Archives

Two foreigners among four killed in copter crash near Manali

          Shimla, Apr 29: Four people on board a privately-owned helicopter were killed when the chopper crashed near Manali, a tourist resort 260 km from here, soon after take-off on Tuesday morning. The dead included two foreigners. (Contd)

18 more Air-India pilots suspended

          Mumbai, Apr 29: Air-India on Tuesday suspended 18 more pilots for turning down and "abandoning" flights at various stations. With this, 45 pilots owing allegiance to the Indian Pilots' Guild have been suspended so far since April 26. They have been refusing to operate flights, demanding a certificate that no accompanying crew, cockpit or cabin, had flown to Sars-affected regions. (Sars claims more lives in China, Hong Kong)

13 terrorists, 6 jawans killed in Doda battle

          Srinagar, Apr 29: Thirteen militants were killed in a fierce encounter with the Army in Doda hills on Tuesday, according to official sources. This was a major offensive, which claimed the lives of six soldiers as well. Acting on specific information that a large group of foreign militants, mostly Pakistanis of different outfits, was attending a meeting of their command council, the troops laid a cordon in the Bharat Forest area early on Tuesday and began to track down the terrorists in the dense forest belt. The militants were asked to surrender, but they fired rifle grenades and opened heavy fire on the troops. The latter returned the fire and in the ensuing gunbattle, 13 militants and six security personnel were killed.

           Twelve AK-47 rifles, three pistols, 21 magzines, one UBG launcher, three radio sets, 17 grenades, one rocket launcher, one night vision device, six IEDs and some maps were recovered. The operation is reportedly still going on. According to initial reports, the slain militants belonged to Jaish-e-Mohammad, Hizbul Mujahideen Pir Panjal Regiment, Lashker- e-Toiba, Al-Badr and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen outfits.

'PM hasn't accepted Pak invitation' (Go To Top)

          New Delhi, Apr 29: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee told the BJP parliamentary party meeting here on Tuesday that he has not accepted the invitation to visit Pakistan. He was referring to the telephonic talk he had with his Pakistani counterpart, Zafarullah Khan Jamali, on Monday night. Party spokesman VK Malhotra, briefing reporters after the meeting, said the Prime Minister informed the members that the issue of terrorism figured in his conversation with Jamali. Malhotra said Vajpayee told the meeting that since Parliament session was on, he would not like to divulge details of his talks with Jamali and if the issue figured in the House, he may make a statement.

'Jamali-Vajpayee telephonic talk encouraging' (Go To Top)

          Srinagar, Apr 29: The telephonic conversation between the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan has been widely welcomed in India as something that will bring peace to Jammu and Kashmir. Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali had talked late on Monday with Atal Behari Vajpayee, raising a glimmer of hope for easing of tensions between the two countries.

          "This is good, because the Valley has been suffering for the past 13 years due to militancy. It will be good if both are successful in resolving the issue," said Tahir, a resident of Srinagar. Ghulam Rasool Mufti, another local resident said the talks must be purposeful. "It is a very good move but intentions should be clear. Talks should not be for the sake of dialogue only, it must be result-oriented," said Rasool. The All-Party Hurriyat Conference also hailed the initiative. "Issues cannot be resolved through guns as they have been solved through dialogue in the past and will continue to be so," said Moulvi Abbas Ansari, senior APHC leader.

Valley residents fed up with terrorism: Vohra (Go To Top)

          Srinagar, Apr 29: The Union government's interlocutor on Kashmir issue, NNVohra, on Tuesday wrapped up his week-long visit to Srinagar. Addressing a press conference at the conclusion of his visit, Vohra said the people of the Valley were fed up with militancy in the state. "Having met over 30 organisations and about 170 individuals in the last seven days, one distinct feature that emerges is that the people of Jammu and Kashmir, specially of the Valley, now see a ray of hope. They see some expectations, they see better times ahead," Vohra said.

Prithvi test-fired successfully (Go To Top)

          Balasore, Apr 29: Prithvi, the country's most sophisticated medium-range missile, was successfully test-fired from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur, 15 km from here, on Tuesday. The test was described as a "user's trial" by the Indian Army and scientists of the Defence Research and Development Organisation. Mounted on a Mobile Tatra Transporter Erecter Launcher, the indigenously developed missile, with a range of 150 to 250 km, was fired at 11.27 am, according to ITR sources. The 8.56-metre high and one-metre thick missile, which witnessed a perfect lift-off, is part of India's Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme.

