US NEWS SOURCES -March 7, 2003

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---IN TODAY'S NEWS---

BREAKING NEWS / NEWSWIRE
*	*CIA chief visits, thanks Pakistan (IANS)**
	Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director George Tenet paid a secret visit to Pakistan to thank the government for its role in the capture of an Al Qaida mastermind blamed for the 9/11 terror attacks. The News reported Friday that Tenet flew to Islamabad "a few days ago" and met President Pervez Musharraf and officials of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) agency. The front-page report said he conveyed the U.S. government's appreciation for Pakistan's contribution to the war against terrorism, in particular the capture last week of Khalid Shaikh Mohammad. The report said Tenet might also have met ISI chief Lt. Gen. Ehsanul Haq
	http://in.news.yahoo.com/030307/43/21xqe.html
*	*USAID offers help to modernise Kolkata's water supply (IANS)**
	A U.S. agency has come forward to help modernise this city's drinking water purification plants and century-old supply system that is crumbling with age and high use. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is offering technical know-how and equipment for the upgrading, according to West Bengal Urban Development Minister Asok Bhattacharya. USAID experts and state officials have held discussions to decide the modalities of the U.S. agency's offer, which will, however, not include any financial involvement. Bhattacharya said USAID has offered to help with the city's solid waste management.
	http://in.news.yahoo.com/030307/43/21xp1.html
*	*3 men with Al-Qaeda link deported to USA (ANI)**
	Hong Kong has deported to the USA an Indian-born American citizen and two Pakistanis accused of trying to obtain Stinger missiles for the Al-Qaeda network. The three was escorted to a waiting US government plane at the Hong Kong International Airport from a detention centre early on Wednesday under tight security, The News said quoting the Chinese-language Sun daily on Thursday. Syed Mustajab Shah, 54, Muhammad Abid Afridi, 29, both from Pakistan, and US citizen Ilyas Ali, 55, had agreed to the extradition before their hearing began. Hong Kong police arrested them on September 20 at a hotel here following an operation by FBI agents. (ANI)
	http://in.news.yahoo.com/030307/139/21xvp.html

US and Pakistani intelligence officials intensify their search for Osama bin Laden. Pakistan introduces a new nuclear capable missile into its arsenal as a minimum credible deterrence against external aggression. Khalid Sheik Mohammed makes contradictory statements on Osama bin Laden during his interrogation. The editorial takes a look at Khalid Mohammed, the mastermind behind various al Qaeda attacks. In business stories, India and Afghanistan sign a preferential trade agreement.

HEADLINES

TOP STORIES

U.S., Pakistan intensify Osama bin Laden search (New York Times - Registration required) (Washington Post) (Chicago Tribune - Registration required) (Houston Chronicle) (Los Angeles Times - Registration required) (Seattle Post Intelligencer) (USA Today) (Austin American Statesman) (Boston Globe) (Wall Street Journal - Subscription required) (Dayton Daily News) (Daily Herald) (Washington Times) (Charlotte Observer) (Omaha Herald) (News Oklahoman) (News Day) (News Observer) (Miami Herald) (Mercury News) (Ventura County Star) (Press Enterprise) (Sacramento Bee) (St.Petersburg Times) (News Tribune)

Mohammed tells conflicting tales of bin Laden's status (Washington Times)

Pakistan inaugurates new Shaheen missile (New York Times - Registration required) (Los Angeles Times - Registration required) (Seattle Post Intelligencer) (Boston Globe) (Wall Street Journal - Subscription required) (News Day) (Press Enterprise) (San Francisco Chronicle)

Trio charged in plan to sell missiles (New York Times - Registration required) (Washington Post) (Los Angeles Times - Registration required) (Philadelphia Inquirer) (Cleveland.com) (News Tribune) (San Francisco Chronicle)

Pakistan's army given new nuclear-capable missile (New York Times - Registration required) (Washington Post) (Voice of America)

Papers suggest Bin Laden alive (New York Times - Registration required) (Washington Post)

Suspects say Bin Laden is FBI's focus (Washington Post) (Los Angeles Times - Registration required) (Seattle Post Intelligencer) (Boston Globe) (Wall Street Journal - Subscription required) (News Day) (News Observer) (Press Enterprise) (San Francisco Chronicle) (San Francisco Chronicle)

Musharraf faces U.N. decision (New York Times - Registration required)

