Pope John Paul II's statue in Chennai

      Chennai: A twenty-two feet tall statue of Pope John Paul II was unveiled in the premises of the mission at Besant Nagar here on Sunday to mark his first death anniversary. Costing Rs. four lakhs, the statute is created by eminent sculptor and Karate expert Shihan Hussaini. The statue was completed and mounted on the pedestal six days after he died, making it the world's first statue after his death. Sculptor Shihan Hussaini, a post graduate student of the Government College Of Fine Arts, Chennai, who shot to fame with his theme statues of Kalpana Chawla, Brigand Veerappans capture and the Jailed Shankaracharya Jeyandra Saraswati, said it is a personal tribute to the miraculous powers of the Pope which saved his life on three occasions. "It is a personal tribute of mine to the holy pontiff, who saved my life through his miraculous powers thrice. I am a black belt expert and it first time during one of my karate shows. I poured 140 litres of petrol on my self and set my self on fire. A nun gave me photograph of St. Paul and asked me to keep it near the chest. I attribute my living after the blessing of St. Paul's spirit. On the second occasion, I got my self bitten by four poison cobras after which I had to break 200 tiles. Following this I went in semi-coma for two days and again somebody put photograph of St. Paul near my chest and I was saved. On the third time, when all the doctors who used to back me said "you can't do It". I had to smash 1060 kgs of heavy rods on the chest for 12 hours. I put a photograph of Pope John Paul near my chest, and completed my task successfully. I tribute the entire success of the show to the miraculous power of Pope John Paul," said Hussaini.

      It is the first statue of Pope John Paul in the world, who spread Christianity and peace all over the world, said Hussaini. The composition made with bronze, metal reinforced fibre and concrete depicts the pontiff standing on the top of three large steps, blessing the sculptor and the world with his right hand. On his left hand he holds a large cross carrying the globe on it. A dove is seen taking off from the globe. There is another row of twenty-six small steps in between the three steps. The sculptor explains that the holy pontiff has gone through two stages in his lifetime. In the first stage, he was known as Karol Wojteyelain, in the second, he was the Pope, and now he stands at 'the third step' awaiting beatification as a saint. The twenty-six steps stand for the number of years of his papacy and the dove on top of a globe atop of a cross, represent the efforts he took to spread peace in the world through Christianity. The statue will be on public display at the premises of the sculpture mission till a suitable public place is allotted by the State Government for which a representation is being made.

CBI to question MEA secretary (Go To Top)

      New Delhi: Special Secretary in External Affairs Ministry Rakesh Kumar will be questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation for his alleged role in human trafficking to Berlin in September 2005. CBI sources said that Kumar will be quizzed by the CBI's Special Crime Branch for his alleged role along with Shiv Kumar Sharma. Sharma belonging to Ludhiana is alleged for taking money in lakhs for sending people abroad. The CBI was also contemplating filing another case of disproportionate assets against Kumar. In a recent development, six of the nine people sent to Berlin have been traced and are being deported while three others are still absconding. The CBI had earlier asked Kumar to cut short his visit to South America in wake of CBI investigations against him. Kumar was on official visit to Brazil along with the Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma. The CBI had claimed substantial success in the raids carried out at six places including Kumar's residence on March 29. The CBI had put the figure of cash recovered from Kumar's residence at around Rs 4 lakh and had claimed to have recovered documents relevant to the case. The raids were carried out at residential and official premises of other people connected with the trafficking in Delhi, Chandigarh and Ludhiana. The CBI has registered a case against Kumar, Kehkeshan Tyagi (Programme Officer) and Har Gulab Singh and Shiv Kumar Sharma in a case pertaining to sending 15-member Punjabi folk troupe "Mehak Punjab Di" to Berlin in September 2005. Kumar is alleged to have entered into a criminal conspiracy with Singh and Sharma for trafficking of persons to Germany during his tenure as the Director General of Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR). It is alleged that the accused would send people to Berlin along with a dance troupe. On arrival, these people disappeared and later filed applications for political asylum under changed names.

