Students protest campus ban on Onam
Students made Pookkalam (floral pattern) and sang Onam songs in front an engineering college principal's room to register their protest against a ban by the college management on Onam celebrations on the campus.
The Muslim management of the AWH Engineering College at Kuttikattoor had prohibited Onam celebrations on the campus following reports that some senior students had collected money in the name of Onam celebrations last year and were found 'misbehaving'. The students stated that no educational institution in the State had prohibited Onam celebration. They also said they had planned to arrange Pookkalams in every classroom. "Every Malayalee has the right to celebrate the festival, irrespective of caste and creed," a student said.
College principal Ahammed Kutty reportedly said that junior students were subjected to ragging during such celebrations and that the college authorities wanted to prevent recurrence of such incidents.
AWH secretary Muhammed said the management did not propose any action against the students who arranged the flower carpet in front of the Principal's room on Wednesday." The decision to ban such celebrations is only to uphold college discipline "said the principal.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Kerala, home to India's first IT trade union
With the formation of an Association of IT Employees, Kerala is all set to become the home ground of India's first IT trade union. AD Jayan, convener of the ad hoc committee of the association, told The Pioneer that the primary objective of the association was to demand a fair remuneration for the thousands of employees who work at middle and lower levels in small scale IT ventures. The first meeting of the union was held in the Azheekodan Smarakam, the Thrissur district committee office of the CPI (M), on July 30.
Though it has all the blessings of the Leftist trade unions, the association claims that it would not encourage unnecessary strikes, traditionally promoted by many of the trade unions in the country. "By setting up a union like this, we want to prove baseless the campaign that a trade union in the IT sector would be detrimental to the interests of the IT industry. There is a common perception that trade union activities mean halting the functioning of the industry. We don't stand for unnecessary strikes and other means of extremist trade unionism. Ours would be an independent trade union," Jayan said.
Reports of poor pay and environment came in from workers who were in the Akshaya and IT@School projects that necessitated the formation of the union. Further, there are thousands of workers employed in much small scale IT ventures in the State, who have been getting very low salaries compared to their counterparts in the multinational companies. As a first step, it was decided to organise the employees working in Thrissur district, after which a State level association would be formed. "Anybody who does a computer-related job is eligible for getting a membership, which does not include large scale entrepreneurs. Initially, we had decided to organise 1000 members, but the membership has crossed 2000 now," he said.
Jayan said that the association would demand setting up of a working schedule for the employees in small scale IT ventures. Many have to work for more than 12 hours a day and this practice would have to be changed. Further, companies were giving very low remuneration for middle and lower level employees. This also should be stopped and employees should be given a fair pay scale. Also, there are employees who work permanently as 'trainees'. They should be given permanent posting, he said.
"A certain elite section alone is enjoying the fruits of the so-called IT revolution. We are only demanding a decent share of ours," he said. The response to the initiative has been tremendous as people from far away places like Bangalore, Mumbai and Chennai have tried to establish contact, he said.
The first meeting of the association selected a ten-member ad hoc committee for future functioning. They would hold their next meeting in the middle of August to chalk out plans for conducting a large level convention of the association.
With opposition from their fellow comrades in West Bengal, initially, the CPI(M) was divided on forming trade union in the IT sector. Now, the party has taken a decision that the workers in the IT sector also have the right for collective bargaining, sources in the CPI(M) said.
Though it has all the blessings of the Leftist trade unions, the association claims that it would not encourage unnecessary strikes, traditionally promoted by many of the trade unions in the country. "By setting up a union like this, we want to prove baseless the campaign that a trade union in the IT sector would be detrimental to the interests of the IT industry. There is a common perception that trade union activities mean halting the functioning of the industry. We don't stand for unnecessary strikes and other means of extremist trade unionism. Ours would be an independent trade union," Jayan said.
Reports of poor pay and environment came in from workers who were in the Akshaya and IT@School projects that necessitated the formation of the union. Further, there are thousands of workers employed in much small scale IT ventures in the State, who have been getting very low salaries compared to their counterparts in the multinational companies. As a first step, it was decided to organise the employees working in Thrissur district, after which a State level association would be formed. "Anybody who does a computer-related job is eligible for getting a membership, which does not include large scale entrepreneurs. Initially, we had decided to organise 1000 members, but the membership has crossed 2000 now," he said.
