Islamabad
May 28 2002
Defying international call for re straint, Pakistan today test fired its third nuclear-capable ballistic missile shortly after British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw arrived here to hold talks on defusing tension with India.
Pakistan conducted a successful test launch of the short range Abdali missile , the third and final test in a series that began on Friday, state-run PTV reported today.
The missile, which has the range of 180 kms coincided with Pakistan's fourth anniversary of its nuclear tests at Chagai in Ba luchistan province in response to Pokhran explosions carried out by India.
Pakistan on Saturday test-fired a nuclear-capable medium-range Hatf-V (Ghauri) having a range of 1500 km and on Sunday a newly- developed short-range Hatf-III (Ghaznavi) capable of carrying warheads up to 290 km "with great accuracy".
Pakistan launched the Abdali missile even as Jack Straw landed here as part of an international efforts to ease tension between India and Pakistan.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Anatoly Safanov is also here to push forward President Vladimir Putin's proposal for a face-to- face meeting between Indian and Pakistani leaders during a regional conference in Kazakhstan's capital Almaty early next month.
President Pervez Musharraf in a nationally televised speech last night said the danger of war with India was not yet over and urged the international community to persuade New Delhi to de- escalate and resume Indo-Pak dialogue.
Heavy shelling continues along LOC
Jammu
May 28 2002 Heavy exchange of shelling between Indian and Pakistani troops continued in several areas of Palanwala and Rajouri sectors since last night resulting in injuries to a civilian, official sources said here today.
They said that Pakistani troops continued mortar shelling in some areas of Palanwala sector late last evening forcing the Indian troops to retailate.
Ten families from Palanwala village and some from its adjoining villages of Kalwd and Khas migrated to safer places, they said. There was, however, no report of any loss of life or damage on the Indian side.
Shelling exchange between two sides also continued in Bhiwani, Laam and Jhanghar areas of Rajouri district in which one civilian was injured and two houses were partially damaged.
Pakistani troops also targeted Mahadev post, though no damage was caused, they said. In retaliatory firing, some posts and bunkers on the Pakistani side were damaged.
Teachers oppose Govt. decision on TA
Pondicherry
May 27 2002
The decision of the Union Territory Administration not to sanction travelling allowance to teachers in govt schools for the current month was deplored by the representatives of the Teaches Federation and Teachers Association today. The Administration had reportedly decided not to include the allowance in the current month's pay as all schools were now having summer vacation.
To mark their protest against the Government decision, teachers would refuse to accept the pay and allowances when disbursed on May 31.
P. Lakshmanasamy general secretary of the federation and R. Dakshinamoorthy, general secretary of the association, said in separate statements that it was wrong to refuse allowance to the teachers stating vacation. Teachers did come to schools to prepare certificates, mark sheets and for other academic matters.
Even as the government-run higher secondary schools were bringing out impressive pass percentage, the administration was lauding private schools belittling govt institutions.
In a communication, Mr. Lakshmanasamy said the govt schools were admitting students with a minimum of 35 per cent marks and were training them to perform well in the public examinations. For instance 367 students of government higher secondary schools had scored more than 1000 marks out of 1200 in HSC examinations, result of which were published recently. But, the private institutions had been normally taking into their institutions students with 75 per cent in the pre-HSC level and were producing results in the final examinations.
The Department of Education was lauding private institutions without paying attention and recognising the work put in by government school teachers. This had come to demoralise the teachers in government institutions.
Mr. Lakshmanasamy said the Tamil Nadu Government was taking into consideration the government schools' performance and was lauding them for their results. But, the Pondicherry administration was ``private-friendly'' and was encouraging the institutions, which were `anti teacher'.
Hence, the plan to boycott the pay and allowances on May 31.
A rural school in Madagadipet had produced more than 92 per cent pass in plus-two exams.
The teachers should be honoured for the achievement, it was felt.
No let up in hunt for Veerappan
Chennai
May 27 2002
``There is no let up in the hunt for the forest brigand Veerappan and it is only a question of time before he is arrested in the operations, which have come to be described as a search for a needle in the haystack'', the Govt said today.
