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India can handle tsunami
crisis on its own: US 

What is India News Service, Saturday, 15 January 2005, 2000 hrs IST

Observing that many tsunami-hit Asian countries might take years to recover, US Secretary of State Colin Powell has highlighted India as the only country in the region which could handle the crisis on its own. 

"It's going to take years, and each country is a little different. India is fine. It can handle its own needs. It had a significant loss of life, but it has the resources to deal with it," Powell told the CNN in an interview. 

It's going to be in Indonesia and Sri Lanka that will need the most international help, he said. 

"Then there are other nations that will need some help: the Maldives and the Seychelles, perhaps a little bit in Somalia and Kenya and a few other places," he said.

3 ultras shot in 24-hour gunfight at Badgam: A Major and three top LeT commanders were among six persons killed in the 24-hour-long fierce gunfight that ended this afternoon in the central Kashmir district of Badgam.

42 Myanmarese and Bangladeshis arrested near IB: Forty-two Myanmarese and Bangladeshi nationals were arrested while trying to exfiltrate to Pakistan via the International Border (IB) in Samba and R S Pura sectors of Jammu and Kashmir since Friday night, a BSF spokesman said on Saturday.

Naxalites set ablaze poll material, bus in Chhattisgarh: Naxalites belonging to the Bharatiya Communist Party (Maoist), a joint outfit of Peoples' War and Maoist Communist Centre (MCC), today set ablaze ballot papers and boxes in 10 polling stations in Satbagh area of Sarguja district.

Paswan woos Congress: Unfazed by the confusion surrounding the Congress and RJD strategy in the Bihar Assembly elections, another UPA partner Lok Janshakti Party leader Ram Vilas Paswan today expressed total support to the Congress, in an apparent bid to wean it away from Laloo Prasad\92s party.

CBI to close Taj corridor case against Maya: The agency has acted on advice that evidence collected so far in the Taj Heritage Corridor scam was not enough to take the case to trial. 

Girl breaches security, gives memo to Kalam: Creating a flutter, a 17-year-old girl today broke the security cordon at a function of President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam at a hamlet here and handed over to him a memorandum alleging her family\92s land has been usurped by the village head and her father faced death threat.

More mutt functionaries called for interrogation: Several functionaries of the Kanchi Kamokoti Mutt here, including its Manager-in-charge Mahadeva Iyer and accountant Ramamurthy, were summoned for interrogation by the Special Investigating Team. 

Gutkha kings held over Don links: Warrants were issued against owners of 'Manikchand' and 'Goa' gutkha for helping Dawood.

States

Baratis misbehave with girls, sent packing: A poor illiterate girl from this city, who has three sisters waiting for her to get married, yesterday refused to marry a repentant groom whose family members got physical with her sister and other women during her pre-wedding reception on January 12.

MLAs with criminal antecedents in Bihar surrender: Following the Patna High Court's directives on a crackdown on absconding candidates aspiring to contest elections, at least five legislators have surrendered in Bihar so far.

Anara may have to face lie detector test: Former Miss Jammu Anara Gupta, recently cleared by forensic experts of charges that she had appeared in a porn film, might have to undergo a polygraph test to prove her innocence.

Pongal rangoli, then relief queue: Annalakshmi's 'rangoli' outside her hut in Akkaraipettai's Temple Street is small, neat, made of white powder. It's the only rangoli this Pongal in this ravaged fishing village.