Home   Contact Us                                                               Dateline New Delhi, Tuesday, February 11, 2003

February 13 Harare Match Cancelled

          JOHANNESBURG: The ICC has rejected the appeal by England and Wales Cricket Board to change the venue from Zimbabwe on security considerations, and cancelled the February 13 match as England insisted on a re-schedule. ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed said they have raised fresh concerns before another technical committee which will again decide whether a fresh appeal has any basis. However, indications are that the situation will not change.

Two Indians Among 20 Killed in Mecca (Go To Top)

          NEW DELHI: Twenty pilgrims, including two Indian women from Andhra Pradesh, died in stampede in Mecca in Saudi Arabia during the stoning ritual of Haj pilgrimage on Tuesday. Stampede is a common incident in Mecca during Haj. Thirty-five people died in 2001.

Maoists Gun Down Six Cops in Jharkhand (Go To Top)

          CHANDVA (Jharkhand): The police on Tuesday said outlawed Maoists gunned down six policemen and injured five others in Chandva area of Jharkhand. The incident occurred late on Monday when a patrol party of paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was ambushed by Maoist guerrilas in Chandva area of Latehar district, some 80 km from State Capital Ranchi. The patrol party was on its way to the Latehar district where one policeman was killed earlier on Monday in a similar ambush. All the injured have been rushed to a hospital in Ranchi.

           The police suspect the attack was the handiwork of Maoist Communist Centre (MCC), which is fighting for peasants' rights in Bihar and Jharkhand, the tribal majority province which was earlier part of South Bihar. The MCC is one of the many Maoist rebel groups that make up the Naxalite movement, which started in India in 1960's, splitting from the main Communist party. The Maoists are waging an armed struggle against the Indian Government for radical re-distribution of land from the rich to poor farmers.

President, PM Greet Countrymen on Id-ul-Zuha (Go To Top)

          NEW DELHI: President APJ Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee have greeted the people on the occasion of Id-ul-Zuha In his message, the President has said, "On the occasion of Id-ul-Zuha, I offer my warm greetings and good wishes to all my fellow citizens. I also greet the people who have performed Haj this year." He stressed on the spirit of sacrifice and resolve to work together for peace, harmony and national unity. Vajpayee said, "The festival of Id-ul-Zuha symbolizes the spirit of sacrificing our ego and narrow self-interest at the altar of the common good. It inspires us to work for peace, amity, brotherhood and harmony among all sections of our great nation."

           Eid-ul-Zuha The festival on February 12 provides an occasion of joy for the people. Popularly known as Baqr-Id, the festival is celebrated on the tenth day of Zil-Haji, the last month of the year according to the Islamic calendar. Buying and selling of goats has a special significance on Eid-ul-Zuha. According to holy Quran, God appeared in Prophet Ibrahim's dream and asked him to sacrifice something that was most dear to him. Prophet Ibrahim decided to sacrifice his own son, Ismail. However, when he put a knife on Ismail's throat, God replaced his son with a goat through a miracle. The festival seeks to convey the message that sacrifice is supreme. It is also associated with the Haj pilgrimage which every able-bodied Muslim must perform at least once in a lifetime. India, with about 120 million Muslims, has the second largest Muslim population in the world after Indonesia.

PM Re-defines Hindutva (Go To Top)

          NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on Tuesday again put forth the milder and tolerant face of Hinduism as befitting the times. Addressing delegates at a function on 'Samarpan Divas' (Dedication Day) to mark the death anniversary of Deen Dayal Upadhayay, founder-member of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Vajpayee said Hindutva represents a way of life and has often been experimented with. "The experiments are done with Hindutva but now it's a new one. Indianness is also linked with it ... the subject (Hindutva) needs to be discussed. Hindutva is neither religion nor a way of prayer. It's an ideology which contains all," Vajpayee said.

Diplomats Quitting Kuwait (Go To Top)

          ISLAMABAD: Fifteen countries have recalled their diplomats and embassy staff from Kuwait. Pakistan ambassador to Kuwait Shafqat Saeed has sought instructions from Islamabad whether Pakistani diplomats should be retained or called back in view of the situation in Kuwait. Foreign office sources told the News on Monday night that on the report of Pakistan ambassador, the foreign ministry is reviewing the situation and a decision will be taken within 48 hours. It is expected that all diplomats will be called back.

