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Mizos to defy beef ban

          Aizwal, Nov 1: People in Mizoram say they would defy the proposed ban on cow slaughter as beef is the staple diet for them. The BJP-led government had proposed the controversial legislation to ban cow slaughter across the country but it was put off after it met with strong protests from BJP's own allies and Opposition parties when it was placed before Parliament. Mizoram is one of the states which raised protests immediately after the proposal came up. The north-east is dominated by Christians and non-Hindu tribal people. (Contd)

Kashmir not a part of India: Pak FO

          Islamabad, Nov 1: Pakistan has once again stated that Kashmir is not a part of India. Kashmir is certainly not a "particular region of India" as stated by the Indian spokesman," Pakistan's foreign office said on Friday. "Even Article 370 of the Indian Constitution recognises the disputed character of Jammu and Kashmir. The shut-down observed by the Kashmiris on October 27 should be an eye opener," the News quoted a foreign office statement as saying.

          The statement issued here on Friday urged India to respond to the UN Charter as well as the wishes of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. "If India is serious it should not obstruct steps that may provide some relief to the Kashmiris trapped in a tragic situation," the statement added. The statement issued on behalf of the foreign office spokesman said that Islamabad calls upon India to resume dialogue to resolve all outstanding issues, "especially the issue of Jammu and Kashmir".

Masood Azhar rakes millions for Kashmiri jehad

          Lahore, Nov 1: Leading businessmen here have reportedly donated millions of rupees as a mark of support to the ongoing "freedom struggle" in Kashmir. The industrialists living in posh colonies gave the money to Tehrik Khuddamul Islam (TKI) Ameer Maulana Masood Azhar on Friday. The Maulana said he would personally deliver the donations to the "mujahideen" (freedom fighters). "He took four sacks full of rupees with him," the Daily Times quoted a TKI source as saying. The actual amount collected for the purpose could not be known. After receiving the donations, Masood Azhar said, "they (Kashmiris) deserve your help. Your donations are equal to your direct participation in jihad." The Maulana, who delivered a Friday sermon at Jamia Mosque Khalid in Cavalry Ground, asked the people to help the Kashmiri mujahideen. After the Friday prayers, he met the businessmen and asked them to give "zakat" (donation) for the mujahideen, the paper said.

PM meets chiefs of armed forces (Go To Top)

          New Delhi, Nov 1: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on Saturday attended a meeting of Commanders of the Indian defence forces in the Capital. The annual review meeting is attended by the three service chiefs and would discuss the security scenario in the country. Separate meetings of top officials of the three forces - army, navy and the air force - were held earlier. The meeting also comes three days after a brainstorming session among the top military brass to discuss a roadmap in view of the latest peace overtures between India and Pakistan. New Delhi is worried that Pakistan-sponsored groups will attempt to sabotage the talks and media reports say it will not consider even a partial withdrawal of troops during winter as violence in Jammu and Kashmir has spiralled recently.

Big hooch haul in Gwalior (Go To Top)

          Gwalior, Nov 1: Gwalior police raided a local factory and recovered around 10,000 litres of hooch hidden in underground cans. The police also recovered illegal arms and ammunition. "Our 50- member team alongwith the women police on Friday raided the place and recovered 10,000 litres of liqour as well as raw materials in drums. These people kept the liquor hidden underground in cans. We recovered a 3.15 bore rifle and 5-6 cartridges. They also possessed illegal arms," G.R Pathak, additional superintendent of police, said. The arrested villagers said they took to making hooch as they had no other means of living. "We decided to make spurious liquor because we do not have any source of income and others used to think that we will steal from that place. We have done this to earn bread for our children. If we get work as labourers then what is the need of doing such a thing? Then we will leave this," said Sankala a woman hooch maker. Police are extra-cautious as the state is going to the polls on December 1.

Kolkata pays tribute to Mother with a film festival (Go To Top)

          Kolkata, Nov 1: A four-day international film festival on the Nobel Prize winning nun Mother Teresa was inaugurated on Saturday in Kolkata. It was Kolkata's own special way of celebrating the beatification of the Macedonia-born nun who had made the city her home. Eminent film personalities were present at the inaugural ceremony of the film festival which will have films dedicated to the nun. Actress Munmun Sen expressed her happiness to be part of the festival. "I think it is wonderful that they have been able to organise a film festival purely on Mother Teresa, I think it's wonderful," she said. Acclaimed actress-director Aparna Sen was also present and pop singer Usha Uthup gave a recital. The festival opened with the screening of Kelvin Conor's "In the Name of God's Poor". Altogether 10 films, including foreign movies like American director Folco Terzani's "Mother Teresa's First Love" and Japanese director Shigeki Shiba's "Mother Teresa and Her World" are going to be screened during the festival.

