PM to discuss deployment of troops in Iraq with Sonia
New Delhi,Wednesday, June 11, 2003: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee would discuss with Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Sunday the issue of deployment of Indian troops in Iraq for peace keeping operations, a day ahead of a U S team's arrival here to give some clarifications to government on the issue.
Gandhi would be accompanied by Leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Manmohan Singh and Chairman of AICC's Foreign Affairs Department K Natwar Singh, sources said.
Last week, Gandhi had written a letter to Vajpayee strongly opposing any move to deploy Indian troops in Iraq other than under the UN aegis saying it would be violation of the fundamental principle of the country.
"I am writing to express the deep concern of the Congress Party over reports that Indian troops are to be deployed in Iraq. The party would be totally opposed to the deployment of our troops under any arrangement other than a UN Command or as part of a multi-national peace keeping force that has the explicit mandate of the U.N.", she had said.
Gandhi said she would appreciate a clarification on the exact position of the NDA government as various statements in the media have not helped to "shed any light" on the government's stand.
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Efforts on to resolve Ayodhya imbroglio: Kanchi Shankaracharya
Jaipur,Wednesday, June 11, 2003: Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati today said efforts were on to resolve the Ayodhya imbroglio including finding a solution to some of the questions raised by the Muslim community.
"We are making efforts. During the talks, two-three questions have arisen including opening ASI protected mosques for prayers. It could be resolved through talks," the Seer told reporters here.
The Pontiff's fresh peace move has been rejected by both VHP and All India Muslim Personal Law Board while the Centre has termed it as a "personal initiative".
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Centre considering fencing Indo-Myanmar border: Swami
Imphal,Wednesday, June 11, 2003: The Union minister of state for home, I D Swami, today said that the Centre was considering erecting fences along India-Myanmar border to prevent cross-border terrorism and armed smuggling.
Fencing work and lighting along Indo-Pak and Indo-Bangla borders were in progress to prevent cross-border terrorism and other crimes, he told reporters here before leaving for Delhi after a two-day Manipur visit.
Swami said that Centre was prepared to hold talks with any insurgent outfit in the region, provided it does not put any pre-condition. However, government's stand was that talks should be held within the framework of the Constitution.
The Centre was providing necessary help to all state governments for modernisation of police forces, the minister added.
On beefing up security in Manipur to tackle insurgency, Swami said that if the state wanted, the Centre would sanction funds for mobilisation of more India Reserve Battalion forces in addition to the present four battalions with one battalion already undergoing training.
However, the state government should try to solve its own problems and maintain law and order as it was a state subject.
If the state felt that the police should be modernised, it should do so, Swami said adding the Centre was providing every assistance for modernisation of the forces.
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CBI all set to extradite Salem; legal procedure in last leg
New Delhi,Wednesday, June 11, 2003: The CBI is all set to have the underworld don and main accused in the 1993 bomb blast case, Abu Salem, and his girl friend Monica Bedi extradited to India as the legal process had entered the final phase.
Highly-placed CBI sources said Salem had submitted his reply to a Portugal Court on June three for which the agency would soon be sending its rejoinder to the Portuguese Prosecutor General.
The CBI has also hired a local legal consultant firm "Moraos Leitao and J Galvio Tales" in Lisbon to assist the Prosecutor General's office in preparing the case as according to the law, no separate counsel could represent the agency in that country.
Meanwhile, CBI has sent its written reply to the queries raised by Monica Bedi during her trial before the Portuguese court.
She had raised three queries including whether she would face harrassment as she was a Muslim; what was the guarantee that the President would not turn down her appeal against a death penalty or a life sentence exceeding 45 years and why her case would be tried in a special court and not in a normal court.
In its reply, the CBI termed her plea of being Muslim as totally baseless and said that India was a democratic country where there was no discrimination on the basis of religion, caste, creed or sex.
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Vajpayee has "gambled for peace": Bush
Washington,Wednesday, June 11, 2003: Observing that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has "gambled for peace", US President George W Bush has assured India that he would impress upon his Pakistani counterpart Pervez Musharraf to create a "climate" for the initiative to succeed.
The Bush administration is "conscious" that no progress in Indo-Pak talks was possible unless Pakistan stops cross border terrorism, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani told reporters here briefing on the talks he held with US leaders, including Bush.
