Kashmir: Two gunned down by militants

          Srinagar: At least two persons were shot dead by militants in the Valley, police sources said on Wednesday. Unidentified militants barged into the house of one Mohammad Ramzan at village Parigam in Kulgam area of Anantnag district in south Kashmir and shot dead his young daughter Sweeti, the sources said. In another incident, the militants attacked a house at Payar in Pulwama district of south Kashmir and shot dead one Mohammad Akram Bhat. The duo were killed by militants on the suspicion of being police informers, the sources said, adding police has launched a manhunt to nab the militants. No militant outfit has so far claimed responsibility for the killings.

Indian, US army hold joint military exercise in Mizoram (Go To Top)

          Vairangte (Mizoram): Special forces from India and the United States are conducting a joint exercise in Vairangte region of Mizoram. The Indian army said the two-day exercise, which began on Tuesday, was aimed at giving a boost to bilateral military ties. This is the third such exercise being undertaken by the two countries. The first was carried out in Agra last year and the second in Ladakh region in the Himalayas.

          Brigadier BK Ponwar of the Indian army said the exercise is aimed at planning counter-insurgency strategy. "Both of us are learning a lot from each other. Because terrorism is not just in this part of the world, but also in the United States. We have to fight it out together," said Ponwar. "It gives all soldiers who are participating in the exercise a better set of tools in their professional education to see the environment, to see better techniques and tactics that are used in this environment and then how do you apply those in any situation a US soldier is put in future, whether it is Afghanistan or Iraq," said Lt. Sornal Wisecarver of the US army.

          Indian and US special forces have conducted similar exercises in Alaska. India, a cold war ally of erstwhile Soviet Union, and the United States have warmed up since the September 11, 2001 terror attacks on the US. The two countries have conducted tri-service joint exercises since then though US Secretary of State Colin Powell's recent statement approving Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) to Pakistan, India's nuclear rival, caused heart-burns in New Delhi.

Run to spread road safety awareness (Go To Top)

          New Delhi: Scores of health freaks took part in a run, organised by the police to increase awareness about road safety in New Delhi on Wednesday. The run was organised on the occasion of World Health Day. Runners including children, carrying banners and placards, also marched through the capital's streets spreading awareness about traffic rules. Anita Deshmukh, a national-level runner, said safety was important. "In such kind of races we teach children about road safety which means no accident," she said. Despite an amendment protecting volunteers who take an accident victim to hospital from police hassles and long drawn out court trial to stand as witnesses, awareness is low and people still shy away from saving many a life.

          According to the latest United Nations estimates, the global cost of road accidents in developing and emerging nations is at least 100 billion dollars a year. This is more than twice the total aid received from all bilateral and multilateral sources. New Delhi in particular, with an accident rate of 8.97 percent, is one of the world's most unsafe cities to live in. By 2020 it is estimated road accidents will be the world's third leading cause of death, behind heart disease and deaths linked to mental illness. The world's first motor vehicle death had occurred in 1896 in London. It had then shocked an entire nation. Since then an estimated 30 million people have died in road accidents across the world.

Loot from Mughal Delhi on show in London (Go To Top)
by Trevor Barnard

          London: Exquisite Jewelled artefacts looted from the Mughal treasury in Delhi by Nadir Shah in 1739 are currently on show at an exhibition in London - on loan from the famous State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. Nadir Shah was ruler of an Iranian empire that stretched from the Caucasus to northern India from 1736 to 1747. In 1739 he sacked Delhi and returned to Iran with vast amounts of loot, including the Peacock Throne and the Koh-i-Noor diamond. Wishing to obtain diplomatic leverage with Russia, he sent a jewel-laden embassy to the Empress Anna in St. Petersburg, but she died before it arrived in 1841 and the gifts were received by Tsar Ivan VI.

          Throughout this summer they will form a spectacular feature in an exhibition called "Heaven on Earth: Art from Islamic Lands" at the Hermitage Rooms, an art gallery that has links with the museum in St. Petersburg. Standing out among the items in the collection, all of Indian craftsmanship of the 17th century, is a small table, claimed to have no parallel, apparently made as a stand for a vessel. It is decorated with 1,762 rubies, 380 emeralds and 4 diamonds. On the inner sides of the legs are Arabic letters which so far no one has been able to decipher. Alongside it are two jewelled rose-water flasks, comprising gold, silver and multitudes of gems - diamonds, rubies and emeralds - incorporated in engraved designs. There are also a pair of bracelets, and a small dish - all featuring gold, enamel and gems.

          Another masterpiece of goldsmiths' work in the collection is a stand for an octagonal casket, which has not survived. Surrounding the octagonal recess, the rest of the surface is entirely encrusted with precious stones - 136 diamonds, 914 rubies and 112 emeralds. The underside is also decorated with a large central rosette from which radiate eight bands with floral designs, all worked in gold.

