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India News: May 2003

13 wounded in Kashmir blast

Saturday, May 31, 2003 | Editor
Srinagar, May 31 (IANS) While a paramilitary officer escaped unhurt when separatist guerrillas in Jammu and Kashmir hurled a grenade at his vehicle Saturday, 13 other people were wounded in the powerful blast that followed.

The deputy inspector general of the Border Security Force (BSF) survived the attack in Khudwani village of south Kashmir's Anantnag district.

Police here told IANS that 13 people, including two BSF troopers, were seriously injured in the blast and had been taken to the Anantnag district hospital for treatment.

They said unidentified militants hurled a grenade at the vehicle of the BSF officer, resulting in serious injuries to his two bodyguards and 11 civilian bystanders. The vehicle caught fire.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the blast.

Haasil

Friday, May 30, 2003 | Editor
Cast: Irrfan Khan, Jimmy Shergill, Hrishitaa Bhatt, Ashtosh Rana, Tinu Anand, Sudhir Pandey
Music: Jatin-Lalit
Producer: Karma Network
Director: Tigmanshu Dhulia

Amazing performance by Irfan Khan, coupled with that is a powerful depiction of how politics has seeped into colleges. Karma Network's HAASIL, written-directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia is good initially but the film loses momentum post interval.

It's all about two lovers who are caught in college politics. Jimmy Shergill is a student, who is also good at dramatics. Hrishitaa Bhatt also studies in the same college. Both of them secretly love each other. Everything is fine, until one day Jimmy Shergill meets Irfan, when the latter is trying to escape from a rival gang. Jimmy helps him escape and both of them become friends.

Jimmy gets closer to Irfan Khan. Slowly and slowly he realizes that, his buddy is using him to get what he wants. And one of them includes Jimmy's ladylove.

Director Tigmanshu Dhulia's film does have substance, but then it comes with good number of flaws. The romance here is shadowed by the political angle. The film has very close resemblance to the film SHIVA of the early 90's, which starred Nagarjuna and Amala. Technically the film is good. Editing is a bit bad. Cinematography complements with the sequence. Musically, Jatin Lalit's tunes are hummable.

Performance wise, all have done justice to their respective roles. But it's Irfan Khan who steals the show. Jimmy Shergill is improving. Ashutosh Rana as usual has given out his best. Hrishita Bhatt, is okay. She has lot of scope to get better. Rest lend adequate support.

Overall the film is good, could be watched once. Not a total paisa vasool though…

Bollywood's tribute to Sachin Tendulkar

Friday, May 30, 2003 | Editor
This cricket crazy nation never seems to have enough of Sachin Tendulkar. Recently, Tendulkar's birthday was celebrated by the entire nation along with him and now another honour is coming his way.

Director Keshav Rai will be shooting a video as a tribute to Tendulkar, the lyrics of which has been penned by Suraj. The video will be shot in Indore and Udvhav Ojha and Kavita Paudwal will lend their voices to the song. Buzz is that Tendulkar himself might make an appearance in the video.

Source: ANI

Love in Nepal

Friday, May 30, 2003 | Editor
Cast :Sonu Nigam , Fllora Saini, Sweta Keswani, Jharna Bajracharya,

Preview : Rajat Mukherjee, who has directed PYAAR TUNE KYA KIYA and ROAD, has just completed his third film – LOVE IN NEPAL. Produced by T.P. Aggarwal [RETURN OF JEWEL THIEF, BHARAT BHAGYA VIDHATA], the film stars Sonu Nigam and Fllora in the lead.

Abby [Sonu Nigam] is the wild and wacky creative head of an advertising agency called Madness. A compulsive flirt, he has a unique style of functioning.

His way of functioning is threatened when Meenxi Malhotra, popularly called Maxi [Fllora Saini], joins as the Vice President – Operations after the takeover of the agency by a multi-national entity.

Maxi hates the guts and specially the attitude of Abby and is hell bent on teaching him a lesson. This sparks off a series of episodes of one-upmanship between the two.

The rivalry extends to Nepal, where they go to shoot for an advertising film, little knowing that their lives are going to change forever. Abby's undisciplined behaviour starts acting as a catalyst for Maxi, who gets attracted to him gradually.

All of a sudden, events take an interesting turn whereby these adversaries are forced to go on the run from literally everyone in sight in Nepal. Will Abby and Maxi be able to figure out these unexpected new events?

LOVE IN NEPAL stars Sonu Nigam [as Abby], Fllora Saini [as Maxi], Sweta Kewani [as Sandhya], Jharna Bajracharya [as Tanya], Raj Zutshi [as George], Rajpal Yadav [as Bunty Guide], Ehsaan Khan [as Prithvi Singh], Asif Basra [as Ram Mohan], Vijay Raaz [as Tony] and Ganesh Yadav [as Gajji].

Technical team –

Executive producer: Rahul Aggarwal. Music: Nikhil-Vinay. Lyrics: Sameer. Cinematography: Madhusudhan Shi. Story-screenplay-dialogues: Sameer Aroraa. Production designer: Geeta Mukherjee. Art: Somnath Lohar [India], Nandu [Nepal]. Action: Joginder. Choreography: Pappu-Maalu. Editing: Umesh Gupta.

LOVE IN NEPAL is slated for release in July all over.

Janasheen

Friday, May 30, 2003 | Editor
Preview : After a gap of five years, after PREM AGGAN to be precise, Feroz Khan is back with JANASHEEN, starring Fardeen Khan, Celina Jaitley and Feroz Khan himself. “As an actor, I've done limited films in my career,” Feroz Khan tells me, “Even as a film-maker, there has always been a gap of four or five years between each of my films.”

Between PREM AGGAN and JANASHEEN, there has been a distinct growth in Fardeen's career. “I was more than pleased with his performance in KHUSHI,” the Sr. Khan states, “I always knew Fardeen had the abilities to deliver the goods. It was just a matter of time.”

JANASHEEN marks the debut of Celina Jaitley. “She is an attractive woman. I decided to cast her when I saw her pics after she won the Miss India title. Fardeen and Celina pair off very well.”

Celina is thrilled at the prospects of working with Feroz Khan. “He's a dedicated film-maker,” she tells me, “When he offered me JANASHEEN, I decided to accept it without listening to what my role was. That's the level of confidence I've in him.”

The synopsis –

JANASHEEN is the story of Lucky Kapoor [Fardeen Khan], living in Australia and who's driven by the ambition to be a Super Bike Racing champion. He is an unwilling successor to his father's legacy.

Lucky's life takes a drastic turn when his father [Harsh Chhaya] dies in an accident and he has to return to India for a short while. Then begins the conflict between his past and present. His life is veiled in a deception so deep that he doesn't know who his real friends are and who are his real enemies.

Back in India, he meets the girl who loved him as a kid. At the same time, deception, evil and lies surround him at every step, trying to keep him away from the truth.

JANASHEEN is also the story of Saba Karim [Feroz Khan], a fugitive from Afghanistan now living in Australia. A rich and ruthless businessman, in Lucky he finds a likeness to his dead son.

Today, Saba plays a game of hearts… unknowing to him, this game entangles his own heart when he tries to deceive the young man by becoming his foster father, only to realise that his own paternal instincts are still alive.

Jessica [Celina Jaitley] plays the role of a famous violinist with a tragic past. She works for Lucky's father, who is a music baron. She is in love with Lucky since she was a child, only to lose him when he went away to Australia and never came back.

When Lucky does return, the love is now kindled even in his heart, but life is so ironic that now that she has a chance, she has to hide secrets and carry the burden of lies on her chest, which affects her relationship with Lucky.

Khel

Friday, May 30, 2003 | Editor
Cast :Sunil Shetty , Ajay Jadeja, Celina Jaitley , Sunny Deol ,

Preview : KHEL, produced by Popcorn Motion Pictures P. Ltd. and Galaxy Entertainment Corp. Ltd., marks the directorial debut of Yusuf Khan, who's a well-known editor.

“It's not one of those typical commercial films,” Suniel Shetty tells me at the very outset, “There's logic behind every incident that takes place in the film. We worked doubly hard on the script, primarily to ensure that the viewer doesn't feel cheated while watching the film.”

Suniel is enacting dual roles as far as KHEL goes – that of a producer as well as the main lead, sharing the frame with Sunny Deol and cricketer Ajay Jadeja, who makes his bow as an actor with this multi-starrer.

The casting was arrived at after a lot of thought. Says Yusuf, “The stars in the film were not cast just to enhance the viability of the project. They've been cast because they suit the roles.” Incidentally, KHEL was the first film Celina Jaitley signed, but she started shooting for Feroz Khan's JANASHEEN first.

“Actually,” Prakash Khubchandani of Popcorn tells me, “We completed the film so fast [within three months] only because the artistes were bowled by the subject. That is the raaz of releasing the film within 7-8 months of its launch.”

The synopsis –

KHEL tells the story of two thick friends – Dev Mallya [Suniel Shetty] and Rohan Poddar [Ajay Jadeja].

Dev is a business tycoon who is known to rub shoulders with the rich and famous. He has an undying passion to be the most successful businessman, not only in his city, but also in the country. On the other hand, Rohan is a simpleton, someone who is not overly ambitious.

Rohan comes across Saanjh Batra [Celina Jaitley], an interior designer. Saanjh gets attracted to Rohan's simplicity and falls in love with him.

One fine day, Rohan gets arrested for murder. Dev and Saanjh are crestfallen. While Rohan is sentenced to life imprisonment, Dev and Saanjh, while sharing a common grief, become close friends.

The new A.C.P., Rajveer Scindia [Sunny Deol], is commissioned to the city and he comes across Rohan's case. Rajveer is of the belief that a criminal may go unpunished, but an innocent victim of circumstances should never be punished.

On investigating Rohan's case further, certain evidences force Rajveer to start thinking that this is no ordinary game. What happens next?

Bhoot

Friday, May 30, 2003 | Editor
Nitin Manmohan and Ramgopal Varma are back with their latest venture BHOOT. Starring Ajay Devgan, Urmila Matondkar, Nana Patekar, Rekha, Fardeen Khan, Victor Banerjee, Seema Biswas and Tanuja, this is one of the most keenly-awaited films of the times.

BHOOT is an urban supernatural thriller set in Mumbai city.

Vishal, a stock analyst, is in search for a flat for his wife Swati and him. He finds the perfect place on the 12th floor of a tall apartment building.

The flat has a problem... the previous occupant, a young woman, had plunged to her death from the balcony. But a non-superstitious Vishal does not let this affect his decision to shift in. He just neglects to inform Swati about this.

Eventually, Swati finds out about the young woman's death. She starts losing sleep over it. She begins to see things. She gets distressed. What Vishal thinks is a psychological problem begins to unravel into the unexplainable. He becomes helpless.

In a fight to save Swati, Vishal will have to reach out into the horrifying and discover the truth.

The technicians -

Cinematography: Vishal Sinha.

Editing: Shimit Amin.

Writers: Sameer Sharma, Lalit Marathe.

Action: Allan Amin.

Background music: Salim-Sulaiman.

Sound: Dwarak Warrier.

Chalte Chalte

Friday, May 30, 2003 | Editor
Chalte Chalte is the next movie produced by the trio Shahrukh Khan, Juhi Chawla & Aziz Mirza's venture Dreamz Unlimited. The movie is directed by Aziz Mirza himself, who had done the previous movie "Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani". Though PDHH failed badly, what needs to see is the success of Chalte Chalte. Chalte Chalte's music, which is already in the charts is composed by Jatin-Lalit and Aadesh Srivastav, while the lyrics are penned by Javed Akhtar.

"Chalte Chalte does not strive to make any statement. It is a simple film that deals with basic human emotions. The character of the film could be you or me.. it is about the everyday experiences that we all at some point of our lives encounter with our partner." says Aziz Mirza.

The story is about Raj and Priya. Priya and Raj, two sides of a coin, different as chalk and cheese. Both are smart enough to see their differences because it's rather visible to the naked eye. They grow caution to the winds and dare to fall in love. And then suddenly the game changes and so do the rules.

Raj (Shahrukh Khan) is brash, earthy and unrehearsed. Emotional like most, he dreams of all things good for himself and girl of his dreams.. but reality bites and so does Priya sometimes when she looses her temper.

while Pirya (Rani Mukherjee) is sophisticated, emotional and perfectionist. She loves Raj because of what he stands for.. but she knows what exactly about him she cannot stand.

The initial rush in your veins when you see a loved one becomes trying. The joy of canceling an appointment to be with your lover remains, but it just becomes a bit impossible. Love sort of goes into the background.. The wound made by cupid's arrow begins to heal. The need to impress no longer exists. What does all this stand for? Cupid gone stupid or cupid gone tepid?

Is there any chance this relationship can see what destiny has planned for it. Or does destiny really play a role in a min woman alliance? They say relationships are made in heaven.. but marriages are tailored here on earth. Will the gravity of familiarity get them or will love shine through it all?

The problem is eternal. The issues are the same. Men will be from Mars and women comes from Venus. Is this story any different.. No.. We say with full confidence and glee.

It is the story of every man and woman, only what remains to be seen is.. are they going to walk into the sunset hand in hand? Is that what happens to all of us or has someone just changed the end credits.

A tale of two heart.. Chalte Chalte walk on, along with us.

Bid to topple Mayawati Govt on in UP

Friday, May 30, 2003 | Editor
Bid to topple Mayawati Govt on in UP
30/05/2003

Fuelled by almost certain withdrawal of support by the RLD to the Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh, efforts to forge a viable alternative in the crucial state on Thursday gathered momentum with Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav holding a meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Earlier yesterday, RLD president Ajit Singh had himself met Gandhi and offered to join forces with opposition to cobble a "credible" secular alternative to the BSP-BJP combine in UP.

With former chief minister Kalyan Singh already having joined the efforts for such an alternative, opposition sources claimed it would be only a matter of time before BJP MLAs, disgruntled over the ruling coalition in the state, would switch sides, tilting the balance in their favour.

The fast-paced political drama unfolded when Yadav held a 30-minute meeting with Gandhi on Thursday morning and later told reporters that the situation in UP was "deteriorating day-by-day and people were living in fear and if Ajit Singh could do some thing in this scenario, it was a welcome step."

Soon after meeting Gandhi, Yadav, accompanied by party general secretary Amar Singh, held a 90-minute meeting with Ajit Singh and senior Congress leaders Ahmed Patel and Nawal Kishore Sharma discussing strategies to cobble a secular alternative.

Asked about the Samajwadi Party leaders meeting with Gandhi and later with RLD chief Ajit Singh along with Patel and Sharma, Amar Singh told reporters that "we met to check the division among secular forces and decided to work unitedly to confront communal forces".

He said SP was not interested in toppling the Mayawati government but trying to unite all like-minded forces otherwise "divide and rule" policy of the BJP government would continue.

Singh said Mulayam's meeting with Gandhi did not come suddenly as he met her on Tuesday and discussed at length the need to have a secular alternative in case RLD decided to withdraw its 14-MLAs from the Mayawati government tomorrow.

"We leave it to Ajit Singh to take a decision in this regard. We are not in a position to divulge our strategy before a decision by RLD on the continuation of support to Mayawati. We will take a decision only after such a decision was taken" he said.

Confirming the meeting with Samajwadi Party and Congress leader, the RLD chief indicated to reporters separately that the party would be withdrawing its support to Mayawati government but said that they had not discussed government formation.

"We did not discuss a government formation but a credible alternative to BSP-BJP coalition. This included all the like minded political parties--Congress, SP, RLD, Rashtriya Kranti Party headed by Kalyan Singh and others", he said.

Germany to take steps to increase investments in India

Friday, May 30, 2003 | Editor
Germany has assured India that it will take steps to reverse the trend of its declining investments in the country where there were opportunites for investment in areas like renewable energy and infrastructure such as national highways.

It has also assured a liberal visa regime for Indian Information Technology personnel wanting to come to Germany.
The assurance was given by Federal Minister for Economy and Labour Wofgang Clement to a high-level Indian business and trade delegation led by Commerce and Industry Minister Arun Jaitley when they met him here late Wednesday night.
Jaitley told reporters accompanying Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his two-day German visit that the delegation expressed concern over the way German investments were going down in India over the last few years and wanted the situation to be set right.
The delegation felt Germany could look at investment in new areas like renewable energy like solar and wind and infrastructure like national highways.
At the same time, the delegation also conveyed the keeness of Indian investors to channel their investments in Germany in sectors like Information Technology, auto components, tractors and bicycles.
(PTI)

Indian team looking for a full time wicketkeeper: Saurav

Friday, May 30, 2003 | Editor
Indian skipper Saurav Ganguly today said the team management and selectors were looking for a full time wicketkeeper to take the pressure off Rahul Dravid, but the possible replacement must prove his potential and match the vice-captain's performance behind the stumps.

"Dravid was always a part time option..... selectors are giving opportunity to others, but the wicketkeeper must stand up and perform as Dravid has done," Ganguly told newspersons here.
The selectors are trying to find out a suitable replacement for Dravid, but "there is no hurry" as the next season begins only in October," he said.
On talented teenager Parthiv Patel, the skipper said, "The selectors have given him a chance to prove his worth in the coming England tour by India 'A'."
But, Patel "has to prove his batting potential" to earn a place in the senior national side, he said.
Patel was included in the 16-member India-A squad last week by the national selectors for the England tour beginning on June 22.
Asked to comment on veteran speedstar Javagal Srinath's retirement plan, Ganguly said he was yet to get any official intimation from the Karnataka speedstar.
"It will not be fair for me to make any remark without knowing the exact position, but as a fellow cricketer, who played along with me for 7-8 years, I can say that he still has a lot of cricket left in him," he said.
(PTI)

More army troops moved to J-K to maintain heat on militants

Friday, May 30, 2003 | Editor
More army troops have been moved to Jammu and Kashmir to maintain the heat on militants after the Operation 'Sarp Vinash' and in fresh big strikes on militants hideouts, 45 militants, mostly Pakistani mercernaries, have been killed and ten captured during the last three days.

Confirming that the operation against militants would be carried out with more vigour, highly placed Army officials today said eight to ten battalions have been moved to Poonch-Naushera sector and a new second tier of anti- infiltration grid, including setting up of electrified fence in suspected infiltration routes, had come up.
Asserting that army forces would continue to occupy militant fortifications in the Hilkaka region where over the last two months security forces had killed 63 militants, officials said that work on 275 kms of the fencing in the most infiltration prone areas on the Line of Control would be completed by this year end.
They said over 4,000 army engineers were working round-the-clock on the fencing and by the next year the fencing would be extended to over 600 kms. The fence is being erected about 10 to 15 kms inside Indian territory laced with anti-infiltration devices like ground sensors and pressure activate and infra red sensors.
"Every battalion operating in Jammu and Kashmir has now been equipped with some numbers of sensors and force multipliers like the hand held thermals" officials said.
(PTI)

21 militants killed in J&K, six ultras surrender

Friday, May 30, 2003 | Editor
Stepping up their anti-militancy oeration, security forces today killed 21 militants in Anantnag and Pooch districts while six militants, inluding an al-Qaeda terrorist, surrendered in Jammu and Kashmir today.

At least 15 militants were killed today in an encounter with security forces in Anantnag district in south Kashmir, defence sources here said. The encounter, which began early this morning following a tip off about presence of militants in Lacchipora village, was still on when reports last came in, defence sources said.
Six Pakistani militants were shot dead in Pir Panjal mountains in the border district of Poonch, the sources said.
On specific information about crossing over of a group of heavily armed militants in Pir Panjal ranges from Pakistan side, security forces launched a seek and destroy operation in the Kolian Doke forest belt in Poonch where they had taken shelter.
During the search of the area, militants fired grenades, they said adding troops fired back and in the gunbattle, which was still on, six militants were killed.
Four AK rifles, 7 magagines, 5 grenades and 136 rounds were recovered from them, they said.
(PTI)

PM's remark on retirement blown out of proportion: officials

Friday, May 30, 2003 | Editor
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today appeared to make light of his remark on retirement if his latest Pakistan initiative failed even as officials said that it had been blown out of proportion.

Amid a flutter caused by the remark, the Prime Minister was asked in Hindi as to in what context he had used the word retire in his interview to a German publication--whether in the Indo-Pak context or for himself.
"Apneliye kaha tha (I said for myself)," he told reporters accompanying him on arrival here on the second leg of his two-day German trip.
In the interview to Der Spiegel, when he was asked as to what happens if his stated last peace initiative failed, Vajpayee had stated "then I have to accept defeat then I retire."
However, officials accompanying the Prime Minister said his remarks have been blown out of proportion and that they had to be read in perspective. They said what he was making clear was that if his peace initiative failed then perhaps he may have to give up the efforts.
(PTI)
19:23 IST

It is upto India, Pak to carry forward relationship: US

Friday, May 30, 2003 | Editor
The US is "encouraged" by recent peace initiatives between India and Pakistan and it is now upto the two neighbours to carry forward the relationship, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice said ahead of President George W Bush's visit to Evian in France, where Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee will also be present.

Asked by reporters on Wednesday about Bush's recent meetings with officials from the two countries, Rice said: "We are, in fact, encouraged by recent trends in the relationship between India and Pakistan. I think that everybody in the G-8 is encouraged by those recent trends. I do believe that the core here, the key here, is that is that India and Pakistan themselves move the relationship forward.
"It is not something that can be moved forth by the will of the G-8. But, but I know that members of the G-8 are welcoming what is happening with the Indians and the Pakistanis," she said.
Vajpayee has been specially invited by French President Jacques Chirac for a "broader dialogue" on June one ahead of the G-8 summit in the French alpine town of Evian on the Franco-Swiss border.
The Prime Minister will also have meetings with various Heads of State and Government present there but Rice made it clear that there will be no "bilaterals" between Bush and Vajpayee.
Bush will hold one-to-one meetings only with Chinese President Hu Jintao and Chirac, she said.
(PTI)

Hu-Vajpayee summit "very important": China

Friday, May 30, 2003 | Editor
China today characterised the upcoming meeting between Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Chinese President Hu Jintao as a "very important" one that would shape bilateral ties.

The maiden meeting, which would take place at the historic Russian city of St. Petersburg, is expected to focus mainly on bilateral ties, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue told reporters.
"I can confirm that President Hu and Prime Minister Vajpayee will have a meeting in St. Petersburg," Zhang said at a biweekly news conference.
"The two sides will mainly exchange views on Sino-Indian relations," she said.
"Since the summit has not yet taken place, I think it is a little too early for me to make comment on the content of their meeting. However, it is indeed a very important meeting," Zhang commented.
Sources said a clear picture on Vajpayee's much-awaited visit to China would emerge after the meeting in St. Petersburg slated for Saturday.
Vajpayee's meeting with Hu, China's new leader, which will take place on the fringes of the 300th anniversary celebrations of the historic Russian city, will be one of the high points of the prime minister's eight-day three-nation tour of Europe.
The Chinese president, who is also the general secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), will be in St. Petersburg on his first foreign tour after taking office in mid-March.
Both Vajpayee and Hu are guests of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
(PTI)

Ambani brothers get a month's reprieve in OSA case

Friday, May 30, 2003 | Editor
The Delhi High Court today extended for a month the date of appearance of the Ambani borthers before a city court in connection with an Official Secrets Act case.

Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani and Managing Director Anil Ambani, who were issued fresh summonses by the Chief Metroplitan Magistrate on May 26 asking them to appear before the trial court on July 7, would now make their presence on August 7.
Justice R C Chopra granted a month's reprieve to the Ambanis after their counsel Kapil Sibal and D C Mathur submitted that the case was already fixed for August 8 and no purpose would be served by forcing them to appear a month before the scheduled date. They said the Ambanis were ready to appear before the CMM on July 7.
The brothers are yet to challenge the order on summoning that requires them to appear before the CMM in connection with the OSA case.
While issuing fresh summonses to Anil and Mukesh on May 26, the CMM had warned to take coercive steps to secure their presence, if they failed to meet the July 7 deadline.
The CMM had on May 6 issued summons to the Ambani brothers, following a direction by Additional Sessions Judge P K Bhasin that they be asked to appear, for being "statutorily deemed to be guilty" of the offence allegedly committed by the company's officials.
(PTI)

Akash test fired at Chandipur

Friday, May 30, 2003 | Editor
Balasore,Thursday, May 29, 2003: India today successfully test fired the medium range surface-to-air missile Akash from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur, 15 km from here.

The sleek missile was test fired from a mobile launcher at about 1700 IST, defence sources said.
The indigenously built sophisticated multi-target missile has a range of 25 km and is one of the five missiles currently under various stages of development by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
The 650 kg missile has capability to carry a 50 kg payload and uses the integrated two-stage Ramjet propulsion technology.
Akash, which has undergone several flight tests earlier, is close to user's trial, the sources said.
Along with the medium range anti-aircraft missile Akash, the DRDO was also developing the Rajendra radar to build a reliable air defence system, a defence scientist said.
The state-of-the-art radar could keep track of 64 aircrafts simultaneously upto a range of 60 km, he said.
(PTI)
20:18 IST

Bipasha, Salman, Amisha storm New York

Thursday, May 29, 2003 | Editor
IANS

NEW YORK: Six Bollywood stars -- Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Sanjay Dutt, Salman Khan, Amisha Patel and Bipasha Basu -- sang and danced on Long Island here in a performance that had spectators cheering for more.

The stars gave the audience three uninterrupted hours of Bollywood in a live show called "Megastar Mania 2003" at the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island.

Around 10,000 people were present at the Memorial Day weekend show Saturday that saw the actors entertain the audience with specially choreographed song and dance numbers on a stage that was set afire with laser shows.

Each performer had his/her own way of trying to win over the crowd.

Amisha Patel, who was introduced as a Gujarati much to the delight of the large audience that related to her roots, spoke of her days as a student in Boston and said every long weekend, including the Memorial Day, was spent in New York.

"I love New York, its food, the people and shopping," said the 26-year-old who graduated in economics from Tufts University.

There is no guessing what Salman Khan did. Yes, he took off his shirt. But Sanjay Dutt, who has an equally well-chiselled body, pipped Khan in the act, having taken the stage first.

Sunny Deol, dressed somewhat in his Gadar attire -- with a bright red turban, but minus the beard -- was transported to the stage in an iron carriage that rolled in through the isles separating rows of chairs.

After speaking a few sentences in English, he immediately started chatting to the audience in chaste Punjabi, as some people said they were not only his fans but also of his father -- the original hunk of Bollywood, Dharmendra.

Bobby Deol came to the stage from an elevated ramp and danced to the numbers from his hit movie Humraaz, while Bipasha Basu was candid enough to admit that this was her first international show. "I am feeling very nervous," she said.

Most stars also tried to perform the song they are better associated with today -- Sanjay Dutt with Ishq Samandar, Sunny Deol with Mein Nikala Gaddi Leke, Salman Khan with Aise Pehli Baar, Amisha Patel with Kah Na Pyar Hai.

The evening was interspersed with Punjabi and Hindi songs by Meet Brothers, as also mimicry by K Sanjay.

Unlike the usual mimicry one sees of Bollywood actors like Ajit, Raj Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay chose a totally different set of stars.

He had the audience in splits, imitating the voices and mannerisms of Om Prakash, Shakti Kapoor, Govinda, Naseeruddin Shah, Nana Patekar, Paresh Rawal Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Ajay Devgan, Amol Palekar and Gulshan Grover.

Meet Brothers, who started with a medley of songs originally sung by Amitabh Bachchan, later switched to numbers from their own pop album Boon".

The highlight of the evening was saved for the last one hour, where one after the other the stars shared the stage with each other and danced to the medleys of numerous songs -- new and old.

Bobby Deol and Amisha Patel paired for Rabba Rabba of Monsoon Wedding, Salman Khan and Bipasha Basu for Dil Lagi Kudi, Salman Khan, Sanjay Dutt and Bipasha Basu for Ande Kaa Funda, Amisha Patel and Bobby Deol for Sadde Naal.

The last song of the evening, Aja Naach Le of Daler Mehndi, saw all the stars performing together amid a glittering laser show and fireworks, bringing the audience too on its feet.

The Desi fare at the three-hour event included samosas, dhoklas, jalebis and masala chai that seemed to have outsold the usual popcorn, bagels, chips and soda.

Presented by Kanu Chauhan of Rajsun Entertainment, the event was organised by Farhath Hussain, scripted and directed by Moranis and Soorma, G.S. Entertainment and Popcorn Entertainment. Vijay Taneja was its international promoter.

Does a film's title ensure box-office success?

Thursday, May 29, 2003 | Editor
IANS

MUMBAI: Film titles have always had an interesting history. Titles like Kismet, Ajnabee and Andaaz have been repeatedly used in every generation. But now filmmakers seem to be searching for titles that take audience curiosity beyond the expected.

Ken Ghosh's Ishq Vishq was earlier called Ishq Vishq Pyar Vyar. "But then Dil Vil Pyar Vyar came along last year. I didn't want a similar sounding title," said Ghosh.

While Ananth Mahadevan's Dil Vil Pyar Vyar bombed, Ken Ghosh's Ishq Vishq is a hit.

Naturally, the superstitious film industry will now gravitate towards abbreviated titles.

And after Andaaz if Ram Gopal Varma's Bhoot, which releases this week, is a success, then titles can be expected to become even shorter.

Said Varma: "Most of my films have one word titles. I believe the title makes all the difference to a film. It should be short and to the point."

Two years ago, four word names preferably beginning with the letter 'K' were the order of the day. Those seem to be losing their validity in the new millennium.

For a while after that, titles like Ek Rishta: The Bond of Love and Daag: The Fire were in vogue. Then came a longish phase when the opening lines of songs were appropriated as film names. Titles like Na Tum Jano Na Hum and Kya Yehi Pyar Hai were in vogue.

"But that was more to do with circumventing copyright rules than superstition," said filmmaker Vipul Shah. His new Amitabh Bachchan-Akshay Kumar project is called Waqt: Race Against Time "because I couldn't get the title Waqt. Actually we're short of creative titles."

Going by current trends it would seem filmmakers are in search of pithy eloquence. Forthcoming films have intriguing titles like Bhoot, Jajantaram Mamantaram, Supari (the Mumbai lingo for hired assassination), Jhankar Beats, Darna Manna Hai, 88 Antop Hill, Hawa, Oops!, 3 Deewarein, Joggers Park, Kolkata Mail and Boom.

However, many long-winded conventional titles like Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost, Pyar Kiya Nahin Jaata, Dil Pardesi Ho Gaya, Ek Se Badhkar Ek and of course Sooraj Barjatya's Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon are on the way.

And if Barjatya's designer-romance clicks, we may expect a spate of traditional titles all over again.

Vajpayee deprecates "double standards" to deal with terrorism

Thursday, May 29, 2003 | Editor
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has deprecated the "double standards" adopted by countries to deal with terrorism in different places and urged India's "friends and partners" to bring their influence on Pakistan to end cross border terrorism and dismantle the infrastructure of support to it.

He said countries should not not negotiate with terrorism or differentiate between its various constituent elements.
Without referring to any country by name, he told German Parliamentarians at a meeting here on Wednesday night that India has suffered both from terrorism and from the consequences of the double standards applied by countries to deal with terrorism in different places.
"But, even while we continue to deal with our specific problem of cross border terrorism, I have extended a hand of friendship to Pakistan in the hope that it may initiate a process leading to peace, friendship and cooperation between our two countries.
"I hope my political initiative will inspire action to end cross border terrorism and to dismantle the infrastructure of support to it. We encourage our friends and partners also to bring to bear their influence to make this happen," he told the German MPs.
(PTI)

Cable TV: House panel pitches for regulatory mechanism

Thursday, May 29, 2003 | Editor
NEW DELHI: BJP MP Kirit Somaya’s pitch for a regulatory mechanism for the Cable TV industry on Wednesday floored fellow MPs but left in its wake several questions that I&B Secretary Pawan Chopra may have to reply to tomorrow — when his turn comes up before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on IT.

To begin with, MPs want more free-to-air (FTA) channels for the same price. Congress MP Pawan Kumar Bansal (his party had passed the bill in Lok Sabha) said: ‘‘When the Act was announced, it was intended to benefit the consumer but till date there is no clarity on the free-to-air tier fixed by the Government.

What if more channels become free — more than the currently fixed 30 channels? Will it then be mandatory for the cable operator to show the same to me.’’

Somaya said consumers should be given the choice of opting for FTA or pay channels. ‘‘What are the protective measures for consumers from MSOs and pay channels,’’ he said.

The Congress today demanded that CAS be postponed till outstanding issues were resolved. The move comes a day after Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit’s missive to I&B Minister RS Prasad, raising doubts on the implementation of the system. In retaliation to Dikshit’s demand for a CAS rollback, Cable Networks Association today said subscriptions will shoot up to Rs 450 per month.

Burning train again: 3 bogies gutted, alert staff avert casualty

Thursday, May 29, 2003 | Editor
JALALABAD: Barely a fortnight after the Frontier Mail tragedy, more than 700 passengers of the 7 FF train between Ferozepur and Fazilka had a miraculous escape when a fire that broke out in the engine engulfed three of its six bogies around 3 pm on Wednesday.

Roshan Lal Chhabra, an employee of SDM court, Fazilka, who first saw the flames leaping out of the engine and alerted the driver, said they were passing through Daruga village near the Jalalabad railway station when he felt a sudden wave of heat. ‘‘I stuck my neck out and saw the flames,’’ he said.

The driver, Harjinder Singh, showing remarkable presence of mind, applied the brakes at once, and stopped the train. Within minutes, panic-stricken people began jumping out of the bogies which had caught fire. Fortunately, all of them escaped with only minor injuries. Meanwhile, the driver and guard were quick to detach the three coaches from the rest of the train.

Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) H C Punia, who rushed to the spot, refused to comment on the cause of the fire. SSP P.K. Sinha said preliminary investigations did not point to sabotage.

Eye-witnesses say the fire brigade reached the scene over an hour after the fire broke out. By then, the bogies had been completely burnt down. The Ferozepur division of the Northern Railway will conduct an inquiry into the cause of the fire, said DRM Punia. Additional DRM T P Singh said the staff tried to extinguish the blaze in the train, but since the diesel tank caught fire the flames spread to the bogies.

The passengers, all from nearby areas, were sent to their destinations in tractor trolleys and jeeps.

Kalam to visit arms factory under 'shadow of Buddha'

Thursday, May 29, 2003 | Editor
RAJGIR: The Indian defence establishment's Buddha connection is not new _ the first and the second nuclear experiments were named after Buddha _ the Little Buddha and Buddha Smiles respectively.

Ironically, the defence department's latest explosives factory is now coming up right under the golden image of Lord Buddha from a place that has repeatedly sent out the message of world peace.

The ancient town of Rajgir which falls in the Nalanda constituency of Defence Minister George Fernandes, is actually a large village surrounded by a cluster of small villages and five hills, so historical that they find mention from Mahabharat to the travelogue of Huen Tsang.

Buddha and Mahavir lived and preached here. Near the 400-metre-high Gridhrakuta or the vultures peak, a Japanese Buddhist sect built the Vishwa Shanti Stupa in 1983 as a message from the original preacher of ahimsa.

"It is an irony", says Kalicharan, secretary of the Mahabodh Temple in Bodh Gaya.

Eight villages, including Rasalpur, Kanaul, Sitora and Ujalapur in the which the complex is coming up falls on the foothills of Chhatra Hill and Ratna Hill which house the Gridhrakuta and the Stupa.

Close to the walls of the relics of the ancient township, which has innumerable sites of importance for Buddhist, Jain and Hindu heritage, the 3000-acre ordnance factory complex is taking shape. The President of India will visit the site on May 30 and take stock of the work.

The President, who was closely involved with the second nuclear explosion has many of his former colleagues at the DRDO working in the project. Kalam will see a power-point presentation in a temporary shed on the site about the progress of construction.

The Rajgir Ordnance Factory, 40th one in India, will produce ammunitions and explosives for the armed forces with the technical collaboration of Somchem, a South African company.

The Rs 6000 crore project, to be finished by 2005, is all set to change the livelihood for the people of an ancient city from which Bimbisara and Ajatasatru ruled the Magadh kingdom.

About 1200 employees and their families will stay in the township _ a minority of them locals _ and will have a trickle-down effect in the areas economy.

The Archaeological Survey of India has only partially excavated the sprawling ancient Rajgriha township, whose outer wall runs 40 kilometres, surrounding the present Rajgir.

All ancient structures and other artificial caves and mounds within the walls and situated within half a mile from the walls are in the list of centrally protected monuments of ASI.

However, the factory will be well within the limits of the heritage site, with a special permission from the Central government. "We have agreed not to make any permanent constructions within 800 metres from the wall," says an officer of the Indian Ordnance Board.

In 2002, digging at the factory site had damaged an ancient boundary wall, after which the ASI, the Ordnance Board and the District Administration drew out a guideline specifically for this project.

Local folklore connects the caves, forts and inscriptions to Lord Krishna. The Gridhrakuta was where Buddha meditated for years. In the caves he spent many rainy seasons.

In seven caves called Saptaparni, the First Buddhist Council was held to codify Buddhist teachings. For the Jains also these hills are sacred _ Vardhaman Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara, spent 14 rainy seasons

May 31 is Pak deadline to shut shop, militants vow to resist

Thursday, May 29, 2003 | Editor
MUZAFFARABAD: Militants based in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir vowed on Wednesday to resist moves to have their offices closed, testing Islamabad's resolve to mend ties with India.

Leaders of several militant groups said the Pakistani government had given them until May 31 to close down their offices, which often double as residences for senior members.

"There is a tremendous pressure from the Pakistani side to close offices," said the leader of one outfit, who declined to be identified either by name or by group.

"There is a complete unanimity in our ranks that we will not close down offices-cum-residences in base camp," another militant leader said, also on condition of anonymity.

Pakistani Kashmir separatists call PoK the "base camp" for the separatist movement in Jammu and Kashmir.