'Lathi Rally' frightens Patna (Go To Top)

          Patna, Apr 29: The 'Bhajapa Bhagawan Lathi Rally' called by RJD supremo Laloo Prasad Yadav for Wednesday in Patna has put public life in complete disarray. All the buses have been hijacked from the roads for the purpose, leaving thousands of passengers stranded. State Minister Dadan Pahalwan says: "We appeal to all the shopkeepers that they should not be wary of the lathis. They should see it as a protective thing. These lathis are not meant for looting people. The Opposition is trying to mislead the public by spreading canards about the rally."

           But a local businessman, Ashish Kumar, does not want to take any chance and has decided to keep his shop shut on the day. He said, "We have decided to close down our shops because we know someone or the other would come with his lathi for collection. And our business is already down so we cannot afford that.

           The biggest sufferers are the general public. Said a local resident: "Because of this rally, we are finding travelling very tough, there are no vehicles on the roads. If after waiting for hours you find one, you have to pay double the normal fare."

US to cut military presence in Gulf: Rumsfeld (Go To Top)

          Dubai, Apr 29: The US will reduce its military forces in the Gulf now as Iraq no longer poses a threat to the region, US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has said, reports News. Although "no final decisions" have been taken, Army General Tommy Franks is thinking about changes in the US basing requirements in the region, including a possible move of air operations command centre from Saudi Arabia, he said.

           According to New York Times, the United States was shifting its air operations from Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia to Al Udeid air base in Qatar. A two-year old combined air operations centre (CAOC) at Prince Sultan was used to direct the air war against Iraq. Rumsfeld said that one reason why the United States would reduce its forces in the region was that the need for air patrols to enforce no-fly zones in southern and northern watch is over. Another reason "is that the forces that were necessary to liberate Iraq are not necessary during the stabilisation period."

15 killed in US firing in Iraqi town, 75 wounded (Go To Top)

          Baghdad, Apr 29: Irrespective of the question of "who started it first", the fact remains that at least 15 Iraqis were shot dead by American troops during an anti-US protest in Falluja town, 50 km west of here, late on Monday night, an incident which is bound to inflame public anger. According to witnesses, bullets were showered on unarmed demonstrators but US officers claimed their men only retaliated and it was the other side which fired first. The protestors were demanding that the forces must vacate the local school they occupied. The number of injured is estimated at 75.

           US Lieutenant Christopher Hart stated that a slogan-shouting crowd of 100 to 200 people approached his men, who opened fire after two gunmen with combat rifles appeared from behind the crowd on a motorcycle and started shooting. Some people in the crowd then also fired at the troops, he claimed, putting the toll as 7 to 10.

Sars claims more lives in China, Hong Kong (Go To Top)

          Hong Kong, Apr 29: China on Tuesday reported nine new Sars deaths and 202 new cases, while 12 Sars-related deaths were announced by the Hong Kong government with 15 news cases. The latest deaths took the toll in China to 148 and the total number of cases to 3,303. Seven of the new deaths were in Beijing, taking its total to 66. Of the new cases, 152 were in the Chinese capital, giving it 1,347 confirmed cases. The other deaths were in Hebei province and Inner Mongolia, according to a foreign news agency.

           In Hong Kong, Sars virus has killed another 12 people in the territory and infected 15 others. The latest figures bring the toll to 150 and the cumulative cases to 1,572, said an official statement.

Four die as copter crashes near Manali (Go To Top)

          (Contd) The four-seater Lama helicopter, belonging to the Himachal Helicopter Skiing Company, came hurtling down and broke into pieces after it took off from Pirni helipad at 8 am and the debris fell into a canal. The pilot was identified as Capt Krishan Tomar (26) while the foreigners were John Murphy (30) from Japan and Xoch Castino (24) from Columbia. The fourth victim was Madhvi Gautam, a receptionist working in a local hotel. The skiing company belongs to Rodey Mackenzie, an Australian who has been organising skiing activities here for the past 15 years. It is for the third time in the last one year that a helicopter belonging to this firm has been involved in an accident. However, there were no casualties in the earlier two incidents.