Bin Laden seems alive, not in Pakistan - Musharraf (New York Times - Registration required) (Washington Post) (Voice of America) (Wall Street Journal - Subscription required) (Arizona Central)

Pakistan U.S. consulate gunman acted alone (Washington Post) (New York Times - Registration required)

Bin Laden could be hiding in Pakistan (Voice of America)

Sri Lanka opposition bid to unseat regime (Wall Street Journal - Subscription required)

Pakistan on alert to prevent violence in Islamic holy month (Wall Street Journal - Subscription required)

In Pakistan, Bin Laden, Al-Qaida still enjoy support (Wall Street Journal - Subscription required)

Suspect predicts attacks on U.S. forces (Washington Post)

Al Qaeda mastermind tells secrets, officials say (Chicago Tribune-Registration required)

TOP STORIES
*	U.S., Pakistan intensify Osama bin Laden search
	Islamabad -- Pakistani and American forces intensified the search for Osama bin Laden along a southwestern stretch of the border with Afghanistan and carried out raids this week based on information from a newly captured al-Qaida deputy, Pakistani intelligence and military officials said Thursday. Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, thought to be the No. 3 figure in the terror network, told interrogators he met bin Laden just weeks ago in a rendezvous set up through a network of phone calls and intermediaries, an intelligence official said.
	http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Pakistan-Bin-Laden.html
	http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/AMar7.html
	http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ats-ap_top12mar06,1,6879185.story
	http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/world/1808323
	http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-pakistan-bin-laden,1,1703217.story
	http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apasia_story.asp?category=1104&slug=Pakistan%20Bin%20Laden
	http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/-bin-laden-pakistan_x.htm
	http://www.austin360.com/aas/news/ap/ap_story.html/Intl/AP.V0533.AP-Pakistan-Bin-La.html
	http://www.boston.com/dailynews/065/world/U_S_Pakistani_forces_step_up_s:.shtml
	http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB-search,00.html
	http://www.activedayton.com/ddn/news/ap/ap_story.html/Intl/AP.V0533.AP-Pakistan-Bin-La.html
	http://www.dailyherald.com/news/national_story.asp?intID=37687144
	http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/r.htm
	http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/world/5333940.htm
	http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_np=0&u_pg=54&u_sid=673731
	http://www.newsok.com/cgi-bin/show_article?ID=995268&pic=none&TP=getarticle
	http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-pakistan-bin-laden,0,5116871.story
	http://newsobserver.com/24hour/world/story/794797p-5676442c.html
	http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/world/5335366.htm
	http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/world/5337461.htm
	http://www.insidevc.com/vcs/international/article/0,1375,VCS_124_1794794,00.html
	http://www.pe.com/ap_news/International/Pakistan_Bin_Laden_40360I.shtml
	http://www.sacbee.com/24hour/world/story/794797p-5676442c.html
	http://www.sptimes.com/2003/03/07/Worldandnation/Officials_step_up_sea.shtml
	http://www.tribnet.com/news/nation_world/story/2729588p-2776895c.html
*	Mohammed tells conflicting tales of bin Laden's status
	Captured al Qaeda operations chief Khalid Shaikh Mohammed has told CIA and FBI agents conflicting stories on whether Osama bin Laden is alive, although U.S. intelligence officials said that if bin Laden survived the Afghan war he may be hiding in the rugged mountains of southwestern Pakistan. The area, known as the Baluchistan province, borders Afghanistan and Iran and, according to U.S. intelligence and law enforcement authorities, has become the focal point of an intensified manhunt by U.S. and Pakistani forces. U.S. authorities said several raids were carried out this week in the area, based on information from Mohammed and several documents and other material found at the time of his arrest six days ago.
	http://www.washtimes.com/national/.htm
*	Pakistan inaugurates new Shaheen missile
	Islamabad -- Pakistan inaugurated a new medium-range, nuclear-capable missile on Thursday. President Pervez Musharraf said Pakistan doesn't want to spur an arms race, but won't compromise its ``minimum'' defense needs. The Shaheen I missile, made in Pakistan, has a range of 450 miles and can carry nuclear warheads.
	http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Pakistan-Missile.html
	http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-pakistan-missile,1,5366385.story
	http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apasia_story.asp?category=1104&slug=Pakistan%20Missile
	http://www.boston.com/dailynews/065/world/Pakistan_inaugurates_nuclear_c:.shtml
	http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,BT_CO_20030306_005189,00.html
	http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-pakistan-missile,0,6859969.story
