PTI - The Press Trust of India Ltd. articles from January 2005

PTI - The Press Trust of India Ltd. archives from January 2005

Powell expects emergence of peace the year ahead.
January 1, 2005... Washington, Jan 1 (PTI) American Secretary of State Colin Powell has hoped that the New Year would witness the emergence of peace in the strife-torn areas of the world and would see countries move towards democracy and free trade. "The...

Spate of lasers in cockpits raises terror concerns.
January 1, 2005... Washington, Jan 1 (PTI) With reports of laser beams piercing the cockpits of six commercial airplanes in the past four days in the United States, federal investigators are trying to determine the involvement of terrorists in these incidents....

Kochi, Jan 1 (PTI) The Central Institute of Fisheries.
January 1, 2005... Technology (CIFT), Kochi has clarified that seafood is very safe and there is no harm in eating it. The clarification came following alarming reports to the effect that possible virus has spread through the food items as a result of the tidal...

Tsunami aid tops USD 1.2 bn: UN.
January 1, 2005... United Nations, Jan 1 (PTI) With the United States raising its contribution ten-fold to 350 million dollars, the combined pledges of governments and international organisations for the relief of victims of the tsunami disaster have gone up to...

Five new countries join UNSC; Pak, 4 others retire.
January 1, 2005... United Nations, Jan 1 (PTI) Five countries, including Japan and Denmark, on Saturday joined the 15-member United Nations Security Council as non-permanent members for a two-year-term, replacing Pakistan and four other nations. Japan,...

More quakes in Andaman & Nicobar, off Sumatra coast.
January 1, 2005... New Delhi, Jan 1 (PTI) The Indian islands of Andaman and Nicobar region continued to be rattled by moderate intensity earthquakes even as another temblor was recorded this morning off the West Coast of Sumatra. Two earthquakes of moderate...

Indian and Pak troops headed for Democratic Republic of Congo.
January 1, 2005... United Nations, Jan 1 (PTI) Additional troops from India and Pakistan are headed to the troubled Kivus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to join the United Nations peacekeeping mission (MONUC) there, the world body has announced....

US denies rivalry with UN over leading tsunami relief work.
January 1, 2005... United Nations, Jan 1 (PTI) The United States has firmly rejected suggestions that it was trying to sidetrack the United Nations in the relief efforts for the victims of the tsunami catastrophe by creating a four-nation "core group" which...

MORNINGERS ON JANUARY 1, 2005.
January 1, 2005... COLOMBO : QUAKE-LANKA-LTTE (PIO,IE,TRI) -DO- : QUAKE-LD-LANKA-TOLL (AA (SHARED)) ISLAMABAD : PAK-CHINA-WEAPONS (ST) -DO- : MUSHARRAF OPPOSITION (ST) UN : QUAKE-ANNAN (TOI, AA) WASHINGTON : MUSHARRAF-US-DAILY...

WHO calls for control measures against bird flu in Vietnam.
January 1, 2005... New York, Jan 1 (PTI) The United Nations' health agency has called for heightened control measures against bird flu in Vietnam following reports of a new human case. In a statement, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned that coming...

EMT as disinfectant.
January 1, 2005... Tiruchirappalli, Jan 1 (PTI) Effective Micro Organisms Technology (EMT) would be used to disinfect Nagapattinam coastal area in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu which was the worst hit by Sunday's Tsunami attack. According to a top...

Special prayers for the departed souls at Velankanni.
January 1, 2005... Porayar, Jan 1 (PTI) A Special prayer for the departed souls in the Tsunami tragedy would mark the new year in the Shrine Basillica at Velankanni, in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. According Church sources, Thanjavur Bishop Dr...

Software engineers pour in for relief operations.
January 1, 2005... Porayar, Jan 1 (PTI) Several groups of young software engineers from the southern Indian metroplitan cities of Bangalore and Chennai have arrived at various parts of Nagapattinam district to carry out relief operations. They have brought...

UN for efforts to reunite tsunami-affected kids with families.
January 1, 2005... New York, Jan 1 (PTI) Emphasising efforts to reunite separated children with their families in tsunami-hit countries, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has said there was a need to urgently identify and provide ...

