BDWORLDNEWS

MIDDLE EAST : New Gaza violence threatens truce

2005-05-19T15:14:00.000+06:00

The fragile truce in Gaza is teetering on the brink as Palestinian militants fired more volleys of rockets and Israel pledged tougher military action.

Three Qassam rockets were fired into southern Israel by members of the Hamas movement, but there were no injuries.

Israel's deputy defence minister said the army would be "more aggressive" if rocket and mortar attacks continued.

Violence escalated on Tuesday night when a Palestinian militant was killed in disputed circumstances in Rafah.

Hamas say one of its armed members was killed by Israeli soldiers in a breach of the ceasefire - but the army say he was killed when an explosive device he was carrying went off.

In retaliation, Hamas launched mortars at Israeli settlements in Gaza, triggering the first Israeli air strike since January, in which a second militant is reported to have died. An Israeli settler was also lightly wounded by a mortar.

In the hours that followed, there were more Hamas rocket and mortar strikes.

Evacuation under fire

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas - on a visit to East and South Asia - has warned that the situation is so sensitive that "a very tiny spark" could trigger a major new round of violence.

There has been relative calm since a ceasefire was declared but the Israeli and Palestinian leaders in February.

"We must act in a more aggressive manner than we have so far," Deputy Defence Minister Zeev Boim told Israeli public radio.

"Until now, we have acted with moderation and restraint because we want to have calm in the run-up to the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, but it is conceivable to proceed with the evacuation under fire," he said.

Israel is planning to evacuate all its 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip and the troops who protect them as part of a unilateral disengagement plan.

It will maintain control of the borders, airspace and coastline of Gaza, which is home to about 1.5m Palestinians.

Israeli human rights group B'Tselem says at least 3,261 Palestinians and 875 Israelis have been killed in the intifada, or Palestinian uprising, which begin in September 2000.

BDWN http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4561533.stm

MIDDLE EAST : Deputy killed in mishap on ATV

2005-05-19T15:13:00.000+06:00

Patrick Anderson, 24, of Poplarville had been deployed in Iraq last year

POPLARVILLE — Pearl River County Deputy Patrick Anderson died this past weekend in an accident involving an all-terrain vehicle, authorities said.

Anderson, 24, of Poplarville, was riding with friends near the Springhill community when Sunday's accident occurred, said Sheriff Joe Stuart. Anderson, who had returned last year from Iraq after a yearlong deployment with the 890th Engineering Battalion, had been a deputy sheriff for three years.

"He was dependable," Stuart said. "He started as a corrections officer and he worked his way up the ladder to work as a patrol deputy."

Anderson began his career working for the City of Picayune and was a part-time officer with the Poplarville Police Department.

Chief Deputy Aaron Russell Jr. said Anderson and three others were riding in the woods. Russell said the other riders realized Anderson wasn't behind them and turned around to see what happened. They found him lying face down, with the 600-pound, yellow ATV on top of him.

"He hit a mud hole on a pipeline," Russell said.

Autopsy results show he died from compression of the chest.

BDWN http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050517/NEWS01/505170358/1002

MIDDLE EAST : US 'ignored Iraq oil smuggling'

2005-05-19T15:10:00.000+06:00

The US turned a blind eye to the former Iraq regime's $8bn trade in smuggled oil, a new US Senate report says.

The report says the US was well aware of both the smuggling and the kickbacks Iraq solicited from players in the UN's oil-for-food programme.

Published by Democrat minority members of a key committee, it follows charges levelled against several Russian politicians and UK MP George Galloway.

Mr Galloway has flown to Washington DC to defend himself in person.

He is appearing before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.

Others accused of receiving oil allocations from Baghdad include French former Interior Minister Charles Pasqua, Russian ultranationalist MP Vladimir Zhirinovsky, and Russian former presidential aides Alexander Voloshin and Sergei Issakov.

Mr Galloway, Mr Pasqua and Mr Zhirinovsky have all denied the allegations.

Weak oversight

Unlike the previous reports, which were backed by all the committee members, the fresh accusations are authored by staff of the minority of Democrats.

They are led by Senator Carl Levin, who has built his reputation on a series of follow-the-money investigations involving such subjects as Enron and money laundering.

The new report focuses on both the $228m Saddam Hussein's regime is estimated to have made through illegal surcharges on the oil-for-food programme, and on the $8bn it made through sanctions-busting oil sales to Turkey, Syria, Egypt and Jordan.

US oversight was weak on both fronts, the report says - and sometimes amounted to facilitation of the illicit trades.

Kickbacks

It takes the example of Bayoil, a US oil firm which was indicted by US authorities in April and was allegedly used by the three Russian politicians as a go-between with the Iraqi authorities.

According to the report, the firm imported more than 200 million barrels to the US between 2000 and 2002, selling it to US companies and in the process paying $37m in illegal kickbacks to Baghdad.

US agencies such as the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) failed to examine its activities, the report warns, assuming that UN agencies would do the job - despite UN resolutions which clearly made such oversight the responsibility of national governments.

In all, US buyers paid more than half the $224m in total kickbacks, the report estimates.