Until recently, Pakistan's crackdown on militancy linked to Kashmir has been aimed mainly at the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad.

But it now appears to be concentrating more on Kashmir-based groups, including the largest, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, which appears on the US watchlist of terrorist groups. Also on that list are two other Kashmir-based outfits, Al-Badr Mujahideen and Jamait ul-Mujahideen.

Kashmiri militants said they would oppose moves by Islamabad to close down their headquarters.

"Any attempt by the Pakistan government to close down the offices will convey a negative signal across the Line of Control to the people of Kashmir and to Kashmiri militants," said one commander.

But several militants admitted that to oppose the move would not be easy in a country where the authorities are widely seen as turning a blind eye to militancy in Kashmir, if not actively promoting it.

Pak should accord MFN status to India: Digvijay

Thursday, May 29, 2003 | Editor
PTI

NEW DELHI: As part of confidence-building measures, Pakistan should reciprocate and accord India Most Favoured Nation status to move in the direction of improving bilateral economic and trade ties, Minister of State for External Affairs Digvijay Singh said on Wednesday night.

"This (giving MFN status) is a basic step in economic relations," Singh told a television channel.

The minister said the two countries would have to hold discussions on the nature of a structured agenda before considering a political summit.

He, however, made it clear that there was hesitancy on India's part for Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to hold talks with his Pakistani counterpart Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali. "Prime Minister Jamali is the executive head in Pakistan," he said to press his point.

Underpinning the importance of a step-by-step approach, the minister said, "this time we will not allow anything to go out of hand".

New Delhi has emphasised that the government will pursue a calibrated approach and there will be careful preparations before considering summit-level talks. Both after the Lahore Declaration and at the Agra Summit, India had to face disappointments.

Singh also said if Saarc has to be strengthened, it was necessary for member countries to accept Sapta and implement decisions taken at the Kathmandu Summit.

US cuts down issuance of H-1B visas

Thursday, May 29, 2003 | Editor
US cuts down issuance of H-1B visas

PTI

WASHINGTON: As protests increase in US against outsourcing of jobs to India, especially in the IT sector, the US has cut down issuance of H-1B visas for overseas professionals, and a legislator has asked five companies to reveal how many Indians they are employing.

During the first three quarters of fiscal year 2002, 60,500 people were approved to begin employment in H-1B status, while the limit in the period was 195,000, according to a release from the immigration authorities, who now come under the Department of Homeland Security.

By comparison, as of June 30, 2001, 130,700 were approved by the Immigration and Natural Services to begin employment in H-1B status.

During the first nine months of fiscal year 2002, 159,000 H-1B petitions were filed for initial or continuing H-1B employment compared with 270,000 and 220,000 for the same period in 2001 and 2000, respectively. Petition filings declined by 41 per cent between the first nine months of FY 2001 and the first nine months of FY 2002.

In total, 147,600 petitions were approved during the first three quarters of FY 2002, of which 42,700 were filed prior to October 1, 2001.

Meanwhile, Connecticut Republican Congresswoman Nancy Johnson has requested the CEOs of five leading American insurance companies - Aetna Inc, CIGNA Corp, The Hartford Financial Services Group, The Phoenix Cos Inc and Travelers Property Casualty Corp - to reveal how many Indian citizens they are employing in IT.

The Hartford Courant said that the request came in the wake of allegations that the companies were abusing the H-1B visa programme.

In her letters to the companies, Johnson sought information on how many Indians the firms were employing on H-1B visas now, if that number had grown during the past two years, and how many IT workers they had laid off.

Wanting to know more about outsourcing of jobs to India and other nations, Johnson met with constituents last month who were complaining about the loss of jobs for Americans because of the import of foreigners and export of jobs overseas.

India was singled out, because its professionals are employable due to their proficiency in English.

"The Congresswoman's interest in this is to see that Connecticut jobs are protected and that the law is followed," Brian S Schubert, Johnson's press secretary was quoted as saying, though there is not the slightest suggestion that the insurance companies are in violation of the law.

Jittery Ajit calls on Sonia, seeks broader tieup

Thursday, May 29, 2003 | Editor
NEW DELHI: Desperate to get even with the BJP-BSP alliance in Uttar Pradesh and, for this purpose, forge a broad opposition alliance, and also to keep his flock of MLAs away from the prying eyes of the leaders of the BSP-BJP alliance, Rashtriya Lok Dal chief and former Union minister Ajit Singh today met Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

On a day of fast-moving developments, the western Uttar Pradesh leader met Ms Gandhi at her residence this evening, and remained closeted with her for about half-an-hour. The meeting, sources in the RLD pointed out, was part of Mr Singh’s ongoing efforts to bring the opposition parties together in UP with the aim of seeking the ouster of the Mayawati regime. Officially, RLD sources maintained that Mr Singh had met Ms Gandhi to invite her for his father, late Charan Singh’s death anniversary function. The meeting was preceded by the resignation of the five RLD ministers from the Mayawati government. The development is a precursor to the formal withdrawal of support to the coalition government in UP.

Despite the fact that Ms Mayawati, who has of late emerged as the principal tormentor of opposition parties, having succeeded in splitting the Congress and the Apna Dal and weaning away a sizeable section of independent legislators, is away on a foreign tour, speculation was rife that as many as 7 of the 14 MLAs belonging to the RLD were in touch with the BJP’s legislature party leader and state urban development minister Lalji Tandon. Undeterred by these reports, Mr Singh took the initiative of meeting Ms Gandhi in his search for a broad opposition unity to take on the might of the BSP-BJP alliance in the state. Immediately after resigning from the union cabinet, the Jat leader got in touch with the Samajwadi Party duo of Mulayam Singh Yadav-Amar Singh and the Rashtriya Kranti Party chief and former UP chief minister Kalyan Singh to seek their support in fighting the BSP-BJP combine.

Unfortunately for him, the demise of Mr Yadav’s wife soon after has kept the Samajwadi Party supremo away from any form of political activity. He’s now likely to arrive in the Capital only on Friday. Till then, all attempts to bring the opposition parties together will have to be put on hold.Keen to avenge his humiliation at the hands of the central BJP leadership, it’s clear that Mr Singh will, in the days to come, go all out to attain his end. He doesn’t much time, as any delay on this count is likely to put his team of MLAs that much more vulnerable to attacks from the BSP-BJP combine. The Jat leader is likely to use his father’s death anniversary ceremony here tomorrow to reinforce his image as a leader who didn’t hesitate to sacrifice his chair for taking up the farmer’s cause.

US adapts Indian catamaran technology to built fast ships

Wednesday, May 28, 2003 | Editor
US adapts Indian catamaran technology to built fast ships

Washington,Wednesday, May 28, 2003: The United States adapted ancient Indian catamaran-making technology to construct fast ships which were used with dramatic effect in the Iraq war, a media report said.

Among the new equipment the Americans used to win the Iraq war were 100-ft catamaran ships to ferry army tanks and ammunition from Qatar to Kuwait.
The ships, built with technology adapted from ancient Tamil methods to make catamarans, can travel over 2,500 kms in less than 48 hours, twice the speed of the Pentagon's regular cargo ships, and carry enough equipment to support about 5,000 soldiers, the 'Wall Street Journal' reported on Tuesday.
Because they have a shallow draft, the boats can unload in rudimentary ports, allowing troops to land closer to the fight. The Pentagon now has only three of these ships but a dozen more are expected to be ordered, starting in the 2005-06 budget, the report added.
The US is seeking to build lighter, faster forces that can reach trouble spots - breeding ground for al Qaeda and other terrorists - within hours, it said.
Some current and possible future US troop locations - some permanent bases, some base facilities and some where joint exercises will be held periodically with local forces - are Germany, South Korea and Australia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Djibouti, Kenya, Mali, Singapore and Philippines, the report said.
(PTI)
09:47 IST

German kids surprise Vajpayee

Wednesday, May 28, 2003 | Editor
German kids surprise Vajpayee

Berlin,Wednesday, May 28, 2003: German children of Mahatma Gandhi School here sprang a pleasant surprise on visiting Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee by singing a song written by him and Gandhiji's favourite bhajan "Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram".

So moved was the Prime Minister that he immediately reciprocated with an equally unforgettable gift - a two-week all-paid trip to India for the best student of the school every year.
"The best student will be invited to visit India every year for two weeks accompanied by an adult. The ICCR will organise the visit," he said at an Indian community reception hosted in his honour by Indian Ambassador to Germany T C A Rangachari here on Tuesday night shortly after his arrival.
The announcement was greeted by a thunderous applause.
The evening programme began with the recitation of his song "jeevan beet chala..." followed by the bhajan.
Taking the floor, Vajpayee said it was a Berlin evening made immemorable by German students with their soul-stirring rednditions. It also reminded him that he had written such a nice song.
Vajpayee said he had penned another song "jang nahi hone denge..." (We will not allow war) which was recalled by former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif when they were engaged in Lahore dialogue. But there was a conflict(Kargil) immediately. "Strange are the ways of the world," he said philosophically.
On another occasion, the Prime Minister said a child at a gathering had reminded that he had written against the atom bomb but India had made one (during his tenure as Prime Minister).
He said he admitted that he had to make one but it was done under some conditions.
"But peace will prevail throughout the world and blood will cease to be shed," he said.
Referring to the age-old ties between India and Germany, the Prime Minister said perhaps there would be more people speaking Sanskrit in Germany than in Delhi.
Indology research has been there for a long time in Germany, he said, adding it was facing some difficulties and help would be extended to set right matters.
(PTI)

Vajapyee insists on end to cross-border terrorism for talks with Pak

Wednesday, May 28, 2003 | Editor
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Tuesday declared that India wanted to start talks with Pakistan "as soon as possible" but made it clear that for a meaningful dialogue cross-border terrorism should end and terror infrastructure dismantled.

Before embarking on a three-nation tour, Vajpayee also said that India would take "more" confidence-building measures to carry forward its peace initiatives with Pakistan.
"Some steps have already been taken and more will be taken," he told reporters at IGI Airport here, a day after India announced its decisions to resume the Delhi-Lahore bus service and release 130 Pakistani prisoners in Indian jails.
Replying to questions on when the two countries would resume talks in the wake of several peace initiatives taken by New Delhi, Vajpayee said "we want it to be as soon as possible. But for a meaningful dialogue to begin, cross-border terrorism should end and terror infrastructure dismantled".
The Prime Minister, who left for Germany on the first leg of his eight-day tour that would also take him to Russia and France, said he was confident that an atmosphere would be created for Indo-Pak talks to begin.
Vajpayee, who has been specially invited by French President Jacques Chirac for a "broader dialogue" on June one ahead of the G-8 Summit in the French Alpine town of Evian on the Franco-Swiss border, will hold bilateral meetings with various heads of state and government present there.
Asked whether he would be meeting US President George W. Bush either in St Petersburg in Russia or in Evian, he said "I do not know about any such meeting at the moment".
(PTI)

BJP for national commission for job quota for upper castes

Monday, May 26, 2003 | Editor
In a bid to take the wind out of Congress' sail ahead of assembly polls in four states and Lok Sabha elections next year, the BJP has proposed setting up of a national commission within a week to provide for job reservation for economically weaker sections among upper castes.

A resolution adopted at a meeting of BJP central office bearers, presided over by Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, here on Sunday to firm up the party's poll strategy asked Vajpayee government to establish the commission to provide job reservation for economically backward without diluting the existing provisions for SCs, STs and OBCs.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, BJP general secretary Pramod Mahajan said the party would urge Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to set up the commission within a week.
The resolution said BJP was of the view that certain sections of society, which are not covered under existing reserved categories, were economically so poor that they needed a special treatment.
The sections should be called Economically Backward Classes (EBCs), it said adding, however, the party favoured this provision in addition to the reservation for existing castes.
The BJP resolution came four after days after Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan announced 14 percent job reservation for economically weaker sections among upper castes including Brahmins, Vaishyas and Rajputs that had stumped the saffron party.
(PTI)
09:20 IST

Senegal envoy's son kills driver

Monday, May 26, 2003 | Editor
New Delhi,Monday, May 26, 2003: The son of Senegalese Ambassador to India allegedly killed his driver during a fight at five star hotel here Saturday night, police sources said.

The envoy's son Mansoor Ali, who was driven to the Taj Mahal hotel to attend a party by 32-year-old Dilawar, allegedly hit and pushed the driver whose head hit some hard object and he died, they said on Sunday.
The sources said the incident took place around 2230 hours when after attending the party Mansoor went to his car to return home and found the driver allegedly in an inebriated state.
Ali asked for the car keys telling the driver he was not in a state to drive and he would drive it himself, the sources said.
A quarrel followed during which Dilawar was killed, they said.
A case under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) has been registered against Ali who has not been arrested as he enjoys diplomatic immunity.
(PTI)
09:20 IST

BJP to fight coming elections on development plank

Monday, May 26, 2003 | Editor
BJP to fight coming elections on development plank

Jaipur,Monday, May 26, 2003: Virtually launching BJP's campaign for assembly polls in Rajasthan, the party top brass has asserted that it would seek the mandate on development plank and projected state party chief Vasudhara Raje as its chief ministerial candidate.

Addressing state party workers here on Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani said, "devoid of any real development issue, Congress is harping on pseudo-secularism to divert people's attention because the party, which had monopoly rule in the country for 47 long years, is itself responsible for India's ills."
Advani's remarks came at the end of a day-long meeting of party central office-bearers called to firm up the party's strategy for assembly polls in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Chattisgarh.
He said BJP had promised security and development before the last Lok Sabha elections and the NDA government, headed by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, had "fulilled this promise" made to the electorate,
He said "the backbone of ISI had been broken in the country by sustained efforts. "The Vajpayee government has fully established its credibility and we shall romp home again in 2004 parliamentary elections to make Vajpayee Prime Minister again," the Deputy Prime Minister said.
(PTI)

President to visit Jammu and Kashmir next month

Monday, May 26, 2003 | Editor
President A P J Abdul Kalam would be visiting the state next month and is likely to address a convocation during his three-day stay.

The tentative schedule of the President would include addressing a convocation at Jammu University, meeting some individuals in Srinagar and also a visit to a school, sources said.
The visit was likely to take place in the third week of June but the security arrangements were being reviewed for his visit. Former President K R Narayanan had visited the state in 1997.
This will be the first visit of Kalam to the state after taking over as the President of the country.
Kalam would also be presenting President's Colour to Jammu and Kashmir Police for their exemplery courage shown for uprooting the militancy in the state.
The President is also expected to the visit Leh during his stay in the state.
The visit would also prove to be a shot in the arm for Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed who has been stressing for such high profile visits as this could give a major fillip to the tourism industry in the state.
Last month Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee visted the strife-torn state and announced fresh peace initiative towards Pakistan. Congress President Sonia Gandhi would be holding the party's Chief Ministers conclave on May 30.
The Inter-State Council, chaired by the Prime Minister is also to be held here in June or July.
(PTI)

Call centres take the passage to India

Sunday, May 25, 2003 | Editor
Companies are making spectacular savings by shifting their call centres to the Subcontinent - and shedding British jobs. Grant Ringshaw reports

A decade ago, General Electric, the giant US conglomerate, took a bold decision to shift thousands of back office jobs to India. What started as a risky innovation by an imaginative company is fast becoming de rigueur for multinationals, especially in the financial sector - and there are disturbing implications for employment in the UK.

Dozens of household names, spanning insurance, banking, technology, the airline industry, power companies and telecoms, are transferring swathes of their white collar administrative and customer-service work to Asia. GE is still in the van, with 11,000 Indian processing staff.

When the chairmen of the big UK banks and insurers get together, all they want to talk about is how fast they are relocating operations to India - and although they are all gung ho about it, they are slightly anxious about whether the Government will weigh in to slow the trend.

"If China is becoming the workshop of the world, India is the world's back office," says Chris Gentle, a director at Deloitte Consulting, part of Deloitte & Touche, the big five accountancy firm.

India's rise has been remarkable. Some 100,000 people are thought to be employed in call centres, while the nation's computer services and software industry is now worth $10bn. It is expected to grow by between 25 per cent and 30 per cent this year, according to Nasscom, the computer industry body.

Centres in India handle the processing of student loans, queries about utility bills for Powergen and flight bookings for British Airways. A series of other British companies, including BT, HSBC, Prudential and Aviva, are shifting their call centres to the world's biggest democracy.

A telephone call to a British bank or insurer is as likely to be answered in Delhi as Reading by staff with flawless British accents. The level of sophistication in some call centres is remarkable: US callers are routed to operators with American accents, British callers to those with British tones.

The trend has even caught the eye of the entertainment industry. Last week it was disclosed that Sanjeev Bhaskar, the star of the spoof BBC chat show The Kumars at No 42, is to script The Call Centre, a film billed as a comic love story set in India and the UK.

The big question is how America and Britain will cope as these forms of employment become extinct in their home economies. Deloitte estimates that 2m jobs in financial services alone are likely to move from developed economies to emerging nations in the next five years. Across all industries, the exodus of services jobs could be 4m.

Click to enlarge
By 2008, financial services firms are expected to have transferred $356bn, or some 15 per cent of their total cost bases, to less developed countries, according to a recent study by Deloitte.

This would equate to annual bottom-line savings of $138bn, or an average of $1.4bn for each of the world's top 100 financial services companies. For leaders such as Citigroup and HSBC, there could be savings of two or three times that level.

But why is this process happening quite so rapidly? Well, vast improvements in computer software and better telecoms links are two important factors. But the driving force is principally the intense global competition which makes it impossible for British companies to take a sentimental and expensive view that they must keep jobs in the UK.

"For financial services firms there is a collision of factors," says Gentle. "Depressed equity markets have placed an enormous strain on share prices and increased the pressure to cut costs. The second reason is that financial services markets are incredibly competitive and have reached maturity in many cases. Moving to lower-cost locations gives finance firms the chance to open the jaws between costs and revenues".

By any measure the potential cost-savings are enticing. Processing costs, for instance, are estimated to account for about 20 per cent of a retail bank's total cost base.

A conservative saving of 20 per cent of that could lead to a 4 per cent improvement in the banks cost/income ratio - a key measure of efficiency - and a 2.5 per cent boost to its return on equity, according to Mercer Oliver Wyman, the consultant. In turn, these benefits could lead to an increase of 10 per cent to 12 per cent in the market value and share price of the average bank.

So banks such as Citigroup and HSBC are transferring even more jobs. Citigroup now employs 3,000 people in India in call centres and processing operations in Mumbai and Chennai. Analysts argue this has helped the group become the world's most profitable financial services firm: its revenues have grown by $35bn in the past five years, while costs have increased by just $12bn.

HSBC, which is due to open a global processing centre in Kuala Lumpur this year and already has a major back office centre in Shenzhen, China, expects to employ 9,500 call centre and processing staff in developing countries by the end of 2003, including 5,500 in India and 3,500 in China.

Standard Chartered, the UK-listed emerging markets bank, has gone even further, transferring the back office of its operations in more than 50 countries to two huge processing centres in Chennai in India and Kuala Lumpur.

Major insurers are also jumping on the bandwagon. Last October, Prudential revealed it would create 850 jobs in India by 2004, while Aviva is creating 1,000 jobs at a new call centre.

Meanwhile, China, Malaysia, Mexico, South Africa, and more developed nations such as Singapore and Australia, are also benefiting from the jobs migration. Even Ghana is entering the telesales era. Last week, the country's first call centre opened, selling mobile phone plans to US customers for T-Mobile, the German group.

Cost is just one issue. "Companies go for the costs and stay for the quality," says Mike Harding, the managing director of Mercer Oliver Wyman. India may be a poor country but it has a well-educated, English-speaking workforce. The typical UK call centre worker is paid £12,500, but companies can hire graduates in India for one sixth of that.

Further evidence of the increased sophistication of the roles being moved offshore emerged last month when JP Morgan, the investment bank, revealed it would set up a team of 40 junior research analysts in India. The plan is to provide greater analytical coverage at a fraction of the cost in the West.

Unsurprisingly, there are concerns about the future for UK call centres, a major industry employing about 500,000 people across 6,000 sites. In a gloomy report, Mitial Research, a specialist consultancy, has predicted that one third of Britain's larger call centres would shut down by 2005 with the loss of 90,000 jobs.

The switch of jobs offshore has been controversial. Last year Sir Keith Whitson, the outgoing chief executive of HSBC, provoked outrage when he appeared to suggest the bank's Indian workers were harder working and superior to their British counterparts. BT faced a storm of protest in March over its plans to create 2,200 jobs at two new call centres in India.

There are other signs of a backlash. Four American states - New Jersey, Maryland, Connecticut and Washington - are all considering legislation to ban outsourcing of state data processing contracts to developing countries.

But while the debate rages, it is clear that the economic forces at work are unstoppable. "We have to relocate these functions to India," says the chairman of a large British bank. "Not only are the running costs a fraction of what they would be here, but the quality of the workforce is significantly better. Taking advantage of that is a no-brainer."

Forex reserves cross $79-billion mark

Sunday, May 25, 2003 | Editor
India's foreign exchange reserves continue to scale new heights and crossed the $79 billion mark following inflows of $666 million during the week ending May 17.

Foreign exchange reserves rose by $666 million to touch $79.225 billion in the reporting week, according to Reserve Bank of India's weekly statistical supplement released in Mumbai on Saturday.

Foreign currency assets rose from $75.164 billion to $75.830 billion, it said.

The rise is mainly due to fresh inflows and revaluation of non-US currencies, including the euro, against the US dollar, analysts said.

RBI said gold reserves remained static at $3.389 billion while special drawing rights remained unchanged at $6 million.

The loans and advances to the central government grew by Rs 464 crore (Rs 4.64 billion) at Rs 8,857 crore (Rs 88.57 billion) while that to the state governments declined by Rs 2,506 crore (Rs 25.06 billion) at Rs 1,406 crore (Rs 14.06 billion), the RBI added.

UK to help control piracy of Bollywood films

Sunday, May 25, 2003 | Editor
Information and Broadcasting Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and his British counterpart Tessa Jowell brokered an agreement during their meeting in London for Britain to cooperate and help in controlling piracy that has caused immense financial losses to Bollywood. Britain will also invest in the production of co-cultural and cross-over films. Prasad added that Britain would jointly work for Human Resources Development in the film sector, as well.

The minister announced that Goa would be a permanent venue of the International Film Festivals that are held in India. A team of officials from the state government were in Cannes during the film festival there to study the management and organisation of the event.

"India is the biggest film-maker in the world and Cannes is the venue of the biggest film festival. I told the chairman of the Festival that the two must meet," said Prasad. "The Cannes Film Festival authorities have promised to help in setting up the infrastructure and organisation of the festival in Goa."

He added that in Cannes, he realised that the Festival there was identified with the city and this is why he felt that Goa, with its famous beaches and natural beauty, could attract film people from all over the world.

Summing up his Cannes visit, Prasad informed that he found "profound interest in Indian film creativity. The colour and music and diversity are what attract the foreigner. India is being taken note of and its films are not only being found entertaining but also arousing a lot of curiosity."

Prasad said that his role would be of a facilitator and he would like the present decade to be one of communication, information and entertainment.

On being asked about the state of television in India, the minister agreed that a regulatory body was needed. He added that Doordarshan had to become more professional and the contents of its programme also needed to be improved.

India’s Cannes show enthuses I&B minister

Sunday, May 25, 2003 | Editor
Enthused by the generally positive response received by Indian films in the market of the ongoing 56th Cannes Film Festival, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union minister of state for Information and Broadcasting, has drawn up ambitious plans in order to encourage the industry to take on global competition.

In an exclusive interview conducted in the Confederation of Indian Industries pavilion in Cannes, the I & B minister said: "It is a happy augury that the world’s largest film festival is recognizing the potential of the world’s largest film industry. We are now in a position to make the most of the opportunities that opens up. Do not forget that India has the largest number of entertainment consumers."

"We would like to do everything in our power to create conditions conducive to the rapid growth of the Indian film industry," asserted Mr Prasad. The government, he pointed out, had already allowed 100 per cent foreign direct investment in film production.

The government had also liberalised the visa regime for foreign film crews, while negotiations were on with France, the UK and Italy for comprehensive co-production and distribution treaties, he said.

Mr Prasad also announced that he would consider the demand of a section of Indian filmmakers and exhibitors to grant tax exemption to small theatres that have less than 200 seats with a view to encouraging the construction of more movie halls as well as helping the cause of young, independent filmmakers who cannot compete with films made and promoted by big banners.

"The government’s job," the minister explained, "was only to facilitate good filmmaking in the country. We will ensure that crews flying in from abroad to shoot in this country can avail of a single-window clearance for their projects."

Asked what he will be taking back from Cannes, the minister said: "I will be returning with the happy realization that Indian cinema is being taken seriously in Cannes. I have noticed that the magazines here have been reflecting the works of Indian filmmakers in a big way."

Prasad utilised his three-day trip to the Cannes Film Festival to meet up with the culture ministers of France and Italy to explore the possibility of greater co-operation with those countries in the field of cinema. He also extended an invitation to the Cannes Film Festival director, Gilles Jacob, to visit New Delhi during the 34th International Film Festival of India to be held in October this year.

"If we want the organisers of the Cannes event to evince greater interest in Indian films, we have to reciprocate in like measure," he said. Is he happy with the fact that only one film, Murali Nair’s Arimpara (A Story that Begins at the End), is representing India in the official selection in Cannes? "Certainly not," he replies. "India has the potential to project itself in far bigger way here. We must fulfill it come what may."

The government, he said, was seriously toying with the idea of making Goa the permanent venue of India’s international film festival. "All the great festivals of the world are identified with a city. We hope do the same with Goa," he added.

Negotiations are on with the Goa government, which is represented here in the India pavilion by high-level culture department officials. "We will provide all help to Goa in building the infrastructure that is required to organize a film festival of this magnitude," Mr Prasad added.

It is reported that nearly Rs 90 crore will be spent on the prepare Goa for the 2004 International Film Festival of India.

BSNL offers virtual personal network to India Inc

Sunday, May 25, 2003 | Editor
IANS

BANGALORE: India's telecom infrastructure went up a few notches on Saturday with the launch of the secure and cost effective virtual personal network (VPN) service by the state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL).

The VPN, using multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) technology, has been described as a "big boon" to the small and medium enterprises in the IT sector by Som Mittal, chairman of the National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom).

The IP-VPN service, which provides the right kind of secure network for banks and financial institutions, is available in all state capitals although it was officially launched in the 10 cities of Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, New Delhi, Ernakulam, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai and Pune.

The MPLS-VPN service provides secured connectivity at one eighth of the cost of leased lines and is easily scalable for high capacity transmission, practically doing away with in-house technical work force.

The range of value added services include bandwidth on demand, video conferencing and voice over IP (VoIP).

"This is really the new dial tone of the next generation. It is not only competitive in India but globally too," said Brad Gray, vice president of Juniper Networks, which worked with state-owned Indian Telephone Industries to develop the technology.

The launch of the service is to cost of Rs 300 million, which is expected to be recovered by BSNL in the "next three years", P.K. Sinha, director (commercial and marketing), told reporters on the sidelines of the launch.

"The launch makes leased lines and unsecured data transmission a thing of the past," added K. Padmanabhan, chief general manager, Karnataka circle.

The BSNL has announced early bird incentives like discount from five to ten percent for those registering in the next one month for the three classes of service based on the committed rate of bandwidth.

The Indian Cannes Sutra

Sunday, May 25, 2003 | Editor
The 56th Festival de Cannes has ended with its usual celebrations and a veritable feast of the best of world cinema. As for Indian cinema, Cannes 2003 is possibly a watershed: it marked the bowing out of 'government' from centrestage, and the hardselling of India as a top-drawer international location.

The government has finally woken up to India's huge potential as a location for international shooting. For instance, a team of 20 visitors to the country could spend up to a million dollars over six weeks, creating dozens of jobs in the bargain—apart from promoting international understanding of which, heaven knows, we need a bit.

The trick for India this Cannes seem to have been done by professionals with contacts and know-how.

Visas and rules have been simplified and made competitive. Scripts from abroad will be cleared in three weeks, when they used to take half a year earlier.

There have been the Steven Spielbergs and Bernardo Bertoluccis of this world who had wanted

to shoot in India, but were driven elsewhere by the endless torture of official dawdling. There is also this whole new crop of Indians and ethnic Indians abroad wanting to make films at, and about, home. Understandably, they have wanted to do it in dollars. But in the past, this has caused problems. Now, one hopes, they will be fewer.

There is the much broader and larger business of business—distribution and exhibition, joint productions, new technologies and, generally, entering the 21st century of mainstream entertainment. Progress began to be made two years ago when the NFDC opened a small seaside stall. Last year, Sushma Swaraj made her second trip for a government collaboration. This year, the thrust is entirely on private sector. It has made a difference.

It is the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) that has helped in this direction. This time, it set up a 1,300 sq-ft Indian pavilion in the Cannes market section and sold it to eight parties wanting to hawk their wares. The pavilion drew good crowds, there were meetings and video screenings. In all, some evidence of success. As CII director Tarun Das says, "My indicator is the satisfaction of organisations which bought space here. They report achievement of their objectives. Next year, we'll do twice as well and make India a really big thing here."

Stalls were taken, for instance, by Hyderabad's Ramoji Studios showcasing their extraordinary Film City. The NFDC printed a businesslike brochure on 'Film Resources in India' listing studios, pre- and post-production facilities and production houses. There was not an issue of daily festival magazines without its clutch of ads promoting Indian movies. They ranged from Dinesh Gandhi's big-budget Armaan to the Shahrukh-Raveena starrer Yeh Lamhe Judaai Ke , from Pooja Bhatt's Jism starring Bipasha Basu to Lemon Tree Production's Leela directed by Somnath Sen and featuring Dimple Kapadia.

There was a new confidence and bustle showing, especially during announcements of new productions and film screenings. Shekhar Kapur announced a new film Pani centred on a waterless Mumbai in 2040. Kaizad Gustad's Boom!, a fashion world-meets-underworld movie starring Amitabh Bachchan and a slew of supermodels, also had its debut screening here.

The trick for India this Cannes seems to have been done by professionals with contacts and know-how. There were well-attended parties, well-written publicity materials, and well-informed folk at the stalls—nothing revolutionary, just the routine, done professionally.

As veteran Bollywood filmmaker-producer Subhash Ghai, who is also in Cannes, puts it, "People have forever been crying, 'The Indians are coming!' Maybe we're here because we have learned our lessons." Ghai wants Indian cinema to market itself to the world on its own terms. But it better be swift. As Leslie Felprin, writing in Screen International, says: "This could be a make or break time for India.So much has fallen into place for it."

Soldier Kills Officer at Mumbai Airport

Sunday, May 25, 2003 | Editor
BOMBAY, India - A paramilitary soldier guarding Bombay's international airport killed his commanding officer and took six fellow soldiers hostage for seven hours before surrendering peacefully, officials said.

The soldier, armed with a rifle, held five women and one man inside a room at the airport as commandos and riot police surrounded the area. No passengers were hurt.

After seven hours, Bombay Police Chief Ranjit Sharma announced it was over.

"He has surrendered after his mother, father and two police officers went in. There was no harm to anybody," he said. "He came outside himself."

Senior police and paramilitary officers had negotiated by telephone with the soldier, identified only as Namdeo.

It was not clear why the 22-year-old soldier, who belongs to the paramilitary Central Industrial Security Force that guards India's airports, had shot and killed the deputy commandant on Saturday.

"I think it's a classic case of a stress outburst. They are all overworked," Gautam Kaul, former inspector-general of the CISF, told the private NDTV 24X7 television channel.

India tightened its security after several recent terrorist attacks, including a train bombing and a roadside explosion in Bombay earlier this year.

Vajpayee keeps door open for Mamata

Sunday, May 25, 2003 | Editor
New Delhi, May 24: Indicating that doors are still open for Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, Atal Bihari Vajpayee tonight said he would effect another “minor” shuffle “soon”.

As was earlier expected, the MDMK also did not join the NDA ministry today.

The Prime Minister denied the allegation that the BJP leadership was trying to split Trinamul. “There will be a minor reshuffle soon,” he told reporters after the swearing-in of the new ministers.

Vajpayee did not appear embarrassed or jittery after Mamata refused to come to Delhi to take oath as Cabinet minister in protest against the bid to induct her party colleague, Sudip Bandopadhyay.

Asked if he would have talks with Mamata, Vajpayee said “talks are underway”.

Dismissing the charge that attempts were being made to split the Trinamul, he said: “There is no intention of breaking the party. On the contrary, we want to give more representation to it.” Vajpayee said BJP chief M. Venkaiah Naidu had the final talks with Mamata. Denying that her consent was not sought before deciding to induct Bandopadhyay, the Prime Minister said he was told that “her opinion was taken”.

When a reporter asked if the the door is open for Mamata, Vajpayee, who had just been offered a plate of snacks, said in jest: “Mere liye ab khane ka darwaja khoola hai.” But he quickly added that Mamata “is in the NDA”.

Asked why Mamata gets angry frequently with the government, he said: “Samata wallah gadbad karthi hain (the Samata Party creates trouble).” Was it George Fernandes or Nitish Kumar, someone asked. Vajpayee parried the question.

(Mamata had earlier been wanting to get back railways but faced stiff resistance from her successor, Nitish Kumar.)

Asked if the induction of Swami Chinmayanand into the council of ministers was a message that the BJP was going back to hardline Hindutva, the Prime Minister said: “I took a step, it is up to you to find meanings.”

Vajpayee said a new minister from the MDMK will join his ministry. Vaiko’s MDMK has decided not to suggest a replacement for Gingee Ramachandran, who was forced to resign after the transfer-for-cash scandal broke.

following the arrest of his personal assistant on bribery charge.

BJP president M. Venkaiah Naidu, who was also present at the swearing in ceremony said he had talked to Banerjee in the morning and the decision to defer induction of Trinamul members was taken at her request.

Naidu said the Trinamul chief had complained about not being properly consulted. “There appeared to be a communication gap. So I said we will have another round of consultations,” he said.

Vajpayee cabinet expansion reflects political pressures

Sunday, May 25, 2003 | Editor
New Delhi: Clumsiness marks the expansion of the cabinet by A B Vajpayee, even though this is the 11th time he has done this job in the last five years. The experience of all these years has not helped as the prime minister has created a crisis for himself and his party in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, though there is no danger to his own government.

The much-hyped cabinet expansion gives Kerala a second representative in the form of P.C.Thomas, who had risked his own political future by throwing his lot with the Bharatiya Janata Party, which still has not a single elected representative either in parliament or assembly from Kerala. His appointment is a reward to the patient work he had done to mobilise independent MPs to the cause of the BJP in the last three years and his own experience as a go getter parliamentarian.

The second bright spot of the limited exercise is the elevation of B.C.Khanduri to the cabinet rank. The retired major general had worked hard to make the ambitious golden quadrilateral project of the prime minister a success, by travelling the length and breadth of the country to build a modern system of highways. Khanduri, who comes from Uttaranchal, is now sure to be projected as the BJP's chief minsterial candidate when the elections are due in the hill state next.

Otherwise the exercise is centred round the problems faced by BJP in its own ranks in Uttar Pradesh, where the party is a coalition partner of Bahujan Samaj Party. The party has tried to placate the harsh critics of chief minister Mayawati by bringing them into the government. Thus former chief minister Rajnath Singh and Sadhu turned politician Chinmayananda have been accommodated. Chinmayananda is also seen as a replacement for saffron clad Uma Bharti who has been despatched to Madhya Pradesh for electioneering. Removal of Rajnath Singh from party work is expected to ease the pressure on Mayawati.

But at the same time Vajpayee has forced agriculture minister Ajit Singh, who has the support of 14 MLAs in Uttar Pradesh, triggering off a mini crisis in the state, as Mayawati does not have a big majority. Equally clumsy has been the way the prime minister has approached Mamata Banerjee of Trinamool Congress. As the party president she had the right to fill the party's quota, but deputy prime minister L K Advani, who has not much of a liking for Mamata, deliberately pushed for the name of Sudhip Bandhopadhyay, who is now in Mamata's bad books.Pplus there was the haggling over portfolios. On the other hand Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackerey kept calling the shots by deciding once again who stays and who goes out, from the Shiv Sena quota.

The negative fallout of the expansion exercise is that lot of dirty linen about the performance of civil aviation minister Shahnawaz Hussain. The party leaked reports that Hussain's hands were not clean. Yet the shocking conclusion was that such conduct only meant change of portfolio and not removal of Hussain from the government. Thus Hussain continues in the government with a cloud over his head. This came on the top of the terrible scandal involving the personal team of minister of state for finance Gingee Ramachandran.

It has been a messy exercise for Vajpayee, despite having the core team advice of deputy prime minister L K Advani, finance minister Jaswant Singh and party president Venkaiah Naidu. But the ground situation was equally messy.

Star of India guides IT boom

Sunday, May 25, 2003 | Editor
Azim Premji is one of the world's richest men and a global tech tycoon. But he has an asceticism inspired by his hero Gandhi, reports Faisal Islam

The 'richest man in India' is in phlegmatic mood. Mention that tag in Azim Premji's company and one gets no glimmer of recognition that this is a description of the man himself. Bring up the startling factoid that in February 2000 he usurped Warren Buffett, Larry Ellison, and the Sultan of Brunei to become, for a sliver of history, the second-richest man in the world, worth some £35 billion, and all you get is a wry smirk. 'I didn't consider it real money. It was just notional wealth,' says Premji.
At that time, shares in Wipro, Premji's company, were just about to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange, a slick marketing move in addition to raising funds for expansion. Wipro's star had risen on the back of the dotcom boom. His Bangalore-based software programming teams and call centres were seen as the spine of the new internet economy. People were India's new spice.

