Muslim fund for Kargil martyrs
WASHINGTON, Aug 17 — Muslims of Indian origin in the USA have launched an “adopt a family programme” for the welfare of the kith and kin of Kargil martyrs and formed a body to give voice to “committed secularists” in the Indian American community.

US court upholds cleric’s conviction
NEW YORK, Aug 17 — A US Appeals Court has upheld the conviction of militant Muslim Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman and nine followers for plotting an unprecedented campaign of urban terrorism in the USA.

USA, Israel trade letters
WASHINGTON, Aug 17 — US President Bill Clinton has exchanged letters with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak on the Middle-east peace process

Putin retains all key ministers

MOSCOW, Aug 17 (Reuters) — Russian President Boris Yeltsin today decided to keep the key ministries of Defence, Interior and Foreign Affairs unchanged in the Cabinet of new Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and had warm words for his Premier.

On the day when Russia marked the anniversary of a damaging financial crisis in 1998, Mr Yeltsin pledged to work closely with his new Premier, whom he has hailed as the man he wants to replace him after presidential elections in mid-2000.

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov, Russia’s most popular politician, formally agreed to lead a powerful centrist bloc for the parliamentary poll on December 19, news agencies reported.

Interfax news agency said Mr Primakov will head the coordinating council of the Fatherland-All Russia Bloc and lead its election list. The bloc has been formed by powerful Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov and regional bosses and most political analysts have predicted that the inclusion of Mr Primakov would make the Fatherland-All Russia bloc an election favourite.

The decision, taken at a meeting of the leadership of Fatherland-All Russia, must still to be formally confirmed by its congress due on August 28.

Mr Putin said on television after meeting President Yeltsin that he had kept Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, Defence Minister Igor Sergeyev and Interior Minister Vladimir Rushailo in the cabinet.

Mr Yeltsin said Mr Sergeyev in particular had to play a key role in putting down an uprising of Muslim Chechen-backed rebels in the southern province of Dagestan as the insurgents were well armed.

Mr Putin announced only one change with Chief Prosecutor, Mr Yuri Chaika, named as Justice Minister to replace Justice Minister Pavel Krasheninnikov, recently criticised by the president.

Kremlin sources said that Yeltsin might appear in the government headquarters on Thursday for the first time in 14 months to chair the new Cabinet’s first meeting in a sign of his intention to cooperate with the new government.

Mr Yeltsin reminded Mr Putin that former Premiers who failed to cooperate with the President ended up losing their job. Mr Putin is the fourth Prime Minister in just 17 months and former Prime Minister Sergei Stepashin was sacked after only 82 days.

“We will not put splits between the presidential administration and that of the government. This is a single team. When we had some kind of split, nothing good came of it. In the end, the Prime Minister naturally lost,” Mr Yeltsin said.

He did not give names but his relations with Mr Primakov, replaced by Mr Stepashin in May, were strained.

Most political analysts believe that the new alliance could become a dominating force in a future parliament, ending years of Communist domination in the Duma. It could also become a major force behind a centrist candidate, whether Mr Luzhkov or Mr Primakov, who would oppose Mr Putin in presidential polls next year.

The head of the FSB domestic security service, Mr Putin’s post before becoming Premier, was named as career security official Nikolai Patrushev.

Mr Putin pledged to continue economic reforms but said that peoples’ incomes had to be rebuilt.

Diana car crash
Case against nine lensmen dropped

PARIS, Aug 17 (AFP, Reuters) — The Paris prosecutor’s office said today it was dropping the case against the nine photographers and a motorcycle messenger involved in the crash that killed Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997.

But under the French judicial system, the final decision over whether or not to send them to trial will be that of the two investigating judges handling the case, Herve Stephan and Marie-Christine Devidal.

The prosecutor’s office said it did not have enough evidence to justify putting any of them on trial.

The 10 had been facing prosecution for involuntary manslaughter and for failing to help victims of the crash. They were the only persons placed under formal legal investigation over the affair.

Consequently, the prosecutors were asking the investigating judges to dismiss the case and to rule that, after a meticulous and very complete investigation, there were no grounds for prosecution, the statement concluded.

The prosecutor said an exhaustive inquiry had failed to produce any evidence to link the nine photographers and a photo agency motorcylist to the crash, or to establish that they failed to help the victims.

“Loss of control by the vehicle’s driver appears to be the determining cause of the crash”, the statement said. “Therefore investigating magistrates, through conclusions dated today, have been asked to drop the case”, it said.

Ill-will against mujahideen

MUJAFFARABAD, (PoK) — With a father, son or brother lying dead, wounded or a prisoner of Indian troops, the people of Skardu have taken an intense dislike for the foreign “mujahideen” who fled the Kargil battlefield. Over the past week they have been vociferously, and often violently, demanding that Pakistan withdraw its pampered “proxy warriors” from their land.

Deprived of the basic necessities of life the people of Skardu are horrified at the attitude adopted by the Pakistan Government (which is in occupation of this part of the former Princely state of Jammu and Kashmir) in refusing to secure the return of the bodies of their loved ones or the release of those who have been captured by the Indian Army. Skardu is the main support base and recruitment centre of the Northern Light Infantry. Men of this unit were pushed into the Mushkoh-Batalik sector in the garb of “mujahideen”.

