Archives

Jane Austen tops the list, Arundhati Roy the 20th, in UK survey

          London, May 12: No, it's not Harry Potter or Wuthering Heights, but Pride and Prejudice. According to a recent British survey, the Jane Austen classic tops the list of books written by a female author. Indian writer Arundhati Roy, whose God of Small Things had won the Booker Prize, was 20th in the list. (Contd)

Some Sars survivors suffer permanent lung damage: Study

          Hong Kong, May 12: A study of long-term effect of Sars on patients suggests that nearly 10 per cent of them appear to be suffering from permanent lung damage. Although most patients stricken by severe acute respiratory syndrome are believed to recover fully, this marks the first time researchers have found that some who survive may have to contend with permanent breathing problems. The Hong Kong doctors' revelation adds to the growing recognition that Sars is among the most dangerous lung infections, rivalling a scourge such as tuberculosis. The report was published by the Age.

Move to freeze Kashmir issue?

          Islamabad, May 12: Pakistan and India are inching towards a tacit understanding to freeze the core Kashmir dispute for the next few years at least while scaling down dangerous military stand-off and improving trade, transport and diplomatic ties between the two countries, the Nation reported. In pursuit of this understanding Pakistan has already given two major concessions to India by not insisting on UNSC resolutions and the assurance to choke cross-border infiltration and close the so-called militant camps. "Both goodwill gifts were delivered through Armitage," a senior Pakistani official disclosed. Pakistan has also taken China into confidence on the latest developments in the region. For years Beijing has been encouraging Pakistan to 'freeze' the Kashmir issue and focus more on its economic development as was done successfully by China on its Hong Kong and Taiwan policy.

           In return to these key concessions, Armitage, during his visit to New Delhi, has tried to convince India to normalise the tense border situation, initiate dialogue with Pakistan, and co-opt Kashmiris as third party, the sources claimed. Diplomatic circles believe that to solve Kashmir issue both sides would have to move away from the stated positions and show flexibility. Pakistan, they believed, has done a lot by promising to wrap up militants' camps, if any, in its territory, and putting the UNSC resolutions in cold storage. By giving so much ground to India at the first stage, sources said, Islamabad has actually retreated to its February 1999 position when Vajpayee and Sharif signed the Lahore Accord. "The diplomatic disaster for Pakistan is that India has lost nothing in the process but Pakistan's stand on Jehad in Kashmir has weakened following the 9/11 terror attacks and it also lost goodwill among the Indian masses and the government created by the Lahore Accord.

          "In 1999 India was talking to Pakistan without asking Pakistan to end cross-border infiltration," he said. The desire for peace in South Asia on both sides was so strong that despite Kargil crisis, another Summit between former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee was being scheduled for October or November 1999. "But the military coup of October 1999 derailed the peace process," the sources claimed. "Those would have been serious negotiations from positions of equality," he said, "but now Pakistan's position has weakened vis-a-vis India." In Agra the talks failed to end the differences between them as both sides did not move from their stated positions. India refused to accept Pakistani demand to accept Kashmir as core issue and insisted upon Islamabad to eliminate cross-border terrorism.

Strategy finalised for Pak talks: Yashwant (Go To Top)

          New Delhi, May 12: External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha on Monday said India has finalised the modalities for holding talks with Pakistan. But, he said, New Delhi would adopt a "step-by-step approach" and that the dialogue process would start at the official level only. Declining to give details of the "official roadmap" chalked out for the talks, Sinha indicated that the Government was serious enough about resuming talks with Pakistan. He rejected the claim that India's peace initiative was the result of US presssure, but he laid stress on the fact that Pakistan must stop cross-border terrorism first so as to ensure that the dialogue process bears positive results.

Hizb chief hails peace move, but rules out ceasefire now (Go To Top)

          Rawalpindi, May 12: A prominent Kashmiri militant leader hailed recent peace moves by Pakistan and India on Sunday but dismissed the possibility of an immediate ceasefire in the disputed Kashmir region. Syed Salahuddin, founder of the main pro-Pakistan militant group, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, did not, however, rule out a truce in future if Pakistan and India showed progress toward settling their long standing dispute over Kashmir. "Ceasefire is not necessary for dialogue. It is not necessary. A ceasefire will reciprocate to the developments of this bilateral diplomatic exercise (between Pakistan and India). If there is any sincerity precipitated, any seriousness which comes to the surface, (and) the people of Jammu and Kashmir (come to) know the parties are serious, India is serious, our issue is being addressed, the Mujahideen and the freedom-fighting forces will give a positive response," Salahuddin said in an interview.

