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Parliament 'bans' Coke, Pepsi

          New Delhi, Aug 6: The committee on food management has banned soft drinks inside Parliament following a report by a non-government organisation that drinks like Pepsi and Coke contained pesticides. Chairman of the Committee on Food Management, E. Ahmed, announced this while participating in an impromptu debate in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday on the findings by the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). As the House was debating the matter, Ahmed, member of the Muslim League, said that as chairman of the committee, he had immediately ordered that these drinks be stopped in Parliament House. A clerk in parliament's government run-restaurant where deputies dine said he had received instructions not to sell Coke or Pepsi soft drinks. (Contd)

         Govt employees have no right to strike: SC

          New Delhi, Aug 6: Government employees have no fundamental, legal or moral right to go on strike, the Supreme Court of India observed in its judgement on Wednesday. "Even the trade unions, who have a guaranteed right for collective bargaining, have no right to go on strike," said a SC bench comprising Justice M.B. Shah and Justice A.R. Lakshmanan while disposing off petitions pertaining to the Tamil Nadu government employees strike. The judges said, government employees couldn't hold the society to ransom by going on strike to ventilate their grievances. Justice Shah said, "no political party or organisation can claim a right to paralyse the economic and industrial activities of a state or nation or inconvenience citizens." Observing that a strike results in "total chaos and mal- administration", he said there are various other ways for ventilating the grievances. The judgement assumes significance in the wake of the Tamil Nadu Government recently dismissing 1.76 lakh employees under the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) ordinance. Intervening in the matter, the Apex Court ordered the state government to take back 1,56,106 employees after they furnished an apology and undertaking not to indulge in a strike in future.

Bismillah's tryst with Parliament

           New Delhi, Aug 6: For decades he has left music lovers spellbound with his magnificent Shehnai rendition. Now after a long break, eminent shehnai player Bismillah Khan will be performing live at Parliament House on Thursday. The octogenarian, who needs a wheel chair, will be performing alongwith vocalist Soma Ghosh. President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and members from both the houses of parliament will be present on the occasion. The recipient of the country's highest civilian award 'Bharat Ratna', who had accused the government of neglecting him, said music is more important to him than money. "I do get money. Wherever I go I get money. You all have given me. Whatever be the case, just remember that we are Indians, we cannot be somebody else, no one can change us and it is not that only money can make us happy. No don't give me money. I will be happy with bare minimum, but remember I will not leave music..it is ours," Khan told reporters in the capital.

          Prime Minister Vajpayee gave 200,000 rupees and President Kalam 100,000 rupees to the ailing musician recently. Various social organisations also came forward to help him. Khan said that government should organise concerts to support musicians who have contributed their life to promote Indian music. "I want that for all our musicians, the government should do something. They should organise at least programmes for them. Any programme... local or instrumental. Artists like us should get programmes," Khan said. His ancestors were court musicians in the princely state of Dumroan in Bihar and he was trained under his uncle. Khan has played shehnai in all the five continents and won international acclaim.

Lyngdoh fears 'cheating' in simultaneous polls (Go To Top)

           New Delhi, Aug 6: Election Commissioner J M Lyngdoh on Wednesday said that simultaneous polls would lead to "cheating like hell." Talking to reporters, Lyngdoh said that the proposition was anti-democratic in character, as it would be difficult to handle the situation. "We won't be able to pay attention. They will cheat like hell and we won't know what to do with that." Dismissing Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani's idea on synchronisation of polls, Lyngdoh said that certain states needed special attention and that it would not be right in terms of electoral records to allow everybody to go to polls at the same time. He also said there was no necessity that any state should be oriented towards Parliamentary elections. "There is nothing in democracy which says that Parliament is more important than Assembly". However, Lyngdoh said, the Commission was prepared to hold Lok Sabha polls anytime if the situation demanded.

China ready for border dialogue with India: spokesman (Go To Top)

          Islamabad, Aug 6: China has indicated that it is willing to take discussions on its border dispute with India forward and hopes that existing differences between the two sides will be resolved through dialogue soon. In a report, the Lahore-based Daily Times quoted Chinese Foreign Office spokesman Kong Quan as saying that Beijing has invited a team of Indian diplomats and military experts to come over to discuss the vexed border issue, including claims on areas covered by the state of Arunachal Pradesh. This will be the 14th meeting between the two sides. "Not long ago, Indian military personnel crossed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to the Chinese side," Quan said, adding that the Indians were promptly asked to return to their side of border to ensure peace in the area. "It is hoped the Indian side will strictly abide by the agreement signed between the two countries, respect the Line of Actual Control, and avoid such incidents from happening again," the paper quoted Quan as saying.