Special prayers in Kerala's churches for tsunami victims.
January 1, 2005... Kochi, Jan 1 (PTI) Special prayers for tsunami victims were held in churches across the southern Indian state of Kerala where over 160 people were killed by the waves which flooded its coast following the, massive earthquake off the...

India, Pak exchange list of nuclear installations.
January 1, 2005... New Delhi, Jan 1 (PTI) India and Pakistan on Saturday exchanged lists of nuclear installations and facilities under an agreement signed by the two countries in 1988. The lists, exchanged through diplomatic channels, are covered by the...

India's foreign currency reserves up by USD 394 million.
January 1, 2005... Mumbai, Jan 1 (PTI) India's foreign exchange reserves rose by US dollar 394 million during the week ending December 24, taking the total reserves past USD 131 billion. Revaluation of the US dollar led to a drop in the reserves,...

Navy to send ship with personnnel, medicines to Nagapattinam.
January 1, 2005... Chennai, Jan 1 (PTI) Continuing with its focus on Nagapattinam area in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the Indian navy will on Saturday night send a ship carrying medical personnel and medicines to the district, the worst-hit...

Leading companies to adopt children orphaned in Tsunami.
January 1, 2005... Coimbatore, Jan 1 (PTI) Some leading companies of the city in southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu have come forward to adopt children orphaned in the Tsunami tragedy and construct houses for the affected families, particularly those ...

Tsunami survivors' camps in Sri Lanka hit by flash floods.
January 1, 2005... Colombo, Jan 1 (PTI) The camps sheltering thousands of Tsunami survivors in Sri Lanka were hit by flash floods in the wake of heavy rains on Saturday, officials said. The refugees were evacuated from some 15 camps in the eastern...

Many people in relief camps prefer cooking their own food.
January 1, 2005... Chennai, Jan 1 (PTI) Relief Centres in the metropolis in southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu are being flooded with food from various quarters, but people in relief camps seemed to be keen on cooking their own food and were seeking...

Baby named after Tsunami.
January 1, 2005... Alapuzha (Kerala), Jan 1 (PTI) Tsunamis are associated with death and destruction but a couple in southern Indian state of Kerala's Alapuzha district have named their new born baby girl as Tsunami following her miraculous escape from the...

Pakistan to release 266 Indian fishermen.
January 1, 2005... Vadodara, Jan 1 (PTI) Pakistan has agreed to release 266 of the total 950 Indian fishermen languishing in its jails for past two years. However, the date of their release will be finalised in next couple of days and the Indian Ministry...

One-day series between ICC XI, Asia XI to raise funds.
January 1, 2005... Kolkata, Jan 1 (PTI) An International Cricket Council XI and Asia XI would play a two-match one-day series to raise funds for Tsunami victims in various countries. The first match of the series, sponsored by the Asian Cricket Council,...

China abolishes export rebates for some items.
January 1, 2005... Beijing, Jan 1 (PTI) China on Saturday abolished export rebates for electrolytic aluminium, ferro-alloy and other high energy consuming products. The announcement that export rebates on high energy consuming procucts has been abolished...

Aftershocks can trigger quake in Assam, US scientists caution.
January 1, 2005... New Delhi, Jan 1 (PTI) Aftershocks of last week's killer quake off Sumatra are moving northwards and can potentially trigger a major earthquake in north-eastern Indian state of Assam, scientists in the United States have cautioned the Indian...

Fresh accounts of abuse come out of Guantanamo Bay.
January 1, 2005... New York, Jan 1 (PTI) Former US intelligence officers and interrogators have provided fresh details about abuse of inmates at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, confirming earlier accounts in this regard. Descriptions about how inmates were shackled...

China to provide all possible aid for Tsunami-hit nations.
January 1, 2005... Beijing, Jan 1 (PTI) China was willing to "provide any possible aid in its power" for the earthquake and tsunami-hit countries, the Communist nation's Hu Jintao on Saturday said. "We deeply sympathise with the victims' families and give...

