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June 2003
Niazi's weapon safe: IMA
Monday, June 30, 2003
Mystery surrounding the disappearance of a weapon handed over by Pakistani Lieutenant General A K A Niazi when his troops surrendered before the Indian Army in the 1971 Bangladesh war was cleared on Sunday with the Indian Military Academy saying the revolver was safe in its museum here. "The revolver is safe and we have seen it only yesterday", a top official of the IMA said on condition of anonymity, a day after it was reported that the weapon at the National Museum in Delhi had been stolen. "It could be some other weapon which was stolen from New Delhi", the official said. A senior army offficial in Delhi also denied that the weapon had been stolen. "It is a proper service weapon of Pakistan Army and it is a revolver, not a pistol and is in the safe custody of the IMA museum in Dehra Dun," he said. The stolen pistol which was exhibited at the Maritime Heritage Hall of the National Museum could be one of the weapons handed over by other Pakistani military officers during the mass surrender in Dhaka. The weapon handed over by Niazi to Lt General J S Arora, the Army's then Eastern Commander in Dhaka, was a revolver which the Bangladesh war hero presented to the IMA during its Golden Jubilee celebrations in 1982. Lt Gen Arora expressed happiness that the weapon was safe. 10:02 IST
Flood situation turns further grim in three states
Monday, June 30, 2003
The flood situation in Assam, Tripura and Bihar turned further grim on Sunday with rivers rising alarmingly as floods, spawned by incessant rains, rendered thousands more homeless and disrupted road and rail communication in certain areas. In Tripura an eight year old boy was buried alive in a landslide in Bilonia subdivision of South Tripura district and more than 1800 people were rendered homeless, official sources said. River Mahuri was flowing near the danger level. A wooden bridge on the River Gomati connecting Amarpur and Udaipur subdivisions of the South Tripura district was washed away. In Sabroom subdivision, the flood situation remained grim with six villages remaining under water for the third day on Sunday. In Assam, the Brahmaputra maintained a rising trend inundating lowlying localities in vast areas of the state. The situation was grim in worst-hit Dhemaji district as the Jiadhol was swollen and submerged lowlying areas affecting rail and road communication. In Kamrup and Nalbari districts hundreds of villages have been submerged while in Sonitpur district the administration was preparing to deploy boats to rescue the marooned people. In south Assam's Hailakandi and Karimganj districts the rivers were in spate submerging several villages. Nearly four lakh people have been affected in the first wave of floods. 10:02 IST
RSS leaders meet Kanchi seer; describes it as "courtesy call"
Monday, June 30, 2003
Chennai,Monday, June 30, 2003: RSS leaders K Sudershan and Ram Madhav today called on Kanchi Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi here and were closeted with him for about 20 minutes. After the meeting with the Sankaracharya, Sudershan described it as a "courtesy call". Talking to reporters, he refused to comment on the package evolved by the Acharya to solve the Ayodhya dispute, saying he was not aware of its contents. RSS would discuss the Ayodhya issue at its meeting to be held in Kanyakumari tomorrow, he said. Ram Madhav said "we had exchange of notes. We will discuss the Ayodhya issue at Kanyakumari tomorrow." Soon after the meeting, the seer left for Kancheepuram. Jayendra Saraswathi had recently sent a fresh proposal to the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board for solving the dispute. 10:02 IST
Vajpayee briefs CCS on China visit
Sunday, June 29, 2003
New Delhi,Saturday, June 28, 2003: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today briefed an informal meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security on his just-concluded China visit during which India and China signed the first-ever joint declaration outlining the road map for bolstering bilateral ties. "The meeting was about the China visit", External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha told reporters after the hour-long deliberations but did not elaborate. Vajpayee returned here Friday night from his six-day visit during which he signed a historic trade protocol opening border trade between the two countries from the Nathu La pass in Sikkim and the Joint Declaration pledging to resolve the vexed border problem speedily. Asked whether the issue of sending troops to Iraq figured during the meeting, the Minister shook his head, indicating it had not come up. The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, Defence Minister George Fernandes and Finance Minister Jaswant Singh. National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra and Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal were also present at the meeting.
Kalam lauds armed forces
Sunday, June 29, 2003
Making the first-ever Presidential visit to a border post on the Line of Control (LoC), A P J Abdul Kalam today lauded the role of armed forces in defending the country in a "complex" situation involving religious, ideological and market conflicts. "The world is facing a new phenomenon of tackling religious conflict, ideological conflict and then market conflict... All the combination we have to handle. "In such a complex situation our armed forces have to play a very important role defending the country when the enemy comes. And also you have to bring peace among the civilian society around you," he said addressing troops of the 12th Brigade at this forward post in Jammu and Kashmir. On the last day of his three-day visit to the state, the President congratulated the troops on the "excellent work" they have done in the field, in their missions and in the interaction with the people making them smile. "The way you all look, the way you fight, the way you speak and act definitely has superiority and excellence. You are the defender of the border, in short Jammu and Kashmir, and are one of the important forces to defend the country".
Sunday, June 29, 2003
14 killed, seven injured in suicide attack on Jammu army camp
Sunday, June 29, 2003
In the first major strike since Prime Minister A B Vajpayee's peace initiative, two heavily armed terrorists dressed in military uniform carried out a suicide attack on an army camp here early this morning killing 12 personnel and injuring seven others before being shot dead. Hurling grenades and firing indiscriminately, the militants stormed the Sunjivan camp at around 0430 hours killing two guards at the main gate. They entered the barracks and fired on the sleeping jawans killing 12 personnel and injuring seven others, three of them seriously, an army spokesperson said in New Delhi. The militants were shot dead by a quick reaction team of the army, he said. The attack came as President A P J Abdul Kalam wrapped up his three-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir. "Leads on the terrorists and their linkages are being followed up. The terrorists entered the army camp dressed in army uniform", the spokesman said. However, a lesser known militant outfit Al Nasreen claimed responsibility for the attack. One Abu salim Mehmood, claiming to be the spokesman of the outfit, called up office here from Srinagar and said three Al Nasreen militants had carried out the attack. This is the second major attack on an army installation here in the last two years. On May 14, 2002 (rpt 2002), militants had attacked family members of army personnel killing 34 of them at Kaluchak.
S rejects Musharraf's call for mediatiion on Kashmir
Sunday, June 29, 2003
The United States today rejected Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's call to the US to mediate on the Kashmir issue as part of his road map for normalisation of Indo-Pak ties, asserting there will be no third party at the negotiating table. "The decision makers are India and Pakistan, so there will not be a third chair at the table," outgoing US Ambassador to India Robert Blackwill told a television channel. Musharraf's suggestion for a West Asia type peace roadmap on Kashmir involving US during his visit to Washington has already been rejected by India. The Pakistan President has also outlined a four-stage approach to resolve the issue, saying any search for immediate solution to the problem would be rejected by extremists in both India and Pakistan. He had suggested that India and Pakistan start talking to each other, accepting the centrality of the Kashmir dispute, elimination of whatever was unacceptable to Pakistan and working out a solution that was 'win-win' for both countries and the people of Kashmir. Blackwill said "there is no middle path, we are not going to mediate. What we will do is just facilitate the two countries and that is substance, it is not a road map, it is not a game plan and it is not a blueprint", the Sahara television quoted him as saying in a release. Sharing India's concerns, the American envoy said "relations (between India and Pakistan) cannot be normal in the long term until terrorism emanating from Pakistan ends but in the short term, talking is better than not talking at all. 19:51 IST
India grants major tariff concenssions to China
Sunday, June 29, 2003
A day after Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's return from China, India tonight granted major tariff concessions to Beijing, which is termed as a "milestone" in bilateral trade, surging towards five billion dollars annually. The tariff concessions were offered under the 1975 Bangkok Agreement which provides for trade expansion through such concessions among developing countries of the ESCAP region. With the Cabinet approving China's entry into the pact, India would be offering concessions on 106 Chinese items, while China is to extend concession on 182 Indian items including chemicals, leather, textiles and diamonds. After the exchange of concessions with China, India would be eligible for concessions on 722 items, which cover around 25 to 30 per cent of its total exports to China, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told reporters after the Cabinet meeting here. 22:01 IST
Cabinet approves Lok Pal Bill
Sunday, June 29, 2003
New Delhi,Saturday, June 28, 2003: The Lok Pal Bill seeking to check corruption in high places and bringing within its ambit Prime Minister was today approved by the Union Cabinet with plans to get it passed in the ensuing monsoon session of Parliament. The cabinet gave the nod after rejecting a suggestion of a Commission that the Prime Minister be kept out of the Ombudsman's purview. The report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the legislation including the recommendation that it be a simple measure and not a Constitutional amendment bill, was accepted by the Cabinet, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told reporters. It also agreed to the suggestion of Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani that the bill should be passed in the monsoon session of Parliament. The committee had submitted its recommendations on December 31, 2001. The bill was introduced for the fourth time in Parliament on August 14, 2001 and then referred to the Parliamentary committee. It was earlier introduced in 1989, 1996 and 1998 but all the attempts had failed in the past.
