BONN: German attempts to set up a fund to compensate Holocaust victims is ``historically courageous'' and Washington is ready to help, a US official said on Wednesday. ``The US government is willing to be a partner with the German government in trying to make this occur,'' said Stuart Eizenstat, Under-secretary of State for economic, business and agricultural affairs. Eizenstat, who met on Wednesday with Bodo Hombach, minister in the office of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, said he was ``impressed with the determination of the Schroeder government to pursue this course.'' Germany could ``end this century and go into the next century having asserted its moral leadership,'' he added.

High-speed trains

WASHINGTON: A federally-funded company that runs the passenger trains in the United States has said that it is preparing to launch the nation's first high speed trains later this year, beginning with 150 miles per hour, between Boston and Washington. With punctual, sleek and fasttrains, improved stations,polished service and staff, who would be ordered to be courteous, Amtrak hopes to meet the Congressional deadline to break even by 2002 or be liquidated.

Indo-African links

JOHANNESBURG: Two South Africa-based academics claimed to have found similarities between African and South Indian cultures on the basis of some customs and practices prevalent among both the peoples. Phyllis Nonhlanhla Zungu conducted a research to show the similarities. ``There are similarities that apply to South Indian Americans and their Zulu counterparts,'' they said. Social practices like worshipping ancestors, paying bride price were the same in both the cultures. ``Dravidians worship snakes as gods to which Zulus consider as ancestors, a daughter-in-law in a Zulu household has to keep her head covered in the presence of elders, similarly among various Indian castes,'' she said.

The Taliban touch

ISLAMABAD: Seeking to impose the Taliban brand of Islam in Pakistan, the Taliban Tehrikhas announced a house-to-house search in the tribal areas of North West Frontier Province (NWFP) on Sunday to seize and destroy radio, television sets, drugs and other ``Un-Islamic'' items. The Tehrik on Wednesday warned of severe punishment if such articles were found in any house after Sunday's operation.