Asia Africa Intelligence Wire articles from May 2003, page 9

Asia Africa Intelligence Wire archives from May 2003

No consensus on voter-list census.
May 31, 2003... (From The Times of India) It isn't that time of the year - election time that is -but poll-vault politics seem to have started in right earnest. The assembly elections might be a good six months away, but usual suspects - the BJP and the...

The spy who misguided me.
May 31, 2003... (From The Times of India) You'll never be lost again. But on second thoughts, you might. The activation of the cell-broadcast system on the Delhi network for all Hutch subscribers might allow cellphone-users the display of information on...

Glam gang heads for Monaco.
May 31, 2003... (From The Times of India) The curtains have come down on the Cannes Film Festival. But the show must go on! The south of France won't stop witnessing the Indian swish set. For, yesterday, Rajya Sabha MP and United Breweries head honcho...

Straight Answers.
May 31, 2003... (From The Times of India) 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,...

Corporates play eye spy.
May 31, 2003... (From The Times of India) Unlike their famous forefathers, such as Sherlock Homes or apna Byomkesh Bakshi, these new age sleuths aren't hired to solve intricate murder mysteries, where almost everyone who catches the eye is a suspect....

'I smiled through the pain'.
May 31, 2003... (From The Times of India) Back from Cannes, Aishwarya Rai's eyes blaze as she lashes out against all those who lampooned her sense of style at the film festival and questioned why she was there at all. "One must realise that I was...

Jyothika takes on Tollywood.
May 31, 2003... (From The Times of India) The vivacious image that Jyothika exudes on screen is an extension of her real self. She's anything but reticent. Bollywood actresses are in awe of her bubbly performance. "I wish I could emulate Jyothika's...

A breezer of a party on cards.
May 31, 2003... (From The Times of India) The Breezer ishtyle has finally entered the Deccan plateau. To fill in the blank between life and death and to give Hyderabadis what one can call a total sensory stimulation, Bacardi Breezer will host the VIVID...

Abhishek breaks his silence.
May 31, 2003... (From The Times of India) 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...

Straight Answers.
May 31, 2003... (From The Times of India) Farooque Sheikh, actor, on his television foray and his break from cinema. Talks are that a second season of Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai will be created soon. Will we see you as host again? Yes, there have...

Anuj was not the Romeo types, says family.
May 31, 2003... (From The Times of India) For the Mishras there seemed to be no end to celebrations. After the visa of their elder son, Anuj, was confirmed for Singapore, excitement was palpable in their two-room house in Kanpur's Azadnagar locality....

Bidding farewell to rare antiques.
May 31, 2003... (From The Times of India) It pains to see that beautiful Yamini Rai painting going for a song just because storing it is a problem or that antique hukka being wrapped up by the junk dealer for a few pennies more - second hand art in...

'I want my work to scream'.
May 31, 2003... (From The Times of India) "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...

Fire safety: It's all in the pipeline.
May 31, 2003... (From The Times of India) The fire that gutted property worth crores in Aminabad recently has the Fire Department all fired up to walk the talk about fire safety this time. Traders and customers at Aminabad can now heave a sigh of relief,...

Straight Answers.
May 31, 2003... (From The Times of India) 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...

'Skin' Pam says no to leather.
May 31, 2003... (From The Times of India) Baywatch babe Pam Anderson may have revealed enough of her own skin, but these days she's more concerned with that of animals! Animal-lover Anderson has sent out a letter to Indian designers urging them to stop...

'I smiled through the pain'.
May 31, 2003... (From The Times of India) 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...

Joy returns to Bollywood as smaller films strike a chord.
May 31, 2003... (From The Times of India) Three average grossers has the film industry smiling again. Haasil, campus caper Ishq Vishk and masala love triangle Andaaz are moving steadily towards being hits. "Thank God for these films. Finally, there...

'Namdeo isn't depressed'.
May 31, 2003... (From The Times of India) Six days after the hostage drama at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) Constable Ramnarayan Namdeo is showing no sign of remorse or guilt when quizzed by a...

Straight Answers.
May 31, 2003... (From The Times of India) 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...

Rumours may mar polio drive in Midnapore (E).
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service HALDIA, May 30. - Rumours spread among members of a particular community is feared to mar the forthcoming pulse polio immunisation programme in East Midnapore district. This is evident...

Bus stand poses standing problems.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service RAMPURHAT, May 30. - Think global, forget the local. This seems to be the spirit these days. One may talk of cross-country bus services but care little for the same services at home....

