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Bangla Infiltrators Go Back SATGATCHI (Cooch Behar): The 213 Bangladeshi infiltrators left the zero line at the border at Satgatchi village in Cooch Behar district on Thursday. According to KC Sharma, officiating IG of BSF, North Bengal, the BDR had taken them away under the cover of darkness in a face-saving action. The snake-charmers have left behind possessions like utensils, make-shift tents, lamps, blankets, chairs, tarpaulins, slippers, dolls and wrist-watches. A piece of paper with some message written in Urdu was alaso found. Sharma said the BSF had documents which proved that those people belonged to Bangladesh. He said the BSF, in fact, wanted that the BDR should take back the 213 Bangladeshi nationals, who were forced to infiltrate, in front of media representatives of both the countries. The illegal immigrants were caught last week while trying to cross over to the Indian side of the border and were stranded at the zero-line since then. A stand-off ensued, Dhaka alleging that the people were Indians intending to enter Bangla territory. Infiltration Across LoC Must End, Putin to Pervez (Go To Top) MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday urged visiting Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to stop infiltration across the Line of Control into Kashmir, reports the News. Kremlin sources also said Putin urged Musharraf to crack down on remnants of the Taliban, as well as on militants who stage regular attacks in Kashmir. The Russian leader told reporters he had "stressed the need to work consistently to resume a dialogue between India and Pakistan" during the talks. Breakthrough in Indus Water Talks(Go To Top) ISLAMABAD: In a major breakthrough India has accepted Pakistan's suggestion for immediate inspection of the 450 megawatt Baglihar hydropower project being constructed on river Chenab, according to Jamaat Ali Shah, Commissioner of Pakistan's Permanent Commission of Indus Water (PCIW). He was talking to reporters on Wednesday after talks with a seven-member Indian delegation headed by AC Gupta, Commissioner of India's PCIW. India has agreed to allow Pakistani delegation to visit the controversial site to establish certain modifications made by India in the basic design of the project. Pakistan has been demanding the inspection on the ground that modifications have been a clear negation of the 1960 Indus Water Treaty. Madonna `Not Pregnant', To Complain Against Erring Magazine (Go To Top) WASHINGTON: Does baggy clothes and dyed hair means one is pregnant? This was the argument given by Madonna's spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg. "It's not true, she is not pregnant. She dyed her hair brown instead of blond, that does not confirm somebody's pregnant", she was quoted by People News as saying. Putting down the reports that she is pregnant, the mighty Madge is now planning to file an official complaint against the Heat magazine, which said her new-found penchant for baggy clothes and dyed brown hair was a sign that she was preparing for the patter of tiny feet. Rosenberg confirmed that Madonna is planning to raise a complaint with the Press Complaints Commission. For the time being, the pop singer is working on her video for the forthcoming single 'American Life in LA' and will return to the UK in spring. French PM Arrives, Reiterates Stand on Iraq (Go To Top) BANGALORE: French Prime Minister Jean Pierre-Raffarin said on Thursday the UN Security Council should strengthen its inspection regime in Iraq and military action against Baghdad should be considered only as a last resort. Raffarin was speaking to reporters in Bangalore where he arrived on a three-day official visit to India. "There is no change in the French position, no change at all. We want that inspectors can work well in Iraq. So no change in French position," he said. Raffarin said France was committed to avoiding war and asked Iraqi regime to cooperate with the visiting UN weapon inspectors in destroying its mass weapons. Raffarin will travel to Delhi on Friday and hold talks with President APJ Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. Iraq War by March 25, Says Pak Astrologer (Go To Top) KARACHI: Renowned astrologer Syed Hasan Haider Zaidi has predicted US war on Iraq by March 25 that will push up prices of petrol as high as Rs 50 per litre in Pakistan. Talking to the News, Hasan Zaidi said, as per Ilm-e-Jafr, the US would attack Iraq as it was seeking control on the oil wells of Iraq. The hue and cry over Iraq's nuclear weapons is just a stunt as the US is not afraid of Iraq's nuclear capabilities. Zaidi said Saddam would not step down as demanded by the US. Rather, he will further consolidate his position over the country after the war. He said the impact of war on Pakistan would be felt in the shape of a price hike in petroleum products whereby petrol would go up to Rs 50 per litre. At present the prices are hovering around Rs 33 per litre. "This will be a temporary jump but in future the prices would remain in and around Rs 40 to Rs 45 per litre," he said. Hasan Zaidi had earlier predicted that the name of the prime minister would begin with the Urdu letters Meem and Alif in Urdu and Mir Zafarullah Jamali has both his names beginning with Meem and Alif. The astrologer maintained that the elected prime minister would be dismissed in a year's time after which the Assembly would elect the prime minister from the House who would be a general. Earlier, he had stated that elections would be held in October and the composition of Assembly would be a mixed and hung parliament. Regarding Pakistan-India relations, he had forecast end of the border tension by December 4 last year and the news that India would complete troop withdrawal by December 4 is a confirmation of the accuracy of his predictions. -ANI |