 |
|
17 Palestinians die in Israeli offensive
US clashes with Shi’ite militia kill 8 Murder triggers panic among Trinidad Indians
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Exhibition of Indian cartoons Sultan of Brunei arrives in Pak
|
|
17 Palestinians die in Israeli offensive Gaza, May 18 The offensive, codenamed “Operation Rainbow’’, started when dozens of Israeli tanks and armoured vehicles, backed by Apache helicopters began pouring into the town and its refugee camp after midnight, just three days after another force pulled out on completion of searches for the remains of five soldiers killed in the area. Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz said today morning that the offensive was unlimited in time. Its duration depended on “situation evaluations and results achieved in the coming days’’, he added. He denied its aim was to destroy houses. Israeli security officials said the raid’s principal goal was to reach the owners and operators of tunnels used for smuggling weapons into Gaza from across the border from Egypt and to empty the weapons warehouses in Rafah fed by those tunnels. Most of the 17 fatalities were killed by Israeli helicopter missiles used in the confrontations with local militants. Hospital officials in Rafah confirmed they had 14 deaths and at least 45 injured so far, 10 of them seriously. But witnesses reported that three people who were killed and many more injured were taken inside houses and could not be evacuated due to the ongoing fighting. The witnesses said the searches focussed on Rafah’s Tel Sultan neighbourhood and “Block O’’ of the town’s adjacent refugee camp. They reported ‘’heavy exchanges’’ and sporadic explosions.
— DPA |
|
Amnesty cautions Israel
over Gaza demolitions London, May 18 ‘’Israel’s unjustified destruction of thousands of Palestinian and Arab Israeli homes as well as vast areas of agricultural land has reached an unprecedented level and must stop immediately,’’ said the London based human rights organisation. It said over the past three and a half years, Israeli forces had demolished more than 3,000 homes. ‘’In the occupied territories, demolitions are often carried out as collective punishments for Palestinian attacks or to facilitate the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements. Both practices contravene international law and some of these acts are war crimes,’’ the human rights body said.
— DPA |
|
US clashes with Shi’ite militia kill 8 Karbala (Iraq), May 18 Witnesses said some of the fiercest fighting took place only 100 metres from the city’s shrines — some of the most sacred ground in Shi’ite Islam — as guerrillas launched rocket-propelled grenades at US tanks moving into the area. Hospital sources said at least eight Iraqis were killed in the skirmishes, the most recent since US forces deployed troops to the area to try to crush an uprising by the firebrand cleric’s followers. As clashes died down near dawn, the streets of the city, normally packed with tens of thousands of Shi’ite Muslim pilgrims from Iran and elsewhere, were deserted. A US military official said yesterday that US forces had killed 51 guerrillas in fighting in the south, which has stretched occupying forces and illustrated the instability of Iraq six weeks before a formal transfer of power to Iraqis. WASHINGTON: A roadside bomb containing the deadly sarin nerve agent exploded near an American military convoy in Iraq, the US military said. It was believed to be the first confirmed finding of any of the banned weapons upon which the United States based its case for the Iraq war. Two persons were treated for “minor exposure”, but no serious injuries were reported. The deadly chemical was inside an artillery shell dating to the Saddam Hussein era that had been rigged as a bomb in Baghdad, Brig-Gen Mark Kimmitt, chief military spokesman in Iraq, said in Baghdad on Monday.
— PTI |
|
Murder triggers panic among Trinidad Indians Port of Spain, May 18 “We call on the government to take immediate action to stop the carnage as our people are living in fear,” said a statement signed by Mr Devan Maharaj of the Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin. Mr Maharaj said the killing of Ashmead Baksh was a “clear indication” that members of the Indian community were being targeted in Trinidad. Mr Anthony Aboud, president of the Manufacturers’ Association, expressed concern over the crime wave in Trinidad and Tobago and its effects on trade. Former Deputy Prime Minister Kamal Mohammed commented “Young Baksh’s death has sent shock waves throughout the country. We are in a difficult position. I don’t know how we are going to get out of it.” The Opposition United National Congress (UNC) led by Mr Basdeo Panday claimed the Patrick Manning-led government seemed impotent to deal with the escalating crime. Mr Baksh was buried last afternoon at Barrackpore, South Trinidad. The funeral was attended by several thousand mourners. His abductors had demanded a ransom of 800,000 dollars, but none was paid. The police has detained two men for questioning.
— AFP |
|
Hair nets to replace turbans in France Paris, May 18 The law forbids conspicuous religious symbols and attire in the classroom such as the Jewish skull cap and large Christian crosses, but it is chiefly aimed at the Muslim head scarf. Asked about the turbans worn by Sikhs, he said later that an “arrangement” had been made with Sikhs to replace the traditional headgear with hair nets. “We’ve come up with an arrangement,” Mr Fillon said. “They accept wearing a hair net. It’s less aggressive, less showy.” Representatives of the small Sikh community of 5,000-7,000 said they were unaware of any such arrangement. On the contrary, they said, Sikh representatives had received a letter from a counsellor to Prime Minister Mr Jean-Pierre Raffarin, dated May 10, that provided “conditional assurance” that Sikh boys could wear turbans in class. “We were told that we could wear turbans because we never posed a problem,” said Mr Karmvir Singh, a Paris member of United Sikhs, expressing surprise. “A hair net has no place and no meaning,” said the director of the United Sikhs, Mr Hardyal Singh, based in New York. “It’s appalling,” he added. The school guidelines go beyond attire to forbid students from refusing certain courses — like physical education or biology — for religious reasons or rejecting professors based on their gender. The guidelines also forbid absences for religious reasons beyond major holidays. Mr Fillon said that it would be up to individual schools to decide whether bandannas — seen by many Muslims as a substitute for head scarves — could be worn. Even in schools that accept discreet head coverings, bandannas would be banned if the student overtly attached a religious significance to it. The newly adopted guidelines would allow the ban on conspicuous religious symbols and attire to be applied “everywhere and for everyone whatever form the signs take,” Mr Fillon told the High Council for Education.
— AP |
|
Exhibition
of Indian cartoons London, May 18 Observing that there could not be a bigger pleasure than a cartoonist’s caricature, Lord Paul said Tailang who had been recently awarded Padma Shree had given “pleasure to so many people” and he had made Indians proud. Lord Paul, who formally lit a lamp to mark the inauguration of the exhibition said: “We Indians are very good at laughing at ourselves. We can be touchy if somebody else laughs at us.” Mr Pavan Varma, Director of Nehru Centre, said: “Tailang is not a casual cartoonist. He is committed to cartoons and he has exhibited tremendous skills as a cartoonist.” Welcoming Mr Varma as the new Director of the Nehru Centre, Lord Paul said: “You are going to be part of the Indo-UK Round Table and look forward to your contribution.” Lord Paul, British Ambassador for Overseas Business, is |
|
Sultan of Brunei arrives in Pak
Islamabad, May 18 He was received by the President Pervez Musharraf at the military base Chaklala. During his stay in Pakistan the Sultan will hold talks with President Musharraf and the Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali focusing on enhancing economic cooperation. The two sides will also explore possibilities for joint ventures and investment. Pakistan Foreign Secretary Riaz Ahmed Khokhar told reporters that both the countries enjoyed close and brotherly relations and expressed confidence that the recent visit of Sultan would give new impetus to these relations. “Pakistan appreciates the role of Brunei Darussalam for its entry into ASEAN regional forum”, he said.
— PTI  |
||||||
US Jews burn
Indian wigs 7 feared dead in
China plane crash Prison fire kills
103 inmates China shelves
moon mission |
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | National Capital | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
