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Monday,
December 23, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Israel prepares for US attack on Iraq French scribe hit by US tank, dies
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Pak to set SAARC dates after India’s assurance
‘Vande Mataram’ 2nd in popularity poll |
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Sikh leader’s ouster sought Indian movies sink Pak film industry UN seals
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| Israel prepares for US attack on Iraq Tel Aviv, December 22 In preparation for the expected US strikes, Israel Defence Forces’ (IDF) Home Front Command conducted a large exercise last week and a major emergency war game drill was to be held this week, in conjunction with local councils and the Israeli police, the daily Ha’aretz reported today. One of the largest home front exercises ever undertaken, last week’s emergency war game drill simulated the landing of missiles bearing chemical or biological materials at various sites in the country, the daily said, adding that the exercise tested the use of watchposts in the rapid detection of sites where missiles fell. IDF Home Front Command sources were quoted as saying the exercise was rated a success as various stages and manoeuvers were carried out relatively quickly. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz would visit the home front headquarters this week to monitor preparations for possible escalation in the Persian Gulf. LONDON: The British Royal Navy is planning to spearhead the country’s effort in the US-led military campaign, launching its biggest amphibious landing operations in 20 years, the media reported here. The 5,500 Royal Marines will be part of the 40,000 amphibious force being assembled for the task. Preparations for action are being stepped up after signs that the USA has set its sights on February to launch an attack on Iraq, soon after the January 27 deadline for Hans Blix, the United Nations’ chief weapons inspector, to report to the Security Council on Iraqi co-operation. In all, Britain’s naval contribution will involve more than 20 ships from the Navy and Fleet Auxiliary, led by Ark Royal and the helicopter carrier Ocean. MOSCOW: Russia on Sunday categorically ruled out its participation in a possible US-led military operation against Iraq. “Russia does not see the goals for the sake of which it may join military operations against Iraq,” Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov told Russia’s ‘Channel 1’ network. “If others want to pursue other goals, then it goes beyond the framework of our interests,” Ivanov stressed, adding that with Washington Moscow only shared the goal of depriving Baghdad of its weapons of mass destruction. NEW DELHI: Seeking to allay fears of disruption in India’s crude oil supplies in the event of a war in Iraq, the government has said the country has contracted enough supplies from countries beyond the conflict zone. “We import only 1.4 million tonnes of crude oil from Iraq. In the event of a war, only these supplies can be affected. The remaining imports (of 72 million tonnes) are sourced from a number of countries,” Petroleum Secretary B.K. Chaturvedi said at a seminar organised by TERI here.
PTI |
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French scribe hit by US tank, dies Kuwait City, December 22 “Patrick Bourrat died this morning,” an embassy spokesman said. “Among other injuries, his spleen was ruptured and one kidney, although still working, was half cut,” he said. Bourrat was hit by a US army Abrams tank yesterday while trying to save his cameraman’s life, the spokesman said. Details of the accident were never clarified yesterday, but the spokesman said Bourrat had actually leapt in front of an oncoming tank that would have run into the cameraman. Bourrat, 48, was medically evacuated out of the desert after the accident and transported to the Kuwaiti Armed Forces Hospital, where he was diagnosed with four broken ribs. Bourrat was well-known to French television viewers, having been a correspondent in Jerusalem and Moscow and covered conflicts across the globe from East Timor to Kosovo, Chechnya to Lebanon. He was briefly taken prisoner at Basra, southern Iraq, during the Gulf War in 1991.
