stability in the region.
Tokyo wrapped up the two-day Third Conference for Confidence-Building Thursday between the Israelis and the Palestinians, where participants pledged to carry out the initiative, dubbed the "Peace and Prosperity Corridor."
At a separate cabinet-level meeting on Wednesday, top officials from Japan, Palestine, Jordan and Israel agreed to hold a working-level meeting in June and to establish a four-nation consultative body to proceed with the Japanese project.
Tokyo plans to create an agro-industrial park with modern distribution facilities in the West Bank as part of efforts to build confidence between Palestinians and Israelis.
The project is the first major Middle East initiative proposed by the Japanese government. As a major aid donor to the Palestinians, Japan, with using its warm ties with Arab nations, has been eager to play a role as a mediator in the Middle East peace process and to bring development and stability to the region.
During his visit to the Middle East in July, former Japanese leader Junichiro Koizumi proposed the idea for the "corridor." The park, which will process locally-made citrus fruits and vegetables for shipment to Arab nations and elsewhere, would ease the income gap between the two states by creating jobs for Palestinians.
The projects will also include a railway that links Israel and Jordan, construction of a facility to pump seawater from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea to prevent it from drying up and tourism projects along the way.
Israeli Foreign Ministry Deputy Director General Haim Divon said cooperation will lead to friendship, and expressed hope that Japan will continue to help promote the peace process, despite obstacles.
"Cooperation with countries of the Middle East is the state of Israel's highest priority," he noted.
Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority's chief negotiator Saeb Erakat urged Israel to return to stalled peace talks without conditions, saying, "We invite the Israeli government to join us back on the negotiation track. I hope they find in their hearts and minds to heed to this invitation and to accept it immediately."
New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) Development communication network Panos South Asia sees a strong role for community radio in India and is developing radio talents in the country's rural areas.
India has been slower in building a community radio compared to Nepal or Sri Lanka, said Panos South Asia director (programmes) Mitu Varma.
Non-commercial radio communities were not allowed in India till November when the policy was changed and Panos could start its operations through state-funded All India Radio (AIR). "Our biweekly radio programme, 'Kishor Vani', aired in Bikaner (Rajasthan) and involving 50 children from 25 villages, is hugely popular and attracts more letters than AIR has seen in years," Varma told IANS.
"The project achieved a significant milestone when it crossed 30 episodes," she added.
The half-hour programme is now conceptualised, edited and produced by the youth of Bikaner and its neighbouring villages.
"Kids who couldn't write are interviewing people for radio," she said. "They've been focussing on issues like reproductive health, HIV, livelihood, farming and the like."
In India, Panos works in remote areas where there is little or no penetration of TV. Panos also wants to hand over the initiatives to local groups under the "phase ourselves out" operation.
"The kids are so good. They can train the others," Varma said.
So what made Panos choose radio as a medium to reach out to people? "Radio is a major means of communication and has deeper penetration," she said.
"Operating under AIR's roof has been good because the reach is vast. The 20 KW transmitter goes out in flat terrain and reaches about four districts, to 1.4 million people," Varma said.
However, this has some limitations. "If there's a cricket match, our programme goes off. Also AIR tends to be sensitive towards even a mild criticism of any government functioning," she said.
In the next phase - by end-2008 - Panos hopes to build seven more initiatives.
Panos, a Britain-based non-profit organisation, has worked with media and communicators to foster debate on "under-reported, misrepresented or misunderstood" development issues.
Panos South Asia is headquartered in Kathmandu (Nepal - launched 1997) and has country offices in New Delhi (India, 2000), Colombo (Sri Lanka, 2004), Karachi (Pakistan, 2004) and Dhaka (Bangladesh, 2005). It also has a northeast project office in Guwahati and a globalisation project office in Chennai.
Damascus, March 16 (NNN-KUNA) The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) did not participate in the national unity cabinet due to political differences over its agenda, said one of the front's officials.
In a press statement on Friday, Maher Al-Taher said although the front did not participate in the cabinet, it would do its best to ensure order between Palestinians, hoping dialogue would continue to rebuild the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and affiliate factions.
Efforts should be focused on convening the Palestinian National Assembly as a representative of all Palestinians within and outside their country to build an overall national unity strategy, he explained.
On Thursday, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad had received a telephone call from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The two officials discussed the new cabinet's formation and the upcoming Arab Summit in Saudi Arabia at the end of March.
By Kwaku Osei Bonsu
London, March 16 (NNN-GNA) The International Jury of the Climate Change Award Foundation, a European Union (EU) foundation, has bestowed its 2007 Climate Change Award, which comes with a Trophy and an amount of One Million Euros, on Ghana’s President John Agyekum Kufuor.
This is in recognition of Ghana's efforts at sustainable development, forest conservation, re-afforestation and eco-tourism, according to a statement from the Ghana Embassy in Brussels, a copy of which was made available to the Ghana News Agency here.
The statement said the award would be presented to President Kufuor at a date of his choice.
Berlin, March 16, (IRNA) A court in the southwest German city of Mannheim on Thursday sentenced a 42-year-old chemist to a 30-month prison term for denying the existence of the Holocaust during the Nazi regime.
Germar Rudolf was found guilty of inciting racial hatred for branding the Holocaust a "gigantic fraud".
Rudolf published several books on the Holocaust, essentially claiming that only small traces of cyanide B poison were used in the Nazi Auschwitz death camp.
In 1994, the neo-Nazi activist was already sentenced to 14 months in prison by a court in the southern city of Tuebingen for his Holocaust denial, but Rudolf avoided prison by fleeing to Spain, England and finally to Chicago, USA where his political asylum request was turned down.
Rudolf became the second prominent Holocaust denier in less than a month to be imprisoned for his political beliefs.
Last month Ernst Zuendel was sentenced to five years in jail for his views on the Holocaust.
Deyning the Holocaust is a crime in Germany and can carry a maximum prison sentence of five years.
Thiruvananthapuram, March 16 (IANS) The opposition in the Kerala assembly staged a walkout Friday protesting state Electricity Minister A.K Balan's casual remark that "God has no clothes".
Balan wanted to add to a reply given by Education Minister M.A Baby on introducing sex education in Kerala schools.
He said that many of those in the assembly believe in god but when one visits temples, one sees that god, in the form of idols, has no clothes on.
As soon as Balan said this, angry opposition members were up on their feet demanding an unconditional apology. Sensing that the situation might go out of hand, Balan got up and said he withdrew his remark. But the protesting members insisted on an apology.
With the electricity minister not giving in, the opposition trooped out of the house.
Deputy leader of opposition G. Karthikeyan later told reporters that if Balan did not apologise, they would boycott all his proceedings in the assembly.
"This is an insult to all believers and the remark is inflammatory. We wish to know the opinion of the chief minister and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) to this statement. And we have decided that unless he apologises, we will not cooperate with him in the floor of the assembly," Karthikeyan said.
Auckland, March 16 (IANS) Researchers at Massey University here are carrying out a study on the health of South Asian women, especially among its large Indian community, to see whether changes in diet affect their health.
