 |
|
|
Sikh student allowed kirpan in school
Pak may send N-centrifuges
to Vienna
Sharif wants to shift to London
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Natwar visits Zafar’s mazaar
State denied Schiavo’s guardianship
Japanese doc snaps lifeline, escapes sentence
Bickering casts shadow on Bangladesh freedom day
Bobby Fischer checks out of detention centre
No Holi for detained Nepalese leaders
US army probes death of Iraqi scientist
McCormack to be State Department spokesman
15 killed in suicide car bomb attack
30 feared dead in Pak ferry mishap
India gives scholarships to 50 Nepalese students
Indian woman murdered
Kyrgyz presidential poll in June
|
|
Sikh student allowed kirpan in school
New York, March 25 Authorities in the Central 7 school district agreed to lift the suspension on Amandeep Singh, a ninth-grade honors student of Hartsdale, media reports here said. Amandeep was suspended from Woodlands High School on February 4 for eight days after he was found carrying a kirpan, which the school authorities believed was a weapon. “We had to balance the student’s First Amendment Rights along with the safety of all of our students in the district,” school superintendent Josephine Mofett was quoted as saying, while explaining that weapons of all kinds were forbidden at school. Soon after the suspension, Amandeep’s brother Kamaldeep Singh met school officials and demonstrated that several other classroom items, including a steel ruler and compass, were sharper than the kirpan, which was 3 inches long, the reports said. The kirpan was “as sharp as a butter knife,” Kamaldeep Singh said, adding that Amandeep had explained the significance of the kirpan to his teachers and never displayed it at school until the authorities asked to see it. After the suspension was widely published, The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty in Washington sent their lawyers for assisting Amandeep. “What we have here is evidence of religious discrimination,” Jared Leland, media and legal counsel for Becket, was quoted as saying. The school authorities were convinced and revoked and suspension last week. — PTI
|
|
Pak may send N-centrifuges
to Vienna
Islamabad, March 25 "To end the issue once and for all we want to send nuclear centrifuges to Vienna for inspection and the matter is under consideration," said President Musharraf in an interview to newly- launched Aaj TV channel. President Musharraf dilated on the strategy for allaying International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) suspicions that nuclear centrifuges had allegedly been transferred to some countries, including Iran, from Pakistan. The controversy on the alleged transfer of nuclear centrifuges would end for good after inspection of nuclear centrifuges in Vienna, the President added. The President said that during the nuclear proliferation probe in Iran, IAEA got suspicious about how and from where Iran had got nuclear centrifuges. The President said that this revelation added new dimensions to the probe against Dr A. Q. Khan's black market network. In reply to a question about Dr Khan, Gen Musharraf said the government took action against the scientist for what he had done in the past. Now he has neither any relevance to any network nor any country. The President dispelled impression that any nuclear proliferation had taken place from Gen Musharraf reiterated that the country's nuclear installations were fully secure. On the Kashmir issue, he said the Indian government had shown flexibility. Both countries had demonstrated full flexibility in commencement of the Muzaffarabad- Srinagar bus service. |
|
Sharif wants to shift to London
Islamabad, March 25 Mr Sharif, who is into his fifth year of exile in Jeddah along with his family, has approached the two governments to enable him to travel to London, media reports here quoted his Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) leaders as saying. According to them, the Pakistan Embassy in Saudi Arabia has already turned down Mr Sharif’s request to renew his passport which had expired last year, local daily ‘The News’ said. Subsequently, Mr Sharif requested the Saudi government to provide him with a passport as they did to his son Hassan to travel to London, the PML-N sources said, adding Riyadh was not averse to helping Mr Sharif so that he could go to London for medical check-up.