          Indian media reports, however, believe that relations between the two countries are not as normal as is being made out to be. According to reports, New Delhi dispatched a "strong demarche" to Beijing last week on what it alleged was Chinese infiltration into Arunachal Pradesh. Quoting highly placed sources, the paper further said that India may not rush into border negotiations, and would assess the situation before National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra met Chinese Senior Vice- Minister for Foreign Affairs Dai Bingguo to discuss the issue. One report remarked that Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's visit to China stood diminished in the eyes of the Indian public because of the confrontation between the Chinese and Indian border personnel in the Asaphi La Sector of the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh. The Chinese, it claimed, were aggressive, and detained, disarmed and interrogated Indian personnel before sending them back to the Indian side of the LAC. Their arms were only returned after this objective was achieved.

           These reports say that New Delhi continues to be exacerbated by the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman's assertion that Beijing does not recognise Arunachal Pradesh as being a part of India.

Pak to construct 664 bunkers along LoC (Go To Top)

          Islamabad, Aug 6: Pakistan is to build 664 additional bunkers along the Line of Control (LoC) in Baltistan and Astore regions. Northern Areas Home and Information Secretary Saeed Ahmed Khan was quoted as saying by the News that Rs. 41 million had been earmarked for the project. Khan said it was necessary to build these shelter to minimize human casualties in a zone where cross-border shelling continued everyday. Khan said the bunkers would be constructed in phases, and each would cost Rs. 65,000.

Two Jaish militants slain in Pulwama encounter (Go To Top)

          Pulwama (J-K), Aug 6: Two militants of the banned Jaish-e- Mohammad were killed in a late night encounter in the remote Lurgam village in Pulwama, about 31 km from Srinagar on Tuesday. Huge cache of arms and ammunition and wireless set were recovered by security forces from the slain militants. BSF officials said they expected militants to step up violence ahead of Independence Day. "Generally when you have Independence Day or any celebration of national importance or anything where you expect public participation, the mood of the militants will be to disrupt it. They always have to prove a point that they rule the roost or they have more power and the government machinery is not in a position to respond to that. With this thing in mind they are always trying to do something. Groups are sneaking in from across the border trying to find a place and are looking for an opportunity to do something," K.C Peadi, Deputy Inspector General of 120 battalion of the Border Security Force, said.

          Jaish-e-Mohammad is one of the militant groups, which India accuses executed the December 13, 2001 raid on parliament, in which 13 people including the five assailants were killed. About a dozen Muslim separatist rebel groups have been battling Indian forces in Kashmir since 1989. Officials say the violence has left more than 38,000 dead. New Delhi accuses Islamabad of arming and training militants in the disputed region. Pakistan denies the charge and says it only renders moral, diplomatic and political support to what it calls a "legitimate Kashmiri freedom struggle."

'Bhima' selected for WWF Championships (Go To Top)

          Bangalore, Aug 6: Kushti' or traditional Indian wrestling has now acquired a brand new face, courtesy Manoj Chopra. Popularly known as Bhima, a mythological character known for his strength, akin to the Greek Hercules, Manoj Chopra has been selected by the renowned World Wrestling Federation (WWF). The 33-year old wrestler, who hails from Bangalore, said his dream had come true after he became the first Asian representative at the WWF. "I always wanted to go for WWF (World Wrestling Federation) because I wanted to represent my country and it is very very tough to go there. It is very hard. But when I went to USA and did some power feats and I knew some of the WWF wrestlers, when I did these power feats they were very happy and they only gave me the chance," said Chopra.

          Weighing 145 kg, the six feet five inches Chopra started out as an arm wrestler and gradually shifted to doing power feats. Apart from performing feats like breaking handcuffs, bursting rubber water bottles and rolling frying pans, to name a few, Chopra has also tried his hand at Sumo wrestling. Excited about his education at the Ultimate Wrestling University in California, recommended by the WWF, Chopra hopes to get a sponsor, which would enable him to pursue his dream further.

India to sign free trade pact with Thailand (Go To Top)

          New Delhi, Aug 6: India is all set to sign a free trade agreement (FTA) with Thailand in October during Prime Minister Vajpayee's visits there. Addressing a meeting of business leaders organised by FICCI, Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Korn Dabbaransi on Wednesday said that tariffs from both sides would be reduced on more than 80 products under the "early harvest programme". Commerce Minister Arun Jaitley said that the FTA would pave the way for greater bilateral trade and investment flows. The FTA aims at reducing the tariffs on these products to zero by 2010. Tariff reductions on products other than the first 80 would follow gradually. This will be India's second FTA after the one it entered into with Sri Lanka three years ago.

Indian peacekeeping troops return from Ethiopia (Go To Top)

          New Delhi, Aug 6: A column of Indian troops, which returned from Ethiopia as part of the U.N. peacekeeping mission, was felicitated on Wednesday at a function here. Commending the performance of the soldiers, Deputy Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General J.B.S Yadav, said the United Nations too had acknowledged that the Indian contingent was among the best. Last month, India sent troops on a peacekeeping mission in Ethiopia-Eritrea in East Africa and Congo. India has been one of the largest contributors to U.N. peacekeeping operations in the last five decades. Over 65,000 troops have participated in such missions and 108 Indian soldiers have been killed in these operations so far. At present, Indian forces are posted in Lebanon, Congo, Ethiopia and Eritrea. India is also contributing over 100 personnel, including officers, in various U.N. missions.

