October 2006
01 October 2006
Kabul, Oct 1 (ZEENEWS.COM) A suicide bomber on Saturday detonated himself next to Afghanistan`s Interior Ministry, killing at least 12 people and wounding more than 40, an official said.
The Interior Ministry spokesman, Zemeri Bashary, said 12 people were killed, including two policemen, and that 42 were injured. Salam Jalali, a Public Health Ministry official, said 54 had been injured. He said the wounded had been taken to six different hospitals in Kabul, complicating officials` efforts to keep track of the casualties.
The explosion occurred a little before 8 am (local time), as ministry employees were reporting to work, near a narrow dirt road where employees and civilians pass through a security gate.
Bashary said the suicide attacker had been acting suspiciously, then tried to get close to a big gathering of people just beyond a police checkpoint.
"The police warned him to stop, and then he detonated himself," Bashary said.
A witness said he saw the bomber run from police, who had tried to search him.
"The bomber ran into the area (past the checkpoint), and the policeman took out his gun, this all happened very fast, and then the guy detonated himself," said Ahmed Ramin, 18. "We saw lots of people killed and injured on the streets."
Ambulances rushed to and from the bomb scene, which police cordoned off. Windows of nearby shops were shattered, and tables were overturned and thrown to the back of the shops by the blast. At least three shops were destroyed.
Lucknow, Oct 1 (ZEENEWS.COM) Two persons have died of dengue and as many 40 cases of suspected dengue have been reported in different parts of Uttar Pradesh since the past one month, according to Health Department sources here.
Several people are also under treatment for the disease at various private and government hospitals, they said.
Alarmed over the dengue cases the Health Directorate has issued directives to respective chief medical officers to undertake fogging and sprinkling of insecticides.
The Health Department officials have been asked to collect information about dengue patients in different parts of the state and take prompt action to control the situation, sources said.
About 40 cases have come to light in Lucknow, Agra, Ambedkarnagar, Hardoi and Saharanpur districts and steps have been initiated to control the situation, they said.
Medicines have been provided at all the primary health centres and community health centres, and control rooms were also being set up at district level government hospitals, they said.
People are being apprised of the various precautions needed to be taken to check the disease and asked to consult doctors instead of going in for self treatment, sources added.
Abuja, Oct 1 (DPA) At least 40 people were feared killed when a dam collapsed in Gusau, northwest Nigeria.
More than 500 houses were washed away when the dam, the main source of water supply to the Zamfara state capital, gave way Saturday.
State governor Ahmed Yarima confirmed the accident and called on the Nigerian government to provide aid to those rendered homeless.
He blamed state government officials for dereliction of duty and said action would be taken against those officials who did not take preventive measures.
Yarima said he was at a loss as to where to begin helping the displaced, most of whom were poor and did not have any alternative shelter.
He said he had ordered those confirmed dead to be taken to mortuaries in the state capital, while the government looked for ways of making survivors comfortable, until a long-term solution could be found.
New Delhi, Oct 1 (ZEENEWS.COM) An AIIMS student died of dengue today taking the toll from the disease to 11 in the national capital which is already hit by nearly 350 dengue afflicted cases this year.
Kamal Raj Kiran, a fourth-year student, died in the day due to the deadly disease which has spread its tentacles across the AIIMS campus hitting as many as 11 medicos and five other staff members.
Earlier this week the 17-year-old daughter of a medico couple died due to the disease in AIIMS.
In view of the spurt in dengue cases, the AIIMS authorities have begun a drive to check all the coolers in the hospital premises.
Coolers are the main culprit in the spread of the disease, with the Aedes mosquito that is the dengue vector breeding in the water left over from the summer season.
Of the nearly 350 dengue cases this year, the majority of them were reported during the months of July and September, a senior MCD official said.
On an average 22 to 25 cases of dengue are reported everyday, the official said.
New Delhi, Oct 1 (ZEENEWS.COM) In order to remove ambiguities related with the CENVAT credit rule, 2004, industry body Assocham has asked the government to replace the existing legislation with a new set of rules.
In a representation to Finance Minister P Chidambaram, it said there are some instances on which the assesses and the government are confused for availability of CENVAT credit and therefore the steps should be taken to remove the ambiguity.
Assocham said, the service tax paid by the manufacturer on the transportation of final product from the place of removal and availability of CENVAT credit of service tax paid on mobile phones were some of the ambiguous instances in the rule.
Other examples include service tax paid on input services which are commonly utilised for taxable and non-taxable services as also service tax paid on various input services by a person or a company which is engaged in trading as well as manufacturing activities, it said, adding that CENVAT availability on following issues is also subject of confusion.
It said, on number of issues, there are diversion of view even from the different commiserates and Department of Revenues. At the same time, there can be certain companies which might be taking the undue advantage of such ambiguities.
It has further pointed out that such confusion arises mostly in respect of availment of CENVAT credit on input services. As is known, services are totally different from goods and it is not possible to apply the same law and logic, which is available to CENVAT credit on inputs (excise).
Madrid, Oct 1 (DPA) Barcelona rose to the top of the Spanish football league with a come-from-behind 3-1 win over troubled Athletic Bilbao, which was left with 10 men just 20 minutes into the match.
The win shows that Barca have a strong enough squad to cover up for the long-term injury of Samuel Eto'o.
Eidur Gudjohnsen, standing in for Eto'o, scored one while Bilbao's Ustariz - under pressure from Carles Puyol - turned a centre from Gudjohnsen into his own goal Saturday. The third was put away by Javier Saviola, who came on for Gudjohnsen.
"My goal is dedicated to Samuel," said Saviola. "We all hope that he is back in action soon."
The latest win leaves Barca with 13 points from five games, which is two more than Real Madrid and Valencia.
Former Spain playmaker Fran Yeste put Athletic Bilbao ahead with a spectacular volley after just 10 minutes. But the game started to go wrong way for the hosts in the 19th minute, when defender Javier Casas was harshly sent off for pulling down Gudjohnsen.
From then on Barca dominated possession and the equaliser was really just a question of time. It came just before the interval, Gudjohnsen shot Barca ahead on the hour, after being put through perfectly by Xavi Hernandez.
Saviola completed the scoring 12 minutes from time, turning in a clever pass from Andres Iniesta. The demoralising defeat leaves Athletic third from bottom, with just two points, and coach Felix Sarriugarte in big trouble.
Mumbai, Oct 01 (IANS) Thomas Berdych of Czech Republic advanced to the finals of the Kingfisher Airlines Tennis Open tournament here Saturday beating Austrian Stefan Koubek in straight sets.
Berdych defeated Koubek 7-6, 6-2 in the semi-finals played at the Cricket Club of India courts.
In the quarters Friday, Berdych had defeated Bjorn Phau of Germany 6-3, 7-5.
Washington, Oct 1 (ZEENEWS.COM) Rheumatoid arthritis can be cured with a potent cancer drug called Gleevec, a study conducted by the University of Stanford found.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a painful, chronic autoimmune disorder, characterised by inflammation of the lining of the joints. It affects more than 2 million Americans; up to half of those with the disease are disabled after 15 years due to disfigured joints.
Although standard therapy for rheumatoid arthritis currently includes agents that suppresses the immune system, many patients do not benefit from such treatments.
They do not get adequate reduction in the symptoms and signs of disease; they may also continue to have damage to their joints or develop side effects that make continued use of such therapies impossible.
In an effort to find a new treatment, Ricardo Paniagua, a MD/PhD student and the study`s first author, said that they looked at every drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
"It was the combination of rational selection and serendipity that we found that Gleevec worked better than anything else," said Paniagua, who works in Robinson`s laboratory at the Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center of the Palo Alto Veterans Affairs Health Care System.
In their study, Gleevec almost completely prevented the development of the rheumatoid arthritis-like disease in mice. The drug also halted the progression of established disease, significantly reducing the amount of inflammation and bone destruction around the joints. The researchers also tested Gleevec on the cells of human rheumatoid arthritis patients and found that it reduced the processes associated with inflammation and abnormal growth in the joints.
"We were very surprised that Gleevec worked as well as it did. It just seemed too simple. The results are especially encouraging since the drug is already FDA-approved, and has relatively few side effects,� said Robinson. "
However, although the study showed that Gleevec worked well in mice, the researchers cautioned against doctors using Gleevec for treating rheumatoid arthritis until clinical trials are completed demonstrating its effectiveness and safety for humans.
London, Oct 1 (DPA) Leaders Chelsea were held to a 1-1 draw by Aston Villa in the English Premiership, while Bolton Wanderers beat Liverpool 2-0 to move up to second spot.
Beginning the day two points clear of Manchester United and Portsmouth, Chelsea looked set for another victory when Didier Drogba put them ahead at Stamford Bridge after just one minute Saturday.
But Villa, who made a superb start to the season under new manager Martin O'Neill, hit back and Gabriel Agbonlahor headed them level on the stroke of half-time.
"The result is not fair. One team tried to win, the other tried to get a draw," Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho said.
"I think it was our best game of the season. We produced incredible football and I think 10 great chances. I wouldn't have been surprised if they had scored a winner at the end. It just wasn't our day."
The result moved Chelsea two points clear of Bolton, who upset Liverpool with a typically physical performance at The Reebok.
Goals from Gary Speed and Ivan Campo gave the home side victory while Xabi Alonso came closest to scoring for Liverpool, hitting the post.
The first goal was hard on Liverpool as Jose Reina was wrongly penalised for handball and Speed fired the resultant free-kick home.
But Campo then rubbed salt into Liverpool's wounds as he headed Kevin Davies's cross into the net early in the second half.
Arsenal came from a goal down to win 2-1 at Charlton, while Manchester City clinched a 1-1 draw at Everton, thanks to a goal from Micah Richards with the last kick of the game.
And Sheffield United moved out of the bottom three with a 2-1 win over Middlesbrough, their first Premiership victory of the season.
London, Oct 1 (IANS) Sensitive personal information of British customers from Indian call centres are being sold for a price, according to an investigation by Channel 4, The Sunday Times reported.
The Channel 4 programme, as part of its 'Dispatches' series, is titled 'The Data Theft Scandal' and is to be shown on Channel 4 Thursday.
The details are likely to increase demands to close down call centres of British banks and other companies in India.
The report based on the programme said that data available for sale included credit card data, along with passport and driving licence numbers. The details are reportedly being "sold to the highest bidder".
The report added that middlemen were offering bulk packages of tens of thousands of credit card numbers for sale. They even have access to taped telephone conversations in which British customers disclose sensitive security information to call centre staff, it said.
The Sunday Times recalled that in June an HSBC employee in Bangalore was arrested after 230,000 pounds was stolen from British customers' accounts.
The report quoted Stewart Room, head of the data protection unit at Rowe Cohen solicitors, as saying that the investigation highlighted serious breaches of customer confidentiality.
"Customers are going to be outraged by this. By giving your data to a firm in Britain, you don't assume it's going to end up being sold in India," he said.
During the investigation for Channel 4's Dispatches, one middleman offering stolen data, Sushant Chandak, reportedly offered to sell a database with the credit card details of 200,000 people as commercial "leads".
At a meeting in Kolkata, he boasted of a network of agents in call centres across India. "I have a good rapport with them. We cooperate. I pay them, so they trust me," he is reported to have said.
In addition to credit card numbers, Chandak was also offering passport numbers, driving licence numbers and personal banking details.
In a separate meeting, the report said that Chandak offered the details of 8,000 British mobile phone users.
In the programme, the report said that Chandak was seen grinning on the film as a British woman is coaxed into giving the security number on the back of her credit card. The caller claims to be from a British company that sells mobile phones.
In a meeting in New Delhi, a second middleman, only known as Ghufran, reportedly offered details of customers with Halifax, Nationwide, Woolwich, Bank of Scotland and NatWest for five pound each.
Ghufran claimed the information was obtained by technical support staff who visited call centres and used memory sticks to download recent sale transactions.
The report added that Chandak and Ghufran had denied unlawfully selling information. Chandak said the information he provided was not genuine, while Ghufran said he was passed the data.
Manila, Oct 1 (DPA) The death toll after typhoon Xangsane wreaked havoc in the Philippines has topped 100, according to disaster relief agencies Sunday.
A total of 120 people were reported killed in the onslaught of Xangsane, the worst typhoon to hit metropolitan Manila in a decade.
The bulk of the deaths, 84, occurred in the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon, an area collectively called Calabarzon.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque said more casualty reports were coming in as electricity and communication services were restored in some of the affected areas.
More than one million people in 17 provinces were affected by the typhoon, which has caused damages to crops and properties worth more than 1.26 billion pesos (about $25.37 million).
Many provinces in the eastern region of Bicol were still without any electricity, according to the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC).
The NDCC added that 11 more people were killed in various accidents in the other affected areas.
The weather bureau warned another tropical depression was spotted near the Philippines, which could affect the country in three to four days.
By Minu Jain,
Durban, Oct 1 (IANS) Saying India was on the march, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said that there was "enormous untapped potential" to deepen bilateral ties with South Africa.
"I am convinced that there is enormous untapped potential for forging new avenues of cooperation between our two countries," the prime minister told a gathering of the Indian community here Saturday.
He said India was undergoing a transformation that he described as "one of the most far-reaching social and economic revolution of this century".
"More than a billion people are seeking their salvation within the framework of an open society and open economy committed to full respect for fundamental human freedoms, the rule of law.
"I invite our friends in South Africa to participate in this adventure of creativity and enterprise any way you can to bind our countries closer," said the Indian leader who arrived here Saturday for a three-day visit, primarily to take part in events related to Mahatma Gandhi.
"India is on the march," the prime minister said. "Our economy in these few years has been growing at the rate of about 8 percent per annum. We have ambition to set higher goals in years to come.
"The buoyancy and vitality of our economy is a measure of the creativity of our people."
Manmohan Singh referred briefly to Mahatma Gandhi, whose humiliating ouster from a South African train in 1893 on account of his colour propelled him to launch a sayagraha movement that ultimately made him an international icon.
Referring to historic ties between India and South Africa and to New Delhi's campaign against apartheid, he said that recent bilateral relations were defined by warmth, kinship and trust dating back to the 19th century.
"The community of Indian origin that has made South Africa its home for many generations constitutes a special bond between us...
"Today you are helping to build the new South Africa and I am confident that you will do so with diligence, creativity and enterprise that have become the hallmarks of the Indian diaspora all over the world...
"We in India are proud of the achievements of the people of Indian origin worldwide. I have often said that the sun has set on all the great centers of the world, but the sun will never set on the homes of the people of Indian origin, who now live in all continents as proud and productive citizens of free nations making contribution to the lands they are living in today."
Manmohan Singh said India and South Africa had many complementarities in economy, in culture, in human resource development, in science and technology, in working together to improve quality of governance, in improving the quality of delivery system for public services.
"I have come here to forge new ties and bonds of cooperation between our two countries... It is up to the people to create a new mindset which will bind our countries in enduring friendship for mutual benefit."
New Delhi, Oct 1 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit inaugurated a district cultural centre in west Delhi Saturday and announced similar centres would be opened in the other eight districts of the city.
"This centre at Janakpuri would help propagate unity in diversity and provide an opportunity to different organisations to stage shows," she said.
Constructed at a cost of Rs.20 million, the new centre is a joint initiative of Sahitya Kala Parishad and Delhi Public Library.
The centre will train and provide a platform to upcoming artistes and help decentralise cultural activities in Delhi.
Education Minister A.S. Lovely said the capital is set to become a cultural hub before the 2010 Commonwealth Games commence.
Beijing, OCT 1 (Xinhua) China is to raise the electricity price for companies with high-energy consumption in the next three years in order to restrict the indiscriminate growth of such industries.
The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) announced here that the price hike, to start from Oct 1, would be carried out in three stages, with the next two stages marked for January 1, 2007 and 2008 respectively.
The NDRC predicted that the price hike would raise the cost of concerned companies by more than 5 percent per year and force most of them out of the market in three years.
In order to check the indiscriminate growth of industries with high-energy consumption, the NDRC had adopted different electricity prices in 2004 for industries such as electrolytic aluminum, ferroalloy, calcium carbide, caustic soda, cement and steel.
By May 2005, 30 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in China besides Tibet had adopted the policy.
Washington, Oct 1 (DPA) The European Union (EU) and United States failed to agree on a final deal for sharing air passenger data - sought by the US to prevent terrorism attacks - ahead of a deadline set by the EU's highest court.
US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Saturday he had sent a draft agreement to EU representatives that was awaiting "final ratification," but a spokesperson for the European Commission in Brussels said that negotiations in Washington failed to reach a deal and that the two sides would have to take up the issue again at a later date.
The Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice in May ruled that an existing deal - which requires European airlines to transmit 34 pieces of data on US-bound passengers to US authorities - was illegal because it had not been agreed under the correct framework of EU law.
The court had set a Sep 30 deadline for US and EU authorities to rework the sharing agreement - which includes passenger information such as credit card numbers, travel itineraries, addresses and telephone numbers - during which time the handing over of passenger data could continue.
Chertoff, in a statement Saturday, said he did not believe the failure to formally reach an agreement by the Sep 30 deadline would impact air travel across the Atlantic.
Should there be no agreement between the EU and US, it would be up to individual EU member states to reach separate accords with the US in order for the sharing of passenger information to continue.
New Delhi, Oct 1 (PTI) As the nation gears up to celebrate this year's Gandhi Jayanthi, the Mahatma's samadhi at Rajghat is embroiled in a controversey with the Delhi High Court seeking an explanation from the management committee on alleged irregularities surrounding the grave of the man who had epitomised truth, honesty and non-violence.
The allegations pertain to the theft and breaking of over 144 "tree name boards" and fleecing of foreign visitors at the shoe deposit counters.
A Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Vijender Jain and Justice Kailash Gambhir asked Rajnish Kumar, Secretary, Rajghat Samithi to file his personal affidavit on the allegations within four weeks and posted the matter for further hearing to December 8.
The court sought the explanation on a petition filed by a group of Rajghat employees through counsel R K Kapooor who alleged that Kumar was illegally holding the dual posts of secretary and caretaker of the grave and indulging in largescale irregularities.
The petition among other things alleged that 144 tree name boards out of the 186 boards installed at the samadhi by visiting dignitaries during the recent years had been stolen or broken resulting in a loss of Rs 3.31 lakh.
Interestingly, the petition quoted an official circular wherein the Secretary had sought replacement of a certain tree name board at the site where a Ukranian VVIP had planted a sapling in memory of the Mahatma which was subsequently stolen.
Lahore, Oct 1 (IANS) Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul Haq Saturday felt his clearance from ball tempering charges by the International Cricket Committee (ICC) was a victory for the entire nation and said he won't recommend action against umpire Darrell Hair.
Talking to reporters here after his arrival from London, Inzamam said he was awarded minimum penalty and an appeal against the decision could not have minimised or erased the punishment.
He said he would not pursue any legal action against Hair although some people have advised him to do so.
"I want to end this matter and move on," GEO TV quoted him as saying.
The charges were brought against the Pakistan skipper after last month's forfeited Test against England at The Oval. He had refused to lead his side out on to the field after being penalised for ball tampering by umpire Darrell Hair on day four of the fourth Test.
The ICC Thursday cleared him of the ball-tampering charges but banned him for four one-day internationals for bringing the game into disrepute.
Inzamam said he was mentally prepared for the reprimand for any one of the two charges.
"The decision to launch the protest at Oval was a combined one of the team and the management," he said.
Inzamam thanked the Pakistan Cricket Board for its "support during the case".
Saying that Pakistan will have a strong side for the Champions' Trophy, he hoped his team would perform well in the tournament and win the title.
Bhopal, Oct 1 (IANS) The Durga Puja organisers and the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board (MPPCB) are at loggerheads over the immersion of idols in the lakes here - a source of drinking water for the residents.
Made of clay and Plaster of Paris, as many as 1,693 idols - coloured with paints containing lead, nickel and cobalt - were immersed in the lakes here after last year's Durga Puja.
These idols weighed 139,570 kg and caused serious impact on the bio-diversity of these lakes, a study undertaken by Madhya Pradesh Lake Conservation Authority (MPLCA) showed.
While the biodegradable materials are the cause of short-term deterioration of water quality, the heavy metals are the cause of health hazards in the long run, the study said.
Such a heavy amount of clay immersion also increases the base level of these water bodies, which results in decreased capacity to contain water.
Of the two main lakes - the lower lake and the upper Lake - the upper one alone caters to 40 percent residents here for their drinking water requirements. A large number of farmers also depend on these lakes.
However, the festival organisers accused environmentalists of making "false propaganda" regarding the damage to the ecology of the upper lake due to the immersion.
While MPPCB has urged the district administration not to allow the immersion of idols in the water resources used for supplying drinking water, the Puja organisers are unlikely to change their ways.
Dubai, Oct 1 (ZEENEWS.COM) The Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia is mulling setting up an emergency fund for medical treatment of Indians working in the unorganised sectors in the kingdom.
Ambassador M O H Farooq has promised to seek the permission of the Indian government to divert part of the funds of the embassy for these workers, according to the Federation of the Kerala Associations in Saudi Arabia (FOKASA).
The aim is to create a fund amounting to 250,000 Saudi Riyals (SR), which will be administered by the Indian embassy, with contributions coming from the embassy's welfare section, Indian expatriates and fund-raising campaigns through cultural programmes, said FOKASA.
R Muraleedharan, convener of FOKASA, told a news conference about the blueprint of a medical treatment plan for thousands of Indian workers in the unorganised sector like livestock farms, camel owners and other establishments with a workforce of 10 employees or less.
He said that since these employees do not earn more than SR 600 a month, they find it difficult to bear the cost of treatment when they fall sick.
Muraleedharan said the fund would target poor Indian workers facing medical emergency. The association has also entered into an agreement with some polyclinics for the treatment of workers.
In case an employee is in need of long-term treatment which requires his hospitalisation, the beneficiary will be paid sr 2,000 towards air fare to enable him to undergo treatment in his home state in India, said Muraleedharan.
New Delhi, Oct 1 (PTI) With probe into July 11 Mumbai serial blasts proving involvement of ISI and Pakistan-based terror groups, New Delhi today said it will confront Islamabad with the latest evidence and judge it by actions and not words.
Taking charge as Foreign Secretary, Shiv Shankar Menon rubbished Islamabad's denial of involvement of ISI and Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) in Mumbai train bombings and said India wants Pakistan to "not only talk but act also".
"We will take up the issue (of involvement in Mumbai blasts) with Pakistan in view of the new evidence," he told reporters here, a day after Mumbai Police said its investigations had proved that the serial blasts which killed nearly 180 people and injured over 800 were planned by ISI and carried out by LeT.
Menon, who was High Commissioner to Pakistan before his appointment as Foreign Secretary, said India will provide evidence with regard to the Mumbai blasts to Islamabad and see what it does to act on it.
By Prasun Sonwalkar,
London, Oct 1 (IANS) The exponential growth of the Indian media has led to some hand-wringing among many who bemoan the lowering of standards of content, but Western media research is increasingly taking note of what is becoming one of the largest culture industries in the world.
For decades India and other countries of what is considered the 'South' figured intermittently on the Western media research radar. But India and China featured prominently at a major conference at the University of Westminster recently.
The conference, titled 'Internationalising Media Studies: Imperatives and Impediments', was attended by academics and researchers from across the globe, including leading lights such as Annabelle Sreberny, Robin Mansell, Jeremy Tunstall, John Downing, Peter Golding, Joseph Straubhaar and Kaarle Nordenstreng.
Straubhaar of the University of Texas, Austin, said the US remained pre-eminent in finance, production and distribution of cultural goods globally. But research had shown that while audiences preferred local news, they exercised different and varied choice for entertainment.
"We are reaching the point where formats are becoming more important than programming," Straubhaar said, and cited the examples of Big Brother, Brazilian telenovellas, 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire', 'Pop Idol' and so forth.
Speakers at the conference said the curricula of media studies needed to be revised to incorporate the experiences of international students and the rapid changes in the media industries across the globe.
Daya Kishan Thussu, professor at the University of Westminster, said in his keynote address: "The economic growth of India and the 'peaceful rising' of China - the two ancient civilisations with huge potential to influence the emerging global 'knowledge society' - are likely to affect the way media studies is theorized."
Several case studies and new perspectives on global dimensions of media research were presented at the two-day conference. At several panel discussions, experts highlighted the burgeoning media strengths of India and China and called for going beyond Western perspectives in media research.
"It is important to remind ourselves that an international approach to studying and researching media would acknowledge that it has a global history, that printing was invented in China not in Frankfurt, that the first printing press in the Ottoman Empire was established in 1511 and the first printing press in the Americas was not in the US but in Mexico, in 1535," said Thussu, the first professor of Indian origin in the field of media studies in a British university.
"India had a daily newspaper in 1780, while by 1870s more than 140 newspapers in Indian languages were circulating there. The first Arabic newspaper was launched in 1789 while the first overseas Chinese newspaper was founded in San Francisco in 1854.
"There is a long history of media outside the standard Anglo-American or European version of it."
Thussu said that the globalisation of the media meant that media studies should be internationalised. Another reason to incorporate international or non-Western perspectives in media studies curricula was the increasing numbers of students from across the globe enrolling on media courses.
In a robust intervention, Sreberny, professor at the School of Oriental and African Studies and the doyenne of international communication research, said the recent recognition of 'the other' in media research was a new and welcome development.
Sreberny said: "Media research has been internationalising for a long time, but the significance and recent recognition of regionality is new. There is recognition of the cultural consistency of Asia and Africa.
"Western domination in the field has now fractured. Globalisation collapses spatiality and the nation-state becomes diasporic".
Mumbai, Oct 1 (ZEENEWS.COM) India Inc today warned that frequent changes in the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) policy could prove costly for the country as investors may change their mind and turn to other countries due to limited incentives.
"On the prowl, India needs investment to figure itself in the league of developed countries. SEZs with its incentives are not just an attractive investment destinations for many in India and overseas, but these are really an important step for India's industrialisation path also," an industry source said.
Industry sources said Maharashtra government's draft legislation `SEZ and designated areas act', submitted to the centre in February, was still pending, acting as a dampener for industry to commit investments in SEZs.
Maintaining that India needs to compensate with the agricultural land, another source said, while America has positioned itself as the numero uno grains producer in the world by employing only six per cent of its populace, India lags far behind though employs close to 70 per cent of its populace on agriculture.
"To combat unemployment, it's necessary for India to make productive use of lands. But, with frequent changes in the SEZ policy, India could lose investment worth of millions," he said.
Tehran, Oct 1 (IRNA) New Iranian Ambassador to Kuwait Ali Jannati conferred here Saturday with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad prior his departure to the country of mission.
According to the Press Bureau of the Presidential office, at the meeting, President Ahmadinejad underlined Iran's determination to expand ties with Islamic countries and all its neighbors.
Unity among Islamic states and solidarity among all countries in the region would have effective impacts on restoration of peace and stability in the region and the world, he said.
Referring to the deep-rooted cultural and religious commonalties between Iran and Kuwait, he said the two sides' relations are based on mutual respect and underlined the need to take advantage of existing capabilities to help enhance the current level of mutual cooperation.
The new Iranian ambassador to Kuwait, for his part, briefed the president of latest developments in Kuwait and welcomed president remarks prior to his departure.
United Nations, Oct 1 (NDTV.COM) Israel refused to give a UN-appointed investigation access to the officials who may have been responsible for the bombing of an observation post.
The attack killed four unarmed peacekeepers at the height of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict, the United Nations said.
Israel said the bombing of the post along the Israeli-Lebanese border was a mistake that occurred at the "operational level."
But the panel investigating the killings was not allowed to interview commanders at that level to determine what happened, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
The four observers were killed by an Israeli precision-guided bomb that destroyed the bunker where they took shelter after their observation post along the border came under heavy fire.
UN officials in New York and Lebanon had repeatedly warned Israel that the observation post, built 30 years before, was under attack.
Because of Israel's refusal, the inquiry was "unable to determine why the attacks on the UN position were not halted despite repeated demarches to the Israeli authorities from UN personnel, both in the field and at headquarters," Dujarric said.
The Board of Inquiry investigating the attack submitted a confidential report with its findings to the UN and to the four nations whose observers were killed, Austria, Canada, China and Finland.
Tel Aviv, Oct 1 (DPA) Israeli troops completed their withdrawal from southern Lebanon early Sunday, said local media reports citing military sources.
The last troops left southern Lebanon at 2:30 am (1230 GMT).
Israeli Defence Minister Amir Peretz gave the military his approval Saturday to withdraw remaining forces from Lebanese soil by Sunday evening, the Jerusalem Post reported, following earlier claims by the commander of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Alain Pelligrini, that Israel would withdraw its forces Sunday.
The withdrawal was set for completion before the Sunday evening start of the Jewish Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, when the entire nation comes to a halt and most Jews fast.
More than two and a half months after the start of Israel's bloody war with Hezbollah militia forces in southern Lebanon, few soldiers remained on the ground Saturday - manning about 10 positions on the Lebanese side of the border - as the Israeli military made its final preparations for the withdrawal.
In the past weeks, soldiers from a multitude of nations have spread across southern Lebanon from the Litani River to the border with Israel as part of the internationally brokered end to the conflict.
A UN resolution putting an end to July's month-long conflict called for Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in parallel with the deployment of Lebanese government troops and up to 15,000 UN peacekeepers, as well as the disarming of all militias.
Mumbai, Oct 1 (IANS) The Maharashtra government Saturday said fast track courts would be set up to try those accused in the July 11 bomb attacks on Mumbai's suburban trains that killed 200 people and injured hundreds others.
"We are trying to set up fast track courts for the trial of the 7/11 accused soon. The process should not take more than two years," Deputy Chief Minister R.R. Patil, who also holds the home portfolio, told reporters here.
All the accused in the case are likely to be booked under the Maharashtra Control for Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), police sources said.
Four of the 15 accused arrested so far have already been booked under MCOCA.
New Delhi, Oct 1 (IANS) President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday greeted people on the occasion of Dussehra.
In a message, the president said: "The festival celebrates the triumph of truth and the power of ethical and moral values and value systems cherished so deeply in society. Let us on this auspicious day resolve to bring peace and well being and to share our happiness with those in need."
Manmohan Singh, who is in South Africa, said the festival signifies the triumph of righteousness over evil "and through this profound message inspire the humanity to lead a pious, virtuous and noble life".
Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat said the festival "reaffirms our faith in the sublime and eternal values in our lives and celebrates the triumph of good over evil with gaiety and enthusiasm.
"May the great festival bring peace, prosperity and happiness in the lives of all," he added.
Mumbai, Oct 01 (IANS) India's Mahesh Bhupathi and lanky Croat Mario Ancic moved into the doubles finals of the Kingfisher Airlines Tennis Open tournament here Saturday beating the Indian-Pakistan duo of Leander Paes and Aisam Qureshi
6-1, 5-7, 10-3.
With both the pairs winning a set each, the match had to be decided by a super tiebreak which Bhupathi-Ancic won comfortably. The finals will be played Sunday.
In the singles finals, also to be played Sunday, Thomas Berdych of Czech Republic will face Russian Dmitry Tursunov.
In the first semi-finals played at the Cricket Club of India courts, Berdych defeated Koubek 7-6, 6-2. In the other match, Tursunov beat Spaniard Tommy Robredo 7-6, 3-6, 6-1.
New Delhi, Oct 1 (IANS) Captain Brian Lara said Sunday that it was unfortunate that defending champions West Indies would have to go through the qualifying rounds of the Champions Trophy beginning in India Oct 7.
"It is a bit unfortunate that we have to qualify for the main tournament," he told a press conference here, a night after landing here for the tournament.
"But we will try to get some positives out of it (qualifying round). There is some plus about it."
The West Indies will play Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in the qualifying rounds Oct 7-14. Two top teams from this round will join the top six ranked teams in the main round Oct 15 to Nov 5.
Just four months separate this biennial tournament and the World Cup, to be played in the West Indies in March-April.
The teams will be keen to settle their World Cup squads through the Champions Trophy, to be played in Mumbai, Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Mohali over one month. The final will be played in Mumbai Nov 5.
By Minu Jain,
Pietermaritzburg (South Africa), Oct 1 (IANS) It wasn't a cold night in June 1893, but a humid September afternoon 113 years later when Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday stepped back in time to travel on the train Mahatma Gandhi was pushed out of - and the sense of history was intact through all the hype and hoopla.
The four coach train with its cushioned first class compartments and its wooden slatted third class is exactly like the one that Gandhi, then a 24-year-old lawyer, travelled on from Durban on a first class ticket to Johannesburg before he was thrown out because of his colour.
That epochal moment in Gandhi's own words "changed the course" of his life and that of two nations - South Africa and India. "My active non violence began from that day," he has been quoted as telling a missionary on his 70th birthday in 1939.
And it was that moment in history that Manmohan Singh sought to recall Saturday when he travelled to the Pentrich station soon after landing at Durban after a 10-hour flight and took the 13-minute ride.
Plumes of black smoke painted the cloudless blue sky as the steam engine chugged its way to the Pietermaritzburg railway station, which is mostly used on ceremonial occasions such as this.
"I am awed and humbled to be at the very spot at which began the transformation of an ordinary young lawyer into an extraordinary legend who influenced the destiny of my country... I am happy and moved to see that the invaluable legacy and heritage of Mahatma Gandhi is alive and well in this historic city," the prime minister wrote in the visitor's book at the station.
He added in remarks later: "It is easy to feel the presence of the Mahatma here and to imagine what he want through during the night of 7th June 1893... All great changes begin in the minds of men. Through this incident was born Gandhiji's resolve to resist injustice and oppression, no matter what the personal cost to him."
A plaque at the platform of the quaint station, with its white-latticed railings and brick red facade, marks that point of time that put Gandhi firmly on the path of satyagraha, truth and firmness.
The prime minister, who is accompanied to South Africa by his family, including his daughter and grandchildren, placed a bouquet of flowers before the plaque which states simply: "In the vicinity of this plaque M.K. Gandhi was evicted from a first class compartment on the night of 7 June 1893."
The next two days will see Manmohan Singh visit the Phoenix settlement and other spots associated with Gandhi in South Africa. He will also hold meetings with South African President Thabo Mbeki, who he met in Brasilia earlier this month for the first summit of the IBSA grouping that comprises India, Brazil and South Africa.
The Phoenix settlement near Durban was inspired in 1904 by John Ruskin's "Unto This Last" and extolled the virtues of the simple life of love, labour and the dignity of human beings.
Exhibitions on Gandhi and pictorial representations of his life story in Durban and Pretoria form part of the prime minister's itinerary.
He is the first Indian prime minister to visit South Africa since I.K. Gujral in 1997.
On arrival at Durban earlier, Foreign Minister Nkosazana Clarice Dlamini-Zuma greeted Manmohan Singh. Sbu Ndebele, premier of KwaZulu-Natal province, and Durban Mayor Obed Mlaba were also present along with India's Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma.
In a statement in New Delhi before his departure, Manmohan Singh said they would exchange views on international issues as "our two countries share a common vision of a cooperative, rule-based multi-polar world order".
"I think South Africa and India have a major role to play in carrying forward the agenda for reforms at the UN, including the expansion of permanent membership of the UN Security Council, so that the interests of the developing world are better reflected and realised," he said.
India has teamed up with Brazil, Germany and Japan to seek inclusion as permanent members on the UN Security Council. Manmohan Singh's remarks indicate New Delhi may be trying to rope in South Africa as well in the efforts.
He said he would also meet Nelson Mandela, "whose life and work bear Gandhiji's deep influence".
The leaders of the two countries will address a joint press conference before Manmohan Singh flies back Tuesday.
Meeting representatives of the Indian community - who constitute over one million of the 45.3 million people of the country - and South African business leaders form an important component of the visit.
Monrovia (Liberia), Oct 1 (DPA) Many people are feared dead after a boat capsizd in the Sinoe River in the eastern Sinoe county of Liberia, according to a UN radio report.
Among those on the boat were about 20 undocumented Ghanaian migrants trying to reach the Liberian capital Monrovia, the UN's mission in Liberia (UNMIL) said Saturday.
The UN report said the boat, belonging to a Ghanaian, set sail on Friday but capsised in the Sinoe River en-route to the provincial capital Greenville due to serious weather conditions.
So far, two bodies have been washed ashore, while one survivor managed to swim to safety, the report said.
Islamabad, Oct 1 (IRNA) President Pervez Musharraf on Saturday described as very positive his meeting with President Karzai at the 'Iftar' Dinner hosted by the US President at the White House.
"The meting removed misunderstandings and paved the way for forward movement in the relations between the two states to forge closer cooperation in the fields of intelligence sharing," President Musharraf told reporters at Chaklala Airbase on his return to Islamabad on Saturday.
The President visited Cuba, Belgium, the United States and Britain during his two-week visit.
To a question on his meeting with the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Havana, the President said that it helped resume the peace process between the two countries and the joint statement is a major step forward as it recognizes our joint desire to resolve all disputes including Kashmir.
"The joint statement underlines the need to narrow down our divergences and reinforce our convergences".
The President said whenever the Prime Minister of India pays a visit to Pakistan, as he has already shown the desire in this regard, it should be a concrete visit.
On his visit to the United States the President said that his meeting with the US President George Bush and interaction with the important US Think Tanks were helpful in removing any misperceptions regarding government's peace treaty with the tribal elders.
About his meeting with Prime Minister Tony Blair in London, the President said during his meeting with the British leader he explained about the reality of Taliban.
The President said the two sides have also reached a joint strategy to combat extremism and terrorism and to counter Taliban.
By Prachi Bhuchar
Agra, Oct 1 (NDTV.COM) Dussehra may be a Hindu festival but Muslim artists from Mathura are the craftsmen putting together the effigies painstakingly from scratch.
"It feels wonderful to work in harmony. This year as well, there are some Muslims and Hindus working on the effigies but there are no differences between us," said Vishal, Hindu artisan.
Rashid and his family have been coming to Agra each year to prepare effigies for Dussehra.
They live in tents on the Ramlila grounds for a month before the festivities begin working inside the temple and on the grounds.
Age-old tradition
Creating magic with nimble fingers, they say it's an age-old tradition.
"I may be Muslim but there are Hindu children who have come with us as well, and we treat all of them in the same manner.
"We all eat and stay together while working. For us it is all about skill and tradition, so we don't look beyond that," said Rashid, Muslim artisan.
"This is one occasion where people from all religions work together. Many of the artists are Muslim and from other religious groups as well.
"There is no discrimination and for most of them, this is a good means of earning wages," said Bhagwan Agarwal, President, Ram Lila committee.
¶
Not long after the giant effigies light up the Ramlila ground in Agra, the family of Muslim artisans from Mathura heads home where ramzaan is already underway.
Washington, Oct 1 (DPA) A British newspaper on Sunday said it had obtained a new video showing Mohammed Atta, the leader of the Sep 11, 2001 suicide attacks in the US, and Ziad Jarrah, a pilot of one of the planes.
The Sunday Times reported that the tape, with no audio, shows the two Al Qaeda hijackers reading two documents marked as wills in Arabic.
Atta was the purported leader of the Sep 11 attacks, piloting American Airlines Flight 11, which crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center. Jarrah flew United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after passengers on the plane revolted against their hijackers.
The Times said the video was filmed Jan 18, 2000, and had been authenticated by US authorities. The newspaper did not say how it had obtained the tape, which it would release at 1100 GMT Sunday.
The tape also shows clips of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden addressing a crowd of 100 members near Kandahar, Afghanistan, on Jan 8, 2000, the paper said.
Mumbai, Oct 1 (IANS) Mumbai police Saturday denied any link between the July 11 Mumbai serial train bombings and the 9/11 attacks in the US but hinted it was probing whether there was any connection with the Gujarat riots.
"We do not see any link between the July 11 incident and the Al Qaeda attacks in the US," Commissioner A.N. Roy told reporters at the Mumbai Police Club here.
"We have no information nor any knowledge about any links between the two attacks as reported in some section of the media," said Roy, who was accompanied by Maharashtra Director General of Police P.S. Pasricha and Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) chief Krishan Pal Raghuvanshi.
Asked whether the Mumbai attacks were linked to the Gujarat riots as the perpetrators targeted first class compartment commuters who were mostly Gujarati stock brokers and diamond traders, he said: "This information has come and we are looking (into it)."
About Malegaon blasts' link with July 11 attacks, Raghuvanshi said: "Malegaon link is not yet established."
"We will meet again on Melagaon (blast case). For now, get the facts of the Mumbai train blasts," quipped Pasricha.
"We can say now, we have solved the 7/11 case but the investigations are still on," said Roy, who earlier in the day along with Pasricha and Raghuvanshi had had a two-hour meeting with Deputy Chief Minister R.R. Patil, who also holds the home portfolio.
Islamabad, Oct 1 (IRNA) Pakistan on Saturday dismissed as 'irresponsible and repetition of baseless allegations' the reported statement by Mumbai Police Commissioner that Pakistan's intelligence agency was behind the train blasts in Mumbai in July that killed 186 people.
Mumbai police chief AN Roy said that the attacks were planned by the ISI and carried out by the Pakistan-based banned Islamist extremist group 'Lashkar-e-Taiba'.
"This statement, like those made immediately after the Mumbai bomb blasts, contains unsubstantiated allegations, which the Indian officials and media keep making for propaganda purposes," the Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said.
"It is quite possible that this is an attempt to divert attention from indigenous elements that may be responsible for terrorist acts in Mumbai and Malegaon in Maharashtra," the spokesperson said.
She said that Pakistan had offered to help with investigations into the Mumbai train bomb blasts on the basis of evidence and solid information.
"We have received absolutely nothing in terms of evidence, information or leads," Tasnim Aslam said.
Meanwhile the Interior Minister angrily rejected claim by Indian police that Pakistan's intelligence agency was behind the train blasts in Mumbai in July that killed 186 people.
"The allegations are highly irresponsible and without any proofs," Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao said.
Sherpao told Geo television that such allegations can spoil relations between the two countries.
He said that relations between Pakistan and India were revived following the summit meeting of President Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minster Manmohan Singh.
"But baseless allegations will have negative impact over the dialogue process".
He said India had not shared any information about the investigation into the attacks.
Seven well-coordinated blasts within 15 minutes ripped through trains on Mumbai's busy commuter network on 11 July 2006.
India had suspended composite dialogue with Pakistan after the blasts, but President Musharraf met with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the summit of Non Aligned Movement in Havana, Cuba earlier this month.
Bangalore, Oct 1 (IANS) Pakistanis were among the thousands who took part in prayers and meditation for world peace at the Navratri celebrations at the Art of Living center here.
On Saturday, nearly 25,000 people participated in a special yagna for peace, health, happiness and harmony of humanity held on the auspicious day of Ashtami, the eighth day of Navratri.
Amid the chanting of Vedic hymns and bhajans, the gathering meditated and prayed for world peace.
This year's devotees included those from Russia, Pakistan, Taiwan, Middle East, the US and Europe.
The annual nine-day Navratri celebrations at the Art of Living centre are marked by a series of yagnas, prayers and group meditations for world peace in the presence of spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
Explaining the significance of Navratri, Sri Sri said: "It is all about awakening the dormant divine consciousness in each one of us."
Devi Das Gupta
Durban, Oct 1 (PTI) Describing the transformation underway in India as "one of the most far-reaching revolutions of this century", Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has asked non- resident Indians to participate in "this adventure".
Speaking at a reception hosted in his honour by Indian High Commissioner Satyabrata Pal here last night, the Prime Minister said, "The transformation underway in India is, in my opinion, one of the most far-reaching revolutions of this century.
"More than a billion people are seeking their salvation within the framework of an open society and an open economy," he said and remarked that the people in India were proud of the achievements of NRIs worldwide.
Having a word of praise for the people of Indian origin here in their efforts to build a new South Africa, the Prime Minister expressed the hope that he was confident that they would do so with the diligence, creativity and enterprise that had become the hallmarks of the Indian diaspora across the world.
He said India was proud of its remarkable achievement in sustaining the eight per cent growth of its economy. The buoyancy and vitablity of the Indian economy was a measure of the creativity of the people, which was unleashed after full-scale economic reforms undertaken in the 1990s.
"While doing so we are engaged in a massive task of fulfilling the basic needs of the teeming millions," he said.
New Delhi, Oct 1 (IANS) Within hours of police revelations about the ISI's hand in the Mumbai train bombings, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Saturday accused Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of misleading the nation on the issue of internal security.
Despite being aware of the course of investigation, the prime minister gave a clean chit to Pakistan in Havana, BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley told reporters here.
"It is quite clear by now that the Mumbai blasts were the result of a conspiracy hatched by the ISI and executed by Lashkar-e-Taiba. In such a situation how can the prime minister believe that a joint terror mechanism will work?" asked Jaitley.
"The prime minister's statements at Havana which announced a joint mechanism to tackle terrorism while treating Pakistan also as a victim of terror has severely compromised national interests."
The BJP leader said there was complete mismatch between the internal security scene and the country's foreign policy.
He said the internal security of the country was not safe in the hands of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
Washington, Oct 1 (ZEENEWS.COM) With the bill enabling Indo-US nuclear deal deferred till November after high drama in the Senate, observers are now blaming pre-election theatrics and posturing by Republicans and Democrats as well procedural delays for the failure to push through the measure.
The US Senate went into recess yesterday prior to the November 7 Congressional polls having failed to move the civilian nuclear deal to the floor for a debate and vote. The 'The United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act of 2006' or 'S 3709' can now be taken up at the Senate's 'Lame Duck' session in mid-November.
Bush administration's all out efforts to push the deal came a cropper as Republicans and Democrats failed to come to an understanding on the unanimous consent agreement that both the majority leader Bill Frist and the minority leader Harry Reid said they were going to on Friday.
Congressional observers said what was witnessed in the senate chambers including a so-called high drama minutes before the session came to an end on Saturday morning is nothing out of the ordinary with both Republicans and Democrats indulging in some pre-election theatrics and posturing.
While the Republicans blamed Democrats for blocking the legislation, the Democrats, turning the tables, argued that the grand old party had all the time in world between the end of June and end of September but allowed the legislation to be held "hostage" to a small group of conservative Republicans.
It is being maintained in some quarters that all parties are to blame for the current standoff on Capitol Hill-- Republicans, the Bush administration and the Democrats.
Procedurally the major problem came by way of the title two "tag along" to s 3709, the civilian nuclear legislation - something that had nothing to do with the original piece of legislation but an additional protocol between the United States and the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Observers claim that chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Richard Lugar, should not have tagged along this piece of legislation to the Senate Bill on India with some alleging that the Bush administration perhaps did little to dissuade the senior Republican.
It was not until about ten days ago that Senator Lugar worked out the acceptable language to a group of three senators so as to lift their anonymous hold, but just in time for Democrats to start complaining that Senator had given away "too much".
Valuable time was lost and that too when republicans, democrats and the administration knew that the Senate agenda prior to its scheduled recess was crowded.
Sources told that the two sides are quite a distance away from bridging their differences. The Republicans could be toying with the idea of forcing the legislation on to the floor of the senate, then invoking cloture to cut off debate and voting on the measure if the democrats still insist in procedurally objecting to the unanimous consent agreement in the Lame Duck session.
By Arun Kumar,
Washington, Oct 1 (IANS) Majority Republican leadership Saturday put the blame squarely on the Democrats for US Senate's failure to approve the India-US nuclear deal before it went into recess for the November Congressional elections.
"I am very disappointed," Majority Leader Bill Frist stated after Minority leader Harry Reid objected to his unanimous consent proposal to pass the US-India Civil Nuclear Cooperation bill without debate in the early hours of Saturday.
"For several weeks Senator Reid and I have been working the US-India Civil Nuclear Cooperation legislation. Tonight Republicans were prepared to pass the legislation without amendment or debate, and the Democrats objected.
"I am very disappointed that some Democratic members wish to defeat the bill by adding a large amount of unnecessary amendments. Since we have been unable to reach a unanimous consent agreement we will have to wait until the Senate reconvenes in November to take up this measure."
The Senate is now expected to take up the legislation on a priority basis when the Senate returns for a "lame duck" session Nov 9, two days after elections to one third of the 100 chamber seats.
Raipur, Oct 1 (IANS) Maoist militants killed three civilians while security forces gunned down at least six rebels in Chhattisgarh, police said Sunday.
Rebels raided villages late Saturday night under Gangrool police station of Bijapur locality in Bastar region and killed three middle-aged tribesmen by slitting their throat in separate incidents.
"We have three civilian deaths. Rebels probably killed them for their alleged link with the anti-insurgency operations," Bijapur Superintendent of Police Ratanlal Dangi told IANS over telephone.
The Maoists who have strong presence in the forested and hilly stretch of Bastar's 40,000 sq km, received a setback Saturday as paramilitary troopers gunned down at least six rebels and wounded several others in a raid carried out in Cherpe forest belt of the state bordering Maharashtra.
"We swooped on the rebel hideouts late Saturday in a thick forested region of Batsar that separates Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh and killed at least six rebels and injured dozens," said Dangi.
He added that forces busted 10 hideouts in the raid of banned leftists' extremists outfit, Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist).
Chhattisgarh is among the worst Maoist infested 13 Indian states. At least 275 people, mostly the tribal civilians in the state's southern Bastar region were killed since January this year.
By M.R. Narayan Swamy,
New Delhi, Oct 1 (IANS) The politician-son of Ranasinghe Premadasa, the Sri Lankan president who ordered Indian troops out of the island in 1989 sparking a diplomatic row, says he is keen to develop excellent ties with New Delhi.
In an interview before ending an 11-day visit to India, Sajith Preamadasa of the opposition United National Party (UNP) also credited President Mahinda Rajapakse of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) with pursuing a military campaign against the Tamil Tigers that he said was seen widely as "most efficient and prudent".
The 39-year-old MP chose words carefully when he was asked about his father's demand made in 1989 asking Indian troops trying to disarm the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the island's war-hit northeast to go home, saying Sri Lankans were capable of resolving their differences themselves.
The Premadasa administration also provided arms and ammunition to the LTTE to take on Indian soldiers, the last of whom left Sri Lanka in March 1990. Within months, the LTTE resumed an armed conflict that continues to this day, having claimed around 65,000 lives.
"I have done an authentic critique, a realistic critique of my father's policies," Premadasa told IANS. "I have ascertained the pros and cons, its negatives and positives. And I have formulated my own vision. But since my father is no more, I do not intend criticizing his policies."
He quickly added: "I have a great deal of passion and determination to surpass my father's noble achievements in the domestic arena.
"But when it comes to external relations, generally with the international community, more specifically with our great neighbour India, my thoughts and my vision and my perception are totally and absolutely different. I shall work for a frank, direct, authentic and transparent relationship with India.
"There were substantial deficiencies in external relations, especially with bilateral relationship with India," Premadasa said, referring to his father's presidency which ended when an LTTE suicide bomber killed him at a 1993 May Day rally in Colombo. "I shall champion all such efforts to correct it."
While making it clear that he was only articulating popular feeling in the Sinhalese-majority southern Sri Lanka, Premadasa explained why Colombo had the upper hand in the fighting against the Tamil Tigers.
"In terms of military strategy, it is perceived to be a success by a vast majority in Sri Lanka, particularly in the so-called south," he said. "I also see a situation where the government has very efficiently and methodically utilized all available resources to conduct a military and diplomatic approach to the conflict...
"I see the government approach extremely popular. It is very well received. For the first time people are beginning to state that here is a government, unlike any other, using a military approach in the most efficient and prudent manner. This is the perception."
He said incentives provided to security forces in the form of encouragement and quick promotions coupled with better weapons were "the distinct features of the present government's military strategy".
President Rajapakse, who took power in November defeating the UNP's Ranil Wickremesinghe, is "quite popular", Premadasa said.
"Right from inception he was very keen on achieving a settlement through the peace process. But for a variety of reasons, the process was scuttled. Ultimately these and other factors pushed him towards the warpath. Presently he is popular among the masses. I think he is quite popular among the masses."
Rajapakse, he added, would not be "a one-term president but a two-term president".
Premadasa, however, underlined the need for a political solution to the ethnic conflict.
"While military victories have given an upper hand (to the government), it is indispensable to have a political solution to this intractable issue. Many may claim that military strategy alone can achieve the objectives. I don't subscribe to that."
United Nations, Oct 1 (IANS) Sri Lanka has withdrawn its candidate from the race to succeed UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan but more may join the field before Monday's decisive straw poll in the Security Council.
South Korea's Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon has emerged the front-runner for the job with India's nominee Shashi Tharoor finishing second in three such informal polls.
Colombo Friday withdrew the name of Jayantha Dhanapala, a career diplomat and former UN undersecretary-general for disarmament, saying it did not want to further pursue his candidature in the interest of ensuring a consensus in electing an Asian candidate.
A candidate needs at least nine votes in favour and no veto from any of the permanent council members - the US, Britain, France, Russia and China.
In Monday's straw poll, coloured ballots will be used to distinguish the veto holders from the other 10 council members, elected for two-year terms.
In Thursday's informal poll, Ban received 13 votes in favour, one less than in the previous balloting. In second place was Tharoor, the UN undersecretary-general for public information, with eight favourable votes followed by Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga, the only woman and non-Asian in the race, with seven positive votes.
Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai, whose country had a coup last week, received five votes. Dhanapala, Jordan's UN Ambassador Prince Zeid al Hussein and former Afghan Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani received three votes each.
The next secretary-general is to come from Asia because the job traditionally rotates among regions. The last Asian in the post was U Thant of Burma, who held office from 1961 to 1971.
Bangkok, Oct 1 (DPA) Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej Sunday approved a new interim constitution submitted to him by Thai military leaders who staged a coup last month.
The ruling junta is to announce an interim prime minister.
The military generals who seized power in a bloodless coup Sep 19 had vowed to step aside and allow a civilian government run the country. But the military will still reserve the authority to replace that government.
General Winai Phattiyakul, secretary general of the Council for Democratic Reform (CDR), said the junta would change its name to the Council for National Security from Monday to reflect a diminished role in the day-to-day governing of the country.
By Lamat R. Hasan,
New Delhi, Oct 1 (IANS) It's not just the devout who head for Old Delhi during the holy month of Ramadan; non-Muslims too flock the labyrinths of this part of the city to take in the festivities.
The sight of the lit up silhouette of the majestic Jama Masjid in the night sky and the make-shift hotels stocked with the many goodies more than make up for the many flaws of the walled city.
Inside the Jama Masjid with the time for 'iftar' (breaking fast) a few minutes away, devotees hurry to perform ablutions, while some spread 'dastarkhaans' (traditional table cloths) in the corridors of the mosque.
Many women and children huddle into corners to break their fast. Little boys wearing skullcaps and girls with 'dupattas' (scarves), neatly tucked behind their ears, excitedly serve the devotees dates, fluorescent-coloured 'papads' and 'nuktis', 'bhajiyas' and 'khare' (types of snacks).
The countdown has begun for 'iftar'! Everyone sits around the 'dastarkhaan' saying their 'duas' (prayers) till they hear the ear-shattering shot from the cannon that tells them it is time to break the fast.
The devotees quickly eat the dates following the legacy of Prophet Mohammed, who broke his fast with dates.
They pass around the plates, which run into hundreds, tucking in the goodies, and drinking sherbet in rainbow hues. Almost every home sends some snacks to the mosques.
As the muezzin prepares to give the 'azaan' (call for prayer), the devotees line up on the prayer carpets in neat rows to offer 'namaaz' (prayer).
After the 'namaaz' they spill into the streets, some head for their homes, some into the restaurants to have dinner.
The restaurants offer a special platter for the 'rozdaar' (those who fast). The waiters blurt out the names of the dishes breathlessly even before the customers settle down. Piping hot plates of 'korma', kebabs and 'biryani', accompanied with 'rumali rotis', 'naans' and 'sheermaals' are placed on the table in a jiffy for the main course. The portions are generous, and the meal is usually topped off with 'firni', a dessert.
Old Delhi springs to life during Ramadan, more so during the nights. The restaurants and roadside kiosks do brisk business through the night - the good part is there's something to suit everyone's pocket.
While the upper range restaurants sell the all-time favourite 'biryani' for up to Rs.300 per plate and more, it can be bought for as little as Rs.5 from the roadside 'deghs' (traditional cooking utensils).
By 8.30 p.m. the streets wear a deserted look. The devout are heading for the mosque to offer their night prayers and also Taravih, special prayers offered during Ramadan.
After the prayers they are back on the streets for a leisurely cup of tea, the 'meetha doodh' (sweetened milk) or the 'meetha paan'.
Some catch sleep before they are woken up by the Mian Sahab at 3.30 p.m. to eat 'sehri' - a quick bite before the next fast begins. Some others just stay up and pray, or add to the festive spirit by hanging out in the many bylanes.
The "quick bite" usually consists of a special dish called 'haleem' - made of red meat, pulses and wheat in rich gravy or 'pheni' - milk with dry fruits and noodles that can see the devout through the day.
It's good to see the old city eat to their hearts content, till someone descends to preach the concept of diet 'sehris' and diet 'iftars'!
Washington, Oct 1 (ZEENEWS.COM) The US Congress agreed on Saturday to extend sanctions on Iran set to expire this weekend that are aimed at choking off funds that could aid Iran in developing nuclear weapons.
With Congress scrambling to finish business before heading out to campaign for November 7 elections, the Senate approved a bill that matched one the House of Representatives approved on Thursday to keep the sanctions from expiring.
The bill would renew for five more years economic sanctions -- known as the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act, or ILSA -- to discourage companies from investing in Iran's energy sector. Libya, which has warming relations with the United States, was dropped from the sanctions.
The United States and other major powers are trying to get Iran to curb its nuclear program, which they suspect is aimed at developing nuclear weapons. Tehran maintains it is for civilian energy needs.
President George W. Bush signed the bill later on Saturday and said in a statement it would give the him flexibility to tailor sanctions and "impose sanctions upon entities that aid the Iranian regime's development of nuclear weapons."
The bill establishes mandatory economic sanctions on companies that provide Iran any goods, services or technologies that can be used in programs for nuclear, chemical or biological weapons.
It also authorizes assistance for human rights and pro-democracy groups and for independent broadcasting organizations that meet its criteria.
The bill initially was resisted by the White House until lawmakers agreed to give Bush more room to waive the sanctions.
New Delhi, Oct 1 (IANS) Authorities have launched a virtual war on mosquito here to prevent the spread of the dengue virus after it killed 10 people, including an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) student.
The civic authorities have stepped up sanitation drives across the city, especially in hospitals, community centres and public places, in a bid to kill the mosquitoes.
"We have also started random checks of homes, offices and places where there could be stagnant water breeding mosquitoes. We are spraying anti-mosquito drugs," said N.K. Yadav, the city's deputy municipal health officer.
The Delhi government has formed a special task force to help the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) in the drive against stagnant water and to educate people on preventive measures against the disease.
"The death of the medical student is really a subject of concern," he said. Hospitals have been told to maintain cleanliness on the campuses.
Kamal Raj Kiran, a seventh semester student of AIIMS, died of dengue Saturday. He had tested positive for dengue Thursday, and was operated upon Friday to stem brain haemorrhage.
But the student from Hyderabad succumbed to the disease. More than 20 people at the hospital, including 14 students and some resident doctors, are afflicted with the disease.
Dengue virus is spread by the bite of the female Aedes mosquito, primarily Aedes Aegypti, that breeds in clean stagnant water.
The national capital has this year recorded over 400 cases of dengue - more than double the number in 2005. Of this 127 came to light last week.
Among the 10 people to have died are Kiran and the 17-year-old daughter of a Delhi doctor.
The disease could spread further in the next two months because the present weather helps the Aedes mosquito to breed.
Over 1,300 health workers have fanned out to inspect residences and advise people not to allow water to stagnate.
"Since October and November are the most dangerous months for the breeding of mosquitoes, we have appealed to citizens to be on alert," said Yadav.
"This is a difficult situation and we need the co-operation of citizens. The administration cannot control the spread of the disease by itself," he added.
In order to create awareness, the MCD has urged school authorities to educate people about the disease and the preventive measures.
The civic authority has sent legal notices to over 29,000 households and fined nearly 13,000 of them.
Washington, Oct 1 (PTI) US President George W Bush today said withdrawing from Iraq before defeating the enemy would only embolden terrorists, debunking the notion that militants were attacking America on being provoked.
"Withdrawing from Iraq before the enemy is defeated would embolden the terrorists. It would help them find new recruits to carry out even more destructive attacks on our nation, and it would give the terrorists a new sanctuary in the heart of the Middle East, with huge oil riches to fund their ambitions. America must not allow this to happen," Bush said in his weekly address.
"Some in Washington have selectively quoted from this document (NIE) to make the case that by fighting the terrorists in Iraq, we are making our people less secure here at home. This argument buys into the enemy's propaganda that terrorists attack us because we are provoking them," he said.
Parts of the National Intelligence Estimate were leaked to the media last week prompting an uproar on the Capitol Hill and the Bush administration responded quickly by declassifying sections of the document and then mounting a public relations offensive to take the sting out of the observations of the intelligence analysts.
"We do not create terrorism by fighting terrorism. The terrorists are at war against us because they hate everything America stands for, and because they know we stand in the way of their ambitions to take over the Middle East. We are fighting to stop them from taking over Iraq and turning that country into a safe haven that would be even more valuable than the one they lost in Afghanistan," Bush said. PTI
London, Oct 1 (IRNA) The world's longest underwater gas pipeline between Norway and Britain is due to go on stream on Sunday.
The 1,200-km Langeled pipeline stretching from Ormen Lange, the largest gas field under development on the Norwegian continental shelf in Easington in northeast England, is designed to partly ease concerns about Britain's dwindling energy supplies.
A further northern part of the USD 9.6-billion project, once completed in October next year, is hoped to carry more than 70 million cubic meters per day to Britain's grid network and to supply up to 20 percent of Britain's energy needs at a time when oil and gas resources in the UK sector of the North Sea is in steep decline.
The completion of the southern section comes as the Royal Bank of Scotland reported Saturday a further decline in combined oil and gas production from the British sector of the North Sea.
Oil output in July was reported to have fallen to an average of 1,424,882 barrels per day, down 15 percent from that of a year ago, while gas production averaging 195 million cubic meters per day was 16 percent less than in the same month in 2005.
Construction of the pipeline, which began in 2004, is said to have been a major engineering feat carried out by Norway's Norsk Hydro in conjunction with the country's partly privatized Statoil and Centrica of the UK as well as Royal DutchShell and ConocoPhillips.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair is due later in October to preside over the official opening of the gas pipeline along with his Norwegian counterpart, Jens Stoltenberg, at a ceremony in London.
Norsk Hydro has said it was uncertain whether the British prime minister, who is retiring from office in the next 12 months, would attend the ceremony, which is to be held on October 16.
"We were anxious to see whether or not Blair would be willing to take part in the opening of Langeled, but it turned out that it was not that difficult to get him to say yes," Hydro's Communication Director Cecilie Ditlev-Simonsen said.
Washington, Oct 1 (ZEENEWS.COM) The best remedy for allergies may be tricking the immune system into thinking it is encountering an old foe.
The idea is based on the so-called "hygiene hypothesis", the notion that the cleanliness of modern life deprives the immune system of a proper training against disease so that it ends up out of kilter and reacts to things that are harmless, such as grass pollen.
Cytos Biotechnology of Zurich, Switzerland, has developed a drug that it calls CYT003-QbG10, which fools the body into thinking it is being attacked by mycobacteria.
This class of bacteria is encountered far less today because of modern cleanliness. The bogus attack tricks the immune system into changing tactics to focus on tackling the potentially larger threat, rather than producing allergic reactions to less harmful things, reports New Scientist.
Preliminary results from a trial of 10 people with hay fever suggest that after a six-week course of injections, their sensitivity to grass pollen was reduced a hundredfold, eliminating their symptoms. Cytos claims the patients remained symptom-free up to eight months after the therapy, though it could not say whether the relief would be permanent.
This suggests that the drug tackles the root cause of allergies and could therefore be effective against a wide range of allergens. An earlier study suggests that the drug also works in patients with an allergy to house dust mites, although they were given accompanying doses of the allergen as well.
"They`re completely symptom-free, a year on from the therapy," says Claudine Blaser, a spokeswoman for Cytos.
New Delhi, Oct 1 (IANS) Zimbabwe's first task would be to qualify for the main round of the Champions Trophy cricket tournament beginning Oct 7, their coach Kevin Curran said here Saturday.
Curran said Zimbabwe, who have to contend with defending champions West Indies, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in the qualifying round, will have to beat at least two of the teams to progress to the tournament proper.
"The bottom line is that we will have to beat at least two of the three teams, if not all, to qualify," Curran, flanked by captain Prosper Utseya, said at the team's press conference after arriving here.
"We have beaten Bangladesh before, so we can do it again. Then, we will have to beat either Sri Lanka or the West Indies to qualify. It's a big challenge for the guys," said the coach, also a former Zimbabwe player.
Zimbabwe begin their campaign with a match against the West Indies in Ahmedabad Oct 8.
The two top teams from the Oct 7-14 qualifying round will join the top six countries in the Oct 15-Nov 5 main round, with matches also being played in Mohali, Jaipur and Mumbai. The final will be played at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai.
Zimbabwe has come to the game's second-most important tournament with a very weak team as the nation struggles to make its mark at the international level. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has suspended their Test status, and allowed them to first stand the rigours of one-day internationals.
Part of the reason is that Zimbabwe cricket is poorly administered and many experienced players have left the country to play in Australia, South Africa, England and elsewhere.
The situation has forced the 21-year-old Utseya to lead the side after skipper Tatenda Taibu left Zimbabwe to play professional cricket in England following a dispute with Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC).
"It's quite challenging," Utseya, who has played one Test and 47 one-dayers, said of captaincy.
"Actually, I'm beginning to enjoy it," he said as an afterthought.
Curran, who played 11 one-dayers, is hoping his team, whose average age is just around 22 years, would be competitive in the Champions Trophy as Zimbabwe has just suffered a hammering against South Africa.
"The purpose (of matches against South Africa) was to learn from that series. We should be capable of competing. The players have come back experienced," he said, describing coaching the country as a "big challenge".
Curran said for his players international cricket is a "big learning curve".
"It's not going to be easy. But we will compete."
Fielding, said the 47-year-old, will be the best department of the team.
Curran said the team could develop with a lot of 'A' team tours that would provide experience to the youngsters.
He said the ZC is in talks with England, India and Pakistan to provide this opportunity to Zimbabwe 'A' side and have them play 12 to 16 longer version games before asking the ICC to readmit the country in the Test fold.
"The idea is to have the players play an average of 40 one-day internationals before the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies (in March-April)," he said.
Team: Prosper Utseya (captain), Stuart Matsikenyeri, Brendan Taylor (wicket-keeper), Vusi Sibanda, Elton Chigumbura, Hamilton Masakadza, Terry Duffin, Tawanda Mupariwa, Ed Rainsford, Piet Rinke, Anthony Ireland, Gregory Strydom, Chamu Chibhabha and Tafadzwa Kamungozi
02 October 2006
Baghdad, Oct 2 (DPA) A blanket 36-hour curfew imposed on the Iraqi capital Baghdad from Friday evening was in response to an information leak concerning a possible coup attempt, according to an Iraqi lawmaker.
Iraqi press reports Sunday quoted Bahaa al-Araji of the United Iraqi Alliance as saying that the alleged coup plot had been masterminded by supporters of Saddam Hussein.
According to al-Araji, security officials had told several MPs that a coup attempt had been uncovered.
"It was not a serious attempt though," said al-Araji. "It was more like a message from the Takfiris (Islamist extremists) and Saddamis telling us that they are still there, have power, and that they can do whatever they want."
A total curfew was imposed on Baghdad Friday evening and continued till Sunday morning.
The curfew was linked to the detainment of Sunni Iraqi MP Adnan al-Dulaimi's bodyguard on suspicion that he was plotting to carry out bomb attacks inside Baghdad's heavily-fortified Green Zone. However, it was not clear whether the two incidents were connected.
Islamabad, Oct 2 (Xinhua) Pakistan Sunday said secretary-level talks with India are likely to be held after Ramadan, Pakistani news agency NNI reported.
Foreign office spokesperson Tasneem Aslam said Pakistan wants to resume talks with India as early as possible to take forward the composite dialogue process between the two countries.
She claimed that India had unilaterally suspended the dialogue after the Mumbai train blasts in July.
At a meeting between Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Manmohn Singh in Havana last month, the two sides agreed to resume the talks on all outstanding issues including Kashmir, she added.
Bhopal, Oct 2 (IANS) At least 16 pilgrims were killed and over 30 were missing after a flash flood in the Sindh river in Madhya Pradesh's Datia district, an official said Monday.
More than 45 people were washed away Sunday evening while crossing the river on foot to offer prayers on the occasion of Durga Navmi at Ratangarh Mata Mandir. They were swept away by the flash flood in the Sindh, caused due to the release of water from the nearby Manikheda dam. The authorities had given no prior information on the water release.
Police rescue teams have so far fished out 16 bodies and are searching for the missing.
Gwalior Divisional Commissioner Komal Singh has, however, denied that the people were swept away due to rise in water level.
"The question of Sindh water level rising does not arise because power production at the dam site was stopped since Saturday night," Singh told IANS by phone.
Accusing the district administration of callousness, the main opposition Congress demanded strict action against the district collector and the police superintendent.
"Neither did the administration take any precautionary measures nor did it make any arrangements for adequate boats despite knowing that villagers cross the river every year during Navratri for offering prayers," said Congress spokesman Manak Agrawal.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has directed the Datia district collector to enquire into the incident and provide necessary assistance to the affected families.
This is not the first incident of its kind in the state. In April 2005, more than 70 people were killed at Dharaji in Dewas district where they had gone for a dip in the Narmada river on the occasion of Bhutadi Amawasya.
Washington, Oct 2 (ZEENEWS.COM) Eating just one salad a day provides even greater health benefits than previously thought, according to a study that examined salad consumption by more than 17,000 adults.
The study, conducted by the UCLA School of Public Health and Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, supported by The Association for Dressings & Sauces, revealed that those who eat salads and raw vegetables with salad dressing have considerably higher levels of vitamins C, E, B6, and folic acid.
“Eating a salad a day is a convenient way to easily improve your nutritional status,� said Dr. Lenore Arab, professor of epidemiology at UCLA School of Public Health and lead researcher of the study, titled “Salad and Raw Vegetable Consumption and Nutritional Status in the Adult US Population". “Just one salad daily helps to satisfy the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recommends eating two and a half cups of vegetables each day for a 2000-calorie diet.�
According to the study, less than 50% of the US population meets the daily recommendation for vegetables necessary for healthy living. Americans do not get enough of the water-soluble vitamins of which salads are a rich source. The raw vegetables in salads also offer the added benefits of fiber for better digestion and antioxidants for boosting immunity.
Interestingly, clinical trials have shown that adding salad dressing to a salad not only adds a delicious flavor, but also increases the absorption of certain nutrients being consumed. “It’s not just the leafy greens and vegetables that are doing a body good,� said Arab. “Some fat can also enhance the absorption of nutrients such as lycopene and alpha- and beta-carotene.�
Though it’s already known that salad was a healthy meal option, the bottom line, according to the UCLA study - eating one salad a day is a simple way to live a healthier lifestyle. The study has been published in the September issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
Cairo, Oct 2 (DPA) Jordan's King Abdullah and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak called for self-restraint among Palestinian factions following fierce infighting in the Gaza Strip.
"How could we call on (our foreign counterparts) to help push for peace (between Israel and Palestine), and risk being faced with their questions regarding what is currently happening in the Palestinian arena?" Mubarak said after holding talks with Abdullah here late Sunday.
"Do these events pave the way for the reinstatement of the peace process?"
The Gaza Strip experienced wide-scale unrest as at least nine Palestinians were killed and 80 wounded in daylong clashes between militants from the armed wing of Fatah and militia from the ruling Hamas movement.
Heavy rioting by police and civil servants over unpaid wages was clamped down by Hamas auxiliary forces, leading to a clash between Hamas and Fatah.
The headquarters of the Hamas-dominated Palestinian Legislative Council experienced fierce clashes. Hamas forces exchanged fire with Fatah forces who tried to take over the parliament, said witnesses.
"The Palestinian internal fighting is a red line that must not be crossed," Mubarak said after a breaking-of-fast Ramadan banquet, hosted in honour of Abdullah and his delegation.
"It is not acceptable for such clashes to go on, especially at a time when a unified stance is urgently needed so that we can go back to the negotiation table."
The two leaders said they believed the current situation could result in repercussions for the Palestinian people.
They also called on the internnational community to continue sending humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people, who they said are in dire need of help under an almost-constant Israeli blockade and who are downcast by worsening living conditions following a cut in US aid.
The brief summit comes ahead of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit to the Middle East.
Rice kicks off a Middle East diplomatic tour in Egypt Tuesday as she meets with Mubarak and Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit.
She is also expected to visit Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Territories, where the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is expected to top her agenda.
Tamanrasset, Algeria, Oct 2 (NNN-APS) The several parties and evenings initiated in the holy month of Ramadan by Tamanrasset’s inhabitants reveal some facets of the social, cultural and religious heritage, which is held dear by the Ahaggar people.
For some Algerian families, Ramadan is the symbol of abundance and a competition in the culinary arts and of “craving,� but the Touareg families of Hoggar regard this month of piety as a month for austerity and sobriety as well as for reviving and redeeming some traditional cooking.
In this regard, the women prepare the table of iftar (fast breaking) by covering it with purely traditional dishes of Hoggar families. This custom to which families devote themselves, comes back every holy month of Ramadan.
The vegetable soup known as "Hsa" and sometimes a dish of dried and ground dates in addition to traditional tea, constitute the menu of breaking the fast in Ramadan.
New Delhi, Oct 2 (NDTV.COM) Rare artefacts representing various facets of Indian culture will be on display in four cities of China this year-end.
It will be as the two countries celebrate the 57th year of diplomatic relations.
Hundred rare artefacts selected from museums across the country will be exhibited by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) at the National Musuem in Beijing and three other cities of China from December.
The ASI has signed an agreement with China's Ministry of Culture for organising exhibitions in that country as part of the 'India-China Friendship Year 2006'.
The exhibition will run till next year, touring the neighbouring country for about nine months.
A team led by ASI Director General C Babu Rajeev will go to China in early December to organise the exhibition.
"The articles were selected in such a way that the Chinese people will get a feel of India, the cultural uniqueness and diversity of the two antions," Rajeev said.
"The exhibition will enhance ties between the countries and this is our tribute to the longstanding friendship between the people of the countries," he said.
A Chinese team from Shaanxi province, the home of terra-cota warriors and horses, is currently in the capital and organised a cultural evening and an exhibition of folk art from the region.
Earlier this month, a group from Beijing's National Aerobatics Acacademy has enthralled the Delhi residents with an acrobatic performance.
Dhaka, Oct 2 (DPA) The Bangladesh Supreme Court has stayed the execution of two Islamic militants for at least a fortnight to allow the court to consider mercy appeals filed by them, court officials said Monday.
The postponement followed submission of two handwritten statements from Abdur Rahman, chief of the banned Jamiatul Mujahideen group, and his deputy, Bangla Bhai, which defence lawyers said could be viewed as appeal applications.
The two Islamic clerics were condemned to death in May along with five other militants for masterminding bombings that killed two criminal court judges - Sohel Ahmad and Jagannath Pandey.
A higher court reviewing the verdict in August confirmed the death sentences against all seven.
Defending the twin murders and a series of orchestrated blasts across the Muslim-majority country last year, Rahman and Bhai said the Koran sanctioned killings because Islamic rule could not be established without launching a jihad, or religious war, against non-Muslims.
"We do not recognise courts set up by mortals," Rahman reportedly said in his statement calling on the authorities to establish Islamic shariah courts for their trial.
Prison officials said the statements of the two men were submitted overnight to the court, which decided to hold a hearing on the matter Oct 15.
"It is now the responsibility of the Supreme Court to decide whether the statements of the two militants constituted mercy appeals or not," said Shamsul Haider Chowdhury, the official in charge of the Dhaka Central Jail.
Sources in the Justice Ministry said the executions would now be delayed till the court gave a final decision on the statements.
By Imran Khan,
Patna, Oct 2 (IANS) A Bihar jail is ready to provide the right rope to hang Mohammed Afzal, who has been sentenced to death for the 2001 terror attack on parliament.
The Buxar Central Jail, 100 km from here, has a history of providing the special Manila ropes spun in the jail premises to hang convicts. The rope costs Rs.180 a kilo.
A jail official told IANS: "We are ready to send the rope if a demand is made."
Afzal, a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist, has been sentenced to hang Oct 20 at the Tihar Jail in New Delhi. But protests are gathering momentum in Jammu and Kashmir against his hanging and he can seek clemency from President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
When Dhananjay Chatterjee, accused of raping and killing a 14-year-old, was hanged at the Alipore jail in Kolkata in 2004, the rope was supplied by Buxar Jail.
There are varieties of ropes made by Buxar inmates - tent rope, handcuff rope and hanging rope. The count of the yarn indicates its finesse.
A lot of hard work goes into the making of the Manila rope. First the yarn is spun into a thick thread from J-34 variety of cotton. Then the thread is smoothened by soft wax.
"While making the rope it is important to ensure there are no knots in the thread," the official added.
According to the jail records, the rope was supplied to the Andhra Pradesh government in 2003. A consignment was also sent in 1995 to the Bhagalpur Central Jail where a dozen convicts sentenced to death are lodged.
Jail superintendent I.H. Ansari told IANS: "The demand for the hanging rope has decreased over the years as the number of cases of hanging has reduced."
Sasaram (Bihar), Oct 2 (IANS) Pollution and encroachments threaten Bihar's Sher Shah Suri's tomb, a national monument that is under Unesco consideration for a world heritage site.
The five-storey mausoleum stands in a tank on a stone terrace in Bihar's Sasaram town where the tank's acidic water and pollution pose dangerous threats to its survival.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) warned the state government in September about the ecological threats to the tomb.
"If urgent steps are not taken immediately to preserve this stone mausoleum, it would be impossible to save the tomb of Sher Shah Suri for future generations," said ASI official Neeraj Kumar.
He said the tank's water was acidic and highly polluted due to its use by locals in the full know of the district administration.
The tank is spread over a large area in which several untreated sewage and effluents have been flowing in for decades.
"The tank's water has turned acidic. It is posing a serious threat to the mausoleum's life," Kumar added.
According to him, the acidic water was dangerous for the mausoleum's survival as it would destroy the building material and weaken it. It also pointed out that the tank's depth has decreased alarmingly in the last two decades.
The ASI official also requested the state to immediately ban immersion of Hindu idols into the tank and restrict any new illegal construction within the radius of 200 metres of the mausoleum.
The district administration allowed the immersion of idols in the tank from 1980 after a pond in the neighbourhood dried up.
There are also encroachments and temples built within the mausoleum premises since 1977. Though the state claims to have spent Rs.700,000-800,000 on maintenance, it appears only to have been done on paper.
The historical tomb was declared a national heritage under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act (1958). The ASI took it for preservation and protection in 1938.
Suri (1472-1545) was also known as Sher Khan or the Lion King. Although his empire was short-lived, from 1539 to 1545, he left a fairly deep imprint in the realm of infrastructure building.
Quetta, Oct 2 (ZEENEWS.COM) A bomb shattered windows and damaged walls at a police radio control room in a remote town in southwestern Pakistan early today, but no one was hurt, an official said.
No one claimed responsibility for the attack in Khuzdar in the restive province of Balochistan, but area Police Chief Pervez Zahoor said rebel tribesmen were suspected.
Baluchistan has been the scene of small-scale bombings and rocket attacks targeting government owned gas fields, gas pipelines and railroads in recent years. Authorities say Balochistan tribesmen launch the attacks to press their demands that the Central government increase royalties for resources extracted in their territories.
The homemade bomb was hidden in a plastic shopping bag and planted outside the police building in Khuzdar, a town 300 kilometres southeast of Balochistan's capital of Quetta, Zahoor said.
No one was hurt in the blast but it left cracks in the walls of the police radio room and shattered windows at the police facility and several nearby homes, Zahoor said.
Tension has been high in Balochistan since the Aug 26 killing of a prominent tribal chief, Nawab Akbar Bugti. The government had accused Bugti of leading anti-government attacks.
In other violence in Balochistan, a shepherd died in a land mine explosion and two small, homemade bombs rocked Quetta last night.
The bombs shattered windows and created panic in two separate residential neighborhoods of Quetta but injured no one, Quetta Police Officer Wazir Khan Nasir said.
Brasilia, Oct 2 (NDTV.COM) There were no survivors among the 155 people aboard the Brazilian jetliner that crashed deep in the Amazon jungle in the nation's worst air disaster, authorities said.
Aviation officials said the Boeing 737-800 and a smaller executive jet apparently clipped each other in midair Friday, causing Gol airlines Flight 1907 to crash in jungle.
The jungle was so dense that crews had to cut down trees to clear a space for rescue helicopters to land.
The smaller plane carrying Americans landed safely at a nearby Air Force base.
Combed through wreckage
The Brazilian air force said in a statement that rescue workers had combed through the wreckage and found no signs that anyone could have survived the crash.
Rescue workers had recovered two bodies Sunday night and airlifted them out by
helicopter, the statement said.
Some 30 Brazilian air force troops were staying to search for bodies and inspect the wreckage throughout the night about 80 have been at the site during the day.
Gol airlines, which operated the flight, confirmed there were no survivors in its own release.
The list of passengers was released, but Gol said it wasn't clear whether any non-Brazilians were aboard.
Authorities had previously indicated it was highly unlikely anyone could have survived the crash.
They were reluctant to officially say there were no survivors until after carefully inspecting the crash site.
The death toll surpassed that of Brazil's previous worst air disaster in the 1982 crash of a Boeing 727 operated by the now-defunct Vasp airline in the northeastern city of Fortaleza that killed 137 people.
Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 2 (NDTV.COM) Three more persons died of chikungunya in Alappuzha district in Kerala on Sunday, taking the total number of patients succumbing to the viral fever to 53.
State Health Minister P K Sreemathi instructed hospital authorities at Ambalappuzha and Cherthala taluks to depute all the staff for duty on holidays also.
Action would be taken against those who refuse to report for emergency duty today, a release from the Minister's office said here.
Reports said chikungunya had spread to more areas in Alappuzha District. More patients with symptoms of the disease were swarming hospitals in the area, sources said.
Finance Minister Thomas Isaac visited Ambalappuzha and Cherthala to oversee the arrangements being taken to provide treatment to patients.
Meanwhile, Youth Congress activists staged a black flag demonstration against the Health Minister when she arrived at the central stadium to attend a function, protesting the government's failure to prevent spread of the disease. (PTI)
Beijing, Oct 2 (Xinhua) China added a new passenger train service Monday from Guangzhou, capital of southern China's Guangdong province, to Lhasa in Tibet - one of the longest passenger train services in the country.
It is estimated to takes 57 hours and 21 minutes to cover the 4,980 km distance from Guangzhou to Lhasa, capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region.
The express train left Guangzhou at 10:29 a.m. Monday and is expected to arrive at Lhasa at 19:50 p.m. Wednesday.
From Oct 5, there will be one express train from Lhasa to Guangzhou every other day.
China opened the 4,373 km Shanghai-Lhasa passenger train service Sunday, and the 4,064 km Beijing-Lhasa service July 1 this year.
The Qinghai-Tibet railway, the world's highest railway that began service July 1 starts from Xining, capital of northwest China's Qinghai province, and ends in Lhasa. It is the first railway ever to go to Tibet.
New Delhi, Oct 2 (IANS) With dengue cases rising alarmingly in the capital, over 15 hospitals, including a few top private ones, have been issued notice for not doing enough to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes on their campuses, even as 10 new dengue cases were reported at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Monday.
In the last two weeks, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) issued notices to the hospitals, including the super speciality Indraprastha Apollo Hospital and Max Healthcare, after officials found stagnant water on their campuses.
"Over 15 hospitals, both private and government, have been issued notice after a team of our health officers inspected their campuses," said a top MCD health official.
"The notice asks the hospital authorities to take due note of the mosquito breeding grounds at their campuses and step up surveillance to curb it," said the official. The fountains at hospitals were among the favourite breeding places for mosquitoes, he said.
However, the official declined to divulge the names of all the hospitals.
An Apollo official, confirming the notice, said: "Yes, we have received a notice and have fully complied with the civic body's directives."
Meanwhile, AIIMS reported 10 new cases of the mosquito-borne virus Monday, taking the total number of cases to 45.
"Currently we have 45 patients of dengue, of which 20 are from the AIIMS campus, including resident doctors, students and support staff," Medical Superintendent D.K. Sharma told IANS.
"We have intensified our surveillance and are doing regular fogging of potential breeding areas. A cleanliness drive is also on in the campus," Sharma added.
On Sunday, the hospital confirmed 35 dengue patients, including 18 from the campus.
The authorities rang the alarm bell after a seventh semester student, Kamal Raj Kiran, died on Saturday of the deadly fever. Two medical students have also been shifted to the intensive care unit of the hospital.
The national capital has recorded over 460 cases of the virus so far this year and 10 deaths.
The dengue virus spread through the bite of the female Aedes mosquito, primarily Aedes Aegypti, which breed in clean stagnant water.
To control the growing menace of dengue, the Delhi government has hired 2,400 temporary workers, apart from over 3,000 working for MCD, to intensify surveillance of potential breeding grounds and launch fogging of anti-mosquito drugs.
Some of the worst affected zones of Delhi are the Civil Lines, Karol Bagh, Rohini and Shahadra areas, he said.
"We have started random checks at homes, offices and places where there could be stagnant water. We are spraying anti-mosquito drugs," said Delhi municipal health officer N.K. Yadav.
The civic authority has sent legal notices to over 29,000 households and fined nearly 13,000 of them for not removing stagnant water.
By Priyanka Bopana
New Delhi, Oct 2 (NDTV.COM) If one is prone to a migraine here are ways to keep the headache at bay and find way to a healthy and fit life.
Deal with the manifestation of the migraine the dreaded headache with these basic tips.
Make a compress by putting five drops of essential oil in cold water. Swish around a soft cloth then place it on your head or neck.
Try a cold pack wrapped in a couple layers of towel on your neck. Immersing your hands in hot water helps in drawing the pressure out of your head.
Put pressure on the webbed part of your hand between your finger and thumb. Rotate your fingers over your scalp to ease the pain.
Have someone kneed across your shoulders and the back of the neck. Next, have them press on the base of your skull with their fingers, and slowly release.
Keeping regular hours even on the weekends-may help you avoid pain. Make a concentrated effort to go to bed and get up at the same time each and every day.
Cayenne pepper, Ginger, Oatmeal, soy products, whole grains, dark green vegetables and milk are all sources of magnesium which helps relax the blood vessels hence giving you relief.
Say no the migraine managing your life. It's time to lay down the law or at least be comfortable whilst weathering it.
Cairo, Oct 2 (NNN-MENA) The housing, public utilities and reconstruction committee of Egypt's Shura Council under Suliman Metwali has approved an agreement signed between Cairo and Tokyo on a 20 million USD Japanese grant to develop a water treatment station in Gharbia governorate.
Said Saad, the deputy chairman of Egypt's National Organization for Potable Water and Sanitary Drainage, said Sunday the agreement fell within the framework of co-operation between the two countries.
Cairo, Oct 2 (NNN-MENA) A closed-door meeting held here Sunday between President Hosni Mubarak and Jordanian King Abdullah II dwelt on the latest developments on the Palestinian arena, Presidential spokesman Suleiman Awwad said.
Following the meeting, President Mubarak and King Abdullah continued their talks over an iftar (breaking of fast) banquet hosted by the president in honour of his Jordanian guest, said the spokesman.
The Egyptian-Jordanian summit came within the framework of continued consultations between Cairo and Amman on the Arab situation, particularly in the Palestinian territories, Awwad added.
President Mubarak was closely following up on developments in the Palestinian arena, said the spokesman, who added that means of bringing an end to the Palestinian people's sufferings topped Mubarak's priorities.
He further voiced his grave concern over clashes which erupted earlier in the day in Gaza city, underlining that Palestinian infighting was a red line that should not be trespassed.
Islamabad, Oct 2 (DPA) Eight people were hurt in a grenade attack on a mosque in eastern Afghanistan's Ningarhar province, the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) agency reported Monday.
The attack on a congregation offering special Ramadan prayers Sunday night took place in Akhund village, some 40 km east of provincial capital Jalalabad, said Habibullah, chief officer of Rodaat district.
Habibullah said the unidentified attackers might have been aiming at delaying the elections to be held in the area under the National Solidarity Programme.
Hanoi, Oct 2 (DPA) At least five people were dead and 70 injured as typhoon Xangsane lashed Vietnam's central coast Sunday, ripping roofs off homes, knocking out electrical power and felling trees, officials said.
Vietnam cancelled domestic flights and evacuated more than 180,000 people from coastal and flood-prone areas ahead of the powerful typhoon, which left a path of destruction across the Philippines and more than 100 dead on Friday.
The coastal city of Danang and nearby World Heritage site Hoi An bore the brunt of the killer storm.
In the ancient town of Hoi An, where some homes date back to the 15th century, the storm destroyed 500 metres of dikes, unleashing flooding in the main town and damaging historic buildings, according to state television.
Shortly after it hit Vietnam, Xangsane weakened and was downgraded to a tropical storm, according to Bui Minh Tang, director of the National Hydrometeorology Centre.
New Delhi, Oct 2 (IANS) Journalists now have the equivalent of a journalism school available at the click of a mouse. The cyberspace offers rich resources to hone their professional skills.
UNESCO has collaborated with the Thomson Foundation, the Britain-based media training and consultancy group, and the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association to produce a handbook for journalists from developing countries on the use of Internet for media.
This training handbook, written by journalist and trainer Martin Huckerby, calls itself "a resource (with a printed manual and a CD) designed for both print and broadcast journalists and journalism students in developing countries around the globe".
The CD contains extra resources and lesson plans for trainers. While soft copies are available on the UNESCO website, hard copies can be requested through Hara Prasad Padhy of UNESCO (h.padhy@unesco.org).
The Gender for Journalists toolkit, developed from the Commonwealth Press Union, is designed "to raise awareness in news rooms worldwide of gender inequality and the crucial role that media can play to promote a balanced and non-stereotyped portrayal of women".
Author and Britain-based media and gender consultant Trish Williams says: "The 20th century saw many initiatives by the international community aimed at raising awareness of the inferior position that women have in society and the action that must be taken in order to redress the situation."
It can be accessed at www.cpu.org.uk/cpu-toolkits/gender_reporting/index.html. "Gender tools" made available include suggestions for gender-sensitive reporting and language, conferences and conventions, and Internet links.
Another site focuses on citizen journalists. Citizen journalism, also known as "participatory journalism", involves citizens "playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analysing and disseminating news and information".
A link via sourcewatch.org offers software, hardware and other tools revolutionising journalism.
Meanwhile, the New Media Lab (NML) at Rhodes University, Grahamstown in South Africa, is also working on a resource website for journalists and bloggers.
The NML has been credited with several media projects using free and open source software platforms in partnership with civil society organisations and mainstream media, which can be accessed at nml.ru.ac.za.
The France-headquartered Reporters sans frontieres has also come out with its own "Handbook for bloggers and cyber-dissidents", which is available for free download from www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=542.
It explains basic concepts from 'what is a blog' to the language used for blogging, tools available, how to start and run a blog, what ethics are involved, getting your blog picked up by search engines and personal accounts from bloggers including in Iran and Nepal.
There are also tips for 'cyber dissidents' on how to blog anonymously, technical ways to get around censorship, ensuring your e-mail is "truly private" and more.
Within India, there are a number of initiatives, right from thehoot.org - a website run by Delhi-based media commentator Sevanti Ninan - to a number of journalism-related networks on the mega mailing list network Yahoogroups.com.
Nagpur, Oct 2 (NDTV.COM) Four Naxalites were killed in an encounter near Pendhari village in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra.
All four bodies have been recovered.
Initial reports had said two to three policemen sustained minor injuries in the exchange of fire that broke out in the Naxal-infested district.
New York, Oct 2 (IANS) A specific class of antioxidants found in fruit and vegetable juice could stave off Alzheimer's disease, say scientists.
Non-vitamin antioxidants - polyphenols - are abundant in the skin and peels of fruits and vegetables. They are also present in teas and wines.
Lab trials have earlier shown that polyphenols can have a potent effect on health, with the potential to significantly delay the onset of serious cognitive impairment.
Qi Dai and colleagues at the Vanderbilt University, Tennessee, studied 1,836 dementia-free subjects based in Seattle. They looked into their intake of fruit and vegetable juice over a 10-year period while monitoring cognitive function every two years, reported science portal Science a GoGo.
The team found that people who drank over three serves of fruit or vegetable juice a week reduced the risk of Alzheimer's by 76 percent compared to those who drank less than one.
The team also found that the beneficial effects were most pronounced in subjects who carried a genetic marker associated with Alzheimer's.
The researchers said the next stage was to test blood samples to discover whether elevated levels of polyphenols are directly linked to a reduced risk of Alzheimer's, and discover which types of juice are most effective in achieving this outcome.
Kunming, Oct 2 (Xinhua) At least 770 people were evacuated after a gas well leakage in China's Yunnan province though no casualties were reported, officials said Monday.
The leak occurred at 7.25 p.m. Sunday at a farm in Luliang county, about 150 km east of provincial capital Kunming, said a publicity department spokesperson.
A drilling company based in the neighbouring Sichuan province was digging for a gas well on the Huaqiao farm, about five km from Luliang's county seat, when natural gas blew out 15 meters high, the spokesman said.