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Pak to set SAARC dates after India’s assurance Islamabad, December 22 “India has been changing its stance on the issue and we will announce fresh dates only once we are sure that the Indians will be coming for the Summit,” Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali said in Lahore last night. Mr Jamali also told reporters that he would continue with the Kashmir policy pursued by Gen Pervez Musharraf and all other policies that “suit Pakistan.” “We will allow all policies, including those on Defence and Foreign affairs, which are in the interests of Pakistan,” he was quoted by the daily News as saying. Expressing confidence that his government will win the vote of confidence on December 30, Mr Jamali said he was in touch with all political parties in this regard and was optimistic that they would vote for him for the continuation of democracy. “I am requesting all political parties to contribute their bit towards progress and prosperity of the country and this can be done by giving my government the vote of confidence,” he said. The Jamali government has a two-vote majority in the 342-member National Assembly. Since November 24, Mr Jamali’s strength has gone up from 172 to 173 with another elected member of the Pakistan People’s Party joining the ranks of 10 defectors.
PTI |
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‘Vande Mataram’ 2nd in popularity poll London, December 22 “Vande Mataram”, written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, had also featured in the 1950s movie “Anand Math”. “A Nation Once Again”, written in 1841 by Irish patriot Thomas Davis as a call for independence from British rule, stood first, largely because of a global e-mail campaign calling on Irish expatriates to vote. More than 1,50,000 votes from 153 countries were cast in the poll, which marked the 70th anniversary of the BBC World Service. The winning anthem beat classics such as John Lennon’s “Imagine” and Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”. Songs from India and Pakistan recorded a strong showing, reflecting the popularity of the service there. Recorded in 1964 by The Wolfe Tones, one of Ireland’s most famous folk bands, the republican anthem includes the refrain: “And Irelan, long a province, be a nation once again.”
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Sikh leader’s ouster sought Vancouver, December 22 Spiritual leader Harnek Singh Grewal or “Maharaj Ji”, who also allegedly controls a $ 20 million global financial empire, is at the centre of the controversy. He has been accused of drinking in the temple — though the Nanaksar faith is known for its strict tenets, including celibacy for its holy men and no alcohol — and was once convicted of rash driving, a Vancouver Sun report said. “We want answers and we want it all sorted out,” the news report quoted Surrey contractor and complainant Madho Singh Pandher, (46) as saying. “Now we are saying: ‘Hey, this has got to stop’.” The allegations against the temple directors, who also control temples in Edmonton, Toronto, Coventry in England, and in India, have stunned the Indo-Canadian Sikh community, the report added. Petitioners said they also wanted an independent auditor to scrutinise the society’s financial affairs from 1994 to 2002.
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Indian movies sink Pak film industry Lahore, December 22 “The malaise is all-pervasive encompassing all segments of the industry,” said the owner of a prime film studio in “Lollywood,” Pakistan’s film industry centred in Lahore. Sajjad Gul, speaking to AFP at Evernew Studio, a sprawling complex spread over five acres said the 1960s and ’70s were the “golden spells” for the industry when the largest number of films were produced and returns were lucrative. Pakistan has around 450 cinema houses and they once dominated entertainment, with the big screen the most popular source of fun for people from all strata of society. “The arrival of the video made a dent, while more significant damage was caused by the invasion of satellite and cable television,” said Mohammad Younus, the owner of a cinema house here. Indian films are banned in Pakistan, but they still come as a market, owing in part to the common language of the neighbouring countries. Video shops have an uninterrupted supply of Indian movies, and the public demand has multiplied since the Pakistani government early this year banned foreign television stations that showed Indian movies. (The well-to-do can skirt the ban with satellite dishes.) Pakistan produces about 60 films a year with a turnover of $ 100 million, while “Bollywood” makes some 800 films a year to a tune of $ 2 billion. And in Pakistan the production costs are soaring, as prices rise for imported necessities like negative rolls. A new worry for Lollywood is the rise of Islamic hardliners, who made spectacular gains in October elections and have entered power in two of Pakistan’s four provinces. After taking power in the North West Frontier Province, the Islamists immediately launched a crackdown on the screening of “vulgar” films in cinema houses. The police tore down posters judged to be obscene.
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UN seals removed Seoul, December 22 “This was a compelling choice of ours, as we are running out of choices due to USA’s insistence that we drop our nuclear programme,” the KCNA reported.
DPA |
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