But the difference for Wipro, Infosys and the other leading Indian consultancies is that, although they serviced the dotcom economy, they never adhered to its business model. All have been consistently profitable. Wipro itself has grown by a compound rate of 40 per cent a year since 1966, when Premji took over his father's vegetable oil company. Its clients include Sony, Fiat, Microsoft, Dell, Allianz insurance, Thames Water and the Aberdeen Group. The attraction is India's potent mix of highly skilled, technically qualified, English-speaking graduates.

'I can employ a software engineer in India and give him the same standard of living as in Britain for a sixth of the cost, in purchasing parity terms. So it's inevitable that this shift will take place, as it has happened for manufacturing Britain these days, because there are better places to do it,' he says.

All of which poses some interesting questions for the future of the British economy, but Premji's canvas is a global one. The 'global competitiveness agenda' is so compelling that profitable companies will not be able to avoid shifting back-office business processes abroad, he thinks. centre operators are graduates, which compares favourably with the skills level of call-centre operatives in the US and Europe. Language and technical aptitude are not enough for Premji, however. He recently sent some of his employees to accent-training courses in Texas and New York to offer a hometown-style service for Dell and Lehman Brothers respectively.

But do not imagine his company is merely a global call centre. Premji forced the company to the limit in reaching various obscure quality-assurance kitemarks such as 'Sigma 6' and 'SEI CMM' of which Wipro is the world's first level 5 company. Indian software companies have had to go much further than Western ones just to shock prospective customers into realising their skills. 'We are into IT consulting, we now see our main competitor as Accenture,' he says. Indeed, Microsoft's Bill Gates recently hinted that a Wipro-Microsoft team could outcompete IBM's excellence in consultancy, prompting rumours of a closer relationship with the biggest technology company in the world.

The two men co-operate on their charitable work. 'My foundation is working closely with the Bill Gates Foundation. Our expertise is in primary education and theirs is in health, so we're somewhat complementary,' says Premji. Education is Premji's passion. He had to curtail his own university life at Stanford to rush back to India and take control of Wipro. Now he devotes time to making sure his supply pipe of talented software consultants keeps flowing.

'We aren't coming up against skills constraints, there are still 260,000 software engineers coming out of Indian universities each year. One factor in their acknowledged propensity for technology is that they are willing to continuously learn, unlearn and relearn.' A measure of Wipro's confidence is its move to open up strike-ridden Kolkata, formerly known as Calcutta. The company and the sector are showing increasing signs of maturity, which is good for a man who has ambitions to lead one of the top five software service companies in the world within a few years. Strategy consulting is not on the agenda, nor is the production of branded software. 'Products and services are two completely different businesses with different business models. We have mastered the business of services and view that as our core competence,' he says.

But maturity brings problems. Maturity also means an end to 40 per cent growth rates and exceptional profits. Clients are pushing down prices, seeking to capture more of the cost savings themselves. Western competitors are opening their own facilities in India. And the post-11 September environment has put sand in the wheels of this unstoppable process of globalisation.

New visa restrictions in the US may harm Wipro's ability to do business. In India there is a growing view that this is protectionism by other means. One US state, New Jersey, has passed a law banning outsourcing to Indian IT firms. 'Our industry body is looking into this issue of visas. Our model is 25 per cent of staff onsite, 75 per cent in India,' he says. Premji himself has been on the receiving end of racial profiling during his business trips to the US. 'Since I have come to the US I have gone to airports four times to catch flights and each time I have been profiled because my name shows I am a Muslim,' he told journalists last year, before joking about changing his name. But his name is increasingly known around the world. He has been entertained by Tony Blair and Bill Clinton when he was President, and was visited by Rupert Murdoch on his trip to India, yet Premji could not be more indifferent to the trappings of power. He still drives a six-year-old Ford Escort, travels economy class on internal flights, and packs a travel iron and detergent for washing his clothes.

His legendary parsimony may be down to the fact that he still owns 84 per cent of the company, also the source of his world-beating wealth in 2000. He is believed recently to have slightly diluted his stake through acquisitions of a US consulting firm. Further acquisitions, possibly in Britain, are believed to be in the pipeline. Then again, his asceticism may simply be down to his background as a secular Bohra Indian Muslim who refuses to pay a bribe in a country riddled with corruption. Perhaps this is the influence of Gandhi, who alongside Bill Gates and Jack Welch top his list of heroes.

Last week he took his take on human development to the World Bank, delivering the keynote speech at its conference on development economics. He was happy to relay details of the latest 'endogenous growth' theories, but also highlighted the 'frightening disparity' between developing and developed countries. 'A girl born in Japan today may have a 50 per cent chance of seeing the 22nd century - while a newborn in Afghanistan has a one in four chance of dying before age five,' he pointed out to the Bangalore conference. His vision is of a revolution in primary education and information kiosks bringing the Indian technology dream to every village and every farmer across the giant country.

As he says: 'My sincere belief is that development and deployment of the right talent can soon push India to that long-awaited status of being a developed economy.'

An optimistic vision, perhaps, but worth watching out for.

· What they say

Soon it will be common sense when a complex project is to be delivered to say 'How about we talk to Wipro about this?'

Bill Gates, Microsoft president

He has as much humility as Oracle's Larry Ellison has showmanship

Rene Carayol, author of Corporate Voodoo

By taking Wipro to the world stage he's pulled off the almost impossible

Sir Iain Vallance, former chairman BT/CBI

Railways online booking a great hit

Saturday, May 24, 2003 | Editor
Coimbatore, May 23: With good public response, the online booking and door delivery of tickets by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has registered tremendous growth from its inception 10 months ago, a senior official said today.

Started in August in Delhi with 100 tickets booking with a daily turnover of Rs 3 lakh, IRCTC has an average ticket sales of 2,500 to 3,000, raising its daily turnover to Rs 40 lakh in 40 locations, now, according to its deputy general manager (operations), J Vinayan.

Talking to reporters here, after inaugurating the facility in Coimbatore and Tirupur, Vinayan said the facility would be extended to another 10 cities and towns, to raise it to 50 locations by the end of the year.

Stating that the system used the broad vision suite of e-commerce software products, Vinayan said the services now offered were booking tickets by any train in any class from any station to any station served by the train, subject to distance restriction imposed by Railways.

However, courier services for door delivery of the tickets were only available in 40 cities and towns, which would be extended gradually, including in Tiruchirapalli, Erode and Madurai in Tamil Nadu.

With ticket printing facility available now only in Delhi, IRCTC proposes to start this facility in Chennai and Mumbai soon, which would reduce the period of door delivery, which took two to three days at present, Vinayan added. (Agencies)

Ramachandran resigns from Union Cabinet

Saturday, May 24, 2003 | Editor
New Delhi, May 23: Union Minister of State for Finance Gingee N. Ramachandran resigned tonight from the Vajpayee government, accepting moral responsibility for the alleged involvement of his personal assistant in a bribery case but said his conscience was clear that he was not involved in any wrongdoing.

As his continuance in the ministry appeared untenable by the hour, he sent his resignation to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee after he had discussed the matter with Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, NDA convenor George Fernandes and BJP president M Venkiah Naidu following his return from Chennai.

Contacts were also established with MDMK chief Yaiko, who is at present lodged in Vellore central jail on POTA charges.

Ramachandran said, "Since a situation has arisen whereby I have to accept moral responsibility to save the government from unnecessary embarrassment, I have tendered my resignation. But my conscience is very, very clear that I have not done anything wrong."

The MDMK is a constituent of the BJP-led NDA at the Centre.

MDMK presidium chairman L Ganesan, after calling on the party chief Vaiko at the central prison in Vellore, said it was the prerogative of the Prime Minister to sack a minister.

Ganesan said Ramachandran and the MDMK should not be blamed for an offence allegedly committed by an official.

Vaiko, lodged in the prison after being arrested under POTA, was shocked after hearing the news but believed that Ramachandran would not have indulged in any corruption, he said.

Asked whether he discussed the Ramachandran issue with Vaiko, Ganesan said he had discussed with Vaiko the political situation and other issues concerned with the party. (Agencies)

Fernandes to spend night in submarine

Saturday, May 24, 2003 | Editor
Visakhapatnam, May 23: It was a promise fulfilled for the Navy personnel here when Defence Minister George Fernandes embarked on INS Sindhuvir, a frontline submarine, for an overnight stay to review its operations at sea.

Fernandes would review the operations and the prowess of the multi-faceted capabilities of the submarine arm. He is likely to disembark tomorrow morning. The submarine is being commanded by Commander Raghvendra Rai.

It was during his previous visit to the command in November last year when he had visited the submarine at sea for a few hours. Following that visit, the Minister had expressed a desire to spend a full night on board.

Earlier, Fernandes was welcomed by Vice Admiral Raman Puri, who is Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Naval Command, on his arrival from Chennai by a special flight here this evening.

After arriving at the naval jetty in the naval dockyard here, he went directly to the submarine and did not talk to mediamen waiting for him at the venue.

INS Sindhuvir, the fourth of the Sindhugosh class of submarines, was commissioned at Riga in the erstwhile USSR in 1988 and has had an excellent stint with successful participation in several major combat exercises and operations. (Agencies)

Annan appoints de Mello UN special representative to Iraq

Saturday, May 24, 2003 | Editor
Annan appoints de Mello UN special representative to Iraq

United Nations,Saturday, May 24, 2003: United Nations Human Rights Chief Sergio Vieira de Mello has been appointed as the world body's special representative in Iraq for four months and will work with the United States and Britain in reconstruction of the country and rebuilding of its devastated institutions.

But de Mello, who has strong backing of the United States, said his appointment is only for four months so that he can hold his current position.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan informed the presidents of Security Council and the General Assembly in letters of his choice on Friday, just 24 hours after the Council adopted a resolution lifting sanctions on Iraq. Annan is expected to formally introduce him at press conference on Tuesday. Monday is UN holiday.
Writing to Assembly President Jan Kavan, Annan described Mello's appointment as "unusual" and there was nothing in his letter to suggest that he would remain in Iraq after that.
Annan said he has selected de Mello because of "his unique experience in serving the UN in post-conflict situations in the past."
Deputy High Commissioner for human rights, Bertie Ramcharan will be officer-in-charge during Vieira de Mello's absence.
The fifty-five year old Brazilian diplomat has deftly handled the East Timor, Kosovo and Lebanon crisis, among other places. He took over a UN human rights commissioner in September from Mary Robinson.
(PTI)
09:30 IST

Mamata cancels Delhi visit; summons emergency meeting

Saturday, May 24, 2003 | Editor
Mamata cancels Delhi visit; summons emergency meeting

Kolkata,Saturday, May 24, 2003: In a sudden development, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, who was likely to be inducted in the Union Cabinet, has cancelled her trip to New Delhi this morning and summoned an emergency working committee meeting of the Party to decide "future course of action".

The decision came in the wake of reports from New Delhi that senior party colleague Sudip Bandyopadhyay was being considered for induction in the Union Cabinet without consulting the party, Mukul Roy, Trinamool Congress General Secretary and close confidante of Banerjee told PTI.
Roy said that move to induct Bandyopadhyay in the cabinet without consulting the party amounts to "direct attempt to cause defection in Trinamool Congress".
(PTI)
09:30 IST

Village woman shares platform with Azim Premji

Saturday, May 24, 2003 | Editor
IANS

BANGALORE: The combination is a rather strange one but could well be an indicator of the change IT is making to the lives of people, more so in India's villages.

Norti Bai, a 55-year-old woman from Tilonia in Rajasthan, a school dropout, inaugurated a conference here on Friday where IT major Wipro's chairman Azim Premji delivered the keynote address.

The news is not so much about her sharing the platform with the prince of Indian IT as well as Kiran Karnik, president of the National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom), but how she reached there.

The occasion was the inauguration of a seminar on "Media, IT and Grassroots Development," organised as part of the 40th anniversary of the Press Institute of India.

Thanks to a non-governmental organisation called Social Work Research Centre (SWRC), Norti Bai could learn computers to provide maps to the government on the number of wells or water resources in 11 villages around Tilonia.

"It took me seven months to learn computers, two months of which went in translating the English keyboard into Hindi. All the details of the surveys of water resources are incorporated in the maps. There are 3,000 women in 250 villages working on such surveys," she told the audience.

Norti Bai, dressed in the traditional Rajasthani ghagra-dupatta and jewellery, appears to have been a fighter all through.

Two decades ago, as a construction worker, she fought for payment of minimum wages by organising women around the villages. That's when she got in touch with the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sanghatan, a worker-peasant trade union.

She was soon involved in teaching the children of farm labourers in what could best be described as night schools because they had to work during the day in the fields.

She also trained women labourers about their rights and the right to information before her movements were restricted because her husband developed TB.

That's when the SWRC offered her computer training.

"Women don't send their children to school after fifth or sixth standard. But they send them to me and I teach them. I teach them the basics of the computer and let them type out the newspaper," Norti Bai told IANS on the sidelines of the seminar.

"If we must progress as a nation, we must learn how to be self-critical without losing our self-confidence. Because, as it is said, success does not always go to the strongest but to those who think they can," Premji said.

"Education helps people make informed choices, and enhances their access to opportunities," he added.

Said Press Institute of India chairman Ajit Bhattacharjea: "Norti Bai was a natural choice as she represents the dramatic changes made possible by IT in rural society. The event is designed to promote coverage of grassroots issues often neglected by the media."

Said Karnik: "The Nasscom foundation, registered three months ago, would act as a bridge between the industry and the non-governmental sector to help adoption of technology in the rural areas. Technology adoption does not necessarily mean teaching computers. There could also be text to speech appliances."

No talks with Pakistan now, says Fernandes

Saturday, May 24, 2003 | Editor
No talks with Pakistan now, says Fernandes

CHENNAI: Defence Minister George Fernandes on Friday dismissed suggestions of talks with Pakistan in the immediate future and said the Centre was now going ahead with the confidence building measures with the neighbouring country.

Fernandes told reporters immediately after attending an investiture ceremony of the Indian Coast Guard at its air station here that talks would be held when the situation demanded it.

``When we reach the time for talks, it will be held. But it (the time) is not appropriate now,'' he noted.

On the efforts taken by Pakistan to curb cross border terrorism and the activities of the terrorist outfits, he said: ``Pakistan has taken some steps and asked some terrorist leaders and groups not to venture into certain areas. If the directive is acted upon, our government will welcome it.''

However, the extent to which the orders were being implemented was not known, he added.

On Pakistan's insistence on third party intervention in the Kashmir issue, Fernandes was of the view that the issues should be solved bilaterally. He said India had not sought the intervention of any third country in the issues between the two nations.

There had been ups and downs in infiltration from across the border, the Defence Minister said.

He also ruled out withdrawal of forces from the borders with Pakistan immediately.

Regarding the relief activities taken up by the Indian armed forces in flood-ravaged Sri Lanka, Fernandes said more forces would be rushed there depending on the need.

Stating that the island nation was facing a very hard time, he said the Indian Army, Air Force and Naval personnel were providing whatever assistance was necessary.

Regarding the proposed joint Naval exercises with Russia, Fernandes said the European nation had been a strategic partner for a long time and that the military exercises were an ongoing process.

``We have had such an exercise with the US called the `Malabar Series', recently. It will continue with other countries too,'' he added.

Fernandes said there was no move to send a unit of the Rashtriya Rifles to Iraq to join the US forces in rebuilding the war-ravaged country.

He did not favour such a move at this juncture.

Explicit sex scene sets tongues wagging at Cannes

Thursday, May 22, 2003 | Editor
A US film competing at the Cannes film festival has become a hot talking point at the glitzy parties on the Riviera for an explicit fellatio scene featuring the actor/director, Vincent Gallo.

The real-life oral sex scene in Gallo's "The Brown Bunny" elicited giggles and wide-eyed stares in screenings, but failed to stir the sort of outrage that has accompanied previous Cannes entries.

Reaction to the film, which is about a motorbike racer's quest to forget his one true love by seducing a succession of other women, has been tepid, with a few viewers saying the fellatio scene was the only point at which the story livened up.

"I'm only serious when I'm provocative," Gallo, 41, told a media conference, though he denied that he had been seeking to create a scandal.

Indo-Russian naval exercises begin

Thursday, May 22, 2003 | Editor
Indo-Russian naval exercises begin
22/05/2003

India and Russia on Wednesday began their first ever naval exercises in the Arabian Sea.

The exercises, which involve the largest deployment of Russian warships since the collapse of the Soviet Union comes at a time when the US Navy is withdrawing its warships from the Persian Gulf.

The timing of the exercises and the scale of the Russian deployment is being seen as a first step towards a sustained Russian presence in the Indian Ocean - something which was common during the Cold War.

The exercises being led by the flagship of the Black Sea fleet involves 11 Russian warships including cruisers, frigates and reportedly two nuclear submarines.

Pakistan to remain suspended from Commonwealth

Thursday, May 22, 2003 | Editor
Pakistan will remain suspended from the Commonwealth as its Parliament has remained deadlocked over the status of the Legal Framework Orders issued by President Pervez Musharraf as the military chief, the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group decided today.

While agreeing to review Pakistan's suspension at its next meeting in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the Group hoped that dialogue between the Government and the opposition parties on outstanding issues, including the LFO, would be concluded successfully in the spirit of parliamentary practice and process, the Commonwealth Secretary General Don McKinnon told newsmen after the CMAG meeting.
External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha, who was also present at the briefing said "I agree with the decision and I have nothing more to add to the decision of the group." He was replying to a question on India's reaction to the decision to keep Pakistan suspended from the Councils of the Commonwealth.
The concluding statement read out by Mckinnon said the Group received a report from the Secretary-General on recent developments in Pakistan, in particular "the role and functioning of democratic institutions since the October 2002 elections.
"The Group welcomed the progress made by Pakistan in the establishment of democratic institutions including the election of the National Assembly, the Senate and Provincial Assemblies, and the formation of democratic governments at the national and provincial levels. It also welcomed the positive measures taken for women's representation in the parliament, the representation of minorities and the determination to enhance public accountability and end corruption'.
(PTI)
20:27 IST

Sehwag slams 54 to set-up Leicestershire victory

Wednesday, May 21, 2003 | Editor
Sehwag slams 54 to set-up Leicestershire victory

London,Tuesday, May 20, 2003: Explosive India bat Virender Sehwag slammed an entertaining half-century to set up a 66-run victory for his county side Leicestershire against Yorkshire in the National Cricket League one-day match here.

Sehwag stitched a 97-run partnership in 18 overs with Darren Stevens for the second wicket, a stand that propelled Leicestershire to a competitive 247 for eight. In reply, Yorkshire could manage 181.
Sehwag did not disappoint the healthy number of Leicester's Indian community who had came down specially to watch him in action.
He made a fine 54 with the help of chip shots and one-handed slices to the point boundary besides his speciality stroke - the powerful wrist-rolling flick to the leg.
Sehwag's knock was not chanceless though. He got a reprieve on 27 when Chris Silverwood let go a simple-looking chance in the slips. Had he held on to it, it would have been yet another instance of the Indian batting star getting dismissed in reckless fashion after a fine start.
Sehwag had struggled intially on his debut English season failing in three consecutive one-day innings before making a fine 81 in the four-day county match against Surrey.
Ironically, the Indian batting star perished to his favourite flick shot as a leading edge to short extra cover was well taken.
(PTI)
19:11 IST

India shows the way on economic reforms: World Bank

Wednesday, May 21, 2003 | Editor
Lauding India for its decade-old economic reforms, World Bank Vice President Nicholas H Stern said today the country has shown the developing world the right kind of economic policies to be adopted.

"India has shown to the developing world the right kind of economic growth. We do know that (growth) is slowing... It will have to push ahead more for accelerated development... I am rather positive of the growth it has achieved in the last 10 years," Stern told reporters here, ahead of the bank's "annual conference on development economics" (ABCDE).
India's Gross Domestic Product grew at 6.7 per cent annually in the first five years of reforms (1992-1993 to 1996-1997) and at 5.5 per cent in the subsequent five years, which was "significant" than the "Hindu rate of growth" of 3.5 per cent in the pre-liberalisation days.
He said India witnessed rapid growth in exports at 14 per cent of GDP, doubling from seven per cent in the 10 years due to the relaxation of the permit raj and substantial liberalisation of exports.
World Bank rates India between the lower income and lower-middle income countries of the world.
Stern said the ABCDE meet showed the changing style of the World Bank to be more operation-oriented and committed on the field.
(PTI)
19:28 IST

Managing Editor of English Daily arrested in PF default

Wednesday, May 21, 2003 | Editor
Managing Editor of English Daily arrested in PF default

Kolkata,Tuesday, May 20, 2003: The Managing Editor of a leading English daily, The Statesman, Ravinder Kumar, was today arrested in an alleged provident fund default case and sent to judicial custody till May 27.

The Enforcement branch of the Kolkata police arrested Kumar this morning in front of his residence on the basis of a complaint filed by the Provident Fund Commissioner's office for alleged default of Rs 1.35 crore of the PF contributions.
Kumar was later produced before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate S C Misra who rejected a bail application moved by a senior official of the newspaper in the absence of a lawyer due to an agitation and sent him to judicial remand till May 27.
An Enforcement Branch official said the arrest was made after the newspaper "failed" to clear the PF dues despite "repeated reminders" and the Provident Fund Commissioner (PFC) filed as FIR on May 14.
Anand Sinha, Vice President (Operations) of The Statesman, who pleaded on behalf of Kumar, conceded before the court that the company failed to deposit the PF contributions because it is "faced with a financial crisis due to non-payment of more than Rs 60 million by the Central and state governments on account of advertisement dues.
(PTI)
18:19 IST

India developing into a global power - Young

Wednesday, May 21, 2003 | Editor
London,Tuesday, May 20, 2003: India is developing as a global power and it should take its rightful place in the international stage with a permanent membership of the expanded UN Security Council, British High Commissioner to India Sir Rob Young said today.

"India is a force in the international scene and a major economic power in the 21st century," Sir Young told newspersons here in an informal interaction.
On Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's initiative to improve relations with Pakistan, Sir Young said "It was extremely welcome and it was bold and courageous".
"We welcome not only his initiative but Pakistan's response. Both sides are conscious of practical problems but their step by step confidence building measures were in the right direction.
"We are talking to both sides and want to encourage the process."
Sir Young, who will be completing his tenure in October, said he has been in Delhi for 4 and 1/2 years and it has been a "very fascinating period" for him.
"I leave India in October and Michael Arthur would succeed me. I will be very sad to leave but I will maintain my links with India," he said.
Expressing his satisfaction over the rapid growth in the India-UK bilateral relations during the last one decade barring a "blip " in 1997/98 following India's decision to undertake the nuclear tests, he said: "India is developing as a global power and as a symbol of this India has put forth its candidature for a permanent member of the expanded U N Security Council. We believe India should take its rightful place in the international stage".
(PTI)
20:27 IST

Pak restriction on Hizb useless, says BSF

Wednesday, May 21, 2003 | Editor
Pak restriction on Hizb useless, says BSF

New Delhi,Tuesday, May 20, 2003: Islamabad's reported move to impose "restrictions" on Pakistan-based terrorist outfit Hizbul Mujahideen today failed to enthuse the security forces involved in counter-terrorism operations.

"Pakistan is clever to ban a dying organisation," BSF Director General Ajai Raj Sharma said at a press conference here when referred to the development.
Hizbul Mujahideen is "already losing out in battle in the state and over the last few months several developments have taken place indicating that it is cracking up," he said.
Sharma said Lashker-e-Toiba had lately emerged as the main terrorist organisation and said that instead of HM, Pakistan should have restrained it.
Pakistan today announced that it had imposed restrictions on Hizbul Mujahideen.
Asserting that foreigners were now dominating the terrorist cadres, he said such elements constituted between 60 to 70 per cent of terrorists operating in Jammu and Kashmir.
He said around 3000 terrorists were reportedly active in the state at present and several more groups were waiting to infiltrate.
(PTI)

India, Pak will have to "talk about talks first": Sinha

Tuesday, May 20, 2003 | Editor
Asserting that past agreements cannot be ignored, External Afffairs Minister Yashwant Sinha tonight said India and Pakistan will have to "talk about talks first" and dismissed Islamabad's claim that it has no control over the activities of militant groups.

"I don't think it is open to any set of countries to completely ignore agreements reached in the past and say we will begin with a new slate," Sinha said in an interview to BBC World.
He was asked why should things be different now since Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, who was seen by India as making things impossible to proceed, is still in charge in that country.
"We will have to keep on trying," he said adding "we will have to talk about talks first. We will have to find out what exactly and in what manner and what issues we should discuss and in what priority," he said.
Brushing aside Islamabad's claim that it had no control over militants, Sinha said "Pakistan has shown plenty of willingness and ability to capture and handover almost 500 Afghan, Arab and other Al-Qaeda-linked terrorists to the US.
"We would expect similar action from the Pakistani Government against terrorists targeting India as well."
Sinha said: "It is difficult to accept the Pakistani assertions that the 70 to 80 per cent of terrorists came from outside the region and they are not in a position to control them".
(PTI)
21:21 IST

Akram and his battles with India

Tuesday, May 20, 2003 | Editor
Akram and his battles with India

New Delhi,Monday, May 19, 2003: The man who terrorised batsmen -- be it in the one-dayers or Tests -- will be missed by teammates, opponents and fans alike.

No less by the Indians who were at the receiving end of his fury many a time.
"Akram will be remembered for ever as one of the all time greats," former India captain Krisnamachari Srikkanth said.
"Akram is the best fast bowler I have ever played against in the world. His deceptive bouncers were very lethal and because of that Akram found success so often," said Srikkanth who led the last Indian team to visit Pakistan in 1989.
Akram's retirement, announced midway through a county match in England, might have been low key without much hoopla but at least, he realised early enough that he no more had a chance of returning to the Pakistan team and bid adieu.
More than 400 wickets in both forms of the game is a rare double that would withstand the test of time. If his 1,032 first-class wickets at 21.65 including 70 five-fors and 16 ten-wicket hauls are staggering, the two hat-tricks in both Tests and one-day internationals complete the picture of an all-time great.
For all his exploits all over the world, Akram enjoyed bowling against India, claiming 45 wickets from 12 Tests and 60 from 48 one-day internationals. But his last encounter against the arch-rivals - a nightmarish match for Pakistan in the World Cup in South Africa -- resulted in despair for the 'Sultan of Swing'. He was thrashed by Sachin Tendulkar, probably the only batsman he was not able to tame completely during his illustrious career.
(PTI)

India sends more relief to Sri Lanka, PM seeks unity

Tuesday, May 20, 2003 | Editor
India sends more relief to Sri Lanka, PM seeks unity

Colombo,Monday, May 19, 2003: An Indian naval ship and its rescue crews today joined a major relief operation in Sri Lanka as the authorities began counting the casualties after the worst flood in 56 years left over hundred dead and thousands homeless.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said India was one of the first to respond to Sri Lanka's appeal and had placed an Indian vessel as well as the Disaster Management team at Colombo's disposal.
"Indian divers and other rescue teams will be deployed on the ground to assist the relief operation that is now underway," the Prime Minister told reporters here today.
He said it was too early to estimate the exact casualties and the extent of damage although water levels were subsiding in many places.
"It would take about another day for us to get the estimates in," the premier said as he accepted a donation of one million dollars from the Norwegian government.
He also read out details of Indian assistance which was the first to come.
Energy minister Karu Jayasuriya who is heading Colombo's disaster management team said they can confirm 127 deaths.
"But, I regret to inform you that we fear the toll would be over 200 because there are several places we are still unable to reach" Jayasuriya said adding "in some cases, entire villages have been buried in mud.
An Indian navy craft carrying eight inflatable dinghies and medical supplies is to dock at Sri Lanka's southern Port of Galle today while more supplies could be sent, most probably by air, diplomats said.
(PTI)
18:49 IST

Indo-Russia naval wargame 'symbolic': Sinha

Tuesday, May 20, 2003 | Editor
Indo-Russia naval wargame 'symbolic': Sinha

Moscow,Monday, May 19, 2003: The forthcoming naval wargames by the Indian and Russian navies in the Indian Oceans have a 'symbolic' meaning and could be followed by joint exercises by other defence services of the two countries, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha said in an interview.

"This is a very important step that has a symbolic meaning. Correct me if I'm wrong, this is for the first time in the last decade Russian Navy is having joint exercises with foreign troops. The fact that this is with India says a lot," Sinha said.
"I hope that in the future we will have joint exercises with the other wings of armed forces, as well," the minister said in an interview with a leading Russian financial daily "Kommersant".
According to an announcement by Russian Defence minister Sergei Ivanov the joint naval exercises with "our old strategic partner India" would commence on May 20-21 in the western part of Arab Sea, simultaneously the battleships of Russia's Pacific Fleet would hold wargames with India's eastern naval command in Bay of Bengal.
(PTI)
21:21 IST

Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost

Tuesday, May 20, 2003 | Editor
Humour, for a change

Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost takes place in one of India`s thousands of villages where there is no electricity. The story deals with a month in the life of Kanji (Abhishek) who is a domestic servant. His innocent gift to his grandfather`s recently electrified village sparks a power struggle and creates the humour in the film.

Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost is about the old and the new, the archaic and the post-modern, as seen from the eyes of the village folk. The essence of the film has a simple love story fine tuned by simple village psychology.

The humour in the film arises from the acceptance of modernity in archaic values and the tragedy comes from love trying to achieve the impossible. Lara Dutta plays Abhishek`s leading lady in the film. This is one movie which could rewrite the future of Abhishek Bachchan. Further, the story line triggers some hope in this age where glamour and glitz have taken over. Whether director Apoorva lakhia will be able to tell the story in a convincing manner is to be seen.

Calcutta Mail

Tuesday, May 20, 2003 | Editor
Sudhir Mishra’s Calcutta Mail narrates the story of a man (Anil Kapoor) who leaves his hometown and comes to Calcutta searching for something special. He, however, realises that somebody is watching him and he doesn't know whom to trust. In comes Rima (Rani Mukherjee), but her identity is suspicious. Is she Rima or Bulbul, nothing about her conveys the truth.

He then comes across a number of characters. One among them is Sujan Singh, a joker (Satish Kaushik), a devoted loving father but also a shrewd politician. Can he be trusted?

And there's Ghatak (Saurabh Shukla) always willing to lend a helping hand to everyone friend and foe. Is he to be trusted? Inspector Rastogi played by Sayaji Shinde, a loyal worker who turns away from duty only once to do the biggest favour to the nation. The film is in the thriller genre and suspense is its chief element. See it to find out more.

Lata Khubchandani
Indiasyndicate

Stumped

Tuesday, May 20, 2003 | Editor
Reel Life Entertainment's Stumped deals with the irony of facts. The film shows the different sides of human behavior and a unique combination of the game of cricket and human ups and downs with the backdrop of the cricket world cup 1999.

Stumped happens in a middle-class housing society with different kinds of characters, a Marathi Family, a Punjabi family, a south Indian whacko and three young kids who are cricket crazy. Along with them stay Major Raghav (Aly Khan) and his wife Reena (Raveena Tandon). There is also a baba (Vallabh Vyas). The film starts off with lot of gags and punches surrounding cricket as the whole colony is crazy. However, one man is against this game.

The actual film kicks off with the first match at the 1999 cricket World Cup between India and South Africa followed by all the other matches. Weaved into the films script is the tale of love between Raghav and Reena, the youngest couple in the society. The film is at its peak when the India vs Pakistan match is in progress and Reena gets the news that her husband Raghav has been presumed dead in the Kargil war.

The film could have been much better had the gags been better from the humour point of view. The director loses control over the screenplay right from the start and the first half gets on your nerves. Even the shots and the look of the film leave much to be desired. There are different sorts of characters, but none of them have been well defined and the excitement surrounding the matches has not been built properly.

Another major drawback in the film is its dialogue; the director fails here again, as he is also the writer. There are some intelligent scenes developed but the dialogues just do not have the necessary punch to create any impact. This also hampers the performances of some very established and experienced performers. Anjan Shrivasta, Vallabh Vyas, Asha Sachdev, Suresh Menon and last but not the least Raveena Tandon all work sincerely but do nothing worthwhile to contribute to the film.

Even the love story shows no impressive movement in the first half. It is only towards the second half that things get moving with flash backs, but too many tracks looks forced and completely out of place. To be honest, barring a handful of sequences, the screenplay abounds in clichés. Some sequences do have logic, but also, at times, some of the sequences seem totally irrelevant.

Another track of a young guy’s infatuation with Raveena is also developed very poorly. If that had worked out better it would have generated some amount of interest in the film. On the positive front a couple of sequences like Suresh Menon cutting the cable wire, Raveena before a TV camera and the journalist dying to have a byte, and Raveena trying to water dead plants. However, the climax definitely has some appeal. The last 20 minutes of the film are brilliant and Raveena steals the show completely.

Editing is crisp in the second half and the cinematography is impressive in some sequences. Another sore point of the film is its music. Barring two songs Ek sapna and Humko to hai pura yakeen, the remaining numbers don't contribute in enhancing the impact. This is all the more surprising since the film boasts of four talented music directors.

Anjan Srivastava and Asha Sachdev do justice to their role. Suresh Menon stands out as the crazy south Indian. Viju Shah, Amrit Pal, Vallabh Vyas fit the bill. The rest of the cast pass muster. Even the Salman Khan item track does not have any impact. Overall, the film does not appeal largely due to the director Gaurab Pandey, who neither has the sense of a screenplay nor has the directorial know how. Stumped could have been a far better film than what it is turned out now. Like most Hindi films, this one also has lots of unwanted things in it. If not for Raveena, the film would have been a disaster right from the word go.

Kunal Shah
India Syndicate

Armaan

Tuesday, May 20, 2003 | Editor
Armaan
Director
Honey Irani
Producer
Dinesh Gandhi
Cast
Amitabh, Anil Kapoor
Preity Zinta,Gracy Singh

Honey Irani seems to be here to stay. The successful story teller’s directorial debut is pleasing to eyes. And, it has an interesting storyline too.

An aging philanthropist’s dreams and his son’s quest to make it a reality form the crux of the story. Amitabh Bachchan in a new look proves he is still the best in Bollywood. Anil Kapoor, who plays his son, also proves he is good. The chirpy Preity Zinta in a glamorous role proves she is one among those actresses who can combine good looks with histrionics.

Dr Sinha (Amitabh Bachchan) refuses to become cynical or indifferent despite the struggles he faces and the death and diseases he lives amidst. His dream is to run a state-of-the-art hospital in which everyone can get treatment without discrimination. Akash (Anil Kapoor), an equally devoted doctor and devoted son devotes most of his time to make his father’s hopes come true.

Enter Soniya Kapoor (Preity Zinta), a girl used to getting her own way. Seeing Akash, she decides he is to be her’s.

When all other doors close, she decides to buy him out through a financial agreement. That is, if Akash marries her, her millionaire father (Randhir Kapoor) will finance Dr Sinha’s hospital. Akash then finds himself in a fix. The dilemma of choosing between his love for a fellow doctor Neha (Gracy Singh) and fulfilling his father’s dream.

The story teller in Honey steps in here leading the viewer to an unusual climax. She makes the audience explore the intricacy of human relationships and exposes the vulnerability of individuals in relationships.

Shankar-Ehsan-Loy of Dil Chahta Hai fame score again with the song meri zindagi mein aye ho aur aise aye ho tum. This is, however, Honey Irani’s film where she has brought out some of the best moments in Amitabh Bachchan’s and Anil Kapoor’s career. Preity looks convincing. However, Gracy seems to have lost sheen due to Preity’s screen presence. One, however, still wonders why Amitabh was given that helpless look. The make up looks somewhat bad.

Armaan is an entertainer. Those who are looking for 3 hours of entertainment are advised to book their tickets. But if you are somebody who is looking for cinematic brilliance, please stay at home.

India Syndicate

'Devdas', Bachchan on top at IIFA awards

Tuesday, May 20, 2003 | Editor
Northgate (South Africa): The tragic love story "Devdas", directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, swept the International India Film Academy awards as Bollywood's galaxy of stars were welcomed by Zulu dancers.
"Devdas" won seven of the 13 "Oscars", including best picture and best director, at the awards at Northgate, on the northern outskirts of Johannesburg.

Aishwarya Rai and Shah Rukh Khan, who won best actress and actor awards for their roles in the film, were both absent.

Khan said in a video-taped message that he was undergoing physiotherapy on his back while Rai, who broke her ankle a month ago was in Cannes, France, to represent the Indian film industry at the festival there.

"This is the one moment I cherish the most," Khan said in his message.

Legendary musical director Anandjee wept as he accepted a special award for outstanding contribution to cinema. He called Amitabh Bachchan onto the stage to share the moment with him.

Sizzling dance sequences livened up proceedings throughout the glittering ceremony. The Bachchans, including Amitabh's actor-son Abhishek and wife Jaya, together with the sultry Rani Mukherji and heart-throb Salman Khan, proved most popular among the predominantly South African audience.

During a dance routine, Salman Khan had to be prised away by security personnel from his adoring fans after he had jumped off-stage into the audience in the middle of his performance. Jubilant fans mobbed the superstar, rendering him temporarily incapable of continuing with his act.

Cricketer Ajay Jadeja, who has now turned his attention to the Bollywood scene also perfomred a dance routine to publicise his soon to be released film "Khel".

On stage performances had the capacity audience of about 5,000 riveted as colourful ribbons, flowers, palm trees, cages and thunderous fireworks magnified the festive atmosphere. Eager fans sometimes jostled with security to capture snapshots of the Bollywood favourites.

Bachchan, in his opening address, paid tribute to African National Congress stalwart Walter Sisulu who was buried earlier in the day after dying on May 5 at the age of 90.

Describing Sisulu as a "freedom fighter and father figure" he said that Bollywood "prayed for the peace and tranquility of the departed soul".

Bachchan added that this year's awards, the fourth, celebrated the close ties India had enjoyed with South Africa over the past decade.

Dev Anand, who received an outstanding lifetime achievement award, stressed that it was apt that he was receiving the award in "the land of (Nelson) Mandela and Sisulu, the same land that gave us Gandhi who led us to freedom".