New York ushers in New Year with crystal ball drop.
January 1, 2005... New York, Jan 1 (PTI) Taking advantage of unusually warm weather, a record crowd of about one million danced and sang in Times Square here to usher in 2005 as the crystal ball hit the ground at midnight in a tradition that goes back to 100...

Aftershocks continue to jolt Andamans; latest quake 6.3.
January 1, 2005... New Delhi, Jan 1 (PTI) A series of earthquakes, measuring between 5.0 and 6.3 on the Richter scale, jolted the region from the Indian islands of Andaman and Nicobar to Sumatra since late Friday night, raising the number of aftershocks in...

Focus shifts to rehabilitation and relief works.
January 1, 2005... Chennai, Jan 1 (PTI) With the toll in Tsunami-ravaged coastal areas in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu being now officially put at little over 7400, the state machinery is now focussing its attention more on intensifying relief and...

Devastation in Car Nicobar islands total: GOC southern command.
January 1, 2005... Pune, Jan 1 (PTI) Observing that the devastation in Car Nicobar islands of India was total, General Officer-in-command Southern Command Lt Gen B S Takhar on Saturday said the death toll in the islands was likely to increase. "It would take...

Nagapattinam administration faces uphill task in relief work.
January 1, 2005... Nagapattinam (TN), Jan 1 (PTI) Chaotic scenes have become the order of the day in over 95 centres set up by the district administration in this coastal town in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu with the inmates complaining of lack of...

Flash floods in Lanka threaten Tsunami victims, hamper relief.
January 1, 2005... Colombo, Jan 1 (PTI) Tsunami survivors in eastern Sri Lanka were hit on Saturday by heavy rains which flooded their camps and also disrupted relief operations, officials said. Thousands of refugees in some 15 camps were evacuated to high...

Russia's ties with India, China to grow in New Year: Dy FM.
January 1, 2005... Moscow, Jan 1 (PTI) Moscow's ties with India and China will 'develop upwards' in the New Year, a senior Russian official said on Saturday. "The outcome of Russia's dialogue with India and China in the last year can be characterised as...

Product patent regime comes into force.
January 1, 2005... New Delhi, Jan 1 (PTI) In line with its WTO obligations, India has adopted from Saturday the product patent regime for food, drugs and chemicals and embedded software with adequate safeguards to protect the interests of common man. The...

Russia's ties with India to grow in New Year: Dy FM.
January 1, 2005... Moscow, Jan 1 (PTI) Russia on Saturday characterised its ties with India last year as "impressive" and said that the upward movement will continue in 2005 also. The outcome of Russia's dialogue with India last year "can be characterised as...

Tamil Nadu tourism industry estimates loss of Rs 50 million.
January 1, 2005... Chennai, Jan 1 (PTI) The estimated damage incurred by the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu's tourism department due to the Tsunami was around Rs 50 million, Commissioner of Tourism, Government of Tamil Nadu, on Saturday said. ...

HAM contact numbers for Andamans search.
January 1, 2005... Kolkata, Jan 1 (PTI) Amateur HAM Radio Operators have been helping in tracing the dead and providing information on the missing in calamity hit Indian islands of Andaman and Nicobar. An official release said here on Saturday those seeking...

India-Pak talks to resolve differences on Baglihar on Jan four.
January 1, 2005... Islamabad, Jan 1 (PTI) Top Indian and Pakistan water officials would meet in New Delhi on Tuesday to hold talks on the hydro-power project being built by India on the river Chenab at Baglihar in northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir....

Bhupathi rules out pairing with Paes this year.
January 1, 2005... Chennai, Jan 1 (PTI) Indian tennis star Mahesh Bhupathi on Saturday ruled out playing alongside his former partner Leander Paes in any tournament this year. Talking to reporters at the draw ceremony of the 2005 Chennai Open here Saturday...

Kerala shuns New Year celebrations.
January 1, 2005... Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 1 (PTI) Sharing the grief of thousands who had lost their kin or suffered damage to their property in the Tsunami disaster, social organisations and clubs in southern Indian state of Kerala chose not to hold any...