King confident of minimising injuries
Sunday, June 29, 2003
Chennai,Saturday, June 28, 2003: Describing the Indian cricketers as "unbelievably talented", newly-appointed physical trainer Gregory Allen King today expressed confidence that he would succeed in minimising injury worries of the players. "In any game, injuries will happen and they cannot be eradicated. But a trainer's job is to minimise them as much as possible, which I am sure of doing," King, who was appointed by the Cricket Board on Friday, told here. King, who is here with coach John Wright to attend a three-day coaching seminar being conducted by MRF, said his main job was to carry forward the work of his predecessor, fellow South African Adrian Le Roux, from whom he had already gathered all relevant information about the requirement of Indian players. "I have had a long discussion with Roux who shared with me his experience with the Indian players. Wright has also briefed me on what needs to be done," he said. "My discussion with Le Roux reveal that the Indian team is on the right track. Therefore, I have to keep it going and try to improve the fitness levels of the players." King, whose appointment came in the wake of the sudden decision of Le Roux to resign and take up a similar position with the South African national team, said he was aware of the huge expectations from him and realised that the game was almost a religion in India. "The game is a religion in India and the players are a unbelievably talented bunch, next only to the Australian side. "I am happy with the assignment and I want to carry on from where Le Roux left," he said. 17:23 IST
88 Antop Hill
Sunday, June 29, 2003
By Kshama Rao Kushan Nandy who's co-produced-, co-written and directed his debut film 88, Antop Hill gives it a good start but falters after the first half an hour and loses the viewer completely by the time the killer of the murder mystery is found out. Blame it on creaky doors, whirring fans, screeching brakes, blaring horns, rustling horns, thumping footsteps, eerie screams (plenty of them, the Ramsay variety) and just too much noise (which we know as background score), which kills Nandy's labour of love. The film begins with some zanily done introductory titles and a gruesome murder taking place at where else but 88, Antop Hill. Pratyush Shellar (Atul Kulkarni) is a bank officer who dotes on his wife Antara (Suchitra Pillai in a thankless role) and daughter Sanjh. He returns home late on his wedding anniversary. Wifey is naturally fuming, more so because hubby dear was somewhere else nursing his college sweetheart's broken heart. A tu tu main main later Antara walks out of his house and life, daughter in tow. Next day, to ease off his frustration, Pratyush's office colleague gives him a visiting card of a call girl called Teesta (Shweta Menon) but our man is in no mood for a night out. That night he gets a call from the same colleague saying he is in danger and needs help. The call is made from 88, Antop Hill. Pratyush rushes to the place only to find a sexy Teesta who tries to entice him, in vain. However, he agrees to accompany her to a pub (pray why?) and drops her back home only to find his car keys missing. While he waits for Teesta to give him his keys, what he instead lays his hands on is her body slain with a deadly weapon. Pratyush is in a soup. The story is interesting up to this point but what follows later lets the viewer go off the hook. The trap in which Pratyush finds himself in and his helplessness somehow never reaches across to the viewer for most part of the film. Add to that the number of suspects and their respective sub-plots, leading to utter confusion. The suspects are Prashant; a drug addict and Teesta's ex-boyfriend, Sonali (Jasmine); Teesta's one-time roommate and Prashant's sister; KK Menon, a millionaire and Sonali's fiance and a crackpot called Mansukhani; an eccentric, aged blackmailer. Piecing the jigsaw together is the suave cop, Arvind Khanvilkar (Rahul Dev). Besides the loud noise, which disrupts the viewing experience, there are some other irritants too - the motive behind the killings is absolutely laughable, the proceedings are pretty morbid, the performances (barring the dependable Atul Kulkarni and Rahul Dev) are strictly below average. Obviously, you then have on hand an average film, which could have built up on the initial tempo. Alas, don't dare to go anywhere near this Antop Hill. More on bollywood at glamsham.com
Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon
Sunday, June 29, 2003
By Taran Adarsh [IndiaFM ] When you saunter to a theatre screening MAIN PREM KI DIWANI HOON, the expectations are mammoth. After all, director Sooraj R. Barjatya weaved magic in his first three films [MAINE PYAR KIYA, HUM AAPKE HAIN KOUN, HUM SAATH-SAATH HAIN]. So, obviously, you expect Sooraj to recreate the magic in MAIN PREM KI DIWANI HOON as well. There can only be two diverse opinions after you've seen the film - either you'd feel that you got what you expected from the film OR the film just didn't measure up to the expectations. Either Sooraj would win the game or lose it. Rajshri's much-awaited, keenly-anticipated MAIN PREM KI DIWANI HOON, directed by Sooraj R. Barjatya, falls in the first category. To be more specific, Sooraj wins the game for the fourth time! MAIN PREM KI DIWANI HOON tells the story of Sanjana [Kareena Kapoor], who lives in Sunder Nagar with her parents [Pankaj Kapur, Himani Shivpuri] and her pets - parrot Raja and dog Johny. Her elder sister Roopa [Tanaz Currim] is married and settled in the U.S. Like it happens in most Indian families, when the girl attains marriageable age, her parents start looking out for a well-groomed and settled guy. That's what happens with Sanjana as well. Roopa has somebody in mind who'd prove to be an ideal husband for Sanjana and what's more, he's also supposed to visit Sunder Nagar to see her, know her and interact with the family. Enters Prem [Hrithik Roshan], who's a complete opposite of what Sanjana is. But opposites attract and Sanjana finds herself drawn towards Prem. However, there's a twist in the tale... Enters Prem's boss, his name is also Prem [Abhishek Bachchan] and he too falls in love with the charming Sanjana. The girl has to choose one of them. Who will it be? Like his earlier films, Sooraj R. Barjatya's latest film does not have a story that is novel, original or path-breaking. This time too, the story follows the same beaten path, of two guys falling in love with the same girl. But Sooraj's handling of this oft-repeated subject is what makes all the difference. The Rajshri tradition of wholesome and clean entertainment is evident in MAIN PREM KI DIWANI HOON as well. But besides the family values and typical Indian emotions, Sooraj gives the film a contemporary look. Like Sooraj's previous films, MAIN PREM KI DIWANI HOON has its share of romance, light moments and songs as the story begins. But there's an undercurrent of strong emotions all through. Some instances: The bonding between the teachers and students at the very outset or the scene when Kareena admits her love for Hrithik for the first time, as she walks out of her college or the intricate sequence between the father and daughter [Pankaj Kapur - Kareena], when the father tells her that whatever her opinion of the boy, he's approved of him already or the Valentine Day portions, right till the intermission, have been handled brilliantly. The turning point in the first half does come as a surprise and the interval point raises the expectations for a dramatic second half. Despite a few deficiencies, the second half comes out a winner, for it is in this half that Sooraj offers what he specialises in - emotions. The second half is a triumph from the director's point of view. That Sooraj is a good storyteller, who caters to the demands of the Indian movie-going audience, is well-known by now. But in MAIN PREM KI DIWANI HOON, it's the treatment that saves an otherwise routine story from sinking. The second half also has a few brilliant scenes that have the unmistakable stamp of a genius. The Abhishek - Kareena interaction and how their friendship grows or the sequence when Hrithik learns of Abhishek's engagement to Kareena and even the climax leaves you completely mesmerised. The climax is the best part of the enterprise. In fact, the drama in the last half-an-hour, during the engagement ceremony, is brilliant. The best part is Sooraj cuts off the melodrama and comes straight to the point. The sequence when Kareena confronts Hrithik [no dialogue] is not just novel, but deserves distinction marks for the writing, treatment and execution. Directorially, MAIN PREM KI DIWANI HOON is a Sooraj R. Barjatya show all the way. The technique is ordinary, the milieu - like all Rajshri films - is the same, plus the film has its share of sugar-sweet characters, there's a dog and also a parrot, yet everything looks just right. There're no pretensions to be 'hatke' or to cater to pseudo critics or target the festival circuit. Sooraj weaves a tale and tells it in a fashion that would appeal to the Indian at heart. For that, he deserves a 10 out of 10. Anu Malik's music has a different sound and the best part is they've been merged beautifully in the script. Yet, one misses a hit composition like 'Didi Tera Dewar Deewana' or 'Kabutar Ja Ja Ja'. Like Sooraj's previous flicks, this one also has a string of songs, but the best ones are 'Chali Aayee', 'Prem... Bani Bani', 'Aur Mohabbat Hain' and 'Ladka Ye Kehta Hain'. Well worded and well tuned, each song has been rendered with a lot of feeling. The choreography [Jay Borade] is apt. Rajan Kinagi's cinematography is first-rate. The locations of New Zealand and Mauritius are breath-taking of course, but Kinagi has captured them on celluloid beautifully. Bijon Dasgupta's sets are garish at places. Hrithik Roshan is in top form this time around. The role he's portrayed is of the boy next door and very identifiable, unlike the larger-than-life roles in his past few films. More than anything, his emotional scenes are a revelation. His sequences in the latter part of the film prove that the actor is capable of so much more than just flexing his muscles. Kareena Kapoor is a delight to watch. She's gotten into the skin of the character and portrayed her part with utmost conviction. The actress is remarkable all through the film. The best part is that she has made an effort to look and perform differently this time around. This is one performance that is bound to be an instant hit with one and all. Abhishek Bachchan underplays his part well. However, the length of the role doesn't give him much scope to display histrionics. Pankaj Kapur is fabulous. His contribution to the emotional sequences is tremendous. Himani Shivpuri is excellent, especially in the first half and also towards the interval point. Rima is alright. Johny Lever is okay. Raja [parrot] and Johny [dog] are sure to be liked by the kids. The animation is flawless and will also be liked. On the whole, MAIN PREM KI DIWANI HOON is a worthy successor to Sooraj R. Barjatya's previous hits. At the box-office, this love story will not only make the youth diwana, but also the family audiences throng the theatres in a big way. Rating:- * * * 1/2. More bollywood masala at IndiaFM
Aishwarya Rai in Choker Bali
Sunday, June 29, 2003
If Devdas and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam were not enough, then look forward to the green-eyed beauty in Choker Bali and be mesmerized by her acting abilities and the expressive eyes. Directed by Rituparno Ghosh, the film is based on a novel by Rabindranath Tagore and deals with the psychological relations between sexes, in the British era. Those who had a sneak preview of the portions of the film believe that it would not only be a success on the Indian side but would go to fetch international acclaim as well. The setting, costume, ambience and performance are becoming the talk of the industry. It will have the Devdas or HDDS feel? Wait till October when the film will be released.
Jackie Chan to shoot in India
Sunday, June 29, 2003
TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 2003 07:56:34 AM ] The buzz has been there for quite some time, but things are taking concrete shape now. A movie starring Hollywood-Hong Kong superstar Jackie Chan, in addition to some desi stars, is set to be shot in India. While the film will be made by a Hong Kong filmmaker, assistance at the Indian end will be provided by Mukesh Bhatt. Incidentally, Bhatt headed a delegation of filmmakers to Hong Kong last year. "We met many filmmakers who expressed their desire to shoot in India, which is a soughtafter destination in Hong Kong because both countries share similar cultures," says Bhatt. Chan has reportedly expressed his eagerness to shoot a hefty part of the scenes in India. "We will provide the infrastructural details to Hong Kong filmmakers. Our production team has already identified certain locations in West Bengal and Jaipur." While shooting is scheduled to begin in August, the search is on for Indian actors. The I&B ministry too has reportedly evinced interest in the project.
University hostel hall named after Kalpana Chawla
Saturday, June 28, 2003
University hostel hall named after Kalpana Chawla By Vasantha Arora, Indo-Asian News Service ADVERTISEMENT Washington, June 28 The University of Texas at Arlington has named one of its hostel halls after its alumna, Indian American astronaut Kalpana Chawla. The residence hall was named "Kalpana Chawla Hall" to honour the woman who died on February 1 when her space shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas. A scholarship in her name has also been established at the university. Kalpana Chawla, who received her master's of science degree in aerospace engineering from the university in 1984, was a flight engineer aboard the shuttle Columbia. She and six other astronauts died in the explosion. Born in Karnal, Kalpana Chawla was the first woman from India to go into space. The Kalpana Chawla Hall will house about 400 students. Called a "living/learning residence", the hall will cluster the students in 16 communities according to learning themes or major disciplines. Living/learning communities are residence halls or segments of residence halls in which spaces are dedicated to groups of students who not only live together but who also attend classes and study together.
Six killed as rebels storm army camp in Kashmir
Saturday, June 28, 2003
JAMMU, India (Reuters) - Six people, including five soldiers, were killed when suspected Muslim rebels attacked a military camp in Kashmir on Saturday, a police official said. "Firing is still going on. Reinforcements have been sent. One militant has been killed," the official told Reuters. He said the attack took place in an army camp near Sunjwan, about 11 km south of Jammu. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. This latest violence comes during the visit of President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to the Himalayan region. He is scheduled to return to New Delhi on Saturday. The killings took place near the army camp at Kaluchak where rebels killed more than two dozen people in May 2002 bringing nuclear-armed India and Pakistan to the brink of a third war over the region. Both countries have since then toned down rhetoric and initiated a peace process in April this year restoring full diplomatic and transport links as part of confidence building measures meant to pave the way for eventual peace talks. New Delhi accuses Islamabad of arming and training Kashmiri insurgents. Pakistan denies charges it foments violence there but says it provides moral and diplomatic support for what it calls a Kashmiri freedom struggle. Killings have continued unabated in the region despite the thaw in ties between India and Pakistan.