An official release, in response to reports in a section of the press, noted ``There has been no scaling down of the operations to nab Veerappan and his gang''.
``The size of Veerappan's gang has now come down to just two besides the brigand. The pattern of operations to nab Veerappan and his gang is basically the same. With experience gained in the operations during the last few months, the deployment of the force has been rationalised without compromising the quality of the operations''.
Tributes paid to Nehru
Pondicherry
May 27 2002
The Lieutenant Governor, Rajani Rai, the Chief Minister, N. Rangasamy, the Health Minister, E. Valsaraj, the Local Administration Minister, A. Elumalai, the Speaker, M.D.R. Ramachandran, the Deputy Speaker, A.V. Subramanian, the Government Whip, P. Rajavelu, legislators of the ruling Congress party, the TMC leader, V. Balaji, the PCC vice-president, V. Sabapathy, tyagis and representatives of the different wings of the Mahila Congress and officials of Department of Information and Publicity were among those who paid homage to the first Prime Minister of free India, Jawaharlal Nehru, on the occasion of his 38th death anniversary today. Garlanding of the statue of the leader marked the observance of the day.
Earlier, at a function held in the PCC office, Mr. Rangasamy paid tributes to Nehru, who had described Pondicherry as a window of French culture.
A number of educational institutions, including the Centrally administered medical college (Jipmer) and hospital had been named after him.
Cycles distributed to handicapped
Pondicherry
May 27 2002
Pondicherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy today launched a Rs 2 crore scheme at the school for the physically-disabled here for distribution of bicycles.
About 14,000 children belonging to the Backward Classes would be benefited by this scheme of the Social Welfare Department. He also gave away an enhanced monthly assistance of Rs 400 from Rs 250 to the physically handicapped.
The Chief Minister said qualification for welfare schemes for the handicapped would be now 40 per cent of disability which was earlier fixed at 75 per cent.
There were 9,500 handicapped persons in Pondicherry.
Welfare Minister M Chandirakasu and Local MLA M O H F Shajahan also spoke.
Earlier, the Chief Minister inaugurated a three-day workshop for visually-impaired members.
Three Roses ready to blow up Taj Mahal
For those wondering what is dealying the much-hyped film Three Roses, starring, among others, Rambha, Laila and Jyothika, here is the latest take on it... Many scenes are being re-shot as both the producer Vasu and director Rajeshwar were unhappy with them.
The film, which has made news for featuring three top heroines in the lead, also has seen some modifications in the storyline. Some contemporary news events have now been incorporated into the script.
Now one of the highlights of Three Roses is the three heroines taking up cudgels on behalf of the Dhalal Azmi, the Kuwaiti lover girl who eloped to India on a false passport with her family ' s Indian driver.
The sensational incident which grabbed the newspaper headlines with its gripping emotion and compelling drama is now in diplomatic channels with Kuwait formally requesting India to deport the love-lorn Dhalal Azmi back to her home land.
Azmi is now formally married to the driver and is living in Cuddapah in Andhra Pradesh. Kuwaiti officials are allegeing that Azmi is of unstable mind and has been taken advanatge of by the driver. Anyway, there is a groundswell of support for Azmi and her husband in Tamil Nadu where she first landed from Kuwait a month ago.
'It is an incident that readily lends itself to cinematic adaptation,' says Rajeshwar, the director of Three Roses. 'When we were re-working the film, the Azmi incident was an obvious choice for us'.
In the event, the film has three ladies playing the Good Samaritan to unite Azmi and her lover boy. In the end, the threesome finding too many hurdles for love, decide to blow up Taj Mahal - the eternal symbol of love in India. Taj Mahal and Three Roses, we are not talking tea brands here.
'It is a dramatic idea. But that is what they decide to,' says Rajeshwar. Adds Rambha, the brain behind the project, 'we are running that extra mile to make it top of the line. We are not cutting corners. We are accommodating new ideas too'.
But Three Roses blowing up Taj Mahal looks like a fight in tea market. The film unit however says the movie is more cheery than anything a cuppa can induce.
