The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

All passengers aboard Kenyan plane dead
Nairobi, May 7
All 114 passengers and crew, including 15 Indians, were killed aboard the Kenya Airways airliner that crashed on Saturday after taking off from Douala airport in Cameroon on a flight to Nairobi, eyewitnesses said today.

2 Indian students found dead
Houston, May 7
Two Indian students have been found dead inside the swimming pool of an apartment complex in Texas, the US police said.

Software to split computer screen soon
Washington, May 7
Microsoft researchers in Bangalore are developing a software that splits a computer screen in two halves, each side with its own operating system, desktop, applications, cursor and keyboard.

Amartya Sen wins Kiel Prize
London, May 7
Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has been chosen for this year’s World Economic Prize, popularly known as the Kiel prize, for his contributions to research on fundamental problems in welfare and economics.

Ayurveda in US medical curriculum
Washington, May 7
American medical schools will for the first time teach students the goodness of Ayurveda with visiting Indian specialists offering a 12-hour crash course programme on the medical system based on herbs.

‘Canada knew of threat to Indian plane’
Toronto, May 7
Prior to the 1985 bombing of Air India’s Kanishka flight which left all 329 people aboard dead, the Canadian government and police knew of the terrorist threat and had devised a security plan which was not acted upon, reveal the declassified documents released by a probe panel.

8 US soldiers killed in Iraq
Baghdad, May 7
Eight US soldiers and a journalist were killed today, seven of them in a single blast northeast of Baghdad when their vehicle was destroyed by a roadside bomb, the US military said.

Riots, violence greet new French Prez Sarkozy

Paris, May 7
Riot squads fired tear gas Sunday at protesters throwing stones, bottles and, in one instance, acid at police in cities across France after right-winger Nicolas Sarkozy's presidential victory.

In Paris, clashes erupted at the Place de la Bastille, where about 5,000 supporters of the defeated Socialist candidate Segolene Royal had gone to await the election results and stayed on after Sarkozy's triumph.

Up to 300 rioters, some wearing scarves around their faces, used bottles and stones in running attacks on police, who responded with baton charges, tear gas and water cannon.

"Police everywhere, justice nowhere," shouted some of the rioters, while others screamed "Sarko-fascist."

A small crowd of demonstrators, brandishing black and red anarchist flags, set fire to an effigy of Sarkozy before tearing it limb from limb and stamping on it.

Police cleared the square of rioters and Royal supporters alike by midnight, but hardcore anti-Sarkozy protesters later gathered nearby. When they began running towards the centre of the city and throwing bottles, police in riot gear gave pursuit and fired tear gas. At least one injured man could later be seen lying on the ground nearby.

Royal, in a sharp campaign jab on Friday, predicted Sarkozy's election could unleash violence in the mainly immigrant suburbs that were the centre of riots in 2005.

Anti-Sarkozy demonstrations took place in several cities across the country Sunday night, with police using tear gas on over 1,000 protesters in the western city of Nantes who began to throw rocks and bottles.

Two police officers were slightly injured by acid thrown on them and 22 people were arrested, police said.

In Marseille, police also fired gas canisters to disperse around 300 protesters in the southern city's central port area.

In the northern city of Lille police battled about 200 bottle-throwing rioters. One rioter was injured and five arrested. Firefighters in the region said they had to respond to dozens of incidents of burnt cars.

Several police were injured in Bordeaux, including one seriously hurt by a thrown paving stone, after a gathering of more than 2,000 people turned violent. Police said they arrested 18 people. In Lyon, a dozen people were lightly injured after several hundred protesters clashed with police, with 25 people detained, officials said.

Several shop windows were smashed and waste bins set on fire in the city centre, as well as around 40 cars in the region, according to firefighters and police.

Disturbances were also reported in the eastern cities of Nancy and Metz. Supporters of the president-elect were oblivious to the nasty turn of events. They held a giant celebratory party in a calm part of central Paris.