Parliament 'bans' Coke, Pepsi (Go To Top)

          (Contd)  The announcement was welcomed by the members who were agitated over the shocking report brought out by an independent NGO, Centre for Science and Environment, on Tuesday which said soft drinks sold by the firms in India contained high levels of pesticides such as DDT and malathion. The two companies denied the allegations. Cutting across party lines, several members said if the CSE report was correct, a ban should be imposed on soft drinks and stringent action taken against the MNCs responsible. The independent environmental group said it had found no pesticides in tests of Coke and Pepsi soft drink brands sold in the United States. The Indian unit of Coca-Cola Company is the market leader in the south Asian country where it battles PepsiCo Inc for the 1.2 billion dollar carbonated beverage segment.

          The CSE report said total pesticides in all PepsiCo brands on average were 0.0180 milligrams (mg) a litre, 36 times higher than European Union limits, while pesticides in Coca-Cola brands on average were 0.0150 mg a litre, 30 times the limit. The report said concentration of lindane, a carcinogen that also damages the nervous system, was 0.0035 mg per litre in the popular Coca-Cola brand, 35 times higher than EU standards. The CSE said its tests, conducted over the past six months, showed the amount of DDT in Pepsi was 16 times higher than EU norms and nine times higher in Coca-Cola.

          Meanwhile, BJP activists protested against the soft-drink giants in Mumbai. The activists, shouting anti-Coca Cola and Pepsi slogans, also burnt effigies of Coke and Pepsi.

 

Bottomlines

Moss in the buff (Go To Top)

          Washington, Aug 6: Kate Moss seems to be going the Britney Spears way. After the pop singer posed in skimpy clothes for 'W' magazine, it is the turn of the former supermodel to strip and bare all on the front cover, according to a report in People News. Moss will pose nude for the lensmen of 'W' and the cover of the US style magazine is likely to remain untouched by airbrushing. It is likely to feature nine different eye-feasting shots of her taken by various shutterbugs, including actor Chuck Close's photographer. "Kate has been our muse - ours and our photographers, for the simple reason that there are so many aspects to Kate's personality. She's a woman, she's a child, she's a tomboy, she's very sexual, she's smart, she's funny, she's good, she's bad. She's probably one of the most beautiful, ordinary-looking women and that makes her interesting," Dennis Freeman, W's creative director said. The model had earlier posed nude for the sensational Calvin Klein perfume 'Obsession' advertisements.

J.Lo, Ben headed for splitsville? (Go To Top)

          London, Aug 6: All's not well between singer-actress Jennifer Lopez and her Oscar-winning beau Ben Affleck. According to insiders on the Canadian sets of her new film 'Shall We Dance,' a teary-eyed J.Lo recently ripped off her engagement ring and flew back to Los Angeles. If rumours are to be believed, the diva has been disturbed by Affleck's reported dalliance with a few strippers, reports People News. The National Enquirer, in which the story was reported, claims to have photographic evidence of some "cheating going on" and have dared Affleck to take a lie detector test before he sues the paper. Sources also say that on the sets of a photoshoot in LA a few days ago, J.Lo was `very cranky' and told her friends that she was single. Her friends, however, have denied that the relationship with Affleck is on the rocks. Meanwhile, journalists who have attempted to interview Affleck, have been told he is `too sick' to be seen.

'Tomb Raider' Jolie on a man hunt (Go To Top)

          Washington, Aug 6: Actress Angelina Jolie has admitted that she is "going out" with a number of men "at the moment". Talking to journalists who had enquired whether her adopted son Maddox needed a father figure, she said, "Does my child really need a father? Take a look at the men I go out with at the moment, and decide for yourself whether they would be suitable fathers." The Oscar-winning-star claimed a fortnight ago that she hadn't dated anyone for over a year since splitting with hubby Billy Bob Thornton, according to TeenHollywood. Jolie has been at the centre of controversy these past few weeks after she linked to 'Taking Lives' co-star Oliver Martinez, who is dating Kylie Minogue and photographed kissing another her co-star, Ethan Hawke who is married to blonde actress Uma Thurman.

Another Liz flick bombs (Go To Top)

          Washington, Aug 6: Actress Eizabeth Hurley has added one more to her list of movie flops. According to rate the music.com, her latest movie 'Double Whammy' has bombed in her native British theatres as it pulled in a measly sum of 40,000 dollars in its first two weeks while the film's makers have spent 400,000 dollars to promote it. "I hesitate to use the words 'Liz', 'Hurley' and 'actress' in the same sentence for fear of prosecution under the Trades Description Act," says Kevin O' Sullivan, movie critic for Britain's Daily Mirror newspaper.

-ANI