PTI - The Press Trust of India Ltd. articles from August 2004

PTI - The Press Trust of India Ltd. archives from August 2004

3 Indians in "most powerful people in Asia's Power 25 list".
August 1, 2004... London, Aug 1 (PTI) Three Indian corporate heads including, Azim Premji of Wipro have been chosen as "the Most Powerful People in Business in Asia's Power 25 list." The other two are Mukesh Ambani of Reliance Group and Nandan...

Hollywood movie with Indian-American hailed as breakthrough.
August 1, 2004... Meenakshi Ganjoo Silicon Valley, Aug 1 (PTI) A new comedy about two young Asian-American men, including an Indian-American, that has opened nationwide is being heralded as a cultural breakthrough in the history of ethnic representations in...

Gastroenteritis claims 28 lives in mid-west Nepal.
August 1, 2004... Kathmandu, Aug 1 (PTI) Gastroenteritis has claimed 28 lives in Nepal's mid-west district, a media report said Sunday. The stomach flu, which has so far killed hundreds of people and sickened more than 12,000 since April across the country,...

International Sindhi Conference demands apology from Musharraf.
August 1, 2004... London, Aug 1 (PTI) The 16h International Conference on Sindh here has demanded the right of "self-determination for the people of Sindh" and sought an apology from Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf for his "statement" that Sindhis are...

US provides USD 50,000 to Nepal flood victims.
August 1, 2004... Kathmandu, Aug 1 (PTI) The US has provided 50,000 dollar assistance to the victims of recent floods and landslides in Nepal. US Ambassador to Nepal James F. Moriarty handed over the cheque to a representative of the International Federation...

Govt asks SFIO to probe Vatsa group of companies.
August 1, 2004... Pankaj Doval New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) The Indian government has referred the Vatsa Group of companies, with an authorised capital of Rs 500 billion, to the Serious Frauds Investigation Office (SFIO). The group, with the flagship company...

Crop weather watch group concerned over deficient rainfall.
August 1, 2004... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) In view of an indifferent monsoon estimated to be deficient by over 15 per cent, the Indian government has asked the states, feared to be hit by scant rainfall, to make available to farmers all infrastructural assistance...

SUNDAY, AUGUST 1, 2004.
August 1, 2004... BANGKOK : FTA-SPECIAL VISA (IE, HT, ECO) -DO- : TERRORISM-WORKING GROUP (ST, TRI-BL) -DO- : PM-TAINTED MINISTERS-LAW (ST) -DO- : PM-PAK NOT OUT OF GROUP (ST) BEIJING : ANIMALS (BL) WASHINGTON: USA-BUDGET DEFICIT...

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 1 (PTI): Kerala's development was.
August 1, 2004... being hampered by institutions that strayed from the path of service and were interested only in their existence, Vice Chairman of the Planning Board, V Ramachandran said. Ramachandran was inaugurating Bharatheeya Vichara Kendram's state...

China says WTO agreement on Doha round "not bad".
August 1, 2004... Beijing, Aug 1 (PTI) China has cautiously welcomed the framework agreement reached by the 147 members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to revive the deadlocked Doha Round of global trade. "Generally speaking, the framework (agreement)...

Anand, Kramnik equally poised after first game of final.
August 1, 2004... From Our Chess Correspondent Dortmund (Germany), Aug 1 (PTI): India's Viswanathan Anand drew the first game against Vladimir Kramnik of Russia in the final round of the Dortmund Sparkassen Chess tournament here. In the second game of...

Flood situation improving but diarrhoea spreading in B'desh.
August 1, 2004... Dhaka, Aug 1 (PTI) Fear of epidemic looomed large on Bangaldesh with nearly 544 people dying of diarrhoeal and water borne diseases in the aftermath of floods that devastated the country for nearly a month. People have started returning...

August is "Defence Education Month" for women in China.
August 1, 2004... Beijing, Aug 1 (PTI) China has designated August as the "Defence Education Month" to popularise among women, the 1.2-million-strong People's Liberation Army (PLA), that celebrates its 77th founding day on Sunday. The government-backed...