Sarkozy won 53 per cent of the vote, defeating Royal, who garnered 47 per cent. — AFP

	Aziz hints at emergency in Pakistan Zeeshan Haider Islamabad, May 7 The Pakistani government has the option of imposing a state of emergency as it confronts a judicial crisis following President Pervez Musharraf's attempt to sack the country's top judge, the prime minister said. The government's move to sack Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry on March 9 outraged the legal community, which sees it as an attack on judicial independence, and galvanised opposition to Musharraf in the run-up to elections. "There is a provision in the constitution about the imposition of an emergency and there are certain circumstances under which it is imposed," Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz told reporters late on Sunday. "The government's decision will depend on the situation," he said. Lawyers and opposition activists have held sporadic protests since the government suspended Chaudhry over accusations of misconduct. He denies wrongdoing and has refused to resign. The crisis has blown up into the most serious challenge to Musharraf's authority since the army chief seized power in 1999. Musharraf had previously ruled out a state of emergency but analysts said the government might be exploring the option as a way out of a crisis that appeared to be deepening. Lahore is capital of Punjab, the country's richest and most populous province and a traditional establishment stronghold. The city is considered Pakistan's political nerve centre and Chaudhry's tumultuous reception there was a clear sign to authorities that their efforts to contain the crisis were failing, observers said. Observers say Musharraf faces no imminent threat to his rule because he retains the support of the powerful army but the crisis has weakened his position and could affect his political plans. "The crisis is growing," said Lahore-based political analyst Shafqat Mehmood. "This has created a lot of pressure on the government and it appears to be looking at various options to defuse the crisis, and they consider the imposition of an emergency as one of them." Musharraf is due to seek re-election in September or October. Controversially, he wants to be re-elected by the national and provincial assemblies before they are dissolved for a general election due around the turn of the year. Analysts say his main motive in seeking Chaudhry's removal is to have a more pliable man in place in case of a constitutional challenge to his plans. Constitutionally, Musharraf is also due to step down as army chief by December, but is believed to be reluctant to do so. Musharraf has accused lawyers of politicising a judicial matter and has called on them to shun politics. On Monday, the Supreme Court took up a challenge from Chaudhry to a judicial panel hearing the misconduct accusations against him. Chaudhry has questioned the competence of the five-member panel, known as the Supreme Judicial Council, and asked the Supreme Court to deal with the matter itself. — Reuters
	All passengers aboard Kenyan plane dead Nairobi, May 7 All 114 passengers and crew, including 15 Indians, were killed aboard the Kenya Airways airliner that crashed on Saturday after taking off from Douala airport in Cameroon on a flight to Nairobi, eyewitnesses said today. An updated passenger list released by the airline said the occupants included 85 Africans, 21 Asian, seven Europeans and one US citizen. Following is the breakdown of the nationalities of the 105 passengers: — All of the nine crew were Kenyan. — Thirty-seven Cameroonians, 15 Indians, seven South Africans, six each from Ivory Coast and Nigeria, five Britons and five Chinese, three from Niger and two each from the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Equatorial Guinea. — There was also one passenger from each of the United States, Mauritania, North or South Korea, Switzerland, Sweden, Mali, Togo, Ghana, the Comoros, Senegal, the Congo Republic, Egypt, Tanzania, Mauritius and Burkina Faso. — AFP
	2 Indian students found dead Houston, May 7 Two Indian students have been found dead inside the swimming pool of an apartment complex in Texas, the US police said. The two 23-year-old students of Texas A&M University-Kingsville were found dead yesterday, the police said but did not release the names of the students pending notification of their families. There was no physical evidence that could indicate murder but witnesses said the victims had been drinking alcohol the night before, Kingsville Police Chief Ricardo Torres said. “We will be checking with the medical examiner to verify that there was no assault involved,” Torres said. Torres said autopsy reports might take three months to be completed. He said the police was working with the A&M-Kingsville Office of Student Affairs on notifying the victims’ families. Last month, two international students were assaulted at the same complex, but there appeared to be no link between the cases, he said. — PTI
	Software to split computer screen soon Washington, May 7 Microsoft researchers in Bangalore are developing a software that splits a computer screen in two halves, each side with its own operating system, desktop, applications, cursor and keyboard. Microsoft says the technology could help small businesses and schools in developing countries reduce their computer costs and could even work in homes where more than one family member needs access. The innovation could salvage time otherwise wasted as one person waits to use a computer. "At the most basic level, we are allowing two users to work completely independently on the same machine, sharing both the processor and monitor," said Udai Singh Pawar, assistant researcher and project leader. The working prototype uses a standard 19-inch screen, but can also work on 15 and 17-inch screens, which are more common at small businesses in India. The solution is software-based and does not require the user to trade their current PC for a new one. Only the software has to be installed and a second mouse and keyboard plugged in for operation. "They would simply need to install the software and plug in a second mouse and keyboard. The software enables two sessions of Windows to share the computer's processor. It also divides the screen in half, running one operating system on the left and the other on the right. If necessary, a user can move her cursor to the other half of the screen, which opens the door on sharing and collaborating with documents," Discovery News quoted Pawar as saying. According to him, two users can also open up a third area on the screen, which he calls an "airlock". Here the users can place shared files and resources. "The system is optimal for tasks such as data entry and simple word processing, where screen real estate is not a problem. It can also work well in scenarios where the two people need to share data across their screens or work on documents together," said Pawar. "If we have a shared display we have a shared point of focus. But sharing in such close proximity could also bring up permission problems. There's a trickiness to the boundaries in terms of what's mine and what's yours. How much access do you have to it? Or am I still the owner?" said Jeremy Birnholtz, a postdoctoral fellow with the Knowledge Media Design Institute at the University of Toronto. The Microsoft team is now investigating these issues and contemplating conducting more in field trials starting mid-May. As of now, it could be a couple of years before split screen technology hits the market. — ANI
	Amartya Sen wins Kiel Prize London, May 7 Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has been chosen for this year’s World Economic Prize, popularly known as the Kiel prize, for his contributions to research on fundamental problems in welfare and economics. Sen, 73, will share the prize with former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt and founder of the Ikea furnishings retail chain, Ingvar Kamprad. The prize is awarded by the Institute for the World Economy at Kiel in the far north of Germany along with the Schleswig-Holstein state chamber of industry and commerce and the city of Kiel. It honours economists, politicians and business leaders who enable society to live under free economic principles open to world markets. Lamont University Professor and Professor of Economics and Philosophy at Harvard University, Sen’s work ranges from empirical studies of famine to poverty and globalisation. — PTI