Jayan said that the association would demand setting up of a working schedule for the employees in small scale IT ventures. Many have to work for more than 12 hours a day and this practice would have to be changed. Further, companies were giving very low remuneration for middle and lower level employees. This also should be stopped and employees should be given a fair pay scale. Also, there are employees who work permanently as 'trainees'. They should be given permanent posting, he said.
"A certain elite section alone is enjoying the fruits of the so-called IT revolution. We are only demanding a decent share of ours," he said. The response to the initiative has been tremendous as people from far away places like Bangalore, Mumbai and Chennai have tried to establish contact, he said.
The first meeting of the association selected a ten-member ad hoc committee for future functioning. They would hold their next meeting in the middle of August to chalk out plans for conducting a large level convention of the association.
With opposition from their fellow comrades in West Bengal, initially, the CPI(M) was divided on forming trade union in the IT sector. Now, the party has taken a decision that the workers in the IT sector also have the right for collective bargaining, sources in the CPI(M) said.
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Intresting Article
It was probably the April of 1974. Bangalore was getting warm and gulmohars were blooming at the IISc campus. I was the only girl in my postgraduate department and was staying at the ladies' hostel. Other girls were pursuing research in different departments of Science. I was looking forward to going abroad to complete a doctorate in computer science. I had been offered scholarships from Universities in the US. I had not thought of taking up a job in India.
One day, while on the way to my hostel from our lecture-hall complex, I saw an advertisement on the notice board. It was a standard job-requirement notice from the famous automobile company Telco (now Tata Motors). It stated that the company required young, bright engineers, hardworking and with an excellent academic background, etc. At the bottom was a small line: "Lady candidates need not apply."
I read it and was very upset. For the first time in my life I was up against gender discrimination.Though I was not keen on taking up the job, I saw it as a challenge. I had done extremely well in academics, better than most of my male peers. Little did I know then that in real life academic excellence is not enough to be successful.
After reading the notice I went fuming to my room. I decided to inform the topmost person in Telco's management about the injustice the company was perpetrating. I got a postcard and started to write, but there was a problem: I did not know who headed Telco.
I thought it must be one of the Tatas. I knew JRD Tata was the head of the Tata Group; I had seen his pictures in newspapers (actually, Sumant Moolgaokar was the company's chairman then). I took the card, addressed it to JRD and started writing. To this day I remember clearly what I wrote.
"The great Tatas have always been pioneers. They are the people who started the basic infrastructure industries in India, such as iron and steel, chemicals, textiles and locomotives. They have cared for higher education in India since 1900 and they were responsible for the establishment of the Indian Institute of Science. Fortunately, I study there. But I am surprised how a company such as Telco is discriminating on the basis of gender."
I posted the letter and forgot about it. Less than 10 days later, I received a telegram stating that I had to appear for an interview at Telco's Pune facility at the company's expense. I was taken aback by the telegram. My hostel mate told me I should use the opportunity to go to Pune free of cost and buy them the famous Pune saris for cheap! I
collected Rs 30 each from everyone who wanted a sari. When I look back, I feel like laughing at the reasons for my going, but back then they seemed good enough to make the trip. It was my first visit to Pune and I immediately fell in love with the city. To this day it remains dear to me. I feel as much at home in Pune as I do in Hubli, my hometown. The place changed my life in so many ways.
As directed, I went to Telco's Pimpri office for the interview.There were six people on the panel and I realised then that this was serious business. "This is the girl who wrote to JRD," I heard somebody whisper as soon as I entered the room. By then I knew for sure that I would not get the job. The realisation abolished all fear from my mind, so I was rather cool while the interview was being conducted. Even before the interview started, I reckoned the panel was biased, so I told them, rather impolitely, "I hope this is only a technical interview." They were taken aback by my rudeness, and even today I am ashamed about my attitude. The panel asked me technical questions and I answered
all of them.