Emergency measures were taken and residents living within one km of the gas well were immediately evacuated.
Company sources estimated 90 percent of the blow-out was methane and the rest included dust, water and nitrogen.
No fire broke out following the leakage.
By Shubha Singh
A month ago the people of Guyana voted in a largely peaceful election to re-elect President Bharrat Jagdeo for a second five-year term. It was the first time in four national elections when there was no post-election violence. The peaceful aftermath of the polls, which was termed a remarkable sign of democratic maturity in Guyana by international observers, allowed the Guyanese parliament to be convened within a month.
Guyana is South America's only English-speaking country, and almost half its population (49 percent) is of Indian origin, descendants of Indian indentured workers the British brought to work on the sugarcane plantations. Another 40 percent comprises Afro-Guyanese, whose ancestors were brought from Africa as slaves by the Dutch colonialists, predecessors of the British empire-builders in Guyana. Chinese, Portuguese and Europeans form the rest of the ethnic mix.
Guyana was the first country to elect a prime minister of Indian origin, the legendary Cheddi Jagan, in 1953 while the country was still a British colony. But Cheddi Jagan's Left views caused great unease in the US and fear of a creeping communist takeover. Eventually, the British landed troops in Georgetown and dismissed the government.
Tensions between the two main political parties, which largely translate into the two main ethnic groups, roiled over into rioting after the elections in 1992, 1997 and 2001. The opposition's refusal to accept the results led to vandalism, riots and violent confrontations with the security forces in capital Georgetown and surrounding areas. The differences were eventually resolved through the intervention of the Caribbean regional grouping CARICOM and the Organisation of American States. Although located in South America, Guyana is considered part of the Caribbean.
With the latest election victory, the party dominated by Indo-Guyanese has retained control of parliament and the presidency for a fourth consecutive term. President Jagdeo's ruling People's Progressive Party won 55 percent of the vote, while the main opposition, People's National Congress, which has its power base among the Afro-Guyanese, got 34 percent. For the first time, a new political party, Alliance For Change, which campaigned on a multiracial appeal, won eight percent of the vote from mainly urban middle class voters. Under proportional representation system, 53 members are elected and 12 more nominated through local councils.
In his acceptance speech, after the bitterly fought election campaign, President Jagdeo pledged to bridge the racial divide, saying it was time for all parties "to dispense with all the feelings of hurt and animosity generated by the competitive political campaigns and work together to advance the goals of development and national unity".
During his previous term, the 42-year old Jagdeo, an economist who trained in Russia, is credited with making major improvements in infrastructure, roadways and schools and reducing the foreign debt. Since the late 1990s the government has divested itself of many industries and the economy is showing signs of revival. A decade ago Guyana's foreign debt was crippling and almost 95 percent of its revenues went to servicing the debt; in 2005 it had come down to 20 percent.
But Guyana still faces several intractable problems that include environmental threats to the coastal strip and rainforest, poverty and organised crime -- the last fuelled by the drugs trade. About 70 percent of the country is tropical rainforest. Despite its abundant resources of bauxite, gold and timber reserves, there is widespread urban poverty and unemployment with high level of migration to the US.
President Jagdeo visited India in August 2003 and January 2004 when New Delhi agreed to extend a concessional credit line of $25 million for the modernisation of Guyana's sugar industry.
Cricket is a popular game in Guyana and the Indian government has given a grant of $6 million for the construction of a new cricket stadium in Georgetown that will allow Guyana to host some of the matches of the Cricket World Cup 2007 series.
Guyana has a long history of racial and political acrimony. The People's National Congress, which has its power base among the Afro-Guyanese, was in power from 1964 to 1992 under the authoritarian rule of Forbes Burnham, a one-time associate of Cheddi Jagan. Burnham converted Guyana into a Cooperative Republic and nationalised all private holdings in the country, leading to the marginalisation of the Indo-Guyanese community. It was a period of drastic economic decline and a difficult time for the Indo-Guyanese till Burnham's successor, Desmond Hoyte, began loosening the autocratic system of governance.
Elections in Guyana through the 1970s and 80s were widely criticised for fraud, through grossly inflated overseas ballots and intimidation of Indo-Guyanese voters. The 1990 elections could not be held as the Commonwealth election observers criticised the electoral rolls. Persistent international pressure led to a revision of the rolls and elections were finally held in 1992 under international supervision.
The first free and fair elections in Guyana brought Cheddi Jagan and his People's Progressive Party to power. When Cheddi Jagan died in 1997, his wife and long-time associate Janet Jagan became president. But she retired from politics after a heart attack in August 1999 when Finance Minister Bharrat Jagdeo took over.
(Shubha Singh is a journalist and researcher on the diaspora. She can be reached on shubyat@gmail.com)
Gaza City, Oct 2 (NDTV.COM) Hamas militiamen's efforts to break up anti-government protests sparked running street battles across the Gaza Strip.
The violence killed eight people in the worst internal Palestinian violence since Hamas took power.
Militants from the opposition Fatah group retaliated by torching the Palestinian Cabinet building in Ramallah.
They also attacked Hamas offices throughout the West Bank, kidnapped a Hamas official and threatened mass strike.
The spasm of violence dampened already fading hopes for the creation of a national unity government between the two groups that could and crippling economic sanctions.
The fighting continued throughout the day and sent school children and other civilians in downtown Gaza City fleeing for cover.
"This is forbidden in Islam, we are in the holy month of Ramadan," said Majed Badawi, 33, who managed to escape uninjured after his car was caught in the crossfire.
"It's a shame on Hamas, who call themselves real Muslims, and a shame of Fatah as well. Why are they fighting and over what? We are victims because of both of them."
Late Sunday, Interior Minister Said Siyam ordered the Hamas militia off the streets, ministry spokesman Khaled Abu Hilal said.
Also, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak called on Egyptian diplomats in Gaza to hold a meeting with security commanders on both sides to resolve the violence, Egyptian officials said.
By Sharat Pradhan,
Lucknow, Oct 2 (IANS) Durga Puja and Dussehra may be Hindu festivals, but here the celebrations would be incomplete without Muslim participation.
Continuing Lucknow's tradition of sectarian harmony - known as 'Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb' or the best of Islamic and Hindu etiquette - Mohammad Hafeez has been participating in Durga Puja for over three decades.
"Durga Puja is just as sacred to me as Eid or Bakri-Eid and I cannot imagine life without being associated with it," says Hafeez, 55.
He not only provides the marquees for the annual event at the Bengali Club here but also fasts during the nine-day Navratri.
"When I got involved with Durga Puja way back in the mid-1970s, I was a pauper. But that was the turning point in my life. Since then there has been no looking back. I owe my prosperity to the goddess," he claims.
Naseer Chaudhary, 51, has been putting up the sound system at the half-a-century old club for years and even knows the Sanskrit mantras by heart.
"His recitation is so perfect that he points out even minor errors in the chanting," says club general secretary Arun Banerjee.
It is a Muslim who prepares the traditional bhog offering for the puja.
"Bhog preparation is an extremely important component of the puja and a Muslim has been handling it for the past two decades," Banerjee says.
At the Ramakrishna Mutt, another popular Durga Puja venue, Rais Alam's shehnai recital forms the backdrop for the puja organised by the saffron-clad priests. "We don't believe in playing recorded cassettes," an organiser says.
But it is Mohammad Waseem who carries out the most responsible task - of ensuring the upkeep of the goddess's deity - at the monastic order.
Waseem is particular about adhering to the Navratri traditions and observes a strict vegetarian diet during the nine days of the festival.
Swami Muktitanand, head of the Ramakrishna Mission here, says: "There are people of all faiths living on this earth. Goddess Durga does not discriminate against anyone. For her, all are a part of the human race."
For Dussehra too, Muslims work along with Hindus in the run-up to the preparations.
Abdul Miyan, 60, has made a 50-foot-tall effigy of Ravana and two 40-foot-tall effigies of Kumbhakarna and Meghnad. And what's more, he's been doing this for decades!
Washington, Oct 2 (ZEENEWS.COM) Hookahs or waterpipes are fast becoming the ‘in’ thing for youngsters under the impression that this form if smoking is less toxic than the traditional cigarettes. However, a leading expert in this field is warning that this notion is all hogwash, and that hookahs are rapidly becoming an epidemic.
Christopher Loffredo, PhD, Director of the Cancer Genetics and Epidemiology program at Georgetown University Medical Center revealed that though people, especially youngsters believe that hookahs are less toxic than cigarettes, the truth was that smoking a hookah for 30-60 minutes will be the same as smoking a pack of cigarettes.
"People who use these devices don't realize that they could be inhaling what is believed to be the equivalent of a pack of cigarettes in one typical 30-60 minute session with a waterpipe, because such a large quantity of pure, shredded tobacco is used," Lofferedo said.
Loffredo, who has been studying tobacco use in Egypt since 1997, said that hookahs were not only immensely popular in the East and Middle East, but were also fast becoming a rage in the West as well.
However, his study had found that the amount of cellular chromosomal damage produced inside the mouth is the same as that seen in cigarette smoking.
What was even more worrying he said, was that even in cultures where women were traditionally discouraged from taking up the butt, hookahs were becoming acceptable.
"In Egypt, we've seen boys starting to smoke the waterpipe at age 12, and young women, who are culturally discouraged from smoking cigarettes, are flocking to it," he said.
He said that people were under the misconception that as water absorbs toxins, it is safer to smoke hookahs than cigarettes. However, the study finds that those who smoke hookahs are exposed to larger total amounts of nicotine, carbon monoxide and certain other toxins.
"People think the water absorbs the toxins, and that is true to some extent if the toxins are water soluble, but tar isn't, and tar contains the carcinogens. We believe that, compared to the typical cigarette smoker, waterpipe smokers are exposed to larger total amounts of nicotine, carbon monoxide and certain other toxins," Loffredo said.
He added that as tobacco burns at a lower temperature in waterpipes, it is not only easier to inhale, but also penetrates deeper into the respiratory tract that cigarette smoke, thus cause more damage.
"And because the tobacco is burning at a lower temperature, it is more tolerable to inhale deeply, and in fact you need more force to pull air through the high resistance of the water pathway. That means the tobacco smoke can be penetrating deeper in a person's respiratory tract than cigarette smoke does. The damage could be even worse than seen in cigarette smokers, but we haven't done studies long enough to quantify the true cancer risk," Loffredo said.
New Delhi, Oct 2 (IANS) India's failure to play a more active role in bringing peace to Sri Lanka may prove to be "a monumental foreign policy blunder", warns J.K. Sinha, a former number two in the country's external intelligence agency.
Sinha, who was with the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) until two years ago, says India was content to remain on the margins of the peace process, in part due to its misgivings vis-à-vis the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which New Delhi banned in 1992 over former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination.
"Mouthing platitudes and self-righteous expression of good intentions has become a substitute for a credible and effective policy," Sinha writes in the latest issue of "Indian Defence Review", in an article titled "India Loses its Way in South Asian Neighbourhood". Sinha now heads the Central Reserve Police Force.
"India allowed the gradual erosion of the peace process and remained a virtual bystander," charges Sinha, who served with RAW during the years when a Norway-backed 2002 ceasefire between Colombo and the LTTE began to crack up, eventually resulting in hostilities that have now assumed menacing proportions.
"It will have a heavy price to pay as Sri Lanka once again descends into a civil war," he said. "India's inability to fully comprehend the ground realities in Sri Lanka and, hamstrung by the past, its reluctance to do business with LTTE to help evolve an equitable settlement may prove to be a monumental foreign policy blunder."
In an attack clearly targeted at the external affairs ministry, Sinha finds fault with New Delhi for failing to build on the 2002 Oslo agreement between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE under which the latter agreed for the first time to explore a federal settlement to the ethnic conflict.
"Instead of building on the positive developments at Oslo, India allowed its misgivings and suspicions with regard to the LTTE to stifle any follow-up policy initiative. India was content to remain in the margins."
The former RAW officer has come down heavily on former Sri Lankan president Chandrika Kumaratunga for destabilizing the government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in late 2003 soon after the LTTE submitted a proposal to set up an interim administration in Sri Lanka's northeast.
"India and the international community should have done all that was possible to prevent (Chandrika) from resorting to the politically dishonest and unconstitutional measure which really scuttled the peace process," Sinha said.
"India's ambivalence about the LTTE and its inability to pull its weight in Sri Lanka in favour of the peace process shall cost India dear. India is now caught between the devil and the deep sea.
"It cannot help the Sri Lankan government militarily to defeat the LTTE because of the sentiments in Tamil Nadu and the compelling political constraints that it entails. Its ambivalence interspersed with gratuitous hostile statements towards the LTTE has closed its option to proactively bring about a settlement of the ethnic crisis in Sri Lanka through a process of negotiations.
"The resumption of civil war in Sri Lanka portends the worst for that country and for India's security concerns in the region."
Sinha has not spared Colombo either.
"It is indeed ironical that Colombo, which conspired with LTTE to force the return of the Indian Army (in 1990), now looks up to New Delhi to rein in LTTE and play a decisive role as the regional superpower to bring about a durable peace."
But the bulk of the criticism is directed at New Delhi.
"In fact, both the major political parties of Sri Lanka believe that India is the reluctant hegemon, unwilling to act, being overwhelmed by self-doubt about its role but yet extremely sensitive to the international community asserting their presence and playing a decisive role in tackling the ethnic crisis in Sri Lanka...
"The gradual erosion of the peace process and the resumption of the conflict is a major setback for India and to its security concerns vis-à-vis Sri Lanka."
Chandigarh, Oct 2 (ZEENEWS.COM) The BJP on Sunday asked the Centre to reconsider continuation of diplomatic relations with Pakistan following the disclosure about the ISI`s hand in the Mumbai serial train blasts.
"The Pakistan High Commissioner should be immediately summoned and categorically told that India will reconsider continuation of diplomatic relations with Pakistan," BJP president Rajnath Singh told a press conference here.
He said it was high time the Centre launched a diplomatic offensive against Pakistan and "its terror machine the Inter-Services Intelligence".
Lauding Mumbai Police for "unravelling" the involvement of Pakistan`s intelligence agency and Lashkar-e-Toiba in the serial blasts that rocked Mumbai city on July 11, he said the peace process with Pakistan should be stopped immediately.
"The government should soon take a decision after taking Parliament and opposition into confidence," Singh said.
Referring to terrorist training camps across the border, he said India should destroy these camps.
The Centre should persuade the UN Security Council to impose economic sanctions on Pakistan and get it listed as a "rogue state," Rajnath Singh said.
Pointing that ISI was bent upon "destablising" India, he demanded that the ISI, which was masterminding terror attacks in India, should be put on the international watchlist.
Criticising the UPA government for allegedly not making serious efforts to curb terrorism, Singh said the Mumbai police revelations proved that Pakistan had betrayed the spirit of its January 2004 promise that territories under its control would not be used to promote terrorist activities.
The UPA government should not ignore evidence given by intelligence agencies on sustained anti-India activities of Pakistan and its agency ISI, Singh said, noting that "ISI plays an active role in smuggling of arms and drugs, funds terrorist activities, creates terror sleeper modules and dumps counterfeit currency in India through Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bangladesh border."
He said the recent Havana declaration by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh along with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf was a "classic example" of the government`s failure in formulating a clear policy on terrorism.
"There is a disconnection between the internal security situation and foreign policy pursued by the Prime Minister in Havana," he said and alleged that it would be "incredulous" to assume the Prime Minister had no idea of the ISI link to the Mumbai blasts well in advance.
"How could the Prime Minister agree for a joint mechanism against terror and acknowledge Pakistan as a victim of terror," the BJP leader said, adding that the Mumbai Police disclosures had made the JMT a "non-starter".
New Delhi, Oct 2 (IANS) India Sunday said it will confront Pakistan with the "evidence" of the involvement of its spy agency - Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) - and terrorist groups aided by it in the July 11 Mumbai blasts, and told Islamabad sternly that it will be judged not "by words, but action on the ground".
New Delhi also asserted that the planned joint mechanism for countering terrorism, which was agreed to by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in Havana last month, will have to deal with "this kind of evidence".
"We will judge them not by immediate reactions or verbal statements (but) by what they actually do about terrorism," Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon told reporters here after taking charge from Shyam Saran.
"You have heard what is the evidence that has been found in Mumbai and it seems to me logical that the mechanism has to deal with this kind of evidence," Menon underlined, rubbishing Islamabad's repeated denials of involvement of the ISI and Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) in Mumbai train bombings that killed nearly 200 people and injured hundreds.
"This (involvement of ISI and LeT in the blasts) is something we will certainly take up with the government of Pakistan in view of the new evidence," Menon said a day after Mumbai Police Commissioner A.N. Roy revealed a "diabolic plan" conceived by the ISI and executed through the LeT and the now-defunct Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).
"We will judge its (mechanism's) success or failure by how it deals with it (terrorism)," said Menon, who was high commissioner to Islamabad before taking charge as foreign secretary, adding that terrorism had always been a "big issue" with Pakistan.
The plan to set up the joint anti-terror mechanism with Pakistan has elicited sharp reactions from India's strategic establishment, with some leading experts seeing it as a "compromise" of India's traditional position on terrorism allegedly flowing from across the border.
Asked when India will present the evidence of the ISI's involvement in the Mumbai carnage, Menon said that New Delhi will do so "at the right time and the right place".
"We will see what Pakistan does about the evidence and see what their reaction is," he said.
India is likely to present compromising evidence in the face of Pakistan's repeated denials when Menon meets his Pakistani counterpart Riaz Mohammad Khan next month here.
The meeting between Manmohan Singh and Musharaff on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Havana last month led to the resumption of the stalled peace process with both leaders agreeing to set up a joint anti-terror mechanism.
With what India sees as a "breakthrough" in nailing the culprits behind the July 11 Mumbai blasts, the tenor of the talks between the two countries is likely to be less than pleasant.
Pakistan has predictably gone into the denial mode again. Pakistan's Minister for Information and Broadcasting Tariq Azim Khan has termed the evidence as a "baseless allegation and yet another attempt by India to malign Pakistan".
New Delhi, Oct 2 (NDTV.COM) Government has decided to introduce biometric passports, using sophisticated technology of finger prints, in the country by the end of next year.
It is aimed at restricting misuse of passports.
These will initially be introduced in the category of diplomatic and official passports, officials said.
Such passports, aimed at eliminating the scope of impersonation and other forms of manipulations are subsequently expected to be given to other categories of people.
These passports will have a chip, which will carry the finger print and all other details of its holder.
The fingerprint will also be fed in the computer system of immigration officials at airports and ports.
"Whenever anybody with this passport approaches an immigration officer, he will be required to put his finger print on the computer window. If the finger print matches, the person is cleared," an official said.
Introduction of this system will involve massive computerisation and the task has been entrusted to the government-owned National Informatics Centre (NIC).
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has also decided to introduce a system wherein a sticker, carrying all relevant information of its holder, would be pasted on passports.
These will be beneficial in the context of people going abroad for studies or job.
It is being introduced in view of detection of large number of cases wherein wrong information has been furnished.
Kathmandu, Oct 2 (NDTV.COM) India and Nepal will sign an extradition treaty and a treaty on mutual legal assistance, aimed at combating terrorism and cross-border criminal activities.
It will be signed during Nepalese Home Minister's visit to New Delhi beginning October 4.
"Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitoula will lead a high-level delegation to sign the Extradition Treaty and the Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) between the two countries in New Delhi next week," said sources close to the Home Minister.
These agreements would replace the five-decade old treaty that has become obsolete," sources further said.
The new extradition treaty will be useful to nab criminals who cross the border after indulging in criminal activities.
The MLA will facilitate legal aspects of implementing the extradition treaty.
The two treaties were initialed by the Home Secretaries of Nepal and India in New Delhi on January 20, 2005.
Then, it was agreed that the treaties would come into force after the Home Ministers of the two countries sign it.
However, delay was caused in finalising the treaty following King Gyanendra's royal coup in February 2005.
According to officials, the revised treaty and MLA have provisions that would help investigators of the two countries reach the suspects and smoothly allow court proceedings.
The two treaties were aimed at checking the possible nexus between extremists of the two countries, combating terrorism and other cross-border criminal activities, they said.
Tehran, Oct 2 (NDTV.COM) Iran's president has said his country was determined to expand its uranium enrichment programme.
Speaking to professors at Tehran University, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran hopefully would increase its enrichment programme to produce nuclear fuel.
The president has repeatedly rejected calls by the United States and its allies to stop enrichment.
"Allegations or charges by the United States than Iran is seeking nuclear weapons is a big lie," Ahmadinejad said during his speech Sunday, which was broadcast on state-run television.
The process of uranium enrichment can be used to produce electricity or to build nuclear weapons depending on the level of enrichment.
The US alleges Iran is seeking to build nuclear weapons, but Iran contends that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes.
Ahmadinejad said in his speech that Iran hopefully will install up to 100,000 centrifuges to process uranium gas for enrichment in order to produce nuclear fuel and said the Islamic Republic has no plans to suspend enrichment, not even for a day.
"Not a single person has a right to give up the rights of the Iranian nation," he said.
Isfahan, Oct 2 (NNN-IRNA) A cloned sheep that was born in a research center in the central city of Isfahan Saturday morning is now in good condition, said a center official Saturday evening.
Head of the Royan Research Center in the ancient city of Isfahan, Dr Mohammad-Hossein Nasr-Esfahani told IRNA that the sheep, second cloned in Iran, was not initially in good conditions after birth by Caesarean.
However, it recovered after a while thanks to the efforts of the center's medical team and was later able to successfully drink milk.
It is now in a good condition, said the doctor.
Iran's first cloned sheep, also born in Royan center, died a few minutes after it was born in August.
Cloning is an advanced technology only possessed by developed countries, said the doctor adding that obtaining the technology would enable Iranian specialists to use it in different fields of medical treatments.
A combination of the cloning methods and the new progress made by Iranian physicians in the field of spinal injuries would enable them to increase the possibility of curing those suffering from spinal damages, Nasr-Esfahani said.
The Iranian researchers and specialists have recently made a breakthrough in medical science to cure spinal injuries with the culture of Schwann cells enabling those suffering from paralysis to move.
Named after the German physiologist Theodore Schwann, the Schwann cells are a variety of neuroglia that mainly provide myelin insulation to axons in the peripheral nervous system of jawed vertebrates.
Tokyo, Oct 2 (NDTV.COM) Japan wants to hold summit talks with China and South Korea during a single trip abroad by new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The tour is aimed at mending ties with the two Asian neighbors, top government spokesman said on Monday.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki said he favoured that Abe's visits to Beijing and Seoul would be during a single trip abroad, but refused to confirm news reports that Abe's trip would come as early as this weekend.
Abe was expected to meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao on October 8, and South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun on October 9, according to Japanese media.
By Lola Nayar,
Kapurthala (Punjab), Oct 2 (IANS) The Rail Coach Factory (RCF) here is on expansion mode. After meeting a major chunk of the Indian Railways' requirement for passenger coaches it is now planning to hike production by 40 percent to cater to rising domestic and overseas orders.
"As against the installed capacity of 1,000 coaches we are currently producing around 1,200 coaches. We are planning to enhance production capacity to 1,400 with an investment of Rs.550 million," said Pratap Srivastava, general manager RCF and additional member production in the railway board.
RCF is also planning to invest Rs.680 million on setting up a wheel assembly unit to bridge critical shortfall and also reduce production time at other units.
All railway manufacturing and repair units work on the basis of competitive production cost with constant flow of material and component inputs from other units. RCF also manufactures a lot of spare components, like frames of coaches, for replacing corded or damaged coach bodies.
"We are gradually shifting towards high-end lighter weight stainless steel air-conditioned coaches and special purpose coaches including those for exports," Srivastava told a media team visiting the sprawling 115-acre RCF mini-township which includes production units, a housing colony, five schools, a hospital, an 18-hole golf course and other facilities.
With support from other railway units in the country, RCF is planning to achieve a target of 13,012 coaches during the 2006-07 fiscal.
The railways' annual requirement is estimated to be 4,500 coaches, including air-conditioned coaches, during the 11-Plan period from 2007-12.
Together with the Integrated Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, which is also raising its production capacity to 1,500 coaches annually, and RCF's enhanced capacity of 1,400 coaches, domestic production is likely to touch 2,900 annually.
"To meet the additional requirement we are looking at a public-private partnership venture to set up a manufacturing facility for around 1,400-1,500 coaches," said Srivastava.
Though the proposal has been under study for some time now, no private sector partner has been firmed up so far, the official said.
RCF, which started production in 1987 with technology transfer and purchase of 24 air-conditioned coaches from Germany's Alstom-LHB, is now manufacturing coaches based on 13 designs developed by Indian Railways.
One of their innovative designs would be visible when Railway Minister Lalu Prasad flags off a new low-cost air-conditioned Garib Rath express train from Sahrasa in Bihar on Wednesday.
Among other new features that RCF has helped develop and successfully tested is use of fire retardant materials and manufacture of crashworthy coaches that take over the impact and crumble up without letting the passenger area get affected.
The first crashworthy coach was manufactured in March 2005. Tests by Indian Railways' Lucknow-based Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) at 42.2 kmph proved the efficacy of the coach design. It has been designed to take crash impact of up to 60 kmph, said D.A. Anand, chief mechanical engineer South East Central Railway.
Manufacture of the new crashworthy coaches will begin next year.
Last year, RCF decided to test the global market with the aim of "pitching itself against international standards", said Srivastava.
RCF successfully met orders for 36 coaches from Myanmar and 20 chair-car coaches from Senegal. It has got orders worth Rs.360 million for 50 additional coaches of different designs from Senegal and Mali.
"We are happy that our new orders are not tied to any line of credit but have been bagged on basis of global tenders," said Srivastava.
New York, Oct 02 (ZEENEWS.COM) A day ahead of the last straw poll for the UN Secretary General`s post, India`s Shashi Tharoor said on Sunday independent countries should not be influenced by any considerations amid reports that South Korea has offered inducements to gain backing for its candidate.
Tharoor, who has been a runner-up in the last three straw polls, is not disheartened and said he was making an all out effort to emerge victorious as "we have a strong case in terms of qualification". He said on phone from New York that he was talking to all the countries taking part in the poll and hoped they would give "full consideration to our message".
"Monday`s poll is going to be quite determinant, I think. We have to see whether countries are prepared to make this into a horse race or whether to go ahead with the person who is leading," he said. "At this stage, we are doing everything we can."
Tharoor continues to be at the second spot after South Korean foreign minister Ban Ki-Moon in three straw polls. His task got tougher after he failed in the third straw poll to get the requisite nine votes needed for selection for the top post.
On reports that South Korea had been trying to induce countries to support Ban Ki-Moon, Tharoor offered no direct comment but said, "I would like to believe that independent countries would not be influenced by any considerations other than their own national foreign policy priorities."
"I am running on the basis of my own credentials for office and not on the basis of anybody else`s campaign," Tharoor said.
Marun ar-Ras, Lebanon Oct 2 (ZEENEWS.COM) Residents of southern Lebanon expressed relief and claimed victory on Sunday after Israel`s troop pullout from an area which was largely devastated by its 34-day war on Hezbollah.
"This is a great victory for the Lebanese in the south and for Hezbollah -- we will organise a great party," said Hamad Faris, a 28-year-old farmer in the border village of Marun ar-Ras.
"I am very happy. I will be able to go back to my fields and cultivate my land," he said, talking amid a crowd of cheerful neighbours who had gathered to discuss the news.
But Faris and his neighbors may have to postpone their party for a while, as the united nations has said that the Israeli pullout is not yet complete, and, more importantly, because most of the village is in ruins.
At daybreak, residents of Marwaheen border village were relieved to see that the Israeli flag which had flown for weeks on a nearby hilltop was no longer there.
The two Merkava tanks which had been stationed at the entrance of the village were also gone.
Marwaheen suffered great devastation and death during the conflict -- among them 26 civilians killed by an Israeli raid while fleeing the area.
Returning residents rushed to check on their destroyed homes and tobacco fields on the flanks of a nearby hilltop which was now free of Israeli occupation.
On the Hamas border hilltop, near the largely destroyed village of Khiam, residents also headed to check on their fields, apparently unconcerned by the possibility of ordnance.
"This is the first time i have come here since the war," said Mohammed Ahmad. "Until yesterday there were Israeli soldiers. Now we are free to come to our land."
Jammu, Oct 2 ZEENEWS.COM) Security forces gunned down one Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) militant and arrested two militants of Harkat-ul-Jehadi-Islami (HUJI) outfit in Jammu and Kashmir since Sunday, official sources said here today.
Security forces shot dead a LeT militant last evening in an encounter in Surankot area of Poonch district and seized an AK-47 rifle from the spot, sources said.
In another incident, security forces retaliated to firing by terrorists and arrested two of them in Banderkot area of Doda district, they said.
The arrested ultras were Noor Din alias Iqbal and Nissar Ahmed, both residents of Kuchal.
An AK-47 rifle and an SLR along with their magazines and some rounds were seized from the Huji ultras.
Security operation were continuing in the area, the sources said.
By Minu Jain,
Phoenix (South Africa), Oct 2 (IANS) The superlatives flowed freely Sunday when Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and South African President Thabo Mbeki met on the "hallowed grounds" of the Phoenix settlement, the commune founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1904, to celebrate their shared heritage.
This is the "blessed land" that transformed Gandhi to the Mahatma, Manmohan Singh said at the simple function at the settlement on the outskirts of Durban.
He added that he felt "spiritual bliss" to be present on the "sacred soil" of Phoenix, which was inspired after Gandhi read John Ruskin's "Unto this Last", which extolled the virtues of the simple life of love, labour and the dignity of human beings.
The settlement that was razed by apartheid violence in 1985 and then painstakingly rebuilt was a testament to Gandhi's spirit, said Manmohan Singh, who is here on a three-day visit of South Africa.
"I could almost feel his presence here today," he said at the complex of simple buildings surrounded by a sprawling urban settlement.
"The settlement is a place of pilgrimage for us as the site of Mahatma Gandhi's first endeavour in community living," Manmohan Singh wrote in the visitor's book.
Mbeki echoed the mood in a short, emotive speech punctuated with humour and lots of laughs.
Speaking impromptu, he told the gathering-comprising Indian ministers Ambika Soni and Anand Sharma and National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan as well as Gandhi's granddaughter Ela that he would very much like to keep Manmohan Singh back in his country, much like Mahatma Gandhi in Phoenix who stayed on longer than he intended to.
"We want you to follow in Gandhi's footsteps... so we want to keep you here for a little longer," he said.
"I don't know what will happen to India then," he added to laughs and splattering of applause.
The fact that India and South Africa shared a heritage and a leader was not replicated in any other countries in the world, the president said, emphasizing that it was important for his country that Manmohan Singh had come calling when it was celebrating 100 years of satyagraha.
Saying that "to many of us India is a second home", Mbeki said India was a country South Africa could always turn to.
"I trust you won't get tired of us and the high commission will not get tired of issuing us visas," he said good humouredly.
Earlier in the day, Manmohan Singh went to the resistance park, which commemorates the first resistance in South Africa, and also visited the Ohlange High School and the memorial of Rev John Dube -- a friend of Gandhi's who later went on to become the first president general of the African National Congress.
Islamabad, Oct 2 (Xinhua) Suspected militants fired rockets at a military base in a tribal region in northwestern Pakistan early Sunday, but no one was hurt, officials said.
Three rockets fired in the predawn attack slammed into a field inside the base in Wana, the headquarters of South Waziristan tribal region, a government official and an area intelligence agent said.
Troops retaliated with small weapons fire in the direction from which the rockets were launched, according to the website of local newspaper The News.
It was not known whether the assailants suffered any casualties, the intelligence official said.
It is Déjàvu for Mumbai Police - same routine incidents of bomb blasts, same SIMI list of usual suspects and same foreign hand of Pakistan. 7/11 train bomb blasts are no different. Less than 3 months and Mumbai's Police Commissioner could hold a Press Conference, giving out a story worth comparing with any Saleem-Javed film script. However, to their despair the scenario is fast unraveling.
In a front page story in Mumbai's widely circulated URDU TIMES, Raees Ahmed, its correspondent, starts with blazing headlines: Nobody from outside visited our house and no bomb was prepared. Police is lying. So say home people, mostly ladies of the accused Mohammad Ali household. A photo of the group of 5 women and girls, a boy and a brother of Mohammad Ali are shown as part of the interview. The following is rough and rush English translation of the Urdu news story:
Mumbai, Oct. 1,(Raees Ahmed): Police has claimed to have solved the mystery of 7/11 bombings. But there is widespread resentment among the people of the locality, over the accusations on Govandi, Shivaji Nagar's resident Mohammed Ali Shaikh. Mohammad Ali was 5-time prayer and no strangers ever visited his house. Mohammad Ali's family has alleged that Crime Branch and Anti-terrorist Squad have always given them false assurances asking them for patience and promising that Mohammad Ali will be released after some enquiries. However, home people were shocked when he was brought in as prime accused and they searched each and every corner of the house. According to information, Mohammad Ali Shaikh is born in Bombay, and he studied in Shivaji Nagar Municipal School. Shaikh passed his 12th standard exams in Hindi medium. They are staying in Shivaji Nagar, House No. 33-T-2 since last 28 years. In 1982-83 he joined service with Aasooda Cooperative Bank. But following bank's failure in 1999, his economic conditions deteriorated. He traveled to Dubai for a job, but returned back within a month without getting any suitable employment. Later he worked for sometime in a mutton shop in Plot no. 25. After that he started the business of 'magical pearls' used to ease teething troubles of babies, when worn around the neck. He used to get the product from Hyderabad and supplied to Mumbai's medical stores. That took care of his home expenses. According to sources, in 1999 he contacted SIMI (Students Islamic Movement of India) and was member of that organization till it was banned. As a member, he taught teachings of Islam in the neighbourhood and was instrumental in closing down of some illegal activities in Govandi, Shivaji Nagar. He was called (by the police) in connection with Mulund bomb blast. He was released (without any charge) after two days. In the similar fashion, he was called (for enquiries) after Ghatkoper and Gate of India bomb blasts, but every time, he was released after one or two days after police has completed its investigations. After the 7/11 train blast, he was taken with 4 others for investigations, to Shivaji Nagar Police Thana, where ATS, FPI and crime branch people questioned him and later released him. The news was published in Urdu Times. Later, people from Ghatkoper Unit (7) took him away for investigation and released him after one day. After that ATS team of Vijay Salaskar from Kurla took him away for investigation and detained him for one month five days. Mohammad Ali Shaikh's younger brother Mukhtar Shaikh informed URDU TIMES correspondent that whenever we used to visit his brother, police used to tell them, they will release him after a day or two. He said this way, they prolonged his detention to one month and five days. When he suggested he will hire a lawyer, he was warned not to hire a lawyer or they (the Police) will involve him in any (fake) case. Mukhtar further mentioned that "his brother Mohammad Ali too advised him not to hire a lawyer, as they will release him. After that they released Mohammad Ali. But barely 6 days had passed when Nagpada ATS's Sailesh Gaikwar team picked him up. At first, we never knew from where these police people had come. Only when we enquired with Kurla ATS, they informed us that Mohammad Ali was taken away by Nagpada ATS. When I and Mohammad Ali's wife Saeedunnisa went to Nagpada, the police allowed us to see my brother. There too, Mohammad Ali told me, they will release after two days. Later, on September 30, we enquired with Nagpada police, they informed us that your brother has been arrested and is in Kala Chowki. When I phoned Salesh Gaikawar (ATS), he told me that he is in an important meeting and advised me to go home as he cannot tell anything at the moment.
Mukhtar said, I was fasting and when we and my sister in law reached home, we found about 20 to 25 policemen in the house with Mohammad Ali draped in a black sheet over his head. We were prevented from entering the home, but when I told them that I am the brother of Mohammad Ali, they let me enter the house. Mukhtar told the correspondent that Mohammad Ali was crying loudly and he was even allowed to speak. Still he was able to tell me that he has been framed and you should immediately hire a lawyer. Mukhtar said: police checked each and every thing in the house. They took one cooker from the house, which was in use for the last seven years. They further scrapped and took samples of wall plaster. When Mukhtar told the police that he is hiring a lawyer, he was brusquely answered by the police: So you people have lots of money. There is no need for a lawyer. Mukhtar Shaikh told the correspondent that they are staying in a 10'x15' room. They are 3 families staying in that room. Mohammad Ali has 4 children. Rizwana (16), Suhail (12), Ammara (10), Ziad (2 1/2). We are all 22 people living in one house. It is our poverty and helplessness that we are forced to live in one room. Mohammad Ali's sister-in-law Rashida mentioned that it was the police who asked her permission to take the cooker away. People from the neighbourhood all vouched for the clean character of Mohammad Ali and could say that he can never be connected with any bomb blast. The whole neighbourhood is prepared to give witness to Mohammad Ali's good character. They have resolved to submit a memorandum to Home Minister R. R. Patel and MLA Yusuf Abrahini. Mukhtar Shaikh reiterated that his brother is innocent and he is being framed by the police. He said, as Anti-Terrorist Squad could not get the real culprits, they have framed my innocent brother. The pattern, alas, is all too familiar.
Anybody with minimum intelligence can make out, how a person, who is under constant police surveillance for months at end, would have dared to indulged in such a elaborate act of preparing and planting a bomb in a train. This while he is staying with a family of 22 members in a small room in a crowded community of Shivaji Nagar, where people are staying cheek by jowl and nothing but nothing escapes neighbours attention. If he Mohammad Ali Shaikh had been involved in any criminal or terrorist activity, his own neighbours would have informed the police. And police do have their own informers in all localities. Prima facie, Mumbai police has resorted to the old tricks of hauling people just to make up a successful enquiry and get their necks off from public scrutiny. The danger is that the real culprits are roaming the city scot-free and would be able to repeat their crime with impunity. One can only marvel at the chutzpah of the Hindu terrorists, Maruti Wagh and Sanjay Chowdhry from Nanded, who were injured while preparing of a bomb, which killed 3 and injured another three. Sanjay admitted that he placed the bomb at a Parbhani Masjid and Wagh admitted to a bombing in Jalna. When Wagh was arrested and presented in court, a panel of 40 Hindu lawyers presented themselves to take up his brief. While Bal Thackeray's nephew Raj Thackeray had openly warned any lawyer to take up the case of any Muslim accused in 7/11 bomb blast. What a travesty of justice --- 40 lawyers for a self-proclaimed bomber and no lawyer coming foreward for Muslim innocents, falsely accused.
The city of Mumbai is tense. The Muslim community, busy with Ramadan fasting and taraveeh prayers in the nights, is at edge over police atrocities and blatant discrimination against Muslims. A newly formed organization has plastered Muslim areas with posters appealing Muslims to boycott all Iftar parties organized by politicians and the police. This in the backdrop of daily sentencing of the accused in 1993 Bombay blasts --- practically all Muslims. A storm is brewing over Congress party's open anti-Muslim prejudice in not punishing criminals that orchestrated Bombay riots that took the toll of thousands of Muslims. The demand for activating the Srikrishna Commission recommendation to bring riot culprits to book is fast gathering momentum. This partisan show of Indian justice cannot be tolerated by Indian Muslims for long. Some thing is got to give.
GHULAM MUHAMMED, MUMBAI
London, Oct 2 (IANS) Former Pakistan foreign minister Sartaj Aziz has rejected the claims made by President Pervez Musharraf that the Kargil conflict helped bring the Kashmir issue back in international focus.
Aziz has also rejected the claim that the political leadership had lost the gains claimed to have been made by Pakistan army in Kargil. According to him, Musharraf's account of Kargil, in his book "In the Line of Fire" was not entirely correct.
"I do not agree with General Musharraf's view in his book that it was Kargil which helped in bringing back the Kashmir issue to international focus. In fact, Kargil led to disruption of the Lahore process initiated by Nawaz Sharif and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The military takeover completely destroyed the process", Aziz told the BBC Hindi service Sunday.
Contradicting Musharraf's claim that Nawaz Sharif and his cabinet were fully aware about the happenings of Kargil, Aziz. who was the foreign minister at that time said, "this statement of General Musharraf is not correct. He has mentioned about the date of February 5, 1999.
"I was present in that meeting. Discussion was held regarding the road disruption along Neelum valley and the possibility of an alternate road. Kargil was not mentioned in this meeting.
"I would like to say some of the things said about Kargil in the book are not correct. I would agree with some of the things he has written about Kargil, but not all".
Aziz also contested Musharraf's claim that the political leadership of the country had lost the gains claimed to have been made by the Pakistan army during the Kargil conflict.
He said: "I do not agree with General Musharraf that the political leadership lost the gains made the Pakistan army during the Kargil conflict. It was Nawaz Sharif, who during his visit to Washington, when the conflict was on, resolved the matter in a way which benefitted both India and Pakistan".
Aziz said the military option could not solve any problem between the two neighbours. He was also non-committal on Musharraf's claim that Kargil was a victory for the Pakistani forces.
He said: "Technically in the short run one may say so. However, it is difficult to establish the victory or loss in a conflict after the ceasefire. From army's point of view, this may be different, but once both countries decided to return to normal positions, victory or loss cannot be claimed".
Welcoming the Havana joint statement between Musharraf and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Aziz said, "This is a good step and should be sincerely taken forward. It is always helpful to have a joint mechanism.
"The Mumbai blasts are a good test case for this mechanism. If a joint investigation could be carried out for Mumbai blasts, then the evidence would be credible in the eyes of international community.
"If those who have been arrested are made to go through joint investigation, then the case would certainly be solved and both nations would be able to reach to the roots of terrorism".
Aziz also appealed to India to exercise restraint while talking about terror activities. "It is does not help to blame any agency of a neighbouring country for any act of terror. If you say ISI (Pakistani spy agency) is behind the attacks, then we can also turn around and say RAW (Indian spy agency) is behind some violent activities in Pakistan. In my view, both countries should carry forward the peace process with sincerity".
Asked how he perceived Musharraf's rule, he said: "General Musharraf is trying to elicit the support of different countries in the world on the issue of terrorism. However I feel that issues concerning Pakistan can only be solved when there would be a true democracy governed by rule of law and supremacy of the constitution.
"Unfortunately, General Musharraf's book does not spell out a roadmap for any of these essentials of a democracy".
New York, Oct 2 (ZEENEWS.COM) The 15 million Muslims residing in Europe on Sunday do not pose a threat to European values or politics given the extent of their myriad divisions and internal fragmentation, a new study has said.
This conclusion contradicts analysts and policymakers who after 9/11 fear the impact of Muslims on European politics and policy based on the assumption that a Muslim bloc will soon emerge to dominate the foreign and domestic policies of European states if nothing is done to prevent it.
The findings of the study, coauthored by political scientists -- Carolyn M. Warner and Manfred W. Wenner -- at Arizona state university and entitled "religion and the political organization of Muslims in Europe," appeared in 'perspectives on politics,' a journal of the American Political Science Association (APSA).
The authors explore the diversity that characterizes Muslims in Europe as well as the documented instances of their inability "despite plentiful incentives, opportunities, and pressure to do so" to form coherent political fronts in countries like France and Germany that host large Muslim populations.
"Western fears and criticisms are partly based on serious ignorance of the characteristics of Islam and of the people in Europe who adhere to it," the authors said, pointing out that "Islam is a highly decentralized religion 'structurally biased against facilitating large scale collective action."
In addition, they note Muslim immigrants remain divided by ethnic differences. The upshot is that "religion has failed to be the unifying focal point of Muslims in western Europe," the study said.
The authors discuss several key divisions among Muslims that are "clearly reflected" in the politics of European Muslims.
First, they say, Islam remains split regarding the division of authority between religion and politics, with some favouring it and others opposing.
Second, there exists virtually no organized structure in the majority Sunni religious hierarchy which is dominant among Muslims in Europe. This, they add, makes mobilization a complex issue as there is no established or recognized hierarchy which can encourage unified action. Moreover, the study said, there are four different schools of law in Sunni Islam that co-exist and overlap.
Third, the different national and ethnic backgrounds of Muslims in Europe also shape their view of Islam and capacity to mobilize politically.
"Islam manifests itself differently across and within cultures and societies," state the authors, underscoring the importance of considering "the inter-relationship of the various 'brands' of Islam with the country of origin and ethnicity of its members." Thus, Kurds in Germany respond differently to calls for mobilization than do Turks or Iranians in the same country.
Finally, the unique characteristics of migration patterns by Muslims to particular European countries over time, and the type of political and state structures they encountered, also account for variations in the capacity of Muslims to organize.
New Delhi, Oct 02 (ZEENEWS.COM) President A P J Abdul Kalam today led the nation in paying rich tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on the occasion of their birth anniversaries.
Kalam paid floral tributes at Raj Ghat, the Mahatma`s samadhi where an inter-religious prayer meeting was organized this morning. He also paid tributes to Shastri at his samadhi `Vijay Ghat.`
A 24-hour non-stop collective spinning was also underway at Raj Ghat, which began yesterday at 2 pm, to commemorate the 137th birth anniversary of the father of the nation.
Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, leader of Opposition L K Advani, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit were among others who paid respects to the towering leaders of the country.
This year is celebrated as the centenary year of the launching of Satyagraha by the Mahatma.
New Delhi, Oct 2 (IANS) Several schoolchildren were among the thousands, including politicians and diplomats, who paid homage to the father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi on his 137th birth anniversary Monday.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Information and Broadcasting Minister S. Jaipal Reddy and veteran Gandhian Nirmala Deshpande were among those who paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat, his memorial in the national capital.
Representatives of nine religions - Buddhism, Baha'i, Christian, Hindu, Islam, Jain, Judaism, Zoroastrianism and Sikhism - took part in an all-religion prayer meeting at Rajghat.
With devotional songs playing in the background, several Gandhians and others joined school children in paying tributes to Gandhi.
Hundreds of people queued up in front of Rajghat to offer their homage, braving the stringent three rounds of security checks and the hot sun.
"Even 58 years after his death, the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi have acquired greater importance. From educational institutes to the film industry, everyone is drawing inspiration from him," said Rajiv Rajasekharan, who has come all the way from Jaipur to pay homage.
"A simple glimpse of the memorial in black marble with 'Hey Ram' inscribed on it is enough to recharge you to take on untruthful practices," Rajasekharan told IANS.
"Gandhi Jayanti reminds the nation that non violence can yield desirable results. While India takes economic strides, people must not forget Gandhi-ji and his teachings that gave the country sovereignty," said Hariprasad Arora, a bank employee.
Many school-going children also took time out to visit the memorial.
"My mother told us to visit Rajghat. Along with my five friends, I am waiting till we are allowed by police to enter the place," said Monalisa, a 12-year-old girl.
Several organisations in the national capital like Gandhi Smriti and Gandhi Museum have organised special exhibitions on Gandhi to create awareness among youngsters about his teachings and his role in helping India gain Independence.
Seoul, Oct 2 (ZEENEWS.COM) Military officials from North and South Korea are to meet today at Pyongyang's suggestion, the first bilateral military talks since the North test-fired seven missiles in July, Seoul's defence ministry said yesterday.
''There will be working-level military talks early on Monday,'' a ministry spokesman said by telephone. ''North Korea has proposed the meeting.''
Topics for discussion were not known. South Korea's Yonhap news reported that North Korea had proposed discussing ''military agreements that have already been reached''.
Dialogue between the two Koreas, still technically at war half a century after their 1950-53 conflict halted with an inconclusive truce, has recently stalled due to a sudden rise in tension over Pyongyang's multiple missile launches on July 5.
South Korea postponed military talks after the launches, although it went ahead with a scheduled ministerial meeting with its Communist neighbour later in July.
Seoul says its ties with the North were strained by the missile launches but has urged diplomacy to resolve the crisis.
Separate six-party talks involving the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States on the north's nuclear weapons programmes have been deadlocked since last November.
Guwahati, Oct 2 (IANS) Rebels struck at the Durga Puja festival in Assam, killing a child and wounding 23 devotees, after a powerful grenade explosion rocked a community celebration in Dhemaji town, officials Monday said.
Militants suspected to be from the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) attacked a Durga Puja pandal in Dhemaji, 550 km east of here. The incident took place around 11.30 p.m. Sunday.
"Militants lobbed a grenade at the Durga Puja venue with the area crowded with devotees. A child was killed on the spot and 23 were injured, some of them critically," police official A. Bora told IANS.
"There was utter chaos and panic soon after the blast and the attack was definitely carried out by the ULFA."
This is the third attack in the past week after New Delhi Sep 24 called off a six-week ceasefire and resumed military operations against the ULFA.
The peace process collapsed last week after the People's Consultative Group (PCG), a group of civil society leaders nominated by the ULFA to mediate for talks, pulled out of the talks blaming the central government for calling off the truce.
The ULFA had carried out three explosions targeting civilians in eastern Assam in the past week and had also blown up a gas pipeline belonging to the state-owned Oil India Limited.
Islamabad, Oct 2 (ZEENEWS.COM) In a major policy shift, Pakistan today said visas will be given to Indians on arrival and citizens of 23 other countries.
The Visa On Arrival (VOA) scheme was announced by Pakistan`s Minister for Tourism Nilofar Bakhtiar after receiving Pakistani passengers from New Delhi at Wagah Border.
Bhakhtiar said the VOA scheme, which was recently approved, would be implemented in two months, she was quoted by state run news agency from Lahore. The scheme was aimed making Pakistan a tourist-friendly destination, she said.
She said the VOA period has also been extended from five to 15 days while visit visa would now be of one month duration instead of 15 days.
A group of at least five persons sent by approved tour operator of the respective country would have the right to get VOA, she said responding to another query.
Islamabad, Oct 2 (IRNA) Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Saturday that President Pervez Musharraf had promised to crack down on militants and religious schools breeding extremism.
According to" The News", Karzai Said, about his recent visit to the United States, again blamed other countries religious schools, or Madrassas, for promoting the extremism fuelling Afghanistan's Taliban-led insurgency. He was clearly referring to neighbouring Pakistan, home to Madrassas from which the Taliban emerged in the early 1990s.
Those places are apparently Madrassas but inside extremists are trained there, Karzai said.
He raised the issue with Musharraf during a meeting with US President George W Bush in Washington last week, he said.
Afghanistan raised its concerns in this regard and I hope will be able o have some very effective measures in this regard, he said.
Asked if Musharraf had made any promises, Karzai said: "We did get a very categorical assurance that they'll be moving against all extremists elements."
Karzai said fundamentalist Madrassas were waging a propaganda campaign against his country.
They say in Afghanistan there is no Islam, they say the country has been occupied, he said.
Afghanistan says Pakistan must do more to stop militants on its soil who are involved in the insurgency.
Musharraf insists much of the violence is homegrown in Afghanistan.
Karzai said his visit to the United States, which is a firm supporter of the Afghan leader, had been successful.
Our aim for this trip was to show this to the world that the terror nests will not be eliminated unless their sources from where they get money are eliminated, he said, again referring in part to Pakistan.
In a statement after 12 people were killed in a suicide attack in Kabul, hours before he met the press, Karzai said those behind the regular attacks come from outside Afghanistan.
"I condemn it in the strongest terms and call on the international community to work with Afghanistan in stopping sanctuaries that raise, train and brainwash young people to become suicide attackers," he said.
Baghdad, Oct 2 (Xinhua) The Iraqi police found 58 bodies during the past 24 hours in different parts of the capital, a police source said Monday.
"The number of unidentified bodies found by our patrols rose to 58 until Monday morning in different Baghdad neighbourhoods," said a police official.
Most of the bodies were blindfolded and showing signs of torture with bullet holes in different parts of their bodies, he added.
UN and Iraqi officials estimate that more than 100 Iraqis are killed everyday in insurgent attacks and fighting between Sunni and Shia factions.
Rome, Oct 2 (DPA) Pope Benedict XVI Sunday prayed for peace and harmony between Christians and Muslims in Iraq saying both faiths had lived together in the country for 14 centuries "as children of the same land".
Speaking during Angelus prayers at his Castel Gandolfo summer residence, the pope referred to the "tragic reality" of violence in Iraq and said he hoped that "the ties of brotherhood" between Christians and Muslims would not slacken.
The pope had Saturday met with the Chaldean patriarch of Baghdad, Emmanuel Delly, who is campaigning for the release of a priest who was kidnapped in the Iraqi capital.
Around three percent of the country's 26 million people are Christians, with the major denominations including Chaldean-Assyrians, Armenians and Roman Catholics.
Al Qaeda second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri in a video broadcast Saturday had slammed Pope Benedict XVI as an "imposter" over his recent controversial remarks about Islam.
On Sep 12, the pope quoted a Byzantine Christian emperor as describing some of the Prophet Mohammed's teachings as "evil and inhuman".
Mumbai, Oct 2 (ZEENEWS.COM) Actors, students and people from various walks of life, led by Member of Parliament from North-West Mumbai, Priya Dutt, today marched in a procession from SNDT College in suburban Juhu to the nearby beach to mark the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
Actors Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Shabana Azmi, Kumar Gaurav, Nagma and Raza Murad joined the peace march carrying placards some of which read "remembering Gandhi for peace".
The march culminated at Juhu Beach where the participants offered floral tributes to the statue of the Father of the Nation.
The march assumes significance with actors of just released 'Lage Raho Munnabhai', Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi, joining it as the film focuses on relevance of the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi in modern times.
Moscow, Oct 2 (ZEENEWS.COM) Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday ordered the Defence Ministry to continue troop withdrawal from Georgia as planned, the Kremlin said.
Putin directed that the pullout of Russian troops from their bases in Georgia must continue as planned "despite the current situation", his spokesman Alexei Gromov said in a statement.
Russian Gen. Alexander Baranov, the Commander of the North Caucasus military district, had said yesterday that Moscow was suspending planning for further withdrawals from military bases left in Georgia after the 1991 Soviet collapse because Georgian authorites last week detained four Russian military officers accused of spying.
Gen. Andrei Popov, the Commander of Russia military forces in Georgia, reaffirmed today that scheduled troop withdrawal from the two Russian military bases left in Georgia after the collapse of the Soviet Union could be affected by the spy scandal.
Along with some 2,500 peacekeepers in breakaway provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Russia has between 3,000 and 4,000 troops at two military bases in Georgia that it pledged to withdraw by the end of 2008 under a deal signed last year.
Russia signed the troop withdrawal agreement under a strong western pressure, and Putin`s decision appeared to be aimed at forestalling likely criticism of Moscow for reneging on the deal.
New Delhi, Oct 2 (IndianMuslims.info) The KABIR PURASKAR for the year 2006 in Grade-III has been conferred on Ram Babu Singh Chauhan today by the Government of India.
Ram Babu Singh hails from Village Tamana Garhi, Tehsil Hathras, District Mahamaya Nagar in Uttar Pradesh. He will receive Rs.25,000/- in cash.
Ram Babu Singh Chauhan got injured while protecting Muslim woman from some miscreants at Chamar Gate, Hathras. Apart from this, he has been organizing a number of seminars/corner meetings for promotion of National Integration, communal harmony and protection of human rights. He also undertook Pad Yatra from Hathras to Agra in 1996 to promote national integration. He has been doing social work for a long time.
Kabir Puraskar is a National Award instituted by the Government of India in April 1990 for recognizing the acts of physical/moral courage displayed by a member of one caste, community or ethnic group in saving the lives and properties of member(s) of another caste, community or ethnic group during caste, community or ethnic violence. The Award is given annually in three grades viz., Grade-I, Grade-II and Grader-III carrying cash amount of Rs.1,00,000/-, Rs.50,000/- and Rs.25,000/- respectively.
Manish Chand,
New Delhi, Oct 2 (IANS) A resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan and increasing casualties for NATO forces are making Afghanistan a security nightmare for India, impacting directly on New Delhi's stakes in the region.
Five years after the ouster of the Pakistan-backed Taliban regime in Kabul was greeted here with undisguised glee, the Indian establishment is now viewing the changing scenario in Afghanistan with alarm.
India, which has vital stakes in a "stable, democratic and prosperous Afghanistan" as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently put it, is worried about the re-groping of the Taliban militia, with its linkages to Al Qaeda and terrorist outfits targeting Jammu and Kashmir.
The grim situation in Afghanistan is gauged from the public recrimination between Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai.
Karzai says that Pakistan is not doing enough to stop the Taliban fighters from infiltrating into Afghanistan. Musharraf, feigning outrage, denies it.
But news reports from much of southern Afghanistan say that the Taliban has become a very visible phenomenon even as Karzai is increasingly becoming a prisoner in Kabul. At times, hundreds of Taliban supporters gather for meetings in open fields, and they are increasingly engaging NATO forces.
"India's interests in Afghanistan and Central Asia are significantly threatened by the rise of Taliban, which has been engineered by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)," Ajay Sahni, executive director of the Institute of Conflict Management, a think tank here, told IANS.
"India sees its interests in the region being linked to a stable Kabul under a not-unfriendly dispensation," says Sahni.
The Taliban's resurgence comes at a time when India's profile in Afghanistan is growing and its relations with Kabul are becoming broad-based, straddling diverse sectors including economy, education and technology, in sharp contrast to the situation over five years ago when it had no contact with the Taliban militia. That was when India actively backed the Northern Alliance, the Taliban's most formidable foe.
Afghanistan, for India, is not simply a security issue but a country that can be a crucial link in promoting economic and cultural integration between South Asia and Central Asia.
Fully aware that it can't afford to lose a strategically situated region to unfriendly fundamentalist forces, India has stepped up its diplomatic offensive to sensitise the international community about the dangers from the Taliban and their patronage by Pakistan.
The revival of the Taliban, says Sahni, is part of the long-term Pakistani plan to extend its influence not only in Afghanistan but also in Central Asia.
"The core of our policy should be to expose Pakistan as it is the fountainhead of terror in the region. We should join hands with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and promote a stable, democratic Afghanistan," Sahni suggests.
"The US should use its card with Pakistan to see that it is not radicalised," Ramakant Dwivedi, an expert on Central Asia, told IANS. "The radicalisation of Afghanistan must stop. India should reach out to all ethnic groups in Afghanistan including Pushtuns. We should build on our tremendous goodwill with Pushtuns."
Although India has pledged $650 million for the socio-economic reconstruction of war-torn Afghanistan, its options are limited as it is not in favour of sending troops to join the NATO-led forces, which are facing a tough time against the Taliban.
As for democracy, elections have taken place but the Taliban is doing its best to frustrate the nascent democratic institutions. In the process, stability has become a victim in Afghanistan.
"If the staying power of the US-led coalition collapses, India would be affected. There are nearly half a million Talibs in Afghanistan and their supply is limitless," Turkish Ambassador Halil Akana said here recently.
For India, which regained some influence in Afghanistan, a gateway to the resource-rich Central Asia, after the ouster of a hostile Taliban in late 2001, the escalating violence in that country is clearly bad news.
The murder of three Indians in Afghanistan who were engaged in reconstruction projects over the last one year by the Taliban brought into focus the contours of a "new great game" for control of this country.
Nagpur, Oct 2 (IANS) In an effort to woo neo-Buddhists, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief K.C. Sudarshan lauded Dalit messiah B.R Ambedkar and quoted Hindu priests as saying that the architect of the Indian constitution was forced to lead Dalits out of the Hindu fold because of the "grave mistakes of our forefathers".
In a Vijayadashmi speech replete with laudatory references to Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi here Sunday, Sudarshan revealed that Babasaheb Ambedkar had made efforts to have the ban on the RSS lifted post the Jan 30, 1948, assassination of Gandhi.
Sudarshan's effort at bridging the gap between neo-Buddhists - a modern Buddhist revivalist movement in India - and the upper caste Hindu organisation that he heads assumes significance in the backdrop of the mammoth golden jubilee celebrations of 'dhammachakra pravartan din' scheduled at the historic Deekshabhoomi here Monday.
Ambedkar had embraced Buddhism along with thousands of his followers on Oct 14, 1956, in Nagpur on Vijayadashmi or Dussehra day. The RSS was founded on the same day in 1925.
Nagpur witnesses two major events on Dussehra day every year - the RSS' Vijayadashmi rally and the dhammachaktra pravartan din rally of Ambedkarites.
This year however, the RSS function was held a day prior to Dussehra. The golden jubilee rally of dhammachakra pravartan din, being held to commemorate the conversion of Dalits to Buddhism, is to be held Monday, which is Vijayadashmi.
Sudarshan quoted the second RSS chief late M.S. Golwalkar praising Ambedkar for choosing Buddhism, "an offshoot of Upanishadik philosophy, born in India", instead of embracing an alien religion.
He also quoted Mahasthavir Chandramani and other Buddhist monks as saying in 1956 that Hindu religion and Buddhism are two branches of the same tree.
The RSS chief's speech also contained allusions to Azhimulla Khan, an important leader of the 1857 War of Independence, Sadguru Ram Singh Kuka who led the 1862 Kuka (Namdhari) agitation, Sardar Bhagat Singh besides several Hindu saints and acharyas.
Indirectly praising Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for being circumspect while signing the civil nuclear deal with the US, the RSS chief expressed apprehensions about India getting into the trap of the US Congress which was seeking to introduce certain conditions.
Sudarshan however flayed Manmohan Singh for what he termed as giving Pakistan a certificate in Havana for being a victim and not a source of terrorism.
Lt. Gen.(Retd) B.T. Pandit was the chief guest at the RSS rally.
Shanghai, Oct 2 (Xinhua) Ferrari's Michael Schumacher fought a breathtaking battle to claim the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix title here Sunday.
The victory, Schumacher's first win in Shanghai, means he is now level on points with Renault racer Fernando Alonso with just two races remaining.
Alonso's bid to win the race was effectively ended by crucial errors in his pit stops, having first been left with little grips that left him chasing a huge gap, though he finished strongly to take second.
His teammate Giancarlo Fisichella finished third while Jenson Button took fourth place and Pedro de la Rosa ended in fifth place.
Schumacher conquered a tricky damp track and the sixth place from the starting grid for the victory, a real boost to his title hope.
The seven-time world champion announced last month in Monza that he would retire at the end of this season.
New Delhi, Oct 2 (IANS) In-form batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan said Monday that senior West Indies players like captain Brian Lara will have to show the way to the inexperienced during the Champions Trophy starting Saturday.
"Since not too many West Indies players have played here in India before, so it's the responsibility of the senior players who have played here earlier to help the younger players," Sarwan said in an open session with the West Indies team.
"But the conditions here are not going to be too much different from Malaysia, weather wise because it's going to be humid, I think," said one of the mainstays of West Indies batting who has played 107 one-day internationals.
Defending champions West Indies open their campaign with a match against Zimbabwe in a qualifying round match at Ahmedabad Oct 8.
West Indies will also have to contend with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in the eight-day qualifying tournament, after which the top teams join the six other automatic qualifiers - Australia, India, Pakistan, South Africa, New Zealand and England. The final will be played in Mumbai on Nov 5.
West Indies is coming straight from Kuala Lumpur where it stayed back after taking part in the DLF Cup triangular series in which it finished second after losing to Australia in the final. India was the third team.
Sarwan, who bats at No. 3 or 4, has been in tremendous form since February. He has an enviable sequence of scores in ODIs: 56, 14, 65, 42, 14, 55, 40, did not bat, 54, 92, 2, 98 not out, 115 not out, 6, 52, 22, 37 not out, 25, 2 and 36.
Although he might not have crossed 37 in the Kuala Lumpur triangular series, he was one of the successes when India toured the West Indies in the summer.
After that series West Indies had a break of more than three months, which allowed the players to relax and recharge themselves.
"We haven't really had that much training back home and much games before we went to Malaysia. So we depended on the tournament in Malaysia to give us some sort of form leading into this tournament," said Sarwan.
The 26-year-old from Guyana is looking ahead to regaining his sublime form in India on batting oriented pitches.
"Pitches are going to be a little bit different, they will offer a lot more spin to the spinners and much more batting friendly," he said with a twinkle in his eyes.
Sarwan pointed that the middle order comprising Lara, Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul - not counting himself - will have to regain form quickly in India.
"Our middle order has not been performing that well. That's something that we have been working on. From that struggling lot, the one we can pick out is Chris Gayle who is in good form," he said.
"In Malaysia, the middle seemed to be coming together, so that's a plus for us."
Taking the names of Lara, Gayle and Chanderpaul, Sarwan said that they would be the key batsmen in the tournament.
"Then you have got young Fidel Edwards, Ian Bradshaw and Dwayne Bravo. So everyone has got a part to play. If we play as a team we will be better off," he said.
Sarwan conceded that West Indies being the defending champions would have pressure.
"But we are not paying much attention to the pressure. We don't want to be knocked out of this tournament too soon. But we have got to qualify first," he said.
"This is a great opportunity leading up to the World Cup back home in the Caribbean. So if we this tournament it's going to give us a lot of confidence."
By Nikhil Naz
Chennai, Oct 2 (NDTV.COM) Today's match in the Challenger Trophy is bound to have high ratings especially when former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly is batting.
Large number of people are queuing up to buy tickets to watch the top 39 playes in the country.
Though there is no sponsor for this tournament but at least there are lots of fans cueing up for tickets for the Challenger Trophy.
Hundreds of fans are waiting to see if former Indian captain can make a case for a comeback.
"It's been a long break and we are keen to see Sourav back in action not just a casual visit to the city and getting out cheaply but scoring heavily to get into the Indian cricket team," said a Ganguly fan.
"I am very happy to see Sourav back here. He has faced many obstacles and I am sure that he will be right back in the team. The way in which the present players are playing aren't any better than Sourav so, there is surely a place for him in the team," said another fan.
Sourav Ganguly's county outing for Nottinghamshire was not impressive but at least he will be happy to know that the new chairman of selectors, Dilip Vengsarkar has said that anybody who performs can be back in contention.
"This is a very important tournament because after this the domestic season starts and then there is Champions Trophy leading up to the World Cup. So, most people will try to stamp their authority in this tournament," said Robin Singh, Coach, India Greens.
It was the Challenger Trophy that cost Ganguly his place in the squad when Dada refused to take part in the tournament last year in Mohali.
We are back in Chennai with the same tournament only this year it serves as an opportunity to prince of Kolkata to reclaim his position in the famed Indian batting line up.
By Minu Jain,
Durban, Oct 2 (IANS) On the eve of his 135th birth anniversary, Mahatma Gandhi was the theme through the day Sunday in South Africa as Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his host President Thabo Mbeki moved from one event to another to celebrate their shared heritage.
The mood shifted too, much like the weather in Durban, from the sentimental to the pop.
If the function at the Phoenix settlement, the commune on the outskirts of Durban founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1904, was simple and emotive, the 100th anniversary celebrations of satyagraha at the Kingsmead Stadium here were pop patriotism at their kitschiest.
Quite appropriately, the Sahara Kingsmead stadium, the site of many a cricket match, had two stages erected and two giant screens on the side for the crowds. While one stage had a banner reading "Celebrating our heroes", the other, where Manmohan Singh and Mbeki along with other dignitaries were seated, stated "Satyagraha centenary commemoration".
The cultural programme on offer included some Bollywood dances, including the popular title track from the hit "Rang de Basanti" that ironically has a group of youngsters killing the defence minister and a father on grounds of corruption. There also was a Bharatnatyam performance, a sarod recital by maestro Amjad Ali Khan, fusion dance, and a vigorous Zulu dance as well.
The response to the much trumpeted event - observing the day 100 years ago in September when Gandhi chaired a meeting of 3,000 people in Johannesburg against a law discriminating against Asians and launched what Mbeki called a "non-violent defiance campaign" - was lacklustre, with a chill wind blowing through the stadium.
But that was just the weather. The atmospherics between the two countries and the two leaders more than made up for it.
The superlatives flowed freely at Phoenix earlier in the day and at the stadium as Manmohan Singh, on a three-day visit to South Africa, and Mbeki recalled the Mahatma and the ties that bind two nations.
"Our emancipation is only 12 years old. It is not so long ago that the celebration we hold today would not have been possible. It is not so long ago that it would have been impossible for a prime minister of the great country of India to set foot on our shores," Mbeki said at the Kingsmead celebrations.
Dwelling at length on the contribution of Gandhi "whose unparalleled leadership and example inspired the triumphant march to freedom and democracy both in India in 1947 and in South Africa in 1994", Mbeki also focused on the events that transformed a political leader to a Mahatma.
He said that it was no accident that it was India at the UN in 1946 that "first put on the global agenda the issue of the imperative to mobilise the international community to join us in our struggle for liberation from racism and white minority domination".
The bilateral component was important too, Mbeki stressed as he moved away from Gandhi.
"A century after satyagraha began ... we will tomorrow on Mahatma Gandhi's 135th birthday have the privilege to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his delegation to discuss the further measures we must take to raise to higher levels our concerted effort to strengthen our bonds of friendship with India," Mbeki said, referring to the bilateral talks the leaders will hold in Pretoria Monday.
In Phoenix earlier in the day, Mbeki spoke extempore but extended the theme of friendship in a speech punctuated with humour and lots of laughs.
He told the gathering - comprising Indian ministers Ambika Soni and Anand Sharma and National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan as well as Gandhi's granddaughter Ela - that he would very much like to keep Manmohan Singh back in his country, much like Mahatma Gandhi in Phoenix who stayed on longer than he intended to.
"We want you to follow in Gandhi's footsteps ... so we want to keep you here for a little longer," he said.
"I don't know what will happen to India then," he added to laughs and splattering of applause.
Saying that "to many of us India is a second home", Mbeki said India was a country South Africa could always turn to.
"I trust you won't get tired of us and the high commission will not get tired of issuing us visas," he said good humouredly.
Manmohan Singh more than kept to the mood with his speeches.
"In remembering satyagraha, we pay homage to the Mahatma. And in honouring the Mahatma, we honour South Africa . . ." he told crowds at the Kingsmead stadium.
"South Africa has shown that it is possible to resolve even the bitterest of differences with a spirit of reconciliation. You live the life Mahatma died for," he said and described in detail the Johannesburg meeting that set the pace for satyagraha.
"On this centenary of the launch of satyagraha, let each of us pledge, as those in the Empire Theatre did 100 years ago, to do everything" to bring about a world of equity and equal opportunity.
In an interesting aside, he also made it a point to mention the hit film "Lage Raho Munnabhai", though not by name.
"I was heartened to see recently that back home in India the most popular movie this festival season is a film about a young man's discovery of the universal and timeless relevance of the Mahatma's message."
His speech at Phoenix was simple and emotional.
This is the "blessed land" that transformed Gandhi into a Mahatma, Manmohan Singh said at the simple function at the settlement on the outskirts of Durban.
He added that he felt "spiritual bliss" to be present on the "sacred soil" of Phoenix, which was inspired after Gandhi read John Ruskin's "Unto This Last", which extolled the virtues of the simple life of love, labour and the dignity of human beings.
The settlement that was razed by apartheid violence in 1985 and then painstakingly rebuilt was a testament to Gandhi's spirit, said Manmohan Singh.
"I could almost feel his presence here today," he said at the complex of simple buildings surrounded by a sprawling urban settlement.
Earlier in the day, Manmohan Singh went to the resistance park, which commemorates the first resistance in South Africa, and also visited the Ohlange High School and the memorial of Rev John Dube - a friend of Gandhi's who later went on to become the first president general of the African National Congress.
Colombo, Oct 2 (NNN-Bernama) Sri Lankan authorities are planning a crash programme to churn out skilled construction workers to feed a construction boom in Doha sparked by next December's Asian Games.
The Games from Dec 1 to 15 are expected to draw thousands of athletes and had resulted in huge construction of the stadium and other facilities.
"There is a huge demand and we could send even 30-35,000 workers if we have the skills," said president of the Association of Licensed Foreign Employment Agents (ALFEA) Anver Ulumudeen.
He said the authorities, at ALFEA's request, will have a two-month crash course to train unskilled workers in construction work.
"The demand is there and all the workers we sent so far have been immediately accepted. The problem is we don't have enough," he said.
Islamabad, Oct 2 (Xinhua) An oil tanker carrying oil for US forces in Afghanistan was attacked at a Pakistani border crossing and the driver was injured, Pakistan border security forces said Sunday.
The tanker caught fire at the Pakistani border town of Chaman in southwestern Balochistan province and no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, local Geo TV reported.
The report said Taliban has claimed responsibility for such attacks inside Afghanistan in the past. Taliban had demanded drivers from Pakistan not to deliver oil for US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan.
Oil tankers are loaded at the Pakistani southern port city of Karachi, from where oil is routinely shipped to Kandahar for US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan.
Tankers carrying oil for US and coalition forces were also targeted in the past.
Three Pakistani nationals were killed when Taliban fired rockets on three oil tankers at the border Afghan town of Spin Boldak last year in April.
Bangkok, Oct 2 (DPA) General Surayud Chulanont, a respected retired army officer, was sworn in as Thailand's new Prime Minister Sunday.
Soon after the brief swearing-in ceremony, Surayud said he would select his cabinet in the next week and submit the list of names to King Bhumibol Adulyadej for approval.
Surayud said his administration would follow the economic policies espoused by the king including self-sufficiency. He added his administration would also cooperate with all government agencies investigating corruption in the country.
Surayud is Thailand's 24th prime minister since the kingdom became a constitutional monarchy in 1932. But perhaps more important he is the first since 1992 who did not win the position in an election.
Still, he is widely respected by civilian leaders and within the military as honest.
Surayud's appointment comes 13 days after the Sep 19 coup that toppled prime minister Thakson Shinawater after five-and-a-half years in power.
The military council said a new general election will be held in late 2007, but it will only be held under a new constitution.
San Sebastian (Spain), Oct 2 (DPA) An Iranian film and a French film were jointly awarded the top prize at Spain's 54th San Sebastian International Film Festival.
"Half Moon" from Iranian Kurdish director Bahman Ghobadi and "Mon Fils a Moi" (My Son) by Martial Fougeron share the festival's Golden Shell award.
Ghobadi's film deals with a Kurdish musician who returns to Iraq after the fall of dictator Saddam Hussein, while Fougeron's entry follows the love-hate relationship between a mother and son.
Nathalie Bayre, lead actress in "Mon Fils a Moi", took the Silver Shell for best actress, while Spaniard Juan Diego won for best actor for his role in the film Vete de Mi (Go Away from Me).
US director Tom DiCillo received top honours for his film "Delirious", and Argentinian director Carlos Sorin won the Special Jury Prize for his comedy "El Camino de San Diego" (The Way to San Diego).
The jury chaired by French actress Jeanne Moreau included Portuguese Nobel-winning author Jose Saramago, Swiss actor Bruno Ganz and Spanish director Isabel Coixet, among others.
The film festival in Spain's Basque region is the most important in Spain and is regarded as one the great film festivals along with Cannes, Berlin and Venice.
Cotabato City (Philippines), Oct 2 (DPA) Philippine troops and Muslim separatist rebels clashed in the country's south, leaving five rebels injured, as peace talks between the two sides remained deadlocked, the military said Monday.
Five Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels were injured in the fire fight Sunday in Bugasan village in Maguindanao province, 960 km south of Manila, said army spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Julieto Ando.
Ando said the rebels opened fire at a group of patrol soldiers, triggering the clash.
"Our soldiers were conducting their daily patrol along the national highway and it was the rebels who fired the first shot," he said.
MILF spokesperson Eid Kabalu, however, claimed that the soldiers attacked a group of Muslim civilians who were observing their noon prayer.
An international team monitoring a ceasefire between the MILF and the government has began an investigation into the fire fight, which occurred amid an impasse in peace talks over the key issue of Muslim ancestral land rights or what areas to include in an expanded autonomous region.
The MILF wants more than 1,000 villages to be added to the existing Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), but the government said it can only agree to the inclusion of some 600 villages.
The ARMM currently covers five predominantly Muslim provinces and the Islamic city of Marawi.
By Kishlay Bhattacharjee
Guwahati, Oct 2 (NDTV.COM) One person has died and at least 17 people have been injured in a bomb blast near a puja pandal in the Dhemaji area of upper Assam.
The blast occured past Sunday midnight as the state geared up to join the rest of the country to pay homage to the apostle of non-violence, Mahatma Gandhi on his birth anniversary.
Dhemaji police said rebels of the banned United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) hurled a hand grenade at a mobile police patrol party.
The patrol party had just stopped near the puja pandal at Nalanipalam area of the town around 12.15 am (local time).
Though the grenade failed to directly hit them, the explosive fell on a pile of bricks causing it to burst.
The splinters killed a seven-year old boy, Debabrata Dhingia and injured 20 persons in the large crowd of pandal hoppers.
The grenade splinters also caused the tyres of the police vehicle to burst, police said.
City Superintedent of Police rushed to the spot, cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to nab the culprits who fled soon after the blast.
The ULFA had two years ago exploded a bomb at the official Independence Day celebrations in Dhemaji killing over 15 school going children and women.
The Centre had resumed army operations, which were suspended after revoking the ceasefire on September 24.
By Maya Mirchandani
New York, Oct 2 (NDTV.COM) Shashi Tharoor's wait to determine whether the election for UN Secretary General is indeed a two horse race or not, will be over on Monday when the UN Security Council conducts its final straw poll.
Unlike the three previous polls, this one will require the council's five permanent members to cast ballots of a different colour.
For the first time, Shashi Tharoor will find out whether any of the five - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States - objects to his candidacy.
One veto from a permanent council member can kill a candidate's chances.
So far, Tharoor has given the main contender, South Korea's Ban Ki Moon, a tough fight, coming second in all the polls.
But last Thursday, Tharoor slipped from 10 encouragements in his favour to eight, with four Security Council members actually casting their vote against him.
The last poll was seen as a severe setback to Tharoor's candidacy, but weekend reports in a British newspaper suggesting that Ban, the South Korean foreign minister, had used international trade deals and promises of increased South Korean funding to some African nations in an effort to gain more support for his candidacy, could impact Tharoor's race.
When asked for his reaction to these reports, in an email to NDTV, Shashi Tharoor said that the decision "is in the hands of the Council and, like everyone else, I'm awaiting the outcome".
Hanoi, Oct 2 (DPA) The death toll from typhoon Xangsane in central Vietnam climbed to 13 Monday as residents began cleaning up from the storm that ripped roofs off thousands of buildings, said officials.
Electricity supply remained cut off in the coastal city of Danang, which saw nine deaths and 61 people injured, according to Nguyen Dong of the local storm response department.
"Many people cannot return to their houses, which have been destroyed," Dong said. "We are using generators now. Everyone is focusing on fixing houses, power lines and clearing away debris."
He estimated the damage from the storm at $187 million, with more than 1,200 houses flattened and more than 6,200 with their roofs torn off by the heavy winds.
Nearby Quang Nam province reported two deaths from the storm, and Quang Binh and Quang Tri reported one death each.
Xangsane ploughed through Vietnam Sunday after killing over 100 people in the Philippines earlier.
Vietnam had earlier ordered the evacuation of more than 180,000 people from coastal and flood-prone areas.
Madrid, Oct 2 (DPA) India were held by England to a 1-1 draw in a pool B match of the women's hockey World Cup here Sunday.
Asunta Lakra's strike in the 35th minute gave India the lead but it was equalised by Chole Rogers in the 47th minute.
In another pool B match, the Netherlands defeated Spain 2-0. Efke Muleder opened the scoring in the sixth minute and Naomi Van struck in the 42nd minute to double the lead.
Sanaa, Oct 2 (ZEENEWS.COM) Yemeni security forces on Sunday killed the alleged mastermind of the bombing of the French oil tanker Limburg in 2002 and a second suspected al-Qaeda fugitive, both of whom who broke out of jail earlier this year, a security official said.
Fawaz al-Rabihi, who was convicted of plotting the 2002 bombing of the French supertanker Limburg, "was killed in a shootout with security forces in a suburb of Sanaa, where he was hiding in a house," the official said.
"Security forces also killed Mohammed Dailami," another suspected al-Qaeda operative who was sentenced to five years in prison in 2004 for his role in a number of plots including an attempted attack in 2002 against a US hunt helicopter, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"Dailami was hiding in the same house as Rabihi," the official added.
The two were among 23 al-Qaeda suspects who broke out of their detention facility in Sanaa in February 2006.
Rabihi was sentenced to death in 2004 for his role in the attack on the French tanker, which killed a crew member and injured 12, but broke out of prison with 22 other suspected al-Qaeda members in February.
The explosion had ripped through the Limburg as it prepared to enter Ash-Shir Port on Yemen's southeastern coast to load a cargo of crude oil on October 22 in 2002.
The attack on the Limburg was virtually a repeat of the bombing of the us navy destroyer Cole in the Yemeni port of Aden two years earlier, which killed 17 American sailors.
03 October 2006
Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 3 (IANS) With over 65 people dead and close to 100,000 people affected by chikungunya, a viral fever caused by mosquitoes, Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan Tuesday blamed experts for confusing the state government on the nature of the disease.
"Experts are confusing us because some now say that it is not chikungunya. The government is doing its best to contain it. We will call an all party meeting and we have asked people from other systems of medicines like Ayurveda and homeopathy to help," Achuthanandan told the Kerala Assembly.
Most of the deaths have occurred in Alappuzha district since chikungunya was first detected on July 27. The most affected are the costal districts of Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Kottayam, Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram and of late, the virus has started taking other districts in its grip.
"This was first raised by us in the assembly last month and it is sad that officials of the National Institute of Virology are coming Wednesday only. Some experts Monday said it is West Nile fever and not chikungunya," said Leader of Opposition Oommen Chandy.
Meanwhile the state Health minister P.K. Sreemathi who is camping at Alappuzha said a team of experts from World Health Organisation is arriving Thursday to make a spot study.
Patna, Oct 3 (IANS) Indians who could not dream of travelling by air-conditioned train coaches would be able to do so from Wednesday, thanks to Railway Minister Lalu Prasad.
The affordable 'Garib Rath' is set for its maiden journey, from Amritsar to Saharsa in Bihar.
Promising 30 percent cheaper fare for almost the same comfort in a three-tier air-conditioned coach, the new train will be able to accommodate more passengers. As against 64 berths in a normal three-tier coach, this has 75.
The railway minister has said that his goal was to end the class system in trains.
According to railway officials, more such affordable air-conditioned trains are on the anvil. The minister, in his budget speech for 2006-07, had promised four 'Garib Rath' trains this year.
The other trains will run between Nizamuddin in New Delhi and Mumbai, Chennai and Patna respectively.
Seoul, Oct 3 (DPA) A 29-car pile-up Tuesday in thick fog on a highway bridge in South Korea killed at least 11 people and injured 50 more, police said.
A collision between two trucks set off the pile-up, which left about 20 cars in flames near the west-coast city of Pyongtaek, about 70-km southwest of Seoul, the national Yonhap News agency reported.
Police blamed the chain-reaction accident on drivers going too fast for conditions.
New Delhi, Oct 3 (IANS) The deadly dengue viral enveloped 40 more people in the Indian capital Tuesday, taking the total cases to over 500, but the authorities stated that the situation did not warrant declaring it an epidemic.
"We will do our best to curb this menace. Our hospitals are well equipped to deal with the situation, hence there is no need to declare dengue as epidemic," said Health Minister Yoganand Shastri.
At an emergency cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, the government decided to ask its ministers to closely monitor the situation. Eleven people have died of the mosquito-borne disease in the city.
Finance and Planning Minister A.K. Walia is to oversee the availability of dengue medicines in the capital, said officials in the chief minister's office.
Labour and industries minister Mangat Ram Singhal is to visit industrial areas to create awareness among the people to curb the breeding of mosquitoes. Education Minister A.S. Lovely will be in charge of the populous east Delhi.
Extra beds and many blood-testing kits will be made available at hospitals, Shastri told reporters.
According to him, the city witnessed over 10,000 cases of dengue in 1996.
"The chief minister asked all of us to do whatever is possible to curb the dengue outbreak. Hospitals will also be held responsible for any irregularity," NDMC health director S.K. Garg told IANS.
"Sanitation officers at hospitals have been asked to step up surveillance and keep a close tab on the hygienic condition of their campuses," Garg said.
Meanwhile, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) reported over 50 cases of dengue - 12 new cases since Monday. Twenty of those affected are students, resident doctors and staff. On Saturday, seventh semester student Kamal Raj Kiran died of dengue.
A 125-bed special dengue ward has been set up at AIIMS, said hospital authorities. On Monday, the hospital began a two-day blood donation camp to deal with any blood shortage.
The dengue virus is spread through the bite of the female Aedes mosquito, primarily Aedes Aegypti, which breeds in clean stagnant water.
To control the dengue menace, the Delhi government has hired 2,400 temporary workers, apart from over 3,000 working for MCD, to intensify surveillance of potential breeding grounds and launch fogging of anti-mosquito drugs.
By Minu Jain,
Johannesburg, Oct 3 (IANS) 9/11, which symbolises the twin evils of violence and hatred that Mahatma Gandhi rejected, also marks the anniversary of the non-violent protest movement he launched and presents a choice the world must make, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh noted here Monday.
The prime minister was speaking at the inauguration here of a permanent exhibition "M.K. Gandhi: Prisoner of Conscience" at the historic Old Fort where the Mahatma was imprisoned four times during his formative years in this country.
"This year is the centenary of the movement, which the Mahatma launched in South Africa, which contributed to India's freedom, influenced many liberation struggles of South Africa... But the question is sometimes asked - are the Mahatma and the practice of satyagraha relevant today?
"The answer was given five years ago when the date on which satyagraha was launched became known almost universally as 9/11. (It) has come to symbolise the twin evils of violence and hatred that the Mahatma rejected.
"Sep 11 now symbolises a choice that the world has to make. Which is the path we should take - the path of a peaceful struggle for justice, or the path of a brutal violence that targets innocents?" the prime minister noted on the occasion of Gandhi's 137th birth anniversary.
"This is the legacy the city of Johannesburg has sought to preserve in this permanent exhibition," he told a gathering.
New Delhi, Oct 3 (IANS) If Bangladesh plays two days of good cricket, they will qualify for the main round of the ICC Champions Trophy beginning this week said vice-captain Shahriar Nafees here Monday.
"We are confident that we will move into the main round of the tournament. For that we need to play two days of good cricket," the 20-year-old Nafees said at an open media session.
"Realistically we are not here to be champions but prove that Bangladesh has emerged as a good cricketing nation."
Bangladesh will take on Sri Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe in the qualifiers, which starts Saturday.
It has been only a year of international cricket for this boy from Dhaka but he has climbed the success ladder pretty fast and will be vice-captaining the team for the first time.
"Success may come fast and you have to work hard to hold on to it. This is a big challenge for me and I will try to give 100 percent to my new role," he said.
For Nafees, vice captaincy at a young age is not an added pressure but that makes him more responsible towards his job.
"I don't consider this as a pressure but take this as a responsibility. Once an individual is aware of his responsibilities he starts to perform better," he said.
Nafees said Bangladesh has a good nucleus of 20 players who are really talented and are really capable of proving themselves in the big stage.
"It has been a good move by our cricket board to include younger players in the team and this will help us in the long run," he said.
"We have the World Cup in mind but Champions Trophy is the main thing for us now. If we perform well we would have the confidence to go and repeat it again in the World Cup."
Beijing, Oct 3 (DPA) A group of western human rights advocates, lawyers and scholars Tuesday urged Chinese President Hu Jintao to curb a growing number of arrests and other abuses of civil rights activists.
"We note with concern the sharp increase in official retaliation against such advocates and their families through persistent harassment, banishment, detention, arrest, and imprisonment," the advocates said in an open letter to Hu published on the website of US-based Human Rights Watch.
"We note, too, the frequent use of state secrets charges to discourage social activism," the letter said.
The letter highlighted cases including detained lawyer Gao Zhisheng and New York Times researcher Zhao Yan, who was recently jailed for three years on disputed fraud charges.
Public order charges against blind legal activist Chen Guangcheng were "baseless" and his sentence to four years and three months in prison in August was "disproportionate to the alleged offences".
"We are equally concerned about the physical attacks on Chen's legal team," it said.
The 53 signatories of the letter included several well-known China experts, senior officials from Human Rights Watch and Human Rights in China, and international rights lawyer Richard Goldstone.
The three highlighted cases and other recent incidents "suggest that those who try to make Chinese officials more accountable, whether through journalism, legal activism, or other peaceful and internationally recognized channels, will be prosecuted through a legal system that lacks impartiality and denies them basic guarantees of fairness".
"So long as the government may, with impunity, persecute and punish those whom they perceive as challenging its collective power, the international community and China's friends and allies will remain deeply skeptical about China's commitment to reform, to transparency, and to the rule of law," they said.
The letter urged the immediate release of Zhao, Gao and Chen, and an overhaul of China's vague law on state secrets.
United Nations, Oct 3 (IANS) Cuba has protested against "an arbitrary and selective interpretation" that prevented it from addressing the UN Security Council on behalf of the non-aligned group when the situation in Myanmar was debated last week.
Cuba, the current president of the 118-member NAM, had petitioned the world body to allow it to participate in a closed-door UN Security Council session to debate the situation in Myanmar, Prensa Latina news agency said Monday.
The request "was fully justified and perfectly in accordance with the organisation´s temporary regulations," Cuban ambassador to the UN Rodrigo Malmierca Diaz said in a statement.
Cuba assumed the NAM presidency in September during the 14th summit of the group of developing countries held in Havana.
There are NAM members that are neighbours of Myanmar, with interests directly affected by the issue under discussion, the Cuban ambassador said. Hence, it was necessary for NAM to have a voice in the discussion on the issue, he added.
The Security Council's decision to deny NAM a role in the important discussion validates NAM's position on the need for an "urgent and comprehensive reform" of the UN Security Council.
"The reform will also need to be applied to the organisation´s working methods," said Malmierca, who presides over the NAM Coordination Bureau at the UN.
By Mayank Chhaya,
New York, Oct 3 (IANS) As in life so in the United Nations, there are no prizes for the also-ran. Shashi Tharoor, India's much heralded candidate for the job of the United Nations secretary-general, reached the end of the road when he finished second yet again in the fourth and final straw poll.
Tharoor, 50, who is under-secretary general for public information, managed 10 encouragements, three negatives and two no opinions and checked himself out of the race in favour of South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon who is now assured to rise to the coveted position. Ban polled 14 positive votes, including from all the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (UNSC), and one no opinion.
Those who were nursing hopes of Tharoor's campaign getting resuscitated in the wake of a British newspaper's allegations that Ban may have misused his country's financial muscle to indirectly influence the voting were disappointed. The verdict Monday also glaringly underscored that in the high-stakes game of international diplomacy, India's clout is limited and much less than what is often projected.
In some ways Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had staked his personal prestige on the line by campaigning for Tharoor only to find that New Delhi still falls way short of impressing the movers and shakers at the United Nations. If the poll is any indication India will have to rethink its strategy for the position of permanent membership of the UNSC.
Although purely in statistical terms Tharoor's performance was not all that bad considering he was a late arrival on the scene, it highlighted the limits of New Delhi's powers.
Ban comes at a time when with the staff of 9,000 and an annual budget of $5 billion the UN has been under unprecedented pressure to refashion itself from a body whose structure still reflects the archaic realities of the 1950s rather than addressing the demands of the 21st century. At the same time, and quite ironically, the UN once again finds itself assuming the role of a decisive player in major conflicts in the Middle East and Africa. This is notwithstanding the often unvarnished contempt for the international body expressed by the United States.
Ban has some India connection, posted as he was in the South Korean embassy in New Delhi as a top official. But beyond that he is seen as closely allied with Washington. He will be the first Asian UN secretary general since 1971 when U Thant of Burma left office. In theory, at least, the prospects of an Indian rising to the top post for the next two decades now seem remote.
For a short period there was some hope that since India was not being allowed into the UNSC as a permanent member with the full veto, Washington might consider pushing Tharoor's nomination as a happy compromise. But realists at the UN did not for a moment believe that even the so openly pro-India Bush administration would reward New Delhi with a seminal nuclear deal and the UN secretary-general in quick succession.
One of the calculations that may have gone against Tharoor and by implication against India could be the generally aggressively independent positions that New Delhi has been known to take on international issues. Although if elected Tharoor could not afford to be seen as New Delhi's man, many may have believed, or rather led to believe, that he could toe India's line on many sensitive international issues.
Islamabad, Oct 3 (IANS) Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has been accused of "settling scores" with his erstwhile army colleagues and spilling the beans on Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the country's much written about spy agency, even while trying to defend it during his just-concluded foreign tour.
He has come under heavy fire from defence analysts, media and former colleagues, who think that by admitting that retired officers and renegades earlier associated with ISI may have had a role to play in Afghanistan has refurbished the "stereotype" that governs the western minds even before 9/11 happened.
The News International places it in the context of Indian criticism of ISI's role, not only in the 7/11 explosions on the Mumbai suburban rail network earlier this year but also in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, the worst terror violence India has faced.
Among the foremost critics has been Musharraf's batch mate in the army, Lt. Gen. (retd) Ali Kuli Khan Khattak, who has disputed Musharraf's claim in his book "In the Line of Fire" that he advocated imposition of martial law when then prime minister Nawaz Sharif forced General Jehangir Karamat, army chief at the time, to resign.
Khattak told The News International he never made a case for military rule. "My view was that the army should be firm and fair in dealing with all situations. I certainly advised General Jehangir Karamat not to resign as army chief but I didn't ask him to stage a coup and impose martial law," he maintained.
Khattak, who was sidelined and removed, and Musharraf were batch mates, having joined the 29th Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) course in Kakul and then becoming involved "in an often bitter competition," the newspaper recalls.
"I can say we were friends until I was made Chief of General Staff (CGS). Musharraf was very unhappy that he couldn't make it," Khattak recalled.
Reached in Karachi for his reaction to the observations made by Musharraf about him in the book, Khattak argued it was a one-sided version of events in which facts have been misrepresented and "half-truths inserted to make General Musharraf look good".
