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Headlines
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News:
BJP says Ram temple not on agenda till 2004
VHP ready for talks with Centre on Ram temple till March 12
Differences crop up within the Hurriyat
Pak alleges "Indian linkage" in kidnapping of reporter
Dostum meets Fernandes, Chokila Iyer
China opposes wilful expansion of anti-terrorism war
Key suspect in US scribe case surrenders; plot thickens
Delhi HC rejects Modicorp petition on VSNL disinvestment
Developing nations should have greater say in financial system
World Economic Forum begins amidst tight security
GDP slumps to 4 per cent growth in 2000-01
India go down by just two runs
ICC to go ahead with commission despite Indian boycott
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Sensex: 3311.03, +12.24
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BJP says Ram temple not on agenda till 2004
New Delhi,Thursday, January 31, 2002: BJP today categorically stated that the Ram Temple was not on its agenda till 2004 even as it warned VHP of "legal consequences" if it did not accept the court verdict on the Ayodhya issue.
"I am not bothered about whether VHP would abide by the court verdict and if it does not accept the verdict, the legal consequences would follow", BJP President Jana Krishnamurthy said here.
Virtually washing its hands off Ram Temple issue on the eve of the crucial elections to the Uttar Pradesh assembly, he said its earlier stand that Ramjanmasthal be handed over to the Hindus was in the context of the situation existing then.
"Whatever might have been the stand of BJP on earlier occasions, the party is now bound by the NDA Agenda and it is left with no other choice but to respect the court's verdict or a negotiated settlement", he said.
The issue is out of the party's agenda till 2004 when the term of the NDA Government expires and "after that it depends on the circumstances and how we (NDA partners) are able to persuade each other," he said.
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VHP ready for talks with Centre on Ram temple till March 12
New Delhi,Thursday, January 31, 2002: Backtracking on its stand, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) today said that its doors were open for talks with the Government on the issue of construction of Ram Temple at Ayodhya till March 12 after which it would begin construction on any auspicious date.
"We will continue to have meaningful dialogue with the Government till March 12," VHP Working President Ashok Singhal told a press conference here, two days after its International Secretary Pravin Togadia ruled out any further talks.
Asked what would happen if the Law Minister, to whom certain issues had been referred by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, took time beyond March 12, Singhal said "we will select any auspicious moment for starting the construction".
Replying to questions as to what would happen if the court verdict went against them, he said "courts have no importance in this matter. They have no role to play in matters of faith. Matters of faith are not justiciable".
Expressing confidence that there would be no hurdle in resolving the tangle, he said there was no doubt that Vajpayee was trying to do it. "Keeping in mind the compulsions of the Prime Minister, I don't think he could have done anything more without talking to his coalition partners," he said.
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Differences crop up within the Hurriyat
Srinagar,Thursday, January 31, 2002: Differences have cropped up within the Hurriyat over its move to have elections in Jammu and Kashmir under its own election commission with a major constituent of the 23-party amalgam raising strong objections.
"Hurriyat's dramatic announcement has raised doubts about its representative character thereby putting the whole leadership of the movement into crisis, Jammu and Kashmir People's League (JKPL) said in a statement here today. The statement came ahead of the meeting of the general council of the Hurriyat to ratify the controversial decision taken by the executive council on Monday. Party spokesman Manzoor-ul-Haq said people have accepted every decision of Hurriyat Conference as a representative organisation and extended full support to it during the past 12 years but the dramatic announcement of Hurriyat has raised doubts about the representative character.
He said the announcement tantamounts to a conscious effort to hurt the public sentiments and would only result in chaos among the masses.
The party accused Hurriyat of mocking this resolve of the people of the state to fight for their rights.
The spokesman also questioned the wisdom of such a decision and said that the 'Father of the Nation' Gandhiji, did not seek a mandate from the people for independence from the British.
"All the constituents of Hurriyat Conference are attending the meeting," a spokesman of Hurriyat told PTI.
He said the leaders of all the 23 constituents are in session.