           The Pakistanis living in Iraq have been advised to quit Iraq but the final decision is to be taken by them. It is learnt that Pakistan ambassador to Kuwait and other diplomats have been called back keeping in view the prevailing situation. According to diplomatic sources, the Saudi Government has refused to help those Iraqis who want to quit Iraq. It has tightened security on Iraq border. Observers told the News that the decision of 15 countries to call back their diplomats gave an indication that US attack on Iraq had become inevitable.

Heathrow Alert on Terror Strikes (Go To Top)

          LONDON: The army has been drafted to boost security at Heathrow airport because of a potential terrorist threat to London, police said on Tuesday. The metropolitan police said it was possible the al-Qaida terror network would use the end of the Muslim Eid-ul-Azha holiday to mount attacks. Police said the heightened security would involve use of military personnel to support police officers. They said the measures were related to precautions being taken in other countries, without naming them.

IAF To Buy 20 US Military Helicopters: Report(Go To Top)

          ISLAMABAD: The Indian Air Force will soon sign an order for acquiring more than 20 latest Augusta Wetlands helicopters from the US. The three-engine chopper is qualified to fly at 22,000 feet and, experts here believe, could be used "against Kashmiri Mujahideen, for across-LoC operations and against Pakistani troops in Siachin Glacier," according to a report in the News.

           At present, the T700 of General Electric is the only fully qualified engine to operate above 15,000 ft on the EH101 application, the company has claimed in a statement. It said the T700 engine has extensive operational experience in military helicopters and its proven success in a variety of difficult missions make it well-suited for helicopter needs of the Indian Air Force. What are its plus points? It has a cruise speed of 150 knots, flying range of 750 nautical miles using standard fuel, and an endurance time of about seven hours while operating on extraordinary altitudes.

           Meanwhile, the newspaper quoted sources as saying that in a rare show of defence cooperation, nearly 80 French and South African air force officers are competing their flying skills with the IAF pilots near Gwaliar, India. A diplomatic source has confirmed that the IAF - which has also been offered F-16s - would experiment with air refuelling besides the performance shows of Jaguar and Mirage aircraft, the daily added.

No Relationship With Jude, Says Nicole (Go To Top)

          LONDON: Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman has denied rumours of having any fling with actor Jude Law, whose five-year-old marriage with Sadie Frost has reportedly failed. The 34-year old Aussie star insisted she had nothing to do with Jude's split from actress wife Sadie, says a report in the Sun.

           "There's absolutely no truth in any of those stories. There is no big love in my life, or anyone special at the moment," she said on Monday at the London premiere of her latest movie, the Hours. "We should all respect their privacy," she added. Nicole refused to comment on reports that Jude sent her a pair of 700 pound designer shoes with a note which ended: "I love you." On Sunday, Jude, 30, and Sadie, 37, finally called in divorce lawyers.

Nagaland Readies for Tension-free Assembly Polls (Go To Top)

          KOHIMA: Preparations for the upcoming Assembly elections are on in full swing in Nagaland. The 60-member Nagaland Assembly, along with those of three other States, goes to the polls on February 26. Over one million voters are eligible to exercise their franchise and authorities are busy making arrangements to ensure everything passes off smoothly.

           "We have around 1,503 polling stations. For every polling station we require five polling officials and that means 8,000-9,000 polling officers will be deployed for this," chief electoral officer Lalthara told reporters in Kohima on Tuesday. The atmosphere is relaxed during this election as it is being held in the backdrop of a ceasefire declared between the Central Government and a prominent rebel group in the insurgency prone State. Moreover, unlike the last elections in 1998, no major political party has called for a boycott. "The last two provincial elections were largely boycotted by political parties, NGOs and other groups but I think this will be the first time that elections will be very keenly contested," Lalthara said.

           Most political parties have already hit the campaign trail and are busy forging electoral alliances to make up the magic figure of 31 to form the next Government. The ruling Congress has, however, decided to go it alone. With the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) (NSCN-IM), responsible for the five-decade long insurgency in the State, giving a peace call, a huge voter turnout is expected. Hopes of ending the country's longest-running separatist revolt touched new high last month as NSCN leaders met Central Government representatives in New Delhi. The organisation, fighting for an independent tribal homeland, has been observing ceasefire since 1997.

 -ANI

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