Tibet receives record number of tourists in first six months.
August 1, 2004... Beijing, Aug 1 (PTI) The picturesque Himalayan region of Tibet received record number of tourists, including 37,000 foreigners, during the first six months of this year, earning huge revenue for the tourism industry. Local statistics...

Indian paddlers aim to break new grounds.
August 1, 2004... Sirshendu Panth New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) Even as medal prospects look dim, Indian table tennis stars Achanta Sharath Kamal and Mouma Das are hoping to break new grounds in the Athens Olympics by making it past the preliminary group stage...

Paes-Bhupathi advance to final in Toronto Masters.
August 1, 2004... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) India's medal hope in the Athens Olympics, Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes advanced to the doubles' final at the USD 2.5 million ATP Tennis Masters tournament in Toronto, Canada. The eighth seeds, Paes and Bhupathi,...

BSF to take up trans-border crime issue with BDR.
August 1, 2004... Shillong, Aug 1 (PTI) India's Border Security Force would take up with their Bangladeshi counterparts Monday issues such as prevention of trans-border crimes, infiltration and smuggling of arms and animals at the Comilla meeting in the...

Chinese Defence Minister warns Taiwan against independence.
August 1, 2004... Beijing, Aug 1 (PTI) People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China celebrated its 77th founding day with the top general issuing a stern warning to Taiwan that the 1.2-million-strong military has the will and the ability to "crush" the island's...

Tigers claims victory in the event of fresh war.
August 1, 2004... Colombo, Aug 1 (PTI) Tamil Tigers rebels Sunday stepped up their war of words against President Chandrika Kumaratunga and claimed they were certain of victory in the event of fresh hostilities. LTTE's political wing leader for the...

Bangladesh, China agree to establish road, air links.
August 1, 2004... Dhaka, Aug 1 (PTI) Bangladesh and China have agreed to establish road and air links between the two countries, media reports said Sunday. The construction work on road link between Dhaka and China's Yunan province via Myanmar will start...

BJP leaders discuss ways to strengthen party.
August 1, 2004... K G Suresh and Parikshit Joshi Dona Paula (Goa), Aug 1 (PTI) Humbled at the hustings, India's main Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party kept exploring ways to strengthen the organisation for the second day Sunday with their government in...

Dhaka, Aug 1 (PTI) Bangladesh has disfavoured a request.
August 1, 2004... by Saudi Arabia to send troops to guard United Nations officials stationed in war-torn Iraq, a report said Sunday. "Time and again we have said that we will not send troops unless under the command of the United Nations," a local daily...

India terms WTO Framework as a major victory.
August 1, 2004... New Delhi, Aug 01 (PTI) India Sunday termed the WTO Framework Agreement as a major victory, saying it had secured significant gains and succeeded in fully protecting its interests in agriculture and other key areas. Commenting on the...

Amjad Ali Khan to recieve Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize.
August 1, 2004... Mumbai, Aug 1 (PTI) India's classical string maestro Amjad Ali Khan has been chosen for the Grand Prize of the 15th Fukuoka Asian Culture awards 2004 instituted by the Yokatopia Foundation and Fukuoka city, Japan. The prizes, established...

Digging yields evidence of Kerala's trade links with Rome.
August 1, 2004... Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 1 (PTI) Excavations in a village on the banks of the Periyar have yielded concrete evidence of Kerala's trade links with ancient Rome and thrown new light into the long search to pin the exact location of the port town...

Iraqi abductors extend deadline by 24 hours.
August 1, 2004... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) The abductors of three Indians in Iraq have extended the deadline to execute their captives till 8.30 P.M. IST (1500 gmt) Sunday, the Indian Government said. "We have been informed by our embassy in Kuwait that...

Sri Lanka elect to bat first in Asia Cup final.
August 1, 2004... Colombo, Aug 1 (PTI) Sri Lankan skipper Marvan Atapattu won the toss and elected to bat in the final of the Asia Cup one-day cricket tournament against India here on Sunday. India were bolstered by the return of VVS Laxman who replaced...

