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News:
PDP leaders hopeful of govt being formed in a few days
Constitution did not allow me to continue as CM: Farooq
US favours resumption of serious Indo-Pak dialogue on Kashmir
Amnesty seeks Singhal's prosecution
India may militarily intervene if Islamists gain Pak N-weapons
Pak supplied nuclear weapon equipment to NKorea : US officials
Vajpayee for consensus on fiscal reform
CMs to meet to take up DA issue
BJP-Sena to propose recitation of Vande Mataram in civic schools
Wipro Q2 below expectations
Medals not stripped yet: Verma
Play to commence after lunch
No possibility of Indo-Pak cricket matches in both countries
Sachin first cricketer to score 20,000 runs
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Sensex: 3009.76, +3.62
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PDP leaders hopeful of govt being formed in a few days
Srinagar,Friday, October 18, 2002: Terming the imposition of Governor's rule in Jammu and Kashmir as an "expected" move, two senior PDP leaders today expressed the hope that a government would be in place in the next few days.
"There is every hope that political parties will realise their responsibility and, respecting the verdict of the people, forge a political formation during the next couple of days and form a government," PDP vice president Muzaffar Hussain Beig said.
Another top PDP leader Ghulam Hassan Mir said "Political parties will join hands, sink their differences and chalk out a common minimum programme."
He hoped the Governor's rule would not extend beyond one week.
Reacting to the imposition of Governor's rule, Baig said "It was expected. There was nothing surprising about it."
"It was anticipated that Farooq Abdullah would not agree to continue as caretaker chief minister, thus leaving the governor with no choice even though he had clearly indicated that he would wait for parties to show their majority by October 21," Baig said.
He said the development may cause disappointment among the people who may apprehend that Governor's rule may continue for six months.
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Constitution did not allow me to continue as CM: Farooq
Srinagar,Friday, October 18, 2002: Former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah today said he did not continue as the care-taker chief minster as the Constitution did not allow him to function beyond midnight last night.
"The Constitution did not allow me to do so. Why should I have continued when the previous assembly stood dissolved," Abdullah told PTI in his first reaction after deciding not to continue as the caretaker chief minister, resulting in the imposition of Governor's rule in the state.
To a question that everyone was blaming him for forcing the Governor's rule, Abdullah said "There is nothing new in blaming me. I have received boots always. Even now, when I have acted in the letter and spirit of the Constitution, I am held responsible".
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US favours resumption of serious Indo-Pak dialogue on Kashmir
New Delhi,Friday, October 18, 2002: Terming as a "major de- escalatory step' India's decision to pull back troops from the international border with Pakistan, the US today favoured resumption of "serious and sustained" Indo-Pak dialogue on Kashmir and all other outstanding issues.
"We continue to believe that resumption of serious dialogue between India and Pakistan over a long term and in a sustained and serious way on all issues that separate them including Kashmir is a good idea," US Ambassador to India Robert Blackwill told reporters after a 45-minute meeting with National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra here.
At the same time, he said "the decision about how India relates to Pakistan is totally upto the Government of India. India is a great democracy".
Replying to questions on India's position that it did not propose to take any further steps after troop withdrawal, Blackwill said "as India and Pakistan face differences, we think talking about them in a serious manner is better than no (no) talking about them.
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Amnesty seeks Singhal's prosecution
LONDON: Amnesty International on Friday demanded possible prosecution of Ashok Singhal, the International Working President of the VHP, for what it said his "repeated inflammatory statements" about violence against Muslims in Gujarat.
"Investigations to establish Singhal's responsibilities in relation to the reported statements should be initiated as a matter of urgency and appropriate action, including possible prosecution, should be taken accordingly," the global human rights body said in a statement here on Friday.
Amnesty said it was alarmed at repeated inflammatory statements of Singhal about the violence against the Muslims in Gujarat.
"The organisation fears for the safety of many thousands of vulnerable people, should further violence be incited by the repeated statements," it said.