The research is led by doctoral student Pamela von Hurst from the university's institute of food, nutrition and human health, who said that south Asian women are known to have a higher predisposition to developing health conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
According to the latest census, the Indian population has gone up from 60,000 in 2001 to more than 107,000 in 2006.
The study is believed to be the first wide scale observation of the health of South Asian women living in New Zealand, according to scoop.co.nz.
Pamela said different factors - including diet and climate - affect the health of the ethnic group when they come to a country like New Zealand.
"There has been a lot of research interest in vitamin D and its role in a number of diseases. One of the aims of this study is to investigate the influence of vitamin D deficiency in type-two diabetes and to test the effectiveness of vitamin supplements," Pamela added.
"Obviously there is going to be a change in diet. In India, diabetes has soared as the middle class has taken on more of the excesses of western lifestyle. The change of diet here is a factor but so too is the climate where there are fewer sunshine hours and it's harder for their darker skin to make Vitamin D," Pamela said.
Massey University is the country's largest university with approximately 40,000 students. It has campuses in Wellington and Auckland. It has the nation's largest business college. Research is undertaken on all three campuses.
Moscow, March 16 (RIA Novosti) Russia's top civilian nuclear official urged Iran to comply with the contract terms on the Bushehr nuclear power plant that Russia is building in the south of the Islamic Republic.
The $1 billion project being built under a 1995 contract has been in jeopardy after Atomstroyexport, the Russian contractor, said Tehran has not paid any payments for the NPP construction since mid-January, and that by the fourth quarter of 2006 the project had only received 60 percent of the required funding.
Russia warned that the launch of the NPP and nuclear fuel deliveries could be delayed as a result.
Iran has denied the non-payment, accusing Russia of being pressured by the West, which is trying to force Tehran to end its nuclear program.
Tehran said Wednesday it had paid Russia over $75 million and another $6 million in its national currency between Oct 10, 2006 and March 14, 2007, including a $12.7 million instalment March 1.
"Financing must be provided, we should stick to regular commercial relations," said Sergei Kiriyenko, head of the Federal Agency for Nuclear Power. He said commercial issues surrounding the contract could not be solved through mass media discussions, and that nuclear power plants could not be built without payment.
However, Russia denied receiving the payment, saying Tehran had only paid $5.1 million in January and had not transferred any money in February.
Moscow warned the plant could not go into service in September as planned, and that nuclear fuel would not be supplied to the NPP in March - six months before the launch - due to the financial problems.
The Islamic Republic, already under limited international sanctions, is facing tougher penalties from the UN Security Council over its refusal to halt the uranium enrichment that some countries fear could be used in nuclear weapons production. Iran has insisted its nuclear program is only for electricity generation.
Moscow, March 16 (NNN-KUNA) Russia welcomed the formation of a Palestinian national unity government and urged the new cabinet to meet the Quartet's demands regarding resumption of talks with Israel, a Russian official said.
It is "a significant event on the path of uniting Palestinians," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Michail Kamynin described the cabinet formation, as he also hoped that this government would be a crucial factor in stabilising the Palestinian territories and halting havoc and disorder there.
The Russian official said in a statement posted on the Russian ministry's internet site Thursday that Moscow was wagering on the new government to expand cooperation with the international community, as its target should be the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, living peacefully beside a Jewish one.
The Middle East Quartet comprises the United Nations, European Union, United States and the Russian Federation.
New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) A total of 137 cities and towns in India have been covered under the National Urban Information System (NUIS) scheme to develop a spatial information database for urban planning, Minister of State for Urban Development Ajay Maken said Thursday.
Maken said the scheme has two components - one is to meet the space requirements of urban planning and the second to develop a town level urban database.
"The NUIS scheme also aimed at establishing a comprehensive information system for planning, development and management of urban local bodies," he informed the Rajya Sabha.
The digital maps and geographic information system (GIS) databases are useful for preparation of master plans, zonal plans and detailed town planning schemes, Maken said.
Digital information is also useful for infrastructure development, disaster management, environment monitoring and natural resource management.
Maken said industrial townships like Bokaro Steel City, Dhanbad, Jamshedpur and Ranchi have been included under the NUIS scheme.
"The work of generating a GIS database and mapping for 137 towns and cities has been assigned to the Survey of India (SOI). The central share of Rs.16.24 crore has been released to SOI as first instalment," he said.
SOI has initiated procurement of satellite images for 65 towns in 16 states and images have already been received for five towns in two states.
Hambantota, March 16 (NNN-SLANKANEWS) Ten tsunami affected schools, recently restarted their normal functions with the assistance of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)’s programme of rehabilitating 39 tsunami affected schools.
Under the programme USAID has renovated 18 and re-equipped 21 schools in Hambantota District.
Renovations included a new library at Al Akbar School, permanent teacher’s quarters at Bundala School, and a new roof for the science lab at St. Mary’s College where, nearly 80 students and the principal lost their lives.
The projects, supported by the USAID Transition Initiatives Program, brought together zonal educational officials, teachers, parents and students from the ethnically diverse communities to collaborate and jointly identify priorities and work together.
Among the major renovations was the restoration of the science lab at St. Mary’s school, a longtime fixture in the heart of Hambantota that serves 1,500 Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim students.
The USAID supported renovation of Kirinda Harbour near Bundala, which restored access to the sea for the fishing community.
“We are grateful to USAID for this work,� said Y.K. Piyasena, the Zonal Director of Education.
The tsunami had a particularly devastating effect on residents of Hambantota District. In addition to loss of life, countless buildings, including the district schools, were damaged. Schools were further damaged later after temporarily housing displaced people.
Gurgaon, March 16 (IANS) A security drill by the police Friday created panic among the people in Gurgaon, near Delhi, as malls and cinema halls were evacuated after a "bomb scare".
"It was a routine and mock security drill to check the level of coordination among various departments," Senior Superintendent of Police Hanif Qureshi told IANS.
"During the drill, we evacuated people from seven malls and four cinema halls to know their reaction in such a situation," he added.
The police launched the nearly two-hour drill at 2.30 p.m. without informing their own staff.
"We didn't even inform our policemen. We wanted to check their capabilities so that shortcomings could be dealt with more seriously," Qureshi said.
The police are planning to conduct more such drills.
Dhaka, March 16 (NNN-BSS) Awami League President Sheikh Hasina Thursday lauded the joint forces' crackdown on corrupts and criminals saying "this is what people of the country have been wanting for along time".
"However, outmost care should be taken so that no innocent people are suffered", she told newsmen at the VIP lounge of Zia International Airport before leaving on a private visit to the USA.
She said because of joint forces' crackdowns, people of the country came to know how much national wealth and money were plundered by the vested interests and what corrupt means.
Hailing various steps of the interim government, Sheikh Hasina said the new administration should furnish its primary responsibilities toward holding a free and fair election in the country.
"The reform being carried out by the interim government are also our demands for which we launched long and arduous movement in the country", she said.
She hoped that the present government would complete its prime task for establishing democracy.
Dhaka, March 16 (IANS) Strongly supporting the caretaker government's moves, including its drive against corruption, crime and militancy, Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina has said that she would "legitimise" them if elected to power.
