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3 militants among 5 killed in raid on J-K TV, radio stations

          Srinagar, Apr 26: Authorities in Kashmir fought back an attempt by militants to raid India's main state-run radio and television station on Saturday but three rebels and two security force troopers were killed. Army sources said the militants first detonated a car loaded with explosives outside the complex in the heart of Srinagar to divert the attention of guards in the high-security area.

           "The fidayeens (suicide squads) were eliminated through joint efforts before they could enter the radio station. In the process two security personnel, one from Central Reserve Police Force and the other from Border Security Force, were also killed. The area has been thoroughly searched and no more insurgents have been found. The city is under control and forces are on high alert," said Des Raj, a senior Army officer.

           A less known rebel group, Al-Madina Regiment called local newspaper offices to claim responsibility. The same group had owned up a suicide attack on a paramilitary camp on Friday in the town of Bandipura, north of Srinagar, in which three soldiers and a civilian were killed. Two of three militants involved in Friday's attack were also killed. Saturday's incident follows a series of militant attacks in the Himalayan region on Friday that killed 10 people, including six soldiers.

Air India gets tough with pilots

          Mumbai, Apr 26: State-owned Air India on Saturday asked its pilots' union to withdraw all directives against operating flights to Sars-affected region. The 200-member strong Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) had earlier this month refused to fly to Sars-affected countries. The pilots have refused to operate other flights as well unless they are provided with a certificate that the accompanying crew had not travelled to Sars-affected regions during the past 10 days. After talks broke down with the pilots' guild in Mumbai, airline management termed the IPG's directives as unreasonable. The Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) was told in categorical terms that various directives issued by IPG in the past three weeks like merits and justification were totally unreasonable. These directives should therefore be withdrawn forthwith for restoration of normalcy in Air India's operations. It was explained to the IPG that their directives have no justification considering that premier international organisations like World Health Organisation and health authorities of Government of India have been categorical that there is no risk involved to a crew member while operating a flight to Hong Kong or Singapore." Jitendra Bhargava, Public Relations Officer, Air India, later told reporters.

           The pilots have been asked to resume duty till late Saturday evening or face disciplinary action. The state carrier had been managing with its 159 non-unionised executive pilots but the crisis escalated last Wednesday when the non-union members joined in the agitation as well. Hundreds of passengers across India have been left stranded but Air India says it is making alternative arrangements and normal flights would be restored soon. "Some flights have been cancelled by us to Hong Kong and Singapore as passengers going to those countries have come down. But if we cancel all flights from there, our operations will be hit by 50 per cent. We will announce through advertisements in newspapers about whatever alternative arrangements we make," Bhargava said. Air India flights to Hong Kong, where 109 people have died from Sars, were curtailed earlier this month.

           Airline officials have affirmed that flights to the United States and Europe will operate normally but short-haul flights will be affected because of the new directive. India has so far confirmed five cases of Sars. Experts say the country's overloaded health system is ill-equipped to deal with a major outbreak.

          Dozens of people, mostly foreign nationals, were left stranded in Mumbai on Saturday after Air- India cancelled several flights to Southeast Asia and the Gulf as the pilots union refused to fly to Sars-affected areas.

Sars kills three more in Canada (Go To Top)

          Toronto, Apr 26: Canada's biggest city reported three more deaths and eight new cases of Sars, even as Toronto health officials insisted they were bringing the outbreak of the deadly virus under control, official said on Saturday. They said the new cases were among hospital workers, who already make up one in four of Ontario's 265 suspected and probable Sars sufferers, and that the spread of the virus was coming under control in the community.

          Meanwhile, China replaced its health minister after criticism that he mishandled the Sars outbreak, turning over his job to a vice premier. Health Minister Zhang Wenkang resigned, and China's parliament appointed Vice Premier Wu Yi to take over his duties, the official news agency said. Zhang was stripped of his Communist Party posts last weekend after widespread criticism that his ministry responded too slowly to the outbreak of Sars which has killed at least 115 people in China. Seven new Sars deaths and 154 new cases were reported in China, taking the nationwide death toll to 122, the health ministry announced.

Next US space shuttle crew to include Japanese woman (Go To Top)

          Washington, Apr 26: The crew of the next US space shuttle to take off when the program resumes following the February 1 disaster that killed seven astronauts, will include a Japanese woman and be commanded by an American woman, NASA chief Sean O'Keefe told newsmen on Saturday. The date of the next mission has not yet been set, pending the results of an inquiry into the reasons the shuttle Columbia disintegrated on re-entering the atmosphere minutes before its scheduled landing in Florida, and implementation of corrective measures. The crew of the next shuttle mission, called STS-114, will include pilot Eileen Collins, co-pilot James Kelly and mission specialists Stephen Robinson and Soichi Noguchi of the Japanese Space Agency NASDA, NASA said.

