OID‰‰†‰KOID‰‰†‰OID‰‰†‰MOID‰‰†‰C New Delhi, Monday,April 21, 2003www.timesofindia.com Capital 36 pages* Invitation Price Rs. 1.50 International India Times Sport Salma Hayek uses PM’s Kashmir visit Indian pace attack her hair to fly in makes Mufti happy, can succeed Down 3-D Spy Kids film but Abdullah cautious Under, says Wright Page 10 Page 5 Page 15 WIN WITH THE TIMES 2 loyalists go for George as... Established 1838 Bennett, Coleman & Co., Ltd. China axes minister, mayor People try non-violence for a AP Beijing: China’s health minister Samata rift week, and when it ‘doesn’t work,’ they go back to and Beijing mayor were sacked violence which hasn’t from key Communist Party posts worked for centuries. on Sunday,soon after the country reported a jump in SARS deaths — Theodore Roszak and nearly a 10-fold increase in out in the cases in Beijing. NEWS DIGEST The dismissals were possibly a punishment for mishandling the Making Delhi move outbreak of the killer flu. faster ‘‘The central committee of the open again The third in a series of Communist Party of China has traffic solutions. Page 3 removed Zhang Wenkang as sec- TIMES NEWS NETWORK retary of the leading CPC mem- The story so far Dawood’s associate: Anil Parab, bers’ Group of the ministry of New Delhi: Defence minis- believed to be a close associate of health and Meng Xuenong ter George Fernandes’ ‘‘sur- • On April 13, Nitish underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, as deputy secretary of the CPC render’’ to railway minister loyalists sought the was being brought to Mumbai Beijing Municipal Committee,’’ Nitish Kumar in the internal expulsion of Fernandes’ on an Air India flight after being the official Xinhua news agency power struggle in the Samata supporters in Parliament deported from Dubai, according to reported. This is an indication Party has turned his sup- and in Bihar official reports received late that Zhang’s days as minister porters against him. They • On Saturday, Fernan- Sunday night. may be numbered. are seeking his resignation des averted a split by Maya backs off a little: Uttar The new fatalities raised Chi- from the Union cabinet. acceding to many of Pradesh chief na’s death toll to 79 and its total ‘‘You have forfeited all Nitish’s demands number of reported cases to minister Mayawati moral right to remain the de- • On Sunday, two has instructed offi- 1,814, Gao Qiang, an executive fence minister,’’ Samata MPs vice health minister, said. The Fernandes loyalist MPs cials to get clear- Raghunath Jha and Brah- sought his resignation most dramatic jump was in Bei- ance from courts manand Mandal said in a let- from the cabinet before arresting jing, where the number of infec- ter to Fernandes. A monk prays for an end to SARS in Hong Kong on Sunday ● Hong Kong reported 19 deaths over the Samajwadi Party tions soared from 37 to 347. In the letter,released to the weekend, taking the toll to 88 ● China’s overall toll was 79 ● In Singapore, 2,400 people in a vegetable leaders and others Fernandes also appointed ‘‘With such a situation, with market were put under a 10-day quarantine after being exposed to a man diagnosed with SARS. media on Sunday, the MPs named in FIRs filed more than 300 patients in Beijing, asked Fernandes how he a Nitish faction member, Comment: in connection with the ‘‘misuse’’ of the situation is already very There’s a virtual ex- Meanwhile in India could defend the country, Prabhunath Singh, as head of discretionary funds. serious,’’ Gao said, adding plosion of information about the when he could not protect the a disciplinary action com- mystery virus, with each revela- Doping charge: Andhra Pradesh there could be 400 more cases interests of his supporters. mittee. tion more confusing than the oth- Delhi New Zealander and Gurgaon girl in the clear athlete Uday Laxmi has accused the in Beijing. The crisis in the party has With these appointments, Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh The government also cancelled er. It’s time an agency like the Mumbai Another suspected case arrives from Bangkok been brewing since January. Nitish’s control over the par- and the federations of forcing the the week-long May Day vacation, WHO put out a reliable and The party was on the verge of ty apparatus has become athletes to take to drugs so that the trying to stop tens of millions of accurate advisory on coping Doubts Virologists aren’t sure of ICMR’s methodology a split last Sunday, when the near total. Fernandes re- state could do well at the Hyder- Chinese from travelling and with SARS. (Report on Page 7) Nitish faction sought the ex- mains the party president abad National Games. P15 spreading the virus. Agencies Hong Kong reviews treatment: P10 pulsion of Fernandes