Hurriyat accepts offer of talks
Srinagar,Monday, August 12, 2002: In a significant development, Hurriyat Conference Monday formally accepted the invitation for talks extended by the Kashmir Committee leader Ram Jethmalani.
The separatist amalgam's general council which met here, advised its executive members to start talking on principles, Hurriyat chairman Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat told reporters.
Bhat clarified that talks on principles means tripartite talks involving Pakistan, non-participation in elections and stressed that talks should produce results.
He said "we have to work for betterment of people of India, Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir".
Asked whether Hurriyat has received a formal invitation from Kashmir Committee for talks, Bhat said "we haven't received the communication yet".
Asked why Hurriyat rejected a similar offer from government interlocutor K C Pant, Bhat said Pant was a government nominated person while Jethmalani was heading a non-governmental organisation.
When his comments on the forthcoming elections to the state were sought, the Hurriyat chairman snapped "election chapter is closed. No talks on elections".
However, he expressed concern over what he termed as "coercion" by the security forces and police on people of Kashmir to obtain electoral photo identity cards.
He said the Hurriyat Conference has chalked out a detailed programme in protest against coercive measures and it would be made known shortly.
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Kalam shares his vision of India in riot-torn Gujarat
Ahmedabad,Monday, August 12, 2002: On his first official visit after assuming charge, President A P J Abdul Kalam Monday charmed his way into the hearts of Gujaratis interacting with school children, sharing his vision of India and naming two stalwarts from the state as his role models.
Commencing his two-day visit to the riot-ravaged state with an interaction with his favourite audience - the school children - at Mahatma Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram, Kalam said his "ideal persons" were "from this place, from Gujarat."
Gandhi, who took a vow in 1930 not to return to the Ashram till "I get freedom", and renowned space scientist Vikram Sarabhai, "who showed how a vision can be converted into a mission" were his ideals, Kalam said in his inimitable teacher's style to thunderous applause from the young audience.
Though Kalam said he would take only one question from the students, the President, who was apparently overwhelmed by their enthusiasm, answered a volley of queries ranging from his feelings on becoming the President to the importance of 'Swadeshi' in the nation's development.
"S..W..E..A..T", the President spelt out when asked what sublime quality was required to become like him.
Reciting from his pet "Song of Youth", Kalam, who was flanked by Chief Minister Narendra Modi, said at one point, "small aim is a crime. The hon'ble Chief Minister has to give you a big aim.".
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Parliament adjourned sine die three days early
New Delhi,Monday, August 12, 2002: After the blank out of the entire last week by opposition protests over the petrol pump allotment issue, Parliament adjourned sine die three days early Monday with Lok Sabha(lower house) Speaker Manohar Joshi regretting as "national waste" the repeated stalling of proceedings.
Even though it was clear that the Opposition was in no mood to relent since August five when the turmoil began, the adjournment came only Monday as both sides wanted MPs to be present in the capital for voting in the Vice Presidential election.
Maintaining that he was not not in a position to comment on the merit of the opposition stand that Petroleum Minister Ram Naik must resign on the petrol pump allotment issue Joshi observed "I am, however, concerned at the national waste caused by the adjournment of the House day after day without transacting any business."
Not in a mood to accept Joshi's decision to adjourn the House three days ahead of the scheduled conclusion of the monsoon session, some Congress members stormed the well and protested to the Chair and blamed Government for the impasse. Joshi said he has not blamed anyone.
Rajya Sabha was first adjourned for an hour as an unrelenting opposition stuck to its demand for resignation of Naik and a similar scene prevailed when the House re-assembled at noon.
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Foreign minister flies in to Kabul, hands over his plane
KABUL, Afghanistan - India's foreign minister came to Kabul on Saturday for his first visit to Afghanistan and promptly presented his hosts with an unusual gift — the plane he flew in on.
The Air India Airbus-300B4, a 280-passenger, twin-jet airliner, will be the third aircraft in the fleet of the Afghan government's Ariana Afghan airline, which is slowly resuming operations in the aftermath of the war last fall that brought down the Taliban government here.