Code of Conduct case against Mahajan (Go To Top)

      New Delhi: The Election Commission today directed the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Assam to file a case against senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader, Pramod Mahajan for holding a press conference after the last day of campaigning ended yesterday. The Commission passed the order after it received the CEO's report on Mahajan having addressed a press conference this morning. The Commission has directed the CEO to instruct the District Election Officer of Kamrup to file a case against Mahajan and some others for addressing a press conference in the poll bound state, said EC sources. Officials said a case under the Representation of Peoples Act would be filed against Mahajan and organisers of the press conference. Holding a press conference, after the period of campaigning, was tantamount to holding a public meeting, which is prohibited under the Act.

Poll-eve curb on DD programmes (Go To Top)

      Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Debasish Sen said here today that channels like Doordarshan, which were run by the Government could not telecast films and serials, in which candidates contesting the upcoming elections had enacted. Sen, however, clarified that there was no such bar on private television channels. Referring to two Bengali cinema actors - Tapas Pal and Biplab Chatterjee - who are also contesting the Assembly elections in Kolkata, Sen said that with the model code of conduct in force, airing their films or serials on Government-run channels would not be permitted. Sen said that according to the Act of 1989, the Government-run television channels could not air movies or serials in which a candidate for election had enacted. Pal and Chatterjee are contesting elections from the Alipore constituency. Pal contesting the assembly elections on Trinamool Congress ticket, had played a lead role against Madhuri Dixit in 'Abodh' and Chatterjee is a Communist Party of India (Marxist) candidate. Chatterjee has played the role of a villain to perfection in many movies.

Geelani says peace dialogue a sham (Go To Top)

      Srinagar: Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani on Sunday scoffed at New Delhi's proposed second round table conference on the Kashmir peace talks, saying India's rigid views of sovereignty for the region left little scope for any real dialogue. The conference, expected to be held in May this year, will be the second since the February talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and pro-India parties and minority Hindu groups, which, analysts say were undermined by a boycott by separatists. The separatists had rejected the Prime Minister's invitation to the conference, saying, he should have released political detainees and reduced the number of soldiers in the restive region before talks to build confidence. They said that although the Centre has since stepped up release of detainees in Kashmir, little headway has been made as far as reduction of troops in the valley was concerned.

     The moderates are still mulling on joining the conference to be held in main city Srinagar but the hardline faction has termed the dialogue and even the prisoner release as eyewash. Geelani said India must first recognise Kashmir as disputed territory, contrary to New Delhi's view Kashmir is an integral part of the country. "Round table conference...my son, you must remember that since 1947 there have been 130 rounds of dialogues big and small but not one has been able to find a solution to Kashmir issue. This is because India is slave to an imperialistic policy on Kashmir," he said. "It is saying Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India. It is saying that its boundaries cannot be changed, it is saying India will not let any fissure to come in its integrity, it is saying India will not let a single part of it break away despite the fact that Kashmir is an issue and it's boundaries can only take a permanent shape once the people of this land are allowed to take a decision on their future...so these dialogues can keep on happening," Geelani added. Geelani also ruled out a patch up with the moderate All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) saying the organizations no longer shared a common aim. The moderate APHC had held separate talks with New Delhi prior to the round table and termed the dialogue positive.

Six Lankan bag lifters held in Delhi (Go To Top)

      New Delhi: Delhi Police have arrested a gang of six Sri Lankan nationals, including an eight-year old-boy, who were involved in bag lifting from posh localities in the capital and Noida. The gang was picking up laptops and bags kept in vehicles parked at the roadside in busy market places. The thieves were arrested in Ambedkar Nagar on Saturday and cash worth Rs 96,000, stolen jewellery worth rupees 400,000, a video camera, a Maruti van, a TSR along with a catapult used in the robbery, was recovered from them. Suvindra , the boy, used to break windowpanes of vehicles with the help of a catapult and the other five robbers used to carry out the rest of the job.

Baloch crisis can turn to civil unrest: NYT (Go To Top)

      Islamabad: Balochistan has been described as a simmering cauldron on the verge of spilling over its boiling contents, threatening to engulf Pakistan in a civil unrest. Very different from the Taliban insurgency along the mountainous and porous Pak-Afghan border, and the Shia-Sunni clashes that erupts sporadically across Pakistani cities, the Baloch crisis is all about the ethic rights and self-rule of the Balochis, and the struggle threatens to completely dwarf Pakistan's other conflicts. And so grim is the conflict that Pakistan, an important ally in the US led war on terror has diverted troops from the fight against Al Qaeda and the Taliban to thwart the spiralling violence in the restive province.