	http://www.pe.com/ap_news/International/Pakistan_Missile_40341I.shtml
	http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2003/03/06/international1203EST0612.DTL
*	Trio charged in plan to sell missiles
	San Diego -- A Minnesota man and two Pakistanis arrested in Hong Kong were headed to San Diego on Thursday to face charges they plotted to sell Stinger anti-aircraft missiles to the al-Qaida terrorist network, authorities said. The trio were expected to reach San Diego late Thursday and appear before a federal magistrate Friday. They left Hong Kong under heavy security on a U.S. government plane Wednesday, according to the South China Morning Post.
	http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Drugs-Terrorism.html
	http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/AMar7.html
	http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-drugs-terrorism,1,2938118.story
	http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/nation/5335098.htm
	http://www.cleveland.com/newsflash/news/index.ssf?/newsflash/get_story.ssf?/cgi-free/getstory_ssf.cgi?a0916_BC_Drugs-Terrorism&&news&newsflash-national
	http://www.tribnet.com/24hour/nation/story/795874p-5681195c.html
	http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2003/03/06/state2143EST0228.DTL
*	Pakistan's army given new nuclear-capable missile
	Islamabad -- Pakistan said its army took delivery of a new medium-range nuclear-capable ballistic missile on Thursday as part of a minimum but credible deterrence policy against what it called belligerence in the region. President Pervez Musharraf, who attended a ceremony marking the handover of the Pakistani-produced Hatf-IV missile, did not refer by name to South Asian nuclear rival India.
	http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/international/international-pakistan-missile.html
	http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/AMar6.html
	http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=B3C884E9-03F8-4135-81E073F7EA73983A
*	Papers suggest Bin Laden alive
	Karachi, Pakistan -- Documents seized in the arrest of alleged Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed suggest Osama bin Laden is alive and that they were in recent contact, a senior Pakistani security official said Thursday. The official said Pakistani security forces had intensified operations in the southwestern province of Baluchistan since Mohammed's arrest after reports of an al Qaeda presence, but did not elaborate.
	http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/international/international-pakistan-qaeda-binladen.html
	http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/AMar6.html
*	Suspects say Bin Laden is FBI's focus
	Two naturalized Americans and a Canadian relative who were detained in Pakistan for nearly three months on suspicion of links to al-Qaida said Thursday that FBI agents questioned them extensively about Osama bin Laden. U.S. citizens Omar Karar Khawaja and Khyzar Ali Khawaja, and Canadian Usman Ali Khawaja spoke to reporters at their home in Manawa, a village east of Lahore, a day after they were freed by the Lahore High Court for lack of evidence.
	http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/AMar6.html
	http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-pakistan-suspects-released,1,3537105.story
	http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apasia_story.asp?category=1104&slug=Pakistan%20Suspects%20Released
	http://www.boston.com/dailynews/065/world/Freed_al_Qaida_suspects_say_FB:.shtml
	http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,BT_CO_20030306_005790,00.html
	http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-pakistan-suspects-released,0,6631046.story
	http://newsobserver.com/24hour/world/story/794335p-5673649c.html
	http://www.pe.com/ap_news/International/Pakistan_Suspects_Released_40346I.shtml
	http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2003/03/06/international0535EST0485.DTL
	http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2003/03/06/international1533EST0715.DTL
*	Musharraf faces U.N. decision
	Islamabad -� During the next week the government of President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan may face an unwelcome moment of truth on the United Nations Security Council. Should Pakistan, a rotating member of the Council, support a resolution, unpopular at home, that would back an American-led attack on fellow Muslims in Iraq? Or should it risk the wrath of the United States, General Musharraf's vital but possibly fickle ally?
	http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/07/international/asia/07STAN.html
*	Bin Laden seems alive, not in Pakistan - Musharraf
	Islamabad -- President Pervez Musharraf said Osama bin Laden seemed to be alive but was unlikely to be in Pakistan, where suspected September 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was arrested at the weekend. The arrest raised hopes that interrogators could get leads on the location of the world's most-wanted man, who has evaded U.S. forces since surviving a massive U.S. bombing campaign against al Qaeda and Taliban forces in Afghanistan in late 2001.
