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Three women Naxalites killed in police encounter

          Hyderabad, May 14: Three women Naxalites were killed in a gunbattle with the police in a dense forest area in Adilabad district of Andhra Pradesh. According to reports, the incident took place when a police party came across a group of Naxalites on the outskirts of the forest. They were asked to surrender but the rebels opened fire. The police retaliated and the fight lasted for about 10 minutes. One AK-47 rifle, one .303 rifle, two SBBL guns and 10 kit bags were recovered from the area.

Bomb blast in Yemeni court, several wounded

          San'a (Yemen) May 14: A bomb blast wounded several people on Wednesday in a Yemeni court where a suspected Al Qaeda militant was condemned to death five days ago, sources quoting a foreign news agency reported. A judge was also among the injured in the explosion that ripped through the courtroom in Jibla, 200 km south of the Yemeni capital of San'a. Witnesses said they saw victims being taken away in ambulances. It was not immediately clear if anybody was killed. Police said they had detained a man in connection with the explosion. On Saturday, the court condemned to death Abed Abdul Razak Kamel, 30, after convicting him of the Dec. 30 shooting of three missionaries.

Sinha, Powell discuss Indo-Pak ties (Go To Top)

          Moscow, May 14: External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha met US Secretary of State Colin Powell here on Wednesday and discussed the changing scenario in Indo-Pak ties. During the meeting, Sinha reportedly laid stress on the need for Islamabad to contain cross-border terrorism so that conducive environment could be made for resumption of bilateral talks. The Sinha and Powell meeting in Russia was fixed as a "matter of convenience" to discuss a wide range of regional, bilateral and international issues.

Pakistan to release 20 Indian nationals (Go To Top)

          Islamabad, May 14: Pakistan has decided to release 14 crew members of the Indian cargo boat, 'Raj Laxmi', and six Sikhs whose national status has been confirmed by India. The decision was taken in pursuance of Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali's announcement of May 6. The remaining 16 Sikhs would be released shortly once their national status is verified by India. The released Indian prisoners would be handed over to the Indian authorities at Wagah Border on May 17. The decision in this regard has already been conveyed to New Delhi through its acting High Commissioner in Islamabad.

India, Pak cool at UN Council (Go To Top)

          New York, May 14: For the first time in several years India and Pakistan did not attack each other directly while raising the Kashmir issue in the UN Security Council with New Delhi maintaining that differences are best settled through bilateral negotiations and Islamabad stating that a solution to the problem can be achieved only after fulfilling the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. During a Security Council debate on Pacific resolution of conflicts, India's Ambassador Vijay K. Nambiar repeatedly stressed during his presentation on Tuesday that resolution of issues through bilateral negotiations is advocated by the world body's charter, as the "most preferred methods of settlement of disputes."

Court allows Sanjay Dutt to go abroad (Go To Top)

          Mumbai, May 14: Film actor Sanjay Dutt, an accused in the 1993 serial bomb blasts case, has been allowed to go abroad. A special court permitted him to visit the UK, US and Canada for performing stage shows from May 22 to June 30, it was reported on Wednesday. Designated judge PD Kode granted the permission to Dutt while hearing a plea by his lawyer Farhana Shah. Sanjay had asked for permission to go abroad with other Bollywood actors, including Salman Khan. The court directed Dutt to file a detailed programme of his trip with the court Registrar. He was also warned not to establish contacts with absconding accused and asked to keep his lawyer present during his absence.

           The judge had already exempted Dutt and 86 other accused from personal appearance in court till May 19. The actor is facing trial in the serial blasts case since his arrest in April 1993. He was charged with possessing an AK-56 rifle in a notified area under TADA and destroying evidence. Dutt has all along been denying the charges. He was granted bail in October 1995 by the Supreme Court.

SC extends stay abroad for Hindujas (Go To Top)

          New Delhi, May 14: The Supreme Court on Wednesday extended permission to the three Hinduja brothers to stay abroad till July 21. The three are facing trial in the Rs 6.4 million Bofors pay-off case. A two-judge bench comprising Justices N Santosh Hegde and Shivaraj V Patil extended the permission after the matter was raised before them by Hindujas' counsel Ram Jethmalani. On February 27 the Apex Court had allowed the three brothers to go abroad together till May 2. The Hindujas are currently out on bail. As per conditions attached to the bail, at least one of the brothers had to stay in India at all points of time. However, last year the court allowed all the three to go to London on the occasion of Diwali.

Gorakhpur eunuch mayor dethroned (Go To Top)

          Gorakhpur, May 14: A eunuch vowed on Tuesday to appeal against a local court ruling which overturned her election as town mayor on grounds she was a man and hence had acted illegally in contesting the election as a woman. "I will go to Allahabad High Court against the verdict. And if I don't get justice there, I will go to Delhi (Supreme Court). If I don't have money by then, I will beg and collect funds, but will never step down," said Amarnath Yadav alias Asha Devi, elected mayor of Gorakhpur city.

          Asha had successfully contested the Gorakhpur municipal elections as an independent candidate from a constituency reserved for women in 2000. Eunuchs, known as "hijras", are males castrated at puberty but are normally referred to in India as "she". On Monday, the local court said Asha had to step down because the job was reserved for women. A rival candidate, Anju Choudhry, had challenged the election in court. Choudhry's lawyer Ved Prakash told reporters that according to the court, Asha does not come under women's category. "This election was for backward women. But Asha contested this election saying that he was a eunuch, but the court has decided that Asha does not come under women's category and is a man, so his election is null and void," said Prakash.

          Reviled for centuries, hijras have been making a special effort in recent years to win social acceptance. There are no official estimates of India's hijra population, but unofficial estimates peg the number at around 500,000. Traditionally, they earn a living by collecting cash "gifts" on auspicious occasions. Groups of them wearing heavy make-up and colourful saris often turn up uninvited at wedding parties and leave only after receiving generous cash donations.

63 dead, 23 missing in China mine blast (Go To Top)

          Beijing, May 14: Sixty-three workers were killed and 23 others reported missing after a gas explosion ripped through a coal mine in eastern China, official sources said on Wednesday. A mine official said rescue work was going on for those missing. However, chances of their survival are slim, he told a western news agency. Twenty-seven people have been rescued and 10 are in hospital, he said. The blast struck the registered Luling coal mine in Anhui province.