But the former prime minister has sought early general elections, which were called off amid political turmoil in January when a national emergency placing curbs on political activities was imposed.
The performance of the government headed by Chief Advisor Fakhruddin Ahmed in the last two months, she said, had earned the confidence and appreciation of the people.
But the government should hold polls while this confidence and respect are there, she said, emphasising that there was no alternative to democracy.
"Frustration may generate among the people for delaying the polls... frustration leads to agitation, but we don't want any further agitation," she was quoted as saying in Daily Star newspaper before leaving on a month's visit to the US.
"Delaying election in a democratic process is not a good sign... the caretaker government should hold the polls earlier to save democracy," she said, adding that it would not be good to keep the election postponed for an indefinite period, United News of Bangladesh (UNB) reported.
The Ahmed government has detained an estimated 45,000 people in its anti-crime drive in the last two months. Those detained include a score of former ministers and lawmakers, most of whom belong to the government of Begum Khaleda Zia, Hasina's political rival. Among those jailed is Zia's politician son Tarique Rahman, charged with extortion.
There has also been a sprinkling of Awami League (AL) and Jatiya Party leaders caught for past acts of corruption, misuse of authority and cheating the public.
Political analysts noted that Hasina was supporting the Ahmed government despite her own house being raided in search of one of her cousins, a politician.
Hasina, a former prime minister (1996-2001), heads the country's largest political party and a powerful alliance. Referring to the current anti-graft operation, the AL president said people were appreciating the drive and would applaud the caretaker government if it assists to run the country under a democratic process.
"Don't be afraid of the drive by the joint forces. There is nothing to fear as this drive is being conducted for catching big thieves and curbing corruption," she said and vowed to intensify the anti-graft drive if voted to power.
While defending her own party colleagues who have been nabbed, Hasina urged the caretaker government to continue the drive against thieves, corrupt people and those who grabbed and smuggled out people's wealth. "But some innocent people had been arrested during this drive. Why were Obaidul Quader and Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir arrested? How much wealth do they have?"
She was speaking to the media before leaving on a month's family visit to the US, where her only son Sajib Joy Wajed lives with his American wife Christina.
She is to complete her book, "Bangabadhu Diary", about the policies of her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, founder of Awami League and independent Bangladesh's first president, who was assassinated in a military coup in 1975.
Guwahati, March 16 (IANS) Six people were injured in an explosion in a crowded street here in Assam Friday. The blast took place at 12.55 p.m.
Seoul, March 16 (Xinhua) South Korea Red Cross said Friday it will start shipping fertilizer to North Korea later this month as humanitarian aid.
"We will send fertilizer aid to the North from March 27. It will take about three months to complete the whole process, which will consist of about 50 separate shipments," said Han Wan-sang, president of the organisation.
Chang Chae-on, president of North Korea's Red Cross, had sent a fax message to Han requesting for 300,000 tonnes of fertilizer, the South Korean Unification Ministry confirmed Friday.
South Korea had suspended its humanitarian assistance to North since October last year when North conducted nuclear tests despite Seoul's strong opposition.
Port of Spain (Trinidad), March 16 (IANS) Sri Lanka thrashed debutants Bermuda by 243 runs in a Group B encounter in the World Cup at the Queen's Park Oval here Thursday.
SCOREBOARD
Match No.4, Bermuda vs. Sri Lanka, Group B, Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad, March 15
Sri Lanka:
Upul Tharanga c Minors b Hurdle 30
Sanath Jayasuriya c Pitcher b Mukuddem 22
Mahela Jayawardene c Hurdle b Cann 85
Kumar Sangakkara c Tucker b Leverock 76
Chamara Silva not out 55
Tillekeratne Dilshan c Tucker b Hurdle 12
Farveez Maharoof c Hemp b Mukuddem 9
Russel Arnold not out 2
Extras: (lb 3, w 13, nb 14) 30
Total: (for six wickets in 50 overs) 321
Fall of wickets: 1-62 (Jayasuriya, 8.3 overs), 2-78 (Tharanga, 11.6), 3-228 (Sangakkara, 37.3), 4-267 (Jayawardene, 42.1), 5-305 (Dilshan, 48.1), 6-316 (Maharoof, 49.3)
Bowling:
Kevin Hurdle 9-1-61-2 (10nb, 5w)
Saleem Mukuddem 10-0-50-2 (3w)
Janeiro Tucker 10-0-50-0 (2nb)
Dayne Leverock 10-0-67-1
Delyone Borden 3-0-27-0
Lionel Cann 5 0 34 1 6.80 (3w)
Irving Romaine 3 0 29 0 9.66 (1nb)
Bermuda:
Clay Smith lbw Vaas 0
Oliver Pitcher b Maharoof 6
Saleem Mukuddem c Sangakkara b Malinga 0
David Hemp c Jayawardene b Malinga 14
Irving Romaine lbw Malinga 0
Janeiro Tucker b Muralitharan 4
Dean Minors c Sangakkara b Maharoof 4
Lionel Cann c Sangakkara b Maharoof 28
Delyone Borden c sub b Maharoof 6
KAD Hurdle not out 6
Dayne Leverock lbw Muralitharan 1
Extras: (lb 6, w 3) 9
Total: (all out in 24.4 overs) 78
Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Smith, 0.5 overs), 2-2 (Mukuddem, 3.1), 3-20 (Hemp, 7.1), 4-20 (Romaine, 7.2), 5-25 (Pitcher, 11.2), 6-29 (Minors, 11.5), 7-39 (Tucker, 14.3), 8-64 (Borden, 21.5), 9-77 (Cann, 23.2)
Bowling:
Chaminda Vaas 6-3-11-1
Lasith Malinga 5-2-10-3 (1w)
Farveez Maharoof 6.1-1-22-3
Muttiah Muralitharan 6-0-28-1 (2w)
Result: Sri Lanka won by 243 runs
Man of the match: Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka)
Umpires: Daryl Harper (Australia) and Ian Howell (South Africa)
Third umpire: Aleem Dar (Pakistan)
Match referee: Jeff Crowe (New Zealand)
Port of Spain (Trinidad & Tobago), March 16 (IANS-CMC) Sri Lanka, chasing their second cricket World Cup title, made an impressive start to their campaign by registering a comfortable 243-run win over Bermuda in their Group B contest here Thursday.
Riding on half-centuries from skipper Mahela Jayawardene (85), Kumar Sangakkara (76) and Chamara Silva (55 not out), Sri Lanka compiled 321 for six from their allotted 50 overs, after winning the toss and batting at the Queen's Park Oval.
They then turned in a tremendous performance with their potent pace and spin attack, crushing the Bermuda batting for just 78 from 24.4 overs.
Fast bowlers Farveez Maharoof, with four for 23 and Lasith Malinga, three for 10 led the attack while veteran spinner Muttiah Muralitharan finished with two for 28.
Only two Bermudian batsmen were able to reach double figures - Lionel Cann with 28 and David Hemp 14.
After left-arm speed merchant Chaminda Vaas removed opening batsman Clay Smith (0) trapped in front without a run on the board in the opening over, it was a steady procession to and from the pavilion.
Malinga, 23, caused serious problems for the Bermudian batting with his pace and hostility, picking up three early wickets to break the backbone of the fragile batting line-up.