Help of Interpol sought to trace stolen Buddha head.
January 1, 2005... Kolkata, Jan 1 (PTI) Interpol help has been sought to recover a Gupta-period Buddha head, which was stolen on December 29 from the Indian Museum in this eastern Indian metropolis, museum officials on Saturday said. "The Indian Museum...

Forbes honours Ratan Tata.
January 1, 2005... New Delhi, Jan 1 (PTI) Ratan Tata, who is credited with the phenomenal growth of the Tata group in the past dacade, has been named as 'Forbes' Asian Businessman of the Year'. "His (Tata's) 14.3 billion dollars family conglomerate is a...

Iran mourns Tsunami deaths.
January 1, 2005... Chennai, Jan 1 (PTI) Iran on Saturday expressed grief over the death of a large number of people in the Tsunami calamity, Iranian Ambassador to India S Z Yahhoubi said. "On behalf of the Governor of Islamic Republic of Iran and on my...

India, Sri Lanka to jointly set up early warning system.
January 1, 2005... New Delhi, Jan 1 (PTI) India and Sri Lanka are considering the possibility of jointly setting up an early warning system to deal with possible recurrence of Tsunami-like disasters. "Our entire region does not have an early warning system. I...

Pondy needs Rs 4.4 billion for relief work: Lt Governor.
January 1, 2005... Pondicherry, Jan 1 (PTI) Union Territory in southern India Pondicherry needed around Rs 4.4 billion to conduct relief and rehabilitation work in the areas affected by the December 26 Tsunami, Lt Governor M M Lakhera on Saturday said. For...

School boy donates his pocket money for Tsunami victims.
January 1, 2005... Chennai, Jan 1 (PTI) In a touching gesture, a school boy has contributed INR 500, saved from his pocket money, towards relief of people affected by Sunday's deadly Tsunami. The seventh standard student of a city school here sent a demand draft...

Government to start steps for rehabilitation.
January 1, 2005... Kayamkulam, Jan 1 (PTI) Government of southern Indian state of Kerala has decided to construct temporary houses within two months for those who have lost their dwellings in the Tsunami disaster, state Revenue Minister K M Mani said on Saturday....

Relief and rehab operations in full swing.
January 1, 2005... Chennai, Jan 1 (PTI) Relief and rehabilitation measures for thousands of people displaced by Sunday's tidal waves in southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu and Indian islands of Andaman and Nicobar moved into top gear as the islands were rocked by...

IED blast rocks Anantnag; DIG among 17 injured.
January 1, 2005... Srinagar, Jan 1 (PTI) A Deputy Inspector General (DIG) and nine policemen were among 17 persons injured in a massive explosion triggered by militants on new year day in Anantnag district of northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, official...

Pak Oppn parties observe Black Day against Musharraf.
January 1, 2005... Islamabad, Jan 1 (PTI) Pakistan's Opposition parties staged rallies across the country and observed the New Year Day as 'Black Day' in protest against President Pervez Musharraf's decision to retain the post of Army Chief reneging to quit by...

Special train from Gujarat on way to Tamil Nadu.
January 1, 2005... Chennai, Jan 1 (PTI) Government of western Indian state of Gujarat will despatch around 1,200 tonnes of relief material to help the Tsunami-hit people in the coastal districts of southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. "We are tentatively...

Tsunami death toll mounts to 8,955 in India.
January 1, 2005... New Delhi, Jan 1 (PTI) The overall death toll in the Tsunami tidal waves in India has gone up to 8,955 and the number of those missing to 3,872, mostly in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, according to figures officially released here on Saturday....

Natwar to represent India at special ASEAN meet.
January 1, 2005... New Delhi, Jan 1 (PTI) Indian External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh will represent India at the Special ASEAN Summit meeting in Jakarta on January six to discuss the aftermath of Asia's devastating natural disaster, it was officially...

India sends two field hospitals to Tsunami-ravaged Sri Lanka.
January 1, 2005... Colombo, Jan 1 (PTI) India has sent two aircraft carrying field hospitals and medical personnel as part of its emergency assistance to Sri Lanka's Tsunami survivors, the High Commission said here on Saturday. At least 140 doctors and other...