'Facilitation'

But it also said that the far bigger smuggling trade was carried out with tacit US approval.

Much of the oil went out by land through Turkey and Syria, but much also went by sea.

The report takes the example of a series of shipments from the port of Khor al-Amaya in southern Iran in the month before the US-led coalition began its 2003 invasion.

Jordan paid $53m in hard currency for 7.7 million barrels on seven tankers, all of which were explicitly allowed to pass by the US naval blockade.

"The US was not only aware of Iraqi oil sales which violated UN sanctions and provided the bulk of the illicit money Saddam Hussein obtained from circumventing UN sanctions," the report said.

"On occasion, the US actually facilitated the illicit oil sales."

BDWN http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4554507.stm

MIDDLE EAST : Iran not to reverse nuclear plan, but may delay

2005-05-19T15:07:00.000+06:00

Latest Updated by 2005-05-19

Chief Iranian negotiator Hassan Rohani says Iran will not back down on resuming its nuclear activities, but may delay work if talks go well.

Rohani repeatedly said in an interview that Iran would not change its mind about restarting a uranium conversion plant in the city of Isfahan, saying the decision has been made and it is irreversible.

He added, however, that such a step would not lead automatically to the next and most critical stage of the nuclear fuel process, the enrichment of uranium.

Rohani said Iran will hold a new round of nuclear talks with the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany in Paris set for May 23.

Rohani noted Iran may delay work at the Isfahan facility for a few weeks if it feels that the Europeans are determined to stick the agreements reached and do not want to waste time.

BDWN http://www.newsgd.com/news/World1/200505190061.htm

MIDDLE EAST : Iraq's top terrorist planned bombings in Syria meeting

2005-05-19T15:05:00.000+06:00

By PAUL GARWOOD

Associated Press writer Thursday, May 19, 2005

IRAQ ROUNDUP, IRAQ COALITION, IRAQ CONTROLLED CITIES

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Iraqi insurgents fought U.S. troops at two mosques in Fallujah and held sway over all or part of three southern cities in the worst chaos and violence since Baghdad fell a year ago Friday. In an ominous turn, kidnappers seized a dozen foreign hostages and threatened to burn three Japanese captives alive if Tokyo did not withdraw its troops.

A Marine died Thursday in Fallujah, the Sunni stronghold west of Baghdad. That brought to U.S. death toll across Iraq this week to 40.

The newly invigorated, two-front insurgency raged through its fourth day, and further threatened shaky Iraqi security as the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority prepared to hand sovereignty to an Iraqi government on June 30.

L. Paul Bremer, the chief U.S. administrator of Iraq, warned Shiite pilgrims to beware of danger this weekend at their shrines, recalling the deadly bombings in Karbala and Baghdad that killed nearly 150 during celebrations last month.

TV pictures aired in the Middle East by the Al-Jazeera satellite network and rebroadcast during prime time in Japan showed the three Japanese hostages -- two aid workers and a journalist -- wide-eyed and moaning in terror as their black-clad captors held knives to their throats, shouting God is Great in Arabic.

The Japanese government called the abductions "unforgivable" but said they did not justify withdrawal of its 530 troops doing reconstruction work in the south.

Two Arab aid workers from Jerusalem -- one who had once lived in Georgia -- were abducted in a separate incident.

Eight South Korean Christian missionaries were seized by gunmen outside Baghdad. Seven were freed after one of them escaped, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said.

Marines battled insurgents firing automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades in continued heavy fighting at two mosques in Fallujah. U.S. forces have surrounded the city 35 miles west of Baghdad, but opened the blockade for a convoy carrying food and medicine sent by Sunni clerics in Baghdad.

The U.S. military, meanwhile, reported the deaths of three 1st Infantry Division soldiers on Wednesday and Thursday in attacks by Sunni insurgents -- though the circumstances and day of each death were not provided. The Army said a fourth soldier died from wounds received in an attack last week.

The fighting in Fallujah, nearby Ramadi, and across the south has killed more than 460 Iraqis -- including more than 280 in Fallujah, according to the director of the city's hospital, Rafie Al-Issawi.

The spiraling violence which began Sunday raised questions about whether Iraqi police and security forces would confront the violence and whether U.S. allies would stay the course.

In Najaf, a policeman watched helplessly on Thursday as a pickup truck carrying a dozen heavily armed Shiite militiamen went past his police station -- already in the militia's hands.

"Look, how can we control such a situation?" he asked an Associated Press reporter.

There also were concerns about whether the largely passive Shiite majority would remain peaceful and shun radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's attempts to enlist them against the Americans.

Still, U.S. administrators insist they are making both political and military progress. U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi is in Iraq, trying to establish a system to pick an interim Iraqi government. And Marine commanders said they were winning the fight for Fallujah.

"The mission is going particularly well. We made inroads into the city and we are driving the enemy resistance back," said Marine Lt. Col. Greg Olsen. "We're winning every firefight."

But there has been a cost. Twelve Marines died Tuesday in an ambush in Ramadi, just down the road from Fallujah, and four others have died in the fighting west of Baghdad since the weekend, including the Marine who was killed Thursday.