South African Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad said the fact that this was South Africa's second Bollywood awards ceremony in three years -- the previous one was held in the resort of Sun City -- showed that the country was "moving to the centre of the international stage and to the Bollywood industry".

Shah Rukh Khan

Tuesday, May 20, 2003 | Editor
King Khan has not only completely recovered from his back surgery, he's also back to his favourite activity: giving endless interviews to the media. With his third home production CHALTE CHALTE he is slated for release next month (June 2003), he's been busy giving interviews to every reporter who has approached him. At a recently held press conference of the film, he answered the media with a tint of humor and a cigarette in hand. Here are some of his opinions he expressed at the press conference on various topics relating to his career.

About the film
"Unlike previous ventures - PHIR BHI DIL HAI HINDUSTANI and ASOKA - produced by our company Dreamz Unlimited, CHALTE CHALTE is a simple love story. It is not an intellectual type of film. We've learnt from our failures and made a film, which has a basic formula. I play a truck owner's role," he said.

On Aishwarya episode!
He has regretted over not taking Aishwarya Rai for the film. "Which was unfortunate," he said. "As I have worked with her in best of my films from JOSH to DEVDAS." But Rani was always our first choice for the film, he told the media

On being Number one hero in Bollywood
And he also doesn't believe in 'Number Game'. He said he never 'is' and never 'was' the number one in Bollywood. He agrees that his films are doing quite well on foreign shores. I know that in Bihar and UP circuits I am no entity, he laughingly said.

On delivering consecutive hits
His modesty: "Credit should go to my directors. Karan Johar, Sanjay Bhansali and Chopra's…these are the guys behind my hit films. It's just that I was there at the right time."

'Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon' songs banned on radio

Tuesday, May 20, 2003 | Editor
Mumbai: Rajshri Films are desperate for their latest movie "Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon" to become a massive hit.
The film stars Hrithik Roshan, Kareena Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan and is one of the most awaited releases of the year.

The soundtrack recently hit shops around the world and whilst the likes of MTV and Channel V are airing the songs, Rajshri have decided to ban Indian radio channels from playing the tracks.

This has been done with the aim to make the listeners actually go and buy the album rather than listening to it on the radio for free.

This move has however been criticised by many, who believe that people won't buy the soundtrack until they have heard and liked the songs. ANI

Sanjay Dutt, Salman Khan will tour the world together

Tuesday, May 20, 2003 | Editor
Fans of Sanjay Dutt and Salman Khan will now have the opportunity to watch the two actors in real life rather than on the big screen. They have appeared together in films like 'SAAJAN' and 'CHAL MERE BHAI' and this time around they have signed to appear in a world tour titled 'JALWA 2003'.

Before committing himself to the event, Sanjay Dutt was forced to ask a special court in India for permission to leave the country. Other stars who will also take part in the tour include Bobby Deol, Bipasha Basu and Amisha Patel. The group will tour US, Canada and UK in May and June.

Source: ANI

Pak must take more steps to end cross-border terrorism: PM

Monday, May 19, 2003 | Editor
Asserting that cross-border terrorism must end to create an "appropriate atmosphere" for talks, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today said Pakistan must take "more steps" to stop it.

Winding up his six-day summer retreat here, Vajpayee told reporters "our position is this and we stick to it."
"There is no compulsion to talk," he said when asked why India was taking peace initiatives when cross-border terrorism continued.
"We are making efforts to see an end to cross-border terrorism so that an appropriate atmosphere is created for talks," he said and insisted there was no change in New Delhi's position on this.
When referred to recent steps taken by Pakistan, including release of 17 Indian prisoners, the Prime Minister said "several steps have been taken and more must be taken."
"A process has begun. Let us see how these steps are linked with ending cross-border terrorism," he said.
Asked whether he would be travelling to Pakistan for SAARC meeting, Vajpayee said he had not received any invitation.
To a question whether he would be meeting Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in St Petersburg during his upcoming visit to Russia, he said the Pakistani leader was not going there.
"Shall we arrange for his visit too," he quipped in a lighter vein.
(PTI)
14:04 IST

Railways suspend three employees for Frontier Mail fire

Monday, May 19, 2003 | Editor
Railways suspend three employees for Frontier Mail fire

Ludhiana,Sunday, May 18, 2003: Three railway employees, a conductor and two travelling ticket examiners, who were on duty in the three coaches of Frontier Mail which caught fire on Thursday killing 38 passengers, were suspended today.

Conductor Sudhir Prakash and TTs Ajit Kumar and Jasbir Singh were suspended with immediate effect pending an inquiry by the railway authorities following allegations by passengers that they were not in the coaches at the time of the incident, railway sources said.
Meanwhile, Commissioner Railway Safety Bhupinder Singh, probing the train inferno, tried to recreate the blaze scene in one of the coaches of the ill-fated super fast train to ascertain the cause of the accident, the sources said.
At the railway yard here a sleeper coach next to the three affected coaches was sprinkled with kerosene, littered with cotton wool and a short circuit was done.
The experiment was stopped when smoke started coming out of the coach, they said adding the motive behind it was to ascertain if short circuit had caused the fire which engulfed three coaches within a short span.
Two pedestal fans were brought to pump in air and two fire brigades were commissioned but were not used. Policemen were also deployed near the compartment.
Besides Singh, Ferozepur Division Railway Manager H C Punia was among the senior railway official present.
The CRS also commenced recording statements of railways, fire and health departments employees. Statements of the staff on duty at the railway station and guard and engine crew of the Mumbai-Amritsar train will also be recorded.
(PTI)
18:04 IST

Bag containing live, used ammunition found on Rajpath

Monday, May 19, 2003 | Editor
Bag containing live, used ammunition found on Rajpath

New Delhi,Sunday, May 18, 2003: Panic gripped the high security Rajpath area in the capital today when police recovered a bag containing some live and used ammunitions on the Rajpath-Janpath intersection in the wee hours.

Police sources said a green-coloured air bag was spotted at the intersection from which two live cartidges of AK-47, two empty cartidges of .38 MM revolver, five empty cartidges of 9 MM and 16 empty cartidges of .22 MM revolver were recovered.
They said investigations were on into the possible militant links to the recovery and trace the owner of the bag.
Meanwhile, security around vital installations has been tightened in the backdrop of reports that militants could target important places like India Gate and Parliament House. in near future.
(PTI)

PM to reshuffle ministry, Mamata may return

Monday, May 19, 2003 | Editor
to reshuffle ministry, Mamata may return

Manali,Sunday, May 18, 2003: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today said there will be reshuffle of his ministry "soon" in which Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee might be inducted alongwith some new faces.

He also said that extra burden on some of the ministers will be lightened.
"Soon, there will be changes in the Council of Ministers. Some new ministers will be added. Some of the ministers are overburdened. Their burden will be lightened," he told reporters at the end of his six-day sojourn here.
Asked whether Banerjee will be re-inducted, he said "the possibility is there".
On when the exercise would be carried out, the Prime Minister said "it will be at an auspicious moment".
Asked whether anyone from Himachal Pradesh will be taken into the Government, Vajpayee said he could not reveal everything "right now".
There has been media speculation that former Union minister Shanta Kumar, who hails from Himachal Pradesh, could get back into the Government.
(PTI)
14:04 IST

Bangladesh committed to strengthening relations with India

Monday, May 19, 2003 | Editor
Observing that irritants always exist within a family, Prime Minister Khaleda Zia today said India and Bangladesh can mutually resolve their differences and called for expanding bilateral relations both as neighbours and as members of SAARC.

Bangladesh is committed to further strengthening relations with India, Zia said when Prasar Bharti Special correspondent Akhsay Rout made a farewell call on her at her office.
Rout completed his three year stint in Bangladesh.
Stating that the two neighbouring countries can mutually resolve their differences, Zia said that irritants always exist within a family but these can be removed.
"India and Bangladesh need to expand relations both as neighbours and as members of the SAARC Association," the Bangladesh Premier said adding the two countries can utilize the potential and resources in the region to the benefit of their people and there may not be any need to look westwards.
Meanwhile, reports here said that Finance Minister Saifur Rahaman is leaving for Delhi tomorrow for discussions with his Indian counterpart Jaswant Singh on a large number of bilateral issues.
He will also call on Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and opposition leader Sonia Gandhi, official BSS news agency reported.
(PTI)
20:39 IST

Srinath likely to quit Tests

Monday, May 19, 2003 | Editor
Srinath likely to quit Tests

New Delhi,Sunday, May 18, 2003: Speedster Javagal Srinath has made it clear that he had not yet retired from international cricket even though he hinted that his Test career was probably over.

"I haven't yet retired from international cricket. I will come back to India and then take a decision," Srinath, who is currently playing in the English county league, told NDTV on Saturday night.
An unattributed item in a British newspaper on Saturday said that Srinath had announced his retirement from first class cricket though he intended to continue playing one-day internationals after a break.
Srinath said Test cricket was not "suiting" him any more.
"It is true that for the past six months I have been saying that the longer version of the game is probably not suiting me any more. So if I do consider playing, it will be in one-day internationals and not the longer version of the game," he said.
"(But) As I said, I really need to think about it. I will come to India in June and then take a decision."
Srinath had also announced his retirement from Test cricket last year in order to prolong his one-day career before persistent requests from captain Sourav Ganguly saw him making a return to the longer version of the game.
(PTI)
17:02 IST

US, India lead anti-dumping cases against China

Monday, May 19, 2003 | Editor
US, India lead anti-dumping cases against China

Beijing,Sunday, May 18, 2003: Chinese trade officials have expressed alarm at the "abuse" of trade compensatory measures against Chinese goods by countries led by the United States and India, the state media reported.

China remains the world's largest victim of the abuse of anti-dumping measures with 27 investigations having been started into its exports in the latter half of 2002, 'China business weekly' reported, quoting latest data from the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
"US and India led the number of trade compensatory measure cases against China," weekly said in its latest issue.
A total of 18 countries initiated 39 anti-dumping cases and 18 safeguard measures against China last year, it added.
China topped the list of anti-dumping cases accounting for half of the 30 probes initiated in 2002-03, the annual report of the Directorate General of anti-dumping and allied duties under India's Ministry of Commerce said recently.
The large number of anti-dumping cases against Chinese goods are occurring because China's exports grew extraordinarily last year against the backdrop of gloomy world economic outlook, trade officials said.
However, officials say the number of investigations against Chinese products has started to fall in recent months, particularly in view of it's entry into the WTO that deterred foreign countries taking "discriminatory" measures.
The bureau, set up after China's entry into WTO in Dec 2001, has been helping domestic companies respond to foreign anti-dumping charges and refraining from vicious price competition in the international market.
(PTI)

Fresh round of proactive thinking needed: Advani

Monday, May 19, 2003 | Editor
On board IAF aircraft,Sunday, May 18, 2003: Condeming the latest terrorist strikes in Riyadh and Casablanca, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani today suggested a fresh round of "proactive thinking"' in international community to deal with the suicide bombers.

"I wish these two incidents (Riyadh and Casablanca) triggers of a fresh round of proactive thinking in the international community as to how humanity, civlisation and, more particularly, democracies can really overcome it," Advani told reporters accompanying him on his one-day trip to Thiruvnanthapuram.
Recalling how the international community became vigorously active to think of ways and means to put an end to the evil of terrorism after the September 11 strikes in US, he said, "the international community should rethink over it".
(PTI)
14:04 IST

Gujarat riots: No evidence so far against police or administration: Nanavati

Sunday, May 18, 2003 | Editor
Justice G T Nanavati, heading the two-member Commission to probe last year's Gujarat riots, on May 18 said the evidence recorded so far did not indicate any serious lapse on the part of the police or administration in controlling the communal clashes that followed the Godhra mayhem.
The Commission, which has completed the task of recording evidence in all the areas except the most-affected Ahmedabad and Vadodra as also Bharuch and Narmada, would begin its last leg of recording evidence from July 15 in the four districts.

Human skeletons found in Ayodhya trench

Saturday, May 17, 2003 | Editor
Ayodhya, May 16: At least 17 articles, including three human skeletons, were found during excavation in the acquired land today, sources said.

The human skeletons were found in a trench situated north of the makeshift structure.

Earlier, a skeleton was found in a trench situated south of the structure. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) team has preserved all three skeletons found here today, the sources said.

Green glazed tiles, a broken leg of a terracotta elephant, ivory art pieces, moulded bricks and beads were found in other trenches, the sources said.

The ASI team has started digging in new trenches north of the makeshift structure.

About 134 labourers, 30 of them Muslims, were engaged in digging work here today. (Agencies)

Bollywood enters American homes

Saturday, May 17, 2003 | Editor
Slowly but surely, Bollywood is making its entry into the American homes in a big way. Starting this summer, Turner Classic Movies is celebrating the world of Indian cinema with a 12-film festival dedicated to Bollywood. The films will be screened every Thursday beginning from June 5.

For the mainstream Indian cinema, that has come a long way to win such an international acclaim, this indeed is celebration time.

The month long film festival, which is being Co-hosted by a reputed Indian born filmmaker Ismail Merchant, will focus on the commercial film industry that has produced most-viewed films in the world ever since its inception in 1930s.

The films in TCM's festival, rarely available to American audiences, represent the grandest and most colourful Bollywood films that range from tragic melodramas like Raj Kapoor's Aawara, Guru Dutt's Pyaasa, Balraj Sahni's Do Bigha Zameen, Nargis' Mother India to romantic hits like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Rangeela, Junglee and Sholay.

All the movies chosen aptly, are unique in their own ways and depict versatile approach to filmmaking, use of colour and elaborate choreography for which the Indian Cinema is well known.

The festival covers films from the early 1950s through the beginning of the 21st century.

"Bollywood has added a new dimension to entertainment audiences all over the world. It is full of energy and charge, and the TCM move to show these selected films is a great opportunity for viewers to tune into Bollywood," says Ismail Merchant, producer/director and partner, Merchant-Ivory Productions.

Apparently Turner Classic Movies network is a seemingly strange home for Indian musical melodramas. However, the network is trying to gain new viewers by switching over to ethnic programming.

"As a film fan, I guess I had heard a lot about Bollywood, about the cliché's, about the music and the dancing and the prolific nature of the film industry in India, but I had never actually seen a Bollywood film," says Charlie Tabesh, SVP of programming for TCM, in an interview to CableWorld.

"I was curious. I thought other people would be curious too", he added. (PTI)

Lifetime achievement award for Mehra

Saturday, May 17, 2003 | Editor
The Indian Film Directors Association (IFDA) feliciated director Prakash Mehra with a lifetime achievement award in Mumbai. Actor Amitabh Bachchan handed over the trophy to his mentor.

"I am very happy to receive this award. The film industry had forgotten me all these years," said Mehra.

Mehra is the man who created Amitabh Bachchan and many of his unforgettable films including ZanjeerMuquadar Ka Sikandar, Lawaris, Namak Halal and Sharabi.

"I have worked with Prakash Mehra in many films. Awards should be given to such directors," said Amitabh.

Recognition has taken its time finding Mehra, who began his innings with Haseena Maan Jayegi in 1968. The wait it seems has been worthwhile.

Aamir to debut in music video

Saturday, May 17, 2003 | Editor
Kaifi Azmi's first death anniversary has been observed across Delhi and Mumbai where even a park was inaugurated in Azmi's name.

Now Kaifi's son Baba Azmi is planning to set Azmi's poetry to music and even make a music video of it. Bollywood star Aamir Khan will be making his debut in this video.

"My brother Baba Azmi is directing a video for Kaifi saab where there is a song. He asked Aamir to do it and he agreed. We are overwhelmed. Baba is Aamir's friend and that is why he agreed," says Shabana Azmi.

"Baba is going to give me brief on which song it is and I shall go through the lyrics and how the shoot is planned when I meet him," said Aamir.

The video release will also coincide will also see the release of a tape of songs called Pyar Ka Jashn.

Aamir's music video and a park inaugurated in his name by Hrithik Roshan are all part of an attempt to make the late poet accessible to a younger generation of listeners and viewers.

India rules out third party mediation on Kashmir

Saturday, May 17, 2003 | Editor
India rules out third party mediation on Kashmir

New Delhi,Friday, May 16, 2003: India today said the US was "legitimately concerned" about preventing a war with Pakistan, but made it clear that there was no role for third party mediation on Kashmir.

"When it comes to dialogue with Pakistan, there is no third seat on the table. And, they are fully aware of it," Prime Minister's Principal Secretary and National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra, told NDTV.
Asked about the US role on Indo-Pak issues, he said "they are legitimately concerned about avoiding a war, preventing a war between India and Pakistan which could in turn lead to a nuclear holocaust".
Significantly, Mishra's comments came as Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri said the US and the international community have a role to play on Kashmir, under whatever name it is called ---"mediation, pressure, facilitation, encouragement".
Kasuri was addressing the Heritage Foundation, a non-government think tank, in Washington yesterday.
Mishra, who briefed Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Manali on his recent talks in Washington with President George W Bush, his American counterpart Condoleezza Rice and other leaders, denied there was any pressure on India from the US.
(PTI)
20:08 IST

India to export 87,500 tonne rice to African, Asian countries

Saturday, May 17, 2003 | Editor
India to export 87,500 tonne rice to African, Asian countries

New Delhi,Friday, May 16, 2003: After a record 6.4 million tonnes of rice exports last fiscal, India has bagged orders for exporting 87,500 tonne rice to African and Asian countries in the next two months.

The orders are to export 50,000 tonnes, 12,500 tonnes and 25,000 tonnes to Bangladesh, Angola and a south-east Asian country respectively, market sources told PTI.
"A trading house has got an order to export 50,000 tonnes 25 per cent broken rice to Bangladesh at 149 dollars per tonne Free on Board (FoB) for delivery upto June end", they said.
Bagging contracts is not an issue, what matters is executing them as logistical hassles have emerged as a big hurdle, they added.
Another contract "to come the Indian way" is to export 25,000 tonnes 15 per cent broken rice to a south-east Asian country at 160 dollars per tonne FoB for June delivery from Kakinada port, they added.
Bulk of the trade is in the 15 per cent and 25 per cent brokens raw rice but there are some orders to export five per cent brokens as well.
A deal has been transacted by a private trading company to export 12,500 tonne five per cent broken rice to Angola for July delivery at 175 dollars per tonne FoB.
They said contrary to general perception, there is demand for processed five per cent broken rice in African countries and their purchases are not restricted to 25 per cent brokens.
(PTI)
17:16 IST

Four competing groups fight for supremacy in BJP

Saturday, May 17, 2003 | Editor
BHOPAL: Ambition is at the core of all politics. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) high command's decision to name Uma Bharati as the chief ministerial candidate has poured cold water over the ambitions of all the other contending politicians. But nevertheless, the competing group interests survive, as these cannot be extinguished with a directive from the top.

According to a senior BJP leader who has been in the thick of things for nearly four decades, there are at least four competing groups within the party headed by senior leaders. "There is the Patwa group, followed by the Joshi, Solanki and Bharati groups, and all these groups will fight each other for supremacy," he says.

Interestingly, this veteran leader makes lightwork of the leadership ambitions of all the others including union minister Vikram Verma, leader of opposition Babulal Gaur, and former leader of opposition Gauri Shankar Shejwar. Indeed, he labels Verma as the "Congressman" in our party.

He concedes that the diktat of the high command reigns supreme, but admits that the ground realities do not change. " Political workers have their own style of responding to such diktats. Even without openly rebelling against the party, they can still manage to exhibit their preferences," he adds.

The BJP leadership hesitated for several months before ultimately naming Uma Bharati as its chief ministerial candidate on the strength of an assessment that anti-incumbency factor tilts the scales strongly in favour of the party. Given her aggressive campaigning abilities, the party decided in her favour, ignoring the possibilities of a negative fall-out of such a decision.

The more important thing in the present scenario is the almost unconcealed contempt each group has for the others, and the virtually unshakeable belief that only it can bring about the party's victory in the elections. " None of these group leaders believe that the party can win without their efforts," the leader adds.

While former chief ministers Sunderlal Patwa and Kailash Joshi have been leading influential groups within the party for historical reasons, both Bharati and Solanki are relatively recent entrants in the number game.

Bharati has a high public profile and is a powerful orator, but has seldom networked with the rank and file at a state level. This places her at a disadvantage. But the fact that Solanki hails from the Gwalior region and is an RSS functionary adds to his clout and base.

"But all these pluses and minuses will come into play only if we able to overcome the challenge posed by the political commodity called Digvijay Singh. Experience has shown that even heavyweights within the Congress have failed in this task," the leader quips meaningfully.

Sankalp Yatra 5th phase from tomorrow
The fifth phase of BJP's 'Sankalp Yatra' would begin from Piparia in Hoshangabad district on May 18 with the public meeting of party's star campaigner Uma Bharati. On May 18 Ms Bharati would also address public meetings in Sohagpur, Babai, Hoshangabad and Itarsi.

Sankalp Yatra state incharge Krishna Murari Moghe said that after public meeting in Piparia, the Sankalp Yatra would reach Itarsi via Shobhapur, Karanpur, Sohagpur, Semri, Budhwada, Babai, Achalkheda, Jarulpur, Hoshangabad and Pawarkheda. The Yatra would make night halt in Itarsi.

The next day on May 19 the Yatra would leave Itarsi and reach Seoni Malwa where a public meeting would be held. The Yatra would reach Timarni and Harda where Uma Bharati would address public meetings. The Yatra would make night halt in Harda.

On the last day of the fifth phase the Yatra would pass through Masangaon, Mandla, Muhal, Chhipabad, Khirakia, Pokharni, Bhavarli, Khalwa, Singot and Jaswadi before reaching Khandwa. Ms Bharati would address public meetings in Khirakia, Khalwa and Singot.

Advani Kashmir gesture to Pak

Saturday, May 17, 2003 | Editor
Advani Kashmir gesture to Pak
OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
New Delhi, May 16: With three weeks to go for .K. Advani’s visit to the US, the deputy Prime Minister said Delhi wants Pakistan to change its stand on terrorism, not necessarily its views on Kashmir.

Delhi’s disappointment with Lahore and Agra notwithstanding, Advani is optimistic the Prime Minister’s latest peace overture to Pakistan stands a better chance of succeeding.

The world is no longer willing to accept any excuse for terrorist violence that targets innocent civilians, including women and children, he said.

According to Advani, both countries may continue to have differences on Kashmir, but Delhi expects Islamabad to give up cross-border violence and dismantle its “terror structure” so that a conducive atmosphere is created for talks on all outstanding issues.

Referring to Pakistani leaders’ recent statements that there was no change in their stand on Kashmir, Advani said Delhi acknowledges the basic difference in views between the two countries on Kashmir.

“Today, I want to emphasise that we are not asking Pakistan to abandon its views on Kashmir, but (to) change its views on terrorism,” Advani told reporters on a flight to Mumbai. “We are willing to discuss all issues, including Kashmir, with Pakistan.”

Advani’s views are almost identical to those of Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s, expressed in Srinagar last month, showing that the two senior-most leaders of the ruling BJP are in sync on moves to improve bilateral ties.

Advani, scheduled to visit the US on June 8, said the current peace process with Pakistan, cooperation on anti-terrorism and other bilateral issues would be the focus of his discussions with senior members of the Bush administration .

“Last time when I was in the US, it was in the backdrop of the December 13 attack on Parliament. The forthcoming visit is going to be a follow-up visit during which I will take up incidents of terrorism which happened in the country in the last one year,” he said.

Though Vice-President Dick Cheney has invited the deputy Prime Minister to visit the US, indications are he will meet all the key members of the American establishment in Washington and also discuss other important international developments.

India not asking Pak to change views on Kashmir but terrorism

Saturday, May 17, 2003 | Editor
India not asking Pak to change views on Kashmir but terrorism

On Board Special Aircraft,Friday, May 16, 2003: Expressing the hope that the third peace initiative of India has a "scope" in the present international climate, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani today said India was not asking Pakistan to change its views on Kashmir but on terrorism.

Citing Agra summit where India and Pakistan had decided to talk on every issue including Kashmir, he said "today also I want to emphasise that we are not asking them to abandon their views on Kashmir but change their views on terrorism".
Advani was talking to reporters accompanying him on a day-long visit to Mumbai.
Asked whether the third peace attempt on India's part would be yet another still-born child like Lahore and Agra summits, he replied in the negative.
The latest initiative had a scope due to various reasons one of which was that those states which were sponsoring terrorism will find it difficult to continue on their path due to international climate, the Deputy Prime Minister said.
Reacting to statements made by Pakistani leaders in the recent past that there was no change in their attitude to Kashmir, he said India has acknowledged there was a basic difference of views between the two countries on Kashmir.
(PTI)
17:16 IST

Peace overtures have improved Indo-Pak relations: US

Saturday, May 17, 2003 | Editor
Peace overtures have improved Indo-Pak relations: US

Washington,Friday, May 16, 2003: US today said the recent peace overtures between India and Pakistan have helped in normalising bilateral relations and believed that the two countries are inching towards a dialogue.

"The White House is pleased with moves towards an Indo-Pakistan dialogue", Press Officer Scott Mc Clellan told reporters.
"Obviously, we are pleased with some of the steps going in the region, in terms of improved dialogue, increased dialogue, and efforts to reduce tensions in the region. That is important. We welcome those steps", he said.
(PTI)
17:53 IST

Pak should end cross-border terrorism: Russia

Saturday, May 17, 2003 | Editor
Russia has asked Pakistan to fulfil its promises to end cross-border terrorism and appreciated India's peace initiative to normalise relations with Islamabad.

"The fulfilment of obligations assumed by Islamabad to stop the penetration of terrorists through the LoC in to Jammu and Kashmir and destroy all terrorist infrastructure on the Pakistani-controlled territory will facilitate the strengthening of co-operation in South Asia," Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said after a meeting with his Indian counterpart Yashwant Sinha on Thursday.
Sinha, who is concluding the Moscow leg of six-day Russia visit today, noted Moscow's "unstinted support" for India in seeking an end to cross-border terrorism and dismantling of terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan.
(PTI)
15:57 IST

ICC releases India's World Cup prize money

Saturday, May 17, 2003 | Editor
India's cricket World Cup squad can finally look forward to lay their hands on the prize money they earned for their commendable run to the final in South Africa, but they should not straightaway expect the full amount to come their way.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) this week released a cheque of over $900,000 to the Indian Cricket Board for the squad members for their brilliant display in world's biggest cricketing event, highly placed sources in BCCI said.
But the ICC has released the money with the condition that 30 per cent of the amount must be kept aside as a cover for tax demand, if any, from the local regulators of the 2003 World Cup, the South African Revenue Service.
"Though the South African regulatory body has not so far made a tax demand of 30 per cent on the prize money released, it is something which could still be made in near future, according to the ICC instructions received by us," said a top Board official.
The ICC did not hold back the prize money only in the case of Indian cricket team, but they did the same with the rest of the participating nations as well, including winners Australia.
A winner in the league stage of the World Cup received $10,000. It jumped to $40,000 for the winners in the Super Six stage, $400,000 in the semi-finals and $2,000,000 in the final.
The runner-up's share was $800,000.
(PTI)

Terror outfits still openly operating in Pak: Reports

Saturday, May 17, 2003 | Editor
Media reports have questioned Pakistani leadership's claims that they have no control over militant organisations operating from there, saying the banned outfits are still functioning openly and local authorities are not acting against them.

Quoting "aggressive" information available freely on 'Lashkar-e-Toiba' and other such websites, the 'Wall Street Journal' (WSJ) said "for a banned militia to be printing magazines in hard copy and virtual form, material obviously designed to recruit militants for a 'final journey' into Kashmir, right under the nose of the Pakistani authorities, can only mean two things.
"Someone either cannot, or will not, connect the dots," the American newspaper said in a recent article.
India has stuck to its stand that dismantling of terrorist infrastructure and an end to cross-border terrorism is essential for a dialogue.
The paper, quoting the LeT website, said it openly provided an official registration number, a telephone number and an address of publication -- 4, Lake Road, Chauburji, Lahore.
"The address in question lies about seven minutes' drive from the Punjab Secretariat and the Lahore Police Headquarters," the WSJ said, adding that "theoretically, the Lashkar does not exist" as it was banned last January.
(PTI)
17:16 IST

Govt asks Nimesulide makers to withdraw paediatric drops

Saturday, May 17, 2003 | Editor
Govt asks Nimesulide makers to withdraw paediatric drops

New Delhi,Friday, May 16, 2003: Even as government had declared that Nimesulide would not be banned, it has asked makers of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug to withdraw the paediatric drop formulation from the market.

Confirming it, Drug Controller General of India, Dr Ashwani Kumar told PTI that the manufacturers had been asked to withdraw paediatric drops formulation of the drug based on the findings of review of Nimesulide which has been banned in some countries.
Kumar said while some manufacturers had already taken the formulation off the market, others were in the process of doing so. However, he said tablets for adults and suspension for paediatric patients will continue to be available.
Health Minister Sushma Swaraj had told Parliament in a written reply in February that no serious adverse drug reaction was noted in children in the country who had used it.
Ruling out a ban on the drug, she had said 20 leading paediatric experts and Indian Academy of Paediatrics were consulted and "majority of experts confirmed reliability of Nimesulide".
A senior official of Nimesulide manufacturer Alembic confirmed that the company had withdrawn paediatric drops of the drug 'Nimegesic' after having been told by Drug Control authorities.
Dr Reddy's and other players like Wander could not be reached for confirmation.
The Drug Controller General had ordered a review into the drug mid-last year following reports that the drug had adverse reactions on liver and had been banned in many countries.
Nimesulide makers includes Dr Reddy's Laboratories, Panacea Biotec, Alembic and Wander

Indian team to be selected next week

Friday, May 16, 2003 | Editor
The Indian team for the Asian Athletic Grand Prix in Hyderabad will be picked next week at the coaching camp in Bangalore.

After announcing the postponement the first National Circuit Meet, slated for Sunday here, Amateur Athletic Federation of India (AAFI) secretary Lalit Bhanot today said "the team for the Grand Prix on May 28 will be picked in another five to seven days based on the performance in the camp and last year's rankings till December 24."
"At present 40 athletes are in the camp," Bhanot told PTI. "The number will go up with more athletes returning from summer holidays."
But four of the top Indian athletes, who won medals at the Busan Asian Games last year, are unlikely to participate in the Hyderabad meet as they are undergoing training abroad.
While long jump star Anju B George is learning more tricks of her trade from legendary Mike Powell in USA, discus thrower Anil Kumar is training in Hungary.
Two others, high-jumper Bobby Aloysius and middle distance runner K M Binu are away on training stints in England.
But Bhanot insisted that except Aloysius, whose event is not scheduled in the Hyderabad GP, the rest three will be seen in action in Hyderabad.
"They told me that they are coming. Anju, too has told me that she will be participating," he said.
The athletes are expected to complete their training stint and return home in September, in time to take part in the Asian Track and Field Meet in Manila.
(PTI)
18:20 IST

BSNL slashes cellular tariffs upto 66 per cent

Friday, May 16, 2003 | Editor
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd today announced an upto 66 per cent reduction in its cellular tariff and also introduced a new package Plan 525, where cellular to cellular calls are as low as 40 paise.

Announcing this massive reduction in cellular tariff, BSNL chairman and managing director Prithipal Singh said SMS charge for all plans now stands at 60 paise against the existing Re one.
As per the announcement, for its already existing Plan 225, cell-to-cell call would now cost Rs 2.20, cell to fixed Rs 2.40.
For cell-to-cell STD calls, in this plan, the company would charge Rs 2.40 for all distance slabs.
In case of cell to fixed STD calls, BSNL would charge Rs 2.4 for distance upto 500 km and Rs 3.6 for distance above 500 km.
Singh said the reduction in tariff for Plan 225 ranges between 8-66 per cent.
The new rates would become effective from May 17.
(PTI)
18:20 IST

Malaysia strives to attract Indian tourists

Friday, May 16, 2003 | Editor
Malaysia strives to attract Indian tourists

New Delhi,Thursday, May 15, 2003: Claiming to be a SARS-free country, Malaysian government today said it was ready to invest in tourism packages of Indian Airlines to attract more tourists who would soon get visas on arrival in the Southeast Asian nation.

"We have decided to grant visas-on-arrival to those Indian tourists who have visas to Thailand and Singapore. The decision has been taken and will soon be implemented," Malaysian Tourism Minister Abdul Kadir bin Haji Sheikh Fadzir told reporters here.
He said the Malaysian Tourism Board has also decided to "put some money to promote special packages" being offered by Indian Airlines and added that the carrier has also been asked to provide Indian packages for Malaysian tourists.
Fadzir, who had a meeting with IA CMD Sunil Arora, also sought additional flights by Indian carriers to Malaysia. "For the Indian carriers, we have an open sky policy", he said, adding Kuala Lumpur had already decided to exempt these airlines from paying landing and parking charges for five years.
"No country in the world has done such a crazy thing before", he quipped to state that all steps were being taken to encourage Indian tourists to visit Malaysia.
Though the Indian government has recently allowed an additional eight extra frequencies to Malaysian Airline System (MAS), "it is still very less", he said.
(PTI)
18:20 IST

Sehwag disappoints with a string of poor scores

Friday, May 16, 2003 | Editor
Sehwag disappoints with a string of poor scores

London,Thursday, May 15, 2003: Explosive India batsman Virender Sehwag's poor run of form in his debut English season for Leicestershire continued as he failed in his fourth successive innings to be dismissed for just two runs in a three-day county match against Surrey.

After a string of poor scores in the one-day matches, Sehwag was dismissed cheaply by Pakistan all-rounder Azhar Mahmood yesterday when he gifted a catch in the slips after facing 12 balls. Leicestershire were bowled out for 200 in its first county match.
Sehwag, aggregating just 40 runs from three one-day games, had shown promise in first match after arriving here when he made 23 with the help of some delectable strokes.
But that was about all as he could manage scores of just one against Gloucestershire and 16 against Northumberland.
Sehwag, who was roped in by Leicestershire as one of their two overseas player to boost their batting, will have to justify his reputation as an explosive bat in the second innings of the ongoing match at the Oval.
(PTI)
21:03 IST

i-Flex chief discharged by London court

Friday, May 16, 2003 | Editor
London-based Chief of Dutch subsidiary of Indian Software giant i-Flex, Senthil Kumar was today discharged by a court here after the Netherlands government failed to convince Britain to launch extradition proceedings against him.

"You stand discharged today," the Bow Street Magistrate's Court Judge Workman told Senthil Kumar as the solicitor representing the Netherlands government informed the court that the British Home Secretary David Blunkett has not given his authorisation to go ahead with the extradition case.
Hugo Keith, Barrister representing i-Flex chief said Kumar was arrested on the basis that the British Home Secretary would grant permission for his extradition and that permission has been refused now.
"Kumar's stand has been vindicated and there are no proceedings against him in this country," Keith said.
After the verdict Kumar told PTI "I feel good. I am relieved for the moment".
(PTI)
18:20 IST

Sinha discusses trade issues with Russian PM

Friday, May 16, 2003 | Editor
Sinha discusses trade issues with Russian PM

Moscow,Thursday, May 15, 2003: Taking a serious view of the "far below potential" economic cooperation, India and Russia today agreed to take steps to enhance trade and investment and expedite setting up of a proposed task force relating to Rupee debt funds for investment in joint projects.

During wide-ranging discussions with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov and his deputy Alexie Kudrin, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha sought Moscow's cooperation in addressing three major areas of concern to both Indian as well as Russian business sectors.
These included absence of physical and financial infrastructure, which Sinha stressed, could only be addressed through better transport links, faster clearance of goods and expanded contacts between banking sectors.
The minister also sought Russian understanding on the need to have a flexible and friendly visa regime to facilitate increased business exchanges and early settlement of outstanding claims of Indian exporters.
The Russian Premier shared Sinha's view that existing trade and investment ties were far below potential and that economic and commercial cooperation needed to be at the core of the strategic partnership between the two countries.
Kasyanov assured the minister of Russia's "full understanding and support" towards creation of a conducive environment for growth of economic and commercial ties.
The two sides emphasised on the need to qualitatively expand the existing trade basket by providing a special thrust to merging areas of cooperation like energy, agriculture products and food processing, machinery and equipment, manufactured goods and information technology.
(PTI)
19:24 IST

Comparison of Kashmir with Chechnya unholy, improper: BJP

Friday, May 16, 2003 | Editor
BJP today hit out at the Pakistani parliamentary delegation for clubbing Kashmir with Chechnya describing it as an "unholy comparison".

It was "not only improper, absolutely misplaced and in bad taste but also an insult to the feeling of the people of Jammu and Kashmir who are part and parcel of Indian democracy," the party said.
Party spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi rubbished the argument by the visiting Pakistani delegation that terrorism in both Kashmir and Chechnya was not going to end immediately saying that this kind of comparison would "only serve to spoil the atmosphere of goodwill for which the delegation had arrived in India."
He expressed doubt about the "real motive" behind the visit and apprehensions about the real intentions of so-called "secular brigade" who is helping the delegation fan Pak-propaganda.
Naqvi said the Pakistani delegation instead of sermonising India should try to use its good offices and exert pressure on their government (Pakistan) to stop aiding and abetting terrorism besides closing terrorist factories in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir "so that relationship between the two neighbouring countries could improve for a better future."
He said the delegation should refrain from commenting on communal situation in India but rather bring pressure on Pakistan Government to not only stop cross-border terrorism but also close down terrorist training camps in POK.
"The delegation should also ensure that democracy as is practicised in India is followed in that country," he said.
(PTI)

Work on raising height of Sardar Sarovar dam begins

Friday, May 16, 2003 | Editor
Work on raising height of Sardar Sarovar dam begins

Ahmedabad,Thursday, May 15, 2003: Gujarat Governor Kailashpati Mishra today kicked off through remote control work on the Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP) site at the Kevadia colony to raise height of the dam from 95 metres to 100 metres and a three metre hump.