Amnesty said it wrote to the relevant Indian authorities on September 16, drawing attention to Singhal's statement of September 3, but has not been notified of any investigation initiated since then.
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India may militarily intervene if Islamists gain Pak N-weapons
Washington,Friday, October 18, 2002: India could militarily intervene in Pakistan if Islamists gain control over nuclear weapons of its neighbour, either through a coup or a civil war, said a study by a US think tank.
"The nightmare scenario of the next few years is that American and Allied military operations in South or Southwest Asia end up severely destabilising the Pakistani regime. Whether due to a coup by a more pro-radical Islamic faction within the military - or something close to outright civil war - the reliability of central control of the Pakistani nuclear arsenal will be diminsished," said the study "Transforming America's Military," published by the National Defence University.
"In these circumstances, there would be the distinct prospect of Indian military intervention (with possible Israeli assistance), and the prospect of a major regional war in which the use of nuclear weapons could not be precluded," said the study written by Peter Wilson, a senior political specialist at RAND, and Richard D Sokolsky, a Distinguished Research Fellow in the Institute for National Strategic Studies at the National Defence University.
The study described India as "an important nuclear-armed ally of the US", and Pakistan "a very fragile ally".
India has become an "important nuclear-armed ally of the United States, providing diplomatic and material support for Operation Enduring Freedom. US rapprochement with India is consistent with the US low-profile, long-term containment or hedging strategy aimed at China," Wilson and Sokolsky said.
"Pakistan has become a vital but very fragile ally in the war against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan," they noted.
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Pak supplied nuclear weapon equipment to NKorea : US officials
New York,Friday, October 18, 2002: Pakistan was a major supplier of critical equipment for North Korea's newly-revealed clandestine nuclear weapons programme in return for missiles it could use to counter India's nuclear arsenal, US intelligence officials were quoted as saying.
The equipment, which may include gas centrifuges used to create weapons-grade uranium, appears to have been part of a "barter deal" beginning in late 1990s in which North Korea supplied Pakistan with the missiles, the officials told the New York Times.
"What you have here is a perfect meeting of interests - the North Koreans had what the Pakistanis needed, and the Pakistanis had a way for Kim Jong Il to restart a nuclear programme we had stopped," said one official familiar with the intelligence.
The paper quoted a Pakistan Embassy spokesman Asad Hayauddin as saying that it was "absolutely incorrect" to accuse Pakistan of providing nuclear weapons technology to North Korea.
"We have never had an accident or leak or any export of fissile material or nuclear technology or knowledge" he said.
The White House yesterday said it would not discuss Pakistan's role or any other inteligence information, the Times reported.
The trade between Pakistan and North Korea appears to have occurred around 1997, roughly two years before Pervez Musharraf took power in a bloodless coup.
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Vajpayee for consensus on fiscal reform
New Delhi,Friday, October 18, 2002: Concerned over the deteriorating fiscal situation of Centre and States, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today appealed to Chief Ministers to evolve a political consensus on critical developmental and governance reforms for better fiscal discipline.
"Unless we broaden the area of political consensus, and consensus between the Centre and states, on critical development and governance reforms, the problems that we currently face would get compounded," Vajpayee said in his opening remarks at the Chief Ministers conference on fiscal issues.
"I appeal to you (Chief Ministers) to help make today's conference a major milestone in our ongoing efforts at achieving better fiscal discipline and thereby attaining higher growth rates," he said.
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CMs to meet to take up DA issue
New Delhi,Friday, October 18, 2002: The thorny issue of freezing the Dearness Allowance of 9.5 million government employees is likely to figure prominently at the Chief Ministers conference convened by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee here Friday to thrash out measures to improve the precarious financial health of states.
The day-long conference is a follow-up to the state Finance Ministers conference last month in which they resolved to have a CM level meet as it required tough political decisions to restore fiscal health of states.
The Chief Ministers are expected to make a strong case for increased central assistance to overcome tight financial position while the Centre would harp on the need for states to take tough measures including revenue mobilisation to bring down their mounting debt to sustainable levels.