Then an elderly gentleman with an affectionate voice told me, "Do you know why we said lady candidates need not apply? The reason is that we have never employed any ladies on the shop floor. This is not a co-ed college; this is a factory. When it comes to academics, you are a first ranker throughout. We appreciate that, but people like you should work in research laboratories". I was a young girl from small-town Hubli. My world had been a limited place. I did not know the ways of large corporate houses and their difficulties, so I answered, "But you must start somewhere, otherwise no woman will ever be able to work in your factories."
Finally, after a long interview, I was told I had been successful. So this was what the future had in store for me. Never had I thought I would take up a job in Pune. I met a shy young man from Karnataka there, we became good friends and we got married.
It was only after joining Telco that I realized who JRD was: the uncrowned king of Indian industry. Now I was scared, but I did not get to meet him till I was transferred to Bombay. One day I had to show some reports to Mr Moolgaokar, our chairman, who we all knew as SM. I was in his office on the first floor of Bombay House (the Tata headquarters) when, suddenly JRD walked in. That was the first time I saw "appro JRD". Appro means "our" in Gujarati. This was the affectionate term by which people at Bombay House called him.I was feeling very nervous, remembering my postcard episode. SM introduced me nicely, "Jeh (that's what his close associates called him), this young woman is an engineer and that too a postgraduate. She is the first woman to work on the Telco shop floor." JRD looked at me. I was praying he would not ask me any questions about my interview (or the postcard that preceded it). Thankfully, he didn't. Instead, he remarked. "It is nice that girls are getting into engineering in our country. By the way, what is your name?"
"When I joined Telco I was Sudha Kulkarni, Sir," I replied. "Now I am Sudha Murthy." He smiled and kindly smile and started a discussion with SM. As for me, I almost ran out of the room. After that I used to see JRD on and off. He was the Tata Group chairman and I was merely an engineer. There was nothing that we had in common. I was in awe of him. One day I was waiting for Murthy, my husband, to pick me up after office hours. To my surprise I saw JRD standing next to me. I did not know how to react. Yet again I started worrying about that postcard. Looking back, I realise JRD had forgotten about it. It must have been a small incident for him, but not so for me.
"Young lady, why are you here?" he asked. "Office time is over." I said, "Sir, I'm waiting for my husband to come and pick me up." JRD said, "It is getting dark and there's no one in the corridor. I'll wait with you till your husband comes."
I was quite used to waiting for Murthy, but having JRD waiting alongside made me extremely uncomfortable. I was nervous. Out of the corner of my eye I looked at him. He wore a simple white pant and shirt. He was old, yet his face was glowing. There wasn't any air of superiority about him. I was thinking, "Look at this person. He is a chairman, a well-respected man in our country and he is waiting for the sake of an ordinary employee." Then I saw Murthy and I rushed out. JRD called and said, "Young lady, tell your husband never to make his wife wait again."
In 1982 I had to resign from my job at Telco. I was reluctant to go, but I really did not have a choice. I was coming down the steps of Bombay House after wrapping up my final settlement when I saw JRD coming up. He was absorbed in thought. I wanted to say goodbye to him, so I stopped. He saw me and paused. Gently, he said, "So what are you doing, Mrs Kulkarni?" (That was the way he always addressed me.) "Sir, I am leaving Telco." "Where are you going?" he asked. "Pune, Sir. My husband is starting a company called Infosys and I'm shifting to Pune." "Oh! And what will you do when you are successful." "Sir, I don't know whether we will be successful." "Never start with diffidence," he advised me. "Always start with confidence. When you are successful you must give back to society. Society gives us so much; we must reciprocate. I wish you all the best."
Then JRD continued walking up the stairs. I stood there for what seemed like a millennium. That was the last time I saw him alive. Many years later I met Ratan Tata in the same Bombay House, occupying the chair JRD once did. I told him of my many sweet memories of working with Telco. Later, he wrote to me, "It was nice hearing about Jeh from you. The sad part is that he's not alive to see you today."
I consider JRD a great man because, despite being an extremely busy person, he valued one postcard written by a young girl seeking justice. He must have received thousands of letters everyday. He could have thrown mine away, but he didn't do that. He respected the intentions of that unknown girl, who had neither influence nor money, and gave her an opportunity in his company. He did not merely give her a job; he changed her life and mindset forever.
