'No additional Pakistani troops for Afghan border'

Islamabad, July 1 (IANS) Pakistan has reversed a decision to station 10,000 more troops on its volatile border with Afghanistan, saying the present strength of 78,000 is adequate.

The announcement by Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao reverses the one made by Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri two days ago in the presence of visiting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Sherpao made the announcement in the presence of US Ambassador to Pakistan Ryan C. Crocker at the Sihala Police Training Centre here, the Daily Times reported.

Kasuri had made the announcement after discussions with Rice, who was here to supervise the on-going anti-Taliban operations.

2007 World Cup: Organisers step up preparations

Kingston (Jamaica), July 1 (IANS) In an effort to get the infrastructure ready for next year's cricket World Cup in time, the West Indian organisers have appointed a well-known company for overlay products and management services.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) and Global Cricket Corporation (GCC), ICC's commercial partners, have named GL Events as official supplier of overlay products and management services to get the Caribbean islands ready for the tournament.

"In addition, the French company has been selected as the exclusive primary supplier for the Central Procurement Programme (CPP) which was established to source overlay items," said a statement from the organisers.

The company will be responsible for providing all temporary components required to make the 12 venues ready for the March-April tournament.

Their responsibilities include making temporary grandstands and suites, roof systems, hospitality villages, replay screens, turnstiles, security systems and all temporary building structures.

GL Events has "great technical experience with the Olympics, FIFA World Cups, golf and tennis events worldwide", said ICC venue development director Donald Lockerbie.

"It's wonderful to see such expertise coming to the Caribbean. GL will supply up to 50 percent of the overlay requirements through a tendering process and manage the acquisition of the rest of the overlay," he said.

"In some cases they will need subcontractors and in all tenders GL will be looking regionally and internationally for partners."

All nine local organising committees in the venues have signed a contract with GL Events naming it as their management contractors for overlay.

"The venue development department has been developing the CPP for over two years and to see the local organising committees come to an agreement is the most positive step we could have taken to complete our venues on time and to world-class standards," Lockerbie said.

The World Cup will be played between March 11 and April 29.

Baghdad bomb blast kills 60

Baghdad, July 1 (Xinhua) At least 60 people were killed and 76 injured Saturday as a powerful car bomb exploded near a crowded market in eastern Baghdad, the interior ministry said.

The deafening blast, at around 10.00 a.m. (0600 GMT), was apparently caused by an explosive-packed vehicle parked near the Souq al-Auola market in the heavily populated Sadr City, a ministry official said.

According to him, the attack targeted a passing police patrol, which escaped unhurt. All the victims were civilians.

Earlier in the day, a roadside bomb struck an Iraqi police commando patrol near a cinema in Baghdad's Alawi neighbourhood, killing three commando members, according to a ministry source.

The blast damaged a police vehicle and caused damages to the nearby buildings and shops.

Violence has mounted in the war-torn country despite the formation of a new unity government, three years after the US-led invasion.

Bhajan Lal quits as Haryana Congress chief

Chandigarh, July 1 (IANS) Upset over being constantly "ignored and humiliated" within the party, former Haryana chief minister Bhajan Lal Saturday resigned as the state Congress president.

Lal faxed his resignation letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi complaining that he and his supporters were being constantly ignored and humiliated in state politics ever since the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government came to power in March last year.

Speculations were rife in political circles that Lal could resign from his post or even quit the Congress and form a new regional party.

Sources close to the leader said the recent announcement of state Congress office bearers and executives, in which Lal was clearly overlooked and none of his supporters were nominated, was the last straw before his exit.

Lal tried to meet Gandhi to express his displeasure but did not get any appointment.

The Congress had appointed Ram Prakash as the state's working president earlier this year.

Lal, who led the Congress to victory in assembly elections in February last year, was widely tipped to become the chief minister but the central leadership opted for Hooda.

At that time, Hooda was an MP and got elected to the assembly later.

Kuldeep Bishnoi, Lal's youngest son and Congress MP from Bhiwani, had last month criticised the Rs.250 billion deal between the state government and Reliance Industries Ltd for a special economic zone, saying it was against the interests of the state and its farmers.

Bishnoi, who was served a show cause notice by the Congress a fortnight ago, said Friday that he would continue to oppose the Reliance deal. His outburst was embarrassing for Hooda and the Haryana government, party sources said.

Incidentally, Bhajan Lal's elder son Chander Mohan is the deputy chief minister in the Hooda government.

Blasts blow up Pakistani railway track

Islamabad, July 1 (Xinhua) At least four explosions Saturday blew up the main railway line between Pakistan's Balochistan province and Iran, said media reports.

The track between provincial capital Quetta and Zahidan in neighbouring Iran was blown up early morning, suspending the train services, Geo TV reported. At least 36 feet of the railway track has reportedly been damaged.

No casualties have been reported.

A Zahidan-bound passenger train, that was to travel on the same track, was stopped at a station at Noshki, a major city in the area.

Repair work would start once the engineers are provided with adequate security, considering the risk involved, said the report.

Though no group has claimed responsibility for the blasts, authorities blamed such attacks on anti-government tribesmen.

Tribesmen in the region have been demanding a bigger share of the region's natural resources and have always targeted security forces and government installations - mostly gas pipelines and train tracks.

The Quetta-Zahidan railway line has also been attacked several times in the past.

China opens Qinghai-Tibet railway

Golmud (China), July 1 (Xinhua) The first passenger train from China's Qinghai province to Tibet was launched Saturday morning from the railway station here, unveiling a landmark railway across the "roof of the world".

The train, coded "Qing 1" and carrying about 600 passengers, rolled out at about 11.05 a.m. (local time) to Lhasa, and is dubbed "an engineering marvel".

Chinese president Hu Jintao cut the ribbon for the launching of the railway and delivered a keynote speech at a gala held at the railway station.

Hu said that the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet railway "is a magnificent accomplishment we have achieved in our socialist modernisation drive" and added that it was a long-cherish dream of generations of Chinese people.

"The project is not only a magnificent feat in China's history of railway construction, but is also a great miracle of the world's railroad history," he said.

Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan presided over the launching ceremony, which was also attended by party chiefs of Tibet and Qinghai.

Around 2,600 people from various circles, including workers who have made special contributions to the construction of the railway, were also present at the launch.

The Qinghai-Tibet railway is 1,956 km long, with 960 km of the track located 4,000 metres above sea level and the highest point at 5,072 metres. The railway is the world's highest and longest plateau railroad and also the first railway connecting the Tibet Autonomous Region with the rest of China.

On board the maiden train are role models of builders of the railway, representatives from the Chinese government, journalists from official media and local passengers.

Plates inscribed with the words "Eight Honours and Eight Disgraces", standards set by President Hu Jintao to boost socialist morality, were hung in the cars of the train.

Death penalty for three in Akshardham attack

Ahmedabad, July 1 (IANS) A court in Gujarat Saturday sentenced three men to death and awarded jail terms to three for their role in the terror attack on the Akshardham temple of 2002 that killed 35 people including the two attackers.

Judge Sonia Gokani of a special POTA (Prevention of Terrorist Activities) court passed the death sentence on Shan Miyan alias Chand Khan, Adam Sulaimar Ajmeri and Mufti Abdul Qayyum Mansuri, holding them guilty of planning the Sep 24, 2002 attack on the temple in the adjacent city of Gandhinagar.

Mohammed Salim Sheikh was awarded life sentence. Abdulmiyan Qadri and Altaf Hussain were sentenced to 10 and five years in jail respectively for being part of the conspiracy to attack the shrine.

The six men were among the 32 accused in the case. They were arrested in August 2003. The others are absconding.

The judgment was delivered in the high-security Sabarmati jail, where the proceedings were held in-camera. The death sentences would have to be ratified by the Gujarat High Court.

Police said two militants of the Pakistan-backed Tahreeq-e-Qasas terror group staged the attack in retribution for the post-Godhra riots earlier in the year in which at least 1,000 people were killed.

"The court has found all the six accused guilty under Section 302 and 120-B of IPC of murder and conspiracy," public prosecutor Sudhir Bhrahmbhatt told reporters after the verdict.

Wearing army uniforms, two terrorists, identified as Murtaza Hafiz Yasin and Ashraf Ali Mohammed Farooq, stormed the Akshardham temple and opened indiscriminate fire with automatic weapons on the devotees. The attackers were killed after a nightlong gun battle with security forces.

Thirty-three people, including three National Security Guards (NSG) commandoes, two policemen and 28 civilians, were killed in the attack.

The Gandhinagar police initially investigated the case. It was then transferred to the anti-terrorist squad (ATS) and finally to the crime branch of the Ahmedabad police, which arrested the six accused.

According to police, the accused held a meeting in Hyderabad April 26, 2002 and plotted to avenge the killing of Muslims in Gujarat.

The masterminds of the attack are still absconding. They include the elusive Abu Hamza, a Lashker-e-Taiba operative who is originally from Hyderabad. The other absconders include Farooq Mohammed Hanif Shaikh, Abdulrashid Suleman Ajmeri and Mohammeduvesh Kadri, all residents of Ahmedabad.

The last deposition in the case took place in April. The court cross-examined 128 witnesses ranging from onlookers and police constables to senior government officials.

Don't send troops to Afghanistan, PM urged

New Delhi, July 1 (IANS) A Muslim rights group has cautioned Prime Minister Manmohan Singh against sending Indian troops to Afghanistan to beef up the US-led forces, saying this would have "severe consequences".

"Even the slightest reflection of being with the American-led forces in Afghanistan would have severe consequences and would send disastrous signals not only to common Afghans but also to the domestic population in India, apart from putting the minute Hindu and Sikh population in Afghanistan at great risk," Navaid Hamid, secretary of the South Asian Council for Minorities (SACM), said in a letter to the prime minister.

Recalling the fallout of India's foray into Sri Lanka in the 1980s to broker peace between the government and Tamil Tigers, Hamid maintained it would be "disastrous, politically and historically, to align with the forces which are messed up in the situation created by their misadventures in the troubled nation".

According to Hamid, India's Afghan policy in the last 25 years had not only created "ill will" amongst ordinary citizens of the country but also given a "clear wedge" to Pakistan.

"As an ardent admirer of your visionary leadership, I am quite confident that all aspects would be in your mind. I earnestly request you to kindly overrule the hawks that are favouring the deployment of Indian forces in Afghanistan," Hamid maintained.

European Muslims call for wider representation

Brussels, July 1, IRNA, Muslims in Europe are facing an acute identity crisis due to rising Islamophobia and are calling for wider representation in parliaments and police and civil services to promote integration.

The two points were stressed by several participants at a debate among 30 Muslim community leaders from the UK with Muslims from Belgium, France, Sweden and Germany in Brussels Tuesday evening to discuss how to prevent radicalization and promote integration in their communities.

Abdul Ullah from the UK said Muslims in Britain were facing an identity problem regardless of whether they were British Muslims, European Muslims or Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi Muslims.

Hakam Tasum, a Muslim from Germany, says he is given "strange looks" when he says "I am German Muslim" and feels uncomfortable because of rising Islamophobia.

Sufrana Ismail, a councilor from the UK, called for wider representation of the Muslim community in the European Parliament.

Farzana Hakim from the Commission for Racial Equality of the UK said that in order to deal with discrimination one has to deal with the issue of equality. By experiencing "inequality one develops a victim identity."
She called for increased participation and representation of Muslims in police and security services.

Labour leader in the European Parliament Gary Titley, who led the event, said he hoped that the debate will help forge a strategy that can be used by communities and countries across the EU to make Muslims feel equal with EU and other national citizens.

"There are no easy answers to the tensions we are experiencing after the 7/7 bombings (in London) and heightened fear of the terrorist threat," he said.

Jan Marinus Wiersma, a Dutch MEP, spoke about the situation of the one million Muslims living in the Netherlands and the efforts of the government to integrate these Muslims.

The conference was part of the Labour members of the European Parliament's campaign to defend democracy and protect civil liberties.

Shahid Malik, a Labour MP, said Muslims have to join and be a part of the mainstream of societies they are living in without giving up their identity.

However, she added, "distortion of Islam in the media is a big problem."

Foreign companies keen to invest in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram, July 1 (IANS) Foreign companies queuing up to invest in Kerala have got over any fears that the new V.S. Achuthanandan government in Kerala might not be keen to welcome investors from abroad.