Malinga prised out Saleem Mukuddem without scoring in the fourth over and struck with the first two deliveries of the seventh over to remove the experienced David Hemp (14) and captain Irving Romaine for a first-ball duck.
When he was replaced after five overs, Maharoof, 22, picked up the slack admirably, ending Oliver Pitcher's near hour-long battle for six and then quickly dispatching Dean Minors for four, top-scorer Lionel Cann for a 32-ball 28 and Wayne Borden for six.
Earlier, Sri Lanka's captain and Man-of-the-Match Jayawardene smashed six fours and two sixes from 90 balls and shared a 150-run stand for the third wicket with Sangakkara, to snuff the life out of Bermuda's bowling.
Sangakkara, who needed 83 balls for his knock, stroked six fours and by the time both were out, Sri Lanka were well on their way to a big total.
Silva gave the innings energy in the closing stages, his half-century needing just 45 balls and containing four fours.
Openers Upul Tharanga and Sanath Jayasuriya quickly took advantage of a nervous Bermuda outfit, combining to take 24 runs from the second over bowled by pacer Kevin Hurdle, who was quickly removed from the attack.
The pair added 62 off 60 deliveries before the Bermudians got the breakthrough when Jayasuriya (22) was caught at backward point by Pitcher off the bowling of medium-pacer Mukuddem.
The mood could have been more jubilant for the small band of Bermuda supporters who congregated at the Jeffrey Stollmeyer Stand, had Dwayne Leverock accepted a simple catch at first slip off Jayawardene with the very next ball from Mukuddem.
There was more to celebrate for the lowly-rated Bermudans when Hurdle was brought back from the pavilion end and quickly had Tharanga (30) well caught low down by wicketkeeper Dean Minors, to leave Sri Lanka on 78 for two.
Jawardene and Sangakkara then figured in their enterprising stand, wresting any advantage Bermuda thought they had.
SCOREBOARD
Match No.4, Bermuda vs. Sri Lanka, Group B, Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad, March 15
Sri Lanka:
Upul Tharanga c Minors b Hurdle 30
Sanath Jayasuriya c Pitcher b Mukuddem 22
Mahela Jayawardene c Hurdle b Cann 85
Kumar Sangakkara c Tucker b Leverock 76
Chamara Silva not out 55
Tillekeratne Dilshan c Tucker b Hurdle 12
Farveez Maharoof c Hemp b Mukuddem 9
Russel Arnold not out 2
Extras: (lb 3, w 13, nb 14) 30
Total: (for six wickets in 50 overs) 321
Fall of wickets: 1-62 (Jayasuriya, 8.3 overs), 2-78 (Tharanga, 11.6), 3-228 (Sangakkara, 37.3), 4-267 (Jayawardene, 42.1), 5-305 (Dilshan, 48.1), 6-316 (Maharoof, 49.3)
Bowling:
Kevin Hurdle 9-1-61-2 (10nb, 5w)
Saleem Mukuddem 10-0-50-2 (3w)
Janeiro Tucker 10-0-50-0 (2nb)
Dayne Leverock 10-0-67-1
Delyone Borden 3-0-27-0
Lionel Cann 5 0 34 1 6.80 (3w)
Irving Romaine 3 0 29 0 9.66 (1nb)
Bermuda:
Clay Smith lbw Vaas 0
Oliver Pitcher b Maharoof 6
Saleem Mukuddem c Sangakkara b Malinga 0
David Hemp c Jayawardene b Malinga 14
Irving Romaine lbw Malinga 0
Janeiro Tucker b Muralitharan 4
Dean Minors c Sangakkara b Maharoof 4
Lionel Cann c Sangakkara b Maharoof 28
Delyone Borden c sub b Maharoof 6
KAD Hurdle not out 6
Dayne Leverock lbw Muralitharan 1
Extras: (lb 6, w 3) 9
Total: (all out in 24.4 overs) 78
Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Smith, 0.5 overs), 2-2 (Mukuddem, 3.1), 3-20 (Hemp, 7.1), 4-20 (Romaine, 7.2), 5-25 (Pitcher, 11.2), 6-29 (Minors, 11.5), 7-39 (Tucker, 14.3), 8-64 (Borden, 21.5), 9-77 (Cann, 23.2)
Bowling:
Chaminda Vaas 6-3-11-1
Lasith Malinga 5-2-10-3 (1w)
Farveez Maharoof 6.1-1-22-3
Muttiah Muralitharan 6-0-28-1 (2w)
Result: Sri Lanka won by 243 runs
Man of the match: Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka) Umpires: Daryl Harper (Australia) and Ian Howell (South Africa)
Third umpire: Aleem Dar (Pakistan)
Match referee: Jeff Crowe (New Zealand)
Port of Spain (Trinidad), March 16 (IANS) Sri Lanka defeated debutants Bermuda by a huge margin of 243 runs in a Group B encounter in the World Cup at the Queen's Park Oval here Thursday.
Basseterre (St Kitts), March 16 (IANS) Organisers here have given their handling of the opening cricket World Cup Group A match a satisfactory grading.
"There are little challenges which we need to work through and improve on. But, on the whole, we're satisfied," Charles Wilkin, chairman of the St Kitts & Nevis Local Organising Committee, said following Australia's 203-run beating of Scotland Wednesday.
"I equated it to the first day of exams when you've been preparing for a long time and on the first day you are anxious and keen, then it comes and you realise it's not so bad after all," the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) quoted Wilkin as saying.
He pointed out that the atmosphere at the venue was "built up" by visiting spectators who were enthusiastic and thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
For local fans, however, Wilkin said it was "something new to watch a neutral match".
"That's not something we're accustomed to and this was a new experience for the people of St. Kitts & Nevis but I think they enjoyed it as well and have appreciated the world-class standard of the Cricket World Cup," the official noted.
Organisers hope to use the next four matches to iron out any further kinks so as to be ready for the big clash between Australia and South Africa March 24.
"By that time we should be seasoned at this and ready to give our best showing in the final match," said Wilkin.
Khartoum, March 16 (NNN-SUNA) The joint Sudanese-Ugandan Ministerial Committee will hold its 5th session here from Monday to Wednesday, a Foreign Ministry spokesman announced here Thursday.
The session is to be co-chaired by Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Lam Akol and his Ugandan counterpart, Sam Kutesa, ministry spokesman Ambassador Ali Al-Sadik said in a statement to SUNA.
Meanwhile, Minister of Health Dr. Tabita Butros Sokaya has affirmed Sudan's keenness to boost medical and health co-operation with Egypt in the various fields.
During a meeting held at her office with the National Bilharzias Control Programme at the Federal Ministry of Health, she pointed to the good results achieved by the visit of the Egyptian delegation specializing in the field of bilharzias control.
A memorandum of understanding in the field of combating the disease was signed with the delegation.
Batticaloa, MARCH 16 (NNN-SLANKANEWS) Two rebels, aged 16 and 27, who surrendered to the Army in Batticaloa, have admitted that LTTE are facing a major crisis and unrest among the cadres with their degrading leadership.