Plan
Saturday, June 28, 2003
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." More bollywood masala at IndiaFM
India, China to coordinate positions on crucial WTO issues
Saturday, June 28, 2003
In a significant development, Asian economic giants India and China have decided to coordinate positions on contentious trade and investment issues like agriculture, TRIPS and public health and Investment, at WTO. "View of both the countries are coverging on these issues and this we see as a significant development because of the size of the two economies accounting for more than one third of world population," Commerce and Industry Minister Arun Jaitley told reporters here today on his return from China. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's visit has triggered discussions at various levels. Conditions of far reaching consequences have been created enabling the trade ambassadors of the two countries in Geneva to coordinate positions on issues of common interest in the WTO, Jaitley said. On trade and investment which constitute one of the four Singapore issues, Jaitley said India and China have identical views. The two countries were opposed to negotaitions on trade and investment on WTO as so far it has not been made clear what constituted the parameters without which no negotiations could take place. 19:10 IST
21 accused in bakery carnage acquitted for lack of evidence
Saturday, June 28, 2003
In the first verdict in a case relating to Gujarat's post-Godhra communal violence whose trial was marred by majority of witneses turning hostile, a court here today acquitted all the 21 accused in the Best Bakery carnage, in which 12 people were burnt alive in the city, for want of evidence. Additional sessions Judge H U Mahida acquitted the accused saying the prosecution failed to prove the case. He said "it was proved beyond doubt that a violent mob had attacked the bakery and killed 12 persons and was also involved in arson and loot. However, there was no legally acceptable evidence to prove that any of the accused presented before the court had committed the crime". The carnage took place on March 1, last year, after widespread communal violence rocked the state following Godhra carnage on February 27 in which 59 Ram Sevaks were charred to death in Sabarmati Express. Nobody from the complainant's side was present in the court premises when the judgement was pronounced. Out of 73 witnesses who had appeared before the court, 39, including Zaheera Sheikh, the key witness and her entire family, had turned hostile when the hearing in the case was reaching its fag end. 21:16 IST
Vajpayee declines to comment on Musharraf's proposal
Saturday, June 28, 2003
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today declined to comment on the four-point proposal of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to resolve Indo-Pak issues, saying he was still to study it. "I do not not know what General Saheb has stated. And till I study it, I would not not like to comment as he (Musharraf) has (earlier) issued statements that whatever he has stated has been presented wrongly," he told reporters at the airport here on returning from a six-day visit to China. "Therefore, a comment by me will not not be right," he said while replying to a question on Musharraf's proposal. Asked to comment on the reported American view that Musharraf was making all efforts to stop cross-border terrorism, the Prime Minister only said the U S policy on it (cross-border terorism) has been clear. "India respects it" and that should be given consideration, Vajpayee said without going into details. Replying to questions, he said said while the Pakistan President had claimed nothing was happening on the Line of Control (LoC), he had also stated he could not give a guarantee that not a single bird flies across the border. Vajpayee declined to answer questions on VHP's criticism of the government on various political issues. 21:19 IST
India, China border talks to begin immediately: PM
Saturday, June 28, 2003
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today said Sikkim will be recognised by China as part of India with the "passage of time" and disclosed that talks on the vexed border issue between the two countries will begin "immediately". Addressing reporters before leaving for home at the end of his six-day "good and fruitful" visit and in Delhi, he made a pointed reference to "much discussion and debate" on Tibet and said what he had agreed with the Chinese leaders was consistent "in a better way" with India's known position on the issue. Disclosing that special representatives of India and China-- Brajesh Mishra and Dai Bingguo-- for exploring a political solution to the boundary dispute would start talks immediately, he said the effort would be to resolve it as early as possible. "So far officials have been dealing with it (border issue) and got stuck when they reached some hurdle. This will not not happen any more. Now the special representatives from the two sides will make efforts to find a solution," he said. Brushing aside reports of confusion over Chinese stand on the Sikkim issue, he said the north-eastern state will be accepted by Beijing as a part of India with the passage of time. "There should be no doubt on the future of Sikkim. As per the decisions taken and with the passage of time, Sikkim will be recognised (by China) as a part of India," Vajpayee said.
VHP attacks Vajpayee on temple issue
Saturday, June 28, 2003
Attacking Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for his stand on the Ram Temple issue, the VHP today accused the Centre of holding talks with +Muslim fundamentalists+ and opposed any talks with All India Muslim Personal Law Board, saying they are not a party to the dispute. +VHP is preparing for a big fight on the Ram temple issue, but because of Vajpayee ten Pakistans could be created as he is engaged in talks with Muslims, who do not have faith in the Indian constitution", VHP General Secretary Praveen Togadia alleged at a press conference after the inauguration of the two-day national executive meeting of the organisation here. "In 1908 Mahatma Gandhi had surrendered to Muslim fundamentalists and subsequently Pakistan was created. The Vajpayee Government is again talking to those who do not respect Indian constitution or Supreme Court and are a body of fundamentalists", Togadia said. "However, the rank and file of BJP are unconditionally with us on the construction of Ram temple even though some leaders are trying for a deal on the issue", he said and opposed any talks with Muslim Personal Law Board as, he argued, they are not even a party in the court. "We are preparing for a big fight for ram temple construction but there will be no Dharm Sansad and a high power committee of sants will meet next month to take a final decision on the issue", the VHP leader said. 21:16 IST
Govt toying with soft launch of CAS, Prasad meets Advani
Saturday, June 28, 2003
As Government gave indications of a soft launch of the Conditional Access System from July 15 in which set-top boxes may not be mandatory immediately, serious reservations in the BJP on the issue led to a meeting between Information and Broadcasting Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani. After a 90-minute meeting, Prasad, who has had meetings with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on the issue, declined to disclose any details about the discussions with Advani. Union Minister Sushma Swaraj, who initiated CAS, was also present at the meeting. The meeting assumes significance in view of senior party leader and Delhi unit President Madan Lal Khurana voicing serious apprehensions over implementation of CAS, a view shared by arch rival and Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit. I and B Secretary Pawan Chopra gave indications that July 15 may not be treated as a "sacrosanct" date for making set-top boxes for viewing pay channels mandatory. "We will implement CAS on July 15. But we will be a little more imaginative and ensure no one is harassed," he told. He said the law will apply when there are enough set-top boxes and they can be made available immediately on demand. Mounting pressure on the BJP to implement Conditional Acess System as scheduled in the four metros on July 15, cable operators threatened to increase cable service rates to around Rs 450 in the absence of CAS. 21:57 IST
Gregory Allen King appointed physical trainer of Indian team
Saturday, June 28, 2003
Ending days of speculation, the Cricket Board today appointed South African Gregory Allen King as the new physical trainer of the Indian team. Announcing the appointment of King, a 30-year-old fitnes trainer from East London, Board president Jagmohan Dalmiya said that the new incumbent would take up his assignment from August 1. King replaces compatriot Adrian Le Roux who resigned on June 8 after taking up a similar position with the South African national team. The decision to recruit King to the post was arrived at after a two-hour long interview earlier in the day during which coach John Wright and skipper Sourav Ganguly were also present. The BCCI chief said though he would recommend a year-long term for King, extending till the Champions trophy in August- Spetember in England next year, the final decision would be taken by the Board's Working Commitee which is scheduled to meet in Delhi on July two and three. Dalmiya said the Board had received numerous applications for the post, out of which eight - four from South Africa, three from Australia and another from India - were shortlisted. "Each of these candidates had extremely good credentials and the selection was difficult. But the panel felt that it was necessary to maintain a continuity with the methods and techniques practised by Le Roux," he said.
US looking to India to alleviate nurses' shortage
Friday, June 27, 2003
United States is now looking to India to alleviate its shortage for nurses as Indian schools are churning out professionals matching American standards, a newspaper report said today. "Health care companies are turning to other countries to hire qualified people. India is now being recognized as an area which offers bachelor-degree nurses and a good health care system with an abundance of nurses," Mary Prascher, human resources manager at Texas-based Triad Hospitals was quoted as saying by the 'Dallas Morning News'. Newly recruited nurses, go through nerve-wracking interviews with immigration officials and hours of training to prepare for mandatory examinations and interviews in approved centres. Randall Turnbull, vice president of the international group for a recruiting firm, Nursefinders, said that nurses from India "are coming from schools that changed curriculum to match the US. So they are trained just as well as they are here." Another firm, Dallas-based 'Nurses Anytime', started nine months ago, was exclusively targeting Indians, the report said adding they are maintaining eight recruiting-training offices in India and the Middle East. Traditional overseas sources for nurses - the Philippines, Canada and Australia, experts said, have been tapped heavily. Now recruiters are turning to India as the shortage for them has worsened, they added. 09:46 IST
PM rejects Musharraf's suggestion on "roadmap" on Kashmir
Friday, June 27, 2003
Prime Minisiter Atal Bihari Vajpayee today rejected Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's suggestion for a US-sponsored roadmap on the lines of West Asia to resolve the Kashmir issue. "I do not see the possibility or the necessity (of such a plan)," he said at a press conference when asked about the Pakistani ruler's statement made in Washington. Musharraf had told an American TV channel that he would like US President George W Bush to involve himself in a West Asia-style 'roadmap' on Kashmir, but feared India would not allow that as it wanted bilateral resolution "of everything". Answering another question Vajpayee said "very few issues" connected with Pakistan had been raised during his discussions with the Chinese leadership. "My visit wasn't Pakistan centric," the Prime Minister said while acknowledging that some issues relating to Pakistan had come up while discussing South Asia situation. 09:46 IST
"60 per cent construction material ready for Ram temple"
Friday, June 27, 2003
Unmindful of the outcome of the efforts being made by Hindu and Muslim religious leaders to resolve the vexed Ayodhya issue, artisans are engaged in carving pillars and stones for the proposed Ram temple at workshops here and in Rajasthan. "Over 60 per cent of the construction material is ready ... the day Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas (trust) and the Hindu saints decide, the construction of temple will begin", said Anu Bhai, an architect from Gujarat who monitors carving of stones and pillars in the workshops at Karsewakpuram here. The work to carve pillars and stones is going on at six workshops -- four in Rajasthan and two in Ayodhya. At least 70 artisans are on the job in Ayodhya. Majority of them are from Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh and they work in shifts for at least eight hours a day. VHP media in-charge Sharad Sharma told that the material including pillars and stones for the construction of ground floor of the proposed Ram temple is "quite ready". Pillars and stones, to be used for construction of 'singhdwar', 'nritya mandap', 'rang mandap' and 'garbh grah', have also been carved, he said. Six main pillars of the temple, decorated with floral carvings and designs, have already been constrcuted, Sharma said. Of the required 180 beams, 77 are ready and the artisans were working on the remaining beams, he said. 09:46 IST
There are no two power centres: Advani
Friday, June 27, 2003
Dismissing suggestions of differences with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani has said there are no power centres and no rivalry between the two. Saying he was amused over frequent reports of Vajpayee and he quibbling, Advani told 'Aaj Tak' news channel Thursday night "there is no truth whatsoever in this. People who know us closely understand it very well". "We are not rivals. We are not power centres. We complement each other. So far, I have been assisting him in strengthening the party and in efficient functioning of the Government," the Deputy Prime Minister said while taking a nostalgic trip down memory lane in the jail where he was lodged on June 26, 1975 alongwith other top political leaders after being arrested following imposition of Emergency by Indira Gandhi government. Advani recalled it was well past midnight and raining when he, alongwith other leaders like Biju Patnaik and Piloo Modi, were brought to this jail on this day 28 years back. The Deputy Prime Minister, who spent two months in the jail, went around the cell where he was lodged with Sikander Bakht. Looking at the hard cots, he said since it was hot summer months, most of the inmates preferred to sleep outside in the open. Advani remembered T S Mann, then Jail Superintendent, who was also present Thursday, had allowed his two children to meet him despite directions that only one of them could do so. As part of their agitation, Vajpayee and he had decided not to evade arrest, Advani recalled adding it was then decided that they would work on two fronts. Leaders like Nanaji Deshmukh and Sundarlal Bhandari would be "underground" and continue the movement. 09:46 IST
Sun, Oracle alliance for low cost computing
Thursday, June 26, 2003
Bangalore, June 25 India is becoming the latest battleground for global majors Oracle and Sun Microsystems to challenge Microsoft in the NT server market and also offer low cost computing to the financial and telecom sectors. Notice of this was served Wednesday by the Indian arms of Oracle and Sun as part of the global alliance to open new markets in countries like India. "The NT-based server market is currently worth $70 million. We are now entering this market that is dominated currently by Microsoft. Today, we are offering a sub-$10,000 solution to customers," Sun India MD Bhaskar Pramanik told a news conference he jointly addressed with Shekhar Dasgupta of Oracle. "The banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) sector and the telecom sector invest about two to three percent annually in technology. We are providing customers with solutions that will lower ownership costs and bring rapid returns on investment," Dasgupta added. Practically every aspect of the BFSI sector is employing technology like never before. The banking sector in India generates revenues of $35 billion while insurance contributes $17 billion.
