Americans in Iran To Be Finger-printed

          TEHERAN: In a tit-for-tat move, Iran has started taking finger-prints of US nationals, reports the Nation, quoting Radio Teheran. Along with nationals from 20 other countries, the Iranians are to photograph and finger-print themselves in the US, besides registering with immigration authorities. "Iran has also begun to take finger-prints of the US nationals in response to the move by Washington," said a Foreign Ministry spokesman while talking to newsmen here on Sunday. He added that now every person who will come from the US to Iran will be finger-printed and that the decision will be enforced strictly.

$ 50 Million US Military Aid to Pak

          WASHINGTON: The United States will provide 50 million dollars worth of military assistance to Pakistan, mainly for border security. This is part of a 305 million dollar package of debt relief and other aid approved by the Senate last Thursday. The Senate aid Bill provides 200 million dollars for writing off of loans, 50 million dollars for military purchases, 50 million dollars for social sector development, including child-labour related projects, four million dollars for anti-narcotic campaign and one million dollars to finance Pakistani officers' participation in the International Military Training and Education programme, says a report in the Nation.

           The military purchases relate to equipment used for operationsin support of American troops against suspected terrorist areas bordering Afghanistan where more than 70,000 Pakistani troops are busy flushing out remnants of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban who have slipped from across the border. Both sides exchange intelligence in these operations. A senior Pakistani diplomat here told the newspaper that the nature of equipment to be purchased is determined by the two sides through mutual consultation.

           The funding for IMET would ensure Pakistan's return to the prestigious programme from where it was bundled out in 1990 when President Bush (Sr) slammed Pressler sanctions to penalize Pakistan for its nuclear programme. All military sales and economic assistance was terminated under these sanctions which were further tightened, first after the nuclear tests in May 1998 and the military coup in October 1999. But US Congress relaxed the sanctions in year 2001 under the Brownback Amendment.

Militants Gun Down 12 in Tripura (Go To Top)

          AGARTALA: At least 12 people, including five women, were killed in a village when separatist militants opened fire at an election rally on Sunday night. Eight people were injured in the attack. The village is situated about 20 km from here. Assembly elections for all the 60 seats in the State are scheduled to be held on February 26. Police said on Monday that heavily armed militants of the outlawed National Liberation Front of Tripura entered Mandai village on Sunday night and fired at supporters of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). While six people died instantly, the other six died in an Agartala hospital on Monday.

           Insurgency has been on the rise in the State especially after the schedule for Assembly polls was announced. During the past month at least a dozen Communist party leaders have been killed and five others kidnapped.

JKLF Faction Splits Again (Go To Top)

          SRINAGAR: A battered separatist group fighting Indian rule in Kashmir further split on Monday. The entire Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) unit of Baramulla district led by Mohammad Azam Zargar joined another faction of the group led by Mohammad Iqbal Gundroo. Gundroo took over as president of a faction of JKLF after splitting in October last year. Mubashir-ul-Islam, a senior leader of the new faction of JKLF, told reporters in Srinagar the JLKF led by Gundroo was now the "real Liberation Front."

           The JKLF, which is a key ally of the main separatist alliance, the All-Party Hurriyat (Freedom) Conference (APHC), declared a ceasefire with Indian security forces in 1994, and is "politically fighting for Kashmir's independence" from India and Pakistan. JKLF was founded by Pakistan-based Amanullah Khan and is one of the oldest separatist groups. The Kashmir unit of JKLF is led by Yasin Malik, who was jailed last year under a tough anti-terror law but later released.

Jadeja Ban Quashed (Go To Top)

          NEW DELHI: Flamboyant all-rounder Ajay Jadeja is now free to play for India as the five-year ban imposed on him by the BCCI for his alleged involvement in match-fixing has been set aside. Jadeja had agreed to take the matter to arbitration after some hearing in the Delhi High Court. Justice JK Mehra, appointed as an arbitrator by the High Court, on Monday quashed the BCCI ban order making Jadeja eligible to play for India in the future. Jadeja had challenged the BCCI decision to ban him from playing cricket for India for five years after an inquiry commission headed by K Madhavan endorsed the CBI report indicating his involvement in the match-fixing controversy.

           However, after some hearing in the High Court, Jadeja agreed to take the matter to arbitration and the High Court appointed former Judge JK Mehra as an arbitrator, who quashed the BCCI order on Monday.

