 |
|
|
42 die as Lanka troops clash with rebels
548 Indians lodged in Pak jails India for zero tolerance towards terrorism |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Hindu temple razed: council
|
|||||||
|
42 die as Lanka troops clash with rebels Colombo, June 17 Government troops destroyed eight of the 11 boats from which Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels launched attacks in the Mannar island. Defence Ministry said at least 30 rebels were killed while the navy lost six men in the sea battle. Hospital officials said five civilians caught up in the cross fire also died while a suspected rebel took cyanide to avoid capture, raising the day's official toll to 42. But the rebels rejected the Defence Ministry version on battles, claiming they did not lose even a single combatant and that only two cadres were wounded. LTTE also claimed in statement that they had killed 12 navy sailors. The tigers attacked a naval patrol craft in a flotilla of 11 boats off the coast of Mannar, which is close to the Palk Straits, the sea boundary dividing India and Sri Lanka. The rebels also shelled a police station at Pesalai in Mannar islet and security forces retaliated with artillery. The pitched battles follow two days of air raids by government troops triggered by the killing of 64 bus passengers in a suspected rebel landmine attack on Thursday in Anuradhapura. Government blamed the LTTE for the blast but the tigers had denied involvement. The pro-rebel Tamilnet website said at least 30 civilians were wounded in the battles but the Defence Ministry put the figure at between 15 and 20. The police also reported a huge explosion, possibly at mid-sea, off the coast of Negombo district located south of Mannar. Two suspected rebels with diving equipment were arrested along the beach and they had taken cyanide, the police said. The two were in a critical condition and admitted to a hospital where one succumbed to injuries. In another development, the police recovered two powerful bombs near a coastal town about 60 km north of Colombo. The defence ministry said it suspected that the Tigers might have been planning a suicide mission against an unspecified target and their plans may have gone wrong. The escalation of violence came even as the international community asked the warring sides to resume peace talks. In a statement released in Austria yesterday, the European Union condemned Thursday's bus attack and asked the two parties to end violence. "The EU calls upon all parties to put an end to violence and to return to the negotiation table with a view to strengthening the immediate cease-fire and working towards a durable political solution of the conflict, so as to relieve the Sri Lankan people from the ordeal of 20 years of persistent conflict," the statement said. It also said the bus blast was a clear violation of the 2002 ceasefire agreement.
|
|
|
548 Indians lodged in Pak jails Islamabad, June 17 The official also said 493 Pakistanis are awaiting release from Indian jails. “India has been informed about the number of its nationals held in the country,” Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said. So far, 240 Indian fishermen have been provided consular access while 192 are awaiting the same, Aslam said adding 116 civilians are also lodged in Pakistan prisons. Indian officials here estimate that 432 fishermen and 156 civilian prisoners of different categories are being held in Pakistani prisons. — PTI
|
|
India for zero tolerance towards terrorism
Moscow, June 17 “Today, we see a re-emergence of forces, which spawned the culture of terrorism in our region. It is necessary for us to redouble our efforts to root out this menace to our common peace and security with single-minded focus,” Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Murli Deora today said addressing the CICA summit in Almaty. “No cause, however noble, can justify the killing of innocent men, women and children through acts of terrorism. We should commit ourselves to zero tolerance for terrorism,” he said. Deora was addressing the second summit of CICA which comprises India, Russia, China, Central Asian countries, Afghanistan, Egypt, Israel, Pakistan, Palestine and Turkey. He said the process of globalisation had led to the emergence of new security threats and challenges. These included international terrorism and transnational crimes like trafficking in drugs, arms smuggling and cyber crimes. Speaking on behalf of the Prime Minister at the summit, also attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese leader Hu Jintao and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, Deora said India had always believed that CICA could help contribute to the development of a cooperative and pluralistic security order in Asia, based on mutual understanding. “India has always emphasised that CICA has to evolve its own approach, rooted in the realities of Asia. In CICA, we have recognised this diversity and the consequent need, therefore, to move ahead gradually, building upon the basis of consensus and voluntary participation,” he stated. He noted that together the CICA nations had a significant share of natural resources, global energy reserves and trade, but they also had to face the fact that a large number of people were still afflicted by poverty and lack of development.
|
|
‘Black’ bags major IIFA awards Dubai, June 17 The film, which also hogged the limelight at the Filmfare awards earlier this year, bagged a total of five trophies in the popular awards category last night at the Airport Expo Centre. A poignant portrayal of the struggle of a deaf-mute girl to live up to the expectations of her mentor, it had been the overwhelming favourite for the top awards in the seventh edition of the annual extravaganza.Amitabh Bachchan and Rani Mukherjee picked up the best actor and best actress awards while Bhansali's victory in the best director category made it a clean sweep for 'Black'. Child actor Ayesha Kapoor won the best supporting actress trophy for playing the young deaf-mute girl in Bhansali's epic while Abhishek Bachchan picked up the best supporting actor award for his performance in Ram Gopal Varma's 'Sarkar'. The Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy trio bagged honours for their spell-binding music in 'Bunty aur Babli'. The 'Kajra Re' number from the film, which became a rage all over India, won two awards - the best playback singer (female) award for Alisha Chinai and best lyricist for Gulzar. Composer-turned-crooner Himesh Reshammiya took home the best playback singer (male) trophy for chartbuster 'Aashiq Banaya Aapne' from the movie of the same name. Javed Jaffery held off strong competition from Akshay Kumar (‘Garam Masala') and Riteish Deshmukh (‘Bluffmaster’) to bag the best actor in a comic role trophy for his popular 'Eggactly' sequences in 'Salaam Namaste'. There were no surprises when Vidya Balan ( ‘Parineeta’) and Shiney Ahuja (‘Hazaaron Khwahishen Aisi’), who had won several best debut awards earlier this year, took home the trophies again at IIFA. Bollywood baddie Nana Patekar proved he's still the best villain around with a trophy for his negative role in 'Apaharan'. Filmmaker Nagesh Kukunoor picked up the 'Best Story' award for 'Iqbal' - a sensitive portrayal of a deaf-mute villager's quest to make it big in cricket. Yesteryear actress Asha Parekh and filmmaker O P Dutta were honoured with lifetime achievement awards. Hollywood producer Ashok Amritraj was specially honoured for his contribution in promoting Indian cinema overseas. Among the highlights of the star-studded evening were live performances by several Bollywood stars. While Preity Zinta danced to the strains of 'Mehboob Mere' and 'Laila Main Laila'. — PTI
|
|
Hindu temple razed: council
Islamabad, June 17 In a petition to the Lahore High Court, Om Prakash Narayan, secretary general of the council has said that Krishna Mandir has been demolished following a notification from the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) issued on March 9, 2006. Narayan insisted that the temple at Sooa Bazar, Rang Mahal, Lahore, had been demolished and asked to the court to direct the police to register a case.— PTI
|
| 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 | |