Tough roads ahead for pulse polio drive.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service BEHRAMPORE, May 30. - Murshidabad has apparently woken up to polio consciousness. Come 1 June and hundreds of children in the district will take the polio vaccine. According to the...

Unearthed history brings fresh claims.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Asim Pramanik in Behrampore May 30. - People of Murshidabad can expect history to be rewritten which will authenticate claims of some historians and archaeologists that Gautam Buddha, the propounder of...

Heat wave kills one at Chakdah.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service KRISHNAGAR/PURULIA, May 30. - The lives of Nadia residents were utterly affected as the mercury soared to intolerable limits in a row for the past four days claiming one life. The...

Clerks manage.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service MIDNAPORE, May 30. - The Directorate of Distance Education (DDE) launched at Vidyasagar University in 1994 is plagued by a shortage of managerial staff. The directorate has no permanent...

Boost for Bahurupis.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Pranesh Sarkar in Suri May 30. - Here's a piece of pleasant news for the Bahurupis of Birbhum. The state government plans to undertake a string of developmental projects for these rare artistes. Over the...

RSP yet to decide whether to leave LF.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service KRISHNAGAR, May 30. - In view of the recent confrontations with the big brother in the Left Front, the RSP top brass is waiting for the decision of their extended body meeting, scheduled...

BSNL doing well in Uttaranchal.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service DEHRA DUN, May 30. Increase in the number of mobile phone connections here has brought new challenges before the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL). The number of CellOne and Excel...

Maruti IPO to be benchmark for PSUs.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service MUMBAI, May 30. The Union minister for disinvestment, Mr Arun Shourie, today said the Maruti IPO would serve as a benchmark and trendsetter for other government companies slotted for...

CII explores business prospects in Kuwait.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service KOLKATA, May 30. A CII delegation concluded its three-day visit to Kuwait yesterday evening. The 20-member business mission; with its focus on exploring the possibilities of Indian...

Ahmedabad tops, Delhi follows in vanishing companies.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Press Trust of India NEW DELHI, May 30. The government said today it has launched prosecution against 149 vanishing companies till date under Sections 63, 68 and 628 of the Companies Act. In case of...

Govt clears 21 FDI proposals.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Press Trust of India NEW DELHI, May 30. The Centre today cleared 21 Foreign Direct Investment proposals envisaging Rs 35.55 crore investment, including Rs 27 crore proposal by Advanced Mineral Asia Pte for...

Naidu's discomfiture.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) VHP takes a hand, they must be stopped Venkaiah Naidu is not one of those who speaks first and thinks afterwards. His statement yesterday about building a mosque next to the site of the Babari Masjid was...

Making amends.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Higher Secondary Board proceeds with caution It has taken a lot of pressure exerted from different quarters to make the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education see reason on the marking of examination papers....

Monsoon memo.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Dispur's date with Bodo destiny The delay in implementing the Memorandum of Settlement on the creation of a territorial council for Bodos under the Sixth Schedule only serves to feed suspicion about Dispur's...

On record.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) I went to Lahore with a message of peace. The peace bus crashed against Kargil mountains... Even their Prime Minister (Nawaz Sharief) had to go. But I did not give up. I invited Gen Musharraf to Agra. He came...

Camelot Comeback In Spain.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) MADRID, May 30. - Camelot, the court of King Arthur, has been rediscovered in Madrid. To give an exact location, it is in the Teatro Real, where an expectant house has been thrilled by the world premiere of...

100 years ago today.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) MAY 31, 1903 (News Items) The Serampore Cotton Mills. - At the High Court, yesterday, before Mr Justice Stephen, Mr MacNair, of Messrs Morgan & Co., applied in the matter of the Indian Companies' Act and in...

TAX CUTS IN USA.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Bush May Win, America Will Lose By SAUBHIK CHAKRABARTI If George Bush's tax cuts were a pretzel, America would choke on it. The $ 320 billion - the final value could go up to $ 800 billion or even $ 1...

Jesus was gay, claims Australian academic.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) SYDNEY, May 30.- The scriptures and astrological charts point to Jesus being a homosexual, an Australian academic said today. In an upcoming book, Melbourne's Rollan McCleary also argues up to three of...

Israel to withdraw troops from W Bank.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Press Trust of India JERUSALEM, May 30. - Israel has offered to pull out its forces from West Bank cities in exchange of a Palestinian crack down on radical groups, officials said today. The offer came...