‘Canada knew of threat to Indian plane’

Toronto, May 7
Prior to the 1985 bombing of Air India’s Kanishka flight which left all 329 people aboard dead, the Canadian government and police knew of the terrorist threat and had devised a security plan which was not acted upon, reveal the declassified documents released by a probe panel.

The documents show the threat was taken seriously and a security plan was put in place, but not followed.

The latest findings come close on the heels of testimony from Ontario Lt Gov James Bartleman, who was in charge of the intelligence analysis and security branch of the Department of External Affairs when the plane blew up.

He testified last week that he was scolded by an RCMP officer when he showed him, several days before the Air India bombing, a document suggesting a flight would be targeted on the weekend of the attack.

The documents also claim that Air India itself promised, five months before Flight 182 exploded over the west coast of Ireland that “all baggage will be examined before loading.”

The weekly Air India flight continued even though a review of the security plan showed that “only random checks of the baggage” were being done.

In 1984, both CSIS and police knew about the danger of Sikh militants who were escalating their terrorist activities, according to the documents, which also show that it was not just their leader, Talwinder Parmar who was being watched.

The Indian High Commission sent in a tip that militants “have decided to hijack Air India aircraft” and said Ajaib Singh Bagri was among those planning to do it.

Bagri, along with co-accused Ripudaman Singh Malik, was acquitted in 2005 after a trial. Tips from informers, some of which were disclosed in last week’s testimony, were taken seriously at the time, the documents indicate. — PTI