EC appoints six observers for Feb 2005 polls

      New Delhi: The Election Commission has appointed six Special Observers for Bihar, Jharkhand and Haryana to supervise the assembly polls there scheduled for February. Sayan Chatterjee and A C Shukla will be Special Observers for the crucial assembly polls in Bihar. G S Patnaik and Afzal Amanulla will oversee assembly elections in Jharkhand and Haryana respectively. Two more Special Observers, one each for Jharkhand and Haryana would be named shortly.

Kids who don't know Santa! by Rukmini Sah

      New Delhi: It is that time of the year when the entire world resounds with the echo of Christmas carols, the whiff of cakes and cookies in the air tempts children, as they wait in eager anticipation for what Santa has in store for them. But there are some unfortunate ones for whom Christmas is just another bleak day, trying to eke out a living. Street urchins who barely have enough to clothe themselves cannot even dream of laying out stockings for Santa to fill them with goodies, while rag pickers have quite a different kind of baggage and are unaware of what lies inside Santa Claus' bright red bag. These street children offer a stark contrast to the brightly decorated shops and busy shoppers in South Delhi's PVR Priya complex. " There 's going to be a party today and I don't know anything beyond that about Christmas, " says Pooja a six year old rag picker, in between hunting for precious little in the area. " Its Jesus Christ's birthday,"adds little Abdul, also a rag picker. When each day in life is a struggle for survival then special occasions like Christmas and New Year have little to offer to these children. Vicky, a shoe polish is also not too excited about the whole idea of the festival, as it makes no difference to him. "I polish shoes and that is what I am going to do on Christmas as well," he quips. Perhaps Santa has forgotten these unfortunate few who ask for no other gift, but a day's meal and the promise of a better life.

TV broadcasting comes under government scanner (Go To Top)

      New Delhi: A legislation to put in place a regulatory structure for broadcasting programmes on television is under the government's scanner, the Lok Sabha was informed today. In written reply to a query, Information and Broadcasting Minister S Jaipal Reddy said there is no pre-censorship of television programmes in India but programmes transmitted through the cable network are required to adhere to provisions of the "Programme Code" prescribed under the Cable Television Network (Regulation) Act 1995 and rules framed thereunder. The Code, inter alia, prescribed that no programme should be carried in the cable service which offends against the good taste of decency or is not suitable for public viewing and violators would be liable to any action against them under Section 19 of the Act, he said. In reply to another question Reddy informed the MPs that Doordarshan has taken various steps to attract clients on DD channel which include volume discount schemes for direct booking of advertisements on DD and bonuses for telecasting advertisements including for government schemes and projects. He said value additions are also being given to clients in the form of branded promos on Doordarshan channels to promote progamming free of cost. On its part the AIR has rationalised the rate card and pursued aggressive marketing of the medium to attract investments.

Nepal King cancels India visit, rebels cut off Kathmandu (Go To Top)

      Kathmandu: Nepal's King Gyanendra today cancelled his proposed eleven-day visit to India after news of the demise of former Indian Prime Minister P.V.Narasimha Rao was received here. The King was originally scheduled to arrive in the Indian capital, New Delhi, at 5.30 p.m. (IST), but official sources said that the trip had been cancelled and would take place at a mutually convenient date in the future. Meanwhile, the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, has been virtually cut off from the rest of the country after Maoists warned drivers to stay off the roads. According to the BBC, the rebels have warned of "dire consequences" if car and lorry drivers ignore the threat. In the south-west of the country, at least 10 people have reportedly been killed in a clash between the rebels and the security forces. The Maoist insurgency was expected to dominate the agenda during King Gyanendra's 11-day India visit. Hundreds of vehicles are stranded on main roads around Kathmandu as drivers refuse to enter areas affected by the ban. A similar restriction was imposed for a week in August, leading to shortages of goods in Kathmandu and rising prices. As before, the rebels are enforcing the blockade through fear of reprisals rather than by any physical presence or roadblocks. They say their action is in protest at abuses by security forces.

Gen. Vij visits Chinese military facilities (Go To Top)

     Beijing: India's Chief of Army Staff, General N C Vij today visited Chinese military facilities and exchanged views with senior defence officials on the second day of his landmark visit to China. Gen. Vij, who arrived in Shanghai yesterday for his week-long China trip, visited the People's Liberation Army (PLA) garrison there, sources said, adding that meetings were also held with senior PLA officials. Gen Vij will also visit the eastern port city of Qingdao and the north-western city of Xian, they said. Vij is scheduled to arrive in Beijing over the weekend and will hold official talks with his Chinese counterpart General Liang Guanglie. He is also expected to call on Chinese Defence Minister General Cao Gangchuan. The last Indian Army Chief to visit China was the late General B C Joshi in July 1994.

Pak kids meet Munnabhai MBBS (Go To Top)

     Mumbai: About 22 Pakistani children had their day made on Wednesday when they were given an opportunity to interact with India's Munnabhai M.B.B.S' aka Sanjay Dutt. The kids were absolutely thrilled to meet the Bollywood star, and some of them even hugged him. "This goes to prove the power of cinema that how it can transcend and cross all borders and all barriers. When Munna Bhai was selected, we were very happy but I wasn't surprised. When these children were asked whom they would like to meet when they are in India, their obvious choice was Sanjay Dutt," said Bomen Irani, a fellow actor. He added that these children had brought a prescription of peace to India. "What do these children know about conflicts between the two countries. If peace has to come, it'll come through children and they have already brought the prescription," Irani added. The children too echoed the same notion. "We really felt good. We were welcomed everywhere we went. Children are the foundation of both the countries. We are happy that children have initiated the efforts of friendship between both the countries." "We want both the countries to spend money on the development of their villages rather than spending money in weapons and artillery. The education and health of children should be looked after. Like Munnabhai M B B S, a film should also be made on the condition of women," said Nabila, a Pakistani girl. "We have to clear our mind of all those issues. We should know that the fights between the two countries would not benefit anyone. We have brought the message of peace to India. We have come here to befriend with Indians," said Shehzad, a Pakistani boy. The visiting Pakistani children were also shown the movie.

Anil steps up pressure on Mukesh in Reliance stake (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: Anil Ambani, the Vice Chairman of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and Managing Director of Reliance Energy (RE) has reportedly demanded a discussion on changes in Reliance Infocomm equity, charging that the RIL Board was kept in the dark on this. With the RIL Board meeting December 27, Anil is reported to have sent a second letter to all company directors last week on the issue. His first letter on the issue was written on December six, wherein Anil had raised the issue of Infocomm amid reports that Mukesh Ambani as head of Reliance Infocomm got 12 per cent sweat equity for Rs 50 crore that was valued many times more. Acting on the letter of December 6, RIL Company Secetary Vinod Ambani had written to all the members of the Board of Directors seeking a suitable date for convening the meeting amid indications that a meeting could be possible only in January. When asked if Anil Ambani's letter would be discussed at the December 27 board meeting, convened for taking up a proposal on buyback of shares from the market, an RIL spokesperson was quoted by a news agency as saying "the agenda of the board will be circulated among Directors only." On December 20, the RIL informed the Bombay Stock Exchange about holding of the Board meeting on December 27 with a single point agenda of buyback of shares.