Khattak has promised a rejoinder.
Musharraf's pinpointing ISI chiefs during 1979-89 in his NBC interview has earned a spate of denials and refutations from army generals. Among them is Lt.Gen. Hamid Gul, who has been known to be a mentor of jehadis in and outside the army and a known Mushasrraf baiter for forsaking the jehadis under alleged US pressure.
Gul has been quoted as saying that ISI was like Freemasons, the secretive western organisation that was "closed, once you are out of it".
Gul said retired army officers "stood in the queue to pay their bills" and there was little chance of their sustaining any militant movement from their retirement.
What Musharraf said about ISI was "extraordinary, coming from the head of the state", said The Nation in an editorial. It recalled that some of the former ISI chiefs have asked Musharraf to shed the uniform.
"The fact that some of the officials in various security agencies became radicalised during the Afghan jehad is widely recognised. But.... this is the first time that a head of state has pointed an accusing finger in a certain direction for being a potential source of encouragement for militancy." the editorial indignantly said.
Taking a somewhat lenient view of Musharraf's admissions while defending ISI, The News International said the role of ISI was well known and it was better to pinpoint the renegades and ex-servicemen than deny point blank and wholly the allegation coming from the western media.
"It cannot be denied that there have been a succession of former ISI chiefs and senior officials - many of them retired and leading a life of religious piety, pan-Islamic zeal or both - who have openly espoused an anti-US course of action and have criticised the government for backing what they think is the wrong side in the war on terror," it said.
The partial admission was necessary to show that the president was "not faking" the support to the global war on terror, the editorial surmised.
By Minu Jain,
Johannesburg, Oct 3 (IANS) Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa has been selected for the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2005 in recognition of "his contribution towards social and political transformation through dialogue and tolerance", Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced here Monday.
The 75-year-old renowned human rights activist won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.
The prime minister, on a three-day visit of South Africa, made the announcement after inaugurating a permanent exhibition, "M.K. Gandhi: Prisoner of Conscience" at the Old Fort here on the 137th birth anniversary of the Mahatma.
Terming Archbishop Tutu "a follower of the vision of the apostle of peace", the prime minister said: "I have great pleasure in announcing that in recognition of his invaluable contribution towards social and political transformation through dialogue and tolerance - truly Gandhian values - the government of India has decided to award the 2005 Gandhi Peace Prize to him."
New Delhi, Oct 3 (IANS) With Bollywood blockbuster "Lage Raho Munnabhai" spawning a new enthusiasm about Mahatma Gandhi, hundreds of youngsters, many below 10 years, joined politicians and diplomats to pay homage to the father of the nation on his 137th birth anniversary Monday.
The scene at the Rajghat, the memorial to Mahatma Gandhi, was different this year with the large presence of youngsters. The super success of Rajkumar Hirani's "Lage Raho Munnabhai" on the everyday relevance of Gandhi and his teachings of ahimsa and satyagraha - non-violence and passive resistance to fight injustice - has enthused people all over the country to a new awakening on the man whom India calls the father of the nation.
"After watching the movie, I had resolved to visit Rajghat on Gandhi Jayanti. Gandhi was always there as a beacon but this film brought a renewed interest in me. Many youngsters have started relating to him," said 22-year-old Santosh Bhargava, who had come from Meerut.
"I think where books failed to attract the modern Indian youth, the movie has certainly charmed the masses to think of Gandhi and his teachings," added Madhu Tripathi, a college student, who was standing in queue at the memorial.
"The number of youth is much higher than of elders this year. Look at the number of women and children," said Tripathi, pointing to the crowds waiting to enter the mausoleum.
Many school-going children also took time out to visit the memorial.
"My mother told us to visit Rajghat. Along with my five friends, I am waiting till we are allowed by police to enter the place," said Monalisa, a 12-year-old girl.
'Gandhigiri' - a colloquial for Gandhian ideals - of the movie seems to have spun its magic around the psyche of youngsters.
In the morning, President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam led the nation in paying homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat. Kalam paid floral tributes at Raj Ghat. He later paid tributes to former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri at his nearby mausoleum 'Vijayghat' on his 102nd birth anniversary.
Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Information and Broadcasting Minister S. Jaipal Reddy, opposition leader L.K. Advani, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and veteran Gandhian Nirmala Deshpande were among the many to pay tributes to Gandhi Monday morning.
With devotional songs playing in the background, several Gandhians and other people joined school children in paying tributes to Gandhi. Next to the flower-decorated memorial, many people, including children, were participating in a 24-hour spinning event.
Gandhi popularized the charkha, or the spinning wheel, as a symbol of national self-reliance that Indians can make their own cloth and not depend on yarn imported from the textile mills of Britain.
"There is no other figure whom people can adore like Gandhi. India today should follow non-violence and equal opportunity for all as Gandhi taught to fight corruption, terrorism and other social malaise," said veteran Gandhian Y.P. Anand.
Anand, also a former director of National Gandhi Museum, said people today should introspect on the teachings of Gandhi and take lessons from them. "Gandhi is no more but it's up to the people of India to take lessons from him to build a vibrant country," he said.
Representatives of nine religions - Buddhism, Baha'i, Christian, Hindu,Islam, Jain, Judaism, Zoroastrianism and Sikhism - took part in an all-religion prayer meeting at Rajghat.
The hundreds who arrived at Rajghat had to brave the stringent three rounds of security checks as well as the hot sun.
"Even 58 years after his death, the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi have acquired greater importance.
From educational institutes to the film industry, everyone is drawing inspiration from him," said Rajiv Rajasekharan, who has come all the way from Jaipur to pay homage.
"A simple glimpse of the memorial in black marble with 'Hey Ram' (Gandhi's last words) inscribed on it is enough to recharge you to take on untruthful practices," he said.
Several organisations in the national capital like Gandhi Smriti and Gandhi Museum organised special exhibitions of photo and books on Gandhi to create awareness among youngsters about his teachings and his role in helping India gain independence.
Baghdad, Oct 3 (Xinhua) Fourteen people were kidnapped Monday from a market in eastern Baghdad by unidentified gunmen wearing police commando uniforms, said an official.
"Gunmen in seven sport utility vehicles, usually used by Iraqi police, stormed several shops selling computer appliances on Sina'a Street, and seized 14 people," said an interior ministry official.
The attackers fled the scene with the kidnapped people, he added.
On Sunday, unidentified gunmen had stormed a food factory in the al-Amil neighbourhood in southwestern Baghdad and kidnapped 26 workers.
The attackers also took away two refrigerator trucks and two cars from the factory, he said.
New Delhi, Oct 3 (IRNA) Setting a perfect example of communal harmony, 23 Hindu prisoners, four of them women, of Bhagalpur Central Jail are observing Ramadan fast along with Muslim inmates, jail sources said on Monday.
A total of 303 inmates are observing Ramadan fast in the high-security Bhagalpur Central Jail, jail superintendent P K Jha told PTI.
Special food arrangements have been made for prisoners on fast, he said adding that the gesture by Hindu prisoners should set an example to others who want to divide society on communal lines, Jha said.
United Nations, Oct 3 (IANS) India has demanded a lead role for the United Nations in giving direction to comprehensive reform of the international financial, monetary and trading systems to end their domination by a few rich countries.
"The democratic deficit in the international financial architecture can only be addressed through a fundamental reform of the quota structure," Nirupam Sen, Permanent Representative of India, told the UN General Assembly Monday.
Describing it as an absolute necessity for the credibility and legitimacy of international financial institutions, he said the UN should encourage further, effective and time-bound steps for the second stage of IMF quota reform without delay.
Voicing concern at the suspension of the Doha Round of trade negotiations, Sen said many developing countries' problems are not because of inadequate liberalisation or corruption but because developed countries set the agenda and went back on their promises, thereby ensuring that the history of trade negotiations would be a history of broken promises.
Demonstration of political will by developed countries will be required if negotiations are to be saved. A clear political direction to the World Trade Organisation that was not possible in the 2005 World Summit in spite of broad political support remains necessary.
The primacy of development on the global agenda can only be achieved if the UN takes a lead in setting the international economic agenda. The problem is the reform of the UN system, the reinstatement of the UN-driven and development oriented approach, Sen said.
What is needed is the UN overseeing the international economic agenda and promoting the reform of international economic institutions through a revitalized General Assembly, a strengthened Economic and Social Council and a reformed Security Council, he said.
In the IMF, the rich countries, in fact a single rich country has virtually a veto, Sen said in an obvious reference to the United States, noting that the most powerful country appoints the head of the World Bank and, with Western Europe, shares the top two posts of the IMF.
Unless developing countries managed to change things lock, stock and barrel, the organisation may pass out of their hands and they would end up as irrelevant spectators without any rights.
For developing countries, the centrepiece is development. Poverty and conflicts are not only the legacy of the colonial past but a result of the structural policies of the international financial institutions, Sen said.
The present international system takes from the poor - net transfers from developing countries continued to rise for the twelfth consecutive year reaching over US$450 billion, he alleged.
Without addressing the development problems faced by the vast majority of UN members, security in its full sense cannot be achieved, Sen said noting that even though aggregate Official Development Assistance (ODA) reached a record high of $106 billion in 2005, only a small fraction of this actually went to support real investments in countries that need them most.
Welcoming the agreement to monitor the fulfilment of commitments made to provide development assistance, he said India backs all initiatives in support of low-income countries.
Citing recent events in Lebanon, Sen said the main problems that beset peacekeeping are not a lack of resources or even personnel, but an un-representative Security Council, which lacks the political will to act and, when it does, does so in a manner that is entirely inadequate.
There is widespread acknowledgement that no UN reform would be complete without the reform of the Security Council. The Security Council must not only be more representative but also more effective, if it is to satisfactorily perform the role mandated to it by the Charter, Sen said.
Turning to terrorism, Sen said the adoption of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy is a step in the right direction. He called for the early finalisation and adoption of a comprehensive convention on international terrorism.
Meanwhile, taking part in a committee debate, C.K. Chandrappan, MP and a member of the Indian delegation, welcomed the proposal for intensifying global development partnership for helping Africa.
India supports greater efforts through the UN system for assisting the efforts of countries in Africa as well as for addressing the special needs of the least developed countries (LDCs), landlocked developing countries and the small island developing countries, he said.
United Nations, October 3 (NDTV.COM) India has lambasted the 15-member Security Council for failing to meet its obligations of maintaining international peace and security, saying it is the result of its "un-representative" character and consequent lack of political will.
In a sharp criticism of the Council's inaction as the "tragic events" unfolded in Lebanon recently and the Mideast peace process was derailed, Indian Ambassador Nirupam Sen likened the Council to Emperor Neor who was fiddling while Rome was burning.
"The main problem that beset peacekeeping are not lack of resources or even personnel, but an un-representative Security Council which lacks the political will to act and when it does, does so in a manner that is entirely inadequate," he told the United Nations General Assembly.
Asking the Council members to shore up their participation in the peacekeeping operations, Sen said it is a "distressing reflection" on their willingness to share the burden of maintaining international peace and security when overwhelming number of troops in the peacekeeping operations are contributed by the developing nations.
Stressing that reform of the United Nations, which the major power are demanding, would be incomplete without the expansion of the 15-member Council, he said it needs to be made more representative and effective if it is to satisfactorily perform the role mandated to it by the Charter.
It is imperative, Sen said, that any expansion and restructuring of the Council must include developing countries in both permanent and non permanent categories. (PTI)
Pretoria, Oct 3 (IANS) Celebrating the centenary of Gandhi's passive resistance movement satyagraha here, India and South Africa Monday pushed their strategic ties further with two pacts and decided to explore ways to collaborate in civilian nuclear energy.
"South Africa and India reaffirm their commitment to a global order of peace, equality and justice," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and South African President Thabo Mbeki said in a joint declaration.
Called the Tshwane Declaration, the document signed by the two leaders covers a host of issues - from defence and strategic cooperation to economic and cultural ties that go back more than a century.
The declaration had a significant statement on nuclear cooperation stating the two countries agreed that nuclear fuel could play an important role in ensuring safe, sustainable and non-polluting sources of energy to meet rising global demands.
The document not only reaffirmed the inalienable right of all states to the peaceful application of nuclear energy, consistent with global commitments, but also agreed to explore approaches for cooperation with adequate safeguards.
The declaration expressed deep concern over international terrorism and trans-border crime and said India and South Africa would work towards adopting the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism under the UN soon.
"The ultimate objective is total eradication of this scourge so that barbaric attacks such as the ones carried out on July 11, 2006 in Mumbai and other parts of the world do not recur," the two leaders said.
President Mbeki and Prime Minister Singh reiterated their conviction that peace and development were indivisible and good governance was the best-known way to ensure both.
The two countries signed two pacts - for establishing ties between the Indian Railways and South Africa's Spoornet and cooperation in education - and agreed to conclude a preferential trade pact at the earliest.
"It would provide a significant incentive to the business communities of the two countries to explore mutually beneficial commercial opportunities and contribute to the growth of bilateral trade," the two leaders said about the trade pact.
They also categorically said that they would soon sign two pacts - to exempt visa requirements for officials and diplomats and design a programme of cooperation in science and technology.
The two leaders recalled that the Red Fort declaration, signed during Mbeki's visit to India in 2003, had recognised the comparative advantages of the two countries and had resulted in doubling of bilateral trade and investment.
"They acknowledged, however, that the full potential in this regard was yet to be tapped and reaffirmed their determination to explore these opportunities to their optimal extent," the declaration said.
The areas identified included energy, tourism, health, automobiles, components, chemicals, dyes, textiles, fertilisers, information technology, small and medium enterprises and infrastructure.
India was appreciated for its role in establishing the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme and for Manmohan Singh's assurance that the number of such projects in South Africa would be increased from 55 to 100.
The two leaders saluted Gandhi on his 137h birth anniversary - particularly to the global role he played by following the principles of truth, non-violence and self-service that form the core of the philosophy of satyagraha.
"It was the unflinching spirit of Mahatma Gandhi that contributed decisively towards the demise of British Raj (rule); similarly, it inspired the struggle against apartheid," the two leaders said.
Pretoria, Oct 3 (IANS) India and South Africa Monday signed two agreements aimed at consolidating their relationship.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his host President Thabo Mbeki signed here an agreement reaffirming the strategic partnership between the two countries, while Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma and a South African minister inked a pact paving the way for cooperation in education.
Manmohan Singh is on a three-day visit to South Africa.
Madrid, Oct 3 (Xinhua) The Indian team launched a scathing attack on the umpires at the Women's Hockey World Cup here Monday, saying that they were "incompetent and biased".
A statement signed by Indian team manager Anurita Saini said: "Our team has been constantly under pressure from incompetent and biased umpires which has been directly affecting our performance here in the ongoing world cup.
"Level-playing field is the most important of requirements for any team to showcase their potential, which simply did not exist here for us.
"We firmly assert that we have been at the wrong end of many umpiring decisions. We have enough video recordings and statistics to prove beyond doubt our points of view in this respect," the statement said.
The Indian outfit also questioned the arrangement of umpires in the World Cup.
"We object to the fact that though England and the Netherlands are in our pool, umpires from the Netherlands and Scotland are posted for our matches," said the statement.
The Indians' wrath comes after a controversy in their Sunday's game against England, where they were disallowed a goal which they believed should stand.
"We assert that a panel of experts should be constituted to review the goal that was disallowed during half time against England as a special case and the justice to be done to us in the spirit of the sportsmanship and for the glory of hockey," the team claimed.
Islamabad, Oct 3 (NDTV.COM) Indo-Pak Foreign Secretary-level talks, suspended after the July Mumbai blasts, would be held after the holy month of Ramzan.
"The Foreign Secretaries of the two countries are in touch with each other. They have exchanged some ideas," said Tasnim Aslam, Spokesperson, Pakistan Foreign Office.
"The likely time for their meeting is any time after Ramzan," said Tasnim.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf had agreed to resume the Foreign-Secretary level talks after their meeting on the sidelines of the NAM summit in Havana last month.
Foreign Secretary-level talks, scheduled in July last, were postponed at the last minute after the serial train blasts in Mumbai that killed nearly 200 people. (PTI)
Paris, Oct 3 (DPA) In an attempt to resolve a diplomatic impasse over its nuclear energy programme, Iran Tuesday proposed making France a partner in its uranium enrichment activities.Q
"We proposed to France to create a consortium for the production of enriched uranium in Iran," the deputy director of the Iranian Atomic Energy Agency, Mohammad Saeedi, told France Info radio. "In this way France, through its companies Eurodif and Areva, would have a tangible way of checking our activities."
State-owned Areva is the world's leading atomic technology firm and majority owner of the uranium-enrichment company Eurodif. The Iranian Atomic Energy Agency also owns shares of Eurodif, through the French-Iranian company SOFIDIF.
There was no immediate response to the proposal from the French government, which has been involved - with the United States, Britain, Germany, Russia and China - in a long diplomatic tug-of-war with Tehran over its nuclear enrichment programme.
Last year, Iranian authorities made a similar proposal, to create a joint venture for uranium enrichment with foreign partners. However, the offer was rejected.
Iranian authorities insist that they have the right to have an independent nuclear energy programme for civilian purposes, while Western countries, particularly the US, believe Tehran is building a nuclear bomb.
Baghdad, Oct 3 (NDTV.COM) Iraq's prime minister announced a new plan aimed at ending the deepening crisis between Shiite and Sunni parties in his government and uniting them behind the drive to stop sectarian killings that have bloodied the country for months.
The four-point plan, which emerged after talks between both sides, aims to resolve disputes by giving every party a voice in how security forces operate against violence on a neighborhood by neighborhood level.
Local committees will be formed in each Baghdad district made up of representatives of every party, religious and tribal leaders and security officials to consult on security efforts.
A Sunni representative, for example, could raise a complaint if he feels police are not pursuing a Shiite militia after an attack. A central committee, also made up of all the parties, will coordinate with the armed forces.
"We have taken the decision to end sectarian hatred once and for all," Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told reporters. "We have vowed before Almighty God to stop the bloodshed."
Muqtada al-Sadr
In a possible boost to the effort to rein in the violence, a radical cleric who heads one of the most powerful Shiite militias, Muqtada al-Sadr, has ordered his followers to put aside their weapons temporarily, a Sadr spokesman told The Associated Press.
Al-Maliki announced his plan hours after gunmen abducted 14 computer shop employees in a bold, midday attack in downtown Baghdad, the second mass kidnapping in as many days.
The bodies of seven of the 24 captives seized Sunday were found dumped in southern Baghdad. Sunni politicians blamed Shiite militias for both mass kidnappings and demanded the government take action.
Al-Maliki is under increasing pressure to stop the violence, which has killed thousands since February. US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad warned this week that al-Maliki must make progress within the next two months to avert a crisis.
But al-Maliki's administration has been plagued by growing mistrust between its Shiite and Sunni members, who each accuse the other of fueling the bloodshed.
Al-Maliki announced a 24-point reconciliation plan when he took office in May, which laid down ways to tackle violence including an amnesty for militants who put down their weapons as well as security crackdowns. So far, the plan has done little to stem the daily killings.
Sunnis accuse the Shiite-led security forces of turning a blind eye to killing of Sunnis by Shiite militias some of which are linked to parties in the government. Sunnis have accused al-Maliki, a Shiite, of being hesitant to crack down on the militias.
Accusations
Shiites, meanwhile, accused Sunni parties of links to terrorists after a bodyguard of a Sunni party leader, Adnan al-Dulaimi, was arrested by U.S. forces on Friday and accused of plotting al-Qaida bombings. Some Shiite politicians demanded a government reshuffle to push out Sunni parties.
The local committees aim to resolve these disputes.
"We will spare no efforts to succeed in this great initiative which we agreed on today to stop the violence and killings in Baghdad and in all Iraq," al-Dulaimi said at a news conference with al-Maliki.
The two men signed an agreement with other Sunni and Shiite politicians on the four-point plan.
In addition to the local and central committees, the plan calls for establishment of a media committee and a monthly review of progress, al-Maliki said.
However, the new plan does not directly tackle the issue of cracking down on Shiite militias, a step Sunnis demand but many Shiites oppose.
In theory, the committees would give Sunnis a venue to press security forces to take action against militias. But Shiites on the committee would have an equal chance to try to prevent action.
The top parties are to meet Tuesday to work out the details of how the committees will work, but already divisions were showing even over wording. Shiite parties want the new plan to be focused on "terrorism," which would suggest insurgents, while Sunnis want it to address "violence," which would include Shiite militias.
The most well-known of these militias is the Mahdi Army led by al-Sadr, who on Friday ordered his fighters to put aside their weapons temporarily.
He told supporters "the resistance (should) be political. ... he does not want to see a single drop of (Iraqi) blood shed," said Sadr spokesman Amir al-Husseini.
The Mahdi army
The Mahdi Army has been blamed for many attacks on Sunnis since the bombing of a Shiite shrine north of Baghdad in February sparked the wave of sectarian violence.
But U.S. commanders have suggested that since then some militants have split from al-Sadr, saying he is not radical enough and carrying out attacks on their own.
Violence has not slowed in the wake of al-Sadr's orders. A curfew slapped on Baghdad on Saturday after the arrest of al-Dulaimi's bodyguard brought a day of calm. But as soon as it was lifted, violence explode.
More than 50 bodies most bound and many of them showing signs of torture were found in Baghdad alone on Sunday, apparent victims of sectarian killings, police said.
Midday Monday, gunmen wearing military-style uniforms pulled up to a group of computer stores at the Technical University in downtown Baghdad and pulled out 14 employees, forcing them into SUVs and driving off, police said.
Gun attack
On Sunday, gunmen stormed into a frozen meat factory in Baghdad and forced 24 workers into a refrigerator truck, shooting two others who refused to get in.
Hours later, seven bodies were found in a Sunni district of the Baghdad neighborhood of Dora and were identified as workers from the factory. The fate of the other abducted workers was not known. In similar mass kidnappings in the past, the attackers have sorted out Shiites and Sunnis and killed those of the rival sect.
Lawmakers from the Iraqi Islamic Party, a Sunni political group, said the kidnapped workers were all Sunnis and called on the government to act.
"It is the time the government takes serious and urgent steps to disband these criminal organizations and to save the people from their harm," they said in a statement.
At least 20 other people were killed in attacks around Iraq, including a bomb blast in Baghdad's downtown Al-Nasir Square that killed four people and wounded 13, and mortar barrages against two Sunni neighborhoods that killed two people and wounded dozens.
The U.S command said three US Marines died in Anbar province Saturday two in combat and the third in a vehicle accident. A British soldier was killed and another wounded in a mortar attack in the southern city of Basra. One shell hit a nearby house, killing two children.
New Delhi, Oct 3 (IANS) The Left Front will raise the issue of transfer of news agency United News India (UNI) to Zee Television group at a United Progressive Alliance (UPA)-Left coordination meeting Wednesday.
"Apart from other issues, we will also raise the UNI takeover at the meeting," Communist Party of India (CPI) general secretary A.B. Bardhan told IANS Tuesday.
The Left parties, which support the Congress-led government from outside, had sought Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's intervention into the Subhash Chandra-promoted Essel group's decision to take over the trilingual news agency saying the latter was interested in misusing the prime real estate of the wire service that had been allocated to them by the government.
Expressing its apprehensions over the future of the UNI after the takeover, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) politburo has said: "This has been done despite the widespread apprehensions that a news agency which was set up as a Section 25 of the Company Act should not come under the control of any single business house.
"There are grounds to believe that this transaction is inimical to the future of the UNI as a news agency and for its role as a premier news agency."
The Delhi High Court Friday ordered to maintain status quo on the transfer of equity in the company. Following protests from the Left parties as well as the employees of UNI, the government also had suggested that transfer of the shares could be delayed.
The coordination meeting will also discuss the Left Front's reservations on special economic zones (SEZs).
"Our concerns over SEZ will also be a major point of discussion at the coordination meeting," Bardhan said.
Sources in the Left Front said before the coordination committee meeting - which is expected to be held at Manmohan Singh's residence Wednesday evening - the four parties would hold a discussion to sort out the differences among them over the issue.
The Left Front - comprising CPI-M, CPI, Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and Forward Bloc - appears to be divided over the creation of SEZ as the CPI-M favours it with riders but allies oppose these in toto.
"We are completely against the concept," said Bardhan.
At the coordination meeting, the Left leaders are also likely to raise the issue of providing clemency for Mohammed Afzal, who is to be hanged on Oct. 20 for his role in the December 2001 terror attack on parliament.
Although Bardhan said the issue would not be a "particular one" in the meeting, Left party sources said the Communists were likely to express their opposition to death sentence to Afzal.
The Left leaders will also seek a response from the prime minister on the nine-page note, they had delivered to him in June. At the occasion of the UPA government's second year anniversary in June, the Left Front had accused the government of distancing itself from the promises in the common minimum programme, the agenda for governance for the coalition.
New York, Oct 3 (IANS) Limiting your children's television viewing time to one hour or less daily could improve their grades in school, suggests a new study.
Iman Sharif and researchers at the paediatrics department of New York's Children's Hospital at Montefiore and Albert Einstein College of Medicine studied about 4,500 middle-school students in New Hampshire and Vermont, reported the online edition of science magazine WebMD.
In the survey, students reported whether their grades in the previous year were excellent, good, average, or below average. The survey also recorded the time they spent watching TV and playing video games on weekdays and weekends.
They also recorded their access to cable movie channels, parental rules about TV use, experience of watching movies with "R" ratings, self-esteem, rebelliousness, best grades, and least screen time.
The study found that students who spent the least amount of time watching TV and playing video games during weekdays reported the highest grades.
These students were also the most likely to have parents with rules about TV use, and they were the least likely to have watched movies with "R" ratings, it said.
The researchers weighed other influences such as the kids' self-esteem and rebelliousness, their mothers' parenting style, and social or economic factors.
The study, however, does not prove that increased TV time made grades slip. It's possible that the students with the best grades just aren't drawn to TV, and vice versa, the researchers noted.
Sharif and colleagues did not actually check the students' report cards. But said students generally tell researchers the truth about their grades.
Weekend TV watching time was not tied to the students' grades, as there is time for these activities without sacrificing studies.
The researchers stated that the study, published in the journal Paediatrics, may not apply nationwide since it was carried out in just two states.
But the results support the recommendation for parents to limit their middle-school children's TV and video game time to one hour or less daily, Sharif's team added.
New Delhi, Oct 3 (IANS) Legendary Clive Lloyd will be a part of the West Indies team during the ICC Champions Trophy, which starts on Saturday.
The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) in consultations with coach Bennett King and captain Brian Lara took the decision.
"Clive will be in India essentially to support (manager) Tony Howard and the team management," said WICB president Kenneth Gordon in a statement.
As a Board member and chairman of the Cricket Committee of the WICB, Lloyd will explore the opportunities for additional games next year and make his vast experience available to the team.
"It is something we've done before and we know that Clive's vast experience in leading victorious West Indian teams in the past would be an additional asset to the touring team," said Gordon.
New York, Oct 3 (IANS) Low birth weight babies could face more physical, mental and cognitive difficulties as compared to those with normal weight, says a new study.
Low birth weight has been known to increase the risk of disabilities like cerebral palsy and mental retardation.
However, new research suggests that low birth weight may also contribute to minor difficulties in motor skills and cognitive abilities like thinking, learning and memory, reported the Newswise wire quoting a study published in the October issue of Archives of Paediatrics & Adolescent Medicine journal.
The study also said these problems could last till adolescence but added that enhanced maternal-foetal and neonatal care may help them improve.
Agnes H. Whitaker and colleagues at Columbia University Medical Center and New York State Psychiatric Institute studied 474 non-disabled adolescents who were born at or admitted to one of three New Jersey hospitals between 1984 and 1987 and weighed less than 2,000 grams at birth.
The participants, who had an average age of 16 at the time of assessment for the study, underwent intelligence and motor tests at their homes.
Compared with the standardisation sample, or the large group of teens used to provide a reference point for the assessments, the adolescents with low birth weight had more motor problems.
Their IQ scores were within the normal range, but on an average were significantly lower than the average for their age group.
Male participants, who had injuries to the white matter (nerve tissue) of the brain on neonatal ultrasound and who spent more days on a ventilator as infants, were more likely to have motor difficulties, the researchers said.
Social disadvantages, a lower foetal growth ratio (calculated by dividing birth weight by the median weight for the infant's age) and white matter injury, also predicted lower IQ scores.
But the researchers also noted that enhanced maternal-foetal and neonatal care have the potential to substantially improve cognitive and motor outcomes for non-disabled low birth weight children.
Bhopal, Oct 3 (IANS) The death toll rose to 39 in flash floods in Madhya Pradesh's Datia district with 23 more bodies being fished out from the swollen Sindh river. Search is on for the missing people, police said Tuesday.
More than 55 pilgrims were washed away Sunday evening in a flash flood in the Sindh as they were crossing the river on foot to offer prayers on the occasion of Durga Navami at the nearby Ratangarh Mata Mandir.
The flash floods were reportedly caused by the release of water from the nearby Manikheda dam. The authorities had given no prior information on the water release.
Police rescue teams are still searching for the missing pilgrims. The dead include 18 men and women each and a child.
Gwalior Divisional Commissioner Komal Singh, however, denied that the people were swept away due to rise in the water level.
"The question of Sindh water level rising does not arise because power production at the dam site was stopped since Saturday night," Singh told IANS by phone.
Accusing the district administration of callousness, the main opposition Congress has demanded strict action against the district collector and the police superintendent.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced an ex-gratia of Rs.100,000 each to the kin of the victims. He has asked the Datia district collector to enquire into the incident and provide necessary assistance to the affected families.
This is not the first incident of its kind in the state. In April 2005, more than 70 people were killed at Dharaji in Dewas district while taking a dip in the Narmada river on the occasion of Bhutadi Amavasya.
Rome, Oct 3 (IANS) Mahatma Gandhi and his teachings were remembered in the historic Italian city of Narni at an institute of higher studies named after the great leader on his 137th birth anniversary Monday.
A bust of Mahatma Gandhi was unveiled at the Gandhi Institute of Higher Studies in Narni, central Italy, by the Indian Ambassador to Italy Rajiv Dogra.
Mayor of Narni Stefano Bigaroni and Guido Viscione, director of the institute, were also present at the ceremony, according to an Indian embassy press release here.
The bust, made by noted Indian sculptor Ratnabali Kant, was commissioned and gifted by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).
The institute decided to name itself after Mahatma Gandhi in 1987 and since then the students of the school and its teaching establishment have kept the memory of Gandhi alive through their efforts.
Ambassador Dogra also gave away prizes to the first six winners of the Mahatma Gandhi national poetry competition organised by the institute for students all over Italy. The prizes were sponsored by the Indian embassy here. This competition is to now become an annual event.
On the occasion, the institute opened a new section of its library housing books and audio-visual material on India. Dogra also announced, on behalf of ICCR, a new scheme to invite five students from the institute to visit places associated with the life and work of Mahatma Gandhi in India.
After 1987, Oct 2 has always been celebrated in a special way at the institute and at the Narni town hall.
The students of the Narni Institute held a daylong programme celebrating their association with Mahatma Gandhi and emphasising the relevance of his message of non-violence and peace in today's world.
By Minu Jain,
Johannesburg, Oct 3 (IANS) Describing him as the "greatest living Gandhian", Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Monday met former South African president Nelson Mandela here and conveyed to him the good wishes of the people of India.
"It is a privilege to meet you. You are the greatest living Gandhian," Manmohan Singh told the 88-year-old Mandela during the 25-minute meeting that took place on the 137th birthday of Mahatma Gandhi.
"Your contribution to the welfare of millions in Africa and the world is awe inspiring," Manmohan Singh told the South African elder statesman.
The prime minister also conveyed to Mandela the "warmest regards" of the people of India and the "personal regards" of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, the chairperson of India's ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition).
In his remarks, Mandela said he was happy to receive Manmohan Singh, who is here to observe the centenary of the "satyagraha" movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi.
"India and Indians have played a positive role in the growth and development of South Africa," Mandela noted, and also recalled the visit here two years ago of Indian President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
Raipur, Oct 3 (IANS) Four civil militia cadres in Chhattisgarh were killed by guerrillas of the banned Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) in a forested hamlet, police said Tuesday.
Three senior cadres of the government backed civil militia movement, Salwa Judum, (Campaign for Peace), were killed in a landmine explosion set off by the rebels late Monday in insurgency-hit Dantewada district's Usoor police station area, 450 km from here.
"Leftist extremists killed three tribesmen, all between 25 and 30 years, in a landmine blast while a 45-yr-old person was dragged out of his home Monday night and shot dead," a senior police officer told IANS.
Thousands of personnel of the federal police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been carrying out raids since last week at rebel hideouts in Bastar forest - a region considered a Maoist hotbed for over three decades.
"Maoist militants have suffered heavy casualties during recent assaults launched by the CRPF in their strongholds. Now the rebels are killing civilians to vent their frustration due to losses suffered by them," the officer added.
Chhattisgarh is among the 13 worst Maoist-infested Indian states and officials say at least 280 people, mostly tribal civilians, in the state's southern Bastar region have been killed since January.
Maoists claim to fight for rights of poor peasants and landless labourers and have killed hundreds of people and destroyed government properties worth millions in a three-decade old movement that began in 1967.
Tashkent, Oct 3 (IANS) Top seed Maria Elena Camerin of Italy came within a whisker of being upset by a Chinese qualifier but held her nerves to win 6-1, 5-7, 7-5 in the first round of the Tashkent Open tennis tournament here Monday.
Nineteen-year-old Ren Jing, ranked 304 in the world, served for the match in the 10th game of the third set, but three backhand errors cost her the game.
Camerin, not in the best of form herself, made the most of it and won the match, which lasted two hours and 26 minutes.
"It has happened to me also, when I played against much higher-ranked players," said Camerin later.
"The first match (of a tournament) is never easy. I did not play well. The key today was fighting and staying there. I wasn't timing the ball well and she started to play better in the second set."
In other matches, Uzbekistan's Iroda Tulyaganova defeated fifth seed Anastasiya Yakimova of Belarus 6-3 7-6 (7-5) and fourth seed Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine withdrew from the tournament following a wrist injury she suffered while winning the final against Francesca Schiavone at Luxembourg Sunday.
Islamabad, Oct 3 (Xinhua) Pakistan will take action against those responsible for the July 11 serial blasts in Mumbai if India provided evidence against them, an official said here Monday.
"If India has some information suggesting links of some people in Pakistan to these blasts, Pakistan will take action and help India," Foreign Office Spokesperson Tasneem Aslam said.
She, however, said instead of making allegations in media, Pakistan expected India to share solid information so that Islamabad could cooperate with them.
The Mumbai police probing the serial blasts that claimed about 200 lives, said last week that a number of Pakistanis were involved in the attacks that were masterminded by Pakistan's Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI).
In her weekly briefing here, Aslam termed the Indian allegations as propaganda.
"These allegations are like earlier ones which were not based on facts and it is only propaganda of Indian media," she said.
New Delhi, Oct 3 (IANS) Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf overshadowed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Indian TV news channels last week, getting thrice the attention on prime time bulletins, according to a survey.
Between Sep 21-28 - the week when Musharraf released his memoirs in New York - six New Delhi-based Hindi news channels devoted 378 minutes of their prime-time bulletins to the Pakistani president against 114 minutes to Manmohan Singh, the survey by the Centre for Media Studies (CMS) found.
Of the six, NDTV India devoted 164 minutes to Musharraf against just four minutes to the Indian prime minister.
The other channels surveyed were DD News, Zee News, Sahara Samay, Star News and Aaj Tak.
Overall, the Doordarshan news channels devoted 94 minutes to Manmohan Singh against 35 minutes to Musharraf.
On an average, Musharraf got 10 minutes of prime time coverage a day per channel against hardly three minutes for Manmohan Singh.
"No Indian prime minister would have ever got such a coverage in the Pakistani news media as Musharraf often gets in India," a CMS release said Tuesday.
On Sep 25, the day Musharraf released "In The Line of Fire: A Memoir", the six channels devoted 227 minutes to him, and 102 minutes in the four days preceding this.
This included Musharraf's meeting with Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Summit in Havana and the Pakistani leader's meeting with US President George W. Bush in New York, the CMS survey said.
Manmohan Singh also lost out on his birthday - Sep 26 - to veteran actor Dev Anand, who was born the same day.
Dev Anand got 34 minutes in the prime-time bulletins of the six Hindi channels against two minutes and 30 seconds of Manmohan Singh. While NDTV India devoted 24 minutes to the actor, it ignored the prime minister.
Doordarshan was the only saving grace for Manmohan Singh, giving him a minute and 50 seconds against 30 seconds to Dev Anand, even as Zee devoted 30 seconds to the prime minister against seven minutes to the actor.
"Interestingly, both Aaj Tak and Star News did not cover either of the two birthdays in their prime-time news bulletins," CMS noted.
Washington, Oct 3 (DPA) From the frontline of the fight against terrorism, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf offers new details on Al Qaeda plots and unflattering views of his US partners.
In his autobiography, published last week in New York in a remarkable blaze of publicity, Musharraf claims suspected Sep 11 mastermind Khaled Sheikh Mohammed killed or was involved in the January 2002 murder of US reporter Daniel Pearl in Pakistan.
For most of last week, Musharraf was a near constant presence on major US television stations and even appeared on a late-night comedy talk show to promote "In the Line of Fire: A Memoir".
The general writes that Mohammed, captured in Peshawar, Pakistan, a month after Pearl's killing, also told interrogators he suggested that Al Qaeda bomb the London underground - which happened on July 7, 2005.
And Musharraf alleges Al Qaeda planned to hijack jetliners in five Central European countries and Malta in a plot uncovered in 2003 to crash jetliners into London's Heathrow airport, Europe's busiest.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Al Qaeda's former number three and now in US custody, has never officially been linked to Pearl's killing.
The Wall Street Journal reporter was researching a story on Al Qaeda when he was kidnapped in the Pakistani port city of Karachi, lured by Islamic militants who promised him an interview with one of their leaders.
Pearl's abductors videotaped his beheading and dismembered his body. Four militants were convicted of the killing, but Musharraf's claim could be used against Mohammed if the US puts him on trial as President George W. Bush says he wants to.
"The man who may have actually killed Pearl or at least participated in his butchery, we eventually discovered, was none other than KSM, Al Qaeda's number three," Musharraf wrote. "When we later arrested and interrogated him, he admitted his participation."
Mohammed also told interrogators that he suggested to Abu Talha, an Al Qaeda operative, "that the London underground should be targets after the Heathrow operation," Musharraf says.
Al Qaeda never pulled off the Heathrow attack, for which Musharraf says they planned to use airports and national airlines in Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia, Poland, Romania and Malta "because security at these airports and in their aircraft was lax".
Already Croatian Airlines has said that the airline stepped up security after being warned by authorities, though it was unclear when.
Musharraf made waves with his claim that the US threatened after the Sep 11 attacks to bomb Pakistan "back to the Stone Age" if it now failed to side with Washington.
Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, he assumes, is "moving back and forth across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border somewhere".
New York, Oct 3 (ZEENEWS.COM) The 15 million Muslims residing in Europe on Sunday do not pose a threat to European values or politics given the extent of their myriad divisions and internal fragmentation, a new study has said.
This conclusion contradicts analysts and policymakers who after 9/11 fear the impact of Muslims on European politics and policy based on the assumption that a Muslim bloc will soon emerge to dominate the foreign and domestic policies of European states if nothing is done to prevent it.
The findings of the study, coauthored by political scientists -- Carolyn M. Warner and Manfred W. Wenner -- at Arizona state university and entitled "religion and the political organization of Muslims in Europe," appeared in 'perspectives on politics,' a journal of the American Political Science Association (APSA).
The authors explore the diversity that characterizes Muslims in Europe as well as the documented instances of their inability "despite plentiful incentives, opportunities, and pressure to do so" to form coherent political fronts in countries like France and Germany that host large Muslim populations.
"Western fears and criticisms are partly based on serious ignorance of the characteristics of Islam and of the people in Europe who adhere to it," the authors said, pointing out that "Islam is a highly decentralized religion 'structurally biased against facilitating large scale collective action."
In addition, they note Muslim immigrants remain divided by ethnic differences. The upshot is that "religion has failed to be the unifying focal point of Muslims in western Europe," the study said.
The authors discuss several key divisions among Muslims that are "clearly reflected" in the politics of European Muslims.
First, they say, Islam remains split regarding the division of authority between religion and politics, with some favouring it and others opposing.
Second, there exists virtually no organized structure in the majority Sunni religious hierarchy which is dominant among Muslims in Europe. This, they add, makes mobilization a complex issue as there is no established or recognized hierarchy which can encourage unified action. Moreover, the study said, there are four different schools of law in Sunni Islam that co-exist and overlap.
Third, the different national and ethnic backgrounds of Muslims in Europe also shape their view of Islam and capacity to mobilize politically.
"Islam manifests itself differently across and within cultures and societies," state the authors, underscoring the importance of considering "the inter-relationship of the various 'brands' of Islam with the country of origin and ethnicity of its members." Thus, Kurds in Germany respond differently to calls for mobilization than do Turks or Iranians in the same country.
Finally, the unique characteristics of migration patterns by Muslims to particular European countries over time, and the type of political and state structures they encountered, also account for variations in the capacity of Muslims to organize.
Guwahati, Oct 3 (IANS) Myanmar is planning a major military operation to evict Indian separatists from its soil within a week, fuelling fears of heavy fighting in the north of that country, a rebel leader said Tuesday.
Kughalo Mulatonu, a senior guerrilla leader of the S.S. Khaplang faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-K), which is fighting for a tribal homeland in India's northeastern state of Nagaland, said hundreds of Myanmarese soldiers were moving into areas dominated by the rebels. He alleged that India was assisting Myanmar by supplying it with military equipment and ammunition.
Mulatonu said the NSCN-K cadres were alerted and were ready to repulse the military offensive by Myanmar.
"The Myanmarese army is seen setting up bunkers and moving military hardware close to our bases and we expect an assault by them within a week or so," Mulatonu told IANS by telephone from an area bordering Myanmar.
The rebel leader said a brigade (about 3,500 personnel) of troops were being moved to the military-run Myanmar's northern Sagaing Division where the NSCN has at least 50 camps with some 7,000 guerrilla fighters entrenched in fortified bunkers.
"We have spotted 98 trucks, loaded with weapons and ammunition being sent by the Indian government, crossing over to Myanmar through the border town of Moreh in Manipur to aid the junta to crush our bases," the rebel leader alleged.
There were no immediate comments available to confirm the rebel claims of India sending weapons to the Myanmar junta to fight the rebels.
"We are ready to give the Myanmarese military a real taste of our fighting skills," he said.
There has been no immediate confirmation of any military offensive by Myanmar.
At least four other militant groups from India's northeast, where numerous tribal and ethnic groups are fighting for greater autonomy or independence, have training camps in northern Myanmar's thick jungles - all of them sheltered there under the patronage of the NSCN.
In March, Myanmar had launched an assault on NSCN-K bases in the area.
"During the last operations we lost about 20 cadres and our fighters killed at least 30 Myanmarese soldiers in heavy pitched battles. They managed to demolish five of our mobile bases," Mulatonu said.
The NSCN's Khaplang faction has been observing a ceasefire with New Delhi since 2001 although peace talks are yet to begin.
India and Myanmar share a 1,640-km-long unfenced border, allowing militants from the northeast to use the adjoining country as a springboard to carry out hit-and-run guerrilla strikes on federal soldiers.
The rebels say they are seeking to protect their ethnic identities and allege the federal government has exploited the resources in this mineral, tea, timber, and oil-rich region.
More than 50,000 people have lost their lives to insurgency in the northeast since India's independence in 1947.
New Delhi, Oct 3 (IANS) India's IT software and services body has urged Britain's Channel 4 and Star News (India) to cooperate with authorities here and provide basis for allegations of data security lapses in BPO centres.
"We are concerned about the verifiability of such stories, especially sting operations where monetary inducements were provided. These operations sometimes go beyond uncovering wrongdoing and actually induce criminal activity that is then recorded and aired," said Kiran Karnik, president of the National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) in a statement Monday.
"In this particular case, one of the alleged criminals has stated the data he offered for sale was fake. This, and the lack of prompt cooperation by the producer with enforcement agencies, makes difficult the task of bringing to book the criminals involved," said Karnik.
On Thursday, Channel 4 is scheduled to broadcast a programme showcasing security lapses in Indian call centres.
The programme is based on a year-long effort to locate security lapses in India's call centre industry.
In a letter to Dispatches (Channel 4), Nasscom has sought immediate cooperation and "requested details of the allegations which Dispatches intends to make together with the evidence/support documentation that they have".
Dispatches have refused to provide that information.
Stressing the need for Star News and Channel 4's Dispatches to "to cooperate immediately, fully and wholeheartedly" with the Indian authorities, Nasscom has stated that this is very important "in the light of allegations that the programmes have made about finding corrupt staff associated with Indian call centres".
"Whilst there are a lot of unanswered questions, we take any allegation of a breach in our security extremely seriously. It is vital that Dispatches cooperates immediately so the perpetrators of any breach can be brought to justice and that lessons can be learnt," said Nasscom president.
"Nasscom will reach out to the Indian police authorities to investigate the claims made in the programme. The media can help by ensuring that there is no further delay in bringing evidence of their claims to the Indian Police," said Karnik.
"We urge Star News to similarly cooperate and ensure that all information is provided to the police."
Karnik has underlined that "security is a number one priority. India has established an excellent international reputation and under no circumstances will we allow this to be compromised".
Kabul, Oct 3 (DPA) The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces are set to take over the security command of Afghanistan on Thursday, officials said.
The takeover brings an estimated 12,000 US troops, currently on an independent US counter-terror operation in eastern Afghanistan, under NATO command.
The eastward expansion will take NATO into even more volatile and dangerous territory.
NATO is already commanding more forces in north, south and central Afghanistan as well as capital Kabul with more than 20,000 troops.
NATO currently has 20,000 soldiers in Afghanistan as part of its three-year-old International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). The operation includes forces from all 26 NATO nations as well as 11 partner countries.
By K.S. Jayaraman,
Bangalore, Oct 3 (IANS) A five-member team of India-born medical researchers in the United States has discovered what may become a potent new weapon in the fight against colon cancer.
The scientists from the University of Texas succeeded in stopping colon cancer growth in mice by halting the activity of a single enzyme called aldose reductase.
Blocking this enzyme shuts down the toxic network of biochemical signals that promotes inflammation and colon cancer cell growth, the scientists reported in the latest issue of journal Cancer Research.
They showed that blocking the production of aldose reductase halts the growth of human colon cancer cells implanted in laboratory mice.
"By inhibiting aldose reductase we were able to completely stop the further growth of colorectal cancer tumour cells," they said. Colon cancer is the second leading cancer killer in the US.
The team included senior author Satish Srivastava and his colleagues - Ravinder Tammali, Kota V. Ramana, Sharad S. Singhal and Sanjay Awasthi.
In their experiments on mice, the researchers implanted human colon cancer cells beneath the skin of "nude mice" - a hairless and immune-deficient variety commonly used in medical research.
Tumour progression stopped completely in the mice treated with genetic material known as small interfering RNA (or "siRNA") that was engineered to prevent cells from making the aldose reductase enzyme.
The treated mice seemed unharmed by the procedure. In contrast, the untreated control animals experienced uncontrolled tumour growth, they reported.
The researchers, however, point out that the gap between a brand new procedure that works in nude mice and one that works in humans is considerable.
New York, Oct 3 (IANS) Obese people may become addicted to food in a similar way that a drug edict is hooked onto drugs, says a new study that examined the brain scan of a few obese people.
Gene-Jack Wang and colleagues at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York studied seven obese people who were fitted with electrical devices designed to fool them into feeling full by making their stomachs stretch, reported the online edition of New Scientist.
The implanted devices, known as "gastric stimulators", provide low-level electrical stimulation to the vagus nerve, which runs from the stomach to the brain.
When the device is switched on, the vagus nerve stimulation causes the stomach to expand and produce peptides that sends a message of "fullness" to the brain.
"We know that if we eat, our stomach sends a signal to the brain via the vagus nerve. The ingredients of food touch the wall of the stomach and the signal goes through to the brain to say 'eat more' or 'eat less'," explained Wang.
"But we wanted to know which area of the brain the signal goes to," he said.
So the participants were given radioactive sugar so that they could use a scanner to see which parts of the brain were active, by tracing where the sugar was metabolised in the brain.
The seahorse-shaped parts of the brain called hippocampus were activated in the people the same way it gets activated in drug edicts when they crave for cocaine, the researchers said.
"It (The hippocampus) is the area related to memory and the reward system. The areas lighting up were areas activated in drug addicts. It's very similar to what triggers the craving for cocaine," said Wang. So despite receiving the "full" signal, they still have the craving for more.
The findings help explain why it is so difficult to retreat from obesity. "We now know the decision to eat involves emotions and the cognitive system too. This study shows how the brain tries to manipulate the body and not the other way around," Wang noted.
It is difficult for an obese person to diet because they can't suppress the craving to get their next "fix" even when physiologically, they're getting a "full" signal from the stomach, the researcher added.
Such people may continue to feel hungry, even when they have eaten an amount that would satisfy the hunger of a healthy person.
Punjab Human Rights Committee's Report
Released on: 30.9.06
Punjab Human Rights Committee's Report on Cold Blooded Murder of a Muslim Youth on 20-21st night.
Even after the end of terrorism in Punjab, functioning of some senior officers of Punjab police still remains the same without any accountability and responsibility.
On the information of murder of a youth in Giana village about 40km from Bhatinda on the night between 20-21.9.06 by the Special Task Force police men (STF), The Punjab Human Rights Committee (PHRC) formed a three member panel to investigate this cold blooded murder.
The panel comprised of Punjab Human Rights Committee General Secretary Ved Parkash Gupta, Mr. Balwinder. S. Bhullar social worker and Mr. Sukhjit Singh (Neena).
The panel visited villages Giana, Kanakwal and townships Rama Mandi and Talwandi Saboo in Bhatinda district and interviewed and interacted with common people and the police officers in this connection. The panel heard the eye witness account of Jagsir Singh one of the occupants of the truck who was fortunate enough to escape death at the hands of STF men. The panel also met the first man who saw the blood covered body of the youth lying in a truck and had reported to the police at Rama Mandi. He told the panel that the villagers heard indiscriminate firing which started between Kanakwal and Giana.
PHRC panel's findings are as under:
According to the findings of the PHRC panel four persons including the driver of the truck were coming from Bhagu village in Haryana. They were bringing a bull in the truck. At Kanakwal village the personal of the Special Task Force (STF) signaled them to stop. According to the facts collected by the panel, this STF is nothing but a group of about one dozen loyal and trusted policemen formed by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ferozepur range. This STF is personally controlled and run by the IGP. The STF is not answerable to any one but the IGP only. This force has been working in all the six districts of Ferozepur range independently without any connection, cooperation or coordination with the Senior Superintends of Police (SSPs) of these districts. The working of this STF is very dubious. A few instances when this force directly interfered in the working of the district police have come to the notice of the panel.
The driver of the truck panicked and did not stop and tried to flee as they had stolen a bull from somewhere in Haryana. The STF men chased them in their own vehicle toward village Giana. The STF started unprovoked indiscriminate firing on the truck. This indiscriminate firing was heard by the villagers and the fact substantiated by a panchayat member Raj Singh. The truck driver did not stop even then. The STF police tried to overtake the truck but their vehicle grazed with the truck, which infuriated the policemen. Then they fired at the tyre of the truck and punctured it. Even after the puncture of the tyre the truck covered some distance from village Giana. Ultimately the truck got stuck in the Kutcha road and stopped. The STF men pounced upon the truck one of the constables gave a lathi blow on the glass panel of the driverÂ’s seat and shattered it. Then they pulled out the driver and tied his hands behind his back. They gave him a sound beating.
When the STF men inspected the truck they found the blood covered dead body of one of the four occupants of the truck. They panicked and tried to put the blame of the murder of the youth upon them in vain. After some deliberations the STF men released the tied driver and left the place in their vehicle leaving the truck with the dead body of the youth there.
A panchayat member of village Giana S. Raj Singh dared to find out the cause of so much firing in the early hours that night. In the morning he saw the truck and found the blood covered body of the youth. He immediately informed the Rama Mandi police as well as DSP Talwandi Saboo about the incident. The Rama Police took the truck as well as the dead body of the youth in its custody.
Jagsir Singh one of the four occupants of the truck who was released by the STF men informed the relatives of Namim Khan at Muzaffarpur in Utter Pradesh on phone. Namim Khan was a Muslim youth in his twenties who was shot dead by STF firing. About one dozen near and dear ones of the youth Namim Khan reached Bhatinda on 22nd evening along with Jagsir Singh who escaped death at the hands of STF men. Jagsir Singh narrated the whole story to the press men as well as to the PHRC panel in detail. He also told that the STF men have snatched his mobile set no. 9814876110 also.
The panel also met the SHO Rama police station, also inspected the bullet ridden body of the truck number GLIG 4100 there. The right side of the rear of the truck was still covered with blood. The blood of the victim trickled down covering even the number plate of the truck. The panel also talked to Mr. Gurmit Singh DSP Talwandi Saboo in whose area the village Giana falls.
The police got the postmortem of the dead body and hurriedly cremated it without taking the trouble of identifying the dead person.
The panel interviewed SHO Rama Mandi and DSP Talwandi Saboo, the panel found both these officers hesitant to tell the whole truth behind the firing and the resultant death of a youth on the night of 20-21.9.06. Some police constables on condition of anonymity informed the panel that firing and the murder of the youth is the work of STF. The panel wanted to know some more in detail about the STF from here and there. Some other persons connected with the police department were also interviewed. The facts collected from all these persons about STF working by the team have already been mentioned.
The local police of Rama Mandi and Talwandi Saboo was not informed in advance by the STF about their movements in the area and setting up check post there. The panel noted that the STF men deliberately did not inform the local police there about the firing and the death of a youth in the early hours of 20-21 September 06. They must have thought that the case would be hushed up as nobody knew any thing at that time.
Mr. Varinder Kumar SSP Bhatinda ordered immediate probe into the incident. From the quick result of the investigation ending in the arrest of one Surjit Singh ASI Ferozepur and Lakhvir Singh head constable Bhatinda, it appears that Bhatinda police must be knowing about the activities of the so called STF men in the area. Surjit Singh ASI is the leader of STF and Lakhvir Singh as its trusted member. Both have been arrested under section 302 IPC.
It is to be noted here that Bhatinda is a developing area and is a good place for minting money. The IGP and DIG both have shifted their offices from their head quarters at Ferozepur and Faridkot respectively to Bhatinda city.
Panel has many questions to be asked and probed. Was working of STF in the knowledge of district authorities? Why other STF men not identified and arrested? What was the hurry to cremate the body of the youth without making efforts to find out his identity?
The Punjab Human Rights Committee after thorough investigation, interaction with villagers, eye witness account of Jagsir Singh and circumstantial evidences has concluded that STF men were responsible of murder of youth Namim Khan. PHRC panel has demanded a thorough investigation into the formation, control and activities of this STF and the arrest of other members who were present at the time of firing resulting in death of a youth near Giana.
The PHRC panel has apprehensions that the powerful and mighty officers may be successful in hushing up the case or pressurize the victims for a compromise and retract their statements given the press and the Panel.
Copies of this report are being sent to Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, Chief Justice Supreme Court of India, Chief Justice Punjab and Haryana High Court, Chairman National Human Rights Commission, CBI, CVC, Chairman Punjab State Human Rights Commission, Chief Minister of Punjab and Director General Police Punjab for thorough investigation to punish the guilty.
Report released by:
Ved Parkash Gupta.
Punjab Human Rights Committee,
5042, Afim Wali Gali, Bhatinda. Punjab.
Ph. 0164-2253903.
E-Mail - vitull@sancharnet.in
Members of the panel:
Mr. Ved Parkash Gupta,
General Secretary, Punjab Human Rights Committee.
.
Mr. Balwinder Singh Bhullar,
Social Worker.
Mr. Sukhjit Singh (Neena),
Farmer.
Bhubaneswar, Oct 3 (IANS) Orissa has sent blood samples of at least 24 people, suspected to be suffering from chikungunya, a viral fever caused by mosquitoes, to the National Institute of Virology in Pune.
"We have collected blood samples from 10 people in the coastal district of Cuttack in the last fortnight. We also collected blood samples from four people in Ganjam and 10 from Gajapati in the past two months," M.N. Debata, the state's joint director of health told IANS Tuesday.
We have not yet received any report, he said.
"Although we suspect them to be chikungunya, no dengue case has been reported from any part of the state so far," he said.
The state had two confirmed chikungunya case in February, this year.
Islamabad, Oct 3 (Xinhua) Pakistan and the US have concluded the much-publicised deal of F-16 fighter planes, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) said Monday.
"The ongoing negotiations regarding F-16s have culminated in the signing of letter of acceptance between the governments of Pakistan and US of America on Sep 30, 2006 at Rawalpindi," a PAF statement said.
"The package includes the supply of 18 new F-16s, upgraded used F-16s, upgradation of the present fleet of PAF F-16s, air-to-air and air-to-ground weaponry and other support infrastructure," the statement said.
"Subsequent to the signing of letter of acceptance, the supply of aircraft and weapons to Pakistan will take place in due course of time," it said.
Reports said the deal is part of a $5 billion arms package for Pakistan, which includes F-16 fighter jets and an assortment of air and ground weaponry.
The Bush administration has received congressional approval for selling 18 new F-16 jets to Pakistan.
Datia, Oct 3 (NDTV.COM) Bodies of 35 pilgrims, who were washed away by strong currents in Sindh river at Ratangarh, have been fished out.
The state government has announced a compensation of Rs one lakh each to the kin of the deceased.
Among the deceased were 20 women and a child. Nine persons have been identified till now.
While relatives of missing pilgrims anxiously waited on the river banks, senior officials closely monitored the entire operation in the remote area.
Strict action
The pilgrims were crossing the river to attend religious ritual on the ninth day of Durga festival at Mandula Devi temple when water was allegedly released from Manikheda dam in adjoining Shivpuri district, leading to the mishap.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has asked state Home Secretary to conduct a probe into circumstances that led to the incident and promised strict action against the guilty.
Meanwhile, the state Congress termed the steps inadequate and demanded Rs 10 lakh compensation to kin of the deceased and a judicial probe into the mishap, alleging sudden release of water from the dam without prior intimation.
Rio de Janeiro, Oct 3 (NDTV.COM) A single-engine plane crashed in northeast Brazil after hitting a vulture, killing all three people aboard, the plane's owner said.
The plane crashed just before landing at the airport in Pinheiros, 3,000 KM northeast of Rio de Janeiro, owner Litoranea Taxi Aereo said.
The accident comes just three days after the largest air disaster in Brazilian history, in which a Boeing 737-800 from Brazil's Gol airline crashed on Friday in the Amazon rain forest killing all 155 people aboard.
Yesterday's plane left the Maranhao state capital of Sao Luis, 80 KM from Pinheiros, and had been transporting money to local banks.
It crashed in a forest about 100 metres from the landing strip, according to the National Civil Aviation Agency's web site.
"Because the airport in Pinheiros is near a garbage dump, it is pretty common to have vultures swarming around the planes," said Edson Santos, an administrator at Litoranea.
"But we have never had a crash like this before." (AP)
London, Oct 3 (IRNA) Peace campaigners have held a demonstration outside the largest US Air Force base in Britain demanding removal of over 100 American weapons stationed at the base in eastern England.
"There are B61 bombs stored at the base which are ten times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb," vice-president of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), Bruce Kent, was quoted as saying.
"Their existence is an obstacle to nuclear disarmament which is the issue in front of us," he said.
The protest at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk on Sunday is part of the Europe-wide action of peace campaigners against the storage of NATO nuclear weapons held in the continent.
CND Chairperson Kate Hudson said that NATO was a "cold war relic which should have been disbanded when the Warsaw Pact was dissolved" in 1991.
"It is a nuclear-armed organization with a first-strike policy which is a dangerous provocation in today's world. US nuclear weapons, under the guise of NATO, have no place in Britain," Hudson said in a statement.
The rally comes after demonstrations were held last month at a US sister base in nearby Mildenhall to protest against Britain being used as a transit for American flights carrying weapons for the Israeli regime.
Peace campaigners said that Britain's top air force base was used for controversial US arms shipments to fuel Israel's continuing bombardments of Lebanon and Gaza.
Jeddah, Oct 3 (NDTV.COM) US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday where she met Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal and King Abdullah in the western city of Jeddah.
The stop in Saudi Arabia is the first leg of Rice's tour of the Middle East, with stops in Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian territories lined up for the days ahead.
Eight US-allied Arab countries are banding together to meet Rice in Cairo on Tuesday, in hopes of reviving the deadlocked Arab-Israeli peace process and making headway on other regional issues.
During the meeting, the ministers of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, Egypt and Jordan are expected coordinate efforts to buttress the stature of the moderate Palestinian leader and stem Iran's growing influence.
The trip comes as Arab countries have in recent weeks halted dealings with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
They want it to join a unity government that supports a 2002 Arab League plan that would offer peace to Israel in exchange for land and they've even started funnelling aid through Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, according to Arab diplomats.
The goal of the secretary of state's tour is to push ahead the US democratisation agenda and discuss threats to stability in the region such as Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah, Rice's spokesman has said.
But the Arab ministers' priority according to officials and media reports in the region - is relaunching peace talks.
Kannur, Oct 3 (ZEENEWS.COM) Adiraja Sainaba Ayisha Bi assumed charge as `sultana` of the Arakkal clan, the only Muslim royal family in South India, at a solemn function here on Sunday.
Documents relating to the palace and the erstwhile dynasty were handed over to Ayisha Bi at the durbar hall of the renovated Arakkal Palace facing the Arabian Sea.
The dynasty became prominent for fostering healthy martime relations with Lakshadweep and foreign rulers and played a pivotal role in the history of the region for centuries.
Eighty-year old Ayisha Bi, the senior most member of the royal family assumed charge of the clan after the demise of Sultana Adiraja Ayisha Muthubi at the age of 84 last Wednesday.
The function was attended, among others, by local MP A P Abdulla Kutty, the district collector and chairperson of District Tourism Promotion Council, Ishita Roy and representatives of Chirakkal royal family, with whose lady member the Arakkal family had entered into wedlock and became seat of convergence of Hindu-Muslim religious customs and conventions.
Kabul, Oct 3 (DPA) Two suicide bombings in the Afghan capital Monday wounded three foreign soldiers and several civilians.
Three soldiers of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and three local Afghan civilians were injured when a suicide bomber detonated explosives attached to his body close to a convoy of troops about 800 metres from the US embassy here.
Another suicide bomber blew himself up and injured three people at Kabul's Mekroyan Square, which has suffered a series of suicide bombings in recent weeks, the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) agency reported.
The bombings followed a grenade attack on a mosque in eastern Afghanistan's Ningarhar province Sunday night in which eight worshippers were hurt.
The attack on a congregation offering special Ramadan prayers, took place in Akhund village, some 40 km east of the provincial capital Jalalabad, said Habibullah, chief officer of Rodaat district.
Washington, Oct 3 (DPA) Six people were dead at a small, one-room school run by one of America's most peaceful communities, the Amish of Pennsylvania, media reports said.
The shooting occurred before 11 a.m. in the farming town of Nickle Mines, Lancaster County, in a rural schoolhouse that housed 27 children of Grade 1 to 8.
KYW radio of Philadelphia quoted the Lancaster County coroner Gary Kirchner as saying there were "six confirmed dead" and a number of helicopters arriving at Lancaster General Hospital with shooting victims.
State police spokesman Corporal Ralph Striebig earlier said he did not know the exact number of dead but confirmed that the shooter had been killed, KYW radio reported.
Victims of the shooting at the Wolf Rock school were taken to two area hospitals, KYW reported.
The violence was the third US school shooting in less than a week that has killed a student and the killer in a Colorado high school and a teacher in a Wisconsin school. In Las Vegas on Monday, two schools were shut down after reports that a student was seen carrying a gun.
The Amish religious sect spurns electricity and motorised vehicles in their farming communities. Horse-drawn ploughs cultivate the fields, and during the days of the military draft, young Amish boys were exempted from service as conscientious objectors to violence.
Most Amish, whose mother tongue is a dialect of German called Pennsylvania Dutch, have neither phones nor televisions in their homes.
Televised images showed clusters of Amish leaning together and weeping outside on a brisk fall morning - the women in long black dresses with bright coloured aprons and white bonnets, the men in straw hats and suspenders.
Rescue workers were combing the fields, followed by a herd of white horses, possibly looking for children who had fled, television footage showed.
By Minu Jain,
Pretoria, Oct 3 (IANS) India can expect support from South Africa when its civil nuclear agreement with the United States comes up before the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), South African President Thabo Mbeki indicated in no uncertain terms to visiting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here Monday.
The two leaders, who met in the South African legislative capital for bilateral talks that followed two days of interaction in Durban in connection with the 100th anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi's satyagraha, discussed the possibility of civilian nuclear cooperation during their 75-minute talks.
While the restricted meeting between the two leaders and select officials went on for 50 minutes, several South African ministers, including the trade and industry minister, joined later for the delegation level talks.
They signed a joint declaration reaffirming the strategic partnership between South Africa and India. An agreement on education was signed by Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma and South African Education Minister Naledi Pandor. The two countries were initially supposed to sign three agreements.
"After it (the deal) is passed by the US Congress, it will go before the Nuclear Suppliers Group of which South Africa is a member. I hope that when that happens, South Africa will take a sympathetic view of India's concerns," Manmohan Singh told reporters at a joint press conference with Mbeki.
Mbeki responded by saying: "We have discussed the matter. We are all awaiting the outcome of the processes at the US Congress."
"South Africa has no problem in that. When the matter is to be decided, South Africa will surely support it," he added, saying that the matter had been discussed by the NSG in its meeting in Brazil.
The issue of UN reforms came up as well in the talks.
"During our discussions, we decided to strengthen our cooperation in the reform of the UN system and, in particular, reform and expansion of the UN Security Council, without which the overall reform of the United Nations will remain incomplete," Manmohan Singh said in his opening remarks.
Asked whether India would support South Africa as a permanent member of the Security Council, he said: "South Africa is eminently entitled to that place by virtue of its standing."
Mbeki added in a humorous aside later to a question on satyagraha - the passive resistance movement that Mahatma Gandhi began here a century ago - that it was not necessary for India and South Africa to mobilize a campaign of civil disobedience. "We'll use other means (for reforms in the Security Council)."
The South African president also laid stress on the need for sharing information on terrorism during the brief media interaction.
Referring to the 7/11 Mumbai blasts and the subsequent investigations, Mbeki said "the kind of work in Mumbai becomes important for our own law enforcement agencies".
"We would want to draw strongly on India's experience," he added, and laid forward the supposition that if the terrorist had flown in from South Africa and information was being shared then such acts could possibly be prevented.
"Sharing must be done as extensively as possible."
"When any act of terror occurs, surely the war against terrorism has not been won," Mbeki declared.
In his opening remarks, the president expressed satisfaction at the trade and investment relations but qualified that by saying: "It is clear that more can be done in that area."
Bilateral trade between the countries is nearly $4 billion with South Africa being India's largest trading partner in the African continent.
The India-South Africa CEOs' Forum holds its third meeting here to "provide further momentum to our economic cooperation in the jointly identified priority sectors", Manmohan Singh said.
London, Oct 3 (IANS) Prominent industrialist Lord Swraj Paul will take over as the chancellor of the University of Westminster in October, official sources here said.
Lord Paul of Marylebone will assume office as the first chancellor of the university in a ceremony at London's Banqueting House.
The name of Indian-born businessman Lord Paul, 75, was announced as the university's first Chancellor in March.
He is chairman of Caparo Group, involved in global steel, engineering and property development business
The University Vice-Chancellor Geoffrey Copland said: "The university is honoured that Lord Paul agreed to be our first chancellor. He has been a strong supporter over the years and his commitment to diversity and to international education and partnerships is well-known."
Bangkok, Oct 3 (DPA) Thailand's ousted prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, resigned Tuesday as leader of the party he founded, Thai Rak Thai, saying the move was necessary in light of the new political climate brought on by the country's Sep 19 coup.
In a hand-written note faxed to the party's Bangkok headquarters from London Tuesday, the former prime minister thanked his party's faithful and apologised to them for resigning.
"Because of the political change brought on by the coup, all the executives of the party should show sacrifice by resigning. This will give a chance for the selection of a new executive board," Thaksin wrote.
In his letter, Thaksin declared his loyalty to the Thai king and constitution and blamed his enemies in the People's Alliance for Democracy for dividing the country.
"I have based my work on giving benefit of the Thai people and the Thai nation," he said, adding that he had worked hard to maintain peace in the country.
Thai Rak Thai, which means "Thais Love Thais", was founded by Thaksin in 1998 and came to dominate Thailand's politics. It won landslide victories in the 2000 and 2005 general elections by record margins.
But since last month's coup many party leaders had already resigned and its alleged corruption has come under scrutiny by a counter-corruption commission appointed by the leaders of the military junta that overthrew the Thaksin government.
Thaksin signed his letter Lieutenant Colonel Thaksin Shinawatra, the rank he held in the Royal Thai Police before he went on to become a telecommunications tycoon and populist politician.
Thaksin was in the United States when the coup was hatched and flew shortly afterwards to London, where he maintains one of his residences.
United Nations, Oct 3 (IANS) India's nominee Shashi Tharoor bowed out of the race for UN secretary general after South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon won Monday's crucial straw poll with no opposition from any of the five veto-bearing powers.
Ban received 14 "encourage" and one "no-opinion" votes in the informal poll among 15 Security Council ambassadors on seven candidates vying for the job to replace Kofi Annan, who leaves office Dec 31.
For the fourth time in a row Shashi Tharoor, 50, currently UN undersecretary-general for public information, finished second with 10 votes in favour - same as in the first two ballots, but two more than in the last one.
Tharoor's candidature sank as there was one veto-holding member among the three voting against him. Two others had "no opinion". To be recommended to the General Assembly, a candidate must get at least nine positive votes and no veto in the Security Council.
With Ban's selection nearly assured, thanks to his practically unbeatable lead over his six competitors in the poll, Tharoor made it clear he was withdrawing from the race.
"I have written to Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon to express my warmest congratulations on the outcome of the poll," Tharoor said. "It is clear that he will be our next secretary-general.
Tharoor told reporters he would "strongly support" Ban because "the United Nations and the world has a stake in his success."
In third place was Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga, the only woman and non-Asian in the race, with five positive votes, two less than in the last straw poll.
An official poll is expected to be held on Oct 9 after which the 192-member UN General Assembly must approve the council's recommendation.
The informal poll was the fourth held since July and the first to distinguish between permanent members and the other 10 nations, elected for two-year terms.
Council members marked ballots to "encourage, discourage or express no opinion" as in three previous informal polls. Each member could vote for more than one of the seven candidates.
The five permanent members with veto power - the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China -used blue-coloured ballots, while the 10 rotating members used white ones.
Khan Younis, Oct 3 (NDTV.COM) An Israeli airstrike early on Tuesday morning hit a building in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis, wounding three people, Palestinian officials said.
The building housed a metal workshop that belonged to a man affiliated with Hamas, Palestinian officials said.
The Israeli army said the strike targeted a building used to make weapons for militants.
Izmir, Oct 3 (NDTV.COM) An explosion at a cafe in the Aegean port city of Izmir injured at least seven people on Monday, police said.
The explosion occurred at the Alsancak Cafe in the affluent district of Alsancak, police said. The cause of the explosion was not immediately clear, police said.
Kurdish, leftist and radical Islamic militants are active in Turkey, and have carried out bomb attacks in the past.
On Sunday a bomb exploded outside a hospital in the Mediterranean port city of Mersin, injuring three people.
Sunday's attack came on the first day of a new unilateral ceasefire declared by autonomy-seeking Kurdish rebels on Saturday.
The group, the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, declared the ceasefire starting on Oct. 1, in "the hopes of starting a democratic process for the solution of the Kurdish problem."
The declaration followed a surge of rebel violence that has killed more than a dozen soldiers and policemen in recent weeks.
Militants believed to be linked to the rebels have also bombed tourist resorts, killing three and injuring more than a dozen tourists.
Militant leftist and Islamic groups are also active in Turkey.
Mumbai, Oct 3 (IANS) Dimitry Trusunov of Russia defeated Thomas Berdych of Czech Republic to lift the singles title in the inaugural Kingfisher Airlines Tennis Open Tournament here Monday.
In the final at the Cricket Club of India courts, Berdych won 6-3, 4-6, 7-6.
The doubles crown went to the India-Croat pair of Mahesh Bhupathi and Mario Ancic who defeated the Indian pair of Rohan Bopanna and Mustafa Ghouse 6-4, 6-7, 10-8 in the finals.
Stockholm, Oct 3 (DPA) Andrew Z. Fire and Craig C. Mello of the US have won this year's Nobel Prize for Medicine in recognition of their discovery of gene silencing by double-stranded RNA, it was announced here Monday.
The Karolinska Institute cited their discovery of RNA interference in awarding them the 10-million-kronor ($1.37-million) prize.
The award winners have discovered "a fundamental mechanism for controlling the flow of genetic information", the institute said.
RNA interference features in plants, animals and humans and is of great importance for regulating gene expression. It also participates in defence against viral infections and keeps so-called "jumping genes" under control, it noted.
RNA interference is also used in basic science to study how genes function and may perhaps in future offer therapies for cardiovascular diseases and cancer, according to the institute.
The American scientists first published their findings in the scientific journal Nature in 1998, opening a new research field.
Professor Bertil Daneholt of the Karolinska Institute's Department of Cell and Molecular Biology told the Swedish radio that the discovery centred on a completely new mechanism to regulate gene activity.
"I was very happy," Fire told the Swedish radio, minutes after being notified by the Karolinska Institute. "At first one doesn't believe it, could be dreaming or a mistake, but guess it is not. Wonderful point to be in."
Fire added that he aims to continue with his research and teaching.
Fellow-laureate Mellow told Swedish radio that "it is still sinking in, I can hardly believe it" after being notified.
Both award winners, who equally share the prize money, said they hope to attend the awards ceremony in Stockholm on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death.
Mellow, reached at his home in Boston, said he was "very surprised because I am fairly young and thought there were so many other discoverers worthy of a Nobel Prize".
Fire, born in 1959, earned his PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is now professor of pathology and genetics at Stanford University School of Medicine in California.
Mello, born in 1960, earned his doctorate at Harvard University, and is professor of molecular medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
The Nobel prize for medicine or physiology was the first of this year's awards to be announced. Prizes are also awarded for physics, chemistry, literature, economics and peace.
The physics prize was slated to be announced Tuesday.
Srinagar, Oct 3 (IANS) Police gunned down two top Hizbul Mujaheedin guerrillas in Jammu and Kashmir's Budgam district early Tuesday.
According to Farooq Ahmed, deputy inspector general of police (Kashmir Range), the police and paramilitary troops raided a house in Chadoora, 30 km from here, on specific information.
"The hiding guerrillas opened fire on the raiding party. The security forces returned the fire and in the ensuing gun battle two militants of the Hizbul Mujaheedin were killed. One police man was injured," Ahmed told IANS.
The two guerrillas were identified as Muhammad Ashraf Ganai, district commander of the outfit, and Naseer Ahmad Wani.
Arms and ammunition, including two AK-47 rifles, one pistol, eight magazines, one grenade thrower and a wireless set were recovered from the two slain men.
"Search in the area is continuing for other terrorists," Farooq said.
Manila, Oct 3 (DPA) The death toll in continuing bad weather in the Philippines, including a powerful typhoon that battered a large portion of the country last week, has reached 219, disaster relief officials said Tuesday.
Seventy-two people were still reported missing in landslides caused by typhoon Xangsane in the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon, an industrial area collectively called Calabarzon just outside Manila.
The Calabarzon area has so far posted the most number of killed at 147, including six people who died in flashfloods and landslides in Antipolo City and Teresa town in Rizal on Monday evening following continuous heavy rains.
Twenty-three people were also killed when a passenger mini-bus sank in a swollen river in the central province of Iloilo on Monday, police said. Seventeen others were reported missing in the accident.
While Xangsane has already left the Philippines, the weather bureau said the continuing bad weather was due to a new storm skirting the country's extreme northern region and the southwest monsoon.
Xangsane, the worst typhoon to hit metropolitan Manila in a decade, also killed 25 people in the eastern region of Bicol, nine in the capital, 11 in the central region of Visayas, and four in northern provinces.
The typhoon destroyed crops and infrastructure worth at least 1.33 billion pesos ($20.66 million), including 208,442 houses and thousands of school buildings. More than 96,000 people were staying in evacuation centres.
New Delhi, Oct 3 (IRNA) Visiting Chief Secretary of the UK Treasury Stephen Timms has expressed firm optimism on the proposed secretary general-level dialogue between the ruling Bangladesh National Party (BNP) and the opposition Awami League.
He expressed his optimism while talking to newsmen emerging from a courtesy call on Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia at her office Sunday afternoon, The New Nation reported from Dhaka.
Stephen Timms said he had "very good discussions" with Khaleda Zia which covered growing bilateral relations, development assistance and the forthcoming general elections in Bangladesh.
The British cabinet minister said his country believed the next polls in Bangladesh would be free and fair and would have the participation of all parties.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia sought British assistance in exploration of oil and gas and other mineral resources in Bangladesh.
She appreciated the commitment of the British government to provide Bangladesh with financial assistance for development of primary education.
Begum Khaleda Zia said the "school meal" program was her priority and that UK assistance in this program would help it improve further.
She also sought British assistance in training of civil servants and nurses.
The British minister, who praised Dhaka as a beautiful and big city, said the prime minister told him about her plan to construct more fly-overs, underpasses, overpasses and elevated expressways.
Stephen Timms appreciated Bangladesh's achievements in education, health, women empowerment, infrastructure development, poverty reduction and economic growth.
The prime minister's principal secretary, Dr Kamal Siddiqui, and British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Anwar Chowdhury were present during the meeting.
London, Oct 3 (IRNA) A British soldier has been killed during an attack at a UK base in Basra, southern Iraq, on Monday, bringing the total death toll of UK troops to 119 since the US-led invasion in 2003.
The Ministry of Defence said another soldier was also seriously injured in an "indirect fire attack" at the Shatt Al-Arab Hotel after mortars landed inside the base perimeter.
A British military spokesman in Basra said about 15 mortars were fired at the base, with three or four landing inside the perimeter.
The soldiers were taken to hospital, where one later died. The other was said to have suffered a broken arm.
The latest casualties come after the UK handed over responsibility for security last month in Dhi Qar, the second of four provinces on southern Iraq under UK control. Mutthana was transferred back to local control in July.
Last week, senior British military officers were reported to have been pressing the government to withdraw British troops from Iraq and concentrate on what they now regard as a more worthwhile and winnable battleground in Afghanistan.
According to press reports, pressure was also coming from military chiefs for an early and significant cut in the 7,500 British troops in Iraq that was motivated by the extreme pressure placed on soldiers and those responsible for training them.
Washington, Oct 3 (DPA) The United States cut Guatemala's debt in return for a pledge by the Central American country to invest millions in protecting its tropical forests.
The deal commits Guatemala to offer $24 million to non-governmental organisations and other groups over the next 15 years for environmental projects, the US Treasury Department said.
The US is contributing $15 million and two private groups, Conservation International and The Nature Conservancy, are pledging a total of $2 million to the project, a Treasury statement said.
The funds will help conserve Guatemala's high-altitude forests, rain forests and coastal mangrove swamps, home to hundreds of species of songbirds and waterfowl that migrate between the two countries.
The regions are also home to rare and endangered species such as the quetzal bird, jaguars and margays, a wild cat similar to ocelots.
The US has reached similar deals with seven Latin American and Caribbean countries as well as the Philippines. The deal with Guatemala is the largest in the US programme's history, the government said.
Jammu, Oct 3 (IANS) The cold desert region of Ladakh in northern Jammu and Kashmir is all set for a ecological transformation with the World Bank having committed Rs.2.6 billion ($55 million) for the development of remote Kargil and Leh districts in the region.
"The World Bank has prepared the Participatory Watershed Management Project and under this scheme Rs.2.6 million will be granted for the environmental development of the region," state Forest Minister Qazi Mohammad Afzal told IANS.
Special attention will be paid to the agriculture, forestry, and rural development sectors. "The idea is to improve the lot of the people in the region, which experiences harsh weather conditions. The World Bank mission can really transform or at least set into motion a process of transformation in the region," said Afzal.
The Ladakh region, which has borders with Pakistan-administered Kashmir and China, is known for its harsh weather conditions with temperatures dipping to minus 40 degrees Celsius. Drass, the second coldest place in the world after Siberia, is part of Kargil district of the region.
The extreme weather conditions are a bane for the people, because the vegetation is bare minimum.
The World Bank has instituted several schemes to improve the ecology of Jammu and Kashmir, with the participatory project in Ladakh being the latest.
Ladakh is also known for being home to the highest battleground - the Siachen glacier situated at a height of 18,000 feet above sea level.
Daniel Semell, team leader of the World Bank team, was in Leh last week to prepare for the project.
The forest minister added that the government would step up efforts to improve Ladakh's flora and fauna and arrest desertification for maintaining the ecological balance.
New York, Oct 3 (UN News) The world can expect a robust economic growth rate of 3.6 per cent this year but a deceleration to 3 per cent is projected for 2007, according to the latest United Nations assessment.
A number of downside risks could reduce that projection even further, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs José Antonio Ocampo told the General Assembly Second Committee on economic and financial matters today.
A decline in the housing market, for example, is a real threat in the United States and could have strong ripple effects. Since that country was suffering from large external deficits, a sharp fall in housing prices could trigger a disorderly adjustment of global imbalances, Mr. Ocampo said.
The impact of oil prices on global growth remains uncertain, with recent increases due to stronger-than-expected growth in world demand, a tight capacity for oil production and refining, natural disasters and geopolitical concerns, he added. Though worries about supply shocks were likely to dominate market movements, higher oil prices had not resulted in major recessionary effects, unlike those of the 1970s and 1980s.
But if supply disruptions were to happen, implications for the world economy would be greater and it is therefore crucial to increase investments to safeguard the world economy against such a disruption, Mr. Ocampo told the committee.
Heightened volatility in oil prices and other primary commodities is also a vivid reminder for commodity-exporting developing countries that their economic growth was vulnerable to the vicissitudes of commodity prices.
The longer widening global imbalances are allowed to develop, the higher the risk of a sudden and sharp disorderly adjustment, he noted. For instance, a US recession and devaluation of the dollar could in turn depress the world economy as a whole, with a particularly large impact on developing countries.
As for the outlook for developing countries, Mr. Ocampo said an increasing income gap between them and the developed world – a “dual divergence� – could be seen alongside a “growth divergence� among the developing countries.
He called the suspension of the UN World Trade Organization (WTO) Doha Round of talks a major setback. The least developed countries are the most adversely affected by trends in global disparities, and as such, development partners, including other developing countries, should continue to increase their support through the contribution of official development assistance (ODA), debt reduction and the provision of market access.
The Doha Round has been in limbo for months, partly over subsidies from wealthy nations to their agricultural industries, tariffs and quotas, which all shut poorer agricultural countries out of the market.
Berlin, Oct 3 (IRNA) The world's biggest book fair will open Tuesday in Frankfurt, highlighting the blossoming literary scene of this year's guest country India.
More than 7,000 exhibitors from 111 countries will showcase around 400,000 books and multi-media products at the 58th Frankfurt Book Fair, scheduled to run from October 4-8.
Some 280,000 visitors are expected to attend the exhibit which has turned into an important networking base for authors and publishers.
Around 1,000 international writers have been invited to take part in 2,500 book presentations.
Guest nation India will be represented by 70 prominent authors, among them Vikram Seth, Amitav Ghosh, Amit Chaudhuri and Shashi Tharoor, and 200 publishing firms.
The book fair will also focus on the problems of illiteracy around the world as well as the rise of the Internet as a major challenge to the printed word.
04 October 2006
Islamabad, Oct 4 (IANS) President Pervez Musharraf is "behaving ostrich-like" by calling the 1999 Kargil operations "a landmark" when it was actually "the worst debacle in Pakistan's history," a superseded army colleague said.
"I am totally amazed at such ostrich-like behaviour when the whole world considers Kargil to be the worst debacle in Pakistan's history and where countless innocent young lives were lost for nothing. Absolutely nothing", Lt. Gen. (retd) Ali Kuli Khan Khattak said.
Musharraf's planning and handling of the operations was "unprofessional" and it was "totally futile" on his part to blame the political leadership of the day," he said.
Demanding a probe into the Kargil operations since Musharraf's book, "In the Line of Fire", has "raised more questions than answers," Khattak said: "It is also fairly obvious that the Kargil Operation was not conceived in its totality, with the result that apart from bringing ignominy to Pakistan it also caused unnecessary misery to a lot of innocent people."
Khattak issued a strong rejoinder Monday in The News International that has thrown open the newspaper's forum to carry other versions of the events and claims made by Musharraf, promising to do so "without fear or favour".
"Allegations can only be made against others when one's own work is above par and not when there are gaping holes in it," Khattak said, adding: "I regret to say that the conception and planning at the highest level had been poor; in fact so poor that the only word which can adequately describe it is unprofessional."
"We all know that the main duty of the high command is to ensure that with their meticulous planning they create conditions whereby their junior combatants can fight easy. This was certainly not done at Kargil," he said.
Khattak was a batch mate of Musharraf and one of the two the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif superseded to make Musharraf chief of army staff. He resigned in protest.
In his rejoinder, he has disputed Musharraf's claims, bringing out in the open the internal rivalry in the Pakistan Army.
He has disputed the president's claims of having been selected one of the five cadets to be sent to Sandhurst, Britain, for higher military training.
Khattak says that while he was selected, Musharraf was not one of the five as claimed in the book.
Accusing Musharraf of being "an obsessive mind", conjuring up "conspiracy theories", Khattak said that at no stage of their careers that ran simultaneously was Musharraf's performance and record better than his.
Musharraf has claimed that Khattak had advocated an army takeover; the latter has denied it. "But what is incongruous is the fact that a person who was such a strong supporter of democracy suddenly flipped when his own person was involved. Suddenly democracy became sham and we now have a messiah who will lead us to his version of promised true democracy in accordance with his own oft modified programme," Khattak said.
Mumbai, Oct 4 (IANS) A special court here Tuesday held Niyaz Ahmed Sheikh guilty of conspiracy in the 1993 Mumbai blast case, even as it acquitted Rukhsana Mohammad Shafi Zariwala of aiding and abetting terrorist acts.
The special Terrorists Disruptive Activities (Preventive) Acts (TADA) court said that the accused number 98, Niyaz, was found guilty of acquiring training and handling of arms and explosives in Pakistan.
The court Tuesday resumed giving verdicts in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case after a three-day break over the weekend and a festival holiday.
Special Judge Pramod Kode said: "Niyaz was responsible for conducting a survey of the Greater Mumbai building, a potential target for the blasts.
"He also attended meetings with the key accused in the blasts case, Tiger Memon," the judge added.
The court, however, acquitted Rukhsana Mohammad Shafi Zariwala.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in its charge sheet had alleged that she had helped co-accused Parvez Sheikh, who has been already found guilty by the court, in transporting arms from Jogeshwari in northwestern Mumbai to Musafir Khana in central mumbai.
Rukhsana is the second woman accused in the case to be acquitted after Rahin Memon, sister-in-law of Tiger Memon.
While Rukhsana's husband Mohammed Shafi is absconding, Parvez was earlier last week acquitted of the same charges as those against Rukhsana, though he was found guilty on other counts.
Discarding the prosecution's adduced evidence that Rukhsana had transported the arms in a taxi from Jogeshwari to Msafir Khana, the judge said: "The confessions of two co-accused to implicate the accused number 103, Rukhsana, were not recorded properly and the court was not accepting them.
"Besides the confessions of the co-accused, there was no independent evidence to corroborate charges against her," the judge added.
The serial blasts of March 12, 1993, targeting the heart of India's financial and entertainment capital, had killed 257 people and injured 713 others.
After completing the trial, which started in 1994, the court began delivering verdict in batches last month, convicting so far 21 of the 123 people accused in the blasts case.
It has so far acquitted six accused including two members of Memon's family.
Hyderabad, Oct 4 (IANS) More than 50 people were injured in clashes between two communities and caning by police since Tuesday night in Nizamabad district of Andhra Pradesh.
Fresh incidents of violence were reported Wednesday in Bodhan town and Nizamabad district headquarters during a general strike called by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to protest Tuesday's incidents.
Dozens were injured in clashes in Bodhan town when police fired several rounds in the air to disperse clashing groups.
Police have imposed prohibitory orders banning gathering of five or more people in communally sensitive Nizamabad, about 200 km from here. Police also arrested 10 BJP activists for trying to stop trains.
Violence broke out in Nizamabad during a rally taken out by BJP, which was demanding action against the rioters in Bodhan. The protesters set afire four shops even as police used force to disperse them.
Police have described the situation as tense but under control.
The trouble in Bodhan began last evening when a procession carrying idol of Hindu Goddess Durga Devi passed in front of a mosque, where Muslims had gathered for 'iftar' or breaking of fast.
The Durga procession was allegedly stoned when some participants sat in front of the mosque dancing to the drum beats disturbing the prayers in mosque. Heavy stone throwing followed between two groups and police fired several rounds in the air. Local Muslims alleged that police and miscreants entered the mosque and beat up those present inside.
The organisers of Durga procession claimed that police failed to take any action against those who stoned the procession from inside the mosque.
New Delhi, Oct 4 (IANS) Leading private carrier Air Sahara will commence direct Delhi-Thiruvananthapuram and Delhi-Kochi flights from Thursday.
"Air Sahara will further expand its network by adding Thiruvananthapuram to its route network," the airlines said in a statement Wednesday.
The airlines will offer daily return flights from New Delhi to Thiruvananthapuram via Kochi and a direct Thiruvananthapuram-Delhi service, the statement said.
From Thursday, it will also become the only airline to operate a direct return service between Delhi and Kochi. Air Sahara will also continue with its Delhi-Hyderabad-Kochi return service as before, making it the only airline to offer two connections between Delhi and Kochi.
"We are delighted to add Thiruvananthapuram to our route network. The new flights will have very convenient timings and will reduce the travel time to Cochin and Thiruvananthapuram significantly," said Air Sahara president Alok Sharma.
From Thursday, Air Sahara will also increase flight frequencies among the metro cities. This will see seven daily return flights between Delhi and Mumbai, five daily return flights between Delhi and Kolkata and four daily return flights between Delhi and Bangalore.
New Delhi, Oct 4 (IANS) The 58th edition of the Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany, where India is the guest of honour, was inaugurated by Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh Tuesday.
Singh termed the fair as a "great celebration of plurality - of linguistic diversity of mankind and of creativity, knowledge and wisdom," an official statement said.
India is the only country to be named guest of honour twice in the fair's history.
More than 200 Indian publishers are participating in the specially created India Pavilion. A delegation of eminent personalities like writer Mahashweta Devi, actor Girish Karnad, poet-lyricist Javed Akhtar, and others are at Frankfurt to participate in the fair and also interact with the audience at various sessions.
Frankfurt Mayor Petra Roth, German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier and many other top officials were present at the inaugural function.
The five-day long fair is the largest congregation of publishing professionals from all over the world and provides an opportunity for the publishing industry to showcase the latest developments, share new concepts, exchange ideas and, of course, transact business.
The Indian contingent has planned a wide spectrum of activities revolving the central theme 'Today's India'. A number of events including a rare display of manuscripts, photograph exhibition, an exhibition of Amrita Shergil paintings, exhibition of over 43 Indian films of various genres including contemporary Hindi movies and a seminar on India are part of the planned activities.
Drama performances by Habib Tanvir's troupe, dance by Astad Deboo's team and live demonstrations of yoga and culinary delights are part of the scheduled as well.
With more than 7,000 exhibitors from 111 countries, the fair is estimated to attract 280,000 visitors.
South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon, now the hot favourite to become the next United Nations Secretary General, conceals a driving determination behind his mild manner.
The career diplomat was set to succeed Kofi Annan after all five of the UN Security Council's permanent members gave him their backing yesterday in the latest straw poll to determine who the Council will recommend for the job.
"Minister Ban is a kind of iron-hand-in-the-velvet-glove person at work," said Ko Ki-Seok, a Foreign Ministry spokesman who also termed him a "people person" concerned about staff welfare.
Ban himself has acknowledged that he may be seen as too soft for the world's toughest diplomatic post.
"I may look soft from the outside but I have inner strength when it's really necessary. I've always been very decisive," he told a news agency.
"In Asian countries humility is regarded as a virtue. Soft-speaking should in no way be regarded as a lack of leadership or commitment."
The 62-year-old is resolute and energetic in getting things done, according to Foreign Ministry officials.
"He was born healthy," said Ko. "He never fails in his killing work schedule that divides each day into a schedule of five minutes at a time."
Ban says he wants to channel that determination into reforms to make the world body leaner and more efficient.
He said that the most urgent issue confronting the UN was "management reform, regaining the trust and confidence of member states and major stakeholders."
Ban, in office for 33 months, is one of South Korea's longer-serving foreign ministers -- surviving the sometimes turbulent diplomacy on the divided Korean peninsula.
Officials and acquaintances see him as a non-partisan professional who works diligently.
Former Foreign Minister Hong Soon-Young, who picked Ban as his deputy, described him as "a very capable and faithful man."
