Salman spends a day in jail

     Jodhpur: Bollywood actor Salman Khan who has been jailed for killing a chinkara, in a five-year sentence, received no special treatment and was doing "fine" after spending his first night in Jodhpur prison, authorities said on Tuesday. Khan, one of Bollywood's popular film stars, was sent to prison on Monday for killing a chinkara, a protected gazelle. It is one of India's stiffest-ever verdicts for poaching of protected animals. The court in Jodhpur, 350 kilometres from state capital Jaipur, sent him to jail for five years and fined him 25,000 rupees. ML Chauhan, Jail Superintendent, said Khan was following the regular prison routine just like ordinary prisoners. "He worked as per the jail routine. He woke up according to the jail timings, followed the jail routine of bathing. He was given tea, jaggery and Bengal gram for breakfast. He slept well at night. Only a special security check was done for him. He has not complained about the arrangements," Chauhan said. As Khan spent his first day in jail, dozens of his fans protested against the verdict outside the prison. He will have to spend another night in jail, before his lawyers could seek bail after the court re-opens on Wednesday after a public holiday. Meanwhile, Khan's brother Sohail, a filmmaker and his friends reached the city to file his bail plea. Khan, who has had several run-ins with the law, has already appealed against the decision. He was convicted of shooting a Chinkara, while on a hunting trip in 1998, triggering angry protests by locals who revere the animal. The actor was also sentenced to a year in jail in February for killing two black bucks in another case, but was granted bail to appeal to a higher court. The star, known for his fiery temper, is also facing trial in a case in Mumbai for a traffic accident that killed a man and injured three others sleeping on a Mumbai sidewalk in 2002.

Huge cache of arms in J-K (Go To Top)

      Srinagar: In one of the biggest hauls in recent times, security forces in Jammu and Kashmir have recovered 400 kilograms of explosives and a huge cache of arms and ammunition ahead of the by-polls due in the troubled region. Acting on a tip-off, security forces on Monday recovered a large quantity of grenades, grenade launchers and detonators from a cowshed in Lolipora village in the state's Pattan district in the valley. In total, six AK 47 Assault Rifles, three AK Magazines, three Under Barrel Grenade Launchers (UBGL) and 25 UBGL grenades, twenty-five remote controlled IEDs, five RPG rocket premirs and RPG Boosters. Brigadier Vino Gopal Rao, 29 Rashtriya Rifles, said the discovery helped avert a major disaster in the valley ahead of bye polls for three Assembly seats in the region. "We had information that these explosive detonators and IEDs were basically being transported to create violence during the forthcoming polls. We have ensured that large amount of damage that would have caused due to these has been eliminated," he said. Fifteen candidates are in fray for the bye polls in Pattan, Rafiabad and Sangrama, due on April 24. Although violence has declined markedly after peace talks initiated by India and Pakistan, gun battles between security forces and militants remain frequent the state, where India has faced a revolt against its rule since 1989, which has resulted in the death of over 45,000 people. More than a dozen rebel groups are fighting Indian rule in Jammu and Kashmir. The dispute over the Himalayan region is at the heart of tensions between India and Pakistan and triggered two of their three wars and a conflict since they gained independence from Britain in 1947.

Hero Honda casual workers on strike (Go To Top)

      Gurgaon (Haryana): Casual workers of Hero Honda, India's second largest motorcycle maker, have put down their tools since Monday. Informed sources said that about 2500 contractual workers have stopped work following the company's decision to de-recognise their union two months ago. The company is expected to issue a statement in this regard.

12 Lankan sailors killed in mine attack (Go To Top)

     Colombo: At least 12 Sri Lankan Navy sailors have been killed in a massive claymore mine attack near Trincomalee this afternoon. Military spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe was quoted as saying that the LTTE blew up a navy bus in which the sailors were travelling towards Trincomalee along the Habarana Road. Eight other sailors and two foreign nationals have also been injured in the landmine attack. According to Brigadier Samarasinghe, the LTTE has indulged in 70 cease-fire violations since the February this year in which 20 sailors have lost their lives so far. The death of the 12 sailors is almost certainly going to affect the second round of talks between the Sri Lankan Government and the LTTE representatives in Geneva, scheduled from 19th of this month.

Over 47 killed in Karachi bomb blast (Go To Top)

      Karachi: Over 47 persons have been killed and more than 50 injured in a bomb explosion here near the Nashtar Park area of the city. The explosion went off at a place where a religious congregation with regard to the Seerat-e-Nabi was being held. The congregation was organised by Jamat Ahl-e-Sunnat. Pakistan's Interior Ministry said that Chief of the Tehreek-e- Awam-e-Ahle Sunnat, Haji Mohammad Hanif Billo was also killed in the blast. Eyewitnesses said that the explosion went off exactly under the stage where the religious scholars were performing the Magrib (Sunset) prayer. People around the stage were worst hit by the explosion, and fleshes of human bodies could be seen scattered all around. The injured have been rushed to the Jinnah Civil and Abbasi Shaheed Hospitals for emergency treatments, reports The News. Aid work at the blast site is still being carried on and the dead and injured are being shifted to nearby hospitals, the report said. Till now no individual or group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Curfew re-imposed in Nepal (Go To Top)

      Kathmandu: Daytime curfew was re-imposed across Nepal after anti-royalist campaigners refused to call off their agitation for the fourth consecutive day. Curfew was imposed from 12 to 5 p.m., even as activists of the seven-party alliance for restoration of democracy in the Himalayan kingdom maintained that their struggle would end with King Gyanendra returning soverign power to the people. The indefinite strike has virtually crippled Kathmandu Valley. Prices of vegetables, fruits and foodgrains have spiralled and sales have dropped to 50 per cent at Kalamati, Kathmandu's main fruits and vegetable bazar. The Democratic Nepal Party, led by Keshar Bahadur Bista, a member zf the King's cabinet, has asked the government summon constitutional and political forces for dialogue in a "strong, credible and forceful way." Reports said serious differences have cropped up among cabinet members about adopting measures of reconciliation or suppression towards the political parties.

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