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Badal flayed for ignoring NEW DELHI, Jan 20: A section of Delhi Gurdwara Management Committee...more
Basu asks Centre to CALCUTTA, Jan 20: West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu today blamed the Centre for.....more Breakthrough in CALCUTTA, Jan 20: A team of researchers of Jadavpur University claim to have discovered.....more |
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Jaswant condemns Sena’s behaviour TIRUPATI, Jan 20: External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh today condemned the....more BJP criticises Mumbai NEW DELHI, Jan 20: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today denounced the.....more Past decade records higher NEW DELHI, Jan 20: Indians are becoming increasingly depressed and.....more Govt urged to allow import under EPCG scheme NEW DELHI, Jan 20 : The Federation of Indian Export Organisations....more ‘Hu tu tu’ a statement on NEW DELHI, Jan 20: After the spark of ‘Maachis’, ace director Gulzar has .....more Laloo befooling tribal masses: Govindacharya RANCHI, Jan 20: BJP general secretary K N Govindacharya today dismissed RJD president Laloo Prasad....more |
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Badal flayed for ignoring Akal Takht Hukamnama NEW DELHI, Jan 20: A section of Delhi Gurdwara Management Committee (DGMC) and State Akali Dal owing allegiance to SGPC chief G S Tohra today accused Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal of trying to undermine the authority of Akal Takht by ignoring its Hukamnama asking the rival groups to patch up their differences. Addressing a press conference here, DGMC general secretary Bhajan Singh Walia, Delhi State Akali Dal leaders Paramjit Singh Sarna and Avtar Singh Atopind and SGPC member Harinderpal Singh said for Sikhs challenging the Hukamnama issued by Akal Takht, the supreme temporal seat, was against the basic tenets and convention of the religion and no body has the right to question its sovereignty. "Sikhs living outside Punjab strongly condemn attempts to undermine the authority of Akal Takht for political ends," he said. Referring to an appeal by 131 SGPC members urging Akal Takht chief Bhai Ranjit Singh to withdraw his Hukamnama, they said the appeal was not in consonance with the Sikh traditions and conventions as it contained an element of threat and coercion. They said the Akalis had been fighting all along against Central Government for its interference into the internal affairs of the Sikh community and alleged that the party under Badal’s leadership was also rendering itself to the same charges by interfering into SGPC affairs. They also demanded that the tri-centenary celebrations of Khalsa Panth should be organised under the aegis of Akal Takht and not under the chairmanship of Chief Minister and Akali Dal president. Claiming that majority of DGMC and State Akali Dal members were with them, they demanded immediate withdrawal of the appeal by the SGPC members and asked them to work for Sikh unity. (PTI) |
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Basu asks Centre to rein in Thackeray CALCUTTA, Jan 20: West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu today blamed the Centre for ‘failing’ to take proper measures to rein in Shiv Sena activists, including its leader Bal Thackeray, who were staunchly opposing Pakistan’s impending tour to India. Asked whether he was satisfied with the steps being taken by Centre to ensure a safe tour of Pakistan cricket team in India, Basu said is there a Government at the Centre? they have failed totally. To a question whether he would demand arrest of Bal Thackeray, he said it was upto the Centre. It (the Central Government) will have to take all measures. The inaugural Asian test championship tie at the Eden Gardens would be held as scheduled (from February 16), Basu said, adding West Bengal is a civilised State. Holding the match here will not be a problem. (PTI) Breakthrough in cancer research CALCUTTA, Jan 20: A team of researchers of Jadavpur University claim to have discovered a breakthrough in cancer treatment, which may ultimately lead to a cure for the dreaded disease. Led by Dr Asru Kumar Sinha, head of the Department of Life Science and Biotechnology, the ten-member team claims to have found a biological compound that vastly improved the condition of terminally ill patients during trials last year. The compound, "anti-neoplastin", was found to have "miraculous effects" in arresting both malignancy and the growth of cancer cells on about 100 patients in tests conducted over periods ranging from one week to a month, Dr Sinha said yesterday. He said the entire research work was carried out in the medical biology laboratory of the department and the trials were conducted in Calcutta, New York and Papua New Guinea. Dr Sinha said it was not a chance discovery, "but a logical extension of our work" which was still going on for taking stock of further details needed for making a presentation before the world forum. Explaining the nature of the compound, prepared from certain elements of the goat’s kidney, Dr. Sinha said it was used as an agent for reactivating an anti-cancer messenger, nitric oxide, to restore the defence mechanism in the body of a cancer patient. The researchers had discovered one of the major hormone-based principles, an analeptic agent that is present in the human body in normal conditions which becomes disfunctional during cancer. "We have further discovered that the administration of this agent in its modified form through various routes, including its application on the skin, reactivates the anti-cancer messenger by stimulating the body’s own defence mechanism to overcome or control the unlimited growth of cells", Dr. Sinha said. Trials have shown that application of anti-neoplastin on the