Close to 50 per cent of the students in today's engineering colleges are girls. And there are women on the shop floor in many industry segments. I see these changes and I think of JRD. If at all time stops and asks me what I want from life, I would say I wish JRD were alive today to see how the company we started has grown. He would have enjoyed it wholeheartedly. My love and respect for the House of Tata remains undiminished by the passage of time. I always looked up to JRD. I saw him as a role model for his simplicity, his generosity, his kindness and the care he took of his employees. Those blue eyes always reminded me of the sky; they had the same vastness and magnificence.
(Sudha Murthy is a widely published writer and chairperson of the Infosys Foundation involved in a number of social development initiatives. Infosys chairman Narayana Murthy is her husband.)
Article sourced from: Lasting Legacies (Tata Review- Special Commemorative Issue 2004), brought out by the house of Tatas to commemorate the 100th birth anniversary of JRD Tata on July 29, 2004
One day, while on the way to my hostel from our lecture-hall complex, I saw an advertisement on the notice board. It was a standard job-requirement notice from the famous automobile company Telco (now Tata Motors). It stated that the company required young, bright engineers, hardworking and with an excellent academic background, etc. At the bottom was a small line: "Lady candidates need not apply."
I read it and was very upset. For the first time in my life I was up against gender discrimination.Though I was not keen on taking up the job, I saw it as a challenge. I had done extremely well in academics, better than most of my male peers. Little did I know then that in real life academic excellence is not enough to be successful.
After reading the notice I went fuming to my room. I decided to inform the topmost person in Telco's management about the injustice the company was perpetrating. I got a postcard and started to write, but there was a problem: I did not know who headed Telco.
I thought it must be one of the Tatas. I knew JRD Tata was the head of the Tata Group; I had seen his pictures in newspapers (actually, Sumant Moolgaokar was the company's chairman then). I took the card, addressed it to JRD and started writing. To this day I remember clearly what I wrote.
"The great Tatas have always been pioneers. They are the people who started the basic infrastructure industries in India, such as iron and steel, chemicals, textiles and locomotives. They have cared for higher education in India since 1900 and they were responsible for the establishment of the Indian Institute of Science. Fortunately, I study there. But I am surprised how a company such as Telco is discriminating on the basis of gender."
I posted the letter and forgot about it. Less than 10 days later, I received a telegram stating that I had to appear for an interview at Telco's Pune facility at the company's expense. I was taken aback by the telegram. My hostel mate told me I should use the opportunity to go to Pune free of cost and buy them the famous Pune saris for cheap! I
collected Rs 30 each from everyone who wanted a sari. When I look back, I feel like laughing at the reasons for my going, but back then they seemed good enough to make the trip. It was my first visit to Pune and I immediately fell in love with the city. To this day it remains dear to me. I feel as much at home in Pune as I do in Hubli, my hometown. The place changed my life in so many ways.
As directed, I went to Telco's Pimpri office for the interview.There were six people on the panel and I realised then that this was serious business. "This is the girl who wrote to JRD," I heard somebody whisper as soon as I entered the room. By then I knew for sure that I would not get the job. The realisation abolished all fear from my mind, so I was rather cool while the interview was being conducted. Even before the interview started, I reckoned the panel was biased, so I told them, rather impolitely, "I hope this is only a technical interview." They were taken aback by my rudeness, and even today I am ashamed about my attitude. The panel asked me technical questions and I answered
all of them.
Then an elderly gentleman with an affectionate voice told me, "Do you know why we said lady candidates need not apply? The reason is that we have never employed any ladies on the shop floor. This is not a co-ed college; this is a factory. When it comes to academics, you are a first ranker throughout. We appreciate that, but people like you should work in research laboratories". I was a young girl from small-town Hubli. My world had been a limited place. I did not know the ways of large corporate houses and their difficulties, so I answered, "But you must start somewhere, otherwise no woman will ever be able to work in your factories."
Finally, after a long interview, I was told I had been successful. So this was what the future had in store for me. Never had I thought I would take up a job in Pune. I met a shy young man from Karnataka there, we became good friends and we got married.