No sooner the Narmada Control Authority (NCA) granted permission to raise the height of the dam by five metres on Wednesday, Chief Minister Narendra Modi had issued instructions to start the work on the dam today.
Speaking on the occasion, Mishra described the Narmada Project as the modern centre of pilgrimage to the fulfillment of the dream of five crore Gujaratis and said the state would continue to make all round progress under the leadership of Modi.
He said the critics of Gujarat should take note of one thing that in the matter of development the ruling party and the opposition worked in unison here.
The Governor expressed confidence that the 21st century would belong to India and Gujarat would take a leading role in the nation's progress.
The Narmada water would quench the thirst of people, livestock and parched lands, Mishra said and hoped the partner states of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra would contribute their share to ensure early completion of the project.
Modi said just as the government had made all preparations to let the Narmada water flow down the Narmada Main Canal, it has made all preparations to start generating electricity also the day the dam's height reached 110 metres.
(PTI)
21:14 IST

There is no commercialisation of education: Joshi

Friday, May 16, 2003 | Editor
There is no commercialisation of education: Joshi

New Delhi,Thursday, May 15, 2003: Union Human Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi today ruled out privatisation in the Education sector and asserted that no commercialisation of education was taking place.

"There is no commericialisation of education. All new institutes of learning are coming up according to the rules set by the Government," Joshi told PTI after a seminar here.
He said these institutes were part of the community partnership projects and could in no way be termed as a part of privatisation of education in the country.
Speaking at the seminar on rural self-reliance organised by two NGOs - SAP-India and Samyak, Joshi said a techno-economic survey of the villages was necessary to improve their conditions and transform grass-root technology into high technology.
He, however, said any plan to separate villages from cities would be disastrous as there now lay an inherent inter-dependence between the two.
Pointing out that there did not exist any definition of a village except as revenue-units, the Minister said these entities were socio-economically self-reliant, as well as ecologically sustainable.
(PTI)

Stove burst cause of fire: Member Safety

Friday, May 16, 2003 | Editor
Ludhiana,Thursday, May 15, 2003: Preliminary examination of the burnt coaches of Frontier Mail showed that the fire was caused by bursting of a stove in S-4 coach - the worst-affected three tier sleeper reserved compartment, Member Safety of the Railway Board H C Gupta said ruling out sabotage.

He told reporters that forensic experts examined the coaches on two theories - electric short circuit and external reasons and found pieces of a stove in the S-4 coach.
Gupta ruled out electric short circuiting claiming that electrical devices were intact. "There is no intentional sabotage", he added.
He said the iron rods in the windows near the bursted stove were also tilted due to the impact of the explosion. May be somebody tried to make his early morning cup of tea, he told a questioner.
The train had stopped at Ludhiana at 3.45 am and no passenger had reported any electrical malfunctioning, Gupta said adding all indications regarding cause of the fire were towards the bursting of the stove.
(PTI)

India regrets Pak raking up Kashmir at UN Security Council

Thursday, May 15, 2003 | Editor
India today regretted Pakistan raking up the Kashmir issue at the UN Security Council and said the important thing to note was that there was no support from any country on it.

"This is not suprising. Pakistan has utilised every opportunity to raise the J and K issue in every forum be it NAM, SAARC, UN or some other body," External Affairs Ministry spokesman told reporters.
He was asked about Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mohammad Kasuri stating in the Security Council that there can be no "durable solution" to Kashmir issue unless aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir are taken into account.
India outrightly rejected Pakistan's contention that there should be UN supervised plebiscite in the state holding that events have overtaken such an approach.
"The fact that it (J and K issue) was mentioned in Pakistan's statement in UNSC is something we could regret. But what is important to note is no member country except Pakistan raised this issue and there is no support for raising this", the spokesman said.
(PTI)
19:35 IST

CPI(M)-led LF holds sway in the panchayat polls

Thursday, May 15, 2003 | Editor
CPI(M)-led LF holds sway in the panchayat polls

Kolkata,Wednesday, May 14, 2003: The CPI(M)-led Left Front retained its stranglehold on the three-tier panchayat in West Bengal for the sixth consecutive term today, notching up a majority of panchayat samiti and gram panchayat seats after making a clean sweep of the vital zilla parishads in Sunday's poll.

The main opposition parties, Trinamool Congress and its ally BJP, which faced a rout in the zilla parishad elections, also failed to make any impact in the panchayat samiti polls.
However, the Trinamool Congress recovered some lost ground as it fared better than the Congress in the lowest-rung gram panchayat elections.
Congress had emerged as the second largest single party in the zilla parishad elections and upset Left Front's control of all zilla parishad seats in the state by wresting Murshidabad district.
The Left Front, which had maintained its supremacy in the zilla parishads winning four-fifth of the total 713 seats, further consolidated its position by securing a lion's share of the seats in both panchayat samiti and gram panchayats.
Out of the 8,500 panchayat samiti seats, results of 8,386 seats have been declared so far. The Front won an overwhelming 6,252 seats, with CPI(M) alone bagging 5,710 seats.
Trinamool Congress won 767 seats while its poll ally BJP secured 154 seats in the panchayat samiti.
Congress performed better than the TC-BJP combine, winning in 1,044 seats in the panchayat samiti.
(PTI)
21:33 IST

Powell agrees to boost bilateral Indo-US co-operation

Thursday, May 15, 2003 | Editor
Moscow,Wednesday, May 14, 2003: US Secretary of State Colin Powell today assured India that he would look into the issues that come in the way of enhancing bilateral co-operation in nuclear, space and Hi-tech areas in view of growing Indo-American defence and economic interaction.

After an hour long meeting with Powell here, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha said "the so called 'trinity issues' - nuclear, space and hi-tech were among the 5-6 areas of bilateral co-operation discussed."
"We feel, certain (US) procedures come in the way of intensifying the co-operation in these areas, and Powell has expressed his readiness to look into this problem at his level, " Sinha told Indian media.
"We had good exchange of views and felt the need for greater interaction in these areas," Sinha added.
It has been agreed that Indian Foreign Secretary will visit Washington in early July for further talks, so that US has 5-6 weeks for preparatory work and reviewing these procedures.
After in-depth US analysis proper steps would be taken and in the meanwhile Sinha and Powell would maintain contacts at regular intervals over phone.
"This is a very welcome outcome of the meeting," Sinha said.
Sinha is on a six-day visit to Russia during which he will co-chair the 9th session of Indo-Russian Inter- Governmental Commission (IRIGC) on trade, economic, scientific, technological and cultural co-operation.
(PTI)
20:53 IST

Naik hints at petrol, diesel price cut on Thursday

Thursday, May 15, 2003 | Editor
Naik hints at petrol, diesel price cut on Thursday

Mangalore,Wednesday, May 14, 2003: Petroleum Minister Ram Naik today hinted at further cut in prices of petrol and diesel at the forthnightly review on Thursday, in tune with the global softening of crude prices.

"On Friday is the price review and I feel there is scope for further cut in petrol and diesel prices", Naik told reporters here.
This would be the third time in two months that the state-owned oil firms would be cutting prices. Last month, the the oil companies had twice cut petrol and diesel prices by Re one each.
The International crude prices were on a decline since the war in Iraq started. The Indian basket of crude which had averaged 28.80 dollars a barrel in March, slumped to 24.21 dollars a barrel in April.
Naik, however, did not state how much the price would be cut. "It will be decided by the oil companies".
Petrol is currently being sold at Rs 31.49 a litre in Delhi and diesel is priced at Rs 20.12 per litre.
With the crude breaching 30 dollars a barrel in January-March, the oil companies had increased petrol and diesel prices by around Rs 5 per litre each. However, the crude prices started declining immediately after the war started on March 20. The oil firms had on April 15 and 26 announced a Re one per litre cut each in petrol and diesel prices.
The average procurement cost of the Indian basket of crude was 24.33 dollars in the second fortnight of April which further slipped to 23.63 dollars in the first half of this month, necessitating the price cut.
(PTI)
19:35 IST

Newspersons boycott Sourav Ganguly's press conference

Thursday, May 15, 2003 | Editor
Newspersons boycott Sourav Ganguly's press conference

Kolkata,Wednesday, May 14, 2003: Newspersons today boycotted a scheduled press interaction with Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly here today alleging harassment by the staff of a hospital.

A pandemonium broke out when lensmen and electronic media personnel were pushed and shoved aside by hospital staff and outsiders preventing them from covering the scheduled programme at the Apollo Gleneagles Hospital.
Newspersons, who were attending the function on invitation from the hospital management, protested at the treatment meted out to them, but in vain.
The hospital staff and private security personnel cordoned off a visibly upset Ganguly without paying any heed to requests of electronic mediapersons and lensmen.
"This is our hospital. We will do as we please," a hospital official yelled at cameramen trying to record the commotion.
The journalists were frisked at four points before they could enter the hospital. Moreover, the poorly organised programme left mediapersons guessing at the exact venue of the press meet with no official to provide information.
In exasperation the members of the fourth estate boycotted the interaction and other programmes that were to follow and left the hospital.
Though the Indian skipper was not at fault, this was the first ever instance of the media boycotting Ganguly's press meet in his home town.
(PTI)

Sangh outfit urges PM to seek 'Kailash' from China

Wednesday, May 14, 2003 | Editor
Sangh outfit urges PM to seek 'Kailash' from China

New Delhi,Tuesday, May 13, 2003: The Sangh-Parivar backed Dharmayatra Mahasangh today demanded that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee seek the handing over of the 'Kailash Mansarovar' pilgrim centre to India during his visit to China next month.

"In his talks with the Chinese leaders, the Prime Minister should demand the handing over of Kailash Mansarovar to India besides putting the least financial burden on pilgrims visiting the place," Mahansangh President Mange Ram Garg said in a letter to Union Tourism and Culture Minister Jagmohan.
Garg, who also heads the BJP's lifelong associateship fund (Aajiwan Sahayog Nidhi), demanded among other things recycling of drains and rivulets prior to their entry into river Ganges, separate budgets for religious melas, setting up of a Pilgrimage Development Council and development of undeveloped pilgrims spots of UP, Rajasthan and Uttaranchal.
Prime Minister Vajpayee, VHP Supremo Ashok Singhal and Jagmohan are the patrons of the Mahasangh, which works for the holistic development of pilgrimage centres across the country.
(PTI)

Shivshanker Menon new envoy to Pak

Wednesday, May 14, 2003 | Editor
Shivshanker Menon new envoy to Pak

New Delhi,Tuesday, May 13, 2003: India today formally announced the appointment of Shivshanker Menon, its Ambassador to China, as the new High Commissioner to Pakistan, nearly 17 months after New Delhi recalled its top envoy from Islamabad soon after terrorist attack on Parliament on December 13, 2001.

Fifty-four year-old Menon, who succeeds Vijay K Nambiar, is expected to take up his assignment shortly, it was officially announced here.
Official sources said there was no time-frame fixed on Ambassadorial appointments and that certain administrative procedures have to be completed. Menon may take anywhere between four to six weeks to take charge of his new assignment.
A seasoned diplomat, Menon has besides China, also served in Israel, Sri Lanka and Japan. He has also had a stint in the Department of Atomic Energy.
He will follow in the footsteps of Nambiar who moved from Beijing to Islamabad as India's envoy. Nambiar has since taken over as India's Permanent Representative at the UN.
Menon's appointment is being seen as as "major political gesture" and comes within days of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's announcement in Parliament that a High Commissioner would be appointed.
New Delhi had quickly send in Menon's name for acceptance by Islamabad which lost no time in doing so.
Pakistan, however, is yet to send in the name of its High Commissioner to India.
(PTI)

Pakistan to release 300 Indian prisoners

Wednesday, May 14, 2003 | Editor
Pakistan to release 300 Indian prisoners

Islamabad,Tuesday, May 13, 2003: As part of its confidence building measures, Pakistan has decided to release nearly 300 Indian prisoners held in various jails in the country, official sources here said today.

The Indian government has been informed about Islamabad's decision to release 22 Sikhs and 14 crew members of Indian cargo vessel 'Raj Lakshmi' along with around 250 detained Indian fishermen, the sources said.
Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali had on May 6 said that Islamabad would release Indian prisoners as part of confidence building measures (CBMs) which included reopening of rail, road and air links and restoration of diplomatic contacts.
The prisoners will be released after working out logistic arrangements with Indian officials, the sources said adding most of them have already been visited by Indian officials in recent weeks after Pakistan provided counsellor access to them.
The 22 Sikhs languishing in Quetta and Lahore jails were arrested while they were crossing into Pakistan from Iran after they were left in the fray by middlemen who promised to ferry them to western countries.
The crew of Raj Lakshmi was held after their vessel capsized in Pakistani waters.
(PTI)

State Department denies Garner ever promised Kashmir solution

Wednesday, May 14, 2003 | Editor
State Department denies Garner ever promised Kashmir solution

Washington,Tuesday, May 13, 2003: The US State Department has again denied that the US has a target date for settling the Kashmir issue or that the US-appointee to rebuild post-war Iraq has made any statement regarding it.

The department insisted that retired Lt Gen Jay Garner, in charge of reconstruction of Iraq, made a promise on solving Kashmir issue to a Pakistani diplomat at a dinner.
A report to this effect was carried by a Pakistani newspaper report.
Asked about the report, which said U.S had decided to resolve the Kashmir issue by December, Department spokesman Phil Reeker said, "That was a completely wrong statement. That was an erroneous press report because Garner is in Baghdad and has not said anything about Kashmir."
"I am told he did not say it. This is very old news would know that. He was asked about it and said he never had naything to do with that subject," he added.
(PTI)
20:36 IST

India should produce global defence products: Fernandes

Wednesday, May 14, 2003 | Editor
Defence Minister George Fernandes today said the technology prowess demonstrated by the United States in the Iraq war was an indication that India should gear up with indigenous high technology warfare equipment.

"We have seen what happened in Iraq war..To assume this should be confined to Iraq and the United States would not be a wise thing..and technology moves from place to place..," Fernandes said here at the inaugural of the golden jubilee celebration of Bharat Electronics Ltd.
He said nobody assumed that Pakistan would have the capability of nuclear bombs and missiles but technology moved from place to place.
Urging the Indian defence industries to develop global products, Fernandes said that if technology was not one up against the enemy, it would be like tying one hand of the soldier.
"In terms of technology what the enemy has.. if we are not one up in capability against our enemy..we are tying the hand of the soldier and the country has to fight with the enemy with one hand," he said.
Fernandes said that Indian defence industry should develop products which are as good or better than any other in the market.
"Every country wants the best in technology and any country with a capability to buy will choose the best," he said.
(PTI)
17:58 IST

Shourie succumbs to pol pressure; BSNL, MTNL roll back tariffs

Wednesday, May 14, 2003 | Editor
Succumbing to political pressure from various parties including key NDA allies, two telecom PSUs BSNL and MTNL today announced a rollback in tariffs by hiking number of free calls and reducing fixed-to-cell call charges.

This would have a financial impact of over Rs 3600 crore on the two PSUs affecting severely the expansion plans especially in the rural telephony and upgradation of network, Communication and IT Minister Arun Shourie told reporters.
"This is a serious matter. Its the fourth time since 1999 that effort to rationalise tariffs had to be rolled back," Shourie said adding that BSNL and MTNL had to roll back tariffs due to political protests in the last few days.
"It is not only Government... the political class in general had protested against the new tariffs," Shourie said.
BSNL, a country-wide service provider except in Delhi and Mumbai announced increase in free calls to 50 from 30 in urban areas and 75 in rural areas against the earlier limit of 50 calls, BSNL CMD Prithipal Singh said.
BSNL has also halved the tariff for a call from fixed line to cellular phone to Rs 1.20 a minute, and these changes would affect BSNL's financial position by Rs 3,476 crore.
"Even though BSNL had worked out rationalised tariff structure... due to recent circumstances and political protests we have decided that the pulse rate for fixed-to-cell call would be one minute as against 30 seconds," Singh said.
On the other hand, MTNL has also doubled the number of free calls in its two service areas-- Delhi and Mumbai to 60, a decision which would have a financial impact of Rs 140 crore, MTNL CMD Narinder Sharma said.
(PTI)

Shourie succumbs to pol pressure; BSNL, MTNL roll back tariffs

'No Indo-Pak cricket till cross-border terrorism continues'

Wednesday, May 14, 2003 | Editor
Following the footsteps of former captain Kapil Dev, batting great Mohinder Amarnath today expressed himself against revival of Indo-Pak cricketing ties till terrorism from across the border stopped.

"India should not play cricket with Pakistan as long as terrorism continues from across the border," Amarnath, in the city to coach trainees at the Eastern Zone of the National Cricket Academy, told newspersons.
Kapil Dev had Monday said that resumption of cricketing contests between the two neighbours was a matter to be decided by the government.
"I standby whatever I have said in the past. You cannot be playing cricket when people are dying on either side of the border," Kapil, who led the World Cup winning Indian side in 1983, said.
Though India have refused to play Pakistan since 1999 in bilateral cricket series citing political tensions between the two countries, prospects of the two former World Cup champions resuming their cricket rivalry has brightened in recent days with New Delhi and Islamabad indicating revival of political dialogue.
(PTI)

"Loose international coalition not enough to fight terrorism"

Wednesday, May 14, 2003 | Editor
A loose international coalition is not enough to fight terrorism and democracies have to come together to eradicate the scourge, Prime Minister's Principal Secretary and National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra said today.

"The United States with its global interests has much more to ask from us," he said while launching the book "Crossing the Rubicon--The shaping of India's new foreign policy" authored by C Raja Mohan, Strategic Affairs Editor of 'The Hindu'.
He also emphasised that shared values and partnerships did not mean that there were no disagreements. Citing the example of Iraq, he said India stuck to its position that it would not support any action outside the UN framework. This was fairly well understood by the US, he said.
Observing that the road ahead was not going to be easy in view of a number of factors, he said "there is political will in the US and in India to forge ahead with these relationships."
"But there are hurdles," he said while referring to problems relating to defence, technology and on the economic front between the two countries.
"So, we have to keep on engaging hoping it will one day become a full partnership," he said while candidly observing "we have to improve ourselves. We can't be waiting for others to improve us".
(PTI)

ICAI to hear Sachin Tendulkar's case next month

Wednesday, May 14, 2003 | Editor
ICAI to hear Sachin Tendulkar's case next month

New Delhi,Tuesday, May 13, 2003: The disciplinary committee of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) will take up the second hearing on the allegations levelled by Sachin Tendulkar against his former Chartered Accountant next month.

"The second hearing will be in the first week of June," ICAI President and chairman of the committee R Bupathy said here on the sidelines of the launch of a report.
Tendulkar is locked in a legal battle with his former chartered accountant Madhav Bhatkhande who charged him Rs 42 lakh for managing his accounts since 1989 and offering taxation advice.
Bhatkhande had reportedly borrowed Rs 26 lakh from Tendulkar in 1996 but did not return the amount. Later, he served on Tendulkar a bill of Rs 42 lakh as fees due to him.
Tendulkar, however, refused to pay the balance amount of Rs 16 lakh saying the fees was exorbitant.
Bhatkhande filed a suit against Tendulkar in Mumbai High Court for recovery of his fees while Sachin made a counter move by filing a complaint against his accountant with the institute.
Tendulkar had appeared before the five-member committee on April 3.
Asked whether a final decision would be taken at the second hearing, Bupathy said it was dependent on the evidences furnished by both the parties and, if needed, witnesses, if any, would also be examined.
He said the proceedings would be transparent and give both the parties a chance to air their greivances.
(PTI)

Dialogue with Pakistan only in conducive atmosphere: India

Tuesday, May 13, 2003 | Editor
India on Monday made it clear that dialogue could begin with Pakistan on all issues provided a conducive atmosphere was created by meeting the "requirement" of ending cross-border terrorism and dismantling of its infrastructure.

Asked about statements from Pakistani leaders that the Indo-Pak dialogue could begin as early as next month, External Affairs Ministry spokesman said, "We have extended the hand of friendship. The two Prime Ministers have had conversation and areas on which a start can be made have been identified. Specific proposals have been put forward".
As part of this, India has announced appointment of a new High Commissioner in Islamabad, he said adding "It is now upto Pakistan to respond".
He said "dialogue can begin on all issues provided a conducive atmosphere is created. And, for that, the fact that cross-border terrorism must end and infrastructure of terrorism must be dismantled, is a requirement".
Asked whether Pakistan has accepted the Agreement sent by India (for the appointment of Shiv Shankar Menon as the High Commissioner), he said "I have no announcement to make". A report from Islamabad had said Pakistan has accepted it.
He replied in the negative on being asked whether Pakistan has sent in the name of its High Commissioner.
(PTI)

Kalyan Singh attacks Vajpayee

Tuesday, May 13, 2003 | Editor
Kalyan Singh attacks Vajpayee

Bahraich (UP),Tuesday, May 13, 2003: Virtually shuting the doors on his possible return to BJP, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh has attacked Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee terming him as "weak" and said corruption had increased manyfolds during his reign.

"Vajpayee Government has made a record of sort in scams,and according to an estimate over Rs 300 billionhas echanged hands in last five years," Singh told reporters here Monday.
He said the country was rocked with UTI scam, Tehelka, BELCO controversy and numerous frauds committed by financial institutions in last few years and the government has so far failed to arrest even a single person.
"India is now run de facto by United States of America ... This is possible only because we have a weak Prime Minister, Singh said.
Asked whether the fortune of BJP can change if Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani replaces Vajpayee, Singh who is also president of Rashtriya Kranti Dal (RKD) said the popularity graph of BJP has touched its nadir.
Nothing can revive BJP now, he said.
(PTI)

Mishra discussed wide ranging issues with US officials

Tuesday, May 13, 2003 | Editor
Describing the meetings between the US officials and India's National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra last week as "very successful", the United States has said a wide variety of subjects including enhanced cooperation in high technology and commerce figured prominently during the discussions.

"It did cover a wide variety of subjects, including India's keen interest in pressing forward with high technology, commerce and civil nuclear cooperation", US State Department spokesman Phil Reeker said Monday.
"These were areas that were, as you recall, first outlined by President Bush and Prime Minister Vajpayee in November 2001, and they are areas where we have taken a number of steps", Reeker said, adding "I would just point you to the fact that we are going to hold the first session of the High Technology Cooperation Group in June".
The Group, he said, will meet both in India and the United States.
The civil nuclear cooperation will be within the framework of US dual-use policies, he said.
Referring to US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage's visits to India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, he said in both Pakistan and India, Armitage discussed the expanding bilateral relationship that the United States has with each country and commended both governments on their renewed efforts begun last month by Prime Minister Vajpayee's speech in Srinagar and followed by Prime Minister Jamali's telephone call that "began a process to resolve their differences".
(PTI)

India extends fresh credit line to Mozambique

Tuesday, May 13, 2003 | Editor
New Delhi,Tuesday, May 13, 2003: India has extended a fresh credit line of 20 million dollars to Mozambique and announced a grant of two lakh dollars every year for the next five years for identified projects as the two sides signed accords on enhancing cooperation in agriculture and science and technology.

During wide-ranging discussions visiting Mozambique President Joaquim Alberto Chissano had with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, it was agreed that India will waive in entirety all pending payments due by the Mozambique government to it.
The Indian side also agreed to consider the alternative proposal of Mozambique related to debt conversion into investment to clear the due payments of Banco de Mozambique to the Indian Government.
Chissano extended Mozambique's support for India's candidature for a permanent seat in an enlarged UN Security Council.
Sharing India's concerns, Mozambique said cross-border infiltration and terrorism had to end to encourage resumption of Indo-Pak dialogue.
Realising the importance of active cooperation in the fields of agriculture and agro-industries, the two countries agreed to continue negotiations aimed at concluding an action plan for setting up of small scale agro-industries in rural areas of Mozambique. India also agreed to provide technical assistance on coconut and coir processing.
(PTI)
09:15 IST

Delhi confronts US with new evidence

Monday, May 12, 2003 | Editor
CIA operative, weightlifter, US Deputy Secretary of State, Richard Armitage must clearly be a man of many parts. He probably realised he needed to say something different to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Saturday, exactly 11 months after he'd promised on behalf of Pakistan that cross-border infiltration into India would "permanently" cease.

So once he seated himself at Race Course Road, Armitage fished out a poem written by Vajpayee, since translated into English. He then proceeded to read out four lines from Jang nahin hone denge to the select audience. They listened, then smiled politely. The letter from President Bush to Vajpayee condoling the death of his sister had already been delivered.

What next, seemed to be the uppermost thought in many minds. It was a question New Delhi had asked again and again the American leader all day.

They had shown him new evidence to suggest the opposite of what Musharraf had told him a day earlier. It was clear New Delhi was not buying the General's assurance that terror camps, if they existed in PoK, would be gone tomorrow (In Karachi, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri called for "unconditional" talks with India, saying that was the only way discussions would be fruitful).

External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha had started the ball rolling this morning, the twine picked up by Foreign Secretary Sibal and then wound through the afternoon by FM Jaswant Singh and Dy PM L K Advani. What was US going to do about the promise Musharraf made to Washington last year about ending terrorism? What about the camps and launching pads and the funds that sponsored the continuing terror?

"The PM's initiatives were designed to create conditions for Pakistan to respond to us favourably on cross-border terrorism and dismantling of the terrorist infrastructure (across the LoC), and not to substitute this requirement. A dialogue can take place only when a conducive atmosphere is created." This was MEA later, briefing newsmen on what New Delhi had to say to Armitage.

In response, Armitage is believed to have taken notes and nodded vigorously. When New Delhi sought to deluge him with terrorist-related information, they got the impression that he was trying to distance himself from his own statements and those of Musharraf from a year ago.

At one point, the real Armitage stood up. He told the Indian leadership that the Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed, two terrorist outfits banned by the US in the wake of the December 13 attack on Parliament, which already meant that they were a threat to India, indeed had links with the Al-Qaeda. And that meant that they were a "threat" to the US as well.

In fact, Armitage went on to add, both these terrorist groups were also a threat not only to Pakistan, but to Musharraf himself. He told New Delhi that he had sensitised Islamabad to this aspect. He implied, sources admitted, that India could perhaps give some more breathing room to the General to curb terrorism in the wake of PM Vajpayee's "statesmanlike" peace initiative to Pakistan.

"It's a fact that Pakistan has arrested 500 terrorists, six of whom intended to harm US interests. This is a great aid in our war against terrorism... It is not my job to give assurances, it is not my job to tell our Indian friends what I think. It is for India to make up her own mind what she thinks about that particular statement."

While acknowledging the acts of terror in J-K, Armitage restricted its application to atrocities committed against civilians. New Delhi has always included the attacks on combatants as terrorist acts.

"The fact remains that innocent people - women and children - and non-combatants are being killed (in J-K). One has to call that terrorism. But I leave it to India to speak for themselves. From our perspective, all violence must end," Armitage said.

The MEA spokesperson later made it known that Armitage had been told Pakistan was selective in clamping down on terrorism by acting against some terrorist groups. But he said India still hoped that Islamabad would act soon on its promises.

"There have been proclamations and declarations even before but these have not been translated into reality. We will judge by what Pakistan does, not what it says. But every season is a new season. The PM has extended a hand of friendship and we hope Pakistan responds by ending cross-border terrorism and dismantling the infrastructure of terrorism."

And Armitage departed saying he was "cautiously optimistic" that the process initiated by the PM would lead to a "step-by-step" resolution of differences between India and Pakistan.

India, Pak trade fire along LoC, 1 killed

Monday, May 12, 2003 | Editor
Indian and Pakistani soldiers on Saturday traded artillery fire along the Line of Control, killing one girl and wounding six other villagers on the Indian side, police said.

The exchange came as US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage held talks with Indian leaders in New Delhi to encourage peace talks between the two.

An artillery shell killed the teenage girl in Nachan, a village in the Tangdhar sector nearly 130 kilometres north of Srinagar, a BSF officer said on condition of anonymity.

Six other villagers were wounded in the shelling, the officer said.

Shell returns to India after three decades

Monday, May 12, 2003 | Editor
Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Ram Naik today said the government has approved a proposal to allow the Indian subsidiary of Shell group of companies to market transportation fuels in the country.

With this the multinational, which was nationalised in India in 1972 and became Bharat Petroleum, makes a comeback after more than 30 years.
The authorisation to 'Shell of India Pvt Ltd' is subject to the company furnishing a Rs 5 billion bank guarantee to the government towards fulfilling the commitment to invest Rs 20 billion to the building of infrastructure in the hydrocarbon sector.
The company would be required to set up 11 per cent retail outlets in far-flung areas and will have to sign an agreement with the government indicating yearwise targeted completion schedule.
"Our market is ever growing and offers opportunities for even big players like Shell," Naik said.
"The decision goes a long way toward fulfilling the government's goal of bringing in more players in the marketing of transportation fuel so that the consumers have a wider choice of quality products and services," he said.
In addition to the present strength of about 20,000 retail outlets run by the public secor, the government has already granted marketing rights to Reliance group (5849 outlets), Essar Oil (1700) ONGC (600) and Numaligarh Refinery (510) also on the condition that they create more infrastructure in the hydrocarbon sector.
(PTI)

India, Russia to set up task force to boost economic ties

Monday, May 12, 2003 | Editor
India and Russia are planning to set up two task forces to boost economic cooperation between the two countries and make a transition to interaction in high technology-based industries.

A decision to form a compact task force on investment of rupee debt repayment funds in India for setting up knowledge-based Russian ventures is expected to be taken at External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha's Russia visit next week, official sources here said.
Russia wants to invest remaining rupee debt repayment funds equivalent of USD three billion in India.
Sinha is arriving here on Tuesday on a four-day visit during which he is scheduled to co-chair the regular session of Indo-Russian Inter-governmental Commission (IGC) on trade, economic, scientific and technological cooperation on May 15-16.
Setting up of the investment task force would be the main focus of discussion during Sinha's meeting with the Russian vice-premier and finance minister Alexei Kudrin.
Another task force is expected to be set up to look after the implementation of 20-point India-Russia joint declaration on strengthening economic, scientific and technological cooperation signed by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Russian President Vladimir Putin in New Delhi in December 2002.
This is the first-ever such document signed by India and Russia with any country at the highest political level.
(PTI)

WHO trying to ascertain number of SARS cases in India

Monday, May 12, 2003 | Editor
Washington,Monday, May 12, 2003: The World Health Organisation has said it is trying to ascertain the exact number of SARS cases in India in the backdrop of Indian government's reporting only one case to the WHO.

WHO spokesman Dick Thopson said officially, the Indian Government has reported one case to WHO whose officials in India are, however, "trying to clarify what the situation is."
Dr Dele Davies, a professor and Charman of Pediatrics and Human Development at the University of Michigan, told the media, "It is hard to know if it is truly one case in India or whether it is a failure to recognize the disease or failing to report it. We are not really sure how good the surveillance is in these countries".
(PTI)

Nine people killed, three ultras surrender in J and K

Monday, May 12, 2003 | Editor
Srinagar,Monday, May 12, 2003: Nine people, including five militants and two security personnel, were killed in separate incidents as three ultras surrendered in Jammu and Kashmir since Saturday night, an official spokesman said.

Ashok kumar, a Special Police Officer was killed and eight securitymen, including Station House Officer of a police station and incharge of a police post were killed as militants triggered an Improvised Explosive Device at Rolika forest area in Bani of Kathu district of Jammu in the wee hours of Sunday, the spokesman said. The injured were removed to hospital where condition of two identified as assistant sub-inspector Tarseem Lal and a havaldar, was stated to be critical, Superintendent of Police M K Sinha told PTI. Police assisted by army had launched a search operation in the area following an attack on a police post Sunday. During the operation, the militants who were hiding in nearby forest, triggered an IED blast. Additional troops have been rushed to the area to trace the militants, the spokesman said. He said a jawan was killed and two others, including a civilian were injured when militants ambushed an army patrol at Sangla Morki in Surankote area of Poonch district Sunday. Militants hurled grenades and fired at the security personnel when they were heading for anti-militancy operation.
Two militants were killed in an encounter with a joint team of police and security forces at Rotle Butt Morah near Bufliaz in Poonch on Sunday, the spokesman said.
(PTI)

Mufti tells Militants to give peace a chance

Monday, May 12, 2003 | Editor
Srinagar,Monday, May 12, 2003: Appealing to militants to "genuinely" give peace a chance in the wake of fresh Indo-Pak peace overtures, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed has said the government would respond positively if the militants announced a ceasefire.

"..This (ceasefire) has to happen for the ultimate resolution of the problem...if the ceasefire is announced, the government will respond positively," Sayeed said in an interview to a private TV channel here.
"When the process is underway to seek a final resolution on the issue, it will be difficult for gun-totting youth to defend their actions," he said adding that establishment of friendly ties between India and Pakistan and peace in J and K with dignity was was the ultimate goal everyone had to pursue.
On the role of security forces and reports of human rights violation, the Chief minister said his government was making every effort to make even the security forces accountable for lapses.
He, however, lauded their role in dealing with militancy saying the task was very challenging.
(PTI)

23 Defence scientists awarded

Monday, May 12, 2003 | Editor
23 Defence scientists awarded

New Delhi,Monday, May 12, 2003: Country's 23 top defence scientists, including P venugopalan, leading designer of propulsion system for Prithvi, Agni and Brahmos missiles and G M Cleetus, who developed India man-portable battlefield surveillance system, were decorated by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajapyee on Sunday.

Also on the honours list were Y P Pathak, the scientists who has developed Sarvarta, Indian army's Multi hop, multi-span bridging system, which after being inducted into Indian armed forces is on the verge of winning export orders. Pathak along with Venugopalan were among 10 academcians awarded the prestigious Scientists of the year award.
Dr G M cleetus and his team who were decorated with Agni award for excellence in self reliance developed the world class mobile surviellance system, which won the Indian army contract in face of stiff international competition. The army after evaluation trials has orderded 1171 number of these radars which would be used in Jammu and Kashmir.
Veteran Defence scientists and country's leading expert on tanks, M Natarajan was honoured with the technology leadership award, the father of the Indian main battle tank Arjun.
Natrajan has followed this success in designing a self propelled 52 caliber 155MM gun system on Arjun chasis chirstened Bhim.
Electronics and Radar development establishment Bangalore, where pioneering work has been done on developing the Indra, Rajendera and battlefield surveillance system radars was declared the best DRDO labortary bagging the prestigious Silicon trophy.
The Titanium trophy was won by snow and avalanche study school, Chandigarh.
(PTI)
09:21 IST

Motorcycle intrudes into PM's motorcade path, 3 youth arrested

Monday, May 12, 2003 | Editor
New Delhi,Monday, May 12, 2003: In yet another major security breach in movement of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's convoy, a motorcycle carrying three youths intruded into the path in central Delhi's Khan Market late Sunday night when he was returning from a dentist to his official residence.

The motorcycle defied the ban on movement of traffic and moved into the course of the motorcade from the opposite direction on Subramaniya Bharati Marg at around 2140 IST which was sanitised just ten minutes before Vajpayee's movement there, Delhi police sources said.
The Prime Minister was going back home after consulting a dentist in Khan Market, they said.
The three youths Rinku, Ravi and Kishan--all residents of West Delhi locality of Ranjit Nagar--their twenties were immediately arrested and interrogated by police and central intelligence agencies, they said.
The youths, said the sources, told the interrogators that they were going to attend a marriage at Kotla Mubarakpur in South Delhi and were in a "hurry."
The black Yamaha motorcycle did not abide by the normal traffic curbs imposed during the movement of the Prime Minister's convoy, said the sources.
When all other vehicles in the area came to a grinding halt to facilitate the passage of Vajpayee's motorcade, the motorcycle carrying the youths sped past and entered Subramanya Bharati Marg from the service lane emanating from Lok Nayak Bhawan multi-storeyed building housing government offices behind Khan Market.
(PTI)
09:21 IST

Oops!

Monday, May 12, 2003 | Editor
Language: Hindi
Director: Deepak Tijori
Music: Ravi Pawar
Lyrics: Ajay Jhingran
Cast: Kiran Janjani, Vikas Sethi, Adyasha, Mink Singh, Mita Vasisht,Kiran Kumar.
Official website : www.oopsthefilm.com

Synopsis

'Oops' is Actor Deepak Tijori's debut as a director.

Dreams in their eyes, ambition in their action, fervoir for life.... and they are still lesser then the stars! Here's a film based on those starry eyed 'lesser stars' who dance around the starlets with as much zeal, and yet go unnoticed.

Jahaan, Akaash and Nikki share a passion- dancing and take up the profession as background dancers in films. Jahaan is a lower middle class guy living with his dipsomaniac father and aspires to be rich and powerful. Akaash is a rich heir and a dancer by choice. Nikki is a middle class girl in love with Jahaan, but is not sure of Jahaan's fundas of life work.

The three are busy performing as dancers in films and corporate shows till a very lucrative proposal comes their way from a film star - Sonia. She invites Jahaan to perform for a strip show. Yearning to be richand not wither out as a mere dancer, Jahaan instantly takes up the offer to be a male stripper. After a little cajoling, Aakash agrees to accompany Jahaan and both perform their first ever strip show despite Nikki's discomfort.

Aakash opts out of doing more strip shows, Nikki is disillusioned by the way Jahaan has started behaving and Jahaan is crazily in love with his image as Casanova.

And this is where the journey to stardom begins for Jahaan... In his want and greed to be with the people of power and position in society, Jahaan and the rest land up in a situation which is "Oops!"

Source: www.oopstheFilm.com

Sridevi goes to Tv

Monday, May 12, 2003 | Editor
Former dream girl of the nation, Sridevi is making her comeback in the media. This time, through a Tv serial 'Hamari Bahu Malini Iyer'. Her husband Boney Kapoor is producing the serial. Sahara Tv is telecasting it.