Modi to Campaign in Himachal, Says Jaitley (Go To Top)

          SHIMLA: Arun Jaitley, spokesman of the Bharatiya Janata Party, has said that Narendra Modi, the controversial chief minister of Gujarat, would campaign in Himachal Pradesh which, along with three north-eastern States, goes to the polls on February 26. Modi would campaign along with other top leaders of the party, he told reporters here on Sunday.

          "Mr Modi successfully led the BJP campaign in Gujarat. He has earlier been in charge of Himachal Pradesh. He is one of the important leaders of the party along with other national leaders. Like Atalji (Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee), Advaniji (Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani), Venkaiah Naidu (BJP national president), Murli Manhar Joshi, Sushma Swaraj, Pramod Mahajan and Rajnath Singh, Narendra Modi will be one of the several campaigners," Jaitley said

           Modi's aggressive campaign based on Hindu ideology during last November's election campaign in Gujarat has been criticised by many as vitriolic and rabble-rousing. He has also been criticised of partisanship during bloody Hindu-Muslim riots that left over a 1000, mostly Muslims, dead earlier last year. However, Modi denies these charges. A landslide victory for his party in the Gujarat elections has raised his stature in the party and the BJP plans to fight other State elections this year on the same lines. The rival Congress party accuses the BJP of trying to exploit religious divide to win elections.

Three Afghans Killed in Gun-fight near US Base on Afghan Border(Go To Top)

          KABUL: Two Afghan soldiers and a civilian were killed in a gun-battle near a US base on Afghanistan's border with Pakistan, a US military spokesman said on Monday. The News quoted Col Roger King as telling reporters at Bagram air base that one Afghan soldier was also injured in the attack near Shkin in south-eastern Paktika province.

          King said no US troops were involved in the incident on Sunday and the attackers could not be identified. The porous border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan is thought to be a haven of fighters from the former Taliban regime, al-Qaeda and anti-Government forces.

Al Qaeda Has Over 3,500 Activists: Ex-Taliban Commander (Go To Top)

           DUBAI: A former Taliban military commander has claimed that Al Qaeda has 3,500 activists spread all over the world. Commander Ghazi Mullah was quoted as saying that Al Qaeda operatives were pursuing their objectives in an organised manner. "Our enemies should stop indulging in wishful thinking that the Al-Qaeda is finished. It is alive and kicking," he said. Ghazi Mulla, who took part in the "jihad" against Soviet occupation troops in Afghanistan during the 1980s and later joined the Taliban, disclosed that the full name of Al Qaeda is Al Qaeda Al Jihad.

           "This was the name given to the organisation formed following the merger of Osama bin Laden Al Qaeda Ansarullah and Dr Ayman Al Zawahiri Jama'at Al Jihad at a secret place in eastern Afghanistan about 45 days before the start of the US military operation in Afghanistan," he added. According to Ghazi Mulla, the names of all the Al Qaeda activists along with the manifesto and other records were kept in mountain hide-outs. The Al Qaeda manifesto, he maintained, was based on Islamic teachings and principles of Shariah rather than the thoughts and ideology of a leader, philosopher or politician.

           Ghazi Mulla said the "jihad" would continue until the liberation of Jerusalem, withdrawal of US forces from the Middle East and Afghanistan, and an end to Indian "occupation" of Kashmir. Terming the US as an elephant that had run amok, he warned it of a fate similar to the former Soviet Union if it didn't give up its policy of overrunning other nations and capturing their economic resources.

           Threatening widespread attacks against the US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan in the coming summer, Ghazi Mulla said their severity would cause alarm in Washington and New York. Prior to the attacks, he said, "jihad" camps would be publicly opened all over Afghanistan and young men would be invited to wage war against the "infidels".

220 Arrested for Obstructing Traffic During Bengal Bandh(Go To Top)

          KOLKATA: Train services were disrupted and vehicular movement come to a virtual standstill during the 24-hour bandh called by the Socialist Unity Centre of India. The bandh was called by SUCI in protest against abolition of cross subsidy in CESC tariff and different "anti-people" economic measures of the Left Front Government. The police authorities arrested about 220 people from all over the State for obstructing train services and vehicular movement. Kolkata's underground Metro remained unaffected. Government and private buses, taxis and other private vehicles plied normally but with less number of passengers.