Speaking to IANS, Achuthanandan's political secretary K.N. Balagopal said the number of foreign investors wanting to meet the chief minister was growing by the day.

"Officials of Dubai-based Emaar Properties have met Achuthanandan twice proposing to build knowledge cities in the capital city and Kochi. Next week a high-level Kuwaiti delegation will arrive," said Balagopal.

Emaar Properties, a public joint stock company, is listed on the Dubai Financial Market and is part of the Dow Jones Arabia Titans Index. Its net profits for the first quarter ended March 31 crossed $400 million.

"The company has asked for land to build infrastructure for IT companies and other facilities like residential complex and schools. They are willing to pay the market price for the land or convert the amount into equity of the state government," he said.

He said Achuthanandan was also willing to negotiate with the Dubai Internet City (DIC) officials, who had signed a memorandum of understanding with the former Congress-led government.

"Now, even the IT officials who had previously negotiated with the DIC feel Kerala has become a hot destination for investment," added Balagopal.

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Oommen Chandy told IANS that opposition parties would support the government's efforts to invite investments in the state.

"We have lost a lot of time and several opportunities due to a lack of consensus between ruling and opposition parties. We will not be a stumbling block, like Left parties did when they sat in the opposition. Our aim is to see that our youths have employment," said Chandy.

Sources said Achuthanandan was planning to form a special committee to look into investment proposals and take a speedy decision.

They added the chief minister was likely to create a large pool of investors instead of putting all his eggs in one basket.

Germany have 90-year-old to thank for making semi-finals

Berlin, July 1 (DPA) When goalkeeper Jens Lehmann saved Esteban Cambiasso's penalty Friday to send Germany through to the World Cup semi-finals, the home fans would have done well to spare a thought for fellow national Karl Wald.

For it was the former referee Wald who came up with the concept of the penalty shoot-out in the first place.

It appears rather fitting that a German should have conceived the idea. After all, German teams seem to have perfected the concept and Friday's victory against Argentina was the fourth time that Germany was involved in a shoot-out at World Cup level.

And they won all four times, missing just one penalty in total!

Wald first came up with the idea in 1970, and the 90-year-old is still proud of his brainchild today.

"It's the only way in which a result can be achieved fairly. Everything else was not really a solution," he says.

Until Wald came up with his idea, matches were mostly decided on a flip of the coin or by the drawing of lots. Seldom a replay was ordered.

As late as 1968, European Champions Italy had made it into the tournament's final after being drawn out of a hat following a goalless game in the semi-final against the Soviet Union.

"That was not a victory, that was nothing," Wald recalls.

But Wald, who received his referee's license in 1936 and officiated more than 1,000 matches in 40 years, faced reluctance at first. The Bavarian football association attempted to block his proposal when it was put forward in 1970.

It was only when the majority of delegates said they were in favour that the officials gave their backing.

Shortly afterwards, the German football association followed suit and the European association UEFA and the world controlling body FIFA also accepted the proposal.

The rest is history.

The first major tournament to be decided on penalties was the 1976 European Championships, when German Uli Hoeness blasted his penalty well over the bar and Czechoslovakian Antonin Panenka scored to give his side victory.

The first World Cup match to be decided on penalties took place in 1982, and again Germany were involved. This time the Germans won, beating France in the semi-final. Twelve years later, in the US, the World Cup champions were for the first time determined on a shoot-out, with Brazil beating Italy.

But even though the penalty shoot-out has now become an integral part of football, the inventor of the idea has spent little time in the limelight, despite having refereed some matches in Germany's top flight before the start of the Bundesliga.

"1860 Munich against Fuerth in front of 45,000 spectators," recalls Wald, whom FIFA president Joseph Blatter congratulated on his 90th birthday.

The former miner and unionist retired at 63. But he continued to officiate at matches for a further 12 years.

And though there continue to be criticisms of his idea, the penalty shoot-out remains the way in which most drawn matches are still decided.

Actor Peter Ustinov once described it thus: "A shoot-out is as if a great war is not decided by great tactics developed around a boardroom table, but by a bunch of chosen privates playing Russian Roulette."

"I always believed that I was right," Wald maintains, pointing to the many exciting penalty shoot-outs that have taken place over the years.

On Friday afternoon, millions of German football fans will have agreed with him.

India bowled out for 200

By T.R. Ramakrishnan, Kingston (Jamaica), July 1 (IANS) India were bowled out for 200 in their first innings on the first day of the final Test against the West Indies here Friday.

West Indian paceman Jerome Taylor took five wickets and only a defiant 81 by Indian skipper Rahul Dravid and his seventh-wicket stand of 93 with Anil Kumble (45) prevented a complete rout.

It was a throwback to Day One of the first Test at Antigua. There, it was imperative not to let the West Indies, fresh from winning the one-day series, carry the advantage and run away with the Test series.

India won the toss, batted first but frittered away the advantage, finishing the day on 213 for seven. Dravid (49) was the only top-order batsman who applied himself to the task of staying at the wicket and building an innings.

On Friday, at Sabina Park, it was a similar script.

"Whatever we do on the first day, we need to start well," coach Greg Chappell had said on the days leading to the match. After three drawn Tests, that was essential, in a best-case scenario, to get into a series-winning position, at worst, to avoiding another series defeat away from home.

Again, India won the toss and batted first, the best thing they could have hoped for. But the batsman threw away the advantage. Dravid was the only frontline batsman to show the determination to hang around.

If anything at all, the performance was much worse than at Antigua. What prevented a complete rout was the excellence of the Indian skipper, easily surpassing his effort at Antigua.

There were a couple of times when he was surprised by the extra bounce, once the ball just jumping off his bat outside the reach of Darren Ganga at gully, but for most part his composure was amazing, given the way wickets were falling at the other end.

Dravid batted 345 minutes, faced 215 balls and hit 10 fours for his 81. His dismissal was a bit tame, a tired defensive poke at Corey Collymore with the second new ball, edging to Denesh Ramdin.

He admitted later he was disappointed at having got out so close to the end of day's play but said it was a "challenging, a very satisfying innings".

West Indian skipper Brian Lara had his plans clearly mapped out. "The Indian batting revolves around their skipper," he had said before the match. "Yes, the other guys have got runs in the series, but he (Dravid) is a wall, as you call him in India."

And his plan was to attack with whatever he had from the start. It paid off, the top five batsmen combined totalling 51 runs and being back in the pavilion over an hour after lunch.

Yes, the Sabina Park has a reputation for bounce and pitches nowadays are most likely to help the bowlers in the first two sessions of a Test, if at all.

Both captains admitted after the day's play that it was tricky negotiating the new ball. But as Dravid said, "There was some juice in the wicket in the morning but you expect to play out that period."

After Virender Sehwag and Wasim Jaffer went in the first 20 minutes or so, Dravid and Laxman began a damage-limitation exercise. They scored at a run an over for the 29 overs West Indies bowled in the first session.

It all came to naught after lunch. Laxman went in the first over and Taylor, dismissed Yuvraj Singh and Mohammed Kaif in his second spell, showing like he did in the Indian first innings in the third Test at St Kitts, that he can produce something extra that troubles the batsmen.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni was then smartly snapped by Bravo at third slip before Dravid and Kumble (45, 101 balls, 7 fours) steadied the ship. Kumble had made vital contributions with the bat this series and today's knock following his 21 at Antigua and 43 at St Kitts.

He fell just before the second new ball, Dravid just after it was taken and for once West Indies, with Taylor on the prowl again, completed the job and did not allow the Indian tail to wag.

"We've set up the game the way we wanted it," said Lara. Now we want to bat all Saturday and Sunday, put up a big total and have enough time to bowl the opposition out a second time."

Again, just as it was in Antigua. But there the West Indies failed to get a big enough first-innings lead (139), India batted brilliantly in the second innings, set the West Indies a target and came within a wicket of victory.

Will play Saturday stick to this script? Or will Kingston have its own tale to tell. Dravid has called for "discipline and control" from his bowlers on the morrow. All will depend on how they respond.

SCOREBOARD

Day 1, Fourth Test, West Indies v India, Sabina Park, Kingston (Jamaica)

India (1st innings):

Wasim Jaffer b Taylor 1
Virender Sehwag c Sarwan b Collins 0
V.V.S. Laxman c sub (Morton) b Bravo 18
Rahul Dravid c Ramdin b Collymore 81
Yuvraj Singh lbw Taylor 19
Mohammed Kaif c Lara b Taylor 13
M.S. Dhoni c Bravo b Collymore 3
Anil Kumble b Bravo 45
Harbhajan Singh not out 9
S. Sreesanth b Taylor 0
Munaf Patel c Ramdin b Taylor 0

Extras (b2, lb 2, w5, nb 2) 11

Total (all out, 87.4 overs) 200

Fall of wicket: 1-1, 2-3, 3-34, 4-58, 5-78, 6-91, 7-184, 8 -197, 9 -200

Bowling:

Pedro Collins 19-7-34-1 (1w)
Jerome Taylor 18.4-4-50-5 (1nb)
Dwayne Bravo 24-3-68-2 (1nb, 1w)
Corey Collymore 19-11-17-2
Shivnarine Chanderpaul 5-0-17-0
Chris Gayle 2-0-10-0

India, US to work together on AIDS, health issues

By Arun Kumar, Washington, July 1 (IANS) India and the US have signed three agreements on renewal of cooperation in the fields of AIDS, maternal and child health and environmental and occupational health for another five years.

Memorandums of understanding (MoUs) to renew the agreements, first initialled in 2000, were signed following bilateral discussions between India's Health and Family Welfare Minister Anbumani Ramadoss and US Secretary for Health and Human Services (HHS) Mike O. Leavitt here Thursday.

The first MoU provides for the promotion and development of cooperation in the fields of HIV/AIDS and STD prevention, research, treatment and care, infrastructure development, training, and capacity building.

The second agreement calls for cooperation in the fields of maternal and child health research, treatment and care, infrastructure development, training, and capacity building.

The third one provides for further cooperation in the fields of environmental and occupational health research, education and training, infrastructure development, and capacity building.

In Washington, Ramadoss delivered a lecture at Johns Hopkins University on control of HIV/AIDS in India and discussed with provost Steven Knapp and university faculty issues relating to establishment of an Institute of Public Health in India.

He also visited the National Cancer Institute and met Elias A. Zerhouni, director, National Institutes of Health, and Roger Glass, director of the Fogarty International Center in the NIH.

Ramadoss inaugurated the 24th Annual Convention of American Association of Physicians from India (AAPI) in Atlanta on Thursday. He also participated in the concluding session of the Joint Working Group meeting on Environment and Occupational Health and visited Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

India-US nuclear deal to stay on course despite issues

By Arun Kumar, Washington, July 1 (IANS) The US is confident that a few remaining legislative issues relating to the India-US nuclear deal will be resolved without the whole process being reopened or the road map outlined by President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh being changed.

Even as the Bush administration is mighty pleased with the strong bipartisan support the deal received from two key panels of the US Congress, State Department Deputy Spokesman Adam Ereli indicated Friday that a few issues still remained to be addressed.

"There are a couple of remaining issues to be addressed. Discussions are ongoing. I'm not in a position to really get into any detail," he told reporters.

"But, as I said, the package we have before us is what we're working on and we think it'll -- and we're confident that it will end up positive and end up fulfilling the vision of President Bush and Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) of India, consistent with the statements they made in July 2005 and March 2006," Ereli said.

"Obviously it has to go through some more work, but we're confident that it will be a cooperative and a good process and it will end up with something that everybody can support and that serves the interests of the United States and our strong partner," he said.

Welcoming the strong bipartisan support for the deal in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House International Relations Committee, Ereli said the administration would continue to work with Congress, as it has in the past, to address remaining issues in the legislation, which will now be considered by the full House and the full Senate.

Asked if it entailed some collateral legislation or some amendments, he said the legislative package approved by the committees has to get the nod from the full House and the Senate and there may well be some changes based on consultations with the two chambers.

Ereli did not think that a change in legislation would mean going through the process all over again. "The way I'd put is, there are a few remaining issues to be worked out and we think we'll be able to do that without reopening or -- reopening the whole process or changing the path that has been outlined so far."

Washington's key negotiator with India, Nick Burns, under secretary of state for political affairs, has also indicated that "there are many steps ahead of us, but we believe Congress is supporting the president's policies here".

