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Inviting Musharraf is inviting terrorism, warns VHP

     Mangalore: The VHP on Saturday lashed out at the Centre for deciding to invite Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to watch the ongoing cricket match between India and Pakistan. Praveen Togadia, General Secretary of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) said, that New Delhi extended the invitation, as it was unable to "talk tough." "Pakistan and Musharraf are inviting terrorism. We are inviting him for a cricket match. It is nothing but impotency of rulers of India that don't want to talk tough with a foreign ruler who wants to destroy India. He is being invited with a red carpet. It is nothing but impotency of Indian ruler," Togadia said at the ongoing conclave of the Rashtriya Swyamsevak Sangh here. New Delhi set the stage on Thursday for a new phase of such diplomacy when it asked Musharraf to come to India and watch some of the current cricket series between the two national sides. It took its cue from Musharraf's comment to a Pakistani newspaper last week that he would like to see a match "if invited". Musharraf has not formally accepted New Delhi's invitation but if he does, some analysts expect high-level talks on the sidelines of the "friendly" trip to push along the peace process.

7 killed in Andhra Naxal attack (Go To Top)

    Hyderabad: Seven people, including three policemen were killed after Naxals attacked a police station in Chilkaluriteta in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur district. A homeguard and two civilians were also killed in the attack. One of the policemen killed was the circle inspector. Meanwhile, a red alert has been sounded all over the district. The eastern part of Guntur district is considered relatively safe and the attack caught the policemen completely off guard.

Iran rejects US nuclear incentive (Go To Top)

     Tehran: Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said today, Iran has rejected a new US policy offering economic incentives to the Islamic state to give up its nuclear enrichment programme. "No pressure, bribe or threat can make Iran give up its legitimate right" to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, said an Iranian spokesman. US President George W Bush announced the major change in US policy on Friday. The US would back European talks to resolve the stand-off over Iran's nuclear issue, the BBC quoted Hamid Reza Asefi as saying. US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, announced the lifting of a decade-long block on Iran's membership of the World Trade Organization, and objections to Tehran obtaining parts for commercial planes. Washington accuses Iran of using its nuclear enrichment programme as a cover for developing nuclear weapons. Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters, that "the remedying of some of the faults and the addressing some of the restrictions that were imposed on the Islamic Republic of Iran without any cause will not prevent Iran from getting its legitimate right" to develop a nuclear energy capability. "The restrictions regarding [aircraft] spare parts that were of no military use should have not been imposed from the beginning, and lifting them is not an incentive," he said. "Getting into the WTO is the right of all countries of the world," he said.

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