          However, "Something Beautiful For God" by Malcom Muggeridge and a Channel 4 documentary "Hell's Angel" and "Mother Teresa of Calcutta" have been taken off the festival following opposition from the Missionaries of Charity, the order the nun founded in 1950. Surprisingly, no feature film on the revered Mother has been made by an Indian though India churns out the highest number of films every year. Mother Teresa was beatified by the Pope in a ceremony at the Vatican on October 19. Beatification, in which a person is declared "blessed", is a key step towards sainthood. The Pope put Mother Teresa on the fast track to sainthood in 1999, two years after she died, in response to requests by devotees that the Vatican speed the process of canonising her. Normally church rules require five years to pass following a person's death before the process of sainthood begins.

Fernandes 'game' to attract support (Go To Top)
-by Gautam Ghosh

          Kolkata, Nov 1: NDA convener and defence minister George Fernandes'apparent success in bringing about the merger of the Samata party and Janata Dal(U) with a view to paving the way for a "Third Front" has caught the Marxists on the wrong foot. Fernandes has already brought a section of former socialists on a common platform and invited other like-minded parties like the Indian National Lok Dal led by Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala and Trinamul Congress headed by Mamata Banerjee to join the new outfit.

          The CPI(M), which had once taken the initiative to form a "Third Front of secular parties" is naturally regarding the socialist leader's activities with suspicion and started a move to counter it. CPI(M)'s leader in the Lok Sabha Somnath Chatterjee has convened a "mini conclave" of left and secular parties in Delhi in the middle of November for this purpose. According to informed sources, Chatterjee intends to invite Congress chairperson Sonia Gandhi, former Prime Ministers Chandra Shekhar and H.D. Deve Gauda, Ram Vilas Paswan of Lok Janashakti party, Lok Dal's Ajit Singh, Omar Abdulla of the National Conference and Mulayam Singh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party.

          Yadav, who has already declined to recognise Sonia Gandhi as the future Prime Minister, is unlikely to accept Chatterjee's invitation since he is reported to have joined Chandra Shekhar's efforts to form a common platform of non-Congress non-BJP parties. Other parties, which are believed to have shown considerable interest in the proposed front include the Nationalist Congress Party of Sharad Pawar and Telugu Desham headed by Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu.

          The separate moves initiated by Fernandes and Chandra Shekhar to form a "Third Front" have naturally led to the Marxists' political isolation at the national level. The CPI(M), which intends to project Mrs Gandhi as the opposition parties' common Prime Ministerial candidate in the next Lok Sabha polls, feels the efforts being made by the two veteran socialist leaders to build a "Third Front" will indirectly help the BJP by causing a split in the "secular votes." CPI(M) general secretary H.S. Surjeet had, in fact, conveyed his party's views in this regard to Samajwadi Party leader and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav at a recent meeting, but the latter charged the Marxists with toeing a pro-Congress line which was totally unacceptable to him.

            Political observers have detected in Fernandes' recent efforts to create a "Third Front" an attempt to build a pressure group within the ruling NDA for greater political bargain with the BJP before the Lok Sabha election. The CPI(M), however, has not taken kindly to his bid to rope in Mamata Banerjee's support to build a pressure group within the NDA. Ms Banerjee also recently met Chandrababu Naidu ostensibly to inquire about his condition after the PWG attack on him, but really to explore the way of achieving a realignment of like-minded parties after the December Assembly polls in five states.

           The CPI(M)'s plan to build an anti-BJP front, however, has run into rough weather on two other counts. Forward Bloc, a major partner of the ruling Left Front in West Bengal, has publicly opposed the idea of supporting a Congress-led government at the Centre after the next Lok Sabha polls. The party is also wary about Mrs Gandhi's intentions on the question of joining hands with it after the general election following the recent deputation to her by Kerala chief minister A.K. Anthony. The veteran Congress leader, who has taken a serious exception to the CPI(M)'s move to split the party in Kerala and form an alternative government with his rival K. Karunakaran's help, warned Mrs Gandhi that it would be "suicidal on her part to trust the Marxists."

