Asia Africa Intelligence Wire articles from May 2003, page 7

Asia Africa Intelligence Wire archives from May 2003

Champ fest a major hit with children.
May 31, 2003... (From The Economic Times) : It was a packed house once again as The Times of India NIE sponsored Champ Film Fest had another successful day. One of Roald Dahl's most popular stories converted into a fascinating movie -Matilda - was...

IIMC students head abroad for summer.
May 31, 2003... (From The Economic Times) : At least 20 firstyear students from the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta are heading for foreign shores this summer as part of their summer internship programme. And for the eight IIMC students who...

Vedic maths made easy.
May 31, 2003... (From The Economic Times) : The gurus of mathematics have come out with a solution to cure anyone who dreads the subject. The Times of India NIE team in association with 'Paditik' will hold a workshop on Vedic Mathematics from June 9...

Missing intern returns home.
May 31, 2003... (From The Economic Times) : The missing student of hotel management and hotel intern finally returned home on Wednesday after 11 days of suspense. Sukhwinder Singh, 23, a final year student at the Institute of Hotel Management was...

Guard shoots miscreant trying to rob warehouse.
May 31, 2003... (From The Economic Times) : Security guards working in an aluminium factory in Taratala shot and killed a man who was sneaking into the warehouse of the factory early on Thursday. Nineteen year old Akhtar Ali was part of a gang which...

Bloc to launch panchayat stir.
May 31, 2003... (From The Economic Times) : Forward Bloc leader and West Bengal agriculture minister Kamal Guha alleged on Wednesday that not a single meeting of the district committees, formed to monitor the activities of panchayats, had been held...

NCM's stand on madrasah syllabi flayed.
May 31, 2003... (From The Economic Times) : The West Bengal Minorities Commission on Thursday termed its apex body's proposed meeting to discuss the syllabi of madrasahs in the country as "an attempt by some fundamentalist forces to malign the...

Teachers to ensure right brains for high school.
May 31, 2003... (From The Economic Times) : Students entering class VIII will have to take three diagnostic tests from the coming academic year to help school teachers gauge the level of their intelligence before they can initiate high school studies....

Cable operators now face Lesa crackdown.
May 31, 2003... (From The Economic Times) LUCKNOW: Already involved in a tiff with the government over the entertainment tax issue, cable operators of the city now are all set to face the wrath of the Lucknow Electricity Supply Administration (Lesa). ...

Stampede breaks out at Patna Jn.
May 31, 2003... (From The Economic Times) PATNA: A stampede broke out at the platform number one of Patna Junction following the leakage of gas from the fire extinguisher kept in an air conditioned coach of Hawrah-Danapur Express (3232 down) on Thursday...

Warrant for Sunil Pandey in hotel firing case.
May 31, 2003... (From The Economic Times) PATNA: The court of ACJM Bimal Kant Choudhary here on Thursday issued a production warrant for Samata Party MLA Sunil Pandey in a case of firing in the beer bar of Hotel Maurya. A case was registered against...

Honda launches generator.
May 31, 2003... (From The Economic Times) PATNA: Honda Siel Power Products Ltd unveiled its Handy Genset in Patna on Thursday. Speaking on the occasion, the company's general manager (marketing), R P Mehrotra, said that this lightweight, high...

'Business rivalry'.
May 31, 2003... (From The Economic Times) CHANDIGARH: Dolly Sarabjit Singh, wife of Sarabjit Singh Raju, accused in cable sex scandal, said that her husband was innocent and was being made a target because of business rivalries. Addressing a press...

Sudha Suri's appointment as dean of PGI challenged.
May 31, 2003... (From The Economic Times) CHANDIGARH: The appointment of Dr Sudha Suri as the PGI dean was on Thursday challenged by Dr Sarla Gopalan, professor of the gynaecology department who was one of the candidates for the post. Gopalan has...

NK Jain's bail plea dismissed.
May 31, 2003... (From The Economic Times) CHANDIGARH: The judgment on the bail plea preferred by senior Haryana cadre IAS officer and former Chandigarh home secretary N K Jain which had been reserved by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday was...