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Pak alleges "Indian linkage" in kidnapping of reporter
Islamabad,Thursday, January 31, 2002: Pakistan today alleged an "Indian linkage" in the kidnapping of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl but refused to go into details "at this stage".
"What I can say at this stage is that it has been a cause of concern and apprehension for us that there is an Indian linkage in this. It is very, very unfortunate but I can't go into details at this stage", Defence spokesman Rashid Qureshi told reporters here.
He said investigations were on in the case and hopefully they would be made available as soon as they were allowed to be made public.
Qureshi said his government was very concerned about the incident and reported that there has been some progress which he said he could not disclose now.
"The unfortunate part of this is that we hope that other incidents that have been orchestrated by the Indian government or by India or by their intelligence agencies, examples of which have been replete in the recent past, we hope that this does not again surface as totally stage-managed to defame Pakistan."
Asked whether Indian intelligence agencies were active in Pakistan, he replied "I don't think anyone has any doubt in that, but the fact of the matter is that who is involved in this particular kidnapping, at what level, is something I would not like to comment on at this stage".
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Dostum meets Fernandes, Chokila Iyer
New Delhi,Thursday, January 31, 2002: Seeking India's "significant" role in reconstruction of Afghanistan, Deputy Defence Minister Afghanistan Abdul Rashid Dostum today met Defence Minister George Fernandes and External Affairs Secretary Chokila Iyer and discussed strengthening of ties between New Delhi and Kabul.
"We hope our friendly country India can offer significant role in the reconstruction of Afghanistan," Dostum, who arrived here on a two-day visit, told reporters after a 30-minute meeting with Iyer in the South Block this evening.
Stating that Kabul was grateful for New Delhi's support in its difficult period, Dostum said having got rid of the Taliban regime and the international terrorist organisations, Afghanistan had entered a new "peaceful phase of life. War time is over."
Asked whether he had discussed any defence cooperation with India, he merely said "no".
To a question on the whereabouts of leader of al Qaida terrorist organisation Osama bin Laden, Dostum said "I do not know where he is". But 99 per cent of the terrorists had been eliminated and efforts were continuing to trace others. Asked whether issue of India opening a Consulate in Mazar-e-Sharief was discussed during the meeting, he said it was taken up and that Kabul favoured its establishment to facilitate reconstruction activities in Afghanistan.
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China opposes wilful expansion of anti-terrorism war
Beijing,Thursday, January 31, 2002: China today said it is opposed to any wilful expansion of the current US-led campaign against terrorism.
"The position of the Chinese government is very clear. China resolutely stands for the fight against terrorism. At the same time, we have also said that the fight against terrorism shall not be wilfully expanded in scope," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Kong Quan told reporters here.
He said China has repeatedly made it clear that in the fight against terrorism, the United Nations, especially the UN Security Council should pass the resolutions authorising such moves.
Further, there should be concrete evidence for extending the anti-terrorism war, Kong said.
The Chinese stand on the anti-war effort was recently explained by Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji during a meeting with Iraqi deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz here.
Zhu, who met with Aziz on January 28, said that China opposes terrorism of all forms, and holds that there should be no double standards in combating terrorism and targets must not be wantonly extended.
In his State of the Union address, US President George W Bush accused Iran, Iraq and North Korea of threatening the world with terror.
"States like these, and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world," Bush said, indicating that Washington may pursue the three nations in future anti-terror war.
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Key suspect in US scribe case surrenders; plot thickens
Islamabad,Thursday, January 31, 2002: A key suspect in the kidnapping of American journalist Daniel Pearl has surrendered to police pleading to be innocent but at the same time admitting a role in recruiting and training militants to fight in different places including Kashmir, thickening the plot in the case.
As the media here and the 'Wall Street Journal' for which Pearl worked for, received fresh e-mail messages yesterday from his captors giving a 24-hour deadline to kill him, a local al-Qaida activist from Rawalpindi, considered a prime suspect in the case, surrendered to police last night.