Glittering finale to Afro-Asian Games (Go To Top)

          Hyderabad, Nov 1: The first Afro-Asian Games came to a close with a glittering finale in Hyderabad on Saturday. President APJ Abdul Kalam was the chief guest at the closing ceremony as the long delayed games which saw some lacklustre performance and second rung teams, finally came to a close. Three golds in tennis, two in boxing and a memorable win against Pakistan in hockey on Friday helped India finish second behind China. India ended the games with 19 gold, 31 silver and 21 bronze for a total of highest 71 medals by any country. China finished on top with 25 gold, 11 silver and five bronze. Japan were at third place with 15 gold, six silver, two bronze. Nigeria finished fourth with 10 gold, 12 silver and 13 bronze while South Africa were just behind with an equal number of gold, 11 silver and 15 bronze. The games, which featured eight sports of athletics, field hockey, swimming, weightlifting, shooting, boxing, football and tennis, brought together for the first time athletes from Africa and Asia. Some 3,000 athletes from 65 African and Asian countries took part in the games. The games, which were originally scheduled in November, 2001 at the national capital were postponed after the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. Hyderabad took over the games after successfully hosting the 32nd National Games last year.

Massive victory for England (Go To Top)

          Chittagong, Nov 1: England beat Bangladesh by 329 runs on the fourth day of the second test on Saturday to win the two- match series by 2-0. England made 326 runs in their first innings with Nasir Hussain 76, M.Trescothick 60, R.Clarke 55 and M.Vaughan 54. Mashrafe Mortaza captured four wickets for 60. In their second innings England declared at 293 for five wickets with Nasir Hussain 95, G. Thorpe 54 runs. Bangladesh's Mohammad Rafique captured three wickets for 106 runs. Bangladesh had made 152 runs in their first innings while in the second innings they were all out for 138.

Over to Pune after Mumbai (Go To Top)

          Pune, Nov 1: The stage is set for the much-awaited one-day match between Australia and New Zealand as they clash on a newly-laid ground in Pune. The match, the fifth of the ongoing series also involving India, will be played on Monday. Pune is hosting an international match after two years and officials are working overtime to make the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium up to the mark. Chandu Borde, former test cricketer and curator of the pitch, said that the ground preparation had been going on for six weeks.

          Security at the stadium has also been beefed up as a rowdy crowd behaviour in a 1999 match forced police to cane-charge the mob. The world champions had crushed New Zealand by eight wickets on Wednesday after their second string pacemen Brad Williams and Nathan Bracken shared seven wickets to skittle out the Kiwis for 97. After two games apiece, India lead the table with eight points, Australia are on seven and New Zealand on three.

India to host World Bodybuilding Championship (Go To Top)

          Mumbai, Nov 1: The 57th Men's World Body Building Championship for the prestigious 'Mr Universe 2003' title will be held here from November 6 to 9. The tournament is being held for the first time in the country under the auspices of International Federation of Body Builders (IFBB) and Indian Body Building Federation (IBBF), it was announced at a press conference here on Saturday. Musclemen from Germany, Russia, Poland, Turkey, Bulgaria, Austria, Italy, Czech Republic and others besides hosts India would be judged by around 40 judges.

Mizos to defy beef ban (Go To Top)

          (Contd) 'People in the state categorically said they would defy a ban if ever the federal government imposes it. "We sell beef. And even if the government bans it, we will continue to sell beef. Because it is a kind of staple diet of Mizoram," Souma, a beef seller in Aizawl, said. According to the proposed Prevention of Cruelty to Cows Bill, anyone caught killing cattle will face a prison term ranging from two to seven years, and a fine for each dead animal. The law would also punish those who injure cattle, prohibit the sale of beef and end the legal export of cattle.

          The Mizoram Chief Minister said it should be left to the states to decide depending on demography patterns and predominant sentiments. "If the state wants to introduce this, it is upto the state legislature and the people of the state. As far as Mizoram is concerned this cannot be practised at all because here all the Mizos are more or less Christians. In a state like that if we do the prohibition of cow slaughter then it will be not practical. If any state wants to practise and have a law on this matter it is upto the state legislature. What I feel is that it should not be enforced on any other state," said Zoramthanga. Cows are sacred to Hindu majority - more than 200 million head of cattle freely roam the country's cities and villages - and the BJP and its hardline allies have long run an emotional campaign to outlaw cow slaughter and beef exports.

          The BJP shot to prominence on the back of a Hindu revivalist campaign, but it had pushed to the backburner sensitive issues since coming to power in 1999 at the head of a coalition government that includes secular partners. Hundreds of millions of India's billion-plus people rely on cows for milk, dung and - only after the animals die of old age - leather. Cattle slaughter is an emotional issue that has provoked uprisings, riots and killings over the centuries in India. In the late 19th century, protests against cow slaughter challenged British rule over the subcontinent.

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