The Indian foreign minister, Yashwant Sinha, said two more jetliners will be provided to the Kabul government by late September, as part of India's contribution to the rebuilding of Afghanistan.
The Indian minister noted to reporters that his government has committed to providing Afghanistan with dlrs 100 million in aid for reconstruction.
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Shekhawat elected Vice-President
NDA nominee and former Rajasthan chief minister Bhairon Singh Shekhwat was on Monday elected the country's 12th Vice-President.
He defeated the joint Opposition candidate Sushil Kumar Shinde by 149 votes.
In an electoral college comprising 788 Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members, Shekhawat polled 454 votes against Shinde's 305.
In all, 766 MPs cast their franchise in a straight contest in which Shekhawat had a clear edge going by the NDA's combined strength in both Houses of Parliament.
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Sikhs face turban woes in France
PARIS: The Sikh community in France has threatened to drag the French government to the European court of human rights for policies that force Sikhs to cut their hair.
Sikhs also have problems keeping their turbans because French rules require that a photograph needed for any official purpose -- be it a driving licence, passport or residence card -- be taken without anything on the head.
"So effectively this means that all my photographs with turbans are rejected by the authorities," said Kanwaljeet Singh, who migrated from Jalandhar in Punjab over a decade ago and now runs a small shop in the Parisian suburbs.
Sikhs plan to go to the European court because, despite appeals, France has refused to change rules. And the law is beyond challenge in French courts.
Sikh leaders said most men from their community in France are forced to cut their hair or face the prospect of not being able to get any official papers.
As the Sikh community in France has been growing rapidly, community leaders have decided to take legal action to protect their interests.
"Once we have an order from the European court, we will not only ensure that all Sikhs in France are allowed to keep their turbans but Sikhs in other European countries too will benefit," said Mann, a member of the executive committee that runs the lone gurdwara in France, on the outskirts of Paris.
Another reason why the Sikhs want to move the European court relates to a law in France that bans any religious sign to be worn by a student in the school.
For Sikhs this means cutting their hair since schools refuse admissions to Sikh children with turbans. Sikhs say while they understand the spirit behind the law, it is especially unfair to them.
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In Assam, Nets Save Baby Storks From Falls
(Pallava Bagla for National Geographic News)
Conservationists in the remote forests of northeastern India have come up with an ingenious—and inexpensive—way to save baby storks: safety nets.
Greater adjutant storks, Leptoptilos dubius, build their nests high on the limbs of the majestic silk cotton tree. But in recent years, a growing number of hatchlings have been falling out of the nests. If the 65 to 100 foot (20 to 30 meter) fall doesn't kill the birds, their injuries leave them prey to dogs and crows.
There are only about 1,000 greater adjutant storks left in the world, and about 80 percent of them are in the Indian state of Assam. Scientists are afraid the death toll from plunging out of nests could seriously impair the species' battle against extinction.
Deforestation is seen as the major culprit in the wave of deaths of tumbling storks.
The storks tend to nest in communities; a single tree might host ten or more nests. But fewer trees means fewer nesting spots, forcing the storks to build their nests on thinner, less viable branches.
The branches can withstand the weight of the birds while the hatchlings are small. But as the young chicks grow, their increased weight combined with the impact created when both adults return to the nest after foraging for food can cause the tree branches to break or splinter, and send the nest crashing to the ground.
Even when nesting branches are sufficiently sturdy, the decline in tree cover means that the nests are more vulnerable to storms and high winds that can toss young storks out of their nests, experts say.
The original idea for stork safety nets evolved in a little-known township of Assam called Nagaon. Deeply concerned about the death toll, Srimanta Goswami, a local wildlife lover and member of the Green Guard Nature Organization, joined with volunteers from Aaranyak (which means "of the forest") to find a way to save the storks.
Unable to prevent the falls, they came up with the idea of tying safety nets around the tree trunks. The baby storks would still fall, but the nets would keep them from being killed.
The Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), a volunteer organization based in New Delhi, stepped in to provide funding.
The birds' breeding season extends from October to April; the first nets were installed in September 2000 in two nesting colonies in Khutikhatia and North Haibargaon.
The nets, made of thick nylon lined with soft muslin cloth, protected 42 nests in 10 silk cotton trees. Each nest usually has two to four chicks.
"There are just a few nesting sites of this beautiful bird that remain active, and just these 42 nests account for about 80 percent of the breeding population of the bird in Assam," said Khalid Sayeed Pasha, a conservation biologist with WTI.
"The nets worked like magic," said Pasha. During the 2000 to 2001 breeding season, 21 chicks were rescued.
Whenever possible, the chicks are returned to the nests of their parents, which seem to accept the return of their young without a fuss. Because the storks frequently nest in communities, however, it is sometimes difficult to determine which nest the chicks fell from. In such cases, the young storks are hand-reared.
Chicks are also hand-reared if the entire nest was destroyed. Of the 21 chicks recovered in 2000 to 2001, 15 were returned to their parents and six had to be hand-reared in a bird rehabilitation center.
"The technique of raising fallen chicks is quite successful," said Rahmani.
Data on the initial results of the Assam project are currently being compiled. But the researchers involved are quite hopeful that the simple netting technique will be a first step toward increasing the overall numbers of the greater adjutant stork.
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Wheat-rice demand to rise to 260 million tonnes by 2020
New Delhi,Monday, August 12, 2002: India's demand for rice and wheat is projected to rise to 211 million tonnes in 2020 from an estimated 132 million tonnes in 2000 and when combined with feed use it will be around 260 million tonnes.
The country will be able to meet this demand provided there is adequate increase in productivity through continuous genetic improvements and greater efficiency input use, a leading study said here.
The projection assumes significance in wake of the ongoing worse drought in more than 15 years which has engulfed nearly most of the country.
"There is no reason for undue pessimism. Nonetheless since changing demand patterns will require much higher diversion of land and water resources to other crops, it will require considerable production effort and should not be cause for complacency," according to the report of the High Level Committee (HLC) on Long Term Grain Policy.
It said there is no basis to assume any large shortages to emerge by 2020, although available estimates do not indicate that current huge foodstocks will be permanent.
The HLC headed by Professor Abhijeet Sen made the projection from a model developed at the Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS), Hyderabad using a piecewise Linear Expenditure System which is able to incorporate income distribution shifts.
The model supports the view that per capita cereals consumption is likely to increase as per capita incomes rise, rather than the opposite view.
However the model indicates that cereals consumption has strong negative response to cereals prices.
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DCA asks Tata Finance to submit copy of Ferguson report
New Delhi,Monday, August 12, 2002: Government has initiated investigation into the A F Ferguson's withdrawal of the controversial audit report which went into the financial irregularities in Tata Finance Ltd.
Department of Company Affairs has directed the Registrar of Companies, Mumbai to seek a copy of the report from Tata Finance Ltd within a week, following a clearance by Finance Minister Jaswant Singh.
"We have asked for the impugned report under the provisions of section 234 of Companies Act and we expect to get the report by Thursday," DCA Joint Secretary Rajeev Maharashi told PTI.
Asked what would be the next course of action, he said, "We will get the report first to find out if there was any violation of the Companies Act. Further action could be initiatied only after studying the report."
Meanwhile, Tatas on Saturday launched an advertising blitz saying they have the moral courage to lay bare the misdeeds of the management and claimed the issue could not be compared with corporate frauds worldwide.
Blaming the media for carrying out a vilification campaign, Tatas said in full page ads in leading national dailies that sections of the media were carrying deliberate, distorted and sensationalised versions on withdrawal of the report by Ferguson, which had been appointed last year to undertake a comprehensive investigation on financial irregularities in TFL.
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Rupee strengthens against US dollar early Monday
Mumbai,Monday, August 12, 2002: The rupee strengthened against the US currency early Monday on healthy weekend dollar supplies in moderately active trade at the Interbank Foreign Exchange market.