Several states including Kerala which are facing acute fiscal crunch want the Centre to adopt a more liberal approach to reverse the fall in devolution of central funds as compared to last year, especially when they have been saddled with the huge burden of implementation of Fifth Pay Commission recommendations.
On the issue of DA freeze, an attempt was being made to arrive at a consensus, but it seems to be elusive with both Centre and states reluctant to "bell the cat" on this ticklish issue with employees already up in arms, official sources said.
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BJP-Sena to propose recitation of Vande Mataram in civic schools
In a move likely to rake up much heat inside the civic house, the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP combine has proposed to make the recitation of ‘Vande Mataram’ a compulsory feature in civic schools.
Today, the house was scheduled to take up the proposal for discussion and voting but the matter was postponed because the session was adjourned as a mark of respect to the memory of former city mayor, TR Borale, who passed away recently.
The fate of the proposal, which if approved by the Sena-BJP-controlled BMC general body, will require municipal school students to sing ‘Vande Mataram’ to begin their day in class, will now be decided at the house’s next meeting on October 24.
The proposal had been originally moved by a Sena corporator, Parag Chavan, in December 1998. After it was approved by the then Education Committee, it was discussed by the civic house but voting was deferred in the face of strident criticism by a section of the opposition, notably by Samajwadi Party (SP)’s leader Yusuf Abrahani.
Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (1838-94) penned Vande Mataram in 1882 and it was included in his most celebrated work, Anandamath, a novel which captured the uprising of rural Bengal’s peasantry and the ‘sanyasis’ against the inequities of British rule in the province. The novel was seen as a symptom of rising Hindu nationalism and a potent factor in stimulating its growth. Chatterjee himself later, in the eyes of his critics, metamorphosed into a prophet of revivalist Hindu nationalism.
The SP which has 10 corporators in the civic house, has declared it will vote against the proposal. Says Mohsin Haider, the leader of the SP, "Muslims are patriotic and our community has time and again, made sacrifices for the country. If we oppose Vande Mataram which is a religious song, it doesn’t mean we will become less patriotic."
Detailing the reasons behind his party’s opposition to the proposal, Haider explained, "The song treats the country as a motherland and requires us to bow our head in its front. Our religion does not permit us to bow our head in front of anyone except the almighty. We don’t bow our head even in front of the Prophet."
Ravindra Pawar of the NCP which has 12 members in the house, said the ruling combine has raised the proposal to distract attention from its failure in alleviating the city’s civic problems. "They have scarcely done anything about the water scarcity that plagues the city, or about the spread of malaria. We will vote against the proposal," he said.
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Wipro Q2 below expectations
Bangalore,Friday, October 18, 2002: Faring below market expectations, software major Wipro Limited today reported that it had posted a year-on-year two per cent growth in net profit at Rs 220 crore for the July-September quarter.
However, backed by a strong volume growth, the Bangalore headquartered company clocked revenue of Rs 1,060 crore, up 21 per cent, compared with the corresponding period last year.
Wipro Technologies, the company's global IT business, accounted for 64 per cent of the revenue and grew by 19 per cent year-on-year to Rs 680 crore, primarily driven by a 12 per cent growth in volume.
"We should see the momentum in volume growth of the last two quarters continue", Company's chairman, Azim Premji told a reporters here after the Board of Directors approved the quarterly numbers.
For the quarter ending Dec 2002, Wipro projected revenue in its global IT services business to be approximately USD 152 million, in Wipro Spectramind to be USD 12.5 million and in Healthcare and Life Science business, USD 3.5 million.
Thirty new customers were added in global IT services during the quarter, including seven on the Fortune 1000 list, CEO of Wipro Technologies, Vivek Paul, said.
Wipro Technologies had net addition of 753 employees during the quarter, down from over 900 in the April-June quarter. "Our hiring is driven by immediate business needs, not in advance of needs," Paul said. Separations during the quarter was 570, he added.