skin controlled pain, regressed tumour size, restored appetite and initiated weight gain of almost all the patients who were turned away by local hospitals for having terminal malignancy, he claimed. A number of patients, who were introduced to the press, reported to have vastly improved to be able to do normal work within a short period of time after the trials were conducted on them. The patients, who were "treated", had been suffering from various types of the disease, including brain tumor, intestinal cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer and throat cancer. The members of the research team said they were encouraged to conduct trials on human beings after a series of experiments on mice conducted in May last year, proved positive. Dr. Udayan Ray, a team member attached with a hospital in Papua New Guinea, claimed to have achieved success in 48 out of 50 cases of terminal cancer at his work place. Dr. Sinha, who has been working on cancer for the past 29 years, however, declined to describe the compound as a panacea and said it had the definite capability of improving the "quality of life" of patients. He said his team was engaged in producing the compound with its own resources and carrying out further trials on cancer patients. Dr. Sinha said he had been in touch with the world experts on cancer and biology and would publish the findings in professional medical journals after the research work was completed in the next few months. Dr. Sinha, who is also a visiting professor of Mt.Cinnai University in the US, had earlier hit the headlines after having claimed to have discovered a cure for diabetes and a preventive drug for heart patients. (UNI) |
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Jaswant condemns Sena’s behaviour TIRUPATI, Jan 20: External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh today condemned the "reprehensive and abhorrent behaviour" of the Shiv Sena and said the Bharatiya Janata Party was not a party to it. Talking to reporters at Renigunta Airport, he said that the cricket series between India and Pakistan would certainly be held as per schedule. Referring to Shiv Sena’s actions he said "what is bad is bad". The Government would provide full security cover to the players, he added. Referring to bilateral relations between Pakistan and India Mr Singh said secretary level talks were going on. Andhra Pradesh Minister for roads, buildings and ports, along with officials and joint executive director of Tirumala-Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) received the Minister and his family who came from Chennai by a special aircraft. After an overnight stay and darshan at Tirumala, the abode of lord Venkateswara, Mr Singh’s entourage would leave for Delhi by a special flight later tomorrow. (UNI) BJP criticises Mumbai Police for inaction NEW DELHI, Jan 20: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today denounced the Shiv Sena’s threat to disrupt the proposed Indo-Pak cricket series as a foolish. Briefing newspersons BJP vice president J P Mathur said that it was because of the Central pressure that the Maharashtra Government was forced to initiate action against those who were involved in the recent attack on the Board of Cricket Control of India’s office in Mumbai. He however expressed full confidence that the cricket matches between these two neighbours will be played and criticised the Mumbai police for taking so much time in making any arrests. He said the arrest of an ISI officer and his three Indian agents has revealed a deadly plot to bomb the American Embassy in Delhi and the American Consulates in Calcutta and Chennai. He alleged that the Tamil Nadu and West Bengal Governments instead of cracking down on infiltrators, continue to provide political patronage and protection to illegal immigrants, thus gravely endangering national security. He said the party urged the Central Government to release a white paper on the ISI activities so that the world got to know the real, ugly face of terrorism, sponsored from across the borders, he added. (UNI) Past decade records higher incidence of suicides NEW DELHI, Jan 20: Indians are becoming increasingly depressed and distressed people, with lesser support structures to prop them up, if the alarming rise in suicides is any indication, official figures show. According to figures released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) recently, the number of suicide cases had risen from 54,357 in 1986 to 88,241 in 1996, an increase of 62.34 per cent. During the decade 1986-96, the incidence of suicides rose at a compound growth rate of 5.2 per cent as against the population which grew at a compund growth rate of 2.02 per cent, it noted. West Bengal, with 14,082 cases, reported the highest number of suicides in 1996, accounting for 15.96 per cent of total suicides in the country. The other states which reported higher number of suicides were Maharashtra (11,216), Tamil Nadu (9003), Karnataka (8820) and Kerala (8086). These five states together accounted for 58 per cent of the total suicides reported in the country. The remaining 42 per cent were reported in the other 20 states and seven Union Territories. The states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, which have higher population, reported comparatively lower percentage of suicidal deaths in 1996, recording a bare 5.07 and 1.03 per cent share respectively of the total. Among the Union Territories, Delhi reported the highest number of suicides (958) followed by Pondicherry (519). There was no suicide death in Lakshadweep. Among the cities, Bombay (1086), Madras (912) and Delhi (799) reported higher incidence of suicides. On an average two to three suicides were reported in a day in these cities. Illness (20.14 per cent) and family problems (18.88) were two main crises that people were