sreddy@athena.mit.edu (06/30/91)
From: Suresh Reddy
Topics: Kashmiri militants vs Israelis (update),
Crime in Pakistan,
Economic liberalization,
Children die due to neglect of simple remedies,
Painting by Computers,
Abdus Salaam on science in the third world
Kashmiri militants vs Israelis (Update)
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BBC
The Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, an armed separatist
organization fighting for independence, claims that it holds the missing
Israeli. Someone claiming to speak for JKLF called the BBC correspondent,
Yousef Jameel and told him that they were holding the Israeli. When asked for
proof, he asked Jameel to wait and a few moments later, someone with a non-
Indian accent spoke identifying himself as an Israeli with the name Itzaki. He
said he hid from the other militant group ("Loyal defenders of the Islamic
Revolution") in trees and bushes for five hours. Later he entered a house
asking for water only to be hit on the head by someone. Later, more members
of JKLF showed up. He said they gave him food, clothing and shelter. He said
he didn't think they would kill him. Then he broke down. The JKLF man spoke
again saying that JKLF has set up a committee to decide what to do next.
As reported earlier, six Israeli men were taken from a house boat on
Dal Lake in Srinagar (the capital city of the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir)
by armed militants to a house. The Israelis were in their 20s and had already
done their military service. One Israeli pulled the rifle from a militant and
in the scuffle, two kidnappers and one Israeli were killed. A group known as
"Pastarani Inquilabi Islami" or "Loyal defenders of the Islamic Revolution"
claimed responsibility for the kidnapping and killing of the Israeli(s). Three
Israelis ended up in hospital. One Israeli was reported missing. The above
update is on this missing Israeli.
Crime in Pakistan
-----------------
BBC
Lahore reacted with horror to the killing of a family of 13 including
women and children. The family members were all tied up and their throats slit
open. Lahore has generally been the quietest city in Pakistan. Earlier in
Islamabad, a bomb exploded in a crowded Bazaar but no one was reported injured.
Prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, in reference to the killing of the Lahore family,
said the recent crime wave in the country is the work of "enemy agents" who
infiltrated the Pakistani ranks. Officials say privately that they suspect
the involvement of Indian intelligence agency, RAW (Research and Analysis
Wing). Both India and Pakistan are known to have exploited the ethnic and
religious tensions in the neighboring country. Nawaz Sharif asked the police
to arrest the murderers of the family in 72 hours. Those who possess illicit
arms will be sentenced to life-imprisonment.
Economic Liberalization
-----------------------
Budget will be out in three weeks. Dr. Manmohan Singh, the finance
minister, (former head of reserve bank and former deputy chairman of planning
commission) has said that India should rid itself of the web of unnecessary
controls. India will probably agree to all IMF conditions. Dr. Singh demanded
that ideological hang-ups not come in the way. He compared South Korea which
had the per-capita income during 50s to India. He said that the Congress party
would have to give up on its election manifesto promise of lower prices for
essential commodities for a while. CPI(M) says the plan for IMF loan is
unacceptable. CPI expressed concern that cutting of subsidies to farmers for
fertilizers will hurt the poor.
Painting by Computers
====================
Prakash Chandra in Depthnews Asia, Manila (reproduced in World Press Review)
A group of India's famous painters are now using computer software to
paint. With Macintosh personal computers, the artists have completed a unique
collection of acrylic paintings, recently unveiled in a New Delhi exhibit
called "the State of the Art". Graphic artist Abhay Mangaldas and Ajay Sharma,
owner of a computer graphics business got tired of routine assignments and
decided to rope in other painters to create a computer aided art form. They
can draw on 16 mn colors and 32 basic functions. "We had unimaginable freedom
... to draw, apply color, animate the drawing, multiply the image or scan
another drawing or painting onto it", said one artist.
Abdus Salaam on science in the third world
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The Island, Colombo, Sri Lanka (reproduced in World Press Review)
Pakistani physicist and Nobel Laureate (for efforts at unified field theory)
says that one reason for the South's economic deprivation is that science as
contrasted with technology has been treated as "marginal" by third-world
leaders. The economists are biggest enemies of scientists in the third world
since they consider research programs expensive and unrealistic. He says that
scientists should bring science to center stage and show how it's directly
linked to economic development. But that requires re-education of scientists
and "most of us (scientists) don't even know the GNPs of our respective
countries", he says.
End of article
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