At least 40 feared dead in Madhya Pradesh bus tragedy
Thursday, June 26, 2003
BHOPAL, India (Reuters) - At least 40 people were feared dead after a bus plunged into a river and was swept away by flood waters in Madhya Pradesh, police said on Thursday. The accident occurred late on Wednesday when the bus was crossing a small bridge in Mandsaur district, 380 km from Bhopal, they said. Bhopal is the capital of Madhya Pradesh state. "Ten people, including the driver of the bus, swam to safety and the remaining 40 passengers are still missing and are feared drowned," a senior police officer said, adding the area had received heavy rains for the past few days. Rescue teams, helped by paramilitary forces, were looking for survivors, he said.
BJP warns of VAT-type fate for CAS; Govt abolishes Excise Duty
Thursday, June 26, 2003
As BJP warned of the controversial Conditional Access System (CAS) going the VAT way, government today abolished the 16 per cent Excise Duty on Set-Top boxes and is likely to meet broadcasters on Monday in a bid to smoothen its implementation from July 15. Withdrawing the Excise Duty on the boxes that will bring down their prices by around Rs 250 to Rs 300 each, the government has suggested to the broadcasters to make the "most watched" pay and free-to-air channels available for around Rs 200. BJP President M Venkaiah Naidu told reporters in Gwalior that CAS could meet the same fate as VAT if it is not consumer-friendly. "The touchstone for any such measure is how far it is acceptable to the people and whether people have to pay less or more than they are currently paying," he said. The Government has made it clear that the rates should not go beyond what a consumer pays currently for cable TV services which ranges from Rs 200 to Rs 320 in the capital. However, Star Group's Peter Mukherjee told reporters today it would not be revising the rates but coming out with their "better interpretation". He also indicated that Star Plus would cost Rs 24 a month as proposed earlier. 21:51 IST
Jt declaration welcomed by BJP, Left; Congress cautious
Thursday, June 26, 2003
The Sino-Indian joint declaration today evoked a favourable response from Left parties and the BJP, while the Congress adopted a cautious approach. "We have welcomed the Prime Minister's visit to China. We are now studying the text of the joint declaration issued in Beijing yesterday. It is a lengthy document, which needs careful scrutiny," Congress Spokesman S Jaipal Reddy said. The party is studying if greater accommodation on Tibet and Sikkim has been shown without corresponding reciprocity, he said. CPI-M Polit Bureau Member Prakash Karat described it as a "significant step forward" in strengthening ties between the two countries and said it laid the basis for all-round progress. Welcoming the declaration, CPI said irrespective of the social system and governments, good neighbourly relations between the two countries would go a long way in consolidating peace and stability in the region. The BJP central office bearers at a meeting in Gwalior said this would help improve Sino-India relations and open a new era of cooperation between the two largest countries of the world. In a resolution they said the agreements signed at Beijing during the Prime Minister's visit have laid the "firm foundation" for comprehensive relationship between India and China. 22:05 IST
Vajpayee in Shanghai after visit to Buddhist landmarks
Thursday, June 26, 2003
Having charted out a new roadmap for Sino-Indian ties, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today fulfilled a long-standing wish to admire the birthplace of China's Buddhism, the religion that provided the main link between the two countries in ancient times, before arriving tonight in modern China's industrial and commercial hub. The 78-year-old Indian leader savoured China's rich cultural heritage in one of the country's seven ancient capitals, Luoyang in central China, before flying 90 minutes behind schedule into Shanghai, symbol of China's great leap forward. As he went round the famed Buddhist relics in central China's Henan province, taking time off his busy schedule, he remarked it was his long-standing wish to visit this place. The Longmen (rpt Longmen) caves, one of the three great treasure houses of stone sculpture in China, and the White Horse Temple, regarded as the birthplace of Buddhism in this country, were on the itinerary of tourist Vajpayee, a day after he concluded discussions in Beijing with those who run this country of 1.3 billion. The political and trade agreements he reached with the Chinese leadership have generated considerable satisfaction on both sides with terms like "a win-win situation", a "new era" and a "blueprint for a qualitatively new relationship" being used. The debate over give and take may continue for long but the gains from the visit are obvious. The space and prominence given by the official media in this country to the results of the Prime Minister's discussions with the Chinese leadership are reflective of the significance attached to it in this country. 20:14 IST
Bhutto terms Pak's Kargil incursion as an "absolute disaster"
Thursday, June 26, 2003
Terming Pakistan's Kargil incursion as an "absolute disaster", former Pakistan Premier Benazir Bhutto tonight said Pervez Musharraf as a senior army officer had brought the plan to her when she was in power claiming he would put Pakistan's flag on Jammu and Kashmir. "I asked (Gen) Musharraf what would happen when the Kargil plan was put up to me and he said he would put the flag of Pakistan on the Srinagar Assembly," recalled Bhutto in an interview to 'Worldview India' programme on Doordarshan. She said she had vetoed the plan because she knew that "ultimately we would have been asked to go back to where we were and that's exactly what happened". Asked how she would have responded to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's peace initiative if she had been in power, Bhutto said she would have "taken to task home-grown militants" who, under Musharraf's regime, were dictating the country's foreign policy agenda. "We (Pakistan People's Party) would have taken to task the home-grown militants and simply not not allowed them to dictate Pakistan's foreign policy agenda by doing what they want and when they want," she said. Observing that the attack on Indian Parliament and some other major terrorist strikes took place during Musharraf's rule, Bhutto said her party was deeply concerned that al-Qaeda people were turning up in Pakistan. "We would have made the situation very difficult for them to either seek refuge in Pakistan or for the Taliban to regroup in Pakistan or for our own home-grown militants to use Pakistan as a base for launching attacks on other countries," she said. 22:05 IST
AIMPLB to go ahead with July 6 meet on seer's formula
Thursday, June 26, 2003
Ignoring vehement opposition from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) to a negotiated settlement of the vexed Ayodhya tangle on the basis of the Kanchi seer's formula, All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) today made it clear that it would go ahead with its proposed July 6 meeting of the working committee to discuss the seer's proposals. "The VHP's opposition will have no affect on the board's working committee meeting slated for July 6 to consider the seer's formula," AIMPLB spokesman Maulana Sajjad Nomani told. It may be recalled that a meeting of the pro-VHP saints at Ayodhya yesterday had asked the Kanchi seer to stop his efforts to broker any solution of the ayodhya issue with some Muslim organisations. The meeting warned the NDA government that if VHP and sants will not be taken into confidence in that matter, a country-wide agitation would be launched to oppose the one-sided move. 21:51 IST
US considers Pak N-capabilty as fait accompli: media
Thursday, June 26, 2003
US considers Pak N-capabilty as fait accompli: media Washington,Wednesday, June 25, 2003: The lavish praise and aid given to Pakistan suggests that the US is considering Islamabad's nuclear weapons capability as a 'fait accompli' and is now more worried about preventing control of the weapons from falling into the wrong hands, according to media reports here today. The praise President George W Bush lavished on General Pervez Musharraf, who gained power in a 1999 military takeover, and grant of USD three billion in economic and military aid for the next five years shows that Bush and his aides seem to regard Pakistan's nuclear weapons capacity "as a fait accompli," the New York Times said. Bush and his aides, the paper said, are again using the lure of aid and trade to help Musharraf "fend off" fundamentalists who seek an Islamic State with an 'Islamic bomb'. "They are concerned about the general's control over his country's nuclear infrastructure - particularly the Khan Research Laboratory, which appears to be the source of aid to North Korea," the daily said. According to a senior official said recently, Musharraf's control "could be weaker than advertised." "It is the country that worries us the most," an official told the 'Times' last week, "because it is the only nuclear power in danger of falling into the wrong hands". 21:51 IST
India, China to cooperate at WTO
Thursday, June 26, 2003
Buoyed by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's successful visit, India and China today decided to further step up bilateral trade and increase cooperation to safeguard the interests of developing nations at the World Trade Organisation (WTO). These decisions were taken during a meeting here between Minister of Commerce Arun Jaitley had with his Chinese counterpart, Lu Fuyan, official sources said. The two sides also decided to hold the next round of the Joint Economic Group (JEG) meeting sometime in November-December this year. Jaitley, who is part of the prime ministerial delegation to China, said that India and China have many commonalities and their cooperation is vital to safeguard the interests of developing countries. Jaitley said he had a discussion with Lu on TRIPS in public health care area as well as agricultural negotiations and investment-related issues. The minister, considered an expert on WTO issues, said that India and China, the fastest developing countries as well as the world's most populated nations, have many commonalities and should stand together in protecting the interests of developing nations at multilateral foras like the WTO. "We have decided to explore how to cooperate with China at the WTO," Jaitley said, adding that the two countries have agreed to inform their ambassadors in WTO in Geneva so that they could have consultations and adopt a common stand on major issues affecting developing nations ahead of a major WTO session in September. 15:36 IST
Govt liberalises foreign technology agreement policy further
Thursday, June 26, 2003
In a bid to liberalise foreign technology agreement policy further, Government today decided to allow all companies to make royalty payments without any restriction on the duration, on the automatic approval route. The royalty payments would be made at the rate of eight per cent on exports and five per cent on domestic sales while the ceiling on the payment of lumpsum fee would continue to apply in all cases, an official statement said here. Presently, only wholly-owned subsidiaries are permitted to make payments of royalty of 8.0 per cent on exports and 5.0 per cent on domestic sales to their offshore parent on automatic route without any restriction on duration of royalty payments. Royalty payment by other companies are allowed for a period not exceeding seven years from the date of commencement of commercial production or 10 years from the date of agreement, whichever is earlier. Now, companies, who have entered into foreign technology collaboration, irrespective of the extent of foreign equity, will have no restriction on duration. 14:11 IST
Ganguly slips to fourth position after defeat
Thursday, June 26, 2003
Surya Shekhar Ganguly failed to keep his momentum going and went down fighting against Kadir Guseinov of Azerbaijan in the fourth round of the World Juniors Chess Championship now underway here. It turned out to be a disappointing day for the Indian boys as not only Ganguly slipped to joint fourth position after his loss but other in-form players, International Master P Magesh Chandran and National Junior Champion Abhijit Gupta, also lost their games against Kritz Leonid of Germany and Sergei Azarov of Belarus respectively. Grandmaster P Harikrishna, who suffered a rather uncharacteristic loss to Abhijit in the second round, scored his second successive victory and moved to 2.5 points, half a point behind Ganguly. Marcin Dziuba of Poland, Leonid and Guseinov, all with 3.5 points apiece, shared the lead while a pack of eight players including Ganguly followed them on 3 points each. Magesh Chandran and Hari Krishna were in the next lot comprising nine players. Abhijit, national sub junior champion S Arun Prasad and Asian junior champion Deepan Chakravarthy have two points each. In the girls championship being played simultaneously, country's youngest Women International Master Dronavalli Harika gave yet another emphatic display of her growing positional acumen but missed out on a victory and settled for truce with compatriot Asian junior girls' champion Tania Sachdev. 20:14 IST
INSAT-3E to be launched in August
Wednesday, June 25, 2003
India's next generation communication satellite INSAT-3E is slated for launch by an Ariane rocket in the last week of August, ISRO chairman, Dr K Kasturirangan, said today. "The date for launch has been finalised for last week of August," Kasturirangan told reporters here. The European space agency, Arianespace, will use the heavier Ariane 5 rocket to launch INSAT-3E from the spaceport in Korou at French Guyana in South America. INSAT-3E will carry 36 transponders, including 24 C-band and 12 extended C-band, transponders as payload. The fourth in the INSAT-3 series, the satellite is expected to bridge the gap in demand for transponders by private satellite TV broadcasters, VSAT operators, telecom firms and government agencies, among others. (Agencies)
Secular Javed Akhtar sings for Sena
Wednesday, June 25, 2003
Mee Mumbaikar, the Shiv Sena-commissioned Javed Akhtar penned ode, may be the first melodic tribute to the city by a political party. But it isn't as if Mumbai hasn't soared on wings of song before. The city has inspired a multitude of Hindi film ballads, some pedestrian, others exceptional for the way they captured the bitter-sweet quintessence of the metropolis. Undoubtedly the most iconic of these is the 1956 Ay dil hai mushkil jeena yahan/Zara hatke, zara bachke, yeh hai Bombay meri jaan from Guru Dutt's CID. Written by the late Majrooh Sultanpuri and composed by O P Nayyar, the composition and its lyrics made it the chartbuster of its time, recalls song historian Raju Bharatan. "The song was the top song on Binaca Geetmala,'' he added. The great rush to gold-paved Bombay was gathering speed in the mid-'50s, and Majrooh's lyrics reflected the ethos, says Bharatan. "I wouldn't say it's a brilliant lyric, but its reach was tremendous,'' he said. Indeed, it was Majrooh who seems to have sowed the germ of 'heartless Bombay.' "My favourite Bombay ditty is undoubtedly Bombay meri jaan,'' said Javed Akhtar.
