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CHENNAI, Feb 2: Two youths have been arrested in connection with the morder
of Palani Baba, leader of the Jehad Movement. The leader was killed by a
gang at Pollachi, TN, on January 28. The youths, both hailing from Kerala
and connected with the RSS, had confessed their role in the crime,
according to police sources. A search is on for other accused. Meanwhile,
the police staged a flag march in sensitive areas of Coimbatore, which
witnessed sporadic violence in the wake of Palani Baba's murder.
HYDERABAD, Feb 2: A plot by the ISI to kidnap top political leaders to
press for the release of Kashmiri militant leader Bilal Siddiqui, now in
Tihar jail, has been brought to light. The Hyderabad City Police
Commissioner's Task Force, which unearthed the conspiracy, has arrested
four persons in this connection. A hunt is on for two others implicated in
the case.
CHENNAI, Feb 2: Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK leader J
Jayalalitha has been admitted to the private Apollo Hospital here,
following severe back pain. Doctors diagnosed her condition as `bilateral
sciatica', and say there is a risk of total disability due to pain, which
could require surgery. The AIADMK supremo, who was to campaign for her
party's candidate in the coming Assembly by-election, has cancelled her
programme.
ANANTAPUR, Feb 2: Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York and former wife of
Britain's Prince Andrew, on a private visit to India, reportedly had
`darshan' of Sri Sai Baba at Puttaparthi. She flew in from Bangalore on
Thursday and had an interview with the Baba on Friday. Her visit went
unnoticed. Equally secret was the visit of Sri Lankan Chief of Army Staff,
Gen. Rohin De Silva Daluwate, who spent some 20 hours at Prasanthi Nilayam.
The visiting General is known to be high on the hit list of the Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
BANGALORE, Feb 2: Child labour is thriving in the hotels of Bangalore,
despite the law forbidding employment of children below 12 years. A survey
shows that there are over 18,000 children in the 7-12 age group working in
city hotels, particularly in small and medium ones. Social workers allege
that the authorities are turning a blind eye to the problem, while
hoteliers produce `certificates' proving that their employees are over the
age of 12. Labour Department officials, while detailing the steps taken by
them against child labour, also plead lack of staff. The State Government
plans to make the laws more stringent and raise the minimum working age to
14.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Feb 2: The Southern Air Command displayed its prowess
in Kerala's capital city on Sunday, putting up a show of aerobatic skill
and giving a demonstration of operational readiness. MiGs, MI-8s and Kiran
Jets flew in formations, while sky divers led by Flight Lt. Ramesh Krishna
gave a breathtaking performance. Air Marshall Bharath Kumar supervised the
display.
CHENNAI, Feb 2: Noted Tamil novelist Jayakanthan, and musician, Saraswathi
Ramanathan, have been honoured by the Shriram Group of companies for their
role in propagating the ideals of the poet Bharatiar. The awards carry a
prize money of Rs 3,000 each, and a citation.
KARIMNAGAR, Feb 2: Begumpet village in Andhra Pradesh observed a `bandh' on
January 31 in response to a call by the People's War Group (PWG) to protest
against the sale of arrack. The PWG had put up wall posters denouncing what
it described as the indifference of the authorities in checking the sale of
arrack. It also demanded an end to illegal tree felling.
KOCHI, Feb 2: The Chief Justice of India, A M Ahmadi, has stressed the
importance of judges placing a premium on impartiality. He was speaking
after receiving an honorary D.Litt conferred on him by the Cochin
University of Science and Technology here. He also regretted that the
values in the legal profession had deteriorated, as had the quality of
legal education in the country.
CHENNAI, Feb 2: The Council for Leather Exports (CLE) has asked the centre
to exempt from tax deduction at source the interest due to exporters of
finished leather on amounts collected as registration fee for consignments.
Indian Leather Industries Foundation (ILFO) Chiarman M M Hashim said after
the fee was quashed by a court order, the sums collected under this head
had been refunded, but repayment of interest was held up, as TDS exemption
was awaited.
CHENNAI, Feb 2: An Income Tax officer, J Shankaranarayanan, was brutally
murdered on Bazullah Road in the City's T-Nagar area, in the early hours of
January 31. He was on his way to buy milk when he was attacked by a person
armed with an `aruval' or scythe. The assailant escaped on a waiting
two-wheeler. The victim had survived an earlier attack in 1995, and had
been receiving repeated threats. He was not involved in any politically
sensitive IT cases that are currently being pursued, and police are puzzled
about the motive for the murder.
BANGALORE, Feb 2: The Uttara Kannada Jilla Parisara Samrakshana Samithi, an
environmentalist organisation, will launch an agitation to save the
Sharavathy or Sahyadri Valley, threatened by the Karnataka Power
Corporation's Sharavathi Valley Tail Race Hydroelectric Project. The
agitation is to be launched in the first week of March, according to
Samithi President Dr Kusuma Sorab. She said the valley had been identified
as one of the world's 12 most sensitive areas, and the Mangalore
University, which conducted a 2-year field study of the area, had also
recommended that the project be reviewed in the light of its ecological and
social implications.
CHENNAI, Feb 2: Noted Japanese Neurosurgeon, Dr Tetsuo Kanno, has
underlined the features of computer-aided neurosurgery, which is being
increasingly resorted to the world over due to the immense possibilities it
opens in complex surgery. Dr Kanno, who is Professor of Neurosurgery at the
Fujita Health University, Tokyo, and who was involved in treating late
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M G Ramachandran, said here that he was working
towards securing sponsorships from Japanese companies for training doctors
from developing countries in the use of such sophisticated equipment as the
open MRI and CT Fleuroscopy.
