| PM offers talks to northeast rebels who give up arms |
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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday offered to hold peace talks with all militant groups in the restive northeastern region that gave up arms.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday offered to hold peace talks with all militant groups in the restive northeastern region that gave up arms.
Winding up a 24-hour trip to Manipur, the prime minister assured the people of the troubled state that steps would be taken to prevent the misuse of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, but urged civil society groups not to set any deadlines for withdrawing the anti-terror law.
I am giving an open invitation to all young men and women who have taken to arms to come for talks with us so that we can usher in peace and prosperity in the northeast, the prime minister told journalists here.
Our government is willing to talk to anybody who shuns the path of violence.
Manipur has witnessed violent protests since July for the repeal of the anti-terror law, with Apunba Lup, a conglomerate of civil society groups, setting Dec 10 as the deadline for withdrawing the act that gives sweeping powers for arrest and use of force to security forces engaged in counter-insurgency operations.
Manmohan Singh appealed to the Apunba Lup, which has threatened to intensify protests over the law, not to get restless.
I appeal to the people of Manipur not to set deadlines and not to adopt a rigid stand. I assure you that we will come with some checks and balances, maybe before the stipulated six months period, he said, referring to time set by his government for the review of the law by a panel of experts.
The Apunba Lup has called a boycott of teaching of Hindi in schools and colleges as part of its protest until the Dec 10 deadline.
Referring to efforts to bring militant groups to the negotiating table, Manmohan Singh said there were positive overtures from the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), an influential group fighting for an independent homeland in Assam.
But he indicated that his government would continue to work with neighbouring nations to crack down on anti-India rebels that had bases outside the country.
Manmohan Singh said Myanmar had given an assurance that it would act against separatists having bases in the neighbouring country.
Myanmar’s Gen. Than Shwe has assured us of his country’s pledge not to allow his country to be used by insurgents for any attacks directed against India, he said.
The prime minister said his visit to the northeast was aimed at beginning a new process of hope and peace.
We are very serious to work with the people of the northeast to solve their various problems like underdevelopment and unemployment, besides promoting peace and accelerating development in the region, he said.
I am not here to give money or announce packages but will definitely respond to demands for projects submitted to us by the state governments, Manmohan Singh said.
Singh now travels to Guwahati, the main city in Assam, where he will address at least three functions, including an award ceremony, before chairing a meeting with the Assam council of ministers.
--Indo-Asian News Service
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| Ganguly has unpleasant memories of Green Park - Nov 22, 2004 12:57 IST |
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Sourav Ganguly will probably always have mixed feelings when he looks back at his Green Park connection, as it was in this stadium in 1996 that he had to undergo a fitness test during the lunch interval of a Test in front of a packed stadium!
Incidentally, it was also a match against South Africa, when then team physiotherapist Ali Irani made him run two rounds of the stadium on the last day of the match while the two teams ate their lunch.
On that day - Dec 11 - Ganguly completed the first round and was joined by Irani in the second. But the ’Bengal Tiger’ failed to complete the second round and apparently failed the fitness test - and was ruled out of the seventh one-day international played two days later in Mumbai.
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| Army to educate itself on wetland conservation - Nov 22, 2004 12:56 IST |
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The Indian Army will hold a two-day seminar here to educate its personnel on conserving the wetlands, including the Sunderbans, in the country’s east.
With a large number of troops deployed in and around the wetlands, the seminar on the theme The role of Indian Army in the conservation of wetlands, will focus on how the force can help maintain the ecological balance and conserve flora and fauna in the region.
There are a large number of wetlands in the eastern region, three of which are internationally acknowledged -- the Sunderbans, just south of Kolkata, the East Calcutta Wetlands, adjacent to Kolkata and the Loktak in Manipur, said Wing Commander S.N. Mukerjee, a defence ministry spokesman.
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| Shankaracharya should be treated properly: PM - Nov 22, 2004 12:55 IST |
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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday expressed the hope that arrested Hindu pontiff Jayendra Saraswathi would be treated with all courtesies that are due to a person of his stature.
I hope the Shankarcharya will be treated and extended all the courtesies due to his stature as a person of religious standing, he told reporters here shortly before winding up a visit to the northeastern state of Manipur.
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| Bangladeshi saris, pickles attract crowds at fair - Nov 22, 2004 12:54 IST |
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Crowds are making a beeline for the fine hand-woven saris of Bangladesh at the ongoing India International Trade Fair (IITF) here.
