Gujarat ex-minister Haren Pandya shot dead

           Ahemedabad, Mar 26: Gujarat BJP leader and former state Home Minister Haren Pandya was shot dead outside his residence at Law Gardens here on Wednesday. Car-borne assailants pumped bullets in his neck and chest as he came out of his house for the daily morning work. He was reportedly alone at that time. Security guards had been withdrawn after he resigned from ministership last year. Pandya was immediately removed to VS Hospital where his condition was described as criticial. He later succumbed to his injuries.

           A red alert has been sounded in the entire State. The police fear that Pandya's followers may turn violent. The deceased is survived by his wife and two children. A dissident in the Modi Government, Pandya did not contest the last elections from Ellis Bridge, his lont-term constituency, due to differences with the Government. He was a popular leader in his own right, had a big support base in the RSS and was being considered for inclusion in the BJP national executive.

Heavy civilian casualties as coalition jets hit Baghdad shops  (Go To Top)

          Baghdad, Mar 26: Fourteen civilians were killed and another 30 injured in Baghdad when a shopping area was hit during an air raid by US-led coalition forces, the Iraqi authorities said Wednesday. The BBC said it appeared that two missiles hit a busy parade of shops, several hundred metres from military buildings. An angry crowd of several hundred people gathered in the area following the strike and shouted: "Down with Bush" and "Long live Saddam". Iraqi guerrilla tactics and sandstorms halted the advance of US Marines at the town of Ash Shatrah, about 40 km north of Nasiriya A US intelligence officer said 650 Iraqis were killed in the fierce battle involving the US Seventh Cavalry near the town of Najaf. Coalition warplanes attacked Iraqi positions in northern Iraq, apparently as part of efforts to open up a limited second front. Coalition Central Command said 4,000 Iraqi soldiers have been taken prisoner since the war began. US President George W Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair are scheduled to meet soon to discuss the immediate future of Iraq if Saddam Hussein is deposed.

           Russia says it will insist on an immediate halt to the war at a UN Security Council meeting to be held later on Wednesday As a second day of sandstorms buffeted U.S. armour pushing north across the desert towards the Capital, Iraqi death roll in the battle between American tanks and indigenous infantry near the holy city of Najaf ranged from scores to hundreds. On the seventh day of the war, a fresh wave of air strikes targetted positions of Saddam Hussein's trusted Republican Guard entrusted with the job of defending the approaches to the city.

           One blast hit a central area housing the television station. Iraq's international satellite channel ceased broadcasting at the time of the raids and appeared to be off the air. But it came back on air hours after the raid. The 24-hour channel, monitored in Dubai, resumed broadcasting at around 0920 (GMT) with patriotic songs. A Pentagon official said 150 to 300 Iraqi forces were believed killed on Tuesday when they attacked the US Seventh Cavalry near Najaf. There were no US casualties, he said.

           In the south, Iraqi forces have been harrying a US armoured advance on the Capital. Fresh attacks halted Marine units some 40 km (25 miles) north of Nassiriya. Overnight, British chief of staff Major General Peter Wall said there were indications that a popular revolt might be under way in Basra, Iraq's second biggest city. However, according to Al- Jazeera Arabic network, there was no sign of an anti-Saddam uprising there.

           Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf, speaking late on Tuesday, also dismissed reports of an anti-Saddam rebellion. With the humanitarian situation in Basra causing growing concern, British naval officers said they had finally secured Iraq's only deepwater port of Umm Qasr on Tuesday. A British navy ship is expected to dock by Thursday, bringing the first seaborne aid for thousands of hungry and thirsty civilians in southern Iraq.

           In Ankara, Turkey's military chief held open the possibility on Wednesday that the government might yet hold back from plans to send troops into northern Iraq that Washington fears could undermine its war operations there. Comments by armed forces Chief of General Staff Hilmi Ozkok came a day after the USA announced proposals for a loan package of up to 8.5 billion dollars for Turkey. The dispatch of troops to Iraq against US advice would make approval by Congress of such a package less likely.

US bombs Al Qaeda camp in northern Iraq (Go To Top)

          Baghdad, Mar 26: US warplanes bombed an al-Qaeda camp in northern Iraq early Wednesday, a lieutenant commander aboard the US aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt told reporters. At the same time, the Iraqi paramilitary troops and British forces were engaged in intense fighting in key strategic town of Basra, said a British TV channel. Coalition warplanes dropped cluster bombs over Basra overnight as intense ground fighting raged on in the city's outskirts, according to the Arabic satellite channel Al-Jazeera. The Doha-based television's correspondent in Basra showed what he said was a bomb fragment from the raid launched at 9.30 pm (1830 GMT) Monday, which he said hit both the east and the west of the city. On Monday evening, the correpsondent had reported intense ground fighting between Iraq's sole significant deep-water port at Umm Qasr and the nearby town of Zubeir. The International Committee of the Red Cross has warned that Basra's more than one million inhabitants face a humanitarian crisis after the three-day-old fighting around the city cut off power and water supplies.