          The exhibition consists of more than 60 items from two sources - St. Petersburg and the Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art in London. Its theme is to show how the decorative arts of Islam - calligraphy, textile paintings, jewels, metalwork and ceramics - were used to glorify both God and human rulers. The exhibits range in date from the 9th to the 19th century and cover an area stretching from Spain and the Arab world to Persia and the Indian sub-continent. The Khalili Collection has been assembled by Iran-born Prof Nasser D. Khalili under the auspices of the Khalili Family Trust. It includes 20,000 items and is celebrated world- wide as pre-eminent in its field. The State Hermitage Museum occupies the Winter Palace of Tsarist Russia and its collections began arriving there from the early 18th century, well before the foundation of the Museum. London's Hermitage Rooms, which form part of the historic Somerset House, reflect the decor of the Winter Palace, and provide an imperial backdrop to rotating exhibitions from St. Petersburg and elsewhere.

Nepal paralysed by strike (Go To Top)

          Kathmandu: Normal life across Nepal was paralysed for the second day on Wednesday. Schools, factories, businesses were shut and most vehicles stayed off the road. Maoist rebels have called the three-day strike to press for their long-standing goal of a republican regime in the world's only Hindu kingdom. The strike coincides with protests by Opposition groups angry over the king's assumption of executive powers in 2002. The Maoists have been waging an eight-year armed struggle to overthrow the constitutional monarchy. Soldiers and police are on patrol in the kingdom.

Iraq: 26 killed in air strike (Go To Top)

          Baghdad: The US planes destroyed four houses in two neighbourhoods of Iraq's Fallujah district, killing 26 Iraqis, including women and children, and wounding 30 others on Tuesday evening. Television reports said that the death toll could rise. Meanwhile, a report from Najaf said that the coalition forces were engaged in a battle with insurgents across Iraq in a crackdown that has left over 100 Iraqis and 20 American troops dead and hundreds more wounded over the past two days. US authorities have reportedly launched a crackdown on Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his militia, sparking the first major armed confrontation between the Americans and Shias since the US- led occupation began. The crackdown on al-Sadr has sparked off fighting in Iraq's Shia- dominated cities. Al-Sadr's black-garbed militiamen attacked coalition troops on Monday and Tuesday in the southern cities of Nasiriyah, Kut, Karbala and Amarah and in northern Baghdad.

           A total of 106 Iraqis have been killed and 548 wounded in the clashes across the country over the weekend. In Nasiriyah, 15 Iraqis were killed and 35 wounded in clashes between militiamen and Italian troops, coalition According to the News, 11 Italian troops were slightly wounded. In Fallujah, US Marines fought their way into the city centre before withdrawing in the evening. The military used an AC-130 gunship to barrage guerrillas. Commanders said Marines were holding an area several blocks deep into the city. "We are several blocks deep in the city of Fallujah, but not close to the centre," Marine Major Briandon McGolwan was quoted as saying. Earlier, Muqtada al-Sadr was locked in a tense standoff with U.S.-led coalition troops on Tuesday as several attempts to mediate an end to the escalating violence proved inconclusive, Shia sources were quoted as saying.

Mallya brings Tippu's sword (Go To Top)

          Bangalore: Industrialist-turned-politician Vijay Mallya has disclosed that he was the bidder who bought the sword of Tippu Sultan at a London auction last September. Displaying the legendary sword he brought back to India after a period of two centuries when the British had seized it after the death of Tippu Sultan in the Mysore war of 1799. Mallya said he had purchased it at the auction for Rs 1.5 cr from the descendants of Major General Baird. Coming on the last day of filing of nominations for the forthcoming elections to the Assembly and parliament, the disclosure started speculation if the Janata Party working president will contest the elections. However, the liquor baron claimed that he brought it from London only a couple of weeks ago. He said, "It is a humbling experience to be able to announce to the people of Karnataka that the sword of Tippu Sultan has now been brought back to the land of the illustrious monarch."

Kelucharan Mohapatra passes away (Go To Top)

          Bhubaneswar: Odissi maestro Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra died here on Wednesday after a heart attack. He was 78. He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter. His last rites will be performed at Swargadwar in Puri on Thursday. A teacher at the Kala Vikas Kendra in Cuttack for 15 years, he had done extensive research on folk and tribal dances as well as temple sculptures of Orissa. He had choreographed dance dramas in Odissi style like Panchapushpa, Krushna Katha, Geeta Govinda, Urbashi, Krushna Leela, Sakhigopal, Konark and Srikhetra. He has received various awards like Padma Vibhushan, Padma Shree and Kalidas award.