Secular Javed Akhtar sings for Sena
Wednesday, June 25, 2003
Mee Mumbaikar, the Shiv Sena-commissioned Javed Akhtar penned ode, may be the first melodic tribute to the city by a political party. But it isn't as if Mumbai hasn't soared on wings of song before. The city has inspired a multitude of Hindi film ballads, some pedestrian, others exceptional for the way they captured the bitter-sweet quintessence of the metropolis. Undoubtedly the most iconic of these is the 1956 Ay dil hai mushkil jeena yahan/Zara hatke, zara bachke, yeh hai Bombay meri jaan from Guru Dutt's CID. Written by the late Majrooh Sultanpuri and composed by O P Nayyar, the composition and its lyrics made it the chartbuster of its time, recalls song historian Raju Bharatan. "The song was the top song on Binaca Geetmala,'' he added. The great rush to gold-paved Bombay was gathering speed in the mid-'50s, and Majrooh's lyrics reflected the ethos, says Bharatan. "I wouldn't say it's a brilliant lyric, but its reach was tremendous,'' he said. Indeed, it was Majrooh who seems to have sowed the germ of 'heartless Bombay.' "My favourite Bombay ditty is undoubtedly Bombay meri jaan,'' said Javed Akhtar.
Vajpayee leaves for Chinese city of Luoyang
Wednesday, June 25, 2003
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today left for the historical central Chinese city of Luoyang after firmly establishing a qualitatively new relationship with China's new Leadership and signing two historic documents that would lead to resolving all pending bilateral differences including the vexed boundary issue. Vajpayee, who met with Chinese President and Communist Party General Secretary Hu Jintao, Chairman of the Central Military Commission Jiang Zemin, chairman of the National People's Congress Wu Bangguo, premier Wen Jiabao and Vice president Zeng Qinghong separately had "positive and fruitful" talks with them, Chinese foreign ministry sources said. The Chinese government attaches great importance to Vajpayee's visit and has already deemed it "successful" and "significant to China-India relations", Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Kong Quan said. Kong described the newly-signed declaration on the principles for relations and comprehensive cooperation between China and India as "positive, mutually-beneficial, balanced and a win-win situation". The declaration means a great deal, not only in terms of the current development of the two nations, but also to their long-term development and to the stability, prosperity and development of South Asia, he said. 09:35 IST
Musharraf assures "100% effort" to end cross border terrorism
Wednesday, June 25, 2003
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has assured US President George W Bush that he will make a hundred per cent effort to end crossborder "incidents" against India. "Musharraf has committed to a a hundred per cent effort at trying to end crossborder incidents", a senior Bush administraton official said briefing reporters on the talks the two leaders held at Camp David Tuesday. According to the official, Musharraf said he had moved against cross-border infiltration and that he had made sure there were no terrorist camps inside Pakistan occupied Kashmir. Significantly, neither Bush nor the official used the words "crossborder terrorism" and instead used "transborder infiltration" and the official added that to ask for cross-border terrorism to end completely before there can be dialogue between India and Pakistan will be to give rejectionists a veto over any movement towards peace. When asked specifically whether Bush was willing to mediate on the Kashmir issue, the official said "We are not getting into that because nobody has asked us yet. When and if the two sides think we have a role to play, we will play that role that the two sides agree on". The official said the US three billion dollar aid package to Pakistan was conditioned on "Pakistan working vigorously with the United States in the war against terrorism, working vigorously to ensure that there is no onward proliferation and moving smartly towards democracy". 09:35 IST
"PM's visit expected to lead to meaningful dialogue on Tibet"
Wednesday, June 25, 2003
Samdhong Rimpoche, a close aide of Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama, has expressed the hope that the historic visit of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to China would pave the way for a meaningful dialogue between the Dalai Lama and the Chinese leadership for establishment of Tibet as a zone of peace. Improvement in the relations between India and China would ensure enduring peace and stability in South Asia, he said Tuesday commenting on the visit of Vajpaee. "We are convinced that better relations between India and China will make it easier for all concerned to find a solution to the vexed problem of Tibet and we have full confidence that the prime minister will take every opportunity to find a solution to the Tibetan issue in the best interest of all concerned." Referring to the reopening of trade between India and China through Tibet, Rimpoche said that it was resumption of age-old trade route and he did not consider it a big concession to India. There were many complicated issues perpetuated for more than half a century which could not be expected to be resolved instantly and "the process of resolving such problems must be welcomed and we must have the patience to wait for the results", he added. 09:35 IST
Top BJP leaders meet today to review poll preparations
Wednesday, June 25, 2003
Wanting to leave no stone unturned for success in the coming assembly elections in five states, top BJP leaders are meeting in Gwalior today to review the preparations. The day-long meeting of the party's Central Office Bearers comes close on the heels of the brainstorming session held near Mumbai last week which had deliberated on the poll strategy and Mission 2004 for Lok Sabha. Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, who has been the link between the party and the government, will be attending the meeting. Party President M Venkaiah Naidu had a detailed discussion with Advani here Tuesday evening on the agenda for the meeting. "The meeting would spell out the programmes and schedules to take forward the decisions at the recent brainstorming session held near Mumbai and also review the preparations for the assembly elections," party spokesman Prakash Javadekar told reporters. 09:35 IST
Rupee tumbles against US Dollar
Tuesday, June 24, 2003
Rupee tumbles against US Dollar Mumbai,Monday, June 23, 2003: The Rupee tumbled against the US currency today on a fresh wave of all-round dollar short-covering by banks, corporates and importers in fairly active trade at the interbank foreign exchange (forex) market. Closing at Rs 46.67/68 per dollar, the Rupee declined by a whopping 13 paise from last friday's close of Rs 46.54/55 after dipping to intraday lows of Rs 46.69/70 due to renewed heavy dollar demand from all quarters, probably for the usual month-end considerations, dealers said. The rupee opened at Rs 46.54/56 per dollar. +From the onset of business, the rupee gradually weakened on steady dollar demand from foreign, private and state-run banks for their corporate clients. Initially, it dropped to 46.55/56, then broke through the 46.60-dollar barrier and tested 46.69/70, before settling at 46.67/68,+ a dealer said. +Month-end dollar demand appears to have emerged early to exert pressure on the rupee,+ he added. Although, the rupee declined sharply today, the fall was gradual and smooth and devoid of excessive speculation and volatility, a banker said, adding +Bunched up weekend dollar supplies partly cushioned the fall of the rupee+. The rupee appreciated by a staggering 18 paise against the US currency last week and scaled a fresh 27-1/2 month peak on the back of robust trade and capital inflows. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) fixed the reference rate for the US currency at Rs 46.58 per dollar and the single european unit at Rs 53.91 per euro from Rs 46.54 and Rs 54.52 respectively on the last working day on June 20.
