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Insurgents kill 15 Iraqi soldiers

     Baghdad: Insurgents have killed 15 Iraqi soldiers travelling in a convoy south of Baghdad, police and officials say. According to the BBC, the attack happened near the town of Latifiya, in a lawless area known as the "triangle of death". The violence came on the second anniversary of the fall of Baghdad to the US-led coalition. Tens of thousands of Iraqis joined an anti-US protest in Firdus Square, where Saddam Hussein's statue was toppled on 9 April 2003 as millions watched on TV. Chanting "No to America" and "No to the occupiers", they pulled down and burned effigies of Saddam Hussein, US President George W Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Details of the attack near Latifiya are still sketchy, with conflicting accounts of how the soldiers died. Police in the nearby town of Mahmudiya told foreign news agency that gunmen forced the soldiers' truck to stop before shooting and killing them. However, an Iraqi defence ministry official told foreign news agency that they were blown up by a roadside bomb.

China seeks trade in 'chai' (Go To Top)

    Siliguri (West Bengal): Is China eyeing Indian chai? It certainly seems so, if one were to go by the reactions of a Chinese delegation that visited a tea auction site here recently. China, according to member of the team. is looking to export high quality green tea to India in exchange for the black tea produced by India. Exploring the possibility of increasing tea trade between India and China, a four-member delegation from the Ministry of Commerce of People's Republic of China led by Thingjun Wu was in Siliguri. China is keen to import more Indian black tea and even help leading Indian firms to set up manufacturing plants in the country, while seeking assistance in setting up tea auction facilities. The Chinese delegation held talks with top Tea Board officials and interacted with Indian tea manufactures and industry officials to promote bilateral co-operation. As part of this effort, the Chinese delegation is touring major tea producing countries like Kenya, India and Sri Lanka. However, China is well-known for its green tea. India exported just 62,813 kg tea to China in '04, or just 2.7% while Sri Lanka shipped 573,244 kg of tea, having a 24.3 percent market share. Kenya, another major tea maker, enjoyed maximum share of the Chinese market by exporting 735,285 kg and had a market share of 31.2 percent, according to official statistics. On the price front, Sri Lankan tea was considerably cheaper at 2.9 dollars per kg while Indian tea cost 4.4 dollars per kg. Kenyan tea was even cheaper at 1.8 dollar per kg. The Indian tea traders were also happy at the propect of trade with China through the Nathu La pass. The team was on a fact-finding mission on India's tea industry for which it would travel to Siliguri and Darjeeling to get first hand knowledge about tea gardens.

Pakistan thrashes out India in Jamshedpur ODI (Go To Top)

     Jamshedpur: The game of cricket between India and Pakistan has never been one-sided then how could it be in the ongoing series. Down 2-0 in the current one-day series, Pakistan fought back and thrashed India by a convincing 106-run victory taking the tally to 2-1 and keeping the challenge alive. It was an all-round display by the Pakistani team as it outscored the Indians in every department from batting, bowling to fielding. Salman Butt with his second career century led the Pakistani renaissance and the visitors made 319 for nine. Chasing the tough target, Indian team fell flat scoring only 213 in 41.4 overs without any praiseworthy fight. Earlier, Pakistani captain Inzamam-ul-Haq won his first toss of the series and elected to bat first. With the charisma of Sachin fading and little master Virender Sehwag taking his seat, the Indian team's confidence level seemed to be set by these players only. The moment Sehwag returned to the pavilion, the Indian team followed him quickly. Rana Naved-ul Hasan was the killer from Pakistan as he picked up six wickets for 27, while Mohammad Sami grabbed two for 41. The Indian team went into the breathless mode at 82 for six in the 17th over. The fourth one-dayer will be played in Ahmedabad on April 12. Rest two matches are to be played in Kanpur and New Delhi. Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf is coming to watch the New Delhi one-day international.

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