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JMM workers protest Shibu Soren's continued detention (Go To Top)

          Ranchi: Hundreds of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) activists staged a demonstration here today to protest against the continued detention of their leader and former UNion Minister Shibu Soren. Some of the activists clashed with police and courted arrest. Soren gave himself up to police this week after a warrant of arrest was issued against him for his role in the 1975 Chiruddih massacre case. "Our leader Shibu Soren has been sent to jail and this demonstration is in protest against his arrest. We have begun our campaign to court arrest en masse and will continue to do so if he is victimised any further," said Prabhakar Tirkey, central secretary of JMM. The protestors also demanded the sacking of Jharkhand CM Arjun Munda, while terming Soren's arrest as being "politically motivated."

Aishwarya, Kalam join hands to fight polio (Go To Top)

          New Delhi: Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai today joined Indian President A.P.J Abdul Kalam in a campaign to fight the menace of polio. Rai, a former Miss World, was among the delegates at the Polio Summit here attended by leaders from Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan. New Delhi had in 1995 launched a mass immunization campaign against the crippling disease targetting millions of children. A huge success, it has drastically brought down the number of cases to 29 in 2004, according to UNICEF, but analysts say the Šreal numbers could be higher as many cases in the interior pockets still remain hidden. Kalam said it was important that countries unite and fought diseases rather than among themselves. "Every country should join together, fight diseases, fight poverty and not fight themselves. So our enemy really is disease and poverty. It's a good sign that the three countries assembled here are trying to find out how we can eliminate the polio virus," Kalam said. Rai said she had joined the cause for a complete eradication of the disease. "My lending a voice to your effort is purely by virtue of hoping to be a catalyst to augment, enhance and propel your efforts and hopefully achieve the fruits that you worked sincerly towards," Rai said. Most of the Indian cases are reported from Uttar Pradesh, which, with a population of 173 million, accounted for 66 percent of all polio cases reported worldwide last year. India is the largest consumer of the oral polio vaccine, using a staggering 1,150 million doses a year.

Pranab assures impartial probe into Manipur woman's killing (Go To Top)

          Chennai: Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee today assured the people of Manipur about carrying out an impartial probe into last month's killing of a woman, allegedly by the armed forces. "In order to assuage the feelings of the people, a (military) court of inquiry is looking into the incident. The reasons for whoever has committed any offence will be taken to task as per the law. Nobody will be spared if they are involved," Mukherjee told reporters here. Violent protests have paralysed Manipur for over a month after the Assam Rifles soldiers reportedly shot dead a 30-year-old woman, Manorama Devi, during a raid on her home in Imphal. Since then, people have been calling for the scrapping of The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (1958), which has been in force in the state for more than two decades to combat insurgency. Mukherjee appealed people to maintain law and order in the state. "At the same time, we would appeal to the people to maintain peace and order. Just to carry on the agitation on an unfortunate incident and to paralyse everything is not the course," said Mukherjee.

Rameez Raja resigns as PCB CEO (Go To Top)

          Lahore: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief executive Rameez Raja resigned on Saturday, saying he wanted to pursue his commitments as a cricket commentator full time. PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan said he had accepted Raja's resignation and relieved him to devote himself to commentary, cricket officials said. Raja is currently in Colombo doing commentary on the South Africa-Sri Lanka cricket Test match.

Floods prompt Bangla to seek joint rivers meet with India  (Go To Top)
by Nazrul Islam

          Dhaka: Severely hit by floods, Bangladesh has sought a meeting of the Joint Committee of Experts' (JCE) with India under the Joint River Commission next month to workout a long- term formula for the sharing of river waters flowing between the two countries. Dhaka has reportedly sent a letter to New Delhi, inviting the latter for talks on the disputed water sharing issues. India recently deferred the ministerial level meeting of the Joint River Commission that was scheduled for August 17 in Dhaka, on the ground that the JCE meeting should take place prior to it. In a recent communiqui to Dhaka, New Delhi said some issues, such as the formula of water sharing of the Teesta River and the erection of dam across the River Muhuri, have to be settled before the ministerial meet, sources here said. The JCE, which is headed by the water resources secretaries of India and Bangladesh, has been working for seven years in search of long-term solution a for the sharing of the waters of seven rivers -- Teesta, Dharala, Dudhkumar, Monu, Khowai, Gomti and Muhuri.

Geelani forms new party (Go To Top)

          Srinagar: Chairman of the breakaway Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Shah Geelani today launched a new political party called the Tehrik-e-Hurriyat Jammu and Kashmir. Geelani believes that a solution to Kashmir can only be arrived at if all three parties to the dispute - India, Pakistan and Kashmiri leaders agree to a common approach. Speaking to reporters at his Hyderpora residence here, Geelani said: "The Tehreek-e-Hurriyat Jammu and Kashmir shall draw its inspiration from Islam and struggle till we get the right of self-determination or till such times India recognises Kashmir as a dispute." Meanwhile, the moderate faction of the Hurriyat today said efforts for "reunification" would continue under Mirwaiz Umer Farooq. The executive committee of the Hurriyat Conference met here today to review the situation arising out of disbanding of Itehadi (unity) force, a task group working to unite the rival factions, last week. The meeting lasted for about four hours.

HAL bags Rs.380 crore Airbus Industries contract (Go To Top)

          Bangalore: The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has bagged an export contract from Airbus Industries, France, worth Rs.380 crore. HAL MD A.K.Saxena today told reporters here that the contract envisages the supply of 1000 ship sets of Forward Passenger Doors for Airbus Aircraft A-319, A-320 and A-321. He said that apart from him, Allain Flourens, Senior Vice President of Airbus Industries and Eric Gillard, the French group's Vice President, had signed the contract at the Airbus Headquarters in Toulouse, France, last month.