MPSC scamster surrenders (Go To Top)

          Mumbai, Mar 26: Former Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) chairman Shashikant D Karnik surrendered on Wednesday at the Anti-Corruption Bureau in Mumbai for his alleged involvement in a multi-crore answer paper scam. Karnik is a member of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

             On March 24, 2003 the Bombay High Court had adjourned for four weeks the case related to the transfer of the investigating officer in the multi-crore MPSC scam that rocked the State last year. The scam involves irregularities in the exams conducted by the MPSC in 1999 for sub-inspectors, sales tax inspectors and assistants in Mantrayala.

           It is alleged that original answersheets of about 300 students were replaced by duplicate ones to facilitate their selection after they allegedly paid Rs 3 lakh to 5 lakh each. The scam came to light in June last year. Twenty persons, including two former MPSC chairpersons - PD Wani and SD Karnik -were arrested in connection with the case. Others accused are in judicial custody. On March 31 the Supreme Court will hear Karnik's case again.

Fresh guidelines for foreign TV channels (Go To Top)

          New Delhi, Mar 26: India on Wednesday issued fresh guidelines to foreign televison news channels for uplinking from its soil, separating news and entertainment, and maintaining a cap of 26 per cent on foreign investment.

          "We have basically four elements. Our uplinking policy is completely liberal in terms of the 2000 policy. Channels irrespective of equity can continue with that. The important feature of the new policy is that we have separated news and entertainment. If any channel wants to uplink from India, they would have to have 26 per cent foreign equity flat. It can be FDI (foreign direct investment), it can be FII (foreign institutional investment) or a combination of both," Information and Broadcasting Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters in the Capital.

           Television content providers and channels currently using VSAT or satellite video phone for broadcast purposes have been given a period of three months to comply with the uplinking policy. The policy also puts a FDI cap of 26 per cent on television news channels. India's decision to put the cap on news channels followed a distinction made in news and current affairs in print media in which the Government has put a cap of 26 per cent FDI.

          Several channels running in the country like Star News and CNBC India, have a majority foreign equity stake and would now have to apply afresh for uplinking facility from the country. Several news channels are slated for launch in April. Last year, India lifted a half-century old ban on foreign investment in its print media despite fierce opposition from many of its press barons, throwing off another shackle of its socialist past. The Government allowed foreign investors to take 26 per cent stakes in print media for news and current affairs and 74 per cent stakes in technical journals and other non-news print publications.

China to upgrade Pakistan navy (Go To Top)

          Beijing, Mar 26: China has in principle agreed to supply to Pakistan four frigates to upgrade its naval fleet. Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali on Tuesday had mentioned India's move to upgrade its Navy which poses a threat not only to Pakistan but also to other countries on the Indian Ocean littoral. Last month Pakistan's Chief of Naval Staff had announced that the Navy intended to acquire Chinese frigates on a transfer-of- technology basis.

Olivier keen to marry Kylie, will it happen? (Go To Top)

          London, Mar 26: French actor Olivier Martinez has "totally fallen" for Australian pop princess Kylie Minogue and hopes to marry her, according to Stephane Martinez, Olivier's cousin. According to Stephane, Olivier, who has been dating Kylie for a month now, rarely stops talking about her and thinks that she is "the one." "Olivier has totally fallen for Kylie. He's not the kind of guy to have flings, so it must be serious. He doesn't stop talking about her and when he wasn't talking to me, he was on the phone for hours to Kylie. He couldn't wait to see her again. After a few days break, he left to go to Los Angeles and meet up with her. He was really excited," the Paris-based Stephane was quoted as saying by the Sun. On the possibility of marriage, Stephane said, "I think Olly hopes this one will go all the way."

Kidman attracted to hippy-dom (Go To Top)

          Washington, Mar 26: Australian actress Nicole Kidman, who recently won the Best Actress Oscar for her performance in 'the Hours,' wants to quit showbiz and become a hippy. The 35-year-old former wife of US actor Tom Cruise will be more than happy to trade her celebrity-lifestyle for retirement in Italy. "I would love to have some sort of bohemian existence where I could live with 30 or 40 people in a big estate in Tuscany. I love being around people and music and kids. I don't see myself acting for the rest of my life," Kidman was quoted as saying by Teenhollywood.com. Kidman has two adopted kids along with Cruise - Isabella and Connor.

Ben buys a house, his 'quiet retreat' (Go To Top)

          Washington, Mar 26: Hollywood heart-throb Ben Affleck has bought a four bedroom house in the southern US state of Georgia for him and his future family. Affleck has splashed out 3.4 million dollars for the place dating from the Civil War in the sleepy town of Savannah, according to a report in People News. "It has a guest house and beautiful side gardens," says the estate agent who swung the deal. However, four bedrooms sound decidedly small for his bride-to-be's more extravagant tastes.

           Ben, who grew up in Boston, has earnestly told friends that his life, and the buildings he lives in, "lack history" and the quiet retreat seems to really fancy him. The dashing hero fell in love with the town before he met Jennifer Lopez and first saw it when he filmed Forces Of Nature with Sandra Bullock, who also bought a 3.8 million dollar beachfront compound there in 2001.