"Maybe I am biased in favour of him. But Ban is very well qualified to be a UN Secretary General. Once elected, he would be capable of performing the job brilliantly," Hong said.
"He is a man committed to the ideals of the United Nations and the values of the international community -- democracy and human rights."
Ban has always been proud of his 36-year career in the foreign service, which has included 10 years on UN-related missions.
He became a diplomat in 1970 after graduating from the prestigious Seoul National University and doing postgraduate studies at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.
Ban had a stint as first secretary at South Korea's UN mission from 1978 to 1980 and was director of the Foreign Ministry's UN division until 1983.
He served as South Korea's chief envoy to the UN for two years from 2001 and also led the cabinet of the president of the 56th UN General Assembly.
Ban is married to his high-school sweetheart, Yoo Soon-Taek, and they have one son and two daughters. The eldest daughter is working for UNICEF in Africa.
New Delhi, Oct 4 (IANS) The main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tuesday criticised Pakistan for its refusal to hand over the July 11 Mumbai blasts accused to India, saying the move rendered all bilateral agreements pointless.
"By declaring its unwillingness to handover the Mumbai train blast suspects, Pakistan has wiped out the essence of all agreements between the two countries right from Shimla to Havana in one go," BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar told reporters Tuesday.
He was referring to the joint statement issued by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf during their meet on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Havana last month, paving the way to resume peace talks.
"This has also proved how our prime minister was wrong in assessing the real design and intent of Pakistan for continuation of bilateral talks," he added.
After investigating the seven blasts along Mumbai's commuter train network that killed about 200 people, the police last week claimed a number of Pakistanis were involved in the conspiracy that was hatched by Pakistan's Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI).
The BJP also condemned Tuesday Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad for reportedly seeking pardon for Mohammed Afzal who is to be hanged this month for the December 2001 terror attack on India's parliament.
"The nation stands shocked that the Congress chief minister makes such a request for the terrorist who was conspirator of a terror attack on parliament - a symbol of democracy and Indian sovereignty," Javadekar said.
"Those who are asking for pardon (to Afzal) should actually apologise to the nation for insulting the brave security guards of the parliament complex who laid their lives fighting these terrorists," he added.
Rio de Janeiro, Oct 4 (DPA) Rescue teams have found around 100 bodies in the thick Amazon jungle in northern Brazil where a large passenger jet fell to the ground last week, killing 155 people in the worst plane crash in the country's history.
The airline Gol said in a statement that rescue teams on Tuesday found the bodies of the pilot and the co-pilot. The National Agency of Civil Aviation (ANAC), which is leading the investigation, said they were found inside the plane's cabin.
Budget airline Gol's large Boeing 737-800 collided with a smaller, twin-engine private Embraer Legacy 600 jet Friday. The Brazilian-built Embraer managed to land in a nearby military airfield, and its seven occupants were unhurt.
Brazilian Air Force commander brigadier Luiz Carlos da Silva Bueno indicated that the 100 bodies were found close to each other, in a remote area of dense Amazon rainforest in the state of Mato Grosso.
On Monday, the two black boxes of the Boeing, considered vital to the crash investigation, were found. Bueno said the boxes are in Brasilia and are to be sent to the United States in order to be studied by Boeing technical teams.
Rescue teams are cutting through thick jungle vegetation. The human remains are being taken to Brasilia for identification.
A full probe into the mishap is expected to take at least three months, given the difficulty of reaching the remote jungle crash site.
In the US, The New York Times published an account of the miraculous survival of the Embraer Legacy by one of its business writers.
Joe Sharkey described the tense moments as the plane recovered, and how some of the seven men on board started writing letters to loved ones. After the plane landed safely, the passengers "bowed our heads in a long moment of silence, with the sound of muffled tears" when they learned that a Brazilian airliner with 155 people aboard was missing after Friday's mishap.
Sharkey, a weekly columnist for the Times business-travel section, wrote that the US pilots of the Embraer were stunned by the fate of the other aircraft. It was "clear the weight of all this would remain with them forever," he wrote.
By Arun Kumar,
Washington, Oct 4 (IANS) The Bush administration says it is certainly doing everything to encourage the US Senate to approve the India-US nuclear deal in its "lame duck" session in November.
While it was really up to the members how they wished to proceed, the administration is certainly hopeful that the Senate will take up the enabling bill when it meets again Nov 13 after the Nov 7 general election, State Department Deputy spokesman Tom Casey said Tuesday.
The deal, which would allow resumption of nuclear commerce between the two countries for the first time in three decades, is "an important agreement" not only for India and the US, but broadly also for the world non-proliferation regime, he told the foreign media.
Casey said the administration continues to have discussions with Congressional leaders and others about the deal that has been hailed by President George W. Bush and others as the core of building a new US relationship with India and a lucrative opportunity for American business.
But despite more than a year of upbeat assessments by administration officials and the intervention of Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the Republican-led Senate failed to take up the India bill before going into recess in the early hours of Saturday.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee had approved a draft bill by a 16-2 vote in June, but the full chamber could not take it up before the recess despite wide bipartisan support. The House of Representatives approved a different version of the companion legislation by an overwhelming 359-68 vote in July.
Ron Somers, head of the US-India Business Council, part of the US Chamber of Commerce, said: "When we all look back at this historic opportunity of aligning our two great democracies for the 21st century, we will recognise that delays like these, though unfortunate, amount to small bumps in the road."
He and other lobbyists pledged to regroup and push anew for passage in the "lame duck" legislative session after the Nov 7 election to the 435-member House as a whole and one third of the 100 Senate seats. The new Congress would hold its first session only in January leaving pending business to the old Congress.
The session is expected to run from one to three weeks, and the press of other business, plus continuing disputes between Republicans and Democrats, could still thwart a vote.
Senate leaders have blamed each other. Senate Republican leader Bill Frist accused the Democrats of wanting to defeat the bill "by adding a large amount of unnecessary amendments", while Democratic leader Harry Reid said Republicans seemed "more interested in scoring political points than passing this important bill".
If the Senate fails to pass the bill in November, the entire process must start again - the bill will have to go through the new Congress that may have an altogether different political complexion.
New York, Oct 4 (IANS) Scientists have created a digital camera capable of capturing mega-pixel images that could be used for imaging wavelengths outside the visible spectrum.
The digital camera created by Kevin Kelly and colleagues at Rice University, Houston, uses a single-pixel silicon chip sensor and thousands of tiny mirrors, reported science portal Science A GoGo.
The silicon chip, known as a digital micro-mirror device (DMD), is used primarily in digital projectors where digital information is converted into light.
The scientists turned this functionality around so that the mirrors could be used to capture light instead.
Unlike a normal one-mega-pixel camera that captures one million points of light for every frame, the new camera creates an image by capturing just one point of light or pixel several thousand times in rapid succession.
"For some wavelengths outside the visible spectrum, it's often too expensive to produce large arrays of detectors, which the new camera is capable of doing," said one of the researchers.
Madrid, Oct 4 (DPA) China defeated India 1-0 in a Pool A match of the women's World Cup hockey tournament here Wednesday.
India is already out of contention for a semi-final berth.
Islamabad, Oct 4 (IRNA) Shouting Quranic verses, hundreds of Chinese Muslims protested in front of the Saudi embassy here on Monday seeking visas so that they can join the annual Haj pilgrimage to Mecca.
According to the Daily Times, wearing skull caps and long tunics, many elderly men blocked the entrance to the embassy on a tree-lined residential street in Islambad while others sat cross-legged on the road shouting verses from Islam's holy book.
Women were lined up behind them and some laid beddings on the pavement and the grassy central road reservation.
"We have been trying to get visas for more than a month but they are not giving us," Dawood Mohammad, an 80-year-old man, said.
"We have no political aims. We just want to go for Haj," he added.
The pilgrimage is due to be performed in January.
The protesters said that the Saudi embassy had refused to grant them visas on the advice of the Chinese government.
By Lola Nayar,
Wagah (India-Pakistan border), Oct 4 (IANS) The colourful retreat ceremony by Indian and Pakistani frontier guards at this border post, with its high-pitched display of patriotism, continues to attract every day large numbers of tourists who swell to thousands during weekends and other holidays.
The Wagah post, with cultivated land all around and barbed wire fence clearly visible for long stretches, is the only point on the India-Pakistan border where for decades the pomp and fervour of the traditional lowering of the flag at sunset and closing of the gates linking the two countries has been maintained.
The well-orchestrated ceremony attracts sometimes well over 10,000 visitors during weekends and public holidays, said officials of the Indian paramilitary Border Security Force (BSF).
The visitors' gallery on the Indian side, 30 km from the Sikh holy city of Amritsar, has inspired Pakistan to start building a similar gallery on its side to develop the venue as a tourist attraction, officials said.
The milling crowds at the visitors' gallery, the sidewalks and even the roads leading up to the border gate include school children, families and the young as well as old who gather two to three hours ahead to gain vintage points.
Ten BSF officials and soldiers on the Indian side and an equal number of Pakistani Rangers personnel on the other side participate in the daily show. Dressed in ceremonial clothes - three-fourth khaki pants and shirts, long boots and adorned headgear - the BSF soldiers are indeed a sight to behold. The Pakistani Rangers sport a similar turra cap with their green Afghani salwar suit.
With visitors in mind, forces manning the gate on both sides admittedly raise the patriotic pitch by playing popular film and non-film songs. Visitors from all over India, like 70-year-old Abu Hassan and his wife Ameena from Kozhikode in Kerala, soon join in shouting slogans.
A very popular number with the crowds is 'Suno gaur se duniya waalon, buri nazar na hum par daalo, hum hain hindustani' (We are Indians, don't cast evil glances at us....) that gets them into the mood for slogan-shouting, said officials.
The recent controversy over the compulsory singing of Vande Mataram seems pointless at the border with everybody singing the national song. In fact, many raise slogans with no prompting from the BSF personnel.
To ensure public participation, two sets of youths are selected to run towards the gate carrying the national flag aloft. The flags are then passed on to the visitors' gallery with much fervour and enthusiasm.
While the foreigners in the visitors' gallery may not join in shouting slogans, they are definitely there in spirit with Indians and Pakistanis on the other side of the border, clapping and cheering the show of strength, the strutting and leg swings of over six-foot tall soldiers.
The ramrod BSF soldiers, mostly from Rajasthan, easily steal the show with their poise and drill.
One may wonder if any animosity is suggested by some of the ceremonial drill movements, the posturing, the aggressive swinging of the flagpole rope (which has been known to accidentally hit soldiers on the other side) and the shaking of hands without any eye contact.
Yet members of the BSF unit at the border deny any altercation due to the retreat ceremony that lasts around 25 minutes and is held all through the year, even during the peak winter and heavy rains.
The popularity of the retreat has generated business and job opportunities near the border post. Do not despair if you run out of photo rolls or batteries for the camera as the tea vendor nearby will have the answer in his dusty plastic box.
With nothing but a thin strip of grass to demarcate the border for a stretch of over 500 km, BSF personnel also man the movement of farmers to their fields through gates in the border fence erected 500 metres inside on either side of the international border.
The gates are open from 8 a.m. till 4 p.m. and farmers have to work under the eagle eye of the troopers.
Hyderabad/Bhopal, Oct 4 (IANS) Clashes between Hindu and Muslim groups broke out at two places in south and central India following quarrels over Durga Puja processions.
More than 50 people were injured in clashes between two communities at Bodhan town in Nizamabad district of Andhra Pradesh, about 150 km from Hyderabad. Fresh incidents of violence were reported Wednesday in Bodhan during a general strike called by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to protest Tuesday's incidents.
The trouble in Bodhan began Tuesday evening when a procession carrying an idol of Hindu Goddess Durga for immersion passed before a mosque where Muslims had gathered for their ritualistic 'iftar', or fast-breaking.
The Durga procession was allegedly stoned from inside after some devotees accompanying the procession reportedly began dancing to the drum beats thereby disturbing the prayers in the mosque.
Heavy stone throwing followed between the two groups and police fired several rounds in the air. Local Muslims alleged that police and the miscreants entered the mosque and beat up those present inside.
Dozens were injured in clashes when police fired several rounds in the air to disperse clashing groups.
Police have imposed prohibitory orders banning gathering of five or more people in communally sensitive Nizamabad. Police also arrested 10 BJP activists for trying to stop trains.
Violence broke out in Nizamabad during a rally taken out by BJP, which was demanding action against the rioters in Bodhan. The protesters set afire four shops even as police used force to disperse them.
Police have described the situation as tense but under control. The organisers of Durga procession claimed that police failed to take any action against those who stoned the procession from inside the mosque.
Curfew was also clamped in the Chhindwara town of Madhya Pradesh Wednesday following tension between Hindu and Muslim groups.
Trouble started when some someone allegedly threw a bone at a Goddess Durga idol in Diwanjipura locality of Chhindwara, 300 km from here, while it was being taken for immersion Tuesday.
"The procession passed off peacefully due to police presence, but later a dead animal was allegedly found near a mosque," Chhindwara Collector Arun Pandey told IANS over phone.
Angry Muslims spilled out on the streets shouting slogans. Another group reportedly started throwing stones at a Jain temple.
"No untoward incident was reported, but prohibitory orders under Section 144 (banning assembly of five or more people) have been clamped," Pandey said.
"Curfew was imposed Wednesday morning when a fresh attempt to desecrate a religious place of worship started and all efforts to disperse the mob failed," the district collector said.
The situation in the town is said to be tense but under control.
Meanwhile, police imposed a ban on assembly of five or more persons in Betul district where some people threw stones at a Durga immersion procession.
According to Betul superintendent of police Jagat Singh, problem began Monday evening when members of a Durga procession started dancing in front of a mosque. The incident was repeated in another area Tuesday evening.
"The situation is now under control," Singh said.
New Delhi, Oct 4 (IANS) A dramatic spread of the mosquito-caused dengue fever has killed at least 31 people - including one Tuesday evening at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here - and affected 2,050 others across the country, officials said Tuesday.
According to P.L. Joshi, director of the National Vector Born Disease Control Programme, the country recorded at least 30 deaths till Sep 30 while 2,050 patients have been suffering from the deadly fever.
The situation, however, did not merit the status of an epidemic, the official said.
He said 157 people had died and 11,985 were affected by the fever last year.
While Delhi has recorded the maximum number of death, the southern sates of Kerala and Karnataka have reported four cases each.
A 35-year-old man died at AIIMS Tuesday evening due to brain haemorrhage.
"Banshi, a native of Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, died this evening of brain haemorrhage - a serious stage of dengue fever," said Anil Sharma, a senior resident doctor at the institute.
He said AIIMS was over burdened with the number of patients and nearly 1,400 people had been diagnosed at the hospital since Monday.
"I am returning home after 72 hours of continuous work and every one is overworked in the hospital. We appeal to the people to go to other hospitals for primary investigations and come to the hospital only if dengue is confirmed," Sharma told IANS.
The recent death took the total number of death in the national capital to 12. The capital has so far reported over 500 confirmed cases of dengue.
Director General of Health Services, R.K. Srivastava said 2,500 schools across the country were roped in to create awareness about the disease.
"It is not a case of epidemic and people should not panic. We are taking the help of schools and have asked the Indian Medical Association to help in our efforts to control the outbreak," Srivastava told reporters after a meeting with top health officials in the capital.
In the afternoon Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss had a meeting of concerned officials.
"There is a ... situation but it is not alarming," Ramadoss told reporters at his office here.
"We will do our best to curb this menace. Our hospitals are well-equipped to deal with the situation, hence there is no need to declare dengue as epidemic," said Delhi Health Minister Yoganand Shastri.
The dengue virus is spread through the bite of the female Aedes mosquito, primarily Aedes Aegypti, which breeds in stagnant water.
On Saturday, seventh semester AIIMS student Kamal Raj Kiran died of dengue.
"It is unfortunate that AIIMS has come to this stage but they are doing their best," Ramadoss said. Some 20 resident doctors, medical students and other staff at AIIMS are among those bed-ridden.
Ramadoss said he would hold a meeting of the health ministers of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan Thursday.
At an emergency Delhi cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit Tuesday, it was decided to ask Delhi ministers to closely monitor the situation.
Eleven people have died of the disease in the city. Seven deaths have been reported in Rajasthan and two in Uttar Pradesh.
Delhi's Finance and Planning Minister A.K. Walia is to oversee the availability of dengue medicines in the capital.
Delhi had witnessed over 10,000 cases of dengue in 1996.
After media exposure that even leading hospitals like AIIMS were surrounded by filth that could breed mosquitoes, the Delhi government ordered a major cleanliness drive in a desperate bid to stop the further spread of dengue.
Action was being contemplated against a dozen private and state-run hospitals for not keeping their surroundings clean.
The AIIMS reported over 50 cases of dengue - 12 new cases since Monday. Twenty of those affected are students, resident doctors and staff.
A 125-bed special dengue ward has been set up at AIIMS, said hospital authorities. On Monday, the hospital began a two-day blood donation camp to deal with any blood shortage.
In Rajasthan, where dengue has killed seven people, the government has decided to provide free tests to patients suspected to be suffering from fever. There are 21,746 cases of malaria and 193 of dengue cases in the state.
The dengue virus is also fast spreading its tentacles in Uttar Pradesh, with as many as 68 cases detected during the past two months. Two people have died.
"The state capital is the worst hit with 22 cases," said Arun Kumar Misra, the principal health secretary. Other districts affected by the virus included Noida and Ghaziabad, close to the national capital.
"We have ensured availability of drugs for treatment of dengue in all government hospitals at the district level as well as community health centres and primary health centres at the village level," Misra said.
And with about 50 patients suffering from dengue in Punjab and Haryana, the governments in both states have put their health facilities on alert. Faridabad district in Haryana, adjoining Delhi, reported 15 confirmed cases of dengue.
Kabul, Oct 4 (ZEENEWS.COM) Two gunbattles in Eastern Afghanistan killed four Afghan and two US troops, officials said on Tuesday, as NATO prepared to assume military command of all of the country from the US-led coalition.
Meanwhile, a suicide bomber on a motorbike attacked a Canadian military convoy in Southern Kandahar city today, but no troops were injured, said Maj Dayl Morrell, a NATO-led force spokesman.
Two American and one Afghan soldier died yesterday evening during a gunfight with militants in Eastern Kunar province, which borders Pakistan, the US military said in a statement. Three US soldiers were wounded in the battle in Pech district, although they were now in stable condition, it said.
"The soldiers were operating as part of a combat patrol that made contact with enemy extremists. The unit engaged the insurgents with small arms and artillery fire," the statement said.
About 7,000 Afghan and US troops are operating in Eastern Afghanistan as part of operation mountain fury, aimed at wiping out militants and extending the afghan government's reach.
Separately, three border police were killed and three wounded last night after Taliban fighters attacked their outpost near the border in the eastern province of Paktika said provincial gov Mohammad Akram Akhpelwak.
In the Taliban's former southern stronghold of Kandahar, flames engulfed a military vehicle after a suicide bomber rammed into a NATO convoy, witnesses said.
Tashkent, Oct 4 (IANS) Sania Mirza defeated Pauline Parmentier of France 6-3, 6-1 in the first round of the Tashkent Open tennis tournament here Wednesday.
"It's good to have an easy first round. I don't have it too often," said Sania.
The Indian, ranked 55th in the international rankings, got off to a quick start, breaking Parmentier twice in the first set and then going up by 3-0. But she faltered and dropped her serve.
In the second set, Sania got an early break to go up by 2-0. Parmentier had another chance to come back into the match when she had Sania 0-40 in the next game but she could not force the break.
The Indian then won 16 of the last 18 points of the match.
In the second round, Sania will face Hana Sromova of the Czech Republic.
Washington, Oct 4 (ZEENEWS.COM) The same brain circuits are involved when obese people fill their stomachs as when drug addicts think about drugs, a finding that suggests overeating and addiction may be linked, U.S. researchers reported on Monday
The finding may help in creating better treatments for obesity -- a growing problem in the United States and elsewhere.
"We wanted to know why, when people are already full, why people are still eating a lot," said Dr. Gene-Jack Wang of Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York.
"We were able to simulate the process that takes place when the stomach is full, and for the first time we could see the pathway from the stomach to the brain that turns 'off' the brain's desire to continue eating."
Wang and colleagues tested seven obese volunteers who had been fitted with a gastric stimulator -- a device that tricks the body into thinking the stomach is full, a state known as satiety.
They used a positron emission tomography or PET scan to see which parts of the brain activated when the stimulator was activated. They also carefully questioned their volunteers, all of whom were very obese, about why and when they overate.
"We thought the activated area (of the brain) must be in the satiety center, which we learned in medical school is supposed to be in the hypothalamus," Wang said in a telephone interview.
But they did not see activity there.
"We saw a lot of activity in all areas of the brain, especially in the hippocampus. That region is related to learning, memory and is also related to a lot of things such as sensory and motor impulse and emotional behavior," Wang said.
Writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Wang and colleagues said the hippocampus was 18 percent more active when the gastric stimulator was on.
The stimulators also sent messages of satiety to brain circuits in the orbitofrontal cortex and striatum, which have been linked to craving and desire in cocaine addicts.
"This provides further evidence of the connection between the hippocampus, the emotions, and the desire to eat, and gives us new insight into the mechanisms by which obese people use food to soothe their emotions," said Wang.
The volunteers were all genuinely hungry -- they had been fasting for 16 or 17 hours when the PET scans were run. The stimulator succeeded in making them feel less hungry, Wang said.
But the surprise was in which brain circuits it used in doing so.
"It was very similar to a study on when cocaine abusers, when they think of cocaine, they have a craving for cocaine," he said.
"This new pathway should be explored in further studies to determine if there are any implications for treating or preventing obesity."
Berlin, Oct 4 (IRNA) More than 1,000 mosques and Islamic centers will open their doors to the German public on Tuesday for the tenth consecutive year, DPA reported Monday.
Around 100,000 people are expected to tour the mosques, take part in discussion groups and attend exhibitions on Islam, announced the Central Council of Muslims which organizes the event every year.
Mosque Open Day always takes place on October 3, the Day of German Unity.
According to the Central Council of Muslims, the date for the open day was selected to underscore that Muslims view themselves as an integral part of German society.
There are some 2,300 mosques and Muslim worshipping centers throughout Germany.
Muslims number around 3.5 million out of Germany's 82.5 million people.
Srinagar, Oct 4 (IANS) Separatist guerrillas attacked a paramilitary camp in Lal Chowk, in downtown Srinagar Wednesday morning, triggering a heavy exchange of fire with the security forces. One person was injured, police said.
According to police, an unknown number of militants lodged themselves in a hotel in the Lal Chowk area, the busy shopping and commercial district of the Jammu and Kashmir summer capital.
The militants hurled grenades and fired from automatic weapons at the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) guards outside the Akhara building used as a barrack by the CRPF.
"We are returning the fire. We have surrounded a hotel and are trying to evacuate the shoppers and shopkeepers who are trapped in the area," said a police official.
"We are trying to locate the guerrillas who attacked the CRPF guards," he said.
Heavy police and paramilitary reinforcements have been moved to the area and the city centre has been sealed.
"We ran for cover as heavy gunfire reverberated in the area. There are many shopkeepers who are still trapped inside the shops," said Abdul Rashid a shopkeeper in Lal Chowk.
The injured person has been taken to hospital, police said.
Ankara, Oct 4 (Xinhua) Italian police said that two men who hijacked a Turkish Airlines jet have surrendered in Italy, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported Tuesday.
Turkish Transportation Minister Binali Yidirim, who is visiting Azerbaijan, was quoted as saying that the hijackers had asked for political asylum from Italy.
Istanbul deputy Governor Vedat Muftuoglu said that "20 minutes after take-off, two Turkish hijackers entered the pilot's cabin and demanded that the airplane change its course to Rome instead of Istanbul."
"The hijackers wanted to send a message to Pope Benedict XVI and protest the pope's upcoming visit to Turkey," noted Muftuoglu.
Muftuoglu indicated that as soon as legal procedures are completed in Italy, the THY jet will fly to Istanbul, the largest city of Turkey.
The Istanbul-bound THY jet with 113 people aboard, including six crew members, departed from Tirana at 16.20 (1420 GMT) and was hijacked after takeoff.
The THY Boeing 737-400 jet bounded for Istanbul was hijacked by two Turkish nationals, said the report.
The plane later was forced to land at Italy's Brindisi airport after two Italian F-16s took off and intercepted the hijacked plane.
The two Turkish hijackers said after the landing that they did this to protest a planned visit of the pope Benedict XVI to Turkey next month, airline officials said.
All of the passengers on board are safe now and no threats were issued by the two hijackers yet.
In a speech at Regensburg University in Germany in last month, Pope Benedict XVI quoted a 14th-century Christian emperor criticising the Prophet Muhammad.
The speech drew widespread criticism from Muslim world, which demanded much clearer apology from the Pope despite his expression of regret over his speech.
New Delhi, Oct 4 (IANS) Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL), the Indian unit of the South Korean auto major, posted a growth of 14.1 percent in domestic sales in September compared to the same month last year.
Hyundai's total sales last month was 26,492 car units - a growth of 11.5 percent as against that of September 2005.
In the overseas market the parent company has noted a growth of 7.5 percent.
HMIL is the largest exporter of passenger cars from India with exports of over Rs.18 billion.
Recently, with the launch of its sedan Verna, the company announced plans to set up a second plant in Chennai, which will produce 300,000 units per annum, raising HMIL's total production capacity to 600,000 per annum by 2007.
HMIL will also increase its dealer network from 162 to 200 this year, an indication of the growth of the company in India where car sales registered a 7.55 percent growth in the past year.
Indian passengers car market may triple to three million vehicles annually by 2015, according to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).
New Delhi, Oct 4 (IANS) Consumers will feel the full impact of the new pricing regime for hundreds of generic drugs in a month when the current stocks with chemists were phased out, Chemicals and Fertiliser Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said Tuesday.
"The agreement by the pharma industry to reduce the retail margin for generic and generic branded drugs has been implemented as scheduled on Oct 2 (Monday). The package of new pricing for around 1,000 drugs should have been implemented," Paswan told IANS.
"The full impact of the new pricing regime - with wholesale margins being kept at 15 percent and retail margins at 35 percent - will be felt in a month as we have agreed to give the pharma industry time till Nov 2 to phase out the current stocks with old minimum retail price (MRP) in retail outlets," he said.
The move to limit the margins at the wholesale and retail end has been worked out by the government and the industry as per the directive of the Supreme Court and is expected to make drugs more affordable, particularly for the poor.
Under the new regime, the MRP will be inclusive of the local taxes.
Effectively, the prices of hundreds of generic and branded generic drugs will be cheaper up to 80 percent in some cases.
Washington, Oct 4 (ZEENEWS.COM) Asian giants India and China have transformed the international economy with their burgeoning economies shifting global markets, reshaping trade, investment patterns and directly affecting the environment, a new report has said.
The report entitled `Engaging China and India: An economic agenda for Japan and the United States` also recommended that Washington and Tokyo must actively engage both New Delhi and Beijing to ensure that the emergence of these two Asia countries is not seen as a zero sum game.
"China`s and India`s imprint will become all the deeper in the years ahead as both evolve into centers of technological innovation and scientific excellence. China`s and India`s rise has already sparked adverse reactions in the two countries that currently sit atop the world`s economic hierarchy: the United States and Japan," scholars of the two nations involved in the study have said.
"While this development has lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty, it has also raised concerns about the potential economic and political dislocations in other countries," says the report.
The binational study group was sponsored by the Chicago council on global affairs, the Pacific council on international policy and the Japan economic foundation.
The report stresses that the US and Japan will have to focus on real opportunities for all four nations to grow and prosper through mutually beneficial partnerships and makes the point that "this will require strong leadership."
By Rahul Bedi,
New Delhi, Oct 4 (IANS) Ignoring protests from Western countries, India has begun transferring military equipment to Myanmar's military junta in order to neutralise China's burgeoning defence, diplomatic and economic ties with Yangon.
In August, unmindful of British protests, the Indian Navy transferred two BN-2 'Defender' Islander maritime surveillance aircraft and deck-based air-defence guns and varied surveillance equipment to Myanmar.
Soon after the navy announced its intention of supplying the British-built Islanders to Myanmar following Indian Navy Chief Admiral Arun Prakash's visit to Yangon in January, Britain had declared that it would be unable to provide spares and maintenance support for them as it opposed the country's military administration.
Alongside, India had quietly transferred other hardware to the Myanmarese military.
"We have recommended and started giving them (Myanmar) 105-mm Indian field guns," Indian Army Vice-Chief Lt. Gen. S. Pattabhiraman told Force magazine recently.
In the past we had given them 75/24 Howitzers, Pattabhiraman declared adding that though the numbers were not "much" they were neither "symbolic".
Last month Defence Secretary Shekhar Dutt finalised negotiations in Yangon (formerly Rangoon) to supply it varied military hardware in return for the military junta's cooperation in flushing out separatist groups like United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) that have long used Myanmar's dense jungles as a sanctuary.
In exchange for an unspecified number of T-55 tanks - which the Indian army is retiring - armoured personal carriers, 105-mm light artillery guns, mortars and the locally designed advanced light helicopters, Delhi also wants to conduct joint military operations against north-eastern militant groups along the 1,643-km-long Myanmar frontier.
In anticipation of the army's anti-insurgency offensive in the region expected later this month, the security forces have stepped up vigil along its borders with Bangladesh and Bhutan to "tie-in" the insurgents.
Dutt's visit, however, was kept under wraps because of Western sensitivity to engaging with Myanmar's military regime.
The defence ministry refused to comment on the moves.
On Sep 15 the UN Security Council led by the US and Britain added Myanmar to its list of countries considered a threat to international peace and security.
The US is also pushing for a strong resolution on the ongoing human rights abuses in Myanmar and the continued incarceration by the military junta of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi.
India dumped Suu Kyi's cause and launched an aggressive diplomatic and military thrust into Myanmar in the late 1990s, backed by a developmental and commercial drive to try and neutralise ongoing Chinese programmes like the modernisation of Myanmarese naval bases at Hainggyi, Munaung, Akyab, Zadaikyi and Mergui by building radar, refit and refuel facilities.
The Indian Navy fears this could support Chinese submarine operations in the region as part of Beijing's "string of pearls" strategy of clinching regional defence and security agreements to secure its mounting fuel requirements and enhance its military profile in the Indian Ocean region.
The Chinese are also believed to have established a Signals Intelligence facility on Myanmar's Coco islands, 30-km from the Andaman Islands territory on India's east coast to monitor Indian missile tests, an activity that has proliferated in recent years and is poised to grow.
India is also concerned about China's nuclear-armed close ally Pakistan's long standing military ties with Myanmar to whom it had supplied several shiploads of ordnance and other military hardware like 106 mm M-40 recoilless rifles and various small arms over the past decade.
Pakistan also regularly trains Burmese soldiers to operate a range of Chinese equipment like T-63 and T-53 tanks, Soviet fighter aircraft and 155-mm Howitzers and to instruct its air force and naval officers at many of its institutions.
Consequently, Indian Army chief Gen. J.J. Singh made a three-day trip to Yangon last November following an earlier visit by the country's since retired air chief to finalise a comprehensive upgrade programme for Myanmar's vintage Soviet-era fighter fleet.
Several Myanmarese military leaders too frequently visit Delhi to further defence cooperation.
Political leaders and diplomats also make reciprocal trips to each other's country to cement bilateral ties.
Madrid, Oct 4 (DPA) India suffered another humiliation when they lost 2-3 to hosts Spain in a women's hockey World Cup pool A match here Tuesday.
In other pool A matches played earlier in the day, the Netherlands thrashed China 6-1 and England defeated Germany 1-0.
New Delhi, Oct 4 (IANS) India Wednesday adopted the global practice to check petrol and diesel adulteration with kerosene as Petroleum Minister Murli Deora Wednesday unveiled plans of selling 'marked kerosene' across the country that can be detected through a simple test right at the petrol station.
Used globally to prevent adulteration of transport fuels with kerosene, which costs far less than petrol or diesel, the marker (special permanent dye) will turn pink when tested for adulteration, Indian Oil Corporation chairman and managing director S. Behuria said at the launch function.
Having tried and failed several times in the past with various other markers, this time the petroleum ministry has selected a British firm Authentix to supply the ingredient.
The marker and testing kits together are expected to cost the oil companies Rs.1.6 billion over the next six months, said Behuria.
The cost of the marker liquid alone is Rs.1,500 per litre. The oil companies will blend 0.5 millilitre of marker in one kilolitre of kerosene.
"This new-generation marker is being used internationally to check fuel adulteration. It will help to ensure that subsidised kerosene, currently being diverted from public distribution system (PDS), reaches the below poverty line (BPL) families," said Deora.
"Being easy to administer, the marked kerosene will be made available across the country through all retail outlets within two months," said Petroleum Secretary M.S. Srinivasan.
Alongside the introduction of marked kerosene, the petroleum ministry is planning to approach the law ministry to amend the rules making test of fuels for detection of adulteration mandatory.
The cost of conducting one test for detection of adulteration is around Rs.60.
"We will be approaching the law ministry for amendment of the Market Discipline and Control Order to make the test mandatory," said Srinivasan.
He did not expect any drop in import of kerosene due to the check on diversion for adulteration, as currently the supplies to BPL families are way below desired levels.
Of the 10.5 million tonnes of kerosene consumed annually, the government and the oil marketing companies together currently provide around Rs.16-17 subsidy per litre of kerosene sold to BPL families.
United Nations, Oct 4 (IANS) India says the UN General Assembly has a role to play in strengthening social development and adopting a people-centred approach to achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
As high growth does not automatically lead to greater equality and social justice, direct anti-poverty programmes are necessary, Mabel Rebello, a member of the Indian delegation, said during a committee debate at the General Assembly Tuesday.
The first Millennium Development Goal of halving extreme poverty by 2015 cannot be achieved on target in the absence of a significant flow of resources and increased application of science and technology in developing countries, she said.
While private investment is important to achieve higher growth rates, the physical and social infrastructure is sometimes too weak in some developing countries to attract any investment.
Sequencing is therefore important. Equally important is the fulfilment of the commitment of 0.7 percent target of Official Development Assistance (ODA) and debt cancellation by the developed world. Similarly, it is imperative to identify innovative sources of financing, Rebello said.
The Indian experience could provide useful lessons to others, she said. Thus, liberalisation of the economy may need to follow a certain level of development of economic and scientific capacity. The role of the state is as important as that of the market, she said.
At the same time, unleashing entrepreneurial energies is also crucial. Education is an absolute must and constitutes the basis for the rapid development of science and technology and their application to most socio-economic areas. In this process, democratic governance also has a crucial role to play, Rebello said.
India, she said, looked forward to the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by the UN General Assembly during 2006, as it believed it would be an important milestone in addressing the rights of about 650 million persons with disabilities.
Kolkata, Oct 4 (IANS) India would soon float tenders to procure 126 multi-role aircraft to equip the armed forces with the upgraded technology, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said here Tuesday.
The government was constantly monitoring the requirement to replace or substitute aircraft and the armed forces would be upgraded with the latest technologies as and when the need arises, Mukherjee told reporters on the sidelines of a CII-sponsored meet on "Defence-Industry Partnership in Human Resource Management".
The government had earmarked Rs.890 billion for defence procurement this year, he said.
With the implementation of the Ajai Vikram Singh Committee report, the stagnation in promotion of army personnel could be solved but still there would be a shortfall of officers, he said.
Because of their skills, air force pilots were in high demand by the private airliners but the government has barred these officers from doing so before 20 years of service, Mukherjee said.
Hoping the new Pay Commission would look into the payment structure of the armed force personnel, the defence minister said he had talked to the home ministry on possibilities of lateral movement of army personnel to Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) taking into account their security management capabilities.
"We will have to take into account the promotion and other aspects in the CRPF and ITBP before taking any decision on the subject," he said.
Complimenting some states for their activeness in resettlement of army personnel after retirement, he said governments were asked to open state-level Sainik Boards to look into the issue.
Nearly 60,000 army personnel retire every year in accordance with the norms to keep the force in good physical and mental condition, leaving many well-trained and motivated personnel of varying age group left with huge productive working profile.
New Delhi, Oct 4 (IANS) India will confront Pakistan with "detailed dossier" on 11 Pakistani nationals suspected to be involved in the July 11 Mumbai terror bombings when the foreign secretaries of the two countries meet next month to discuss the contours of a joint anti-terror mechanism.
Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon, who assumed office three days ago, met Home Secretary V.K. Duggal and discussed the specifics of evidence collected by Mumbai Police that points to a Pakistani hand in the commuter train bombings July 11 that killed nearly 200 people and injured hundreds.
The two top officials discussed the information Indian intelligence agencies have collected on the antecedents of the 11 Pakistani suspects and the role of Pakistan's intelligence agency in the Mumbai blasts, sources in the home ministry told IANS.
Duggal shared with Menon the evidence of alleged complicity of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) provided to him by Mumbai Police Commissioner A. N. Roy and Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) chief K. P. Raghuvanshi.
There is also a plan to provide the Pakistani authorities with the identikit of Azam Cheema, the commander of Lashkar-e-Toiba in Pakistan's Bahawalpur district who allegedly masterminded the Mumbai carnage, the sources told IANS.
New Delhi also plans to confront Islamabad with details of terror training camps operating in Bahawalpur and provide the Pakistani authorities with how money was routed from Saudi Arabia to Pakistan and then to India to finance the Mumbai blasts conspiracy, sources added.
Roy had first presented evidence of the alleged complicity of Pakistan-based terrorists in the Mumbai carnage Saturday. The next day, Menon told the press that India would confront Pakistan with evidence and sternly warned the latter that it would be judged by action, and not words.
Pakistan angrily reacted to India's contention and asked it to hand over the evidence, but made it clear that it would not hand over the suspects.
After wrapping up his three-day visit to South Africa, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday told the travelling press aboard Air India One that Pakistan's response to the evidence India gives regarding its involvement in the Mumbai blasts would be a test of its sincerity in controlling terrorism.
"Now here is what our people have discovered. We will share this information with Pakistan and test them on how sincere they are in carrying forward the commitment that I and President Musharraf underlined in our joint statement (in Havana)," Manmohan Singh said.
"How else can we ask Pakistan except through a mechanism like this," he said in response to a question about the planned anti-terror mechanism agreed to by Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in Havana last month. The meeting between Manmohan Singh and Musharraf led to the resumption of the peace process that was stalled after the Mumbai blasts.
New Delhi, Oct 4 (IANS) India's pharma and biotech major Wockhardt Limited Tuesday announced the acquisition of Pinewood Laboratories Limited of Ireland for $150 million that will help it broaden its presence in the European market.
"This acquisition gives us a larger footprint in Europe spread over Britain, Ireland and Germany," Wockhardt chairman Habil Khorakiwala said.
"European business will now exceed $200 million, accounting for almost half of Wockhardt's total sales," he added.
The all-cash deal was done on an enterprise value basis, according to a company statement.
As almost half of Pinewood's sales come from the British market, this acquisition will strengthen Wockhardt's position there, it added.
With this acquisition, Wockhardt UK can now leverage Pinewood's marketing and distribution system and its customer base in Ireland for its vast range of hospital products.
"The acquisition offers us enormous opportunities to unlock value of our enlarged customer base in Britain and Ireland by offering them a wider range of products," Khorakiwala said.
New Delhi, Oct 4 (IANS) A business delegation from India is headed for Azerbaijan to explore investment opportunities and enhance bilateral trade between the two countries.
The Indian delegation - brought together by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)- will be on a three-day visit from Oct 4 to boost commercial ventures and projects in that region.
Some of the companies represented in the delegation include Atlas Cycle Limited, Aryan Coal Limited, Builcon Group and CSJ Networks.
Bilateral trade between the countries will be initiated with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between CII and the Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
High-level discussions will be held on various issues pertaining to IT, oil and gas (new projects), healthcare, medical equipment, mining and mining equipment, transport sector and agriculture equipment, said a CII release.
India's current bilateral trade with Azerbaijan is $34.68 million, with exports worth $28.82 million and imports $5.86 million.
Some of the export items from India consist of meat, pharmaceuticals, apparel, machinery, ores, tobacco and iron and steel.
India's major imports from Azerbaijan include aluminium, copper, electrical machinery, precision instruments, iron and steel, rubber, pearls, precious stones and jewellery.
This visit is also expected to give an impetus to the 1998 agreement that envisages regular consultations on economic and technical cooperation between both the countries.
Tehran, Oct 4 (DPA) Iranian National Security Council head Ali Larijani has expressed the hope that Russia would settle the dispute over Iran's controversial nuclear programme.
"Both of us have agreed that solving the situation through negotiations is possible and we hope that Russia can help us in this direction," Larijani said Tuesday at a joint press conference with Russia's Security Council Secretary Igor Ivanov.
Larijani and Ivanov discussed the nuclear dispute for three hours behind closed doors at the National Security office in Tehran.
"Russia can play an effective role to enable a diplomatic solution, especially as we share close standpoints on the issue," Larijani said.
Also Ivanov said through an interpreter that Russia firmly believed that the nuclear dispute could be settled through negotiations.
"Russia will do whatever possible to make negotiations work and lead to positive results," Ivanov said.
Ivanov also reiterated Russia's commitment to complete the first phase of the Bushehr nuclear power plant as scheduled by September 2007.
The plant in the southern Persian Gulf port of Bushehr was initially scheduled to be completed by the Russians at the end of 1999 but was delayed several times.
Larijani further refrained from commenting on an interview by Iranian Atomic Energy Agency deputy, Mohammad Saeedi, with France Info radio Tuesday in which he had proposed that France create a consortium for the production of enriched uranium in Iran.
Besides President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki, Larijani is the only official to disclose political decisions by the Iranian government on nuclear issues. Saeedi has so far been responsible for technical issues only.
Sources close to Ivanov said that Larijani, who is also Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, had insisted on holding the talks.
Ivanov's visit to Tehran, Larijani's scheduled visit later this week with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, and Saeedi's remarks were described as a breakthrough in the nuclear dispute by Iranian state television Tuesday.
Iran had previously made the same proposal to Russia and other countries, even to its political foe, the US, but the West wants to avoid any enrichment process on Iranian soil, with or without foreign participation.
Tehran, Oct 4 (Xinhua) Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has given permission for foreign tourists to visit the country's nuclear facilities, an action aimed at proving the peaceful nature of its nuclear programme, the state media reported Wednesday.
"Foreign tourists can visit Iranian nuclear sites, after an order from President Ahmadinejad," Esfandyar Rahim Mashaii, head of Iran's Tourism and Cultural Heritage Organisation, was quoted as saying by the state television.
The president gave this order to prove Iran's nuclear programme was peaceful, and it was aimed at generating electricity, not nuclear bomb, said Mashaii.
"We are reviewing the related instructions in this regard," he added.
No immediate details were reported on the definition of a foreign tourist and when it could be legally implemented, but possible nuclear sites include Iran's first nuclear plant being built in the southern city of Bushehr, the uranium conversion facility near Isfahan and the uranium enrichment plant in Natanz.
Before the latest authorisation, only inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and some reporters were allowed to enter these mysterious nuclear sites.
The United States has accused Iran of using the nuclear energy programme as a cover to develop atomic weapons and pushed UN Security Council for possible sanctions against Iran.
But Iran has rejected the accusations, insisting that its nuclear programme was totally peaceful.
Chennai, Oct 4 (IANS) Wasim Jaffer will lead the Rest of India in the Irani Trophy tie against 2005-06 Ranji Trophy national champions Uttar Pradesh starting in Baroda Monday.
Indian cricket board secretary Niranjan Shah announced here Wednesday after a meeting of senior selection committee held at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.
Irani Trophy is five-day one-off match held usually at the start of a domestic cricket season between the winner of previous season's Ranji Trophy winners and Rest of India, comprising promising players from around the country.
Squad: Wasim Jaffer, Venugopal Rao, Robin Utthappa, Badrinath, Gauttam Gambhir, Dinesh Kartik, Vikram Rajvir Singh, Sreesanth, Zaheer Khan, Murali Kartik, P. Ojah, Rohit Sharma, S. Lahari and Y. Mahesh. Coach: Robin Singh
Rome, Oct 4 (IANS) Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, Italian Minister for International Trade and European Affairs Emma Bonnino plans to organise satyagraha in her country for peace in the Middle East.
Bonnino announced her plans here while addressing a gathering of Italian parliamentarians, writers and academicians on the occasion of Gandhi's birthday Monday, according to an Indian embassy press release.
Her political party Radicali was so influenced by Gandhian ideals of passive resistance, called satyagraha, that it has the figure of Mahatma Gandhi on its flag, said the minister. Bonnino said she followed the teachings of truth and non-violence of Gandhi at every step.
Indian Ambassador Rajiv Dogra was also a part of the gathering. Earlier he unveiled a bust of Gandhi at the Gandhi Institute of Higher Studies in Narni, central Italy.
Mumbai, Oct 4 (IANS) Asif Khan Bashir Khan, alias Junaid, suspected to have planted one of the bombs that led to a series of explosions here July 11, was Tuesday arrested from neighbouring Karnataka, Mumbai police sources said.
"We have picked him up from Belgaum today morning. He will be produced in a court tomorrow," an official of the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the Mumbai police, told IANS.
Asif Khan, hailing from Jalgaon in Maharashtra, was earlier known to be involved in subversive activities and had been associated with the outlawed Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) as well as terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the official said.
The seven blasts along the commuter train network in this financial capital of India claimed around 200 lives and injured many more.
Patna, Oct 4 (IANS) The much-awaited Garib Rath, a train with air-conditioned coaches but economical fares, was Wednesday flagged off by Railway Minister Lalu Prasad at the Saharsa Railway Station in north Bihar.
The train was for those poor Indians who could not dream of travelling by air-conditioned train coaches, Lalu prasad said before flagging off the Garib Rath on its maiden journey to the Sikh holy city of Amritsar in Punjab.
The fare for the train is 30 percent cheaper compared to that for a three-tier air-conditioned coach on any other route. As against 64 berths in a typical three-tier coach, the coaches of the new train have 75 berths, thus accommodating more passengers and also compensating for lower fares.
The railway minister said his goal was to put an end to the "class system" in trains.
He also announced a special reward of Rs.500,000 for the Indian Railways team involved in timely construction of the coaches for the first Garib Rath at the Kapurthala Coach Factory .
The minister, in his railway budget speech for 2006-07, had promised four Garib Rath trains this year. The remaining three will link New Delhi with Mumbai, Chennai and Patna.
Beirut, Oct 4 (ZEENEWS.COM) Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora yesterday welcomed the departure of "disappointed" Israeli troops from southern Lebanon but warned much remained to end the Jewish state's "occupation".
"The occupier has left disappointed," Siniora told a cabinet meeting the day after Israeli troops all-but completely withdrew from Lebanon after their July-August war with Hezbollah.
"But we still have tasks to complete: recover the Shebaa farms, free Lebanese prisoners held in Israeli jails and the enemy still refuses to hand over maps of the landmines they left behind" after leaving in 2000, he said.
Hezbollah's capture of two Israeli soldiers on July 12 in the hope of carrying out a prisoner exchange sparked a 34-day Israeli onslaught.
Mines and unexploded ordnance from that occupation as well as the summer's conflict continue to kill and maim Lebanese civilians on a regular basis.
Siniora's comments also came on the day that Lebanese soldiers deployed to Lebanon's southern frontier for the first time in nearly 40 years.
"It is the duty of the Lebanese army, which has deployed in southern Lebanon after many years of absence, to verify there are no violations of the blue line (UN-demarcated border) and end the occupation of Ghajar village in cooperation with UNIFIL."
Ghajar is a border village where the last handful of Israeli soldiers remain.
Kathmandu, Oct 4 (DPA) A demand from Nepal's Maoists has caused the postponement of this week's signing of an extradition treaty between Nepal and India, a television report said Wednesday.
Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal, better known as Prachanda, telephoned Nepalese Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala Tuesday night to demand that the governing Seven-Party Alliance not sign the treaty without the participation of the Maoist rebels, the Kantipur Television reported.
Kantipur Television quoted highly placed Maoist sources as saying Koirala agreed to the Maoist request to postpone the signing of the treaty that was agreed upon earlier this year until a more representative government was in place in Nepal.
Nepalese Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula had been scheduled to leave for New Delhi Wednesday to sign the treaty.
It is to replace an extradition treaty that Nepal and India signed in October 1953. India wanted to revise it, saying the 1953 document was not adequate to deal with the modern-day problems of drug and human trafficking along the countries' 1,700-kilometre-long border.
Government sources said Koirala agreed to put off the signing of the revised extradition treaty until after top-level peace talks scheduled for Sunday between the leaders of his ruling alliance and the Maoists, who have been waging a civil war for a decade.
Raipur, Oct 4 (IANS) A Mizo battalion trained in guerrilla warfare in hostile terrain reached the Maoist-hit state of Chhattisgarh Wednesday to step up battle against the Leftist extremists, mainly in the 40,000 sq km forested Bastar region.
Personnel of the 2nd Mizoram Indian Reserve Police battalion reached Raipur in a special train. They will be deployed at strategic locations in the interior regions of Bastar during the next week.
"We welcome the Mizo battalion as it was a long pending demand of the Chhattisgarh government which was conceded by the Indian government only last month," said a state home department senior official.
"They are specially trained to deal with guerrillas in hostile terrain. They are much skilled in terms of topography and able to take on rebels who operate on 'hit and run' tactics in the hilly Bastar region mainly in Dantewada, Narayanpur and Bijapur pockets," the official added.
"We have at least 10,000 forces mostly the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force troopers in Bastar. With the arrival of the Mizo battalion, the war against the rebels mainly in their hideouts is set to be intensified," the state Home Minister Ramvichar Netam told IANS.
Maoists have strong presence in as many as eight of the state's 16 districts. The rebels have compelled forces to be on the defensive during recent years in the districts of Dantewada, Bastar and Kanker districts, the official added.
The rebels started pounding security forces on an increased frequency since June last year when the government joined in a civil militia movement launched by locals against the Maoists.
The militia movement called Salwa Judum (Campaign for Peace) has left at least 50,000 indigenous Bastar tribes homeless and they are now settled in over a dozen government-run heavily guarded relief camps.
Chhattisgarh is among the worst Maoist infested 13 Indian states and officials say at least 282 persons, mostly tribal people in state's southern region, had been killed since January.
Maoists claim to fight for rights of poor peasants and landless labourers and have killed thousands and destroyed government property worth millions in a three-decade old movement that began in 1967 from a West Bengal village.
New Delhi, Oct 4 (IANS) There is a substantial growth in the number of visas issued to Indian students for studying in the US even as representatives of 17 American universities were camping in Delhi to woo more students.
"In the fiscal 2005-06 we had issued 18,000 student visas but in the last six months 24,000 student visas have been issued," said Adam Packar, a visa counsellor in the US embassy here.
"Nearly 80,000 students are currently enrolled in the US and the number is consistently growing. Looking at the current interest of Indian students, we are ready to give visa to all deserving candidates," Packar told IANS on the sidelines of an education fair here Tuesday.
"Indian students constitute 14 percent of all our foreign students and the country provides maximum number of students to the US," he added.
Representative of 17 US universities were participating in the education fair organised by the United States Educational Foundation in India (USEFI).
California State University, Indiana University, University of North Carolina, Webster University and Savannah College of Arts and Design were among those who participated in the fair.
"We consider Indian students as sharp and are here to tap the talent. The fair gives an opportunity to interact with students and explain them about our expectations from them," said Charles E. Beech, associate vice president (international enrolment) of Webster University.
"There is a huge response from students and they have been asking about placement, scholarship facilities, course curriculum and other issues. Our representatives are giving detailed information to them," Beech said.
Students too were happy to have all their queries about studying abroad answered in one visit.
"From the variety of courses to visa requirement, the fair throws light on many issues relevant to students aspiring to go abroad," said Shruti, a student.
Cairo, Oct 4 (DPA) The majority of Egypt's approximately 73 million inhabitants have known no leader other than 78-year-old Hosny Mubarak.
Coupled with persistent rumours that his son Gamal is preparing to succeed him as president, critics have been prompted to speak derisively of the "Egyptian monarchy".
Twenty-five years ago on Oct 6, a group of three Islamists shot and killed Egypt's former president Anwar al-Sadat, who was reviewing a parade in Cairo. Mubarak, then vice president, was beside Sadat on the reviewing stand. A week later he was officially appointed president.
No festivities are planned to mark the 25th anniversary of Mubarak's accession to power. On the contrary, it almost seems as though Mubarak's ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) wants to make as little fuss as possible.
"The party hasn't planned anything special for the day," said Mohammed Kamal, an NDP spokesman and member of Gamal Mubarak's reform wing.
Mubarak, who was decorated for his role as air force commander during the 1973 Yom Kippur War against Israel, has successfully prevented serious unrest and the total collapse of the ailing economy. But he has failed to bring the two biggest problems under control: radical Islamism and high population growth.
As a mediator in regional crises, Egypt's president has become a useful partner for Western countries, who return the favour in the form of financial aid, arms deliveries and development projects.
After 25 years with Mubarak at the helm, however, Egyptians are grumbling louder than before. Objects of their ire are rampant corruption, insufficient government services, rising prices, high youth unemployment and security forces unable to stop terrorist attacks on tourists, which occur at least once a year.
The opposition, leftists, liberals and Islamists, report constant attempts by the government to intimidate them. Police often club demonstrators. Members of the Muslim Brotherhood, who hold about 20 percent of the seats in parliament, can disappear behind bars at any time.
Martial law, imposed after Sadat's assassination, remains in effect. Human rights organisations say it restricts free speech and is responsible for dubious judicial decisions.
Mubarak broke new ground last year by allowing a multi-candidate presidential election. He previously had himself confirmed without opposition in referendums. However, his electoral opponents, one of whom has since been sentenced to five years in prison for having allegedly forged documents, said the election campaign had been too short and not fair. Mubarak won 88.6 percent of the vote. Turnout was low.
No one knows whether Mubarak will serve out his fifth term in office, which ends in 2011. Nor does anyone expect him to go voluntarily.
"Governing Egypt is a very difficult task considering how limited the resources are and how fast the population is growing," Mubarak said several months ago.
"It's not easy to govern Egypt, but it's not easy to step down either," he added.
London, Oct 4 (IRNA) A Muslim teenager was stabbed in the latest Islamophobic incident in Britain when a mosque in northwest England was attacked by gangs of white youths using brick and concrete blocks, reports said.
The local police described the attack on the Jamia Masjid mosque in Preston on Sunday evening as "racially motivated" street violence during which the 16-year-old boy was knifed in the arm.
In the same town, 20-year-old Shezsan Umarji was killed during a mass street fight in July. Three tennagers have since been charged over the attack.
Police said that a number of cars were also damaged outside the mosque in one of the most serious incidents that have targeted the Muslim community in Preston.
"These problems are being caused by a small group of criminals in the area who are intent on intimidating the local community," Chief Superintendent Mike Barton of the Lancashire Constabulary said as quoted by BBC.
About 200 worshipers were said to have emerged to confront the white gang stone-throwers while about 100 police were deployed to defuse the situation.
Following the attack, police met with local politicians and community leaders and pledged to work together to avoid a repeat of violence and root out those responsible.
Extra patrols were mounted in the area and there was no repeat of the problems overnight.
Washington, Oct 4 (ZEENEWS.COM) A North Korea nuclear test would be an "unacceptable threat to peace and stability" and further isolate Pyongyang from the rest of the world, a state department spokesman said on Tuesday.
The spokesman, Sean McCormack, said the United States will work with its allies to discourage "such a reckless action".
North Korea today announced that it would conduct a nuclear test in the face of what it claimed was "the US extreme threat of a nuclear war". The statement from Pyongyang gave no precise date as to when a test might occur.
Such a test, McCormack said, "would pose an unacceptable threat to peace and stability in Asia and the world."
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said: "the announcement is troubling."
"If they were to conduct such a test it would only further isolate them from the international community," Whitman said, adding that President George W Bush is "seeking a peaceful, diplomatic solution."
Seoul, Oct 4 (ZEENEWS.COM) North Korea`s quest for nuclear weapons has relied on the former Soviet Union, China and more recently a smuggling ring linked to the father of Pakistan`s own atom bomb.
The North has sought nuclear weapons since the end of the 1950-1953 Korean War, when Washington stationed nuclear warheads in South Korea and Japan.
Pyongyang then got help from the Soviet Union and China in launching its own drive to acquire the bomb.
Later, assistance was obtained in crucial technology areas from other countries, including Pakistan.
In the mid-1950s North Korea signed a research agreement with Moscow under which hundreds of its scientists were trained in nuclear physics by the soviets. Pyongyang later signed a similar cooperation agreement with China.
Around 1960, North Korean leader Kim Il-sung ordered the construction of an atomic energy research complex in Yongbyon, 90 kilometres north of the capital, Pyongyang.
Two years later Soviet scientists helped the North Koreans assemble a two-megawatt IRT-20 research reactor shipped by Moscow to Pyongyang. In return, North Korea exported the spent fuel back to the soviet union. The reactor was in operation in 1965.
In 1974, North Korean leader Kim visited China, and reportedly won China`s promise to train more North Korean nuclear scientists.
North Korea was ready to step up its nuclear drive and five years later began work on a second reactor at Yongbyon. The five-megawatt research reactor was operational in 1987, and ready to produce some seven kilogrammes of plutonium a year, enough for one or two nuclear weapons.
In 1989, US satellite pictures showed the existence of a reprocessing plant at the Yongbyon complex.
At about the same time, the reactor was shut down and North Korea was suspected of unloading it and reprocessing spent nuclear fuel rods to separate around 12 kilogrammes of plutonium, enough for a couple of atomic bombs.
Washington accused North Korea of actively pursuing nuclear weapons. Pyongyang denied the charge but started to build two larger reactors, a 50-megawatt and a 200-megawatt plant.
Gathering tension about North Korea`s nuclear ambitions reached crisis point when the united states reported several undeclared nuclear sites in North Korea and Pyongyang rejected outside inspections and threatened to withdraw from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
The two-year-long standoff was headed off in 1994 when Pyongyang agreed to freeze its nuclear programme in return for the construction of safe nuclear reactors for the impoverished country.
But the issue flared up again in October 2002 when Washington said North Korea, while freezing its plutonium-based programme, had admitted secretly using a different route to nuclear weapons, helped by Pakistan.
North Korea began seeking nuclear weapons fuel through uranium enrichment while the ink was still wet on the 1994 accord, according to US sources. The programme was given a boost by Abdul Qadeer Khan, the father of Pakistan`s nuclear bomb, who in 2004 admitted passing nuclear technology to North Korea and other countries.
According to US reports he made 13 trips to North Korea in the 1990s and helped supply uranium enrichment equipment and possibly even warhead designs. Finally the North declared in February 2005 that it had built nuclear weapons. The CIA has stated in the past that it believes Pyongyang has created several crude nuclear bombs.
Kabul, Oct 4 (ZEENEWS.COM) NATO says it will take command of foreign troops who had been under us authority in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, completing its expansion across the country.
"On the 5th of October NATO`s security assistance force will be expanded to all of Afghanistan," the alliance`s senior civilian representative Dan W Everts told a press conference in Kabul.
"Most of the US forces that are operating under their own command right now in the east will join the overall ISAF organisation and be part of the unified ISAF command," he said.
ISAF stands for international security assistance force, the official name for the NATO-led force in Afghanistan.
He did not say exactly how many of the nearly 20,000-strong us-led force currently carrying out counter-insurgency operations mainly in eastern Afghanistan will join ISAF.
Other NATO officials however have said that 10,000 to 12,000 of them will do so.
Another about 8,000 US troops in the east will remain under the US-led coalition which has been commanding the area.
NATO endorsed the expansion at a meeting of its defence ministers in Brussels on last Thursday.
The 37-nation ISAF took over command of the Taliban-dominated southern provinces from the coalition on July 31, moving into one of the most hostile areas of the country and embarking on its most ambitious mission yet.
Troops in the south - mostly Canadian, Britons, Dutch and Americans - have confronted some of the heaviest fighting their nations have seen in decades.
New York, Oct 4 (DPA) The UN Security Council will formally pick a successor for the UN's top job next Monday - choosing in all likelihood South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon, the council's president said.
Ban has come out on top in four informal votes by the 15-nation council over who should succeed Secretary General Kofi Annan next year.
In the latest vote Monday, the career diplomat received 14 votes in favour and one abstention, prompting the second place finisher, Undersecretary General Shashi Tharoor of India, to say he was pulling out of the race.
Security Council president and Japanese Ambassador Kenzo Oshima said the council would take a "formal decision" Monday morning and could make its recommendation to the General Assembly on the same day.
The assembly must approve any choice, though this is widely considered a formality.
Annan will step down on Dec 31 after a 10-year term.
New Delhi, Oct 4 (IANS) Global IT major NIIT Technologies has tied up with Singapore's Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) to develop and market e-government procurement solutions.
"Singapore is regarded as a leader in implementing e-governance technology, hence we decided it's best to tie-up with the leaders to provide e-government solutions to South Asian countries," Arvind Thakur, chief executive of NIIT, said Wednesday.
As part of the contract, DSTA will be outsourcing the development and maintenance support of their government electronic business portal (GeBIZ) to NIIT, which it will market to the governments of South Asia, Middle East and Central Europe.
Said Kailash Agarwal, NIIT's e-governance project head: "With the announcement of the allocation of Rs.230 billion ($50.3 billion) by the Indian government under the National e-governance Action Plan, the e-governance market definitely has tremendous potential.
"Identifying this opportunity, we at NIIT planned to venture into this business."
New York, Oct 4 (IANS) Breastfeeding has little impact on a child's intelligence, says a new study but adds that it is still important that newborns continue to be breastfed.
Anjali Jain and colleagues from the British Medical Research Council studied 5,475 US children and mothers. They also identified 332 sibling pairs in which one child was breastfed and the other was not, reported the online edition of science magazine WebMD.
They found a positive impact for breastfeeding on intelligence only when other potential contributors such as the mother's IQ and the parents' educational and economic status were taken into consideration.
The researchers also did not find any significant difference in intelligence among the breastfed and non-breastfed siblings.
"The mother's IQ was by far the most important variable, accounting for 70-75 percent of the difference between children who were and were not breastfed," said Geoff Der, one of the researchers.
He, however, said that these findings should not discourage mothers from breastfeeding their newborns.
"Even if it does not enhance intelligence, breastfeeding remains an unequalled way of providing ideal food for the healthy growth and development of infants," said Der.
Breastfeeding has been shown to lower an infant's risk of infections and is believed to help protect against allergies, diabetes, and obesity later in life.
"We would never suggest that any woman should choose not to breastfeed on the basis of our findings," Der said. "Clearly, there are many good reasons to breastfeed."
Seoul, Oct 4 (DPA) North Korea announced Tuesday it plans to carry out a nuclear test, saying it was being compelled to do so because of US sanctions and hostility.
Such a test would strengthen the nuclear deterrent of North Korea, said a statement from the foreign ministry that was distributed on the official Korean Central News Agency.
"DPRK will in the future conduct a nuclear test," the statement said, using the acronym for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
It did not say when a test might be carried out.
North Korea had previously said it possesses nuclear weapons, but it is not yet known to have carried out a nuclear test.
"The already declared possession of nuclear weapons presupposes the nuclear test," Tuesday's statement said.
"The US extreme threat of a nuclear war and sanctions and pressure compel North Korea to conduct a nuclear test, an essential process for bolstering nuclear deterrent as a corresponding measure for defence," it added.
The statement came as six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear programme have been stalled for a year.
In September 2005, North Korea agreed to abandon its nuclear programme in return for aid and security guarantees, but later that month and in October, the US imposed financial sanctions on it.
Pyongyang has refused ever since to return to the negotiating table with the US, South Korea, China, Japan and Russia.
North Korea's statement Tuesday heaped scorn on the US and blamed Washington's actions for Pyongyang's future nuclear test. It accused the US of preparing for a second Korean war and threatening North Korea's sovereignty.
It added that it would "never use nuclear weapons first" and prohibits any nuclear transfers.
However, Washington has charged Pyongyang with the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and some of the financial sanctions it imposed in autumn 2005 targeted firms it said were engaged in the trade of such weapons.
North Korea's relations with the US have deteriorated under the administration of President George W. Bush, who called Pyongyang part of an axis of evil in 2002.
Bush warned in August this year that a North Korean nuclear test would be a threat and urged the international community to work toward ensuring Pyongyang cannot jeopardise stability.
Oslo, Oct 4 (ZEENEWS.COM) A Norwegian commercial television channel was yesterday set to broadcast pictures of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed in a documentary on the row surrounding last year's publication of the cartoons, Norwegian media reported.
TV2's Dokument 2 programme was to screen in "some form or another", the cartoons first published by Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten in September last year.
The paper's publication of 12 caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed, followed by a slew of other, mostly European media, sparked outrage in the Muslim world.
TV2 did not want to say whether or not the documentary titled "Bound to Silence" would show the controversial drawings.
The Norwegian Foreign Ministry said the programme did feature the cartoons and said it had alerted its embassies in some Muslim countries about the broadcast.
"There's nothing dramatic in this. We have sent a message" to our embassies in countries most affected by the cartoons crisis, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, who had seen the documentary, Anne Lene Dale Sandsten told agencies.
Norway was one of the first countries where the cartoons were reproduced. In ensuing protests, the Scandinavian country's interests were hit especially hard in Syria and Afghanistan.
Srinagar, Oct 4 (IANS) One policeman was killed and six people injured as a fierce gun battle raged between separatist guerrillas holed up inside a hotel and security forces in Budshah Chowk in Srinagar Wednesday.
Of the six injured, two are security personnel and the rest civilians.
Police moved swiftly to evacuate shoppers and shopkeepers to safety as gunfire continued between the guerrillas holed up inside the Standard Hotel in Budshah Chowk, adjacent to Lal Chowk- the busy shopping and commercial district of the Jammu and Kashmir summer capital- and the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troops.
The militants had hurled grenades and fired from automatic weapons at the CRPF guards outside the Akhara building, which is being used as a barrack by the CRPF, triggering retaliatory attacks.
A caller of the Al Mansoorian militant outfit called up a local news agency to claim responsibility for the attack. According to the caller, around three men of the outfit were hiding in the hotel.
However, a senior police official told IANS that there were two fidayeen guerrillas inside the hotel.
"A raiding party of the CRPF and police entered the first floor of the hotel and searched some rooms. We have to move cautiously as the area is heavily congested," said the official.
"We have so far rescued more than 200 persons safely. There are still people trapped inside shops and some homes there. Efforts are continuing to rescue them," he told IANS from near the Standard Hotel building.
Tension is high in the summer capital as anxious parents thronged schools to fetch their children back before the usual closing hour. Some anxious relatives of the shopkeepers, who are trapped inside, were waiting and enquiring from police officials about their welfare.
Announcements were being made on loud speakers by the police, asking shopkeepers and others in the area to move out of the buildings and leave the area in waiting bullet-proof vehicles.
Heavy police and paramilitary reinforcements have been moved to the area and the city centre has been sealed.
Among the four civilians is Nazir Ahmed, the manager of the hotel, police said.
Baghdad, Oct 4 (ZEENEWS.COM) More than 30 people were killed in violence around Iraq on Tuesday, including a state TV employee, a judge and three people in a morning suicide attack on a fish market in Baghdad that wounded 19 others.
The bomber detonated a belt rigged with explosives in the outdoor market in the primarily Sunni area of Sadiyah, Southwestern Baghdad, at 7:10 a.m. (0940 IST), Police Lt. Maitham Abdul Razzaq said.
In the northern city of Mosul, Jassim Hammad Ibrahim, who was working as a driver for state-run Iraqia TV, was killed in a drive-by shooting, police Maj. Ahmed Khalid said. Mosul`s Iraqia TV station manager Ghazi Faisal confirmed Ibrahim`s death, adding that he had been going shopping when killed by the unknown assailants.
In Hay, 220 kilometers south of Baghdad, unidentified gunmen shot and killed Naeem Manei, an assistant judge in the hay court, police said.
A mortar attack on a Shia area of Baghdad`s Dora neighborhood, killed one civilian and injured 17 others, police said.
In another Baghdad attack, two civilians were injured when a roadside bomb targeting an American convoy blew up, police 1st Lt. Bilal Ali Majid said. There were no immediate reports of US casualties.
One civilian was killed and two more wounded in a rocket attack on a residential neighborhood in northern Baghdad, police said.
Another three people were killed and nine more injured when a parked car bomb blew up near a Shia mosque in downtown Baghdad. The attack came in Karradah, a Shia neighborhood at 9 am (1130 IST), police 1st Lt. Thair Mahmoud said.
About 30 kilometers south of Baghdad, mortar shells landed on a residential area in Mahmoudiya, killing one person and wounding five others, Iraqi Army Capt. Odai Abdel-Rhida said.
Two pedestrians were killed in a drive-by shooting in Mosul, 360 kilometers northwest of Baghdad, police said.
One civilian was killed and three others were injured when unidentified gunmen stormed the house of a Shia family in Muqdadiyah, about 90 kilometers north of Baghdad, police said.
Meanwhile, authorities in Baqouba, 60 kilometers northeast of Baghdad, said four gunmen were killed in a morning clash with police in the city.
Police also found seven bodies in an area north of Baqouba, identified as being the father, three sons and three other relatives from a Shia family.
Five more people, whom neighbours said were a Shia family fleeing their home after receiving threats, were killed in the Gatoun area of Baquoba, police said.
In addition, Baqouba general hospital doctor Ahmed Fuad said the hospital had received the bodies of eight other people who had been shot today and two who had been killed in a roadside bombing.
In an area near Amarah, 320 kilometers southeast of Baghdad, police found the body of Col. Adnan Hussein al Hreshawi, a former Iraqi officer in Saddam Hussein`s Army. His hands were cuffed, and he had been shot in the head and other parts of the body, Police Capt. Hussein Kareem said.
Islamabad, Oct 4 (IRNA) Pakistani law enforcement agencies have arrested 246 pro-Taliban Afghans in the last two months, a senior Interior Ministry official said on Monday.
The official, as quoted by the Daily Times, said the arrests were made in connection with an ongoing campaign launched against Taliban operatives and Afghans supporting the Taliban.
So far Pakistan has handed over 57 pro-Taliban Afghans to the government of Afghanistan, he added.
The countrywide campaign against suspected Taliban supporters was launched in the backdrop of intelligence agencies reports saying the presence of pro-Taliban Afghans would cause serious security threats in Pakistan.
The Interior Ministry had directed provinces to monitor activities of Afghan refugees and to take prompt action against those involved in dubious activities.
Following the directive, the provinces launched efforts to identify former operatives of the Taliban regime hiding in Pakistan disguised as refugees.
The official said a majority of pro-Taliban Afghans have been injured in clashes with security forces in Afghanistan.
They entered Pakistan's province of Balochistan for medical treatment, but were arrested.
Authorities concerned also warned private hospitals providing medical treatment to injured Afghans.
Hospitals have been directed not to treat such people without seeing their medico-legal reports.
The Interior Ministry also directed provincial authorities to help facilitate the repatriation of Afghan refugees under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) repatriation program.
The voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan in 2006 has so far surpassed the 100,000 mark.
More than 2.8 million Afghans have returned from Pakistan and more than 1.4 million from Iran since the NHCR started facilitating their return to Afghanistan in 2002.
An estimated 2.6 million Afghans remain in Pakistan.
The official said that during an upcoming registration of Afghan refugees, they would be provided with special identity cards to legitimize their refugee status in Pakistan.
New Delhi, Oct 4 (PTI) With investigations into the Mumbai serial train blasts pointing towards a Pakistani hand, the Maharashtra Government's view that the recent terror trend was part of Islamabad-sponsored jehadi terrorism stands vindicated.
The jehadi terrorism involved "luring and training" of a large number of Muslim youth by Pakistan and using Bangladesh and Nepal as active transit routes as part of a design to engulf India into the arc of violence, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh had told the just concluded Nainital conclave.
In his presentation at the Congress Chief Ministers's meet, Deshmukh had underlined the need for a declared anti-terror policy as also "mainstreaming" of the minorities, education, intervention and handling of illegal migration problem.
Besides, he had spoken about measures to streamline internal migration because of "skewed development" in the country, an obvious reference to backwardness of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar from where streams of people come to Mumbai.
To deal with the situation, Deshmukh had suggested provision of police custody of 45 days in terror crimes as also provision of filing chargesheet within 180 days instead of 90 days at present.
Besides special courts for prosecution of such crimes, he also wanted a provision for recording of confession by designated police officer to be confirmed before judicial magistrate.
Maharashtra has been affected by terrorism since 1984 and the recent incidents include the bomb blast in Nanded in Marathwada region on April six and the Malegaon blasts last month besides the Mumbai attack.
By Minu Jain,
On Board Air India One, Oct 4 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday came down heavily on Pakistan, saying it would have to "walk the talk" on controlling terrorism.
Referring to the serial blasts in India's financial capital Mumbai July 11, he said it was the most recent instance of terrorism where "we had lost 200 lives".
The peace process between India and Pakistan cannot move forward until "both our countries work to gain mastery over this menace," Manmohan Singh told journalists on his way back from a four-day tour to South Africa.
"Despite all that, we are making efforts to normalize relations with Pakistan," he said categorically.
The joint mechanism on terrorism agreed on during Manmohan Singh's meeting with Pakistan President Pravez Musharraf in Havana last month, was yet to take off, the prime minister said.
" We have yet to test it. We will test it. We have set up this mechanism. How else can we ask for information except through a mechanism like this?" he asked, stressing on the need to share information.
" We will test the waters...I think Pakistan will have to walk the talk."
The Havana joint statement explicitly condemns the Mumbai blast and details the steps the two countries will take to control terrorism.
" We will share that information with Pakistan and ascertain how sincere they are in carrying forward the commitment that I and President Musharraf have underlined in our joint statement," Manmohan Singh asserted.
The issue of terrorism and the fact that India had been the victim of cross-border terrorism for a long time also came up during Manmohan Singh's meeting with South African President Thabo Mbeki.
Manmohan Singh said he had not read Musharraf's much talked about autobiography but hoped to do so over the weekend.
Discussing the civilian nuclear deal with the US and the uncertainty that surrounds it, the prime minister said: "One has to reckon with the fact that we have no control over the legislative process in the United States; that uncertainly will always exist.
"There is nothing I can do to get over that uncertainly. We have to watch what happens in November (when the Senate reconvenes to consider the measure)," the prime minister maintained.
Moving on to economic reforms, he admitted that there were problems and said reforms were needed in the banking and insurance systems.
"Now, unfortunately, these reforms are blocked because we don't have consensus in our coalition, but we keep trying."
Similarly, there was no consensus in the coalition on how to handle the issue of the creamy layer in reservations, the prime minister said.
On the oft-asked question of a new foreign minister, he said there were vacancies in the cabinet of the external affairs and labour ministers.
"I have to (fill the slots) and I will do so shortly," Manmohan Singh stated.
Jammu, Oct 4 (IANS) A resident of Pakistan-administered-Kashmir was apprehended by the Indian Army along the Line-of-Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch sector Wednesday.
The man, identified as Abdul Razaaq, had "inadvertently" walked into the Indian side of the LoC, said informed sources.
Army officials said Razaaq, who is in his early 20's, appeared to be innocent. They added that the Pakistani army had been informed and Razaaq would be sent back soon.
By Liz Mathew,
New Delhi, Oct 4 (IANS) After making them slog for decades for a pittance, India's dominant communist party has finally decided to hike the wages of its full-time activists to give them a slightly better standard of living.
Across the country, "whole timers" - as they are known - are eagerly waiting for the windfall promised to them by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), which pays a monthly fixed wage, or salary, to its estimated 25,000 activists.
The lowest monthly slab is now Rs.1,500, which is barely enough to give a decent lifestyle. If the CPI-M decision to pay its "whole timers" the minimum wages prescribed by central and state governments for unskilled labour is implemented, this amount is likely to rise by a few hundred rupees.
That, party activists say, is something they badly require.
"It's a good step," said K. Veeriah, a 32-year-old activist who has been with the party since 1997.
Veeriah, who works at the CPI-M headquarters here as a personal assistant to politburo member Sitaram Yechury, earns Rs.3,300 a month - just a few hundred more than what courier company delivery boys in the city get. Mercifully, his accommodation and family's medical expenses are taken care of by the party.
But he doesn't get to take home even the meagre monthly amount that comes his way although that is less than the notified wage for an unskilled labourer in the national capital.
Worse, Veeriah has to pay around Rs.600 to the party as "levy" annually. This is mandatory for all members.
But Veeriah, the single breadwinner in his family that includes a school-going child, says he does not feel bad. "We find it difficult to meet the expenses in an expensive city like Delhi. It is our commitment to ideology that drives us," Veeriah told IANS.
But mere ideology, the party is realizing, cannot fill people's stomachs, not in this age.
The CPI-M says it does not differentiate between the wages of an ordinary "whole timer" and a party leader. Even Yechury or party general secretary Prakash Karat draw more or less the same amount as the others.
But senior leaders get some extra facilities because they need to travel more and interact with people. "They will get vehicles too," explained Roopchand Pal, a college lecturer-turned-CPI-M Lok Sabha MP from West Bengal.
The party decides a full timer's wage on the basis of the living expenses of the place where he works. If his spouse is employed, the amount would be less. According to Pal, the party stands by members who are in distress.
However, P. Karunakaran, an MP from Kerala, pointed out that most members including some MPs found it difficult to make both ends meet. An MP earning Rs.26,000 as salary, including the constituency allowance, gives backs a whopping Rs.19,500 to the party.
"If I go for parliamentary committee meetings (for which we get special allowances), things are ok that month. Otherwise it is very tough. As an MP I end up spending at least Rs.12,000 on taxis alone," he said.
So why is the CPI-M, which opposes any hike even in MPs' salaries with unflinching regularity, increasing the wages of its members?
Some say this is because the poor wages have affected the party membership.
"Cost of living in cities is so high that we found it difficult to manage. So the second generation tends to move away from the party," said a former member who was a full-timer for almost a decade.
Pointing out that surviving on one's income from the party was "almost impossible" the member said: "Whole-timers tend to be isolated at the place they work. Unless you are from a well-off family, which many of the central leaders are, it is extremely difficult to manage. That's why the numbers are dwindling.
"Unlike the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh), communist parties do not insist on bachelorhood for members. So everyone tends to have families," she pointed out. This makes it worse.
Things are slightly different in Left-ruled Kerala and West Bengal. "The youth in the two states seem to be more keen to join the party as membership would be advantageous to get jobs," said a sympathiser.
CPI-M leaders admit that many of them prefer their children not to follow their footsteps.
"I have been getting many calls from my former friends asking for jobs for their children. They are keen to keep their children out of the party," another former full-timer told IANS.
The CPI-M, which claims its popularity has risen since it extended support to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, says it is aware of the realities.
"We found that whole-time cadres are underpaid. It is difficult for them to work with that money. We have decided to make our system more effective."
Tehran, Oct 4 (DPA) Ramadan in Iran has various angles. While committed Muslims take the occasion as a religious duty, less committed Muslims take the one-month period to compensate their religious negligence and return to spirituality.
But for many Iranian women Ramadan - fasting from sunrise to sunset - is also suitable occasion not only for fulfilling their religious duties but also for shedding the odd extra pound.
Samireh, a 24-year student from Tehran, and her university friends have decided this year to avail of this opportunity to renew their good intentions, and also lose some of the annoying extras around their waste and hips.
Many intentions, such as helping their mothers with housework, supporting their little brothers with homework, aiding homeless people or studying harder might eventually come true somehow, but the toughest aim remains dieting.
As Iranian food contains a lot of rice along with oily and salty stews, many Iranians suffer from being overweight.
Dieting in Iran basically starts with avoiding rice but as for almost all Iranians anything without rice is not regarded as real food, the dieting process frequently ends in failure.
The first date for putting into practice good intentions is usually the Persian New Year (March 21). While for the New Year only personal motivations are involved, there are also religious ones during Ramadan, encouraging women to conquer their weaker self.
"The diet part of the good intentions made on New Year usually ends after a few days. But thank god, my friends and I renew them again on Ramadan," Samireh says.
Samireh has an additional motivation this year round: she is going to get married. But as wedding ceremonies are not held during Ramadan and the couple has to wait until the Eid-ul-Fitr feast, which marks the end of the fasting month, she will have enough time to lose at least some of the additional pounds.
"Spirituality and love? Motivation enough to make it work this time, Inshallah!" she says.
Samireh's 50-year-old mother wants to join her daughter in fasting. Although mother and daughter are religious, they do not constantly pray or fast.
"I like my daughter to take Ramadan as an occasion to be closer to god but I have never ever forced her to fast," says the mother who nonetheless welcomes the idea of using Ramadan for dieting. "Losing some pounds myself would not be bad, either."
Nutrition expert Zia Mozahari considers fasting during Ramadan a suitable opportunity for "cleansing mind and body" and the best time for losing weight.
Yet other experts believe that not eating anything during daytime and starting at Iftar - the fast-breaking meal after sunset - eating dinner later, then sleeping and then again having breakfast for Sahari - last meal before sunrise - could backfire and increase people's body fat.
"This could indeed be the case as taking the wrong food will not only be harmful for your body but make you extremely thirsty during the day and eventually cause great inconvenience," Mozahari says.
"The desirable results can only be gained by taking the right food, especially boiled vegetables is a must on the menu," he recommends to those who intend to diet.
However, this is easier said than done as most of the traditional Ramadan delicacies for breaking the fast are either extremely sweet or enormously heavy, such as "Ash'e Reshteh", a noodle soup with beans and an undeniable obligation on every Ramadan dining table.
Although Iran is widely considered one of the fortresses of the Islamic world, not all Iranians follow the Muslim duties such as praying or fasting.
Besides its religious aspects, Ramadan is used as a time for family reunions. Family members take their time to gather for making Iftar and having dinner together throughout the month.
"I like Ramadan, especially the nice and cosy gatherings and the colourful dining tables and the various delicious food. But this time I better not look at the dishes," Samireh says.
Tbilisi/Moscow, Oct 4 (DPA) Russia enforced a threatened transport blockade on neighbouring Georgia amid a spying dispute, closing all of its transport routes into the Caucasus republic.
Since midnight Monday, air, sea, rail and road links between the two former Soviet republics were reportedly paralysed.
The blockade would continue indefinitely, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in Moscow.
The speaker of Russia's Duma lower house of parliament, Boris Gryzlov, said the measures constituted "sanctions against the regime" of Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili.
The Georgian leader has angered Russia by adopting a strong pro-Western line since coming to power in 2004.
The dispute flared further last week after the detention by authorities in Tbilisi of four Russian military officers for alleged spying.
Under growing international pressure to calm the situation, Georgia released the officers on Monday but Russia went ahead with the transport freeze, citing unpaid bills and other "serious matters" in relations.
Moscow, Oct 4 (ZEENEWS.COM) Russia warned the United States on Tuesday against basing elements of a planned missile defense system in Poland, saying this would undermine strategic stability and require a "corresponding" response from Moscow, Interfax news agency said.
"This could have a negative impact on strategic stability, regional security and the relations between states," Interfax quoted ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin as saying in an interview.
"Such a new situation objectively requires corresponding measures from us," Kamynin said.
He did not specify what those measures would be. Russia, however, announced earlier this year that it was supplying Belarus -- an ex-soviet republic wedged between Russia and Poland -- with its sophisticated s-300 anti-aircraft defence system.
The United States has for years been planning and testing elements of a new global anti-missile defence system that would combine space-based elements capable of detecting hostile missile launches with ground-based rockets that would track and destroy those missiles.
Washington has consistently stated that the objective of the planned system is to protect the United States and allies from ballistic missile launches from what it terms "rogue" states such as North Korea or Iran, and has insisted that it is not aimed against any other party.
With equal consistency however, Moscow has made clear its deep unease at the planned us system. Most recently, the Chief of Staff of Russia's armed forces, General Yuri Baluyevsky, warned that the planned us system could ignite a new cold war-style arms race.
Sacramento (California), Oct 4 (DPA) Seeking re-election in the heavily Democratic state, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger stayed away from "unpopular" US President George Bush in an apparent bid to avoid alienating voters.
Many of his recent policies, including signing a landmark environmental bill, have put him squarely at odds with Bush's policies, helping to propel Schwarzenegger to a commanding lead over Democratic rival Phil Angelides.
Bush made a rare visit Tuesday to California to campaign for a local Republican candidate for the Nov 7 mid-term poll.
California voters believe Schwarzenegger represents very different values from the "unpopular president", who has a 66-per-cent disapproval rating in the state.
"Bush is incredibly unpopular in California, but Schwarzenegger has successfully separated himself from the president," said pollster Phil Trounstine of the San Jose State University research centre Tuesday.
"They know he's a Republican, but they don't see him as Bush's evil twin."
Minu Jain,
On Board Air India One, Oct 4 (IANS) There was no reason to be disheartened by Shashi Tharoor withdrawing from the race for UN secretary general, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Tuesday, describing the UN official's performance as "very, very creditable even though he has not made it".
It was always going to be a Herculean task with India up against existing international order, the prime minister told journalists on his way back from a three-day trip to South Africa.
"This is the first time we have challenged it (the international order)," Manmohan Singh said.
"I think there is no reason for being disheartened. I think the future will have to reckon with the fact that India is ready to assume its rightful role in the management of international system," he added.
Chandigarh, Oct 4 (IANS) The Sri Lanka and Bangladesh teams arrived here Tuesday evening for qualifying matches of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Champions Trophy to be played at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) stadium at Mohali near here.
Both teams went through a practice session in the evening at the newly renovated Sector 16 cricket stadium here.
It was almost after a decade that international teams have come to this ground.
Both teams will play practice matches with the Punjab XI team here in the run-up to the Champions Trophy that begins Oct 7 at four centres - Mumbai, Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Mohali.
While Bangladesh will take on Punjab XI that features some India team players Wednesday, Sri Lanka will take on Punjab XI the next day.
Bangladesh coach David Whatmore said here his team was the weakest among the participants but was ready to fight it out.
"Our recent performance in South Africa was just average," he admitted.
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh clash in the opening game of the Champions Trophy Oct 7 at PCA stadium at Mohali, 10 km from here.
Dear friends:
Please look at the following appeal we have received from the Forum for Democrative Initiatives in New Delhi. It reminds us of the courageous man Bant Singh, a Dalit and an activist for the Agricultural Labourers Association in Punjab. Back in July 2002 his daughter Baljit Kaur was gang-raped. Bant Singh and his daughter Baljit decided to decided to wage a struggle against the rapists. For a whole month the police would not even file a case; the village panchayat (council) dominaed by powerful upper-caste locals put pressures on the father and the daughter, not to press for legal cases. They persevered. Ultimately they won the legal battle. The rapists were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
But the village powerfuls didn't leave Bant Singh alone. Three times he was assaulted by their hit-men, in August 2005, December 2005, and on January 5, 2006. The last one was a deadly one. Both his arms and one leg had to be amputated. But Bant Singh is holding out. "They have taken away my limbs, not my spirit and not my voice". He still holds rallies and sings peoples songs.
For details on the incident, petition and protests, newspaper reports following it, please see
www.punjabdalitsolidarity.blogspot.com
St. Stephen's Hospital in Delhi is willing to medically rehabilitate Bant Singh, with artificial limbs. This needs big funds.
We urge you to salute this courageous and indomitable fighter by giving what you can. All the details are in the message below. There are pictures of him and also of his daughter, with her own statement, in the link above.
many thanks
hari sharma
for SANSAD
*******************
Dear friends,
Early this year, we had sent you information about the barbaric, gruesome attack on Bant Singh, a dalit singer and leader of AIALA, the organization of agrarian labour, in Punjab. You had also signed the petition and expressed solidarity. A pdf file with details is also attached with this email.
As you may know Bant Singh has shown exemplary courage in the face of extreme adversity. He refused to surrender to the demands of the caste panchayat when they asked him to drop the case against the rapists of his minor daughter. He relentlessly pursued legal justice by declaring that the struggle that he pursued for his daughter was also the struggle for the dignity of similarly oppressed dalit women. He continued to organize agricultural workers for their rights and wages brushing aside dangers to his person. And when his arms and legs were smashed to a pulp (and subsequently amputated) by politically powerful landlords he comforted his friends and said, "They have taken my limbs but I've got my voice - I can still sing!"
Medical Rehabilitation of Bant Singh
While Bant Singh continues to defy the fetters imposed by disability following the barbaric assault, he is currently facing several difficulties. He is unable to move on his own, a surgery is pending in the leg that was left intact but dysfunctional. He has 8 very young children to look after; his piggery-the work that had freed him from the feudal bonds of being tied to the landlords' fields-has collapsed and there are multiple medical complications.
What needs to be done
Bant Singh's courage will be a source of inspiration to all but we need not be mere spectators to the tragedy unleashed on him. We can express our solidarity by helping him access the best possible medical rehabilitation, so that he is back on his feet. Doctors have pointed out that with the current developments in medical technology, it would not be impossible to fix artificial limbs, both arms and legs, for him. Given the nature of amputation and the extent of prosthetic aids required, it is an expensive procedure but this is also necessary to prevent his organs from getting atrophied.
The St. Stephen's Hospital, Delhi, is attempting to medically rehabilitate Bant Singh. While this procedure has started, there is an urgent need for funds so that the best possible prosthetic aids can be acquired for him. We urgently seek your financial support for this purpose.
Bant Singh's rehabilitation would give all struggling people immense courage and hope. We owe it to Bant Singh to enable him to walk again.
You can draw your cheque/ DD in favour of AIALA, and send it to U-90, Shakarpur, Delhi 110 092.
For further details and queries on nature of contribution, you could contact:
Forum for Democratic Initiatives
fdidelhi@gmail.com , fdi_delhi@yahoo.co.in
9868038981/ 9811625577 / 9910074470 / 9818416968/ 9818514952
Stockholm, Oct 4 (Xinhua) US scientists John C. Mather and George F. Smoot won the 2006 Nobel Physics Prize Tuesday for their work on the Big Bang theory on the origin of the universe.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said the two men were instrumental to the success of the cosmic background explorer (COBE) satellite programme launched by NASA in 1989.
"The COBE results provided increased support for the Big Bang scenario for the origin of the universe, as this is the only scenario that predicts the kind of cosmic microwave background radiation measured by COBE," the Academy added.
Under the Big Bang theory, the cosmos was formed from a cataclysmic explosion that happened about 13.7 billion years ago.
Measurements taken by the satellite offered insights into the age of the universe, galaxies and stars by calculating the temperature of cosmic microwave background radiation, a relic of the infant universe, the Nobel jury said.
"These measurements also marked the inception of cosmology as a precise science," it added.
Mather, 60, works at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and Smoot, 61, works at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California.
This year's award announcements began Monday with the Nobel Prize in medicine going to Americans Andrew Fire and Craig Mello for their discovery of how to silence malfunctioning genes, offering new hope for fighting diseases as diverse as cancer and AIDS.
The Chemistry Prize will be announced on Wednesday. The Economics Prize is scheduled for Monday, Oct 9. The Peace Prize - the only one not awarded in Sweden - will be announced Oct 13 in Oslo, Norway.
The date for the Literature Prize has yet to be announced but it is traditionally on a Thursday, and could fall on Oct 5 or Oct 12.
The Nobel prizes, founded by Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, were first awarded in 1901.
The 2006 laureates will each receive a gold medal and a diploma and will share a cheque for 10 million Swedish kronor ($1.37 million) at the formal prize ceremony slated for Dec 10, the anniversary of the death in 1896 of the prize's creator Alfred Nobel.
New York, Oct 4 (DPA) The UN Security Council chose to make no official comment on North Korea's latest threat of a nuclear test, with members instead saying they would work on a more comprehensive response in the coming days.
North Korea's Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday that it was planning to carry out a nuclear test, blaming US sanctions and hostility for its decision.
The US media reported that American intelligence had detected an increase of activity at a possible test site in North Korea.
"What I urged today was that the Security Council ... come up with not just a knee-jerk reaction to the North Korean announcement but to develop a coherent strategy to convince them that it's not in their interest to engage in nuclear testing," US ambassador John Bolton said.
But China's ambassador Wang Guangya seemed unenthusiastic about pushing for action in the Security Council, preferring to seek a solution in the stalled six-party talks.
"I do urge all sides to exercise restraint," Guangya said. "The best way, the best channel to address this issue, is the six-party talks."
North Korea has refused to resume discussions since the six countries met a year ago in Beijing. The nations involved are China, Japan, Russia, the United States and the two Koreas.
The council had condemned North Korea's missile tests and demanded a halt to all future tests. It also called on nations to restrict the sale of technology to North Korea that could be used in a nuclear or missile programme.
Japanese ambassador and current Security Council president Kenzo Oshima said many members of the 15-nation body spoke out for a strong response to North Korea's latest threat, during discussions Tuesday in their regular monthly meeting.
"Council members have agreed ... to take up this issue, to give it the appropriate attention that it deserves because of the seriousness of the issue," he said.
North Korea's statement Tuesday did not say when a nuclear test might be carried out, but heavily criticized US efforts to rein in its programme.
The communist nation has in the past declared that it possesses a nuclear capability, but has carried out no known test.
Oshima said North Korea's statement demonstrated that it had not taken the Security Council's July resolution seriously.
Washington, Oct 4 (IANS) A unique art exhibition showcasing the works of six Indian and Pakistani artists is currently under way at the Washington centre of the Asia Society.
Titled 'Partitions: An Exhibit of Contemporary Paintings from Pakistan and India,' the exhibition is not intended to evoke the historical events surrounding the creation of India and Pakistan, but rather to explore divisions at a deeper level, according to the society's website.