"India and China must bury the past unsavoury experiences"
Tuesday, June 24, 2003
Ahmedabad,Monday, June 23, 2003: Defence Minister George Fernandes today said the past unsavoury experiences of tensions and misunderstandings with China must be left behind and there was a need to advance in the direction of friendship initiated between the two countries. "There have been tensions and misunderstandings between India and China. But now with friendship being initiated, we must surge ahead in that direction", Fernandes told newsmen here when asked about his address to the convention of Samata party workers here. "I told them that whatever has happened in the past must be buried and it is no use brooding over it", Fernandes said, adding, "it is important to advance in the direction of friendship." Referring to his visit to China recently, the Defence Minister said "the Chinese PM told me that in relations with India, which date back to 2200 years, there has been 99.99 per cent friendship and only 0.01 per cent misunderstanding. Now we should bury that 0.01 per cent." He said even China wanted peace and tranquility in order to overcome some of the problems like widespread unemployment and regional imbalances and emerge as the biggest global economic power by 2020. 22:06 IST
24 killed, 25 injured in train mishap near Goa
Tuesday, June 24, 2003
Vaibhavwadi (Maharashtra),Monday, June 23, 2003: In the first major accident on Konkan railway network, 24 people, including three children and four women, were killed and 25 injured, 15 seriously, when four bogies of Karwar-Mumbai holiday special train derailed ramming into each other near here Sunday night. The accident occurred at about 10 pm (IST) between Vaibhavwadi and Rajapur stations in Sindhudurg district when the engine of the train dashed against a huge boulder which had fallen on the track. The speeding train came to a grinding halt and the engine derailed. Under the impact, four bogies telescoped over each other. Almost simultaneously, there was a landslide and huge boulders and mud came crashing down from the surrounding hillock and spread over the telescoped bogies. Several people were still trapped inside and rescue operations were on, police control in Sindhudurg told. A contingent of army from Goa joined rescue operations, Sindhudurg police control told. Six of those killed have been identified. They are Sunil Chary from Panjim, Chandrashekhar Rajashekhar Dalvi from Bangalore, Handru Jackson D'cruz from Madgaon, Ramakant Rane, a police constable from Mumbai, Sarita Sunil Gawas and Shreya Gawas from Goa, according to Sindhudurg police control. The injured were admitted to hospitals in Kankavli and Oras in Sindhudurg district. To and fro services on the route have been suspended and efforts were being made to shift the injured to hospitals in Goa, Konkan railway authorities told in Mumbai. 20:02 IST
In Beijing, PM promises trust, understanding
Monday, June 23, 2003
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on his arrival at Beijing international airport on Sunday. BEIJING: Sidestepping the high Himalayan range, where the armies of India and China once fought a bitter and futile war more than 40 years ago, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee flew eastwards on Air-India One to arrive in Beijing on Sunday evening, promising to build ``better understanding and trust'' between the two neighbours. Except that the less visible barriers of the mind continued to loom larger than life on both sides, with New Delhi and Beijing still grappling how best to transform the traumas of the past _ such as, differences on the Line of Actual Control, China's refusal to recognise Sikkim as well as New Delhi's consequent refusal to open border trade at Nathu La _ into a stabler and more sensible road map for the future. Here was the majestic Air-Indian bird nestling on one side of Beijing's spanking new airport. Further into the city, an explosion of glass and chrome, concrete expressways, bright lights and shopping malls ripping into the raining horizon. The overwhelming impression that Communist China had left Democratic India far behind in its clinical experimentation with capitalism _ and thereby in creation of massive wealth, enormous energy and international ambition _ was enough to subdue even the most expressive defenders of crippling systems back home. Still, the possibility that pragmatists in both officialdoms would still win over purists, injected enough hope that the meeting tomorrow between Prime Minister Vajpayee and his counterpart Wen Jiabao _ at the Great Hall of the People just off the Tiananmen Square _ would result in a pathbreaking joint declaration that would propel the relationship out of its current groove. Such as the expansion of trade between the two sides to incorporate a number of border trade points between Tibet and India, including those at the Nathu La pass in Sikkim. Sources here said ``the process'' of how best to bring about an agreement, especially on the phraseology of the Sikkim accession-border trade question, was continuing up to this evening. Clearly, the fact that the Sikkim story has come right down to the wire shows that both India and China have willingly engaged in high diplomatic poker in order to promote the ``national interest'' of their respective countries. Over the last few weeks a number of quid pro quos have been aired, including a voluntary recognition by Beijing of Sikkim or otherwise, de facto acceptance in which the Indian outpost at Nathu La would have the authority to stamp travel documents. Certainly, the Indian side is somewhat unhappy about the constant iteration on the part of Beijing _ Prime Minister Wen Jiabao repeated the same phrase in an interview to a national daily on Sunday _ that the border issue between India and China should be resolved on the principle of ``equal consultations, mutual understanding and mutual accommodation and mutual adjustment.'' It may be recalled that Chinese president Hu Jintao had used the same phrase when he met Vajpayee in St. Petersburg barely three weeks ago. Indian officials refused to elaborate upon their understanding of the Chinese phrase _ and more importantly, why the Chinese were using it so often in the run up to the PM's visit _ but Chinese analysts here have admitted that ``mutual understanding and mutual accommodation'' refers to Beijing's interest in taking back the Tawang division of Arunachal Pradesh. Chinese analysts pointed out that China _ or Tibet, at that point of time _ had collected taxes from the Tawang citizenry until 1954, and that the territory ``rightfully'' belonged to China. Understandably, the Indian side is furious at any such comment, pointing out in turn that Beijing has even refused to exchange maps on the Western sector of the LAC, all because it infringed on Pakistan's ``claims'' over Kashmir. The Chinese Foreign Office has over the last week stated that the border issue will come up during the PM's vsit. Indian officials only said they would continue to focus on the ``fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable'' formulation that had been agreed during Rajiv Gandhi's visit in 1988. Of course, Monday's meeting between Prime Ministers Vajpayee and Wen may be restricted to pleasantries. Perhaps the PM will return to India five days from now with a handful of anodyne agreements which will be signed on Monday, including on visa processing, consular facilities, science and technology and education. In fact, officials even refused to confirm whether the last wrinkles from a bilateral investment protection agreement had been sorted out or not. This, when New Delhi has been particularly gungho about the booming trade potential between the two sides _ 71 per cent of the present $5.5 billion figures are said to have been achieved during the first three months of this year _ and aims to take on the fabled economic might of the Chinese in their own country. And so, a massive IT event is being proposed for Shanghai four days from now. Commerce minister Arun Jaitley as well as IT and Disinvestment Minister Arun Shourie will be there to assist the Prime Minister. External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha, meanwhile, has also invoked his earlier expertise on financial matters, to advise the Prime Minister from the beginning of this
Nokia rules out immediate plans to manufacture phones in India
Monday, June 23, 2003
Nokia rules out immediate plans to manufacture phones in India Singapore,Sunday, June 22, 2003: Finnish mobile phone giant Nokia has ruled out any immediate plans to establish a manufacturing or assembling unit in India to cater to its growing market in the country. "We are catering not just to the Indian market. We are a global player and we decide our strategy keeping in mind the needs of our global market," Nokia's Vice President Sales South East Asia Pacific (SEAP) Tyler McGee told. "We have two manufacturing units - one in China and other in South Korea and they are able to meet the demands," he added. McGee, however, was quick to add that Nokia was committed to the Indian market. "We have our infrastructure and Research and Development facility in India and we would review our policy depending upon market demands." Asked about introducing cheaper mobile phones for low end users, he asserted that Nokia was already catering to such users in countries like India, Vietnam and other developing markets through various affordable handsets including Nokia 3315. Admitting that grey market existed in Asia, McGee said, "we are not police. We can not check that. But we will certainly work with the local authorities to convince the customers that they should buy handsets only from authorised dealers. McGee denied price as the factor behind the flourishing grey market "There are several other factors like levy and price was just one of them," he added. He revealed that Nokia was already manufacturing seven CDMA handsets but only two of them were available in India. "We are focussing on key products, a select brand of phones and not all," he said, adding the company would work with local CDMA operators to make it more affordable. He cited Nokia's recent agreement with Reliance for supply of CDMA handsets and expressed the hope that more such agreements would be reached. Terming India's Mobile phone market as one of the biggest in the world, Nokia's Director Imaging business Unit, Asia Pacific Mauro Montanaro said the company would introduce more affordable handsets with varying price ranges in India. 09:26 IST
National interest will be key on Iraq troops decision
Monday, June 23, 2003
On Board Special Aircraft,Sunday, June 22, 2003: India's national interest will be the key to government's decision on whether to send troops to Iraq, a top Indian official said today. The source, on condition of anonymity, told reporters on board the Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's special aircraft on the flight to Beijing that India's final decision would depend on a number of factors, most important being the "national interest". New Delhi was awaiting response to the clarifications that had been sought from the United States. Some clarifications have been furnished but more are awaited, the source said. The process of consulting political parties, which began with a meeting between Vajpayee and Sonia Gandhi would continue, he said. Issues that concern New Delhi include a time frame for the transfer of authority of representatives of the Iraqi people. India was also consulting Iraq's neighbours such as Iran, Syria and Jordan, he said. 20:44 IST
China wants friendly relations with India: Fernandes
Monday, June 23, 2003
China wants friendly relations with India: Fernandes Kanchipuram,Sunday, June 22, 2003: Defence Minister George Fernandes today said China wanted friendly relationship with India. "China wanted peace and tranquility on the borders with us so that both the countries could have faster economic growth," he said at a function at the Sri Chandarasekerandra Saraswathi deemed university at Ennathur, near here. Fernandes, who visited Beijing recently, said "a nation which had the largest economy had to have the largest military power to prevent enemy from creating any difficulities. There is nothing wrong in having a strength to defend the country". Union Finance Minister Jaswant Singh said if India had to be in the forefront of the nations in the world, "it should not be in the second rank and to reach the top position we have to work towards achieving this goal. "You must have faith in yourselves. Education is nothing but awakening the totality of one's personality," he said while inaugurating the faculty of educational technology at the deemed university. 20:44 IST
UP MLA turns against Mayawati, withdraws support
Monday, June 23, 2003
UP MLA turns against Mayawati, withdraws support Jaipur,Sunday, June 22, 2003: Uttar Pradesh MLA Akhilesh Singh, who engineered a split in Congress and helped Chief Minister Mayawati consolidate her ranks in the face of opposition offensive, today turned against her withdrawing support and accusing her of running the state government like a "gangster." Singh, who is absoconding after being booked in connection with the murder of a Congress leader in UP and carries a reward on his head, told reporters here that "although I had withdrawn my support to Mayawati government long back when I started opposing her I formally informed U.P. Governor about my decision today." He said Mayawati was "running her government by creating terror and is behaving like a gangster instead of a politician." Alleging any one who opposes Mayawati "is booked under false cases," he said her style of functioning had put a big question mark on democracy in the state. Singh charged that the chief minister was using police officials to settle her personal and political scores. He claimed about two dozen BSP legislators may soon revolt in U.P. against Mayawati government. A few months back, Singh had taken the lead in effecting a split in Congress Legislature Party in UP with eight of them quitting ranks and forming Akhil Bharatiya Congress Dal (ABCD). Later, seven ABCD MLAs joined BSP as Singh was left ploughing a lonely furrow. 20:44 IST
India awaiting outcome of Bush Musharraf talks: Vajpayee
Monday, June 23, 2003