I was misinterpreted, says Venkaiah.
May 31, 2003... (From The Economic Times) Byline: Smita Gupta /HYDERABAD: Combined pressure from the RSS, the VHP and even his own party forced BJP president M Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday to withdraw the statement he made at a rally in Rampur on...

Pseudo-secularists blamed for all ills.
May 31, 2003... (From The Economic Times) HYDERABAD: Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani on Thursday blamed pseudo-secularists for the present state of affairs in the country, wherein people became insensitive to culture and beliefs of others. "India...

Advani predicts big win for NDA.
May 31, 2003... (From The Economic Times) HYDERABAD: Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani on Thursday predicted that the National Democratic Alliance will get the mandate in the next general elections because of its good governance. Exhorting party...

Girl planning to elope killed by father.
May 31, 2003... (From The Economic Times) HYDERABAD: Suvarna, 16, a resident of Padmanagar in Kutbullpur was throttled to death by her father Lakshmikant Reddy on Thursday evening. Reddy surrendered before police soon after the incident. Jeedimetla...

Bangalore handicaps.
May 31, 2003... (From The Economic Times) : Following are the handicaps for the Bangalore races scheduled for Sunday: Abdul Wajid Memorial Plate: 20-35: 1,600m: Royal Heights 60, Red Chief 59, Smart Supreme 57, Noble Fantasy 55, Believer 54.5, Global...

Go for e-procurement, PSEs told.
May 31, 2003... (From The Economic Times) : Chief vigilance commissioner P Shankar on Thursday urged the chief executives of various public sector enterprises to ensure transparency in procurement process and encourage competition, saying there is no...

India, Singapore hold free trade talks.
May 31, 2003... (From The Economic Times) : India and Singapore concluded here on Wednesday the first round of negotiations on an ambitious economic cooperation agreement between them which would include a free trade pact and an investment promotion...

New Airtel package cuts STD rate.
May 31, 2003... (From The Economic Times) : Airtel will offer 100 minutes of cell-to-cell (C-2-C) STD calls to those subscribers who pay Rs 50 a month for the facility, effectively bringing down the STD rate to 50 paise a minute. This facility will...

More investment in Maruti: Suzuki.
May 31, 2003... (From The Economic Times) Byline: Byas Anand : Suzuki Motor Corp president Osamu Suzuki on Thursday evening hinted at more investments in its Indian arm Maruti Udyog in the future as part of plans to make it the R&D and export hub....

Tisco net profit surges on better product mix.
May 31, 2003... (From The Economic Times) : Higher sales realisation, better product mix and improved sales on its branded steel to automotive and construction industries helped the Tata group firm Tisco strengthen its bottomline by 427.85 per cent in...

Straight Answers.
May 31, 2003... (From The Economic Times) Salil Ankola, actor & former cricketer, On his criteria for choosing a role. Your profile boasts of two of the most popular glamour fields in the country -cricket and acting. After my leg injury,...

Abhishek breaks his silence.
May 31, 2003... (From The Economic Times) Abhishek Bachchan's engagement with Karisma is still among the most talked about break-ups in Bollywood. While Abhishek has maintained a dignified silence so far, Rendezvous with Simi Garewal sees him...

'I want my work to scream'.
May 31, 2003... (From The Economic Times) "I like my work to speak," says Urmila and bursts out laughing at the cliched sound of her own statement. "Actually I would like my work to scream!" Like it does in Bhoot, the Ram Gopal Varma scare fare that...

Straight Answers.
May 31, 2003... (From The Economic Times) Vinay Srivastava, Regional Passport Officer, On the problems faced by the applicants. Has the passport application system gone online yet? No, the application system is not online, though the passport...

'I smiled through the pain'.
May 31, 2003... (From The Economic Times) Aishwarya Rai lashes out at those who criticised the sense of style she displayed at Cannes film festival. Back from Cannes, Aishwarya Rai's eyes blaze as she lashes out against all those who lampooned her...

Straight Answers.
May 31, 2003... (From The Economic Times) Bhaskar Ghose MD, IndusInd Bank, On the Wellness 2003 expo, which begins today and is on till June 2 at Bandra-Kurla Complex. What prompted the involvement of IndusInd Bank, a part of the Hinduja Group, in...