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Medals not stripped yet: Verma
Bhopal,Friday, October 18, 2002: A day after Chef-de-mission of the Indian contingent Jagdish Tytler rubbished reports of Sunita Rani being stripped of her medals, Sports Minister Vikram Verma too denied that the 'B' sample of the athlete had tested positive for a banned drug.
Contradicting reports from Busan that a test on Sunita's 'B' sample conducted on October 16 tested positive for nandrolone, Verma said today the second test was yet to be conducted.
The medals have also not been withdrawn yet, he said adding a decision in this regard could only be taken after a test on October 25.
"Before Sunita Rani left for Busan, two tests had been conducted on her and in both of these she had tested negative. It was only because of this that Sunita Rani had been allowed to proceed to Busan," he told reporters here.
Full details about what happened after she reached Busan were not available till now, the Minister said.
Asked what action would be taken against Sunita if proved guilty, he said "there is no need for any such action. As it is if she really tests positive she cannot take part in any event for the next two years."
More details about what happened in Sunita's case would be sought from among others, Indian Olympic Assocaition President Suresh Kalmadi and Jagdish Tytler, Verma said.
Sunita had won the gold in 1500m setting a Games record and a bronze in 5000m at the September 29-October 14 Games.
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Play to commence after lunch
Chennai,Friday, October 18, 2002: Play on the second day of the second cricket Test between India and the West Indies here today will begin at 12.10 PM (0640 GMT) after wet conditions due to overnight rain prevented any play in the morning session.
After a second inspection at 11.00 AM (0530 GMT), the umpires decided to start the match after lunch.
Tea will now be taken at 2.40 PM (0910 GMT) and the last session of the day's play will be extended till 5.30 PM (1200 GMT) to compensate for the time lost.
At stumps on day one, India were 31 for no loss in reply to West Indies' first innings score of 167.
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No possibility of Indo-Pak cricket matches in both countries
Bhopal,Friday, October 18, 2002: There is no possibility in the near future of India and Pakistan playing cricket matches against each other in either of the two countries, Sports Minister Vikram Verma said today.
"India can, however, meet Pakistan in multi-nation tournaments not played either in India or Pakistan," Verma told a press conference here.
"We have no objection if India plays against Pakistan in such tournaments at selected venues," he said.
Asked to name these selected venues, the minister said they could be ones chosen by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for staging Test matches.
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Sachin first cricketer to score 20,000 runs
CHENNAI: Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar opened a new chapter in the record books on Friday when he became the first batsman ever to score 20,000 runs in the history of international cricket.
Needing 16 to reach the mark, Tendulkar, unbeaten on 21 at tea on the second day of the second Test against West Indies here on Friday, drove Carl Hooper for a boundary during his innings to achieve the milestone.
Besides scoring 8,461 runs off 162 innings in 102 Test matches, the master blaster has amassed 11,544 runs from 300 one-dayers to take his tally beyond the coveted mark.
Though Tendulkar with 30 hundreds is only behind Sunil Gavaskar (34) in the test centurions list, he is way ahead of other batsmen in the shorter version of the game.
Besides scoring the highest number of runs in one-dayers (11,544), he holds the distinction of scoring a record 33 centuries.
Tendulkar, who made his debut in 1989-90 against Pakistan, has got phenomenal averages in both forms of the game, with 57.95 in Tests and 44.22 in one-dayers.
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Sensex: 3009.76, +3.62
The sensex closed at 3009.76, up 3.62
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Forex
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1 U.S. $ = 48.3400 INR
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1 British Pound = 74.8738 INR
1 Canadian $ = 30.7467 INR
1 Singapore $ = 27.0207 INR
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1 Saudi Arabian Riyal = 13.1602 INR
1 Euro = 47.0493 INR
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Weather
| Temperature : 82 F / 28 C
HeatIndex : 91 F / 33 C
Humidity : 89%
Dew Point : 79 F / 26 C
Wind : WSW at 5 mph / 8.0 km/h
Wind Gust -
Pressure : 29.77 in / 1008 hPa (Steady)
Conditions : Smoke
Visibility -
Clouds : Scattered Clouds(SCT): 2000 ft / 611 m
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