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Four Governors removed

          New Delhi: President APJ Abdul Kalam on Friday sacked the governors of Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana and Goa. The Governors were appointees of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. The decision was made public in a terse Rashtrapati Bhavan communique that barred Vishnu Kant Shastri (UP), Kailashpati Mishra (Gujarat), Babu Parmanand (Haryana) and Kidar Nath Sahni (Goa) from holding office. Not because they belonged to a particular political party but were "for a long time associated with the Sangh Parivar". Meanwhile, BJP termed it as "gross constitutional impropriety" .

Four policemen killed in Doda blast (Go To Top)

         Jammu: Four policemen, including a DSP, have been killed in the Doda-Udhampur region of Jammu and Kashmir in an explosion carried out by militants. A Member of Parliament, Lal Singh and an MLA of the Doda-Udhampur constituency, escaped unhurt when militants attacked a convoy by detonating an improvised explosive device (IED). The militants detonated the IED when a convoy of Congress leaders was on their way to Chatroo from Kishtwar, according to police sources. In the explosion, two escort vehicles of the leaders were badly damaged, and the DSP, identified as Mushtaq Ahmed Mir and four others died instantly.

ULFA rebels offered yet another chance (Go To Top)

         Imphal: India has offered yet another chance to the ULFA rebels to come to the negotiating table. They have said that if the ULFA felt that it was more comfortable holding peace talks with the Indian government in a third nation, the Indian government would agree to that too. Bijoy Krishna Hadiqaue, Union Minister of State for Defence, says: "Let them come forward, we will also come forward. We are ready for dialogue under any circumstances. We have even conceded to their conditions."The ULFA had last year offered to hold talks with the government emisaries through a neutral mediator.

          The offer came after ULFA training camps in Bhutan were run over by the Bhutanese Army. Fifteen insurgents belonging to the ULFA surrendered this week, in Assam. Large numbers of its cadres have surrendered in the past, as well. Disgusted with a jungle life and tired of subjecting their families to humiliation and poor quality of life; these people have finally seen the light of the day. Probably this step would help initiating many others on the path of peace. Putul Bora, a surrendered ULFA militant said, "I have been engaged with ULFA for last fourteen years, and in these years the top leaders just do not know what we are doing and facing. They are themselves leading a lavish lifestyle abroad. I have lost my parents in the process to see a free Assam but today I feel that I have committed a crime against democracy." The government on its part is already giving all possible help to the surrendered militants. Vocational training centres,have been opened so that these militants might lead respectable and peaceful lives once again. Brig.

Thousands arrive in Varanasi to observe Guru Purnima (Go To Top)

          Varanasi: Thousands of Guru Purnima devouts gathered in Varanasi on Friday to observe the annual festival of "Guru Purnima" or the day of the full moon. Hindus observe the day in praise of "Guru" (teacher). People paid respects to their "gurus" in the holy city that houses innumerable religious schools. "We wait for this day to pay respects to our guru. This is a very pious day," said Indira Devi, a devotee from Patna. "He (guru) is like God for us," said Raghu, another devotee. According to Hindu beliefs a guru has an exalted position, even higher than that of God. Several women kept a fast and prayed to their deities for the well being of their husbands and protection from evil. Varanasi, on the banks of the river Ganga, is one of the holiest cities of India. Legends say the Ganga has flown from heaven to earth to wash away the worldly sins of mankind.

Cable operators' threat to double charges (Go To Top)

          New Delhi: Indian cable operators have threatened to double subscription charges for cable television from August. Cable operators said they were forced to hike the charges as several channels have hiked their rates.The consumer is currently paying Rs. 250 a month for about 100 channels."Whatever rate increase or connectivity increase, that has to be borne by the consumers. We have tried our best to make cable cheap and affordable for the masses, but because the government has failed to come out with any kind of regulation for pay channels, we are forced to charge money from people," said, Vikki Chaudhary, owner of Delhi based Home Cable Network.

Karnataka bans online lottery (Go To Top)

        Bangalore: The Karnataka government on Friday banned online lottery, saying it had become a menace. The decision comes in the wake of similar directives by several other states, which have either completely banned or severely restricted the latest gambling fad. Chief Minister Dharam Singh said legal details will be worked out later. "We will take a decision later on the legal thing. But one thing we have taken a decision to abolish the online lottery," Singh said after presiding over a cabinet meeting in Bangalore. Authorities say they have been alarmed by a rise in suicides by hundreds of both urban and rural poor, mostly labourers, rickshaw pullers and farmers, who lured by the whopping prize money, spend entire life savings in gambling.

Employees protest privatisation of airports (Go To Top)

         New Delhi: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) employees on Friday opposed a government move to privatise the most profitable airports at New Delhi and Mumbai. The slogan-shouting employees said they were feeling betrayed and threatened to step up their agitation if the proposed move was not shelved. "We have to make the government understand that they are working against their own policies which they had promised. If they move ahead with the privatisation, we will carry on with our agitation," M.K Ghoshal, general secretary of the airport employee's union at New Delhi, said.

          In Chennai and Bhubaneswar cities as well employees went on a solidarity strike saying a there was no logic in privatising a profit-making unit. "We are opposing privatisation of airports at Mumbai and Delhi. We are a PSU (Public Sector Undertaking) and that too a profit- making PSU and this government had said it would not privatise the profit making PSUs," Mahendran, branch unit of the employee's union, said. Civil Aviation minister Praful Patel, who got a go ahead from the coalition's leftist partners last month, had said India needed to improve the state of its shabby airports to present a better face to the rest of the world. He, however, assured that privatisation of the two profitable airports, started by the previous government, would move ahead only after the issues of security and labour were addressed. Preliminary bids to sell shares in the two airports were open till June 4, but officials in the ministry said they expected some delay in the process.

           The government had earlier hoped to complete the process by September, but this could be delayed by about a month. The new government is planning to allow foreign investors to pick up to 49 percent stake in the proposed joint ventures. Of the remaining 51 percent, AAI will hold 26 percent while the rest can be held by either companies or financial institutions. Last September, the BJP-led coalition approved a plan to spin off the New Delhi and Mumbai airports into companies and sell 74 percent stakes in them to private firms.

Women's wrestling in Bangladesh faces Islamic threat (Go To Top)

          Dhaka: Islamist zealots in Bangladesh have threatened to resist the first ever women's wrestling competition in the country, scheduled for July 4. Sports authorities here are determined to hold the competition although they received the threat only a couple of days ahead of the event, National Sports Council officials said on Friday. Bangladesh took the initiative as some international bodies are trying to accelerate women sports in the country. Some 100 women from 11 districts are selected to compete in eight weight categories, according to Bangladesh Wrestling Federation. Bangladesh Wrestling Federation has shifted the competition venue from National Sports Council gymnasium to a relatively secured Women Sport Complex following the Islamists' threat.

Posh's recipe to sooth Becks' Euro-drubbed nerves (Go To Top)

         London: Victoria Beckham is leaving no stone unturned to help hubby David Beckham overcome his team's recent drubbing at Euro 2004. According to The Sun, the former Spice Girl has booked a secret trip to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary. The trip reportedly coincides with the soccer tournament's finale in Portugal. England skipper Beckham has been in the dumps ever since he missed a crucial penalty which cost his team a semi final birth. "The ideal anniversary present would have been Becks lifting the cup. Of course that's not possible.David has understandably been down in the dumps since England were knocked out. Victoria is hoping that this holiday will lift his spirits," a source close to the couple was quoted as saying. Though the couple is hush hush about the destination, reports reveal that it will be somewhere in Europe. Their children will also accompany them on this secret trip and later the family will shift to their new home in Madrid.