It was only after joining Telco that I realized who JRD was: the uncrowned king of Indian industry. Now I was scared, but I did not get to meet him till I was transferred to Bombay. One day I had to show some reports to Mr Moolgaokar, our chairman, who we all knew as SM. I was in his office on the first floor of Bombay House (the Tata headquarters) when, suddenly JRD walked in. That was the first time I saw "appro JRD". Appro means "our" in Gujarati. This was the affectionate term by which people at Bombay House called him.I was feeling very nervous, remembering my postcard episode. SM introduced me nicely, "Jeh (that's what his close associates called him), this young woman is an engineer and that too a postgraduate. She is the first woman to work on the Telco shop floor." JRD looked at me. I was praying he would not ask me any questions about my interview (or the postcard that preceded it). Thankfully, he didn't. Instead, he remarked. "It is nice that girls are getting into engineering in our country. By the way, what is your name?"
"When I joined Telco I was Sudha Kulkarni, Sir," I replied. "Now I am Sudha Murthy." He smiled and kindly smile and started a discussion with SM. As for me, I almost ran out of the room. After that I used to see JRD on and off. He was the Tata Group chairman and I was merely an engineer. There was nothing that we had in common. I was in awe of him. One day I was waiting for Murthy, my husband, to pick me up after office hours. To my surprise I saw JRD standing next to me. I did not know how to react. Yet again I started worrying about that postcard. Looking back, I realise JRD had forgotten about it. It must have been a small incident for him, but not so for me.
"Young lady, why are you here?" he asked. "Office time is over." I said, "Sir, I'm waiting for my husband to come and pick me up." JRD said, "It is getting dark and there's no one in the corridor. I'll wait with you till your husband comes."
I was quite used to waiting for Murthy, but having JRD waiting alongside made me extremely uncomfortable. I was nervous. Out of the corner of my eye I looked at him. He wore a simple white pant and shirt. He was old, yet his face was glowing. There wasn't any air of superiority about him. I was thinking, "Look at this person. He is a chairman, a well-respected man in our country and he is waiting for the sake of an ordinary employee." Then I saw Murthy and I rushed out. JRD called and said, "Young lady, tell your husband never to make his wife wait again."
In 1982 I had to resign from my job at Telco. I was reluctant to go, but I really did not have a choice. I was coming down the steps of Bombay House after wrapping up my final settlement when I saw JRD coming up. He was absorbed in thought. I wanted to say goodbye to him, so I stopped. He saw me and paused. Gently, he said, "So what are you doing, Mrs Kulkarni?" (That was the way he always addressed me.) "Sir, I am leaving Telco." "Where are you going?" he asked. "Pune, Sir. My husband is starting a company called Infosys and I'm shifting to Pune." "Oh! And what will you do when you are successful." "Sir, I don't know whether we will be successful." "Never start with diffidence," he advised me. "Always start with confidence. When you are successful you must give back to society. Society gives us so much; we must reciprocate. I wish you all the best."
Then JRD continued walking up the stairs. I stood there for what seemed like a millennium. That was the last time I saw him alive. Many years later I met Ratan Tata in the same Bombay House, occupying the chair JRD once did. I told him of my many sweet memories of working with Telco. Later, he wrote to me, "It was nice hearing about Jeh from you. The sad part is that he's not alive to see you today."
I consider JRD a great man because, despite being an extremely busy person, he valued one postcard written by a young girl seeking justice. He must have received thousands of letters everyday. He could have thrown mine away, but he didn't do that. He respected the intentions of that unknown girl, who had neither influence nor money, and gave her an opportunity in his company. He did not merely give her a job; he changed her life and mindset forever.
Close to 50 per cent of the students in today's engineering colleges are girls. And there are women on the shop floor in many industry segments. I see these changes and I think of JRD. If at all time stops and asks me what I want from life, I would say I wish JRD were alive today to see how the company we started has grown. He would have enjoyed it wholeheartedly. My love and respect for the House of Tata remains undiminished by the passage of time. I always looked up to JRD. I saw him as a role model for his simplicity, his generosity, his kindness and the care he took of his employees. Those blue eyes always reminded me of the sky; they had the same vastness and magnificence.
(Sudha Murthy is a widely published writer and chairperson of the Infosys Foundation involved in a number of social development initiatives. Infosys chairman Narayana Murthy is her husband.)