loyal- without any real powers. ists in Parliament and the Bi- Jha and Mandal described YOU SAID IT by Laxman har legislature. Fernandes as a ‘‘weak and On Saturday, a day before helpless’’ leader who has be- leaving for China, Fernandes come a ‘‘rubber stamp’’ for 4 nations may be barred from Andaman oil bought peace with Nitish by Nitish’s ‘‘unconstitutional suspending three Bihar legis- activities’’. By Sanjay Dutta Bidding matters identified deep sea areas as the blocks through competitive bid- lators loyal to him. He also Jha, who was earlier re- TIMES NEWS NETWORK most promising. This has been ding and would hurt efforts to get accepted the replacement of moved as the Bihar Samata foreign investment. The two Andaman blocks borne out by the big gas finds by his supporters with Nitish unit president, claimed that Port Blair: Under pressure from • The defence ministry then said have a very good prospect Reliance and Cairns off the loyalists as party leaders in petty squabbles within the the defence ministry, the petrole- foreign companies be allowed to of gas, say officials Andhra coast last year. the Bihar assembly and the party had helped the ruling um ministry may bar companies Declining to identify the blocks, bid only if they take Indian firms legislative council. RJD in Bihar. from some countries — including •Govt plans to offer the blocks Naik said he would meet defence as majority partners that should China, Malaysia, Pakistan and In- in the fourth round of bidding minister George Fernandes after have majority stake. donesia — from hunting for oil and his return from China. ‘‘Together, However, even such joint gas in the highly prospective •Naik and Fernandes to decide we will decide before May which ventures with companies from Kashmiri Marine in Iraq deep sea exploration blocks on which two blocks to offer China, Pakistan, Myanmar, In- two Andaman blocks are to be of- Silicon Valley: ‘‘My son is in Kuwait — was among around the Andaman and Nicobar donesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh fered,’’ Naik said. somewhere in Iraq, fight- the many South-Asian ser- Islands, say officials. fourth round of international bid- and the Arab countries should not Exploration in the Andamans ing the battle which we vicemen who left their The decision comes even though ding scheduled in the first week of be allowed. have been hanging fire for years as could not do in our home- families to answer the call We took your picture from one of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation’s May, oil minister Ram Naik told the defence and oil ministries Comment: The two recent major land, Kashmir.’’ These of duty in Iraq. your early photographs for this (ONGC) overseas investment arm, Times News Network on Sunday. locked horns on whether foreign gas finds off the Andhra coast have election poster, Sir. were the words of Laxmi N Born in Karan Nagar, ONGC Videsh Ltd, is partnering The officials said the two blocks firms should be allowed to hunt for obviously incentivised an all-out Raina, proud mother of a Kashmir, Siddhartha stud- China’s CNPC and Malaysia’s lay deep in the sea east of the An- oil in the strategic area. search for oil and gas. A pragmatic 22-year-old US Marine re- ied in Michigan to become indiatimes.com POLL Petronas in the Greater Nile oil- daman Island and have a very good Initially, the defence ministry priority should be given to this sec- servist who was drafted an automotive engineer. field in Sudan. prospect of gas. wanted the blocks to be offered to tor to reduce India’s dependence into active duty on Now, he is a sniper and Yesterday’s results: Is the PM’s offer of The government plans to in- Directorate-General of Hydro- only Indian companies like ONGC. on imports, the uncertainties of February 26. ‘‘a real good one’’, says his friendship to Pak a setback to India’s clude two Andaman blocks in the carbons (DGH), the country’s care- The petroleum ministry said this which were forcefully driven home Sidhartha Raina — now father. PTI policy of coercive diplomacy? 26 fields that will be offered in the taker for oil and gas assets, has was against the policy to offer all by the Iraq war. Yes 52% No 48% AP • The poll reflects the opinions of Net users who chose Sreedharan, to participate, and not necessarily of the general public. Today’s question: Would you prefer seeing Govinda doing serious roles Sehwag: Time’s rather than comedies? Cast your vote on Asian Heroes www.indiatimes.com or SMS ‘Poll’ to 8888 New Delhi: Batting sensa- tion Virender Sehwag has featured on the cover of the prestigious Time magazine’s annual edition of Asian he- roes, which also names metro man E Sreedharan and an NGO which helped Gu- jarat’s riot victims.