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US to Iran: take time to study offer of talks
British academics flay closure of Husain exhibition
UN honours 5 Indians killed in missions
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3 Indian projects for ‘Green Oscar’
Pak resists US pressure to hand over Khan
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US to Iran: take time to study offer of talks
Washington, June 1 White House spokeswoman Dana Perino also said President George W. Bush spoke to Chinese President Hu Jintao by telephone about Iran. The conversation centered on the “way forward” in dealing with Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, another U.S. official said. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said in reaction to the U.S. offer on Wednesday that Tehran was open to talks on “mutual concerns,’ but rejected Washington’s pre-condition that it stop enriching uranium, the fuel for nuclear reactors and a vital component in atomic bombs. Perino said the U.S. was reserving judgment until after a meeting of the five permanent U.N. Security Council powers plus Germany in Vienna on Thursday seeking an agreement on incentives for Iran to scrap potentially weapons-related nuclear work. “We would hope over the next several days they (Iran) would take some time and carefully consider it,” Perino said, referring to the U.S. offer of joining multilateral negotiations. — Reuters
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British academics flay closure of Husain exhibition
London, June 1 The exhibition, called M.F. Husain: Early Masterpieces 1950-70s, was to run at Asia House until Aug 5 but was cancelled following protests by the Hindu Forum of Britain against some paintings that allegedly violated Hindu sentiments. Moreover, two of Husain's paintings depicting Hindu goddesses were defaced by three men with black spray paint in what is being called the first act of Hindu extremism in Britain. The damage to the paintings was reported to be to the tune of 200,000 pounds. Officially, Asia House cancelled the exhibition "for security reasons". In a letter to The Guardian, 43 academics and researchers, most of them of Indian origin, alleged that groups such as the Hindu Forum of Britain and Hindu Human Rights "are wielding the same tactics used by organisations in India". "These groups are known for repeatedly attacking the works of artists and intellectuals, undermining India's constitutional right to freedom of thought and expression...As scholars of South Asia and its rich traditions of artistic, social, religious and political expression, we condemn the forced closure of the exhibition," the letter stated. The academics, led by Chetan Bhatt of Goldsmiths College, London, said: "The Hindu Forum of Britain and Hindu Human Rights accuse Asia House of not 'consulting' with them before putting on the exhibition. — IANS
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UN honours 5 Indians killed in missions
United Nations, June 1 At a brief solemn ceremony yesterday, Counsellor at the Indian Mission to the United Nations Taranjit Singh Sandhu accepted the Dag Hammarskjwld medals on behalf of the families of the fallen heroes. They would be forwarded to the bereaved families. The five killed in the line of duty at various UN missions included Havildar Nazimuddin Mollaha, Lt Havildar Vishnu Baghwan Shinde, Lt Havildar Mun Prakash, Naib Subedar Ram Kripal Singh and civilian Sarang Das Dhar. Praising the courage of peacekeepers, Secretary-General Kofi Annan noted that with the missions becoming more and more complex, they faced increasingly dangerous situations.
— PTI
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3 Indian projects for ‘Green Oscar’
London, June 1 The awards, now in its 6th year, rewards outstanding initiatives that use sustainable technologies to meet the needs of local communities and at the same time address the urgent challenge of climate change. The total prize money involved in the global awards is 200,000 pounds (USD 373,060). The three Indian finalists are Appropriate Rural Technology Institute (ARTI) in Maharashtra, International Development Enterprises India (IDEI) and Vivekananda Kendra - NARDEP (VK-Nardep) in Tamil Nadu. The awards will be presented here on June 15. ARTI is chosen for designing a revolutionary biogas system that uses food waste and other sugar, starchy substances rather than dung to produce gas for cooking.
— PTI
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Pak resists US pressure to hand over Khan
Islamabad, June 1 “Islamabad will resist the pressure being exerted in this regard through different means. Pakistan is ready to address the nuclear proliferation concerns’ of the United States and its allies, but is not ready to provide any foreign agency ‘direct access’,” to Khan, who has been placed under house arrest, the officials were quoted as saying by Dawn. Airing its “proliferation concerns” frequently, the Bush Administration was openly opposed the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline and denied a nuclear deal to Islamabad similar to the one it signed with New Delhi as an attempt to exert pressure, they said, adding Pakistan, however, would continue to resist. Differences over Khan came to the fore after Pakistan asserted that investigations into Khan’s nuclear network had been closed. Questioning this, the US Congress appointed a subcommittee and began hearing experts to verify Pakistan’s conclusions over the investigations. Washington has also made known its unwillingness to remove the negative travel advisory for its citizens and investors wishing to visit Pakistan.
— PTI
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