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee endorsed the US-India nuclear deal by a 16-2 vote Thursday two days after the House of Representatives' International Relations Committee approved the draft enabling bill 37-5.

Meanwhile, the US Chamber of Commerce, the world's largest business federation, representing more than three million businesses and organisations of every size, sector, and region, and the US-India Business Council (USIBC), representing the largest US investors and traders with India, have hailed the approval of the India-US deal by the two Congress panels.

"This initiative will create lucrative opportunities for US industry, create high quality jobs for American workers, and lay the foundation for vast downstream opportunities in every sector of US business," said Lt. Gen. Daniel W. Christman, chairman of the Coalition for Partnership with India and senior vice president for International Affairs at the US Chamber.

Indian community activists too have welcomed the approval of the deal by the Senate and House panels. Several bodies such as the India Friendship Council and the US-India Political Action Committee have actively lobbied for the deal.

Islamic Bank of Thailand's fund to reach more than 10 billion Baht

BANGKOK, JULY 1 (NNN-TNA) The Islamic Bank of Thailand (ISBT) has a promising prospect, with its fund mobilized from deposit accounts expected to reach more than Baht10 billion (US$262.2 million) by the end of this year.

Sanit Rangnoi, the bank board's chairman, said that the bank had so far mobilized Bt5 billion from its deposit accounts.

"We believe by the end of this year, we can mobilize fund up to around Bt14 billion from our deposit accounts to serve increasing demand for loans of our clients," he said.

"Sixty per cent of our clients are non-Muslims, while the rest are Muslims," he noted The newly-established Islamic Bank now plans to offer scholarships to university-level students in the country's three troubled southernmost provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani, where the majority of residents are Muslims.

ISBT was established under the Islamic Bank of Thailand Act B. E. 2545, effective from October 22, 2002.

The idea of establishing the ISBT was initiated in 1994 when the Thai government signed the "Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT) Project".

Under the project the government had to create a development plan for the country's five southern border provinces--Yala, Narathiwat, Pattani, Satun and Songkhla--specifically and the establishment of the ISBT was part of the plan since the population in the areas are mostly Muslims who have been living their lives in accordance with the Islamic Principle.

Israel making another recipe for disaster, warn UK Muslims

London, July 1, IRNA, The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) Wednesday condemned Israel's latest invasion as exposing the Zionist regime's claims to have 'withdrawn' from Gaza.

"The blowing up of bridges and Gaza's main electricity transformer by the Israeli army can only be described as illegal acts of collective punishment against the Palestinian people," the umbrella organization said.

MCB Secretary General Muhammad Abdul Bari said that the Zionist regime had 'repeatedly shown that it has absolutely no regard for international law'.

"This disproportionate use of military force in one of the most densely populated areas in the world is a recipe for another disaster in the making," Bari warned.

The MCB called on the British and US governments to take urgent steps to bring about a negotiated settlement to the current crisis involving Palestinian and Israeli prisoners.

"We urge that such efforts must include the release of the 400 women and children among the 9,800 Palestinians that have been detained by the Israeli Occupation Forces," it said.

Italy crush Ukraine en route semis

Hamburg, July 1 (DPA) A first half goal by Gianluca Zambrotta and another two by Luca Toni in the second session saw Italy edge past Ukraine 3-0 on their way to a World Cup semi-final berth in a quarter-final match here Friday

Italy to take on hosts Germany in semi-final

Hamburg, July 1 (DPA) Italy comfortably defeated World Cup debutants Ukraine 3-0 here Friday to gain a berth in the semi-finals, where they will now challenge hosts Germany for a place in the July 9 showdown.

The last time the two sides met at a World Cup was in the 1982 final in Spain, which Italy went on to win 3-1.

Italy's hero on the night was striker Luca Toni, who ended a four match goal-draught by netting two here.

"This is a night I am going to remember for a long time," the Fiorentina striker said after the match.

Italy coach Marcello Lippi, speaking also on behalf of his players, dedicated the victory to Gianluca Pessotto, the former Juventus player and Italy international who is currently in an intensive care unit in a Turin hospital after a suspect suicide attempt.

"We are all close to Pessotto and his family," Lippi said.

Italy missed star defender Alessandro Nesta due to injury and fielded a guarded lineup, with playmaker Francesco Totti supporting Toni as the only striker.

But while Lippi had warned his players not to underestimate the Ukrainians, it proved an unnecessary tactical move on the night.

The Ukrainians may have been the first European team to qualify for Germany 2006, but they appeared intimidated by Italy's might here. The fact that the Azzurri enjoyed a dream start, taking the lead just six minutes into the game, also did not help.

An inspired Totti served Gianluca Zambrotta at midfield, the Juventus player made a ran at goal and used his left foot to rifle in a shot from 25 metres that goalkeeper Oleksandr Shovkovski could not reach. It was Zambrotta's second goal in 56 appearances for Italy.

The 29-year-old left-back, who is being lured by the likes of AC Milan and Real Madrid, was one of three Italy players to fly to Turin to pay a brief visit to Pessotto earlier this week.

After taking the lead, it was a downhill match for Italy, with the Ukrainians lacking bite in attack and getting two of their players booked within the first 20 minutes while trying to stop the blue shirts.

The Ukrainians' first real chance only came in the 33rd minute, when a long-range blast from Anatoli Timoshchuk ended just wide of Gianluigi Buffon's goal.

The yellow jerseys had a much better start in the second half but had no luck on their side.

In the 48th, defender Andrea Barzagli almost scored Italy's second own-goal in the tournament while trying to clear a Maksim Kalinichenko cross from the left. Seconds later, it was Buffon's turn to deny the Sparta Moscow midfielder, with the goalie saving his header from close range.

But just as the Ukrainians were beginning to show they would have deserved the equaliser, Italy hit back.

In the 59th minute, Totti delivered a perfect cross from the left and Toni was able to score unmarked with the easiest of headers.

It was the striker's first goal of the tournament, and it immediately brought to Italian minds the feats of Paolo Rossi, the legendary forward who became the top scorer 1982 despite failing to find the back of the net in the first part of the tournament.

And as if to prove them right, Toni soon added a second, finishing yet another Totti cross with a tap-in from close range.

The Ukrainians were unlucky to hit the crossbar in the latter part of the game but were ultimately disappointed by star striker Andrij Shevchenko, with the Chelsea player failing to live up to his fame on the night.

Friday's victory extended Italy's unbeaten streak in international matches to 23.

NMDC inks deal on iron ore excavation

Raipur, July 1 (IANS) Public sector National Mineral Development Corp (NMDC) Saturday signed an agreement with the Chhattisgarh government for excavation of a 350-million-tonne iron ore from the state's Bailadila area in Bastar region.

India's largest iron ore producer and exporter, NMDC signed the pact with the state government's Chhattisgarh Mining Development Corp (CMDC).

NMDC chairman B. Ramesh Kumar, who signed the deal on behalf of the company, said Bailadila has the world's best quality iron ore.

"The NMDC will cut short its export of iron ore produced from Chhattisgarh by 40 percent to cater to the demands of the Chhattisgarh units," Kumar told reporters.

NMDC, which stepped into the state's iron ore mining sector in 1968, currently holds mining ownership rights in Bailadila's three major deposits.

Bailadila is divided into 14 deposits and excavation is currently possible only in three deposits.

"The NMDC will soon open up the fourth mine - deposit 13 - in a joint venture to feed the growing raw material demand to India's steel majors," Kumar added.

The NMDC will have a 51 percent stake while the remaining 49 per cent will be owned by CMDC.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh who was present on the occasion advised the NMDC to divest a major share of its annual profit to Chhattisgarh for the development and employment of people in the tribal stronghold Bastar region.

The NMDC also signed another pact with the government for funding a 100-bedded hospital in Jagdalpur.

Pak prisoner released from Bhopal jail

Bhopal, July 1 (IANS) One of two Pakistani prisoners languishing in jail here for more than 30 months has been released and deported to his country. The other one is also expected to be set free.

Abdul Khalik was released after a long wait Thursday and is on his way to Lahore while Tahir Iqbal is also likely to be released soon, police said Saturday.

"I am desperately waiting to hear when I will be able to go back to my country like Khalik," said Iqbal.

The duo was imprisoned for not having visas and other related documents.

"They landed in Sri Lanka three years ago hoping to take a ship to Europe. But they were caught without visas along with a few alleged drug peddlers. Their passports were taken away, but they were freed from other charges," a police official said.

"Their luck deserted them for a second time when they boarded a train from Delhi to Chennai to return to Pakistan. They were caught on the train at Bhopal without travel documents and jailed for six months," the official said.

"While Khalik has been sent we are doing our best to deport Iqbal too," said R.K. Malviya, the officer in charge of Bhopal's Bajariya police station.

"Such a situation wouldn't have arrived had the Border Security Force (BSF) handed us over to the Pakistani officials as per court orders. The district magistrate ordered us to be sent to border with the BSF," Khalik alleged.

"But the BSF took us to their headquarters instead and asked us to seek permission from officials of the Pakistan Embassy, who assured us that they would send us back and took our residential addresses and contact numbers. But nothing happened after that," he added.

Pakistan's Katasraj temple to be preserved: Pervez Elahi

Chakwal (Pakistan), July 1 (IANS) The ancient Hindu temple of Katasraj in Pakistan's Punjab province will be restored to its original glory, said Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi.

The architectural splendour of the temple would be preserved. It would act as a bridge between India and Pakistan for strengthening of ties and promote tolerance, peace, brotherhood and religious harmony in the sub-continent, Elahi was quoted as saying by Online news agency.

The chief minister was speaking after inaugurating a plaque for restoration work of the temple, located in Chakwal district, on Friday. Shujaat Hussain, president of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML), was chief guest on the occasion.

An approach road to Katasraj from Kallar Kahar to Choa Saiden Shah would be constructed at a cost of Rs.330 million, Elahi said. He also announced that a four-star hotel would be constructed near the temple and it would be made an international tourist resort with all facilities.

Shujaat Hussain said that the PML was working towards building religious harmony among the all sections of the people in Pakistan.

Syed Mushahid Hussain, PML leader, said that the Hindu festival of Diwali, the Christian festival of Christmas and the birth anniversary of the Buddha were celebrated at the office of the PML secretariat.

Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Ejaz-ul-Haq said that the issue of the Krishna temple at Lahore had been settled amicably. He invited the British high commissioner and Bharatiya Janata Party leaders from India to personally visit the temple and see the restoration work at the Krishna temple.

Chakwal district head Sardar Ghulam Abbas promised that the restoration work at the Katasraj temple complex would be completed in five years.

Punjab's Director General of Archaeology Oria Maqbool Abbasi said that a pond at the Katasraj shrine would be restored.

Pakistan's new visa regime has 'special package' for Indians

Islamabad, July 1 (IANS) Indians wishing to visit Pakistan, especially businessmen and pilgrims, have been granted additional visa benefits by the Pakistan government in its latest visa policy.

Indian businessmen wishing to do business in the country will get a six-month multiple entry visa. Indian pilgrims would get a 15-day visa instead of the earlier five in a "special package" of the new visa policy announced by Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao and Tourism Minister Nilofar Bakhtiar.

The tourist visa for Indians has been enhanced from 14 days to 30, media reports said.

The visa procedure for Indian diplomats would also be accelerated and the security clearance of diplomats would take only four weeks, Sherpao announced.

Thousands of Indians, both Hindus and Sikhs, visit Pakistan on pilgrimage every year. Sikhs attend the death anniversary of the 18-century king Maharaja Ranjit Singh and the birth anniversary of the faith's founder, Guru Nanak Dev. From Pakistan, pilgrims come to various Hindu shrines and to Ajmer Sharif in Rajasthan.

The minister denied that relaxing visa restrictions on visiting Indians meant a change in Pakistan's Kashmir policy.

The ministers emphasised that the new visa policy was meant to project a "soft" image of Pakistan, to boost tourism and ensure that the country stayed with the times while dealing with visitors from other countries.

However, visas for journalists will be issued by Pakistani missions "in the shortest possible time, according to the nature of the jobs".

Stating that some Indian "requests" had been met by the Pakistani government, The Nation newspaper wrote that the stay for "religious tourists from the arch rival state" was being enhanced.

