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India Not To Take Part in SAF Games in Pak

          NEW DELHI: Citing security reasons, the external affairs ministry has said that India will not take part in the upcoming South Asian Federation (SAF) Games to be held in Pakistan. The 15-discipline SAF Games start in Islamabad on March 29. Addressing reporters at the regular briefing on Monday, MEA spokesman Navtej Sarna said, "as far as the South Asian Federation Games are concerned, the Government of India feels that participation at this stage is not advisable due to security concerns for our athletes." (Details)

Ludhiana's Angry Cricket Fans Take to Streets

          LUDHIANA: A group of angry cricket fans took out a protest march here on Sunday after India's crushing nine-wicket defeat to Australia in the World Cup match on Saturday. The slogan-shouting demonstrators marched to a busy trade centre before burning an effigy of Indian cricketers. They also demanded recall of the out-of-form captain Saurav Ganguly. The poor showing, in their opinion, was a result of the players' undue interest in commercial contracts rather than in the game.  (Details)

Emergency Arab Summit on Iraq Likely on February 28 (Go To Top)

          CAIRO: Arab States have reached "a consensus" on holding an emergency summit in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on February 28 to discuss the Iraqi crisis, Egypt's foreign minister said on Monday. "There is a consensus for holding the emergency summit on February 28," Ahmed Maher told reporters, adding that a final date will be announced in "the next 48 hours." He dismissed reports that some of the 22 members of the Arab League had objected to convening a special summit on Iraq during the Arab foreign ministers' meetings here on Saturday and Sunday. "No one has objected," he said. The foreign ministers' meeting convened to discuss preparations for the summit that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak had called for, but no final date for it was announced in its final communique.

'Iraq Hiding Weapons from UN Inspectors' (Go To Top)

          MANILA: A former nuclear adviser to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein said on Monday that Baghdad possessed weapons of mass destruction which were being hidden from United Nations inspectors, a report quoting sources said. "I believe these are still in Iraq and being moved around to avoid detection by the UN inspection team," said Hussein Shahristani, a nuclear scientist who once served as adviser to Saddam while Iraq was developing atomic energy capability to produce weapons of mass destruction.

          The London-based Shahristani escaped from Iraq during the 1991 Gulf war after he was jailed for 11 years when he refused to be part of his country's nuclear build-up. He is in Manila to hold a series of closed-door briefings with US embassy officials and academics.

Pakistan Hasn't Kept Its Words, Says President (Go To Top)

          NEW DELHI: Pakistan has failed to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure and continued giving financial help to the groups fighting Indian forces in Jammu and Kashmir, President APJ Abdul Kalam told the nation's legislators on Monday. Addressing a joint session of Parliament on the first day of the Budget session, he said, "The assurances given by Pakistan on the issue of cross-border terrorism have remained unfulfilled. The infrastructure of terrorist groups remains intact in Pakistan. The funding of terrorist groups continues ... The Centre is fully committed to work closely with the newly-elected Government in Jammu and Kashmir in its efforts to bring peace, normalcy and economic development of the State," he added.

           Kalam also pointed out that illegal immigration from Bangladesh assumed "serious proportions" and the Government was determined to tackle the problem. "The problem of illegal migration from Bangladesh has assumed serious proportions and affects many States. There have been reports of Bangladesh territory being used by insurgent groups operating in the north-east. The ISI is also active in Bangladesh. This makes the issue of infiltration even more ominous and the Government is determined to take all necessary steps to check this problem," he said.

          New Delhi plans to deport 20 million Bangladeshis who, it says, are living unauthorisedly in India. It also accuses Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence of using Bangladeshi soil for anti- India activities.

MQM Leader Shot Dead in Karachi (Go To Top)

          KARACHI: A senior MQM leader Khalid bin Waleed, 40, was shot dead and two others injured by an unidentified gunman here on Sunday evening, police said. Khalid-bin-Waleed had left Muttahida headquarters after attending the death anniversary of Aslam Burhani, brother-in-law of MQM founder leader Altaf Hussain. According to witnesses, his car was intercepted on his return home and sprayed with bullets. Dr Farooq Sattar, deputy convener of MQM's Coordination Committee, termed the murder target killing. "It was an act of terrorism aimed to destabilise the party and also to destroy the peace and harmony of the city and the province," he added.

Justice AS Anand Takes Over as NHRC Chairman (Go To Top)

          NEW DELHI: Justice AS Anand on Monday took over as chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). He succeeds Justice JS Verma who retired on January 16. After taking over, the former Chief Justice of the country said he would protect the fundamental rights of all the citizens. "For showing respect to the total human personality, we should not only focus on the right to life but also to civil, political and cultural rights of the citizen. And those shall be the areas I shall be trying to focus", he added.