He said that the US President has assured that he would speak to Musharraf when they meet later this month about creating a climate in which Vajpayee's peace initiative could succeed.
Advani said Bush warmly appreciated the Prime Minister's peace overture with Pakistan and stated "he (Vajpayee) has gambled for peace and provided political space for resolving differences, without forgoing the concern for security."
At a separate briefing, White House Spokesman Arie Fleischer said "the administration continues to work very closely with Pakistani officials, inlcuding President Musharraf, about the need to make certain that action is taken to prevent infiltration into Kashmir."
The issue of infiltration, Fleischer said "continues to be an important part of our foreign policy in the region".
Advani said it is clear that his US visit was not Pakistan centric but dealt with a broader canvas of Indo-American relations which are progressing well.
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No pressure by US on India to send troops to Iraq
Washington,Wednesday, June 11, 2003: Dismissing that there was any US pressure to send Indian troops to Iraq, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani today said a final decision on the issue would be taken only after some clarifications on the exact role of the proposed peace force from an American team visiting New Delhi next week.
"I can only say Government of America was keen that India participate in this process, that India send its troops, and the reasons are understandable, but I did not see pressure of any kind," Advani told reporters here at the conclusion of his two-day talks with US leaders, including President George W Bush.
He pointed out that his current visit started with talks with US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and the issue of Indian troops' participation in the stabilisation of Iraq was the principle issue almost with every American leader.
Advani said he conveyed to them that the Government of India is free to take a decision after hearing the team that is visiting New Delhi on June 16.
"We have several queries in this context," the Deputy Prime Minister said.
This matter, Advani said, has been considered twice in the Cabinet Committee on Security, and of course earlier when the request came from the American Government.
"India," said Advani, "indicated that if it is to decide on this matter, the request has to come from the UN. Then there was a resolution adopted by the UN which was taken into consideration, but in the two meetings that were held, several questions were raised and several clarifications were sought".
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Advani favours compromise solution to temple issue
Washington,Wednesday, June 11, 2003: Reflecting Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's views, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani today said he favours a compromise solution to the vexed Ram temple issue in Ayodhya.
He was asked by a correspondent; in your absence, the temple issue has come up again in political circles in another form. What are your latest views on the issue. You once undertook a Rath Yatra (Chariot Tour) on the issue. Are you going to undertake another Rath Yatra.
Advani replied that in the past few days, many sections of political circles have discussed this issue and "I believe something can be done through compromise and consultation, which is better than a decision of the court. I will be very happy if it can be done through negotiation and consultations."
A compromise, he said, will be a more acceptable solution than a court decision.
As Advani was holding his press conference in the Embssy here, an organisation of Indian Americans called Coalition to Support Democracy and Pluralism in India, which claims to be an umbrella organisation of more than a score Indian groups, organised a peace vigil outside the Embassy in front of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi.
"The participants," according to the coalition, "included people from several religious backgrounds -- Hindus, Christians, Muslims. Many family members of the victims of the Gujarat riots took part in the vigil."
They included Zuber Jafri, son of the slain former member of Parliament, Ahsan Jafri.
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Musharraf can be President and Chief of Army: Lahore HC
Islamabad,Wednesday, June 11, 2003: In a major setback to Pakistan's opposition parties agitation questioning the legality of the Presidency of Pervez Musharraf, the Lahore High Court has ruled that the military ruler's election though a referendum was valid under law and he was legally entitled to hold the offices of Presidency as well as Chief of Army.
Ruling that the election of Musharraf through a referendum last year was valid, a Division Bench of the Lahore High Court has held that it saw nothing wrong with the General holding the post of Chief of Army simultaneously.
The opposition has shut down the Parliament for over six months demanding Musharraf to quit as Chief of Army as a compromise to accept his Presidency and his constitutional amendments with modifications.
"We have not noted anything in the Constitution which would debar the president from remaining in uniform nor is his holding the two office simultaneously creating any hindrance to the smooth functioning of the government or any other institution," the bench said yesterday while elaborating on its short order issued recently.
The court, in response to a petition filed by Lawyers Forum further ruled that "none of the constitutional provisions is affected if the president remains in the uniform. Therefore, decision by the president that he would take off the uniform on a date of his own choice does not impinge upon any constitutional provision and the Article 6, in no way is attracted to this case".