The new visa regime would work according to categorisation of countries in different lists. The list A, which formerly included 48 countries, has now been extended to 175. People from these countries would be able to obtain visas without referring their applications to diplomatic missions abroad.

Only 15 countries, including Israel, have been kept out of the list. Bakhtiar said that tourists from 23 countries would be issued visas on arrival, directly at the airports and other entry points.

This treatment was offered only to China and Japan in the past. However, the government had made it mandatory for tourists from these countries to be registered with Pakistan government's approved tourism firms.

The relaxed visa policy has also been extended to those countries that can share trade and investment with Pakistan. Investors and businessmen of 69 countries will be given visas at the airports.

Pakistani embassies and missions would also be authorised to issue work visas for five years, compared to the earlier three years. Pakistani expatriates would be allowed a multi-entry-visa for five years and would be able to stay in the country for at least a year.

The interior minister said that the government would deal with terrorists strictly and relaxations in visa policy would not benefit them.

"Pakistan's new visa policy is in line with the government's policy of liberalisation and according to the vision of President Pervez Musharraf. We wish to show a positive image of Pakistan where visitors are welcomed with open arms," the Daily Times quoted Sherpao as saying.

Palestinian militants demand release of 1,000 prisoners

Palestinian militants demand release of 1,000 prisoners
Xinhua

Gaza, July 1 (Xinhua) Three Palestinian militant groups that kidnapped an Israeli soldier demanded Saturday that Israel release 1,000 prisoners.

The three groups - the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, an armed wing of the ruling Hamas movement; the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) and the Islamic Army - in a joint statement demanded that Israel also end its ongoing ground offensive in the Gaza Strip.

The three groups claimed the abduction of 19-year-old Gilad Shalit during a cross-border raid on an Israeli army post near the Gaza border Sunday.

They also reiterated a demand that they had made in a previous statement - the release of all Palestinian women and minors jailed by Israel in return for information on the abducted soldier. Israel has already rejected this demand.

However, the statement did not say that the militants would release Shalit if Israel met their demands.

Meawhile, Israeli troops continued a broad ground offensive in Gaza Saturday in a bid to rescue Shalit.

This is the first major Israeli military ground operation in the Gaza Strip since Israel withdrew soldiers and settlers from there last summer after 38 years of occupation.

PM announces Rs.37.5 bn package for distraught farmers

By Harish Menon, Nagpur, July 1 (IANS) After coming face to face over two days with rural suffering, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday announced a Rs.37.5-billion relief package for Maharashtra's distraught farmers, many of who have killed themselves after failing to repay their huge debts.

Manmohan Singh concluded his two-trip to the drought-hit Vidarbha region by announcing the package that includes immediate and long-term relief measures for farmers in six drought-affected districts in the eastern parts of the state -- Buldhana, Akola, Washim, Amravati, Yavatmal and Wardha.

He told reporters that the measures include waiver of Rs.7.12 billion of overdue interest on loans taken by farmers, allocation of Rs.21.77 billion for improving irrigation facilities to be released over the next three years, Rs.1.35 billion to encourage subsidiary income through livestock and fodder, and Rs.2.4 billion for watershed development.

The package also includes rescheduling of Rs.12.96 billion agricultural credit over a period of three to five years with one year moratorium in the six districts.

Manmohan Singh said this package would be extended to drought-hit states of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka.

At least 745 farmers have committed suicide in Maharashtra this year due to crop failure and growing debts. The Vidarbha region has seen more than 1,600 farmers end their lives since January 2001, deaths that have shocked the nation.

The prime minister promised to take steps to protect farmers' interests from the volatility of global commodity prices.

"We have effective instruments to ensure that our farmers can be assured that they will enjoy effective protection against excessive fluctuations in international prices," he said.

"All policies of the government will focus for the realisation of this objective."

The government would also set up an expert group in the next few days to look into the problem of rural indebtedness in its totality, he said.

The group is expected to submit its report with three months. Based on its recommendations the government will take steps to deal with the farmers' problems.

Earlier, more than 530 widows, children and other relatives of over 500 farmers of the Vidarbha region who committed suicide in the past five years met the prime minister and narrated their plight during an hour-long interaction at the terminal building of the airport at Yavatmal town.

Waiver of insurmountable debt burden besides irrigation facilities and higher remuneration on cotton were their common demands.

The venue of the prime minister's meeting with family members of farmers was changed from Kolejhari village to Yavatmal.

Manmohan Singh repeated the government's intention to make sincere efforts to relieve the misery of farmers reeling under debt crisis.

"I know you are suffering from the burden of debt and shortage of irrigation and electricity supply and the government will make all efforts to relieve the misery," he said.

Meanwhile Shiv Sena activists, led by legislator Sanjay Singh Rathod, staged a noisy protest outside the airport in Yavatmal condemning the state government for its "anti-farmer" policies as soon as the prime minister left for Nagpur.

Pomegranate juice could kill cancer cells

London, July 1 (IANS) Drinking an eight ounce glass of pomegranate juice daily could slow the progress of prostate cancer, minimise cell damage and could also kill cancer cells, finds a new study.

Researchers led by Allan Pantuck at the University of California, Los Angeles, studied 50 men who had undergone surgery or radiation treatment for prostate cancer - but had shown signs that the disease was rapidly returning, reported the online edition of BBC News.

The presence of prostate cancer cells is monitored by measuring levels of a chemical they produce called prostate-specific antigen (PSA). The researchers measured how long it took for PSA levels to double in individual patients - a short doubling time indicates that the cancer is progressing quickly.

The average doubling time is about 15 months, but in patients who drank pomegranate juice, this increased to an average of 54 months.

Some patients continued to show suppressed PSA levels after more than three years, even though they were receiving no treatment apart from drinking pomegranate juice, said Pantuck.

The researchers added that the effect may be so large that it may help older men outlive the disease.

"There are many substances in pomegranate juice that may be prompting this response," said Pantuck.

"We are hoping we may be able to prevent or delay the need for other therapies usually used in this population such as hormone treatment or chemotherapy, both of which bring with them harmful side effects," added Pantuck.

Pomegranates have been linked to many health benefits. It contains a cocktail of chemicals including isoflavones, which are believed to play a role in cancer cell death.

Previous research, conducted through tests on mice, has indicated that pomegranate juice could have a beneficial effect on prostate cancer.

Swiss banks freeze accounts of Myanmar leaders

Yangon (Myanmar), July 1 (IANS) Banks in Switzerland have frozen the assets of members of Myanmar's military regime amid increasing concerns over the human rights situation in the Southeast Asian country.

The Swiss government has also announced plans to tighten sanctions against Myanmar, reported Mizzima News, the news agency run by Burmese (Myanmarese) in exile.

The decision brings the country in line with European Union (EU) sanctions on Myanmar, which were extended in April.

The fresh sanctions prohibit Swiss firms and companies from investing in Myanmar or loaning money to the 39 government-run enterprises.

Earlier this month, the Bank of England had imposed sanctions on Myanmar and frozen the assets of the country's military members.

The EU introduced financial sanctions on Myanmar's military officials and their families in 2000, before extending them in 2004 and 2005.

The hadcount controversy indicates anti-Muslim bias

By Pavan Nair

The politically astute Indian Defence Minister recently conveyed to the Parliament that details of Muslims in the Indian Army would not be conveyed to the Sachar Committee. Does that resolve the issue? The rather short and ill-informed debate was mired in arguments about the secular credentials of the army, an issue which has never been in doubt. The knee-jerk reaction of several serving and retired officers and the media indicates an inherent if unspoken bias against Muslims in general which exists across most sections of Indian society. There is a need to understand the issue from a historical as also a functional perspective.

The fighting arms of the Indian Army, that is the Armoured Corps (the erstwhile cavalry), Infantry, Artillery and Engineers, have traditionally had a fixed class composition as far as the rank and file is concerned. This composition may be a single class composition(like Jats, Rajputs or Sikhs) or a mixed class composition like a combination of Sikhs, Marathas and Muslims in a specified percentage or a mix of sub-units of different classes. Some newly raised units in the armoured corps and artillery have an all-India mix. All caste- or class-based regiments also have a specified proportion of other mixed castes called Other Indian Castes or OICs. Since Hindustani Muslims (HMs), which is the official name, are specified as a caste or class, they do not form a part of the OIC quota of the army. The services like the Signals, ASC (Army Service Corps) and AOC (Army Ordnance Corps) which form about 20% of the army are based on an all India composition and vacancies are released on a zonal basis.

After 1857, the proportion of ‘high’ caste Hindu soldiers in the British army was reduced since they were held responsible for inciting the anti-British revolt whereas certain communities like the Sikhs and Gurkhas were rewarded for their loyalty by increasing their numbers. The bias of recruitment was shifted to the so-called ‘martial races’, which incidentally included Muslims mostly from Awadh, Punjab, Bihar and the North-West Frontier Province. Certain new regiments were raised over a period of time to increase the recruiting base since the army was in the expansion mode before the world wars. Some of these regiments like the Sikh Light Infantry and the Mahar Regiment specially catered to lower castes. Jat Sikhs were enrolled in the Sikh Regiment and Mazhabi and Ramdasia Sikhs in the Sikh Light Infantry. Muslims, like the Sikhs, formed a large part of the army right till the time of independence. Muslims were enrolled in pure or single class regiments as also mixed regiments. For example, a battalion of the Punjab Regiment could be composed of two or more Sikh companies and two or more Muslim companies consisting of Punjabi Musalmans or Pathans. Muslims were also mixed with Hindus in various regiments but their food and staying arrangements were always separate. Some aspects of this arrangement are still in effect. For example, one or more sub-units in Grenadier battalions can have a pure Muslim composition. To say that recruitment in the army, and specifically the fighting arms, is not based on caste or class composition is therefore incorrect.

At independence, the army was divided between India and Pakistan in the ratio of about two to one. All Muslim units and sub units were given the choice of going across to Pakistan. Most of them did. Similarly some sub units of Gujjars, Sikhs and Dogras came across to India. The percentage of Muslims in the army, which was about 25% at that time, came down to about 5%, whereas almost 60% of the Muslim population stayed on in various parts of India. Nothing was done to correct the imbalance though Nehru did express some concern. The army was immediately involved in operations in Kashmir for a few years and thereafter the issue died a natural death, presumably because the Muslim community did not raise it. Over a period of time, Muslim representation has come down to 3% because the class composition of the fighting arms has a limited and fixed number of Muslim vacancies. A Muslim wanting to join the infantry or engineers or any fighting arm with a fixed class composition can only apply for the Muslim vacancies where they exist or as and when they come up. He can also apply for the services that is the Signals, ASC, AOC and AMC in the open category but so can the Sikhs, Jats, Dogras or Rajputs who already have a large reservation in their own regiments. So there is an administrative bias which has kept the numbers very low. This needs to be corrected. To say that the numbers of Muslim in the army are low because of a lack of military attributes or physical standards is an insult to the memory of thousands of Muslim soldiers who fought valiantly in both the world wars and participated in all our wars after independence.

Any organization will resist change and the Indian Army is no different. All citizens must have the right to participate in the defence of their country and to enjoy the privileges that accrue. It is the prerogative of a government to correct an imbalance not only in the Army but in several other paramilitary organisations whose combined strength is almost equal to that of the army. Certain organizations like the NSG do not recruit Muslims or sikhs. One way to go would be to do it in stages over a period of time by increasing the number of Muslim vacancies in the fighting arms where Muslims are already integrated within units of specific regiments like the Grenadiers, Guards and the Rajputana Rifles. This will entail reducing vacancies for other classes unless the manpower ceiling of the army is raised. New raisings and Rashtriya Rifle units could have a larger proportion of Muslims. It is also for consideration whether some vacancies in the services should be reserved for Muslims as also other minority communities and Dalits who are under-represented in the army even though there is a Mahar Regiment in the infantry which recruits Dalits from Maharshtra. The secular credentials of the army and the state will only be strengthened if we correct a historical mistake. But before that, civil society needs to understand the issues involved.

________________________________________________________
The author, a retired colonel, served for thirty years in the Indian Army Corps of Engineers. He now works with an NGO and writes on defence and social issues. He can be contacted on pavannair[AT]vsnl[DOT]net

UN agencies concerned over human conditions in Gaza

New York, July 1 (IMI)United Nations agencies today expressed concern at the humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip, at a time when more than half of the area’s power supply has been knocked out, and roads and water pipes have also been damaged by Israeli air strikes.