In the south, the al-Sadr's al-Mahdi Army militia had full control in the cities of Kut and Kufa and in the central part of Najaf. Police in the cities have abandoned their stations or stood aside as the gunmen roam the streets.

Iraq's interior minister, who leads police and security forces, resigned Thursday at Bremer's request to maintain balance between Sunni and Shiite factions on the governing council.

It was unclear if Nuri al-Badran was forced out because the police were not performing their duties, but he had complained of divided loyalties.

Al-Sadr, reportedly holed up in his office in Najaf, attempted to rally Iraqis -- including Sunnis -- behind him.

"This ordeal has shown that all the Iraqi people are united," he said in a statement issued by his office.

Al-Sadr's force remains unpopular with most Shiites because it is too radical. And so far, there has been little sign of a widespread support for the movement or a surge to join the fight against the Americans.

Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the top U.S. general in Iraq, acknowledged Thursday there appeared to be links "at the lowest levels" between al-Sadr's Shiite militia and the Sunni Arab insurgency.

Sanchez vowed that coalition forces would move "imminently" to break al-Sadr's hold over Kut, 95 miles southeast of Baghdad, and destroy his militia throughout the country in a new operation named "Resolute Sword."

Sanchez would not say whether U.S. forces would move into southern Iraq to help troops from allied nations whose soldiers control the vast stretch of land reaching to the Persian Gulf.

Ukrainian troops in Kut abandoned their base Wednesday in the face of mortar fire and gunbattles, allowing al-Mahdi Army fighters to sweep in, seize weapons and plant their flag.

Sanchez said the presence of thousands of Shiite pilgrims in Najaf this weekend was hampering coalition forces from moving against militiamen who hold police stations and are in the streets around Shiite shrines in the city center.

Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims are in southern cities, particularly Karbala, ahead of al-Arbaeen ceremonies this weekend to mark the end of the period of mourning for a 7th-century martyred Shiite saint.

In Baghdad, U.S. forces have battled nightly with the al-Mahdi Army militia in its Sadr City stronghold. Before dawn Thursday, a U.S. helicopter fired on the al-Sadr office, wounding an unknown number of Iraqis and causing heavy damage.

Polish and Bulgarian soldiers drove off Shiites who attacked them near the municipal hall in Karbala during all-night battles, a Polish spokesman said.

In Fallujah, U.S. Marines battled for a second day to seize a mosque that officers say insurgents used as a fire base. Marines called in tanks and warplanes to pound the Sunni gunmen. By nightfall, the American force seized the Abdel-Aziz al-Samarrai mosque for the second night in a row.

The Marines told an Associated Press reporter they had discovered homemade suicide belts in the city and had killed two men wearing such belts. Suicide tactics had not been seen before in the Sunni city.

After a six-hour battle on Wednesday, Marines called in airstrikes before they took the mosque. Sunni rebels moved back in after the Marines left overnight.

The Islamic Clerics Committee, whose offices are next to the mosque, said 40 people, including whole families, were killed in Wednesday's bombing. It occurred at about the time worshippers would have gathered for afternoon prayers.

The Marines deny any civilians were killed, but U.S. military commanders said a large number of gunmen were killed in the day's battle.

Heavy fighting also broke out around another mosque, al-Khulafa, which witnesses said U.S. forces seized. A Marine sniper climbed up the minaret and fired down on gunmen, who shot back with rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons, witnesses said.

Four tanks moved in around the al-Khulafa mosque, followed by troops in Humvees and on foot. They fought gunmen until shooting died down around nightfall.

BDWN http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2005/05/19/news/world/5b596db87088a5f5872570060003cda8.txt

MIDDLE EAST : Israel threatens tougher military action in Gaza

2005-05-19T15:04:00.000+06:00

May 19, 2005, 09:49 gmt
JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israel threatened tougher military action against militants in the occupied Gaza Strip should Palestinians continue to open fire against Jewish settlements and Israeli territory.

Israel threatened tougher military action against militants in the occupied Gaza Strip should Palestinians continue to open fire against Jewish settlements and Israeli territory.

The warning came as Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas voiced concern that the situation remained so sensitive that the smallest provocation could trigger large-scale clashes.

"We must act in a more aggressive manner than we have so far," Israeli Deputy Defence Minister Zeev Boim told public radio.

"Until now, we have acted with moderation and restraint because we want to have calm in the run-up to the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, but it is conceivable to proceed with the evacuation under (Palestinian) fire.

"If the Palestinian Authority does not get the message, we will make it understand," Boim added.

Israel on Wednesday launched its first air strike since January against Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip who were preparing to fire mortars at a Jewish settlement, seriously wounding a member of Islamist group Hamas.

The violence threatened a fragile de facto truce which Palestinian militants have been observing since January and which was cemented by a landmark Middle East peace summit in February.

The Israeli strike was followed by a succession of Palestinian mortar attacks aimed at settlements and claimed by the armed wing of Hamas, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades.

The Israeli military said Palestinian militants have fired 41 mortar rounds against Jewish settlements in Gaza since Wednesday.