They said that after the recent mortar attack on the diplomatic delegation at Weber grounds in Batticaloa, the LTTE leadership celebrated it and talked very highly of it, as a major victory, sources report.
One of the surrendered rebel, in his confession said he was abducted when he went to the "LTTE police" to lodge a minor complaint to resolve personal matter and later he was forcibly taken to Vanni area for LTTE military training.
The two rebels, who surrendered to the Security Forces at Black Bridge in Batticaloa on March 14, revealed that the Tigers have suffered heavy casualties in the confrontations with troops in the Koduwamadu area, Media Centre for National Security states.
Severe shortages of food and medical supplies have also demoralized the rebels as seen in their reluctance to fight the Security Forces, the two rebels revealed to troops.
Military intelligence reports and civilian information to the troops confirm that the LTTE leaders in the Vanni are planning to escape the area in the same manner they operated in the face of heavy defeats during Vakarai battle.
This weakness in the leadership of the LTTE has given rise to utter confusion and panic among the lower ranks within their organization, said the Sri Lankan military.
New Delhi, March 16, (IRNA) Simmering tension continued to prevail in Nandigram Friday in the wake of violence and police firing that claimed at least 11 lives even as security personnel patrolled affected villages to prevent further recurrence of trouble.
Police said they were still searching for bodies in the troubled areas of Nandigram even as the opposition parties including Trinamool Congress a regional political party chief Mamata Banerjee claimed the death toll was "much much higher," PTI said.
The condition of some of the injured people admitted to different hospitals in East Midnapore district was critical and some of the injured have been rushed to West Bengal state capital Kolkata hospitals for treatment, police said.
In a fresh flare of violence at Nandigram Thursday, police fired several rounds in "self defense" to ward off an armed attack by villagers as they tried to enter the villages after two months.
New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) Ahead of the SAARC summit here next month, India Friday called for "honest" and "transparent" action by all South Asian countries in combating terrorism that is obstructing economic growth of the region, saying it was ready to do its best in the direction.
"Economic security in the South Asian region cannot be defined merely in terms of investments, energy security or greater flow of goods and services," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in his keynote address at a seminar here.
The two-day seminar on "economic security for peace and development in South Asia" has been organised by the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses and the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER).
Stressing on enhancing connectivity among the South Asian countries, including building of intra-region transport networks, the minister said economic development of the region would depend on trans-national cooperation in tackling interlinked problems like terrorism, drug-trafficking and money laundering.
"International terrorism can be dealt with much more effectively if nations cooperate honestly and transparently," Mukherjee told top strategic experts of the region.
He also outlined a series of steps needed to jointly combat these problems, that included enhanced vigilance, information sharing, improvement of border infrastructure, capacity building and mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, besides extradition treaties.
Weeks before India hosts the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit April l3-14, the minister said that New Delhi was willing to go the "extra mile for a better future" of the region.
Washington, March 16 (NNN-KUNA) Thirty-six women from the Middle East and North Africa have arrived in the United States to begin six-month fellowships that will develop their leadership skills and support their efforts to unleash the full business potential of their communities, the State Department announced.
The fellows were selected through a competitive application process for this Middle East Partnership Initiative legal and business fellowship programme. They range in age from 22 to 32 and come from Algeria, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, the Palestinian territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
The programme began on Thursday with State Department briefings for the fellows. While in Washington for three days, the fellows also will meet with congressional committee staff members and high-level women who work at the White House.
Next week, the women will begin a four-week executive study programme on business or law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and the Wharton School, and will then work in five-month internships with large companies and top-tier law firms across the United States.
New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) Three people including two alleged sex workers were killed in a fire that broke out in a central Delhi building early Friday, police said.
The fire was noticed at 4.50 a.m. on the first floor and the mezzanine floor of the building in a red-light area near Ajmeri Gate, killing Farida, 40, Neetu, 33, and an unidentified man, said police officer Jaspal Singh.
"We also rescued 12 girls from the fire. Nobody sustained injuries in the mishap," he added.
A fire service official said: "As soon as we came to know about it, we immediately rushed seven fire tenders to the spot and the fire was doused within an hour."
Police and fire officials were carrying out investigations to ascertain the cause of fire.
New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) Three people were killed in a fire that broke out in a brothel in central Delhi early Friday, police said.
The fire was noticed at 4.50 a.m. on the first floor and a mezzanine attached to the brothel building near Ajmeri Gate, killing two sex workers Farida, 40, and Neetu, 33, and an unidentified man, police said.
"As soon as we came to know about it, we immediately rushed seven fire tenders to the spot and the fire was doused within an hour," a fire service official said.
Police and fire officials were carrying out investigations to ascertain the cause of fire.
Bangkok, March 16 (NNN-Bernama) A road map towards boosting cooperation between Thailand and Malaysia to end the southern conflict is expected to be worked out during two high-level meetings among their foreign ministers and armed forces chiefs next week.
Thai Foreign Minister Nitya Pibulsonggram will make a two-day visit to Malaysia beginning Thursday while Malaysian Defence Forces Chief Jen Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Zainal will attend the annual High-Level Committee meeting here from Wednesday.
During his visit, Nitya will meet his counterpart, Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar, before calling on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in Putrajaya on Friday.
The visit, taking place as a follow-up to last month's meeting between the two country's prime ministers, will enable both sides to explore in detail cooperation between them to restore peace in the Muslim-majority southern provinces.
After the meeting between Thai Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont and Abdullah in Phuket and Bangkok last month, both leaders agreed that they would work closely on the southern issue and directed their foreign ministers to meet and work out the details.
Among others, they agreed to find ways to mediate with separatist groups, encourage social and education empowerment through greater people-to-people contacts, joint border development, training of southerners in technical aspects in Malaysia and bringing investment into the region.
The two foreign ministers are also expected to discuss further the dual citizenship issue and the fate of 131 Thai Muslims who fled to Malaysia in 2005 and are currently being held in Terengganu.
More than 2,100 people have died in daily shootings and bombings largely blamed on separatists seeking independence for the three Muslim-majority provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat.
In Bangkok, Jen Abdul Aziz will lead a 15-man delegation to the meeting where the agenda will be on the southern Thai conflict, joint border patrols, prevention of cross-border crime and other security matters.
A Thai Supreme Command spokesman said that Abdul Aziz was expected to meet his counterpart, General Boonsrang Niumpradit, before calling on Defence Minister Gen Boonrawd Somtas.
He said both the delegations would include chiefs of their respective army, air force and navy, as well representatives from police, immigration and other security agencies.
By Prasun Sonwalkar,
London, March 16 (IANS) British business will be forced out of business in the next three years by rivals from India, China, Brazil, Russia and South Africa unless an acute shortage of skills is tackled, according to a top industry expert.
Sir Digby Jones, former director-general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), told a seminar in Manchester that British employers must get their act together soon in order to stay in business. He is now the UK's official skills envoy.
Speaking at the Old Trafford at an event marking International Business Day, Jones said that as other countries became more competitive, British would lose out, unless employers ensured that their staff had the right skills.
The seminar was organised by UK Trade and Investment, the government department that supports British companies seeking to develop export business.