Nigeria: ECOWAS leaders reject military intervention in subregion.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) May The heads of state and government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) who met at an extraordinary session of the 28th anniversary of the subregional institution...

DRCongo: Goma rebels back at Sun City agreement follow-up talks.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) The RCD [Goma-based Congolese Rally for Democracy] will return to the negotiating table and participate in meetings of the national follow-up commission in charge of implementing the...

Uzbek president to visit Iran on 17-19 June 2003.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) site on 30 May Uzbek President Islam Karimov will hold negotiations with Iran's President [Seyyed] Mohammad Khatami and Afghanistan's President Hamed Karzai in Tehran (Iran) on 17-19 June...

India notes difference of opinion with USA on Iran's role in post-war Iraq.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) India has admitted that it has serious differences with the United States on the Iranian role in post-war Iraq. Talking to reporters on board the prime minister's special Air India flight from...

Tajik trains run on Uzbek railway line bypassing Turkmenistan.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Tajik trains on the Dushanbe-Astrakhan route linking the Tajik capital to the Russian river port with access to the Caspian Sea have started running on the new Uzbek railway line linking the...

Turkey to rebuild theology faculty in Afghanistan's northern city.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) In accordance with an agreement signed between the representatives of Kabul and Ankara yesterday, the Turkish government has undertaken to [re]build the faculty of theology and religious...

Iranian vice-president, Turkish premier inaugurate border gate.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Ankara, 30 May: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Aref opened on Friday [30 May] Gurbulak border gate which was modernized by the Association of...

Iranian, Turkish officials inaugurate border terminal.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Orumiyeh, West Azarbayjan Province, 30 May: First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Aref said here on Friday [30 May] that Iran is ready to contribute to economic development in the region. ...

Russian guards seize large amount of explosive on Tajik-Afghan border.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Dushanbe, 31 May: A detail of the Moskva border detachment discovered a cache of two bags containing an explosive, ammonal, in a mountainous sector of the Tajik-Afghan border yesterday evening....

Proposals on Russia-EU visa-free travel to be drafted by Rome summit - Putin.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) St Petersburg, 31 May: [Russian President] Vladimir Putin has suggested preparing proposals for the time frame and phases for introducing visa-free travel between Russia and the EU by the...

About 140,000 Afghan refugees return home from Pakistan in 2003 so far.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Over 100,000 Afghan refugees were repatriated from Pakistan this year. According to an IRNA report based on a UNHCR statement published in Islamabad yesterday, the number of Afghan refugees...

Kenya: Islamic teacher charged with sheltering terrorist released on bond.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) An Islamic teacher charged with sheltering a terrorist was yesterday released on a 300,000-shilling bond and surety. Nairobi Chief Magistrate Aggrey Muchelule ordered Mr Said Saggar Ahmed...

Russia's Putin urges EU to minimize negative consequences of enlargement.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) St Petersburg, 31 May: [Russian] President Vladimir Putin has urged the participants in the Russia-EU summit to make joint efforts in order to avoid the negative consequences of EU enlargement....

Japanese PM, Chinese president begin first formal talks.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) St Petersburg, 31 May: Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi started his very first formal meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao on Saturday [31 May] in St Petersburg to address such...

Japanese PM, Chinese president agree to boost ties.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) St Petersburg, 31 May:Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Chinese President Hu Jintao met briefly during a gala reception Friday night [30 May] marking the 300th anniversary of the...

Chechnya: Two Russian soldiers killed in attack on army convoy.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Moscow, 31 May: Two servicemen were killed and several injured when an army motor convoy was fired upon near the administrative border between Chechnya and the Republic of Ingushetia. The Ingush...

US committee questions number of Saharans in Tindouf camp - Moroccan report.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Washington, 30 May: The US Committee for Refugees cast doubt on claims by Algerian authorities and Polisario leaders that there are 165,000 refugees in the camps of Tindouf (southwestern...

US survey charges Polisario of humanitarian aid embezzlement - Moroccan report.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Washington, 30 May: The US refugees survey for 2003 has charged the Polisario, the Algeria-backed secessionist group, of embezzling human aid destined to Moroccan populations sequestered in...