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ICMR selects Mumbai for condom study
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is to embark on its most intriguing study yet: mapping the size of the average Indian penis.
Apparently, the problem of condoms rupturing has led them to believe the problem lies in the condom size.
“After carrying out a number of studies, the ICMR has reason to believe that condoms tear because they do not fit properly,” said Dr Chander Puri of the ICMR Research Cell in Mumbai.
“We suspect the size of the penis varies from region to region, and because condoms only come in one size, they are not as effective as they can be.”
The condom failure rate is presently as high as 18 per cent.
The study, which has been in the pipeline for a year and a half, will be implemented shortly, according to sources.
Between four and seven centres will be selected for the study, and 300 men from each will have the length and width of their organs (while erect) measured.
At present, the centres shortlisted are Mumbai, Assam, Bihar, Orissa, Chennai and Punjab.
Gynaecologists in the city are uncertain that the results of the study will be helpful. They say the problem is not the size of the condom, but the fact that most couples don’t use one.
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Five students picked for Physics Olympiad
Pune, June 11. (UNI): A five-member students team will represent India at the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) to be held at Taipei from August 2 to August 11, 2003.
The team was announced at a function here yesterday by the Indian Association of Physics Teachers (IAPT) at the MES Garware College.
The team includes Alekh Agarwal (Kota, Rajasthan), Shashank Dwivedi (Bilaspur, M.P.), Shaleen Harlalka (Udaipur, Rajasthan), Yashodhan Kanoria (Mumbai) and Divjyot Sethi (New Delhi).
The student members will be accompanied by delegation leader Dr Ravi Bhattacharjee (New Delhi) and Pedagogical leader Dr S C Samant (Midnapore).
A multi-tier selection process first picked about 250 students on the basis of National Standard Examination in Physics organised in November 2002 by the IAPT.
The students later appeared for the Indian National Physics Olympiad (theory) organised by HBCSE and IAPT in 15 centres around the country.
The best 25 students are awarded Gold Medals while the first five constitute the Indian team.
The Indian teams have been performing well at the IPhO.
In 2001, the team performed the best by far winning 3 Golds, 2 Silvers and a second position in terms of medals won at par with USA and Russia, in which 65 countries participated. Last year the team won one gold and four silvers.
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Indian technocrat wins Green Oscar
KOLKATA: An Indian technocrat is among six international energy activists chosen for this year's Green Oscar, a coveted global award for popularising renewable energy resources.
Instituted by the London-based Ashden Trust in collaboration with the British government, the Green Oscar has among this year's winners Shantipada Gon Chowdhury, who is being awarded for his innovative idea on solar power conservation.
Gon Chowdhury, who entered the contest for the award six months ago with his paper "optimum utilisation of photo-voltaic power plant", will receive the honour on June 18 from the British energy and environment minister.
All the winners will be feted the next day at a reception by Queen Elizabeth at the Buckingham Palace's Queen's House.
Gon Chowdhury suggested in his paper that pre-paid meters, much like pre-paid telephone cards, could replace the present system of metering that was vulnerable to pilferage and wastage.
"A pre-paid metering system will discourage not only wastage but also tampering with the meter. Every household can then use the surplus power to run water pumps with an intelligent special controller," he said.
Gon Chowdhury, who won a gold medal of the Indian National Science Academy in 1988 and received the Surya Puraskar award in 1999, will use his share of the award money in a West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Authority (WBREDA) project.
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India, US have immense scope to work together in Iraq
New York,Wednesday, June 11, 2003: India and the United States have immense scope to work together on contruction projects in Iraq, Commerce and Industry Minister Arun Jaitley has said.
India has undertaken several construction projects in Iraq and thus has quite a lot of experience. India had yet to get payment for some of the construction done and some of what it did might even exist now after the war, he told a gathering at the Asia Society here on Tuesday.
Besides, people of the two countries too have enjoyed a great relationship, the minister told the select audience.
Showcasing India as a highly desirable destination for investors, he said the government has taken the initiative to ensure all facilities in Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in which the private sector would play a major role, give tax breaks and strengthen and develop infrastructure, including roads, rail and telecommunications.