Jones said: "It's a national disgrace that seven million adults cannot read and 11 million cannot add up. It hampers business, because people without skills are not creating as much value in a company and are not as productive.
"Brazil, India, China, Russia and South Africa represent a huge threat to Europe. It may not be evident today, but three or five years down the line, companies which are busy now will find that, when a competitor abroad does things for half the price, they will lose out.
"That will create mass unemployment here, which will cost the country more in benefits; there will be an impact on the nation's health, and it will mean less income for the government because companies are paying less tax on dwindling profits."
He said employers were not the only people who must do more to address the skill shortage - teachers, parents and the government should also bear responsibility.
Geneva, Mar 15 (NNN-PRENSA LATINA) Delegations from all 47 member countries of the Human Rights Council are debating on Thursday the report presented by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour.
The document contains the result of the implementation of Resolution 60 251 of the UN General Assembly, approved on March 15, 2006, by virtue of which the Human Rights Council was established to replace the discredited Commission that preceded it.
In her report, the high commissioner refers to the efforts made over the past 12 months to strengthen cooperation with the countries and increase the Council's on site presence in them.
Arbour notes the need for a preparatory process to carry out periodical and universal monitoring of the human rights situation, in order to have States comply with their obligations and commitments.
She adds that as a reaction to human rights violations anywhere on earth, the Council held extraordinary sessions on Israel's attacks on the occupied Palestine territories and the ongoing situation in Darfur.
The report contains chapters on actions against racism, human trafficking, poor treatment of immigrants and women s rights.
The exclusion of minorities and the most vulnerable sectors continues to undermine development and political and social stability, so the United Nations still has to meet new challenges in that regard, she adds.
The report refers to the need to make efforts to establish stable and socially conscious societies and to overcome systematic discrimination against certain minorities.
United Nations, March 16 (NNN-BUANEWS) Welcoming this month's peace deal between rival political leaders in the divided West African nation of Côte d'Ivoire, the Security Council has urged both sides to implement all their commitments under the accord to ensure that it takes effect.
In a press statement read out Thursday by Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo of South Africa, which holds this month's rotating Council presidency, the 15-member council described the deal as a good basis for finding a way out of the political stalemate in Côte d'Ivoire.
The country has been divided between the government-controlled south and the rebel-held north since 2002, and national elections originally slated for last October have been postponed until this year.
The agreement was reached in Ouagadougou, capital of neighbouring Burkina Faso, on 4 March between President Laurent Gbagbo and Forces Nouvelles Secretary-General Guillaume Soro.
This agreement commits both sides to honouring all Security Council resolutions on the issue, including the need to abide by free, fair and transparent elections. It also tackles other key issues such as disarmament, reform and restructuring of the armed forces and the restoration of State authority throughout the country.
Kumalo said "Council members commended Mr Gbagbo and Mr Soro for their determination to seek an accord, and he also praised Burkina Faso's President Blaise Compaoré for his efforts as a facilitator".
The statement followed closed-door briefings by Abou Moussa, the Secretary-General's Principal Deputy Special Representative for Côte d'Ivoire, and the UN High Representative for Elections Gérard Stoudmann.
Moussa told journalists later that Council members felt a number of details still needed to be worked out with the help of Compaoré, including the role of the UN, the High Representative for Elections and both multilateral and bilateral donors.
Last week, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also welcomed the Ouagadougou accord and called for both sides to make sure they implement it.
The UN Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) has nearly 9,000 total uniformed personnel in the country, including 7,850 troops, plus almost 1000 police with a mandate to monitor the cessation of hostilities and movements of armed groups, help in disarmament and dismantling of militias and contribute to the security of the operation of identifying the population and registering voters.
Paris, March 16 (NNN-KUNA) Unesco's technical mission, sent to the Old City of Jerusalem from Feb 27 to March 2, has completed its technical assessment on the works conducted on the Mughrabi pathway leading to the Haram el-Sherif, it was reported here.
Director-general of Unesco, Koichiro Matsuura said in a press release Thursday that the mission has submitted to him their report, which includes recommendations that he "supports."
As for the recommendations, one stresses that the Israeli government "should be asked to comply with its obligations regarding archaeological excavations and heritage conservation in World Heritage sites such as the Old City of Jerusalem," especially the decision adopted by the World Heritage Committee in July 2006 concerning this issue.
Another recommendation states that the Government of Israel should be asked to immediately stop the archaeological excavations "given that the excavations that had been undertaken were deemed to be sufficient for the purpose of assessing the structural conditions of the pathway."
The Israeli government "should then clearly define the final design of the access structure, whose principal aim should be to restore the Mughrabi pathway without any major change to its structure and shape in order to maintain its values of authenticity and integrity of the site. A clear work plan thereon should be communicated to the World Heritage Committee in the shortest time possible," one of the recommendations said.
The fourth recommendation stressed that the Israeli government "should be asked to engage immediately a consultation process with all concerned parties, in particular the authorities of Waqf and of Jordan. "And agree upon a plan of action before taking any further action and decision thereon."
According to the fifth recommendation, "this process should be supervised by an international team of experts coordinated by Unesco and involving in particular structural engineers. In order to ensure the most appropriate solution for the restoration of the Mughrabi pathway."
Matsuura will be sending the report, as well as its conclusions, to the presidents of Unesco's governing bodies, the World Heritage Committee president and the permanent delegates to Unesco.
The press release indicated that Matsuura "has announced his decision to convene an Information Meeting for Unesco member states" next Monday to be attended by the mission's expert members.
Kuwait, March 16 (NNN-KUNA) The United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) has said it has incorporated a joint-venture company with its present Indian agent, Transworld Shipping Services, and this will assume operations as of April 2, 2007.
The joint-venture company is titled United Arab Shipping Agency Company (INDIA) Private Limited (UASAC-India).
In a press statement Thursday, Ken Bloch Sorensen, UASC's president and CEO, welcomed such partnership, commenting, "We at UASC are delighted to have achieved our goal of providing a stable platform on which to build our future growth in India."
Ramesh Ramakrishnan, chairman of Transworld, welcomed the agreement and said, "We are privileged to be a part of UASC's growth in India, after having served successfully UASC in India for more than 18 years."
As for Indrajit Ray, country general manager of UASAC-India, he said, "The same people will be caring for their cargo and managing our customer support services."
UASC has direct weekly calls at Nhava Sheva and Pipavav serving the Arabian Gulf, Red Sea, West and East Mediterranean, North Europe and United Kingdom as well as US East Coast destinations and vice versa.
UASC also serves the East Coast of India (Tuticorin, Kochi and Chennai) to US East Coast destinations.
UASC provides customers around the world with container transportation services through a network of high-quality shipping services. UASC is jointly owned by the six shareholding states from the Arabian Gulf (UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Qatar and Kuwait).
Helsinki, March 16 (IANS) The University of Helsinki has partnered with Tooltech, an Indian IT firm, to jointly establish a new bioinformatics services company.
The new company, Systems Biology Worldwide Oy, will be based in the Indian IT city of Bangalore, and will analyse complicated data, mainly produced in biosciences.
It will combine Finnish bioscientific competence with Indian IT skills and pharmaceutical companies will be among the main clients, according to information posted on the university website.