According to curator Koli Banik, the idea behind this unique exhibition is to show glimpses of what is going on in Pakistan and India, to compare and "explore commonalities as well".
"The contemporary art movement in South Asia has proliferated in the last four years," the Washington File quoted her as saying.
Each of the six artists has interpreted this theme in a unique way, according to the society website report.
Ahsan Jamal, based in Lahore, examines the cultural and political divisions between India and Pakistan.
Chhotu Lal, hailing from Udaipur, uses the Indian miniature style to present a modern interpretation of the Bhagavad Gita.
Hasnat Mehmood, based in Jhelum, Pakistan, uses the traditional miniature technique to express his views on personal and political concerns.
Rameshwar Singh of Jaipur produces brightly coloured works that explore partitions in time.
Viren Tanwar from Chandigarh has created a series of small works for this exhibition.
Saira Wasim, born and brought up in Lahore, Pakistan, uses contemporary miniature form to explore social and political issues that divide the modern world.
The exhibition, which started on Sep 28, will conclude on Oct 26.
The Asia Society is an international organisation dedicated to strengthening relationships and deepening understanding among the peoples of Asia and the United States.
Founded in 1956 by John D. Rockefeller 3rd, the Society reaches audiences around the world through its headquarters in New York and regional centres in Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington DC, Hong Kong, Manila, Melbourne, Mumbai and Shanghai.
Stockholm, Oct 4 (DPA) Roger D. Kornberg of the US won this year's Nobel Prize for chemistry, it was announced here Wednesday.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences cited his studies of the molecular basis of eukaryotic transciption in awarding him the 10 million kronor ($1.37 million) prize.
Minutes after being notified of the award, Kornberg who is professor of medicine at Stanford University said: "I am very grateful to be one of at least 50 people who have been working on this. There were Swedes, French and German colleagues. The call from Stockholm was so stunning that I am still shaking."
Kornberg is the second member of his family to win the prestigious award. In 1959 his father, Arthur Kornberg, was awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine for discoveries on how genetic information is transferred from one DNA molecule to another.
The chemistry prize was the third of the awards announced this year. Earlier, two Americans won the medicine prize and two Americans shared the physics prize.
New Delhi, Oct 4 (IANS) American private equity investor W.L. Ross & Co. LLC, which specialises in corporate turnaround, is entering the Indian market though the $37 million (Rs.1.70 billion) acquisition of textile company OCM India Ltd.
OCM has a state-of-the-art worsted textile manufacturing facility. The company has vertically integrated from fibre to fabric and has 34,000 spindles, 185 looms and 12 auto coners, according to a press release.
The textile company has brand presence through its tweed and jacket suiting, which are sold through 60 wholesalers and over 1,200 retailers across the country. The company's products are also marketed globally.
Ross's all-cash acquisition of OCM is being made pursuant to a scheme of arrangement between Birla VXL Ltd and its existing lenders, creditors and shareholders and OCM and its shareholders. The process is being carried out through The Asset Reconstruction Company of India (Arcil).
The press release quoted Sudhamoy Khasnobis, managing director and CEO of Arcil, as stating that "the OCM acquisition is the first 100 percent buyout of a major Indian enterprise by a global turnaround fund".
"We are proud to be the first foreign fund selected by ARCIL to rehabilitate a portfolio company, and we hope to apply our basic industry skills to other special situations in India," stated Ranjeet Nabha, managing director and CEO of W.L. Ross's India initiatives.
W.L. Ross has sponsored over $4.5 billion of alternative investments since its founding in 2000.
Known for restructuring failed companies in industries such as steel, coal, telecommunications, foreign investment and textiles, W.L. Ross's notable principal transactions include rolling up five bankrupt US steel companies into the International Steel Group, which was sold in 2005 to Mittal Steel for $4.5 billion.
The company had entered the textile industry in 2003 through the acquisition of Cone Mills and Burlington Industries to create one of the largest textile companies in the world, International Textile Group, with investments in the US, Mexico, South America, China, Vietnam and Nicaragua.
New Delhi, Oct 4 (IANS) Indians who want to advance their appointments in US missions across the country on account of visa requirement can now do so with a click of the mouse.
The facility is available at the US embassy here and in its consulates general in Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.
Said a press release by the US embassy: "The US mission encourages people who already have a visa appointment to visit the embassy's appointments website www.vfs-usa.co.in to advance the schedule of their appointment."
The facility is applicable to all categories including tourists.
The US plans to expand its visa operations in India in view of spiralling demand, Peter G. Kaestner, consul general at the US embassy, had said recently.
The US plans to open a new consulate general building in Mumbai and another in Hyderabad. The new building in Mumbai costing $100 million is expected to be operational by 2008.
There is also an ambitious renovation plan for the consulate section in New Delhi and a proposal to introduce 10 new interviewing windows. Likewise, new facilities will be introduced in Kolkata and Chennai.
Islamabad, Oct 4 (Xinhua) The US Ambassador to Pakistan Ryan C. Crocker said Tuesday that his country and the international community wants to know more about the proliferation activities of rogue nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan.
"These are the steps for Pakistan to take," the envoy said at a news briefing. "Pakistani government has made clear that it wants to get to the bottom of this affair as much from more than anyone else."
He said the issue of Khan had a number of aspects.
"The important part we do consider closed and that is the issue of any ongoing unauthorised proliferation."
Khan is suffering from prostate cancer, which was diagnosed following a routine medical check-up in early August and he underwent a successful operation in September.
The scientist, a national hero in the eyes of many Pakistanis, has been kept under virtual house arrest since 2004.
Many Pakistanis appreciate Khan's role in developing the country's nuclear arsenal.
05 October 2006
Lucknow, Oct 5 (IANS) Even as dengue hits the headlines, unsanitary conditions in the impoverished eastern region of Uttar Pradesh have led to another killer virus - Coxsackie-B - claiming the lives of nearly 190 children in the last six months.
The virus, spread through contaminated food and water, has claimed the lives of scores of children around Gorakhpur where nearly 1,400 children had died of a disease known as Japanese encephalitis last year.
"On an average, Coxsackie-B has been taking the life of at least one child every day," disclosed K.P. Kushwaha, professor in the department of paediatrics at the Gorakhpur Medical College.
As head of the institution's special encephalitis cell, Kushwaha was responsible for handling thousands of children affected by Japanese encephalitis (JE) in the region.
"Thanks to the large scale vaccination of about seven million children earlier this year, JE was nipped in the bud this time. However, we are busy tackling Coxsackie-B, which is nearly as dangerous - though not as fatal - as encephalitis," Kushwaha told IANS over telephone from Gorakhpur.
"It was timely action by the government that ensured ready availability of the JE vaccine," he added. His department remains the nodal centre for treatment of most water-borne and mosquito carried viruses that are a perennial feature in eastern Uttar Pradesh.
The Coxsackie-B virus spreads through contaminated food or water, while JE is a mosquito-borne viral disease transmitted from pigs to human beings by mosquitoes. Coxsackie-B multiplies in the human digestive tract to take on different organs of the body.
The virus is named after Coxsackie, a town in New York state, where it was discovered.
"It could also sometimes lead to multi-organ failure," T.N. Dhole, professor of at the Sanjay Gandhi Post-Graduate Institute here, told IANS. Its symptoms are quite similar to those of JE.
According to Dhole, "Unlike JE, the spread of Coxsackie-B cannot be prevented by vaccination. The only way to keep this virus away is by ensuring good sanitation standards and maintaining supply of clean drinking water."
The state's principal health secretary Arun Kumar Misra said: "I believe civic authorities are taking adequate steps to ensure proper disinfection of water tanks and wells in the rural areas. Efforts are needed to promote health consciousness among the people."
At least four people have died so far of the mosquito-borne dengue in western Uttar Pradesh, bordering Delhi, and more than 70 are affected.
Srinagar, Oct 5 (IANS) A 22-hour bloody gun battle between separatist guerrillas and security forces in Srinagar city ended Thursday morning with the gunning down of two militants hiding inside a hotel. The operation left eight people dead, including a civilian, and 16 injured.
Five more bodies were recovered - two local policemen, two paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers and one civilian - from inside Standard Hotel in Budshah Chowk where the militants were hiding.
"We recovered five more bodies from the encounter site during our mopping up operations inside the Standard Hotel building that was used as a fortified shelter by two suicide attackers in Budshah Chowk. The civilian has been identified as an employee of the hotel," said Farooq Ahmad, deputy inspector general of police (Kashmir Range).
Earlier, during the final assault on the hotel in the morning, a policeman was killed and a CRPF trooper critically wounded. The militants fired on a police and paramilitary forces' team that stormed the hotel. "The holed up militants fired indiscriminately at the raiding party of police and CRPF, resulting in the death of a police constable on the spot and injury to a CRPF trooper," an official said.
In all five policemen were killed. Of the 16 injured, 11 are security men. A tight cordon was laid around the building while the guerrillas and security forces exchanged fire intermittently during the night.
The gunfire became intense when a party of the paramilitary, police and special operations group entered the top floor of the hotel early in the morning.
The Al-Mansoorian militant group had owned responsibility for the attack on the city centre.
The heavily armed guerrillas had sneaked into the Budshah Chowk area of the city, adjacent to Lal Chowk a major shopping and commercial centre, early Wednesday.
They had first fired at a CRPF guard post located outside the Akhara Building, which is being used as a makeshift battalion headquarters by the CRPF. The guerrillas also hurled grenades, causing panic in the area.
As shoppers, pedestrians, commuters and shopkeepers ran for cover, the militants entered the adjacent hotel. Additional reinforcements of the security forces were immediately rushed to the site and the hotel building was surrounded.
More than 200 civilians from the area were evacuated by the security forces before their raiding party stormed the hotel building.
The siege around the operation site and in the adjoining areas of the Maisuma area was lifted. Meanwhile, protesters chanting religious slogans took to the streets marching towards the site. Police had to baton charge the protesters and use tear smoke shells to disperse them.
New Delhi, Oct 5 (IANS) The deadly dengue virus continued to infect people in the capital with 30 new cases reported Thursday, taking the total number of patients to more than 600, while Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss is to review the situation later in the day.
"At least 30 fresh cases of dengue have been reported since Wednesday. The total number of affected people is 619," said a senior health official of the Delhi government.
He said the number could go up further as the data compilation of all hospitals in the city had yet to be completed.
Two grandsons of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh - Rohan (11) and Madhav (17) - are being treated at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for "suspected" dengue symptoms. Singh's eldest son-in-law Vijay Tankha, a professor at St. Stephens College here, has also been admitted to the hospital on noticing similar symptoms.
So far 15 people, including a seventh semester student of AIIMS, have died in Delhi due to the mosquito-borne disease.
Ramadoss will hold a review meeting of the health ministers of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan states later Thursday.
At least 40 people have died across the country of dengue so far and 2,700 infected, with Delhi the worst hit.
According to P.L. Joshi, director of the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme, last year 157 people had died and 11,985 were affected by dengue.
Mufti Habeeb-ur-Rahman sahab vindicated
(A statement by the Director of Deoband, Maulana Murghoob-ur- Rahaman)
Deoband, Sep.25: A few days before Ramadan, the Star News channel had accused Mufti Habeeb-ur-Rahman that he accepted bribe in return of giving a fatwa. The interesting thing about this accusation is the Fatwa given by the Mufti Sahab was perfectly in accordance with the Sharia. In this regard an investigating committee established by Dar-ul-Uloom has concluded that the news was in fact a part of conspiracy by the News Channel. The report prepared by the investigating committee indicates that in this entire episode the Mufti Sahab is not seen receiving money from the questioner. The money he was shown keeping in his bag was coincidentally came to him at the same time was from the sales of his books by a bookstore. This happened at 10:30 in the morning when there was no time for any Azan. By injecting an Azan recording at that time the news channel successfully muted Mufti Sahab words refusing to accept any compensation for his fatwa.
The text shown by the aforementioned channel seemed to be altered by themselves.
The report by investigating committee also noted a person named Mohammed Imran who was present with the questioner admitted that the Mufti Sahab never accepted any bribe. An interesting fact is that the deception of this news channel was earlier exposed by both Madresa Khdim-ul-Islam, Hapur and Madrasa Ameenia Kashmiri Gate, Delhi.
Be aware that the well designed conspiracy of the News channel showing this bribe acceptance of Mufti Sahab in program named "Be-Niqab" is being pursued in the court of Law. We are presently consulting with our lawyers. It should be noted that Mufti Habeeb-ur-Rahman was suspended from his job after Sept 17 televising of this report but based on the investigating committee's report he is re-instated promptly.
In this day and age the Islamic Institutions are the flag bearers of Muslim identity and their high character in the Sub-Continent. A variety of well planned conspiracies are used to defame their reputation from within and outside the country. Please know that the system of Qaza (under Muslim Personal Law) is being challenged in the Supreme Court at this time and by implicating Dar-ul-Uloom Deoband in this case they are demanding to shut down both Dar-ul-Ifta as well as the institution of Fiqh. The Court hearing on this case is scheduled soon. The aforementioned conspiracy is precisely aimed to affect this case. We sincerely hope the Muslims understand this dirty game and continue their confidence in our Islamic Institutions.
Issued by the office of Caretaker, Dar-ul-Uloom Deoband,
Signed by the Acting Director
25 Sep. 2006
New York, Oct 5 (DPA) A three-member delegation from the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) called on the UN Security Council to adopt binding measures demanding democracy in Myanmar (Burma).
The delegation said Wednesday that the situation in Myanmar, ruled by a military junta, is "rapidly deteriorating".
"We urge the council to adopt a binding resolution that will require the Burmese military to implement a plan for national reconciliation and transition to democracy with particular phases and timeframe," said Djoko Susilo of Indonesia.
The delegation is part of ASEAN inter-parliamentary caucus dealing with issues in Myanmar.
Loretta Etta Rosales of the Philippines said the military regime has drafted at least 70,000 child soldiers in the fight against ethnic groups demanding autonomy in Myanmar. The conflict has sent thousands of refugees streaming into neighbouring countries.
The military regime in Myanmar has turned down repeated appeals for democratisation.
Srinagar, Oct 5 (ZEENEWS.COM) Militant outfit al-Mansoorian has claimed responsibility for the attack on a CRPF camp on Akhara building in Lal Chowk area.
A caller claiming to be a spokesman of al-Mansoorian telephoned a local news agency current news service to own responsibility for the attack.
Three policemen were killed and eight wounded when terrorists attacked a security camp in the heart of Srinagar, police and witnesses said.
Four civilians were also hurt in the attack which began at around 11.30 am (0600 GMT) in the heavily congested market area of Lal Chowk, and was continuing nearly seven hours later.
"Two injured policemen are in a serious condition," senior police officer Farooq Ahmad said.
The attack began when a small group of terrorists threw a grenade near a security camp and then entered a hotel building opposite the camp and began firing at it.
The market street emptied within minutes as people panicked. Dozens of security personnel rushed to the spot and returned fire, a news reporter at the scene said.
Security forces escorted around 200 to 300 people out of nearby shops and buildings, but some people could still be seen trapped inside shops whose shutters had been pulled down.
Terrorist outfit Al-Mansurian claimed responsibility for the attack.
"Three members of our suicide squad have attacked a security camp. They are still alive," a man claiming to be a spokesman of the organisation, said in telephone calls made to local newspaper offices. He did not give a reason for the attack.
Jammu and Kashmir has seen almost daily street protests over the past week since a Delhi court fixed October 20 as the date for hanging a Kashmiri man, convicted for his role in a 2001 attack on the Parliament.
Mohammed Afzal`s wife has since appealed to the president for clemency.
The Himalayan region has been rocked by a separatist insurgency since 1989 in which more than 45,000 people have been killed but violence levels have come down since India and Pakistan launched a peace process in 2004.
Bangalore, Oct 5 (IANS) India's IT hub Bangalore came to a grinding halt Wednesday, as hundreds of tech firms including global software majors logged out in view of the daylong shutdown across Karnataka that was marred by group clashes and mass arrests.
Though the 12-hour strike was by and large peaceful, police resorted to caning in Belgaum to quell clashes between supporters of the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi (MES) and Kannada activists when the latter tried to remove Marathi sign boards and MES flags atop some buildings in the border town.
Emergency services like hospitals, ambulances, fire brigade, medical shops and movement of perishable goods like vegetables and fruits were exempted from the strike.
The usually teeming Bangalore city, home to over 1,500 Indian and global tech firms like Microsoft, Intel Corp. and IBM, wore a deserted look as companies, educational institutions and shops shut down.
The strike call, spearheaded by the Karnataka Gadi Horata Samithi, came in the wake of the Maharashtra government taking the five decade-old inter-state boundary dispute to the Supreme Court early this year and the central government allegedly vacillating on implementing the Mahajan Commission report of 1967 that favoured Belgaum remaining in Karnataka.
"Barring stray incidents of stone-throwing and road blockades, the strike was peaceful across the state. About 600 protesters were detained for defying the ban order in Bangalore and other cities," Karnataka Director General of Police B.S. Sial told reporters here.
Though several tech firms and their code writers declined to admit support to the strike, they decided to shut down to avoid confrontation with protestors and prevent damage to their property.
"We have declared a holiday and suspended operations for the day to avoid inconvenience to our employees, as they would not have reached the workplace in the absence of private/public transport," a top executive of an IT major told IANS here.
To make up for the day's loss of work, several firms like Infosys and Wipro have directed their employees to report for duty Saturday. Many firms, however, made makeshift arrangements in their offices for skeletal staff to provide remote/online services to their US and European clients.
"To ensure essential services to our global clients, we have asked some of our lateral engineers to stay back in the office late Tuesday and take a compensatory off later.
As some operations are on 24x7 basis and critical to our business, we have reserved a few rooms in the nearby hotels and guesthouses to facilitate select staffers to stay and report for duty at short notice," said another IT firm's HR head.
Many BPO and call centres, which provide services to global customers on 24x7 basis, pulled all stops to maintain operations by asking majority of their employees to stay put in the offices and take a compensatory off next week.
In Bangalore, several Kannada protesters courted arrest near the Raj Bhavan when they went to submit a memorandum to Governor T.N. Chaturvedi on the boundary dispute.
"The strike was a complete success, as it received an excellent response from all sections of the people across the state. Though the ruling combine (of Janata Dal- Secular and Bharatiya Janata Party) extended support to us, the main opposition party (Congress) stayed away exposing its double standards," protest leader Vatal Nagaraj said. .
Effigies of Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and his deputy R.R. Patil were burnt in some places to protest their alleged attempts to transfer Belgaum and about 200 Marathi-speaking villages in the border district to the neighbouring state.
The South Western Railway authorities said hundreds of protestors stopped the Mysore-Bangalore Express at Channapatna station, about 50 km from here, and disrupted rail traffic en route.
Supporting the strike, private transporters plying buses, taxis and autos have also decided to stay off the roads.
Though the state-owned transport authorities maintained skeletal services, there were few commuters to avail them. Movement of trucks and freight containers within and from outside the state were suspended from dawn to dusk.
Washington, Oct 5 (ZEENEWS.COM) Claiming that there was still an "enemy" which wanted to hurt the US, President George W Bush has said the country is in the middle of the ideological struggle of the 21st century and will stand by those yearning for democracy.
"There`s an enemy that still lurks, an enemy that still plans, an enemy that still plots, an enemy that still wants to hurt the United States of America. These are ideologues bound by a hateful ideology. They can`t stand what America stands for," bush, who is on a campaign trail in California pitching for a republican lawmaker, said.
"I like to remind people that we`re in the ideological struggle of the 21st century. It`s a struggle between good and evil. It`s a struggle between moderate people and extremists. It`s a struggle between those who believe in democracy and those who support tyranny," he said.
He maintained that the biggest issue for the American people in the run up to the congressional elections of November 7 is security. "The security of you. The security of the United States."
He argued that in these historic and tough times what is required is some "steady leadership" from the united states and "steady support" from congress to protect the country.
"When we find young democracies attacked by extremists, we`ll help them survive. When we find liberty challenged in dark corners of the world, we`ll stand with those reformers and those reasonable people who are anxious to see the extremists defeated and marginalized," Bush remarked.
Bush said the strength of America is in the right of people to worship in the way they see fit.
"... One of the great strengths of the United States of America is you`re equally American if you`re a Muslim or a Jew or a Christian or Hindu or agnostic or atheist. You have a right to choose in the United States of America, and that right is a scared right," he said.
"But that`s not the case with these ideologues. If you don`t worship the way they want you to worship, there`s penalty -- and harsh penalties at that. They don`t believe in the public square. They don`t believe in people being able to dissent.
"They`re bound by this ideology and they`ve got objectives. And their objective is to drive the United States from parts of the world so they can spread their ideology throughout the middle east in the form of a caliphate," he said.
Bush said that after the terror attacks of September 11,2001 he had come to certain conclusions one of which was that "... In order to protect you, in order to defeat this enemy of hatred, that we must stay on the offense. We must defeat the enemy overseas so we do not have to face them here at home".
Washington, Oct 5 (DPA) US President George Bush signed a law to build a fence along more than 1,100 km of the border with Mexico to deter illegal immigration - but made clear that he will continue pushing for a broader work-visa programme to reduce border pressure.
The measure is part of a broad national security bill that will also beef up port security and better protect US chemical plants from terrorists.
An estimated 1.2 million people were arrested last year alone for illegal entry, most of them through the unsettled desert-like region along the Arizona-New Mexico border. Every year, another half a million manage to elude detection.
Under the bill, the number of border patrol agents will increase by 50 percent to 18,000 by 2008, and sophisticated equipment will be added to help spot unlawful crossers, including ground base radar, infrared cameras and advance sensors.
US congress for years has failed to grapple with the immigration problem, and Bush had hoped for a broader approach that would make it easier to obtain work visas and become US citizens. But the concept died in the House of Representatives, although the Senate favoured the idea.
Coming less than five weeks before the November 7 congressional elections, the measure gives Bush's beleaguered Republican Party a badly needed issue to please its conservative base and motivate supporters.
The Mexican government has opposed the proposed fence.
The barrier will affect all four US states bordering Mexico. Even if the legislation's double fencing is constructed as written before 2009 along nearly the entire Arizona border, most of the New Mexico border and parts of the frontier California and Texas, nearly 2,000- km of the US-Mexican border would remain unsecured.
New Delhi, Oct 5 (IANS) With over 600 cases of dengue reported from the capital, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his cabinet Thursday discussed the fall-out of the ailment in the country but were assured that it had not become an epidemic.
The cabinet meeting chaired by the prime minister, whose own family members are feared to have been affected by dengue, received a status report from Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss on steps taken to contain the illness across the country.
"There is absolutely no need for panic," Information and Broadcasting Minister P.R. Dasmunshi told reporters after the cabinet meeting here, but said there were as many as 600 cases of dengue in the capital and 200 in other states.
"The situation is under control. We are working with other states. The health minister has been asked to tour some of the affected states and get back with a report," Dasmunshi added.
Railway Minister Lalu Prasad raised the issue and wanted to know what was being done to contain the disease. Ramadoss said there was no panic situation and that requisite precautionary steps were being taken by the centre.
As the capital was battling with the ailment - caused by the bite of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito that breeds in stagnant water - fresh cases of the disease were reported from states like Jharkhand, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh.
In New Delhi alone, the deadly virus continued to infect people with 30 new cases reported Thursday, taking the total number of patients to over 600. At least 15 people have died in the capital, including a student of medicine.
Two grandsons and a son-in-law of the prime minister are being treated at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) with dengue-like symptoms.
New Delhi, Oct 5 (IANS) The security environment in India's neighbourhood and the military capabilities of the countries around it were among the issues discussed here Wednesday at a high-level meeting convened by Cabinet Secretary B.K. Chaturvedi.
The meeting came on the day newly appointed Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon met Home Secretary V.K. Duggal to consider the Mumbai police claim that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency was behind the 7/11 train blasts in the city and a day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asked Islamabad to "walk the talk" on controlling terror.
Though there was no official word on what transpired at the two-hour meeting, informed sources said the cabinet secretary would collate the inputs he had received into an overall report he was preparing on the security scenario in the wake of the Mumbai blasts.
Besides Duggal, Defence Secretary Shekhar Dutta, army chief, Gen. J.J. Singh, air force chief, Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi, navy vice chief, Vice Admiral Venkat Bharathan, and senior officers of the two ministries attended the meeting.
It was noted that while there was no immediate threat to the security of the country, the need to remain constantly vigilant was re-emphasised.
In this context, it was pointed out that India's depleting military capabilities vis-à-vis Pakistan needed to be urgently addressed, sources said.
This is most acute in the case of the Indian Air Force (IAF), whose squadron strength has fallen to 33 against a sanctioned level of 39, and could further reduce to an alarming 29 by the end of next year.
This is even as Pakistan had received the green light to purchase 32 F-16 fighters and to upgrade a similar number already in its inventory.
A tender the IAF has been wanting to float for purchasing 126 multi-role combat aircraft to shore up its depleting fleet has been pending for nearly two years, prompting the air chief to write to Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee to take "immediate steps", in other words, shortcuts, to speed up the process.
Mukherjee shot this down Tuesday, saying all the due processes would have to be followed before issuing the tender.
In the case of the army, its combat ratio has fallen to 1.22:1 against Pakistan from 1.75:1 in 1971 and 1.56:1 in 1991.
Then, slippages in developing an indigenous main battle tank (MBT) Arjun had forced the army to import the Russian T-90s in the 1990s as a stopgap arrangement but these too are now nearing the end of their service life.
The army is also woefully short of heavy artillery as the government has been able to take a decision on replacing some 200 of the 400-plus Bofors 155 mm howitzers that were purchased in the mid-1980s.
The gun was at the centre of a bribery row that cost then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi is job. Even though the Bofors company is now under a different management and the gun it has offered has repeatedly cleared field trials, the government is reportedly pressing the army to opt for a replacement from another manufacturer.
It is only the Indian Navy that has a distinct advantage over its Pakistani counterpart but here too, there is concern over its ageing submarine fleet. A contract was signed two years ago to acquire six Scorpene submarines from France but these are expected to be inducted around 2012-17, by which time the bulk of its existing fleet would have been phased out.
Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 5 (ZEENEWS.COM) The spread of Chikungunya continued to cause serious concern in many parts of Kerala with the toll mounting to 71 with six more deaths reported from the worst affected Alappuzha district today.
A nine-member team of experts, including those from WHO, arrived in the state to make an on-the-spot assessment of the situation and help health authorities tackle the spread of the disease.
While more cases of Chikungunya were reported from Palakkad, Ernakulam, Kottayam and Kollam districts, four casualties were reported due to rat fever (Weil's disease) from Thrissur, official sources said.
The experts, three of them from WHO and others from the National Institute of Virology and National Institute of Communicable Diseases, visited Cherthala area of Alapuzha district, from where most of the casualities have been reported and thousands of patients are still in hospitals.
The issue also rocked the state assembly with the Opposition UDF forcing an adjournment of the house for an hour, charging the government with having totally failed to tackle the situation.
The opposition, during the reply of Health Minister P K Sreemathy during the debate on the demand for grants of her ministry, walked out of the house, alleging that she was not taking the situation seriously and was trying to "cover up" the magnitude of the problem.
After boycotting the proceedings, opposition members led by their leader Oommen Chandy, held a sit-in in the assembly complex.
Nearly 600 dengue cases reported so far: Ramdoss
Nearly 600 cases of dengue have been reported so far in the country, of which a majority of cases are from the national capital, Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramdoss said today.
Thirty deaths have been reported in the country, including 12 in Delhi.
"There have been 589 dengue cases in the country. In Delhi 352 cases were reported while 237 are from other states," he told reporters here after releasing a national report on street food survey.
Nearly, 131 dengue cases have been reported from Uttar Pradesh, 52 cases from Haryana and nine in Rajasthan.
The minister claimed there is no epidemic and no need for panic.
"There is no need to panic and harbour apprehensions. We have a problem and it is a matter of concern. It is not an epidemic. We need to create mass awaressness and for that we need public participation. We have roped in school children and the Indian Medical Association for the purpose," he said.
There is enough blood and platelets to meet the demand, Ramadoss said and added that the authorities cannot check each and every house to prevent breeding of Aedes mosquito.
The minister said NDMC and MCD were doing a good job in checking mosquito breeding in Delhi.
The Health Minister said he has asked All India Institute of Medical Sciences to fix responsiblity on officials who failed to prevent the spread of dengue on the campus.
"I sent a letter yesterday to AIIMS and I am expecting a response for them very soon," Ramdoss said.
A seventh semester AIIMS student, Kamal Raj Kiran, died last week due to dengue.
"We are working in a systematic manner to combat the viral disease," he said.
The minister said construction work in Delhi, especially in and around AIIMS, has led to the present situation.
Beijing, Oct 5 (DPA) China confirmed another outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza among poultry in a northern region, its second outbreak last week.
The national avian influenza laboratory confirmed the presence of the virus after about 1,000 birds died in Henan New Village, near Yinchuan in Ningxia region, the official Xinhua news agency said.
Officials supervised the slaughter of 72,930 birds and had brought the outbreak under control, the agency said.
The outbreak follows confirmation on Saturday of H5N1 bird flu in poultry in the neighbouring region of Inner Mongolia.
China has reported dozens of cases of H5N1 bird flu in wild birds and poultry in the last two years.
It has recorded 21 human infections and 14 deaths from H5N1 bird flu in recent months, though some experts believe that many more cases may have gone undetected.
The World Health Organisation had recorded 252 human infections with bird flu worldwide, including 148 deaths, by Oct 3.
Beijing, Oct 5 (Xinhua) China has shut down 213 polluting factories in the last three years to check industrial pollution, said a statement from the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) here Thursday.
Another 873 polluting factories in the provinces of Shanxi and Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region were shut down pending renovation, according to the administration.
"The total investment in renovation and construction of environmental protection facilities is 1.43 billion yuan (about $181 million)," the administration said.
The statement said the three-year campaign, intended to reduce industrial pollution in the four provinces and regions, has affected 1086 factories.
As many as 409 out of the 873 factories ordered to carry out reconstruction work have now resumed production after clearing government scrutiny. The others, having failed to pass the scrutiny, continue to be closed down.
The administration is urging local governments to step up supervision of the factories, saying that negligence has resulted in excessive industrial pollution.
It said that 40 government employees, who were involved in various industrial pollution cases, received punitive actions during the campaign. While two were removed from their posts, two others continue to be under judicial investigation.
By Sudeshna Sarkar,
Kathmandu, Oct 5 (IANS) A human rights agency is urging a United Nations investigation following a report by a mountaineering website that Chinese troops opened fire on unarmed Tibetans along the Nepal-Tibet border, killing at least two to seven people.
Free Tibet Campaign, an NGO advocating freedom for Tibet, has asked the offices of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Nepal and China to investigate the report by a Western climber that he saw the Chinese army shoot at Tibetans trying to cross into Nepal through the Nangpa La pass in northern Tibet.
The Western climber, who is reportedly with a group attempting to scale Mount Cho Oyu, a Himalayan peak on the Nepal-Tibet border, said he witnessed the death of two Tibetans while locals told him at least seven had been killed by the Chinese soldiers who then threw the victims' bodies down the slopes of the surrounding mountains.
The climber, who said he wanted to remain anonymous till he left China, has posted his version of the shooting on the web site of ExplorersWeb, from where it was picked up by MountEverest.net.
"There is a story that happened here on the 30th (Sep) and Oct 1 that is not being told," the nameless climber wrote. "It is tragic, it is haunting, and it is apparently all too real for Tibetans."
While climbing Mount Cho Oyo, the mountaineer said early on Sep 30, he saw a line of Tibetans heading towards a pass, apparently in an attempt to cross into Nepal.
"Then, without warning, shots rang out. Over and over," the report said. "Then the line of people started to run uphill. Two people were down, and they weren't getting up. Then more Chinese army swarmed through the advanced base camp."
The man also said that Tibetans who were on the mountain at that time told him that up to seven Tibetans may have been gunned down and their bodies thrown into a crevasse close to the base camp.
"We know that approximately 2,500 Tibetans annually flee over the Himalayas into exile, escaping the brutality of the Chinese occupation," said Matt Whitticase of Free Tibet Campaign, expressing concern at the report.
"It is difficult to know how many are caught or shot at by the Chinese border authorities. Previous similar allegations have remained uninvestigated. It is essential that these eyewitness reports are treated seriously and the relevant agencies work to ensure the safety of Tibetan refugees fleeing into Nepal."
In the past too, mountaineers have mentioned hearing shots while climbing the Himalayan peaks from the Tibetan side.
Canada's Tibet Committee reported there were separate eyewitness reports by western climbers of Chinese border police firing upon Tibetan refugees as well as pursuing refugees across Nangpa La into Nepal territory in 2002.
It also said that in October 2003, a group of 34 Tibetan refugees were fired upon by Chinese border security while attempting to cross into Nepal over Nangpa La.
Nepal earlier allowed the fleeing Tibetan refugees to proceed to India under the aegis of the UNHCR.
However, under pressure from Beijing, it closed down the office of the Dalai Lama's representative in Kathmandu and began a crackdown on the refugees, deporting them or jailing them and imposing stiff fines they are unable to pay.
It has also stopped issuing travel documents to fleeing refugees and does not allow them to register marriages or birth of their children in Nepal.
Lucknow, Oct 5 (IANS) India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh is currently battling another killer virus - Coxsackie-B - apart from the already prevalent dengue. The virus, spread through contaminated food and water, has claimed the lives of scores of children on the eastern sector.
At least four people have died so far of the mosquito-borne dengue in western Uttar Pradesh, bordering Delhi, and more than 70 are affected.
However, in the state's poorer eastern corner around Gorakhpur officials are busy grappling with the Coxsackie-B virus that has killed 190 children in the past six months.
"On an average, Coxsackie-B has been taking the life of at least one child every day," disclosed K.P. Kushwaha, professor in the department of paediatrics at the Gorakhpur Medical College.
As head of the institution's special encephalitis cell, Kushwaha was responsible for handling thousands of children affected by Japanese encephalitis (JE) that had claimed the lives of more then 1,400 children in that region last year.
"Thanks to the large scale vaccination of about seven million children earlier this year, JE was nipped in the bud this time. However, we are busy tackling Coxsackie-B, which is nearly as dangerous - though not as fatal - as encephalitis," Kushwaha told IANS over telephone from Gorakhpur.
"It was timely action by the government that ensured ready availability of the JE vaccine," he added. His department remains the nodal centre for treatment of most water-borne and mosquito carried viruses that are a perennial feature in eastern Uttar Pradesh.
The Coxsackie-B virus spreads through contaminated food or water, while JE is a mosquito-borne viral disease transmitted from pigs to human beings by mosquitoes. Coxsackie-B multiplies in the human digestive tract to take on different organs of the body.
The virus is named after Coxsackie, a town in New York state, where it was discovered.
"It could also sometimes lead to multi-organ failure," T.N. Dhole, professor of at the Sanjay Gandhi Post-Graduate Institute here, told IANS. Its symptoms are quite similar to those of JE.
According to Dhole, "Unlike JE, the spread of Coxsackie-B cannot be prevented by vaccination. The only way to keep this virus away is by ensuring good sanitation standards and maintaining supply of clean drinking water."
The state principal health secretary Arun Kumar Misra said: "I believe civic authorities are taking adequate steps to ensure proper dis-infection of water tanks and wells in the rural areas. Efforts are needed to promote health consciousness among the people."
New Delhi, Oct 5 (IANS) The Indian government Wednesday said its energy security was not linked to its ties with the US and asked its Communist allies not to "politicise" international projects but assess them on "merit and economic viability."
In a note to Left parties, which lend outside support to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's ruling coalition, the government categorically said that New Delhi would not go in for "massive arms purchases from the US."
While reiterating its commitment to the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline, the note said: "It is not correct to say the government has 'virtually shelved' the proposed Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline due to Washington's opposition."
"India remains committed to the project and has actively participated in a number of technical level meetings on the project," the Prime Minister's Office said in the 19-page note.
The note was a reply to a nine-page assessment by the Left Front on the occasion of the second anniversary of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government that took office May 22, 2004.
The note also warned the Left parties that the issue could not be politicised. "It is necessary to assess the economic viability of the project on merits, since large and long-term financial commitments are involved."
Pointing out that the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline project does not as yet include India, the government said its decision to participate would be based on "a careful assessment of economic viability of the project."
"One is not a substitute for the other. India can use all energy resources it can get but at affordable prices. The US has no role in these decisions," the note said categorically.
The Communists had alleged that the government had shelved Iran pipeline due to pressure from the US. The nine-page not had severely criticised the government for its "biased foreign policy."
The government also justified the defence cooperation with the US saying that it was no different from similar cooperation with other countries.
"India is not going in for massive arms purchase from the US. In fact, our policy is to source equipment and technology for our armed forces from reliable and cost-effective sources."
"Any prospective sources, including the US, would have to fulfil the very transparent criteria we have established and participate in a rigorous bidding pricess."
Reiterating its stance on New Delhi's ties with Israel, the government said: "We have stated clearly and unambiguously that we support the right of the states of Israel and Palestine to live in peace within well-defined and secure borders and have never supported the policies of violence and terrorism."
London, Oct 5 (IANS) Drinking at least four cups of black tea a day could help you fight the stresses of everyday life, evidence shows.
Tea has traditionally been associated with stress relief, and many people believe that the beverage helps them relax after facing the stresses of everyday life. However, scientific evidence for the relaxing properties of tea is quite limited.
In the new study, researchers at London's University College studied 75 young male regular tea drinkers splitting them into two groups and monitored them for six weeks, states a release posted in the university website.
While one group was given a fruit-flavoured caffeinated tea mixture made up of the constituents of an average cup of black tea, the other was given a caffeinated placebo identical in taste but devoid of the active tea ingredients.
Both groups were subjected to challenging tasks, while their cortisol, blood pressure, blood platelet and self-rated levels of stress were measured.
In one task, volunteers were exposed to one of three stressful situations (threat of unemployment, a shop lifting accusation or an incident in a nursing home), where they had to prepare a verbal response and argue their case in front of a camera.
The tasks triggered substantial increases in blood pressure, heart rate and subjective stress ratings in both of the groups. In other words, similar stress levels were induced in both groups. However, 50 minutes after the task, cortisol levels had dropped by an average of 47 percent in the tea drinking group compared with 27 percent in the fake tea group.
Researchers also found that blood platelet activation - linked to blood clotting and the risk of heart attacks - was lower in tea drinkers, and that this group reported a greater degree of relaxation in the recovery period after the task.
This is one of the first studies to assess tea in a double-blind placebo controlled design - that is, neither we nor the participants knew whether they were drinking real or fake tea, UCL Professor Andrew Steptoe said.
"We do not know what ingredients of tea were responsible for these effects on stress recovery and relaxation. Tea is chemically very complex, with many different ingredients.
"Ingredients such as catechins, polyphenols, flavonoids and amino acids have been found to have effects on neurotransmitters in the brain, but we cannot tell from this research which ones produced the differences," the researcher said.
"Nevertheless, our study suggests that drinking black tea may speed up our recovery from the daily stresses in life. Although it does not appear to reduce the actual levels of stress we experience, tea does seem to have a greater effect in bringing stress hormone levels back to normal."
This has important health implications because slow recovery following acute stress has been associated with a greater risk of chronic illnesses such as coronary heart disease, Steptoe said.
Bangalore, Oct 5 (IANS) The list of diseases that can be potentially treated by haldi (turmeric), a traditional ingredient in Indian cuisine, is getting longer -- the latest addition being Alzheimer's disease.
Characterized by progressive loss of memory, Alzheimer's disease is the most frequent type of dementia in the elderly.
American scientists at the University of California in Los Angeles have found that the chemical curcumin present in haldi may help the immune system clear the brain of amyloid plaques found in Alzheimer's disease.
Known for its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties, curcumin's curative property has already been established by scientists in the case of cancer and malaria in animal experiments. Now the US researchers have found that curcumin helps fight dementia by enhancing the natural function of body's immune system.
The early laboratory findings, to be published in the Oct 9 issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, may lead to a new approach in treating this disease, according to their report.
Using blood samples from six Alzheimer's disease patients and three healthy control patients, the researchers isolated cells called macrophages that travel through the brain and body gobbling up waste products, including amyloid plaques.
The team treated the macrophages with a drug derived from curcumin for 24 hours in a cell culture and then introduced amyloid plaques. Treated macrophages from three out of six Alzheimer's disease patients showed improved uptake of the waste product compared to the patients' macrophages not treated with curcumin.
These initial findings demonstrate that curcumin may help boost the immune system of specific Alzheimer's disease patients, the scientists said. They are hopeful that these positive results in a test tube may translate to clinical use, but caution that more studies need to be done before curcumin can be recommended.
Macrophages are the soldiers of the innate immune system -- the part of the immune system which is present at birth. Curcumin may support the body's natural immune fighting function in directly helping macrophages clean away amyloid plaques.
The treatment of macrophages with curcumin is radically different from some of the vaccine approaches currently being studied, the researchers said.
Chandigarh, Oct 5 (IANS) Haryana Police will soon be equipped with mobile telephone interceptor devices to enable it track criminals.
State chief secretary Prem Prashant said Wednesday the devices will help the police track criminals even if their mobile phones were switched off.
The gadget will help the state police record conversations of criminals and gangsters.
Prashant said the government is determined to provide the best technology to keep a tab on crime in Haryana. Haryana had sought a grant of Rs.1.77 billion from the centre to modernise its police force.
Brussels, Oct 5 (IANS) Finland, the current holder of the 25-member European Union (EU) presidency, will host the seventh EU-India summit on Oct 13 in Helsinki, official sources here said.
The central aim of the summit is to strengthen the strategic partnership between the EU and India in line with the joint action plan adopted by the two entities in Sep 2005 in New Delhi.
The Indian delegation to Finland will be led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and will include Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath.
The EU delegation will be led Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen. The EU will also be represented by the President of the European Commission (EC), Jose Manuel Barroso; High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana; Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Erkki Tuomioja, Finnish Minister for Trade and Development Paula Lehtomäki and members of the European Commission, Benita Ferrero-Waldner and Peter Mandelson.
The two sides are expected to focus their discussions around trade policy, climate and energy issues and co-operation in the field of science and technology.
Key international and regional issues, such as cooperation in the fight against terrorism and the situation in the Middle East, will also be discussed, according to INEP agency.
"The EU-India relations have developed quite favourably in recent years. India's stronger international role and fast economic growth provide a new foundation for cooperation with the EU," said an EU press statement.
The Finnish and Indian prime ministers will also attend the EU-India Economic Forum to be held on Oct 12.
Dubai, Oct 5 (IANS) Cricket's world governing body Wednesday warned 2011 World Cup host Indian board that it would be putting the tournament in jeopardy if it did not sign the Members' Participation Agreement (MPA).
The International Cricket Council (ICC) also gave the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) a seven-day notice, starting Tuesday, to notify it of the difficulties it has with the MPA.
"If the BCCI fails to agree to the terms of the MPA, it will of course mean that they could not continue as one of the joint hosts of the World Cup 2011, thus putting the entire tournament in jeopardy," said ICC president Percy Sonn.
"Having said that, we hope agreement can be reached and that common sense will prevail."
MPA is an ICC contract that all 10 Test playing nations have to sign for major ICC-owned tournaments to be held between 2007 and 2015.
Despite the fact that the other member countries are now in a position to sign the MPA, the Indian board has just this week announced that it has problems with the agreement's content.
"Six months ago we circulated the MPA for our events from 2007-2015 to our members for comment and over the subsequent months we have had extensive and fruitful negotiations with many of our members that have helped us develop the contents of the agreement to suit our mutual needs," said Sonn.
"It is thus very disappointing that the BCCI has only recently been able to review the agreement and raise its concerns."
Sonn claimed that other members are ready to sign.
"Our other members have indicated that they are in a position to sign the MPA and the process is moving forward rapidly," he said.
"This means that, unlike the other members' concerns which were given due consideration over several months, the BCCI will only have a limited opportunity for its concerns to be presented and considered."
New Delhi, Oct 5 (IANS) India has sought 10 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar in addition to the 7.5 million tonnes of LNG already committed by the Middle East country and offered it an equity stake in Petronet LNG Ltd (PLL).
"We have asked Qatar for supply of an additional 10 million tonnes of LNG annually from 2010. Their response was very positive," Petroleum Minister Murli Deora told media Thursday after a meeting with visiting Qatari Foreign Minister Yusuf Hussain Kamal.
The minister said the 25-year deal for supply of 2.5 million tonnes of LNG from 2009 has been concluded favourably, taking the total Qatari commitment of gas supply to Petronet LNG to 7.5 million tonnes.
Qatar's RasGas is currently supplying 5.0 million tonnes of LNG to Petronet LNG's Dahej terminal in Gujarat.
The additional 10 million LNG is being sought for the Dahej terminal that is being expanded, Petronet LNG's under-construction Kochi terminal, Ratnagiri power plant (formerly known as Dabhol) and the proposed terminal at Mangalore by state-owned Oil and the proposed Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC).
"We have also sought Qatari investment in India and urged the Qatar Investment Agency to pick up a stake in Petronet LNG," Deora said.
India has offered Qatar up to 12.5 percent equity stake in Petronet LNG. The minister said a team from Qatar would arrive in India next week to study the feasibility of picking up a stake in Petronet LNG and other projects including in refineries.
New Delhi, Oct 5 (ZEENEWS.COM) India will shortly present to Pakistan the names of its nationals suspected to be involved in the deadly Mumbai blasts along with related evidence through the joint anti-terror mechanism recently agreed upon, highly placed sources said here today.
As many as 11 Pakistani nationals were directly involved in the serial blasts on July 11 in which nearly 200 people died, according to the Mumbai police which said that the attacks were planned by ISI in Pakistan and carried out by Lashkar-e-Toiba with the help of the banned Islamic Students Movement of India (SIMI).
Two of the Pakistanis involved are dead but the remaining are believed to have escaped to their country or could be hiding in India. LET`s commander in Pakistan`s Bahawalput district, Azam Cheema is suspected to be the brain behind the conspiracy.
Islamabad`s rejection of the Mumbai police claims and its refusal to handover any suspects to India is unacceptable to New Delhi which wants this case to be the first test for the joint mechanism.
As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on his way back home from South Africa, the evidence of Pakistani involvement will be offered to Islamabad through the joint mechanism and it would be ascertained "how sincere they are in carrying forward the commitment I and President Musharraf have underlined" in the joint statement from Havana.
The Prime Minister left no one in doubt that the evidence India gives to Pakistan would be a test of its sincerity in controlling terrorism. "Pakistan will have to walk the talk", he asserted.
"Whatever has been discovered (by Mumbai police), we shall share that information with Pakistan", he told reporters, adding "we will test the water".
There was condemnation of the Mumbai blasts in the joint statement and also an explicit mention that the two countries will work to control the menace of terrorism, he recalled.
Pointing out that Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and he had just set up the joint mechanism to deal with terrorism, the Prime Minister said it was through this mechanism that Pakistan`s response would be sought.
Although the joint mechanism was yet to take off, Singh asked "how else can we ask Pakistan for information (about Mumbai blasts) except through a mechanism like this?"
On Indo-Pak peace process, Singh said it could not move forward unless and until both countries sincerely work to gain mastery over this menace (of terrorism).
Sydney, Oct 5 (IANS) Australia's Central Queensland University (CQU) has appointed Dr. Martand Joshi, former honorary consul of India in Melbourne, as its international cultural advisor.
"Dr. Joshi's experience as a diplomat along with his teaching and studies around the world make him the ideal person to raise cultural awareness among CQU staff and students," a university press release quoted CQU Melbourne campus director Darryl Stewart as saying.
CQU is Australia's largest publicly funded regional university. While the main campus of CQU is located in North Rockhampton, Queensland, it also has campuses in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast besides an overseas campus in Fiji.
Joshi's new appointment will base him in the university's Sydney and Melbourne campuses.
"More than 8,000 students, representing 40 different nations, who study at CQU Melbourne and Sydney will benefit directly from Dr. Joshi's experience," Stewart said.
"This is the first of the appointments being made to enhance the cultural and educational experience of students studying at CQU international campuses."
On his part, Joshi said that he was looking forward to working with the staff and all international students at CQU.
"I see this as an opportunity to work with a highly reputable organisation that provides a caring and close relationship with their students," he said.
He said that he himself experienced a "culture shock" as an international student when, after completion of his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Bombay (now Mumbai), he was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study at Princeton University in New Jersey in the United States.
After gaining his Ph.D from the University of California, he was a lecturer at the University of Georgia and the University of California.
He then moved to Australia in 1970 and joined RMIT (formerly Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology) as a lecturer and retired as a professor of geology in 1999.
Apart from his work as an academician, he has also been devoting himself to actively assisting the Indian community in addressing social and religious concerns.
He has been associated with the consulate of India in Melbourne since its inception in 1983 until recently, when he retired as honorary consul of India.
"I am accepting the position of Cultural Advisor to Melbourne and Sydney international campuses of the CQU to assist both staff and students in understanding each other's cultures and to offer appropriate solutions as I see fit to solve any problems," the press release quoted Joshi as telling his well-wishers after his appointment.
"Hopefully this process will enhance the working of the university," he said.
Mumbai, Oct 5 (IANS) A special court here Wednesday remanded Asif Khan Bashir Khan, suspected to be the mastermind behind the serial explosions on suburban trains here on July 11, to police custody till Oct 13.
Khan, who was arrested by the Mumbai police's Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) from a hideout in Belgaum in neighbouring Karnataka Tuesday was produced at the special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court.
Terming Khan alias Junaid as the "biggest" catch, the ATS Wednesday claimed he had masterminded the blasts that killed nearly 200 people and injured over 700 and the police and intelligence agencies had been looking for him for the past three months.
"Khan is one of the masterminds of the attacks. He was involved in the conspiracy right from the planning of the bombings till its execution," said ATS chief and Mumbai police joint commissioner Krishan Pal Raghuvanshi.
"We have been looking for a Laskhar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander named Junaid after the ATS on May 9 this year had busted the Aurangabad-based terror module which was involved in ferrying huge quantities of RDX and sophisticated weapons including Kalasnikov assaults rifles and hand grenades," a senior ATS official told IANS.
"Khan was in direct contact with the Pakistan's Bahawalpur-based Laskhar chief Azam Cheema, the brain behind the blasts. Khan is suspected to have orchestrated the attacks at the instance of Cheema," the official said.
"He had been absconding ever since the Aurungabad bust. Interrogations of the other arrested suspects revealed that Khan, who has a wide local network of contacts with terror operatives of both the Lashkar and the SIMI (Students Islamic Movement of India), had monitored the movements of the 11 Pakistani bombers and coordinated with two main players behind the blasts - Faizal Sheikh, Laskhar's western India commander and Ehtasham Siddiqui, SIMI general secretary in Maharashtra."
Mumbai police chief A.N. Roy had Saturday said that as many as 11 Pakistani nationals were directly involved in the bombings, of whom two were killed.
Roy also said the attacks were planned by Pakistan's Inter-Services-Intelligence (ISI) in Pakistan and carried out by LeT with the help of the banned SIMI.
Roy and Raghuvanshi Wednesday met Home Secretary V.K. Duggal in New Delhi to provide him evidence regarding the involvement of Pakistan-sponsored terrorists in the July 11 attacks.
London, Oct 5 (DPA) The iconic black London cab could soon be a regular sight in Chinese cities after a leading British producer Wednesday signed a joint-venture agreement to build the taxis in Shanghai.
Under the deal, worth 53 million pounds ($97 million), up to 20,000 taxis a year would be built at a new plant in the major Chinese port city, British producers Manganese Bronze said.
The firm, from Milton Keynes, north of London, said the vehicles would be earmarked for China and other emerging car markets.
Manganese Bronze will retain its London Taxis International plant in Coventry, which has made more than 100,000 black cabs since production began in 1948.
A final, legally binding agreement between Manganese Bronze and Chinese carmaker Zhejiang Geely is likely to be signed in the next few weeks, the firm said.
The British firm would invest nearly 20 million pounds as its share of the venture and will have the rights to sell the cars to markets outside of Asia.
Islamabad, Oct 5 (IANS) Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf has appointed Lt. Gen. Tariq Majid to head the key Rawalpindi Corps, triggering media speculation that he could be the next army chief in the event of Musharraf shedding his uniform to join politics.
Majid has been Chief of General Staff (CGS) and is due to retire only in December 2007. Musharraf is to take the crucial decision to run for a second term in the presidency much before that.
Majid's role was highly appreciated by Musharraf in his book, "In the Line of Fire", as he handled army moves in Lahore on Oct 12, 1999, as General Officer Commanding, The News International newspaper noted in its report Thursday.
That was the day Musharraf ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif in a coup. Since Sharif's political base has been in Punjab, the role of the officer who headed the Lahore garrison was crucial to the operations.
The newspaper described the change as "small but significant".
Quoting unnamed defence experts, the paper said that Majid held staff appointment and was required to command "in view of his future prospects".
Musharraf has repeatedly promised elections to the National Assembly and provincial assemblies before the end of next year. But before that he wants to use the present legislatures that form the electoral college for the presidential election to win a second term.
Since these legislatures had elected him once in 2002, whether they can do so again is a matter of heated debate in Pakistan. Critics say that would be unconstitutional.
Majid swaps places with Lt. Gen. Salahuddin Satti.
Commenting on the pattern of staff appointments, the newspaper says that it is perhaps for the first time since Musharraf was appointed army chief that he has posted a new CGS from amongst those presently serving as top commanders.
In all earlier cases, Musharraf appointed a CGS on promotion from major general to lieutenant general as in the case of Lt. Gen. Aziz Khan, Lt. Gen. Shahid Aziz and last time Lt. Gen. Tariq Majid, as Majid was promoted to the rank of a three-star general on Dec 17, 2003. By then Lt. Gen. Majid was holding the post of Director-General Military Intelligence.
Majid's four-year tenure as three-star general would be completed by December 2007.
However, before Majid's retirement, General Ihsanul Haq, chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff Committee, and General Ahsan Salim Hyat, vice-chief of the army staff, would retire in October 2007 after completing three-year terms each.
"Thus, Majid would be the senior most three-star general and if all goes well he would be considered for promotion as four-star general," the paper said.
Lt. Gen. Satti has remained commander of the Rawalpindi Corps since early October 2004 when Lt. Gen. Ashfaq Kiani was shifted to head the elite intelligence organisation.
Meanwhile, the only three-star general likely to retire from the Pakistan Army this year would be Commander of Air Defence Lt. Gen. Tahir Qazi, who is tipped as Pakistan's ambassador to Malaysia.
Islamabad/New Delhi, Oct 5 (IANS) Amid India's accelerated efforts to confront Pakistan with evidence of the involvement of Pakistan's intelligence agency in the July 11 Mumbai blasts, Islamabad has predictably called such a charge "regrettable," and said that it was also "fighting a war against terrorism."
"Pakistan is fighting a war against terrorism on principles. India's blaming Pakistan for the Mumbai bomb blasts is regrettable," Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf said during a meeting with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Wednesday, The News, Pakistan's leading daily, reported.
Musharraf, however, sounded optimistic about the resumption of the stalled peace process between India and Pakistan after he had a "productive" meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement meeting in Havana last month.
The two leaders had agreed to set up an India-Pakistan joint terror mechanism to facilitate cooperation on countering terrorism. The joint declaration issued on the conclusion of the Havana meeting might take forward the movement for resolution of all conflicts, including the core issue of Kashmir, Musharraf told Aziz, according to The News.
India is, however, determined to confront Pakistan with "detailed dossier" on 11 Pakistani nationals suspected to be involved in the July 11 Mumbai terror bombings when the foreign secretaries of the two countries meet next month to discuss the terms of a joint anti-terror mechanism.
Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon, who assumed office four days ago, Wednesday met Home Secretary V.K. Duggal and discussed the specifics of evidence collected by Mumbai Police that points to a Pakistani hand in the commuter train bombings July 11 that killed nearly 200 people and injured hundreds.
Duggal shared with Menon the evidence of alleged complicity of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) provided to him by Mumbai Police Commissioner A. N. Roy and Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) chief K. P. Raghuvanshi.
Earlier this week, Pakistan's foreign office had angrily reacted to India's contention about the involvement of the ISI in Mumbai terror attacks and asked it to give the evidence, but made it clear that it would not hand over the suspects.
Asking Pakistan to "walk its talk" on terror, Manmohan Singh, while returning from a trip to South Africa early this week, said that Pakistan's response to the evidence India gives regarding its involvement in the Mumbai blasts would be a test of its sincerity in combating terrorism
Seoul, Oct 5 (ZEENEWS.COM) North Korea's neighbours issued stern warnings Wednesday against Pyongyang's threat to carry out an unprecedented nuclear test, but the isolated communist country insisted that such a move wouldn't be meant as a provocation.
South Korean officials said there was no sign a test was imminent and warned that such a test could prompt Japan to developing atomic weapons and threaten a regional arms race.
A newspaper in Japan, meanwhile, reported that two Japanese spy satellites had not observed any preparation activities at a suspected underground test site.
China � the North's main ally and key benefactor � called on Pyongyang to show calm and restraint, issuing an unusually pointed statement that referred to North Korea by name. The statement contrasted with earlier Chinese responses, which have typically called for restraint from all sides in the dispute.
"We hope the North Korean side will be sure to keep calm and restrained on the nuclear test issue," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said on the ministry Web site.
China, Japan and South Korea also announced a series of summits among their leaders next week, ratcheting up diplomacy over tensions caused by the North's announcement Tuesday that it intends to detonate a bomb.
Such a test would confirm the North's claim that it has atomic weapons, and would severely undermine efforts to prevent an Asian nuclear arms race by getting Pyongyang to disarm.
South Korea's top official on dealings with the North, Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok, said Wednesday that there were no definite signs that the test is imminent.
However, Lee also told lawmakers there was "a high possibility" it would eventually take place if "efforts to resume the six-party talks fail."
Japan's Asahi newspaper, citing unidentified government sources, reported that two Japanese spy satellites focusing on a suspected underground test site had not observed any activities that could appear connected to test preparations as of Tuesday.
North Korea has boycotted six-nation nuclear talks with China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the U.S. for nearly a year, angered by American financial restrictions imposed over the North's alleged illegal activities such as money laundering and counterfeiting.
An official at the North's embassy in Australia, Pak Myong-guk, who described himself as a minister, insisted Pyongyang's planned nuclear test "is not provocative."
"It is just the corresponding measure for defense, for us to defend ourselves," Pak told The Associated Press. "It is the really essential process for nuclear deterrent."
The North often insists it needs nuclear weapons to deter a U.S. attack, although this was the first time that Pyongyang had publicly announced its intent to conduct a nuclear test.
South Korea's President Roh Moo-hyun urged a "cool-headed and stern" response to the North's announcement. The Foreign Ministry said a nuclear test by North Korea could cause a change in its engagement policy toward the communist regime.
"If North Korea pushes ahead with a nuclear test, North Korea should take full responsibility for all consequences," Foreign Ministry spokesman Choo Kyu-ho said after an emergency meeting of South Korean security ministers.
Asked to elaborate on what the consequences would be, Choo said a North Korean nuclear test could bring about a "shift" in Seoul's engagement policy toward the North, but stressed that wouldn't mean abandoning that policy altogether.
South Korea has pursued dialogue with North Korea since their leaders first met in a historic summit in 2000. That approach has caused a rift with Washington, which favors a harder line toward the communist regime.
Seoul is one of the main aid providers to the impoverished North, but it suspended regular relief shipments after Pyongyang carried out missile tests on July 5. However, the South later agreed to send emergency aid to help the North cope with the effects of massive floods that struck the country in mid-July.
Despite the nuclear test threat, the South on Wednesday shipped previously promised aid to the North, including 6,400 tons of cement, the Unification Ministry said.
"As North Korea has yet to conduct a nuclear test, it is difficult to immediately halt sending flood relief aid, which is being provided on a humanitarian basis," a ministry official said on condition of anonymity, citing official policy.
After the missile launches, the U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution banning all U.N. members from missile or missile-related dealings with the North.
South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan said the Security Council is expected to take stronger action against Pyongyang if it tests a nuclear weapon.
North Korea "will face a strong and united response from the international community" if it conducts a test, Yu told a regular news briefing.
Speaking later to lawmakers, Yu warned a North Korean nuclear test "could provide a pretext for Japan's nuclear armament. "
"This will prompt countermoves by China or Russia and lead to a change in the balance of power in the Northeast Asia," he said.
U.S. Ambassador John Bolton raised the issue during a regularly scheduled meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday, and the 15-nation council decided to meet Wednesday morning to address the issue.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said "we simply could not accept" a nuclear test by the North.
Abe will head to China on Sunday and to Seoul on Monday, and Roh will travel to Beijing on Oct. 13.
Russia, another key Pyongyang ally, has urged the North to show restraint. Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov also voiced concern Wednesday about the environmental fallout from a possible nuclear test.
In Australia, North Korean Ambassador Chon Jae-hong was summoned to meet senior officials on Wednesday and "was warned in the strongest possible terms of the severe consequences should North Korea conduct a nuclear test," Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said in a statement.
"A nuclear test would be completely unacceptable to the international community, and would provoke a very strong international response," Downer said.
The news sent the South Korean stock market tumbling. The market closed down 1.6 percent Wednesday after recovering from deeper lows earlier in the day.
Pyongyang has not conducted any known test to prove its claim that it has nuclear weapons. Some experts believe the North has enough fissile material to build a half-dozen or more nuclear bombs, though there are doubts about whether it could deliver them accurately on a warhead.
Although North Korea is dotted with underground military installations, media reports in South Korea have identified North Hamkyong province on the North's northeast coast as a likely site for a nuclear test.
By Jaideep Sarin,
Chandigarh, Oct 5 (IANS) Cricket lovers from Pakistan are uncertain about watching their team in action in the forthcoming Champions Trophy being played in India with no word yet from New Delhi on issuing them special visas.
The tournament, billed as mini World Cup, starts on Oct 7 and the final is slated for Nov 15. The matches will be played at Mohali, 10 km from here, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Jaipur.
The Board for Control Of Cricket in India (BCCI) has also not allowed ticket sales in Pakistan though they were being sold in other countries.
The delay, a senior Punjab police official confirmed to IANS, could be owing to recent terror strikes in Mumbai and other places in India.
Last year March, 11 Pakistanis - who were among the 3,000-odd fans to come here to watch a test match between India and Pakistan - had gone missing. Later three of them were found and two were found indulging in illegal activities in India.
Security agencies here believe the missing Pakistanis could be agents sent here for subversive activities.
Pakistan will play two of its day and night one-day international (ODI) matches at the Mohali stadium, just 350 km from the Pakistani city of Lahore.
Their first match against New Zealand will be held Oct 25 while they take on South Africa Oct 27.
Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) president Inderjit Singh Bindra said here that so far no clearance had been received from the Indian government regarding allowing Pakistani fans to come across through the land route at Wagah near the Sikh holy city of Amritsar.
Bindra said the matter of allowing fans from Pakistan is being considered by the central government.
"On our part, we welcome the Pakistani fans and are ready to host them. We are only waiting for clearance from the central government," Bindra said.
Mohali district police chief Naunihal Singh said security agencies will be geared up if the Pakistani fans were allowed to come.
"We are setting up two foreigners registration offices near the stadium to cater to Pakistanis if they are allowed," he said.
Jerusalem, Oct 5 (DPA) Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that Israel would not release Palestinian prisoners before Palestinian militants free an Israeli soldier held captive in Gaza.
Such a release would encourage the ruling Hamas movement to raise its demands in return for the freedom of Corporal Gilad Shalit, a government statement said Wednesday.
Shalit was abducted from an Israeli military outpost bordering Gaza on June 25 by militants belonging Hamas' armed wing and two other groups.
Olmert told Rice he was willing to help Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and said Israel would "soon" open the key commercial crossing of Karni between it and the Gaza Strip.
New Delhi, Oct 5 (IANS) The long wait by Indians seeking appointments for American visas seems to be over. One may now get a visa appointment in six days at the click of a mouse.
The US missions across India are focussing all their resources to reduce delay in granting visas to Indians to deepen "the strong and growing bond of business and people-to-people contact" between the two countries, US ambassador David C. Mulford told reporters here Thursday.
Till now, it took anything between six weeks to six months for visa appointments.
Indians who want to advance their appointments can visit the embassy's appointments website www.vfs-usa.co.in. The facility is applicable to all categories including tourists.
Mulford also admitted, perhaps for the first time, that the "long and irritating" delay in granting visas had given "a bad name to the US" in India and unveiled the plan to deploy more personnel and resources to make "the process of travelling to the US as easy as possible."
"We could work faster and smarter to get rid of the backlog that brings a bad name to the US," said Mulford as he took a walk around the consular section of the US embassy here and even helped consular officials with interviewing visa applicants.
"We have therefore made a mission-wide commitment to reduce the waiting time for a visa appointment with the goal of eliminating this waiting period altogether, except of course where it is an individual's preference to make an appointment for some future date to fit their own plans," the envoy said.
"Nothing is more important for the future of our two countries than the strong and growing bond of business and people-to-people contact. Strengthening these connections is the future of US-India relations, and we have begun this process today."
"We plan to deploy personnel from other departments to assist the consular section. Twelve people are coming from Washington to reinforce the visa manpower," said Peter G. Kaestner, consul general at the US embassy.
Mulford also spoke about the decision to expand the business executive programme to include more Indian companies and encourage more businessmen to travel to the US.
The US consular officials Wednesday held a meeting with leading business bodies like the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce to discuss the expansion of the business executive programme.
The US envoy, however, clarified the streamlining of the visa appointment process did not mean an expansion of the total number of visas granted to Indians.
"We are not setting any target. Neither is there any annual quota. But we are not seeking to increase the total number of visas to be given to Indians," he said.
The US continues to be a promised land of sorts for millions of Indians and the number of Indians applying for American visa are increasing every year. The US missions processed 500,000 visas the last year.
The US also plans to open a new consulate general building in Mumbai and another in Hyderabad. The new building in Mumbai costing $100 million is expected to be operational by 2008.
There is also an ambitious renovation plan for the consulate section in New Delhi and a proposal to introduce 10 new interviewing windows. Likewise, new facilities will be introduced in Kolkata and Chennai.
Berlin, Oct 5 (IRNA) Around 90,000 Germans flocked to mosques across the country during the 10th Mosque Open Day which coincided with the Day of German Unity, DPA reported Wednesday.
More than 1,000 mosques and Islamic centers opened their doors to the public in a bid make Germans more acquainted with Islam.
"The Mosque Open Day changes not only the visitors but also the Muslim community," said the spokesman for the Central Council of Muslims, Mounir Azzaoui whose group organizes the event every year.
German visitors did not only tour mosques but participated also in discussion groups and attended exhibitions on Islam.
The Mosque Open Day is observed annually on October 3, the Day of German Unity.
According to the Central Council of Muslims, the date for the open day was selected to highlight that Muslims regarded themselves as part of German society.
There are some 2,300 mosques and Muslim worshipping centers throughout Germany.
Muslims number around 3.5 million out of Germany's 82.5 million people.
London, Oct 5 (IANS) Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi has announced plans to create a special centre to attract investments from overseas Indians and facilitate the creation of a global Indian consortium.
The consortium would be expected to work with apex trade bodies, states of India and various associations of overseas Indians, Ravi said, while inaugurating India Calling 2006, a India-UK business summit here Tuesday.
He said the plans were likely to be finalised before the next Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, scheduled to be held on Jan 9 in New Delhi.
The Overseas Investment Centre is envisaged as a single point contact at the national and state level and will provide investment advisory services on taxation, legal requirements, information on capital market investment and opportunities to invest in the real estate, according to G Gurcharan, joint secretary in the ministry.
London Mayor Ken Livingstone said his administration would open offices in Mumbai and New Delhi. He said he saw the future of India's economy as staggering for the future of humanity while adding that he would not be surprised if India took over a large share of the British economy.
New Delhi, Oct 5 (IANS) Pakistan's acquisition of additional F-16 combat jets is "an area of concern" as this would upset the balance of power in south Asia, the head of the Indian Air Force (IAF) said Thursday.
Addressing a press conference here ahead of the 74th IAF Day Sunday, Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi spoke on a wide range of issues including the acquisition of additional aircraft, missiles and anti-missile systems, the creation of an Aerospace Command, and a controversy on whether or not the IAF should celebrate its platinum jubilee from Oct 8.
Speaking about the US decision to sell additional 36 F-16s to Pakistan and to upgrade its existing fleet of 32, Tyagi, who is known for calling a spade a spade, described this as "an area of concern".
"If the balance of power in the region changes then this has to be taken into account but I would not call it a worrisome development as some (in the media) are saying," he said.
"We keep a close watch on what is happening around us and alter our doctrines accordingly," Tyagi added.
His statement came a day after he attended a high-level meeting convened by Cabinet Secretary B.K. Chaturvedi to consider Pakistan's growing military strength and India's response to this. It was noted at the meeting that the IAF's combat strength had come down to 34 against a sanctioned level of 39 due to the delay in floating tenders for 126 multi-role combat aircraft (MRCA).
Responding to a question, Tyagi maintained that changes in India's defence procurement policy in 2005 and 2006 had caused a two-year delay but promised, "we are now pretty close to the baby being delivered".
His suggestion to Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee that the process be fast-tracked has been shot down, but the air chief refused to comment on this, saying his communications on the issue were confidential.
Simultaneously, Tyagi painted a rosy picture of the IAF's planned acquisitions during 2007.
"We will be inducting the Hawk (advanced jet trainer) and the AWACS (airborne warning and control system). This is a very complex machine involving new techniques and new concepts.
"Then, there is the accelerated production of the SU-30 (frontline fighter that is manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited - HAL - under Russian license) which means we can induct it at a much faster rate.
"We also will be getting six midair refuellers, 20 Jaguar (deep penetration strike aircraft) from HAL as also 20 LCAs (home-grown light combat aircraft). We also hope to get 80 medium-lift helicopters and more ALHs (indigenous advanced light helicopters).
"This apart, we will be upgrading our Jaguar, Mig-27, MiG-29 and Mirage-2000 (fighters), as also the MI-17 (helicopters) and An-32 (medium-left transports)," he added.
Turning to missiles, Tyagi admitted that delays in the indigenously developed Akash surface-to-air air defence system had "upset" plans to replace this with the ageing Russian Pechora rockets.
"The Pechora has seen better days. As an interim, we have zeroed in on the quick-reaction OSA missile that is now awaiting the CCS (cabinet committee on security) clearance. We should be able to sign the contract in a month or two," the air chief said.
"The other good news is that Akash finally looks like taking off. User trials should begin early next year and if they are successful, we should be able to induct the missile in about two years," Tyagi added.
Answering a question on the creation of an Aerospace Command, a move he has long advocated, he maintained that in the technology-driven world of the future, the Indian armed forces would have to increasingly rely on satellites to "detect the enemy, hit the enemy and conduct battle damage assessment after the hit".
"We are looking 20 years ahead. We have started thinking about not only creating assets in space but of protecting these assets from soft and hard kills. Ideally, these assets would have to function under a joint services command, even though the air force would be making maximum use of space," he said.
As to whether or not the IAF should celebrate its platinum jubilee from Oct 8, Tyagi said in a lighter vein that this had generated much heat.
"There were many views. Some said platinum jubilee meant different things to the British and the Americans. So I said that since Bollywood has the 75-week benchmark to judge a hit film, 75 years it will be for us and that was the end of the issue," Tyagi said amidst much mirth.
New Delhi, Oct 5 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday said a high-level group in the Planning Commission will be set up to look at all issues concerning the service sector to enhance India's competitiveness in the coming years.
"Services play a crucial role, not just in our economy but in our trade as well. They now account for more than 50 percent of our gross domestic product (GDP)," the prime minister said, inaugurating a seminar on services here.
"We are considering setting up a High Level Group in the Planning Commission to look into all aspects which influence the performance of the service sector and suggest policy measures," he said.
"I hope that the recommendations of the high level group, which would consist of members from government, business and the academia would act as a roadmap for the growth of this sector," the prime minister added.
The prime minister is also chairman of the Planning Commission that sets India's medium-to-long-term goals on developmental issues and how to fund the projects.
Manmohan Sigh told the seminar, organised by the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO), that the services sector has seen a robust growth globally and accounts for 60 percent of the world output and fifth of the trade.
"The growth in trade in services is a recent phenomenon. Therefore, unlike in manufacturing where developed world has had a historic lead, this is a sector where the developing countries need not suffer from a handicap," he said.
"The growth of the service sector has been one of the notable success stories of the Indian economy - both domestically and on the global plane. Currently, it is services, along with manufacturing, which are driving our GDP growth."
Quoting some studies, the prime minister said the business process outsourcing was set to emerge as a $110 billion industry by 2010 and that India was in an enviable position to corner at least half of that business.
"The direct and indirect employment impact of these developments could exceed a crore (10 million) jobs within five years. This could contribute an additional one percent per year to our GDP growth as well," he added.
The prime minister also had a word of praise for Indian emigrants to overseas markets - who send over $20 billion annually as remittances - and said their "remarkable success" tends to be ignored.
"The largest single item in our export basket today is the remittances sent back home by workers in foreign countries. Globally, the total remittances to the developing countries exceed the foreign investment flows," he said.
Such remittances, he added, ate also twice the amount of official development assistance extended by the developed world to developing countries. "We need to focus on this important service activity."
Manmohan Singh expressed an urgent need to set up more universities, colleges, nursing schools to feed the emerging domestic and international demand and also called for a policy regime that promotes investment in educational services.
"There is need for greater investment, both by the public and private sectors. I am told more than $3 billion is spent annually by our students going abroad to study," he said, adding they could be retained if India expands its resources.
The prime minister also underlined the area where India would have a definite advantage over competitors in the ears to come but warned the success will be elusive if the overall skill and knowledge base is not improved.
"India has an enormous demographic advantage in the medium term, as one of the youngest countries in the world. In the coming two decades, India will get demographically still younger with 60 percent of our 1.2 billion people being under the age of 35," he said.
"It is estimated that by 2020, the US, China, Japan and Russia will be short of 42 million people of working age. Against this, India will have a surplus of 47 million working age people," he said.
"But to translate the 'demographic dividend' into true 'development dividend' we have to expand our educational system and improve our skill-building abilities. This is an urgent priority, which we need to attend to immediately."
New Delhi, Oct 5 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has praised the overseas Indian community for the remittances they send which has been an important factor in keeping the country's current account deficit in the balance of payments in a zone of comfort.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Servin XPO 2006 exhibition organised by the Federation of Indian Export Organisations here Thursday, he said that the "remarkable service provided by our emigrants" tends to get ignored.
"The largest single item in our export basket today is the remittances sent back home by workers in foreign countries," he said.
Indian emigrants send over $20 billion as remittances annually, a significant proportion of which comes from expatriates in the Gulf.
The prime minister said that, globally, the total remittances to the developing countries exceed foreign direct investment (FDI) flows and are twice the amount of official development assistance extended by the developed countries.
"We need to focus on this important service activity," he said.
The Indian diaspora, comprising both people of Indian origin and non-resident Indians, number around 25 million spread across 110 countries.
Islamabad, Oct 5 (IANS) The demand for a probe into the Kargil military operations is gaining momentum in Pakistan, thanks to President Pervez Musharraf's claim that it was "a landmark" in the country's history in his just-published book "In the Line of Fire".
That India conducted a probe and applied correctives is being cited as a healthy example of policy planning, both military and political, and allowing room for a debate to get at the truth.
The demand is not new, but it is becoming shriller by the day. The influential daily The News International said Thursday that the "people of Pakistan have a right to know".
Following Musharraf's detailed claim in his autobiography that it was a brilliant manoeuvre that "forced" India to take cognisance of the larger Kashmir issue, the Kargil issue is now to be raised in the National Assembly by the opposition parties.
The opposition parties are also planning to go to the court, but the move has yet to take a concrete shape.
Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, the man who was at the helm of affairs then, is planning a rejoinder, both to take on Musharraf, whom he blames, and to confront him in time for the elections likely next year.
The News International recalled that Sharif had to rush to Washington on a call from the then US president Bill Clinton, after which the Pakistan Army had to withdraw. The editorial said it was essential to know who was responsible for what Musharraf has called "the national humiliation".
While Musharraf has claimed that Sharif, who had been very much in the picture, caved in under US pressure, the latter has said that he was kept in the dark about the "military misadventure" and it was the army that "begged" for a withdrawal after its plans and operations went awry. The Clinton call was essentially a face saving measure.
Stung by personal remarks of Musharraf in the book, his erstwhile batch mate in the army, Lt. Gen. (retd) Ali Kuli Khan Khattak, has termed the Kargil plans and operations ill conceived and their handling "unprofessional".
Far from being "a landmark", Kargil was a disaster, he said in a rejoinder on Wednesday.
The Kargil conflict in the summer of 1999 between India and Pakistan that began with Pakistani soldiers and militants crossing the Line of Control in the Kargil-Drass region of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir resulted in heavy casualties in both sides before India regained the strategic heights.
The editorial said that even if Khattak may have "an axe to grind" with Musharraf, the book had raised "more questions than answers" and it was essential that Kargil was probed and the people got to the truth of what happened.
"...it is only reasonable that there be an impartial inquiry conducted into what happened in 1999 so that the people of Pakistan at least know what actually happened and what the truth is", the editorial said.
"One has to say that after Kargil ended, the Indian side did at least hold an inquiry into it and stock was taken of various intelligence blunders. No such thing happened in Pakistan," The News International said.
London/Belfast, Oct 5 (DPA) A new report stating that the Irish Republican Army (IRA) has renounced terrorism once and for all was hailed by the British government Wednesday as "opening the door to a final peace settlement in Northern Ireland".
Britain's Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain said the report by the International Monitoring Commission (IMC), a multi-national ceasefire watchdog, showed there had been an "historic, seismic and irreversible change in the IRA".
The IMC report said the IRA, the biggest Irish nationalist paramilitary organisation, was no longer "engaged in terrorism" and had dismantled some of its "most important structures".
It said the IRA, which declared in the summer of 2005 that it would end the "armed struggle" and replace the gun by politics, had undergone "radical change".
The group, which played a prominent role in the long-running Northern Ireland conflict between mainly Catholic nationalists and Protestant unionists, had no intention of returning to violence and no longer had the capacity to mount a sustained campaign, the report said.
However, it also said that some IRA members remained involved in crime, but they were not acting with the "authority of the organization's leadership."
The assessment was immediately welcomed by the governments in London and Dublin, which see the report as a crucial milestone on the path to a lasting peace in Northern Ireland.
London and Dublin have set a deadline of November 24 for a return of devolution to Northern Ireland, where the power-sharing government between Catholics and Protestants was suspended in October 2002.
The two governments have invited Northern Ireland's main political parties to a "make-or-break-summit meeting" in Scotland next week to end the political stalemate by the proposed deadline.
"There is now a fantastic opportunity which the parties ought to take. I am cautiously optimistic they will," Hain said.
In a veiled criticism of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), the main political force of Northern Ireland's Protestants, Hain said the report allowed "no party the excuse to dodge its responsibilities."
The DUP, which has in the past ruled out power sharing with Sinn Fein, the main Republican Party, said Wednesday that the IMC report showed that "progress" had been made.
However, the DUP still wanted to enter into discussions about "IRA criminality".
Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams Wednesday called on the DUP to "shift its position" on power sharing.
Ramallah, West Bank, Oct 5 (ZEENEWS.COM) U.S. secretary of State Condoleezza Rice today said the U.S. Is ``very concerned'' about the plight of the Palestinians and pledged to improve living conditions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Rice, in the region in hopes of reviving long-moribund peace efforts, spoke after meeting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
``I told the president that we are very concerned, of course, about the humanitarian conditions in the Palestinian territories,'' she said. ``I said to him that we would redouble our efforts to improve the conditions for the Palestinian people.''
Abbas, who was elected separately in presidential elections last year, has urged Hamas to accept the international conditions. He has been pushing Hamas to form a coalition government with Fatah as a way to ending the standoff.
Abbas laid down the demand shortly after saying that his efforts to reach a power-sharing agreement with the Islamic militant group Hamas have broken down. Hamas has rejected key international demands, including respecting past deals between Israel and the Palestinians.
Abbas, speaking alongside rice, said there is ``no indication'' of a new dialogue with Hamas.
Rice also said she hoped it would ``not be very long'' before Abbas meets with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Rice was traveling to Jerusalem for talks with the Israeli leader later.
Islamabad, Oct 5 (Xinhua) Pakistani security forces on Thursday defused two rockets, recovered earlier from the high security zone in the capital Islamabad, a TV channel reported.
The rockets were found near the parliament lodges, located near the President House and Parliament building.
The police detained over 80 people from the area, Geo TV reported.
The majority of them were laborers, who were engaged in a nearby government building, according to the report.
Officials said that President Pervez Musharraf was scheduled to address a conference on the earthquake recovery plan at the Convention Center, located some one-and-half kilometers away from the site where the rockets were recovered.
Hundreds of police were called after information was received that a suspicious-looking packet was seen near the parliament lodges. Troops and paramilitary personnel immediately blocked the access roads to the parliament lodges.
Later, the bomb disposal squad defused the rockets after hectic efforts. The police officers were tight-lipped about the rockets' recovery.
The area is highly sensitive because the presidency, Parliament building, ministers' offices, parliament lodges, Supreme Court and several other government buildings are located here.
It is believed that the rockets were put there during the night, the report said.
New Delhi, Oct 5 (ZEENEWS.COM) Russia has assured to take all steps to ensure the security of Indians in that country after New Delhi conveyed its concerns over their safety in the wake of killing of a medical student in suspected racial attack last month.
The Russian government has also promised to identify and punish those responsible for the murder of 27-year-old Nitish Kumar Singh, who was fatally stabbed on September 24 in St Petersburg, Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma said on Wednesday.
"The government has been seriously concerned over the developments, some racially-motivated attacks on Indian students and recently murder of the medical students," Sharma said.
The Indian Embassy had taken up the issue with Russian Foreign Ministry and the Russian government has "given an assurance that they will take all steps to provide protection" to Indians there, he went on to say.
"The government is keeping a very close watch and there is no reason for alarm given the assurance that has been received at the highest level of the Russian government," Sharma said.
Describing the killing as "very unfortunate", the government, last week, had sought an urgent probe into the incident and had pressed for beefing up the security of other Indian nationals in Russia.
Officials of Indian Consulate have met Indian students who had protested against the incident. The police, which have lodged a criminal case, have not ruled out "racial hatred" behind the killing.
In April, another Indian medical student was attacked at the same spot. However, he was later saved.
United Nations, Oct 5 (ZEENEWS.COM) The United Nations Security Council will meet next Monday to formally endorse South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon as its choice to become the next UN Secretary General, its president said.
Japan's UN ambassador Kenzo Oshima, the Council president for October, made the announcement as his Jordanian counterpart, Prince Zeid al-Hussein, informed him that he was pulling out of the race to succeed Kofi Annan as UN chief.
Prince Zeid, 42, extended his "warmest congratulations" to Ban, who Monday secured crucial backing from the council's five veto-wielding permanent members while decisively winning his fourth informal straw poll in a row.
"I wish Foreign Minister Ban the very best of success as he now prepares himself to meet the many challenges of tomorrow," the Jordanian envoy said in a letter to Oshima made available to reporters here.
On Monday, UN Undersecretary General for Communications and Public Information Shashi Tharoor of India, who placed second in the poll, conceded defeat and threw his support behind Ban, who is now virtually assured of becoming the eighth UN Secretary General once Annan steps down in late December after 10 years in office.
Under the UN Charter, the Secretary General is elected by the 192-member General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council.
After its formal vote next Monday, the Security Council is widely expected to recommend that the General Assembly endorse Ban as Annan's successor.
Mumbai, Oct 5 (IANS) The Shiv Sena Wednesday night decided to break its alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Maharashtra over the issue of contesting the Chimur by-elections.
A senior Shiv Sena leader in Mumbai said the decision to pull out of the alliance was taken at an emergency meeting held at the party chief Bal Thackeray's residence, Mantoshree, here.
"The decision was taken after the BJP refused to leave the Chimur by-polls for the Sena. Chimur is a matter of prestige for us and we will not backtrack from our decision to contest the seat," the Sena leader told IANS.
The 20-year relation between the two partners has soured ever since both have been at loggerheads over contesting for the assembly constituency.
The seat fell vacant after the then Shiv Sena legislator Vijay Waddetiwar quit the party and joined the Congress.
The Maharashtra BJP leaders have been maintaining it was in a better position to regain the seat.
BJP sources said Waddetiwar, on leaving the Sena, took away his entire support base to the Congress.
"With no party apparatus practically left, there is no point for the Sena to stick to its guns," the senior BJP leader said.
"We do not want to make any comment on the so-called breakaway of the Shiv Sena from the alliance in the state at this moment," he added.
New Delhi, Oct 5 (IRNA) The signing of the Extradition Treaty and Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance between Nepal and India is likely to be deferred for the time being.
Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has 'agreed' to a request from Maoist chairman Prachanda to defer the signing of the treaty for some time, according to government sources.
The Maoist chairman is learnt to have asked Koirala to put on hold the signing of the treaty until the summit talks slated for October 8, Nepal News reported from Kathmandu.
Home Minister P Situala was scheduled to leave for India Wednesday (Oct 4) to sign the Extradition Treaty and Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance, which will replace the extradition treaty signed in 1953.
The Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance will facilitate the implementation of the extradition treaty.
The Nepal government is yet to say anything officially about the deferment of signing of the treaty.
Meanwhile, talking to BBC Nepali Service Tuesday, former home secretary Chandi Prasad Shrestha, who signed the initial draft of the treaty from as the Nepal government's representative, said the new treaty does not allow -- as feared by many in Nepal -- Indian security officials to come into Nepal and apprehend anybody wanted by them.
"As per the provisions of the new treaty, if somebody from third country commits crimes in either country and sneaks into the other he or she will be subjected to extradition [to the concerned country]," he said.
The home secretaries of Nepal and India had initiated the treaty in January 2005, there was a delay in finalizing the agreements following King Gyanendra's royal coup in February 2005.
Srinagar, Oct 5 (IANS) The two separatist guerrillas holed up inside a Srinagar hotel were killed by security forces, including one early Thursday, bringing to an end the fierce gunbattle that lasted 22 hours and left two policemen dead and injured seven others.
One of the militants jumped out of the window of the Standard Hotel at Budshah Chowk in the Jammu and Kashmir summer capital early Thursday firing from his automatic weapon, injuring one civilian. He was shot dead by the security forces. Security forces found another militant's body inside the hotel.
On Wednesday, two policemen were killed while trying to enter the hotel, and six people, including some civilians were injured.
A caller had called up a local news agency Wednesday to say that the Al Mansoorian militant outfit was responsible for the attack and there were three militants inside the hotel.
Hong Kong, Oct 5 (DPA) Tens of thousands of Taiwanese staged a "flash mob" on Thursday in their on-going campaign to topple President Chen Shui-bian.
Wearing red T-shirts and shouting "Shameless Chen Shui-bian", "Corrupt Chen Shui-bian", "Liar Chen Shui-bian", the protesters staged a 15-minute "flash mob" at public places around the island.
In Taipei, some protesters carried out the "flash mob" outside the Taipei railway station, while others marched past the presidential office building.
Taiwan opposition parties launched the campaign to oust Chen early this year, accusing him of corruption and embezzlement of public funds. The campaign was later taken over by Shih Ming-teh, a former leader of Chen's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Shih has vowed to continue the campaign until Chen has resigned or has been ousted. Shih has called on opponents of Chen to surround the Presidential Office and the square in front of it on Oct 10, when Chen presides over the National Day celebrations at the square.
Dhaka, Oct 5 (IANS) Two youths, one from Pakistan's Punjab province and the other with an address in Jammu and Kashmir capital Srinagar, have been detained here on suspicion of their involvement in terrorism.
The New Age newspaper said Tareq Ahmed Dar, 29, of Nageen, Hazaratbal, Srinagar, and Faisal Naim, 30, of Khan-e-Bal in Punjab province, were nabbed during a raid on a house in Baridhara, Dhaka's upmarket suburb.
Media reports in Bangladesh and India have for long alleged the presence here of fugitives from other South Asian countries, engaged in terrorism, allegedly monitored by Al Qaeda and Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Indian militants have also been using safe havens in Bangladesh to conduct their operations, according to these reports. However, the Bangladesh government has denied the allegations.
The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) produced the two in a court on charges of holding fake travel documents.
Held first on Sep 16, they were remanded in police custody for the third time on Wednesday, the report said.
Brussels, Oct 5 (IRNA) Three European companies based in France, Germany and Italy, have been found guilty in a fraud case affecting a major development project in Lesotho, southern Africa.
A court in Lesotho fined the three European companies 4.4 million euros in the fraud case involving the Lesotho Highlands Water Project that had been co-funded by the EU and other international donors.
Investigations of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) contributed to court decisions against three European companies, according to a statement issued by the European Commission Wednesday.
But the Commission did not name the companies.
The Lesotho Highlands Water Project was set up for construction of dams, water transfer tunnels and an underground hydroelectric power plant. It is one of the biggest dam projects in the world.
The EU has been involved in this project since the early eighties.
The total European Development Fund (EDF) financing for the project amounted to 61.2 million Euros and the European Investment Bank (EIB) funding was of 122.5 million Euros.
Other donors such as the World Bank and the Government of Lesotho itself also contributed to the financing.
The Chief Executive Officer of the project was found guilty of bribery by the court and is serving a 15 year sentence in prison.
By Sujit Chakraborty,
Agartala, Oct 5 (IANS) An ambitious plan is on the cards in Tripura to resettle non-tribal families displaced by insurgency-related violence as well as surrendered rebels.
"Around 1,500 non-tribal families, mostly Bengalis, have been residing in makeshift camps in different parts of the state for the past few years," said Revenue Minister Keshab Majumder.
"The law and order situation has improved significantly during the past three years and militancy declined drastically due to coordinated efforts by the security forces and the government, besides the people," Majumder told IANS.
"This should pave the way for the return of the displaced people but unfortunately this has not happened due to a fear psychosis.
"Under the resettlement scheme, the government will provide financial assistance, materials for construction of houses and security if necessary," he said.
"The government has already provided regular jobs to 1,300 people, whose families were affected by militancy, besides financial assistance to several hundred families."
According to officials, about 40,000 families comprising 200,000 people have been displaced since 1997 after militancy ravaged the state.
"A large number of people resettled themselves in safer places and only a few returned to their ancestral homes and lands they had left behind," a senior official said, requesting anonymity.
But contradicting the official figures, opposition leader Ratan Lal Nath said: "Over 300,000 people have been displaced due to insurgency and most of them are yet to receive any governmental help and are residing either in camps or in safer places near semi-urban or urban areas."
"The (Communist Party of India-Marxist-led) Left Front government was not sincere to conduct a survey to know about the displaced people or to rehabilitate them properly," Nath said.
The Manik Sarkar government has also identified land for the surrendered militants of the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) to fulfil yet another condition inked in the tripartite peace accord with the group last year.
"Around 900 hectares of land have already been identified for allotment through distribution of 'pattas' (land right documents) to the surrendered militants," said S.K. Das, commissioner, tribal welfare department.
"The state government is now finalising a package for the surrendered militants and the union home ministry is willing to release Rs.530 million for the purpose."
About 850 tribal guerrillas belonging to the NLFT and the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) have surrendered to the government since 2003.
Brindisi(Italy), Oct 5 (ZEENEWS.COM) A Turkish army deserter who hijacked a Turkish airliner to Italy is seeking asylum because he fears persecution in his Muslim homeland after his conversion to Christianity and wanted Pope Benedict XVI`s protection, an Italian prosecutor said on Wednesday.
"It looks like it was an operation which he had planned for some time, the reasons are of religious nature," Brindisi prosecutor Giuseppe Giannuzzi told a news conference in this port city where the hijacking ended safely last night with the hijacker`s surrender.
"Having taken up the Christian religion, he feared going back to Turkey," said Giannuzzi, who interrogated the suspect after he surrendered.
Turkish officials have said that Hakan Ekinci was being sent back by Albania, where he had been denied asylum, to Turkey aboard the Turkish airlines Boeing 737-400, with police waiting to arrest him in Istanbul where the 28-year-old deserter and convicted swindler would have landed.
Instead, Italy`s interior minister Giuliano Amato told lawmakers, Ekinci slipped into the cockpit when an attendant opened the door and gave the pilot a note insisting that he had a message to deliver to the pope and that accomplices aboard another plane would "blow that plane up" if his message didn`t reach the pontiff.
Although no weapons were found, and there was no other plane involved, according to authorities, "the climate that we live in is such that even a sneeze alarms us," Giannuzzi said.
His fist words to interrogators were "I want to stay in Italy because I`m afraid of going back,`" the prosecutor said.
A second Turk helped hijack plane: Turkey
Turkey`s Justice Minister on Wednesday said a second Turkish national helped hijack a Turkish airline plane to Italy. "It has been understood that the plane was hijacked by Turkish citizens, Hakan Ekinci of Izmir and Mehmet Ertas of Antakya," the Justice Ministry said in a written statement.
Initially, the authorities had said Ekinci was acting alone during Tuesday`s hijacking and that he had no accomplices. The reason for the discrepancy was not immediately clear.
The statement said Turkey would ask Italy to clarify whether Ekinci and Ertas had been arrested with a view toward filing an extradition request.
In Italy, authorities said only one Turkish suspect was held.