Some 130,000 people have been without water for the past few days and the agencies said their top priority is the restoration of the fuel supply for sanitation pumps in Gaza, with only a few days’ fuel left if supplies are not resumed.

They added that they were also worried over supplies of essential medicines and food, with some medicines already being rationed because of shortages.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said that, because of the random closure of border crossings between the Strip and Israel, it had been unable to get enough food into Gaza. The current supply of wheat flour would only be enough to cover the current caseload of 160,000 people for about 10 days.

WFP spokesman Simon Pluess told a news briefing in Geneva that the Agency was deeply concerned that the recent kidnapping of the Israeli soldier and the subsequent incursion into Gaza might exacerbate the existing humanitarian crisis, especially in view of the increased border closures.

The non-payment of government workers, which affected around 1 million people, and the outbreak of avian influenza, which had decreased the availability of poultry, also threatened food security. It was WFP’s view that it was in everyone’s interest to avoid an escalation of the humanitarian crisis, he said.

Many government workers have not been paid since international donors cut off aid after the Hamas movement’s election victory earlier this year, saying the group must first commit to non-violence, recognize Israel and accept previous agreements and obligations.

Mr. Pluess noted that without the use of refrigerators, due to the cut-off of electricity, perishable foods and medicines were affected, and bakeries could not produce bread, a major element in the Palestinian diet.

The population’s coping strategies were being pushed to the very limit, with many families living on just one meal per day, he said. As a result, WFP had this month begun to increase its food aid to 600,000 people. But with the random closure of border crossings, it could not get enough food into Gaza.

UPA misleading people on price rise: BJP

Bhopal, July 1 (IANS) Coming down heavily on the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government for its failure to control prices of essential commodities, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Saturday said it was trying to "fool" the people of the country.

Talking to reporters here, BJP president Rajnath Singh said: "In fact, the Congress party organised a drama by convening the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting and appealing to the government to bring down the prices of essential commodities whereas it did not prefer to say anything to the prime minister (Manmohan Singh) and Finance Minister (P. Chidambaram) who were present at the same meeting.

"Everybody knew that after the rise in the prices of petrol and diesel, there will be inflation. But the government instead of reducing taxes on petroleum products is trying to fool the people by organising the CWC meeting," he said.

"The Left parties too are misleading the people by opposing the price rise on the streets but supporting the same government which was responsible for it," Singh said.

The BJP leader also cautioned the UPA government on the supply of arms and ammunition, mainly the missiles, by China to Pakistan.

"This has increased the danger to the country's security."

Singh arrived here Saturday morning to attend the party's two-day state executive meet - the first one after the nomination of state president Satya Narain Jatia four months ago.

US House panel to review F-16 offer to Pakistan

By Arun Kumar, Washington, July 1 (IANS) A key panel of the US Congress, which earlier this week approved the India-US nuclear deal, has been called to meet again on July 13 to discuss the Bush administration's proposal to sell F-16 aircraft and weapons systems to Pakistan.

The Republican chairman of the US House of Representatives' Committee on International Relations, Henry Hyde, Friday called the meeting after the administration notified Congress about the proposed sale bid apparently to placate a miffed Pakistan.

There was no word as yet about a hearing by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which too has endorsed the India-US agreement, to review the F-16 deal. Usually Congress gets 30 days to review such offers. The deal goes ahead if Congress does not move to block it.

Washington's key negotiator on the India-US nuclear deal, Nick Burns, under secretary for political affairs, has been listed as a witness at the House panel's meeting. A few more witnesses are likely to be added.

The five billion dollar weapons package deal for Pakistan awaiting Congress approval, includes sale of 18 new fighter jets with an option to buy another 18, and an offer to upgrade its existing fleet of 34 old model F-16s, manufactured by US aerospace company Lockheed Martin.

Describing Pakistan as a long-term partner and major non-NATO ally of the United States, a Bush administration official said the proposed sale of F-16s to Pakistan was part of a larger effort to broaden US strategic partnership with Pakistan and advance its national security and foreign policy interests in South Asia.

The sale offer comes close on the heels of two Congressional panels approving with thumping majorities the India-US nuclear deal giving New Delhi access to US nuclear know-how after a gap of 30 years.

Work stress could raise blood pressure

London, July 1 (IANS) Work stress could lead to a rise in blood pressure, particularly if you are a man and lack social support at work, revealed a new study.

Chantal Guimont and colleagues at Laval University, Quebec, Canada, studied 6,719 workers over more than seven years and found that job strain, particularly in workers with low social support at work, may contribute to increased blood pressure, reported the online edition of BBC News.

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a major risk factor for a number of serious medical illnesses, including strokes and heart attacks.

Other factors may have contributed to the high blood pressure found in the white-collar workers that they studied but high job demands, tight deadlines and low support in the workplace appeared to be triggers, particularly in men, said Guimont.

Studies are now under way to see if employers can alleviate the problem, the researchers said in the American Journal of Public Health. They suggested that employers might be able to help by giving workers more support and control over deadlines and tasks.

While stress is one cause of high blood pressure, there are a number of other things that can contribute like a poor diet, drinking excess alcohol, being overweight or obese, eating too much salt and not exercising enough.

11 killed in a fresh violence in Sri Lanka

New Delhi, July 1, IRNA, At least 11 people, including one soldier and a sailor, were killed in fresh violence in Sri Lanka.

Another five people, including a sailor, were killed in renewed clashes in the past 24 hours while the Tiger rebels said six more had been killed in fresh violence in the past two days, a PTI report said here.

The Tigers killed the sailor Friday in an apparent bid to draw fire from the security forces towards Muslim devotees attending Friday prayers.

However, the military acted with restraint, yet managed to gun down the attacker.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said three civilians were killed in a Claymore mine attack in the Kokkupadaiyan area two days ago and blamed the Sri Lankan military for the blast.

Another three men were gunned down in the east of the island later that night, just hours before a key meeting of five Nordic nations to decide the future of their monitoring mission in Sri Lanka.

The Oslo-arranged meeting in the Norwegian capital lasted five hours yesterday but ended without an announcement of a breakthrough to end the crisis over truce monitoring.

The meeting was called after the LTTE demanded that monitors from European Union nations Denmark, Finland and Sweden quit the mission, saying they could no longer be neutral after the EU labelled the group a terrorist organization.

12 militants killed in Afghan clashes

Kabul, July 2 (Xinhua) At least 12 Taliban-linked insurgents were killed in southern Afghanistan as clashes erupted with Afghan and foreign troops.

The skirmishes occurred Saturday night in the volatile Helmand province in south Afghanistan, said a police official.

"A clash between the enemies of peace and Afghan and coalition troops, which lasted for about two hours in the Sangin district left 12 enemies dead," said provincial police chief Mohammad Nabi MullahKhil.

He also said that all the dead bodies had been left on the battleground.

"There were no causalities among the Afghan and coalition forces," Mullahkhil added.

Taliban militants have yet to make any comment.

Over a dozen people, including three British soldiers, have been killed in clashes in Helmand in the past one month.

African Union summit opens in Gambia

Banjul (Gambia), July 2 (Xinhua) Top leaders from African states convened in this West African country to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing the continent at the seventh African Union summit.

The summit, which opened Saturday, witnessed a gathering of 53 African heads of state and government, together with guests and observers from around the world.

"The African Union, created only six years ago, has established itself as a defining voice in areas like development, security and human rights, and Africa as a whole and has many success stories to tell in these three areas," said UN Secretary General Kofi Annan at the opening ceremony.

The Millennium Development Goals have had a "galvanising" effect on governments throughout Africa, said Annan, and added, "Africa's development disproves the distorted and widespread image of our continent as a sea of undifferentiated poverty."

The theme of the two-day summit is rationalization of regional economic communities (RECs) and regional integration.

Speaking on Africa's security, Annan said that compared to a decade ago, the number of violent conflicts had dropped dramatically. He added that Africa is learning better to manage and resolve conflicts, and prevent new conflicts from breaking out.

"Africa has also made progress on human rights," said Annan, saying that human rights was no longer viewed by Africans as a rich country's luxury, and most African states now have democratically elected governments.

The summit is expected to discuss a number of issues including the financing of the AU, situation in Darfur, establishment of a Pan-African radio and television channel, reform of the UN, HIV/AIDS, and bird flu.

The last gathering of the bi-annual AU summit was held in January in Khartoum, Sudan.

Anti-bribe campaign launched

New Delhi, July 2 (IANS) A 15-day anti-bribe campaign aimed at creating awareness about the Right to Information (RTI) Act was launched Saturday in 48 cities across the country.

Over 700 organisations including colleges, schools, doctors' forums, resident welfare associations, community groups and non-governmental organisations kicked off the drive that "will encourage people against paying bribe to officials to get their work done".

"The campaign will tackle the most basic problem that everyone in the country faces while dealing with any government department - harassment, bureaucratic delay and the expectation of bribes to get work done," said a statement from the activists.

"The whole campaign will be handled by over 1,500 volunteers who will help people in filing RTI applications in these cities," said Arvind Kejriwal, chief of NGO Parivartan.

In the first day, their national help line received around 1,154 calls and 1,600 people visited the website specially designed for the campaign.

"After the completion of the campaign, they will have a workshop in August on problems people faced during the 15 days," Kejriwal told IANS.

A crucial law for the promotion of transparency and accountability from the government, the RTI Act allows citizens to demand information (in the form of records, documents, samples, orders etc) from the government regarding any department or office.

Army trooper killed in Kashmir gun-battle

Srinagar, July 2 (IANS) An army trooper was killed and two others were injured in a gun-battle with guerrillas in a Jammu and Kashmir village Sunday.

A spokesman of the army's 15 Corps said security forces surrounded the Gamru village near the north Kashmir Bandipora town in Baramulla district Sunday afternoon following information that a group of guerrillas was hiding there.

"The militants were holed up in a house and started firing on our troopers. Three of our jawans sustained injuries and one of them - subedar Jasbir Singh - later succumbed to his injuries," the spokesman said.

A police official said two houses in the village were gutted in the exchange of fire between the guerrillas and the troops.

"The exact number of militants hiding is still not known," he added.

Beckham steps down as England captain

Baden-Baden (Germany), July 2 (DPA) David Beckham Sunday announced he was stepping down as England captain but said he wanted to continue playing for his country.

The midfielder announced his decision at a press conference, less than 24 hours after England's World Cup exit at the hands of Portugal.

Beckham said being England's captain was "the greatest honour of my career ...and fulfilling my childhood dream".

"Now ...I feel the time is right to pass on the captain's armband.

"I want to stress that I would like to continue playing (for England). I came to the decision a while ago. This decision has been the hardest of my life.

"I want all the players to know it has been an absolute honour.

"I have lived the dream. I am extremely proud to have been the captain of England and worn the armband and for that I will always be extremely grateful."

Bhutan refugees in Nepal send SOS to Yechury

Kathmandu, July 2 (IANS) Languishing in Nepal's refugee camps for nearly 15 years, over 100,000 Bhutanese evicted by the Druk kingdom Sunday sent an SOS to visiting Indian leader Sitaram Yechury, asking him to intervene with the Indian government on their behalf.

As Yechury, an influential politburo member of the Communist Party of India-Marxist winded up his three-day visit to Kathmandu, a delegation of Bhutanese refugees handed over a petition to him, asking for New Delhi's intervention.

"India says the refugee problem is a bilateral issue between Bhutan and Nepal," said Teknath Rizal, former adviser to the king of Bhutan and ex-member of parliament, who was jailed by his government for protesting against the eviction of Bhutanese of Nepali origin from southern Bhutan.

"However, whenever we try to return to Bhutan through India, the Indian authorities stop us. That shows it's not a bilateral issue. India too is involved and should help us to return."

Since last month, Bhutanese refugees have been on an indefinite sit-in in front of the UN office in the capital to draw international attention to their plight. A second group has also been staging a sit-in in eastern Nepal near the bridge that connects Nepal and India.

Though Nepal has allowed the refugees to live in the seven camps in its eastern parts administered by the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, it doesn't allow them to work or own property.

Forced to live on charity, the camps have seen a growing incidence of alcoholism, domestic violence, prostitution and even suicides.