Bangladesh has this year mounted its largest ever participation at the IITF to showcase a range of products that go beyond the country’s exquisite Jamdani saris.
F. Hassan, director of the Bangladesh Export Promotion Bureau, is happy with the good response to the large range of products on display at the 25 stalls put up mostly by private entrepreneurs.
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| South Africa 302 for 5 against India - Nov 22, 2004 12:53 IST |
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South Africa were 302 for five 5 wickets at lunch on the second day of the first Test against India at the Green Park Stadium here Sunday.
Andrew Hall was batting on 118 and Z. Bruyn on 27.
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| Myanmar comes bearing jewels to woo Indians - Nov 22, 2004 12:50 IST |
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Indians’ love for jewellery and the brisk sales enjoyed by a company from Myanmar last year has lured more participants to the ongoing India International Trade Fair (IITF) here.
The objective is of course to attract more importers to Myanmar. We came last year to test the market and discovered that Indians love to wear jewellery and like buying it too! So we came in bigger numbers this year, said May Wah Lwin of Kaung Sint Yadanar.
The firm is a family-owned business, and Lwin is one of several family members and relatives who have come to participate in the fair and manage the busy counters.
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| My guru is innocent: Vijayendra Saraswathi - Nov 22, 2004 12:49 IST |
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Chennai, Nov 21 IANS) Vijayendra Saraswathi, junior pontiff of the Kanchi Mutt,
firmly believes that his spiritual guru, Jayendra Saraswathi, is innocent of the charges of involvement in murder slapped against the arrested seer.
I have firm belief in one thing. My guru is innocent. Every allegation made against him is untrue, the junior seer said in his first interview since the Nov 11 arrest of Jayendra Saraswathi.
Amidst reports that there is a move to install the 35-year-old Vijayendra Saraswathi as chief of the powerful Shankara Mutt in Kanchipuram, the mutt has blamed the media for false reporting.
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| Murder charge outrageous: Kanchi mutt - Nov 22, 2004 12:48 IST |
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Describing the murder charge that led to the arrest of Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi as outrageous, the Kanchi Kamakothi Peetam hoped that the pontiff would be vindicated and would come out of what it sees as the order’s darkest hour.
It is indeed the darkest hour for his (Shankaracharya’s) devotees and those interested in following the tenets of Hindu dharma (faith), said a half-page advertisement -- The Guiding Spirit... -- brought out by the mutt in Chennai-based The Hindu.
The simple, selfless saint of the masses is now facing an outrageous charge.
Such a charge is directed against the very Acharya whose compassion has reached millions with his helping hand, it said.
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| Aishwarya to act in film on Buddha? - Nov 22, 2004 12:47 IST |
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Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai and Hollywood star Brad Pitt have apparently shown interest in acting in a film based on the life of the Buddha, the head of a Buddhist group has said.
Bhupendra Kumar Modi, the newly elected president of the Mahabodhi Society of India, said the film, which would convey a strong message about Buddhism, would be directed by Shekhar Kapur while motivational guru Deepak Chopra would write the script.
Modi said that Aishwarya would play a powerful role in the film on Buddha.
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| Manisha Koirala in Kamal Haasan’s next project - Nov 22, 2004 12:46 IST |
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Tamil Nadu’s maverick performer Kamal Haasan is on to his new thrill. And it’s called Mumbai Express.
In the thriller Kamal Haasan plays a cop. And he’s found himself a surprising leading lady in Manisha Koirala.
Says Kamal Haasan, We’ve finally zeroed in on Manisha Koirala.
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| Apunba Lub gives Dec 10 deadline for repealing anti terror law - Nov 22, 2004 12:45 IST |
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Protest groups in the troubled north eastern state of Manipur Sunday said they have asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to repeal a controversial anti-terror law by Dec 10, failing which they would intensify campaign for its withdrawal.
We have asked the prime minister to repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) act by Dec 10 failing which we shall resume a vigorous mass movement across the state, Apunba Lup spokesman Y. Devadutta said.
The people of Manipur want the act to be repealed and the prime minister’s assurance that it will be reviewed by a committee within six months is not acceptable to us, he said.
The Apunba Lup has announced its decision to boycott teaching of Hindi language in schools and colleges as part of the protest until the Dec 10 deadline for repealing the Act.