	http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/news/news-attack-qaeda-musharraf.html
	http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/AMar7.html
	http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=A472E6EF-5719-4DF9-8383226D189D9392
	http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,BT_CO_20030306_009982-search,00.html
	http://www.azcentral.com/news/reuters/stories/INTERNATIONAL-ATTACK-QAEDA-DC.shtml
*	Pakistan U.S. consulate gunman acted alone
	Karachi, Pakistan -- A man accused of killing two Pakistani policemen outside the U.S. consulate in Karachi last week was jobless, frustrated because of a broken engagement and hoped to become a martyr, authorities said on Thursday. Investigators believed the suspect, Zulfikar Ali, acted on his own, said Deputy Inspector General Fayyaz Leghari, the chief of the police investigation in Karachi.
	http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/AMar6.html
	http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/international/international-pakistan-usa-attack.html
*	Bin Laden could be hiding in Pakistan
	Pakistani security officials say they believe the head of the al-Qaida terror network, Osama bin Laden, is hiding somewhere in Pakistan, or in the rugged border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The recent arrest of a top bin Laden aide has yeilded new information about the terror chief's whereabouts. Pakistani security officials say material seized during the arrest of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed indicates the al-Qaida chief is alive and hiding somewhere in the region.
	http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=6E1701B2-06E4-416A-BD41892341E71185
*	Sri Lanka opposition bid to unseat regime
	Colombo -- Accusing the Sri Lankan government of giving too many concessions to Tamil Tiger rebels and failing to control prices, the country's new opposition alliance will launch a campaign to unseat the regime, a lawmaker said Thursday. "Under the guise of a so-called peace process initiated by the government, the north and east provinces are gradually transferred to the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam," People's Alliance lawmaker Anura Bandaranaike told reporters in the capital Colombo.
	http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,BT_CO_20030306_004242,00.html
*	Pakistan on alert to prevent violence in Islamic holy month
	Islamabad -- Pakistani police were on alert throughout the country to prevent religiously motivated violence - particularly against minority Shiite Muslims - during the Islamic holy month of Muharram, security officials said Friday. In recent weeks, there has been a spate of killings, mostly of Shiite Muslims. The worst incident was in southern Karachi, where nine people were shot and killed at a Shiite mosque. The culprits escaped.
	http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,BT_CO_20030307_000735-search,00.html
*	In Pakistan, Bin Laden, Al-Qaida still enjoy support
	Islamabad -- As U.S. and Pakistani officials score what they call a big victory against terrorism with the arrest of two top al-Qaida operatives, many Pakistanis are unrelenting in their support for Osama bin Laden and his network. "Osama bin Laden is my hero," auto electrician Yasir Mahmood said Thursday at his workshop in the capital. "Osama is fighting a war for Islam."
	http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,BT_CO_20030306_003721,00.html
*	Suspect predicts attacks on U.S. forces
	March 6., Karachi, Pakistan -- At the time of his arrest Saturday, a senior al Qaeda leader defiantly told his captors that "only the American infidels will celebrate this" and went on to predict a spate of terrorist attacks on U.S. forces massing in the Persian Gulf region for a likely invasion of Iraq, Pakistani intelligence officials said today. Khalid Sheik Mohammed, who is accused of masterminding the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York and the Pentagon, was described as unrepentant and almost cocky during his initial interrogation Saturday by agents from Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency.
	http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/AMar6.html
*	Al Qaeda mastermind tells secrets, officials say
	Washington -- After five days of intense interrogation of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, U.S. officials said for the first time Thursday that the questioning was yielding bits of intelligence proving valuable in the global hunt for Al Qaeda. The news came amid a flurry of reports from South Asia that U.S. and Pakistani forces were intensifying their search for Mohammed's leader, Osama bin Laden, along a southwestern stretch of Pakistan's border with Afghanistan. Although U.S. officials would not confirm that they were stepping up pursuit of bin Laden, they did say Mohammed's interrogators were gaining valuable information from their prize captive, who as Al Qaeda's chief attack planner is believed to know more than anyone else about Al Qaeda's operations.
	http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-mar07,1,7925917.story

