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Column 1(The Statesman (India) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Somnath Hor dead SANTINIKETAN, Oct. 1: Eminent sculptor and former principal of Kala Bhavan in Viswa Bharati, Somnath Hor died at 8:50 p.m. at his Santiniketan home today. He was 85 and had been suffering from a respiratory disorder. He was being treated at Birbhum Sub-divisional Hospital which released him this morning on a personal bond from his family. The artist will be cremated on Monday. Hor was born in 1921 at Barama in Chittagong, now a district in Bangladesh. Lok Sabha Speaker and Bolpur MP Mr Somnath Chatterjee mourned the sculptors death. It is an irreparable loss for the nation. I extend my condolences to his family, Mr Chatterjee said. Chief minister Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, in his condolence message, said: Somnath Hor was one of the pioneers of the modern art movement in India and I knew him personally. His death is a great loss for all of us. n SNS Bio-metric passports NEW DELHI, Oct. 1: Amid security concerns spurred by misuse of passports, the Centre has decided to introduce bio-metric passports, using sophisticated finger-printing technology, to the country by the end of next year. These passports will initially be introduced in the diplomatic and official category, an official said here today. Such passports, aimed at eliminating the scope for impersonation and other forms of manipulations, are eventually expected to be nationally distributed. These passports will have a chip which will carry the finger-print and all other details of its holder. The finger-print data will also be fed to the computer system of immigration officials at airports and ports. n SNS Copyright 2006 The Statesman Ltd. Source: Financial Times Information Limited - Asia Intelligence Wire. |