Afghan FM says more Iranian consumer goods needed for reconstruction.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) The Afghan foreign minister has stressed the need for the manufacture of Iranian products inside Afghanistan. In an interview with an [Iranian] Voice and Vision correspondent in Kabul, Dr...

Morocco: Illegal sub-Saharan immigrants arrested in Laayoune.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Laayoune, 30 May: Some 21 sub-Saharan illegal immigrants were arrested this 20-29 May in Laayoune (southern Morocco), police said. The illegal immigration fighting brigade arrested four...

UN extends Sahara mission mandate till 31 July - Moroccan report.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) New York, 30 May: The United Nations Security Council adopted this Friday [30 May] a resolution extending until 31 July the mandate of the mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (known by...

Europe to spend over 300m euros on Russian rocket pad in Kourou.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Moscow, 31 May: European partners will allocate 314 million euros to build a launch pad for Russian booster rockets at the Kourou space centre in French Guyana, the head of the European Space...

Ukrainian, Kazakh president urge CIS free trade zone.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Kiev, 31 May: Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, who is paying a four-day working visit to St Petersburg to mark the city's 300th anniversary, has held a bilateral meeting with Kazakh President...

Putin opens EU summit, warns about enlargement pitfalls.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) [Presenter] President Putin has just ended his speech at the opening of the Russia-EU summit. In particular, he urged the participants of the summit to do their best to avoid negative...

Chechnya will enjoy "broadest possible autonomy", Putin tells EU leaders.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) St Petersburg: Russian President Vladimir Putin has assured the leaders of the EU countries that the process of political settlement in Chechnya is irreversible. "The process of political...

Cuba: Highlights of Cubavision TV news 0000 gmt 30 May 03.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Figures in brackets indicate length of time of each item 1. Headlines. (under 1 min) 2. Pinar del Rio -The recovery of tobacco industry in the aftermath of last year's hurricane was...

North Korean fishing boats cross into South waters again.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Seoul, 31 May: Four North Korean fishing boats briefly violated the maritime border with the South in the Yellow Sea Saturday morning [31 May], the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. The...

Review of draft constitution a serious matter, Afghan paper.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) The government had a free hand in selecting the members of the commissions formed to draw up a draft constitution and review it although this should have been done by the people, an editorial in...

Putin warns EU of "dramatic growth" in drug smuggling.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) St Petersburg, 31 May: Russia is "very much interested" in the solution of the problem of drug trafficking from Afghanistan, President Vladimir Putin said at the Russia-EU summit, which is...

American FBI hunts suspect accused of planning terror attacks in Kenya.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Fazul Abdallah Mohamed is said to be in the region and is planning to commit terrorist acts. The Riyadh terrorist attacks last month, which killed 34 people, have re-ignited the debate on...

Putin presents new envoy at Russia-EU summit.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) St Petersburg, 31 May: Russia will be reinforcing its staff responsible for cooperation with the European Union, Russian President Vladimir Putin said today at the Russia-EU summit. In this...

Putin speaks of St Petersburg's special links with Europe.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) [Presenter] We can now go live to the Marble Hall of the Konstantinovskiy Palace outside St Petersburg where the Russia-EU summit is under way. Here is what President Vladimir Putin said...

Japan, China agree on need for future-oriented ties.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) St Petersburg, 31 May: Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Saturday [31 May] he agreed with Chinese President Hu Jintao that bilateral ties should be oriented towards the future. ...

Ukrainian, Belarusian presidents discuss border treaty, CIS trade.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) St Petersburg, 31 May: The presidents of Ukraine and Belarus, Leonid Kuchma and Alyaksandr Lukashenka, agreed in St Petersburg on Saturday [31 May] to hold a meeting at the level of the two...

Cambodia deports 11 Thais for alleged involvement with terror network.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) newspaper The Nation web site on 31 May Cambodia yesterday deported 11 Thai nationals for alleged involvement with the regional terrorist network Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), which Phnom Penh...

Singapore sees opportunities in Iraq reconstruction due to support for US.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Straits Times web site on 31 May Singapore companies have been invited to bid for sub-contracts in the potentially lucrative rebuilding of postwar Iraq following the Republic's willingness...