Assam minister's son shot dead (Go To Top)

          Guwahati, May 12: Unidentified militants struck twice in broad daylight in Assam's Haflong township on Monday, killing two people, including a son of State Minister for Hill Areas Development Gobinda Chandra Langthasa. Suspected gunmen, seated in an autorickshaw, fired from close range at Narmendu Langthasa (32), the minister's son, killing him on the spot. Narmendu had gone along with his wife to fetch their daughter Patricia, a class IV student, from her school, police said. Narmendu's wife, who was sitting in the car, fainted as panicked passers-by on the busy Convent school road ran for safety. An hour before this, suspected militants, armed with automatic weapons, swooped on the Divisional Forest Officer's office, killing one Lianjao Hmar, a forest official. A massive manhunt has been launched in the township to find out the culprits.

Shell to get licence to set up petrol pumps in India (Go To Top)

          New Delhi, May 12: The World's third largest oil and gas group Shell has been given a green signal to set up petrol pumps in India, sources said Monday. The Shell India Pvt Ltd would be required to set up 11.6 per cent of the total petrol outlets in remote and low service areas. Besides, it would be required to sign an agreement with the Indian government indicating year-wise schedule. As per the terms and conditions, the company would furnish a Rs five billion bank guarantee for waiver of the Rs 20 billion minimum investment criteria for getting marketing rights.

          It would be after nearly three decades when the oil company will start operating in the country. Earlier, in 1976 the Indian Government had nationalised Shell's erstwhile subsidiary Burmah- Shell as Bharat Petroleum Corporation. Thereafter, Shell had applied for a licence to set up 2000 petrol stations to retail petrol and other transportation fuels.

          Sources said the decision would go a long way towards the government's goal of bringing in more players in petro retailing so that the consumers have a wider choice of quality products and services. The government has already issued licences to Reliance Industries, Essar Oil, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation and Numaligarh Refinery Limited. These oil companies have collectively set up more than 8600 petrol pumps across the country. Besides, the public sector companies - Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) - run around 19,000 petrol stations throughout the country. According to an estimate, India is seventh largest retail oil market in the world.

Filmstars, cricketers pitch in for a charity match (Go To Top)

          New Delhi, May 12: Cricketing legends Kapil Dev and Pat Symcox will join a jamboorie of Indian film stars and members of the Indian and South African squads to kick off this year's International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) at Johannesburg on May 17. The charity match will be held to raise funds for the bereaved families of people who died during the course of shooting while working behind the scenes.

          "We have now added a new concept this year of holding a charity cricket match. I think it's a wonderful thought because South Africa itself has a great cricket following, it's a great cricketing nation. And India is obviously a wonderful choice because cricket is almost a religion in this country. But what is really exciting me and what I am feeling glad about is the fact that some of us have mooted the idea of wanting to collect the funds for people who are under-privileged people, who work behind the scenes in the Indian cinema but are never noticed," legendary star Amitabh Bachchan told reporters in New Delhi on Monday.

          Actors like Anil Kapoor, Salman Khan, Vivek Oberoi, Fardeen Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Lara Dutta, Sonali Bendre and cricketers including Dinesh Mongia, Zaheer Khan and Saurav Ganguly will be attending the match to be held at the Centurion on May 17. The day and night match will be held between three teams comprising celebrities and cricketers playing in a round robin format in matches of eight overs each.

          Attendance of Hollywood actors and pop stars such as Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Kylie Minouge, Miranda Richardson and Bo Derek over the years has already ensured an international platform for the IIFA awards. There will also be a separate presentation of awards in the technical categories. This year's IIFA will also feature the premiere of Hindi movie 'Armaan', starring Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, Preity Zinta and Gracy Singh.

NDA professor booked under POTA (Go To Top)

          Mumbai, May 12: A college professor was on Monday booked under an anti-terrorism act for his alleged involvement in a blast in a local train in Mumbai in March this year. Anwar Ali, an Urdu language teacher with the National Defence Academy, country's top-most defence training institute, was produced before a special court, which remanded him to police custody till May 26. Ali was arrested on Sunday night. He is the ninth accused to be arrested in the case.

