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--- South Asian News, November 8, 2002 ---

Breaking News/ Newswire

* Top 100 Indian American companies to be honored (IANS): Companies from diverse fields, such as enterprise software firm i2 Technologies and semiconductor company Q-Logic, figure in a list of top 100 companies founded, owned and managed by Indian Americans and Indians in the U.S. The list is compiled by siliconindia, a premier business and technology monthly published from the Bay Area, California, with a circulation of over 90,000. A siliconindia press release says new additions to the prestigious list, SI100 2002, include companies from such diverse fields as biotech and quality management. The list includes 30 public companies, whose combined market cap exceeds $22 billion, and 70 private companies. http://in.news.yahoo.com/021108/43/1xjad.html


Pakistani parties still battle over the formation of the government after the breakdown of earlier coalition efforts. US warns of possible retaliatory terrorist attacks even as the Pakistani on death row says he doesn't support violence against civilians. Religious violence Gujarat continue hurting 14 people. In business, Indian and Canadian companies discover a huge gas reserve in a deep river basin in southern India.

Top Stories

* Pakistan's election wrangling far from over (NY Times) (Washington Post) (The State) (ABC News) (Ohio News) (TwinCities.com) (Mercury News) (MSNBC)
* Pakistani on death row: no revenge (NY Times) (Washington Post) (LA Times) (Action News) (Monterey Herald) (Las Vegas Sun) (Boston) (The State) (Hampton Roads Daily Press) (Sun Herald)
* Man awaiting execution asks Muslims not to avenge his death on civilians (Wall Street Journal) (NY Times) (Fox News) (News Observer) (Hampton Roads Daily Press) (San Francisco Chronicle) (Star Tribune) (Press Telegram) (Philadelphia Inquirer) (Boston) (South Florida News)
* U.S. warning on Pakistan (NY Times) (Voice of America) (San Francisco Chronicle) (Star Tribune)
* Pakistanis plead not guilty to U.S. mission attack (Wall Street Journal) (Washington Post) (LA Times) (TwinCities.com) (Austin American-Statesman) (Mercury News) (San Francisco Chronicle) (Miami Herald) (Sun Herald) (Duluth News Tribune) (Star Tribune) (News Day)
* Pakistan group urges better security for massacre survivors (Wall Street Journal)
* Pakistan temporarily sealed border after Afghan shootout (Wall Street Journal)
* Religious clashes flare in India's Gujarat, 14 hurt (NY Times) (Washington Post) (ABC News) (Reuters Alertnet) (MSNBC)
* Call for probe into India police shootout (CNN)
* India : Infiltration of Pakistan-based militants down by half (Wall Street Journal)
* Sri Lanka slammed for not extending UK journalist's visa (Wall Street Journal)
* One dead in Nepal as suspected rebels set off bomb (MSNBC)

Editorial/Op-Ed

N/A

Business/Technology

* Deepwater gas giant discovered off eastern India (Oil & Gas Journal)
* India minister wants lower licensing fees for cellular companies (Wireless Week)
* India considers allowing gene-altered mustard (Mercury News) (ABC News) (The State)

Other Stories

* Footlights: Indian master (NY Times)

Top Stories

* Pakistan's election wrangling far from over

Islamabad -- Pakistan's pro-military party and the religious right began fresh talks on Friday on forming the country's first civilian government in three years after the breakdown of earlier efforts to form a coalition. Previous talks between the Pakistan Muslim League Quaid-e-Azam (PML-QA) and the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) alliance of hardline Islamic parties stalled due to the latter's insistence that it lead a coalition, a prospect that alarmed financial markets and proponents of the U.S.-led war on terror.

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/international/international-pakistan-politics.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/ANov8.html
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/world/4472035.htm
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/reuters20021108_29.html
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/world/4472035.htm
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/world/4472035.htm
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/bayarea/news/world/4472035.htm
http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters.asp?reg=ASIA

* Pakistani on death row: no revenge

Richmond -- A day after the government warned that the execution of a Pakistani for killing two CIA agents could result in attacks against Americans, the prisoner said he expected but didn't encourage such retribution. "I'm not encouraging attacks against anybody," Aimal Khan Kasi told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from a state prison in Waverly.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Execution-Pakistani.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/ANov7.html
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-execution-pakistani1107nov07,0,941878.story
http://www.accessatlanta.com/partners/wsbtv/news/ap_story.html/National/AP.V5567.AP-Execution-Pakis.html
http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/4468265.htm
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nat-gen/2002/nov/07/110705672.html
http://www.boston.com/dailynews/311/nation/Pakistani_facing_execution_nex:.shtml
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/4468265.htm
http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/virginia/dp-va--kasi-execution1107nov07%2C0%2C1069503.story
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/4468265.htm