14 killed as arms dump explodes in Baghdad (Go To Top)

          Baghdad, Apr 26: A huge dump of Iraqi weapons gathered by coalition forces exploded in a residential area in the south of Baghdad Saturday sending a missile into a home and killing 14 people, a US news channel reported. US commanders charged that unidentified Iraqis had fired flares into the dump to ignite the weapons. US troops were forced to pull back from the mangled debris at the scene amid angry protests by residents that the arms had been dumped too close to their homes.

Iraqi women stripped naked by US soldiers: Report (Go To Top)

          London, Apr 26: Amnesty International has expressed concern at the disturbing article and images portrayed in the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet which show American soldiers escorting naked Iraqi men through a park in Baghdad. The pictures reveal that someone has written the words 'Ali Baba - Haram(i)' (which means Ali Baba - thief) in Arabic on the prisoners' chests. The article quotes a US military officer as saying that this treatment is an effective method of deterring thieves from entering the park and is a method which will be used again; another US military officer is quoted as saying that US soldiers are not allowed to treat prisoners inhumanely.

Tariq Aziz plays hardball to get himself a deal (Go To Top)

          London, Apr 26: Saddam Hussein's former deputy PM who surrendered to US forces on Thursday has decided to spill all the beans about the Iraqi regime, but at a price. The schemer has told his US captors he will reveal all in exchange for a new identity and cushy life in the UK. Cigar-smoking Aziz, 67, was Saddam's best-known mouthpiece and condemned the UK. Now he wants to live here because he is terrified of being executed by Iraqis and is desperate to dodge US strict justice, reports the Sun.

           Aziz, who gave himself up on Thursday, is the most senior Saddam aide caught so far. Human rights groups last on Friday said: "The guy is a murderous scumbag and we don't want him here. He has got the blood of hundreds of thousands on his hands." The Iraqi Community Association, representing 250,000 Iraqis who fled to Britain, condemned any deal. Spokesman Hashim Ali was quoted by the Sun as saying: "It is unthinkable that Aziz gains protection in this country. He is a nasty, murderous man."

           Within hours of his capture in Baghdad, Aziz - a top member of Saddam's Revolutionary Command Council - hinted to US forces about his knowledge of weapons, crimes against humanity and Saddam's last-known whereabouts. He even threw the name of Labour MP George Galloway - accused of being on the Iraqi payroll - into the conversation. An insider said: "Aziz has made it clear he is ready for a total sell-out. He knows we are anxious to retrieve this information and is playing hard-to-get. He has his price and he's sticking out for it.

Fernandes meets Jiang Zemin (Go To Top)

          Beijing, Apr 26: Indian Defence Minister George Fernandes met former Chinese president and top political leader Jiang Zemin here on Saturday. The two leaders reportedly exchanged views on how to further consolidate bilateral ties. Official sources said during the meet Zemin extended an invitation to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to visit China later this year. The meeting was held in a warm and very friendly atmosphere, the sources added. Fernandes is here on a seven-day official visit. This is the first visit by any Indian defence minister in past few years. It may be recalled that in the past on many occasions Fernandes was accused of hard-speaking against the neighbouring country. So far Fernandes has held discussions with senior Chinese leaders and top defence officials on "matters of mutual concern and interest".

Nothing good can happen under NDA govt: Sonia (Go To Top)

          Bhopal, Apr 26: Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Friday said unless the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre was removed from office nothing good can happen in the country. Under this government, unemployment is increasing even as there is a steep rise in prices and corruption, Sonia said in her address at a massive Madhya Pradesh-level 'cooperative convention' at the historic Lal Parade Ground. She said "People have lost faith in politics. Politics in itself is not guilty. The real guilty is the BJP who have made politics a medium to meet their selfish interests. Obviously there is more coordination amongst such people but that is not for the benefit of the society, nor for their development of the state or the country but for their personal selfish motives,and that only brings more suffering for the people."

Death of young tigress in Corbett Park baffles vets (Go To Top)

          Udhamsingh Nagar, Apr 26: Officials of the Jim Corbett National Park in Uttaranchal said on Friday that a young tigress died in the park following a brief illness. The one-year old tigress was suffering from 'Parbo' disease, an ailment suffered mainly by canines, park authorities said. The doctors had earlier identified the disease as blood dysentery. Two vets called from nearby Ramnagar town to attend to the ailing tigress failed to revive the carnivore which was caught by forest officials on Thursday evening.

           "Following complaints of dysentery, veterinary doctors were called from Ramnagar who immediately treated her. Thereafter in the morning (on Friday) after certain tests they found that the disease was not dysentery but 'Parbo' which mainly occurs in canines. Despite all efforts it died," said A N Singh, sub-divisional officer at the Jim Corbett National Park.

           India's tiger population has fallen drastically over the years largely because of construction of dams in some areas which are destroying natural habitats. The tiger population has decreased to around 3,000 from 50,000 in 1947. Various projects funded by the World Bank and the World Wildlife Fund are now being implemented in India's 22 tiger reserves and sanctuaries. India is home to about sixty per cent of the world's wild tiger population.