Naga issue: No conditions attached to talks, says Indian Govt.
August 1, 2004... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) After extending the ceasefire with insurgent outfit NSCN (IM) for another year, Indian Government says there will be no conditionalities for talks to find a lasting and peaceful solution to the vexed Naga issue. "We...

Party Congress of CPI(M) to be held next year.
August 1, 2004... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) The highest decision-making body of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the party Congress, will be held in the national capital in April, 2005. This was decided at the meeting of the party's Central Committee,...

Bus strike enters seventh day.
August 1, 2004... Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 1 (PTI) The private bus strike in Kerala entered the seventh day on Sunday, as the stand-off between the state government and bus owners over the vexed issue of fare hike continued, causing severe hardship to the common...

al Qaeda threat to New York ; high alert sounded.
August 1, 2004... New York, Aug 1 (PTI) Security has been put on high alert across New York city in the wake of fresh intelligence reports that terrorist network al Qaeda is planning to attack commercial institutions in the metropolis. Responding to new...

Leopard killed in Kerala's Palakkad district.
August 1, 2004... Palakkad, Aug 1 (PTI) A four-year-old leopard was killed after falling into an abandoned well in a village in this district of Kerala, forest department officials said on Sunday. The wild cat had strayed into Nenmara village from the nearby...

HSBC pegs down India's GDP growth to 6.5 per cent for FY05.
August 1, 2004... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) Foreign banking major HSBC has pegged downward India's GDP growth forecast to 6.5 from 7.2 per cent, fearing zero growth in agriculture due to deficient rains that have affected 38 per cent of the country's cropped area....

India's machinery exports to China up 178 pc in Jan-May 04:CII.
August 1, 2004... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) India is yet to fully tap the growing Chinese market of engineering goods and machinery even though the country's machinery exports to the Asian giant grew by 178 per cent during January-May 2004 to 51.32 million US...

Regulated markets drive growth of pharma companies.
August 1, 2004... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) Exports to regulated markets are playing a key role in driving the growth of pharma companies even as few of them expect an increase in domestic market sales with a focus on key brands as well as high therapeutic...

A-Pac telecom standardisation meet on regional cooperation.
August 1, 2004... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) Asia-Pacific countries will deliberate on regional cooperation in telecommunication standardisation programme in Hyderabad next week. Department of Telecom is hosting the eighth forum of five-day Asia-Pacific Telecom...

Deccan Infotech to expand overseas, plans office in Germany.
August 1, 2004... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) Bangalore-based information security audit firm Deccan Infotech is planning to enter the European markets and is scouting for a partner to set up operations in Germany. "We plan to begin our operations in Germany by...

'Law of Business Process Outsourcing', a book on BPO.
August 1, 2004... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) With outsourcing becoming a buzzword in international trade, companies in this sector are finding the Indian legal framework not up to the mark on several aspects of trade including the BPO contract. To help the...

India's software, ITeS exports surge 25 pc in 2003-04.
August 1, 2004... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) India's software and services exports registered 25 per cent year-on-year growth in 2003-04, according to estimates by Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council. "There has been a sustained increase...

Indian vehicles lure foreign buyers; exports up 38.1 per cent.
August 1, 2004... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) Mirroring the growth in domestic market, exports of 'Made-in-India' vehicles soared 38.1 per cent during the first quarter this fiscal. A total of 1,52,000 units wre shipped during April-June 2004 over 1,10,000 units...

Ranbaxy rejigs US biz, makes Ranbaxy Inc holding company.
August 1, 2004... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) Ranbaxy Laboratories has carried out major restructuring of its US operations by dissolving Ranlab Inc and making Ranbaxy Inc as its holding company. To streamline operations in the US, the company has made Ranbaxy...

Experts concerned on possibility of opening Indian skies.
August 1, 2004... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) With private Indian carriers getting the nod from some South East Asian governments to fly there, industry experts have voiced concern that the Indian skies may be opened further to the detriment of public carriers due to...