Overnight, three makeshift Qassam rockets were also fired from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel, causing no injuries, an army spokesman added.

The Israeli government's plans to evacuate all 8,000 Jewish settlers from the occupied territory this summer has been slammed by critics as rewarding militant attacks during the more than four-year Palestinian uprising.

"If terrorism continues until the pullout we should repress it before going ahead with the withdrawal," said Boim, hinting that disengagement plan may have to be delayed if the violence continues.

But a source close to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told AFP there was "no question of changing the dates of the pullout".

"If things continue to escalate, we will strike in such a way... that they will be forced to stop," the official warned.

Echoing recent comments from Sharon, he accused Abbas of doing nothing to disarm militants and of mistakenly allowing Hamas to contest legislative elections without first disarming its armed wing.

Abbas has insisted that parliamentary elections will go ahead as planned in July, despite calls from his own aides for a delay amid increasing fears that Hamas will capitalise on recent local poll successes and make sweeping gains.

Meanwhile, Abbas warned in comments published in China that relations between the Palestinians and Israelis remain so sensitive that the smallest provocation could trigger large-scale violent clashes.

"Currently, the situation is rather sensitive. Temporary quietness is very fragile, and a very tiny spark of fire could trigger large violent clashes," he said in an interview with Xinhua news agency.

"There are indeed many problems existing between Palestine and Israel, nevertheless, they are not unsolvable," he said during a tour of Asia.

BDWN http://www.bakutoday.net/afps/english/shared/int/050519074951.qbnn3l1u.html

MIDDLE EAST : Iraqi oil official gunned down in Baghdad

2005-05-19T15:03:00.000+06:00

May 19, 2005 — By Ahmed Seif

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Gunmen killed a Iraqi Oil Ministry official in Baghdad on Thursday, the latest assassination in escalating guerrilla violence that threatens to push the country toward sectarian civil war.

Ali Hameed was killed outside his home as he was leaving for work, a police official said.

Insurgents have stepped up attacks on officials and security forces since a new government was announced late last month, killing more than 400 people in a bloody campaign that has challenged government promises of stability.

A roadside bomb killed two policemen in Baquba, north of Baghdad, on Thursday, police said.

Suicide bombings, roadside bombs and other attacks have also killed many civilians, frustrating millions of Iraqis who braved violence to vote in historic Jan. 30 elections hoping they would be rewarded with improved security.

Violence has gripped Iraq since a U.S.-led invasion toppled dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003.

But the latest attacks have raised concerns the country could erupt into a full-scale sectarian conflict.

A recent spate of discoveries of bodies of people who were killed execution-style and then dumped in various locations has stirred sectarian passions. Most of the victims were Shi'ites but some were Sunnis.

SECTARIAN PASSIONS

On Wednesday, top Sunni Muslim cleric Harith al-Dhari publicly accused the Badr Brigades, the militia of the main Shi'ite political party, of assassinating Sunni preachers.

It was the first time Dhari has publicly accused the armed wing of the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), which won January's elections in a Shi'ite coalition.

Dhari's Muslim Clerics Association called for a three-day closure of Sunni mosques in protest at the killings and he warned that Sunnis would not keep silent.

The top Badr official denied the accusations.

Four more bodies were found on Thursday, this time just south of Saddam's hometown of Tikrit. Police said they had been shot dead.

Iraqi security forces are still not capable of fighting the insurgents on their own, putting pressure on the government to seek a political approach to ending the carnage.

Shi'ites and Kurds, the new powers after elections sidelined Sunnis dominant under Saddam for decades, have promised to give Sunnis a bigger role in government and drafting a constitution expected by August.

They are banking on that strategy to defuse the Sunni-led insurgency.

Most of the attacks have been blamed on Al Qaeda's leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who has been accused of trying to spark civil war.

Zarqawi called for suicide attacks against U.S. forces to be stepped up in an audiotape message attributed to him on Wednesday.

He also defended the killing of "innocent Muslims" in suicide bombings, saying it was legitimate for the sake of jihad (holy war).

The speaker also branded the majority Shi'ite Muslim community as "rejectionists who fought alongside the worshippers of the cross and spearheaded every war against (Sunni) Muslims."

The message, posted on an Islamist Web site, appeared aimed at winning Sunni Muslim support for the insurgency.

As Iraqi officials digested Zarqawi's latest threats, more policemen and soldiers fell victim to guerrillas.

In the northern town of Samarra, local police said a police officer and his father were shot dead traveling in their car.

Four soldiers from the Iraqi army were kidnapped at dawn in the northern town of Baiji, the authorities said.

(Additional reporting by Sabal al-Bazee and Amir Salman in Tikrit)

BDWN http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=770813&page=2

MIDDLE EAST : Heads of Egyptian parties sign document listing electoral conduct

2005-05-19T15:02:00.000+06:00

Heads of Egyptian parties sign document listing electoral conduct

CAIRO, May 19 (KUNA) -- Heads of 11 Egyptian political parties signed a document listing the principles and regulations of conduct to be followed by their candidates and supporters during the parliamentary elections period.