* Man awaiting execution asks Muslims not to avenge his death on civilians

Richmond -- A day after the government warned that the execution of a Pakistani could result in attacks against Americans, the condemned man said today that he did not support any retaliation by his fellow Muslims. "I'm against attacks on civilian Americans," the man, Aimal Khan Kasi, said in a telephone interview from death row at a Waverly, Va., prison. "They are not responsible for my execution. I'm not encouraging attacks against anybody."

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,BT_CO_20021107_010568-search,00.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/08/national/08KASI.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,69510,00.html
http://newsobserver.com/24hour/nation/story/610630p-4711731c.html
http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/virginia/dp-execution-pakistani1107nov07%2C0%2C649925.story
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2002/11/07/national1738EST0743.DTL
http://www.startribune.com/stories/670/3417371.html
http://www.presstelegram.com/Stories/0,1413,204%257E21474%257E977506,00.html
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/nation/4472052.htm
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/312/nation/Convicted_killer_condemns_retaliation+.shtml
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-execution-pakistani1107nov07.story

* U.S. warning on Pakistan

Washington -- The State Department warned tonight of possible terrorist attacks on American interests overseas. In a statement, it said that the planned execution on Nov. 14 in Virginia of Mir Aimal Kasi, an anti-American extremist from Pakistan, "may trigger retaliatory attacks." Mr. Kasi was convicted of the 1993 shootings outside the Central Intelligence Agency's headquarters , which left two people dead and three wounded.

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/07/international/asia/07WARN.html
http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectid=5885C5BD-933F-4777-B796DDFC1DCF1C61
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2002/11/07/national0929EST0529.DTL
http://www.startribune.com/stories/484/3417980.html

* Pakistanis plead not guilty to U.S. mission attack

Karachi, Pakistan -- Five Islamic militants pleaded not guilty Friday to killing 12 people in a car bomb attack on the U.S. consulate in Karachi in June. The five accused were brought before a special anti-terrorism court at Karachi's central jail and charged with murder, attempted murder, terrorism and use of explosives.

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,BT_CO_20021108_001521-search,00.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/ANov8.html
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-pakistan-consulate-bombing1108nov08,0,6759536.story
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/world/4473705.htm
http://www.austin360.com/aas/news/ap/ap_story.html/Intl/AP.V6542.AP-Pakistan-Consul.html
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/bayarea/news/world/4473705.htm
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2002/11/08/international0549EST0504.DTL
http://www.miami.com/mld/miami/news/local/4473820.htm
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/breaking_news/4473820.htm
http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/news/4473820.htm
http://www.startribune.com/stories/670/3418393.html
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-pakistan-consulate-bombing1108nov08,0,6166259.story

* Pakistan group urges better security for massacre survivors

Karachi -- Two survivors of a massacre at a Christian charity should get better security to protect them from attackers who are still at large and possibly eager to kill the witnesses in the southern port city of Karachi, a minority rights group said Thursday. The two survivors, Robin Sharif and Robin Peeranditta, were at the Institute for Peace and Justice when police said the assailants went into group's third-floor office on Sept. 25, tied victims to their chairs and shot dead seven people execution-style.

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,BT_CO_20021107_002678,00.html

* Pakistan temporarily sealed border after Afghan shootout

Peshawar, Pakistan -- Pakistan temporarily sealed its border with neighboring Afghanistan Friday after a shootout a day earlier killed one Afghan, seriously wounded another and involved the son of slain Afghan vice president Haji Abdul Qadir. Haji Zahir, Qadir's son, escaped unhurt but his bodyguard was killed, said Saeed Aga, commander of the 477 Brigade in Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan.

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,BT_CO_20021108_001445-search,00.html

* Religious clashes flare in India's Gujarat, 14 hurt

Ahmedabad, India -- At least 14 people were wounded in clashes between Hindus and Muslims in India's riot-scarred western Gujarat state on Thursday, the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Police are on high alert in Gujarat to prevent a recurrence of violence early this year in which more than 1,000 people died.