Orchid Pharma holds back its FCCB issue for the time.
August 1, 2004... Chennai, Aug 1 (PTI) India-based Pharma major Orchid Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Ltd has decided to hold back its 75 million USD Foreign Currency Convertible Bonds (FCCB) due to hardening of interest rates in the U.S. "We have not...

Sanmar approves sale of 23 p c stake in insurance JV to AMP.
August 1, 2004... Chennai, Aug 1 (PTI) Chennai-based Sanmar group has approved the sale of 23 per cent stake in its life insurance joint venture AMP-Sanmar Life Insurance Co Ltd to its Australian partner AMP. "The partners have approved the sale of 23 per...

Deadline extended; Captives, including Indians, safe in Iraq.
August 1, 2004... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) Amid signs of positive movement in the negotiation process, abductors of three Indians in Iraq have extended the deadline till 8.30 P.M. IST (1500 hours GMT) Sunday even as government announced it would facilitate return...

Bharti-Reliance join hands on inter-circle connectivity.
August 1, 2004... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) Telecom operators Bharti and Reliance have petitioned the Indian government to stop any proposed move to allow cellular operators direct connectivity between two circles by-passing the STD (standard trunk dial) operators...

Hearing on constitutional validity of Punjab act on Monday.
August 1, 2004... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) A five-judge Constitutional Bench headed by Chief Justice R C Lahoti will hear on Monday a reference sent by Indian President A P J Abdul Kalam to the Supreme Court on the question of constitutional validity of the Punjab...

Keep NDA coalition intact: Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
August 1, 2004... K G Suresh and Parikshit Joshi Dona Paula (Goa), Aug 1 (PTI) Former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Sunday stressed the need to keep the opposition National Democratic Alliance intact, a day after key NDA ally Janata Dal...

Seven militants killed in encounters.
August 1, 2004... Srinagar, Aug 1 (PTI) Seven top militants, including a self-styled deputy chief of Al-Burq outfit, were killed in seperate encounters in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, official sources said. The self-styled deputy chief of Al-Burq outfit,...

Doha deadline postponed to Dec, 2005, Ministerial in Hong Kong.
August 1, 2004... New Delhi, Jul 02 (PTI) Deferring the deadline for completion of Doha Round of trade talks, the next World Trade Organisation Ministerial meeting will be held in December, 2005, in Hong Kong for concluding the final deal. The original...

Indian industry welcomes WTO draft; compliments minister.
August 1, 2004... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) India's apex industry chambers on Sunday welcomed the WTO Framework Agreement saying several positive features in the new text will go a long way in boosting the developing countries' confidence in the multilateral...

Little in the WTO deal to guarantee reforms: Oxfam.
August 1, 2004... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) International civil society organisation Oxfam on Sunday warned that there was little in the last-minute deal at WTO to guarantee reforms that would help the poorest countries. The talks were rescued from collapse at...

WTO draft a good "starting point" for further negotiations.
August 1, 2004... New Delhi, Aug 01 (PTI) Indian trade experts on Sunday warned that the WTO deal had reduced developing nations' flexibility but said it was a good "starting point for further negotiations. "Developing nations have put themselves in a bind...

Two killed in Jammu and Kashmir.
August 1, 2004... Jammu, Aug 1 (PTI) A militant and a civilian were killed in militancy-related incidents in Rajouri and Doda districts of northern Indian state Jammu and Kashmir, official sources said on Sunday. A sector commander of Hizbul Mujhahideen (Pir...

'More CBMs should be announced before Foreign Ministers meet'.
August 1, 2004... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) Leading Indian and Pakistani personalities have urged their respective governments to strengthen peace process and announce more confidence-building measures before Foreign Ministers of the two countries meet in...

BPO firms in India at higher risk from viruses than corporates.
August 1, 2004... Mumbai, Aug 1 (PTI) Virus attacks on computers across the globe, which have posted a 20 per cent rise in the first two quarters of 2004, have put Indian Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) firms at a "higher risk" as they work on a 24x7 basis,...