Assistant Director-General of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) Kamal Al-Shazli said in statements to reporters after a meeting of party leaders that the document aims to regulate general conduct during the electoral period, including the role of media and refrain from exploiting sectarian or religious issues.

He went on to say that the document also prohibits campaigning in mosques and churches, bans demonstrations in front of houses of candidates and criticism based on rumors, as well as coercion and bribes.

Link http://www.kuna.net.kw/Home/Story.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=734374

MIDDLE EAST : Israeli citizen arrested in Sinai peninsula

2005-05-19T15:00:00.000+06:00

An Israeli citizen was arrested in the Egyptian Sinai peninsula and taken to Cairo for questioning after he was caught surfing in Egyptian territorial waters. His family has requested the Foreign Ministry intervene to facilitate his release, after he claimed he was swept away by the current.

Link http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3087605,00.html

Malaysia's April CPI Rises 2.7 Percent

2005-05-18T18:08:00.000+06:00

05.18.2005, Malaysia's consumer price index rose 2.7 percent year-on-year in April, the highest in six years, the government said Wednesday amid concerns about rising inflation sparked by higher fuel prices.

April's inflation - the highest since the 2.9 percent increase of May 1999 - was slightly above market expectations of 2.6 percent and higher than March's 2.6 percent, economists said.

The government has forecast inflation to climb to 2.5 percent for all of 2005, from 1.4 percent last year. For January to April, inflation was 2.5 percent, the Statistics Department said in a statement.

Items in the CPI - the barometer of inflation - that contributed most to inflation in the first four months of the year were tobacco and beverages with prices rising 13.4 percent; food prices which added 3.6 percent, and transport and communication costs which increased 2.0 percent, it said.

The central bank in March predicted inflation would be higher in 2005, particularly in the early part of the year, due to the one-off impact of higher retail gasoline prices, as well as cigarette and alcohol taxes in late 2004.

The government on May 5 raised the retail prices of gasoline by 10 sen (2.6 U.S. cents; euro0.02) and diesel by 20 sen (5 U.S. cents; euro0.04) a liter to cut the soaring cost of fuel subsidies. The move is seen as part of efforts to check a swollen budget deficit.

Last year, the government spent 4.8 billion ringgit (US$1.26 billion; euro1 billion) on subsidizing petroleum products and would have had to pay 8.96 billion ringgit (US$ 2.35 billion; euro1.9 billion) this year if prices were not raised to cope with surging global oil prices. Even with the higher prices, it has said fuel in Malaysia was still cheaper than in most Southeast Asian countries.

However, investors are concerned that any possible increase in inflation due to rising fuel prices may pressure the central bank to raise interest rates.

Investors in the domestic bond market may be spooked initially by the latest inflation data, but traders say tight supply in the government bond market for this year may cushion any fall in bond prices due to inflationary pressures.

BDWN http://www.forbes.com/business/healthcare/feeds/ap/2005/05/18/ap2037018.html

Singapore Air In China Cargo Venture

2005-05-18T18:06:00.000+06:00

May 18, 2005

Singapore Airlines Cargo, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, is today signing an agreement to form a joint venture cargo airline with China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) and Dahlia Investments, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Temasek Holdings.

The new cargo airline, named "Great Wall Airlines Company", will be incorporated in Shanghai, China.

CGWIC will own 51 per cent of the joint venture, Singapore Airlines Cargo will own 25 percent, and Dahlia Investments will own 24 percent. Singapore Airlines Cargo's stake of 25 percent is the maximum that a foreign airline investor is allowed.

Singapore Airlines Cargo's investment in the joint venture over the next three years is projected at 250 million yuan (USD$30 million).

Great Wall Airlines plans to begin operations in the first half of 2006. Besides destinations within China, it plans to operate wide body freighters to the major cargo markets in the USA, Europe, North East Asia and South West Asia.

BDWN http://news.airwise.com/story/view/1116415518.html

Time Warner plans to expand China media business via film, TV

2005-05-18T18:05:00.000+06:00

production jvs
Article layout: reformatted

BEIJING (AFX) - Time Warner Inc is planning to expand its media business in
China through film production joint ventures with Chinese partners and possibly
a television co-production joint venture, senior vice president for the office
of global public policy Peter Wolff said.

"We are set to announce the first two or three of those films that are going
into production," Wolff said, during a meeting with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.
"We are also considering a television co-production (venture) with domestic
partners."

He added that the company will also consider further licensing arrangements for
its magazines and continue to expand it multiplex business in China. He did not
reveal any financial details.

Wolff was leading a delegation of business leaders meeting with Premier Wen.
They are here for a business conference sponsored by Time Warner's Fortune
magazine.

BDWN http://www.iii.co.uk/news/?type=afxnews&articleid=5299278&action=article

China Shenhua Energy Plans To List In Hong Kong June 15 - Source

2005-05-18T18:03:00.000+06:00

HONG KONG -(Dow Jones)- China Shenhua Energy Co., the country's biggest coal producer, plans to list on the Hong Kong bourse June 15 after what will be the city's biggest public offering in 18 months, a banking source said Tuesday.