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/international/international-india-religion-violence.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/ANov7.html
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/reuters20021107_195.html
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/547222
http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters.asp?reg=ASIA

* Call for probe into India police shootout

New Delhi -- The Indian National Human Rights Commission has asked New Delhi police to explain the circumstances under which two suspected terrorists were killed when police intervened in an alleged plot to attack a crowded shopping mall over the weekend. The commission has also asked the police to ensure the safety of a doctor who claimed in a newspaper interview on Tuesday that he was an eyewitness to the parking lot shootout.

http://asia.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/south/11/07/india.probe/index.html

* India : Infiltration of Pakistan-based militants down by half

Bhubaneshwar, India -- Infiltration of Pakistan-based Islamic militants into Kashmir dropped by half after New Delhi went on a war footing and deployed hundreds of thousands of soldiers along the border, India's army chief said. "If the infiltration was 100% in 2001, it is 46% in 2002," Gen. S. Padmanabhan told reporters late Thursday during a visit to eastern Orissa state. He didn't explain how those figures were reached.

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,BT_CO_20021108_001581-search,00.html

* Sri Lanka slammed for not extending UK journalist's visa

Colombo -- A journalists' rights group criticized the Sri Lankan government Friday for not extending the visa of a British journalist who has been critical of Colombo's peace accord with Tamil Tiger rebels. Paul Harris of the London-based newspaper The Daily Telegraph is "being forced to leave the country after a campaign of intimidation," the Paris-based organization Reporters Without Borders said in a statement.

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,BT_CO_20021108_001554-search,00.html

* One dead in Nepal as suspected rebels set off bomb

Kathmandu -- One person died and two were injured on Friday when suspected Maoist rebels set off a bomb next to a telecommunications tower east of the capital, police said. Police said the bomb exploded in a garbage dump outside the state-owned telecommunications tower in Banepa, 40 km (25 miles) east of Kathmandu.

http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters.asp?reg=ASIA

Editorial/Op-Ed

N/A

Business/Technology

* Deepwater gas giant discovered off eastern India

Houston -- Indian and Canadian companies discovered a giant gas field in the Krishna-Godavari basin just off the central Andhra Pradesh coast. Reliance Industries Ltd., Mumbai, said four wells indicate that the A-1 accumulation has gas in place exceeding 7 tcf, a figure out to consulting engineers DeGolyer & MacNaughton for confirmation. Recoverable volume was not discussed. Individual well deliverability should exceed 100 MMcfd, Reliance added. Niko Resources Ltd., Calgary, holds 10% interest.

http://ogj.pennnet.com/articles/web_article_display.cfm?Section=OnlineArticles&ARTICLE_CATEGORY=ExplD&ARTICLE_ID=160897

* India minister wants lower licensing fees for cellular companies

New Delhi -- India's Telecommunications Minister, Pramod Mahajan, said Thursday his ministry favors a reduction of licensing fees for cellular services companies to ensure their profitability. "I am in constant dialogue with the Finance Ministry to review the licensing fees and spectrum (bandwidth) charges and bring them to internationally accepted levels," Mahajan said at the launch of private sector unlisted company, Idea Cellular Ltd's cellular services.

http://www.wirelessweek.com/index.asp?layout=story&articleId=NEd1107017.3jo&verticalID=42&vertical=Global+Regions

* India considers allowing gene-altered mustard

New Delhi -- Indian government officials postponed Thursday a decision on whether to allow cultivation of genetically modified mustard, which supporters say could boost yields by 25 percent. A unit of German multinational group Bayer AG, Pro Agro Seed Company Ltd., has asked the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee for permission to grow genetically altered mustard.

http://www.bayarea.com/mld/bayarea/news/nation/4465329.htm
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/reuters20021107_62.html
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/nation/4465329.htm

Other Stories

* Footlights: Indian master

The instrument is the sarod, an Indian lute cherished for its lyrical beauty and rhythmic intensity. The player, who will be celebrating his 80th birthday, is regarded as a national living treasure in India. In the United States, he is a recipient of a MacArthur Foundation grant and a National Heritage Fellowship. His name is Ali Akbar Khan, above, whose family traces its musical roots to the 16th century, when an ancestor was court musician to the Emperor Akbar, as Ali Akbar Khan was to the Maharajah of Jodphur in his 20's.

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/07/arts/07FOOT.html

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