"We will process Finnish bioscientific information with lower costs in India and sell it globally," said Atul Khanna, CEO of Tooltech, the Pune-based IT firm.
According to Ilkka Hyvarinen, finance director of the university, staff of the new company will comprise a few dozen people in India and about a dozen in Helsinki.
In the near future the university plans to invite Indian IT experts and start student exchange programmes in its biosciences departments and research teams as well.
Founded in 1640, the University of Helsinki is the oldest and largest university in Finland with a wide range of disciplines available. Around 38,000 students, including 5,500 post-graduate students, are currently enrolled in the degree programmes of the university.
The university is a member of the League of European Research Universities and places heavy emphasis on high-quality research.
By Arun Kumar,
Washington, March 16 (IANS) An official US delegation will visit India March 24-30 to promote the quality, dynamism and diversity of higher education in America as also their desire to expand educational partnerships with Indians.
Led by Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Karen P. Hughes, the delegation will comprise senior US government officials and US college and university presidents, the state department announced Thursday.
In meetings with students and leaders in higher education, government, and business in
Mumbai and New Delhi, the delegates will convey the message that America welcomes and values international students who want to study in the United States.
They will highlight the importance of international education to strengthening US-India ties and preparing globally competitive American students at educational institutions. This unique pairing of US government and higher education leaders is the second in a series of delegations stemming from a commitment to greater partnership in the national interest, the announcement said.
It was made at the US University Presidents Summit on International Education co-hosted by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and US Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings in January 2006.
Besides Hughes, the delegation will include Thomas A. Farrell, deputy assistant secretary of state for academic programmes, Dr. John J. Bowen, Dr. Mark A. Emmert and Dr. John M. Lilley, presidents of Johnson and Wales, Washington and Baylor Universities, respectively.
It will also have Dr. James L. Oblinger, chancellor, North Carolina State University and Dr. Eileen Wilson-Oyelaran and Dr. Margaret B. Lee, presidents of Kalamazoo College and Oakton Community College respectively.
Addis Ababa, March 16 (NNN-ENA) United States Assistant Secretary of State with the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, Barry F. Lowenkron, says he has witnesses to Ethiopia’s commitment to build a democratic system and speed up development.
He told journalists here after talks with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on Thursday that efforts being exerted to build a democratic system in Ethiopia should be further strengthened.
He added that the US government would work jointly with Ethiopia and provide the necessary support to it in its efforts to build democracy.
Lowenkron said the issuing of parliamentary procedure and members code of conduct as well as discussions on press and broadcast and electoral laws being held with opposition parties enabled the further strengthening of the democratic system in the country.
He also said the co-operation between the two countries as well as joint activities aimed at building democracy would continue strengthened. He said the two sides held fruitful discussions on regional and international issues.
Meles said during the discussion that realizing the new Ethiopia and building democracy was not a choice but a matter of existence.
According to a senior government official who attended the discussion, Meles said the government has been exerting utmost efforts to speed up and strengthen the building of a democratic system in the country.
The official said the two sides expressed their governments’ commitments to work in close partnership.
Islamabad/Lahore, March 16 (IANS) The US has advised Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to handle with care the suspension of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry and public protests against the decision.
The caution, voiced by visiting US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher, came as the police continued to arrest protesting opposition leaders as well as lawyers.
Boucher said the row over Musharraf's move to sack the top judge was "sensitive" and needed to be handled carefully.
"We understand the sensitivity of actions involving the judiciary," Boucher said after holding talks with Musharraf.
"It's a sensitive matter and obviously needs to be handled carefully, but it's something that needs to be handled by the Pakistanis in their own way," he told reporters at the US embassy here.
Boucher said the matter had come up in a "variety of meetings" here but that it had to "work itself through the Pakistani system". He, however, hailed Musharraf's commitment to hold democratic elections in Pakistan: "We support the whole package, including the movement towards democracy."
Police in Lahore arrested over 100 opposition leaders, workers and lawyers during late night raids, the Daily Times said Friday.
They included Lahore High Court Bar Association President Ahsan Bhoon, Lahore Bar Association President Syed Muhammad Ali and senior advocate Ziauddin Zia.Several leaders of political parties were arrested.
Raids were also conducted at the International Islamic University and Quaid-e-Azam University to arrest student leaders affiliated with the opposition.
Lawyers took out protest rallies Thursday against the suspension of the chief justice in Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar and several other cities.
By Sarwar Kashani,
New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) Jammu and Kashmir's ailing separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani's request for a US visa appears to have run into rough weather, and he may end up getting himself treated in India for advanced renal cancer.
The US embassy here has conveyed to Geelani, who has been in New Delhi since over a fortnight, that it would take at least a month to look into his case, the Hurriyat leader's personal secretary Aiyaz Akbar said.
"They are not even sure that after one month the travel permission will be granted," Akbar told IANS.
Other sources close to Geelani said the US embassy had told the separatist leader that they were awaiting necessary permission from the US Department of State to process his visa application.
Geelani has been blacklisted from travelling to the US as he figures in an American list of people who are considered undesirables. He is in the company of such people like Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah of Hezbollah.
A US embassy spokesman told IANS: "No decision has been taken as yet. Certain applications need administrative process by law."
Kashmiri experts see the American attitude as a diplomatic "no" to Geelani although the final word is not out yet.
Geelani has been a strong critic of US policy towards the Islamic world. He enjoys close ties with Islamist outfits in Pakistan and has repeatedly accused the US of pursuing anti-Muslim policies in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Indian government issued him a passport to help him apply for a US visa.
Chairman of the hardline faction of Hurriyat, doctors here declared that Geelani suffered from stage III of renal cancer in his left kidney. His right kidney was already removed in 2003.
The separatist leader may be left with no option but to get treated in India.
The option of availing US medical care is remote, Akbar said. "We are running short of time and have no option but to consider the second best choice -- medical treatment in India."
Geelani is now waiting for a word from Samir Koul, an oncologist at the Apollo Hospital here. Koul, currently out of the country, had suggested to Geelani that he should proceed to the US.
London, March 16 (IANS) Warwick-based specialist vehicle manufacturer Dennis Eagle has signed a manufacturing licence agreement to supply its Phoenix 2 refuse collection vehicle body range and bin lifts to India.
Under the terms of the agreement drawn up with Hyva (India) - a wholly owned subsidiary of Netherlands-based Hyva Holding - Dennis Eagle will initially supply body and bin lift components, according to reports from Birmingham.
The deal will be worth pounds 1 million in its first year, but could rise further over its 25-year duration. The parts, which are manufactured at Dennis Eagle's production facility in Warwick in kit form, will go for final assembly in Navi Mumbai.
Having already successfully field-tested two Phoenix 2 general compaction bodies ordered and delivered last year, Hyva India is to allocate 1100 sq m of production space at a new manufacturing facility in Navi Mumbai.
Production start-up is scheduled for May, with Hyva India looking to produce 200 bodies by the end of the year, said the Birmingham Post. Derek Flynn, Dennis Eagle's general manager, export, told the paper: "The importance of this latest export agreement should not be underestimated.