    President General Pervez Musharraf's determination to develop the area's oil and gas fields, which the Balochis say are nothing but a ploy to further exploit the province's economy, has only worsened the situation, the New York Times said in an article titled "In Remote Pakistan Province, a Civil War Festers". Baloch nationalist leader and chief of the Jamhoori Watan Party Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti again reiterated his stand that they are not opposed to the region's economic development, but rather to the Pakistan government's military campaigns to suppress them. "The military government has imposed military rule and this has forced the Baluch to defend their land and resources against the might of the armed forces of Pakistan assembled in our area. The dispute is about the national rights of the Baluch and if the government accepted these rights then there would be no dispute," he said. Bugti also accused the federal government of using US supplied jets and helicopter gunships against the tribals. He said that they have also found bomb fragments with "Made in U.S.A." stamped on them. At the village of Mararar, huge craters and fragments from American-designed MK-82 bombs lay beside a badly damaged school, the results of a bombing raid that took place in early March. In yet another bombing raid around March 14, two bulldozers building a road took a direct hit and the Balochis gathered a collection of bomb fragments and "valve solenoid" made in New York, and part of a gas generator made in Mesa, Arizona.

     The fact that the Pakistan military has grossly indulged in acts that could be termed as outright human rights violations, has only resulted in generating an aversion towards everything remotely connected with the military. In Dera Bugti and Kohlu, federal forces have reportedly carried out reprisals against villagers and tribals. As Baloch nationalist leader and leader of the Marri tribe, Balach Marri said, the civil unrest in the province against the military offensives could also trigger a disintegration of the federal republic, much like the 1971 liberation of Bangladesh. "If grievances have come to this level- that we do not mind if Pakistan disintegrates- then things are bad," said Marri, adding that the situation has deteriorated to such an extent that a political solution to the crisis seemed remote.

Dravid seeks to keep momentum (Go To Top)

      Margaon (Goa): India cricket team skipper Rahul Dravid is hoping Team India to maintain its winning momentum in the third one-day international against England on Monday. Hosts India hold a 2-0 lead over visitors England in the seven- match series, but Dravid believes that better performances are required if India are to go on and clinch the series. India won the first one-dayer in Delhi by 39 runs and the second match at Faridabad by four wickets, although both matches were close and the tourists held dominant positions each time. However, India's misfiring top-order batting line has caused some concern. In the second match, India found itself struggling at 92-5, while chasing a victory target of 227 after the early loss of crucial wickets. However, some good batting from newcomer Suresh Raina who remained unbeaten on 81, and wicket-keeper batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni who made 38, helped India to victory. "We have looked at definite options. We have got the options of trying out a few things, but we thought that once openers (Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir) tries to give us a good start, I mean a 60 runs start was quite good in the last game, we would like them to carry on. I am sure they would also like to carry on to make that into a good score," said Dravid. "So, we are hoping that once the batsman get set they will go on to make a good score like Suresh Raina did in the last game. Hopefully, if the top order gets going they carry it on and make it a big score," he added. Dravid, who has won 14 of the 18 one-dayers since taking over as captain late last year from Sourav Ganguly also expects the Fatorda pitch to be conducive to run making. India has failed to win any of the three matches they have played at the venue, and Dravid is eager to make amends.

    Meanwhile, England is also looking back to their last tour of India to draw on the inspiration of their exploits four years ago in a bid to reverse their fortunes in the one-day series. The tourists trail the seven-match series 2-0 going into the third contest in Goa on Monday, but have shown resilience in a similar situation before. "We are still positive. I think in the last two games, though we are two down, there were passages of play when we were on top. That is a positive and we have to take it to the next stage. We were 3-1 down the last time and managed to take it to three-all. We are not down and out yet," said middle-order England batsman Paul Collingwood. On the 2001-02 tour, England trailed by two in the six-match one- day series but were able to take a share of the spoils with a two-run win in Delhi and a five-run victory in Mumbai. The tourists slumped to a 39-run defeat in the first match in Delhi after dominating the game. In the second match in Faridabad, they allowed the hosts to recover from 92-5 to win. Collingwood said he expected the pitch in Goa to be batsman friendly, adding that the humid conditions in the coastal city should not pose any problem to the two teams.

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