Nation and States  

India test fires missile with
700 km range

What is India News Service, July 5, 2004, 1700 hrs IST

India on Sunday successfully test-fired surface-to-surface missile Agni A-1, which defence watchers described as the country's answer to Pakistan?s Ghauri missile. 

Agni A-1 was successfully test-fired from the Interim Test Range at Wheelers' Island in the Bay of Bengal near Balasore in Orissa. The missile, with a range of
over 700 km, can carry nuclear warheads. The 15-metre single-stage missile weighs 12 tonnes and is powered by solid propellants. 

Pakistan ?not concerned?: Pakistan said it was not worried by India's test of a short-range nuclear capable missile as it was a "sovereign right" for any country to enhance its defence and military capability. 

"We reserve the sovereign right to improve our defence capability and the same right is granted to other countries," chairman of Senate foreign relations committee Mushahid Hussain said. "We have a strong deterrent and defence capability." 

Musharraf in Sweden: Pakistani president Gen Musharraf arrived in Stockholm on Sunday. He told reporters his meetings with Swedish leaders would concentrate on
augmenting trade ties. Musharraf is the first head of state from Pakistan to visit Sweden.

Dawood aide list: The central government has prepared a fresh list of over a dozen Mumbai blast case fugitives associated with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

Delhi is likely to hold talks with Islamabad as well as the governments of the Gulf states and West Asia to seek assistance to nab them, official sources said on
Sunday. 

The list was prepared after a series of meetings home minister Shivraj Patil had with top officials of the CBI, Intelligence Bureau and paramilitary intelligence agencies. 
 
New Delhi has for long been pressing Pakistan to hand over 20 criminals and terrorists, including Dawood, Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar, and three others released from Indian prisons in return for the passengers of the hijacked Indian Airlines plane, flight IC-814. The fresh list is believed to include
the names of two women members of Dawood?s family ? Shabana Ibrahim Memon and Reshma Ayub Memon ? against whom a special task force in Mumbai has carried out preliminary enquiries. 

Cross-border incidents: A US government report on terrorism lists 51 cross-border attacks in Kashmir in 2003, several times lower than the 807 attacks claimed
by India.

The report also puts the number of deaths in these attacks at less than 100 against the 477 deaths India claims. 

The report does not blame Pakistan for ordering the attacks, as India says, but does speak of 'foreign-based' terrorists operating in occupied Kashmir.In the appendix it identifies Pakistan as the location of groups such as Lashkar-i-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen. 

A US official said it was hard for his country to judge 'who precisely is the guilty party' in Kashmir.

Talaq campaign: The Muslim Personal Law Board on Sunday discussed talaq and said it would launch a public awareness campaign on social reforms.

After a day-long inconclusive discussion, board general secretary Maulana Nizamuddin said it had discussed various social evils in the Muslim community. 

He said the Board would try to create awareness among the community on the issue of divorce and would persuade Muslims to abide by rules provided in the Shariyat. He said cases of divorce in the Muslim community were lower than in other communities.

No music classes this year: Karnataka?s ambitious plans of teaching music, theatre and yoga to primary and high school students may not take off this year. 

Former school education minister B K Chandrashekar had announced in May that music and theatre would be taught to students from Standard III, while yoga would
be compulsory from Standard V. 

Of two lakh teachers in 50,000-plus government primary schools, only eight to ten are music teachers. Officials say they will need to find enough teachers to introduce these new subjects. 

Fag end: Smoking will not be permitted in the Central Hall and lobbies of parliament from Monday when the budget session begins. This was decided at an all-party meet convened by speaker Somnath Chatterjee on Sunday.

Chatterjee said the Lok Sabha?s business advisory committee would meet on July 6 to chalk out the schedule for discussing various subjects.

Vaccine drive: Crores of children were given polio drops on Sunday in a ``mop-up'' vaccination round in the high-risk areas of the country, as a final attack on the crippling disease. 

Overall:

India test-fired a missile: The latest Agni can carry nuclear warheads and cover a range of 700 km. Pakistan said it was not concerned.

Centre prepared a new wanted list: It is likely to talk to Pakistan and other governments to ask them to repatriate those involved in the Mumbai blasts.

US released security report: It did not accept the numbers quoted by India, but agreed foreign militants were active in Pakistan.

Parliament banned smoking in its corridors: Elected representatives given to the weed will have to wait till they finish parliament deliberations and go home.

Polio mop-up drive was completed: With this campaign, India hopes no citizen will ever suffer from the crippling disease any more.