A noteworthy achievement, Jaitley said, is that India has made tremendous economic progress despite wars with China and Pakistan and huge cost of fighting terrorism which claimed lives of 62,000 civilians and 8,000 security personnel.
It is important that progress has been achieved with the country maintaining democracy in which decision making is difficult process and in an era when dictatorships were seizing power elsewhere, he said He also decried the huge subsidies being given by the rich countries to their farmers, something which the developing nations cannot match with the result their agriculturists in poor countries are becoming uncompetitive.
This issue is important to India as, he said, 65 per cent of the population or 650 million people still depend on agriculture.
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Harbhajan raring to get back into the groove
New Delhi,Wednesday, June 11, 2003: Having recovered fully from a niggling injury, ace off-spinner Harbhajan Singh now wants to use his curtailed stint in Lancashire to get back into the groove for India's engagements against New Zealand and Australia towards the end of the year.
"I cannot wait to get going after being out of action for two months," Harbhajan said on the eve of his departure to England.
Harbhajan is expected to join the Lancashire county staff on Friday.
Harbhajan missed the start of Lancashire's county campaign because of an injury in his bowling hand which afforded an opportunity to former West Indies skipper Carl Hooper to step in as a stop-gap arrangement.
Hooper, by all accounts, has made a fine impression with both bat and ball in the three matches he has turned out for Lancashire, a progress which Harbhajan has followed avidly.
"I have followed Hooper's exploits closely," said Harbhajan. "Now it is my turn to pull in my weight for the
county."
Harbhajan has indeed kept a close eye on action in the county circuit, including the stuttering start of his state- mate Yuvraj Singh for Yorkshire, whom he could well be bowling to in the Roses match between the two counties in the National Cricket League in Manchester on June 20.
Harbhajan has been troubled by the injury in his bowling hand, particularly the big gap between his thumb and index finger which he uses in his bowling style to impart uncommon spin to his deliveries.
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India to pay the dues to WADA this year
New Delhi,Wednesday, June 11, 2003: Prompted by the World Anti-Doping Agency's threat to impose sanctions against several countries including India for failing to pay their share of its operating budget for 2003, the Sports Ministry has said it would be paying its dues in the current financial year itself.
"India has paid its dues for the year 2002 to WADA. The contribution for the year 2003 could only be paid after the budget for the year 2003-2004 is passed by the Parliament and not before.
"Now since the budget of 2003-2004 has been passed by the Parliament, the contribution for 2003 will be paid by India during this financial year only," the Sports Ministry said in a release late Tuesday night.
"As a matter of fact, the government of India has introduced a new scheme for Dope Test and under the scheme, payment of contribution to WADA has been provided for," it added.
The ministry also clarified the country's position on signing the Copenhagan Declaration on anti-doping in sport saying the matter was "receiving appropriate attention in the Sports Ministry and is being processed on a fast track for obtaining approval at the competent level in the government."
The ministry has to seek the approval of the cabinet after consulting all ministries before signing on the declaration, it said.
WADA president Richard W Pound had come down heavily on the countries which had not honoured their commitments to pay their contributions in time and threatened to impose sanctions against the defaulters.
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AIFF decision to pull out of LG Cup right : Constantine
Kolkata,Wednesday, June 11, 2003: India's chief soccer coach Stephen Constantine today voiced his support for the AIFF decision to pull out of the LG Cup in Vietnam, saying otherwise the domestic calender would have gone haywire.
"I'm disappointed that India will not be able to defend the title. But I think that the AIFF has taken the right decision. Had we played, the domestic calender would have gone topsy-turvy. Also, we would have landed in Vietnam without adequate preparation," Constantine said here.
AIFF president Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi yesterday announced that India would withdraw from the tournament, where it had recorded its only major international triumph in three decades last year.
The AIFF was peeved at the preponement of the tournament from September to August which did not leave much time for adequate preparation of the Indian team because of the packed domestic calender.
As per the revised schedule, the tournament would now be held from August 22 to 31, shortly after the Federation Cup, which will be starting here from July 25.
Constantine, who apparently played a key role in impressing on the AIFF to pull out of the tournament, said "The decision shows good understanding and cooperation among all those concerned with Indian football".
He said had India played, the state associations, who have finalised their own local league schedules, would have landed in a spot.
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