 |
|
|
Series of blasts kill
3 in Kathmandu
Sharif rejects PPP chairperson’s proposal
|
|
|
Mush-Bhutto talks stalled, not over
Pak to build memorial to Bhagat Singh
Indian troops under British Raj used as ‘guinea pigs’
Big B rules hearts of Israelis, Palestinians
N-deal: China not to be ‘dogmatic’
North Korea to disable
N-programmes: USA
We have 3,000 centrifuges: Ahmadinejad
Murderer hanged in public
Bosnia claims world ‘kissing’ record
Hundreds apply for UAE amnesty
|
|
Series of blasts kill
3 in Kathmandu
At least three persons, including a girl, died and over 14 sustained serious injuries when unidentified groups detonated bombs in four different locations in Kathmandu today.
According to SP Binod Singh, two bombs went off at stone-throwing distance from the Nepal Army Headquarters at Tripureshwor and Sundhara, whereas two others were detonated in Kirtipur, 7 km south-west from the main city, and in Balaju area, 5 km north. He said a bomb was detonated in a microbus at Tripureshwor at the heart of the city in a broad daylight at around 4 pm where several people sustained injuries and one feared dead. A girl was critically injured when a bomb went off at the Tudikhel-Sundhara area. She was taken to a hospital where she was declared brought dead. The injured have been rushed at Bir Hospital and further detailed of the incident is yet to obtain,
he said. At a time when the government of Nepal is hell-bent to conduct the Constituent Assembly election on November 22 by maintaining law and order situation, unidentified groups posed serious threat by detonating series of bombs unexpectedly. However, no group has owned the responsibilities of the blasts yet.
|
|
Sharif rejects PPP chairperson’s proposal
Rejecting PPP chairperson’s proposal for indemnity of all those holding any office between 1988, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif told a PML-N meeting in London on Saturday that he had not sent any application for amnesty to President Pervez Musharraf’s government and those who want pardon must negotiate it for themselves only, reported Geo TV. Sharif said only a few people could not decide the fate of Pakistan through a deal, adding that the nation would not let them “hijack the future of the country for their personal interests”. He warned that his party would resort to the courts if the government made fake cases against him and his brother Shahbaz Sharif. Sharif brushed aside fears that he will be sent to jail if he returns to Pakistan, and said he was determined to remove President Musharraf from power. “Musharraf’s threats can’t stop me from responding to my call of duty,” he said in an interview. “He must know that the tide has turned against him and he is fighting a losing battle,” British daily The Independent quoted him as saying on Saturday. Sharif also attacked former PM Benazir Bhutto for negotiating with the general. He said: “Talking to Musharraf today means that we are strengthening the dictatorship in Pakistan, talking to Musharraf means that we don’t want undiluted democracy in Pakistan.
|
|
Mush-Bhutto talks stalled, not over
Islamabad, September 2 Musharraf and self-exiled two-time PM Bhutto have been sounding each other out for years but with Musharraf's terms as both President and Army Chief due to end soon, they have intensified efforts to reach an agreement. But Bhutto said in London on Saturday the talks had been stalled and she planned to return to Pakistan soon even without a deal. Any agreement would likely to see Musharraf stepping down as Army Chief before he stands for another, while clearing the way for Bhutto, who still faces graft charges, to return to politics and take part in the general election due at the end of the
year. — Reuters
|
|
Pak to build memorial to Bhagat Singh
Islamabad, September 2 “Bhagat was the first martyr of the subcontinent and his example was followed by many youths of the time,” the governor was quoted as saying by the Daily Times. The governor said Pakistan had paid attention to the protection and care of gurdwaras, adding that a road from Wagah border to Nankana Sahib would be completed before the Nankana Festival. He pointed that the government had renovated the Katas Temple. “I welcome the Indian guests and invite them to live here and observe the government’s arrangements for the accommodation of Sikh pilgrims in the country.” Makhan Singh Kohar, an Indian delegate, said though Bhagat Singh was a Sikh, he had not represented any religion when he took part in the freedom struggle. Bhagat was born at Faisalabad’s Banga village in 1907 and was hanged at Lahore Jail in 1931 at the age of 24. A participant Muhammad Iqbal Virk, who claimed that he owned the property earlier owned by Bhagat, said he wanted to display his collection of his possessions at the Lahore Museum. — PTI
|
|
|
Indian troops under British Raj used as
London, September 2 The trials had started early in 1930s when scientists from Porton Down chemical warfare establishment in Wiltshire wanted to find out if mustard gas inflicted greater damage on Indian skin compared to British skin. Over 500 Britons and Indians were exposed to the gas. The newspaper report said the British military did not check the aftereffects of the gas on the Indian skin. It has now being discovered that mustard gas can cause cancer and other diseases. Many suffered severe burns on the skin, including genitals, leaving them in pain for days and even weeks. Some had to be treated in hospital. Newly discovered documents at the National Archives have shown for the first time the full scale of the experiments. The experiments were conducted more than 10 years before and during the world war in a military installation at Rawalpindi, now in Pakistan. They were conducted by Porton scientists who had been posted to the sub-continent to develop such poison gases to use against the Japanese. The Indian tests are little-known part of Porton’s huge programme of chemical warfare testing on humans. Over 20,000 British soldiers were subjected to chemical warfare trials involving poison gases, such as nerve gas and mustard gas, at Porton between 1916 and 1989. Many of these British soldiers have alleged that they were duped into taking part in the tests, which have damaged their health in the years after the trials. The reports record that in some cases, Indian soldiers were exposed to mustard gas, protected only by a respirator. On one occasion, the gas mask of an Indian sepoy slipped, leaving him with severe burns on his eyes and face. In 1942, the scientists reported that there had been a “large number” of burns caused by the gas among Indian and British test subjects. “Severely burned patients are often very miserable and depressed and in considerable discomfort, which must be experienced to be properly realised,” wrote the scientists. Other soldiers were hospitalised for a week after they were sent into a gas chamber wearing “drill shorts and open-necked, khaki, cotton shirts” to gauge the effect of mustard gas on their eyes. Alan Care, a lawyer representing British troops tested at Porton, said: “I would have been astonished if Indian subjects gave any consent to taking part in these tests, particularly as they were conducted during the days of British rule. No one would have agreed... if they knew beforehand what was going to happen.”