           "At this stage we cannot say anything because he is involved in the conspiracy and that's why he was arrested and produced in the court. More information will be given only after the police interrogates him for 10-15 days," Rohini Salian, public prosecutor, told reporters. At least 11 people were killed when a bomb ripped through a ladies' compartment of a local train on March 13. The blast was the deadliest in a string of blasts which shook Mumbai in recent months. Police suspect the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba to be behind the attack.

          Ali is alleged to have links with both SIMI and the LeT. Police say he had provided shelter to three LeT militants at his residence in Pune, a two-hour run from Mumbai, and also participated in a conspiracy to blow up various sensitive places in the city. Last month, the main accused in the case Saquib Nachan was arrested after he surrendered before the High Court.

Astra missile test-fired for third time (Go To Top)

          New Delhi, May 12: For the third time in four days, India tested Astra, its new indigeneously developed air-to-air missile with a 40-km range, on Monday. According to a defence ministry spokesman, the test-firing from a launch site in the Bay of Bengal was routine. The Astra was first tested on Friday and again on Sunday. He explained the exercise as development trials, calling it an in-house testing is done for any weapons system. The missile has not yet been fired from an aircraft. India is developing a range of missiles, including the nuclear- capable surface-to-surface Prithvi and Agni types, as a deterrent against nuclear-armed neighbours Pakistan and China.

Tamil Nadu medicos strike continues (Go To Top)

          Chennai, May 12: Hundreds of medical students and doctors working in government hospitals in Tamil Nadu on Monday continued to strike against the state government's decision to allow more private medical colleges. The agitating medicos want the government to withdraw the move saying it would ruin the standards of the medical profession and create immense pressure on the already scarce job scene in the state. The students are also demanding a rollback in the proposed fee- hike in government-run medical colleges.

          While the students have been agitating for the last three weeks, practising doctors joined the strike on Saturday to express solidarity with the students. The doctors have refused to perform all non-emergency operations and the state's entire health machinary stands paralysed. The Government has finally agreed for negotiations, but only if the doctors called off the strike. The state government is considering to invoke ESMA (Essential Services Maintenance Act) against doctors if they continued with the strike, saying they were in no way connected with the demands of medical students.

Accords signed to boost economic ties with Mozambique (Go To Top)

          New Delhi, May 12: India on Monday signed bilateral agreements with Mozambique in fields of agriculture, science and technology to strengthen economic ties. Mozambique President Joaquim Alberto Chissano, who is on a six- day visit to India, held delegation level talks with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. Both sides reiterated their desire to strengthen bilateral ties.

          Several MOU's (Memorandum of Undertandings) were signed in the fields of agriculture, science and technology and the two countries agreeing to strengthen transport and communication links. Addressing a press conference in the capital, foreign office spokesman Navtej Sarna said the country granted loans to the African nation for several joint ventures. "During the delegation level talks with the Prime Minister, a fresh credit line of 20 million dollars for Mozambique was announced. Also it was agreed that India would grant 200,000 dollars every year for a period of five years which would be used or projects to be identified by both sides as part of the joint commission," said Sarna.

Mulayam rally slams Mayawati's 'autocratic' rule (Go To Top)

          Lucknow, May 12: Samajwadi Party (SP), main opposition party in Uttar Pradesh, on Monday organised a massive rally against what it said the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. Hundreds of SP activists marched down the streets of Lucknow, raising slogans against the "autocratic rule" of the ruling coalition. The Bharatiya Janata Party is the junior partner in the government led by Mayawati of low caste Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). The rally came barely days after Chief Minister Mayawati claimed a marked improvement in the law and order situation during one year of her government in power.

          Yadav's Samajwadi Party and Mayawati's BSP are locked in a fierce political battle, with the former announcing its campaign to dislodge the alliance government in the state. Mayawati recently slapped various criminal charges against Yadav and others for what she termed as a "befitting reply" against attempts to tarnish her image. Last month the Samajwadi Party had released video cassettes of Mayawati asking her deputies to divert development funds to her party coffers.

Blast in Chechen town, 30 killed (Go To Top)

          Moscow, May 12: Thirty people died when a truck laden with explosives ripped through a government compound the northern Chechnya town of Znamenskoye on Monday. Part of an administration building and the head office of the Federal Security Service, as well as several residential homes were damaged. According to the head of the Nadterechny region, about 60 or more were injured in the blast. More than 20 were hospitalised, reports Itar-Tass quoting Chechen administration officials. Russian Deputy Prosecutor General Sergei Fridinsky is heading for the scene, according to Interfax.