Article sourced from: Lasting Legacies (Tata Review- Special Commemorative Issue 2004), brought out by the house of Tatas to commemorate the 100th birth anniversary of JRD Tata on July 29, 2004
Thursday, August 10, 2006
North American Kerala association to build airport
An umbrella organisation of Malayali associations in North America and Canada has decided to take the lead in building a domestic airport in Kerala's Pathanamthitta district.The organisation called the Federation of Kerala Associations in North America (Fokana) is to build the terminal at Aranmulla in the central Kerala district.
"We had a detailed meeting with Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan on Tuesday and he has pledged full support to the proposed domestic airport," Fokana president Sasidharan Nair told IANS. Set up in 1983, Fokana has emerged as the biggest socio-cultural organisation of Malayalis outside Kerala."
We have already identified 250 acres of land at Aranmula for the airport. Achuthanandan expressed full support to build a domestic airport on the model of the Cochin International Airport, where the state government would have around 20 percent stake," said Nair. In Pathanamthitta district, almost every household has at least one member either in the US or in the Middle East. The only district that outnumbers it would be Malappuram in north Kerala. "With the government sounding positive, we will place this proposal in our board meeting later this month.
Our role would be to raise the capital required for building the airport and it would be done through floating of shares. Once our board clears this, we can approach Keralites in the Middle East to participate in the company by buying shares," added Nair. While Fokana would raise the capital, the government is expected to take care of the clearances required for the airport. Nair believes that Kerala's fifth airport would become a reality within two years.Kerala currently has three international airports and the spadework is under way for a fourth one at Kannur.
"We had a detailed meeting with Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan on Tuesday and he has pledged full support to the proposed domestic airport," Fokana president Sasidharan Nair told IANS. Set up in 1983, Fokana has emerged as the biggest socio-cultural organisation of Malayalis outside Kerala."
We have already identified 250 acres of land at Aranmula for the airport. Achuthanandan expressed full support to build a domestic airport on the model of the Cochin International Airport, where the state government would have around 20 percent stake," said Nair. In Pathanamthitta district, almost every household has at least one member either in the US or in the Middle East. The only district that outnumbers it would be Malappuram in north Kerala. "With the government sounding positive, we will place this proposal in our board meeting later this month.
Our role would be to raise the capital required for building the airport and it would be done through floating of shares. Once our board clears this, we can approach Keralites in the Middle East to participate in the company by buying shares," added Nair. While Fokana would raise the capital, the government is expected to take care of the clearances required for the airport. Nair believes that Kerala's fifth airport would become a reality within two years.Kerala currently has three international airports and the spadework is under way for a fourth one at Kannur.
The Anatomy of the Foiled Plot in London
The world learned of a terrorist plot Thursday that would have caused mass death and destruction aboard a number of passenger jets had British authorities not aggressively investigated and arrested many of the plotters.
More than 20 suspected terrorists were arrested in England by early Thursday morning, in an operation that involved British intelligence, Scotland Yard and assistance by a number of other law enforcement and intelligence agencies, including those in Pakistan.
ABC News has learned that two "significant arrests" in Pakistan in recent days may have significantly accelerated the pace of the investigation.
Many of the alleged terror plotters appeared to be of Pakistani descent. It appears that they were probably "homegrown" terrorists with strong links to al Qaeda and Pakistani operatives. This new generation of terrorists have figured significantly in plots in the U.S., London and Canada in recent months.
In this case, the plotters apparently intended to assemble small but powerful bombs in flight and use them to take down flights from England to the United States in an operation that was just days away.
Airport security was tight in both nations. A "red alert" -- the highest alert level -- was issued in the U.S., and a "critical" state was issued in England. Passengers are undergoing intense scrutiny -- carry-on baggage of almost all kinds has been eliminated in Britain and delays abound at London's Heathrow, the world's busiest airport.
According to a Department of Homeland Security briefing to the aviation sector, the terrorists appear to have planned to use multiple persons aboard each flight to assemble peroxide-based liquid or gel high explosives. The bomb-making materials could easily be concealed in small containers -- water bottles, tooth paste tubes, juice boxes and any of the other numerous person items passengers traditionally take into the passenger compartment of commercial flights.
