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Nation & States
Iraqi
group kidnaps three Indians, threatens to behead them
What is India News
Service, July 22, 2004, 1700 hrs IST
A group calling itself The Holders of the Black Banners has taken three Indians and three others
hostage in Iraq and threatened to behead them if the Kuwaiti firm for which they work does not pull out of the country. The other hostages are two Kenyans and an Egyptian. The terrorists made the statement in a video aired by Al-Arabiya television on Wednesday, and in a statement to Associated Press.
Pakistan
vows to deal with terrorism: India today conveyed to Pakistan its concerns over cross-border terrorism and asserted that there was no simplistic solution to the vexed Kashmir problem.
Foreign Ministers of the two countries discussed various confidence building measures and decided to meet again in New Delhi on September 5 and 6.
New Delhi\92s concerns over cross-border terrorism and infiltration were conveyed by External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh to his Pakistani counterpart Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri during their 90-minute breakfast meeting here, their third in two months.
Sources said the Indian side would watch the action taken on the ground to stop cross-border terrorism and infiltration and would not go by assurances.
On its part, the Pakistani side said it recognised the threat posed by terrorism and would do its best to deal with it.
Emerging from the meeting, Singh said at a joint press conference with Kasuri that \93cross-border terrorism, infiltration and other issues were discussed.\94
Kasuri said fundamental issues, including Kashmir, also came up during the parleys.
The two leaders also discussed various Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) like launch of bus service between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and establishing a rail link between Khokhrapar in Sindh and Munnabao in Rajasthan and speeding up the process of opening respective Consulates in Karachi and Mumbai.
Pakistan today assured India that it would soon release 60-70 Sikhs languishing in its jail after they were duped by unscrupulous travel agents.
Ministers' meet ends on positive note:
The two-day meeting of the Saarc Council of Ministers ended here on Wednesday with specific proposals for collaborative projects promising benefits to the peoples of the region. ...
Plans ready to tackle
drought: The Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, today assured Parliament that his Government was ready with contingency plans to face the threat of drought in several parts of the country.
Norms for soft drinks:
The Bureau of Indian Standards has issued `draft' standards for pesticide residues in ready-to-serve non-alcoholic beverages, including soft drinks.
Tribesmen hand over
relatives of militants: Tribal leaders in Wana, South Waziristan, on Wednesday handed over six relatives of two local militants suspected of supporting Al-Qaeda to authorities, a local source told Dawn by telephone.
Militants killed in clash with Saudi forces:
Two wanted militants, Eisa bin Saad Al Oshan and Mujab Abu Ras Al Dossary, were killed during an exchange of gunfire with security forces in the King Fahd area in Riyadh on Wednesday morning. .
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Court warns Siachen officers:
Taking strong exception to frequent wordy duels between two officers during cross examination in the Siachen fake killing case, the military court, recording summery of evidence here, warned them of action if they did not "bahave properly"..
Soren plots high drama:
In the midst of media glare and police hunt, Coal and Mines Minister Shibu Soren managed to slip out of New Delhi and is gearing up for a
grand surrender before the judiciary if the Ranchi High Court does not come to his rescue.
AIIMS not stirred:
The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) authorities might have chosen to remain silent on the suicide of Dr Rachit Gupta, but the country's apex doctors' body Indian Medical Association (IMA) has not. The IMA has sought an inquiry into the incident.
Speaker blasts NDA's past: Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on Wednes-day night alleged that the previous NDA Government had attempted to divide the country on religious lines which had led to its ouster in the parliamentary elections.
BJP trying to ward off Sena revolt:
The Shiv Sena on Wednesday sprang a surprise by fielding Eknath Thakur for the post of Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. His nomination has lent a dash of spice to the election for the post which Congress candidate K Rehman Khan was all set to be elected to - unopposed.
Overall:
Three Indians were kidnapped:
The abductors want India to withdraw from business in Iraq.
Saarc
meet ended on positive note: Pakistan said it would work to
eliminate terrorism.
Soren was still untraceable: The coal minister, running
from an arrest warrant, is reportedly planning a grand surrender.
PM made an assurance on drought: He said his government would
soon swing into action.
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