unable to cope with and took their lives. The other significant factors which led to suicides were love affairs (4.16 per cent), poverty (3.51), failure in exams (2.65), dowry disputes (2.47) and property disputes (2.13 per cent). The ratio of male, female suicide victims in 1996 stood at 58:42. Suspected illicit relations, non-settlement of marriage, not having children, death of dear persons, dowry dispute, divorce, illegitimate pregnancy and physical abuse were among the reasons for female suicides. Men on the other hand were driven to death by bankruptcy, drug abuse, fall in social reputation, professional probelms, property dispute and unemployment. Dowry disputes and illegitimate pregnancies also were cited as reasons for some suicides by men. Youths (15-29 years) and middle-aged people (30-44 years) were the prime groups resorting to suicides. Of the total suicide victims, around 38 per cent were youths in the age group of 15-29 years and 33 per cent were middle aged persons. Among children, that is those below 14 years, more girls (1721) than boys (1683) took their lives. Failure in examinations was the main reason for their action. Housewives accounted for 22 per cent of the total suicide victims. Nearly 64 per cent of suicide victims were married while 23 per cent were never married. Divorced and separated people constituted around six per cent of the victims while the proportion of widows and widowers was around six per cent. In the unmarried and separated categories, 61 per cent of the victims were males. Among the married category more males (58 per cent) than females committed suicide while in the divorced category more females (823) as males (678) resorted to this extreme step. Most of the suicide victims (76 per cent) were uneducated or had low education (upto middle class). Only 23 per cent of the victims had educational level over matric or higher. Hanging (26 per cent), consumption of insecticides (19 per cent) and other poisons (18 per cent) were the much resorted means to terminate one’s life. (UNI) |
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Govt urged to allow import under EPCG scheme NEW DELHI, Jan 20 : The Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) today urged the Government to continue to allow import of capital goods under the zero duty Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) scheme. In a statement issued here, FIEO President Navratan Samdria said any withdrawal of the zero duty concession under the EPCG scheme will adversely affect exports as the modernisation and expansion efforts of the exporting units would be hampered. He said the scheme has been successful in creating positive atmosphere and useful facility for the exporting community in the upgradation of technology and in enhancing exports. A growing number of exporters had taken advantage of the facility to enhance the competitiveness of their products. "In this scenario, any move to dilute the benefits available under the scheme will result in a decline in production of quality products, which will further aggravate the slowdown in export growth," he said. In fact, there is need to make the EPCG scheme more attractive by bringing in additional sectors under the zero duty facility. (UNI) |
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‘Hu tu tu’ a statement on politics around us: Gulzar NEW DELHI, Jan 20: After the spark of ‘Maachis’, ace director Gulzar has zoomed his camera towards the game of life through his latest film ‘Hu tu tu’ —a statement on politics and its effects on us. It is not a political film but a comment on politics around us, and as the name suggests, it is about the pulls and pushes of the game much of which we are witnessing in our system, Gulzar, here for the premier of the film, said. Just like the game of kabaddi, which is known as ‘Hu Tu Tu’ in Maharashtra, we are seeing all kinds of pulls and pushes in our system, he said in the presence of stars Sunil Shetty, Tabu, Nana Patekar and music director Vishal Bhardwaj. Patekar, who plays the role of a dalit revolutionary poet in the film —a role reportedly inspired by the real life character of Gaddar —said the film was a release of the tensions around us. I am always afraid about how long people will remain silent, how long they will take to retaliate, he said, it is these questions that ‘Hu tu tu’ is trying to find an answer to. The film was premiered at the Siri Fort Auditorium in a special charity show, proceeds of which will go towards the construction of a school building for the Bhai Paramanand Vidya Mandir in the Capital. Asserting that ‘Hu tu tu’ is only a statement on politics, Gulzar said, what has been happening around us has always been part of my films or the ones I wrote, be it my first film ‘Mereapne’ or ‘Aandhi’, ‘Maachis’, ‘New Delhi Times’ and ‘Namak Haram’. Commenting on his first experience of working in a middle-of-the-road film, Sunil Shetty said, this is one of the few films I have done which has a lot of depth .. It is entertaining but at the same time has a lot of meaning. Initially people were shocked that someone like me, from the commercial set up, was doing a project with Gulzarsaab, but I am sure after seeing ‘Hu tu tu’, people will look at me with more respect, he said. Tabu, around whose character the story of ‘Hu tu tu’ revolves, on her part said, for me, working in a film under Gulzarsaab’s baton itself is an achievement. Gulzar commended both Shetty and Tabu, saying while the former backed him throughout the project and showed a deep commitment, the latter will prove to be one artists whose name will explain the heroines of this age in the future. ‘Hu tu tu’, also starring Mohan Agashe, Kulbhushan Kharbaa, Suhasini Mulay and Shivaji Satam, will be commercially released this Friday. (PTI) |
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