Opening on a firm note at Rs 48.63/64 per dollar, the rupee firmed up further to Rs 48.6250/6350 in late morning deals, sharply higher from last Friday's finish of Rs 48.6500/6550.
Strong dollar supplies from export remittances and foreign fund inflows accumulated over weekend gave the rupee good underlying support with the outlook for the currency distinctly positive and poised for further gains, a forex dealer said.
However, dollar demand from state-run banks will prevent sharp rupee gains, he added.
In cross currency trades, the Euro was quoted at Rs 47.37/39, pound sterling at Rs 74.36/39 and Japanese Yen (100) at Rs 40.56/59.
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India precariously placed in second Test against England
Trent Bridge (England),Monday, August 12, 2002: A dismal bowling performance was capped by the abject failure of the openers as India dropped into disaster zone on the fourth day of the second cricket Test against England here on Sunday.
The lower order English batsmen made a mockery of an inept bowling attack, piling up as many as 282 runs for the last five wickets as the home team reached a mammoth 617 in their first innings in reply to India's 357.
Buried under a deficit of 260 runs, India were off to the worst possible start of their second innings with openers Virender Sehwag and Wasim Jaffer consumed by Matthew Hoggard and Andrew Flintoff respectively in the first two overs itself.
With two wickets down for just 11 runs, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar joined together and took the score to 99 when the umpires offered light to the Indian batsmen which they accepted to bring to an end a torturous day for the team in the field.
Dravid was batting on 34 off 56 balls while Tendulkar looked in great touch during his run a ball 56 which contained 11 confident hits to the fence.
On a day of contrasting fortunes for the two teams, the England tailenders made merry - Alec Stewart and Craig White helping themselves to effortless 87 and an unbeaten 94 respectively - while the Indian openers came a cropper.
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Indian women lose to England by six wickets
London,Monday, August 12, 2002: Indian women suffered a six-wicket defeat against hosts England in the one-off One-Day International match at Beaconsfield Cricket Club at Shenley on Sunday.
India won the toss but could not capitalise on it as they were shot out for 118 in 49.5 overs with only H Kala making a patient 38 off 75 deliveries.
In reply, England women notched up 119 for the loss of 4 wickets in 38.2 overs. The highlight of their innings was a brilliant 92-run opening partnership between C M Edwards (54) and K M Leng (46).
England captain Clare Connor and her Indian counterpart Anjum Chopra agreed to play the One-Day International after rain washed out the first three days of the four-day first Test match which was abandoned as a draw.
Brief Scores: India Women: 118 (H Kala 38, N David run out 12, S A Paranjpe 11, M Raj 11; Guha 3/28, Connor 2/25, C E Taylor 2/14 lost to England Women 119 for 4 wickets (C M Edwards 54, K M Leng 46, David 2/20.
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Bharti lambasts weightlifting body for dope fiasco
New Delhi,Monday, August 12, 2002: Federal Sports Minister Uma Bharti has come down heavily on the Weightlifting Federation for failing to inform athletes about the rules pertaining to dope tests and said the drug fiasco had left a 'scar' on India's excellent performance in the recent Commonwealth Games.
"It is a shame that India's excellent performance at the Commonwealth Games has a scar of drugs on it. It was the duty of the Weightlifting Federation to fully inform lifters about the rules pertaining to doping tests," Bharti said in a phone-in programme on BBC Hindi Radio.
"Those heading respective sports bodies should understand that these posts are not for fun, but for improving the standard of games in India," she said.
Two India lifters Krishnan Madasamy and Satheesha Rai had failed the dope test during the Games. While Madasamy, who had tested positive for the performance-enhancing steroid nandrolone, was promptly stripped of his medals the Commonwealth Games Federation had not made yet made any announcement on double-gold medal winner Rai.
The minister said she was aware of the fact that a majority of sports bodies in India were being headed by people not concerned with sports.
She said the sports ministry will enforce a strict code of conduct to improve the functioning of the sports bodies and federations and to check their politicisation.
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