Pakistan daily 'The News' reported today that the police, however, failed to get anything substantial from the surrendered suspect, Sheikh Mubarak Ali Gilnai, the leader of defunct Jamiat al Fuqra.
Gilani claimed that he had nothing to do with Pearl's abduction but admitted that he trained a number of local and foreign youth to fight in Kashmir and other places.
Gilani, who was found absconding, was believed to be the last man the US journalist reportedly met before he went missing few days ago. This raised suspicion that he was connected with the kidnapping.
After surrendering to police in Rawalpindi, Gilani was taken to Karachi where he was interrogated by Pakistan police and American FBI Agents.
His extradition to the US was ruled out, the newspaper said.
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Delhi HC rejects Modicorp petition on VSNL disinvestment
New Delhi,Thursday, January 31, 2002: Delhi High Court has paved the way for inviting financial bids for privatisation of Videsh Sanchar Nigam (VSNL) as it rejected the petition of Modi Corporation saying it could not participate in the disinvestment process at this late stage.
Justice Manmohan Sarin said today in a judgement that Modicorp Ltd had placed their proposal at a belated stage. Also it did not fulfill the eligibility criteria for acquiring the 25 per cent stake in the company.
Government is slated to close the financial bids for VSNL tomorrow and the three shortlisted bidders -- Tatas, Reliance and Sterling -- are expected to submit their proposals.
A final decision on strategic partner would be taken by Cabinet Committee on Disinvestment at its meeting likely to be held here on February 5.
"The petitioner has simply missed the bus and cannot join the journey midway at this belated stage," the court said.
Modicorp's total networth was only about Rs 277 crore whereas the eligibility criteria stipulated a notworth of Rs 2,500 crore as has been spelt out in the government's proposal for inviting bids.
Rejecting the claim of the petitioner that its total worth including the value of promoters' holding was at the threshhold of achieving the eligibility criteria, the court said the company had not clarified about any consortia, joint venture company or promoters' stake in its proposals of December 28, 2001 and January 1, 2002.
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Developing nations should have greater say in financial system
New York,Thursday, January 31, 2002: Attacking advanced nations for slashing funds for poverty reduction programmes in poor countries, India today said developing countries should have greater say in decision-making regarding the global financial system.
"Our share, as developing countries, in decision-making in international forums that deal with the global financial system, must increase", Minister of State for External Affairs Omar Abdullah said addressing the Council of Representatives of the "South Centre" here.
Expressing concern over the gloomy global situation indicating that 1.2 billion people live on less than one dollar per day, he said there is an urgent need for a massive drive to reduce poverty and to empower the world's poor.
"This cannot be attempted without support from the developed countries", he said, adding that ODA flows, as a proportion of GNP of donor nations continue to decline.
While FDI flows have grown as a source of development finance, only a few developing countries are able to access them, Abdullah said.
"In this situation, how do we make globalisation work for the world's poor"? he wondered and asked developing nations to prepare themselves intellectually and contribute to building a new global consensus on issues that arise out of the globalisation debate.
"Our role in international economic governance must increase if our interests are to be adequately safeguarded", he said.
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World Economic Forum begins amidst tight security
New York,Thursday, January 31, 2002: More than 2,500 world's most powerful business and political leaders began exchanging views today on a myriad of subjects, from recession to reducing poverty and restoring sustained growth, amidst high security here today.
In an apparent attempt to counteract the image of World Economic Forum as rich persons club promoting globalisation for profit, some 40 religious leaders, 200 think tank representatives and more than 30 union leaders have been invited to participate in discussion to make the it "more representative".
Afghan leader Hamid Karzai is slated to address the Forum and also meet some of the leading business leaders in an attempt to get foreign investment for his war-torn country.
Roads around Wadorf-Astoria hotel, venue of the five-day meet, were closed to vehicular traffic with concrete barriers and sand-filled trucks positioned to prevent any trespass.
The airspace over the hotel was 'frozen' and policemen posted in sensitive areas including underground rail stations in vicinity of the venue to prevent any untoward incidents.