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| Of dubious holy men and their murky ways - Nov 22, 2004 12:44 IST |
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The arrest of Hindu pontiff Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi on a murder charge renews the spotlight on the seamier side of religion where money, power and sex litter the path to god.
In a deeply spiritual country with multiple faiths and sects, religion has over the years been a convenient hideout for criminal elements, with police records chronicling scores of murders, rapes and robberies by and for men in holy garbs.
Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi of the Kanchipuram monastery has been accused of hiring killers to finish off his former accountant Sankara Raman, who was allegedly on the verge of spilling the beans on financial corruption in the management of the mutt in Tamil Nadu.
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| Politicians blocking sand mining project: experts - Nov 22, 2004 12:43 IST |
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Politicians were trying to stymie a mineral sand mining project that could generate precious revenue for Kerala, experts have alleged.
Experts say a proposed mineral sand mining project in Kerala’s Alappuzha district, which Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has shelved following widespread protests, will not harm the environment.
The private Cochin Minerals and Rutiles Ltd (CMRL), along with the state-owned Indian Rare Earths Ltd (IREL), had received sanction this year for mineral sand mining at Alappuzha. The beach sand reportedly contains rich deposits of minerals like ilmenites, rutile, zarcon, garnet and monazite.
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| Tourism boom creates imbalance in hotel demand, supply - Nov 22, 2004 12:43 IST |
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India’s tourism industry is booming like never before this season, with hotel rooms at several major destinations, including the national capital, going for hefty premiums owing to supply constraints.
The country in fact, hopes to finally cross the three million mark this year with inflows of 2.6 million tourists till October. In volume, the growth in tourist traffic this year is over 25 percent and in value around 40 percent, said a tourism ministry official.
The travel industry has reported business growth of anywhere between 20-70 percent this year following an increase in airlines’ capacity and consequential growth in tourist traffic.
Thus, for those who like to travel at a whim, this is certainly not the time to do so, warn industry bigwigs.
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| Kashmir solution stares one in the face - Nov 22, 2004 12:39 IST |
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Every recent visit by an Indian prime minister to the troubled state of Kashmir has infused new hope into the situation.
While Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s earlier trip paved the way for what has been described as the first free and fair elections in the state since 1977, his successor Manmohan Singh’s visit has the makings of the opening of a new chapter mainly as a result of his decision to begin withdrawing troops from the state.
Arguably, even more than the Rs.240 billion ($5.3 billion) package of assistance promised by the prime minister, it is the departure of the soldiers that will be welcomed by the local people.
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| South Africa seen as India’s rival in outsourcing - Nov 22, 2004 12:38 IST |
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South Africa may emerge as India’s rival in business process outsourcing, thanks to its better infrastructure, low labour costs and cultural advantages.
The number of call centres in South Africa will double in four years, says a study, South Africa: An emerging offshore location, conducted by Britain-based independent market analyst Datamonitor.
Offshore agent positions are also expected to quadruple from the current levels, says the report made available to IANS. Agent positions are terminals from which call centre operators make and receive telephone calls to internal or external customers. Multiple agents can use the same agent positions during varying shifts in a day.
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| Radio helps reach out to Indian expatriates - Nov 22, 2004 12:37 IST |
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An attempt to reach out to the Indian diaspora via the airwaves of Australia is drawing attention as an encouraging success story.
Indian expatriates in Australia can hear their own languages on the air - even if only for a few hours each week.
Australia officially argues that community radio initiatives can play a role in enhancing the mutual understanding and cooperative spirit that underpins the tolerant and harmonious Australian society.
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| South Africa 230/4 at stumps - Nov 21, 2004 13:27 IST |
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South Africa Saturday were 230 for four at close on the opening day of the first cricket Test against India at the Green Park Stadium here.
Andrew Hall (78) and Boeta Dippenaar (46) were together at stumps.
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| Muslim leader opposes Kanchi seer’s arrest - Nov 21, 2004 13:25 IST |
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All India Muslim Personal Law Board general secretary Maulana Syed Nizamuddin flayed the arrest of Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi.
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| Manmohan wins Manipur hearts amid shutdown - Nov 21, 2004 13:23 IST |
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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday sought to win hearts in Manipur with promises of peace and development and was loudly cheered even as a boycott call by rebels ensured a shutdown in most parts.
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