US to send 1,500 marines, 20 helicopters to Sri Lanka.
January 1, 2005... Colombo, Jan 1 (PTI) The US will send a contingent of 1,500 marines with 20 helicopters to Sri Lanka to help in providing relief to almost a million displaced in the Tsunami disaster, American marine Colonel Tom Collins said here on Saturday....

Ind suggests Tsunami coregroup to monitor possible aftershocks.
January 1, 2005... New Delhi, Jan 1 (PTI) India on Saturday suggested to the Tsunami core group exploring the possibility of deploying a floating seismic research vessel in the Indian Ocean region to monitor possible aftershocks and Tsunami recurrence. The...

Religious leaders offer prayers for tsunami victims.
January 1, 2005... New Delhi, Jan 1 (PTI) Heads of various religions gathered here Saturday to offer joint prayers for the victims of Tsunami tragedy. Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Zorastrian and Jew leaders took part in an interfaith prayer meeting held at...

IUML approves Kunhalikutty resignation, names successor.
January 1, 2005... Kozhikode, Jan 1 (PTI) The Indian Union Muslim League Saturday approved the resignation offer made by Kerala Industries Minister P K Kunhalikutty, facing charges of sexual harassment, and named V K Ibrahim Kunju as his successor in the...

Shivarajkumar and Radhika wins best actor and actress award.
January 1, 2005... Bangalore, Jan 1 (PTI) "Chigurida Kanasu" has been adjudged the best Kannada film and Shivaraj Kumar, who played the lead role in the movie, has bagged the best actor award in the 2003-04 Karnataka film awards announced here Saturday. ...

Removal of sand dunes made Nagapattinam vulnerable, says NGO.
January 1, 2005... Nagapattinam (TN), Jan 1 (PTI) A beautification drive involving the removal of sand dunes was one of reasons for a large toll in the tsunami disaster in this district of Tamil Nadu, a voluntary organisation Saturday said. Removal of the sand...

1,000 bodies still lying scattered in the Andamans.
January 1, 2005... Port Blair, Jan 1 (PTI) Six days after the killer tsunami struck India's Andaman and Nicobar, about 1,000 bodies are still reportedly lying scattered on different islands, while 5,400 persons remained missing, as the efforts were stepped up to...

Slight quake in eastern India.
January 1, 2005... New Delhi, Jan 1 (PTI) An earthquake of slight intensity shook border areas of West Bengal and Orissa in eastern India on Saturday evening, Meteorological department said here. Measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale, the quake was felt at 1806...

Woes of the tsunami orphans.
January 1, 2005... Nagapattinam (TN), Jan 1 (PTI) The December 26 tsunami attack has brought with it the problem of orphaned children besides causing untold miseries to the people of this coastal district in southern India's Tamil Nadu state. More than 500...

Fishermen a worried lot.
January 1, 2005... Cuddalore, Jan 1 (PTI) "This was the season of prawns," says a fisherman in Devanampattinam hamlet as his catamaran, which he has been sharing with five other fishermen, lies in shambles some distance away from the beach, wrecked by the...

Sniffer dogs pressed into service to locate bodies in Nicobar.
January 1, 2005... New Delhi, Jan 1 (PTI) In view of the thick forest cover in the Tsunami-hit Nicobar islands, sniffer dogs have been pressed into service to locate bodies, Federal Cabinet Secretary B K Chaturvedi said Saturday night. The sniffer dogs...

Service personnel manning lighthouse at Indira Point missing.
January 1, 2005... Port Blair, Jan 1 (PTI) Service personnel manning the lighthouse at Indira Point, the southernmost point in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, could not be traced despite every effort to find them, Lt Gen B S Thakur, spokesman of the Integrated...

Haj flights begins from Aurangabad.
January 1, 2005... Aurangabad, Jan 1 (PTI) The city on Saturday became third boarding point for Haj pilgrims in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Nagpur, when first flight carrying 130 Haj pilgrims left from the Chikalthana airport here. A daily flight carrying...