BUSINESS / TECHNOLOGY
*	Sri Lanka commercial bank inks deal to sell 15% stake to IFC
	Colombo -- Commercial Bank of Ceylon said Friday it has signed an agreement with the International Finance Corp., or IFC, to sell it a 15% stake. A memorandum of understanding covering the terms and conditions of the sale was inked late Thursday, Commercial Bank said. In December, the IFC made an offer to the Sri Lankan government to buy part of its holdings in Commercial Bank.
	http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,BT_CO_20030307_000318-search,00.html
*	Korea Samsung Electronics reviewing plan for India handset plant
	Seoul -- South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. said Friday that it is currently reviewing a plan to set up a mobile phone handset manufacturing plant in India. "We have reviewed the necessity of setting up a mobile handset plant in India but at this point, there's nothing that's been determined," the memory chip maker said in a disclosure, after the Korea Stock Exchange requested additional information on the company's India plans.
	http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,BT_CO_20030306_009791-search,00.html
*	Indian budget threat to Mauritius as investment base may be overplayed
	After Indian Finance Minister Yaswant Singh exempted certain types of asset acquired in the 2003/2004 financial year from long-term capital gains tax (20% at current rates) in last week's Budget, there has been concern in Mauritius that portfolio investment into India through the island would be dented. In India, a short-term asset is one which is held for 36 months or less immediately preceding the date of transfer.
	http://www.tax-news.com/asp/story/story.asp?storyname=11063
*	India, Afghanistan sign trade, investment pact - Kyodo
	New York -- India and Afghanistan on Thursday signed a preferential trade agreement to give fresh impetus to economic relations between the two countries, Kyodo News agency reported. The trade agreement was signed in a ceremony attended by Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.
	http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,BT_CO_20030306_005780,00.html
*	India paves road for the Linux desktop
	"That perennial question of Linux On The Desktop (LOTD) dangles at the end of 2002. Who is going to break the ice? 2002 saw severalSource companies getting ready for it. RedHat is seen testing waters with its bluecurve, Mandrake continues to make inroads in the ease-of-use. Year 2002 also saw Sony Vaios, with their thumbwheels running Debians, projectingffice Impress across board rooms. But, which is going to be the first major company to sell and support a Linux based personal computers?
	http://linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=-OP-DT-HW
*	BT says tocall centres in India
	BT Group Plc, Britain's largest fixed-line telecoms provider, said on Friday it would set up two call centres in India leading to the creation of around 2,200 jobs there by 2004. Pierre Danon, head of BT Retail, told reporters BT would not close its UK call centres nor cut UK jobs as a result. The call centres in India will be in New Delhi and Bangalore.
	http://www.forbes.com/technology/newswire/2003/03/07/rtr900231.html
*	India relaxes its rules on foreign Telco ownership
	Bangalore, India -� Overseas companies will soon be allowed to hold majority equity stakes in India's telecommunication service providers, both fixed-line and mobile. After a drawn-out process that has taken nearly four years, an Indian ministerial group has recommended that foreign investments in telecommunication firms here be raised from the current level of 49 percent to a maximum of 74 percent. Earlier recommendations by India's Department of Telecommunications had asked that foreign outfits be allowed to hold 100 percent equity in such companies.
	http://www.commsdesign.com/story/OEG20030306S0013
*	India year to end-March software exports seen 9.7 billion $, up 29 percent
	New Delhi -- Software exports are expected to grow by 29 pct to 470 bln rupees (9.7 bln usd) in revenue in the fiscal year to March 31, said junior minister for communications and information technology SU Thirunavukkarasar. He told the upper house of parliament that the earnings from domestic sales are expected to grow by 12 pct to 130 bln rupees (2.7 bln usd) for 2002-2003.
	http://news.nasdaq.com/news/newsStory.aspx?&cpath=20030306\ACQAEFAFXNEWS_EN_AEF_F_3078_06.htm

