Back to Main Page                                                                Archives

CBSE employee nabbed for pre-medical leak

          New Delhi: The Delhi Police today arrested an employee of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) working in the office of the Controller of Examinations for having a role in the leak of the Pre-Medical Test question paper on April 10. Hemant Sharma, a computer operator in the office of Examination Controller Pavnesh Kumar, was arrested following disclosures by the main accused nabbed recently, DCP (Crime) D. Pathak said. An amount of Rs.3 lakh was also recovered from his possession, police said.

Haridwar still tense (Go To Top)

          Haridwar: The situation here continued to be tense on even as leaders of the BJP met with the agitating businessmen. The city is observing a daylong shutdown to protest the killing of one person in police firing on Thursday. The violence was triggered after a policeman allegedly misbehaved with the wife of a local trader. Ensuing clashes between the traders and policemen left one dead and 20 others injured. Furious traders have threatened violent protests if immediate action was not taken against the culprits. The BJP leaders surveyed the area and assured the people that their demands would be met. Millions of people have converged in Haridwar for the "Ardh Kumbh", one of the most important festivals for Hindus, and many traders have set up temporary shops in the ongoing fair. The Uttaranchal government had ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident and is holding talks with the local businessmen.

Third round of talks with Hurriyat in June: Vohra (Go To Top))

          New Delhi: The third round of talks between the Central Government and Ansari-led faction of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) will take place some time in June, the Centre's interlocutor on Kashmir N N Vohra told reporters here today. Vohra, who held an hour-long meeting with Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, told reporters that the dialogue process would have to be widened as the government was committed to holding discussions with all sections of people in the state. "We have already held talks with various sections of people in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, including professional groups of doctors and lawyers. Consultations with these sections will be carried forward," Vohra said when asked whether he was not ruling out broadening the base of dialogue process in the near future. Vohra made it clear that all political elements would be roped into the dialogue process, but added this could happen only after the election process was completed in the country and a new government installed. The dates for the talks would be decided after mutual consultation, he said.

Blast rocks Congress headquarters in Srinagar (Go To Top)

          Srinagar: A powerful explosion rocked the headquarters of the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee on Maulana Azad Road today. Television news reports said that militants had launched a grenade attack on the building at around 1:00 p.m. and when reports last came in, security forces were engaged in a gun battle with the extremists.

Pak cinema owners threaten shutdown over Indian film ban (Go To Top)

          Lahore: The Pakistan Film Exhibitors Association has threatened to close cinemas in the country from the first week of May if they are not allowed to show Indian films. Cinema owners here are demanding that they be allowed to screen Indian films, adding that Pakistani films are too few and too poor to sustain them. Zoraiz Lashari, chairman of the exhibitors' action committee, told Daily Times on Thursday that the body would soon be finalizing a date after a meeting with the Pakistan Film Producers Association on April 24. The exhibitors said the poor quality and insufficient quantity of films produced in Pakistan meant most cinemas had been demolished and converted into plazas and theatres. The rest were running losses, they added. There were over 1,500 cinemas in Pakistan in the 1980s, but there are now only 270. More cinemas have shut down recently due to dwindling audiences for Urdu movies. English movies suffer because of cable channels.

3000 dead in N Korea train crash (Go To Top)

          Seoul: The North Korean Government has declared a state of emergency after a collision between two high-speed trains claimed the lives of about 3,000 people on Thursday. News reports said that the trains carrying gasoline and liquefied petroleum gas collided at Ryongchon station, 15 km south of the Yalu river border near the Yellow Sea on Thursday, nine hours after a train carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong-il had passed through en route to Pyong Yang from China. The mishap occurred at about 1 p.m. local time. South Korea's Yonhap news agency said there were thousands of casualties and some form of emergency had been declared in the area near the border with China.

Spice family Pathak settles feud out of court (Go To Top)
by Trevor Barnard

          London: After spending an estimated million pounds on lawyers in a High Court action, the Indian family of millionaires who control the Pathak Group, Britain's largest supplier of spices, sauces and Indian condiments, have settled their differences out of court - at least financially. Chitralekha Mehta, the daughter of the late founder of the company, Laxmishanker Pathak, called off her claim against her 51-year old brother, Kitri, and her sister, Anila Shastri, dropped hers against Kitri and her mother, Shantagury. In return, they are to receive an estimated 8 million pounds (including their shares in the company), and Kitri is to pay the legal bill.

          Father Laxmishanker founded the business in the kitchen of a North London home when he came to Britain from Kenya in 1956. The family worked together to build up a company to provide spices and spiced products for home use. The "h" was dropped from the name to make it easier for British consumers to pronounce. Before long it was a household name and a major item in supermarket stores. Two years ago it was said to be worth 45 million pounds. Trouble started when Laxmishanker died. The two sisters claimed that their mother illegally passed over to brother Kitri their shares, which they said they had given to her for safekeeping in 1989, and they wanted them back. Kitri and his mother claimed that it was normal under Hindu culture that property should pass only to sons, and that this was always understood within the family.

US shuttle diplomacy averted Indo-Pak war: Bush (Go To Top)

          Washington: Shuttle diplomacy by the United States in 2001 helped to avert a fifth war between India and Pakistan, President George W Bush told journalists here. Expressing satisfaction with the improving ties between India and Pakistan, the Daily Times quoted Bush as saying that, "I'm pleased with the progress on efforts to improve the relationship between Pakistan and India. If you remember, I think it was in the year 2001 - I don't see many foreign policy reporters here - but 2001 was the year that we started shuttle diplomacy to convince Pakistan and India not to go to war with each other."

Musharraf to join active politics (Go To Top)

          Islamabad: President Pervez Musharraf has hinted that he might join active politics soon. Musharraf, who was addressing the concluding session of the International Conference on UN Convention Against Corruption arranged by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), here, told reporters that his joining politics was under active consideration. "I can consider it (politics). But I have to take a decision," he was quoted by The News, as saying.