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Previous Files: Tuesday Dec 24 Monday Dec 23 Sunday Dec 22 Back to Today's Headlines Gaiety and Solemnity Mark X'mas in India NEW DELHI: Special midnight mass and carol singing marked Christmas celebration across India on Wednesday in which people of all communities participated. For the devouts it was an occasion to remember the sacrifices of Jesus Christ.
The celebrations began with the chiming of church bells on the midnight of December 24, symbolising the birth of Christ. For many it was a joyous day of their lives when they prayed for peace and tranquillity among people of various religions in India. Many people recalled the decade's worst religious riots in western Gujarat where more than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed and hoped that peace would prevail next year. In New Delhi, the colourful events were marked by lighted Christmas trees and Santa Claus dancing along with the children. In Kolkata a function was organised for orphaned children at Shishu Bhavan, an orphange founded by Mother Teresa. A 200 pound cake was presented to the children as a gift from Santa. In Goa, people were seen thronging the markets to do last-minute shopping for the day's celebrations. Christmas is celebrated in a big way in Goa because nearly 30 per cent of its 13 million people are Christian. The authorities tightened security in the State following intelligence reports of a threat to Israeli tourists. About 4,000 policemen were posted at the beaches and tourist areas. Christians form less than three per cent of the more than one billion population of India. Six Injured in Attack on Bengal Church, Cash Looted (Go To Top) KOLKATA: Six persons were injured when unidentified miscreants attacked a church in Nadia district in West Bengal during Christmas eve prayers. Some cash and other valuables were also looted from the church safe, the police said on Wednesday. According to reports, about 20 criminals hurled bombs inside the church, located at Malipota near Karimpur-Chapra highway along India-Bangladesh border, before storming the prayer hall where the midnight mass was being held with about 1200 devotees late on Tuesday. The chief priest suffered injuries in his hand when he tried to resist the gang. Five devotees suffered bomb splinter wounds, reports added. The police fired 10 rounds, but the criminals managed to escape. The Mass was later resumed. BJP Organises `Yagna' on Vajpayee's Birthday (Go To Top) NEW DELHI: Atal Behari Vajpayee, poet, politician and Prime Minister, turned 78 on Wednesday. People from all walks of life gathered at his residence in New Delhi to wish him.
His party, Bharatiya Janata Party, organised several programmes to celebrate the birthday. A special ;yagna' or fire ritual was organised for his well-being at the party headquarters. Workers of the BJP donated blood at a camp. Party president Venkiah Naidu said Vajpayee's birthday will be celebrated as 'Development Day'. A photo exhibition on Vajpayee and his Government's achievements was also thrown open to the public to mark the occasion. Recognised all over for his mesmerising oratory, Vajpayee, the founder-member of Bharatiya Jan Sangh in 1951, which later transformed into BJP, began his parliamentary innings in 1957. Vajpayee, a Padma Vibhushan awardee, began his tryst with prime ministership in 1998. His first stint as the Prime Minister lasted only 13 days, but he came back with a bang in 1999, leading a multi-party coalition. Injuries Keep Out Sachin, Harbhajan, Bangar (Go To Top) SYDNEY: Injuries have forced batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar and spinner Harbhajan Singh out of the Indian squad for the first of the seven one-day internationals against hosts New Zealand beginning in Auckland on Thursday. (Details) Curfew Continues for Third Day in Rajasthan Town (Go To Top) JAIPUR: Indefinite curfew continued for the third consecutive day on Wednesday in Gangapur city in Sawai Madhopur district, according to officials. The curfew was imposed after a communal clash. Although no untoward incident was reported since Tuesday, the district administration, after reviewing the situation, decided against relaxing the curfew. The administration was, however, making efforts to provide milk and vegetables to the people in the curfew-bound municipality areas. Meanwhile, the district headquarter town of Chittorgarh observed a bandh on Wednesday demanding arrest of the youth who desecrated idols in temples in Kapasan and Parsauli towns of the district two days ago. Polaris CEO Released, Arrives
Police Shoot Two Men by Mistake in Bihar(Go To Top) PATNA: Two men were killed when the police opened fire on their vehicle, thinking that an absconding criminal named Dilip Singh and his associates were travelling in it. The unfortunate incident took place in Begusarai district on Tuesday. A police team headed by DSP Maheswar Mahato showered the bullets on the car. The names of the dead were Ranjan Singh and Rajesh Kumar. American Vegetable Oil Brings Afghan Girls to School (Go To Top) WASHINGTON: The US has adopted the vegetable oil strategy to encourage enrolment of Afghan girls in schools. The policy has been successful, reporters were told at a briefing at the US State Department, according to Dawn. Officials of the US Agency for International Development told the briefing that like in many developing countries, families in Afghanistan have the tendency to keep their girls at home and send the boys to schools. "In many areas where we're having trouble getting the number of girls to equal the number of boys in the classrooms, we used this vegetable oil trick to bring the girls out," said Andrew Natsios, administrator of USAID. "What we did was to give a supplement of vegetable oil, which is a very valued commodity in Afghanistan, to families' monthly ration if they made sure their girls were in school," he added. And in those areas where this was done, "We were able to equalize the rates," Natsios informed. This ia a part of the American reconstruction effort in Afghanistan. -ANI |