           He told reporters that to ensure the NHRC orders are followed, amendments are required and in this regard he will follow the steps initiated by his predecessors. Anand said, "there are some areas in which amendment is required. My predecessors had made amendments, a committee was set up for the amendments of various Acts. And I shall pursue that, and pursue that rather vigorously." On terrorism, Anand said, "Terrorism poses a very different kind of problem. Terrorism itself is a threat to human rights. And whether it is a person in khaki or a civilian, each one of them has human rights." According to the new NHRC chairman, the greatest challenges human rights face were in the areas of maternal care, child welfare, child labour, child abuse, girl child and gender inequality.

Punjab Ministers To File Rs 100-cr Defamation Suit (Go To Top)

          CHANDIGARH: Congress minister in Punjab Pratap Singh Bajwa has refuted the sexual misconduct charges levelled by BJP leaders against him and other Congressmen. "According to our information no name has been mentioned in the First Information Report (FIR), the call girl mentioned is also missing," said Bajwa.

           The accused Congress leaders said they would file a Rs 100-crore defamation suit against Gujarat home minister Amit Shah and chief minister Narendra Modi. Three Congressmen - two Punjab ministers and a Delhi MLA - who visited Gujarat for electioneering for the State Assembly polls last December, were named in "the sex racket" busted by the police. Gujarat minister of state for home Amit Shah said in Ahmedabad on Sunday that the three Congressmen - Pratap Singh Bajwa, Amarjeet Singh Samra (both Punjab ministers) and Arvinder Singh Lovely (Delhi MLA) - during the party campaign in the city stayed in a five star hotel and allegedly indulged in "immoral" activities.

Dissidence Dogs Both BJP, Congress in Himachal (Go To Top)

          SHIMLA: Dissidents are likely to spoil the chances of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the main Opposition Congress party in the elections in Himachal Pradesh. Elections to the 65-member State legislature are due on February 26. A large number of rebel candidates are contesting as independents. Local newspaper reports said there are 40 rebel candidates in the fray out of which 24 are from the Congress and the rest from the BJP. Most of the rebels have been denied party tickets.

           Govind Thakur, who has turned hostile to the BJP, said he was opposing the autocratic rule of chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal. "My anger is towards the autocratic rule in the State. I have made an announcement that I will take action against this, I will fight against it," said Thakur, who is contesting from Kullu. The Congress leaders said they were aware of the problem and were taking stern action against the rebel candidates. "No Congressman should feel that by just suspending the rebel candidates the work is done, we are indentifying those who are supporting the rebel candidates and in time to come we are going to suspend them also, forever," said Satyajit Singh Gaekwad, secretary of the All-India Congress Committee.

           Both the BJP and the Congress won 30 seats each in the last elections. The BJP formed the Government with support from the regional Himachal Vikas Party which won five seats.

Royals to Watch 'Inebriated' Harry (Go To Top)

          LONDON: The Royal family will be in fits when they see a drunken Prince Harry perform on stage soon. Harry, 18, who is also known for his love for booze, has been cast as a drunk in his school's Shakespearean play 'Much Ado About Nothing'. Friends who have seen him during rehearsals at Eton College are already describing his performance as "awesome", says a report in the Sun. In one scene, which the Queen and dad Charles will see next month, former underage drinker Harry staggers around slurring his words as he plays posh drunken dope Conrade.

Spice Girls Plan Re-union, May Be Back on Air (Go To Top)

          LONDON: To revive old memories and probably bring an end to all bitter feelings, Spice Girls, the UK's most successful female group between 1996 and 2000, have decided to meet for the first time in five years. According to a report in the Sun, the Spice Girls have ended their differences and all of them will sit down to an informal dinner at Victoria Beckham's mansion on Monday night to chew over old times - and discuss a possible re-union.

          Victoria (Posh Spice), Mel B (Scary), Emma Bunton (Baby), Geri Halliwell (Ginger) and Mel C (Sporty) swamped the airwaves from 1996 to 2000. The dinner will be the first time all the original band have been in the same room since Geri quit in May 1998. The remaining Spices - who have never officially split - then stopped talking to their former pal. But late last year Mel B offered an olive branch and asked Geri about meeting up with her old band-mates. She then put the idea to Victoria and Emma, who agreed. Mel C was the last to come on board but her agreement has led to the bash at Posh's two-million-pound pad in Hertfordshire.

           A source close to the all-girls band said, "When Geri quit, everyone was very bitter. But time is a great healer. The dinner will be a chance to talk about old times and the possibility of working together in the future. Victoria, Emma and Mel C all have solo projects on the go so they won't have time to work on the Spice Girls. "But maybe in two or three years, they will reform for a tour, the source was quoted as saying by the paper.

 -ANI