India Cements ship sinks in Malacca Straits

A 55,881-dwt bulk vessel, ICL Vikraman, belonging to the Chennai-based India Cements Ltd., sank in the Malacca Straits near Port Dickson on Friday night, after it collided with another vessel. Five of the 34 membercrew, all Indian, had been rescued till late Saturday evening. Those rescued were Mr. Cartic Venkataraman, nautical watchkeeping officer, Mr. V. Bharani, radio officer, Mr. S. Kamaraju, Second Engineer, and his wife, and Mr. M. R. Purushothaman, electrical officer.

Paswan fails to convince Chidambaram

The Railway Minister, Mr. Ram Vilas Paswan, has failed to obtain any categorical assurance from Finance Minister, Mr. P. Chidambaram, on the issue of permitting the Railways to dip into its accumulated reserves to meet the extra Rs. 2,800- crore Pay Commission burden. The two Ministers have decided to jointly seek the Prime Minister, Mr. I.K. Gujral’s intervention to resolve the issue. Sources said the tenor of discussions was not upbeat as the Finance Minister pointed out that the monies from these capital receipts are used to finance the Centre’s fiscal deficit.

Special panel to evolve ‘cyber laws’

The Government has set up a special inter- departmental committee to examine the need for “cyber laws” that will bring the country in tune with the realities of the electronic age. The committee, in which the Department of Electronics (DoE) is playing an active role, will also examine the various laws and regulations that stand in the way of conducting electronic commerce. Mr. Shymal Ghosh, Secretary in the DoE, said the committee is debating whether the country should go in for a comprehensive “cyber law” or make suitable amendments to existing laws.