At least nine transcontinental flights from American, United and Continental airlines were targeted in the plot. ABC News has learned that terrorists planned to attack the planes three at a time, waiting an hour between each attack.
According to federal authorities, two or three bombers would each carry a separate portion of the bomb onto the plane to avoid detection. Once onboard the bomb would be assembled and then detonated by using heat or friction.
British authorities had been tracking some of the suspects for several weeks but stepped in to round up the plotters when they began to book flight reservations and before any of the suspects purchased tickets.British authorities have shared parts of the investigation with the FBI, and out of concern for leaks, only the barest details were shared with regional authorities as late as last night.
Now there is a continued concern that other members of the cell remain on the loose and may remain a present danger to intercontinental air traffic as well as air traffic in Europe. Raids were expected to continue in England throughout the day, and authorities were said to be seeking the "factories" where the bomb parts were prepared.
U.S. authorities, meanwhile, were running down leads to ensure no plotters or associates were within U.S. borders and intent on causing harm.
More than 20 suspected terrorists were arrested in England by early Thursday morning, in an operation that involved British intelligence, Scotland Yard and assistance by a number of other law enforcement and intelligence agencies, including those in Pakistan.
ABC News has learned that two "significant arrests" in Pakistan in recent days may have significantly accelerated the pace of the investigation.
Many of the alleged terror plotters appeared to be of Pakistani descent. It appears that they were probably "homegrown" terrorists with strong links to al Qaeda and Pakistani operatives. This new generation of terrorists have figured significantly in plots in the U.S., London and Canada in recent months.
In this case, the plotters apparently intended to assemble small but powerful bombs in flight and use them to take down flights from England to the United States in an operation that was just days away.
Airport security was tight in both nations. A "red alert" -- the highest alert level -- was issued in the U.S., and a "critical" state was issued in England. Passengers are undergoing intense scrutiny -- carry-on baggage of almost all kinds has been eliminated in Britain and delays abound at London's Heathrow, the world's busiest airport.
According to a Department of Homeland Security briefing to the aviation sector, the terrorists appear to have planned to use multiple persons aboard each flight to assemble peroxide-based liquid or gel high explosives. The bomb-making materials could easily be concealed in small containers -- water bottles, tooth paste tubes, juice boxes and any of the other numerous person items passengers traditionally take into the passenger compartment of commercial flights.
At least nine transcontinental flights from American, United and Continental airlines were targeted in the plot. ABC News has learned that terrorists planned to attack the planes three at a time, waiting an hour between each attack.
According to federal authorities, two or three bombers would each carry a separate portion of the bomb onto the plane to avoid detection. Once onboard the bomb would be assembled and then detonated by using heat or friction.
British authorities had been tracking some of the suspects for several weeks but stepped in to round up the plotters when they began to book flight reservations and before any of the suspects purchased tickets.British authorities have shared parts of the investigation with the FBI, and out of concern for leaks, only the barest details were shared with regional authorities as late as last night.
Now there is a continued concern that other members of the cell remain on the loose and may remain a present danger to intercontinental air traffic as well as air traffic in Europe. Raids were expected to continue in England throughout the day, and authorities were said to be seeking the "factories" where the bomb parts were prepared.
U.S. authorities, meanwhile, were running down leads to ensure no plotters or associates were within U.S. borders and intent on causing harm.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
God's own country now sans the fizz
The CPI(M)-led LDF Government in Kerala has banned the production and sale of soft drinks marketed by cola majors Coca-Cola and Pepsi in the State. The decision was taken by the State Cabinet at its meeting on Wednesday on the basis of a recommendation made by the LDF State committee on August 6.
The ban has put a question mark on the fate of the Coca-Cola plant at Plachimada and the Pepsi unit at Puthussery, both in Palakkad district, which were even otherwise facing serious problems due to continuous agitation against their functioning.
Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan said after the Cabinet meeting that the ban was imposed as various studies had stated these drinks contained elements hazardous to health.
The Department of Prevention of Food Adulteration had sent a serious report on this to the Government, he revealed. There were also court verdicts against cola companies, he pointed out.
Alluding to the three-year struggle against the Coca-Cola plant at Plachimada, he said the people had been protesting against the soft drink majors for polluting the environment and over-exploiting groundwater resources.
