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Maoists influence strong WASHINGTON, June 25: The Maoist group in Nepal has been "steadily growing in the impoverished countryside, and it is now scrambling to exploit political uncertainties triggered by the massacre of King Birendra and eight other royals," a US weekly reported. ..more Veterinary
drugs being ISLAMABAD, June 25:Health Department officials in Pakistan’s Punjab province have detected a number of cases of doctors prescribing veterinary medicines to treat humans. Despite repeated instructions by the provincial Government to stop using veterinary drugs to treat human beings, the unethical practice is continuing unchecked with the connivance of the Health Department...more |
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Sattar-Umer Farooq to ISLAMABAD, June 25: Pakistan Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar is expected to have a detailed discussions with former APHC Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, when the two meet at the Islamic...more India-China
group on BEIJING, June 25: India-China experts group on boundary issue would meet in New Delhi on June 28 during which the two sides are expected to....more LONDON, June 25: At least three businesses including an Asian-owned newsagent’s shop, a sex shop .....more |
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Maoists influence strong in parts of Nepal: Report WASHINGTON, June 25: The Maoist group in Nepal has been "steadily growing in the impoverished countryside, and it is now scrambling to exploit political uncertainties triggered by the massacre of King Birendra and eight other royals," a US weekly reported. The insurgent group which represents an ideology long abandoned even by Beijing, is a long way off capturing power in Kathmandu, but has "true believers" in pockets of Nepal and is especially popular among rural women and lower castes, newsweek reports. "The movement," says the magazine, after its correspondent visited Lung, about 300 km from Kathmandu, "holds great attraction for rural nepalese women, who are drawn by the promise that they can speak out, inherit land directly, bear weapons and marry for love instead of in traditional unions arranged by their parents." A Lung rally, it says, seemed straight out of China’s Mao Zedong’s long march-complete with the traditional musical instruments, such as bulbous drums and curved trumpets and song-and-dance troops. Five years ago, newsweek notes, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) abandoned electoral politics and went underground. Rebels denounced the monarchy and clamoured for a "proletarian people’s republic." (PTI) |
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Veterinary drugs being used for humans in Pakistan: Report ISLAMABAD, June 25: Health Department officials in Pakistan’s Punjab province have detected a number of cases of doctors prescribing veterinary medicines to treat humans. Despite repeated instructions by the provincial Government to stop using veterinary drugs to treat human beings, the unethical practice is continuing unchecked with the connivance of the Health Department field staff, Pakistani daily ‘The News’ quoted sources as saying. "In October last, the Quality Control Board Secretary issued a directive to the field staff to conduct a market survey, seize the veterinary drugs being used for human beings and take action against those involved in this illegal practice, but efforts remained fruitless," a Health Department official told the daily. The animal drugs, comparatively cheaper than the human ones, can have serious effects on human health, experts say. They could reduce resistance power, cause heart problems, blood pressure and damage vital organs, it said adding doctors use the high-potency drugs to provide quick relief to patients and win their trust despite being aware of its ill-effects. A senior doctor at Lahore’s Mayo Hospital told the daily that the drugs were being used to treat even children. Following who instructions, the federal Government had banned manufacturing of the multi-dose drugs for human beings, but manufacturers got them registered as veterinary drugs, though they are rarely used for treating animals. The high-potency drugs and antibiotics used so include drugs like gentamycin (elekogent), rasomycin-5 and steroids like dexamethasone and amropyron injections, the report added. (PTI) |
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Sattar-Umer Farooq to meet in Mali to discuss Indo-Pak summit ISLAMABAD, June 25: Pakistan Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar is expected to have a detailed discussions with former APHC Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, when the two meet at the Islamic conference in Bamako, Mali, beginning today. Sattar, who was hoping to get elected as Vice Chairman of the OIC Foreign Ministers, left here yesterday to Mali, where the OIC Foreign Ministers were scheduled to discuss among others the situation in Palestine and Kashmir. Reports said that Farooq, who is attending the OIC meeting, was expected to speak about the alleged human rights violations in Kashmir. Both sattar and Farooq were expected to meet on the sidelines of the OIC meeting to discuss Pakistan President Musharraf’s forthcoming visit to New Delhi. Officials here have not discounted such a