Bin Laden urges Islamist fighters to free Iraq

Cairo, July 2 (Xinhua) Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, in a new audio message posted on the Internet, has urged Islamist fighters to free Iraq.

"You, god's trusted fighters, will liberate the country (Iraq) from the crusaders," bin Laden said in the audio posted Saturday on a Web site frequently used by Islamist militants. However, the voice in the audio is yet to be verified as Bin Laden's.

He said Sunni Muslims in Iraq were being "exterminated" by Shias, warning that Shia-populated areas might subject to attacks.

He also endorsed Abu Hamza al-Muhajer as the new Al-Qaeda leader in Iraq to succeed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi who was killed in a US air strike north of Baghdad last month. He wished the new leader "good luck".

Bin Laden urged militants in Iraq to "continue fighting", saying that participation in the country's political process would lead nowhere.

He called on Al-Qaeda leaders in Iraq's to continue to take part in the Mujahideen Shura Council.

The council, which consists of several Iraqi insurgent groups including Al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for killing four Russian embassy employees kidnapped by militants last month.

In addition, bin Laden urged all the Somali people to support the Islamic Courts Union, which took control of the Somali capital Mogadishu in June.

"You should join hands with the Islamic Courts to build an Islamic state in Somalia," he said, warning other countries against sending troops to Somalia.

Further, the Al-Qaeda chief said his group had the right to "punish" the US inside its territories, in Somalia and everywhere in the world.

Chhattisgarh mulls anti-conversion law

Raipur, July 2 (IANS) Chhattisgarh is planning to enact an anti-conversion law to deal with the growing number of conversions by "force" in the tribal dominated state, Chief Minister Raman Singh has said.

"The government is of the view that conversion by force or allurement should not be allowed and we will bring in an anti-conversion bill," Singh told IANS.

He said the government was studying the anti-conversion bills of other states, including Rajasthan, to incorporate some of their provisions.

Refusing to give further details, Singh said the bill was still in its "preliminary stage".

A home department official, however, said: "There is likely to be a provision of 10-year jail term and monetary penalty of Rs.500,000 to Rs.1 million for those found guilty of illegal conversions."

He added that the government was determined to bring in the bill this year, possibly during the winter session of the state assembly.

An anti-conversion law is already in force in Chhattisgarh as the state retained the Freedom of Religion Act adopted by Madhya Pradesh in 1968.

But the government thinks its provisions need to be made more stringent by enacting its own law dealing with conversions. Chhattisgarh was carved out of Madhya Pradesh in November 2000.

The Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), ideological mentor of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and its affiliate body Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram allege that conversion of tribals in the state can be linked to money and other economic assistances offered by Christian missionaries.

They claim that the number of conversions has been on the rise especially in the under-developed regions of Surguja and Bastar.

Christians, however, deny converting tribal people by force or allurement. They allege the various anti-conversion laws have been enacted with the hidden intent to harass them and to spread hatred against their community.

Anti-conversion laws are also in force in Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Gujarat. The Rajasthan assembly recently passed a similar bill, and it awaits the assent of the state governor.

Tamil Nadu revoked its anti-conversion law in May 2004.

There are a little more than 300,000 Christians in Chhattisgarh in a total population of 20.8 million.

Cleric condemns Zionists' atrocities in Gaza

Tehran, July 2, IRNA, Substitute Friday prayers leader of Tehran Hojjatoleslam Ahmad Khatami on Friday questioned double-standards on terrorism, while denouncing Zionist regime's aggression on Gaza.

"Isn't it an instance of terrorism when a usurper government in extreme impudency turns Gaza into an inferno, makes a hell of bombs and bombardment, arrests a group of the representatives of the public and candidly acknowledges to assassination of the Palestinian leaders?" questioned Khatami in his second Friday prayers sermons at Tehran University campus.

Khatami said Zionists' aggressions on Gaza are signs of their savagery and genocide, indicating they are criminals in nature.

He noted that Europe is an accomplice in the crimes for suspending their assistance, even medicine aid, to Palestinians.

"All these are signs that the liberal-democracy slogan of Europe and the US is a big lie," he made it clear.

He said the US and Europe use such slogans for their own interests.

Khatami also criticized Muslim states for their silence against Israeli atrocities.

Elsewhere in his sermon, Hojatoleslam Khatami refuted the US claims that there was a global consensus against Iran.

"They claim there is a global consensus against Iran, while more than 100 NAM states are supporting Iran in the nuclear case and Muslim foreign ministers too have been supporting Iran. The US is impudently saying the big lie that there is global consensus against Iran," he added.

The cleric then compared the higher popularity rate of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the US President George W. Bush, saying whenever the Iranian president goes to a country, all try to have a precedence in shaking hands with him but there are huge demonstrations against the US President whenever he visits a country.

Discovery launch postponed due to weather

Cape Canaveral (Florida), July 2 (DPA) A threat of nearby storms caused NASA to postpone the launch of shuttle Discovery less than 10 minutes before lift-off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.

The weather outlook remained poor as the US space agency mounted another attempt to launch the shuttle Discovery later Sunday.

Late Saturday, NASA meteorologists estimated a 40 percent chance of acceptable weather for the rescheduled launch during about a one-hour window beginning at 3.26 p.m. (1926 GMT). Clouds are likely Sunday afternoon with possible rain and thunderstorms.

The US shuttle fleet has been grounded since Discovery's July 2005 flight because of continuing problems with shedding foam on takeoff. The current launch would be only the second since February 2003, when the shuttle Columbia spacecraft broke up on re-entry due to a damaged heat shield blamed on foam at takeoff.

With mounting safety problems and maintenance costs, the fleet of aging space shuttles is slated to be mothballed in 2010.

Unprecedented precautions have been taken to protect the shuttle from the kind of damage on takeoff that doomed Columbia and that plagued Discovery's last mission.

Discovery is due to deliver German astronaut Thomas Reiter to the International Space Station (ISS) for a stay of up to seven months. He would be the first German astronaut to take up residence on the orbiting ISS.

Discovery's scheduled 12-day flight is designed to deliver water, food and clothing to the station. Astronauts are to carry out urgent repairs on the ISS and to test new technology for in-space repairs of the shuttle.

The shuttle's return to earth was slated for July 13 to Kennedy Space Centre.

Without the US space shuttle fleet to ferry crews, provisions and parts into space, the construction of the International Space Station has been interrupted and the orbiting outpost limited to two-person crews limited to mostly maintenance work.

If the lift-off is postponed again Sunday, additional launch windows could be available Tuesday and Wednesday.

Saturday's weather was acceptable for lift-off at the Cape Canaveral launch pad, but threatening storms were dangerously close to the shuttle's emergency landing strip in the event the mission were aborted immediately after launch.

Mission control cited the presence of anvil-shaped clouds, which carry electric charges and produce lightning that would endanger the spacecraft. Such thunderheads form easily in Florida's humid, subtropical climate and are common sight along the coast during afternoons, when brief but powerful storms can quickly develop.

The order to halt Saturday's launch came with the astronauts long since strapped into the shuttle and awaiting a trip into orbit. A large, outdoor digital clock at the Kennedy Space Centre stood still at 00:09:00.

US Vice President Dick Cheney had been in Florida Saturday to witness the restart of the shuttle programme.

Prior to the scrub decision, the shuttle was described as functioning normally and ready to launch. The shuttle's 47-metre fuel tanks were already filled with 2 million litres of liquid oxygen and hydrogen.

Discovery prepares for launch despite bad weather (LEAD)

Cape Canaveral (Florida), July 2 (DPA) Despite a storm looming over Florida, the US space agency NASA began a second countdown Sunday for the launch of the shuttle Discovery.

The chances of a launch were put at just 30 percent by NASA officials due to the weather conditions. The launch is scheduled to take place during a one-hour window beginning 3.26 p.m. (1926 GMT). However, NASA meteorologists have predicted possible rain and thunderstorms.

On Saturday the threat of nearby storms caused NASA to postpone the mission less than 10 minutes before lift-off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.

If the shuttle isn't launched on Sunday, NASA plans to make another attempt on Tuesday. The space agency has until July 19 to deliver German astronaut Thomas Reiter to the International Space Station (ISS).

Discovery's scheduled 12-day flight will also deliver water, food and clothing to the station. Astronauts are to carry out urgent repairs on the ISS and to test new technology for in-space repairs of the shuttle.

The shuttle programme has been grounded since Discovery's July 2005 flight because of continuing problems with shedding foam on takeoff. Sunday's launch would be only the second since the 2003 shuttle disaster, when the Columbia spacecraft broke up on re-entry due to a hole punched into heat-shielding tiles from similar debris on takeoff.

Unprecedented precautions have been taken to protect Discovery from the kind of damage on takeoff that doomed Columbia and plagued Discovery's last mission.

Favoured Brazil crash against Zidane-led France

Frankfurt, July 2 (DPA) Defending champions Brazil crashed out of the World Cup quarter-finals Saturday with a 1-0 loss to nemesis France, stunned by a resurgent Zinedine Zidane who just does not want to quit.

Arsenal striker Thierry Henry scored the lone goal in the 57th minute off a Zidane free kick and the French held on to set up a semi-final with Portugal Wednesday in Munich.

"There are no words to describe this. I'm simply happy - exhausted, but happily exhausted," said French coach Raymond Domenech, whose squad has steadily improved in Germany. "This is one of the great moments of French football."

Star-studded Brazil, denied their shot at a sixth world title, lacked ideas and rallied too late in the game to take revenge for their 3-0 humiliation by a Zidane-led France in the 1998 final.

"The first 20 minutes looked like we would get control, but then France came," said Brazil great Pele. "Zidane was the absolute master of this match. He took complete control of the pitch."

France dominated play for most of the match, virtually shutting down Brazil's vaunted forwards, who never jelled against the well-organised French midfield and back line.

Barcelona star Ronaldinho, whose tournament this was supposed to be, left the field in tears, comforted by his French opponents.

While the Brazilians slunk off, a beaming 34-year-old Zidane celebrated his astounding comeback at what he has said will be his last international competition.

"It was an enormous game. We had to do it all physically and mentally, and we combined brilliantly," the former Real Madrid star said. "We're aiming for the final. We don't want to stop - it was so wonderful that I don't want to stop."

Henry's goal broke open the game after a flat first half. But the needed Brazil rally never truly materialised, though they came close when Fabien Barthez turned away a Ronaldo volley in second-half injury time.

By that time, French fans were already singing the Marseillaise in the stands, celebrating their old-guard side's stunning revival in 2006.

Brazil opened on the attack with Ronaldo - fresh from becoming the top World Cup scorer of all time with 16 goals - but the French-deflected cross sailed too far.

Roberto Carlos fired a curving shot over Barthez' goal after a corner kick, and Ronaldo came close when he powered a header just over the bar in the 11th minute after a Ronaldinho free kick.

But France soon began to take control, virtually shutting down Brazil's vaunted midfield with a cautious passing game that denied the South Americans the balls needed to launch explosive attacks.

Wing back Willy Sagnol fired a shot to the near post from the right in the 16th minutes, but Dida in the Brazil goal stopped it easily.

Cafu, a veteran of the 1998 final squad, was booked in the 25th minute for holding Eric Abidal's jersey as Zidane and the French built up a bit of pressure.

Still, the bevy of greats on the pitch failed to generate great football.

Zidane and Roberto Carlos miscued passes, Cafu sent a cross through the French area without anyone getting a touch and Patrick Vieira, playing his 92nd for France, lifted an uncontested ball straight over the goal-line.

The game lit up just before half-time when Zidane at midfield escaped three Brazilians, duped a fourth and found the hole for a long ball to Patrick Vieira, only to see him floored by a rough tackle from Juan.

Juan was lucky to escape with a yellow card and more mayhem followed when Ronaldo in the wall handled the free kick fired by Thierry Henry.

Ronaldo was booked too and Henry's second attempt from the 16-metre line was blocked again, sending both teams to the locker rooms in a hail of whistles from the 48,000 fans.

French pressure paid off in the 57th minute with a goal that had Zidane printed all over it.

First, the France captain cheekily lifted the ball over Ronaldo and flicked it on with a header.

That move wound up forcing a free kick, which Zidane curled from 25 metres to the far post, where an unmarked Henry flew in and slammed the ball into the roof of the Dida's net with the inside of his right foot.