On the possibility of other products of the two companies being banned, he said that a decision on them would naturally follow. Appropriate administrative and legal steps would be taken for the effective implementation of the ban, he said.
The Congress party, the main constituent of the Opposition UDF, has welcomed the decision to ban the colas. Hailing the State Government's decision to ban Pepsi and Coca-Cola, State Congress president Ramesh Chennithala mooted the idea of the Centre enacting a comprehensive legislation regulating all packed items containing higher pesticide residual instead of just limiting the target to the two soft drink giants.
Meanwhile, Coca-Cola claimed its manufacturing process and safety testing methods were adequate for ensuring that its soft drinks complied with "all applicable national regulations and international norms".
"The soft drink industry, including Coca-Cola, is working closely with laboratories of international repute to conduct research and develop standard test methodologies," a statement from the company said.
Coca-Cola products were tested regularly by recognised independent national laboratories to ensure that they met all consumer safety norms, the company claimed. Soft drinks were primarily made of water (80-90 per cent), sugar (5-10 per cent) and concentrate (0.5 per cent), the statement pointed out. "Our multiple barrier system for filtration of water ensures that components like pesticide residues and inorganic impurities are removed," the company said.
New Malayalee Veerappan takes over bandit country
BANDIPUR: Imbali Jose is the new Veerappan forest police are seeking in the Niligiris belt where his predecessor had made a name killing tuskers and men. Jose, the police believe, is just as bad, and they want him -- dead or alive.
Publicly, however, they refuse to name him, acknowledge him or even talk about him. They say they want to "kill first and talk later" out of fear that another round of villain worship may begin if the media smells him out "sooner than his corpse".
"We are on the lookout for a Malayalee poacher and his gang...," is as much as Inspector General of Police (Karnataka CID, Forest Cell) KSN Chikkerur says, in a probable reference to Jose. "But don't let him bother you... There are many other Malayalee and Tamilian gangs in the region. We will get this poacher and his gang. We will also get those poachers and their gangs...and I assure you they will all look the same when they are dead."
People who know Chikkerur say he is the local Arnold Schwarzenegger, with a penchant for guns and warfare gizmos. Thus, perhaps, the swagger. Other officers are a little more restrained than he is while referring to "a certain Malayalee s** o* a b****".
There is no ready information on Jose. This report - the first on him - is based on information pieced together from various official and unofficial sources in Kerala, Karnataka and Delhi.
Jose, 45, leads a six to 15 member gang, all from Wayanad District in Kerala. There, Superintendent of Police M Padmanabhan has two reports on Jose: One, that he was acquitted of a murder charge; and two, that he is dead. A source here, however, confirms that the hunt is on for the "walking dead man"; corroborated by information that Chikkerur is just back from the forest where he and his crack team were awaiting "a certain game".
In Delhi, private trackers say Jose has been on the loose for 15 years, during which his gang has poached elephants for tusks and bison for meat in the forests running across Sultan Battery, Bandipur, Mudhumalai, Chamrajnagar and Kollegal. During the period he is believed to have had two chance meetings with Veerappan in the forest, though there is no record of firing between the gangs. No one has a count of the elephants Jose and his gang have killed so far.
Informers, however, indicate that ivory carvers are not short of work in the markets of Thiruvananthapuram, where Jose sells the tusks. Chikkerur admits that many of the elephant killings attributed to Veerappan were the "mischief of other gangs". Veerappan, says the top cop, "had become a soft target by 1992 – rarely entering the forest and surviving on political patronage". Jose's gang members are good marksmen and are known to bring down tusk-bearing elephants with one shot at the temple fired from muzzle loaders and shotguns. "It is almost like a trademark shot...," says Tito Joseph of the Wildlife Protection Society of India. "The dead elephant is often found buckled on its knees".
The kill is fast and in half an hour the gang is off with the tusks. "We have known the gang to either saw out the tusks or burn them out of their sockets with acid. Sometime the elephant is sawed even before it is dead...!" As with Veerappan, the locals are tight-lipped about Jose. He does not belong there, but he operates in an area where elephant hunters are feared even by the bravest. Deep in the forests, however, there are also the jungle mamas who tell their sons: "He who kills an elephant dies like a dog."
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