meeting from taking place. Officials sources have also ruled out a meeting between Gen. Musharraf and the APHC leaders in New Delhi. The Indian leadership has already conveyed its strong reservations in this regard to Islamabad, they said. Last month’s unexpected Indian invitation to Gen Musharraf and his subsequent decision to accept it has considerably marginalised the APHC. With Gen Musharraf accepting the invitation overriding the concerns and objections from the APHC, the Kashmir separatist alliance changed its stand of not talking to the Indian Government until they were allowed to meet Gen Musharraf to meeting both the Pakistan military ruler as well as Prime Minister A B Vajpayee. Though some of the APHC leaders in the recent weeks met the Pakistan High Commissioner to New Delhi, a Jehangir Qazi, this would be the first time when the top Pakistan Government officials and the APHC leaders would meet to directly discuss the summit and as well as its fallout on the APHC. Interestingly a two member delegation of APHC’s Pak chapter has also left for Mali from here to meet Farooq and discuss the summit and related issues. (PTI) |
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India-China group on LAC to meet on June 28 BEIJING, June 25: India-China experts group on boundary issue would meet in New Delhi on June 28 during which the two sides are expected to exchange opinions on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and establishing mutual trust. The Chinese delegation, led by Deputy Director General of the Asian Department Sun Quoxiang is leaving for india tomorrow for the ninth meeting of the group. Other members of the delegation include experts from the Foreign Ministry, People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and other departments. "We believe that this meeting will be helpful in maintaining peace in the area along the LAC," a Chinese Foreign Ministry official said. The meeting is considered significant as both sides are to compare their maps and exchange views on the "middle sector" on the LAC that stretches 545 km from Himachal Pradesh to Uttaranchal. The exchange of maps of the "middle sector" is considered helpful to move towards the ultimate objective of drawing the lac on the ground. A similar exercise is likely to take place as regard the western and eastern sector of the LAC. The western sector covers Ladakh while the eastern sector covers Arunachal Pradesh. India asserts that China is illegally occupying 43,180 sq km of Jammu and Kashmir including 5,180 sq km illegally ceded to Beijing by Pakistan under the Sino-Pakistan boundary agreement in 1963. On the other hand, China accuses India of possessing some 90,000 sq km of Chinese territory. (PTI) |
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LONDON, June 25: At least three businesses including an Asian-owned newsagent’s shop, a sex shop and a pub were fire bombed and cars set alight last night in fresh racial clashes in the Lancashire town of Burnley, northwest of England, police said today. Scores of police in riot gear tried to keep the rioting Asian and white youths apart into the early hours of this morning in the predominantly Asian stoneyholme area of the town. A police helicopter hovered over the area keeping a strict vigil. A spokesman of the Lancashire police headquarters told PTI that efforts were on to bring together leaders of the two communities to ensure that there is no recurrence of the rioting. It was the second night of violence between whites and asians. Trouble first broke out on Saturday morning when a taxi driver was the target of a racially motivated attack. The trouble follows the Oldham riots earlier this month when police blamed the British National Party for stoking up racial tensions in the town. Burnley’s Asian community leaders said the skirmishes were spontaneous and sparked by a dispute over loud music being placed. An Asian family asked white partygoers next door to turn music down. Some whites allegedly responded with threats, saying "we will sort you out." That was followed by an attack on an Asian taxi driver by a gang of whites. He suffered a broken cheekbone. Police were treating both attacks as being racially motivated. The town, with a six per cent ethnic minority community of mainly Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, has no history of racial tension. But the right extremist British national party gained a surprise 11.2 per cent of the vote in the June 7 election fuelling the tension and community leaders warned that violence could continue if outside forces actively came to the area to stir tension. Shahid Malik, son of the town’s deputy mayor and a senior member of the Commission for racial equality, said there was added racial sensitivity in the town after the British national party gained more than one in ten votes in the general election. "Sadly, it seems some of the young men heard about Asian businesses being attacked and they felt the right course of action was to attack white businesses. There is no justification for that, but people must understand that they have been taunted by white racists." Rafique Malik, the Deputy Mayor said "it would be a shame for Burnley to be tagged as another Oldham because it is not. The white community is not racist, only a few individuals." (PTI) |
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