Nepal PM quits.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service KATHMANDU, May 30. - King Gyanendra has begun consultations with the five major parliamentary parties of Nepal for a replacement government after accepting the resignation of Prime...

Delhi won't question Washington on Iran.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Press Trust of India ST PETERSBURG (Russia), May 30. - As Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee arrived here today for some high-voltage diplomacy and interaction with the world's most powerful leaders, India indicated...

Centre plans action against blacklisted NGOs.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service AGARTALA, May 30. - According to a Union home ministry report, a large number of NGOs have been extending clandestine support to insurgents in the North-east. The Centre is planning to...

'Shabbily-dressed' kids barred from meeting President.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Nalin Verma in Patna May 30. - It seemed to be a case of the haves and the have-nots. While over 3,000 school kids were delighted to interact with President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam at the Bihar Raj Bhavan here...

Defence ministry goes soft on China.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service NEW DELHI, May 30. - India's differences with China remain, but there is a need for a "long-term and stable relationship" based on the principles of the Panchsheel, the defence ministry...

CPM to monitor panchayat funds.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service KOLKATA, May 30. - The CPI-M will lay maximum emphasis on transparency and strict monitoring of the use of panchayat funds during the next five years. In a two-day meeting which began...

Hindutva not a poll issue: Venkaiah.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service HYDERABAD, May 30. - BJP president Mr M Venkaiah Naidu today said that Hindutva was not an election issue for his party, and that it would rather focus on developmental issues. He was...

IRS officials quizzed in transfers scam.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) NEW DELHI, May 30. -- The CBI has begun questioning officials whose names figure in various "records" maintained by Chennai-based chartered account, Mr A Krishnamurthy, one of the accused in the recently...

NH-55 repairs meet roadblock.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Niraj Lama in Darjeeling May 30. - It appears that the 77-km long National Highway 55, connecting Darjeeling and Siliguri, is not only the "lifeline" of the Hills but also of vested interests. Earlier...

Development is an alien word in Tapan.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service BALURGHAT, May 30. - Despite tall claims about the success of the Panchayati Raj in West Bengal, hardly any development work has taken place in about 15 villages of the Harsura gram...

Pen-down strike on 13 june.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) DARJEELING, May 30. - The Hill Employees' Association (Amar Group) has declared a "pen-down" strike on 13 June to press for their 21-point charter of demands. They demands include 13 per cent hike in...

Census on Limboos and Tamangs welcomed.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service GANGTOK, May 30. - The Sikkim Limboo-Tamang Joint Action Committee (SLTJAC) has welcomed the state's decision to ask the Centre to conduct a special census on the Limboos and Tamangs of...

Hills script a sad story.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service DARJEELING, May 30. - It was the first "Entrepreneurs Meet" organised by the West Bengal Financial Corporation in the Hills today. And only two proposals were submitted from Darjeeling....

Stir threat over Adivasi land row.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service SILIGURI, May 30. - Alleging that the management of Bijoynagar Tea Estate in Terai in collusion with the CPI-M and the land department "usurped" Adivasi land near Naxalbari, the...

Malda development schemes stalled.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service MALDA, May 30. - Development work in Malda taken up under the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Schemes (MPLADS) remains incomplete, a status report prepared by the district...

North Sikkim under BSNL mobile net.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Sarikah Atreya in Mangan May 30. - Sikkim's North district will now come under the mobile telecom network after BSNL launched its mobile services in Mangan yesterday. The mobile service will cover Mangan and...

Naga peace talks.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) AS the Indian team from the latest talks in Bangkok with the National Socialist Council of Nagalim returned to New Delhi to brief the Indian leadership, what appeared clear is that after more than seven years...

Bhutan's call to arms.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) THIS extract from Kuensel, the Bhutan government's mouthpiece, shows Bhutan's concern over north-eastern militants' camps in that country, in strategically sensitive areas between India and China's Tibet...

Open forum.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Horror of horrors, in Manipur By Pradip Phanjoubham MANOJ Sethi, a garment store owner in Imphal's busy Paona Bazar was found shot dead and abandoned on 27 May after 37 days in the captivity of gunmen. The...

North by North East by Sanjoy Hazarika.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Cry, the beloved state PRADIP Phanjoubham, one of the North East's most passionate and sensitive journalists, has penned a cry from the heart about the tragedy that has overwhelmed his state, Manipur. In Open...

short takes.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Peace-meal moves There is a spurt in the number of wannabe peacemakers in the North East. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing. Of course, one should support peace moves. The latest in the line include...