France nearly made it two in the 61st when young striker Franck Ribery escaped his marker, muscled into the area and squared a ball that Juan almost sent into his own net and Zidane missed by one step.

Brazil seemed unable to step up the pace as the veteran French defence outduelled Kaka and Ronaldinho, while Ronaldo fell helplessly in the penalty area.

France replied on a fast solo break by Ribery, who forced Dida out to save.

As tensions rose, Sangol was booked in the 74th minute for blocking Kaka and Brazil defender Lucio saw yellow the next minute for flooring Henry.

Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira took off AC Milan's Kaka in after his weakest game of the tournament, bringing on striker Robinho.

The Lyon striker brought immediate spark to Brazil's lacklustre game, but it was too little, too late.

First train from Beijing leaves for Tibet

Beijing, July 2 (Xinhua) The first train from Beijing Saturday started its 4,060 km journey for Tibet's capital Lhasa.

The train started at 9.30 p.m. from the Beijing West station and will arrive in Lhasa at 8.58 p.m. Monday. It will pass through Shijiazhuang, Xi'an, Lanzhou, Xining, Golmud and Nagqu before reaching its destination.

The basic coach ticket, called a hard seat, sells for 389 yuan ($48.6) from Beijing to Lhasa, while the price for hard sleeper or bunk costs 813 yuan ($101.6), and the price for a shared compartment or soft sleeper is 1,262 yuan ($157.75).

Earlier on, a passenger train rolled out of the Chengdu railway station, capital of southwest China's Sichuan province at 6.18 p.m., heading for Lhasa with more than 900 passengers.

It was followed by another train leaving Xining, capital of the northwestern Qinghai province, for Lhasa at 8.07 p.m.

Chinese President Hu Jintao attended a launching ceremony held at Golmud, a start-off point of the landmark Qinghai-Tibet railway in Qinghai province, and cut the red ribbon for the railway's opening.

He delivered a keynote speech at the gala held at the Golmud station, saying the opening of the railway line is another magnificent accomplishment the country has achieved in socialist modernisation drive.

Construction of the Qinghai-Tibet railroad is a long-cherish dream of generations of the Chinese people, Hu said.

The Qinghai-Tibet railway is the first railroad linking Tibet with the rest of China.

Four intruders killed in Kashmir

Srinagar, July 2 (IANS) Four separatist guerrillas were Sunday killed as Indian Army troopers foiled their infiltration bid along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.

A spokesman of the army's 15 Corps said here the troops spotted a group of guerrillas in the Gulmarg sector of the LoC while trying to sneak into the Indian side.

"The infiltrators were challenged to surrender, but they started firing on the troops resulting in an encounter in which four of them, all belonging to the Jaish-e-Mohammad group were killed," the spokesman said.

This is the second major infiltration bid during the past week.

Eight guerrillas were killed in an encounter at the LoC in the Karnah sector in north Kashmir last week when they attempted to infiltrate into the Indian side of the border.

India have edge after 16 wickets fall second day

By T.R. Ramakrishnan, Kingston (Jamaica), July 2 (IANS) After an eventful day's cricket in the fourth, and what will now certainly be the series-deciding Test, India finished with their noses marginally in front of the West Indies.

Sixteen wickets fell as India, after bowling out West Indies for 103 in their first innings at the Sabina Park Saturday, finished the second day of the five-day match at 128 for 6 in their second innings. Their overall lead is 225.

Rahul Dravid produced his second masterpiece of the match, following his first innings 81, and was unbeaten on 62 (130 balls, 11 fours) at the close. On his efforts Sunday will rest India's hopes for getting their first series win in the West Indies since 1971.

The way the Sabina Park wicket has played in the first two days, it seems to be a big ask for any side to score the highest total of the match in the fourth innings to achieve victory.

But the West Indians have a champion in their midst, Brian Lara, who is not only capable of winning a match with the power of his record-breaking batting skills. But also, as he has shown in this series, of being a forceful inspiration to his team-mates in the West Indian quest of an image-reviving series win.

In the morning, West Indies failed to last one-and-a-half sessions. They were all out in 33.3 overs, 40 minutes after lunch. Harbhajan Singh captured his second five-wicket haul in successive Tests after S. Sreesanth made the initial breakthroughs.

The significance of Rahul Dravid's 81 Friday became even more apparent on the day as the West Indian batsmen chose stroke playing as the weapon with which to counter the duplicitous nature of the wicket. It was not a wise choice.

Lara was their leading exponent. He was at his exhilarating best as he hit six fours in 26, out of 42 added with Darren Ganga after Sreesanth had removed Chris Gayle in the first over of the innings. He pulled and cut Sreesanth as only he can and when Anil Kumble came on for Munaf Patel, drove him in his first over for boundaries either side of the non-striker's wicket.

Sreesanth did bother him a couple that moved and had two good shouts for leg before and then got the master out with a snorter, the last ball of his sixth over. It rose viciously from a good length and as Lara fended awkwardly, the ball went off to his glove to Wasim Jaffer at third slip.

As the West Indian batsmen, apart from Ganga, made no attempt to stay and survive at the wicket, Harbhajan hammered the final nails in the coffin. In just 4.3 overs, he took 5 for 13 to follow up the fifer he took in the West Indian first innings at St Kitts.

If India though they had the match in their pocket after their morning's work, they were sadly mistaken. Once again, Jerome Taylor came steaming in, and caused early damage, removing the openers in the first four overs of the innings.

V.V.S. Laxman and Dravid seemed to have weathered the storm, with a 43-run stand in 18 overs, but then Laxman fell, and the middle-order again collapsed, with only Dravid standing firm.

It would be easy to blame the dismissals on the pitch. The ball does scoot through at times, climbs steeply at other times. But more than a few batsmen, from both sides, perished trying to play strokes to balls temptingly bowled at them.

The key to survival was application and so far only Dravid has shown it.

And he also showed that strokes could be hit: his 11 fours in the second innings are testimony to it. He cut, pulled and drove majestically, and two of the more memorable boundaries he hit were the ones that raised his 9,000th run in Test cricket and his second 50 of the match.

SCOREBOARD

Day 2, Fourth Test, West Indies v India, Sabina Park, Kingston (Jamaica)

India (1st innings): 200

West Indies (1st innings):

Chris Gayle b Sreesanth 0
Darren Ganga lbw Harbhajan 40
Brian Lara c Jaffer b Sreesanth 26
Marlon Samuels st Dhoni b Kumble 2
Shivnarine Chanderpaul c Dhoni b Patel 10
Dwayne Bravo c Yuvraj b Harbhajan 0
Ramnaresh Sarwan c Kaif b Harbhajan 7
Denesh Ramdin c Yuvraj b Harbhajan 10
Jerome Taylor run out 6
Pedro Collins c Sehwag b Harbhajan 0
Corey Collymore not out 0

Extras (1w, 1nb) 2

Total (for 33.3 overs) 103

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-42, 3-53, 4-72, 5-80, 6-81, 7-88, 8-99, 9-103

Bowling:

S. Sreesanth 9-3-34-2
Munaf Patel 12-5-24-1 (1w)
Anil Kumble 8-3-32-1 (1nb)
Harbhajan Singh 4.3-0-13-5

India (2nd innings):

Wasim Jaffer c Samuels b Taylor 1
Virender Sehwag lbw Taylor 4
V.V.S. Laxman c Lara b Collymore 16
Rahul Dravid batting 62
Yuvraj Singh c Lara b Collymore 13
Mohammed Kaif b Collins 6
M.S. Dhoni b Taylor 19
Anil Kumble batting 2

Extras (3lb, 1w, 1nb) 5

Total (for 6 wkts, in 49 overs) 128

Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-6, 3-49, 4-63, 5-76, 6-122,

Bowling:

Pedro Collins 19-7-56-1 (1nb)
Jerome Taylor 10-3-28-3
Corey Collymore 16-5-31-2
Dwayne Bravo 4-1-10-0 (1w)

Iraq presents 'most-wanted' terror suspects

Baghdad, July 2 (DPA) Iraqi National Security Advisor Muafaq al-Rabaei Sunday presented a list of Iraq's 41 "most wanted" terror suspects, headed by Al Qaeda's new leader in Iraq, Abu Hamza al-Muhajer.

The list includes individuals accused of committing or plotting acts of terrorism in Iraq - including the latest Sadr city car bombing which left 68 dead and 102 injured Saturday.

Al-Rabaei told reporters here that the list had been compiled over a period of nine months and was based on intelligence and security information collected by Iraq's four security organs. He added that the names had also been submitted to Interpol.

The list, which includes three women - including Saddam's wife Sajda Khair Allah and his daughter Raghd Saddam Hussein - is however "not related to the list of 55 wanted individuals drawn up by the US authorities."

The list of 41 wanted individuals, along with their photos, is to be posted in each police station and in mosques with rewards available for information leading to the detention of suspects.

Al-Rabaei called on the assistance of civilians and of neighbouring countries to apprehend the individuals, some of whom are based in Iraq while others are residing in Arab countries, and bring them to justice.

"We will apprehend them whether they are in Iraq or outside the country," said the national security advisor.

A number of the suspects are accused of having links with the Al Qaeda terror network, while others are said to have broken off from existing Iraqi political currents and militias to form their own movements.

Al-Rabaei described terrorism as "a cancer that recognises no religion or country.

Israeli missile strikes Palestine prime minister's office

Gaza, July 2 (DPA) Israeli Apache attack helicopters fired a missile into Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniya's headquarters in a pre-dawn strike Sunday in southern Gaza City.

Witnesses said that one air-to-ground rocket was fired at Haniya's office, and a huge explosion was heard in southern Gaza's Remal neighbourhood. No injuries were reported.

The building was severely damaged, with a plume of smoke billowing from the blazing structure, as the Israeli army continued air strikes on the Gaza Strip for the fifth consecutive day.

A second air strike on a post belonging to the auxiliary force of the interior ministry in the Hamas-led government left one Palestinian militant dead and three wounded.

Medics and eyewitnesses said that helicopters hovering before dawn over Gaza City fired two missiles into the post, which was destroyed.

The Israeli air campaign follows a June 25 attack on an Israeli army base near the border in the southeast Gaza Strip. In the attack, three Palestinian militant groups led by Hamas' armed wing al-Qassam Brigades killed two Israeli soldiers and kidnapped a third.

Israel approved and launched large-scale air and ground operations in the Gaza Strip and has already destroyed a major power plant and two main bridges. Strikes are continuing against Gaza Strip targets under what the army has called operation Summer Rains.

With efforts underway to solve the crisis, Israeli officials have said that the operation would end if the captive soldier is released.

Larijani to meet top EU official over nuclear row

Tehran, July 2 (DPA) Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani will meet EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana July 5, an Iranian foreign ministry official said Sunday.

"(Larijani and Solana) are in daily contact," said foreign ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Assefi here. "The last contact was just (Saturday), and they will meet Wednesday probably in an European city."

Larijani had last week said he would meet Solana in Spain.

The spokesman reiterated that there was no deadline for the reply to the Western nuclear proposal but Tehran would be ready to reply in the Persian month of Mordad, which starts July 23.

"I am sure that the West too does not want us to sacrifice thoroughness for the sake of speed - we are not killing time, but studying the issue very carefully and the West should appreciate this," Assefi said, referring to Western demands to speed up the date of reply.

The spokesman said the Larijani-Solana meet would be aimed at clarifying the stance of both sides and removing ambiguities and set the framework for further negotiations.

"Our aim is to remove Western concerns (that Iran's nuclear programme is not going towards a military direction), but this does not mean that we would sacrifice our national interests in return," Assefi said.

"If logic prevails in the negotiations, then I am optimistic that the issue could be diplomatically settled," the spokesman added.

Assefi reiterated that Iran's final aim is to realise its right to its own nuclear fuel cycle and would not fear sanctions in reaching this aim.

London attacks' fallout hits 'British way of life'

London, July 2 (DPA) A year after four young British Muslims carried out the first ever suicide attack in Britain, killing 52 people and injuring over than 700, the impact of their deed on the fabric of society is still keenly felt.

Mohammad Sidique Khan, Shedzad Tanweer, Germaine Lindsay and Hasib Hussain, who were said to have acquired their bombing skills from the Internet, killed people of many nations when they released the lethal contents of their rucksacks on the carriages of three Underground trains and a bus on July 7, 2005.