Turkish Treasury issues statement on IMF talks, draft letter of intent.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Ankara, 30 May: The Treasury Undersecretariat stated on Friday [30 May] that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Executive Board was expected to decide about completion of the fifth review in...

Hamas leader says road map "conspiracy"; no decision on truce.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Leading Hamas member Abd-al-Aziz al-Rantisi has described the road map peace plan as a "conspiracy" and said that the movement has not yet made a decision regarding a possible cease-fire,...

China reports one new mainland SARS case, four more deaths.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) (New China News Agency) Beijing, 31 May: There were one new severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) case and four new deaths from the disease between 10.00 a.m. [0200 gmt] 30 May and 10.00...

Around 1,000 displaced Kosovo Serbs march to Belgrade to start hunger strike.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) [Announcer] Around 1,000 displaced Serbs from Kosovo who are members of the Kucni Prag [Home Threshold] refugee association are today setting off on their march from Nis [in southern Serbia] to...

Comoros: Some 69 killed by AIDS between 1988 and 2002.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) A workshop to popularize the national report on the follow-up of the declaration on the commitment and validation of the Comoran proposal on HIV/AIDS, took place at Royal Itsandra between 27...

Mozambique: Electoral body considers Frelimo, Renamo proposals.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) The commission in charge of reviewing Mozambique's law on elections met on Wednesday [28 May] to discuss proposals advanced by the Mozambique National Resistance, Renamo party and the Mozambique...

Russia, EU sign communique, set to study visa-free travel further.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) St Petersburg, 31 May: Russia and the European Union have agreed to examine terms for the introduction of visa-free travel as a long-term prospect. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced...

USA made mistake to end anti-terror operations in Afghanistan, Afghan minister.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) The USA made a mistake in announcing the end of its anti-terror operations in Afghanistan as Taleban remnants still exist there and they can re-group at any time, Afghanistan's Minister of...

Hong Kong's anti-spitting campaign wins wide support - Chinese agency.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) (New China News Agency) Hong Kong, 31 May: "It's good because it metes out heavy penalty and pinches a good sum of money from the purse of those who habitually spit everywhere on the...

US to setablish follow-up teams for implementation of road map; Hamas member shot dead.
May 31, 2003... (From Al Bawaba) President George W. Bush will establish follow-up teams to be led by the U.S. that will report on the implementation of the road map peace plan by Israel and the Palestinians, two American envoys to the Middle East told...

Chinese historical city launches two expressway projects.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) (New China News Agency) Suzhou, 31 May: Suzhou, a key historical city in east China's Jiangsu Province, has launched the construction of two expressways to Shanghai and Taicang. The...

Hamas leader comments on road map "conspiracy" after premiers' talks.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of "exclusive" report entitled: "Road map created to pull Sharon from intifadah's quagmire; Hamas has not yet made decision regarding truce", carried by pro-Hamas Palestinian Information...

Chile: Highlights of Television Nacional de Chile news 0100 gmt 30 May 03.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Figures in brackets indicate length of time of each item 1. Headlines. (2 min) 2. Report on yesterday's murder of a youth over 100 pesos. Victim's mother highlights drug problems in the...

Ugandan president urges implementation of Lusaka peace accord on DRCongo.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) President Yoweri Museveni has said that the Lusaka peace agreement member countries can, in conjunction with the Security Council, find a lasting solution to the conflict in the DRCongo. ...

Comoros: President Azali receives Ivorian emissaries.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Three Ivorian emissaries were received on 28 May by President Azali Assoumani... Observers in Moroni believe the mission is linked to the forthcoming election of the president of the...

German minister calls for Ugandan influence to restore peace in DRCongo.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) The German minister [of state for foreign affairs] has asked Uganda government to use its influence to restore law and order and bring peace to the DRCongo. Ms [Kerstin] Muller said while she...

SKorea: President Roh vows to continue fight against corruption.
May 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Seoul, 31 May: South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun expressed his determination Saturday [31 May] to fight against injustice and corruption. In a speech delivered to the closing plenary session...