But Shenhua Energy has abandoned its earlier plan to become the first mainland Chinese company to simultaneously list shares on the Shanghai bourse, as well as in Hong Kong.

It plans to sell 3.0635 billion shares to raise US$2.5 billion to US$3 billion.

The roadshow for the offering will start Thursday or Friday, the source said.

It will be the largest IPO in Hong Kong since China Life Insurance Co. ( 2628.HK) tapped the market for US$3.4 billion in December 2003.

The retail tranche of Shenhua Energy's IPO will be open for subscription from June 2 to June 7, with pricing set for June 8.

"But a simultaneous listing in Shanghai is no longer the plan," the source said.

The usual practice is for Chinese companies to float in Hong Kong before seeking a listing on the mainland due to the lengthy listing process there.

The source said Chinese regulators were concerned such a large IPO would drag down an already depressed A-share market.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index has been hovering at six-year lows, after the securities regulator announced earlier this month a trial for making nontradable shares tradable. Nontradable shares, which are mostly in government hands, account for two-thirds of China's stock market capitalization.

Merrill Lynch, one of the sponsors of Shenhua Energy's listing, declined to comment. Deutsche Bank and CICC are also sponsors of the deal.

An analyst at a European brokerage said he expects Shenhua to sell its IPO shares at about 10 to 12 times the company's 2005 price/earnings ratio. By comparison, smaller rival Yanzhou Coal Mining Co. (1171.HK) is now traded at a multiple of about 7.6.

An ICEA Securities Ltd. analyst, who asked not to be named, said he didn't share some investors' concerns that coal prices have peaked. He said he expects coal prices to remain high this year.

According to Shenhua's draft prospectus, the company will spend 55% of the proceeds from its initial public offering to fund its capital expenditure plan. It will use 35% of the proceeds to repay loans, while the remaining 10% will be used for working capital.

Boosted by surging coal prices, Shenhua's net profit in 2004 rocketed to CNY8.94 billion, from CNY2.90 billion in 2003, and CNY1.60 billion in 2002. Revenue in 2004 was CNY28.08 billion, up from 2003's CNY17.60 billion, and 2002's CNY13.39 billion.

Shenhua plans capital expenditure of CNY13.098 billion to increase its annual production capacity by 47% in three years.

After the IPO, Shenhua will become the fifth-largest publicly floated coal producer in terms of production, and the world's second-largest listed coal company in terms of proved and probable reserves.

It produced 101.3 million metric tons of coal in 2004 and as of Dec. 31, 2004, Shenhua's proved and probable reserves was 5.9 billion tons.

BDWN http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20050517\ACQDJON200505170545DOWJONESDJONLINE000202.htm&selected=9999&selecteddisplaysymbol=9999&StoryTargetFrame=_top&mkt=WORLD&chk=unchecked&lang=&link=&headlinereturnpage=http://www.international.na

Update 2: Tokyo Shares Rebound, but Others Mixed

2005-05-18T17:59:00.000+06:00

05.18.2005, 06:57 AM

Tokyo shares broke a seven-day losing streak to end higher as investors snapped up shipping and oil stocks. But other Asian markets closed mixed despite Wall Street's rise in the past two days.

Japan's Nikkei Stock Average of 225 selected issues rose 10.02 points, or 0.1 percent, to finish at 10,835.41. The Nikkei had fallen a total of 3.3 percent in the past seven sessions, including Tuesday's loss of 121.83 points, or 1.1 percent.

Investors bought into shipping, oil, construction and other selected blue chips on Wednesday following recent declines. Traders, however, said selling by overseas investors still weighed on the market.

Gainers included Cosmo Oil Co., TonenGeneral Sekiyu K.K. and shipping issues like Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. and Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd.

Construction stocks Nippon Steel Corp. and JFE Holdings Corp. also advanced. Tech issues were mixed, with Kyocera Corp. and Canon Inc. rising, while Sony Corp. and Advantest Corp. closing lower.

In New York Tuesday, stocks vaulted higher for a second straight session as investors welcomed the U.S. Treasury Department's move to put pressure on the Chinese currency system and, perhaps, eventually reduce the U.S. trade deficit.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 0.8 percent, while the tech-focused Nasdaq composite index gained 0.5 percent.

Despite Wall Street's rise, Hong Kong shares retreated for the third consecutive session on concerns over an outflow of foreign funds as speculation on an appreciation of China's currency, the yuan, eased.

The Hang Seng index lost 40.02 points, or 0.3 percent, to 13,627.01. On Tuesday, the Hang Seng plunged 199.78 points, or 1.4 percent.

Administration warning China on currency, other trade issues

2005-05-18T17:58:00.000+06:00

WHITE HOUSE The Bush administration is warning China to play by world trade rules -- or else.
A new Treasury Department report accuses China of using its currency to get an unfair advantage, and could face formal charges if it doesn't change course.And President Bush says China needs to abide by the commitments it made to enter the World Trade Organization. He says that means stopping the theft of U-S intellectual property and lifting barriers to U-S goods and services.Bush spoke at a swearing-in ceremony for U-S Trade Representative Rob Portman.The administration has been prodding China for two years about its currency, complaining it's pegged to the dollar at a rate so low that it makes Chinese exports dirt cheap. Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

BDWN http://www.wbay.com/Global/story.asp?S=3356915

Fire rages through Bangkok slum

2005-05-18T17:57:00.000+06:00

BANGKOK, May 18 (TNA) – Firefighters this afternoon struggled to tackle a blaze in a Bangkok slum community which raged through 50 houses and killed one elderly resident.