Pakistan to host next Asia Cup.
August 1, 2004... Colombo, Aug 1 (PTI) Asian Cricket Council on Sunday formally announced that Pakistan will host the 2006 edition of the Asia Cup but put on hold the decision to revive the Asian Test Championship. "Pakistan have been formally asked to host...

Chile expresses interest in Indian helicopter.
August 1, 2004... Mumbai, Aug 1 (PTI) Chile has expressed interest in Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd's (HAL) twin-engined Advanced Light Helicopter `Dhuruv' and has technically evaluated it for both civil and military use. "The Latin American country has...

'Incredible India' shows in all metros soon: Renuka Chowdhury.
August 1, 2004... Kolkata, Aug 1 (PTI) The Union Tourism Ministry is launching 'Incredible India' shows in New Delhi shortly and subsequently in the other metropolitan cities to showcase tourist attractions in different parts of the country. Announcing...

Missing currency: Needle of suspicion points to security lapse.
August 1, 2004... Mysore, Aug 1 (PTI) Five employees, including three officers, of the Reserve Bank of India's currency note printing unit here have been suspended in connection with the missing of Rs five million in the cash consignment sent to...

Hong Kong to host WTO meeting in 2005.
August 1, 2004... Beijing, Aug 1 (PTI) The Sixth Ministerial Conference (MC6) of World Trade Organsation will be held in Hong Kong in December 2005, the General Council of the global body has decided. Hong Kong's Secretary for Commerce, Industry and...

Pak verifying al-Qaeda's claim of carrying out attack on Aziz.
August 1, 2004... Islamabad, Aug 1 (PTI) Pakistan is trying to verify a claim by al-Qaeda that it carried out the recent suicide attack on Prime Minister-designate Shaukat Aziz even as investigators have not ruled out involvement of lower level security...

Some "unscrupulous elements" bringing bad name to Islam: Aziz.
August 1, 2004... K J M Varma Islamabad, Aug 1 (PTI) Asserting that the suicide attack against him has further strengthened his resolve to make Pakistan a moderate welfare state, Prime Minister-in-waiting Shaukat Aziz on Sunday said that some "unscrupulous...

Sachin and Sehwag contain Sri Lanka.
August 1, 2004... Colombo, Aug 1 (PTI) Sachin Tendulkar did the star turn once again with his teasing leg spin as India restricted Sri Lanka to 228 for 9 in the final of the Asia Cup one-day cricket tournament here on Sunday. Tendulkar, who has cast a spell...

Indo-Pak composite dialogue process to gather pace from Aug 3.
August 1, 2004... K J M Varma Islamabad, Aug 1 (PTI) The Indo-Pak composite dialogue process would gather pace from next week with top officials of the two countries holding five meetings in New Delhi and Islamabad in quick succession to discuss key issues...

Amarinder issues veiled threat on water issue.
August 1, 2004... Chandigarh, Aug 1 (PTI) Apparently unmindful of the disapproval of his controversial remarks on the rivers water sharing issue, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday indirectly raised the bogey of terrorism saying the state's history...

Indian hostages in Iraq expected to be released in hours: KGL.
August 1, 2004... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) The three Indians being held captive by an Iraqi militant group are expected to be released "within hours", their employer Kuwaiti company said on Sunday. "We are very optimistic that the hostage issue will end very...

Cong-NCP and RPI alliance to continue: Pawar.
August 1, 2004... Mumbai, Aug 1 (PTI) With assembly elections in the state of Maharashtra round the corner, Nationlist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar on Sunday said the alliance between Congress-NCP and pro-dalit party RPI would continue unless there was...

Air India aiming to be among top five Asian carriers.
August 1, 2004... Mumbai, Aug 01 (PTI) Air India is endeavouring to be amongst the top five airlines in Asia in terms of fleet, quality of service, 'customer delight' and network in the next two years. This was stated by Air India Chairman V Thulasidas while...

Geelani to be active in Jamaat-e-Islami again.
August 1, 2004... Srinagar, Aug 1 (PTI) In an attempt to avoid defections from the party, Kashmiri secessionist group Jamaat-e-Islami on Sunday said it has revoked the retirement of firebrand separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani and appointed him as the head...