It is a story of a South Indian girl who's getting married to a North Indian boy.

Initially there were rumors that she was going to star in the Indianized version of 'I Love Lucy', but they have been proved wrong.

Jamali seeks Opposition support for peace overtures with India

Sunday, May 11, 2003 | Editor
Pakistan Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali has sought the support of opposition parties for its peace intiatives with India saying his government would adopt a "step by step" approach towards normalising ties with New Delhi.

"We are taking Parliament into confidence and making sincere efforts by holding dialogue with politicians who should foster greater unity and extended fullest co-operation to the government to help resolve the Kashmir issue" Jamali was quoted as saying by the official APP newsagency on Saturday.
Jamali called for broader co-operation from the opposition parties, much on the similar lines between Indian and government and the opposition parties.
On the fresh peace overtures with India, he said "one should not expect miracles overnight. We will have to move step by step to address all issues with India", he told a meeting of local politicians in Faisalabad in Punjab province Saturday.
He said Indian Opposition leader, Sonia Gandhi extended fullest co-operation to the Indian government on India's policy towards Pakistan.
Jamali held one round of talks with opposition parties this week before announcing the confidence building measures to normalise ties with India.
(PTI)

Pakistan shortlist names of ambassador to India

Sunday, May 11, 2003 | Editor
Tough-talking journalist-turned diplomat Maleeha Lodhi is among those who have been short-listed by Pakistan government to be appointed as its new High Commissioner to India even as President Pervez Musharraf shifted his high profile Press secretary Maj Gen Rashid Qureshi as Director General of National Guards.

Pakistan has already accepted the nomination of career diplomat Shiv Shankar Menon, as India's new High Commisioner to Islamabad.
Officials said here on Saturday no decision has been taken yet about appointing the new High Commissioner to India amidst reports that names former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Inamul Haq and Lodhi are among the names which have been shortlisted.
Lodhi had been Pakistan Ambassador to US twice and there was reports that she was being considered to be its High Commissioner to the UK.
Haq, a career diplomat has made name for himself for his efficiency and gentle behaviour. He acted chief foreign policy advisor to Musharraf during the three year military rule and later after his retirement appointed as State Minister for Foreign Affairs till the elections last year.
(PTI)

Panchayat poll begins in WB amid unprecedented security

Sunday, May 11, 2003 | Editor
Kolkata,Sunday, May 11, 2003: Polling began today for the three tier panchayat polls in West Bengal, the litmus test for political parties for next year's Lok Sabha elections, as also to ascertain their grassroot support amidst unprecedented security bundobast.

Polling for the sixth panchayat polls in the state under the Left Front Government, which began at 0700 IST in the morning and would end at 1700 IST, was peaceful so far, police said.
Altogether 6281 candidates have won the poll uncontested, an overwhelming majority of whom belong to CPI(M).
With the run up to the rural polls, spread over 17 of the 19 districts in the state, having witnessed 19 deaths in political violence in the past five weeks, a record two lakh security personnel including CRPF, Orissa State Armed police force, besides the state armed police have been deployed in 43832 polling booths.
Over 31.8 million voters are expected to exercise their franchise in 44186 booths to choose their nominees out of a total 1,38,774 candidates, mainly belonging to CPI(M)-led ruling Left Front, the main opposition Trinamool Congress, its poll ally BJP and Congress. There are 58,357 seats in the three-tier panchayat body.
The Trinamool Congress and its poll ally BJP have alleged that 24,000 of their nominees were prevented from filing nominations due to CPI(M)'s 'terror tactics'.
The Marxists, however, denied the charge and said that TC and BJP had failed to put up their candidates in all seats due to "organisational weaknesses".
(PTI)
09:07 IST

Mozambique Prez begins six-day state visit

Sunday, May 11, 2003 | Editor
President of Mozambique Joaquim Alberto Chissano began a six-day state visit to India during which the two countries will sign agreements in the field of science and technology and agriculture.

Joaquim will meet President A P J Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani and External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha and bilateral and multi-lateral issues would be on the agenda of discussions.
A joint statement, which will consolidate the close convergence of views between the two countries on bilateral as well as multilateral issues, will also be issued during the visit, the Ministry of External Affairs said here Saturday.
Joaquim, who heads of delegation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Agriculture, Health, Higher Education and Science and Technology, will also visit agricultural and agro-processing facilities, rural development institution and cashew nut and coir processing units during their visit to Chandigarh, Hyderabad and Cochin, it said.
The Mozambique President is visiting the country on the invitation of his Indian counterpart.
(PTI)

US "cautiously optimistic" of PM's peace initiatives

Sunday, May 11, 2003 | Editor
New Delhi,Sunday, May 11, 2003: Asserting that "all violence has got to end" in Jammu and Kashmir, the United States has said it was "cautiously optimistic" that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's "far-reaching act of statesmanship" would eventually help India and Pakistan to resolve all issues.

After hectic day-long confabulations with Indian leaders including Vajpayee on Saturday, visiting US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, however, said that killing of innocent men and women (in Jammu and Kashmir) was terrorism and "all this violence has got to end".
Briefing newspersons on Artimage's discussions, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said India had made it clear to the US that Pakistan would have to translate into reality its promises to end cross-border terrorism to create a conducive atmosphere for resumption of dialogue.
On Vice President Dick Cheney's invitation to Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, he said Advani would visit the US early next month.
(PTI)
09:07 IST

Dubai police halt Manisha’s car

Sunday, May 11, 2003 | Editor
Manisha Koirala had a brush with Dubai police recently when she was shooting for “Market.” The police ordered Manisha and Aryan Vaid to halt, smelling something fishy. Actually, Manisha’s car was being followed by a jeep seemingly full of gangsters and the police swung into action attempting to take the two actors into their protective cover.

But later, the police realised that Manisha and Vaid were out for a shoot and the gangsters were following them as per the story line of the movie. The cops apologised profusely for interrupting the shooting.

No change in Pak's stand on Kashmir: Jamali

Saturday, May 10, 2003 | Editor
Islamabad,Friday, May 09, 2003: Pakistan today dismissed speculation in the media here that the Line of Control could become a recognised international border between India and Pakistan saying there was no change in its principled stand on Kashmir and called for a third-party mediation to settle it.

"It is not right to suggest that the division of Kashmir is being contemplated," Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali told reporters commenting on media speculation in the backdrop of US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage's visit that diplomats are exploring whether LOC could become a recognised international border.
The reports were "wrong. There is no change in Pakistan's principled stand on Kashmir", he said adding Pakistanis would be informed ahead of any decision on Kashmir. Despite Armitage's assertion that US has no roadmap to resolve the issue, he said Pakistan would welcome mediation on Kashmir."If some country was to play the role of mediator, we are ready for it".
About India's assertion of continuing cross-border infiltration, the Prime Minister referred to the statement made by President Pervez Musharraf in the past reiterating that Pakistan would not allow its soil to be used for any terrorist activities anywhere.
On Indian stand that Kashmir being its integral part, Jamali said, it has been their stance in the past and talks were held between the two countries in the past despite India's stand.
(PTI)

Pak unhappy over India "picking holes" in its CBMs package

Saturday, May 10, 2003 | Editor
Islamabad,Friday, May 09, 2003: Pakistan today voiced its unhappiness over India "picking holes" in its package of confidence building measures but said it expected direct bilateral talks after US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage concludes his visit to the subcontinent.

"We were very unhappy when Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi tried to pick holes with what has been announced without considering how much greater was the sheer quantum of our package compared to that of India," Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Muhammad Kasuri told PTI here.
Pakistan Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali has announced some "important" measures to restore air, rail and road links with India in addition to offering trade concessions under SAARC and release of Indian prisoners, he said.
"It is easy to pick faults with everything you do. Pakistan could have said India announced only two CBMS. We welcomed them. We could have repeated our known position on Kashmir," he said.
In reply to a question, Kasuri said he hoped that after Armitage's visit to the region "we will start talking to each other as openly as we want. Whether we like it or not, it is common friends who will have to play some role. Sooner we talk to each other directly the better.
Armitage flew to New Delhi today from here after holding talks with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, Jamali, Kasuri and other top officials.
(PTI)

First orbit raising operation carried out on GSAT-2

Saturday, May 10, 2003 | Editor
New Delhi,Friday, May 09, 2003: The first orbit raising operation of the GSAT-2, the experimental communication satellite placed in an orbit yesterday by the country's own Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle GSLV-D2, was successfully carried out this morning.

The operation was carried out by commanding the 1800-kg satellite from Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka, an official release said.
Multiple orbit raising operations are planned on GSAT-2 to raise it from its current Geo-Synchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) to the Geosynchronous Orbit (GSO).
The GSLV-D2 had lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centyre, SHAR, Sriharikota, taking its second developmental tetst flight. The vehicle successfully placed GSAT-2 in an orbit of 180 km perigee (nearest point to earth) and 36,000 km apogee (farthest point from earth).
The orbit raising operation was carried out by firing the 440 Newton Liquid Apogee Motor on board the satellite for a duration of 47 minutes 30 seconds.
With this, the orbital perigee of GSAT-2 is at 8,850 km and the apogee remains at 36,000 km, it said adding the orbital period of the satellite now is 13 hours 20 minutes.
Further manoeuvres are planned in the next few days. The satellite was acquired by the ground station at Biak immediately after separation from the launch vehicle yesterday. After a visibility gap of 50 minutes, Lake Cowichan Staiton in Canada acquired the satellite at 1815 IST Thursday, as planned.
The MCF, Hassan acquired the satellite signals at 4.00 am this morning as per prediction. The health of the satellite was normal, the release added.
(PTI)
19:16 IST

Pak accepts Menon as India's new High Commissioner

Saturday, May 10, 2003 | Editor
Islamabad,Friday, May 09, 2003: Pakistan today gave acceptance to the name of career diplomat Shiv Shankar Menon as India's new High Commissioner to Islamabad, paving the way for restoration of full diplomatic relations between the two countries, nearly 17 months after his predecessor was recalled in the wake of terrorist attack on Parliament.

Official sources here said that Pakistan has formally conveyed to India its acceptance of Menon, currently its Ambassador in China, for the hot diplomatic assignment.
As part of the fresh peace initiatives India and Paksitan recently announced restoration of full diplomatic relations.
Menon would succeed Vijay Nambiar, who was recalled by India after the terrorist attack on Parliament on December 13, 2001. Nambiar later took over as India's permanent representative at the United Nations.
Pakistan is yet to nominate its High Commissioner to India. Foreign Minister Khurshid Muhammad Kasuri told PTI here that his government would soon propose the name of its High Commissioner to the Indian government for acceptance.
A host of names, including the present Foreign Office Spokesman Aziz Ahmed Khan were reportedly under consideration of the Pakistani government.
A career diplomat, Menon previously worked in several key assignments, including as High Commissioner to Sri Lanka before he moved over to China.
(PTI)

Tehelka Commission orders forensic examination of videotapes

Saturday, May 10, 2003 | Editor
New Delhi,Friday, May 09, 2003: Reversing previous rulings, the Tehelka Commission today ordered detailed forensic examination of the videotapes containing allegations of corruption in defence deals saying it has "serious doubts" that these "might be tampered" or not be the camera originals.

As many as 16 videotapes submitted by the newsportal, Tehelka, to the Commission will be sent for forensic examination by "independent and impartial experts" following a 31-page order by Justice S N Phukan here.
Accepting a plea by Samata party leader Jaya Jaitly and others, former Supreme Court Judge said the Commission had prima-facie serious doubts that the tapes, which were the "ultimate arbiters", might be tampered. "These doubts have to be removed and the truth with regard to the videotapes has to be found," he said.
Justice K Venkataswami, who had headed the Commission for nearly 18 months before resigning under controversial circumstances, had twice turned down Jaitly's plea maintaining that there was no prima-facie case for the forensic examination at that stage.
"The examination of the original is essential in order to come to a conclusion as to the veracity of the tapes," the Judge said and asked the noticees to give their response by May 19 as to where the tapes should be sent for the forensic examination.
(PTI)

Test reports of suspected SARS patient expected today

Saturday, May 10, 2003 | Editor
Ahmedabad,Friday, May 09, 2003: Serum test reports of Harish Murjani, the patient feared to be suffering from SARS is expected later this evening, health officials said today.

Senior doctors attending Murjani at the Civil Hospital here said though he is suffering from mild fever, his condition is stable.
"However, there is no symptoms, as of now, of the SARS virus. He is not suffering from pneumonia and has no lung problems," Superintendent Civil Hospital Dr Anil Chadda told PTI.
"We are not taking any chances and have taken all precautionary measures while treating the patient," he said.
Murjani had travelled to some of the SARS-affected countries and complained of fever on returning to India, Dr Chadda said adding, that we initially feared that he might have contracted the virus during his visit.
Murjani, who reportedly travelled to Singapore, reached the city via Chennai on May one by train and was rushed to Civil Hospital on May six after he showed symptoms akin to SARS.
Gujarat Health Secretary S K Nanda said Murjani's test reports are expected to reach here by evening from National Institute of Virology (NIV) at Pune.
(PTI)

India conducts first-ever test firing of air-to-air missile

Saturday, May 10, 2003 | Editor
Balasore,Friday, May 09, 2003: The Indian missile programme today reached a new high with the successful first-ever test firing of ASTRA air-to-air missile, making it the country only one outside NATO and Russia to develop such a sophisticated system.

A prototype of the sleek missile was test launched from a ground-based fixed launcher with the help of a booster engine at about 1215 IST from launch complex number two of the ITR, officials said.
Powered by a solid propellant, the missile has a striking range of 25 to 40 km giving it a beyond visual range interception capability. Top Defence Research scientists, who witnessed the launch, described it as "highly successful" saying that the missile had been tracked right from the mobile launcher to its impact point.
Officials said after some more test firings from the mobile launchers, the missile would then be test fired live from jet fighters using pilotless target aircraft.
"All the mission objectives of the test flight have been achieved", a defence Ministry statement said in New Delhi.
The officials said that test firing of the ASTRA, which would form the main interception armour of the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft,had been timed with successful test flights of the technology demonstrator of the LCA.
(PTI)

Crickters make millions from World Cup

Saturday, May 10, 2003 | Editor
Crickters make millions from World Cup

New Delhi,Friday, May 09, 2003: Nine Indian cricketers including skipper Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid earned over Rs 7.7 million each from logo money, tour fees and prize money during the World Cup in South Africa.

The total earnings of the 15-member team and the support staff ammounted to a whopping Rs 114.6 million from the tournament, Sports Minister Vikram Verma told the Rajya Sabha today quoting information from the Cricket Board.
Other six players -- Virender Sehwag, Mohammad Kaif, Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, Dinesh Mongia and Javagal Srinath -- got Rs 77,29,862 each from these sources while spinner Harbhajan Singh made Rs 76,77,662.
Left-arm seamer Ashish Nehra and leg spinner Anil Kumble's earnings were Rs 76,25,462 and Rs 73,12,262 respectively.
Three players -- Sanjay Bangar, Parthiv Patel and Ajit Agarkar -- all of whom did not feature even in a single match in the World Cup, got Rs 71,55,662 each.
While the tour fees for all the players was Rs 2.5 million each, every cricketer got Rs 30,76,612.50 towards prize money.
Team manager Jyoti Bajpai and his assistant N Venkata got Rs 500,000 apiece from tour fees, he said.
(PTI)

I've never experienced insecurity: Mahima

Friday, May 9, 2003 | Editor
FILMFARE.COM

MUMBAI: The shot's ready, a succession of assistants are knocking persistently on the door of her make-up van but Mahima Chaudhary's costume is just not fitting her right. A needle comes to the rescue, and off she goes to can her shot for Tanuja Chandra's Vaasta.

A few minutes later, Mahima is back to her seat with a huge sigh. "I'll be leaving for stage shows in three days and before I do, I have to finish shooting a major portion of the film. Then there are rehearsals... though, with the Iraq war happening, I really don't know how many shows we'll finally be able to stage. I'm going crazy!"

Is that why she's been lying low when it comes to the media these days?

"That's not true," she protests. "Right from the time I entered the industry I've preferred to keep a low profile. The only time I talk is just before the release of my films, when I'm promoting them. The rest of the time there's really nothing to say! I'm the same person; nothing about me has changed. So all my interviews end up sounding the same. There's absolutely no spice. The media doesn't even hound me now."

How come her date diary looks choc-a-bloc when she doesn't have too many money spinners to her credit?

"Yes, some of my films may not have done well, but then, quite a few have done very well too. Fortunately for me, I'm not surviving on hype and controversies. In any case, I cannot sit and brood about what went wrong and why. I know out here, everyone, including me, likes to pass the buck. If things go wrong, we blame the audience: 'Oh, they didn't understand what we were saying'. And so on. But that's not true. The fact is that we did go wrong somewhere. I guess we're only trying to console ourselves by blaming others".

Neither does she feel any envy or insecurity when other actresses deliver hits, she claims. "I know the dictionary meaning of insecurity but I've never experienced it. Unlike some other heroines who have never had a single hit in their entire career, I can boast of quite a few.

"True, a hit does make me happy but a flop does not set me brooding. I move on. Honestly, I've always been a very positive person. I don't think I'm drop dead gorgeous nor am I the most talented person around. It's my positive attitude that has worked for me. How else would you explain my success?

"Many may not believe it but the fact is that I've never craved what other actresses have achieved. If you ask me what my ambition as an actress is, I'll never say I want to do a Mother India or be another Nargis, Meena Kumari or Madhubala. They were great but the films they did captured some wonderful moments which can never be repeated again on celluloid. It would be foolish of me to even think I could do something like them. I want to be remembered for the good work I do. I want everyone to talk about my performances rather than have me talk about wanting to do what others have done."

Mahima insists she doesn't hanker to be numero uno. "I've never been interested in titles and tags. If I had, then I would have been Miss India and Miss Universe. These titles are only temporary. I'm an actress and I want to just concentrate on being a good actress."

Some time ago, she says, she found herself stifled: "I was being offered the same roles. It was difficult to choose from them since I didn't want to be repetitive," she says. "Today it's not only actors, but even the writers and directors who want to come up with different scripts. So it's become more exciting in terms of stories and roles. Each film I'm doing right now, like Vaasta, Sarhadpaar, Hum Do Hamara Ek, belong to a different genre. No two movies will be the same."

Is it true that she was the second choice for this Tanuja Chandra film, that she was approached after Juhi Chawla opted out?

"I was the first choice. When Tanuja had first approached me, she wanted to make it a serial and I wasn't interested in doing TV. She returned to me when she decided to make it into a film. How does it matter who was doing it and who is doing it? I'm happy I did the film because Tanuja is a very good director, very quick and very sure about what she wants. It's fun shooting for this film."

Isn't it as much fun shooting for other films too? "No it's not," she replies. "During Pardes Shah Rukh Khan would constantly tell me that it was important to work with like-minded people. I couldn't understand why he was saying that. After doing so many films I know exactly what he meant. Today I can say that I'm doing films with only those whom I get along well. It's important for people who are working together to be on the same wavelength. I want to enjoy my work. I don't want to have an unpleasant atmosphere around me. Negativity of any kind affects me."

Rumours first had it that she and tennis ace Leander Paes had parted ways for good and then came the news that they were back together. What's going on?

"I'm not answering this question. Let people say what they want, let them live with their conscience," she snaps.

Is everything fine?

"Of course it is. My personal life is absolutely fine. I'm happy," she says smilingly.

"Honest to God, there's nothing to worry about. Everything is the way it should be."

Big B among greatest 100 all-time movie stars

Friday, May 9, 2003 | Editor
PTI

LONDON: Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan has been voted as one of the greatest 100 film stars of all time.

The vote, conducted by Britain's Channel 4 television and aired on Tuesday night includes Al Pacino, Tom Hanks, Harrison Ford, Anthony Hopkins and Sean Connery.

Amitabh Bachchan, who was voted as the star of the millennium in a poll conducted by the BBC on-line earlier, is listed as 92nd among the 100 top stars of all time.

Considered in popular parlance as the King of Indian Cinema, Amitabh Bachchan made his first appearance in the movie Saat Hindustani which did not do particularly well at the box office.

But he made a mark in his films Zanjeer and Deewar and introduced the role of the "angry young man" to Indian cinema.

Amitabh has acted in all over 70 films, many of them, particularly those from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, resounding successes.

Lord Lawrence Olivier, Sir Alec Guiness and Sir John Giegud are among the missing in the star list while the vote found a strong preference for living actors, led by Al Pacino at No 1.

The rest of the top 10 included Robert De Niro, Tom Hanks, Kevin Spacey, Harrison Ford, Jack Nicholson, Anthony Hopkins, Sean Connery, Ewan McGregor and Cary Grant.

Jane Fonda (98) and Michael Douglas (100) made the list, but their fathers didn't.

Audrey Hepburn was 13th and Marilyn Monroe 39th while Bruce Lee and Sidney Poitier are listed as 49th and 52nd respectively. Elizabeth Taylor is 77th in the list.

"Although all the classic greats are there, the final top five demonstrates that there are now modern greats who are established and are recognised up there alongside those classic movie stars", said John Piper, who produced the Channel 4 programme.

Kolkata HC restrains telecast of tele-serial Karishma

Friday, May 9, 2003 | Editor
PTI

KOLKATA: The Calcutta High Court on Thursday restrained Sahara TV channel from telecasting any episode of the much-publicised tele-serial "Karishma -- A miracle of destiny" starring Bollywood actress Karishma Kapoor.

Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghosh passed the interim order on a suit filed by New York based novelist, Barbara Taylor Bradford, against Sahara Media Entertainment Ltd and others alleging infringement of the copyright of her literary work -- "A Woman of Substance."

The Court fixed the next date for hearing of the case on May 13.

The Court also appointed a special officer to make an inventory of all alleged infringed materials, including outline, script, all recorded materials, master tape, CD, VCD and screen play of the serial.

The mega-serial, which would have marked the debut of Karishma Kapoor on the small screen, was scheduled to be telecast from May 12.

P C Sen and Debal Banerjee, appearing for the petitioners, submitted that Bradford is the holder of the copyright of the novel and had never authorised anyone to make or produce any serial or film of the work.

They submitted that the petitioner was surprised to know that her work was being serialised in India under the name "Karishma -- A miracle of destiny".

The serial was produced by Akashdeep for Sahara TV and written by noted Hindi film story writer Sachin Bhowmick.

India achieves perfect placement of satellite

Friday, May 9, 2003 | Editor
India moved a step closer to enter the highly lucrative global satellite launch service business with the second developmental flight of indigenously built GSLV rocket successfully placing a communication satellite into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit, about 17 minutes after a perfect lift-off on Thursday.

Immediately after the 1800 kg satellite was hurled into the GTO, it was tracked down by ground stations at Biak in Indonesia and Hassain in Karnataka, ISRO said. The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle blasted off from the Satish Dhawan spaceport in Sriharikota at 4.58 pm on Thursday.

A battery of scientists, engineers and technicians, who toiled hard for the most technologically challenging project undertaken so far under the Indian Space Programme, were overwhelmed with excitement and joy when the 49-metre high, three-stage vehicle, weighing 414 tonnes, soared into the sky, leaving behind columns of fire and fumes.

Speaking to newsmen after the launch of GSLV-D2 Indian Space Research Organisation chairman Dr K Kasturirangan said ISRO would like to make GSLV operational for carrying satellites in the 2000 kg class like 'Edusat', an educational satellite, before embarking on a third test flight of GSLV.

The GSLV-D2 is the second developmental test flight of the vehicle, in which a heavier satellite, 1800 KG GSAT-2, than the one sent in the first version would be placed into the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit of 180 km perigee (nearest point to earth) and 36,000 km apogee (farthest point to earth).

Higher payload has been achieved by incorporating enhanced propellant loading in core solid motor, high pressure engine in liquid propellant strap-on motors and in second stage of the vehicle, and optimisation of structural elements.

GSLV consists of hundreds of sub-systems, which are designed, built, tested and qualified before their integration for launch. Most of the vehicle's hardware like motor cases, inter-stages, payload fairing, engine components and electronic modules are built by 150 Indian industries, both from public and private sectors.

GSAT-2 carries four C-band transponders, two Ku-band transponders and a Mobile Satellite Service payload. Besides the communication payloads, the GSAT-2 also carries four piggyback experimental payloads like Total Radiation Dose Monitor, Surface Charge Monitor, Solar X-ray spectrometer and Coherent Radio Beacon Experiment.

After going into the GTO, the GSAT-2 will be taken to its final geo-stationary orbit by firing the liquid apogee motor in phases. After reaching the geo-stationary orbit, its antenna and solar panels would be deployed and the satellite would be finally placed in its allocated slot of 48 degree east longitude.

Ash defends decision not to act with Salman

Friday, May 9, 2003 | Editor
Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai has defended her decision to opt out of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's next film featuring Salman Khan.

"I have very valid reasons for not working in Baji Rao Mastani. If an artiste is not comfortable or there are other reasons which can override you and upset you. If there is no peace inside, you cannot be earnest and sincere," She told reporters without naming Salman in her first public appearance in Mumbai on Wednesday night since being injured in an accident during a shooting near Nashik.

The actress, who launched a new range of diamond jewellery, pointed out that she had already issued a statement explaining the reasons for deciding to give up Baji Rao Mastani.

Kareena Kapoor has replaced Rai, the original choice as female lead, opposite Salman in the period piece Baji Rao Mastani.

Asked about reports on her getting an offer for acting in a James Bond movie, Rai said "agents from abroad proposed several things to my secretary one of which was apparently that thing."

Rai said the first film she would start shooting next is Samir Karnik's Kyun Ho Gaya Na, which stars Vivek Oberoi.

She said her selection as a member of the jury at Cannes Film Festival was an honour as an Indian and "it is a big responsibility and I hope to be able to fulfil it.

"I am looking forward to serve on the jury of the festival. It is a great opportunity and a sign of cinematic recognition," the actress, who is the first Indian star to have earned the distinction, said.

Aishwarya, who is recuperating after an ankle fracture sustained during a shooting near Nasik last month, will be leaving on May 13 for the prestigious festival, which commences the next day.

The actress, who entered the hotel in a wheelchair for the launch of the line of jewellery, said she would be taking the help either or a stick or a crutch on her trip to Cannes in order to prevent further strain on her injured ankle.

"I will take adequate precaution," she said.

PM rejects Pak's proposal for de-nuclerisation of South Asia

Friday, May 9, 2003 | Editor
New Delhi,Friday, May 09, 2003: Maintaining that friendship should be developed to the extent possible, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has rejected Pakistan's proposal for de-nuclearisation of South Asia and dimissed charge that India was rushing into peace process without due preparations.

"Pakistan has proposed denuclearisation of South Asia. It is not acceptable to us. India's nuclear programme is not Pakistan-centric. Their programme is India specific.
"Our concern is not just Pakistan. We have to keep in mind developments in other neighbouring countries as well," the Prime Minister said in a spirited 30-minute reply in the Lok Sabha to a short discussion on Indo-Pak peace moves.
On a Pakistani proposal for a no-war pact, Vajpayee endorsed the BJP spokesman V K Malhotra's suggestion that there should instead be a no-proxy-war pact.
Brushing aside the Opposition charge in the Lok Sabha that Government conducted itself in an ad-hoc manner swinging between extremes on Indo-Pak affairs, he asserted that end of cross-border terrorism and dismantling of terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan were a must for improvement of bilateral relations.
(PTI)
10:00 IST

MIT pulls out of Media Lab Asia

Friday, May 9, 2003 | Editor
MIT pulls out of Media Lab Asia

New York,Friday, May 09, 2003: The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, involved in technology research to benefit Indian masses, has pulled out of a collaboration with India in less than two years citing differences with Arun Shourie, the new Minister for Information Technology and Communication, over focus and management of research projects.

MIT has decided to discontinue its involvement in the management of Media Lab Asia, said Media Lab Executive Director and senior research scientist Walter R Bender.
"Professor (Alex Paul) Pentland and I went to India to meet the new minister" this week and decided "not to continue our involvement," Professor Nicholas P. Negroponte, Chairman of MIT Media Lab, said.
MIT will still be involved in research for Media Lab Asia, Bender said. "We have graduate and undergraduate students working over there."
Bender claimed the Shourie was making changes in the way research is being conducted by Media Lab Asia. "Changes are already being made as we speak."
The new minister, Negroponte alleged, does not believe in rural development through ICT (Information and Communications Technology) and is even less interested in basic innovation.
"He wants a very directed, project oriented research with step-by-step deliverables."
MIT is no longer involved with Media Lab Asia management because of this change, Bender said.
Media Lab Asia was founded in 2001 to help develop technologies to benefit India's masses. The goal was to help transform the economically weaker sections of the society with affordable wireless and Internet technology.
(PTI)

Musharraf says any terrorist camps would be removed

Friday, May 9, 2003 | Editor
Islamabad,Friday, May 09, 2003: President Pervez Musharraf has assured the United States that any terrorist camps in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir "would be gone tomorrow", while claiming at the same time that there are no such camps.

US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, who held a 90-minute meeting with Musharraf, said on Thursday that the Pakistain President has given him "absolute assurance that there is nothing happening across the Line of Control".
Armitage said Musharraf told him that there were no militant training camps in PoK and "if there were camps they would be gone tomorrow".
The US Deputy Secretary, who will be visiting New Delhi tomorrow, said Washington was not carrying any proposal for resolution of the Kashmir issue and denied that it was exerting pressure on both India and Pakistan to resolve it.
Expressing cautious optimism about the fresh peace initiatives by India and Pakistan, he said Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee made far-reaching statements in Srinagar which led to a nascent beginning of a dialogue after Pakistani Premier Mir Zafurullah Jamali spoke to him over phone a few days later.
Armitage, who also held talks with Jamali, Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri and other senior officials, said that infiltration of militants across the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir has come down compared to last year.
"The infiltration and the cross border violence and the lethality are down from this time last year," he said adding but that does not "fill me with great enthusiasm as any suffering is a cause of concern for us all".
(PTI)
10:00 IST

West Bengal braces for panchayat poll amid tight security

Friday, May 9, 2003 | Editor
Kolkata,Friday, May 09, 2003: After a violence-marred poll campaign in which 19 people were killed and a Central minister attacked, West Bengal is gearing up for Sunday's panchayat elections spread over 17 districts amidst tight security.

Over three crore voters are expected to exercise their franchise in 44186 booths to choose their nominees out of a total 1,38,774 candidates in the biggest political exercise in rural West Bengal being held after five years since 1978.
Of them 1,17050 nominees are fighting for positions in Gram Panchayats, the lowest tier of local goverment, 19,354 in Panchayat Samities and 2370 in Zilla Parishads.
Strong contingents of paramilitary forces, police and state armed police will be deployed in constituencies to maintain law and order during the elections in the three-tier panchayats.
The Deputy Inspector General of Police (HQ) Narayan Ghosh told PTI that massive security arrangements were being made to conduct peaceful polling at 58,357 seats.
He said six companies of CRPF, five companies of Orissa state armed police in addition to the state's own 50,000 armed police personnel would be deployed for Sunday's polls.
(PTI)
10:51 IST

Vajpayee's sister dies

Friday, May 9, 2003 | Editor
Vajpayee's sister dies

New Delhi,Friday, May 09, 2003: Urmila Mishra, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's sister, died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences here this morning.

Urmila, 72, was suffering from cancer and had been brought here from Gwalior by Vajpayee on April 28 for further treatment.
Her body is likely to be flown to Gwalior for last rites, PMO sources said.
Urmila was mother of Anup Mishra, BJP MLA in Madhya Pradesh.
(PTI)

SARS-suspect Australians dismissed from hospital

Thursday, May 8, 2003 | Editor
IANS

HYDERABAD: Two Australians who were admitted to a hospital here on suspicion of carrying the SARS virus have been discharged after doctors ruled that they had not contracted the disease.

Authorities have also ended the quarantine of 23 other Australians after they were found free of SARS.

Wilcox Luke Charles, 19, and G. Robert Jason, 18, who were admitted at the government-run Chest Hospital Saturday were discharged on Tuesday.

K Venu, superintendent of the Chest Hospital, said the decision to discharge them was taken without waiting for the test reports from the Pune-based National Institute of Virology. The two had no fever and were "absolutely normal".

They had been admitted with high temperature, cough and vomiting -- symptoms of SARS that has claimed about 400 lives worldwide but none in India.

Charles and Jason, part of the Perth-based 80-member troupe of the Institute of Nations for Cultural Activities, came here on April 26 via Thailand and Mumbai.

Doctors said another reason for releasing them without waiting for the test reports was because Australia and Thailand are not on the WHO list of SARS-affected countries.

Health authorities had also isolated 23 Australians at the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) hostel in Secunderabad over SARS fears. This isolation also ended Tuesday after the end of a 10-day incubation period.

Last month a man from Kerala was admitted to the Chest Hospital with suspected SARS symptoms. The man, who had arrived here from Singapore, was also discharged after doctors found no incidence of the dreaded disease in him.

Meanwhile, the state government has decided to develop a quarantine unit in the Chest Hospital to deal with any suspected SARS case.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who held a high-level meeting to review the arrangements being made to deal with the possible threat, also directed the officials to open a screening cell at the Visakhapatnam Port.

Officials told Naidu that screening of passengers landing at the Hyderabad airport from other countries started on April 6 and 12,440 passengers have been screened.

Directing officials to proclaim SARS as a "notifiable" disease, Naidu also called for sensitising government and private hospitals and medical practitioners over the spread of SARS.

Munda logs into e-governance

Thursday, May 8, 2003 | Editor
RANCHI: On Monday, Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda spoke to the Deputy Commissioner (DC) and SP of Bokaro, the neighbouring town of the state capital. Nothing out of ordinary here except the fact that the Munda was video-conferencing.

In an attempt to adopt e-governance in the state, the CM's residence got the video-conferencing facility way back in 2001 during Marandi's tenure wherein all four divisional headquarters _ Ranchi (South Chotanagpur), Hazaribagh (North Chotanagpur), Daltongunj (Palamau) and Dumka (Santhal Pargana) _ were connected.

The offices of the Governor, Chief Secretary, DGP and other department secretaries were also linked at the cost of Rs 6 crore. In addition, laptops worth Rs 76 lakh were gifted to the 82 MLAs. Not that it helped much for the officials didn't trust the machines much.

The MLAs weren't any better. Out of the 82, only ten had e-mail accounts. Of them only two regularly checked their mail. "The remaining four dozen-odd MLAs didn't even know how to start the laptops. So bad was the scene that Congress Legislature party leader Furkan Ansari's MBBS son Dr Irfan Abbu used his father's laptop. RJD MLA Sabba Ahmad's daughter Narbeen and son Nadeem were making use of their father's laptop. So was the case with BJP's Mrigendra Pratap Singh whose laptop was lying with his relative," claimed a report in a local Hindi daily. Even Marandi never used his official laptop. He never held a video-conference with the officials.

Unlike Marandi, Munda looks determined to herald a change in the process of governance. Now no officer is supposed to be found loitering around the CM Secretariat without the permission of his/ her department's head. A computerised attendance register is being introduced at the secretariat. Munda also issued a seven-point directive to officials recently, asking them to prepare a monthly schedule to take stock of annual targets and setting a time-frame for implementation of projects approved during the last fiscal.

Earlier this month, the government organised seminar on ISO 9000. At this seminar, representatives of four companies _ Quality Growth Services Pvt Ltd, Det Norske Veritas, Quality Management International and ICL Certification Ltd presented their expertise to improve the government performance and Munda, along with a dozen ministers and top officers including CS A.K. Mishra and DGP R.R. Prasad, sat through the seminar.

Asked if the state government is ready to apply for ISO 9000 certification, Munda replied in the affirmative.

Terrorists massacre 21 in Tripura

Thursday, May 8, 2003 | Editor
IANS

GUWAHATI: Tribal militants fighting to secede from India massacred 21 villagers in the northeastern state of Tripura early on Wednesday.

Around 20 hooded men sneaked into a small village near the State capital Agartala before dawn, dragged out sleeping residents from their homes and gunned them down in an open field, police said.

Some of the victims, including women and children, were also attacked with sharp edged weapons, Superintendent of Police Gautam Das told IANS over telephone from Agartala.

The massacre, in Simnacherra village, 65 km north of Agartala, left 19 people dead and eight wounded. Two of them were in critical condition in hospital.

The police blamed the killings on the outlawed All Tripura Tigers Force.

In another incident, the National Liberation Front of Tripura shot dead two men, also near Agartala.

All the dead were non-tribal Bengalis, who number more than tribals in Tripura.

PM likely to speak on peace initiative with Pak on Thursday

Thursday, May 8, 2003 | Editor
PM likely to speak on peace initiative with Pak on Thursday

New Delhi,Thursday, May 08, 2003: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is likely to speak in Lok Sabha today on India's peace initiative with Pakistan.

The House is expected to discuss Indo-Pak releations, Parliament sources said.
The Prime Minister extended his hands of friendship with Pakistan and followed it up with the decision to appoint a new High Commissioner and resume civil aviation links with that country. Pakistan Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali had yesterday announced restoration of full diplomatic ties as also rail, road and air links with India.
(PTI)
09:08 IST

US urges renewed engagement between India, Pakistan

Thursday, May 8, 2003 | Editor
US urges renewed engagement between India, Pakistan

Washington,Thursday, May 08, 2003: The United States has called for an end to the violent incidents on both sides of the Line of Control in Kashmir and urged India and Pakistan to undertake renewed engagement which could lead to reduction of tension and progress towards resolution of their differences.