Voicing concern over continuing cross-border terrorism, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today said that India would await the outcome of talks between Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf and US President George W Bush at Camp David on June 24. "Our concerns are on cross-border terrorism which should stop. Our friends (in the international community) have agreed with us on this score," Vajpayee told reporters at the airport shortly before emplaning for a six-day visit to China. Asked about his expectations from the Musharraf-Bush talks, he said "let us see what emerges out of it and what measures follow." To a question on China's close ties with Pakistan, the Prime Minister said that he had talked with Chinese President Hu Jintao in St Petersburg in Russia recently and he was looking forward to holding wide-ranging discussions with top Chinese leadership including his counterpart Wen Jiabao. Declaring that India accorded "top priority" to its ties with China, Vajpayee said that his Government wanted to tackle the new challenges and move on the road to progress in co-operation with Beijing. "I am confident that the visit would have a positive outcome. My message to China is that of friendship", Vajpayee, the first Indian Prime Minister to visit China in last 10 years, said. 11:46 IST
Manipur and Bengal to clash in final
Monday, June 23, 2003
Manipur and Bengal to clash in final Chennai,Sunday, June 22, 2003: Bitter rivals Manipur and Bengal set up a title clash posting contrasting wins in the semifinals of the 11th National Women's Football Championship here today. Manipur scored a confident 3-0 win over Bihar, while Bengal managed to hold on to a Swapna Guria goal, scored in the first half, to oust a fighting Kerala. The final is slated to be held on Tuesday. Manipur did not have to exert themselves much though Bihar did mangae to put up a semblance of fight briefly in the first half. In the other semi, Bengal forwards worked hard though the exchanges were pretty even during the first half. However, Bengal capitalised on a defensive lapse to go ahead in the 38th minute. Kerala could have gone ahead twice in the first ten minutes. But five minutes into the match, Sabitha Poovatta muffed a good chance and in the 10th minute P Sreelatha's measured lob from just outside the box hit the cross-piece. Eight time champions Manipur have made it a habit to appear in the final and are making their 12th appearance in the title clash, while Bengal, who have won the title twice, figure in the finals after a gap of one year. But Manipur received a huge blow ahead of the big match as their star shooter Bala Devi will sit out of the final, picking up her second yellow card today. Devi was booked for returning to the playing area (after an injury) without seeking the permission of referee Basker Nanda of Orissa. 20:44 IST
Manipur and Bengal to clash in final
Monday, June 23, 2003
Manipur and Bengal to clash in final Chennai,Sunday, June 22, 2003: Bitter rivals Manipur and Bengal set up a title clash posting contrasting wins in the semifinals of the 11th National Women's Football Championship here today. Manipur scored a confident 3-0 win over Bihar, while Bengal managed to hold on to a Swapna Guria goal, scored in the first half, to oust a fighting Kerala. The final is slated to be held on Tuesday. Manipur did not have to exert themselves much though Bihar did mangae to put up a semblance of fight briefly in the first half. In the other semi, Bengal forwards worked hard though the exchanges were pretty even during the first half. However, Bengal capitalised on a defensive lapse to go ahead in the 38th minute. Kerala could have gone ahead twice in the first ten minutes. But five minutes into the match, Sabitha Poovatta muffed a good chance and in the 10th minute P Sreelatha's measured lob from just outside the box hit the cross-piece. Eight time champions Manipur have made it a habit to appear in the final and are making their 12th appearance in the title clash, while Bengal, who have won the title twice, figure in the finals after a gap of one year. But Manipur received a huge blow ahead of the big match as their star shooter Bala Devi will sit out of the final, picking up her second yellow card today. Devi was booked for returning to the playing area (after an injury) without seeking the permission of referee Basker Nanda of Orissa. 20:44 IST
More jobs seen in software
Monday, June 23, 2003
Software professionals in India can look forward to more job opportunities in the next one year as the infotech industry shows signs of recovery. New outsourcing pacts and initiatives by global infotech majors like IBM, Accenture, EDS, PriceWaterhouseCoopers may lead to the creation of thousands of new jobs. Virtually every single global infotech services major is announcing new plans for India. They are all aiming to leverage the cost advantage India offers and provide services from India on an offshore model, Bob Hayward, vice-president of global research firm Gartner Inc, said. In India, Accenture is expected to ramp up the number of software professionals from the current 1,000 to around 5,000 in the next 12 months an annual growth of 268 per cent. According to the National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom), IBM Global Services will increase the number of software professionals from the current 2,200 to 6,500 by 2004 at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 43 per cent. Similarly, EDS is planing to increase the number of employees in its software development centres in India to 5,000 by 2004 from the present strength of 600. A Nasscom official said leading companies like IBM Global Systems, EDS and consulting majors like PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Cap Gemini and Ernst and Young had decided to hire more professionals in India. Companies providing IT-enabled services also plan to expand their operations in India. GE, which initially had a target of 10,000 employees by 2005 for its IT-enabled services operations in India, had revised it up to 20,000 people by 2003 end. According to Nasscom, the call centre company, Conseco, is planing two more centres in Noida and Mumbai. An executive of a leading placement firm attributed this trend to the revival in the global economy and the growth in demand from the US. Nasscom said the shifting of operations by global majors to India was also being driven by demands for lower billing rates by customers. Experts, however, felt that the move by global majors to start operations in India, could lead to shrinking margins for Indian software companies. A Nasscom official said US companies were looking at different ways to expand services. While some were opening their own centres, others were looking at joint ventures and joint development centres.
Solution by July 6, says Shankaracharya
Monday, June 23, 2003
Chennai, June 22 : Kanchi Shankaracharya Sri Jayendra Saraswathi on Sunday said a solution to the vexed Ayodhya issue would be definitely found by July 6. Talking to the media after his 90-minute meeting with Union Finance Minister Jaswant Singh and Defence Minister George Fernandes on the issue, he said the All India Muslim Personal Law Board has said it would meet in July to discuss his proposals. Jaswant Singh said, " Any speculation that George Fernandes and I came here on a mission is baseless." Although George Fernandes, meanwhile, kept away from disclosing anything, he said: "Any initiative is welcome and this initiative by the Shankaracharya is more welcome ." This is not the 75-year-old Kanchi Shankaracharya's first effort at peace. He said "I am not in a position to disclose anything, everything should be clear for media by 6th of next month."
BJP favours LS polls on time; rules out any legislation on Ayodhya
Saturday, June 21, 2003
Mumbai, June 21: BJP has said that there was no question of bringing in any legislation on Ayodhya. BJP President M Venkaiah Naidu said that his party was in favour of holding of the Lok Sabha polls "as per schedule" and going along with the NDA allies even as it sought to play soft Hindutva demanding a ban on cow slaughter and asking the Centre to exert pressure on states to pass anti-conversion laws. Naidu, while addressing a press conference on the conclusion of the four-day brainstorming session of the party, said the conclave studied and reviewed the Government and party's performance as "only 15 months are left for the polls, which would be held as per schedule" "We are happy about the party's position in different parts of the country. We have good relations with allies with some exceptions. We are leading a 23-party coalition and we have to go along with the allies," Naidu said. In reply to whether the party would raise the Ayodhya issue during the elections, the BJP Chief said, "we don't fight elections on Ayodhya. It is not an election issue but a matter of faith for us and we want a grand temple to be constructed there." Naidu said the meeting also decided to have improved relation and coordination with RSS-inspired organisations. To a question on the differences between VHP and BJP on Ayodhya, he said, "it is not necessary that we agree with each other on every issue. Our views may differ." Besides demanding a countrywide ban on cow slaughter, Naidu also asked the Centre to "exert pressure" on state Governments to pass legislations banning "planned conversions being carried out in different States."
Monsoon enters Orissa, Delhi may see an early onset
Saturday, June 21, 2003
New Delhi,Friday, June 20, 2003: Gathering strength, the south west monsoon today entered Orissa even as rains continued to lash several parts of the country and Delhi may get an monsoon if the trend persists. "Monsoon has entered Orissa resulting in heavy rains. Heavy to very heavy rainfall has been recorded in many palces over the west coast of the country," weather officials here said. Several places in Delhi and adjoining Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh received pre-monsoon showers since last evening. IMD officials said the good spell was likely to continue for the next one-two days. Though it was too early to say anything about monsoon onset over Delhi, if this "strong system" persists, Delhi may see an early onset, they added. Delhi has already had recorded a better rainfall this June in comparison to last year's. Reports from Mumbai said a girl was killed in a landslide in suburban Ghatkopar caused by heavy rains. Low-lying areas were inundated and rail and road traffic was paralysed in the state during theZCZC 19:46 IST
Antara Mala
Friday, June 20, 2003
The innocent girl from Mast, who sacrifices her adolescent love, graduated to the woman caught in the Company of dons. After three years in the industry, Antara Mali, daughter of ace photographer Jagdish Mali, has settled to the tune of Bollywood and talks of her experience. How does it all feel lights, camera, action? Cinema is a passion for me. I just love to do movies, play different roles and be where all the action is. Well, I don’t think I could have survived in any other profession because I get get bored very easily. Cinema as a medium provides me with variation daily. There is no chance of stagnation here. How has the road been from Mast to Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon? I am glad I got to do different roles in a short span of time. Mast was an easier role because I got to play the girl next door. My role in Company was a bit difficult and I needed to delve deep into the psyche of my character. Road was again a different experience because it was a plot that wasn’t tried before. Darna Mana Hai is ready for release and I think it would be wrong to talk about my role as it has a huge cast of talented actors. All I can say is it is a spooky but funny and interesting movie. Main Madhuri..., well, as the title suggests, it is about a girl obsessed with being like Madhuri Dixit. I had to work hard at preparing for this movie. I had to watch movies she has acted in so I would be convincing when I imitated her. The movie is dedicated to her. Do you think Madhuri would like the movie? I think she will love it. Do you like being constantly referred to as Ramgopal Varma’s protege? (Laughs) What about it? He makes good movies and it so happened I got recognition for the films I did for him. That does not mean I am not open to working with other people. In fact I am working in Chameli, a Pritish Nandy Communications venture. Do you see yourself as a part of the number game? I don’t care whether I am number 1 or number 26. As far as I get to do good films I am satisfied. It’s just a job, which I intend to do well. What do awards mean to you? Encouragement. I fetched an award for Company but I was nominated even when I did Mast. Nominations mean a lot, it asserts the credibility of your work. Getting an award makes me feel good. How do you react to Antara on screen? I don’t go back to my previous roles. Once the shot is canned it is over for me. When I am doing the role, it becomes my dream role, but once it is over, I just move on. When I was shooting for Main Madhuri..., it was the only thing on my mind, but now I don’t think about it. It’s time for the producers and distributors to worry once I’m done. And why will I go and watch my movies? Isn’t it for other to see and comment?
Anu Maliik’s comeback composition
Friday, June 20, 2003
BANGALORE: Rajshri Productions can be very proud of the musical contribution of their films, starting from the Black & White ‘Dosti’ to the multi-coloured marriage video Hum Aapke Hain Kaun that sparked off an entire generation of copycats. History is repeating itself with their latest offering of the Hrithik Roshan-Abhishek Bachchan-Kareena Kapoor starrer Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon. Dev Kohli’s lyrics have been brought to life by Anu Maliik's pulsating music, resulting in soulful melodies. Maliik’s musical instincts have been honed over the years through the experience he has gained since 1977 when he first started out with modest films like Sohni Mahiwal and Mard. When one considers the fact that he can take credit for chartbusters like Border, Viraasat, Ishq, Josh, Fiza and Refugee, his claim that, ‘‘Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon is my best work till date,’’ really raises one’s expectations. Together with Ranjit Barot, the drumming sensation, Maliik promises a degree of freshness that has been lacking in his last few films. Kohli is one of the most respected lyricists in Bollywood today, with over 600 films to his credit. Rajshri and Kohli’s association goes a long way -- the songs of Maine Pyaar Kiya, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun and Hum Saath-Saath Hain all being penned by Kohli. Ram Gopal Verma may get away with a song-less Bhoot, but the Rajshris prefer to stick to their own conventions set by the 14-song extravaganza Hum Aapke Hain Kaun. This film too has ten numbers. Five times National Award winner Chitra, adds to her repertoire spanning over 11,000 songs, with Main Prem...’. KK, whose career graph moved through advertising jingles, to TV title songs, to Indi-pop albums and finally films like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai, gives voice to the character played by Hrithik Roshan in Main Prem...’. Shaan shows off with numbers like Aur Mohabbat in Main Prem...’. Barely out of her teens, singer Sunidhi Chauhan has almost 700 tracks in several Indian languages to her credit, and lends her voice for ‘Papa Ki Pari’ the song which also sees Kareena Kapoor testing her vocal chords.
