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Posted
on 14-Sep-01 09:52 AM
Friday, 14 September, 2001, 12:44 GMT 13:44 UK
Thousands attend Nepal peace rally
Thousands of people in Nepal have attended peace rallies across the country calling for an early negotiated solution to the long running Maoist insurgency.
The rallies come as peace talks between the government and rebels continue for a second day at a wildlife resort in rebel-held territory in western Nepal.
Around 50,000 people took part in the rally in Kathmandu and thousands of others attended similar gatherings across the country.
During the six-year insurgency around 1,800 people have been killed.
The rebels want to replace Nepal's constitutional monarchy with a communist republic.
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| NEWS |
Posted
on 14-Sep-01 10:05 AM
September 11, 2001 Posted: 5:15 PM HKT (0915 GMT)
Another Amarnath shrine spells big business for local communities
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By Andrew Demaria
CNN Hong Kong
NEW DEHLI, India (CNN) -- An Indian shepherd has hit the jackpot after stumbling upon an ancient temple while searching for a lost sheep.
The shepherd's chance find in south Kashmir in August last year has netted him and his family something of a money spinner, the Indian Express newspaper reported.
After confirming that the shepherd, Ghulam Qadir, had indeed found an ancient Shiv temple, the local tourism department said Qadir was entitled to 10 percent of cash offerings made at the temple over the next five years.
Which is more than enough compensation for the lost sheep, whose fate is still unknown.
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While searching for the wayward animal, Qadir noticed an opening to a cave. After crawling into the cave, Qadir discovered a one-foot high stone bust of the god Shiva, the report said.
"I was worried, I didn't know what to tell my family. Par Allah nu kujh hor hi manzoor si (God had something else in store for me)," Qadir was quoted as saying.
Excited by the find, Qadir ran and told his father-in-law who photographed the site and contacted officials.
The officials confirmed the find, located at an altitude of 12,500 feet (3,800 meters).
Estimated to be 1,500 years old, some have already anointed it as a second Amarnath shrine.
Every year thousands of worshippers flock to the shrine in Kashmir.
The month long pilgrimage, or yatra, is one of the few sources of income for villagers in the area and Qadir's discovery bodes well for the local economy devastated by years of violence.
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| News from India |
Posted
on 14-Sep-01 10:13 AM
Schoolboy shot in warning over Indian support to US
AGRA: A 10-year-old boy was shot and injured on Friday outside his school in Agra, apparently as a warning for India not to side with the United States in any conflict arising out of the recent terrorist attacks.
Police said the shot was fired from a car containing two men, who left a handwritten message saying "no Hindu would be spared if India sided with the United States in the war".
However, Agra police chief R R Bhatnagar said he suspected the incident was more an attempt to inflame local religious tensions than a genuine terrorist act.
"The casual manner in which the warning was written reflects that it was more of a nuisance act by miscreants to create panic or to disturb the peace of the city," Bhatnagar said.
"Nevertheless, security has been provided to schools and a full investigation has been launched."
The boy was injured around the waist, but police said the wound was not serious.
( AFP )
Akash missile test-fired
BALASORE: India's medium range surface-to-air missile Akash was test-fired from the interim test range (ITR) at Chandipur, about 15 km from here, on Friday, according to defence sources.
The indigenously developed missile, with a range of 25 km, was fired to hit a pilotless target aircraft (PTA)-- Lakshya.
( PTI )
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