"We have seen the media reports of further violent incidents on both sides of the Line of Control in Kashmir. As we have said many times, we strongly believe that violence will not solve Kashmir's problems. We want to see it end," US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said at his daily briefing here Wednesday.
"We have welcomed Indian Prime Minister (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee's recent bold offer to renew talks and Pakistan's positive responses. We want to see further steps along these lines," he said.
"We will encourage such measures during (US) Deputy Secretary Armitage's visit to the region this week, and in further senior level contacts with Pakistan and India. We would like to see renewed engagement between India and Pakistan leading to a reduction in tensions, an end to violence in Kashmir and progress towards resolution of their differences," Boucher said.
(PTI)
09:08 IST

All party meet on Women's Bill called by Speaker on June 16

Thursday, May 8, 2003 | Editor
All party meet on Women's Bill called by Speaker on June 16

New Delhi,Thursday, May 08, 2003: A day after Government threw its hands up on the Women's Reservation Bill, a meeting convened by Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi Wednesday decided to hold a meeting on June 16 to explore possibilities of arriving at a consensus for discussing the bill in an orderly manner in the House.

The Speaker requested the leaders of parties at the meeting to give their views in the matter to the Secretariat in writing well before June 16 to facilitate a meaningful discussion.
On Thuesday, upset over the Bill being deferred in the wake of stiff opposition even from a section of NDA allies, Government had said it had no further plans of trying to evolve a consensus on the measure which it felt would not be passed in 13th Lok Sabha.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had said the Government would not hold any more meetings at the Prime Minister's level to evolve a consensus on the bill, but if the Speaker desired to discuss the issue with parties, it was his prerogative.
She said Government had fulfilled its responsibilities on the bill and if a consensus emerged from a meeting convened by the Speaker, it would consider it.
(PTI)
09:08 IST

India gives a cautious response to Pak's CBMs

Thursday, May 8, 2003 | Editor
Giving a cautious response to Pakistan's confidence-building measures, India has said that it could consider these steps "in due course" and on seeing evidence of Islamabad taking "firm and credible" action to stop cross-border terrorism and dismantle terrorist infrastructure.

A day after Pakistan Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali announced restoration of full diplomatic ties as also rail, road and air links, India made it clear that "several specific steps would need to be taken by Pakistan to move this process meaningfully forward".
"We, on our part, remain fully committed to improving relations between the two countries" and resolving all issues "bilaterally as provided for in the Simla Agreement and the Lahore Declaration," External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna told reporters here on Wednesday.
He said that the measures announced by Jamali "can be considered in due course as we see progress on the steps announced by our Prime Minister and there is evidence of Pakistan taking firm and credible action against cross-border terrorism and to dismantle the infrastructure of support to terrorism".
Sarna said India has sent to the Pakistan Government the name of its High Commissioner for acceptance.
Though there is no official word on who will be the Indian envoy, there is speculation that India's Ambassador to China Shiv Shankar Menon is a frontrunner for the hot seat.
(PTI)
09:08 IST

Internet on trains successfully tested

Wednesday, May 7, 2003 | Editor
The Indian Railways has validated the technology for providing Internet access on its trains. The tests, conducted on the Northern Railway, were the first in the world on running trains, according to Railway sources.

The tests were conducted for short distances for a fortnight. They may now be done on a long distance train, provided the Railway Board is forthcoming with the approval.

After testing live radio news broadcasts from August last year, the Railway Board developed cold feet for unexplained reasons and withheld permission to the Prasar Bharti to broadcast the commentary of World Cup cricket matches.

The Internet, however, has better chances of succeeding because a Railway corporation, RailTel, has surplus bandwidth on its optical fibre network at every station.

After the long distance tests, passengers on `elite' trains such as Rajdhanis and Shatabdis can expect to log on to the world-wide web while on board.

There will be two ways to go about it. If one is carrying a laptop, all one has to do is plug in the power socket provided next to the seat and insert the RailTel-provided pre-paid card for wireless connectivity.

Alternatively, one can browse the net using a fully equipped kiosk in selected compartments.

Officials claim that connectivity will not be impaired even after trains pull out of large cities.

Upswing in tourism in India as SARS closes other destinations

Wednesday, May 7, 2003 | Editor
Dubai,Tuesday, May 06, 2003: Tourism in India has witnessed a sudden spurt as fear of the deadly SARS disease drove tourists away from other destinations in the far east, a top official said.

"There was an increase of 8.5 per cent in foreign tourist arrivals last month as India remained largely unaffected by SARS", Reshmi Verma, Additional Director General, Ministry of Tourism, said.
Verma, who is here to attend the Arabian Travel Mart, the premier travel show in the Middle East beginning today, said there were instances in April when groups booked for China cancelled the tour and headed for India.
Tourist arrivals got a boost as the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared India SARS-free and because of which there were no mass cancellations of group tours from the West to India recently, she said.
There is no ban in India on flights from the SARS-hit countries in the far east but vigorous health checks are being conducted on passengers coming in, which helps in preventing the spread of SARS to India, she said.
Describing the high air fare from the Middle East to India as a discentive to tourism, Verma said the tourism ministry was in talks with the state governments to slash the High Air Turbine Fuel (ATF) tax, the main reason for exhorbitant fares.
"States like Andhra Pradesh have drastically reduced the ATF from 39 per cent to 4 per cent and other states like Goa and north eastern states were reviewing the ATF tax rates," she said.
(PTI)
12:11 IST

Shetty, Jaffer put Mumbai back in contention

Wednesday, May 7, 2003 | Editor
Shetty, Jaffer put Mumbai back in contention

Mumbai,Tuesday, May 06, 2003: Nishit Shetty struck a fine century to lead an impressive batting performance by Mumbai who fought themselves back into a strong position in the Ranji Trophy final against Tamil Nadu here today.

Mumbai finished a satisfying day three at 228 for four in their second innings after restricting Tamil Nadu's first innings advantage to a mere 11 runs.
Shetty struck exactly 100 runs off 133 balls, putting on 188 for the second wicket with opener Wasim Jaffer as Mumbai made amends for their first innings batting lapses. Jaffer missed his century by just two runs, his 98 coming off 173 balls.
Earlier in the morning, Tamil Nadu resumed at their overnight 223 for four and were dismissed for 271, only 11 runs ahead of Mumbai's first innings score of 260. Ajit Agarkar, who finished with four wickets for 57, and captain Paras Mhambrey (2-36) were the leading wicket-takers for Mumbai.
Mumbai batsmen then benefitted from poor fielding by Tamil Nadu to place their team in a strong position. Tamil Nadu, who had floored three catches in the first innings, have already dropped four in the second.
Shetty benefitted the most as he was dropped thrice, the first time when had scored just four runs.
(PTI)
19:46 IST

Designated court directs summoning of Ambani brothers

Wednesday, May 7, 2003 | Editor
Designated court directs summoning of Ambani brothers

New Delhi,Tuesday, May 06, 2003: A Special Court here has directed summoning of Reliance group Chairman Mukesh Ambani and its Managing Director Anil Ambani in a case in which the company's officials were alleged to have entered into a criminal conspiracy to procure classified government documents violating Official Secrets Act.

Additional Sessions Judge P K Bhasin has directed CMM Sangita Dhingra Sehgal to issue summons to Mukesh and Anil, the then Managing Directors of Reliance Industries Limited, for being "statutorily deemed to be guilty" of the offence alleged to have been committed by officials of the company.
CBI had claimed to have recovered photocopies of four classified secret documents of different ministries of the Government from Reliance's office at Meridien Commercial towers here during a raid conducted on October 28, 1998 in connection with a case registered against gangster Romesh Sharma and others for the offences of extortion and abduction.
CBI had named V Balasubramaniam (President of Reliance), A N Sethuraman (Vice President Reliance Industries) and Shankar Adawal (General Manager, Reliance Telecom) as accused and charged them with entering into a criminal conspiracy for receiving, possessing and handling classified documents.
Since the possession of these documents were allegedly unauthorised, it could cause risk to national security, the agency alleged.
It was also found that copies of those secret documents had been faxed to late Dhirubhai Ambani, Mukesh, Anil and also to one N R Meswani, Executive Director of Reliance.
CBI has alleged that the documents recovered from the official premises of the company were beneficial for promoting the interests of the company.
(PTI)
18:07 IST

Lao supports India's bid for a seat in UN Security Council

Wednesday, May 7, 2003 | Editor
New Delhi,Tuesday, May 06, 2003: Lao Peoples Democratic Republic today extended support to India's candidature for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council as the two countries discussed prospects of enhancing economic cooperation in diversified areas.

Visiting Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Lao Somsavat Lengsavad and External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha reviewed bilateral relations as well as ASEAN dimension of the relationship.
Sinha conveyed that Indian consultancy firms and companies were keen to pariticipate in cement, textiles, edible oils, hydropower and transport sectors.
Significantly, Lao takes over as country coordinator for India in ASEAN from July this year. Lao will also host the ASEAN Summit in 2004.
Sinha reiterated India's committment to the initiative for ASEAN integration, particularly projects in HRD and training.
It was noted that work on the ASEAN-India Vision 2020 document laying out a roadmap for long-term strategic relationship bewteen ASEAN and India is to be finished by next year's Summit.
The two sides also reviewed scholarship and training programmes. About 450 officials from Lao have been trained in India and four IT experts from the Indian Army are in Lao teaching English language at the Military Academy.
Lao has expressed keenness to increase scholarships and also to send Buddhist Monks to follow Buddhist studies in India.
(PTI)
18:07 IST

Armitage meets Brajesh, discusses Indo-Pak peace moves

Wednesday, May 7, 2003 | Editor
London,Tuesday, May 06, 2003: US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage kicked off his South Asia tour with a one-to-one meeting with National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra here today, during which they discussed the fresh Indo-Pak peace moves.

Armitage flew in here from Washington to hold talks with Mishra, who is heading on a visit to the US for talks with Administration officials including his counterpart Condoleeza Rice.
No aides were present at the meeting between Mishra and Armitage in which Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's latest peace initiatives and the Pakistani response figured.
As Armitage embarked on his visit to Pakistan and India, US Secretary of State Colin Powell said "this is a moment of opportunity where both sides seem to be reaching out."
Powell told reporters in Washington that Armitage would "encourage this process of reaching out and the US will be ready to assist both sides as they move forward".
(PTI)
20:42 IST

Indo-Pak festival only after relations become normal: Jagmohan

Wednesday, May 7, 2003 | Editor
New Delhi,Tuesday, May 06, 2003: Government today said holding of a Festival of India in Pakistan was possible only after the relations between the two countries were normalised.

"Normal relation between India and Pakistan have to be established first. Our Prime Minister (Atal Bihari Vajpayee) has taken the initiative. If relation becomes normal, cultural exchanges will follow," Union Cultural and Tourism Minister Jagmohan told reporters here.
"Holding of a Festival outside India depends on the logistic support and reciprocal gesture of the host country," he said at a function where a Memorendum of Understanding was signed between India and Bhutan to hold a Festival of India in Bhutan between June and November this year.
The Minister also denied that Government choose a country for holding such festival considering its strategic importance saying: "It depends on mutual understanding. We are now emphasising to hold regular festival in other countries."
Jagmohan hoped that the Festival of India in Bhutan would help in strengthening cultural and historial relations between the two neighbours.
The MoU was signed by Dhandendra Kumar, Secretary Culture and his Bhutanese counterpart Dasho Sangay Wangchug.
The Bhutanese Secretary said that purpose for the festival was to highlight the shared cultural heritage and geographical proximity as well as strengthening the ties between the two countries.
(PTI)
16:25 IST

Consideration of Women's Bill postponed indefinitely

Wednesday, May 7, 2003 | Editor
Consideration of Women's Bill postponed indefinitely

New Delhi,Tuesday, May 06, 2003: Yet another attempt to push through the controversial bill to reserve one-third of seats in Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women failed today following full-throated opposition to it from small parties, including three NDA constituents, forcing indefinite postponement of its consideration in the Lower House of Parliament.

The by-now-familiar scenes of vocal opponents-- Samajwadi Party and RJD with adequate support from BJP allies Shiv Sena, JD (U) and Samata Party--to the 85th Constitution Amendment Bill rushing to the well and creating a pandemonium was repeated today right from the time the House assembled, necessitating a short adjournment by Speaker Manohar Joshi to meet leaders of parties.
"As no unanimity could be reached at this meeting, it was agreed that another meeting may be held to further explore the possibility of finding unanimity in the matter. It was also agreed that the consideration of the Bill may be deferred for the time being," Joshi told the House after his meeting with party leaders.
Later, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told reporters that Government would make no further attempt to get the Bill passed in the current Lok Sabha.
The Speaker said outside the House it was not possible to push a Bill in this manner till "fullest" attempts were made to evolve a consensus.
Storming the well of the House, SP and RJD members clashed with those from Congress saying the legislation was elitist in nature and did not cater to the interests of weaker sections of women.
They menacingly moved towards Congress benches charging the main Opposition with adopting double standards in teaming up with BJP to get the Bill through.
Ever since the first attempt in 1997, the Bill's fate has been jinxed with its opponents clamouring for quotas in the Bill for women belonging to Scheduled Caste, Schedule Tribes, OBCs and minorities, which proponents of the measure see as an insidious attempt to scuttle it.
(PTI)
19:42 IST

Union Cabinet decides to grant dual citizenship

Wednesday, May 7, 2003 | Editor
New Delhi,Tuesday, May 06, 2003: The Union Cabinet tonight decided to grant dual citizenship to Indians living in the United States, the United Kingdom and six other countries.

"Indians living there will have to apply for dual citizenships and government could grant it after due verification," Parlaiamentary Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told reporters after a meeting of the Cabinet lasting over an hour.
They would not have the privilege of voting rights and would not be allowed to hold constitutional offices or jobs in three Defence services, she said.
(PTI)

2 Australians quarantined, Sushma carries surprise check

Monday, May 5, 2003 | Editor
2 Australians quarantined, Sushma carries surprise check

New Delhi , May 5: Union Health Minister Sushma Swaraj paid a surprise visit to the Indira Gandhi International Airport to see the arrangements made by the airports authority to check passengers for SARS even as two Australian were quarantined in Hyderabad.

After completing her inspection she told reporters that that the arrangements are up to the mark. Swaraj also made an on the spot examination of the health check up carried out by the health officers.

"I have come here to verify whether there is any slackness in the arrangement two days after the declaration that India is a SARS free country," Swaraj said.

She also saw health officials check up passengers coming from Thailand and London and visited an isolation room at the airport which is kept for checking any passengers with suspected symptoms of SARS.

Meanwhile, two Australian nationals, who arrived in the city a couple of days ago, were quarantined at the Chest Diseases Hospital in Hyderabad after they were suspected of having symptoms of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

The two were members of an Australian group of social and community development workers.

One of them, Wilcox Luke Charles, had travelled from Australia to Thailand and landed at Mumbai on April 26, before arriving in the city. Wilcox and the other Australian Goodall reported separately at a private hospital with high fever, cold, cough and respiratory tract infection. They were subsequently rushed to the Chest Diseases Hospital.

According to Chest Diseases Hospital Superintendent Dr K Venu, the lungs of both of them were found to be clear on clinical examination.

The Director General of Medical and Health Services would be consulted whether to send their blood samples for SARS confirmatory tests to NIV, Pune and NICD, New Delhi, he added.

DD ex-chief chargesheeted by CBI

Monday, May 5, 2003 | Editor
New Delhi, May 2: CBI has chargesheeted former director general of Delhi Doordarshan Kendra M B Pahari, his wife and another person for allegedly entering into a criminal conspiracy and violating government norms while passing programmes for Doordarshan.

The chargesheet was filed in the designated court against Pahari, his wife, Chitra Pahari, and Rakesh Gupta, managing director of Softline Media Limited, an official spokesman said here today.

The CBI registered a case against Pahari December 4, 2000, and carried out searches at various places.

In the chargesheet, the CBI claimed that Pahari, while working as director and then deputy director general of Delhi Doordarshan Kendra, entered into a criminal conspiracy with Gupta and approved his programmes in violation of guidelines issued by the Doordarshan.

During the investigations, the CBI found that Gupta had purchased the residential premises allegedly for Pahari, in the name of his wife, at Delhi, Mumbai and Calcutta.

The CBI had also registered another case against Pahari which is under trial. The agency had allegedly recovered Rs 1.32 crore from him, the spokesman said. (Agencies)

PM names LCA as "Tejas"

Monday, May 5, 2003 | Editor
Naming Light Combat Aircraft, projected as India's future war machine, as "Tejas", Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today sought joint international collaborations with New Delhi in design, development and co-production in military and civilian sectors.

Speaking at a ceremony to christen the indigenously designed and developed multi-role fighter, Vajpayee said India would follow a vigorous policy of aviation growth in both the military and civilian sector, while continuing to support indigenous development.
"At the same time, we welcome collaboration with international partners in design, development and co-production", he said.
Stating that a shining example is India's co-development with a Russian company of the "Brahmos" supersonic cruise missile, Vajpayee said he was sure that other potential international partners would eventually wake up to the tremendous commercial potential of such joint collaborations with India not only for markets in India but also in third countries.
Vajpayee said the LCA should now be inducted into Indian Air Force squadrons, adding, the government need to make the necessary investments for its commercial production and should also explore its export potential.
He expressed confidence that this world-class fighting machine would make a glorious contribution to the nation's defence.
(PTI)

Vohra to visit Jammu, Leh, Kargil to continue dialogue process

Monday, May 5, 2003 | Editor
After his nine-day interaction with a broad spectrum of political and social leaders in the Kashmir valley last week, Centre's interlocutor N N Vohra plans to pursue further the dialogue process this month by going to other parts of the state -- Jammu, Leh and Kargil.

Vohra has already briefed Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani and External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha on his trip to Kashmir from April 21 to 29 and is in the process of holding discussions with Home Secretary N Gopalaswamy, Special Secretary on Jammu and Kashmir A K Bhandari and other officials concerned.
"The programme for my trip to Jammu, Leh and Kargil is being finalised," the Centre's pointman told PTI here.
Maintaining that the visit will take place by this month-end, he, however, said appropriate timing and duration was being worked out.
During the impending visit, Vohra said he would interact with leaders and representatives of political parties, social organisations and "all those interested to meet".
On his nine-day Srinagar visit, he said he held discussions with 36 leaders of various political parties besides 183 individuals and representatives of governmental organisations, academia, NGOs, social organisations, community and minority groups, eminent persons and editors.
(PTI)

Govt to speed up infrastructure development: PM

Monday, May 5, 2003 | Editor
Prime Minister A B Vajpayee today said government would soon set about speeding up comprehensive development of infrastructure, envisaging world class air travel, in order to boost agriculture, industry and services sectors.

"India is rapidly on the move. We will improve our infrastructure in a comprehensive manner soon. This will give a big boost to the growth of our agriculture, industry and services", he said, dedicating to the nation the Rs 80-crore new departure module of the Anna International Airport here.
Though the process was already on, it would gain speed in the years ahead, he said.
Vajpayee said it was his government's resolve to create world class air travel infrastructure in the country, keeping pace with developments in the international aviation sector. "We are taking necessary steps to meet the fast growing needs of air travel in our big cities," he said, referring to the recent Union Cabinet's approval to amend the Airport Authority of India act, to pave way for the private sector participation in development of airports of international standards. The Prime Minister said India had stood the test of time in safety and security in aviation sector and services of Indian experts in this field had been sought by the International Civil Aviation Organisation. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, who was slated to participate in the function, stayed away, apparently because of the presence of DMK leader and Union Minister T R Baalu.
(PTI)
22:01 IST

Jamali convenes all party meet to discuss Pak response

Monday, May 5, 2003 | Editor
Jamali convenes all party meet to discuss Pak response

Islamabad,Sunday, May 04, 2003: Pakistan Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali has convened an all party meeting tomorrow to discuss the stand to be taken by Pakistan in talks with India, the state television reported today.

Jamali told a public meeting at Mansehra in North West Frontier Province (NWFP) today that he has invited the ruling coalition and opposition parties to discuss Pakistan's response to Prime Minister, A B Vajpayee's offer of talks and subsequent announcements by the Indian leader.
Leaders of Pakistan's political parties who have representation in the National Assembly would be invited for tomorrow's meeting to be held here, the TV reported.
Ahead of Jamali's announcement about his plans to hold an all party meeting, officials of the Pakistan Foreign office here said that Pakistan has already decided to appoint a new High Commissioner to head its High Commission in New Delhi.
The announcement by Jamali that he planned to discuss the stand to be taken by Pakistan comes ahead of his talks with US Secretary of State, Colin Powell that he would announce a set of measures aimed at creating congenial atmosphere and promoting peace and security between the two countries.
His references to words like congenial atmosphere to promote peace and security raised hopes that Jamali would be announcing specific steps aimed at allaying Indian concerns about cross border infiltration.
(PTI)
20:03 IST

Devdas dominates Bollywood Awards nite

Monday, May 5, 2003 | Editor
Sanjay Leela Bhansali's magnum opus `Devdas' dominated the star-studded Bollywood awards ceremony held here, grabbing a slew of awards including that for the best film.

Shah Rukh Khan won the best actor award for his role in the blockbuster while leading lady Aishwarya Rai bagged the award for best actress.
The other awards won by `Devdas' included best supporting actress for Kiron Kher and best female playback singer for Richa Sharma for the song "Mahi Re".
The nominations for the awards, given away Saturday night, were based on a poll conducted among Non-resident Indians here and the final selection was made by an expert panel.
Akshay Kumar won the best supporting actor award for his performance in `Awara Paagal Deevana.'
More than 3000 people gave a standing ovation as Hema Malani and Zeenat Aman, leading actresses of yesteryears, received lifetime achievement awards.
A R Rahman was adjudged best music director for `Saathiya' and Sukhvinder Singh got the best male playback singer award for the song "Pagari Sambhal Jatta" in `The Legend of Bhagat Singh.'
The critics' award for best actress went to Rani Mukherjee for `Saathiya', while Sanjay Dutt won the best actor award for `Kaante'.
Ajay Devgun won the award for best villain for his role in `Deewanagee'.
Esha Deol and Vivek Oberoi were named best debutants.
Karisma Kapoor, Rani Mukherjee, Akshay Kumar, Esha Deol, Richa Sharma and Aftab Shivdasani entertained the audience with live performances.
(PTI)
20:51 IST

Cellular operators announce lower STD rates, new tariff plans

Monday, May 5, 2003 | Editor
Cellular operators announce lower STD rates, new tariff plans

New Delhi,Sunday, May 04, 2003: MobileFirst, an alliance of cellular operators - BPL Mobile, Escotel, RPG Cellular and Spice - today announced new outgoing rates which are 20 to 30 per cent cheaper for long distance calls from mobile phones and two new post-paid tariff plans.

New rates are effective from May one, 2003.
In pre-paid tariff package for MobileFirst subscribers, local outgoing calls can be made to landlines at a flat rate of Rs three per minute, including the 'PSTN' charges.
In the new Interconnect Usage Charge (IUC) regime, the STD calling rates for distances less than 200 km have come down to a single composite rate of Rs 3.5 per minute for calling all landlines, mobile phones and WLL (Wireless in Local Loop) phones.
This is against an earlier average charge of Rs 4.39 per minute for landlines and Rs 4.98 for 'mobile to mobile' calls.
According to the announcement, for distances over 200 kms the new composite rate will be Rs 4.5 per minute down from earlier charge of Rs 6.79 and Rs 4.98 for landlines and mobile phones respectively, translating into a decline of upto 30 per cent.
For post paid subscribers, the alliance announced two new tariff plans, MobileFirst 399 and MobileFirst 599. In case of the former there is a monthly tariff fee (MTF) including monthly rental of Rs 399, local outgoing rate of Rs two per minute, including IUC and pulsing at 60 seconds.
In the second plan, the MTF including monthly rental is Rs 599 with local outgoing rate of Rs 1.2 per minute and pulsing at 60 seconds. In both plans the incoming calls are free.
(PTI)
20:51 IST

Rahul Dravid takes wedding vows with Nagpur doctor

Monday, May 5, 2003 | Editor
Rahul Dravid takes wedding vows with Nagpur doctor

Bangalore,Sunday, May 04, 2003: Star cricketer Rahul Dravid today took wedding vows with Nagpur-based doctor Vijeeta Pendharkar, he has known for many years, in an arranged marriage.

"It's a special day for us. I thank you (media) very much for your support. You helped us make it very private and special", the Indian Vice-Captain said in a brief statement this evening after posing for photographers with Vijeeta.
"We require your cooperation for a couple of days more as well. You guys have been fantastic," said the 30-year-old "The Wall", who had been trying his best to keep the media at bay along with Vijeeta in the last few days.
The media glare had the middle order batsman, who is known to guard his privacy zealously, running for cover from last week.
Earlier today, Dravid tied the nuptial knot with Vijeeta, daughter of his parents' family friends at 1223 IST at Yelahanka on the city outskirts.
The venue was converted into a high security zone with only those having invitation cards allowed in. Among those who personally greeted him were Indian leggie Anil Kumble, seamer B K Venkatesh Prasad and Chairman of Selectors Brijesh Patel.
The marriage, held in a traditional Maharashtrian-style on Akshaya Tritiya, one of the four auspicious days in the Hindu calendar, was simple, unpretentious and low-profile, with only immediate family and close friends in attendence. But it was not short of rituals, family sources said.
(PTI)
22:01 IST

Boycotting nations face eliminiation from World Cup

Monday, May 5, 2003 | Editor
Boycotting nations face eliminiation from World Cup

London,Sunday, May 04, 2003: Countries forfeiting their World Cup matches in future would be thrown out of the tournament, the International Cricket Council warned today.

"Once the teams have agreed to play the World Cup, they are bound to play in every match -- or they will leave the World Cup," ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed was reported as saying by the cricinfo website.
Speaking to reporters in Bridgetown, Barbados, after a meeting with the West Indies Cricket Board, Speed said refusal of England and New Zealand to play their respective matches in Zimbabwe in Kenya had destroyed the credibility of the World Cup.
He said that in future the ICC might make teams sign an undertaking to fulfill all their World Cup fixtures.
Speed also said that ICC was considering a revamp of the World Cup, including reverting to a 12-team format from the current 14 or even expanding it to 16.
Dismissing the criticism that the 2003 World Cup was too long, Speed said, "We heard that mainly from English journalists once their team went home. It became a bit long and drawn out for them. I didn't hear any complaints from India or New Zealand or South Africa. They were enjoying every minute of it".
(PTI)
20:03 IST

Praan Jaye Par Shaan Na Jaye *

Sunday, May 4, 2003 | Editor
Dir: Sanjay Jha
Cast: Raveena Tandon, Namrata Shirodhkar, Rinkie Khanna

Like this poor writer, if you’re ever holed up in a theatre that plays cantankerous cacophony such as this, first, make sure you carry earmuffs to shield against the yelling on the screen.

Take the seat closest to the exit. And make sure you’re not in the company of anyone you vaguely know.

Else, you’ll spend a good while looking away from the screen, or you might get caught faintly giggling to misplaced sexual innuendos, laboriously inserted expletives (and beeps), tired toilet humour or a feminist frau dropping her pallu for a pedestrian who fancies her cleavage.

Propelled by a promising title, we enter expecting the latest status report on the earthy Mumbai chawl of Sai Paranjpye, Saeed Mirza or TV series Hum Panchi Ek Dal Ke.

What we get is a hundred or so characters, each forgotten about by the time they make their second entry, each more bumbling than the previous one that ‘scholar’ (Aman Verma) bumps into while apparently doing ‘research’ on this anything-but-a-chawl (sack the art director).

Add to the shindig: a cooked up Sati ‘performance’, a sex worker residing in one of the rooms, a builder who wants to build an ‘imarat’, da da da.

Okay, we give up. There is actually (and intentionally) no plot here. No actors either, only hamsters — a head-throbbing cocktail of luscious leading ladies mating Mahesh Manjrekar’s Vaastav alumni association.

After flogging references to every Hindi film (a la MTV’s Filmi Funda), pointless parodies to call a soundtrack, sudden transformations into loud retrogressive public service messages, you wonder if this is a spoof that takes itself too seriously or a spoof that ends up spoofing itself.

A C-grade Ram Leela play by a bunch of chawl buddies should beat this perverted juvenility hollow, as one wonders why producers’ associations had a problem allowing this sick flick to release in theatres because of a supposed ban on new films.

The pot of Hindi films overflows with duds that make you scream, “Whaaaat?” a zillion times while the movie is on. But if you haven’t seen Praan Jaye, seriously you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

Pak PM formally invites Vajpayee

Sunday, May 4, 2003 | Editor
Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Mir Zafarulla Khan Jamali today extended a formal invitation to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to visit Pakistan.

A letter of invitation to Vajpayee from Jamali has been handed over to the Acting Indian High Commissioner T C A Raghvan this morning.
Raghvan said that he was called to the Pakistan Foreign Office and handed over Jamali's invitation letter for Vajpayee.

The letter of invitation followed shortly after Jamali had a telephonic conversation with US Secretary of State Colin Powell, media here reported.

Jamali reportedly informed Powell that he is extending a formal invitation to Vajpayee.

Powell yesterday welcomed as "very, very promising" Vajpayee's initiative to send a High Commissioner to Pakistan and restore air-links on reciprocal basis.

Pakistan reciprocating the gesture also announced that it would be sending its High Commissioner back to New Delhi.

Raghvan said besides extending the invitation no formal discussions about the proposed confidence building measures took place.

This was the first official meeting between Raghavan with the Foreign Office after telephone talks between Jamali and Vajpayee on April 28.

Rendezvous begins anew

Sunday, May 4, 2003 | Editor
ARMED: Simi Garewal and A R Rahman on Rendezvous with Simi Garewal
Anchor Simi Garewal begins a new season of her show — Rendezvous with Simi Garewal — on Star World from tomorrow.

The first guest is music maestro A R Rahman. To be aired in two parts, it charts his journey from Chennai to London’s West End.

He also reveals the Sufi influences, the subsequent changes in his life and his marriage.

“For the first time in a talk show Rahman brings out his synthesiser and mesmerises with his compositions,” reveals Garewal. “I asked him for which song he would have loved to have composed.

His answer was quick: Dama dam mast qalandar. In fact we also sing Don’t Cry For Me Argentina together,” adds Garewal.

Rendezvous… had been having repeat runs of late “because we were planning a new season and then decided to start afresh after the cricket World Cup.”

In the new series, the sets and format remain the same with Garewal — in her inimitable style — fielding the questions including those difficult ones. And she will continue to wear her whites and off-whites.

“The only time I broke the colour code was for Hrithik Roshan. I wore pink for that episode. It was the post-Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai frenzy.”

Incidentally, it has been more than five years since Rendezvous… first aired. “The first episode aired on October 3, 1997 had Ratan Tata as the guest,” says Garewal, who will continue with the show till she exhausts her list of celebrity guests. “There are so many names still on my list who I have yet to approach.”

India, Pak to play cricket again

Sunday, May 4, 2003 | Editor
NEW DELHI: The new-found thaw in Indo-Pakistani relations has paved the way for resumption of the age-old and cherished cricket ties between the two best teams of the world.

This development comes in the backdrop of resumption of trade talks, appointment of envoys and restarting of lost air links. One-to-one exchanges haven't taken place for over four years between the two countries.

Rajeev Shukla, Member of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), told Central Chronicle that he was hopeful on this front, keeping in view the warming up of relationship between the two countries on a host of issues. If things are improving at the other end, could cricket be left behind, he asked?

Quoting Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's statement in the Parliament, "maine khel ke logon ke upar chhod diya hai", Shukla said the above statement clearly stands testimony to the change in stance of the government on this issue.

It's not clear, however, whether New Delhi will okay Tests/ODIs on each other's soil or first call for a series at a neutral venue. Even that will be acceptable to both the BCCI and the PCB - in fact, to the entire fraternity.

"Clearly, the Prime Minister's response is very encouraging. Indeed, the Prime Minister's remark has come on the eve of the Asian Cricket Foundation's (ACF's) meeting in Dubai, where BCCI President Jagmohan Dalmiya and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Lt General Tauqir Zia will be present.

General Zia, of course, has gone on record saying the PCB would "reconsider" its decision to boycott the (rescheduled) Asia Cup, in Sri Lanka from August 9, if there was some reciprocity from India. Vajpayee's "maine..." comment is definitely a starting point.

Even otherwise, a move is afoot to "officially request" Pakistan's participation in a tournament which is the ACC's sole fund-raiser. "It's important for the Asia Cup to be held. Equally, it's important for both India and Pakistan to compete," insisted senior players.

Though not on the agenda of ACF's meeting in Dubai, this issue is bound to figure in the meeting and Dalmiya as well as General Zia, would be under pressure to take up this matter with their respective governments.

BJP makes no promises to Sangh

Sunday, May 4, 2003 | Editor
New Delhi, May 3: The three-day RSS-BJP conclave that ended today saw a slight thaw in the relations between estranged members of the Sangh parivar but achieved little else.

The meeting was little more than a “much-needed interactive exercise”, as a Swadeshi Jagran Manch member put it. Neither the Prime Minister nor his deputy assured the Vishwa Hindu Parishad that the government would set the ball rolling on the temple front or promised the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh or the SJM that it would go easy on reforms and divestment.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L.K. Advani said the decision on the two oil majors — HPCL and BPCL — would be implemented as agreed upon. They said one would be open to public holdings and the other for strategic sale, despite some delegates stressing that oil should be included in the strategic sector and that profit-making PSUs should not be sold.

Finance minister Jaswant Singh and disinvestment minister Arun Shourie did not attend the meeting, though Sangh sources initially maintained that they would give a “detailed briefing”.

On the temple front, Sangh spokesman Ram Madhav indicated that the government had lobbed the ball in the VHP’s court. The Centre, he indicated, had asked the VHP to go ahead with its plan of approaching MPs across the political divide to support a central legislation enabling the government to hand over part of the “undisputed” land to the VHP-sponsored Ramjanmabhoomi Nyas to start temple construction.

Madhav stressed that there was no difference between the VHP and the government or the BJP on the Ram temple. “It has been proved over and over again that all RSS affiliates, including the BJP, have expressed their commitment to building the temple,” he said.

It was agreed at the meeting that the Sangh parivar would “cooperate” with the VHP in its proposed programmes, Madhav said, but gave the impression that the trishul dikhsa (trident distribution) programme it had embarked on could peter out. However, BJP sources said their state units were not keen on supporting VHP leader Praveen Togadia’s endeavour.

Madhav quoted Vajpayee as saying at the concluding session that the Sangh needed to work more in the “Indian mainstream”, though it had helped weld together social sections.

Vajpayee, he said, was mum on possible Indo-Pak talks, though he spoke shortly after the Pakistan Prime Minister’s formal invitation for a dialogue.

Powell calls up Sinha, welcomes Vajpayee's peace initiatives

Sunday, May 4, 2003 | Editor
New Delhi: US Secretary of State Colin Powell on Saturday telephoned External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha and welcomed Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's peace initiatives with Pakistan.

Powell called Sinha from Damascus, where he is on a visit, and the conversation lasted for about 15 minutes, an external affairs spokesman said here. Sinha telephoned his French counterpart Dominique De Villepin, the spokesman said. He said these calls came after Sinha spoke to Bristish Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov on Friday.

Sharp spurt in Hyundai sales

Sunday, May 4, 2003 | Editor
New Delhi, May 3 (PTI): Hyundai Motor India today said its car sales surged by 42 per cent in April this year to 10,681 units, following strong exports of the flagship car Santro.

The company has also raised prices of Santro by Rs 10,500-12,000 citing higher input costs.

Domestic sales grew by 26.5 per cent to 9,050 units while exports went up by over four times to 1,631 units. Sales of Santro rose by 45 per cent to 8,320 units during the month, a company release said.

The mid-size car Accent clocked a 43 per cent growth at 2,259 units but that of luxury sedan Sonata fell to 102 units from 209 units a year earlier.

Strong exports have increased Santro’s contribution to the company’s total sales to 15 per cent from 5 per cent in April 2002.

The ex-showroom Delhi prices of the L and LE variants of Santro have been raised by Rs 10,500 to Rs 2.95 lakh and Rs 3.29 lakh respectively. The LP and LS versions have been raised by Rs 11,001 to Rs 3.45 lakh and Rs 3.70 lakh respectively while that of the GS and Automatic variants have been increased by Rs 12,000 to Rs 3.92 lakh and Rs 4.30 lakh respectively.

Hyundai India executive director B. G. Lee said the rising demand of its cars in the domestic and exports markets has created some constraints on production.“We are working on increasing both our capacities and production targets and hope to resolve this situation soon,” he said.

India Harvests First Biotech Cotton Crop

Sunday, May 4, 2003 | Editor
WARANGAL, India -- In the early morning buzz of a busy market, hundreds of cotton farmers arrive on tractors and bullock carts with sacks full of their harvest of "white gold." But this season, some crops are attracting more attention than others.

Bt (for biotech) farmers have planted India's first approved crop of genetically engineered cotton. The new seed, developed by St. Louis-based Monsanto Co. and approved by the government after four years of bitter opposition, is hailed by some as the solution to a vicious cycle of devastation by pests, heavy pesticide use and soil depletion that has trapped Indian farmers for decades.

"I heard it is a miracle seed that will free me from the bondage of pesticide spraying," said Lone Srinivas, 26, as he lounged atop his neatly piled sacks of genetically modified cotton here in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

"Last season, every time I saw pests, I panicked," Srinivas said. "I sprayed pesticides on my cotton crop about 20 times. This season, with the new seed, I sprayed only three times."

About 55,000 farmers across seven states, roughly 2 percent of India's cotton growers, sowed the genetically engineered Bollgard cotton seed, which Monsanto describes as resistant to one of the most formidable cotton pests, the bollworm. But anxiety about the long-term effects of using modified seed -- the fear of "Frankencrops" -- and concern among nationalists, who worry that Indian farmers could find themselves beholden to Western companies, have slowed India's march toward biotech farming.

"GM [genetically modified] crop is not a solution to pest attacks. New pests will become active and resistant to Bt cotton, and Indian farmers would again get into the same pesticide treadmill," said Afsar Jafri of the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology, an advocacy group that spearheads the anti-biotechnology campaign and encourages organic farming. "A handful of Western companies want to control the agricultural foundations of the Third World nations by robbing the farmers economically. Indian farmers may lose their sovereignty."