Masjid demolished under orders from PM, Deputy PM: Kalyan Singh
Friday, June 20, 2003
Masjid demolished under orders from PM, Deputy PM: Kalyan Singh LUCKNOW: Former UP chief minister Kalyan Singh on Friday alleged that the Babri Masjid had been demolished under the direction of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, Union HRD Minister Murli Manohar Joshi and senior Sangh Parivar leaders who were "part of a conspiracy". "I was Chief Minister but they kept every thing under wrap and even forced me to sign on the dotted line, " he alleged at a press conference, a day after the Centre accused his BJP state government of failing to deploy central forces to protect the mosque in 1992 at Ayodhya. "Under the assurance of senior BJP and RSS leaders I had filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court that the masjid would be protected ... But all of them betrayed me," Singh, who has since been expelled from BJP, said. Singh said it was a "well-planned conspiracy" and "save" the senior BJP and RSS leaders the BJP advocate Lala Ram Gupta gave a "false" affidavit to Liberhan commission blaming his government and the then Central government headed by P V Narasimha Rao for demolition of the mosque. "It is a lie. Neither my government nor the then Rao government could be blamed for the demolition of mosque," said Singh. He said a meeting was held in the Central office of the RSS in Jhandewala in which Advani, Joshi, the then RSS sarsanghchalak Rajju Bhaiya, senior RSS leader K S Sudarshan, VHP leaders Singhal and Giriraj Kishore were present. "I was also present in the meeting". A letter was drafted by Rajmata Vijay Raje Scindia and Swami Chinmayanand, now Union Minister of State for Home, saying that the kar sewa would be symbolic and the government would protect the disputed structure, he said. The same was sent to the Supreme Court and acting on that the apex court allowed kar sewa at Ayodhya, he said. Singh said "Vajpayee, Advani, Joshi, Rajju Bhaiya and Sudarshan were part of a conspiracy which led to the demolition of the Babri masjid. On the fateful day of December 6, 1992, all senior BJP leaders, including Advani and Joshi, VHP functionaries Giriraj Kishore and Singhal were present at Karsewakpuram, he said, adding as per statements of kar sewaks all these leaders had inspected shovels, axe and other instruments, allegedly used for demolition of the masjid. He alleged that all these leaders first incited kar sewaks by their fiery speeches and then allowed them to demolish the structure. When asked as to why the central forces were not deployed at the disputed site to stop kar sewaks, Singh said they were stationed in Saket college, around eight kms from the disputed site. "The BJP and RSS workers stopped the central forces reaching the disputed site ... The kar sewaks formed a human wall and, if at that time police had opened fire the casualty would have been very high," he said. Singh said he being the Chief Minister at that time, owned the responsibility for the demolition and resigned from the post and even went to jail. He said the same BJP leaders, who once celebrated demolition of the mosque as 'mukti diwas' were now blaming his then state government for failing to protect the masjid. "If BJP leaders thought my government failed to protect mosque, why Advani at that time had criticised the then UP governor for dismissing my government, he asked. He said the BJP should now "come out with facts and tell the people the true story behind demolition of Babri mosque".
Landmark achievement for TCS
Friday, June 20, 2003
In a major thrust to India`s IT industry, leading global software and services consulting organisation Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) became the country`s first global billion dollar software organisation, after it announced revenues of Rs 5,012 crore or $1.04 billion for the fiscal 2002-03 compared to revenues of Rs 4,187 crore posted in the last fiscal. TCS has registered a growth of over 20 per cent the fiscal 2002-03, which is higher than the overall industry growth of 18 per cent for the year. Further, the company has added over 4,763 employees in the year 2002-2003, also the highest in the industry, as compared to 3,101 recruitments last year. Currently, it has over 24,000 professionals working at the largest network world wide in over 100 branches in 32 countries and five continents. TCS also has the distinction of being India`s largest software exporter consecutively for the last 30 years. Congratulating the employees on this achievement, S Ramodorai, chief executive officer, TCS said, `This is a moment of pride for each one of us at TCS. We are extremely proud of this milestone which is a significant step towards our vision of 2010 of being among the top 10 IT consulting companies globally.` TCS` revenue from software and software services
Nasscom delegation to accompany PM to China
Friday, June 20, 2003
Coinciding with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's visit to China, beginning Sunday, a high-level Nasscom delegation led by chairman Som Mittal, will travel to China. The effort will be to bridge IT collaborations between the two nations, report agencies. Nasscom will also host a one-day summit 'India and China: Challenges and Opportunities' for the IT sector on June 26, in Shanghai where Vajpayee will deliver the inaugural address, a Nasscom release said. IT Minister Arun Shourie and Shanghai City Information Bureau director Fan Xiping, will also deliver keynote addresses at the summit. The summit will focus on enhancing cooperation between India and China, in the areas of telecom and embedded software, financial services sector, and IT education, it said. The Nasscom delegation will include representatives from TCS, NIIT, Digital GlobalSoft, Nucleus Software, and Moksha Technologies. Nasscom president Kiran Karnik said, "The aim of the summit is to strengthen the process of IT collaboration between India and China. China's user industry can gain from India's expertise in software and services and help improve their efficiencies." And added, "Indian IT companies can work with China in the area of chip design and telecommunication technology and use China as an offshore development centre to serve the Japanese market." For more stories, log onto www.moneycontrol.com
Govt brings seven new services under tax net
Friday, June 20, 2003
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The government will impose taxes on seven new services from July 1 in a bid to increase revenue collections and curb a runaway fiscal deficit. A government statement said on Friday service tax will be levied on commercial training and coaching centres, technical testing and analysis, maintenance and repair services, commissioning and installation services, business auxiliary services, internet cafes and franchise services. It said the decision to impose service tax was part of the announcements made in the federal budget for 2003/04 (April-March) in February but did not give further details. The statement said business services provided by call centers and medical transcription centers will be exempted from service tax. However, tax will be collected from all foreign exchange brokers including money changers and foreign exchange dealers. Service tax is being collected presently from corporates and non-banking financial institutions and not from individual foreign exchange dealers and money changers. The statement said services extended at all ports will now be brought under the tax regime. Earlier, only services at major ports were paying the tax. India aims to control its federal fiscal deficit to 5.6 percent of gross domestic product in the year to March 2004, compared with 5.9 percent in the past year.
'Chalte Chalte' Trimmed By 9 Mins.
Friday, June 20, 2003
While on CHALTE CHALTE, the producers have deleted 9 minutes' footage from the film. 5 minutes' footage was deleted from the film on Thursday night itself [a day before the release] soon after a private screening of the film ended at Fame Adlabs, while another 4 minutes were deleted on Saturday [June 14], a day after the film opened to packed houses all over.
Mystery death boosts 'Bhoot' ticket sales
Friday, June 20, 2003
New Delhi: A mysterious death in a cinema hall has raised the stock of Hindi horror movie "Bhoot". A theatre manager in New Delhi said a man was found dead in his seat after the late-night screening of the horror movie "Bhoot". Roop Ghai, manager of the Paras cinema hall, said the theatre's cleaning staff found the man, aged around 50, slumped in his seat after the end of the showing of "Bhoot". "It's our daily routine that after every show we check the cinema hall after the show is over. The same way while the staff was checking, they found a man sleeping. When our staff could not wake him up, we suspected something and thus contacted the police, who declared him dead," Ghai said. Though there has been no official confirmation, local reports said the man might have died of a cardiac arrest. The mysterious death has boosted ticket sales of the horror movie. Tushar, an ardent cinegoer, said the sound effects made the movie more scary. "The sound effects are really scary...so even if scary part is not there, with the sound you get scared. You just jump from your seat," Tushar said. However, to Mohit, another cinegoer, the appearance of the ghost was the scariest. "There is this once scene where suddenly out of nowhere a ghost appears and it really scares you ...where Urmila Matondkar (the lead actress) is going up and the ghost comes...," he said. Directed by one of India's new crop of filmmakers, Ram Gopal Verma, "Bhoot" is a spooky thriller about a possessed housewife and is set in a high-rise Mumbai apartment. Before the movie starts, a message from the director appears on the screen warning people with heart problems or pregnant women to view the film at their own risk.
Khattar thanks investors for huge success of Maruti IPO
Friday, June 20, 2003
India's largest car maker Maruti today thanked investors for the overwhelming response to its public issue which was over-subscribed by about 10 times, while the Japanese partner Suzuki Motor Corporation said it would make Maruti its R&D hub for Asia outside Japan. "I am overwhelmed. The Maruti public issue was seen as a symbol of India's economic reform programme. By investing in this company, investors have shown their faith in the reform programme," Maruti Udyog Managing Director J Khattar said. Maruti's public offering closed on Thursday with a total of 652.7 mn shares being bid as opposed to an issue size of 72.2 mn shares. The total subscription money has touched Rs 75 bn taking into account the floor price of Rs 115 per share. Suzuki Motor Corporation said it would make Maruti its research and development hub for Asia outside Japan. "Maruti will be the base for export of small cars. Maruti is among the most efficient Suzuki plants worldwide. By investing in this company, investors have shown their faith in India's manufacturing ability," it said. An Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) is meeting today to fix the share price, and a final announcement is likely to be made in a day or two. Stating that Indian car market had a potential to double in future, Khattar said "Maruti would lead the process of tapping this (untapped) potential. We have set global benchmarks for ourselves in productivity, quality and customer service. We will strive to meet those targets. Maruti's dream is to put India on four wheels". 13:21 IST
30 injured in grenade attacks by militants in J&K
Friday, June 20, 2003
Thirty persons including six cops were injured as militants attacked a police station and a vehicle with grenades at separate places within the span of two hours in Kashmir valley today, official sources said. Twenty-seven persons, four of them policemen, were hurt when militants tossed a grenade on a police vehicle at Pulwama district town of south Kashmir around 11 am IST, they said. They said the grenade hit the front screen of the vehicle and exploded, causing injuries to four policemen and 23 pedestrians. The security forces cordoned off entire area immediately and the injured were removed to hospital where condition of six was stated to be serious, they said, Two of the seriously injured were referred to SMHS hospital at Srinagar. Prior to the incident, militants hurled a grenade at a police station at Charar-e-Sharief in Badgam district wounding two cops and a youth held during anti-militancy operations, they said. The grenade exploded at around nine am IST seriously injuring two policemen and the youth Bashir Ahmad Mir, who were referred to Soura Medical Institute Srinagar, they added. No militant outfit has claimed responsibility for the explosions so far. 14:05 IST
Rupee strengthens further against US dollar
Friday, June 20, 2003
The rupee continued to strengthen against the US currency early today on sustained steady flow of dollars from exporters and inward remittances. Crawling to a new 27-month peaks of Rs 46.5250/5300 in late morning deals, the rupee looks all set to firm up further due to positive sentiments, dealers said. In moderately active trade at the Interbank Foreign Exchange Market here this morning, the rupee opened on a firm footing at Rs 46.54/55 per dollar, higher from Thursday's finish of Rs 46.55/56. Strong foreign investment flows, export proceeds and expatriates remittances kept the rupee firmly entrenched against the US currency, toggling at fresh 27-month peaks. In cross currency trades, the Euro was quoted at Rs 54.50/52, Pound Sterling at Rs 78.14/16 and Japanese Yen (100) at Rs 39.33/35. 11:47 IST
Surendra Shetty surrenders,taken into custody
Friday, June 20, 2003
Two days after the Gujarat High Court rejected his bail plea, Surendra Shetty, father of actress Shilpa Shetty, an accused in a case of extortion, today surrendered before the police and was immediately taken into custody, police said. He surrendered at Umra police station where a case had been registered against him, his wife Sunanda and two gangsters on the charge of extorting money from Pankaj Agarwal, owner of Prafful Sarees, to recover Rs 8 mn dues payable to Shilpa for appearing in an advertising film. On June 18, Gujarat Hingh Court had asked Surendra to su |