PM's Visit to China Likely This Year, Says Yashwant (Go To Top)

          NEW DELHI: While inaugurating a three-day conference on "Asian Security and China in 2000-2010" here on Monday, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha said Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was expected to visit China later this year. "Functional delegations to learn from each other's experiences are criss-crossing each other's countries. High-level visits are also being regularly exchanged. Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji visited India early last year. Prime Minister Vajpayee will visit China this year," Sinha said. According to reports from various sources, the visit may take place in May.

Khatami Call for Closer Economic Ties With India (Go To Top)

          NEW DELHI: Iranian President Sayeed Mohammad Khatami on Monday called for closer economic ties with India. Addressing a gathering of industrialists and entrepreneurs in New Delhi, Khatami said the capabilities and the potentialities of the two countries are much higher than the current volume of mutual trade between the two. Bilateral trade between India and Iran has risen from 120 million dollars in 1991 to more than 500 million dollars in 2002. Khatami offered to sell more crude oil to India and invited Indian firms to tap the Iranian oil fields.

70 Killed in Cameroon Road Smash (Go To Top)

          HARARE: At least 70 people were killed when two buses crashed head- on in Cameroon on Sunday in the central African country's worst known road accident, a report from Yaounde said on Monday. Visiting the scene of the crash, transport minister John Ndeh said a 30-seater bus tried to overtake a timber lorry and ran into a 70-seater bus coming in the other direction.

Kids Born of Donated Sperm Soon to Get a Path-breaking Right (Go To Top)

          LONDON: To prevent psychological disorder among children born as a result of donor insemination (DI), the Government would soon grant them the right to look for their biological father if they intend to, according to a report in the Telegraph. Such children would receive the new right under proposals to be announced by the Government.

          There are those who argue that children conceived from donated sperm may be psychologically harmed by discovering in later life that their biological father is not the man with whom they grew up. At present many parents do not tell children they were conceived using donor sperm or eggs. However, the children, even if they can contact a biological parent, will not be able to make any financial claim on them.

'Dead' Man Spurns Coffin, Demands Water to Drink (Go To Top)

          LONDON: What would you do when a man, who has just been pronounced dead by the doctors gets up and asks for water. According to a report in the Age, a Sicilian man declared dead by doctors startled everybody, including his relatives, by sitting up and demanding a glass of water just before he was to be put into a coffin.

          Roberto De Simone, 79, of Palermo was rushed back to the Vincenzo Cervello hospital, where 12 hours earlier the physicians said he had died of a heart attack. Spell-bound at the discovery, his wife and children said his recovery was a miracle and the hospital staff admitted they were baffled by his revival. Doctors said the patient had suffered brain death while in coma and thus was sent home in an ambulance with his heart still beating. Then, while his family was preparing for his burial, De Simone sat up and said, "You know, I'm awfully thirsty."

HIV Virus Can Be Transmitted from One Woman to Another (Go To Top)

          JOHANNESBURG: Relationship among women can transmit HIV, according to a report in the journal of Clinical Infectious Diseases. This was confirmed after a 20-year-old woman from Philadelphia tested positive for HIV following relationship with another women.

           According to doctors, this is the first scientifically confirmed case where the HIV virus was transmitted from one woman to another. It is believed that the virus was transmitted through toys, the experts were quoted by the journal. They said that for the past two years she has been in a relationship with an HIV positive woman.

Girl Friends Used as Trophies by Thai Bikers: Report (Go To Top)

          BANGKOK: Money no longer lures Thai youths involved in motorcycle races. According to a health ministry report, the use of female pillion-riders as human trophies is the latest craze among Thai youngsters racing on Bangkok's deserted expressways at the week-ends.

          The winner gets to take home his rival's girl friend, the report added. The girls, mostly teen-agers, would be taken to nearby motels, reports the Straits Times. Most of these people are just teen-agers. While illegal motorbike races have been around for some time, the offer of one's girl friend in place of cash as the prize is a recent practice.

           The races are held usually on Fridays and Saturdays from midnight till 2 am. And since they are illegal, the venue and time are passed on by word of mouth. Some of the girls who take part in the races are believed to be casual acquaintances whom the racers befriend at bars and discotheques. Meanwhile, the police said they were aware of the illegal races and added that they have managed to crack down on a few of them.