— PTI |
|
Natwar visits Zafar’s mazaar
Yangon, March 25 Mr Natwar Singh, accompanied by his wife Hem, spent about 40 minutes at the mazaar to pay homage to Zafar, who was kept in a garage attached to a bungalow of a junior British officer in Yangon, where he died in 1862. Alongside Bahadur Shah Zafar's grave, his wife Zeenat Mahal and granddaughter Raunaq Zamani were also buried. During a digging activity in 1991, a subterranian grave was discovered which is believed to be his true grave while those on the ground level were believed to be decoys constructed by the British. There had been a proposal to shift the remains of Bahadur Shah to Delhi and that of Myanmar's King Thibaw, who had been exiled in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra by the British to Myanmar, but the leaders of the two countries had felt that these shrines were part of each other's shared historical and cultural legacy and should be maintained where they are. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose had taken a "Delhi Chalo" pledge in Yangon and also visited this Mazaar. The Indian Embassy here has streamlined its activities at the Mazaar in recent years. The Ambassador and other officials make formal visits to the Mazaar on January 26 and August 15 and the Urs of Bahadur Shah Zafar. The Embassy also arranges a 'Qawali' programme at the Mazaar under the sponsorship of the ICCR and extends assistance to the organisers of the annual Urs. Pakistan has also been making efforts to claim the monument and wants the remains be shifted to that country. The matter was again taken up by President Pervez Musharraf with Khim Nyunt, Secretary-I of the SPDC during the latter's visit to Pakistan in July, 2000. During President Musharraf's visit to Mynamar on May 1, 2001, he announced a donation of $ 50,000 for constructing a new building at the Mazaar. A plaque commemorating his visit was also handed over to the trust. The Myanmar authorities have not approved the construction of the additional building and they have also assured the Indian side that no decision contrary to India's interest would be taken in this regard. Meanwhile, Mr Natwar Singh said India wants a "long-term partnership" with Myanmar for bilateral and regional development, progress and stability. On his first visit here after a gap of 18 years, Mr Natwar Singh held wide-ranging discussions with his counterpart U. Nyan Win covering crossborder infrastructure development projects and energy cooperation. — PTI
|
|
State denied Schiavo’s guardianship
Pinellas Park (Florida), March 25 Judge George Greer of Florida's sixth circuit court yesterday turned down efforts spearheaded by Florida Governor Jeb Bush to alienate Schiavo from the care of her husband Michael, and place her in the custody of the state for additional rehabilitative care. Greer ruled that the petition filed by Florida's Department of Children and Families (DCF) "does not furnish a basis for relief" in the case, and that custody is to remain with Schiavo's husband Michael, who the state accuses of abusing and neglecting the acutely disabled woman.
— AFP |
|
Japanese doc snaps lifeline, escapes sentence
Tokyo, March 25 The Yokohama District Court southwest of Tokyo sentenced Setsuko Suda (50), to a three-year prison term but suspended it for five years, rejecting prosecutors' demands for a five-year jail sentence. Chief Judge Kenji Hirose found Suda guilty of murder but suspended her sentence because of controversy over the "issue of medical care for comatose patients" and the social punishment she has already faced. Suda was working at a hospital in November 1998 when she removed a tube from a 58-year-old patient's windpipe.
— AFP |
|
Bickering casts shadow on Bangladesh freedom day
Dhaka, March 25 Bangladesh celebrates its 34th anniversary of independence tomorrow but for the most in the impoverished country, the military parades and street fairs ring hollow. The country has become a byword for political instability and is notorious for its corruption. Strikes, nine so far this year called by the opposition to try to oust the government, are paralysing the nation. Another nationwide strike is planned for March 31. People watching the two main parties say the government and opposition are engaging in meaningless bickering when a majority of the country’s 140 million people are struggling to overcome endemic poverty. The strikes and frequent violent street protests between activists from the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and opposition Awami League have curbed investment and disrupted the economy, businessmen say. At the heart of the unrest is the immense distrust between the two female leaders of the BNP and Awami League. Both parties claim credit for declaring Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan, on March 26, 1971, an event the late husband of Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia and father of opposition leader Sheikh Hasina were key players. Both leaders traditionally use Independence Day and other national occasions to lash out at one another. The BNP has called for a massive demonstration in Dhaka on Sunday to protest against what it says are opposition attempts to cause chaos and portray Bangladesh as a failed and corrupt nation. In turn, the Awami League said its March 31 countrywide strike would be a show of no-confidence in Khaleda’s government. — Reuters