OTHER STORIES
*	Group points out religious oppression
	A watchdog group is complaining that a new State Department list of countries that severely limit religious freedom omits several that deserve censure. India: At least 1,000 Muslims were killed and more than 100,000 forced to flee their homes as a result of violence by Hindu mobs in Gujarat State after 58 Hindus were killed on a train in Godhra.
	http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-US-Religious-Freedom.html
	http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/AMar6.html
*	CIA chief on trip to gulf region
	CIA Director George Tenet is on a trip to the Gulf region related to a potential U.S. war against Iraq and anti-terrorism efforts, a U.S. official told Reuters on Thursday. Mohammed, who was captured in Pakistan on Saturday, was in U.S. custody at a secret location not in Pakistan or the United States, where interrogators were trying to extract information about any current plots to attack Americans and the location of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
	http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/AMar6.html
	http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/AMar6.html
*	About 100,000 Bangladeshis protest possible Iraq war
	Dhaka -- Nearly 100,000 anti-war protesters rallied against a U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in Bangladesh's capital Thursday. They burned straw effigies of U.S. President George Bush and shouted, "Say no to war," and "Don't attack Iraq." Anti-war protests have become common in Bangladesh, a predominantly Muslim nation. But Thursday's was by far the biggest.
	http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,BT_CO_20030306_004803,00.html
*	A dead end for Afghan children adrift in Pakistan
	Karachi, Pakistan -� Just off a side street near one of this city's wealthiest neighborhoods is a small, well-hidden compound surrounded by an eight-foot metal fence. Inside it are mountains of trash, a handful of embittered Afghan men and a dozen young Afghan boys with dirt-caked faces, hands and clothes. The boys, refugees who have been abandoned or forced by their parents to work, live in the compound, collecting and sorting garbage the men sell to recycling companies. On a given day, they sift through rotting vegetables, broken glass and syringes.
	http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/07/international/asia/07KARA.html
*	CDC reports spike in Indian polio cases
	The number of polio cases in India last year rose six-fold from 2001, federal officials said Thursday. In 2002, 1,556 cases of wild polio virus were found in India, up from only 268 cases a year earlier, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
	http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-CDC-India-Polio.html
	http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/AMar6.html
	http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-cdc-india-polio,1,6990885.story
	http://www.azcentral.com/news/reuters/stories/SCIENCE-HEALTH-POLIO-DC.shtml
	http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2003/03/06/national1335EST0652.DTL
*	Nine soldiers die in avalanches in Indian Kashmir
	Jammu, India -- At least nine Indian soldiers have died in avalanches on the military cease-fire line in Kashmir, a senior police official said on Friday. The soldiers were buried in two separate avalanches on Thursday in the Kargil district in the north of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, the police official told Reuters in Jammu, winter capital of the state.
	http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/AMar7.html
	http://www.azcentral.com/news/reuters/stories/INTERNATIONAL-KASHMIR-AVALANCHE-DC.shtml
*	Karzai meets with Indian leaders
	Afghan President Hamid Karzai has met top Indian leaders, signed a bilateral trade agreement and won a promise of financial assistance from New Delhi to rebuild his war-torn country. The Afghan leader is in the Indian capital on an official visit. In a meeting with President Karzai, India's prime minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, pledged a $70 million grant to Afghanistan.
	http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=9583D819-B41B-40A0-8E7C016D055A9BED
	http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,BT_CO_20030306_006963,00.html
*	Indian Prime Minister discusses Iraq evacuation
	Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has called a meeting of all political parties to discuss the government's strategy to evacuate Indians working in Iraq in the event of a war. Officials say the meeting is expected to be held next Monday. Mr. Vajpayee made the call after opposition parties demanded that he give details of a phone conversation he had with President Bush on Tuesday.
	http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=E0BE36FF-06C0-4D83-9ED9D332595F4F43
*	Indian elephants tortured to death in cruel and outdated capture abuse
	New Delhi -- Graphic television footage has captured one of the worst-ever cases of animal abuse -the torture and eventual death of an elephant caught in a 'management' program sanctioned and paid for by a state government in India. In a bizarre attempt to break in the young bull for training, the wild Asian elephant was first captured by lasso before being tied down and having its tusks hacked off with a saw, while being repeatedly jabbed with spikes and hit with bamboo rods. It was later denied food and water, and eventually died of stress, starvation and thirst after 18 days.
	http://www.boston.com/dailynews/065/world/_Caught_on_Camera_Indian_Eleph:.shtml
*	New age remedy gains recognition, undergoes startling metamorphosis