JD(S) leader says Antony govt in Kerala an "abject failure".
August 1, 2004... Kannur, Aug 1 (PTI) Janata Dal (S) Kerala Unit President M P Veerendra Kumar, MP, on Sunday charged the Antonty Government with "abject failure" in effectively presenting to the Centre various issues faced by the state and getting adequate...

Kerala developing inland waterways.
August 1, 2004... Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 1 (PTI) Kerala, with its 1,687 km inland waters, is developing "waterways" for cheap transportation, for which an initial Central assistance of Rs 940 million has been sought, the state's Irrigation and Water Resources...

Terror cartoon plunges Blunkett into race row.
August 1, 2004... London, Aug 1 (PTI) Muslim leaders have accused a British Home Office terrorism document of being "deeply offensive" about their religion, plunging the Home Secretary David Blunkett into a new race row, reports said on Sunday. The document...

Eight top militants killed in gunbattles in Jammu and Kashmir.
August 1, 2004... Srinagar, Aug 1 (PTI) Eight top militants including a self-styled deputy chief of Al-Burq outfit were killed in separate encounters in northern India's Jammu and Kashmir state, where militants shot dead a hostage and critically wounded a...

Two return with harrowing tales from Iraq.
August 1, 2004... Jalandhar, Aug 1 (PTI) Two Indian youth, who returned from war-ravaged Iraq after suffering blood-curdling experiences, have said they were surprised that Indians have been taken hostage by an Iraqi group as they were usually "soft" on the...

India's Pankaj Advani blanks Malaysian Loong in snooker event.
August 1, 2004... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) World IBSF champion Pankaj Advani blanked John Loh Ei Loong of Malaysia to stay on course for a clean sweep in Group D in the World Under-21 Snooker Championship at Carlow, Ireland. Advani, who has lost just four...

No confirmation of reports of hostages' release: India.
August 1, 2004... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) India on Sunday night said it has no confirmation about reports of release of three of its nationals kidnapped by a militant group in Iraq attributed to Kenyan Foreign Minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere but hoped that the...

Bus strike: Another round of talks on Monday.
August 1, 2004... Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 1 (PTI) The miserable plight of commuters in southern Indian state of Kerala continued for the seventh day on Sunday, with more than 20,000 private buses keeping off the roads demanding fare hike, as the bus operators...

VHP not to float political outfit.
August 1, 2004... Nagpur, Aug 1 (PTI) Ruling out floating a political outfit or entering into electoral politics, pro-Hindu outfit Vishwa Hindu Parishad said on Sunday it would continue "uniting Hindus to counter growing terror." "We will not enter into...

Pakistani infant's condition stable.
August 1, 2004... Bangalore, Aug 1 (PTI) The condition of the Pakistani infant Mohammed Ahmed, who underwent a complicated heart surgery at a hospital in this southern Indian metropolis, was stable on Sunday, hospital sources said. Arterial switch operation...

Codify privileges of legislative bodies: Veerendra Kumar.
August 1, 2004... Kannur, Aug 1 (PTI) Indian Newspaper Society (INS) President M P Veerendra Kumar on Sunday suggested codification of the privileges of the legislative bodies for effective functioning of the media. "The recent action against mediapersons in...

RSS chief visits cadres at Poojapura Jail.
August 1, 2004... Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 1 (PTI) Chief of pro-Hindu outfit Rashtriya Swyamasevak Sangh, K S Sudarshan on Sunday visited Poojapura Central Jail in this southern Indian state of Kerala where he met the Sangh activists imprisoned in connection with...

Singh says Congress High Command unhappy.
August 1, 2004... Chandigarh, Aug 1 (PTI) Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said on Sunday the Congress High Command was unhappy with him because he did not consult it in advance on the issue of abrogating river water accords but ruled out any political...

Hostages not freed: KGL.
August 1, 2004... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) The Kuwaiti company employing the three Indians held hostage by militants in Iraq on Sunday night said they have not not been released. Kenyan Foreign Minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere, who had announced in Nairobi that...