Panicked residents of the slum in Bang Kho Laem district told reporters that they had heard the shout of ‘fire’, and has fled from their houses, taking as many of their meagre possessions as they could grab.

Fire engines rushed to the scene, but fierce wind made tackling the blaze difficult, the alleyways among the houses were narrow, there was little water, and it was an hour before the flames were under control.

One 65 year-old resident of the community was killed after choking on smoke, while a rescue volunteer was injured by falling masonry.

Initial reports suggest that at least 50 houses were damaged in the blaze.

Police are now investigating the cause of the fire, which is believed to have started in a two-storey house which had been rented out to Myanmar immigrants.

BDWN http://etna.mcot.net/query.php?nid=38596

In currency dealings, the U.S. dollar strengthened against the

2005-05-18T17:55:00.000+06:00

Japanese yen. It bought 107.49 yen in late Tokyo trading, up 0.31 yen from late Tuesday in Tokyo and above the 107.41 yen it fetched in New York late Tuesday.

Elsewhere:

BANGKOK: Thai shares advanced on gains by energy and construction companies following recent declines. The Stock Exchange of Thailand Index ended up 7.58 points, or 1.1 percent, at 672.19.

BOMBAY: Indian shares declined on losses by technology and motor issues, but late bargain hunting lifted the key index from its lows. The Bombay Stock Exchange's 30-share Sensitive Index, or Sensex, ended 19.00 points, or 0.3 percent, lower at 6,447.00.

JAKARTA: Indonesian shares declined, led by selling in most bank stocks on renewed worries that the central bank will continue to raise its key interest rate. The Composite Index sank 5.510 points, or 0.5 percent, to 1,040.263.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian shares were dragged lower by hedge funds selling their holdings in local shares. The weighted Composite Index of 100 blue chips lost 5.02 points, or 0.6 percent, to 886.37.

MANILA: Philippine shares closed marginally higher on bargain hunting in certain blue chips, led by Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. and Ayala Land. The 30-company Philippine Stock Exchange Index gained 2.92 points, or 0.2 percent, at 1,879.39.

SEOUL: South Korean shares edged up slightly on gains by select technology stocks on continued hopes of a recovery in the industry. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index, or Kospi, rose 3.2 points, or 0.4 percent, to 930.36.

SHANGHAI: China shares ended a touch higher, led by gains in power issues. The Shanghai Composite Index gained 3.33 points, or 0.3 percent, to close at 1,102.97.

SINGAPORE: Share prices dropped after Singapore cut its full-year economic growth forecast. The Straits Times Index edged down 0.72 points, or 0.03 percent, to 2,153.65.

SYDNEY: Australian shares rebounded, boosted by Wall Street's gains. The S&P/ASX 200 index closed up 33.00 points, or 0.8 percent, at 3,987.50.

TAIPEI: Taiwan shares dropped, led by losses in makers of computer chips. The Weighted Price Index fell 3.18 points, or 0.1 percent, to 5,890.83.

WELLINGTON: New Zealand shares retreated as early gains were wiped out by offshore sellers. The NZSX-50 index lost 3.49 points, or 0.1 percent, to 2,963.38.

Link http://www.forbes.com/technology/feeds/ap/2005/05/18/ap2037007.html

South Korea entices N Korea for talks

2005-05-17T18:01:00.000+06:00

SEOUL,South Korea is trying to woo North Korea back to negotiations on its nuclear programmes with a new proposal that includes grounds for a compromise, the South's foreign minister said on Wednesday.

On Monday, the first day of a rare meeting between North and South, Seoul dangled the prospect of a "serious" new proposal if Pyongyang came back to six-party talks but gave no details.

"It will be something closer to compromise, which would allow more room for it to be accepted," Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon told reporters in Seoul, without elaborating.

The bilateral talks -- the first high-level contact in 10 months -- broke for a day on Wednesday without progress, South Korean Vice Unification Minister Rhee Bong-jo was quoted as saying in a pool report from Kaesong, the border town where the talks were being held.

The United States, which also takes part in the talks along with China, Japan and Russia, has in the past discouraged any talk of compromise until North Korea agrees to the first step of agreeing to dismantle its nuclear weapons programmes.

Ban declined to comment when asked if Washington or Beijing were also preparing new proposals for the North, but said: "When the six-way talks resume, those involved countries are expected to come up with more flexible proposals, among other (topics)."

Regional powers believe North Korea has one or two nuclear weapons -- and possibly more than eight. It declared for the first time in February that it possessed atomic arms. This month it said it had extracted spent fuel from a nuclear reactor, a move that could yield more material for weapons.

