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Frankfurt book fair joins the World Cup game
From Indo-Asian News Service

Frankfurt, Sep 21 (DPA) With Germany hosting the World Cup next summer, football will be the focus at next month's Frankfurt book fair.

Football literature, photo exhibitions and a fan area will be featured in a "football world" covering an area of 2,000 sq metres.

The fair, from Oct 19 to 23, will also feature readings and discussions related to literature and football.

Matches are to be played in a giant football cage between South Korean and German authors, as well between various publishing houses. South Korea is the official guest country of this year's fair.

--DPA

Pro-Tamil activists court arrest across Tamil Nadu
Indo-Asian News Service

Chennai, Sep 21 (IANS) As many as 10,000 activists of a group called the Tamil Protection Movement were arrested Wednesday when they demonstrated across the state demanding Tamil be made the official language.

The activists, who demanded that the Tamil language be used in all walks of life in Tamil Nadu, were released in the evening. Activists also vented their ire at hoardings and advertisements in English and tore them down in the city and elsewhere. 

The Movement includes the Pattali Makkal Katchi, the Dalit Panthers of India and the Tamil Nationalist Movement and the Tamil Padukaappu Peravai (Tamil Protection Forum).

The protests, yet another attempt to bring the language issue to the political centrestage, came just eight months ahead of assembly elections, due in Tamil Nadu May 2006.

The PMK is part of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in New Delhi and the DMK-led coalition in Tamil Nadu. PMK founder S. Ramadoss and Dalit leader T. Thirumavalavan were among those who courted arrest.

Police said 2,000 protestors were taken into custody in the city. In Madurai, 350 PMK and DPI workers were arrested when they attempted to picket at the central bus stand here.

A report from Dharmapuri said 350 activists, including PMK parliamentarian R. Senthil and PMK legislator K. Parimohan, were taken into custody.

Over 300 pro-Tamil activists were arrested in Coimbatore when they tried to stage demonstrations before government offices. Similar arrests were made in Pollachi, Mettupalayam, Tirupur, Palladam and Madathukulam.