Their victims were from Britain, Poland, Italy, Iran, Israel, Vietnam, Nigeria, New Zealand, Australia and Sri Lanka amongst others, reflecting London's multi-cultural and multi-ethnic flair.

The cosmopolitan city stood together on the day, but the defiance shown by its people has since been weakened by fear, loss of trust and division.

"The rules of the game have changed," declared Prime Minister Tony Blair after the bombings, signalling that Britain was prepared to sacrifice its reputation for a tolerant approach for greater security.

The result of the change was there for all to see: Two weeks after the explosions and after an attempted second attack on the transport system, over-zealous anti-terror squads killed an innocent Brazilian man at a south London police station.

The mistaken shooting, for which the police apologised, served to deepen public mistrust in the state authorities and led ethnic leaders to express the fear that community relations could be damaged beyond repair.

The voice of Muhammad Abdul Bari, new leader of the British Muslim Council (BMC), is almost pleading when he says: "Overwhelmingly, our community is made up of sane, sensible street cleaners, teachers, nurses and bus drivers. This idea that we are all fanatics is ludicrous."

Bari, a 52-year-old physics lecturer, who came to Britain from Bangladesh in 1978, is considered to be the country's most influential Muslim voice. A voice of moderation, Bari's counsel is sought equally by the government, the police, lawmakers and imams. But the soft-spoken intellectual has found it difficult lately to calm the underlying tension between Britain's 1.7 million Muslims and the rest of the community.

His first job as MCB leader in June was to pacify outrage over a massive police raid on the homes of two innocent Muslim families in Forest Gate, east London, in which a 23-year-old Muslim man was shot and injured.

"Muslims are frightened now. It is a nightmare, particularly for the young," says Bari.

He is aware that, like the four young men who blew themselves up in the suicide bombings, there are many young Muslims who are not prepared to hear their elders' message of multi-culturalism and moderation.

"The young are rebelling. They become de-motivated, some turn to drugs, others become more religious," says Bari, who reports a steep rise in police stop-and-search activity as well as "race hate crimes" against Muslims since the attacks a year ago.

The government, meanwhile, says that up to 20 "major conspiracies" have been uncovered since last year's attacks, and three "major attacks" on London have been foiled.

A leaked intelligence report in May stated that the war in Iraq had made Britain a target for Al Qaeda sympathisers "for years to come". These included groups helping fanatics willing to take part in suicide attacks against coalition forces in Iraq.

"Today's terrorists are suburban men who neighbours invariably described as 'hard-working, respectable and British to the core'," said the report.

The intelligence services suggested there were more than 1,200 terrorist suspects living in Britain, compared with 800 a year ago, and 250 in 2001. Home office figures showed that 266 people were arrested under the Terrorism Act in 2005 - an increase by 64 per cent compared to the year before.

The majority of the arrests in 2005 were made after the attacks of July 7. But only 35 people were charged, 27 of them under the Terrorism Act.

For Bari, the disproportion between the number of people detained, and those actually charged, is further cause to plead for moderation: "We really are doing our bit for Britain. We are flying the flag. But the British should be embracing the Muslim community rather than condemning it."

Medicine MRPs to include tax

New Delhi, July 2 (IANS) The parliamentary consultative committee Sunday said medicines sold in shops would indicate maximum retail prices (MRP) inclusive of taxes from Oct 2.

The decision was taken in a meeting of the committee, which is attached to the ministry of chemicals, fertilizers and steel. The members were discussing the draft national pharmaceutical policy, 2006.

The members decided that the 354 drugs in the national list of essential medicines should be brought under price control in order to make available drugs at reasonable prices.

They also announced that labels on medicines strips would be bilingual, both in Hindi and English, to benefit the people.

The members also agreed that the maximum allowable post-manufacturing expense (MAPE) should not be more than 100 percent as this level was considered adequate and there was no need to allow a MAPE of 150 percent as proposed in the draft policy.

The committee also agreed that the government should give highest priority to make medicines available to the poor. The members decided that families living below the poverty line should be given drugs free of cost.

"We have assessed that about Rs.30 billion would be required for this purpose," said Ram Vilas Paswan, minister of chemicals and fertilizers and steel.

The members said the government should ensure a provision for health insurance for these families.

Musharraf orders review of Islamic laws

Islamabad, July 2 (IANS) Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has ordered a review of the Islamic laws in the country and said that 2,000 women prisoners, languishing in jails for a long time without being convicted, should be considered for release in a few weeks.

The president has tasked the Council of Islamic Ideology to review the Hudood Ordinance and propose necessary amendments with an aim to provide relief to women prisoners held for long without conviction.

There are around 6,500 women in jails throughout Pakistan. About 1,000 of them are serving their sentences, while the others are in jails due to prolonged trial procedure.

The Hudood Ordinance, which aims to Islamise Pakistani jurisprudence, has been criticised at home by experts, women's organisations and by human rights bodies abroad for being weighed against women.

"The president has taken notice of such women and ordered that their release should be considered," The News daily quoted Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Tariq Azim Khan as saying after a meeting chaired by Musharraf.

The law ministry was directed to immediately prepare a draft law for release of the women languishing in jail for years and who are not involved in heinous crimes like murder, attempt to murder, robbery or terrorism.

The ministry is likely to finalise the draft law in two days, The Nation newspaper said. The reforms package will be introduced through ordinances and after feedback from the legal fraternity and the people. It will be amended through parliament by incorporating necessary suggestions, The Nation said.

Musharraf has asked the Council of Islamic Ideology to review the Hudood laws in consultation with all the religious schools of thought and other segments of society who have been working on the issue.

Hudood derives from the Arabic word 'Hud', which means punishment. Among other things, it prescribes stoning to death for conviction for rape, cutting of hands for theft and lashing for gambling and consuming intoxication.

While this has been enforced in Saudi Arabia, no one has been punished under the Hudood Ordinance in Pakistan.

It is considered unfair to women in a dispute since a woman witness is not admitted in a rape case, nor is a non-Muslim witness. Women have been convicted in Pakistan for simply naming their attackers.

Muslims, Jews and Christians Join Together to Condemn Zionism

M Ghazali Khan

Anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism is not the same thing and it is vital for world peace that Jews outside Israel speak against Israel’s crimes being meted out on Palestinians, a panel consisting of Christian, Jewish and Arab representatives has told a gathering of 500 delegates assembled at the School of Oriental and African, Studies, University of London.

The debate on, “Why Anti-Zionism is Not anti-Semitism� organised by Islam Channel TV was addressed by the veteran BBC TV war correspondent and author of Zionism the Real Enemies of the Jews, Alan Hart, Holocaust survivor, influential Jewish figure and author of The End of Judaism Dr Hajo G Meyer, Senior Lecturer of Political Science, Haifa University, Professor Ilan Pappe; a senior member of Jewish sect Neturei Karta, Rabbi Ahron Cohen and Palestinian representative Dr. Ghada Karmi, and the author of In Search of Fatima, the story of her exile and displacement.

In his keynote speech Alan Hart congratulated the Chief Executive of Islam Channel TV Mr Muhammad Ali for holding the debate. Hart also informed the audience that few days before the debate, the offices of Islam Channel were broken into and a number of computers were stolen. Hart said that probably someone was looking for information to prove that Islam Channel was a fundamentalist organisation which should not be allowed to hold this debate or they were simply trying to frighten Islam Channel.

Hart, who had enjoyed close friendship with “Father Palestine�, Yassir Arafat and “Mother Israel� Golda Meir � so much so that despite being 48 years younger than her, in her cabinet circle, and much to their annoyance, he was known as her “boyfriend� � has over the years, waged war on Zionism. It is worth quoting two important facts from his remarkable book that, despite being praised lavishly by all of them, none of the British publishers could dare publish and therefore at last Alan at his personal expense published the book himself: “At a point� writes Hart, “I interrupted her [Golda Meir] to say: ‘Prime Minister, I want to be sure I understand what you’re saying…You are saying that if ever Israel was in danger of being defeated on the battlefield, it would be prepared to take the region and even the whole world down with it?’…Without the shortest of pauses of reflection…Golda replied, ‘Yes, that’s exactly what I am saying.’� Golda Meir had also told him on camera that, “There was no such thing as Palestinian.� And according to Hart, “Her statement represented Zionism’s official line on the matter; a line that was accepted and repeated parrot-like by Israel’s unquestioning supporters everywhere.�

Left to Right- Dr. Ghada Karmi, Rabbi Ahron Cohen, Alan Hart, Professor Ilan Pappe Dr Hajo G Meyer

Hart started his speech with a quotation from his book that reads, “If the Jews of the Diaspora can summon up the will and the courage to make common cause with the forces of reason in Israel before it is too late for us all, a very great prize awaits them. By demonstrating that right can triumph over might, and that there is a place for morality in politics, they would become the light unto nations.

“It is a prize available to no other people on earth because of the uniqueness of the suffering of the Jews. Perhaps that is the real point for the idea of the Jews as Chosen people…Chosen to endure unique suffering and, having endured it, to show the rest of us that creating better and more just world is not a mission impossible.�

He said, “If any body accused me of being anti-Semitic, I would say ‘Sir/Madam, You are eluded!’ And if any body says to me, ‘OK Alan Hart you are not anti-Semitic but what you say and write seems anti-Semitic.’ I reply, ‘That can’t possibly be so because my main message is to the Gentiles among whom most of the world Jews live. And that message is: ‘Don’t blame the Jews who live among you for what a hard core of Zionists are doing in Israel.’ So, don’t anybody dare to accuse me of being anti-Semitic.�

Hart said that since the unilateral declaration of independence by Israel an informed and honest debate has not been possible on this subject because of fear of being labelled anti-Semitic. He attacked the media and politicians for allowing themselves to be blackmailed by the Zionists. According to Hart journalists were not necessarily sympathetic to the Zionist state but the problem was with the owners of big publishers who were afraid of being punished for their honesty by their advertisement plugs being pulled.

“Many of us have been brought up mainly conditioned by the media to believe that Zionist mythology and real history is one and the same thing. They are emphatically not�. Hart stressed that Zionist propaganda is aimed at getting away with its crimes and impress upon Americans, Europeans and the Jews outside that there has been a threat to its existence. He said that there has never been a threat to the existence of Zionist state.

A group of anti-zionist rabbis at the conference

Persuading Muslims in the UK to be more politically active and be part of the democratic setup, Hart said that in response to one programme news organisations receive thousands of phone calls and emails by the supporters of Zionism but few from Muslims.

He stressed that the existence of Israel is illegal and anyone in the world who could give legitimacy to the Zionist state it is the Palestinians, the rightful owners of the occupied land. He said that two state solution is not a solution. The only solution, he said, was “one state� in which Jews and Palestinians can live together.

Rabbi Ahron Cohen, whose house had been bombarded with 1,000 eggs, presumably by Zionists, few weeks ago, said that what the Zionist state was doing with the Palestinians was blatant violation of the teachings of Judaism.

Responding to a question the Rabbi said although it was not always a bed of roses, before the creation of the Zionist state, Jews in Muslim lands enjoyed prosperity and good relations with Muslims.

In his response to Alan Hart’s speech Professor Ilan Pappe said that there was no Jews Diaspora in the world. “If there is any Diaspora it is the Palestinian Diaspora who have to return to their land.� He said that for world peace and for the welfare of Palestinians and the Jews boycott of the Zionist state was vital. Taking his inspiration from history he said that it took two brave women in Dublin to mobilise anti-apartheid movement in the world and there was no reason why the world could not force Israel to discard its inhuman policies.

In his vehement condemnation of Zionism, Holocaust survivor Dr Hajo G Meyer said that Zionism predates fascism and fascists and Zionists had a history of cooperating with each other. He said that the Zionist state of Israel wants to create anti-Semitism in the world so that more and more Jews start migrating to Israel.

Palestinian representative Dr Ghada Karmi said that Europe had dumped its problem, alien creatures, on the Palestinian people. She said that Palestinian Jews were as much opposed to the creation of a Zionist state on their land as Palestinian Muslims and Palestinian Christians because they were fully conscious of the devastation the “aliens� (non-Palestinian Jews) were going to bring in the region with them. She rejected the division of Palestinian lands into two states and emphasised that instead of solving the dispute it would create more problems. All of the panellists agreed with her.</