"As things stand, it is confirmed that (the hijacker) was alone and that there were no arms on board, and the plane has left again with all the passengers," Brindisi prosecutor Giuseppe Giannuzzi said.
A Turkish airlines official said Wednesday that only 105 of 107 passengers returned to Istanbul on Wednesday, suggesting that Ertas might be in Italian authorities` custody along with Ekinci.
The state-owned Anatolia news agency earlier said one of the Turkish passengers had chosen to stay in Brindisi.
Francesco Barnaba, head of the crime squad in Brindisi, said he could say with "absolute certainty" that only one man was held.
"Only one stayed, and everyone else left," Barnaba said, referring to the hijacker.
New Delhi, Oct 5 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday said India should move to take advantage of its demographics, in having one of the world's largest population of young people, by urgently expanding education and imparting skills to the emerging work force.
Speaking at a seminar on services organized by the Federation of Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO), the prime minister said: "The success of the (country's) service sector cannot be sustained if we do not improve our skill and knowledge base. India has an enormous demographic advantage in the medium term, as one of the youngest countries in the world.
"In the coming two decades, India will get demographically still younger with 60 percent of our 1.2 billion people being under the age of 35. It is estimated that by 2020, the US, China, Japan and Russia will be short of 42 million people of working age. Against this, India will have a surplus of 47 million working age people.
However, to translate the "demographic dividend" into a true "development dividend", India will have to expand its educational system and improve skill-building abilities.
This is an urgent priority that we need to attend to immediately, the prime minister exhorted.
Mumbai, Oct 5 (IANS) Two close aides of Tiger Memon, the prime accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial bombings, were proclaimed guilty Thursday by a special court here for conspiracy, aiding and abetting blasts.
The Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Preventive) Act (TADA) court, however, acquitted another accused for lack of evidence.
Delivering the judgment special judge Pramod Kode said: "While Nasir Abdul Kadar Keval alias Nasir Dhakla and Mohammed Rafiq Usman Sheikh have been charged with aiding and abetment, arms training in Pakistan and attending conspiracy meetings at the residence of co-accused, Mohammad Ahmed Mansoor is being acquitted as the prosecution has failed to provide enough evidence against him."
Both Nasir and Sheikh have been found guilty under Section 3(3) of the TADA Act for aiding and abetting terror and Section 120-b of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for conspiracy.
While Nasir is in custody since his arrest in 1995, Sheikh is on bail since 1998.
Nasir is accused of going to Pakistan for arms training, participating in the landing operation of arms and explosives at Shekhandi coast in Maharashtra's Raigad district, attending conspiracy meetings at the residences of co-accused Babloo and Mubina Baya Bhiwandiwala.
He is also charged with joining other accused in packing RDX in vehicles, which were planted at various places in Mumbai, on the day of the serial blasts on March 12, 1993.
He was arrested from Hyderabad January 6, 1995. The court had earlier rejected his bail plea.
Sheikh is also facing charges of going to Pakistan via Dubai for arms training and attending conspiracy meetings at the residences of co-accused at the instance of blast mastermind - Tiger Memon.
Accepting the duo's confessions as well as those of the co-accused and eyewitness, who had identified Nasir in the arms-landing operation, judge Kode implicated them.
Acquitting Mansoor of the charge of facilitating terrorist acts by making arrangements for the co-accused to obtain arms training in Pakistan, judge Kode said the prosecution had failed to prove that he had received the co-accused at Dubai airport and sent them to Pakistan for arms training.
Both face a minimum term of five years and a maximum of life imprisonment. The quantum of sentence will be delivered at a later date. The court will hear the duo's statement Friday.
West Bank, Palestine. Oct 5 (UN News) With 500,000 Palestinian children out of school due to a strike in the West Bank that has left most public schools closed, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has set up youth clubs to provide extracurricular activities, safe indoor and outdoor play areas, and centres to provide literacy and computer training.
The lack of access to schools come on top of an already very difficult year in which the number of children killed and injured are close to record highs as youngsters continue to take the brunt of the unrest in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, UNICEF spokesman Michael Bociurkiw told a news briefing in Geneva today.
In Gaza, since 28 June, 58 children have been killed and 128 children injured, he said.
The main reason for the strike is non-payment of civil service salaries. The Territories have been particularly hard hit since Israel stopped tax transfers and other countries suspended contributions to the Palestinian Authority (PA) after the Hamas election victory in January.
Israel and international donors insist that Hamas, whose charter is committed to Israel’s destruction, must subscribe to the principles of non-violence, recognize Israel’s right to exist, and accept previous agreements and obligations, including the UN-backed Roadmap plan providing for two states living side by side in peace.
Various UN agencies have warned regularly over the past months of a looming humanitarian emergency in the occupied Palestinian territories as food, health and education services crumble.
Of all the schools in the West Bank, 24 per cent are run by the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the main provider of basic services to over 4.3 million registered Palestinian refugees in the Middle East, six per cent are private, and 70 per cent are Government-run, meaning that the majority of children attend public schools.
New Delhi, Oct 5 (IANS) Even as Finance Minister P. Chidambaram Wednesday made a pitch for faster economic reforms, decisions on some key issues such as special economic zones (SEZs) were deferred at a meeting between the ruling coalition and its allies.
The only tangible outcome of the three-and-a-half hour meeting was a promise by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the women's reservation bill will be tabled in the next session of parliament.
"The prime minister also assured us that the bill will not be interlinked with the issue of delimitation of constituencies," a senior Left party leader said after the meeting at the prime minister's official residence here.
The Left parties had given a nine-page memorandum to the government a few months ago to which the government gave a point-by-point reply in 19 pages Wednesday, sources said.
UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and the prime minister were among those who attended the meeting.
The Left parties have been particularly angry over the policy on SEZs. But with Commerce Minister Kamal Nath away in Geneva and in the absence of a consensus among the Left parties over use of farmland, they felt a detailed discussion can be held later.
The issue of double taxation treaty with Mauritius - another sore point with the Left parties, who feel the clause is misused by foreign funds to evade tax - was also discussed.
But Chidambaram sought to assuage feelings by saying similar treaties were in place with several countries and there was no issue of misuse, a senior leader of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) said.
The Left parties also categorically said they would not allow any kind of privatisation of state-run enterprises nor would they accept any move to dilute partial stake in such companies.
The meeting also discussed the issue of inflation and price rise - especially in essential commodities. In this regard, the Left wanted the government to look at the alleged misuse of forward trading in the commodities market.
Other issues that came up were macro-economic stability, resource mobilisation, food security, financial sector restructuring, agrarian policy and foreign capital.
But the Left leaders said the issue of China being singled out by the government while approving infrastructure projects was not discussed - this was one of the topics the Left parties wanted to take up with the government.
The Left parties also expressed anger at the lack of adequate money for rural development projects. They wanted the government to step up allocation for such projects from the present 2.5 percent of India's gross domestic product (GDP).
Karachi, Oct 5 (PTI) Younis Khan today dropped a bombshell by refusing to lead the Pakistan cricket team in the upcoming Champions Trophy just two days before their departure to India.
"I don't want to be a dummy captain and the reason why I have refused the captaincy will be revealed afterward," Younis told reporters at a press conference in Lahore.
Younis, who was named captain after Inzamam-ul Haq was handed four-match one-day international ban following the Oval fiasco, was slated to address a press conference before the team's departure for Jaipur on Saturday.
The 28-year-old, who has in the past led Pakistan in two Tests and two one-day internationals, left the conference after speaking just one sentence. Coach Bob Woolmer was also present on the occasion.
Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Shaharyar Khan called an emergency meeting at its headquarters to discuss the matter.
"Younis has not told us any reason and we are in negotiations with him. As soon as we get any details we will reveal them to the media," PCB director of operations Saleem Altaf said. PTI
06 October 2006
Johannesburg, Oct 6 (DPA) Whether what he has to say suits them or not, South Africans have always been able to count on Nobel laureate and prominent religious leader Desmond Tutu for moral guidance.
Even years after the fall of apartheid against which he stood side by side with the likes of Nelson Mandela - and as he prepares to celebrate his 75th birthday - Tutu remains one of the most influential figures in the southern African nation.
At the height of apartheid, Tutu publicly rejected the system, giving a voice and comfort to millions of oppressed South Africans.
When apartheid fell, he headed the country's truth commission, steering victims and perpetrators of black oppression along the path to forgiveness and reconciliation.
It therefore came as no surprise when the man in the purple robe, entered the fray when it became apparent that a battle for political leadership emerged in the run-up to elections in 2009 that will see President Thabo Mbeki step down.
In his trademark bold and frank style, Tutu declared that he did not believe the corruption-tainted former deputy president Jacob Zuma should continue his bid for the presidency.
He cited the sexual exploits of the 64-year-old veteran politician who was acquitted of rape earlier this year after admitting that he had consensual, unprotected sex with an AIDS-infected woman half his age.
In a country where veterans of the apartheid era struggle rarely criticise each other, Tutu's view raised eyebrows. It also attracted an attack by Zuma's office and his followers within the ruling party youth league to which the clergyman declined to respond.
As Zuma proceeded to position himself as a proud Zulu, Tutu warned of the consequences of ethnic division in the diverse nation, citing undercurrents of ill feelings between Xhosa and Zulu politicians that have been a strong feature in South Africa for some time.
"We must beware the dangers of ethnic strife. See what it has done in Rwanda, Burundi, Bosnia, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo," the cleric who described the post-apartheid country as a "rainbow nation" with the advent of democracy in 1994, warned in a recent lecture in Cape Town.
With an apparent escalation of violent crime, Tutu has also asked "What has come over us?" while listing the common crimes of murder - nearly 19,000 cases a year, infant rape, and car hijackings in which victims are often gratuitously slaughtered.
"What has happened to us? It seems as if we have perverted our freedom, our rights into license, into being irresponsible. Rights go hand in hand with responsibility, with dignity, with respect for oneself and the other," he said.
In an authorised biography, aptly titled Rabble-Rouser for Peace, author and former spokesman for Tutu, John Allen details some of the negative attitudes within the Anglican Church and the wider church community towards Tutu as an outspoken apartheid-era activist and Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town.
Reacting to calls for the church to discipline Tutu for his stance in opposing apartheid, Allen quotes a Johannesburg bishop as saying: "He is a man of deep prayer and living faith, and spends more time on his knees than most of those who call for action to be taken by the Church against him."
Tutu was born in the town of Klerksdorp outside Johannesburg on Oct 7, 1931. He began his career as a teacher but later underwent theological training and was ordained as an Anglican priest in 1960.
About 15 years later he became the first black Anglican dean of Johannesburg. He also held positions as the Bishop of Lesotho, the tiny mountain kingdom that is landlocked with South Africa, the secretary general of the South African Council of Churches before becoming the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town.
In 1984, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his contribution to the fight against apartheid. Tutu has remained active despite his retirement in the 1990s.
It was announced recently that King's College in London plans to establish a digital archive of former student Tutu's life and work in the hope that it will inspire people around the world.
By Surender Bhutani,
Warsaw, Oct 6 (IANS) Urdu verse is making inroads into Poland with the ghazals of 20th century poets like Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Jan Nissar Akhtar being translated into Polish.
Janusz Krzyzowski and Surender 'Zahid', an Indian poet based here, who earlier translated "Mir Taqi Mir" and "Mirza Ghalib", have published an anthology of modern Urdu poets, which also includes ghazals of Firaq Gorakhpuri, Qateel Shifai, Ibn-e-Insha, Pravin Shakir, Bashir Badr and Nida Fazli.
Anil Wadhwa, India's ambassador to Poland, released the book earlier this week at his residence in the presence of more than 100 Polish writers, poets, critics, journalists and intellectuals as well as diplomats.
"In less than two years, the two translators have produced four books of Urdu poetry. It is a great achievement on their part to promote the musicality of one of the sweetest languages of northern India," Wadhwa told IANS.
"If Bollywood maintains the standard as a great entertainment industry, the due credit must be given to the Urdu poets who penned sweet songs with universal appeal for the past eight decades," Wadhwa added.
Said the ambassador: "Poets like Firaq and Faiz are no less than any Nobel Prize winners. Their universal appeal will remain fresh for a long time to come. The present anthology is just like a bouquet where the two translators have selected roses from different gardens.
"To translate ghazal into a ghazal form is very challenging and it speaks of the genius of the translators."
"It is almost a miracle that two translators have joined hands together and have enriched Polish readers with the beauty of Urdu poetry. We expect many more compositions from these outstanding personalities," said Stanislaw Tokarski, professor of Indian Studies at the Polish Academy of Sciences.
"From this book, now Polish singers can also sing ghazals. If they succeed, it will be a novelty in Poland," said Janusz Krzyzowski.
The anthology mostly comprises ghazals made famous by singers like Begum Akthar, Talat Mehmoud, Mehdi Hasan, Ghulam Ali, Chitra Singh, Jagjit Singh and many others in the past.
"There is a beautiful confluence of music and literature in most of these ghazals and we have tried our best to preserve that fragrance which is there in the original," added poet Surender 'Zahid'.
He has produced five books in Urdu poetry and his compositions are regularly published in literary magazines both in India and Pakistan for the past four decades. His poems have been translated in English, Polish, Romanian and Arabic.
The book is partly financed by the Indian Association in Poland, which has promised to help in the translations of Urdu poetry in the future as well.
07 October 2006
Islamabad, Oct 7 (Xinhua) At least 10 people were killed in tribal conflict in Orkzai Agency in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province Friday, private Geo TV reported.
A mortar shell hit the Mirobek area Friday, killing 10 people on the spot, the TV report said. Fighting between the two rival groups was still going on.
The political administration however said it was unaware of any such incident.
Guwahati, Oct 7 (IANS) Assam Tribal separatists Friday ambushed and killed 11 people, including seven paramilitary troopers, and critically wounded four others, an official said.
A police spokesman said heavily armed militants belonging to the outlawed black widow faction of the Dima Halam Daoga (DHD) attacked a four-vehicle convoy carrying railway construction workers and security personnel near village Hathikhali in the North Cachar Hills district, 350 km south of the state's main city of Guwahati. The incident took place at 10.30 a.m.
"The convoy that was being escorted by Railway Protection Special Force (RPSF) personnel came under heavy fire and the last two vehicles bore the brunt of the attack," railway spokesman T. Rabha told IANS.
Seven RPSF troopers and four railway workers died on the spot. Four workers were seriously injured. They were shifted to a local hospital.
The group of railway workers was on their way from Lumding to Maibong in the North Cachar Hills district to a broad gauge construction site when they came under attack from the militants hiding on a hilltop.
"The militants later decamped with the service weapons of the dead soldiers, while two of our vehicles managed to escape the rebel attack," Rabha said. Army, police and paramilitary soldiers have begun a massive hunt to nab the rebels.
Meanwhile, in another incident, seven people including four paramilitary troopers were injured in a grenade explosion at Doomdooma in eastern Assam late Thursday.
A police official said militants suspected to be from the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) hurled a grenade at the vehicle of the Tinsukia district Additional Police Superintendent B.G. Kuligam.
"The grenade missed the target and fell just outside the police station wounding four troopers and three bystanders," the official said.
Beijing, Oct 7 (DPA) At least 13 people died and seven were injured Friday in China after gas exploded underground at a coal mine in the Sichuan province, the government said.
The explosion ripped through the Furong Coal Mine in Yibin city, the State Administration of Work Safety said on its website.
The 13 bodies were recovered and seven injured miners were sent to hospital for emergency treatment, the administration said.
The report did not say how many miners were working at the time of the accident, but it said the rescue operation had ended.
The mine had a designed annual capacity of 1.2 million tonnes, it said.
Nine miners and one rescue worker were missing after another gas explosion Thursday in northeastern China's Liaoning province, state media said.
Rescue efforts continued Friday to find 10 people missing at the Baoxing mine in Liaoning's Fangzheng county, the China News Service said.
Nineteen of the 28 miners working underground managed to reach the surface after the explosion, the agency said.
About 6,000 coal miners were killed in accidents in China last year, according to official figures.
By Prasun Sonwalkar,
London, Oct 7 (IANS) About 30,000 Indians were given permits to work in Britain in 2005, even though immigration from the sub-continent pales into insignificance compared to the number of people who moved here from the new member-states of the European Union, official figures reveal.
The Indians, numbering 29,261, constituted the largest group of foreign nationals given work permits last year.
"Opening up the labour market to citizens of the new member-states of the European Union (EU) from May 2004 initiated what is almost certainly the largest single wave of in-migration (with Poles the largest ever single national group of entrants) that the British Isles have ever experienced," says the latest report of Labour Market Trends released by the Office of National Statistics (ONS).
The large-scale immigration from new members of the EU has become a sensitive political issue, with demands that citizens of Romania and Bulgaria - scheduled to join the EU in January 2007 - should not be extended the right to work in Britain.
Ministers have already declared that citizens of Romania and Bulgaria were unlikely to enjoy the same employment permission as was granted to the eight countries that joined the EU in May 2004 (they are called Accession 8 countries)
ONS figures reveal that in 2005, as many 195,000 citizens of the Accession 8 countries were approved to work upon registration with the Worker Registration Scheme (WRS). Over 60 per cent of them were Poles, with Lithuanians and Slovakians being the next largest groups.
In comparison, the Asians who arrived in Britain after being expelled from Idi Amin's Uganda in 1972 numbered less than 30,000.
In 2005, the largest group of foreign nationals who were given work permits were Indian citizens: 29,261. Under the Highly-Skilled Migrants Programme, 6,716 Indians were given permits.
In 2005, according to comprehensive ONS statistics, one in 19 workers in Britain was a foreign national. There were 1.5 million foreign nationals working in the UK in 2005, which amounted to 5.4 per cent of the employed population.
According to figures of National Insurance numbers allotted to foreign nationals - mandatory for all employees in Britain - in 2005-06 as many 662,400 new numbers were issued, of which 41 per cent were to people from the Accession 8 countries. The largest number of registrations was from Polish nationals.
The key points revealed in Labour Market Trends are:
* There were 1,505,000 million foreign migrants working in the UK in 2005, 5.4 per cent of the UK employed population.
* The foreign workforce generally is employed in more highly skilled occupations than the domestic.
* The regional distribution of foreign workers is very uneven. In 2005 Greater London had 45.3 per cent of the total.
* The annual number of work permits approved in 2005 was 129,660. The three main occupations were nurses and carers (19.9 per cent), software professionals (19.5 per cent) and managers and proprietors in other service sectors (12.8 per cent).
* 195,000 people from the new accession states were recorded in the Worker Registration Scheme in 2005. Around four-fifths of them worked in relatively low-skilled occupations.
* When all the various schemes are considered, it is likely that 2005 saw the largest ever entry of foreign workers to the UK, totalling some 400,000.
Colombo, Oct 7 (DPA) Heavy fighting erupted Friday between government troops and Tamil rebels in eastern Sri Lanka, leaving at least 22 rebels dead, officials said.
Military spokesperson Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe said fighting broke out on Friday morning in the Mankerny area, in Batticaloa district, 280 km southeast of the capital, after the army's forward defence lines were attacked by the rebels with mortar fire.
He said that at least 22 bodies of rebels were found and more casualties were believed to have been inflicted. Six soldiers were injured in the fighting, which continued from the early hours of Friday.
The clashes came as both the government and the rebels have agreed to resume talks on Oct 28 in a bid to resolve the country's minority ethnic conflict.
"We have conveyed our willingness to resume talks and are waiting for the Norwegian facilitators to get back to us after speaking to the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam)," the government's defence spokesperson Keheliya Rambukwella told DPA.
Earlier Norwegian peace envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer met with the rebel political wing leader S.P. Thamilselvan and head of the government's peace delegation minister Nimal Siripala de Silva, trying to get both sides to agree to resume talks. The Norwegian envoy departed for India on Thursday and is yet to make an announcement regarding the commencement of talks.
New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS) The deadly dengue virus continues to spread its tentacles across the national capital, with 70 fresh cases being reported since Thursday morning, taking the total number of affected people to 743.
"We have 70 new cases of dengue and the total number of patients has gone up to 743," D.S. Negi, Delhi health secretary, told IANS, adding they have not received any report of death on Friday.
Negating the threat of dengue at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Negi said: "I am yet to know why there is so much hype in case of AIIMS. May be because a lot of people are visiting the top hospital for their preliminary test."
The health secretary said while AIIMS has 114 cases, St. Stephens is treating 188 patients, Deen Dayal Upadhaya Hospital 129 cases and Lok Nayak Jai Prakash is treating 124 cases.
Meanwhile, authorities at AIIMS said that since Thursday morning they have screened over 950 people and admitted 30 confirmed cases.
"We have 30 confirmed fresh cases of dengue till 8.30 a.m. Currently, 114 people are under treatment and 14 have been discharged during the last 24 hours," said AIIMS Medical Superintendent D.K. Sharma.
Of the 114 cases, 26 patients, including students and medical staff, are from the campus. Of the 743 dengue cases reported in the capital this year, 225 cases are reported at the AIIMS alone.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's two grandsons - Rohan (11) and Madhav (17) - and his son-in-law Vijay Tankha, a professor at St. Stephens College here, are also in AIIMS with suspected dengue.
"The preliminary tests conducted on three of them have tested positive for dengue but the final report will take some time to come. They are recovering well and may be discharged tomorrow," chief spokesman of AIIMS Shakti Gupta, told reporters.
AIIMS has indefinitely postponed the examinations of first and second year MBBS students and cancelled regular classes till Oct 25.
Dengue is caused by the bite of a type of mosquito called aedes aegypti that breeds in stagnant water.
On Thursday, federal Health Minister Anbumoni Ramadoss had reviewed the dengue situation in four states - Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
The number of dengue cases in the country Thursday was close to 3,000 with Delhi the worst hit with 17 fatalities. In 2005, nearly 12,000 people were affected across the country and the death toll was 157. This year, over 40 people have succumbed to the disease so far.
By Azim A. Khan Sherwani
Naseem Mohammad Shekh is an activist working with victims of the state-sponsored anti-Muslim carnage in Gujarat in 2002, in which more than 3000 people were killed. She is based in the Qasimabad Colony, near Kalol in the Panchmahals district of Gujarat. Eleven members of her own family, including her daughter and husband, were slaughtered in this most large-scale wave of anti-Muslim violence in India in recent times, the victims of which are yet to get justice. Here she narrates to Azim Sherwani the traumatic murder of her family, her struggle for survival and her present involvement in seeking to promote peace and communal harmony in communally-polarised Gujarat.
I was born in a fairly well-off family. I grew up with my grandparents and parents. My grandfather wanted me to marry in the same village. So he found a boy of my own village who was my cousin from my mother's side. He had done his secondary schooling but the economic condition of his family was not very sound. I was 13 at that time and told my family that I would commit suicide if they forced me to marry him but they did so. Initially, I hated to live with my husband's family but my grandfather convinced me and emotionally blackmailed me. I started supporting my husband by helping him sell vegetables. Once my husband had an offer of a government job but he was asked to pay a hefty bribe. My parents were willing to pay the bribe to help my husband have a better future but he refused. He felt it was against his honor to borrow from his in-laws to pay the bribe. He promised me a good life with his hard labor. Because of our hard work our business flourished and finally we had to employ some local youths as helping hands in the business.
On 27th February 2002, I had a gynecological operation. I was in the nursing home. The next day my husband told me about the burning of the train coach in Godhra. I was frightened but he told me that police had been deployed and that nothing untoward would happen. He told the doctors to take care of me and not to worry about the money, promising to be back the next morning.
On 1st March a Hindu mob attacked the Muslim houses in my village Dahlol. I intuitively did not want my husband to go to the village but, owing to his repeated insistence that the children were alone, I could not stop him. A Hindu customer of ours sheltered my husband and the children in his house when the mob went on a rampage. He insisted on sending our children to the hospital, which he thought to be a safer place. My husband reluctantly agreed. My 13-year old daughter stayed with her father. The Hindu customer dropped my son Suhail at the nursing home. I was worried. I wanted to know where my family was. He told me not to worry. Very soon, he said, everybody would join me, and he assured me that they were safe in his house.
In the evening this Hindu man took my family with him, telling them that he was arranging for safe passage for them. He took them towards the river and on the way started shouting that there were Muslims around. This was a trap that he had laid. All at once, a Hindu mob, armed with sharp weapons, surrounded my family members. One of my nephews ran to save his life and hid behind huge bushes. But the mob killed everybody one by one. They begged for their life to be spared but in vain. My 13 year-old daughter was gang-raped and cut into pieces. After killing everybody they burnt their bodies. My nephew, who narrowly escaped, was watching everything, shaking with fear. He fled the place when the mob went back to the village. He came to the main road, which connects Kalol, a town with a substantial Muslim population. The police found him, and asked him to remove his trousers to see if he was a Muslim. They kicked him and abused him for being a Muslim. He was thrown out of the police jeep. Upon arriving Kalol he narrated the incident to our relatives and family friends.
I was still in the hospital and was not told anything by our relatives. The next day the mob came to the hospital in search of me. The doctor told them that I had been discharged and had left the hospital. After this incident the doctor was afraid that the mob might come again in search of me. He provided a set of clothes normally worn by Hindu women to hide my identity in case I was stopped on my way to a safer place. After 15 days I was sent to a relief camp in Qasimabad in an Army vehicle. When I reached the camp, my sister and other people started crying. I wanted to know about my husband, daughter and other family members. They told me that they were in a different relief camp. I insisted that I want to speak to them. One of my family friends phoned me, pretending that he was my husband, but I could easily make out that it was a different voice. I guessed that I lost everything. My life was completely destroyed. My brother-in-law started crying and revealed to me that only thee members of our family of 11 had survived.
The atmosphere in the relief camp was depressing and frustrating. I had lost everything but I had to live for my son Suhail. We had to face so very many problems. We could not go back home. My brother-in-law wanted the compensation money to be deposited in his name. He thought I might take the money and get married to someone else and might not take care of my son. I convinced him that I would take care of my son for he was everything to me now. In case I got married again, I said, I would deposit the money in his account.
I had so much pain in my heart and was worried that I might go mad. I started volunteering in the camp. At that time some women's group and an NGO came to work for the rehabilitation and access to justice for the victims of the carnage. I joined them as a volunteer initially. There was a lot of opposition from some conservative maulvis. They tried to force me not to go out because I was a widow and I had to perform the religious duty of being isolated from men for four months. I told them categorically that I needed to work for women like me who had lost everything in the carnage. They needed my support. There was also some opposition from some of my distant relatives.
It was really difficult to engage Hindus, Dalits and Muslims in peace-building initiatives. There was complete mistrust of and hatred for each other. Muslims said that the Hindus had destroyed their life. What kind of reconciliation, they asked, is possible? But some people started appreciating our work. They would tell me, 'You lost everything in the carnage but you still don't hate Hindus. Rather, you try to engage them. So, we should follow your path of trying to promote peace and counter hatred'.
Today, I have no one in my life except Suhail. I am sad but now I am a confident woman. I can relate to and understand the problems of all other women, Hindus, Dalits and Muslims.
Constant preaching of hatred against Muslims for political purposes is the root cause of communal violence in Gujarat. The Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad are the main instigators of anti-Muslim hatred in India and use any opportunity to instigate violence against them. During the mass violence against Muslims there were some good Hindus who helped their Muslim neighbors in providing shelter or safe passage. Unfortunately, however, in Gujarat today the communal divide has increased. We need to work hard in engaging youth, women, Dalits and Adivasis to mobilize for communal harmony.
In fact, all religions teach tolerance and peace but some people interpret religion with narrowness and to generate hate against fellow human beings. At times I ask myself that if the different religions were made to serve humanity then why are people all over the world killing each other in the name of religion?
I have devoted my life to the struggle against communalism and for empowering women. This and the hope for a better future of my son are my strength. I want to educate my son and would like him to join government service in Gujarat. There is so much pain in my heart but I want to channelise it to prevent a repeat of what happened in Gujarat in 2002.
__________________________________________________________________________
Azim A.Khan Sherwani is based in Delhi and writes on human rights and Muslim-related issues. He may be contacted on azimsherwani@gmail.com
Peshawar, Oct 7 (ZEENEWS.COM) An intense gunbattle between rival Sunni and Shiite Muslims left at least 13 people dead and seven wounded in a remote tribal area of northwestern Pakistan, a government official said today.
The violence in the Aurakzai tribal area began late yesterday and continued today, when armed men from the two sects tried to enter the premises of a shrine of a Sufi saint, said Shah Zaman, government spokesman for Pakistan's northwestern tribal regions.
However, it was not immediately clear how many Shiites and Sunnis were included among the dead and injured.
Dhaka, Oct 7 (IANS) With Bangladesh reaching out to India's northeastern region, its trade deficit with India narrowed by around 14 percent in the last financial year as exports rose sharply.
The trade between India and Bangladesh is burgeoning, whatever the state of political ties and the latter's reservations about allowing India's Tata group to invest in the country.
Exports to India shot up by 68 percent, amounting to $241.96 million in fiscal 2005-06. In the preceding year, they stood at $143.66 million.
This was mainly thanks to higher exports to India's northeastern region, a natural export market for Bangla goods that has taken years to tap because of bureaucratic delays on both sides, said the Daily Star Friday. A joint study blames the Indian side for this.
On the other hand, imports from India dropped by around eight percent, totalling $1,868 million in the last financial year from $2,025.78 million in FY 2004-05, according to Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) statistics.
This indicates that Bangladesh is veering to other alternative markets for goods that it earlier purchased from India.
The trade deficit with the neighbouring country ballooned to a record $2,003 million in 2003-04. However, it came down to $1,882 million in the following year and $1,626 million in FY 2005-06.
"Exports to the northeastern states of India increased substantially in the last financial year," Mir Sahabuddin Mohammad, vice-chairman of EPB, told the newspaper.
Explaining, he said the banks in the northeastern India earlier could not open letters of credit for imports from Bangladesh, discouraging the potential importers. But now they can open letters of credit, which is a step forward in facilitating trade between the two countries, he noted.
EPB had organised several exhibitions in India and received a good response from the Indian importers and buyers, observed the EPB vice-chairman, adding there are great demands for Bangladeshi products including toiletries, cosmetics, melamine, fish, leather and ceramics in these Indian states.
Some non-tariff barriers like mandatory testing required by India, inadequate banking facilities and poor infrastructure at the land ports are hindering Bangladesh's export growth to India, local exporters said.
India deliberately tries to stall import from Bangladesh, as its land customs officials are not informed about the preferential market access given to Dhaka by New Delhi, according to a study jointly carried out by a Bangladeshi and an Indian chamber of commerce.
"It is almost impossible to export products to India if the exporters have to undergo cumbersome and cost-incurring certification procedures," said the study styled "Enhancing the Trade and Investment between Bangladesh and Northeast India".
Conducted by Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) and Tripura Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TCCI), the study cites a number of roadblocks in entering the Indian market.
In FY 2005-06, India restricted import of jute products from Bangladesh by pushing up the import duties substantially and by imposing other non-tariff barriers. The action was meant to stem the import of jute products from Bangladesh that rose by more than 500 percent during April-November period of that fiscal, the study said.
The trade between Bangladesh and northeast India through informal channels is many times higher than that through formal channel.
It is widely believed that the total volume of unofficial trade between the two countries is more than $2 billion annually and of that amount over one-third occurs between Bangladesh and northeast India, the newspaper said.
Though routes and channels for formal trade between the two countries are limited, the scope for informal trade is unlimited due to the porous nature of common border.
Islamabad, Oct 7 (UN News) A year after an earthquake devastated northern Pakistan, killing more than 73,000 people, the United Nations envoy for the recovery effort said a funding shortfall means too many of the estimated 3.5 million people affected by the quake still lack access to basic services such as clean water, sanitation and housing.
Former United States President George H.W. Bush, who was appointed last December by Secretary-General Kofi Annan as his Special Envoy for the South Asian Earthquake Disaster, told reporters today that a “tremendous relief effort� ensured that the predicted bleak scenarios of last winter did not eventuate for most of the quake’s victims.
Nearly 300,000 people have returned home safely after having lived in tents or makeshift housing for six months, he said, praising the response of the Pakistani Government, UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and adding that medical care, education services, sanitation and access to water is being expanded across the region.
“However, full scale reconstruction and the full resumption of basic services is going to take years,� Mr. Bush said, and another winter looms with the possibility of particularly harsh living conditions.
A preliminary outlook from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) indicates that the coming winter in Pakistan is likely to be more severe than usual, with chilly temperatures arriving early and lower temperatures than average.
Mr. Bush, who was participating in a press conference at UN Headquarters in New York with Pakistan’s State Minister for Economic Affairs and Statistics, Hina Rabbani Khar, said the UN early recovery plan is $94 million short of its $255 million target.
This money “is critical for bridging the gap from relief to recovery. The sectors that remain under-funded are water and sanitation, housing, and support to vulnerable people.�
Voicing concern about “donor fatigue,� he said he was particularly concerned that some donor countries had not followed through on promises of low-interest loans and immediate funds for reconstruction projects.
“I admit we’ve got a long way to go. I don’t know the exact dollar amount. But I’m not happy that we haven’t done a better job on that.�
The UN Population Fund (NFPA) said its relief efforts since the quake meant many mothers and children in the affected area now enjoy better access to health care than before the disaster.
The Fund has established 34 pre-fabricated mother and child facilities, where more than 5,000 women have given birth, and also supported 10 mobile clinics.
The World Food Programme (WFP) reported that its large-scale school feeding programme, which targeted 260,000 children in almost 3,000 primary schools, has ensured school attendance rates have not fallen.
As well as the 73,000 killed in Pakistan, another 1,300 people were killed in neighbouring India when the quake, measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale, struck on 8 October last year.
To mark the anniversary, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) launched an exhibition in New York of photographs taken by 150 children from the affected region using digital cameras donated by Sony.
UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman said the project “has given children an opportunity to show us through photographs their experience of the earthquake and the impact it has had on their lives.�
The Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer John Moore, a member of the advisory board which chose the images, said he was astonished by the children’s professionalism given most had never even held a camera before.
“Through the photographs, you can see their desire to return to a normal life, to recover what was lost, while still amidst the rubble of their communities,� he said.
The photographs have been shown online and in exhibitions in Islamabad, Rome, London and Tokyo as well.
UNICEF spokesman Michael Bociurkiw added that the Agency has also pledged to construct 500 earthquake-resistant schools in the affected area over the next two to three years.
Kabul, Oct 7 (NDTV.COM) A suicide bomber himself up outside police headquarters in eastern Afghanistan on Friday, killing one policemen and wounding three others.
The bomber, who also died in the blast, tried to enter the main police compound in the eastern Khost province, said Mohammed Ayub, provincial police chief.
Body parts of the bomber were scattered around the blast site in the city of Khost, Ayub added.
Resurgent Taliban militants have stepped up their campaign of suicide bombings against Afghan and foreign troops in the country in 2006.
Afghanistan is going through its worst bout of violence since the US-led invasion removed the Taliban regime from power five years ago.
London, Oct 7 (IANS) British authorities are initiating an inquiry into data theft and the level of data security in Indian call centres after Channel 4 broadcast a programme showing how customer information was available for sale.
The programme, "Dispatches", was shown on Thursday, and depicted middlemen handing over thousands of customer information records in exchange of cash between $15 and $55. The incident, however, is unlikely to adversely affect outsourcing by British companies to India.
In a statement, David Smith, deputy information commissioner, said: "It appears that some mobile phone companies' call centres in India are being targeted by criminals intent on unlawfully obtaining British citizens' financial records and this will be the focus of our investigation.
"We are concerned by any breaches of security particularly if they involve confidential banking details. If firms use an outsourced call centre, they are required to ensure security is adequate. If they do not, a company can be ordered to stop processing personal information outside Britain."
He said his investigation team would engage with Indian stakeholders such as the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM).
The programme showed middlemen in Delhi, Hyderabad and Kolkata offering personal data of British clients to journalists posing as entrepreneurs. The programme did not reveal the names of the BPOs where security procedures were reportedly breached.
Speaking at a book release function at the Nehru Centre on Friday evening, prominent industrialist Lord Swraj Paul refuted suggestions that there was hostility in Britain to outsourcing work to India.
He said: "The Indian outsourcing industry is doing very well in Britain and there is no hostility against it. In Britain, we are very happy about Indian call centres. They have benefited British companies very much."
However, speaking at the function, British author Mark Kobayashi-Hillary said, "off-shoring personal data to India is a time-bomb waiting to explode", but went on to pay tributes to the Indian call centre industry.
He said: "India is far ahead of us in planning how to operate a service industry with hundreds of thousands of employees accessing personal data on customers. We should start listening to their security ideas before the next major data breach takes place on these shores."
By Arun Kumar,
Washington, Oct 7 (IANS) Bush administration officials, calling the India-US civilian nuclear deal a centrepiece of a new strategic relationship with India, are hoping the Senate will vote on the enabling bill early in the planned lame-duck session.
"We were really hoping it would be voted on" in the session beginning two days after the Nov 7 congressional elections, The Washington Times Friday quoted Undersecretary of State R. Nicholas Burns as saying in an interview with its reporters and editors.
The administration was "sorry" the Senate vote did not come off last week before it went into recess, he said describing the nuclear pact as key to the burgeoning relationship between Washington and New Delhi, strongly backed by President George Bush.
US backers of the India deal also say they plan a major lobbying push over the next month to ensure a final vote on the bill before Congress adjourns for the year, the influential US daily reported.
Sanjay Puri, executive director of the US India Political Action Committee, told the Times his group was "obviously disappointed" about the Senate's failure to act, but he added he was "cautiously optimistic" that the deal remained on track for passage this year.
The agreement could cement ties with an emerging South Asian economic and military power, while opening the way to billions of dollars in business for US firms, he said. The US Chamber of Commerce also has lobbied energetically in support of the accord.
"There's good support on both sides of the aisle," Puri said. "The issue now is just to get the bill on the calendar for a vote."
Republican and Democratic leaders have blamed each other for the Senate's failure to take up the enabling legislation before it went into recess in the early hours of Saturday after a marathon 17-hour session racing through several other bills.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said last week that Senate Democrats had failed to agree to an expedited debate on the bill in the closing days of the regular session.
But Capitol Hill staffers cited by Washington Times said part of the delay was due to reservations by Republican lawmakers over an unrelated provision added to the bill regarding US obligations to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Minority Democratic Leader Harry Reid has dismissed as "nothing but pure fiction" allegations by Frist and the Indian American Republican Council that he and his fellow Democrats sabotaged the legislation from coming to the floor in order to deny Bush a major foreign policy victory before the November elections.
"The Republicans control the Senate, and on any day from July to when we went out of session, any day, the Majority Leader could have put that on the floor. The only time he (Frist) said he wanted to move it is in the last day or two we were in session," he is reported to have said.
Reid reiterated his commitment to take up the bill as soon as the Senate begins its business session on Nov 13. "I told him (Frist) that I said so publicly on the Senate floor before millions of viewers that that should be the first thing we take up when we get back."
However, "It's all up to the Republicans. I want it to be the first thing we do. It's all up to them, We are willing to do it. We've been willing to do it since July, " he said.
The House passed its version of the enabling bill in July. Even if the Senate votes in the lame-duck session, lawmakers still must reconcile the differing House and Senate versions of the bill before Bush can sign it into law.
Failure to send the bill to the White House before the end of the year would mean the new Congress elected in November would have to start the process from the beginning next year.
Washington, Oct 7 (DPA) With fire still burning at a hazardous waste plant in North Carolina, local officials outside Raleigh were still keeping thousands of people out of their homes for a second night.
Police evacuated 17,000 people from their homes, more than half the population of the town of Apex, late Thursday evening after a series of explosions at a hazardous waste plant spread dangerous fumes of chlorine gas and other chemicals across the town.
The fire could burn through to Saturday morning, officials warned.
Firefighters have hesitated to pour water or foam on the fire for fear it could make things worse, since state environmental officials don't know for sure what chemicals are on the ground of the factory, Environmental Quality Co., the Raleigh News & Observer reported online.
The facility was fined by the state in March for six violations of state laws, and warned of a possible catastrophe, the newspaper reported.
The plant, which is surrounded by residential areas, has collapsed from the force of explosions and fire, the town's mayor said.
At least 18 people, including eight police officers and a fireman, were treated on Friday for smoke and gas inhalation.
Schools were closed in the area, and a chemical smell was detectable up to three kilometres from the accident.
Firefighters had difficulty bringing the 50-metre flames under control Thursday night. Security concerns only allowed them to seriously fight the blaze after day break.
The cause of the accident remained unclear.
Beijing, Oct 7 (DPA) China is dissatisfied with the European Union's (EU) decision to impose anti-dumping tariffs on imports of Chinese leather shoes and may take "corresponding measures," the Chinese Commerce Ministry said in a statement posted Friday on its website.
The EU decision to impose tariffs starting Saturday on leather shoes from China and Vietnam "lacks a legal basis and factual evidence" and fails to conform with EU and World Trade Organization anti-dumping rules, the statement quoted ministry spokesperson Chong Quan as saying Thursday.
"The Chinese side will closely watch this issue and evaluate developments and reserves right to take corresponding measures," Chong said.
The EU Council of Ministers approved the anti-dumping tariffs Thursday, confirming a decision Wednesday by EU member states to impose extra duties for two years, instead of the five years that the European Commission had called for previously.
The European Commission had said that Vietnam and China illegally subsidised manufacturers with measures like cut-rate land and electricity, giving the Asian producers an unfair advantage over European competitors.
The extra duties amount to 16.5 percent on leather shoes from China and 10 percent on similar products from Vietnam, said EU diplomats. The EU Commission proposed the new duties in August, claiming that both Asian countries distorted competition with subsidies.
As it is a dumping case, no restrictions on exports will be imposed. However, price increases are being anticipated by the shoe industry.
New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS) Six deaths were reported across India Friday due to mosquito-borne dengue, even as the scare of the disease continued with a boom in the sale of mosquito-repellents and sprays.
Four deaths were reported from Madhya Pradesh and one each from Delhi and Kolkata. The total number of affected people rose to 743 in the national capital alone where 18 people have succumbed to the disease so far.
"We have 70 new cases of dengue and the total number of patients has gone up to 743," D.S. Negi, Delhi health secretary said.
Over 40 people have died and nearly 3,000 people affected by dengue fever caused by mosquitoes in Delhi and the states of Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Haryana in the last two weeks.
At least 29 people in Kolkata area were affected by dengue virus with one death reported, Kolkata mayor Bikash Bhattacharya said.
"The situation is not so alarming compared to last year when over 1,000 people were affected and 12 deaths occurred," Bhattacharya said.
In the southern state of Kerala alone, nearly 90 people have died and over 100,000 others affected due to outbreak of rare mosquito-borne viral fever known as chikungunya.
The outbreaks of dengue and chikungunya in India occur as the annual monsoon season tapers off. Malaria mosquitoes breed in dirty polls and dengue-carrying insects in clean stagnant water.
Female aedes aegypti mosquito transmits dengue. Symptoms include high fever, joint pain, headache and vomiting.
In spite of the government's claim that the "situation is under control", the potentially fatal disease continued to claim new victims, said top health officials.
In Rajasthan, there has been a spurt in malaria and dengue cases in the last fortnight.
All hospitals in the state are reporting long queues of patients waiting to be attended.
The situation is bad in many of the hospitals in the state that on a single bed, two people have been accommodated.
In Madhya Pradesh, two people died of the disease in Betul district, one in Bhopal and the last in Sagar disrict.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's two grandsons - Rohan (11) and Madhav (17) - and his son-in-law Vijay Tankha, a professor at St. Stephens College here, are also in AIIMS with suspected dengue. Their condition was stable, said an AIIMS doctor.
AIIMS has indefinitely postponed the examinations of first and second year MBBS students and cancelled regular classes till Oct 25.
In 2005, nearly 12,000 people were affected across the country and the death toll was 157.
Health Minister Anbumoni Ramadoss told newsmen Thursday in New Delhi after a cabinet meeting chaired by Manmohan Singh that the situation was under control.
He blamed the media for blowing up the crisis and maintained that the situation will become normal in the "next two to three days".
Authorities in Delhi have mounted a massive fogging campaign in most of the affected areas. Citizens have been asked to wear full-length sleeve shirts, clean their water coolers, use skin creams, keep surroundings clean as methods to keep the disease at bay.
Even the prime minister's official residence at 7, Race Course Road underwent a fogging and cleaning operation to rid it of unwelcome intruders.
While the dengue scare continues, druggists and shop owners say there has been a 30 percent jump in the sale of mosquito repellents and sprays in the last two weeks.
"Our stocks are completely sold out with people buying the repellents in large numbers," said a shopkeeper in New Delhi.
Muenster (Germany), Oct 7 (DPA) The arsenal consists of creams, face-masks and peelers in packaging that promises nothing short of a miracle. Yet so far, the battle against the wrinkles that come inevitably with age has been fought mainly on the surface of the human skin.
The latest weapons, however, are primed to work from within.
Numerous manufacturers are lining up pills and potions designed to get under the epidermis, the outermost layer of the skin, with the aim of smoothing out those unsightly lines, enhancing a natural sun tan or simply helping to counteract the scourge of cellulite.
Werner Voss, who heads the Dermatest Institute in Muenster, Germany, has no time for any of these new-fangled creations. "They are simply worthless," he states emphatically, a sentiment echoed by dermatologist Getraud Kremer who practises in Berlin.
"You can't beat sport and a healthy, balanced diet," she says, dashing hopes that tablets could prove as effective in toning up the skin and firming the figure as an energetic jog around the block.
Despite the reservations though, both experts believe oral cosmetics in tablet or capsule form have a role to play in slowing down the processes that make human skin grow older.
Women going through the menopause frequently suffer from very dry skin, points out Kremer. In such cases, anti-ageing compounds which combine vegetable hormones with traditional yeast and vitamins can be very effective. These vegetable estrogens enhance skin hydration, increasing its capacity to retain water.
As yet there have been no scientifically sound examinations into the effectiveness of remedying wrinkles with this kind of capsule preparation although the individual substances, which make them up have been extensively probed.
A study published this year by scientists at the renowned Charite Clinic in Berlin focussed on two particular substances, beta-carotene and lycopene. The first is found naturally in carrots, spinach, raw watercress, peppers, broccoli and spring greens while lycopene is an antioxidant found mainly in tomatoes.
Both are used to control the so-called free radicals, which lead to premature ageing of the skin. The body usually derives adequate supplies of beta-carotene and lycopene from eating fruit and vegetables.
Using laser technology, the researchers were able to prove that generous consumption of the right fruit and vegetables does contribute towards making the skin appear young and smoother. The phenomenon is being utilised by foodstuffs giant Nestle and cosmetics concern Oreal who have teamed up to produce a range of nutritional cosmetics called "Inneov."
Their latest innovation is a product designed to prepare the skin for exposure to the sun and intensify the tanning effect at the same time. Kremer warns hopeful consumers though that simply swallowing the creation will not render the user immune to the sun's potentially harmful rays.
Beta-carotene can also be found in the nutritional cosmetic products of another anti-ageing specialist, the German company Christine Schrammek based in Essen. The firm offers three different preparations graded for greasy, dry and prematurely aged skin. The list of ingredients reads a little like a shopping list for the grocers. "All the ingredients are edible," assures owner Christine Schrammek-Drusio.
Despite the hype, consumers should not expect miracles from any of the nutritional cosmetic supplements. As Werner Voss warns: "Between 90 and 95 percent of the ageing process is related to genetic factors - there's not much you can do about that."
Dhaka, Oct 7 (IANS) India has urged Bangladesh to look at bilateral trade for mutual benefit without linking it to local political considerations.
Bangladesh's exports to India could increase to $1 billion a year if it approved the Indian industrial group Tata's investment proposals, outgoing Indian High Commissioner Veena Sikri said.
She also urged Dhaka not to link the trade-related issues with local political factors that crop up between the two neighbours from time to time, The Daily Star said Saturday.
Her request not to view the Tata investment proposals from local political and electoral considerations stemmed from developments some weeks ago when the Bangladesh government decided to put on hold Tata's proposals worth $3 billion for investment in fertiliser, energy and infrastructure sectors in Bangladesh.
The government took the stand that this being an "election year" with a lot of political sensitivity attached to the proposals, they would be considered by the new government that would take office after the parliamentary elections due next January.
The decision to put on hold the investment proposals of the Tatas for the time being has been criticised by donors and international financial agencies, including the Asian Development Bank.
While putting the Tata proposal on hold, Bangladesh has wooed Pakistan's Dawood Group, pursuing the latter's proposals worth $300 million, a tenth of the Tata's, for investment in the same sectors.
Sikri was talking to mediapersons after her farewell meeting with Commerce Minister Hafizuddin Ahmed in his office.
She has sought premature retirement and is returning to India.
Sikri said: "Bangladesh's exports to India have gone up five times from $50 million to $250 million during the last three and a half years."
As a result, the huge trade gap between the two countries has been cut sharply and it will further come down with Bangladesh's approval of the Tata's investment proposals, the newspaper said.
According to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), the trade deficit reached $1,117.64 million in 2005-06 fiscal year as Bangladesh imported goods worth $1,359.60 million from India and exported only $241.96 million worth of goods to it.
The commerce minister stressed the need for modernising the Indian checkpoints in the land port areas so that the Bangladeshi businessmen can export their products without hassles.
On the trade barriers between the two countries, Sikri said Bangladesh and India have exchanged lists of non-tariff and para-tariff barriers in a bid to identify the trade problems.
"We are working on it. But trade issues should not be politicised. We want a positive outcome," she said.
Echoing Sikri's comments, the commerce minister said the "trade balance is very much in favour of India. So, it is vital to reduce the trade barriers between the two countries," the newspaper reported.
Luxembourg, Oct 7 (DPA) The EU and US have reached an agreement in the dispute over the sharing of US-bound air passenger data, officials from the EU Council of Ministers said Friday.
Details of the agreement were not available as EU government representatives had not yet been formally notified of the deal.
Details regarding data protection were eventually agreed after the Finnish EU Presidency and the European Commission negotiated with the US till early hours on Friday.
The EU justice ministers are expected to make a formal decision on the matter later.
The US only allows planes from Europe to land after 34 pieces of data about each passenger are submitted.
The Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice in May ruled that the existing deal was illegal because it had not been agreed under the correct framework of EU law.
The court had set a Sep 30 deadline for US and EU authorities to rework the sharing agreement
The two sides had previously failed to agree on a final deal, with the US demanding greater access to European data and the EU demanding more privacy guarantees.
By Manish Chand,
New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS) The European Parliament supports India's quest for civilian nuclear energy, but wants it to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to speed up international civilian nuclear cooperation, says Josep Borrell Fontelles, the president of the European Parliament.
"The European Parliament expects India to sign the NPT. It will help a lot to establish international civilian nuclear cooperation with India," Fontelles, who is visiting India to promote a dialogue between India and the 25-nation European Union (EU), told IANS in an interview.
"We support India's growing need for civilian nuclear energy. But Europe is very worried about Iran and the proliferation of nuclear weapons technology," added Fontelles, who is heading a five-member delegation of Members of European Parliament (MEPs).
Fontelles, a Spanish politician who sits with the Party of European Socialists group in the European Parliament, is visiting India ahead of the 6th summit between India and the EU to be held in Helsinki later this month.
The European Parliament, which produces half of the legislation that affects lives of citizens across Europe, is becoming an increasingly important player in the EU.
Fontelles' views reflect the continuing ambivalence among European countries towards civilian nuclear energy cooperation with India.
Britain and France have come out strongly in support of the India-US civilian nuclear deal but are waiting for the final US legislation that will lift decades-old ban on transfer of civilian nuclear technology and equipment to India. Germany has lately shown signs of softening on the India-US nuclear deal and has indicated that it may support India in the powerful Nuclear Suppliers Group.
But the Nordic countries, including Finland, which holds the current rotating presidency of the EU, have expressed their anxieties about countries like India that are seeking global civilian nuclear commerce without signing the NPT.
Hailing India's emergence as an important global player and its role in crafting a new international order, the Spanish politician forcefully expressed unequivocal support of the European Parliament for India's claim to a permanent seat in the UN Security Council.
"We strongly support India's claim for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council. We think such a big democracy can play an important role in creating a multilateral world," the 59-year-old leader said.
"We can't imagine a new world order without India. We need a multi-polar world. You need several poles to firm up the new world order and India is one of them," he underlined.
A firm believer in cross-cultural dialogue and popular contacts among different nationalities, Fontelles made a strong pitch for enhanced interaction among parliamentarians of India and the EU.
"Parliaments can play an important role in promoting understanding and deepening strategic partnership between India and the EU. More cooperation between parliaments will strengthen relations between people of the two sides," he said.
The India-EU summit, scheduled for Helsinki Oct 13, will give a new impetus and substance to strategic partnership and accelerate economic and trade ties between the two sides, Fontelles stressed.
Relations between India and the EU, encompassing diverse areas including energy, trade, science and technology, have been growing ever since the strategic partnership was launched at the India-EU summit in The Hague two years ago.
The EU continues to be India's largest trading partner. Trade between the EU and India was estimated to be over $35 billion in 2004.
His first passage to India, that included trips to Hyderabad and Thiruvananthapuram, was replete with illuminations and discoveries.
"A first glance at India is very impressive. It is the world's largest democracy and a model of multi-cultural, multi-lingual society. India is one of the most important powers in IT and one can see a new energy and confidence everywhere," he said.
Lucknow, Oct 7 (IANS) Five children died of viral encephalitis in Uttar Pradesh, while as many as 80 new cases of dengue fever were detected in the past 24 hours, an official said Friday.
The viral encephalitis deaths were reported from Gorakhpur district in eastern Uttar Pradesh, even as the state health authorities maintained a high level of alert.
"We are doing every bit to tackle both virus encephalitis and coxsackie - B, another viral fever, which continue to affect more and more people," said state Principal Health Secretary Arun Kumar Misra.
V.S. Nigam, officer-in-charge of the communicable diseases cell, giving details of the dengue status said: "The dengue toll, however, remained at four in the state."
He attributed the sharp rise in dengue cases from 79 to 159 over the past 24 hours to "delayed serum reports of 62 patients".
"The serum samples were sent earlier but we got the reports Friday," he added.
These 62 patients were already admitted in different hospitals in Noida, Ghaziabad and Muzaffarnagar - all close to the national capital Delhi that is under the grip of the virus.
Washington, Oct 7 (DPA) Even as the rubble still smouldered in New York from the September 2001 terrorist attacks, the US launched its war against the Taliban and its Al Qaeda guests in Afghanistan.
Within weeks of the Oct 7, 2001 attack, US-led forces hailed the campaign a success after wiping out Al Qaeda training camps. The remnants of the terrorist organisation along with the Taliban militants scurried into hiding.
But five years later, US, NATO and Afghan forces have encountered a resurgent Taliban that has regained strongholds in southern Afghanistan and proven effective at carrying out deadly attacks against military and civilian targets.
"If we had put more sustained effort into Afghanistan, the situation I suspect could be a lot less up in the air than it is," said Stephen Biddle, a US national security analyst at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington.
The war in Iraq has in fact siphoned away US focus and funds from Afghanistan, other critics say.
The renewed Taliban offensive prompted US General James Jones, NATO's top military commander, to scramble for more troops from member countries to add to the 20,000 already in Afghanistan as the alliance in early September launched "Operation Medusa" to root out the Taliban in the southern part of the country.
Even though the alliance was able to inflict heavy damage on the Taliban, the surviving militants found refuge across the border in Pakistan, illuminating another problem US President George Bush and his Afghan counterpart, Hamid Karzai, have been unable to solve.
Karzai has pointed his finger at Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, accusing the close US ally of allowing the Taliban to operate on Pakistani territory, especially after Musharraf granted tribal leaders in the Waziristan region virtual autonomy.
But military and diplomatic efforts to eliminate the Taliban's influence in southern Afghanistan cannot be accomplished without also creating an economic environment that would leave the militants less appealing to local populations, Biddle said.
The lack of an Afghan economy has not only contributed to the resurgence of the Taliban, but introduced an entirely different problem: poppy production.
Under the Taliban, the farming of poppy seeds was virtually eradicated. Since the Taliban's downfall, Afghan tribes have few opportunities to generate revenue and have resumed cultivating poppy, reviving Afghanistan's status as one of the world's largest producers of the substance that is processed into opium and heroin.
Jones has warned that Afghanistan is on the verge of becoming a "narco-state".
Karzai sounded his own warning in a speech in Washington last week, recalling that the West "forgot about us completely" after the Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989.
"You had your twin towers blown up because you in the US failed to connect that a monster in my part of the world ... could hurt you in America," Karzai said.
After meeting with Karzai last week, Bush sought to reassure Afghans that his administration is committed to improving life in the country.
New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS) The inflow of foreign investment into India maintained a fast pace and was up 92 percent in the first four months of this fiscal at $2.9 billion compared to $1.5 billion in the like period of last fiscal.
"What is significant is foreign investment inflows into the manufacturing sector and sectors impacting the manufacturing sector continue to show record growths," said Commerce Minister Kamal Nath, while releasing the investment figures.
The single largest investment inflow in the current financial year has been from Barclays Bank from Singapore to the tune of $380 million towards the financial service sector.
Other investors include Global Communication Services Holdings of Mauritius in Aircel for telecom, SIERO Investment Holding of Mauritius in Orange Realty for real estate and Aspen Pharmacare Holdings of South Africa for pharmaceuticals.
The revised data compiled by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) says the cumulative foreign investment into India between July 1991 and June 2006, including equity plus reinvested earnings, amounts to $50.1 billion.
The 10 top investing countries are Mauritius, US, Japan, Netherlands, Britain, Germany, Singapore, France, South Korea and Switzerland.
London, Oct 7 (ZEENEWS.COM) Former British foreign secretary Jack Straw's suggestion that Muslim women remove veils covering their faces, intended to promote communication and openness, has instead provoked division.
British newspapers on Friday lauded Straw for starting a debate on what he termed a "visible statement of separation and of difference", but Muslim community leaders were angered by the remarks.
Writing Thursday in his regular local newspaper column in the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, Straw expressed his discomfort at talking with someone who he could not see and his "concern that wearing the full veil was bound to make better, positive relations between the two communities more difficult."
Britain has more than 1.6 million Muslims, or approximately 2.7 percent of the country's population, according to the last census conducted in 2001.
Straw disclosed that he requests Muslim women remove veils when they visit his constituency office, seeking his help, saying that "the conversation would be of greater value if the lady took the covering from her face".
"Indeed, the value of a meeting, as opposed to a letter or phone call, is so that you can -- almost literally -- see what the other person means, and not just hear what they say."
He said he now makes sure he has a female member of staff with him during meetings in his office in Blackburn, western England, and added that he couldn't recall any occasion when a woman refused a request to remove her veil.
Both The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph plastered photographs of a woman whose face was covered by a veil on their front pages, prominently featuring the story, with both newspapers running full reproductions of Straw's column.
"What he is doing is -- at long last -- provoking a debate about a subject of genuine concern ... Mr Straw is to be commended for brushing aside the politically correct nostrums that have inhibited such discussion among senior politicians," The Daily Telegraph's editorial read.
The Sun tabloid, Britain's best-read daily, also applauded Straw's words in its editorial column.
"Jack Straw is right to ask his Muslim constituents to remove the veil ... Until they establish confident equality without wearing a mask in public, we cannot expect the voice of modern Islam to be heard in Britain," it wrote.
However, Muslim community leaders took issue with Straw's remarks.
Massoud Shadjareh, chairman of the Islamic Human Rights Commission, was astonished that Straw does not realise his job "is to represent the interests of the constituency, not to selectively discriminate on the basis of religion."
Nasrullah Anwar, spokesman for the Council of Mosques, told Sky News that "I was shocked and dismayed by his comments.
"You would think that someone in his position would be a little more sensitive and more understanding and perhaps better advised on what is a acceptable means of communicating your wishes and what's not," Anwar said.
Anwar said the issue revolved around respecting the wishes of the woman who has chosen to cover her face, adding that some Muslims considered wearing the full-face veil as obligatory.
Straw was until May foreign secretary and after Prime Minister Tony Blair, he is the politician most closely associated with Britain's decision to join the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
He acknowledged in his article that his comments could provoke controversy.
"I thought a lot before raising this matter a year ago, and still more before writing this ... But I think there is an issue here."
The controversy was dismissed by the governing Labour Party's chairwoman Hazel Blears, who instead called for a debate on the issue, saying on the BBC on Tuesday: "Jack was dealing with his constituency issues. He has a very large Muslim population and he is very close to that community.
"What I would like to see is actually a discussion among women in the Muslim community about this."
Bhopal, Oct 7 (IANS) Four Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers have been held for attacking a policeman during party leader L.K. Advani's visit to Madhya Pradesh Thursday, police said Friday.
Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha president Rahul Rajput and three BJP workers Pankaj Sahu, Kamal Vidhani and Rajkumar Dubey have been held for attacking Vikram Singh, a police inspector.
Singh was attacked when he did not allow the BJP workers to join the Advani's cavalcade.
The workers have been accused of indulging in violence and preventing government servants from discharging their duties. In all, police have booked 16 BJP workers.
Frankfurt, Oct 7 (DPA) The Indian pavilion at the Frankfurt Book Fair is reminiscent of a bazaar in New Delhi, Mumbai or Bangalore - the booths occupied by publishers are about the size of a normal shop in India. The close proximity of so many competitors from the same industry is also similar to India - in the subcontinent competitors often open up next door to each other.
Communication is vital: for that reason Indians go to their bazaars and Indian publishers to the Frankfurt Book Fair, where the country is this year's Guest of Honour. "It's mostly about face to face contact. There's no way to substitute this," says Thomas Abraham of Penguin India.
More than 170 Indian publishers are present at the fair, which runs until Oct 8 and India, enjoying guest country status for the second time since 1986, expects a lot of attention.
For example, the small publisher Radical Books has for several years sent an agent to the Frankfurt event but has its own stand there this year.
"We are here to sell our new book which will be on the market this month," says Prateek Kathuria. The book is a collection of Indian fairy tales for children and is illustrated in the style of regional art.
Kathuria has brought a selection of the publisher's output to Frankfurt. In India, the firm concerns itself mainly with school books, but Radical Books hope that German interest in Bollywood films will also lead to Indian fairytales on German children's bookshelves.
However, Kathuria is not just seeking a German publishing partner at the Frankfurt Book Fair as the entire publishing world comes to the world's largest trade fair for books.
Volumes on themes such as design and architecture from Europe and the US found plenty of buyers in India.
However, picture books from Europe are no longer exotic in India where even the Ikea catalogue is now widely available.
Therefore, the publisher has had to turn its business model around.
According to Gaurav Sabharwal of Prakash Books, people here now ask: "What do we have in India which would be of interest in the West?"
Prakash Books now publishes picture books on Indian topics - interior design such as furniture and carpets, as well as cookery books containing opulent photos. Sabharwal hopes these books will excite interest here.
Abraham of Penguin India sees things slightly differently. "Most of that work has been done long before the book fair," he says.
However, contacts with small publishers from other countries can only be developed in direct contact, he adds, the kind of contact the Frankfurt Book Fair offers.
The book fair is important for presenting the work of authors seeking foreign publishers.
Abraham hopes that Baby Halder's autobiography "A Life Less Ordinary" - a harrowing tale of child marriage and domestic servitude in India - will interest German publishers.
The book, a bestseller in India, was originally published in a regional language, then in English by the small feminist publishing house, Zubaan, which has a partnership with the large Penguin India concern - an example of the kind of publisher-to-publisher contact that Indian publishers hope to achieve in Frankfurt.
Berlin, Oct 7 (IRNA) German President Horst Koehler took part in a traditional Iftar dinner during the holy month of Ramadan, hosted by Muslims in the western city of Duisburg, news reports said Friday.
Visiting the Ayasofya Mosque in Essen, Koehler urged Muslims to help shape and show also responsibility for everyday life in Germany.
The president who holds a largely ceremonial post, voiced hope that most Muslims would see Germany as their home.
Koehler called once again for the introduction of Islam religious classes at schools nationwide.
Muslims number 3.5 million out of Germany's total population of 82.5 million people.
Kabul, Oct 7 (IANS) NATO commanders in Afghanistan have asked their respective governments to "get tough" with Pakistan to ensure that Islamabad ends all direct and indirect support to the Taliban.
Commanders of the five-nation force - the US, Britain, Canada, Denmark and Holland - have written to their respective governments citing clinching evidence from the testimonies of Pakistani nationals caught along with the Taliban that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is operating at least two camps outside Quetta in Balochistan to foment insurgency in Afghanistan.
Commanders of the 31,000-strong NATO forces in Afghanistan want these governments to issue another ultimatum like the one in 2001 to ensure that Islamabad ends all support to the Taliban insurgents.
A report in The Telegraph, London, said Friday that many of the 160-plus Taliban militiamen caught by NATO forces have given details that sharply contradict vehement claims made by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf during his recent visits to the US and Britain that the Taliban resurgence is home-grown.
"It is time for an 'either you are with us or against us' delivered bluntly to Musharraf at the highest political level," writer and journalist Ahmed Rashid quoted one NATO commander as saying.
"Our boys in southern Afghanistan are hurting because of what is coming out of Quetta," he added.
The commanders' move comes even as the NATO began extending its operations from this week to the troubled eastern and southern Afghanistan, refurbishing its strength by another 10,000.
"Taliban decision-making and its logistics are all inside Pakistan," said Afghan defence minister General Rahim Wardak, echoing what President Hamid Karzai has been saying.
The evidence and details of the Taliban's firepower displayed during the fierce fighting in recent weeks clearly indicate that this is possible only with the help of Pakistan's ISI.
They have narrated their 'frustration' at having to deal with a problem that emanates from the safe havens and training camps in neighbouring Pakistan.
That being the case, it was time for the respective governments to "get tough" with Pakistan, something which the Bush administration in the US and the Blair government in Britain have been less inclined to do.
The two governments in particular feted a combative Musharraf for over two weeks, showering praise on him for fighting terrorism, and reposing a measure of trust that is completely misplaced, the commanders have said.
Rashid gives succinct details of the Taliban's firepower displayed during "Operation Medusa" through the last month. During the battle the Taliban fired an estimated 400,000 rounds of ammunition, 2,000 rocket-propelled grenades and 1,000 mortar shells, which slowly arrived in Panjwai in Kandahar province from Quetta over the spring months.
Ammunition dumps unearthed after the battle showed that the Taliban had stocked over one million rounds in Panjwai.
In Panjwai the Taliban had also established a training camp to teach guerrillas how to penetrate Kandahar, a separate camp to train suicide bombers and a full surgical field hospital. NATO estimated the cost of Taliban ammunition stocks at around 2.6 million pounds.
"The Taliban could not have done this on their own without the ISI," an unnamed senior NATO officer was quoted by Rashid.
NATO officials now say they killed 1,100 Taliban fighters, not the 500 originally claimed. Hundreds of Taliban reinforcements in pick-up trucks who crossed over from Quetta in Pakistan - waved on by Pakistani border guards - were destroyed by Nato air and artillery strikes.
NATO captured 160 Taliban, many of them Pakistanis who described in detail ISI's support to the Taliban.
Rashid said Nato is now mapping the entire Taliban support structure in Balochistan, from ISI-run training camps near Quetta to huge ammunition dumps, arrival points for Taliban's new weapons and meeting places of the shura, or leadership council, in Quetta that is headed by Mullah Mohammed Omar, the group's leader since its creation a dozen years ago.
NATO and Afghan officers say two training camps for the Taliban are located just outside Quetta, while the group is using hundreds of madrassas where the fighters are housed and fired up ideologically before being sent to the front.
Many madrassas now being listed are run by the Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam, a political party that governs Balochistan and the North West Frontier Province in Pakistan. Headed by Maulana Fazlur Rahman, the party helped spawn the Taliban in 1994.
Kathmandu, Oct 7 (DPA) Hectic preparations have been taking place before the much-awaited top-level talks between the leaders of Nepal's ruling Seven-Party Alliance (SPA) and the Maoists to insure the "summit talks" are a success.
"I am very hopeful of positive outcome of the Sunday talks," said Padam Ratna Tuladhar, human rights activist and observer of the SPA-Maoist talks. "Both sides appear to be more serious now and have done much homework in connection with the talks."
The negotiations are being described as the "talks of all talks" designed to solve "all of Nepalese political and security problems" and establish lasting peace in the strife-torn Himalayan kingdom.
Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, accused by his detractors as the main culprit in delaying the crucial talks, has publicly stated that the talks would help solve "all outstanding problems." His ministers, including leftist Deputy Prime Minister Amik Sherchan, have been echoing the same sentiments.
The Maoists, however, have accused SPA leaders of not being serious and have threatened an "urban revolution" in capital Kathmandu if the talks weren't productive.
Maoist leader Prachanda met with Prime Minister Koirala last week before the start of the Hindu festival of Dasain and handed him a nine-point Maoist programme said to be the rebel's bottom line.
The secret nine-point deal reportedly outlines the sharing of seats in the interim assembly, the use of Maoist militia jointly with government police to enforce balloting in referendum and constituent assembly elections and the retention of rebel Peoples Courts in rural areas.
"The three main stumbling blocks during the talks are expected to be the role of the king in the interim constitution, management of arms and the shape of the interim parliament," lawmaker Hom Nath Dahal of the Nepali Congress Democratic told the DPA.
Prime Minister Koirala wants the king, forced to handover power to the people in February, to be retained with a ceremonial role while the Maoists want the institution of monarchy "suspended" until after a referendum can be held.
Koirala and his Nepali Congress Party do not want a referendum to settle the question of monarchy in Nepal, saying it would "unnecessarily reactivate the now-passive king to seek an active role in politics" by having him campaign for votes.
Disarming the Maoists is likely to be a sticking point in Sunday's talks. The Maoists have publicly declared that they would not give up their arms until after the constituent assembly elections while the major parties in the SPA want them to immediately give up their weapons.
"I have a feeling that the Maoists will take over total control of the state once they join the government. This is why they must not be allowed to join the government without giving up their arms," warned a political leader who attended preparatory meetings for the SPA-Maoist talks held Thursday.
The bright spot is that the SPA and the Maoists have reached a consensus on the constituent assembly.
"There is no disagreement among any parties on the constituent assembly elections as they have now been accepted by all. The differences lie on how to go about holding these elections," said Hom Nath Dahal.
The Nepali Congress Democratic legislator said the talks scheduled for Sunday must succeed to avoid a military coup.
"The recent takeover of power by the military in Thailand should be an eye-opener both to the SPA and the Maoists," he said, adding that most western countries would prefer a temporary army rule in Nepal than a communist takeover.
"This is why," he said, "the talks must succeed and the Maoist arms must be properly managed".
Jhal Nath Khanal of the communist United Marxist-Leninists (UML), one of the three main parties in the Seven Party Alliance, said, "The talks Sunday may not be able to solve all the problems but they will certainly pave the way for further talks in the coming days until full agreement between the SPA and the Maoists is reached."
Rights activist Tuladhar concurs that one meeting will not do the trick.
"Everything may not be resolved in a single meeting but the Sunday meeting is expected to have a positive impact.
"You know, the peace talks in Sri Lanka went on for years and yet there is no solution so far. And in Nepal's case, it is not all that complicated and there is a lot to hope for. I am sure the leaders will not disappoint."
Madrid, Oct 7 (DPA) South Korea thrashed India 4-1 in a play-off match for the 9-12 positions in the women's hockey World Cup here Friday.
China defeated South Africa 4-0 in another 9-12 classification match in the day. India will take on South Africa for the 11-12 positions classification match Saturday.
New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS) Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah has said that the government had proposed amendments in the Right to Information (RTI) Act to exempt file notings and cabinet papers from access by citizens without consulting the commission.
Habibullah also clarified that he didn't criticise the proposed amendments as he was "an arbiter and not an activist."
"Those amendments were proposed without consulting the commission and to that we had taken objection and we have been in touch with the government thereafter," Habibullah, who heads the five-member Central Information Commission, said on the first anniversary of the enactment of the RTI.
"My mandate is to work only according to the Act itself. As far as the commission is concerned it's the objective of the act to bring about accountability and transparency and that in fact is our entire effort... to see that accountability and transparency are there," Habibullah told Karan Thapar of CNN-IBN in an interview to be broadcast Sunday evening.
The proposed amendment that envisages barring "file notings" - crucial to the official decision-making process - from access by citizens has been criticised as a retrograde step that defeats the very purpose of the RTI law.
"My mandate is to implement the Act as it is. It's not for me to start commenting on the contents of the Act - what the Act is like or what it is not like. But I do know that as the Act is at present it talks about accountability and transparency. That's the objective of the Act," Habibullah said.
Asked why unlike some fellow commissioners, he didn't criticise the government's proposed amendment to exempt "file notings" on official papers, he said that this was not part of his job.
The RTI Act seeks to bring greater accountability and transparency in governance of the country by providing citizens access to all government records except in those cases, which affect national security.
Habibullah admitted that the first year of the RTI Act has been "a learning process for the commission" and said that he didn't want the RTI to develop into "a confrontation between one section of society and another section of society".
By Qaiser Mohammad Ali,
New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS) The International Cricket Council (ICC) and its partners/sponsors will get up to 2,420 tickets for each of the 21 matches of the Champions Trophy cricket tournament that began in Mohali Saturday.
Out of the 2,420 tickets, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is giving away 1,370 - including 250 for the sponsors - to the ICC per match free of cost as per an agreement between the two.
"A total of 1,120 tickets for each match will go to the ICC and another 250 for the sponsors, which comes to 1,370," Ratnakar Shetty, director of the Champions Trophy, told IANS.
All 2,420 tickets will not be in the same enclosure. Some seats will be in the air-conditioned boxes while others in the VVIP enclosure.
"In addition, ICC's commercial partner (Rupert Murdoch owned) Global Cricket Corporation are entitled to buy 1,050 tickets under OTP (option to purchase), if they wish, for each match," said Shetty, who is also the executive secretary of the BCCI.
The ICC was supposed to inform the BCCI four weeks before a match about its requirements, something that it would have done by now for the month-long 10-nation competition culminating with the final in Mumbai Nov 5.
BCCI had been talking to ICC over the tickets issue for a long time, and the final figures were settled only after hectic negotiations as it was not keen to giving away so many tickets.
"Almost all ICC conditions have been met by us through negotiations," he said.
The Punjab Cricket Association (PCA), which is hosting five matches in Mohali, is still adamant on having a larger pie of the revenue through ticket sales.
PCA president Inderjit Singh Bindra has said if the ICC did not accede to the association's demand, it could take away the matches from the Punjab city. Since the ICC has not replied to its demand, PCA is assuming that it has accepted it, he said.
Shetty, however, said Mohali would remain a venue.
"The venues are not going to be changed. And the tournament is going ahead as scheduled," he said.
Bindra said the PCA would suffer losses worth Rs.9 million per match of the biennial Champions Trophy. He has also asked the ICC to reimburse the money that PAC is spending over and above approximately Rs.5.3 million that it is giving to local associations for hoisting of per match.
Bindra said PCA is spending over Rs.8.8 million per match.
The issue is expected to go to the ICC's grievance redressal cell.
New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS) India has stepped up its cooperation in counter-terrorism with the US and discussed with the latter the "evidence" of the involvement of Pakistan-based terror groups in the July 11 Mumbai blasts.
"We had discussions on evidence," US ambassador to India David C. Mulford told reporters here Friday. He was responding to a question on whether India had shared evidence of the alleged complicity of Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence in the Mumbai train massacre that killed at least 187 and injured hundreds.
India discussed the evidence with the US as part of their ongoing cooperation in the vital area of counter-terrorism after Mumbai Police Commissioner A.N. Roy disclosed that he had evidence to prove that the ISI and 11 Pakistani nationals were involved in the Mumbai carnage.
Mulford, however, declined to share his assessment of the evidence, saying such matters are too sensitive to be discussed with the media.
The US envoy underlined that the US and India were "together in the fight against terrorism" and that Washington had offered its services in investigations into the Mumbai bombings, specially in forensic examinations.
"We are working with the Indian government," he said as he stressed that the US rejected terrorism "however it happens, wherever it happens".
Mulford also expressed satisfaction with the state of counter-terrorism cooperation with India. "It's going well," he said.
India will present the evidence to Pakistan when the foreign secretaries of the two countries meet here next month to discuss the contours of the joint terror mechanism agreed during a meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in Havana last month.
When asked to comment on US ambassador to Pakistan Ryan C. Crocker's recent suggestion that New Delhi should not hurl charges at Islamabad in public for its alleged complicity in the Mumbai blasts, Mulford said that Crocker's views were not correctly reported. "It's not a true reflection of what he said," Mulford said.
The Indian external affairs ministry Thursday objected to Crocker's remarks, saying that governments have a "primary responsibility to keep their own people informed" about important issues.
Crocker was quoted in the Pakistani media saying that India should discuss issues relating to Pakistan's involvement in the Mumbai train blasts directly with Islamabad instead of levelling allegations in public.
By Lola Nayar,
New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS) India is in competition with China, South Korea and Thailand to buy gas from energy-rich Myanmar where its state-owned ONGC Videsh and GAIL (India) Ltd together hold 30 percent stake in two offshore exploration blocks.
Designated to handle gas purchase and marketing, GAIL had early last month bid for gas from Block A-1 and adjacent Block A-3, which are estimated to hold 5.7-8.6 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of recoverable gas reserves.
While India, China and Thailand had put in bids for gas supply at their respective borders, South Korea's bid was for liquefying the gas and transporting it in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
"Though the bids have been opened, not much is known about the outcome. The Myanmar government is reportedly not happy with the gas price offered in the bids and is likely to initiate separate discussions with each country," official sources told IANS.
"Besides the price factor, political and strategic reasons are expected to influence the final deal. The picture will become clear in a week or so. It is only a month since the tender closed."
The option of gas producing countries negotiating for better price despite having floated tenders for sale is not uncommon, petroleum ministry officials said.
India's offer is for offtaking all the gas available from the two blocks in addition to its 30 percent share. Till the entry of China and South Korea, India's chances of getting all the gas from the two blocks, in the process of being further explored, had seemed very bright.
A 1,550 km gas pipeline, passing through Mizoram in India's northeast, may not be feasible unless India gets a long-term commitment for supply that is more than its 30 percent share, considering that infrastructure costs may run into billions of dollars, officials said.
Facing a growing shortfall, India mounted several high-profile visits to Myanmar, including that of President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, to influence the military government.
In the case of China, Myanmar has agreed to supply gas at its border once the deal has been finalised.
Thailand has for long been Myanmar's single largest gas buyer, importing around $1 billion worth of gas annually from Yadana and Yetagun fields off the eastern coast.
Chandigarh, Oct 7 (IANS) Russia has expressed disappointment with the current level of trade and investment with India and identified "infrastructural constraints" as the chief obstacle in realising the full potential of economic relations between the two countries.
"The current volumes of trade and economic cooperation between our countries are not commensurate with the extraordinary level of strategic partnership," Russian Ambassador to India Vyacheslav I. Trubnikov said at a seminar here.
During 2005, the Russian-Indian trade turnover reached only $3.1 billion - that is several times less than India has with other large countries such as USA, China, Britain and Germany, he said.
"Investment cooperation between India and Russia remains small with Russian investment in India making up less than one per cent of the total investment over the last decade while Indian investments in Russia are limited by only few large projects," the Russian envoy said here Friday.
Total volume of Indian investment in Russia amounts to some $2 billion while Russian investment does not exceed $160 million.
Trubnikov identified future areas of investment - in the production of bio-products and medicines, development of India's power sector, mining, production of materials for electronics and software, joint manufacturing of aircraft and space research.
He also said there are "brilliant prospects and vast opportunities" for cooperation in many crucial sectors like electronics, biotechnology, communications, infrastructure development including construction of highways, ports, airports and metro, extraction and transportation of hydrocarbons and pipeline laying.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his visit to Russia for a bilateral visit in December last year and discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin an array of regional and global issues, including intensification of trade and investment between the two countries.
"Our potential has not yet been fully realised," the Russian envoy said at a seminar on 'Russian-Indian economic relations: Problems and prospects'.
The Russian envoy identified "several natural and artificial obstacles" hampering the expansion of commercial opportunities.
"First and foremost, it is the deficient infrastructure, both physical and organisational," he said, underlining the need for expediting the large-scale commercial functioning of the North-South International Transport Corridor connecting South Asia with Russia and the countries of Western Europe.
Trubnikov also elaborated on the importance of "Russia's fast accession to the WTO" in facilitating "better and broader access of Indian goods to the Russian markets".
India and Russia have "successfully completed the bilateral negotiations with India regarding Russia's joining the WTO", but the pace of negotiations with other countries has been slow, he said.
New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS) Close on the heels of a similar effort in Hawaii, Indian and US military forces are to conduct another joint counter-terrorism exercise next month to further enhance their interoperability at the functional level.
Set in an urban/semi-urban insurgency environment, Exercise Shatrujeet is scheduled to be conducted at Belgaum in Karnataka Oct 25-Nov 3.
"The exercise would focus on evolution of joint drills and refining field craft, battle craft, drills and procedures in counter terrorist operations," a defence ministry statement said.
The US forces comprise a company of the US Marines Corps with a participating strength of 160 soldiers, including 145 combatants and 15 administration and support staff. A similarly sized company of the Punjab Regiment will participate from the Indian side.
Among the subjects to be covered during the exercise would be techniques, tactics and procedures for conducting counter terrorist operations, organisational structure of Indian infantry and US Marine Corps Battalions, confidence and survival training, combat shooting, rock climbing, security of operating bases, astral navigation, unarmed combat, familiarisation with improvised explosive devices, and room shooting.
Also on the agenda are intercommunication and radio telephony procedures, suicide terrorism and human bomb philosophy, human rights issues in counter terrorist operations, house clearance/room intervention drills, establishment of outer and inner cordons, search of built up areas, ambush/counter ambush actions and quick reaction team actions and drills.
Indian and US forces had conducted a similar exercise in Hawaii last month.
Srinagar, Oct 7 (IANS) The Indian Army chief, Gen. J.J. Singh, admitted here Friday that troops occasionally committed excesses during counter-insurgency operations but said such "aberrations" were firmly dealt with in accordance with the law.
"The army is the people's army and we have always proved that we are ready to meet any challenge. Sometimes excesses occur but such aberrations are always firmly dealt with in accordance with the law," he asserted.
Singh was speaking after handing over the rebuilt Charunda village in the Uri region of north Kashmir's Baramulla district to its residents. The village was completely destroyed in last year's devastating Oct 8 earthquake. The army had adopted the village to reconstruct it.
The army reconstructed 230 houses in the village, apart from a school building, a four-bed dispensary, a modern veterinary facility, and new roads.
Kashmir Minister For Consumer Affairs And Public Distribution Taj Mohiuddin, the sitting legislator from the Uri assembly constituency, was also present at the impressive dedication function.
Tokyo, Oct 7 (IANS) One Indian sailor was killed and nine others went missing after a freighter carrying iron ore from Australia ran aground due to high winds off the east coast of Japan.
According to reports, 13 Indians on board the Panama-registered 'Giant Step' were washed out to the sea late Friday but three were rescued and were treated for minor injuries.
One Indian, who was washed ashore, died later but nine are still missing, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported.
The incident occurred near Kashima port, 95 km east of Japan.
The ship was carrying 190,000 tonnes of iron ore.
Mumbai, Oct 7 (IANS) After 10 straight weeks of gains, Indian shares ended lower during the trading session ended Friday with investors nervous over taking fresh position and choosing to book profits ahead of second quarter corporate results.
The trading during the week under review, when a key Indian representative index of 30 shares managed to come very close to its historic levels, was also marked by heavy volatility, especially on Friday.
The sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) closed Friday at 12,372.81 points, lower by 81.61 points or 0.66 percent, over the previous week's close at 12,454.42 points. Even at this level, the index was higher by 518.96 points or 4.38 percent over the past month.
Looking ahead, analysts said investors would act on the second quarter results - expected to be announced from next week - even as overall sentiments remained positive because of the robust performance of the Indian economy.
"The current level of price-to-earnings ratio is high. It may come down with the results for the second quarter. But that only goes on to prove that the markets have already factored in the prospects," an analyst with a brokerage said.
"Also, the given the strong performance in the first quarter, the results aren't expected to match those levels. But prospects do exist for individual stocks, especially in the mid-cap segment," the analyst added.
Trading during the week under review began on Tuesday - Monday being a holiday on account of Mahatma Gandhi's 137th birth anniversary - with the Sensex ending 88.03 points or 0.71 percent, lower at 12,366.39 points.
This was followed by another drop of 162.38 points or 1.31 percent Wednesday, as foreign funds sold equities worth $63.2 million on that day.
But Thursday saw a reversal, as the key index moved up by 185.40 points or 1.52 percent, making good all the losses during the past two days, only to fall marginally by 16.60 points or 0.13 percent the next day amid high volatility.
The foreign institutional investors (FIIs), which bought net equities worth 277.90 million Tuesday, were net sellers to the tune of $63.20 million Wednesday and $90.10 million Thursday, as per data available with the markets' watchdog.
Among the Sensex stocks, the top gainers were Hindalco, Reliance Communications, Siemens, Gujarat Ambuja Cements, Reliance, Videsh Sanchar Nigam and Bharat Petroleum.
Hindustan Lever, HDFC, ITC, Wipro, Glaxo and Dabur led the losers.
New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS) Three Indian researchers received the prestigious Canada-Hope scholarships Friday for their study on healthy aging, organ damage and stroke research.
Sabu Aliyar from the Centre for Development Studies received the scholarship for his ongoing research on healthy aging while Denis Xavier, of the Bangalore-based St John's Academy for Health Sciences, won it for his study on different types of stroke.
Biju George, from the Health Action by People, who is pursuing his research at the University of Western Ontario to identify biomarkers for early detection of organ damage, also received the scholarship, according to a press release from the Canadian High Commission here.
Under this scholarship, the three researchers would be exposed to some of the best Canadian science laboratories and training environments for the first two years. Their projects will be transferred to their home institutions when they return to India for the remaining two years of the programme.
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Sanofi-Aventis Canada Inc support the scholarship.
By Prasun Sonwalkar,
London, Oct 7 (IANS) The size of an Indian family in Britain has fallen between 1991 and 2001, reflecting the move away from the joint family system to a more nuclear household, latest official figures reveal.
During the decade, the household size decreased from 3.8 to 3.3 among Indian households, from 4.8 to 4.1 among Pakistani households and from 5.2 to 4.5 among Bangladeshi households.
In comparison, White household size fell from 2.4 to 2.3. Black African and Bangladeshi households had some of highest overcrowding rates. In 2001, 44 per cent of Bangladeshi and 42 per cent of Black African households were overcrowded, 7 times the rate of overcrowding among White British households (6 per cent).
A new analysis by the Office of National Statistics (ONS), titled "Focus on Ethnicity and Religion", reveals that unemployment rates among Indian Muslim men (11 percent) and women (12 percent) were lower compared to Black African Muslim men (28 percent) and women (31 percent).
In both the 16-24 and 25-39 age groups, unemployment rates among UK born men and women from the Black, Bangladeshi and Pakistani ethnic groups were more than twice as high as those of White British men and women.
Between 1991 and 2001, home ownership rates fell the most among Indian households (from 82 percent to 76 percent), Pakistani households (from 76 percent to 67 percent) and Bangladeshi households (from 44 percent to 37 percent). Home ownership increased only among White households, from 66 percent to 69 percent.
The report said: "Some ethnic groups are more religiously diverse than others. The Indian group was the most religiously diverse ethnic group; its predominant groups were Hindu (45 percent), Sikh (29 percent), Muslim (13 percent) and Christian (5 percent). Pakistani and Bangladeshis were among the least religiously diverse groups (9 out of 10 were Muslims).
"Similarly, some religious groups were ethnically diverse. Muslims were among the most ethnically diverse religious group, 43 percent were Pakistani, 17 percent were Bangladeshi, 8 percent were Indian, 7 percent Other White and 4 percent White British.
"Christians and Sikhs were the least ethnically diverse religions, as more than 90 percent of people from these religions belonged to the same ethnic groups".
It added that the London borough of Brent was the most ethnically diverse local authority area, while Easington in the North East of England was the least ethnically diverse.
Brent's predominant ethnic groups were White British (29 percent), Indian (18 percent), Black Caribbean (10 percent), Other White (9 percent) and Black African (8 percent).
Denpasar (Indonesia), Oct 7 (DPA) Siamese twins born with three legs and three arms on the Indonesian resort island of Bali were in stable condition Friday, a health official said.
"It's a tough case, but so far they are stable," Wayan Sutarga, director of medical treatment at Sanglah Hospital in the Bali capital Denpasar, told DPA.
"We are still examining the babies, and we haven't decided to take any action yet," he said, adding that in medical terms the girls are thoraco abdominal Siamese twins.
The babies were born Thursday by caesarian section, weighing 3.75 kilograms. The babies have two heads, one heart, two lungs, three legs and three arms.
Dakar, Oct 7 (Xinhua) Interpol, the world's largest police organisation, and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) have committed to work together to identify areas for collaboration in combating the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport.
In a meeting in Lyon, France, Interpol secretary-general Ronald Noble and WADA director-general David Howman stressed the need for stronger and more unified action in tackling the problem of doping in competitive sport.
The two agreed to a global congress on combating doping in sport, which would bring together experts from the policing and sporting worlds to develop best practice and inter-agency cooperation at all levels.
"Doping in sport is not only a crime in the conventional sense of the word, but it is also morally dishonest and harmful at so many levels," said Noble.
"From the trainer who convinces a young, impressionable athlete that taking drugs is the only way to win, to record breaking performances which are now questioned by the general public."
He continued: "The deception associated with doping is now spread so far and so wide that there are some sports where every single individual who breaks a record falls under suspicion."
Interpol and WADA are to draw up a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to provide a clear framework for cooperation in tackling doping.
"Many athletes are not aware of the consequences of taking performance enhancing drugs, both legally and physically," said Howman.
"While much has been done during recent years to raise awareness in the sporting world of the damage doping can do, with support from the law enforcement community in identifying and prosecuting the suppliers, I am sure that far more progress can be made," the WADA official pointed out.
In 2004, Interpol hosted the first International Working Group on doping agents, attended by delegates from 16 countries in addition to WADA, the International Olympic Committee and the Council of Europe.
The group recognised as essential the need for stronger legislation to deter criminals from what is viewed as a high-profit low-risk crime.
Tokyo, Oct 7 (DPA) Japan hopes the UN Security Council would adopt a statement condemning North Korea's planned nuclear test, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso said.
Aso spoke amid speculation that Pyongyang might conduct the test on Sunday, the anniversary of its leader Kim Jong Il's 1997 appointment as head of the Workers Party of Korea,
Japan was reported to have submitted ideas for a draft UN statement condemning North Korea's test plans, which it announced Tuesday without giving a date on which it would carry out the blast.
While the United States has sought a strong response, China, Russia and Japan are believed to favour a more moderate one.
The proposed statement urges North Korea to halt all nuclear activities and return to six-nation talks aimed at persuading Pyongyang to abandon its atomic-weapons programme, the Jiji Press agency reported.
The six-nation negotiations - which were being held by China, Japan, Russia, the United States and the two Koreas - have been stalled for a year.
Nevertheless, Japan is strengthening its preparations for a response, the Kyodo News Agency quoted Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki as saying.
"We are intensifying our posture with an eye to various possibilities," the top government spokesperson said.
Patna, Oct 7 (IANS) Japanese Ambassador Yasukuni Enoki is slated to pay a two-day official visit to Bihar later this month to discuss the setting up of a university at Nalanda, the site of an ancient Buddhist university, and explore other investment opportunities in the state.
According to official sources here, Enoki's visit Oct 16 would be the first trip by the Japanese ambassador to Bihar after Nitish Kumar took charge as chief minister in November last year.
He will meet Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi apart from other state ministers.
Japan has shown keen interest in investing Rs.4.5 billion for the proposed university at Nalanda, the home district of Nitish Kumar, where ruins of the 2,000-year-old university still stand. The new university will aim to revive the form of teaching prevalent in the ancient university.
According to official sources, Enoki will visit Nalanda, Bodh Gaya and Rajgir - all important destinations of the Buddhist circuit in Bihar.
Last month, a Singaporean delegation had proposed a similar investment for a university at Nalanda.
By F. Ahmed,
Srinagar, Oct 7 (IANS) Life is almost back to normal in this Jammu and Kashmir summer capital, as if nothing had happened. Amid the bustle, cursory glances are thrown at the shattered glass panes and bullet marks in Standard Hotel, the scene of a bloody firefight between militants and security forces that claimed 10 lives and left 16 wounded just two days ago.
The panic that enveloped the area during the 22-hour-long gun battle between separatist guerrillas hiding inside the hotel and the security forces at the Budshah Chowk city centre seems to have disappeared.
Have Kashmiris become impervious to violence and begun to take it in their stride?
"Is it total madness, or an acceptance of violence as the unavoidable fate?" asks Muhammad Saleem, a 45-year-old engineer who came to drop his son at a school in Budhshah Chowk area a day after the encounter.
Shops are humming with activity and schools and colleges functioning as if nothing 'serious' had happened. Traffic is plying as usual through the area, though passers-by occasionally look at the hotel - at its half-burnt windows and doors and the hundreds of bullet marks on the concrete structure that bear evidence to the firefight that had paralysed life not only in the area, but the entire city and hogged national headlines.
In south Kashmir's Pulwama district, Yusuf Dar, younger brother of constable Bashir Ahmad, who was among the seven security men killed, tried to end his life by consuming poison when he heard of his brother's death. Yusuf could not attend the burial of his brother as he is now battling for life in hospital.