Their ire has been turned on the encampment of the Lashkar-e-Toiba in Skardu from where reports have received about Balti youth attacking it and firing at the foreign militants, who retreated from the Dras and Kargil sectors after US President Bill Clinton instructed Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to order the withdrawal of his troops from across the Line of Control.

The conflict was so intense that when Army units were called out to control the riots, they insisted on securing written instructions from the District Magistrate, who is a symbol of Pakistan occupation of this part of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Pakistan army and the ISI, which masterminded the intrusion into the Dras-Kargil sectors, have been forced to concede the demand of the residents regarding the removal of foreign mujahideen.

At a meeting the various political leaders of what are known as the “Northern areas” protested that Mr Nawaz Sharif had misled the 12 crore citizens of Pakistan by claiming “mujahideen” were fighting in Kargil where as in reality these were the soldiers of the Northern Light Infantry who had been sacrificed unnecessarily.

They resent the fact that Mr Nawaz Sharif has done nothing to secure the bodies of hundreds of those who have been killed or even acknowledge that many have been wounded or have been taken prisoner by the Indian troops.

Masood claims fresh advances

KABUL, Aug 17 (Reuters) — Opposition forces loyal to the Afghan commander Ahmad Shah Masood said today they had captured more areas from the ruling Islamic Taliban movement in eastern Afghanistan.

Opposition spokesman Dr Abdullah said Masood loyalists were closing in on Asadabad, the provincial capital of Kunar province, after capturing Asmar and Alishing districts in neighbouring Laghman province.

Today’s report came one day after the Opposition said it had captured three districts in Kunar and one in Laghman from the Taliban.

Muslim fund for Kargil martyrs

WASHINGTON, Aug 17 (PTI) — Muslims of Indian origin in the USA have launched an “adopt a family programme” for the welfare of the kith and kin of Kargil martyrs and formed a body to give voice to “committed secularists” in the Indian American community.

The launching of the programme and the United Secular Front (USF) was announced on Sunday during Independence Day celebrations by the Consultative Committee of Indian Muslims (CCIM), Chicago, a leading front of Indian American Muslims.

The USF will be a broad-based organisation cutting across religion and region, CCIM members said, explaining that the idea was to have a common forum to give voice to the secular people in the Indian American community.

At the invitation of the CCIM, members of the Pakistani American Muslim community and local shopkeepers also joined the celebrations.

US court upholds cleric’s conviction

NEW YORK, Aug 17 (Reuters) — A US Appeals Court has upheld the conviction of militant Muslim Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman and nine followers for plotting an unprecedented campaign of urban terrorism in the USA.

The Egyptian cleric was found guilty by a Manhattan federal jury in 1995 of leading a conspiracy that included the World Trade Centre bombing, planned attacks on other landmark buildings, and the murder of political and religious leaders.

“The 10 defendants were accorded a full and fair jury trial lasting nine months. They were vigorously defended by able counsel,” the second circuit Court of Appeals said yesterday.

USA, Israel trade letters

WASHINGTON, Aug 17 (Reuters) — US President Bill Clinton has exchanged letters with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak on the Middle-east peace process, his third contact with Mr Barak in less than a week, US officials said yesterday.

State Department spokesman James Rubin denied that Mr Clinton was trying to pressurise Mr Barak to implement the Wye Peace agreement immediately and without change.

Hitler paintings
TEHERAN: An Iranian foundation is to exhibit two paintings allegedly produced by Adolf Hitler, the Teheran daily Entekhab reported. The Foundation for Oppressed and War Disabled has not said how it acquired the paintings. They are rumoured to have been confiscated from members of the royal family. — DPA

Black hole’s mouth
WASHINGTON: Scientists observing x-ray emissions from swirling gases in a galaxy 100-million light-years distant found direct evidence of a black hole sucking matter into it, NASA said on Monday. “The evidence is pretty good,” said astrophysicist Paul Nandra, who observed galaxy n3516, which is believed to have a massive black hole in its core. — DPA

Alexander quits race
NASHVILLE: Former Tennessee Gov Lamar Alexander withdrew from the race for the Republican presidential nomination on Monday, two days after finishing a disappointing sixth in the Iowa Republican straw poll, the first major test of strength of the year. Mr Alexander became the third contender to drop out of the Republican contest. He followed representative John Kasich of Ohio and Sen. Bob Smith of New Hampshire, who bolted the party last month. — Reuters

Elton John sings
LONDON: Flamboyant British pop star Elton John has given his first performance since he was fitted with a heart pacemaker last month, his spokesman said. Simon Prytherch said on Monday the 52-year-old entertainer gave a private concert in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday. He is due to play his first public concert on August 29 in Leeds. — Reuters

Major car thief
PESHAWAR: Pakistani police arrested a notorious car thief who disguised himself as an Army officer to gain access to military compounds. The official APP news agency said the thief, dubbed “Major Akram”, was arrested on Monday driving a stolen white saloon. He had a Colonel’s uniform in the back of the vehicle. APP said the thief dressed up as an Army officer to break into cars in Army barracks and at military hospitals. — Reuters

Panel on hate crimes
LOS ANGELES: California has formed a special panel to study and advise on strengthening laws to punish hate crimes and track and suppress hate groups, the state’s attorney general Bill Lockyer has said. There were 1,750 hate crimes reported in California last year, Mr Lockyer said. — DPA