The venue of the meet was changed from Davos ski resort in Switzerland to New York to show solidarity with the city in the wake of Sept 11 terrorist attacks.
The meet will not come out with any communique or document, the organisers said, adding that it was just a forum for informal discussion.
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GDP slumps to 4 per cent growth in 2000-01
New Delhi,Thursday, January 31, 2002: Economic growth slumped to four per cent during 2000-01 from 6.1 per cent in the previous year, despite a robust 6.7 per cent growth in the manufacturing sector.
The national income during the period rose by 3.7 per cent at Rs 10449.15 bn as against Rs 10077.43 bn in the previous year.
According to figures released by the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO), GDP at factor cost at constant (1993-94) prices is estimated at Rs 18958.43 bn as against Rs 17556.38 bn during the previous year, a rise of four per cent.
The GDP at current prices during 2000-01 is estimated to have grown by eight per cent, according to the figures released here today.
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India go down by just two runs
New Delhi,Thursday, January 31, 2002: England beat India by just two runs in the fifth one-dayer to keep the six-match series alive at 2-3 here today.
Chasing an England score of 271 for five in 50 overs, India ended up with 269 for eight in 50 overs. Brief Scores: England: 271 for 5 in 50 overs (N Knight 105, A Flintoff 52, N Hussain 49; Agarkar 2-62, Tendulkar 1-45, Srinath 1-47). India: 269 for 8 in 50 overs (S Ganguly 74, M Kaif 46, V Sehwag 42; Giles 5/57).
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ICC to go ahead with commission despite Indian boycott
London,Thursday, January 31, 2002: Despite the Indian boycott, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has decided to proceed with the meeting of its referees commission next month in the aftermath of the Mike Denness affair.
"The ICC is to proceed with the scheduled meeting of its referees commission in late February in South Africa, despite the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) decision to refrain from participating in the commission in any form or manner," the ICC announced in a media release here last night.
The decision was confirmed by ICC President Malcolm Gray after cricket's world governing body declined BCCI's latest proposal to either put the commission on hold until after the ICC Executive Board meeting in March, or alternatively, to enlarge the size of the panel from three to ten people.
"The referees commission was a central part of the agreement between the ICC and the BCCI to save the India vs England Test match in Mohali. Having agreed to this detailed and costly process the ICC is extremely disappointed that the BCCI will not accept the invitation to express its strong views on these issues to the commission," Gray said.
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Sensex: 3311.03, +12.24
The sensex closed at 3311.03, up 12.24
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Forex
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1 U.S. $ = 48.46 INR
1 Japanese Yen = 0.36 INR
1 British Pound = 68.56 INR
1 Canadian $ = 30.57 INR
1 Singapore $ = 26.42 INR
1 UAE Dirham = 13.19 INR
1 Saudi Arabian Riyal = 12.92 INR
1 Euro = 41.90 INR
1 Qatar Rial = 13.31 INR
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Metals
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No data
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Weather
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Temperature: 81 F / 27 C
HeatIndex: 82 F / 28 C
Humidity: 51%
Dewpoint: 61 F / 16 C
Wind
North at 5 mph / 8.0 km/h
Pressure: 29.91 in / 1013 hPa
Conditions
Smoke
Clouds
Clear (SKC)
Sunrise : 07:12 AM (IST)
Sunset : 06:29 PM (IST)
Moon Rise : 09:13 PM (IST)
Moon Set : 09:14 AM (IST)
Tonight : Low: 71 F / 22 C Clear
Friday : High: 80 F / 27 C Clear
Friday Night : Low: 73 F / 23 C Clear
Saturday : High: 80 F / 27 C Clear
Saturday Night : Low: 71 F / 22 C Clear
Sunday : High: 80 F / 27 C Clear
Sunday Night : Low: 71 F / 22 C Clear
Monday : High: 80 F / 27 C Clear
Monday Night : Low: 73 F / 23 C Clear
Tuesday : High: 78 F / 26 C Clear
Tuesday Night : Low: 69 F / 21 C Scattered Clouds
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