|
|
Bobby Fischer checks out of detention centre
Tokyo, March 25 His release ended for now a murky legal and personal saga that festered into a diplomatic irritant between the United States, Japan, and, more recently, Iceland. ``I was kidnapped,'' the heavily bearded, former world chess champion told reporters clustered at the departure gates of Tokyo's Narita airport. ``Bush is a criminal. He's a gangster.'' It is not yet certain whether Fischer, a native New Yorker, has won his war with the Bush administration, or just a round. Media reports from the United States say a grand jury has been convened to examine Fischer's tax records. Iceland has an extradition treaty with the United States, and Washington could pursue him by filing charges that he committed acts that are criminal in both countries, such as a tax offense. — By arrangement with the LA Times Washington Post
|
|
No Holi for detained Nepalese leaders
Kathmandu, March 25 A delegation of university teachers and national and foreign media representatives were prevented from meeting opposition leaders, including former Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and Nepal Communist Party-UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal, at their residences to play Holi. “This is absolutely regrettable, all Nepalese have the right to celebrate their festivals in a free and open manner,” president of Nepal University Teachers Association (NUTA) Bhupati Dhakal, who was part of the delegation to meet Mr Koirala said. The NUTA team also went to the residence Mr Nepal but armed police guarding the house did not even allow them to see him from a distance, he said. However, former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who was freed from house arrest two weeks ago, celebrated the festival of colours with party workers and friends at his residence at
Budhanilkantha. Meanwhile, NUTA has issued a statement urging the government to remove security personnel from college premises respecting academic freedom and free all political leaders, including Mr Koirala and Mr Nepal.
— PTI |
|
US army probes death of Iraqi scientist
Washington, March 25 An account of his death by Amnesty International based on media reports said Al-Izmerly's family commissioned an independent autopsy after not believing the USA finding that it was death by natural causes. The fresh autopsy concluded he died of blunt-force trauma to the head. Paul Boyce, an army spokesman at the Pentagon, yesterday said the army had an ''ongoing investigation'' into Al-Izmerly's death, but did not provide more details. The Amnesty International account said Al-Izmerly was taken into the US custody on April 25, 2003, about two weeks after the fall of Baghdad in a US-led invasion to topple President Saddam Hussein. — Reuters
|
|
McCormack to be State Department spokesman
Crawford, (Texas), March 25 |
|
15 killed in suicide car bomb attack
Baghdad, March 25 In the deadlier attack, a suicide bomber blew up his car at a checkpoint in Ramadi on yesterday evening, killing 11 Iraqi special police commandos and wounding nine police personnel, two US soldiers and three civilians, the US military said. In an attack today in Iskandariya, in a lawless area just south of Baghdad, a bomber blew up his car beside an Iraqi army convoy, killing four soldiers and wounding nine troops and civilians, two seriously, the local police said.
— Reuters |
|
30 feared dead in Pak ferry mishap
Multan, March 25 The body of a woman had been recovered and 29 persons were missing after yesterday evening’s accident near Chechna Sharif town in central Pakistan’s Punjab province. About 40 passengers returning from a Muslim shrine were on the ferry when it struck the bridge, said police official Abdul Hameed Joya. About 10 passengers swam to safety. —Reuters |
|
India gives scholarships to 50 Nepalese students
Kathmandu, March 25 Indian Ambassador Shiv Shanker Mukherjee felicitated the third batch of 50 Nepalese undergraduate students selected for the Golden Jubilee Scholarship scheme. Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Mukherjee said India took pleasure in helping Nepal in the development of its human resources, which was more important for a country than its mineral resources. The Golden Jubilee Scholarship scheme was launched in 2002 to mark the 50 years of economic cooperation between Nepal and India.— PTI
|
|
Indian woman murdered
Washington, March 25 The body of Kiran V Kadian, 52, was discovered by her husband Rajesh at 4.30 PM (local time) yesterday. The police was searching for their 20-year-old son Jayant, The Washington Post said today. Kadian was stabbed several times in the upper body, Fairfax police spokeswoman Mary Mulrenan said last night.
— PTI |
|
Kyrgyz presidential poll in June
Bishkek, March 25 Moments after Parliament appointed him acting President and Prime Minister, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, said a fresh poll would be held in June.
— AFP |
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
