India Opposes Gulf War

                NEW DELHI: The partners of the ruling National Democratic Alliance at the Centre have endorsed the Government's stand that there should not be any unilateral decision to declare war on Iraq by any power. The alliance has stated that any war will have devastating effects on the economy of neighbouring countries.

           The NDA statement came after an alliance meeting chaired by Prime Minister AB Vajpayee. According to NDA convener and defence minister George Fernandes, all efforts should be made to avert a Gulf war. External affairs minister Yashwant Sinha said the Government was drawing up contingency plans to evacuate Indians working in the region.

Air China Suspends Flights to Kuwait

          BEIJING: Air China has suspended flights to Kuwait, citing mounting tension in the Gulf region as the reason, according to a foreign news agency on Sunday. Earlier this week, Beijing had said it was reducing its Baghdad embassy staff and providing contingency plans for the evacuation of its citizens in Iraq. The latest move to cancel the flight to Kuwait appears to show that China, while calling for a political solution to the Iraqi crisis, is preparing for a potential war against Saddam Hussain regime.

Parekh Claims He Bribed SEBI Officials (Go To Top)

          KOLKATA: Share scam accused Ketan Parekh has disclosed during interrogation that he had bribed top officials of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and that they were aware of the share manipulations going on since 1999. They supported his designs by ignoring his manipulations to boost up the prices of some scrips, he claimed, according to reports.

           Parekh, who is in judicial custody, said the 'cut money' paid to the officials amounted to hundreds of crores. The police have swung into action following his statements and have started proceedings to interrogate these officials.

Pak for Reciprocal Issue of Visas(Go To Top)

          ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has urged India to agree to Islamabad's offer for reciprocal issue of visas to their new acting high commissioners named to replace their expelled predecessors. The Pakistani call came in a statement by a foreign ministry spokesman who denied Indian foreign minister Yashwant Sinha's allegation that Islamabad had refused a visa to New Delhi's new deputy high commissioner, reports Dawn.

           The spokesman, Aziz Ahmed Khan, expressed surprise at Sinha's reported charge made while talking to reporters in the town of Hazaribagh after the tit-for-tat expulsion of acting high commissioners and other staff last week on spying charges that each side denies. The spokesman clarified that in fact Pakistan had already offered reciprocal issuance of assignment visas to the deputy high commissioners-designate as well as reciprocal exchange of pending visas within a new staff ceiling of 47 that, he said, had been arbitrarily fixed by India.

Pak Won't Tolerate Delhi's Hegemony in S Asia: Jamali (Go To Top)

          ISLAMABAD: Pakistan wants resolution of all issues, including Kashmir, with India through dialogue. Speaking to Qatar's Al Jazira television during an interview, prime minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali said it was not Pakistan's policy to send fighters into Jammu and Kashmir via the Line of Control. "Pakistan rejects all allegations of infiltration," he was quoted by the News as saying.

           The prime minister regretted that the Indian mindset was to malign Pakistan for its internal misdeeds. "India through such accusations wanted to pressure Pakistan, but it is of no use. New Delhi must not expect its hegemony on the region, because we will never accept it. The 150 million Pakistanis will never accept India's hegemony in the South Asian region. However, we want dialogue with India on all outstanding issues, in the capacity of a neighbour."

Dame Judi Signs for 'Chronicles of Riddick' (Go To Top)

          WASHINGTON: Oscar winner Dame Judi Dench, better known for her serious acting roles, is all set to star in a sci-fi film. The 69-year-old actress will star opposite American action star Vin Diesel in a new futuristic flick called 'Chronicles of Riddick', which is a sequel to the 2000 film, 'Pitch Black', in which Diesel starred. In the film, Dame Judi will play the role of Aereon, an ambassador from the Elemental race. She is `an ethereal being' who helps Diesel's character `Riddick' unearth his origins, reports People News.

 -ANI