"It is the result of five years' hard work that our export team has put into the project, and one that will enable us to further develop the Dennis Eagle business into a leading international and globally recognised brand.
"I would like to thank UK Trade and Investment's commercial team at the British High Commission who assisted us in establishing contacts within India.
"It was also through UK Trade and Investment's Export Market Research Scheme, delivered through the British Chambers of Commerce, that we were successful in determining the significant potential for growth in waste collection and compaction equipment in India."
In addition, UK Trade and Investment - the government department that supports British companies seeking to develop export business - has supported Dennis Eagle on a trade mission to India and helped the company make further contacts on an inward visit from India to the UK.
Dennis Eagle also received support from a professional export consultant through UK Trade and Investment's Middle Market programme, which is aimed at firms with previous experience of exporting that are looking to develop sales in new markets.
UK Trade and Investment regional international trade adviser Gareth Stanley, who specialises in environmental technology, said: "It is really pleasing to see all the hard work that Dennis Eagle has put into this agreement with such a superb result.
"This is also a great example of a company calling upon the services of the UK Trade and Investment global network from the West Midland team to the High Commission in Mumbai."
Currently responsible for manufacturing 800 tipper trucks per month, Hyva India will supply Dennis Eagle's standard and narrow width Phoenix 2 general compaction body and bin lifts to OEMs including Tata Motors, Volvo India, Ashok Leyland and Eicher Motors.
Dennis Eagle, which has a 100-year manufacturing heritage, is one of the main producers of refuse collection vehicles in the UK with 50 per cent of the market.
A spokesman said the India deal would provide further job security for the workforce at the firm which currently has about 580 employees and an annual turnover of pounds 110 million.
Port of Spain (Trinidad & Tobago), March 16 (IANS) Bangladesh, who are going to open their cricket World Cup campaign with a Group B match against India Saturday, does not like to be labeled as minnows.
"Whenever a team comes into the big arena, they struggle...it is normal, but Bangladesh is doing very good now and I never felt as a minnow," Bangladesh vice-captain Shariar Nafees told the Trinidad Express in an interview. "It's not a right term to use."
Bangladesh made everybody sit up and take notice after they defeated New Zealand in a warm-up match March 6 in Barbados. Their performance has prompted experts to call Group B, also comprising Sri Lanka and Bermuda, as the 'group of death'.
Stating that the team's recent performance should help throw off the 'minnow' term, Nafees said, "We are winning a lot of games against good teams, and we are ready to prove that we are a force."
"All the batsmen are in good form, the bowlers are taking wickets, the fielders are helping them. What I believe now is that we can prove that we can win games and prove to the world that when we win games...it is not 'upset victories'."
Nafees cited Sri Lanka as an example to prove his point.
"When they started playing Test cricket, they were struggling and in 1996 they won the World Cup. That's how a team starts, and in life you start as a beginner and go to the advanced level. We believe we can do something like that. Winning is not that important, we want to improve our game day by day, so that we can compete," he told the Express.
Bangladesh is being coached by Dave Whatmore, the man who coached Sri Lanka when they won the World Cup in 1996.
"We've got very good age-level programmes in Bangladesh," the Bangladesh vice-captain said. "A lot of talented players on this team came up from those systems and we believe in a few years we'll be a major force in world cricket."
Indian captain Rahul Dravid also expressed his respect for his subcontinental neighbours.
"We respect Bangladesh. We saw what they did against New Zealand. We've got to be switched on," Dravid said at a press conference here Tuesday.
Brussels/Berlin, March 16 (DPA) "Who speaks for Europe?" famously asked former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in 1973. These days most foreign leaders seeking to talk to the European Union simply pick up the phone and call Javier Solana.
As the 27-nation bloc's "High Representative" for foreign and security policy, the 65-year old Spaniard - formerly a NATO secretary general - is certainly not the sole EU spokesman.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso often speaks in the name of EU as do presidents, prime ministers and foreign ministers of the nation holding the six-month rotating EU presidency.
But while Barroso holds the key to EU purse strings, he has only a small role in forging EU foreign and defence policy. And since the EU presidency changes every six months, its representatives are in the spotlight for a short time.
Solana, on the other hand, has been de facto EU foreign minister and head of military operations since October 1999. His staying power - and tireless diplomatic efforts in the Balkans, Iran and the Middle East - have given him a global reputation with which few EU politicians can compete.
Appropriately, the EU chief diplomat received the prestigious "peace through dialogue" award at the Munich Security Conference last month just hours before a meeting with Iran's leading nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani. Solana has been spearheading western efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the worsening nuclear crisis with Iran.
Despite the international praise, however, speaking for Europe on the global stage is no easy task.
While the EU has pushed ahead over the last 50 years in breaking down internal barriers to trade, introducing a single currency and bringing new nations into the bloc, efforts at forging a common foreign policy have been stymied by countries' national interests and continuing reluctance to cede sovereignty to a central power.
As a result, EU governments have been - and often remain - at loggerheads over how best to deal with global flashpoints.
The EU was badly divided in the early 1990s over the Balkans crises triggered by the breakdown of the former Yugoslavia. European politicians were unable to stop the fighting and EU peace monitors in the region were ridiculed as "ice cream men" because of their white suits and lack of authority.
Although Luxembourg's former foreign minister Jacques Poos said that "this was the hour of Europe", the EU had to surrender a military and political role in the Balkans to the United Nations and the US.
More recently, disagreements over the pros and cons of the US-led Iraq war - which was backed by Britain, Spain and Italy but opposed by France and Germany - have provided another example of EU infighting over foreign policy.
However, while the discord over Iraq clearly tarnished Europe's international image, it did spur Solana and others to try to forge a united front on global affairs.
One result was the adoption of a first-ever EU "security strategy" in 2003, underlining Europe's commitment to strong international institutions and the use of "soft power" instruments of trade and aid to prevent crisis.
However, the soft approach - compared to the US policy of giving higher priority to military action - was tempered by recognition that more active policies were needed to tackle "new dynamic threats" including terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
When diplomacy failed, the strategy said the EU would be ready to envisage "early, rapid and when necessary, robust intervention."
The security strategy was the "founding act" of the EU's moves to forge a defence identity distinct from NATO, according to General Henri Bentegeat, head of the influential military body, which advises Solana.
Since then the EU has deployed 16 civilian and military missions, including in Bosnia, Darfur, the Palestinian territories and Iraq. However, EU governments want to do this in partnership with the UN, the 26-nation NATO military alliance and the African Union, said Bentegeat.
The general added that the EU's role as world security actor was "unique" because it could combine military and civilian operations when tackling crises.
In addition to a lead role in seeking to defuse the nuclear crisis with Iran, the EU last year sent troops to supervise national elections in Congo and to monitor a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon. EU forces are also deployed in the Balkans.
Solana recently predicted an increase in international demand for EU peace missions, including in Afghanistan and Kosovo. If the spate of daily visits to Solana's headquarters in Brussels is any indication, the EU's global outreach looks set to become even wider.
Kingston (Jamaica), March 16 (IANS) Ireland tied with Zimbabwe in a pulsating Group D World Cup match at the Sabina Park here Thursday.