TIRUPATI, Feb 2: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) is considering a
computerised system for issuing tokens for the famous laddus at the Lord
Venkateshwara Temple, to prevent blackmarketeering. TTD Joint Executive
Officer Balasubramanyam said large scale sale of the prasadam through means
other than official had come to light, forcing the authorities to take
preventive action. Reducing the validity period of the tokens for
collecting the laddus, from the present 48 hours, is also being
contemplated, he said.
CHENNAI, Feb 2: Tamil Nadu is undertaking an ambitious programme to
erradicate leprosy in the State. Claimed to be the first such plan in
India, it aims at eliminating the disease as well as achieving global
standards. The programme will involve massive participation of the public,
as in the case of the drive against polio. Half the number of leprosy
patients in the world are in India, and of these, TN accounts for 10%,
Health Department officials say.
KANCHEEPURAM, Feb 2: The Tamil Nadu Government has constituted a Committee
to study the problems faced by sick spinning mills in the State. Director
of Handlooms and Textiles, V Gunalan, has said that necessary action to
stabilise the mills will be taken on the basis of the committee's report.
BANGALORE, Feb 2: Three teenagers, including the son of a sitting Karnataka
MLA, were arrested after they stole a car and went for a joy ride, hitting
a pedestrian and a scooterist in the process. The MLA's son, who is just 13
years old, was reportedly behind the wheel of the car, belonging to a bank
manager. The youths made away with the vehicle which was parked in front of
a city club. The three were apprehended by the public and handed over to
the police. The pedestrian and the woman scooterist were injured.
BANGALORE, Feb 2: The Karnataka Government has decided to set up a panel to
check terrorist activities in the districts bordering Andhra Pradesh. Chief
Minister J H Patel said the officials had informed Government that
naxalites were active in areas which were socially and economically
backward, and lacking infrastructural facilities. He said the panel would
go into the problems of these areas. Funds would be released for
developmental activities in these areas based on the report submitted by
the panel, he added.
CHENNAI, Feb 2: Dr B Ramamurthy, a pioneer in neurosurgery in India, has
turned 75. His birthday was celebrated at the Music Academy in the City on
January 31. Among those who felicitated him on the oacassion were
agricultural scientist Dr M S Swaminathan, `Cho' Ramaswami, journalist, and
his professional colleagues.
CHENNAI, Feb 2: The decision by former TN Chief Minister and AIADMK leader
J Jayalalitha to lead her party's campaign in the coming Pudukottai
Assembly by-election is a calculated risk. Weakened by large-scale
defections from the AIADMK following the party's dismal showing in the last
General Elections, and innumerable corruption charges, eight of them
against herself, Jayalalitha will seek to project herself as a martyr and
victim of prosecution by the DMK. The party's performance in the by-poll
will determine its immediate future. Failure will help fence-sitters to
come to a decision and give the ruling DMK a breather.
CHENNAI, Feb 2: The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) took out a big rally from
the Saidapet area to the Marina beach here on Saturday, in connection with
the Protection of Eelam Tamils conference organised by it. The party's
founder-leader Dr S Ramadoss, George Fernandes, MP, and the Punjab Human
Rights Committee President Ajit Singh Baynes were among those who attended
the meet. Foreign participants included K M Veerabadhran from South Africa
and Madelin Michael from Switzerland. The procession took over four hours
to cross a point, throwing traffic in the city out of gear. Three PMK
members were killed when they were swept off the top of a vehicle on which
they were travelling by the branches of a tree.
BANGALORE, Feb 2: The Ramanagara Assembly constituency in Karnataka,
vacated by Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, is witnessing a battle royale
between the ruling Janata Dal and the opposition Congress(I), which are,
ironically, allies at the Centre. As the pace of electioneering reaches
fever pitch, the two trade charges on pumping money and liquor into the
constituency with a view to winning the elections. While the Congress(I)
has fielded C M Lingappa, the Janata Dal nominee is actor-turned-politician
Ambarish.
CHENNAI, Feb 2: The Tamil Nadu Health Secretary R Poornalingam has urged
medical staff to launch a concerted campaign against TB in rural areas. He
said under the State Government's new programme against the disease, each
TB patient would be given Rs 500 worth of drugs free of cost.
CHENNAI, Feb 2: Indo-Filipino trade ties are poised for growth, with the
two countries embarking on a period of enhanced foreign trade, according to
Filipino Under Secretary for Trade, Jose O. Juliano. The Under Secretary,
who is leading a trade delegation to the country, said pharmaceuticals,
auto components, sugar and textiles were areas of particular importance in
two-way trade between the two countries.
CHENNAI, Feb 2: Voters in the Mylapore and Triplicane constituencies of
Chennai turned out in large numbers to be videographed for photo identity
cards. Among the prominent persons who were videographed was G K Moopanar,
Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) President.
CHENNAI, Feb 2: The Indian Leather Industry Foundation (ILIFO) and the
United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) are to work
together to identify productive uses for treated tannery effluents. A pilot
project to raise tree and shrub plantations and non-edible crops will be
undertaken in Ranipet, Tamil Nadu, according to A Sahasranaman, Regional
Programme Coordinator, UNIDO.
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