As officials of Jammu and Kashmir Police, led by Director General Gopal Sharma, reversed arms at the Srinagar police control to bid farewell to the security men killed in the shootout, the bodies of the two guerrillas who had carried out the suicide attack were buried amid tight security in the Nowgam suburbs of the city.
Several people gathered at the burial ground shouted pro-independence slogans and even stoned the police party supervising the guerrillas' burial.
"The fact that militant attacks are occurring in the heart of the city in highly secured places, serves to prove that political problems can only be solved politically. Violence begets violence and finally leaves everybody mourning," comments Naseer Ahmad, a local journalist.
Ironically, Kashmir appears to have reached a stage in its nearly two-decades-long violence with people having been so severely exposed to violence that living on the razor's edge has become second nature.
"Who knows what happens here tomorrow or just the other moment. I am right now talking with you, but can anyone guarantee we won't be caught in a grenade explosion or a suicide attack?" says a resigned Mehrajuddin, who sells fruit in the Lal Chowk area of the city.
Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 7 (IANS) Kerala claims it has become the first state in the country to provide public telephone facility in all its villages, officials said Friday.
Kerala is the first state in the country to provide public telephone facility in all village bodies and villages. It is also the first to have all digital electronic exchanges with STD (direct dialling) facility, said S.A. Thomas, chief general manager of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) Kerala Circle on the eve of its sixth anniversary.
With an impressive tele-density of 12.20 telephones per 100 population, BSNL in Kerala has a record 3.8 million working lines. Thomas also said that the Kerala Circle has the highest waiting list in the country for new phone lines that stands approximately at 250,000.
"We feel that we can clear this by the end of the current fiscal and we would give a record 800,000 new cell phone connections also in this fiscal. Today, BSNL Cellular mobile has 1.7 million subscribers, making us leaders in the state," said Thomas.
The net profit for the circle also went up from Rs.1.19 billion during 2004-05 to Rs.2.1 billion during the last fiscal.
Hyderabad, Oct 7 (IANS) A Maoist guerrilla leader was gunned down Saturday by police in Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam district.
Police said K. Ramulu alias Hari, a leader of the Communist Party of India-Maoist, was killed during a gun battle in the G.K. Veedhi tribal area.
The gun battle took place when policemen engaged in combing operations came face to face with a group of Maoists holding a meeting. When challenged, the rebels opened fire forcing the police to retaliate.
After nearly an hour-long battle, police found the body of Hari. Four other Maoists escaped into the forests. One self-loading rifle was recovered from the scene.
Police said the combing operations were intensified in the area following a claymore mine blast Friday on East Godavari-Visakhapatnam border. One police constable was seriously injured in the blast triggered by Maoists.
More than 300 people, a majority of them guerrillas, have bben killed since January last year when the eight-month-long ceasefire collapsed.
Mumbai, Oct 7 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday said more financial sector reforms were necessary to attract investment and to create an efficient markets so that a double-digit economic grown in India could be achieved.
"We need to reform financial sector further to have a larger debt market," the prime minister said, while expressing concern over India's market for bonds and securities not taking off in the desired fashion.
"We need to promote widely-held pension fund system and we need a much larger insurance sector with a higher capital base and more diverse products," he said while inaugurating the new headquarters for India's markets watchdog, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
"The capital market is not about equities alone. The bulk of transactions in the capital markets of advanced nations are in debt securities," he said, adding the debt market has not delivered the desired results in India.
"If we have to achieve our growth ambitions of 8-10 percent per annum we need investments of a high order. These would be possible only by making our financial markets more efficient, more competitive and more global," he said.
According to the prime minister, India may lacking the consensus needed to push economic reforms, but expressed confidence that his government will be able to garner the support based on the benefits it will bring to India.
"The financial sector in India has now come of age, though there are a number of issues which need to be resolved. Indeed, it is such issues, even if they be controversial, which encourage discussion and debate," he said.
Manmohan Singh also said he was happy with the progress in amending the SEBI Act of 1992 to create an appropriate fund, as also to further empower the regulator to better address all issues impacting investor interests.
Islamabad, Oct 7 (IANS) Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's security has been tightened following what officials say were two abortive attempts on his life earlier this week.
In particular, Musharraf's movements in convoys between the twin cities of Islamabad, the national capital and Rawalpindi where he stays, has been under the tightest surveillance since he has been targeted twice earlier on this route.
The News International quoted unnamed "sources in a secret agency" as saying: "No doubt, their target was President Pervez Musharraf, not the presidency."
While criticising these incidents as "grave security lapses", newspaper editorials have speculated on the likely reasons.
Resumption of the peace dialogue with India, the meetings Musharraf had with US President George W. Bush and with Afghan president Hamid Karzai, the current trouble in Balochistan and other causes have been cited as the likely causes for such deadly plans.
The media has also criticised as "knee-jerk reactions" measures like rounding up and interrogating over 300 people who were working in the Ayub Park where an explosion took place.
Sources hinted that the security agencies had received reports that some foreign terrorist outfits have planned to carry out attacks on the president and the agencies were fully prepared to counter such attempts.
Unexploded ammunition was found on two occasions earlier this week near the high security complex where both Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz stay. Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao confirmed that a probe had been ordered into the incidents.
"A multidimensional investigation has been initiated separately by the military and civil agencies to make a headway to the terrorists," an official source said on condition of anonymity, claiming "We will get them soon".
When asked whether or not the security agencies have made any headway in tracking the terrorists, he said, "Nothing for press".
"Radicals involved in previous plots of targeting President Pervez Musharraf are being interrogated to get a clue to the terrorists behind the Thursday plan," a source said. The involvement of Al Qaeda radicals cannot be ruled out, the source added.
Kathmandu, Oct 7 (DPA) Since an announcement earlier this week that the United States was ready to take in 60,000 of the more than 100,000 Bhutanese refugees living in UN-run camps in east Nepal, Nepalese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister K.P. Sharma Oli said Friday that Nepal and Bhutan would hold ministerial talks next month on the repatriation of the refugees.
Oli, who returned Friday after attending the UN General Assembly in New York, told journalists that Bhutan and Nepal agreed to hold ministerial-level talks next month on the issue.
More than 100,000 Bhutanese refugees, most of them Nepali speaking, have been living in seven camps run by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in eastern Nepal for the past 15 years.
The Bhutanese refugee leaders say they were forced out of the tiny Himalayan kingdom after they campaigned for democracy, following the Nepalese pro-democracy movement in late 1990. They were expelled by Bhutan and started trickling into Nepal in early 1991.
More than a dozen ministerial-level meetings have been held between the two countries, with a breakthrough in 2003 to classify the refugees.
The verification committee found that 74 percent of the refugees were entitled to return to their homeland, however, the Bhutanese government alleged misconduct in the process and cancelled the classification.
There has been no ministerial meeting between the two countries since 2003.
Foreign Minister Oli said the two countries would "try to solve the problem" in their meeting next month.
New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday said a new policy on infrastructure would be unveiled soon, given the massive need for investments of $320 million over the next six years, especially in energy and roads.
"In the coming weeks and months we will finalise the framework for the remaining areas of infrastructure - like policy, regulatory and institutional framework," the prime minister told a seminar on infrastructure here.
The new policy, he added, would ensure competitiveness and complete transparency in the process of inviting bids and award of contracts, besides putting in place a proper regulatory framework and dispute settlement mechanism.
Manmohan Singh said to remove some ills like poverty, India must accelerate its growth to 10 percent per annum, for which infrastructure plays a critical role. He also said that the private sector must come forward for this purpose.
Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, who also addressed the seminar, said the Indian economy grew by over eight percent in the second quarter of the current fiscal year - maintaining the high growth of 8.9 percent in the first quarter.
Other speakers at the day-long conference - on "Building Infrastructure: Issues and Opportunities" - include Railway Minister Lalu Prasad, Commerce Minister Kamal Nath, Road Transport Minister T.R. Baalu and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia.
Srinagar, Oct 7 (IANS) One person was killed and five wounded in a powerful explosion at the main bus stand in Jammu and Kashmir Friday evening.
Police said guerrillas lobbed a hand grenade at a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) picket inside the bus stand at Batmallo here.
"One civilian identified as Firdous Ahmad died on the spot. Five bystanders who were injured were taken to a hospital," said a senior police officer.
The CRPF and local police surrounded the bus stand and launched immediate search operations, but no one was arrested.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the blast, which came a day after 10 people, including seven security personnel were killed, in the 22-hour long gun battle in the heart of the city that ended Thursday afternoon.
Tel Aviv, Oct 7 (DPA) Police have completed a seven-week investigation into allegations that Israeli President Moshe Katsav sexually harassed a series of former female employees, and will recommend that he be indicted on the charges, Israeli media reported Friday.
The investigators are due to submit a summary of their probe to the state prosecution on Sunday, which would include the recommendation, the reports said.
Police spokesperson Micky Rosenfeld confirmed that the investigation had finished, but would not comment on whether an indictment would be filed against the president.
"All the material has been passed on to the prosecution and they will decide within two weeks whether to formulate an indictment," he told DPA.
The investigation began in late August, when police raided the president's residence, confiscated computers and documents and questioned Katsav, after two former employees filed complaints about sexual harassment by the 60-year-old.
Since then, the number of complainants has risen to 10.
Police, however, are expected to recommend an indictment based on the charges of three, because the other complaints had either passed their statute of limitation or lacked evidence.
Katsav has vehemently denied the charges and said that the first complainant, identified only as "A", tried to blackmail him, and that also the other former employees were trying to get back at him for refusing to rehire them.
Jaipur, Oct 7 (IANS) The Rajasthan Assembly Friday passed the Rajasthan Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Bill, 2006, that provides for detention of offenders for up to a maximum of one year.
Presenting the bill in the Assembly, Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria said the bill is the need of the hour.
The bill provides for detention of dangerous persons, drug offenders, immoral traffickers and property grabbers.
The bill also gives the government powers to issue detention orders against persons who are absconding. Properties of such persons can also be attached.
"The grounds for detention will have to be disclosed to the detainee within three days of his arrest," Kataria said.
A person can be detained for a maximum of one year.
New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS) Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. (RPCI), the wholly owned subsidiary of Indian pharma major Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited (RLL), has entered into a tie-up with Janssen-Ortho Inc. (JOI) for marketing of its generic painkiller Fentanyl in Canada.
The second product to be commercialised by RPCI, Fentanyl would be sold under Ranbaxy's label RAN under the licensing and supply agreement with Janssen-Ortho Inc, the company said in a statement Friday.
"This agreement, which also includes Risperidone, will provide Ranbaxy with an opportunity to commercialise products that continue to have a favourable impact on patient care, as well as on the Canadian healthcare system, and allow Ranbaxy to reinforce its presence in Canada," said Bill Abboud, RPCI president and general manager.
RPCI is the first India-based pharmaceutical company with a generic presence in Canada, the eighth largest pharmaceutical market in the world.
New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS) India will soon finalise a social security agreement with France for its citizens living in that country, Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi, who is on a European visit, has said.
Ravi, who held discussions with the French Social Security and the Family Minister Philippe Bas in Paris, said the deal would be finalised in January during bilateral discussions in the Indian capital.
The minister discussed certain irritants in the double taxation avoidance agreement between the two countries.
"Many Indians complain they have to pay double taxes in France. The minister has handed over a draft for an agreement on social security for the Indians in France," said a statement from the overseas Indian affairs ministry.
"The minister also indicated that most of the provisions in the draft form were acceptable to the French minister and the final decision would be taken in the January meeting."
There is an agreement on avoidance of double taxation between India and France.
Ravi also urged the French government to strengthen its trade relations with New Delhi.
According to overseas Indian affairs ministry, Bas will visit India soon.
Ravi also met Indian students, members of Indian Professional Association and non-resident Indian employees of UNESCO in Paris.
Sydney, Oct 7 (DPA) Residents of the Papua New Guinea town of Rabaul fled after the nearby volcanic Mount Tavurvur rumbled into life Saturday.
Police reinforcements were drafted in to guard against looting after more than 2,000 people left Rabaul, a town on the eastern tip of the island of New Britain.
Mount Tavurvur spouted columns of ash and set off tremors that shook buildings and broke window panes. There were no reports of injuries and by late afternoon volcanic activity had subsided.
Rabaul hotelier Bruce Alexander said around 90 percent of Rabaul's population had left. "We are going to have looting problems tonight we think," he told Australia's AAP news agency. "The good people will stay away and the bad dudes will come in."
In 1994, an eruption destroyed much of Rabaul. Lives were saved because the town was evacuated. But there was widespread looting.
Alexander said the tremors were the most frightening aspect of the eruption. "It shakes the whole hotel and it's like being directly underneath an artillery barrage," he said.
Guy Cameron, an Australian who lives 20-km from Rabaul, said the whole area was blanketed by ash. "You can't see anything," he told Australia's ABC Radio. "All we can hear is this deep bellowing, crashing noise in the direction of the volcano."
Mumbai, Oct 7 (IANS) Describing "reverse brain drain" as an encouraging trend, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday assured the annual expenditure on science and technology would be doubled.
"We are committed to increase the annual expenditure on science and technology from less than one percent of our GDP to two percent in the next five years," the prime minister said at the platinum jubilee celebrations of the National Academy of Sciences here.
He said the country had in the past few decades witnessed an encouraging trend of return of some of the country's brightest students who had gone abroad and done well in advanced fields of research.
"I am aware of the fact that many of them have been returning home, for varying periods of time, as visiting faculty at institutions in India. Many are taking up work assignments in private sector research institutions and in research-based companies. This 'reverse brain drain' must be encouraged."
He also underscored the need to harness the enormous potential of modern science and technology to deal with vital societal concerns such as food security, education and health for all and energy and environment security.
Stating that India has to remain in the forefront of scientific research if it is to achieve its development ambitions, the prime minister said girl students be encouraged to pursue a career in science teaching and research.
"In rekindling a new interest in the sciences among today's youth, I urge you to also inspire in them a modern, rational outlook and a worldview shaped by scientific temper," he said.
Manmohan Singh emphasised the need for overall economic incentives and rewards to attract the country's huge spool of bright students to opt for a career in science.
Citing the examples of emerging industrialised nations like China and South Korea, which have leapfrogged ahead of India "by their mastery of science and technology", the prime minister said it was time our scientists pondered on this.
He stressed the need to attract the best and the brightest brains within the global India diaspora to work in India to teach and guide research at the country's leading institutions.
Chandigarh/New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS) Russia, an influential member of the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), has said it is keen to expand civilian nuclear cooperation with India, but underlined that issues regarding the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the NSG regime needed to be resolved to accelerate the process.
"We are keen to expand our activity in the nuclear sector with India. The enhancement of bilateral peaceful nuclear cooperation is also in the interest of our countries," Russian ambassador to India Vyacheslav I. Trubnikov said at a seminar in Chandigarh.
"Russia is ready to interact in this sphere provided it will not violate Russia's existing international obligations," he said as he alluded to the Kudankulam nuclear power project being built in India's southern state of Tamil Nadu with Russian help.
"However, the concrete prospects and possibilities of such cooperation are closely geared to resolving the issues related to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the NSG regime," he said.
Nearly seven months ago, Moscow agreed to supply 60 tonnes of uranium to bail out fuel-starved Tarapur reactors in the teeth of the American objections. The decision was announced during the visit of Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov to India in March.
India and Russia also decided to expand civil nuclear energy and space cooperation between them during Fradkov's visit that came close on the heels of India and the US sealing a landmark civilian nuclear accord based on New Delhi's plan of the separation of its civilian and military nuclear facilities.
Moscow's decision to supply fuel for the Tarapur plant had upset Washington, which opposed the fuel supply on the grounds that it violated the NSG guidelines.
New Delhi had defended the move saying that the fuel was being sought under safety exception clause of the NSG guidelines, and, therefore, did not constitute a violation of the NSG guidelines.
The NSG is expected to take a final call on adjusting its guidelines on permitting global nuclear commerce with New Delhi after the India-US civil nuclear deal clears the US Congressional process.
London/Washington, Oct 7 (DPA) The US says agreement has been reached to "go to sanctions" against Iran over its controversial nuclear programme and said details will be worked out next week in drafting a resolution for the UN Security Council.
US Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns spoke to reporters after the five permanent members of the council plus Germany met to discuss the way forward over Iran's uranium enrichment - a process that can produce weapons-grade fuel.
Following talks in London Friday evening, British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said the countries' foreign ministers had agreed "to consult on economic sanctions" against Iran, and to continue to keep the door open for negotiations.
According to a transcript released in Washington, Burns was more specific, saying: "The decision has been made we will go for sanctions."
Beckett said the ministers were "deeply disappointed" that Tehran had refused to suspend its enrichment activities.
The six nations, including China and Russia, agreed to consult on measures under Article 41 of the United Nations Charter, which allows for economic sanctions.
Efforts to find a negotiated solution would continue and an offer made to Iran in June remained on the table to help it develop a civil nuclear programme, Beckett said.
In her brief statement after the meeting at Lancaster House in London, Beckett said that EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana had reported that his talks with Iran's chief negotiator, Ali Larijani, had failed to secure a breakthrough.
Russia in a statement issued prior to the meeting reiterated its opposition to the imposition of sanctions, or to the use of violence against Iran.
By Prasun Sonwalkar,
London, Oct 7 (IANS) Trade and security are expected to be on top of the agenda when Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh meets his British counterpart Tony Blair here early next week during a three-day visit.
Latest figures show that India has emerged as the second largest investor in the United Kingdom after the United States. Analysis based on recent figures by consultants Ernst & Young show that there has been a nearly three-fold increase in the number of projects announced by Indian companies in the UK in the first half of 2006.
Indian companies have been seeking wider access to Britain's healthcare products and services. India is also seeking major investments for rail, air and energy infrastructure projects over the next 10 years. Singh and Blair are expected to briefly attend the Indo-UK Investment Summit on Oct 9.
During the visit, Singh will travel to Cambridge to receive a honorary doctorate. He was awarded a similar honour by Oxford University in July 2005. His speech at Cambridge will be keenly awaited by many, particularly because he had made some revisionist observations of British rule in India during his speech at the similar ceremony in Oxford.
In the speech, which had attracted some controversy in India, Singh had observed: "Today, with the balance and perspective offered by the passage of time and the benefit of hindsight, it is possible for an Indian prime minister to assert that India's experience with Britain had its beneficial consequences too.
"Our notions of the rule of law, of a constitutional government, of a free press, of a professional civil service, of modern universities and research laboratories have all been fashioned in the crucible where an age-old civilisation met the dominant empire of the day."
At Cambridge, Singh will be presented the honorary doctor of law degree on Oct 11 by Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, who is also the chancellor of the university.
Singh received his first class honours degree in economics from the university in 1957. He followed this with a D.Phil in economics from Nuffield College at Oxford University in 1962.
Diplomatic sources told IANS that apart from trade, a major issue for discussion between Singh and Blair will be security - in particular, counter-terrorism and counter-intelligence. India's charge that Pakistan intelligence agencies were involved in the recent Mumbai blasts is also expected to figure in the discussions, they said.
Other security related issues include arrangements for forthcoming events such as the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games and drawing up rules on dealing with organisations that fund terrorism on a global basis.
In a foreign policy speech on March 21, Blair had stated that that political causes that could have been resolved such as Chechnya and Kashmir "became brutally incapable of resolution under the pressure of terrorism."
The sources said that no document was expected to be released after the Singh-Blair meeting. They described the meeting as 'nothing special' and indicated that the two leaders would be meeting at a time when there was a general commonality of views between the two governments on most issues.
By Sudeshna Sarkar,
Kathmandu, Oct 7 (IANS) A rights group has asked the international community, particularly the United States, to denounce the "flagrant violation" of human rights by Chinese troops, who fired on a group of unarmed Tibetans near the Nepal-Tibet border, killing a Buddhist nun.
A group of over 70 Tibetans, including children as young as 10, were trying to escape from China-controlled Tibet into Nepal via the glaciated Nangpa Pass last week when Chinese border patrol forces, apparently tipped off about the refugees and ordered to stop them at all costs, opened fire on them.
The incident, which occurred on Sep 30, was witnessed by dozens of international climbers who were trying to summit Mount Cho Oyu, the sixth highest peak in the world.
The climbers and their guides saw Chinese military personnel kneel down, take aim and open fire on the fleeing refugees, some of whom were children as young as 10.
The shooting, however, was not reported till this month since the mountaineers preferred not to go public about what they had seen as long as they were on Chinese territory for their own safety.
However, the news broke when a Western climber, who wanted to remain anonymous, wrote to ExplorersWeb, describing the incident. Subsequently, the report was picked up by news agencies and the Indian and Nepali media.
Nepal's state media, however, remained conspicuously silent on the shooting. Though Nepal's new government has pledged commitment to protecting democratic values and human rights, its China policy remains unchanged from the view of the previous regime of King Gyanendra, who actively courted Beijing and was in turn supported by China when he seized power by force last year.
More details about the shooting were provided by the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), a non-profit organisation that urged the international community to take up the incident with the Chinese government and asked the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to ensure full protection for the Tibetan refugees.
Mary Beth Markey, ICT executive director, said, "International law requires that the use of firearms by border patrols be done only as a last resort and when life is at risk. Reports indicate that the Chinese border patrols' use of force in this case was both unlawful and disproportionate. ICT calls upon the United States and other members of the international community to make official complaints to the Chinese government condemning its flagrant violation of human rights which resulted in the shooting and at least one death."
The ICT said the refugees were apparently from Kham in eastern Tibet, a region known for having put up stiff resistance to the Chinese invasion and occupation of Tibet in the 1950s.
Forty-three lucky survivors were able to escape the gunfire and safely reach Nepal and are now en route to the Tibetan Refugees Reception Centre in Kathmandu that accommodates fleeing refugees.
Quoting a local Tibetan source, the ICT said the group was forced to abandon the bullet-ridden body of the nun on the pass, as they feared that carrying it out of Tibet might lead to their arrest.
The whereabouts of over 30 members of the group is not known and it is feared they have been arrested by the Chinese security forces.
The ICT said Chinese military vehicles, including ambulances, had been seen at a motorable road close to the incident spot the same day.
The Kathmandu Post Friday said 37 people were arrested but there was no official confirmation.
According to reports by the climbers, the toll could go up to seven with Chinese troops reportedly throwing the bodies in a mountain crevasse.
The matter could create an international furore after the climbers leave China-controlled territory since there were dozens of witnesses.
A British mountaineering guide told ICT, "There could have been as many as 60 climbers at the advance base camp who witnessed the incident. They could see Chinese soldiers quite close to the advance base camp kneeling, taking aim and shooting, again and again at the group, who were completely defenceless. We didn't know what the targets were but the climbers could see they were human beings. A couple of hours later, a caravan of yaks came along the pass from Nepal and there was no shooting. Clearly distinctions were made between intended targets. This was a deeply shocking incident for all of us."
The shootings are likely to have been carried out by the People's Armed Police, a paramilitary unit formed from the People's Liberation Army in the early 1980s, which is responsible for internal security, border control and protection of state installations, including prisons.
Beijing has reportedly begun a cover-up operation, beefing up the presence of security forces near the base camp and circulating rumours that the people shot were "smugglers".
New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS) South Africa will be one of the favourites to win the Champions Trophy cricket title beginning in Mohali Saturday, captain Graeme Smith said here Friday.
"We are the No. 2 team in the world and we will not going to shy away from that tag," said Smith at his maiden press conference.
"We will be one of the favourites to win the title. But we can't take anyone (team) for granted," said the man returning from an injury that forced his to miss the recent tour to Sri Lanka.
South Africa open their Group B campaign with a match against New Zealand at the Cricket Club of India (CCI) in Mumbai Oct 16. They will then play against a qualifying team in Ahmedabad Oct 24 and round off their group engagements against Pakistan in Mohali Oct 27.
The qualifying team could be any one from the four - West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe - who will play a round robin league between Oct 7 and 14.
Two top teams from this league will join the tops six automatically qualified teams in the main round starting Oct 15.
1998 winners South Africa had a 10-day preparatory camp before coming here but Smith said the best practice would be in the Indian conditions.
"The best practice in the one in local conditions here," he said. "And we had a good tour of India last time (in 2005) and that experience will stand us in good stead."
Then South Africa had drawn the four-match one-day international series 2-2. Smith pointed out that more or less the same team is here for the 10-nation tournament.
South Africa will rely on the batting of Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher, Boeta Dippenaar and Herschelle Gibbs, besides Smith. The bowling will be in the able hands of veteran Shaun Pollock, Makhaya Ntini, Andre Nel and spinner Robin Peterson.
Coach Micky Arthur added another dimension when he said that South Africa's fielding could be as sharp as any other department.
"Fielding could be the defining feature of our team," he declared.
Arthur also welcomed Smith and Kallis back to the team, both returning from injuries.
"Kallis will have to take a lot of responsibility with the bat and the ball," Smith said.
Since all 21 Champions Trophy matches are day-night affairs, dew could play a role in deciding matches, and Smith acknowledged this.
"The last time we were here it was a factor. But we will work around it," he said.
Smith was also happy that his team has closed the gap with leaders Australia in the International Cricket Council ODI Championship table.
"We have had some recent successes against Australia and it was exciting. Our confidence against Australia is the same as against any team. It's nice to see the gap close."
Both Smith and Arthur acknowledged that this season is a long one for South Africa and it also includes the World Cup in the West Indies in March-April.
"We will see some rotation of players this season. We have got 18 guys (picked for the World Cup)," said Arthur.
South Africa is the first country to announce the captain (Smith), vice-captain (Kallis) and the probables for the March 11-April 28 World Cup.
South Africa get into action right away with a practice match against a local side here Saturday.
By Arun Kumar,
Washington, Oct 7 (IANS) Despite a recent display of flexibility by Islamabad, there is still no evidence that Pakistan has renounced terrorism as a way of solving the dispute over Kashmir, according to a leading American think tank.
For years the Pakistan Army has sponsored Islamist groups in Kashmir and, with the support of the United States, in Afghanistan, aggravating tension in the region, a new paper by The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace suggests.
Only the end of military rule in Pakistan could possibly end the confrontation with India and calm the situation on the Afghan border, Frédéric Grare, a South Asia expert concludes, describing India as a key factor in Pakistan-Afghanistan relations in the post-9/11 era.
In his view the end of the military's political power would undoubtedly constitute an essential component of any attempt to stabilize not only Afghanistan but the entire region in a sustainable manner.
"Democratising Pakistan is not an intellectual and moral luxury, it is first and foremost a strategic imperative," says Grare.
A true normalization of relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan presupposes agreements on a number of geopolitical issues that could constitute the components of a so-called grand bargain with Pakistan, he says.
He looks at the peace brokered by US President George W. Bush between his two key feuding allies with a White House dinner with presidents Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan and Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan as a "fragile partnership born of necessity."
Success of the ongoing peace process between India and Pakistan is undoubtedly the first condition for the end of Pakistan's interference in Afghanistan, says Grare.
Whatever India's intentions - good or bad - in Afghanistan, they will feed Pakistani suspicions as long as the antagonism between the two countries persists. Islamabad will then intervene in its western neighbour's affairs.
Although both India and Pakistan bear responsibility for the relative stagnation of the negotiations, Pakistan remains the anti-status quo country, he says.
Islamabad has shown flexibility in the manner in which the status quo could or should be revised, but there is still no discernable change in Islamabad' s ultimate objective.
Similarly, as exposed by the October 2005 earthquake and the free hand given by Islamabad to radical Islamist groups to participate in the relief operations, which led to a series of bomb blasts in New Delhi, there is still no evidence that Pakistan has renounced terrorism as a way of solving the dispute over Kashmir, Grare says.
Pakistan cannot therefore claim that whatever action it eventually takes in Afghanistan is the result of a necessity that it has itself contributed to creating, at least in its present form.
Pakistan needs the international presence much more than the international community needs Pakistan; it is Pakistan's best security guarantee in Afghanistan and in the region, Grare says, suggesting it be conditioned on a code of verifiable good conduct from Islamabad.
Ultimately, normalization of relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan hinges on democratising Pakistan, he says citing Barnett Rubin: "Military domination of the Pakistani state is the problem."
For years, the Pakistani army has sponsored Islamist groups in Kashmir and, with the support of the United States, in Afghanistan and has therefore aggravated the problem, not helped to solve it.
Convergence of interests, not ideology, drove Pakistan's relations with the West. Islamists were seen by the West as an antidote to communism and by Pakistan as a counterweight to Pashtun nationalism.
Afghanistan was also considered by both the West and by Pakistan as a useful buffer, offering Pakistan additional strategic depth against the Soviet Union.
The Soviet invasion gave Pakistan's military the opportunity to reverse the concept: to acquire additional strategic depth, vis-à-vis India this time, through the control of Afghanistan.
The almost concomitant end of both the Cold War and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan did not change the perspective, Grare says.
The new concept - despite its wide discussion and promotion by two military men, former director general of the ISI Hamid Gul and former chief of army staff Aslam Beg, it was never an official policy of the Pakistani state - made little military sense but clearly indicated Pakistan's willingness to control its weaker neighbour.
Hence, Pakistan supported the Taliban and their allies. Musharraf's reversal was essentially a temporary adjustment "to regain US trust and support," Grare says.
New Delhi/London, Oct 7 (IANS) Civil nuclear cooperation, terrorism and deepening of economic ties will figure in the talks that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will have with leaders of Britain and the European Union during his six-day visit to London and Helsinki beginning Monday.
Manmohan Singh will attend the third India-UK Summit meeting with his British counterpart Tony Blair in London on Oct 10 and the 7th India-EU summit Oct 13 in Helsinki.
Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon told reporters here that both New Delhi and London have been victims of terrorism and this would form a key part of the discussions between the leaders of the two countries.
"We have seen substantial progress in the last two years," Menon said, referring to bilateral ties between India and Britain. Cooperation in counter-terrorism between security agencies would be a core issue in the dialogue.
"We will certainly bring them up to date ... on what we have suffered," Menon said, when asked about the Mumbai train bombings of July that killed nearly 200 people.
"This is a big part of our bilateral talks. We will certainly discuss all these issues including recent experiences. We will see what can be done to improve the situation. They have also suffered."
Indian and British officials could exchange information on the safe conduct of the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in 2010 and the Olympic Games in London in 2012.
Manmohan Singh will travel to Cambridge to receive an honorary doctorate. He was awarded a similar honour by Oxford University in July 2005. Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, who is chancellor of Cambridge university, will present the doctorate.
Menon said terrorism and measures to end it would also figure in discussions between India and the European Union. Menon said there was no unanimous position in Europe on India's civil nuclear programme.
Some member countries, he pointed out, were very sympathetic while some were not. But overall, the mood vis-à-vis civil nuclear cooperation was sympathetic to India compared to about two years ago.
Manmohan Singh will also talk on bilateral issues with leaders of Finland, bilateral relations with which have traditionally been warm and friendly. Firms from Finland are slowly showing interest in investing in India.
In London, Manmohan Singh would also take part in the India-UK investment summit that would be attended by 100 chief executive officers.
Menon described India's relations with both Britain and the 25-nation European Union in positive terms.
In London, the Indian prime minister will attend a reception to meet members of the Indian diaspora. Britain is home to some 1.5 million people of Indian origin.
Accompanying him on the trip will be Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath and Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma.
Latest figures show that India has emerged as the second largest investor in the United Kingdom after the US. Analysis based on recent figures by consultants Ernst & Young show that there has been a nearly three-fold hike in the number of projects announced by Indian companies in Britain in the first half of 2006.
As a bloc, the European Union is India's largest trading partner. The EU is also one of the largest sources of FDI for India.
Kathmandu, Oct 7 (DPA) Three young children were killed when explosives buried in an open field went off in far west Nepal, reports said Saturday.
The Nepali language daily Nepal Samacharpatra reported that the incident occurred Friday at Basauti village in Kailali district, about 520 km west of the capital.
According to the report three children aged 1, 2 and 12 were killed in the explosion. Three others including an 8-month-old child were injured.
The newspaper quoted the local residents as saying that the children were playing near a cow shed in the village when the explosion suddenly took place.
It was not known who buried the explosives. However, in the past the Maoists were known to hide their weapons and explosives by burying them.
Hyderabad, Oct 7 (IANS) Three Maoist guerrillas, including two top leaders, were gunned down by police Friday in the forests of Andhra Pradesh's Anantpur district.
Sudarshan, also known as Satyam and Shyamala Venkatesh, secretary of Communist Party of India (Maoist)- Nallamalla division; Ublesh, Rayalseema regional committee secretary and another guerrilla were reportedly killed in a gun battle with police officials in the forests of Goneypalli village, about 400 km from here.
Police said the gun battle broke out when Maoists opened fire at a police party engaged in combing operations in the forests. There were no casualties on the police side.
In another incident, three policemen were injured in a claymore mine blast triggered by Maoists in the forests between East Godavari and Visakhapatnam districts.
Sudarshan, who carried a reward of Rs.300,000, was involved in several guerrilla operations including the abortive bid on the life of a senior police officer in Prakasam district a few months ago.
He was heading Maoist operations in Nallamalla forests, which are spread over five districts and considered a Maoist hotbed.
The killing of Sudarshan and Ublesh is the latest setback for the Maoists in their stronghold.
CPI (Maoist) State Secretary Madhav and seven guerrillas were gunned down by police in July.
About 125 Maoists have been killed in gun battles with the police this year.
Maoist violence in the state has claimed over 6,000 lives till now.
The guerrillas claim to be fighting for the rights of poor farmers and often target landlords, police personnel and politicians.
Washington, Oct 7 (IANS) Tibetan refugees fleeing persecution from Chinese rule to seek asylum in India and Nepal have had to experience severe physical and mental hardship, a survey to be published by the American Journal of Public Health said.
The road is not easy for Tibetan refugees fleeing from Chinese rule to seek asylum in India and Nepal. The new study to be published in the November issue of the journal has found high rates of physical and mental hardship among Tibetan refugees crossing the Himalayan range from China to Nepal.
"We found evidence of severe physical and mental hardships among refugees at the Tibetan refugee transit centre in Kathmandu, Nepal," says senior author Edward Mills, a research fellow with the department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at McMaster University.
The dangerous journey from China to Nepal, at an average altitude of nearly 14,000 feet across the world's highest mountain range, is attempted by about 2,500 Tibetan refugees every year.
The researchers conducted interviews with 50 recent refugees, including women and children at the refugee centre in Kathmandu and found more than half faced persecution at the hands of both Chinese and Nepalese authorities.
"The study findings indicate systematic violations of the refugee's rights, including torture, extortion, sexual assault and illegal detention," says Mills. "Many refugees experienced severe health concerns including frostbite, trauma and starvation."
The authors state that "international pressures are needed to prevent these human rights violations against this vulnerable population."
Ankara (Turkey), Oct 7 (ZEENEWS.COM) Turkey, the only Muslim member of NATO and a country with close ties to both Israel and Arab states, will become the first Muslim nation to deploy peacekeepers in Lebanon next week, a Turkish television station reported on Thursday.
Turkey's foreign ministry would not immediately confirm the report, saying evaluations were still under way for the deployment. Turkish military officials were not immediately available.
Private NTV television reported that a Turkish engineer company of around 260 soldiers was scheduled to fly to Lebanon from Ankara on Tuesday.
The Turkish troops would be the first Muslim forces to deploy in Lebanon as part of the expanded UN operation.
The reported deployment of engineers seems to be a calculated move to avoid possible confrontation with fellow Muslims. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has assured the skeptical public that Turkish soldiers will be withdrawn immediately if asked to disarm Hezbollah fighters.
Turkey was not expected to offer more land forces, but is also contributing some Navy ships. Earlier, Turkish leaders said the number of troops that would serve in the peacekeeping force in Lebanon would not exceed 1,000. It appears the number would include the sailors as well.
The report said a Turkish frigate would depart tomorrow from the Mediterranean base of Aksaz to join international naval forces. The frigate has around 300 personnel, it said.
United Nations, Oct 7 (NDTV.COM) Security Council experts have reached an agreement on a statement urging North Korea to cancel its planned nuclear test and return immediately to talks on scrapping its nuclear weapons programme.
However, the text needs final approval from council members.
Japan's UN Ambassador Kenzo Oshima on Thursday said that "most likely" a statement would be approved and read on Friday morning after capitals give final approval.
"There are some changes, new inputs from members, but basically the original draft that we presented for discussion - the thrust of it is maintained," he said.
The Japanese draft expresses "deep concern" over North Korea's announcement Tuesday that it would conduct a nuclear test and urges the North not to carry it out.
It warns Pyongyang that a nuclear test would bring international condemnation, "jeopardize peace, stability and security in the region and beyond."
The Japanese draft also urges North Korea to return immediately to six-party talks on its nuclear programme and work toward implementation of a September 2005 agreement in which the North pledged to give up its nuclear programme in exchange for aid and security guarantees.
North Korea has boycotted the six-nation talks for a year, angered by American financial restrictions imposed because of the North's alleged illegal activities such as money laundering and counterfeiting.
Washington, Oct 7 (Xinhua) The pace of US economic growth has slowed considerably in the third quarter of this year, a White House economic adviser said.
The US economy could grow at a rate ranging from one percent to two percent in the July-to-September period, Allan Hubbard, director of the National Economic Council told reporters Thursday.
For all of this year, the economy would expand by about 3 percent, Hubbard predicted.
The US economy grew by just 2.6 percent in the second quarter, compared with a 5.6 percent rate in the first three months, as a result of soaring gasoline prices, rising interest rates and a cooling housing market.
The first estimate of the economic growth for the third quarter will be released on Oct 27.
The National Association for Business Economics is expecting the economy to grow by 2.6 percent in the third quarter.
But many economists believe the growth rate will be closer to one percent.
New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS) Amid speculation that Washington vetoed the chances of Shashi Tharoor, the Indian candidate for the post of UN secretary general, the US Friday declined to confirm or deny whether it cast the negative vote that saw Tharoor opting out of the race.
"We went through a judicious process for the selection of the next UN secretary general. We have met and evaluated every candidate," US ambassador to India David C. Mulford told reporters at Roosevelt House.
"The consultations between the five permanent members generated a consensus," he replied when a reporter asked him whether the US cast the negative vote in the fourth and final straw poll held in New York Monday.
"The process generated consensus in favour of one candidate which the Security Council will recommend to the UN secretary general," Mulford added.
The guessing game may go on, but it will never become clear who cast the pink ballot suggesting a veto from a permanent member as the balloting was strictly secret. Some insiders have hinted that China could well have cast that decisive negative vote.
Tharoor, the U.N. undersecretary general for public information and a novelist, bowed out of the race after garnering 10 votes in favour, three against, one of which was a veto from a permanent member, and two "no opinions."
The 62-year-old Ban Ki Moon of South Korea received 14 votes in favour and one "no opinion" and no veto from a permanent member. If he wins, he will succeed the incumbent Kofi Annan when the latter's term expires Dec 31.
In South Block, the news of Tharoor's withdrawal from the race was received with "disappointment," but officials praised Tharoor, the youngest candidate at 50 and a late entrant in the race, for his creditable performance and his exhaustive campaign to the world's leading capitals to muster support for his candidature.
By Arun Kumar,
Washington, Oct 7 (IANS) A leading American consumer protection group, describing privatisation as a "seductive option", has commended India for turning down water privatisation in the face of pressure from the World Bank.
"New Delhi should be commended for turning down water privatisation," an official of Boston-based Corporate Accountability International said in a letter published Friday in the New York Times commenting on a piece on India's water crisis.
"Water systems cost a lot of money to maintain and more to improve. Meanwhile, governments are under tremendous pressure from the World Bank to decrease budget deficits, and balancing competing water demands is a politically difficult feat," wrote Kelle Louaillier, associate director of the group.
"By outsourcing water problems to corporations, public officials often hope to cut government spending while distancing themselves from conflicts among constituents about who should get how much water.
"Here's the catch: It doesn't matter to corporations who gets the water as long as they can charge someone for it. Many privatisation schemes have failed to deliver and have made things even worse by raising rates and cutting off access," he said.
"New Delhi's problems are daunting. Rejecting water privatisation, and strengthening democratic institutions to better manage the people's water, is a critical first step," Louaillier said.
In a story last week the influential US daily had said that India's water crisis, decades in the making, has grown as fast as India in recent years with a soaring population, the warp-speed sprawl of cities, and a vast and thirsty farm belt having all put new strains on a feeble, ill-kept public water and sanitation network.
The combination has left water all too scarce in some places, contaminated in others and in cursed surfeit for millions who are flooded each year.
Today the problems threaten India's ability to fortify its sagging farms, sustain its economic growth and make its cities healthy and habitable. At stake is not only India's economic ambition but its very image as the world' s largest democracy, the Times said.
Conflicts over water mirror the most vexing changes facing India: the competing demands of urban and rural areas, the stubborn divide between rich and poor, and the balance between the needs of a thriving economy and a fragile environment, it said.
The World Bank, the Times story recalled, warned in a report published last October that India stood on the edge of "an era of severe water scarcity".
"Unless dramatic changes are made - and made soon - in the way in which government manages water," the World Bank report concluded, "India will have neither the cash to maintain and build new infrastructure nor the water required for the economy and for people".
New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS) Amid renewed uncertainty about the fate of the India-US civil nuclear deal sparked by a delay in the Senate vote, the US Friday said that both Republicans and Democrats are trying their best to see that the deal is put to vote when the US Congress meets for its lame-duck session in November.
US ambassador to India David C. Mulford Friday expressed hope that the Senate will be able to vote on the nuclear bill in the lame-duck session of the Congress in November, which normally engages exclusively with budget-related issues.
"They (Democrats and Republicans) agreed that they should continue their efforts to enact this legislation. They are trying their best and hope that they will be able to do it in this session," he told reporters.
But in the same breath, Mulford added: "If the deal does not get the Senate vote and the presidential signature this year, the whole Congressional process will have to start all over again next year after a new Congress is elected."
The US envoy underlined that there was "broad bipartisan support" for the India-US nuclear deal and regardless of who controls the Congress after the elections in November, both Republicans and Democrats are working hard to enact the India-specific nuclear legislation that will allow New Delhi to engage in global nuclear trade after three decades of technology denial regimes.
The delay in the Senate vote, Mulford explained, was not a sign of dilution of commitment, but had largely to do with technical issues and pressures of election-eve Congressional politics.
"There were differences of opinion over parliamentary methodology. They (the Democrats and the Republicans) couldn't resolve their differences in time. Literally, they ran out of time," he said.
"There might be delay, but there isn't any reduction in the commitment to see this legislation through," he said.
"The pre-election emotions, competing bills, anxieties of members to go to their home constituencies and campaign led the Senate to put off the vote," the US envoy explained.
Describing the deal as the "best that could be struck" signifying a "special relationship" between India and the US, Mulford sought to quell apprehensions about the Democrats introducing new changes that may violate the July 18, 2005 agreement on civilian nuclear cooperation between India and the US.
"It was a finely balanced deal on both sides. Substantial changes to the deal will render it ineffectual," he said.
"It's a one-time exception for India. The purpose of the legislation is to change law. And there is strong support for that change and the change in the India-US relationship this deal symbolises," Mulford stressed.
Alluding to India's categorical rejection of a ban on nuclear testing and a moratorium on the production of fissile material, two sticky issues in negotiations on the nuclear deal, he said he was confident that these issues could be resolved. "If they take the form of amendments, it could create problems. If we can put that in the agreement, we can resolve these issues."
Even as the Congressional process proceeds apace on the nuclear deal, India and the US will continue to negotiate on the contours of a bilateral agreement, also called the 123 agreement, that will determine the terms of nuclear trade between the two sides. "When the 123 agreement is in its final form, it will be subject to Congressional approval," the US envoy said.
New Delhi has started negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on an India-specific safeguards agreement. The 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group is expected to take a final call on engaging in nuclear trade with India by adjusting its guidelines after the deal clears the US Congressional process.
Lucknow, Oct 7 (IANS) With two children succumbing to dengue, the death toll from the mosquito-borne virus has risen to six in Uttar Pradesh.
"A six-year-old child from Sitapur district died of the disease in the paediatric ward of King George's Medical University on Friday, while another child died in the Farrukhabad district hospital," V.S. Nigam, health department spokesman told IANS here Saturday.
"The total number of dengue cases has shot up to 199 in the state with the detection of 40 new cases since Friday." Certain western districts, bordering Delhi, were stated to be the worst hit.
Maximum number of cases were reported from the New Okhla Industrial Development Area bordering Delhi with 44, followed by Lucknow -37, Ghaziabad -29 and Muzaffarnagar -20.
Meanwhile, taking suo moto cognisance of the spread of the disease, the Allahabad High Court directed the state administration to submit a detailed report on the state of dengue by Oct 22.
"The court has also asked us to issue directives to all district magistrates, municipalities as well as panchayati raj (village council) institutions to ensure all preventive and curative measures are in place across the state," principal health secretary Arun Kumar Misra said.
Carried by the aedes mosquito, the dengue virus has typical symptoms of high fever accompanied with acute pain in the joints and eyes. "It is certainly not as deadly or fatal like Japanese Encephalitis, but still it is a matter of serious concern for us" said Misra, adding, "we have ordered spraying of insecticides in all mosquito-prone areas and hope to contain the virus soon."
08 October 2006
Balakot (Pakistan), Oct 8 (DPA) The new hospital that contractor Zulfikar Ali built at the request of the provincial government in Balakot, one of the Pakistani cities that was levelled a year ago in the Oct 8 earthquake, was designed to be quake-resistant and was built to last.
But early this year, only about a week after the dedication of the facility that had been built with private donations, Pakistan's government decided to declare Balakot in the North West Frontier Province a "red zone," meaning that it deemed the earthquake threat there so great, that the 30,000 survivors who remained should be settled elsewhere and the city should never be rebuilt.
"Me, my donors, everybody - we looked like fools," Ali said.
Balakot was the city to suffer the most in the magnitude-7.6 quake. Fewer than one of every two residents in the city of 86,000 survived, and monsoon rains brought further misery in August as more residents were killed and the tents of the homeless were swept away.
Some survivors have left Balakot, unable to overcome the trauma, and the future of the remaining residents is uncertain because in the Islamabad office of Shazia Haris at the Pakistani government's Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority (ERRA), a map of the country shows Balakot marked in bright red of the "red zone".
A dark red line also runs near it, symbolising the fault line that set off the quake a year ago. Three other lines run right through the city.
"These are also active fault lines," Haris said. "There is a high likelihood that there will be another large earthquake there."
"Funding reconstruction would be a waste of money," she added. "This thing has to be relocated."
"This thing" is Balakot and, according to government plans, it is to be built anew in Bakrial, an area around a former army base about 20-km south of Balakot. Today, it is a hilly pasture land on which stand a couple of old huts.
Whether the residents who remain in Balakot would be willing to leave their home is questionable, however, even with the government's promises of land in Bakrial.
"No one will be forced to move," Haris said, adding confidently, however, that the new city, which is to be outfitted with modern infrastructure, "will be so good that everyone will want to go there".
The financial pressure to move is also likely to be great on Balakot's survivors, most of whom are extremely poor, because the government is refusing to give reconstruction aid to those rebuilding in the city marked for abandonment.
However, the United Nations' resident coordinator in Islamabad, Jan Vandemoortele, said he considered the government's plan to build Bakrial in two years as "very optimistic".
"If it takes less than five years, it would be very successful," he said.
Back in Balakot, there is little faith in the government and its promises.
"There is no light at the end of the tunnel," said Mohammad Siddiq, pessimistic even though he is among the few in Balakot with a job. He drives lorries and has enough of an income to build a house in Balakot. The foundation is already in place.
The fact that Balakot is not supposed to exist in the near future has not deterred him. He said he doesn't believe anything will happen quickly in Bakrial, and he and his family have had enough with living in a tent. He said he also has no faith that the government would provide him with promised material for transitional housing.
"The government has not given us money or corrugated metal sheeting," Siddiq said. "Nothing has changed for us since the earthquake."
ERRA, however, said 98 percent of the survivors in the earthquake zone are to be living in transitional housing, which is often made of corrugated metal, by the onset of this coming winter. When one looks from the mountains onto Balakot, a number of corrugated metal roofs do shimmer in the sunshine, but many people in the city continue to live in tents.
Vandemoortele said he sympathises with the frustration of Balakot's residents and the other quake survivors like them, but he also asked them for their understanding, saying the extent of the destruction was unimaginable: 1,700 children became orphans and 40,000 more lost one parent; 600,000 homes and 6,300 schools were destroyed; 800 hospitals and clinics were levelled; more than 6,400- km of roads were damaged; and water and electrical service were cut off in parts of the quake region.
He added, however, that there was reason to be optimistic. Only 35,000 people, or about 10 percent of those homeless quake survivors who had fled to camps, were still living in them, and the reconstruction is also picking up speed, he said.
"Things are running," Vandemoortele said. "For me, the glass is half-full."
For Ali, the builder of Balakot's hospital, the glass is half-empty. He asked why people are still living in tents when he was able to build an entire hospital in two months.
He also argued that the government should have begun long ago to put infrastructure in place in Bakrial or at least make some gesture to win the trust of Balakot's residents.
"It would have been enough if they had simply brought in some bulldozers and said, 'Here will be the centre of the city. Here will be the bus stop,'" Ali said. "The worst thing is when people have no more hope."
The one positive thing he said he sees in the situation is that until Bakrial is built, at least his hospital will continue to help the more than 200 people who come there for treatment every day. And in Ali's mind, that could well be a long, long time to come.
New York, Oct 8 (IANS) Scientists in the US have found a way to trigger bone production, raising hopes of treatment for osteoporosis in humans.
Gerald Crabtree and colleagues at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Maryland, found that they could massively increase bone mass in mice by tweaking the structure of a protein in the body.
Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become fragile and are prone to fractures.
In vertebrates, bone is constantly being formed and broken down throughout life. Cells called osteoclasts continuously degrade bone while cells called osteoblasts replenish it, reported the online edition of BBC News.
In an ideal situation, the two types of cells are perfectly balanced, allowing the bone to maintain bone mass. However, if the balance is upset and more bone is destroyed than formed it can lead to osteoporosis.
The researchers found that they could tip the balance by modifying the structure of a protein called NFATc1.
They modified NFATc1 in mice so it could move more easily into the command centre of cells, and thus become a little more active than usual. This triggered the production of large amounts of new bone, the researchers said.
"It could potentially be possible to develop new drugs to treat osteoporosis by recreating the same effect," Crabtree said.
The researchers are hopeful that the risk of side effects would be minimal because only small modifications to NFATc1 were required to produce a profound effect.
Letter to Sushil Kumar, senior advocate Supreme Court.
Respected Shri Sushil Kumar;
Hello
(I) I am extremely thankful and feel very much obligated to you that you have taken up my case and decided to defend me. From the beginning of this case I was neglected and had never been given a chance to reveal the truth before media or in court. The designated court did not provided me the lawyer inspite of giving three applications. In the high court one human rights lawyer asked the court that Afzal had expressed his desire that he want to be killed by toxic injection rather by hanging which is absolutely false. I never told this to my lawyer. Since that lawyer was not of my own choice (or my family) but it was due to my helplessness and non-accessibility to proper lawyer. Being locked up in high security jail and without being in communication with that human rights lawyer I could not change him or to convey my objection regarding my death desire to highcourt as I came to know this after high court's decision.
In the parliament attack case I was entrapped by Special Task Force of Kashmir. Here in Delhi the designated court sentenced me to death on the basis of special police version which workes in nexus with STF, and also came under the influence of mass media in which I was made to accept the crime under duress and threat by special police A.C.P. Rajbir Singh. That threat even get confirmed to designated court by T.V . interviewer (Shams Tahir Aaj-Tak).
When I was arrested in Srinagar bus stand I was taken to STF Headquarter from here the special police along with STF brought me to Delhi. In Srinagar at Parompora Police Station everything of my belongings was seized and then they beated me and threatened me of dire consequences regarding my wife and family if I reveal or disclose the reality before anybody. Even my younger brother Hilal Ahmad Guru he was taken into police custody without any warrant etc. and was kept there for 2-3 months. This was first told to me by A.C.P. Rajbir Singh. Special police told me that if I will speak according to their wishes they will not harm my family members and also gave me false assurance that they will make my case weak so that after sometime I will get released.
The most important priority I gave to safety of my family. As I know from last seven years how the STF men kill, the Kashmiris, how they had made youth invisible and had disappeared them while killing them in custody. I am living and organic eye-witness to various tortures and custodial killings and I am myself the victim of STF terror and torture. Being an surrendered militant of JKLF I was constantly harassed, threatened and agonized by various security agencies like Army. B.S.F. and S.T. F., But since S.T.F. is unorganized, without being accountable a band and gang of renegades patronised by state government. They intrude every house, every family everywhere in Kashmir anytime day or night. If anybody is picked up by STF and his family came to know this, then family members only wait to get his dead body which they hope. But usually they never came to know his whereabouts. 6000 youthes have disappeared. Under these circumstances and under this fearful environment persons like me are always ready to play any dirty game in the hands of S.T.F. Just for the survival. The people who are able to pay in terms of cash are not forced to do the dirty things the way I did as I was not able to pay.
Even one of the policeman of the same police station of Parimpora named Akbar had extorted 5000 Rs. Long brfore attack and threatened me that he will charge me as selling duplicate medicines and surgical items of which I was doing business at Sopore, in 2000. He came here in designated court and became a witness against me. He was knowing me before parliament attack. In the court room he told me in Kashmiri that my family is o.k. indirectly it was a hidden threat which the designated court hardly could realise otherwise in court I would have questioned him but before court started recording his statement he told me this. Throughout the trial I remained mute and helpless spectator as witnesses, police and even judge they all became a single force against me. I remained a frustrate bewildered and confused between the security and safety of myself and my family. I protected and saved my family. That is how I am lying in deathrow.
II. In 1997-98 I started a business of medicines and surgical instruments on commission basis as I could not get a govt. job due to the reason of being an surrendered militant. Because surrendered militants were not given jobs. They were either to work as SPOs or STF or to join the renegades under the patronage of security forces or police. Everyday SPOs were get killed by militants. In these conditions I started my commission based business earning 4000Rs. – 5000Rs. per month. But since the police informers (SPOs) usually harass those surrendered militants who do not work with S.T.F. etc.
From 98-2000 I usually used to pay 300Rs. sometimes 500 Rs. to local SPO so as to keep myself in business otherwise these SPO make us to present us before security agencies. Even one of the SPO one day told me that they too have to pay their bosses. As I was working hard in my business my business flourished. One day at 10 AM I was on my Two wheeler scooter that I had purchased just before two months. I was whisked away by STF men in bullet proof gypsy to camp. There the D.S.P. Vinay Gupta tortured me, electrified me�put me in cold water – used petrol�chillies and other techniques. He told me that I possess weapons but at evening time one of his inspector Farooq told me that if I can pay 1000,000 Rs. to him (D.S.P) I will be released or they will kill me. Then they took me to Humhama STF camp where D.S.P. Dravinder Singh also tortured me. One of his torture inspector as they called him Shanty Singh electrified me naked for 3 hours and made me drink water while giving electric shocks through telephone instrument. Ultimately I accepted to pay them 1000000Rs. for which my family sold the gold of my wife. Even after this they could manage only 80000 Rs. Then they took the scooter too which was just 2-3 months old which I bought for 24000Rs. Thus after getting 1lakh rupees they let me free.
But now I was a broken person. In the same Humhama STF camp there was one more victim named Tariq. He suggested me that I should always co-operate with STF otherwise they will always harass and will not let me to live normal�free life. This was a turning point of my life . I decided to live the way Tariq told me. Since from 1990-1996 I had studied in Delhi University I was also giving tuitions in different coaching centres and also home tuitions. This fact reached to the man named Altaf Hussain who is brother-in-law of S.S.P. Ashaq Hussain of Budgam. Since it was this Altaf Hussain who managed my family rather he became the broker between my family and D.S.P. Humhama Dravinder Singh. Altaf told me that I should teach his two children one on 12th , 2nd [second one] in 10th class as his children were not able to go outside for tuition due to militant threat. Thus I became very close to Altaf's and Altaf also. One day Altaf took me to Dravinder Singh (D.S.P.). D.S. told me that I had to do a small job for him that has to took one man to delhi as I was well aware about Delhi and has to manage a rented house for him. Since I was not knowing the man but I suspected that this man is not Kashmiri as he did not speak in Kashmiri but I was helpless to do what Dravinder told me . I took him to Delhi. One day he told me that he want to purchase a car. Thus I went with him to Karol Bagh. He purchased the car. Then in Delhi he used to meet different persons and both of us he Mohammad and me used to get the different phone calls from Dravinder Singh.
One day Mohammad told me that if he want to go back to Kashmir he can. He also gave me 35000Rs. and told me that this gift is for you. 6 days or 8 days before I took a rented room at Indra Vihar for my family as I decided to live in Delhi with my family because I was not satisfied with my this life. I left the keys of rented house to my land lady and told her that I will be back after Eid festival on 14th Dec. after parliament attack about which there was a lot of tension. I contacted Tariq in Sgr. [Srinagar]. At evening he told me when I came back from Delhi. I replied just one hour before. Next morning when I was about to leave to Sopore from bus stand Sgr. police caught me and took me to Parampora police station . Tariq was there also with STF. They took 35000 Rs. from my pocket, beated me and directly took me STF Head Quarter. From there I was taken to Delhi. My eyes were blind folded. Here I found myself in special police torture cell.
In special cell custody I told them everything regarding Mohammad etc. but they told me that I Showkat his wife Navjot(Afshan) Geelani are the people behind parliament attack. They too threatened me regarding my family and one of the inspector told me that my younger brother Hilal Ahmad Guru is in STF custody. They can lift the other family members too if I don't co-operate with them. They tried me and forced me to implicate Showkat his wife and Geelani but I did not yield. I told them this is not possible. Then they told me that I should not say anything about Geelani (be about his innocence).
After some days I was presented before media hand-cuffed. There were NDTV, Aaj tak, Zee news, Sahara TV etc. Rajbeer Singh (A.C.P.) was also there. When one of the interviewer Shams tahir told me what is the role of Geelani in parliament attack, I just said that Geelani is innocent. This moment A.C.P. Rajbeer Singh got up from his moving chair he shouted at me and told me that he had already said me not to speak about Geelani in front of everybody (Media-personnel). Rajbeer Singh's behaviour exposed my helplessness and media personnel atleast came to know that what Afzal is saying under threat or duress. Then Rajbir Singh (A.C.P.) requested T.V. personel that the question regarding Geelani should be washed away or not to be shown before public. At evening time Rajbir Singh told me that if I want to talk [to]my family. I replied in yes. Then I talked to my wife. After finishing my phone he told me if I want to see my wife & family alive I must co-operate [with] them at every step. They took me to various places in delhi. From where they showed that Mohammad had purchased different things. They took me to Kashmir from where we came back without doing anything. They made me to sign on atleast 200-300 blank pages.
I was never given an [a] chance in [the] designated court to tell the real story. The judge told me that I will be given full opportunity to speak at the end of case but at the end he even did not recorded my all statements neither the court gave me whatever even court recorded. If phone numbers recorded will be seen carefully the court would have come to know the phone numbers of STF.
Now I hope that the Supreme Court will consider my helplessness and the reality through which I had passed. STF made an [a] scapegoat in all this criminal act which was designed and directed by STF and others which I don't know. Special Police is definitely the part of this game because every time they forced me to remain silent. I hope my forced silence will be heard and justice will prevail.
I once again pay heart felt thanks to your good self for defending my case. May truth prevail!
(Sd)
Mohammad Afzal
S/O Habibullah Guru
Ward No. 6(High Security Ward)
Jail No. 1, Tihar
New Delhi 110064
By M.R. Narayan Swamy,
New Delhi, Oct 8 (IANS) Japan's special envoy Yasuhi Akashi will visit Sri Lanka next week with a pledge to help rebuild the lives of people in the island's embattled northeast hit hard by a seemingly unending conflict.
Akashi will travel to Colombo and Kilinochchi in the rebel-held north from or after Oct 15 to meet government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) leaders, ahead of their peace talks in Geneva in late October or early November.
In Colombo, Akashi is likely to meet President Mahinda Rajapakse and opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe who are set to sign an unprecedented pact to take a joint stand on ending one of the world's most protracted ethnic conflicts.
The veteran diplomat has publicly expressed a desire to also meet LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, whom he last met in 2003, for a personal interaction and to outline what Japan can do to better the lot of the people in the northeastern province, where fighting in recent months has killed hundreds and left hundreds of thousands displaced.
Most victims have been Tamils or Muslims, Sri Lanka's largest and second largest minorities. Many Sinhalese, the island's majority, have also suffered.
Subsequent to an interview Akashi gave to IANS in July 2006, the Tigers informed Japan that it would not be easy for Prabhakaran to meet Akashi "at this stage" and suggested he should meet S.P. Thamilchelvam, the LTTE political wing leader.
It is not clear if the LTTE has changed its mind since then, in the light of the peace talks scheduled between Colombo and the group in Geneva.
Japan, a key member of the co-chairs group that oversees Sri Lanka's peace process, is keen to play a key role in the reconstruction and economic development of the northeast, provided both sides uphold the 2002 ceasefire agreement and if the peace process makes progress.
The LTTE has told Tokyo that it welcomes and appreciates Japanese assistance.
It was at Japan's initiative that the donor conference in Tokyo in June 2003 agreed to substantially increase assistance to the Tamil-majority northeast. Since then Japan has been engaged in the region's development and rebuilding.
Japan's assistance to the northeast in 2003-05 amounted to $96.59 million. This included aid that followed the devastating tsunami of December 2004 that ravaged large parts of the province.
The above figure represents 13 percent of the total international assistance to the northeast, the other main donors being the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and UN agencies.
Japan has rebuilt the hospital in Kilinochchi, the political headquarters of LTTE, to serve an estimated population of 286,000. Similar projects involving the Jaffna hospital and a bridge to Mannar island are held up due to fighting.
Other Japanese assisted projects have helped to increase water supply, upgrade irrigation facilities and roads, increase student enrolment in primary and secondary education, ensure quality of health services and improve living conditions -- areas which deeply affect the ordinary people.
Akashi had also told IANS in July that a "comprehensive roadmap" would have to be thought of to evolve a final solution with necessary amendments in the Sri Lankan constitution and that there would have to be "certain self rule" in the LTTE controlled areas while taking steps towards a final solution.
Japan hopes that Akashi's visit to Sri Lanka will make a contribution in this direction.
Berlin, Oct 8 (IRNA) A Danish soldier succumbed to his injuries inflicted during combat in southern Iraq on Thursday, the online site of the daily Copenhagen Post quoted the Danish military as saying on Saturday.
The soldier was seriously wounded when his battalion came under insurgent fire near Basra.
He was transferred to a British field hospital where died of his wounds.
No other Danish soldiers were injured in the battle.
The soldier is the sixth Danish trooper to be killed in the Iraq conflict, raising questions about the troops' safety, Danish Defense Minister Soren Gade was cited as saying.
Two weeks ago 36-year-old Danish airman Kim Wadim was killed in Iraq.
By Syed Zarir Hussain,
Guwahati, Oct 8 (IANS) The Indian Army Sunday said it was keeping a fleet of helicopters on standby to air drop soldiers to fight separatist guerrillas hiding in inaccessible jungle terrain in Assam.
The army is engaged in a massive anti-insurgency operation in parts of eastern Assam, close to the border with Myanmar, to flush out rebels of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA).
"We shall air drop soldiers as and when needed based on specific intelligence," army spokesman Colonel Narender Singh told IANS.
The government called off a six-week ceasefire and resumed military operations against ULFA Sep 24 following stepped up attacks and extortions by the rebels.
At least four ULFA rebels were killed and six captured in the offensive. "The operations are going on and our target are cadres of ULFA's 28th Battalion who are active in eastern Assam," the army official said.
The ULFA too stepped up its attacks in the past fortnight killing at least three people and wounding 30, including 10 soldiers. Intelligence officials said a large group of ULFA guerrillas armed with explosives and sophisticated weapons have sneaked into Assam from Myanmar's north Sagaing division in the past two weeks.
"The ULFA cadres have split into small groups. Some are believed to be hiding in some thickly forested areas in eastern Assam," an intelligence official said.
Peace talks between ULFA representatives and the Indian government formally broke down last week after the People's Consultative Group (PCG), a civil society team appointed by the rebels to mediate, pulled out of the peace process blaming the government for calling off the truce.
The talks were deadlocked with the ULFA demanding the release of five of their jailed leaders as a condition to hold direct talks with the government. Indian negotiators wanted a commitment in writing that the ULFA leadership would come for talks if their jailed men were released. The rebel group refused to give a written commitment.
"We gave ULFA about 40 days to respond to the truce but they simply refused to give a letter of commitment. We cannot allow ULFA to take advantage of the ceasefire and carry out attacks," Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi told IANS.
The ULFA is fighting for an independent Assamese homeland since 1979. More than 10,000 people have lost their lives to insurgency in Assam in the past two decades.
Raipur, Oct 8 (IANS) Metal major Bharat Aluminium Company Ltd. (Balco) will set up a 1,200 MW thermal power plant in the coal rich northern region of Chhattisgarh at a cost of Rs.50 billion ($1.10 billion).
Balco, in which the central government has 49 percent share after it sold out 51 percent stake to the Sterlite group in 2001, signed a tripartite memorandum of understandings (MoU) late Saturday with the state government and the Chhattisgarh State Electricity Board (CSEB).
The Sterlite group is a part of Vedanta Resources plc, a London Stock Exchange listed metals and mining major with aluminium, copper and zinc operations in Britain, India, Australia and Africa.
Vedanta Resources chairman Anil Agrawal said that major industrial houses were willing to pump in investments in this mineral rich state and his group was thinking of increasing the investment flow.
Agrawal said his group was exploring the possibility of setting up a greenfield aluminium plant with an investment of Rs.100 billion but added that the concept was in a primary stage.
Chief Minister Raman Singh, who attended as chief guest the function in which the MoU was signed, assured all support to Balco for the power project.
New Delhi, Oct 8 (IANS) The musical chair over captaincy in the last two days will not affect Pakistan's performance in the ICC Champions Trophy, reinstated stand-in captain Younis Khan said here Saturday.
After regular captain Inzamam-ul-Haq was banned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for four one-day internationals for bringing the game into disrepute, vice-captain Younis had been elevated to the post for the period.
However, Younis surprised all by suddenly announcing his resignation Thursday and Mohammed Yousuf was made captain in his place.
More drama was to follow as the new chief of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Naseem Ashraf, who succeeded Shahryar Khan, reinstated Younis as captain late Friday night.
"What has happened in the past is now over. It won't affect the morale of the team in any way," Younis said at a press conference here after arriving from Lahore.
He admitted that the way things were moving in the last two-three days did affect him but now he had put that behind.
"I was mentally down for the last two days but when the new chairman offered me to lead the side again I thought that my priority is always to serve Pakistan and I agreed to accept the captaincy once again.
"Even you can make out from my body language that I am positive."
For Younis, being a captain is not an issue and is ready to step down if Pakistan reaches the final and hand over the reins to Inzamam.
"Whether I am a captain or not is immaterial but I want to give my one hundred percent to the team. I want Inzamam to lift the trophy if Pakistan reaches the final. I just want to be beside him and enjoy the moment," he said.
Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer said what had happened in the past few days was difficult but felt the team would put everything behind and play positively.
"My boys have the attitude and they will play positive cricket," he said.
Pakistan is in group B with New Zealand and South Africa and a qualifier, which is yet to be identified.
By Uma Nair,
New Delhi, Oct 8 (IANS) P. Chidambaram, India's no-nonsense finance minister, threw away his usual spotless white shirt and veshti and wore just trousers and a shirt with an apron atop to add deft strokes to a canvas along with noted artist Anjolie Ela Menon. Similarly, Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan shared a canvas with artist Sakti Burman. Paintings done by these greats will be seen at the 'India on Canvas' art auction Nov 10 at the Taj Palace Hotel here.
These headline-grabbing personalities will be among 100 celebrities and 100 artists for the show stopper being held in aid of Khushi, a charity working for the poor.
"Over the years I have felt that artists have to bear the load of creating works of art for charity," art historian Aman Nath told IANS. "I was astonished to know that Sanjay Bhattacharya doles out Rs.9 million of work to charities in a year. So, when I was approached by Khushi to do this big drive for a charity, I thought let me reduce that load and let us have a show in which artists and celebrities come together and share a space. Is the space sacred? If artists can create works of cow dung, of extremities of human excreta etc, etc, then I think space can be shared."
Apart from Chidambaram, Bachchan and artists Menon and Burman, there will be business tycoon Ratan Tata and Laxman Shreshta, actor Sharmila Tagore and Paresh Maity, Jaya Bachhan and Meiti Burman - the list is endless.
How were the artists chosen?
"On the basis of which celebrity wanted which artist," said Aman.
"When I was told that Ratan Tata wanted to paint with me I said 'Yes' instantly," said Laxman Shreshta. Ratan Tata has been collecting Laxman's work ever since the 1980s, the relationship goes back many years. "His eye is trained, it is distinctive because he is a trained architect before he came to take over the Tata bastion," he said.
The canvas Chidambaram and Anjolie Ela Menon will work on is one that will echo the little minstrels at Kerala's Guruvayoor temple.
"A few months ago both of us were together at a wedding," Anjolie told IANS. "And we were both somewhat taken up with these little boys who stood and chanted the mantras with so much ease and innocence," she said.
"Is this where you paint?" Chidambaram is reported to have asked Anjolie, quite shocked at her studio in Nizamuddin basti (shanty) in south Delhi. "This is where I have painted for years, it gives me the grist of everyday life, there are the women, the fakirs, the namaaz, the goats and the little children who love to fly their kites. This is the subject of my ferment," she answered.
"I was quite impressed with the way he handled the colour," Anjolie reminisced. "He painted the garlands and the slight areas of colour, he needs to come again because my work consists of many layers," she said.
Once work on the painting was left to dry the finance minister took a walk with Anjolie to see the little children in a slum nursery school. Of course he went incognito, no one knew who he was, but he was quite happy to walk down the dirty little lanes with flies and garbage everywhere. After that he went back to Anjolie's studio to chat.
"The only thing disappointing was the paparazzi," said Anjolie. "I would have liked to work with my own privacy and freedom which the paparazzi spoil, but I guess you can't have it all," she conceded.
Some artists like Ram Kumar, Ramachandran, Rameshwar Broota, Vasundara Tewari and a few others are uncomfortable with alien hands touching their canvas so they have just donated their works to the cause.
For the other artists, it has been an experience that has ranged from rollicking euphoria to quiet contemplation. Laxman Shreshta and Ratan Tata had something of a tete-e-tete, while Paresh Maity soared to delightful innuendoes with Sharmila Tagore and Simi Garewal.
With master of the contour Jogen Chowdhury, who worked in Santiniketan, Kolkata and Delhi, it was three different experiences. Tina Munim flew down to Kolkata and spent a few hours working on a collaboration. "She had immense knowledge of colours and techniques," said Jogen, who also did works with Sweta Bacchan, Amitabh's daughter.
Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia shared space with Krishen Khanna to create a work from his famed Bandwallah series. The painting has been reproduced as a wedding card for Montek's son. "I felt that it was an experience that meshed both interest and excitement," said Montek. "I think an artist's space must be looked upon as an indicator and reference of awe, and sharing a canvas with someone whom you have admired for so many years becomes a cache of precious memories and moments," he said.
Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan have worked with Sakti Burman and Meiti Burman respectively.
How will the paintings be priced?
With the prices fixed by the artist that becomes the benchmark for beginning.
How much will the artist receive? Fifty percent of the artist's price.
Considering the fact that the celebrity list boasts of a number of corporate buyers who are collectors themselves, the registers are bound to ring.
The artists' names are a mixed bag, some great, some good, some shockingly loud and some terribly insipid. "Celebrities choose their favourite artists," said Aman Nath.
Shutterbugs will be kept on their toes on Nov 10 at the Taj Palace, as they choose between the celebs, the artists and the beautiful works of art.
Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 8 (IANS) Chikungunya fever seems to be the cause of 90 deaths registered in Kerala since July, said the central medical team camping in Alappuzha district.
"Chikungunya has come back to Kerala after 30 years. The present outbreak of fever is due to chikungunya," National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme director P.A. Joshi told reporters here Saturday.
He, however, added that only autopsy reports that were expected soon would confirm whether chikungunya, a virulent African strain of a mosquito-borne disease, indeed was the cause of the deaths. Chikungunya is Swahili for that which bends, a reference to the bent posture of patients who suffer from severe joint pain as a result of the affliction.
His remarks followed those of central Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss who had Friday firmly denied the deaths in the state were due to chikungunya.
Joshi is leading a team of central health officials that has visited the worst affected district of Alappuzha. "There is no reason for any undue worry because this is a viral disease and one that can be treated at home.
"People should use mosquito repellents and those who are having fever should take paracetamol and vitamin B-complex tablets and also continue a regular diet with a lot of fluids," said Joshi.
"Apart from chikungunya, Kerala is endemic to dengue fever and rat fever too," he added.
Since the vector density in Kerala is 30 percent higher, the need of the hour is to contain the outbreak of the epidemic.
"We feel that it could be contained in 10 days. We have asked the state government to form seven medical teams which would look after two districts each to see that the anti-mosquito drive is taken up," added Joshi.
He said the central government would extend all help to contain the disease. Mosquito nets, testing kits and other essential items were being distributed in the affected areas.
The disease, first detected in the state July 27, has affected about 100,000 people so far.
The coastal districts of Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Kottayam, Kollam are the worst hit. The fever has also been reported from state capital Thiruvananthapuram.
India declared chikungunya an epidemic Friday.
Mangalore, Oct 8 (PTI) In a fresh eruption of violence, one more person succumbed to injuries today, taking the toll in the communal clashes to two, as curfew continued in the city and three other affected places nearby.
A group of six people travelling in an ambulance was attacked by a crowd at Polali, 20 kms from here, leaving them injured, one seriously -- who later succumbed to injuries, IGP (Western Range) H N Sathyanarayana Rao said.
In the morning, 22-year old Abdul Gafoor from Sulia taluk succumbed to injuries sustained in a stone throwing incident yesterday, District Superintendent of Police B Dayanand said.
Authorities decided to continue the curfew till 7 pm tomorrow in Mangalore rural police limits, Ullal and Konaje and brought Mangalore City also under curfew along with them.
Karnataka Home Minister M P Prakash told reporters in Bangalore that the government suspected the hand of "communal fundemantalists" from both communities in the violence.
The violence had erupted on Wednesday after Bajrang Dal activists had stopped a vehicle carrying cattle to a slaughter house.
New Delhi, Oct 8 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday met dengue patients at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here as the number of those hit by the mosquito-borne viral fever across the country rose to 3,407 and the death toll touched 46.
A total of 886 cases have been reported from Delhi and adjoining states, the health ministry said. Out of these, 538 cases are from Delhi alone.
"So far 21 people have died of dengue in Delhi. Of them, 11 had come from places outside the city," said D.S. Negi, Delhi's health secretary.
Besides the Indian capital, which has been badly affected, the maximum dengue cases have been reported from Kerala (713), Gujarat (424), Rajasthan (326), West Bengal (314), Tamil Nadu (306) and Maharashtra (226).
Patients have also fallen sick in Uttar Pradesh (79), Haryana (65), Karnataka (59) and Andhra Pradesh (9).
Dengue is caused by the bite of the female aedes aegypti mosquito that breeds in stagnant water, is marked by high fever, skin rashes and a sharp drop in blood platelet count that can prove fatal.
At the AIIMS, Manmohan Singh also met his two grandsons Rohan (11) and Madhav (17) and his son-in-law Vijay Tankha, who were admitted to the hospital Tuesday after they were suspected of dengue.
Rohan was discharged soon after the prime minister's visit.
"The remaining two members of the prime minister's family are recuperating well and we might consider discharging them Monday," said AIIMS spokesperson Shakti Gupta.
AIIMS medical superintendent D.K. Sharma said: "The prime minister was satisfied with the efforts made by the hospital to tackle the disease."
The health ministry Sunday set up a control room at the Directorate of National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) here for information dissemination on dengue.
The NVBDCP is monitoring the situation and providing technical guidance and logistics support to the states.
In Delhi, 61 new dengue cases were reported Sunday.
Authorities in the city, which is preparing to host the Commonwealth Games in 2010, continued to enforce a string of steps to kill the mosquito that causes dengue. Chemists reported brisk sales of anti-mosquito repellents.
Rajiv Ranjan, a MP from Begusarai in Bihar, was admitted at the AIIMS for suspected dengue. Three family members of Harendra Singh, a Rajya Sabha MP from Haryana, were also admitted to the hospital.
AIIMS is receiving patients from both within the capital and neighbouring states.
Andhra Pradesh Sunday confirmed the first death due to dengue fever this year.
Venkateswara Rao, director (medical and health), said that one person died of the disease in Anantapur district while four new dengue cases were confirmed in Hyderabad (2) and one each in Khammam and Srikakulam districts.
New Delhi, Oct 8 (IANS) The death toll in the mosquito-borne dengue fever in India rose Saturday to 45, with 21 of them in Delhi alone, as authorities in Delhi asked people to donate blood to cope with exigencies.
While three people died in Delhi Saturday, two children succumbed to the disease in Uttar Pradesh taking the state's tally to six. In Rajasthan, nine people have died.
A total of 3,331 dengue cases have been reported so far from 14 states.
Dengue is caused by the bite of the female aedes aegypti mosquito that breeds in stagnant water, is marked by high fever, skin rashes and a sharp drop in blood platelet count that can prove fatal.
The Delhi Government's call for blood donation came as about 825 cases of dengue have been reported in the Indian capital since the outbreak occurred on a large scale two weeks ago. More than 3,000 cases have been reported across the country.
According to All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) medical superintendent D.K. Sharma, the hospital had admitted 82 new cases since Friday morning and also discharged 14 patients.
"Currently, 144 patients are under treatment at AIIMS, of which 32 are from the campus alone. Five fresh case have come in from the campus since Friday," he added.
At the AIIMS, Usman Ghani, a 42-year-old patient from Gandhi Nagar in east Delhi, died around 2.30 a.m. Saturday, followed by Najma, 42, from Dadri and Angoori, 45, from Haryana in the afternoon.
The hospital had discharged 13 patients, Sharma said.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's two grandsons - Rohan (11) and Madhav (17) - and his son-in-law Vijay Tankha, a professor at St. Stephens College here, are undergoing treatment at the AIIMS with suspected dengue.
"The condition of all the three members of the prime minister's family is absolutely stable and they are recovering fast," AIIMS chief spokesman Shakti Gupta said.
"To be on the safe side, we are keeping them for a couple of days more. We hope they will be discharged on Monday," Gupta told reporters.
In the capital, the St. Stephens Hospital is treating 188 patients, Deen Dayal Upadhaya Hospital 129 cases and Lok Nayak Jai Prakash has 124 cases.
With two children succumbing to dengue, the death toll from the virus has risen to six in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh.
"A six-year-old child from Sitapur district died of the disease in the paediatric ward of King George's Medical University on Friday, while another child died in the Farrukhabad district hospital," V.S. Nigam, health department spokesman, told IANS here Saturday.
"The total number of dengue cases has shot up to 199 in the state with the detection of 40 new cases since Friday." Certain western Uttar Pradesh districts, bordering Delhi, were stated to be the worst hit.
The maximum number of cases was reported from the New Okhla Industrial Development Area bordering Delhi with 44, followed by Lucknow (37), Ghaziabad (29) and Muzaffarnagar (20).
Tamil Nadu Saturday said 25 of its 50 cases across the state had been reported from Vellore district.
Berlin/Warsaw/Prague, Oct 8 (DPA) It is now more than 15 years since India and Eastern Europe embarked on a drive to transform their economies and to open them up to foreign investment. But it has only been in recent years that the booming economies of India and Eastern Europe have slowly begun to forge new contacts with each other, including between India and the Czech Republic, Poland, Bosnia, the Baltics and Russia.
While India took steps to overhaul its once tightly-controlled economy through a raft of key reforms, East European countries were also moving during the early 1990s to roll back their Soviet-style command economies and push on with often painful moves towards more liberal market systems.
Indeed, Russia in recent years has emerged as one of India's key economic partners, with political ties flourishing against a backdrop of booming trade and growing military and technical cooperation.
Moscow's relations with New Delhi found fresh impetus in 2004, with the two sides aiming to boost bilateral trade from $3 billion to $25 billion over 10 years.
One success of Russian President Vladimir Putin's tenure was his pushing the concept of a strategic alliance with both India and China, despite deep-rooted friction between Russia's Asian neighbours.
Business links are being consolidated through major economic projects such as the Sakhalin-1 oil and gas developments on the far eastern island of Sakhalin, where both the Russian and Indian sides hold a 20 percent stake each.
And following the dismemberment of the Russian oil company Yukos for non-payment of taxes, India's state-owned ONGC oil company is expected to join China's CNPC and acquire a large stake in Yukos' former main production units.
Work also continues in the construction by Russia of two nuclear reactors for India. The 1,000-megawatt reactor units in Kudankulam are due to come online in 2007 and 2008.
Further marking out the change in relations between Eastern Europe and India, the three Baltic states' national development agencies have now begun cooperating with their equivalents in Denmark, Sweden and Finland as part of moves to launch a promotional campaign in India.
The campaign, which is set to open in New Delhi and Mumbai in early November, is expected to stress the six states' geographical proximity to both the EU's major markets and Russia, their logistical efficiency and their high-value production.
Czech and Indian companies are also on a fast track for bilateral cooperation, with each side accelerating the pace of trade deals in a variety of areas from tea to cars.
Traditionally, Czechs sold machinery and trucks to India, while India shipped garments and food to the Czechs. But now the trade is expanding into new areas such as chemicals, light engineering and IT services.
Czech companies such as Skoda Auto have invested in Indian factories, giving them a foothold in the vast Asian market.
But similarly Indian firms are stepping into Europe through Czech investments. For example, garment-maker Alok Industries recently bought the Czech fashion firm Mileta, India's Tetley tea company bought Czech regional tea-maker Jemca, and India's transport giant Ashok Leyland bought the struggling Czech truck-maker Avia.
Last year, the two countries enjoyed a nearly equal balance of imports and exports, totalling 503 million dollars, according to Ramesh Chander, an official at the Indian embassy in Prague.
"The trends in 2006 are encouraging," Chander said. "We have targeted the trade to reach the $1-billion mark by the year 2010."
Chander cited "tremendous potential for an increase in two-way trade" between the countries.
"The only visible constraint at this stage is the awareness gap on both sides," he said. "We are trying to bridge that gap."
However, it has been the drive by Indian-born steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal into Central and Eastern Europe, in part through buying up former state-owned steel companies, that has emerged as one of the new more prominent economic links between India and Eastern Europe.
Mittal's steel empire in the region now stretches from the Czech Republic to Romania, Kazakhstan and Ukraine.
In particular, the 2004 buyout of the Polish state-owned Polskie Huty Stali steelworks by Mittal Steel - which was worth an estimated grand total of 8.3 billion zloty ($2.7 billion) - ranks as the all-time single largest investment by an Indian-born entrepreneur in Poland.
Mittal Steel Poland SA now commands 70 percent of Poland's steel production in the country's four largest steel mills.
But underscoring the potential for growth in business ties between central Europe's biggest economy and India, an official list of more than 1,000 foreign direct investments by companies from around the globe in Poland in 2005 does not contain one Indian enterprise.
In May the Polish and Indian governments moved to boost flagging bilateral trade and investment by signing an agreement on bilateral economic co-operation. At the same time, India's and Poland's national chambers of commerce signed a similar agreement.
Party to the agreement signed in Warsaw, India's visiting Trade and Industry Minister Kamal Nath revealed that Indian firms expressed interest in Poland's "biotech, energy, IT, coking coal, pharmaceutical and electronics sectors."
In the northern Bosnian town of Lukavac, Global Ispat Coke Industry d.o.o. Lukavac (GIKIL) is a partnership between India's Global Infrastructure Holdings Ltd (GIHL), and KHK owned by the government of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
GIHL is a leading Indian-owned supplier of coke for the steel and foundry industry and is run by Laksmi's younger brother, Pramod Mittal.
Ranchi, Oct 8 (IANS) Five people, including an infant, were killed in two separate incidents in Jharkhand, police said Sunday.
In the first incident at Khilari, 45 km from here, Bharat Tana Bhagat axed to death his 35-year-old wife and their sons aged 10 and six months Saturday while they were asleep. A husband-wife fuel reportedly led to the tragedy.
After the murders, Bhagat went to a river and cleaned the axe. He was arrested after villagers informed the police.
In the second incident here, Aftab, 35, slit his wife's throat with a razor and later hanged himself. Aftab's relatives told the police that he was unemployed and had been looking for a job.
The couple, who have two sons and a daughter, reportedly fought regularly.
By Mahendra Ved,
Islamabad/New Delhi, Oct 8 (IANS) Five years after a determined US-led offensive ousted them from power in Kabul, the Taliban is on the path of resurgence in Afghanistan in total defiance of the Western military might.
The militia is virtually calling the shots in Afghanistan's southern and eastern provinces, which is more than a half of the beleaguered nation, halting its reconstruction and development.
The writ of President Hamid Karzai remains confined to Kabul and major cities of the northern half despite the backing he has of the West. With more and more of their soldiers dying, Western countries are under pressure to quit Afghanistan.
The US, which appears keen to concentrate its efforts in Iraq, has begun the process of formally passing the military leadership to the NATO-led forces. The 31,000-strong force, mainly drawn from the US, Britain, Denmark, Holland and Canada, is to be augmented in the coming months to be able to spread their operations to areas where the Taliban is trying to dominate.
Five years after launching "Operation Enduring Freedom" and two years after the launch of more localised but equally fierce operations, the US-led forces have failed to bring peace to the troubled country.
US President George W. Bush last month played host to Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and Karzai, who got locked in a public spat over the whereabouts of Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden and Taliban leader Mullah Omar.
The Taliban has displayed the capacity to grow while out of power and has incorporate new allies like Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a one-time Afghan prime minister and a leading force against the anti-Soviet jehad in the 1980s.
The militia reportedly has a fighting force of 30,000-plus, a figure roughly the same when they ruled from Kabul, and enjoy massive firepower. Their manpower comes mainly from the seminaries run along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
Even as a large number of Al Qaeda functionaries are supposed to have moved to Iraq, which emerged as the new battle ground since 2003, a substantial number, dubbed 'renegades' and 'remnants' by the Western media, have remained active in Afghanistan, thanks to the safe haven provided to them by their tribal 'hosts' in Pakistan's Waziristan province.
An agreement the Musharraf regime reached with the tribal chiefs after two years of military operations in the region has a nodding approval of the Bush administration but is viewed with great suspicion by Western strategic analysts because many of the Taliban fighters are known to use Waziristan for rest and medical treatment.
Using the mountainous terrain to the advantage, the Taliban and their supporters have targeted foreigners and locals engaged in development projects.
Their victims also include government officials and policemen appointed by the Karzai government besides schools and health centres, particularly those frequented by women. And though they too have suffered many deaths, the Taliban has vowed to fight on.
Their role in the manifold increase in the production of narcotics as a source of drug money for arms remains a matter of intense debate.
On the eve of the fifth anniversary of the US-led attack that led to its ouster from power, the Taliban asked all foreign forces to quit the country if they wanted to end the fighting.
Taliban spokesperson Abdul Hye Mutmain said the Taliban had no conflict with anyone outside Afghanistan.
"The foreigners attacked Afghanistan and we are using our right to defend our homeland. The Taliban resistance has become stronger while the attack gave nothing to the US and its allies except more bodies," he argued in an interview with the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP), quoted widely in the Pakistani media.
He also ruled out the possibility of Taliban holding talks with the Afghan government or joining the regime led by President Karzai.
Jammu, Oct 8 (IANS) Four infiltrators were killed along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir early Sunday, said an Indian Army spokesperson.
The intrusion at around 2.00 a.m. in Saujian sector, 240 km north of Jammu, was detected through sensors. A fierce gun battle ensued between the intruders and army personnel.
"Four militants were killed and their bodies have been recovered. A search operation is underway," the spokesperson said.
By Lola Nayar,
New Delhi, Oct 8 (IANS) Chemicals and Fertiliser Minister Ram Vilas Paswan promises a new policy for the poor that will ensure them free medicines, health insurance and subsidised treatment for tuberculosis, AIDS and cancer.
"By Jan 1 we hope to have drug banks operational at district headquarters that will offer free medication to the poor," Paswan said in an interview here.
"The banks will be stocked with the help of the drug manufacturers who have agreed to provide 0.5 percent of their annual turnover for this effort," Paswan told IANS.
As per ministry estimates, drugs worth Rs.450 million are to be contributed annually towards this effort by small and medium-sized enterprises in the pharma industry, which has a turnover over Rs.90 billion.
"We are also studying the launching of a health insurance programme soon for below the poverty line (BPL) families," said Paswan.
Free medication and health insurance cover for the BPL (below poverty line) population, estimated at 300 million are expected to be part of the new policy.
"The 14-member committee formulating the new policy is studying including the health insurance cover. The final report is expected by month-end and we will go to the cabinet in November to seek approval," Paswan said.
A Supreme Court directive on controlling prices of essential drugs had initially set the ball rolling on making medical and healthcare affordable. The committee appointed by the ministry is studying various ways to achieve this.
As part of the promises made in the United Progressive Alliance's common minimum programme to provide drugs at reasonable prices to the common man, the ministry favours adoption of some of the recommendations of two earlier committees.
It is considering capping the cost of branded drugs at the average of prices charged by some top producers to protect both consumers and research and development activities. A final decision is yet to be taken.
With the government announcing plans of raising the budgetary allocation for the health sector from 0.9 percent of GDP to 2-3 percent, Paswan said the additional resources would make it possible to offer health insurance to the poor in rural and urban areas.
"In addition to the proposed hike in health allocation, there is the Prime Minister's Relief Fund, the Health Minister's Relief Fund and other contingency funds that can be utilised to provide facilities for the poor," said Paswan.
Another important step proposed by the ministry is offering free or subsidised medication for critical illnesses like cancer and HIV/AIDS.
"The policy will address the need to provide subsidised drugs for critical or life-threatening diseases that require expensive treatment. In the case of BPL population, we hope to offer free medication. But for those above poverty line (APL), (we will) provide drugs at 50 percent subsidised rates," Paswan added.
The innovative step may introduce a new model of drug purchase by state-run hospitals.
"We have proposed that government hospitals procure medicines for treatment of cancer, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and other critical illness directly from the manufactures and thereby eliminate the 15 percent wholesaler and 35 percent retailer margin," said Paswan.
"This is an achievable goal as we have closely studied the Rajasthan formula, which has succeeded in providing cheaper medicines to patients," he said.
The inspiration behind this is the state-run Rajasthan Medicare Relief Society that directly procures medicines from manufacturers and sells to patients with a limited mark-up price.
New Delhi, Oct 8 (IANS) India will host a five-day global rice conference from Monday focusing on international cooperation to boost the yield of the food grain that is a vital staple food for more than half of the world's population.
To be inaugurated here by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the 2nd International Rice Congress 2006 (IRC2006) will bring together around 1,200 scientists from around 40 countries besides traders, millers and also some selected farmers to foster partnerships in research, development and trade.
"The IRC2006 aims to provide a common platform for sharing knowledge and expertise on research, extension, production, processing, trade, consumption, and related activities with stakeholders," said Mangala Rai, secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education and director general of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) here Saturday.
India ranks first in area (42.4 million hectares) and second in rice production (87.6 million tonnes.) with its area and production accounting for 27.5 percent and 14.5 percent of the global share respectively. Rice has 43 percent share in the food grain production in the country.
"At present, many nations are struggling to produce more rice at less cost in a deteriorating environment," said Rai, who is also the chairman of the IRC2006 organising committee.
"Rice research and development also needs to address the United Nations Millennium Development Goals for poverty alleviation, food and nutritional security, and environmental conservation."
International Rice Research Institute's representative in India, J.K. Ladha said the IRC 2006 comes at a very important time for the international rice industry when issues such as sustainability and water, GM rice and rice prices are being debated in most rice producing nations.
Adding further interest to the event is the continuing struggle of many countries in Asia to produce the rice they need to feed their growing populations - a problem compounded by the current increase in the international price of rice.
Around 90 countries cultivate rice.
Due to the high consumption of rice in developing countries, increasing its nutritional value can lead to significant positive health outcomes, said Ladha.
New York, Oct 8 (IANS) Children with high blood pressure, a condition also known as hypertension, may be at risk of developing sleep breathing disorder, says a new study.
Alisa A. Acosta and colleagues at the University of Texas Medical School, Houston, evaluated 15 boys and five girls aged 4-18 with primary hypertension who snored or had enlarged tonsils or night-time high blood pressure. Each participated in a one-night sleep study.
In the study, 60 percent of hypertensive children had a condition called sleep disordered breathing (SDB). SDB is characterised by short periods of upper airway obstructions that are complete (apnea) or partial (hypopnea), or a longer period of insufficient air movement (obstructive hypoventilation), reported the online edition of EurekAlert.
SDB is a disorder that can result in daytime sleepiness, limited attention span, poor school performance, hyperactivity, poor growth and increased blood pressure in the lungs.
"We know there's a link in adults between obstructive sleep apnea - the most common of SDBs - and high blood pressure, so we were curious to see if the same link exists in our paediatric population," Acosta said.
The researchers measured blood oxygen levels, airflow rates and brain activity to look for levels that would indicate sleep disordered breathing and found that 12 of the 20 children tested (60 percent) had SDB.