Residents take on gangsters.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service KENDRAPARA, May 30. - For a change, residents of this coastal township, who were lying low against law-breakers, rose to the occasion in waging the fight against hardened criminals. ...

Stage set for Sterlite project.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service BHUBANESWAR, May 30. - The stage has been set for the foundation laying ceremony of the proposed alumina plant to be set up by Sterlite company in undivided Kalahandi district. ...

Heat wave toll touches seven.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service BHUBANESWAR, May 30. - People in coastal Orissa had a respite today as heat wave conditions subsided a little even as the official death toll went up to seven. The heat wave, however,...

Orissa, Tripura deal on transport.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) BHUBANESWAR, May 30. - The states of Orissa and Tripura will be signing an agreement to facilitate the development of the transport sector as well as bring about an improvement in tourist amenities on the...

A hospital for the poor in Rourkela.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service ROURKELA, May 30. - The steel city has recently witnessed the inauguration of a landmark in health care services which may not match the Ispat General Hospital, but which in its own way...

Japan to help state.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service BHUBANESWAR, May 30. - The Japanese government today agreed to fund the Rengali-II and Kanpur irrigation projects and assist in the development of the Buddhist tourism circuits in the...

Ramkrushna blasts Navin.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service BERHAMPUR, May 30. - Political surprises will soon shake state politics due to the rise of the new political outfit Janashakti, former state finance minister and expelled BJD member, Mr...

Lack of funds and land halts ambitious rail project.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service KENDRAPARA, May 30. - The much-hyped Paradip-Haridaspur rail project which was supposed to benefit people living in Jajpur, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur districts is yet to take off...

Kaniha suffers silently...
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) ANGUL, May 30. - The entire Kaniha block, consisting 25 panchyats, has no medical facilities, even in the current killer summer. Three state government hospitals in the locality are literally defunct....

Health camp for Puri sevayats.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) PURI, May 30. - If things go right, devotees and tourists coming to this holy town may find a change - the normally potbellied sevayats and pandas may actually turn out to be fit and trim. A special...

Woman found dead at Cuttack home.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service CUTTACK, May 30 - A 47-year-old woman was found dead under mysterious circumstances at her residence in Sutahat area of the city today. Police suspect that Ms Arati Mohapatra, a fishery...

Life paralysed in Rourkela.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service ROURKELA, May 30. - Rourkela and its neighbouring areas are sizzling under a sweltering heat wave generated by the west wind. The heat wave has affected normal life here which...

Gajapati SHGs empower women.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service PARALAKHEMUNDI, May 30. - The success of Self Help Groups working for women' empowerment in Gajapati district comes as a whiff of fresh air at a time when most government-sponsored...

PM joins celebrations on 'white night'.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Press Trust of India St Petersburg, May 30. - On a "white" night washed by unseasonal rains, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee tonight joined other world's powerful leaders on the deck of a ship in celebrating the...

Fasting animals will be a feast for the eyes.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Imran Ahmed Siddiqui in Kolkata May 30. - Two-legged Kolkatans are not the only ones bogged down by the intense heat and humidity this summer. The animals housed in Alipore Zoo have been made to fast once a...

First polio case in W Midnapore.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service MIDNAPORE, May 30. - The first polio case of Midnapore West district was detected at Salikota in Dantan 1 block, Dr PB Baske, zilla parishad sabhadhipati said here today....

Snooping agency with I&B ministry.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Srinjoy Chowdhury in New Delhi May 30. - Big Brother is still watching. The Central Monitoring Service, that watches over radio and television programming not only in India, but other parts of the world as...

UP Opp. moves, CM unmoved.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) RLD mlas withdraw support Statesman News Service LUCKNOW/NEW DELHI, May 30. - Mr Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal, which has 14 members in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, today withdrew support from the BSP-BJP...

Two tea officials killed in Sonitpur.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) TEZPUR, May 30. - Armed labourers hacked to death two senior officials, including the deputy manager, of Chopai tea estate in Assam's Sonitpur district today. Officials said a group of labourers called...

Financial aid for Dung Dung.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Press Trust of India RANCHI, May 30. Olympic hockey gold medallist Sylvanus Dung Dung struggling to supplement his meagre pension amount today expressed a deep sense of gratitude for getting financial...

India need a draw.
May 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Press Trust of India PERTH, May 30. The stage is set for another interesting duel between arch-rivals India and Pakistan who clash here tomorrow for a place in the final of the three-nation invitational...