	Hong Kong -- In the chic modern Indian restaurant Veda, Eugenia Lee and a group of other well-heeled women are sampling healthy dishes such as fenugreek potatoes with peanut and coriander dip and bell peppers stuffed with spinach and broccoli. Ms. Lee and her dining companions have forked out 265 Hong Kong dollars ($34) each for a dinner lecture to learn more about the latest spa trend -- ayurvedic medicine.
	The Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) Madras and Bombay are trying to use kiosk and Bluetooth technologies for rural healthcare. TeNet group of IIT Madras in alliance with HP Labs India is planning a kiosk Internet link with a doctor for primary ailments. The plan is to equip the kiosk with certain basic devices like stethoscope, thermistor, blood pressure meter and ECG. The readings of these devices are transferred through Internet to the doctor at the district or taluk level. There will also be provision for video conferencing between the doctor and the patient. IIT Bombay is working on use of wireless technology for healthcare by application of Bluetooth and WLAN technologies for patient monitoring.
	http://www.wirelessweek.com/index.asp?layout=story&articleId=NEa0306280.5iw&verticalID=223&vertical=Technology
*	Tell me a story: golden feathers: a tale from India
	Once upon a time long ago, near a city called Benares on the banks of the River Ganges, the being who would one day become the Buddha came into the world as a man. When he was old enough to marry, he wed a woman who was from the same class as he, a Brahmin, and they had three daughters.
	http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=87954
*	Asian-Indians find niche in operating hotels
	Edison -- Truckers and traveling salesmen are finding that many of the hotels and motels they stay at are run by Asian-Indians, and that many of them are named Patel. Weary road warriors are not mistaken, and the trend is obvious in New Jersey, where the Asian-Indian population more than doubled in the 1990s to nearly 170,000. Take Kundan Patel, a native of India who came to the United States two decades ago. She and her husband now own four budget hotels.
	http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/local/5330777.htm
*	A little spark would do wonders for India Palace
	Familiarity is the appeal of Mill Valley's India Palace. The dishes, the decor and the spirit of the place are all reassuringly expected. The only surprise may be the location: in a Travelodge. After 19 years in operation, there's a been-there-done-that air that nips at the pleasant-looking dining rooms and capable service.
	http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/03/07/DD186999.DTL
*	Everest base camp to get internet cafe
	Kathmandu -- It could be the most challenging Internet cafe project going. Fifty years after two men conquered Mount Everest, a native Sherpa is determined to set up a cybercafe at the 17,400-foot-high base camp of the world's highest mountain. Besides freezing temperatures and storms, there is no electricity or plumbing at the site. There aren't any permanent buildings, either.
	http://www.pe.com/ap_news/International/Everest_Online_17086I.shtml
	http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2003/03/06/international1410EST0685.DTL
*	Bollywood's legend is living his own cinematic dream
	Film star Dev Anand had just arrived from New York on an icy January night, the day after he had left his home in Bombay. But instead of sleeping off the jet lag, the 79-year-old was standing in the middle of the living room of the Indian Consul General Surendra Kumar's Michigan Avenue apartment, mesmerizing the gathered Indian-American elite with a yarn about his life in cinema. He spins a tale of a young man who left Lahore for Bombay in search of stardom and after a few years of struggle found himself on top of the Indian film world. Later the young man would take on the roles of writer, producer and director, making more than 115 films, including his latest picture based in New York City, called "Love at Times Square," which he filmed on New Year's Eve 2000.
	http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/chi-mar07,1,1812861.story
*	Deportations delayed
	March 6 -- More than 250 Pakistanis are stuck in an immigration limbo, as they sit in U.S. jails waiting to be deported, the Pakistani Embassy said this week. Mohammad Sadiq, the deputy chief of mission, said friends and relatives of the detained Pakistanis have asked the embassy to help repatriate them to their homes. The Pakistanis are being held on immigration violations and many have no judicial appeals left. However, commercial airliners are reluctant to fly them home, creating the backlog of stranded immigrants in American detention, Mr. Sadiq said.
	http://www.washtimes.com/world/.htm
*	Coffeemaker blends Indian beans with Italian style
	Using a small commercial espresso machine in the garage of his San Carlos home, Joseph John fills the basket with fresh ground coffee, tamps it, locks the filter in place and starts the pump. Born in Mathurai, India, John was trained as a nuclear physicist, but has made an unlikely career change. He now markets an Italian-style espresso blend made exclusively from Indian beans.
	http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/03/07/PN81095.DTL
*	Linguists turn their attention to verbal trends of Net users
	Berkeley -- Computer scientist Jon Kleinberg is taking a virtual stroll down the information superhighway, surfing cyberspace for verbal megatrends. Prabhakar Raghavan, chief technology officer of the Sunnyvale-based software company Verity, has used Kleinberg's software to analyze Weblogs, online journals known as "blogs." Seeking emerging trends among cutting-edge bloggers, Raghavan looked for bursts of references and links to other people's Web sites.
	http://www.sunspot.net/technology/bal-te.buzzwords07mar07,0,2759622.story