Hindon (Uttar Pradesh), Oct 8 (IANS) In one of its grandest displays ever, a staggering 68 aircraft of the Indian Air Force participated in a stupendous aerial display Sunday to mark the 74th anniversary of the IAF, serving notice that the force has not only come of age but is more than prepared to face the challenges of the future.
"Apart from being the guardian of Indian air space and guaranteeing her territorial integrity, the IAF also ensures the vital interests of a resurgent India that extend well beyond its shores," the IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi, said in his address on the occasion.
"With a vision of strategic reach based on national interests, we are today a trans-Oceanic force capable of protecting and projecting Indian interests," he added.
In this context, Tyagi noted the importance of inter-operability with the army and the navy.
"We constantly endeavour to understand better the roles and capabilities of the other services. We are convinced that the core competencies of each must be synergised to deliver the required effect and capability," he said.
Sunday's parade was the last at which Tyagi took the salute as he retires March 31, 2007. The proceedings began with Tyagi freefalling 500 feet after jumping from 4,500 feet from an MI-17 helicopter before deploying his parachute and effecting a precision landing in front of the audience.
IAF Day is normally celebrated at the Palam airfield in New Delhi but was shifted to the Hindon air base on the outskirts of the capital this time to give the IAF more space to display its might and also to ensure there was no disruption of commercial air traffic to and from the capital.
"We took a conscious decision, in national interests, to shift to Hindon," Air Marshal A.K. Singh, who heads the premier Western Air Command that staged the IAF Day celebrations, told reporters after the parade.
"Hindon gives us the space to display our true capabilities and also enables the greater participation of common citizens in the celebrations. We are happy to note that more than 60,000 civilians attended the show," added Singh, who retires Jan 31, 2007.
The air display was the highlight of the IAF Day celebrations, at which Tyagi presented gallantry and meritorious service awards to IAF personnel.
Army chief Gen. J.J. Singh, navy chief Adm. Arun Prakash and Marshal of the IAF Arjan Singh were among a large number of dignitaries who attended the show.
The air display commenced with three Mi-17 helicopters in a "V" or "Vic" formation trooping the IAF ensign at a height of 60 metres and a speed of 80 kmph, followed by three Mi-35 attack helicopters, also in Vic formation, at the same height but at a speed of 210 kmph.
This set the stage for the fly-past by fighter aircraft, led by five Jaguars in arrowhead formation at a height of 150 metres and a speed of 780 kmph. Closely following them were arrowhead formations of five each MiG-21 Bison, MiG-23, MiG-29, and Mirage 2000s.
After this came three Sukhoi Su-30MKIs in a Vic formation. The leading aircraft pulled up steeply and carried out an approach overhead at 100 metres to set up a CAP (combat air patrol) to sanitise the area for a SAR (search and rescue) demonstration.
Two Mi-17 helicopters then entered the arena to demonstrate the rescue of downed pilots by specially trained IAF commandoes.
This was followed by a display of helicopter formation flying by the Sarang team of four advanced light helicopters.
Coming up next was a demonstration of midair refuelling with an IL-78 tanker hooked on to a SU-30 a Jaguar and another IL-78 hooked on to two Mirage-2000s.
Two MiG-29s and two Jaguars then demonstrate a CAP-versus-strike operation, followed by a SU-30 performing a solo aerobatics display.
The grand finale was a scintillating formation aerobatics ballet by the renowned Surya Kiran Aerobatics Team of nine Kiran Mk II aircraft. The routine included take-off in Vics of three in front of the audience followed by a breathtaking display of synchronised low-level manoeuvring in close formation.
Brussels, Oct 8 (IANS) Indian folk and classical dancers enthralled a 2,000-strong gathering in the Belgium capital at the start of a four-month Festival of India, the first such extravaganza from India after a 15-year gap.
The festival took off Saturday with an elegant and impressive ceremony, with Queen Fabiola of Belgium opening the Nala and Damayanti exhibition at the Palais de Beaux arts, or Bozar.
Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) president Karan Singh and Viscount Etienne D'Avignon, president of Bozar, formally inaugurated the festival in the presence of Queen Fabiola.
Noted Bharatanatyam dancer Alarmel Valli and Odissi dancer Madhavi Mudgal gave a performance together at the inauguration.
"In our presentation 'Samanvaya', we try to play with similarities and contrasts of the two classical dance traditions," said Valli before the show.
Organised by ICCR and Bozar, the festival has as its showpiece an art exhibition titled Tejas - meaning "intellectual brilliance or spiritual brilliance, denoting the effulgence of Indian culture", in the words of Karan Singh.
Tejas will be inaugurated Nov 11 by Sonia Gandhi, the chairperson of India's ruling coalition, in the presence of Queen Fabiola.
With 138 events planned as part of the meet-the-new-India initiative, the festival will showcase 15 centuries of Indian art, classical music and dance along with contemporary fashion, food, films and literature.
The India festival is the first in which uniquely Indian artefacts - all from one country - are coming to Europe.
A set of 47 exquisite Nala and Damayanti paintings made in the inimitable Kangra style of Indian miniature paintings from the 18th century will be travelling outside India for the first time.
The paintings, which visually narrates the mythological love story of Nala and Damayanti through an entire range of moods and settings, were originally part of Karan Singh's private collection and are now with the National Museum.
It's not just art, but an entire spectrum of Indian contemporary culture that's on display at Bozar.
Noted authors like V.S. Naipaul and Amit Chaudhary will be there as well as ace fashion designers Sabyasachi Mukherjee and Raghavendra Rathore.
A two-week food festival has already taken off with two chefs from Delhi's Hotel Ashok giving the Europeans a composite taste of India.
A film festival showcasing works of legendary Indian filmmakers like V. Shantaram, Bimal Roy, Vijay Anand, Shyam Benegal and others will also be held.
The literati can expect an intellectual feast. Five Indian writers, from among the lot who are going to the Frankfurt Book Fair, will be discussing the master theme of unity and diversity at Bozar.
"Cultural diplomacy is becoming increasingly important in today's world. Cultural diplomacy gives a certain aura, ambience and gentleness to Indian diplomacy," Karan Singh had said a week ago in New Delhi.
New Delhi, Oct 8 (IANS) India must get into early momentum in the Champions Trophy if it has to do well in the 10-nation tournament, said Sachin Tendulkar here Sunday.
"As a team we have to put the right foot forward and get early momentum. It's important to get the momentum going," Tendulkar said at an open session with the media here.
"And the earlier you achieve the momentum the better it is for the team," outlined the former India captain, while rating the Champions Trophy second best tournament to the World Cup.
India, who are placed in Group A along with Australia and an unidentified qualifying team, play their first match against England Oct 15 in Jaipur.
Two teams that will finish at the top in the ongoing qualifying round among the West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe will progress to the main tournament.
Tendulkar also said India need good planning for the league-cum-knock-out biennial tournament.
"We need good planning. It is important because we will be playing different oppositions rather than the same team in this tournament," he said. "We have to think mentally that way."
Tendulkar, who returned to international cricket during the DLF Cup triangular series in Malaysia recently, said the Champions Trophy was important for both him and the entire country.
"It is not just important (for me) but for the entire nation.
"It's the second best tournament after the World Cup. The expectations are high and we have to live up to the expectations," he said.
Tendulkar felt the tournament would be exciting.
"It is the best opportunity to have a fair idea about strategies. We have got to take one step at a time," he said.
Tendulkar said the Indian team would benefit from the home crowd support and familiar conditions.
However, on the role of "mentor" assigned to him by coach Greg Chappell, he did not seem to agree with the former Australia captain.
"I am a player (first)," he said emphatically in reply to a question how he plays the role of "mentor".
Tendulkar said he shares his thoughts with the youngsters in the team. "But it's two-way traffic, as I can also learn from them."
He said despite his shoulder injury, his game has not changed much.
"I play my game. But how I would approach a game I decide with the team management."
Hyderabad, Oct 8 (IANS) India's first robot-assisted heart valve replacement surgery was conducted at a hospital here, doctors said Saturday.
A 23-year-old male patient, who was diagnosed with mitral stenosis and severe mitral regurgitation (tight and leaky valve) and severe enlargement of the left atrium, is recovering fast after the robotically assisted valve replacement Sep 29, they said.
R. Ravi Kumar, a cardiothoracic surgeon, told a news conference that the Care Hospital had achieved the distinction of being the first in India to perform this robot-aided procedure.
"While robotic surgeries have been done for the ASD ('hole in heart') closure and mitral valve repair in the recent past in India, this is the first time that the valve had been replaced with robotic aid," said Ravi Kumar, who recently returned from the US, where he got training for the surgery.
The mitral valve, lying between the left atrium and left ventricle, allows blood to flow from the former into the latter and then prevents the back flow of blood into the left atrium during ventricular contraction.
The Care Hospital procured the robot for $1.2 million from an American firm. Under Ravi Kumar, the hospital plans to train doctors both from India and abroad in robotic surgeries.
The robotically assisted surgeries are being preferred over traditional surgeries for their minimal incision, excellent visualisation and three dimensional magnification, great precision on the part of the surgeon, less chance of infection, less blood transfusion and shorter period of hospitalisation.
While traditional open-heart surgeries are performed by cutting through the sternum or breast bone, robotically assisted mitral valve replacement or repair is done through a small incision on the right side of the chest.
Three more patients were operated upon at the hospital with the assistance of robot since Sep 29 for ASD closure.
"Under robotically assisted surgeries, it is the surgeon who makes every move. It is nothing but an extension of arm of the surgeon," said Ravi Kumar.
New York, Oct 8 (IANS) An Indian American-run company is among four companies honoured as this year's outstanding minority businesses by the Oklahoma Minority Supplier Development Council (OMSDC).
Tulsa (Oklahoma)-based P&R Supply Co., which markets and distributes batteries in the US and internationally, has received the Class 2 award for having recorded sales between $1 million and $10 million, according to a report in the Tulsa World.
The companies were recognised for their performance in four classes based on annual sales during a dinner ceremony last week in Oklahoma City. This is the third time the owner Hari Musapeta has been recognised for the company's performance.
Musapeta was the Class 1 recipient in 1992 and received the Class 2 award in 1999.
He was also named the 2006 Minority Business Champion by the Small Business Administration for his involvement with the OMSDC and his efforts to help other local and state minority firms.
In 2005, he was named the Tulsa Metro Chamber's minority business champion and represents Tulsa and the state on several minority business groups.
"The OMSDC is a very good association to be involved with," Musapeta told the Tulsa World.
He said this year, he was expecting a 15 percent to 20 percent sales growth.
Two African-American-owned companies, Higher Impact Designs and Leader Communications, won this year's Class 1 and Class 3 awards respectively.
American Indian-owned Red Man won the Class 4 award.
According to the report, the OMSDC promotes business relationships between major corporations and minority businesses through a number of outreach programmes, activities and events.
New Delhi, Oct 8 (IANS) A day ahead of his visit to London and Helsinki, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday visited a hospital where his two dengue-hit grandsons and a son-in-law are admitted even as the virus infected more people here taking the total number of known patients to 886.
While Delhi accounts for 21 deaths, the disease has also enveloped 13 other states killing 24 others in Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. A total of 3,331 people are hit across India.
Sixty-one new cases were reported in the Indian capital, the latest victims including an MP and family members of another MP, heightening concerns that the disease was probably spread despite government efforts to contain it.
At the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), which is receiving patients from both within the city and nearby states, 28 new cases were reported since Saturday. The total number of patients in AIIMS is now put at 151.
"So far 21 people have died of dengue in Delhi. Of them, 11 had come from places outside the city," said D.S. Negi, Delhi's health secretary.
Manmohan Singh Sunday visited AIIMS, where his two grandsons and a son-in-law are admitted, and interacted with around 40 patients in the general ward.
"He enquired about their well-being," said D.K. Sharma, medical superintendent, AIIMS. "The condition of all the three members of the prime minister's family is stable and they are recovering fast.
"The prime minister was happy with efforts made by the hospital to tackle the disease."
Rajiv Ranjan, a MP from Begusarai in Bihar, was admitted in AIIMS Sunday for suspected dengue. Three family members of Harendra Singh, a Rajya Sabha MP from Haryana, were also admitted to the hospital.
Dengue, caused by the bite of the female aedes aegypti mosquito that breeds in stagnant water, is marked by high fever, skin rashes and a sharp drop in blood platelet counts that can prove fatal.
New Delhi, Oct 8 (IANS) Indian Railways will spend Rs.1 trillion ($21 billion) on modernisation of railway signals, tracks and rolling stocks keeping in view the transport needs of the next five years, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad said here Saturday.
"The modernisation of railway signals, tracks and rolling stocks will not only reduce the unit cost but also provide services to customers at a reduced cost," Lalu Prasad told an infrastructure meet organised by the Planning Commission.
Among the several innovative plans unveiled by the railway minister to address the needs of the people while raising the railway's revenue stream is the proposal to set up outlets for agro products at 7,000 railway stations through public-private partnership (PPP).
"These outlets will purchase milk, fruits and vegetables at reasonable prices and these products will be carried to the markets through air-conditioned containers," the minister said.
"The successful implementation of this project will result not only in farmers getting reasonable prices for their products but also make available fresh milk and vegetables to the urban population resulting in overall economic development of the country," said Lalu Prasad.
He highlighted the fact that optimum utilisation of railway assets had resulted in reduction of the unit cost and turnaround of Indian Railways into a profitable entity.
"The implementation of the dedicated freight corridor project in different parts of the country will not only result in increased speed for goods trains but also allow high speed passenger trains on the existing tracks," the minister stated.
During the current fiscal, the railways are expecting the freight traffic to record an 8-10 percent growth and passenger traffic to grow by 6-8 percent.
For continuing the growth momentum, Railway Board chairman J.P. Batra stressed that the railway infrastructure needed to be in place to fully capitalise on the opportunity.
Damascus, Oct 8 (IRNA) Syrian President Bashar al-Asad said that Iran and Turkey support Syria's position more than the Arab countries do.
In an interview with the Kuwaiti daily 'Al-Anba', which was published on Saturday, President Asad added that Syria's outstanding ties with Iran and Turkey is because of the common stance and constant exchange of views among the three countries on issues such as Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq and terrorism.
Although the three neighboring countries have differences on some details, they make unanimous decision on important issues.
Asked about the reason for giving priority to Iran and Turkey rather than Arab countries, he noted, "We ask the same question, and believe that the problem lies in the political stance of certain Arab states."
Pointing to existing problems in relations with Arab countries, he pointed out that the ties are not on a government-to-government basis but are based on personal relations. "Although, personal ties are important, they cannot substitute official relations," he stated.
Refuting the allegation that Lebanon's Hizbollah is fighting Israel on behalf of Iran and Syria, the president stated this is irrational since nobody who is ready to sacrifice himself/herself in favor of others.
"Iran is the main target of US policy in the Middle East, therefore, Washington attempts to raise such accusations in order to drive a wedge between Iran and the Arab countries by playing the 'Arab and non-Arab' card as was the case during the eight-year Iran-Iraq war.
"Iranians are Persians but there is no obstacle to supporting Palestinians' legitimate objectives. Iranians have continuously endorsed Syrian views and have never adopted a stance against us. Iran has not fomented Lebanon-Israel tension to destroy the country." Pointing to Syrian response to every foreign aggression against an Arab country, he said that respecting Arab Joint Defense Accord, Arab countries should intervene in such dispute and support the country which on which aggression is committed.
Asked about Iran's interference in Iraq's internal affairs, he stressed that there is no doubt, Iran has a positive impact on the neighboring country, but its support for a united Iraq should not be considered as interference.
Iraqi parties call on Iran to play a key role in the
reconstruction of Iraq and underline expansion of bilateral ties, he added.
"Some Lebanese parties seek Syria's support and view, and we can not tell them that we should not have any influence over on Lebanon," he concluded.
London, Oct 8 (IRNA) Prime Minister Tony Blair Saturday rallied British troops serving in Afghanistan by insisting that their deployment was vital to prevent the country falling back into the hands of al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
"It's been very, very tough, it was always going to be tough," Blair said in a direct broadcast to Britain's Armed Forces to mark the fifth anniversary of the US-led war in Afghanistan.
"Whenever you go into a battlefield situation like that, there are always things that you learn, there are always things that come at you in a more intense way than you expect," he said following growing criticism that the deployment is undermanned.
But the British premier insisted that "what they're doing is absolutely essential because the reason why they're fighting hard is that the Taliban are fighting them hard and, fortunately, since they're up against the British troops."
Since the start of the war, 40 British military personnel have died in Afghanistan, but this includes 33 since thousands of extra forces were sent earlier this year to replace US combat troops.
Since May, an average of five soldiers a week have been killed out of the 18,500 serving with NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
The growing concerns have been compounded by a series of leaked British reports and e-mails -- including one by an officer complaining that the air force had been "utterly, utterly useless." In his broadcast, Blair attempted to reassure the nearly 6,000 British troops in Afghanistan by saying he was committed to provide any additional resource requested by commanders on the ground.
"Let me just make one thing clear: If the commanders on the ground want more equipment, armored vehicles for example, more helicopters, that will be provided," he said.
Beijing, Oct 8 (DPA) Japan's new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived here Sunday for fence-mending talks with Chinese leaders, who had refused to meet Abe's predecessor since 2001.
Abe is scheduled to meet President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao and other leaders before flying to South Korea early Monday for similar talks in Seoul.
Apart from bilateral issues, his talks in Beijing are likely to be dominated by how to respond to North Korea's plan to conduct a nuclear test.
The leaders of China and Japan have not met since former Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi's 2001 visit to the Yasukuni war shrine, which honours Japan's war dead including 14 class A war criminals convicted after World War II.
Earlier this year, Chinese President Hu Jintao highlighted Koizumi's visits to the shrine as the "major obstacle in the China-Japan relationship".
China wants Abe to make a public promise not to visit the shrine but he is instead likely to stick to his position that he will decide on future visits with his "heart", a Japanese official said in Beijing.
Abe has previously visited the shrine but has declined to say if he plans to do so as prime minister.
Apart from the shrine visits, the two sides are also expected to discuss disputes over offshore oil and gas exploration and control of islands in the East China Sea.
Abe's trip to Beijing is the first part of what he calls a new "pro-active diplomacy" for Japan.
In his recent policy address to the Japanese parliament, Abe said Japan's close economic ties to China and South Korea made the improvement of diplomatic relations "extremely important for the Asian region and the entire international community".
Japan's exports to China soared to $80 billion in 2005, with imports from China reaching $108 billion, according to Japanese statistics.
By Sudeshna Sarkar,
Kathmandu, Oct 8 (IANS) As Nepal's multi-party government and the Maoist guerrillas resumed peace negotiations Sunday after a hiatus of over three months, the rebels stuck to their contentious demands regarding monarchy that had stalled the talks.
They are also demanding scrapping all unequal international treaties, many of which are with India, regulating the open border with it.
As Maoist chief Prachanda led his deputy Baburam Bhattarai, ethnic leader Dev Gurung and military strategist Ram Bahadur Thapa aka Badal to the fourth round of negotiations with Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and top leaders of the ruling seven-party alliance, the guerrillas have tabled a nine-point charter of demands in which the top agenda is monarchy.
The rebels want King Gyanendra to be stripped of whatever executive authority he is left with and that monarchy be suspended during the governance of the caretaker government till an election is held for a constituent assembly to decide whether Nepal will remain a kingdom or become a republic.
They are also demanding that all property and assets owned by King Gyanendra and other members of the royal family be nationalised, besides a referendum on the issue of monarchy.
The guerrillas favour scrapping of all past unequal treaties with foreign countries, mainly with India, and signing of new pacts keeping Nepal's interests in view.
They are also asking for the nearly 2,000 km open Nepal-India border to be regulated and organised.
The rebels have proposed that the soldiers of the Nepal Army and Maoists' People's Liberation Army be confined to temporary barracks under the supervision of a non-military United Nations team. Till the election is held, the interim security of the nation should be entrusted to a high-level military council.
For the election, the police and Maoist militia should be entrusted with security while the Armed Police Force should be scrapped. Once the election is over, the two armies of both sides should be merged to form a democratic, national army.
The guerrillas are proposing that a new interim parliament be formed in which the 45 percent of the members would be nominated by the seven parties while they would name 35 percent. The remaining members would be chosen on the basis of a consensus between both sides from civil society, professional organisations, renowned citizens and national and regional groups.
The interim government would be formed following a similar proportion.
They have also proposed a massive reform of judiciary with re-appointment of judges at all levels and retaining their "people's courts".
Ranchi, Oct 8 (IANS) Suspected Maoists guerrillas killed three civilians in Chatra district of Jharkhand on charges of being police spies, the police said Sunday.
According to the police, the guerrillas abducted the civilians from Varkha village Saturday and killed them with sharp weapons. Their bodies were recovered from a jungle Sunday morning.
In a pamphlet recovered at the site, the Maoists warned of similar consequences to anyone daring to be a "police informer".
Maoist guerrillas are active in 16 of the 22 districts of the state. Nearly 550 people including 230 security personnel have been killed in the last five years in Maoist related violence.
By Binoo Joshi,
Jammu, Oct 8 (IANS) Launching a fierce campaign against those challenging the self-rule formula proposed by her party, People's Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti has asserted that the formula was the best way to pull Jammu and Kashmir out of the morass of uncertainty and turmoil and open the doors to a bright future.
Mehbooba Mufti, the first woman leader heading a party in the history of the state, is currently on a weeklong tour of the Jammu region. She is visiting the Hindu-dominated Jammu region after touring the Buddhist-majority Ladakh region in the last week of September.
The idea is clear. She wants to utilise most of her time in the non-Muslim parts of the state because the Muslim-dominated areas are busy with the fasting that is observed in the holy month of Ramadan.
Observers note that she has re-launched the old campaign in a new style. Her focus is on self-rule, a new mantra that Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and the People's Democratic Party (PDP) leadership find as a way forward for Kashmir.
"It is the most viable solution," she told her public gatherings in Jammu. "It is our way of thinking, not a borrowed idea," she said, trying to differentiate between Musharraf's proposal and the PDP's mantra, for she is aware that Hindus in the Jammu region have no love lost for Pakistan. Any idea in which there is a label of Islamabad lurking is anathema to them.
Hindus here see Pakistan as an aggressor, despite the recent confidence building measures between the two neighbours. They believe Pakistan is sponsoring terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and Indian soldiers are losing their lives in fighting them. Their more immediate concern is that the Hindu youth of this region who work in the Indian security forces are falling to terrorists' bullets. Two men from Jammu were killed in a 22-hour-long fierce gun battle with militants in Budshah Chowk in Srinagar Wednesday-Thursday.
It has become a political necessity for Mehbooba to draw clear lines between Pakistan and her party, at least in this region.
"Those who tell you that this is a Pakistani formula are befooling you. We are asking for our identity and rights that were enshrined in the instrument of accession that Maharaja Hari Singh signed with the Government of India (Oct 26, 1947)."
These words are meant to assert that the PDP's self-rule formula is independent of Pakistan. Secondly, it appeals to the historical sense of the people, for Maharaja Hari Singh was the last Dogra king. Jammu is a native place of Dogras. This strikes an ethnic chord. More importantly, it takes care of critics who say that the PDP is talking of matters alien to the people and seeking to cause division and disharmony in the state.
Not only the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) but also the Congress leadership - Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, Health Minister Mangat Ram Sharma and Pradesh Congress Committee president Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed - are critical of the proposal of self-rule.
BJP state unit president Nirmal Singh has called it "anti-national". Azad has termed it a ploy by the leaders to misguide the people.
Mehbooba has countered these allegations. She says: "We want all regions to progress and prosper, lock step with each other - have their political will manifested in their own way and utilise their economic resources for the benefit of their people and areas. We want a synthesis between history and geography and an eye on our common future, where tensions are replaced with harmony, and mistrust with a desire to progress together. After all, we are a nation within a nation."
Patna, Oct 8 (IANS) Bihar's ruling Janata Dal (United) has decided to field legislator Ramswaroop Prasad, accused of molesting a Dalit woman, for the Nalanda parliamentary by elections next month.
Many eyebrows were raised over the candidature of Prasad, a legislator from the Islampur assembly seat in Nalanda district.
"It has exposed the double standards of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's claim of good governance," said P.K. Sinha, president of the Samata Party.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Shyam Rajak too echoed his sentiments. "It once gains shows Nitish's Kumar's preference to play politics," said the Dalit leader.
Prasad was arrested in August on charges of molesting Jamuna Devi, a Dalit woman. He was later released on bail.
Jamuni Devi of Hasepur village, under Ekangarsarai police station, had lodged a case of intimidation and molestation against Prasad, his sons and two supporters in Hilsa court in February.
She accused them of having thrashed and molested her when she had gone to fetch water from a hand pump.
Nalanda is Nitish Kumar's home district. He was an MP from this constituency, having won the seat in the 2004 Lok Sabha polls. He resigned after becoming chief minister.
Prasad is considered a Nitish Kumar loyalist and not seen as threat to his legacy. Nalanda has a large population of Kurmis, a powerful agrarian backward caste. Nitish Kumar is a Kurmi and enjoys overwhelming support from his caste.
While leaders of JD (U) refused to comment, opposition parties have hinted at making the issue a major poll plank.
Srinagar, Oct 8 (IANS) Even as a mild earthquake jolted parts of northern Pakistan Sunday, hours before it observed the first anniversary of the massive earthquake, there was no report of any tremor in the Kashmir Valley.
The director of the Met office in Jammu and Kashmir, L.C. Ram, said this to IANS. The 2005 earthquake killed around 1,300 people in Jammu and Kashmir, and many thousands in Pakistan.
By Arun Kumar,
Washington, Oct 8 (IANS) When American Congressmen hit the campaign trail over the weekend after a long hard day on Capitol Hill, they left a lot of unfinished business, including the India-US nuclear deal for a 'lame duck' session.
Going by the book, the outgoing Congress, on its last lame legs, can do everything that it normally does even as the contours of the new legislature that would replace it in January would have already taken shape when it meets two days after the Nov 7 poll.
But the conventional wisdom is that the shape of things to emerge would cast its long shadow on the 'lame duck' session, particularly if the ruling Republicans lose control of one or both chambers of Congress.
In the 435-member House of Representatives, the Republicans outnumber Democrats by 232 to 202 seats and in the 100 member Senate they have a 55-45 edge over them. Thus to win control of either chamber, the Democrats need to gain at least 16 seats in the first and six seats in the second, where only one third of the constituencies are up for re-election.
No wonder, the ruling Republicans took some fodder along for the battle of the hustings after muscling through 165 bills in just a week to win over voters back home - and deflect attention from scandals in Washington.
Apart from bills passed at the behest of President George W. Bush to allow "tough" interrogation of terrorism suspects and their trial by military commissions, dozens of other made-to-order bills ranging from water planning to preserving native American languages just flew through.
But the scandals just could not be wished away. The one over what has come to be known as 'Foley's folly' - a reference to some sexually explicit e-mails sent to a House page by Republican Mark Foley - is threatening to snowball into a major electoral issue.
So much so that even some Republican leaders have joined the opposition chorus for the president's resignation for failing to act against Foley in time. But Bush has so far managed to steer clear of the controversy by invoking the 'elementary sixth grade lesson' of separation of powers.
The controversy almost reached the White House when in the early days the president's press secretary, Tony Snow, sought to dismiss the whole affair as a storm over simply a few "naughty e-mails" on the Hill, which has seen far bigger scandals.
Within hours, he backtracked before he could get "socked", as Snow himself put it, to suggest that he was merely citing a fact of life that a lot of gossip flows freely about members.
He now termed it as "an awful and disturbing story", but still insisted it was for the House to clear the mess. Bush also saw no reason for the speaker to resign even as Dennis Hastert accepted "the buck stops here", but declined to quit. And even to vote him out would have to wait until the lame duck session.
Before the Foley scandal broke, polls suggested that Republicans had considerably shored up their position with a series of what the White House insisted on calling "non-political" speeches by Bush in the run-up to the fifth anniversary of the traumatic events of 9/11.
Then the gloves came off. He was not calling anyone not supporting the war in Iraq as "unpatriotic" or a "traitor", said Bush before going on to label Democrats as the party of "Cut and Run".
It was left to former Democrat president Bill Clinton to come to the aid of the party by a dramatic show of anger on television as he defended his own war on terrorism and blamed his successor for not hunting down Osama bin Laden before 9/11.
Yet such are the compulsions of electoral politics that the Democrats, who have branded the Iraq war that has already cost half a trillion dollars a mistake, went on to vote $70 billion more for it. They also objected to Bush's torture bill but stopped short of blocking it.
Thus with a little over a month left for the D-day, election experts kept hedging their bets over how many seats the Republicans may lose in the House - six to 12 - and in the Senate - at best a couple - but still retain control of Congress despite the anti-incumbent "six-year itch".
That was until the Foley scandal broke to shift the battle to the 'real world' outside the capital beltway where people care more about life and blood issues like safety of children than abstract political issues, suggested the media as it got hold of another juicy story.
But unlike India, the election campaign has little to show on the streets. Nor has it generated any animated discussions on trains or buses - at least not in staid Washington.
So Foley's folly could well turn out to be just another media war and one may have to probably wait until the polling day to see which way the wind blows - and how far would the 'lame duck' go.
Islamabad, Oct 8 (IANS) Pakistan's Supreme Court has taken cognizance of charges of favouritism and nepotism in the allotment of land in Gwadar town in the troubled province of Balochistan.
A full bench Saturday sought details of all allotments by Oct 17, directing the advocate general in Balochistan to furnish record of allotments of industrial, commercial as well as residential plots made in Gwadar during last five years.
The court passed the short order while hearing a petition of Bibi Zahra and her sons regarding the forceful occupation of their land in Gwadar, The News said Sunday.
The bench also directed the advocate general to detail whether quota of plots was fixed for members of parliament and provincial legislators.
Bibi Zahra and her sons petitioned the court for the return of their land, which was acquired by the provincial wildlife department.
Pakistan has set up a naval base and a deep sea port, much of it with Chinese design and assistance, to develop Gwadar that lies strategically on the Arabian Sea.
It also seeks to provide a second military base for the Pakistan Navy and give a "strategic depth" vis-a-vis India.
The price of land has gone up in the process, giving rise to allegations that "outsiders", especially from Punjab, profited from the land deal.
Islamabad, Oct 8 (DPA) Pakistanis Sunday observed a minute's silence in memory of the nearly 75,000 people killed by a massive earthquake this day last year and devastated some 30,000 sq km of mountainous territory in northern Pakistan and Kashmir.
A minute of silence was observed as sirens sounded at 8.52 a.m. (0352 GMT), marking the time when the 2005 quake struck and affected some 3.5 million people.
A mild earthquake jolted parts of northern Pakistan and Kashmir early Sunday just hours before the nation's remembrance ceremonies.
President Pervez Musharraf led the services at Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, which was destroyed almost 40 percent by the 2005 earthquake.
Later he visited by helicopter other badly affected towns, assuring survivors that 80 percent of the rehabilitation and reconstruction work would be completed by 2009 and the rest in another two years.
Some 3.5 million people, displaced by the big earthquake, need help to rebuild their lives.
At Chakothi, on the Line of Control (LoC) that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan, Musharraf opened a pre-fabricated school for girls.
"Acquire education. It is essential. You must work shoulder to shoulder with men," he advised the schoolgirls.
Musharraf took pride in the role the army and civil society organisations were playing in the huge, $4.5 billion rehabilitation and reconstruction work.
At one place he urged his audience of quake survivors "to vote for my supporters" in the 2007 general elections, if they felt his administration was doing good work.
Musharraf announced that loans acquired before the earthquake for building houses will be written off.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on the state-run television that 95 percent of the victims had been provided "transitional housing" over the past year, and that all hospitals and schools destroyed or damaged by last year's earthquake had been made functional.
Humaira Ahmad, an official of the Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority, said that 128 reconstruction projects were being implemented with funds from donors and sponsors.
By M.R. Narayan Swamy,
New Delhi, Oct 8 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh leaves Monday on a six-day visit to Britain and Finland to discuss civil nuclear cooperation, terrorism and deepening of economic ties with British and European Union leaders.
Manmohan Singh's first halt will be in London to attend the third India-UK Summit meeting with his British counterpart Tony Blair Oct 10 and later an India-UK investment summit.
After receiving an honorary degree from Cambridge, the prime minister will fly to Helsinki, which hosts the 7th India-EU summit Oct 13.
Indian officials say terrorism and measures to counter it would form a high point of discussions, particularly in Britain.
Cooperation in counter-terrorism between security agencies would be a core issue in the dialogue.
"We will bring them up to date on what we have suffered," according to Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon, when asked about the Mumbai train bombings of July that killed nearly 200 people.
"This is a big part of our bilateral talks. We will certainly discuss all these issues including recent experiences. We will see what can be done to improve the situation. They have also suffered," Menon said.
Indian and British officials are expected to exchange information on the safe conduct of the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in 2010 and the Olympic Games in London in 2012.
Manmohan Singh will travel to Cambridge to receive an honorary doctorate from Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh who is chancellor of the university.
Terrorism and counter-terrorism measures would also figure in discussions between India and the European Union in Helsinki.
India's civil nuclear programme would come up for discussion although European Union does not have any unanimous stand on the issue. Some member countries are sympathetic to India while some are not.
According to Menon, the mood vis-à-vis civil nuclear cooperation was sympathetic to India compared to about two years ago.
Manmohan Singh will also talk on bilateral issues with leaders of Finland, bilateral relations with which have traditionally been warm and friendly. Firms from Finland are slowly showing interest in investing in India.
In London, Manmohan Singh would take part in the India-UK investment summit that would be attended by 100 chief executive officers.
Indian officials say New Delhi's relations with both Britain and the 25-nation European Union are glowing.
In London, Manmohan Singh will attend a reception to meet members of the Indian diaspora. Britain is home to some 1.5 million people of Indian origin.
Accompanying him on the trip will be Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath and Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma.
Latest figures show that India has emerged as the second largest investor in the United Kingdom after the US. Analysis based on recent figures by consultants Ernst & Young show that there has been a nearly three-fold hike in the number of projects announced by Indian companies in Britain in the first half of 2006.
Over 16,000 Indian students study in the UK and there is a strong demand for Indian IT professionals and management executives.
As a bloc, the European Union is India's largest trading partner. The EU is also one of the largest sources of FDI for India.
New Delhi, Oct 8 (PTI) Terrorism, civil nuclear cooperation and furthering of economic ties will be the dominant themes of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's six-day visit to Britain and Finland beginning tomorrow.
Singh is travelling to London for a bilateral visit and to Helsinki for the 4th India-European Union (EU) Summit. Some pacts are expected to be inked during the visit.
In the light of recent evidence that ISI and Pakistan-based terror outfits were behind the July 11 Mumbai blasts, Singh will highlight India's concerns with regard to continued cross-border terrorism when he holds talks with the leadership of Britain and EU.
New Delhi, which has been seeking a comprehensive and global fight against terrorism, will discuss with London and EU efforts to defeat the menace.
Mumbai Police last week said their probe into the serial train blasts had revealed the involvement of ISI and the Lashker-e-Taiba terror outfit based in Pakistan.
India has already shared evidence with regard to the blasts probe with the US.
"We will bring them up to date with India's experience as a victim of terrorism," Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon said here yesterday, when asked whether the proof in the Mumbai blasts would be brought to the notice of Britain and EU.
Ranchi, Oct 8 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) faces revolt in Jharkhand as two of its legislators have announced to campaign against the party in the Koderma Lok Sabha by-election slated for Nov 6.
Legislators Rabindra Rai and Kunti Singh announced their decision at a meeting organised by the rebel BJP leaders Saturday.
"Our conscience does not allow us to campaign in favour of BJP's official candidate," said Rai.
The BJP has fielded Pranav Verma as its candidate in the forthcoming by-election.
Former chief minister Babulal Marandi, who had quitted from the party in June this year and vacated the Koderma parliamentary seat thereafter, is also seeking re-election.
"I won the assembly election from Dhanwar with the blessings of Marandi. I cannot campaign against him in the election," said Rai, who is a die-hard supporter of Marandi.
"It was Marandi who ensured the BJP ticket for me to fight the assembly election. How can I work against him in the election now," said Singh, another rebel legislator.
The election has become a prestige issue for both Marandi and the BJP. The BJP has no Lok Sabha MP from the state and in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections only Marandi won on a BJP ticket.
Marandi left the party after differences with former chief minister Arjun Munda.
Both the rebel BJP leaders will campaign for Marandi. The legislators' announcement has created a storm in the BJP.
Said state BJP president Yadunath Pandey: "The party has taken a serious note of it (the announcement). Suitable action will be taken."
The BJP suffered another shock when two Marandi loyalists - Deepak Prakash and Arvind Singh - formally resigned from the primary membership of the party Saturday.
Prakash is the chairman of Jharkhand state mines and mineral development corporation and Singh was a legislator in the last assembly.
Copenhagen, Oct 8 (DPA) A new row has broken out in Denmark over the depiction of Prophet Mohammed just nine months after the publication of controversial caricatures in a Danish newspaper had sparked massive protests throughout the Islamic world.
The foreign policy spokesman of the rightwing Danish People's Party (DVP), Soren Espersen, confirmed that the youth branch of his party had organised a competition for the "most demeaning" depictions of the prophet, the Nyhedsavisen newspaper reported Saturday.
According to the newspaper, entrants to the competition had depicted the prophet in objectionable manners.
Espersen, on whose support the Danish Liberal Party-led government depends for a parliamentary majority, defended the competition. "We can make fun of what we want. Whether it is Mohammed, Jesus, Buddha or our political leaders."
Last year, the Danish Jyllands-Posten newspaper had published 12 caricatures of the prophet with the justification that Muslims must also become accustomed to being subjected to ridicule like everyone else.
The publication sparked massive protests in the Islamic world four months later, in which over 50 people died.
Moscow, Oct 8 (Xinhua) Anna Politkovskaya, a Russian investigative journalist known for her critical coverage of the war in Chechnya, was found murdered here Saturday, Russian news agencies reported.
Politkovskaya's body was found in an elevator in an apartment building in the Lesnaya Street.
She died of gunshot injuries, according to preliminary reports. A pistol and four bullets were found in the elevator, police officials said.
Dmitry Muratov, editor-in-chief of the Novaya Gazeta newspaper where Politkovskaya worked, said the slaying took place at about 4.30 p.m. (1230 GMT) in her apartment building.
Politkovskaya had written a book critical of the Russian campaign in Chechnya.
Colombo, Oct 8 (Xinhua) Clashes between the Sri Lankan government troops and the Tamil Tiger rebels continued in the island country's north and east Saturday with scores of casualties being reported from the two sides.
The government's military spokesman Prasad Samarasinghe said two soldiers were killed and 23 others injured during the battle early Friday morning at Kadjuwatte and Mankerni in the eastern Batticaloa district.
Samarasinghe said 12 soldiers who were performing duties at posts closer to the government's forward defence line were missing.
He said 12 bodies of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels gunned down in the fighting were handed over to the Valachchenai hospital for onward transfer to the International Committee of the Red Cross, adding that 40 to 45 LTTE rebels might have been killed.
In the northern Jaffna peninsula, the air force attacked the LTTE artillery and mortar position at Pallai at around 9.00 a.m. local time (0330 GMT) in response to the latter's continued attacks on military forward defence lines at Muhamalai in Jaffna.
Samarasinghe said that the military also attacked the LTTE bunker lines at Upparu and Thoppur in the eastern port district of Trincomalee Saturday.
On the other hand, the rebels attacked two police road check points in the eastern district of Ampara and the northern district of Vavuniya at around 10.00 a.m. local time Saturday, injuring three police home guards.
The skirmishes continued despite the government saying that it was ready to talk peace with the LTTE on Oct 28-29 in Switzerland. The government is still awaiting the rebel agreement for dates.
Escalating violence since December 2005 has accounted for deaths of over 2,000 people, undermining efforts by the Norwegian peace facilitators to kick-start the stalled peace negotiations.
Mohali, Oct 8 (IANS) Bangaldesh Saturday lost to Sri Lanka by a margin of only 37 runs in a high-scoring opener of the ICC Champions Trophy here, proving they could not be easily written off.
Bangladesh managed to score 265 for the loss of nine wickets in 50 overs as Saqibul Hasan top scored with an unbeaten 69 off 107 deliveries. It was a loss, but captain Habibul Bashar was not off the mark in describing it as a moral victory.
Bangladesh openers Shahriar Nafees (5) and Mohammed Ashraful (18) failed to give a good start and ultimately could not to catch up with the required run rate.
Aftab Ahmed (33) and Farhad Reza (34) were the notable performers in the middle order. Bashar was back in the pavilion without opening his account.
But the lower order contributed well as Mashrafe Mortaza made a quick-fire 30 of 24 deliveries and Abdur Razzak made 21 in just 18 deliveries.
For Sri Lanka, Farveez Mahroof picked up three wickets and Chaminda Vaas scalped two, while Muttiah Muralitharan, Sanath Jayasuriya and Dilhara Fernando picked up a wicket each.
Earlier, Man of the Match Upul Tharanga smashed a fine century (129 balls, 11x4s, 1x6) while Atappatu chipped in with 40 (42 balls, 7x4s) as Sri Lanka made 302 for the loss of nine wickets in 50 overs.
Tharanga and Jayasuriya (31, 46 balls, 5x4s) gave a solid 67-run start to the 2002 Champions Trophy winners, though the latter unusually slow before Syed Rasel had his leg before the wicket.
Captain Mahela Jaywardene (35, 24 balls, 6x4s, 1x6) played a quick-fire knock and along with Tharanga raised 63 for the second wicket.
Another 63-run partnership came from the Tharanga-Kumara Sangakkara (22 off 23 balls) combine and this third-wicket association took the total to 193 in 32.1 overs.
Another half-century stand further boosted the Sri Lankan total. This time Tharanga and Atappatu raised 51 for the fourth wicket - the last significant partnership that took the total beyond 250.
After this, the Bangladeshi bowlers struck at quick intervals while the Sri Lankan batsmen scored at the rate of a little over eight runs per over in the last seven overs.
Rasel and Razzak took two wickets apiece, while veteran spinner Mohammed Rafique was successful in tying the Sri Lankans a bit. He conceded just 37 in his 10-over spell while his colleagues got the stick.
SCOREBOARD
Match No. 1, Bangladesh vs. Sri Lanka, ICC Champions Trophy, Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali (day-night), Oct 7
Sri Lanka:
Upul Tharanga b Mashrafe Mortaza 105
Sanath Jayasuriya lbw Syed Rasel 31
Mahela Jayawardene c Aftab Ahmed b Abdur Razzak 35
Kumara Sangakkara c Mashrafe Mortaza b Mohammad Rafique 22
Marvan Atapattu c Farhad Reza b Syed Rasel 40
Farveez Maharoof run out (Reza) 0
Chaminda Vaas c Farhad Reza b Razzak 4
Muttiah Muralitharan run out (Mortaza) 11
Lasith Malinga not out 7
Extras (b 1, lb 4, w 16) 21
Total: (for eight wickets in 50 overs) 302
Fall of wickets: 1-67 (Jayasuriya, 13.1 overs), 2-130 (Jayawardene, 21.6), 3-193 (Sangakkara, 32.1), 4-244 (Tharanga, 42.5), 5-260 (Atapattu, 44.5), 6-262 (Maharoof, 45.3), 7-273 (Vaas, 47.5), 8-295 (Muralitharan, 49.4)
Bowling:
Mashrafe Mortaza 10-0-60-1 (w5)
Syed Rasel 10 -0-65-2 (w2)
Farhad Reza 8-0-63-0 (w2)
Abdur Razzak 10-0-49-2 (w2)
Mohammed Rafique 10-0-37-1
Saqibul Hasan 2-0-23-0 (w1)
Bangladesh:
Shahriar Nafees c Kumara Sangakkara b Chaminda Vaas 5
Mohammed Ashraful c Kumara Sangakkara b Dilhara Fernando 18
Aftab Ahmed c Kumara Sangakkara b Farveez Maharoof 33
Saqibul Hasan not out 69
Habibul Bashar c Mahela Jayawardene b Farveez Maharoof 0
Farhad Reza st Kumara Sangakkara b Muttiah Muralitharan 34
Khaled Mashud run out (Mahela Jayawardene) 8
Mohammad Rafique c Vaas b Jayasuriya 12
Mashrafe Mortaza b Chaminda Vaas 30
Abdur Razzak b Farveez Mahroof 21
Syed Rasel not out 1
Extras (b 4, lb 6, w 21, nb 6) 37
Total: (for nine wickets in 49.6 overs) 265
Fall of wickets: 1-22 (Shahriar Nafees, 8.3), 2-55 (Mohammed Ashraful, 13.3), 3-78 (Aftab Ahmed, 18.1), 4-78 (Habibul Bashar, 18.3), 5-141 (Farhad Reza, 27.4), 6-155 (Khaled Mashud, 30.3), 7-177 (Mohammed Rafique, 36.2 ov), 8-226 (Mashrafe Mortaza, 44.6 ov), 9-264 (Abdur Razzak, 49.4 ov)
Bowling:
Chaminda Vaas 10-2-46-2 (3w)
Lasith Malinga 9.4-1-30-0 (4w)
Dilhara Fernando 5-0-39-1 (4nb, 3w)
Farvez Maharoof 7.2-0-52-3
Muttiah Muralitharan 10-0-43-1 (2nb, 2w)
Sanath Jayasuriya 8-0-45-1 (1w)
Result: Sri Lanka won by 37 runs
Toss: Sri Lanka
Man of the Match: Upul Tharanga
Umpires: Daryl Harper (Australia) and Steve Bucknor (West Indies)
Third umpire: Simon Taufel (Australia)
Match referee: Mike Procter (South Africa)
Tashkent, Oct 8 (IANS) China's Sun Tiantian won her first career singles Tour title Sunday, defeating local girl Iroda Tulyaganova 6-2, 6-4 in the final of the Tashkent Open.
The hour and six-minute final was a disappointment for the large crowd, which had come to cheer their favourite player, Tulyaganova.
Sun was consistent in everything she did: serving, returning serves and hitting ground strokes.
There were very few unforced errors from her racket and the only blip in her game was when she was broken while serving for the match point the first time, at 5-2 in the second set.
She served one double fault and made two other unforced errors.
But, having got the cushion of two breaks in the set, she had a second chance and made no mistake that time, sealing the win on her second match point when Tulyaganova failed to hit a forehand in the right place.
The win was worth $22,925 for Sun, who turns 25 on Oct 12. Iroda, who will be 25 next January, won $12,450.
"It feels good," said a delighted Sun on winning her first singles title, to add to her collection of nine doubles titles.
Islamabad, Oct 8 (IANS) Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf, with three known attempts on his life since he took power, has added an equal number in the last four days, rattling authorities who admit to be "fighting in a situation of war".
In the latest one on Saturday morning, security agencies engaged in sanitising the three routes Musharraf takes to go to his office, found and defused two 107mm rockets that were "ready to launch".
The departure in the latest one on Saturday was that it was initially publicized as "a mock exercise" with two dud rockets hidden by authorities to test the preparedness of their multi-disciplinary force.
That was how the media, including the international wire services put their dispatches, quoting Chaudhry Iftikhar, Islamabad's police chief who claimed "success" of the operations.
By Saturday evening, however, it was admitted as something "real".
Another police official was quoted as saying that "a misunderstanding" had caused the earlier announcement.
The rockets were installed on the Kashmir Highway near the Lok Virsa turning, right in front of the headquarters of "a sensitive agency", official sources told The News International newspaper.
"The terrorists seemed to be repeating the previous plot for targeting the president by firing rockets at his motorcade," the newspaper quoted official sources speaking on condition of anonymity.
The Kashmir Highway is one of the three routes for President Musharraf's motorcade on way to the presidency, security agency sources said.
Authorities suspect that the idea could be to cause an explosion by remote control, trigger confusion and fire rockets at the presidential convoy. This was part of the earlier attempts as well.
They had earlier claimed that it was 'mock exercise' to check the response and reaction from the security agencies after the serious threat to the president's life but acknowledged the reality through an official statement: "Today at 9.00 a.m. two 107mm rockets were found in green belt close to Kashmir Highway Islamabad. The law-enforcement agencies promptly reacted on the scene and defused the rockets. Local police are investigating the case."
Islamabad's Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Sikandar Hayat, when contacted by The News International newspaper, confirmed that it was an attempted act of terrorism, and not a 'mock exercise'. He said the law-enforcement agencies reacted promptly and took control of the situation.
"We are dealing with the situation on a war-footing to thwart the possible mayhem," the SSP said, adding that the law-enforcement agencies were combing and sweeping the jungle areas alongside routes of the president's motorcade.
"The law-enforcement agencies have combed about nine kilometer jungle area around the president's routes after the foiled attempt on his life Thursday," the SSP said, adding that the combing and sweeping would continue till the complete clearance of the jungle area.
The reason for the sudden rash of attempts on his life, since he returned from his tour of the US and Britain, has been a subject of speculation.
Reasons cited include his conciliatory meetings with US President George Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to a pact with tribals that has angered the Taliban and the trouble in Balochistan.
The paper noted that the current series of attempts on Musharraf's life has started once again after 34 months. He escaped two consecutive attempts on his life in December 2003.
Washington, Oct 8 (DPA) Thousands of residents who evacuated a North Carolina town after a fire at a hazardous waste plant were allowed to return to their homes.
Police asked 17,000 people, more than half the population of the town of Apex, to leave their homes late Thursday evening after a series of explosions at a hazardous waste plant spread dangerous fumes of chlorine gas and other chemicals across the town.
Nearly 4,000 residents actually left the area because of the fire at the Environmental Quality Company, according to a statement by county officials.
Officials from the federal Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and the Centre for Toxicology and Environmental Health said the area did not have levels of chemical residue exceeding those that would likely cause health problems.
"We want to reassure the public that we don't feel there is a significant health risk of any side effects," Gibble Harris, Wake County's community health director, said. "However, people in the evacuation area should be alert of symptoms, such as respiratory or breathing problems and unexplained skin irritations or rashes."
The facility was fined by the state in March for six violations of state laws, and warned of a possible catastrophe, the Raleigh News and Observer reported.
The plant, which is surrounded by residential areas, has collapsed from the force of explosions and fire, the town's mayor Keith Weatherly told reporters on Friday.
At least 18 people, including eight police officers and a fireman, were treated on Friday for smoke and gas inhalation.
--Police asked 17,000 people, more than half the population of the town of Apex, to leave their homes late Thursday evening after a series of explosions at a hazardous waste plant spread dangerous fumes of chlorine gas and other chemicals across the town.
Nearly 4,000 residents actually left the area because of the fire at the Environmental Quality Company, according to a statement by county officials.
Officials from the federal Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and the Centre for Toxicology and Environmental Health said the area did not have levels of chemical residue exceeding those that would likely cause health problems.
"We want to reassure the public that we don't feel there is a significant health risk of any side effects," Gibble Harris, Wake County's community health director, said. "However, people in the evacuation area should be alert of symptoms, such as respiratory or breathing problems and unexplained skin irritations or rashes."
The facility was fined by the state in March for six violations of state laws, and warned of a possible catastrophe, the Raleigh News and Observer reported.
The plant, which is surrounded by residential areas, has collapsed from the force of explosions and fire, the town's mayor Keith Weatherly told reporters on Friday.
At least 18 people, including eight police officers and a fireman, were treated on Friday for smoke and gas inhalation.
Bhubaneswar, Oct 8 (IANS) At least three suspected Maoists militants were arrested in Orissa's western district of Sundargarh.
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) caught the guerrillas from a weekly market in Ramjodi village Saturday, a newspaper reported Sunday. They were carrying around Rs.40,000 in cash.
Kabul, Oct 8 (DPA) Two German journalists were killed in northern Afghanistan Saturday, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said.
According to ISAF spokesperson Dominic White, the two journalists - a man and a woman - had been working "in connection with ISAF" until last Wednesday, when they went travelling on their own.
The Pakistani news agency AIP reported that both journalists were found murdered in a tent around 150 km south of the northern provincial capital Baghlan.
Meanwhile, a soldier with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force was killed in an attack in southern Afghanistan Saturday, NATO said.
According to an ISAF statement, the soldier was killed following the ignition of an explosive device and small arms fire in Panjwayi district, 20 km west of Kandahar city, Saturday morning.
The nationality of the soldier was not released, though there are around 2,000 Canadian soldiers based in Kandahar under NATO-led ISAF making the Canadian contingent the largest part of the ISAF in Kandahar province.
Afghanistan has been facing a wave of attacks by improvised explosives and suicide bombers since the start of the year, particularly after NATO took command of the fight against insurgents last spring.
Panjwayi is the former stronghold of Taliban rebels where NATO completed two operations in mid-September, in which NATO claimed to have killed over 500 Taliban insurgents.
Srinagar, Oct 8 (IANS) Two Indian soldiers and five separatist guerrillas were killed in a fierce gun battle along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district.
Indian troops intercepted Saturday a group of infiltrators trying to sneak into Jammu and Kashmir in Gurez sector, 120 km from here, a police officer said.
"Thus sparked a battle. In the heavy exchange of fire, five infiltrators were gunned down," the officer said. An army captain and a soldier were also killed.
"Though firing has stopped, we are continuing searches in the area," the officer told IANS.
Tehran, Oct 8 (IRNA) A veil of silence covers violence against children, yet abuses are so pervasive that no country can ignore them, and no society can claim to be immune from them, Louise Arbour, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights wrote in an article.
Despite almost universal acceptance of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, governments' concrete initiatives to counter such violence have been inadequate. Turning a blind eye to this phenomenon or claiming ignorance of its incidence and implications will now be very difficult.
After more than three years of work, World Report on Violence against Children, a United Nations study, which will be released on October 11, provides a comprehensive account of the root causes and effects of the problem.
In maintaining that such violence is never justifiable, it presents a range of measures that could prevent and curb abuses. The study also gathers existing statistics and data from a variety of sources and combines human rights, public health and child protection experiences and approaches to paint a global picture of this disturbing problem, a press release issued by the UN Information Center (UNIC) said here on Sunday.
It documents that in 2002, 150 million girls and 73 million boys experienced forced sexual intercourse and other forms of sexual violence; between 100 and 140 million girls and women have undergone some form of female genital mutilation; of the 218 million of children who were working in 2004, 5.7 million were in forced or bonded labour in 2000; 1.8 million in prostitution and pornography; and 1.2 million were victims of trafficking.
Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the independent expert appointed by the UN secretary-general to direct the study, concludes that children endure violence in silence and hopelessness because of shame and fear of retribution, and because such abuses are sometimes state-authorized and generally socially approved.
Failure to protect children starts with those who are directly responsible for their welfare and security in families, schools, and the communities where they live and work. Indeed, the study notes, "the majority of violent acts experienced by children is perpetrated by people who are part of their lives." But ultimately, the chain of responsibility ends with states which, under international human rights law, have an obligation to provide an environment in which children can fully enjoy their rights without fear of abuse and retribution...
The Convention of the Rights of the Child offers the most comprehensive legal framework to address violence against children.
Its provisions protect them from physical and mental abuse, injury, neglect, maltreatment and exploitation, including sexual coercion.
Along with other treaties, the convention obliges governments to act forcefully to ensure that anyone who has the care of a child, even for a short period, refrains from abusive conduct.
In their national law and practice, however, many states have carved out exceptions to the convention's provisions. Some governments are reluctant to interfere in the private sphere of family life and hold to account those who perpetrate violence within the "sanctity" of the domestic perimeter.
In many states, legislation addressing violence against children concentrates on sexual or physical violence, but ignores psychological violence and neglect. Other countries lack the security indispensable to effective protection, or the capacity and structures that give teeth to prevention measures and safeguard mechanisms.
As a result, an untold number of children continue to suffer every day all over the world with scarce or non-existent options for recourse, while their tormentors are unscathed.
The imposition of the death penalty against minors is the most egregious example of state-enforced abuse. In some countries, less severe sentences may include flogging, stoning and amputation.
Disciplinary measures that may amount to cruel, degrading, and unusual treatment or punishment are legal and applied in the penal institutions of at least 77 countries. All such practices are anathema to international human rights law.
Not surprisingly, girls, children with disabilities, or from minorities and other marginalized groups remain the most exposed to violence, both as targets of abuse and victims of state negligence to provide them with the necessary protection and justice.
In many countries, growing disparities in income, globalization, migration, and pandemics contribute to creating a climate of insecurity and strife which - often disproportionately - affects children's rights, including economic, social and cultural rights.
Against this bleak background, the study laments a lack of knowledge and understanding of the root causes of violence against children. It points out that, even when states put in place policies to counter abuses, they often do so in ways and with means that are fragmentary and reactive rather than comprehensive and preventive. To tilt the balance towards effective protection, states should translate their commitments under international human rights law into policies and action, assess priorities, stop blaming or ignoring the victims and instead punish the perpetrators of violence and abuse.
To this effect, the UN study provides a wealth of recommendations, including on preventive measures and follow up mechanisms to ensure that children are not left unprotected. More than 3,000 individuals contributed to this study, including children who, shedding fear and shame came forward. They have offered thorough accounts of their predicament. We should pay heed to their words and needs. After all, it's they who know.
Ahmedabad, Oct 8 (IANS) Defending champions West Indies started their ICC Champions Trophy campaign in style defeating Zimbabwe by nine wickets in their opening qualifying round match here Sunday.
Chasing a target of just 86 runs, the West Indies made 90 in 14.1 overs with nine wickets in hand.
Opener Chris Gayle was adjudged the Man-of-the-Match as he picked up three wickets for just three runs with his off-breaks and then scored a flashy 41 to mesmerise the Zimbabweans in the day-night affair at the Sardar Patel Stadium.
Gayle gave a breezy start and when he was out in the 10th over West Indies had 66 runs on board. The Jamaican's innings lasted 34 deliveries and included seven boundaries and a huge six.
Captain Brian Lara was unbeaten on 24 runs from just 20 balls and Shivnarine Chanderpaul was not out 14.
Earlier Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to bat but were bowled out for a paltry score of 85 runs in 30.1 overs.
Opener Tafadzwa Mufambisi (18), Elton Chigumbura (10) and captain Prosper Utseya (27) were the only ones who could get to the double figure mark.
The openers failed to give a good start to Zimbabwe and Chamu Chibhabha (1) was the first one to go after Ian Bradshaw bowled him with just nine runs on board.
With the team's total at 10, Zimbabwe lost another wicket in the form of Hamilton Masakadza (1) who was bowled by Jerome Taylor.
Wickets kept on falling at regular intervals and by the 13th over half the side were back in the pavilion. Utseya tried to resurrect the innings but he was also trapped leg before by Gayle.
Jerome Taylor and Dwayne Smith picked two wickets each and Ian Bradshaw got one.
SCOREBOARD
Match No. 2, Zimbabwe vs West Indies, ICC Champions Trophy, Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad (day-night), Oct 8
Zimbabwe:
Tafadzwa Mufambisi c Carlton Baugh b Jerome Taylor 18
Chamu Chibhabha b Ian Bradshaw 1
Hamilton Masakadza b Jerome Taylor 1
Brendan Taylor run out (Shivnarine Chanderpaul) 7
Stuart Matsikenyeri c Carlton Baugh b Dwayne Smith 7
Elton Chigumbura c Jerome Taylor b Dwayne Smith 10
Piet Rinke run out (Wavell Hinds) 1
Propser Utseya lbw Chris Gayle 27
Anthony Ireland b Chris Gayle 6
Ed Rainsford c Dwayne Bravo b Chris Gayle 0
Tafadzwa Kamungozi not out 0
Extras (lb 1, w 3, nb 3) 7
Total: (all out in 30.1 overs) 85
Fall of wickets: 1-9 (Chibhabha, 3.1 overs), 2-10 (Masakadza, 4.4), 3-31 (Mufambisi, 8.6), 4-31 (Taylor, 9.4), 5-39 (Matsikenyeri, 12.6), 6-46 (Rinke, 15.2), 7-58 (Chigumbura, 18.6), 8-82 (Ireland, 26.1), 9-84 (Rainsford, 28.5)
Bowling:
Jerome Taylor 6-0-19-2 (1nb, 1w)
Ian Bradshaw 8-1-20-1 (1nb, 2w)
Dwayne Smith 6-2-14-2 (1nb)
Dwayne Bravo 7-0-28-0
Chris Gayle 3.1-1-3-3
West Indies:
Chris Gayle c Tafadzwa Kamungozi b Chamu Chigumbura 41
Shivnarine Chanderpaul not out 14
Brian Lara not out 24
Extras (b 4, lb 2, w 1, nb 4) 11
Total: (for one wicket in14.2 overs) 90
Fall of wicket: 1-66 (Gayle, 9.5)
Bowling:
Ed Rainsford 5-1-21-0 (1nb, 1w)
Anthony Ireland 4-1-27-0 (1nb)
Elton Chigumbura 3-1-17-1 (2nb)
Prosper Utseya 2.2-0-19-0
Result: West Indies won by nine wickets
Man of the match: Chris Gayle
Umpires: Mark Benson (England) and Rudi Koertzen (South Africa)
TV umpire: Aleem Dar (Pakistan)
Match referee: Jeff Crowe (New Zealand)
By F. Ahmed,
Uri (Jammu and Kashmir), Oct 8 (IANS) It is exactly a year since this small Jammu and Kashmir town near the border with Pakistan was pulverized by an earthquake. More than 400 houses, almost the entire dwellings of the locals here, were razed to the ground in a matter of minutes. The few structures that survived the Richter 7.4 quake are thoroughly unsafe for human habitation.
The local school building, the office and residence of the sub-divisional police officer, the tehsildar's office, the zonal education office, the veterinary, the magistrate's court and most of the shops here took the brunt of the unprecedented temblor.
To expect that all the physical and mental scars left behind by the quake could have healed in one year is unreasonable. To expect that those who lost their dear ones in the morning of Oct 8, 2005, would have forgotten them in one year is illogical, but it is heartening to see the town full of life once again.
Schools are functioning normally, hospitals are working, the administration is back on the rails and the biggest change is that the people here speak of the quake in the past tense.
In all, 950 lives were lost, over 6,000 injured, 23,838 houses were completely destroyed, and 18,556 houses were partially damaged across Kashmir in the temblor last year.
"That was destiny and it passed. We have to look forward and rebuild our lives. If we engage ourselves simply with what we lost, life would become static," said Abdul Karim, 46, a resident here.
According to Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, a whopping sum of Rs.4.22 billion has been spent for relief and rehabilitation in the quake-hit areas.
"This is the largest relief and rehabilitation exercise in the wake of a natural disaster in the country so far," Azad said here.
An ambitious rehabilitation programme for children in the quake-affected areas called 'Nownihaloon Ka Naya Savera' (New Dawn for children) has also been started with Rs.500,000 given as relief to each child who lost both parents and Rs.250,000 to those who lost one parent.
"The amount is put in a fixed deposit with the bank and the interest thereof spent on the child's education," said Basharat Ahmad Dhar, divisional commissioner Kashmir.
While the benefits of the massive relief and rehabilitation have reached the ground and the locals are thankful, what has been lost forever in terms of human relations cannot be rehabilitated by any human effort.
Shamima Khatoon, 35, who lost her husband and only child to the terrible quake, is a psychological wreck.
Shamima, who lives in nearby Kamalkote village, remembers vividly that day when she and her husband had their pre-dawn meals to begin the day-long fasting for the holy month of Ramadan. "Our son watched us have food. That was the last time we were together," she said.
Shamima is beyond consolation. She is going through serious psychiatric problems, including depression, sleeplessness and sometimes agitation and anger.
"Had we lost all our property that would have been acceptable, but my husband and son should have been spared. We could live on the road for the rest of our lives, but still would have lived together," she said in grief.
Even as many quake affected families have come to grips with life and are busy building a better tomorrow for themselves, for hundreds of others like Shamima Doomsday has already happened.
09 October 2006
New Delhi, Oct 9 (IANS) More than 10 million child workers in India will get a new opportunity in life with a law banning employment of children in households, eating joints, teashops, hotels, catering units, hostels, clubs, spas and recreation centres taking effect Tuesday.
"No child up to the age of 14 years can be employed at such places from this day onwards," a notification by the labour ministry said.
"The notification is a welcome step, but it is yet to be seen how effectively it is implemented," said Vinod Kalra, convenor of Saksham Bharati, a Delhi-based NGO that runs about a dozed education centres for child workers.
"It is a much delayed step yet we welcome it. But the child workers will get the real benefit only if they are rehabilitated properly," said Ranjan Mohanty, national convener of the Campaign Against Child Labour (CACL), an alliance of NGOs.
"Providing them access to education will be the first step in that direction and for that the government should bring another legislation ensuring compulsory education for the children," Mohanty told IANS.
According to CACL, the ban if implemented successfully would rescue thousands of children slaving away in hotels and households, engaged in different kinds of domestic chores from cooking and cleaning to swabbing and serving.
The violation of this ban imposed under the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986, would lead to prosecution, penalties and other punitive action, a senior official in the ministry of labour said.
The decision to impose the ban was taken on the recommendation of the technical advisory committee on child labour headed by the director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
While recommending the ban, the committee had said these children were subjected to physical violence, psychological traumas and at times even sexual abuse.
It said such incidents invariably went unnoticed and unreported as they took place in the close confines of the households or dhabas, or roadside eateries. These children were made to work for long hours and made to undertake various hazardous activities severely affecting their health and psyche.
Children employed in roadside eateries and highway dhabas were the most vulnerable and were easy prey to sex and drug abuse as they came in contact with all kinds of people, the committee said.
Much will depend now on how the government will ensure the effective implementation of this Act as another law banning the employment of children in factories, mines and hazardous work hardly acted as a deterrent for employers.
The abysmally low conviction rates and poor enforcement mechanisms prohibiting employment of children carried little meaning.
A UNICEF report World's Children 2006 states that in India, which has the largest number of working children, 17 percent are under the age of 15 and girls aged 12-15 are the preferred choice of 90 percent households.
Bhubaneswar, Oct 9 (IANS) Twelve suspected Maoists militants were arrested in southern Orissa's Gajapati district after a joint operation by the police and paramilitary troops, police said Monday.
"We have also seized guns and explosives, Maoists uniforms, money receipts, leaflets and books based on Maoism," said a senior police official. The Maoists were arrested Sunday and produced in the local court, he said.
Eleven of the arrested guerrillas were allegedly involved in the Ramgiri Udayagiri incident, a sub-division of the Gajapati district in March this year, where nearly 200 armed guerrillas stormed a jail, attacked the town police station, looted a government treasury and freed more than 40 prisoners.
The number of Maoists rebels and their supporters arrested during last two months in the district has gone up to 27, the official said.
On Saturday, three suspected Maoists guerrillas were arrested from a weekly market at Ramjodi in Orissa's western district of Sundargarh.
Hanoi, Oct 8 (DPA) At least 19 schoolchildren drowned when a boat taking them to weekend classes sank in central Vietnam, local media reported Sunday.
The children were among 57 passengers on board a powerboat crossing a river in Nghe An central province Saturday, according to state television VTV's Sunday evening broadcast.
The passengers were swept into the water after the boat apparently hit a branch in the river, which caused it to sink.
Many schoolchildren on board, aged 11 to 14, drowned according to Dan Tri online newspaper.
Survivors of the accident said that the weak swimmers were swept away by the current, though some were able to cling to a single lifebuoy on board.
"When the boat began to sink, there was chaos and people pushed each other and jumped into the river," Ngan Van Hai, 14, told VTV. "I and a friend knew how to swim, so we swam ashore.
"Other friends were swept away by the water current. They held their hands trying to grab a nearby dried bamboo but failed. They were pushed away and then started to disappear into the water."
Kabul, Oct 9 (Xinhua) Afghan and NATO forces said Monday they killed 20 Taliban operatives in Afghanistan's central Uruzgan province but the Taliban has rejected these claims.
"Afghan and NATO forces conducted a joint operation in Charchino district of Uruzgan Sunday. As a result, 20 Taliban militants were killed," said Mohammad Qasim, police chief of the province.
One Afghan soldier was injured in the gun battle while there were no casualties in the NATO troops, he added.
But Taliban spokesperson Qari Yusuf Ahmadi rejected the claim, saying 20 Afghan and foreign forces were killed in the exchange of fire.
Over 2,400 people, mostly militants, have been killed in Afghanistan since the beginning of the year.
Manama, Oct 9 (DPA) Around 45 Iraqi children have arrived in Bahrain to receive urgently needed medical treatment.
More children are expected to arrive in the coming days as part of an agreement with the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The move Sunday came in response to a call to help fund treatment for seriously ill Iraqi children by well-known Iraqi composer Naseer Shamma, who is the head of the newly established Organisation for Culturing and Care of Iraq Children (OCCIC).
An OCCIC official, Amjad Al Suhail, said the children had been selected by a joint Bahraini-Iraqi medical committee from across Iraq, adding that the youngest was a three-month-old baby.
Suhail said the children were to undergo treatment and surgery for conditions including cardiovascular illness, cancer, burns, and bone disease.
Bahrain Health Ministry spokesperson Adel Abdullah said that the ministry had completed all its preparations.
Twelve of the children need surgical and cardiovascular treatment and are to be transferred to the Bahrain Defence Forces Hospital. The others would be treated at Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC), he said.
Bahrain's king, Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, had in July ordered the children be treated immediately following a meeting with Shamma.
New Delhi, Oct 9 (IANS) More people reported sick with the dengue virus Monday with 56 fresh cases being admitted to city hospitals, taking the total number to 941, and the Delhi government called an urgent meeting to review the situation.
Of the 56 new cases, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) reported 41, taking the total number of patients there to 173.
Of the 941 infected with the mosquito-borne virus, around 579 are residents of Delhi and the rest from outside. Twenty-two people have died so far in the capital.
The Delhi government Monday called an urgent meeting along with senior members of the health ministry, doctors and civic officials to discuss the alarming health situation.
"The government has drawn up certain contingency plans to tackle the disease and the review meeting would take stock of the efforts made," said D.S. Negi, Delhi's health secretary.
"We appeal to the people to take part in the cleanliness drive started by the government. There are certain areas in the capital where the sanitary conditions are very bad. Even after repeated efforts by the civic authorities, there has not been much change," said Negi.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had visited AIIMS Sunday to meet dengue patients as well as his two grandsons Rohan (11) and Madhav (17) and a son-in-law Vijay Tankha, who were admitted to the hospital with suspected dengue. Rohan was discharged later Sunday.
The total number of dengue-affected across the country is 3,407, while the death toll is 47.
A 23-year-old man died at AIIMS Saturday evening, taking the death toll in Delhi to 22. The victim, Naveen Chand of Delhi, was admitted to AIIMS two days ago.
Of the 22 deaths, 11 were of people who had come from outside the capital for treatment, according to Negi.
Besides Delhi, among states where dengue has been reported are Kerala, Gujarat, Rajasthan, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu.
Dengue, caused by the bite of the female aedes aegypti mosquito that breeds in stagnant water, is marked by high fever, skin rashes and joint pain. Sometimes, a sharp drop in blood platelet counts due to the disease can prove fatal.
Islamabad, Oct 9 (IANS) A top Afghan diplomat has rejected Islamabad's "concern" about the presence of Indian consulates in his country and said Pakistan too was welcome to open as many consulates as it liked.
"These consulates have existed since decades and not one has been added. If they were working secretly, all the international agencies, including the CIA, would have reported their activities to Pakistan," said Taiyab Jawad, Afghanistan's Ambassador to the US.
He said Pakistan could open as many new consulates in Afghanistan as it liked, The News International reported, quoting from the Jawad's interview to VOA.
India has consulates in Jalalabad, Kandahar, Mazar-e-Sharif and Herat, re-activated since the government of President Hamid Karzai took office about five years ago.
Islamabad has accused India of using these consulates to foment trouble in Pakistan, a charge India has rejected.
Karzai has also dismissed the charge, assuring that Kabul would not allow its territory to be used for any anti-Pakistan activity.
Tehran/Copenhagen, Oct 9 (DPA) Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned against renewed fury by Muslims over a video deemed sacrilegious to Prophet Mohammed that was aired on Danish television last week.
"Those who have remained silent towards the ... insults against the great prophet of Islam should know that if the fury of the Muslims becomes like a wild ocean, then it will definitely get out (of) control," the Mehr news agency quoted Ahmedinejad as saying during a cabinet session Sunday.
Danish national television Friday broadcast amateur video footage showing members of the anti-immigrant Danish People's Party (DPP) at a summer camp in August taking part in a competition to draw images of Prophet Mohammed.
"Ill-mannered people with no humanitarian values are behind these insults," Ahmadinejad said.
An Iranian spokesperson had earlier condemned the Danish television programme branding it an insult to the prophet.
"We will follow this issue through diplomatic channels and convey our protest to the ambassadors of Denmark and Finland as rotating presidents of the European Union," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mohammad-Ali Hosseini told reporters.
Meanwhile, Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen distanced himself from the video.
Rasmussen said the action by the young DPP members were "not acceptable" and termed it "tasteless behaviour of a group of young people". He said he sharply distanced himself from their actions.
In several Islamic countries, the video unleashed calls for protests and boycotts.
Some political cartoons of Prophet Mohammed published in January by the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten and carried later by several other Western newspapers infuriated Muslims worldwide who found them insulting. Demonstrations in several Islamic countries followed.
Rasmussen's coalition government relies on the support of the DPP.
Kolkata, Oct 9 (IANS) Hundreds of people were arrested Monday across West Bengal as a 12-hour shutdown called by the Trinamool Congress to protest the forcible acquisition of fertile farmlands in Singur for a Tata Motors car project and police atrocities brought life to a halt.
Train services have been disrupted since morning with the bandh supporters blocking railway tracks in various places, especially in Howrah, and a few private buses and vehicles plied on the roads. Flight services were, however, not hit.
Over 70 people have been arrested in Kolkata, police officials said.
The city's metro railway remained unaffected by the bandh, though the passenger traffic was minimal, a Metro official said.
Schools and colleges were shut and government offices reported thin attendance. Though state-run buses plied there were not too many passengers.
However, work was unaffected in the state's IT hub - Sector V, in Salt Lake.
City police joined their counterparts in adjoining North and South 24-Parganas districts to ensure that Sector V is not affected by the shutdown. Special forces have been deployed in and around the tech township to allow easy movement of the industry staff.
A cell has been set up at Bidhannagar (North) police station exclusively to help IT professionals impeded by the shutdown.
The shutdown, being supported by the Congress, evoked full to partial response in West Bengal.
Air traffic went on according to schedule at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) airport here since morning.
Commuters however had a tough time in reaching their destinations and many had to leave home in the wee hours to avoid the shutdown, which began at 6 a.m.
They were also fleeced by cabbies.
In the industrial zones of Bengal, especially Haldia, the attendance was thin though work was not much affected.
Meanwhile, reports of clashes between Trinamool Congress and the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) poured in from some areas.
Congress supporters too demonstrated in Howrah Bridge.
Police, however, said there was no major report of violence so far.
In the city, more than 5,000 policemen have been deployed to tackle the bandh. Over a hundred pickets have been set up across Kolkata and special forces guarded the government offices.
The West Bengal government has assured that Tata Motors would be able to start their small car project by this year at Singur in Hooghly district, where the company has identified about 1,000 acres of land for the project.
"I think Tata Motors will get the land and will be able to start their activity within this year. We ask the opposition to come to terms and they should realise and understand the importance of a Tata Motors factory in West Bengal," State Industry Minister Nirupam Sen had said recently after an all party meeting called by Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya to pacify political opponents.
Faced with mounting agitation, Bhattacharya had held out an olive branch to the Opposition on the festering issue. Bhattacharya's conciliatory note followed an ultimatum from Tata Motors to shift the project to another state and mounting protests by the political rivals.
The situation aggravated in Singur after police resorted to merciless baton-charge on agitating farmers, including women, on the Sep 25 night when Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee had surrounded the block development officer's office in protest.
Mamata Banerjee, who fell sick after the police action at Singur in which she alleged she was assaulted, is in hospital.
Singur issue has brought the Trinamool Congres and the Congress together after several years and the Congress central leadership also offered moral help to Mamta Banerjee.
Berlin, Oct 9 (NNN-KUNA) German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier strongly denounced on Saturday the killing of two German journalists by unidentified gunmen in the northern areas of Afghanistan.
"This terrible act has to be clarified and the perpetrators brought to justice," he said.
"The brutal and senseless death of our countrymen reinforces our duty to help the Afghan government's attempts at security and rule of law in Afghanistan and support them even more," he added.
The two journalists are identified as Karen Fischer, 30, and Christian Struwe, 38.
The two were described as having plenty of experience with Afghanistan and are the first German journalists to be killed in the country since the ouster of the Taliban in 2001.
Their deaths occurred on the fifth anniversary of the war in Afghanistan which began on October 7.
London, Oct 9 (PTI) British Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has intervened in the highly charged public debate over the wearing of veil by Muslim women in the country, saying it was a matter of personal choice whether Muslim women veil their faces.
He also warned that the debate could damage community relations if prejudices are not countered.
His intervention came as Muslim groups said they had received a torrent of hate mails after the call by the Leader of the Commons Jack Straw for Muslim women to discard the full-face veil.
Prescott, however, said that Jack Straw had been right to raise the issue, insisting it should not be a "no go area for debate".
"But it can also lead to considerable difficulties in terms of community relations," he said.
Muslim Council of Britain and the London Muslim Centre said they had been subjected to racist abuse while Merseyside Police reported that a woman in Liverpool had her veil torn from her face.
A spokesman for the Muslim Safety forum, Muhammad Abul Kalam, said there had been a definite increase in attacks and threats for Muslims since Straw made his controversial remarks.
"We are very much concerned that Jack Straw's comments will be picked up by certain elements of the community who want to spread Islamophobia," he said. "There have already been a number of violent, intimidating attacks across the country. His statements have been really detrimental to the Muslim community." PTI
New Delhi, Oct 9 (IANS) Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) founder-leader Kanshi Ram died here early Monday after a long illness. He was 72.
Kanshi Ram, who founded the BSP in 1984, will be cremated at Nigambodh Ghat at 4 30 p.m. Monday. The body will be kept in the party headquarters till 3 p.m. for people to pay their last respects.
New Delhi, Oct 9 (IANS) Welcome to the season of iftars among the political bigwigs. The traditional Muslim breaking of the fast during the holy month of Ramadan, with its mouth-watering dishes, has over the years turned into an occasion for networking and canny political moves.
Although the dates for iftars hosted by who's who in the capital is yet to be known, Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed set the ball rolling with his iftar parties over the weekend.
The party, hosted by Ahamed on the back lawn of his 9 Teen Murti Marg residence, was attended by both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi. Diplomats of Muslim countries, cabinet ministers and senior congress leaders were also present.
Ahamed held another iftar party Sunday evening for the media, community leaders and officials in his ministry.
"It was not a grand function, just a simple gathering," Ahamed told IANS even as he went around making the guests comfortable.
With the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections scheduled early next year, all major political leaders are gearing up to host iftar parties during the season.
"Politicians think that hosting iftar parties is a smart move to woo Muslims. Although this has not shown results in the past, iftars have become a major political event," said a Muslim legislator, who did not wish to be identified.
It was late prime minister Indira Gandhi who started this trend to interact with Muslim leaders and diplomats of Islamic countries. The parties have now become the perfect excuse for a political rendezvous and after-dinner conversations are seldom wasted on small talk.
Congress leader Anis Durrani offers an interesting analogy. "It is more or less like a cocktail circuit. You can meet the same people at different places, but it is no way related to the masses."
Durrani, who agrees politicians have been "copying" Indira Gandhi, says iftar parties have become an "opportunity to interact with the minority community".
"As it's not only Muslims but also intelligentsia, diplomats and a class of other influential people iftar parties have become a good interaction point."
Irked by the political nature of a "religious affair", Muslim intellectuals had appealed to the community leaders not to hold grand parties. Undeterred, Muslim politicians and other leaders have been vying with one another to make it an extravagant affair.
President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Sonia Gandhi had avoided hosting iftar parties last year because the country had witnessed natural calamities. Both had instead contributed the money to the natural calamity relief fund.
Gandhi's office has not yet announced an iftar party this year. But Congress leaders say that she would host one because of the upcoming Uttar Pradesh polls, where the party is eager to get minority support.
An average iftar party begins with the breaking of the fast at sunset usually with dates, sweets and juice. After the evening prayer, refreshments are served to the guests, which is followed by a lavish dinner that is often cooked by chefs from the walled city.
Only time will tell if these grand feasts throw up new political equations that get converted into alliances and votes.
Dubai, Oct 9 (IANS) The spate of chikungunya cases in southern Kerala has forced several Keralites living in Qatar to postpone their vacation plans.
Travel agents in Doha, Qatar, have seen a dramatic rise in air ticket cancellations in the past week, reports The Peninsula newspaper.
"Over the past four days, about 20 Keralites contacted us asking to cancel their tickets. They cited chikungunya as the reason for their postponements. Most of them are from the southern parts of Kerala," a travel executive told the newspaper.
"There would be more cancellations in the days to come if the Indian authorities fail to bring the epidemic under control," he added.
The mosquito borne disease has killed at least 75 people in Kerala.
Beijing, Oct 9 (Xinhua) The Chinese government is resolutely opposed to the nuclear test by North Korea, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement Monday.
North Korea said it conducted a successful underground nuclear test Monday, according to a report by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
"The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) ignored universal opposition of the international community and flagrantly conducted the nuclear test on Oct 9. The Chinese government is resolutely opposed to it," the statement said.
It said China strongly demands North Korea to live up to its commitment to non-nuclearisation on the Korean Peninsula, stop any activity that may worsen the situation and return to the six-party talks.
It has been the firm, unshakable and consistent stance of the Chinese government to realise non-nuclearisation on the Korean Peninsula and oppose proliferation of nuclear weapons, the statement said.
The Chinese government calls for a calm response from all parties concerned and urges them to stick to peaceful resolution of the issue through consultations and dialogues, it stated.
It said that maintaining peace and stability in the northeast Asia region conforms to the common interests of all parties concerned.
North Korea's nuclear test came about a week after the country announced it would undertake an unprecedented atomic test under the condition where safety is firmly guaranteed.
KCNA reported that there was no danger of radioactive emission in the test as it was carried out under scientific considerations and with careful calculation.
In a statement issued Oct 3, the North Korean Foreign Ministry said the country "will never use nuclear weapons first".
Beijing, Oct 9 (DPA) Chinese President Hu Jintao and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hailed their summit Sunday as a "turning point" in bilateral relations, which had cooled after Chinese leaders refused to meet Abe's predecessor for five years.
"I'm convinced that this visit to China has proven to be a turning point that will lead relations between China and Japan to a higher level," Abe told reporters after his talks with Hu and Premier Wen Jiabao.
He said the two sides agreed to "build a strategic relationship of mutual benefit", while Hu echoed Abe's assessment of the importance of the talks.
"Your ongoing visit is serving as a turning point in China-Japan relations and I hope it would also serve as a new starting point for the improvement and development of bilateral ties," state media quoted Hu as telling Abe during talks here.
Hu said Abe's choice of China for his first overseas visit showed that he "has attached great importance to the improvement and development of relations between the two neighbours".
Wen told Abe that bilateral relations faced "both new opportunities of development and lots of challenges", China's official Xinhua news agency said.
He said the issue of Japanese leaders visiting the controversial Yasukuni war shrine must be "properly solved", and that "political obstacles" must be "removed in line with the consensus reached between the two nations".
"Promises must be kept and action must be resolute" to guarantee the improvement of bilateral ties, Wen said.
Abe said he again declined to make any statement about his intentions to visit Yasukuni, which he has visited in the past.
"Whether I have (visited) or will visit Yasukuni, that is not something that I shall make clear," he said.
"This explanation that I made (on visiting the shrine), I believe, was understood by the Chinese side."
The leaders of China and Japan had not met since former Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi's 2001 visit to Yasukuni, which honours Japan's war dead, including 14 class-A war criminals convicted after World War II.
Earlier this year, Hu highlighted Koizumi's visits to the shrine as the "major obstacle in the China-Japan relationship".
China wants Abe to make a public promise not to visit the shrine but Abe has said that he will decide on future visits with his "heart".
Abe said the two sides agreed that they could "never tolerate" a nuclear test by North Korea and pledged cooperation to persuade Pyongyang to abandon its plans.
"We saw eye-to-eye that North Korea's announcement that it plans to conduct a nuclear test can never be tolerated," Abe said of his talks with Hu.
The fact that he and Hu were united in opposition to any nuclear test should send a "strong message" to North Korea, he said.
Abe's trip to Beijing is the first part of what he calls a new "proactive diplomacy" for Japan.
In a joint communique issued after Abe's talks Sunday, the two sides agreed to expand cooperation in key areas such as energy, environmental protection, finance, IT and the protection of intellectual property rights.
Abe was scheduled to fly to South Korea early Monday for similar talks in Seoul.
London, Oct 9 (IANS) The Church of England has accused the Labour government of extending preferential treatment to Britain's Muslim community, saying its "schizophrenic" approach to tackling multiculturalism was deepening the divisions between communities.
In a confidential document, Guy Wilkinson, the interfaith advisor to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, said the government's attempts to make minority "faith" communities more integrated had backfired, leaving society "more separated than ever before".
The document challenges the "widespread description" of Britain as a multi-faith society and even calls for the term "multi-faith" to be reconsidered.
The government, it said, had actually given "privileged attention" to the Islamic faith and Muslim communities. The document is titled 'Cohesion and Integration'.
In the process, the Church of England has been sidelined, it said, and regretted that "preferential" treatment had been extended to the Muslim community despite the fact that it makes up only three percent of the population.
Britain remains overwhelmingly a Christian country at heart and moves to label it as a multi-faith society suggest a hidden agenda, it says. The document was leaked to the Sunday Telegraph
The document, the newspaper reported, listed several moves made by the government since the London bombings in July last year to win favour with Muslim communities. These include "using public funds" to fly Muslim scholars to Britain, shelving legislation on forced marriage and encouraging financial arrangements to comply with Islamic requirements.
These efforts, it alleged, had undermined its interfaith agenda. "Indeed, one might argue that disaffection and separation is now greater than ever, with Muslim communities withdrawing further into a sense of victimhood, and other faith communities seriously concerned that the government has given signals that appear to encourage the notion of a privileged relationship with sections of the Muslim community," it said.
The newspaper said that the document was well received at a meeting of the House of Bishops last week, and added that the document marked a radical departure from the Church's usually diplomatic relations with the government on the multi-faith issue.
According to excerpts of the document published in the newspaper, the government's approach had a "divided, almost schizophrenic approach".
The government, it says, was misguided in "scapegoating the Muslim community as the source of the problem at the same time as believing that they should be uniquely responsible for solutions".
The 2001 census showed that 72 percent of Britons describe themselves as Christian.
By Syed Zarir Hussain,
Aizawl, Oct 9 (IANS) More than 200 newly converted tribal Jews in India's northeastern state of Mizoram are preparing to emigrate to Israel following a formal invitation from Tel Aviv.
"A total of 218 people from Mizoram are leaving for Israel next month. The Israeli prime minister's office has invited them to their Promised Land," Rabbi Hannock Avizedek, an Israeli preacher, told IANS.
Avizedek is in Aizawl, capital of the mountainous state of Mizoram bordering Bangladesh and Myanmar, to impart Hebrew lessons to the tribal Jews and to fine-tune their knowledge of Judaism.
Schoolteacher Bana Kholhring and her businessman husband Avior are excited to be part of the Mizos chosen to migrate to Israel. "We are counting the days. The feeling of migrating to our holy land is simply amazing," said Bana, 30.
Their three teenaged children and Bana's 49-year-old mother Orly will also leave for Israel.
Sephardic or the oriental chief rabbi in Jerusalem, Shlomo Amar, announced in March last year that some 6,000 members of the Bnei Menashe tribe in India's northeast were descendants of ancient Israelites or one of the Biblical 10 lost tribes. The recognition by Israel came in the wake of mounds of applications from local tribespersons seeking to migrate to Israel, which they say is their right.
According to Israeli law, every Jew enjoys the "right of return" - or the right of abode in Israel.
After the Bnei Menashe tribe was recognised as one of the 10 lost tribes by Jerusalem, a group of Israeli Rabbis in September last year visited Mizoram and converted the first batch of 218 Mizo tribal people to Judaism, after they took a holy dip at a 'mikvah' or ritual bath.
"I have no doubt that the newly converted here are practising the religion perfectly. Once they reach Israel they would be undergoing a year-long course to fine-tune other aspects of Judaism at government expense," the Rabbi said.
Bana and her family are now spending at least five hours daily to learn Hebrew at a Jewish centre here. "I can read Hebrew but we are still not fluent in speaking the language," Bana said.
Some 800 people from Mizoram and Manipur have managed to migrate to Israel since 1994 when a private body, Amishav Association, took up their case. The last batch of 71 tribal people left the northeast for Jerusalem in May 2003.
Mizoram is a predominantly Christian state while Hinduism is the dominant faith in Manipur. A majority of the Jews in both Mizoram and Manipur were Christian by birth and later started practising Judaism.
"I cannot even sleep now thinking of starting life afresh," said Zimra Hnamte, a Mizoram government official.
Zimra, a widow, is part of the next batch scheduled to migrate with her 25-year-old son. "It was a long wait and my dream is going to come true," she said.
Bangalore, Oct 9 (IANS) Curfew has been extended in Mangalore till Monday evening after sectarian clashes claimed two lives and injured over 100 people in the last three days, police officials said Sunday.
The situation - after Hindu-Muslim clashes erupted Wednesday over the slaughter of cows, which are revered by Hindus - was under control, Karnataka director-general of police B.S. Sial told reporters.
The curfew had been extended to maintain law and order, he added from Mangalore, about 330 km from here.
"The port city (Mangalore) and nearby towns such as Pottur, Ullal, Konaje and Bhatkal are limping back to normalcy. The violence-hit areas in these places remained peaceful when the curfew was relaxed for over two hours during the day," Sial said.
As a precautionary measure, the district administration, however, declared a holiday for schools and colleges over the next two days.
With markets, business establishments, hotels and theatres remaining closed for the third consecutive day, the coastal city and surrounding areas remained desolate and normal life was affected.
When the curfew was relaxed between 9-11 a.m., people rushed to markets to stock up on provisions. Shortages of milk, vegetables and fish were reported in several areas as the demand outstripped supply.
Senior police official B. Dayanand told IANS on phone that barring an attack on people travelling in an ambulance that hurt six people Saturday, no other untoward incident had been reported.
State Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy told reporters here that Home Minister M.P. Prakash would go to Mangalore Monday to take stock of the situation.
"The situation in Mangalore has been brought under control. About 180 miscreants and anti-social elements were arrested. The home minister will visit the riot-affected areas and discuss measures to restore peace," Kumaraswamy said.
Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa denied the hand of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad or any other right-wing organisations in the clashes that rocked Mangalore.
He told reporters in Shimoga that the state government had ordered an inquiry into the incidents and directed the state police chief to submit a report within a week.
Dhaka, Oct 9 (IANS) A quid pro quo between the ruling Bangladesh National Party (BNP) and the opposition Awami League over the appointment of a caretaker government chief appears to be in the offing as the country prepares for parliamentary polls in January.
After months of squabbling over what they call "electoral reforms", BNP secretary general Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan met Awami League general secretary Abdul Jalil thrice last week. The two are due to meet again, political sources said.
The opposition alliance wants Chief Election Commissioner Justice M.A. Aziz replaced and is against the appointment of another retired judge, K.M. Hasan, as the caretaker executive of an interim government that would conduct the elections as per the constitutional provisions.
In an apparent exchange offer, the opposition may withdraw its demand on the poll chief, provided someone other than Hasan is made the caretaker. It has instead proposed the name of another retired judge, Mahmudul Amin Chowdhury.
According to the opposition, Hasan was a BNP functionary earlier and as a judge had "shied away" from handling the trial of those accused of killing the country's founding father and former president, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in an August 1975 military putsch.
Mujib is the father of Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina and his assassination and trial are emotional issues in Bangladesh.
According to New Age newspaper, the possible deal had been worked out by two opposition stalwarts, Kamal Hossain and Rashed Khan Menon, who persuaded the Awami League leadership to be "flexible".
"We want a solution to the present political impasse and are therefore ready to compromise, for the sake of the success of the dialogue, on one of our major demands - the change of the chief election commissioner," Menon, president of the Workers Party, a component of the opposition alliance, told New Age Sunday evening.
"We will, however, stick to our demand for not appointing Justice K.M. Hasan as the chief of the caretaker government," Menon said.
Political observers said the deal might help end the deadlock among the rival alliances. The Awami League may accept the poll body chief, despite his continuing spat with the media and politicians, to avoid being seen as wanting a change in the referee so close to the political match.
Under the Bangladesh constitution, the Zia government would have to resign on Oct 28, making way for a neutral regime that would conduct the polls.
Bangladesh's civil society, the trade and industry bodies and envoys of foreign countries, especially the donor nations, have been pleading with the two sides to end the stalemate and enter into a political dialogue.
London, Oct 9 (IANS) A gene called Evi1 may be responsible for glue ear, an inflammation of the middle ear that causes hearing impairment of babies under a year old, say scientists.
The inflammation, also called otitis media, often begins when infections that cause sore throats, colds, or other breathing problems spread to the middle ear - the part of the ear that lies behind the eardrum.
Professor Steven Brown, and colleagues at the Medical Research Council Mammalian Genetics Unit, studied a mouse with hearing loss, which they called Junbo. Like some children with otitis media, the Junbo mouse had severe, recurrent glue ear, reported the online edition of BBC News.
The work, published in Public Library of