Of all the economic sectors, agriculture poses the biggest challenge for policymakers seeking to make this nation of 1 billion a player in world markets. After three decades of the "green revolution" -- adopting hybrid seeds and modern scientific farming -- that has made India self-sufficient in grain production, more than two-thirds of Indians depend on agriculture, making it politically sensitive in a democracy steeped in populism and socialist rhetoric.

After pursuing a socialist model of central economic control since independence in 1947, India tentatively began opening its economy in 1991 by dismantling restrictions on foreign investors. But agricultural policy has remained virtually untouched, other than an occasional reduction in fertilizer subsidies.

Cotton cultivation is woefully inefficient. India has more land under cotton cultivation than any country in the world, yet ranks lowest in productivity, according to Agriculture Minister Ajit Singh.

A recent World Bank report said the biggest obstacle to higher yields in Indian cotton is the increasing frequency of pest attacks, leading to a level of pesticide use that has depleted the soil and strained water resources. Moreover, pests develop immunity to the chemicals.

Genetically modified cotton was proposed as a possible solution.

"India is an importer of cotton today," said Sekhar Natarajan, head of Monsanto India. "But with Bt cotton, like China, it can become a major player in the international cotton market in the next five years."

Opponents, however, compared Bollgard's entry into Indian agriculture to colonization by the British East India Co. in the 17th century. Others claimed that the environmental impact of genetically modified crops amounted to "bioterrorism." Ecologists said altered genes may enter the food chain, as many Indian villagers use cottonseed oil in their cooking. Last year, India rejected a large American aid consignment of soy-corn blend, imported by CARE and Catholic Relief Services, on the ground that it may have contained the banned GM corn, StarLink.

Still others pointed out that Bollgard seeds cost four times as much as regular seeds -- and suggested that the cotton harvested from them would fetch a lower price.

"I got less money for my Bt cotton because the buyers at the market said the staple fiber length was shorter," Penta Lingamurthy, 33, a farmer in Damera village in Andhra Pradesh, said after the first harvest in March. "The yield also did not improve. The price of the seed is so high, now I wonder if it was really worth it."

On the contrary, said Monsanto's Natarajan, the first Bt cotton harvest achieved a 30 percent increase in yield and a 65 percent reduction in pesticide use. Nevertheless, the Andhra Pradesh state agriculture minister assured farmers that the state will ask Monsanto to compensate them for losses that are proved to be the company's fault.

In a major setback for supporters of GM seed technology, India recently withheld approval for planting genetically modified mustard, citing possible health risks. Fearing adverse impact on yield, the government also rejected Monsanto's proposal to extend use of GM cotton to two of India's most important agricultural states, Punjab and Haryana.

Until fact and fiction are sorted out over time, genetically modified crops will remain controversial and India will exercise caution, said Singh, the national agriculture minister.

"We would be foolish to turn away from biotechnology," he said. "But the stakes are much higher in this new science. So much is still unknown about the effects of GM crop. We have to take one step at a time."

Salman charged with culpable homicide

Saturday, May 3, 2003 | Editor
MUMBAI: A sessions court on Friday framed a charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against Salman Khan for the hit-and-run incident, casting a shadow over his film career due to the stiff punishment that the case now invites.

Rejecting the argument that it was merely an instance of negligence, the judge held that Salman knew his rash driving could kill people even though he had not intended to run over anyone.

The charge which attracts a maximum punishment of ten years, will be argued upon during the course of a two-month-long trial starting July. The actor, attired in a white-and-beige shirt, jeans and boots, stood in the dock on Friday and pleaded not guilty on all counts as Principal Judge A J Dholakia read out the ten charges framed against him.

Khan had rammed his Toyota Land Cruiser into a bakery in Bandra in the early hours of September 28, 2002, killing one person and causing injury to four others who were sleeping on the pavement outside the bakery.

The actor had argued that the case was one of negligent driving, for which the maximum punishment prescribed under IPC is two years. His lawyer, Adik Shirodkar, contended that Salman did not have the knowledge that his driving would result in the death of a person and injuries to others.

But the court upheld the prosecution's argument that Khan had knowledge that his rash driving could cause a severe accident. The prosecutor said Salman's bodyguard Ravindra Patil had warned him not to drive rashly. Besides, he said, the actor was familiar with the topography of the area and had knowledge that people slept outside shops in that locality. The trial starts July 2.

AI asks for undertaking, HC allows suspended pilots to resume

Saturday, May 3, 2003 | Editor
A day after Air India's unionised pilots withdrew their stir, the airline management on Friday took a tough stand setting them a deadline for tomorrow to give a written undertaking before being assigned flying duties even as Mumbai High Court allowed 24 suspended pilots to resume duty, depending on exigencies of work, Air-India management declared disciplinary action would be taken against the 46 suspended pilots and members of derecognised Indian Pilots' Guild. It also asked IPG to vacate the premises at old airport within 48 hours.

"All these pilots will have to give us an undertaking by 5 pm tomorrow that they will take the assigned flights and undertake training when deputed for which no compensation will be paid", A-I's public relations director Jitender Bhargava told newspersons here. Asked whether the suspended pilots would be rostered for flights, Bhargava said "at the moment the requirement is less since we have curtailed flights to the Far East, including Hong Kong and Singapore". With a curtailed schedule "we see an excess of pilots", he said.
The Mumbai High Court, in an interim order, allowed 24 suspended pilots to join duty immediately and asked the airline to permit them to resume duty depending upon the exigencies of work.
Hearing a petition filed by Indian Pilots Guild and 24 suspended pilots challenging the action against them, Justice Hemant Gokhale and Justice D G Deshpande allowed Air-India to proceed with the departmental inquiry instituted against the suspended pilots and directed the petitioners to file individual replies to the chargesheet issued by the airline explaining reasons for not flying.
The pilots had been suspended on April 26 and 27 for their refusal to operate the flights to SARS-affected Hong Kong and Singapore. The directive not to operate the flights to SARS-affected region was issued by IPG.
(PTI)
09:26 IST

Pak ready to discuss trade issues before Kashmir: Kasuri

Saturday, May 3, 2003 | Editor
Pak ready to discuss trade issues before Kashmir: Kasuri

London,Saturday, May 03, 2003: In an important policy shift, Pakistan has said it was willing to discuss trade issues with India and would give up its insistence to discuss the Kashmir issue first.

"India has always said that it wanted to talk about trade issues and we have insisted that Kashmir should be discussed first ... now we accept India's argument and would like India to take the first step," Pakistan Foreign Minister Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri said in an interview to BBC Hindi Service on Friday.
He proposed that gas pipelines to India from Turkmenistan and Iran be laid through Pakistan and said Islamabad was ready to give international guarantees to ensure that gas flow would not suffer even in the event of war or hostilities.
"India says we will profit from business and now we are also saying this. This is a new thing," Kasuri said.
On India's charge that Pakistan was promoting cross-border terrorism, the minister said, "there are many issues which we can discuss face to face."
Kasuri said before the prime ministers or foreign ministers of the two countries could meet, official-level discussions were necessary.
He said Pakistan's proposals to normalise ties with India were the result of "collective thinking".
On Friday, India and Pakistan announced that they have decided to restore full diplomatic relations. Speaking in Parliament, Prime Minister Vajpayee also proposed the restoration of air links on reciprocal basis but Pakistan has not responded yet.
(PTI)

Powell welcomes Vajpayee's initiative

Saturday, May 3, 2003 | Editor
Washington,Saturday, May 03, 2003: The US on Friday welcomed Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's announcement to send back Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan and restore civil aviation links on a reciprocal basis.

Describing Vajpayee's initiative as "very, very promising", Secretary of State Colin Powell, en route to Albania, told reporters "I hope these first steps are just that, first steps, on the way to finding a way for the difficulties that exist between those two nations".
"I am very pleased with developments on the subcontinent over the last several weeks. All this is very, very promising at a time when people were beginning to wonder whether or not they were going back to the potential for conflict," he said.
The Prime Minister's announcement and other developments are expected to be discussed by National Security Adviser and Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Brajesh Mishra, and US National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice on May 8.
Making a statement in both Houses of Parliament, Vajpayee described the move as a "new beginning" and said "now whatever happens will be decisive and this will be my third and final effort" at improving bilateral ties with Islamabad.
"Even for me, it is a decisive and conclusive step," he added.
(PTI)

Arrest of Police chief ordered in alleged custodial death case

Saturday, May 3, 2003 | Editor
Arrest of Police chief ordered in alleged custodial death case

Vijayawada,Saturday, May 03, 2003: A local court has issued orders for arrest of city police commissioner and four other policemen in connection with the custodial death of a 28-year-old man.

Third metropolitan magistrate D Venkataramana has directed the state DGP to arrest City Commissioner of Police, Assisant Commissioner of Police N V Surendra Babu, Assistant Commissioner of Police Rami Reddy, a sub inspector and two constables holding their acts amounted to murder of Buddha Santhan who was arrested in connection with the killing of a TDP leader in the city.
Saying the incident showed the high handedness of the police personnel and amounted to a clear case of murder, the magistrate ordered the policemen to be produced before the court on June 10.
Following Santhan's death, a relative of the accused had filed a case with the help of Krishna District Bar Federation and Bezawada Bar Association against the alleged illegal encounter.
(PTI)

Suspended Samata leader launches new party

Saturday, May 3, 2003 | Editor
Patna,Saturday, May 03, 2003: In an apparent counter-offensive by pro-Fernandes group, suspended Samata Party leader P K Sinha on Friday launched a new outfit -Loktantrik Samata Party- claiming support of some senior leaders of the group and to counter the "dictatorial practices" of Railway Minister Nitish Kumar.

Announcing formation of the new party, Sinha, an MLC, claimed at a press conference here that the new party had whole-hearted support of former Bihar Samata President Raghunath Jha, MP, and another Lok Sabha member Brahmanand Mandal and two suspended MLAs Bhai Birendra and Ganesh Paswan, besides over a dozen district presidents and others.
However, still unsure of the level of support in Kumar-dominated party, he said all the MPs and MLAs opposed to Kumar would join the new party as soon as they muster the required numbers to split the Samata parliamentary and legislature parties, Sinha claimed.
Meanwhile, legislative council Chairman Jabir Hussain while accepting Sinha's plea for making separate seating arragements for him in the house also recognised him as a member of the new party. Sinha would be the lone member of his party in the upper house. The Samata Party earlier had three members in the legislative council.
Sinha said the new party would hold public meetings at Sheohar and Sitamarhi on May 17 and 18 respectively where, he claimed, leaders and workers opposed to Kumar would attend.
He said he would apply for registration of the new party with Election Commission within the mandatory 30 days.
He said the main objective of the party would be to counter the "dictatorial practices" of Nitish Kumar and work for the welfare of the people of Bihar.
(PTI)

Qayamat

Friday, May 2, 2003 | Editor
Ali (Arbaaz Khan) and Abbas (Sanjay Kapoor) along with Laila (Ishaa Koppikar) are the biggest arms dealers in Asia.

With America policing most of Europe, Asia and specifically India is being seen as a heavenly route by the people who deal in arms through the disintegrated Russia.

Akram Sheikh (Suniel Shetty) a CBI officer cannot see India being maligned on the world scene in the future. He cracks down on the two warlords as they are in the process of completing an arms deal.

Ali and Abbas are under tremendous pressure from the buyers to either supply the arms or return their money. They plan a dangerous game. A game which will get them millions of dollars and an escape route from India. Rahul (Aashish Chowdhry) is a scientist who works in the C.D.C. Lab. He is in the process of creating an anti-virus, which would help in saving lives in case of a Biological or a Chemical warfare. Little does Rahul know this deadly virus can be smuggled out of the lab and land into dangerous hands.

A city is put under threat.

Akram Sheikh puts down a plan of action. He needs the help of one man. A lethal convict - Rachit (Ajay Devgan). Rachit has a dangerous past. He was the biggest daredevil in the high-tech robberies, which took place in Mumbai. He worked with Ali and Abbas in the past. Rachit is gifted with a body which is capable of such gymnastic stunts that he makes robberies look like a work of art. He was put into solitary confinement. Today he has degenerated almost in to a vegetable. Drugged by doctors because memories of his love Sapna (Neha Dhupia) make him violent.

A dangerous journey into the unknown world of dreaded criminals begins. A desperate attempt to save the lives of millions of Mumbaites.

It is an epic saga of honour and courage. A fight so that evil dies, lives survive, love survives.

(Source: IndiaFM.com)

Andaaz

Friday, May 2, 2003 | Editor
Loyalty, respect, commitment and love. What is love? Loyalty, respect, commitment and friendship.

Friendship and love…
Love and friendship…
So much in common , yet so different in emotion!

Andaaz is an extremely emotional film that explores the various facets of love – friendship, commitment, passion, devotion, and obsession… Andaaz is the story of three people who believe in love and know how to love, but don't know when to declare their love.

Raj (Akshay Kumar) and Kaajal (Lara Dutta) are inseparable childhood friends who nurture and stand by each other through thick or thin. Their bonds only grow stronger and deeper with the years.

While Raj dreams of becoming pilot, Kaajal dreams that some day, a prince charming will come her way and fly her into the clouds.

Raj, totally in love with Kaajal, wants to be that special person, and joins the Air Force.

Raj becomes an Air Force officer and realises his childhood dreams.

Now all that's left is to win his childhood love. On cloud nine, Raj returns home to propose to Kaajal. But he's too late in declaring his love. Kaajal is getting married to Karan Singhania (Aman Verma).

Raj is broken hearted, left with nothing but her memories and his shattered dreams. Wanting to forget his pain, he immerses himself in work and is sent to South Africa for further training. Here he meets Jiya (Priyanka Chopra) a gorgeous and effervescent young girl. Jiya is smitten by the suave and dynamic young officer. But Raj has shut himself in an ivory tower and prefers to ignore her. Vivacious Jiya refuses to give up and with sheer audacity and persistence succeeds in breaking through his reserve. They decide to get married. And then in a dramatic turn of events, fate brings Raj and Kaajal face to face again, unleashing a torrent of emotions.

Raj…Kaajal…Jiya… Three people caught fast in the silken web of love.

Raj…Kaajal…Jiya… What part will each of them play in this fascinating game?

Raj…Kaajal…Jiya… Victims of destiny.

(Source: IndiaFM.com)

Chalte Chalte

Friday, May 2, 2003 | Editor
Priya and Raj, two sides of a coin, Different as chalk and cheese. Raj - the impulsive, middle-class, hard-working, emotional fellow allows cupid to play havoc with his heart strings and in comes Priya, the prim and proper, sophisticated and practical girl. Both are smart enough to see their differences because it's rather visible to the naked eye. They throw caution to the winds and dare to fall in love. And then suddenly the game changes...and so do the rules.

The initial rush in your veins when you see a loved one becomes trying. The joy of canceling an appointment to be with your lover remains, but it just becomes a bit impossible. Love sort of goes into the background...the wound made by cupid's arrow begins to heal. The need to impress no longer exists. What does all this stand for? Cupid gone stupid or cupid gone tepid?

Is there any chance this relationship can see what destiny has planned for it? Or does destiny really play a role in a man woman alliance? They say relationships are made in heaven ...but are tailored here on earth. Will the gravity of familiarity get them or will love shine through it all?

The problem is eternal. The issues are the same. Men will be from Mars and women come from Venus. Is this story any different...No...we say with full confidence and glee. It is the story of every man and woman, only what remains to be seen is...are they going to walk into the sunset hand in hand? Is that what happens to all of us...or has someone just changed the end credits.

A tale of two hearts...Chalte Chalte

(Source: IndiaFM.com)

“I’m not ashamed!” - Punkuj Parashar

Friday, May 2, 2003 | Editor
Pankuj Parashar, who pioneered the crime-thriller genre on television with KARAMCHAND and created waves in Bollywood with JALWA, has just shot a KNOCK-OUT beer ad with Manoj Bajpai. In normal circumstances, he would have told the media about it, but I felt, he was discreet this time. So I quizzed him. “There is no hiding the fact that I’ve done the ad,” the stylish maker shot back. “I’m not embarrassed or ashamed about it. It’s a piece of art, has come out brilliantly and I’m not hiding anything about it,” he retorted with a shrug. “The ad is all about raw energy,” added Manoj Bajpai, who actually is just an occasional drinker. The actor has not been a regular with ads, except for the VIVALDI campaign he did earlier. Just for the record, Pankuj Parashar also shot the sensuous KAMASUTRA ad with Viveka Babaji two years ago (though he was not discreet about that one at all).

Source - glamsham.com

Plan

Friday, May 2, 2003 | Editor
After KAANTE, White Feather Films brings you PLAN, a story about four boys from different parts of India who want to make it big in Mumbai. They meet on the train and become friends. Each character has its own dream to fulfil. Every time they make a plan, something goes wrong. So, they hatch a master plan where they come across someone who turns out to be a gangster and then… that's all we can reveal now.

Comparisons with KAANTE are inevitable, but producer Sanjay Gupta denies all such claims. "We have made a conscious effort to be different. PLAN is a whole new approach to film-making. The story is quite different," he states.

Talking about Sanjay Dutt, Gupta says "Sanjay is my production partner in White Feather Films. Apart from this, he is our friend, philosopher and guide. So, we try and keep him in each of our films." Apart from Dutt, the film also stars Dino Morea, Sanjay Suri, Bikram Saluja and Rohit Roy.

HRIDAY SHETTY
PLAN also marks the directorial debut of Hriday Shetty, who was also involved in the making of KAANTE. "PLAN is not your regular underworld, mafia or gangwar film. It's a film about four normal boys and how they get exposed to the world of crime," he says.

When asked why four relatively new actors were cast alongside Sanjay Dutt, Shetty says, "We did not want the actors to be bigger than our story. But the new boys have worked really hard. They are completely into their characters. They were given bound scripts four months in advance and we also had discussions prior to the shooting. All this helped tremendously," Shetty adds.

SANJAY DUTT
After acting in a dozen or more underworld sagas, Sanjay Dutt insists that this role in PLAN is a tad different from the rest. "I play the role of Moosabhai. He is a dangerous character, but a kind of a comic don. In KAANTE, I played a serious and unpredictable character, but this one is a loving and kind guy," he insists.

Dutt is also happy with the respect he gets from all his juniors. "I have been in this industry for more than 23 years and as such, I am their senior. But I try to make them comfortable on the sets and the boys are working really hard on their parts," he informs.

DINO MOREA
Equally excited about his role is Dino Morea, who won accolades last year for his performance in RAAZ. "I play the role of a guy called Bobby, who is a struggling actor. He approaches several producers and directors and hopes to make it big in Mumbai, but there are many obstacles in the way. He goes for a screen test and messes up even with the mahurat shot," says the model turned actor.

SANJAY SURI
"PLAN is more of a comic thriller where I play this street-smart guy called Lucky, who is adept at gambling and has been a winner all the way. He hopes to try his luck at big gambling dens some day. So, he moves to Mumbai," says Sanjay Suri, who is more than happy working with long-time idol Sanjay Dutt. Known to work in meaningful films with strong characters, he feels he has a winner on hand.

BIKRAM SALUJA
Echoing his opinion is actor Bikram Saluja, who made his debut with a small role in FIZA and ROSHNI, which has still not seen the light of day. "I play a sensitive and thoughtful guy from a small town who comes to Mumbai to meet his girlfriend, who has moved to Mumbai for her higher studies. Whether I get the girl or not, is for you to watch out," he chuckles.

ROHIT ROY
PLAN also features the return to films of Rohit Roy, the dynamic model and television actor. "My character in the film is called Omi. He comes to Mumbai to make money and to prove to his dad that he is not a good for nothing. Omi has a plan for every problem," he proudly announces.

In order to keep the male species hooked, the film also has femme fatales like Priyanka Chopra, Isha Koppikar, Riya Sen and one more actress, who is yet to be finalised. But if the director's words are anything to go by, "The girls are not just forced into the film. They are very much part of the screenplay."

(Source: IndiaFM.com)

Hrithik's second coming: It's now or never!

Friday, May 2, 2003 | Editor
In an industry where fortunes change every Friday, onetime screenscorcher Hrithik Roshan moves on from being the media's most persecuted man to a star waiting for a second lease of life. Hrithik has a couple of interesting films lined up: Sooraj Barjatya's Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon, a new-age rehash of the Rajshri hit, Chitchor, and the E.T.-ish flick, Koi Mil Gaya, crafted by dad Rakesh Roshan. Hrithik, meanwhile, has maintained a low profile.

Main Prem … is being touted as the film that just might change Hrithik's fortunes. Hrithik will be showcased in true filmi style: he gets to ride a horse, go snorkelling, sing a duet with good buddy Kareena in picturesque New Zealand and cross verbal swords with Abhishek Bachchan. By Rajshri standards, Main Prem... is lavish, shot on an astronomical budget. And considering the Barjatya genius chose to sign Hrithik over his lucky mascot Salman Khan, the onus is entirely on Hrithik to live upto Barjatya's 70 mm dreams. In Koi Mil Gaya, an expensive sci-fi shot in a lot of secrecy, Hrithik has a challenging role - a mentally challenged young man - and is pitted against Rekha.

Preity Zinta, his co-star in Koi Mil Gaya, says: "Hrithik is mindblowing in the film. The story revolves round his ability to communicate with an alien creature and he fits in the role like a dream. Imagine a Hrithik who has no fancy hairdo, sports glasses and looks like an overgrown school boy and still manages to steal scenes!" It's now or never for Hrithik. He needs a hit, or else it's pack-up time.

(Source:Hindustantimes.com)

Sonali Bendre, Married But Merry

Friday, May 2, 2003 | Editor
Pin-up girl Sonali Bendre is a millennium maiden alright. Even after her marriage to filmmaker Goldie Behl, her golden days of freedom continue.

April 30, 2003. She is the star who was the netizen's hottest click. The girl, who inspired Aamir Khan to sing Hoshwalon ko khabar kya in Sarfarosh, went on to turn the happy host of the TV show Kya Masti Kya Dhum.

After her impromptu engagement and subsequent marriage to filmmaker Goldie Behl, one thought that Sonali would retire to the domestic world. But no making chapatis for this doted daughter-in-law of Mama Behl.

Having given the green signal to bahu to continue with films, Amol Palekar's Anahat being the plum one, the gracious lady is all encouragement to Sonali. At the helm of a well-managed home, the sweet sasuma not only looks after the Goldie gharana, but also Goldie boy, when Sonali is away.

Saas ho to aisi. Is Ekta Kapoor listening?

(source:CelebnCeleb.com)

Rangita Nandy Bags 'Producer Of The Year' Award

Friday, May 2, 2003 | Editor
Rangita's PNC Ltd will be awarded the Producer Of The Year trophy at the Bollywood awards to be held in New York

April 29, 2003. She is pint-sized but packs a lot of punch. The 20-plus Rangita Nandy, executive producer of Pritish Nandy Communications (PNC) and the daughter of media maverick Pritish Nandy, will soon receive the 'Producer Of The Year' award. The ceremony will be held by Bollywood Awards in Atlantic City.

Having produced four popular and critically acclaimed films last year, PNC was voted as the most successful public company in film space.

While Sur and Kaante were released last year, The Mystic Masseur is a co-production with James Ivory and Ismail Merchant. The fourth, Jhankaar Beats, a romantic caper, is being released worldwide in May.

The Rs 20-crore company, from producing television soaps to organising mega events (Sansui Viewer's Choice Awards), to film production, has had its petite honcho, Rangita, at the helm.

(source:CelebnCeleb.com)

Making music:Shankar's on song

Friday, May 2, 2003 | Editor
Shankar Mahadevan's date diary is bursting at the seams. He works 12 hours a day, travels worldwide every month for concerts and he's happy with life. But he isn't complaining, because music for him has never been a nine-to-five job: "It's my life. I keep telling people that they're paying me for the travelling, which does tire you especially with the long wait at the airports and packing/unpacking suitcases in strange hotel rooms."

Shankar makes up for it all by ensuring that his wife and children (Siddhart 10, and Shivam 2) travel with him. "We're one happy family who have a blast being together. That's the only way I can spend quality time with them. I can't sacrifice my family to push forward my career."

He's relishing his Bollywood stint as a composer. "When Ehsaan, Loy and I did Mission Kashmir and Dil Chahta Hai we were raw. But after Ek Aur Ek Gyarah, we've become wiser. Now we compose our songs to suit the personality of the actor/filmmaker. For example, Armaan has peppy music. We'll continue doing quality music and won't be part of a music factory. Maintaining standard is important and if that means less work, that's okay. We never record after 6.30 pm and we don't work weekends."

Shankar's fine tuning his solo album, 9, which hits the market next month. "We've shot a video and the promos will air soon. I've arranged and composed the music myself, and Javedsaab has done the lyrics. The album has nine tracks reflecting nine moods. I think this album will make a difference. I've never felt this way before about an album. I don't churn out music and shoot eight flamboyant music videos. If my music is good, my audience will like it."

Considering Shankar's track record is almost impeccable so far as sales figures go, you believe him.

Wall of security for Rahul's wedding

Friday, May 2, 2003 | Editor
Rahul 'The Wall' Dravid's May 10 wedding reception could be the safest wicket he's ever batted on. The security cover is likely to keep all gatecrashers at bay.

Since news of Rahul's engagement to Dr Vijetyta Pendharkar of Nagpur broke, the batsman has been stonewalling all questions pertaining to the match with strict instructions to his future-in-laws to maintain a similar stance. With newshounds and autograph hunters dogging the Pendharkars, a cloak of secrecy also surrounds a hush-hush post-wedding reception to be held in Nagpur.

Even to sneak a peek at the reddish-brown invite with silver print is difficult. Only a select 200 of the city's who's who and immediate family members are likely to receive a legitimate dekko. The choice of venue itself is likely to keep freeloaders away. Dravid's to be father-in-law, a retired Air Force officer, will be hosting the do at the well-guarded Air Force Officer's Mess.

Reliable family sources reveal that while invitees to the high-profile wedding have received a telephone call from the Pendharkars, most will be forced to collect the cards for themselves.

The invite itself if full of instructions for would-be guests. Dinner and a chance to meet Dravid is out in case the addressee forgets to bring the card along. In fact to ensure compliance, the card would need to be produced not just once, but twice - first at the Vayusena Nagar entrance and then at the reception venue.

Mausis, mamas and oh-I-am-such-a-big-fan Pinku are to be strictly left behind. The familiar - you are cordially invited with family, friends and relatives - has been dispensed with. Instead the card tersely informs that only two persons will be allowed entry. Of course, to sweeten the bitter pill it also adds that all arrangements are 'as per Air Force security'.

While you may be amongst the fortunate few who get to convey their best wishes to the newly weds in person, it would be difficult brandishing proof you were actually there. A picture with the celebrity bridegroom or an autograph to carry home will definitely not be forthcoming.

Air India pilots withdraw stir

Friday, May 2, 2003 | Editor
New Delhi (May 2):The Air-India pilots on Thursday night called off their agitation on the SARS issue and decided to return to duty immediately ending the week-long stir that had set them on a collision course with the management and disrupted flights of the country's flag-carrier abroad.

Spokesman of the Indian Pilots' Guild (IPG) Captain Mahesh Gulwani said it decided to withdraw the stir following three rounds of talks with Union Labour Minister Sahib Singh Verma that concluded shortly before midnight.

He said the IPG also decided to take back the controversial directive asking its members to insist on Air-India management providing a certificate about accompanying crew not having travelled to SARS-affected regions in the last ten days, a demand which had been rejected by the management.

Gulwani said Verma had "convinced us to withdraw our directive and return to flying duties immediately in national interest."

In Mumbai, Air-India management spokesman Jitendra Bhargava welcomed the IPG's decision to withdraw the agitation.

Gulwani said the IPG now expected the Air-India management to treat its members "humanely".

Asked if suspension of 45 pilots and derecognition of IPG would be withdrawn, Bharagava did not make a commitment, merely saying "this is something we will have to look into in great detail."

Replying to a question, he said normalcy in Air-India flights would be restored at the earliest.

Even as Verma was engaged in negotiations with IPG, the Civil Aviation Ministry issued a strong statement saying A-I management would neither hold any talks with the derecognised pilots union nor revoke disciplinary action against the pilots.

"Neither the Civil Aviation Ministry nor the Air-India management propose to have any talks with leaders of the derecognised union of A-I pilots," a statement issued by the Ministry said here.

The Air-India responded to the IPG agitation with a tough posture, suspending 45 pilots and its president Capt Kenneth Khan, chargesheeting 12 of them and derecognising the Guild president Capt Kenneth Khan.

Twenty-seven aggrieved pilots moved the Mumbai High Court challenging their suspension.

But chinks among the IPG members came to the fore two days back with some of them returning to flying duties.

The Air-India had drawn up a contingency plan to cope with the IPG agitation, deciding to call up some retired executive pilots to operate flights and hiring pilots of Indian-origin with foreign airlines.

(Source : Hindustantimes )

Six Indians arrested in US visa scam

Friday, May 2, 2003 | Editor
Six people of Indian origin have been indicted and arrested in a visa scam in Oregon in United States.

The scam was essentially about handing out American visas to Indians and Vietnamese in return for bribes.

The six accused took money from applicants and got in touch for the visas with a couple working at the US consulate in Colombo.

The couple has also been arrested.

Along with the arrests, $175,000 have been seized.

RSS backs Vajpayee on talks

Friday, May 2, 2003 | Editor
New Delhi (May 2):India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allied Hindu groups Thursday began a crucial coordination meet with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee winning approval for his peace moves towards Pakistan.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) endorsed Vajpayee's peace overtures towards Pakistan asserting that India "could not think in isolation", snubbing another radical affiliate Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) that had accused the government of "weakness".

"We welcome any policy of maintaining friendly ties with neighbouring countries," RSS leader Madan Das Devi told reporters after 55 top leaders of the BJP, RSS, VHP, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) and Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) met on the opening day of the three-day conclave.

Vajpayee had extended a peace talks offer to Pakistan during his April 18 visit to Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir.

On the criticism that the prime minister acted under US pressure, Devi said: "We live in an international atmosphere. We cannot think in isolation."

Asked about the VHP's comments, Devi snapped: "I am only articulating the RSS' stand." He added that Islamabad should clarify its position, given the fate of past peace efforts.

The prime minister, his deputy LK Advani and many senior BJP leaders are attending the 'Samanvaya' (coordination) meet for the first time since the BJP came to power, as it is being held in the Indian capital.

A special discussion is scheduled for India-Pakistan relations.

The conclave is aimed at evolving a common ground on issues ranging from Kashmir to the temple-mosque dispute at Ayodhya and the government's disinvestment policy, to synchronise the voices of dissent within the "Sangh family" before the BJP plunges into electoral battles ahead.

Critics say the RSS fraternity rules the country using the BJP acting as the political front.

The BJP was forced to dilute its pro-Hindu agenda while cobbling a multi-party coalition with regional parties. But after winning the Gujarat polls -its first in a long time -- on a Hindu nationalist campaign, it realised it needed the support of its Hindu radical allies in state and general elections.

For better coordination, the leaders Thursday decided to set up panels of MPs led by ministers to engage with affiliates such as SJM and BMS who have deeply embarrassed the BJP with their open criticism of the government's economic policies.

Devi, known to mediate between the RSS and the BJP-led multiparty coalition, said: "The panels will meet such organisations concerned with socio-economic issues from time to time to remove doubts and clarify their position."

On SJM ideologue Dattopant Thengadi's disparaging comments against Vajpayee recently, the RSS leader said: "In a democracy, debate and conflict is natural. But the language should be restrained."

Thengadi had accused Vajpayee of selling out to foreign forces and being a traitor to national interests by pushing free market reforms.

Though Vajpayee did not say anything on Thursday, Devi said he was likely to address the conclave when it wound up on Saturday.

"This is a forum for exchange of views, ideas, doubts and information," he said, adding that the RSS was completely behind the BJP in its poll campaigns.

(Source : Hindustantimes )

Bank officers on one-day stir

Friday, May 2, 2003 | Editor
New Delhi (May 2):Bank officers are on a one-day nationwide strike today demanding among other things an early wage revision.

Three leading unions -- National Organisation of Bank Officers (NOBO), All India Bank Officers' Association (AIBOA) and All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC) have called for the strike.

All India Reserve Bank Officers' Association (AIRBOA) has also extended moral support to the strike saying the demands are very genuine.

Contentious issues

The unions in separate statements claimed that more than 2.5 lakh members will strike work today, as the government had failed to resolve any of the issues raised by the organization despite coming to an understanding with them last year.

They also said that no understanding has been reached in the wage negotiations with the government.

Issues like recruitment and promotion policies, disciplinary proceedings and relief to officers due to the impact of VRS have remain unresolved, NOBO, an affiliate to BJP's Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh, said.

NOBO said government discriminates between its own employees and the bank staff in income tax perquisites and the Centre should make efforts to bring it to an end.

Strike unjustified

Indian Banks Association Chairman Dalbir Singh, however, said he was disappointed that three of the four officers' associations have called the strike, even when talks over salary revision and other issues were in progress.

"Work may be affected but workers belonging to the five unions have not joined the stir", he said. The IBA has termed the token strike as unjustified.

Four persons killed in Chopra, senior minister visits

Friday, May 2, 2003 | Editor
Raiganj (WB),Friday, May 02, 2003: Barely 24 hours after the killing of four CPI-M workers at Chopra in West Bengal's North Dinajpur district in pre-panchayat poll violence, four persons were killed on Thursday even as senior CPI-M leader and state minister, Ashok Bhattacharya, was camping in the area to supervise peace initiatives.

District Magistrate Ariz Aftab told reporters that four persons were killed by 'miscreants' who also set nearly 26 houses on fire.
The police said here that the last rites of the four killed CPI-M workers were performed amidst a 12-hour bandh called by the party in the Chopra police station area in protest against the killings.
The situation was under control, it said adding that the IGP (North Bengal), Bhupinder Singh, was camping in the area.
Meanwhile, State municipal affairs and urban development minister, Ashok Bhattacharya, is now in Chopra to monitor the situation and supervise peace initiatives, party sources said.
(PTI)
09:43 IST

Khanvilkar demands centre and WHO to issue fresh guidelines

Friday, May 2, 2003 | Editor
Pune,Friday, May 02, 2003: The Union Government and World Health Organisation (WHO) along with National Institute of Virology (NIV) should issue fresh guidelines on how to deal with cases which are being identified as SARS, Maharashtra health minister Digvijay Khanvilkar said on Thursday.

The minister was reacting to Union Health Minister Sushma Swaraj's statement in New Delhi that WHO has described India as a SARS free country.
"As on date, India can be called a SARS-free country", Swaraj had told reporters in New Delhi after reviewing the situation at a high level meeting.
"If that was the case then centre and WHO should give fresh guidelines on what we should do in such case, as at present we are following the guidelines issued by the centre and WHO on dealing with SARS," Khanvilkar told PTI.
"These cases may be mild form of SARS, but that does not mean absence of infection as the patients have been tested positive", he added.
(PTI)

Former HC judge Shamit Mukherjee remanded to CBI custody

Friday, May 2, 2003 | Editor
New Delhi,Friday, May 02, 2003: Shamit Mukherjee, a former Delhi High Court Judge arrested on charges of passing a judgement pertaining to DDA case in return for illegal gratification, was on Thursday remanded to seven days CBI custody by a city Court for further interrogation.

Taking into account the prima facie evidence, Special Judge V K Jain said "I feel that custodial interrogation of the accused is vital and necessary for unearthing the conspiracy and ascertaining true facts".
Mukherjee, who was arrested on Wednesday was represented by a battery of top criminal lawyers including R K Anand, D C Mathur and I U Khan. They contended that under the Judges Protection Act, 1985, no criminal proceedings could be initiated against Mukherjee.
They argued that under Section 3 of the Act criminal proceedings could not be initiated against a person who is or has been a judge for any act done by him in the course of acting or in discharge of his official duty.
However, the court declined the contention and said the provision of the Act gives protection only from the private person and not from the State action because sub-section 2 of section 3 specifically excludes state action which would include action by an investigating agency under any law for the time being in force.
"Prime facie, I have not been able to persuade myself that even if a judge has been undulging in corruption and misusing his official position and accepting illegal gratification while performing his function as judge, the law gives him absolute immunity from prosecution," the Judge said remanding Mukherjee till May 7.
(PTI)
09:43 IST

World Bank sees 5.5 pc growth for India; help in disinvestment

Friday, May 2, 2003 | Editor
New Delhi,Friday, May 02, 2003: Warning that 7-8 per cent growth can not be achieved without speedy reforms, World Bank on Thnursday offered India assistance in hastening disinvestment process through social security scheme and retraining laid-off workers in public undertakings.

Projecting a 5.5 per cent GDP growth for 2003-04, World Bank managing director Peter Woicke said "this country has the potential to grow by 7-8 per cent in the coming years... but reforms are still slow."
"The official estimate of GDP growth is 5.5 per cent during 2003-04. The World Bank agrees with this number," he told reporters at a press conference here.
Woicke, who met Disinvestment Minister Arun Shourie, said the apprehension that privatisation leads to lay-offs was not always correct. "World Bank and IFC can help the government in putting in place a social security net and retraining of laid-off staff."
While terming India's democratic set up as a "blessing", he said many important economic policies are delayed as "politicians look at next elections".
Woicke, who is also the executive vice president of World Bank's private lending arm ,International Finance Corporation, said its exposure to Indian private companies would cross 1.0 billion dollars within two years from the present level of 700 million dollars.
The IFC on Thursday tied up with the Confederation of Indian Industry and hoped that the agreement would help in raising its exposure significantly in the years to come.
"We are looking at housing, micro finance, infrastructure, mid-size corporates in manufacturing sectors," Woicke said.
(PTI)
09:43 IST

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