MAPS second unit to be synchronised with the TN grid Sunday.
January 1, 2005... Chennai, Jan 1 (PTI) The second unit of the Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) at Kalpakkam, near here, which was shut down immediately after sea water entered the station following Tsunami, will become operational from Sunday, a top official...

Oppn parties should wait for elections in 2007: Musharraf.
January 1, 2005... Islamabad, Jan 1 (PTI) Promising to hold general elections in 2007, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf Saturday said he has decided to retain the offices of the President and Army Chief in the interest of continuation of internal and external...

Indian govt sets up integrated logistic arrangement.
January 1, 2005... New Delhi, Jan 1 (PTI) The Indian Government has set up an integrated logistic arrangement under Federal Defence Secretary to coordinate the massive relief supply to tsumani-hit three states Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and...

Top militant shot dead in J-K.
January 1, 2005... Jammu, Jan 1 (PTI) A top militant belonging to Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami was killed in an encounter with security forces and three kg of RDX was recovered in northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir since Friday night, official sources said...

Karnataka govt donates Rs 10 mn for tsunami-hit people.
January 1, 2005... Hyderabad, Jan 1 (PTI) Karnataka government Saturday donated Rs 10 million to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister's Relief Fund for taking up rehabilitation and relief work for tsunami-affected people in the state. Karnataka Irrigation Minister...

Modi flags off relief train for tsunami-hit victims.
January 1, 2005... Ahmedabad, Jan 1 (PTI) To provide assistance to the tsunami-hit victims of South India, a special relief train attached with 16 wagons carrying 1,400 tonnes of relief materials was Saturday flagged off by the Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra...

36 bodies recovered in Tarangambadi since Friday.
January 1, 2005... Porayar (TN), Jan 1 (PTI) Even six days after the Tsunami strike, more bodies continue to surface in nearby Tarangambadi in Nagapattinam district, the worst-hit in southern state of Tamil Nadu, with volunteers unearthing 36 badly multilated...

30,000 families affected; toll 817 in Kanyakumari.
January 1, 2005... Nagercoil (TN), Jan 1 (PTI) A total of 30,000 families and 33 out of the 44 fishermen villages in Kanyakumari district of southern Indian state Tamil Nadu had been affected by the deadly Tsunami. Stating this, District Collector Ramesh...

DIG among several injured in blast in Anantnag.
January 1, 2005... Srinagar, Jan 1 (PTI) A senior police officer and his two guards were among several injured in a powerful blast which shook Anantnag district of northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday evening, official sources said. Deputy...

TN Government to adopt orphaned children.
January 1, 2005... Chennai, Jan 1 (PTI) Government in southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu has decided to adopt all children who lost their parents in the recent Tsunami that hit at least 13 coastal districts of the state, claiming several thousand lives. New...

Moderate quakes continue to rock Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
January 2, 2005... New Delhi, Jan 2 (PTI) Three earthquakes of moderate intensity occurred in India's Andaman and Nicobar islands early Sunday, the Meteorological Department (IMD) said here. The first quake measuring 5 on the Richter Scale shook the east Car...

Long-term effort needed to overcome 'global' tragedy: Blair.
January 2, 2005... London, Jan 2 (PTI) Expressing "horror" at the tsunami tragedy, British Prime Minister Tony Blair has said long-term efforts from the international community were needed to overcome the consequences of the "global catastrophe." "At first it...

International donors' conference to be held in Geneva.
January 2, 2005... London, Jan 2 (PTI) An international donors' conference to help victims of the tsunami disaster in Asia will be held in Geneva on January 11, European Union development commissioner Louis Michel announced here. The Geneva meeting will be held...

Nanavati Commission's report on Sikh riots by January end.
January 2, 2005... New Delhi, Jan 2 (PTI) The Justice Nanavati Commission, inquiring into the 1984 Sikh riots, which is preparing to submit its report to the federal Home Ministry, sees a "pattern" behind the attacks on Sikhs. "The evidence does indicate a...

Earthquake, tsumani affects topography of Andamans.
January 2, 2005... Port Blair, Jan 2 (PTI) The topography of India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been affected by the earthquake and the killer tsunami as a number of beaches have vanished and an island has been cut into two. Water level at many areas...