— UNI
|
|
Big B rules hearts of Israelis, Palestinians
Jerusalem, September 2 The popularity that Bachchan enjoys here will be envied even by Hollywood stars. Walking through the streets of Jerusalem, one can hear songs from Bollywood movies, especially those starring the Big B. DVDs of Hindi movies are available in most video shops here, with films starring Bachchan a big hit among locals. A single DVD costs 50 Shekel (Rs 500). The challenge Bachchan faces here is only from Gabbar Singh -- the character played by late Amjad Khan in the classic film "Sholay" -- who is equally popular among people of all ages, from teenagers to the elderly. "I like watching the movies of Amit (Bachchan) and Amjad, I love their action movies," said 22-year-old Yassar, who runs a small shop near the church of Sepalca, where, according to Catholic beliefs, Jesus Christ was crucified. "My friends and I watch their movies at least once a week," he said. "'Lawaris', 'Kalia', 'Deewar', 'Parvarish', 'Zanzeer', 'Sahenshah', 'Sholay', 'Black' -- we have watched all these movies," he said and started singing, along with one of his friends, the song "Janu meri jaan, mein tere qurban, main tera tu meri jane sara Hindustan" from the movie "Shaan". — PTI
|
|
N-deal: China not to be ‘dogmatic’
Beijing, September 2 Commenting on the Chinese foreign ministry’s earlier statement as well as Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi’s latest remarks on the Indo-US nuclear deal, former Chinese ambassador to India and Myanmar, Cheng Ruisheng, said it clearly showed that Beijing would not adopt a “dogmatic” stance on the issue.“It is my personal view that China will adopt a flexible attitude,” Cheng, also a member of the India-China Eminent Persons Group (EPG) told PTI. Meeting with the EPG delegation here on Friday, Yang said China was willing to “explore cooperation with all countries for the peaceful use of nuclear energy in accordance with the rules of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).” “Though it is a general statement, it is a positive comment,” Cheng said. Earlier, the Chinese foreign ministry said it was willing to undertake “creative thinking” on the Indo-US civilian nuclear issue. — PTI
|
|
North Korea to disable N-programmes: USA
Geneva, September 2 US assistant secretary of state Christopher Hill said two days of talks between the USA and North Korea in Geneva had been “very good and very substantive” and would help improve chances of a successful meeting later this month with Japan, Russia, South Korea and China in six-nation talks aimed at ending the North’s nuclear weapons programme and improving relations between North Korea and other countries. “One thing that we agreed on is that the DPRK will provide a full declaration of all of their nuclear programmes He said the declaration would also include uranium enrichment programmes, which the USA fears could be used to make nuclear weapons. He said, he and Kim Gye Gwan, the head of the North Korean delegation, had discussed the full range of issues in their two days of talks at the US and North Korean missions to UN offices Kim did not comment immediately to reporters outside the North Korean mission, but said he might make a statement later. Hill said earlier today that improving US relations with North Korea will depend on other progress in the talks, saying it “is a relationship that we will continue to try to build step by step with the understanding that we’re not going to have a normalised relationship until we have a denuclearised North Korea”.
— AP
|
|
|
We have 3,000 centrifuges: Ahmadinejad
Tehran, September 2 “They (world powers) thought that by issuing any resolution Iran would back down,” Ahmadinejad told Islamist students, referring to the two sanctions resolutions imposed against Tehran by the UN Security Council. “But after each resolution the Iranian nation took another step along the path of nuclear development,” he said. “Now it has put into operation more than 3,000 centrifuges and every week we install a new series. The installation of 3,000 centrifuges has always been earmarked by Iran as the key medium-term goal of its nuclear programme which it had originally hoped to reach by March.”
— AFP
|
|
|
Murderer hanged in public
Tehran, September 2 The man, identified as Amir Hossein R, was hanged in front of a large crowd early in the morning in the town of Gharchak, just 40 km from the Iranian capital. He had been found guilty of killing a judge, the agency said, without giving further details. It said top local officials were present at the execution. The Islamic republic has stepped up executions of rapists, drug traffickers and others who created a public menace in recent months as part of a campaign and is aimed at improving security in society, the agency said.
— AFP
|
|
|
Bosnia claims world ‘kissing’ record
Sarajevo, September 2 A total of 6,980 couples kissed for 10 seconds at the main square of the northeastern town of Tuzla, about 120 km north of Sarajevo, said a local radio station Kameleon. However, Muslim clerics in Tuzla called for a boycott of the event, arguing it was not in line with Muslim
tradition. — AFP
|
|
Hundreds apply for UAE amnesty
Dubai, September 2 According to the Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department (DNRD), 184,873 people have taken advantage of the amnesty. While many illegal workers had to return home in order to avoid legal action against them after the expiry of the amnesty period, local media reported. Meanwhile, 165 amnesty beneficiaries flew to India yesterday on a chartered flight free of cost.
— 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 | |
At least three persons, including a girl, died and over 14 sustained serious injuries when unidentified groups detonated bombs in four different locations in Kathmandu today.
Benazir vows early return home. In video: (