The standoff has neared crisis point in recent weeks after US officials said the North might be preparing for a nuclear test, which would trigger a dangerous escalation of tensions with the isolated, impoverished communist country.

"The nuclear problem is now in a very important phase and resuming the six-way talks is critical," Ban said.

The North-South talks were originally scheduled to last just two days but were extended to allow both sides to try for a joint statement. They will resume on Thursday, Rhee said.

BDWN http://www.timesofoman.com/newsdetails.asp?newsid=15500

MIDDLE EAST : Pakistan police raid leaves 6 dead, 20 wounded but fails to catch criminal

2005-05-17T15:15:00.000+06:00

17 May 2005

KARACHI - A police raid on the hideout of one of Pakistan’s most wanted criminals on Tuesday left six people dead and 20 wounded in an intense gun battle but police failed to capture the elusive fugitive.

One policeman was among the dead and 13 officers were injured in the southern Pakistan shootout that also killed two civilians, three other suspects and wounded seven more in the crossfire, police chief Tariq Jamil told AFP.

The gunfight erupted in the Hub area, just outside of Karachi on the border with Baluchistan province when police raided the hideout of Rehman Baluch also known as Rehman Dacoit, Karachi’s most wanted criminal, he said.

“Six people are confirmed dead, including sub-inspector Arshad Butt,” Jamil said. Police detained several suspects, some of them injured, and recovered weapons in the search.

However, it was not known whether Rehman was unhurt.

“He may have escaped to Baluchistan,” Jamil said.

Rehman is wanted in relation to more than 150 criminal cases, including the murders of dozens of civilians and police.

The provincial Sindh government has announced a three million rupee (50,000 dollar) reward for information leading to his capture, dead or alive.

Rehman has been on the run since he fled a court building three years ago.

Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city and commercial capital, has a history of gang warfare and political, ethnic and sectarian violence that has claimed more than 4,000 lives in the past five years.

BDWN http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/subcontinent/2005/May/subcontinent_May653.xml§ion=subcontinent

MIDDLE EAST : Australian detained in Kuwait on terrorism charges

2005-05-17T15:12:00.000+06:00

Last Updated 17/05/2005, 23:11:00

Australian officials have confirmed an Australian citizen is being held in Kuwait on terrorism charges, and faces the death penalty if found guilty.

Talaal Adree, 30, is accused of joining a terrorist organisation and handling weapons and explosives.

His family says while he has Australian citizenship, he returned to Kuwait to fulfil his responsibilities as the head of his extended family three years ago.

His brother says he was arrested two weeks ago, and has been subjected to torture.

Australia's parliamentary secretary for foreign affairs, Bruce Billson, says officials have been trying to verify what has happened to Talaal Adree.

"I've actually spoken with the Kuwaiti ambassador in Australia today, [foreign minister Alexander Downer] has met with a visiting Kuwaiti delegation," he said.

"Even as we speak, our head of mission is meeting with the interior minister in Kuwait."

BDWN http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/s1370901.htm

MIDDLE EAST : Japan, Palestine to hold meeting of foreign ministers

2005-05-17T15:11:00.000+06:00

POL-JAPAN-PALESTINE
Japan, Palestine to hold meeting of foreign ministers

TOKYO, May 17 (KUNA) -- Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura and visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas agreed Tuesday to hold ministerial meetings later this year.

During a meeting in Tokyo, Machimura reaffirmed the intention of the Japanese government to provide assistance of USD 100 million to Palestine for the current fiscal year through next March 31, a foreign ministry official told KUNA.

In order to discuss details of Japan's fresh economic aid that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi pledged during a summit with Abbas on Monday, both sides agreed to hold a ministerial meeting between the Japanese and Palestinian foreign ministers.

The first round of the ministerial talks is likely to take place after the upcoming Palestinian parliamentary elections planned for this summer, according to the official.

Abbas expressed his interest in attending a three-way summit between Koizumi, Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon if it is agreed by three parties, the official said.

Machimura also said Tokyo is interested in holding such a meeting, but that it depends on the intention of the three parties concerned.

Machimura also told Abbas of Japan's plan to soon resume direct assistance to Palestine for the first time since 2000, and provide assistance to strengthen the function of the presidential office.

Abbas arrived in Tokyo on Sunday for a three-day visit for meetings with Japanese leaders. He left for China after wrapping up his visit in Japan.

BDWN http://www.kuna.net.kw/Home/Story.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=733828

MIDDLE EAST : Lawyers win right to seize Saudi assets

2005-05-17T15:08:00.000+06:00

Mark Honigsbaum and Paul Kelso
Tuesday May 17, 2005
The Guardian

The court of appeal yesterday granted lawyers acting for three men who were tortured and detained in Saudi jails for more than two years permission to seize the kingdom's assets in this country, including Saudi commercial airliners.

The ruling follows a decision by the court of appeal last October giving the men the right to sue Saudi officials responsible for their torture in the British courts.

In October, the Saudi government decided it would not contest an order to pay the men's costs, yet has failed to do so. It has promised to take the case to the House of Lords.

Bindman and partners, lawyers for William Sampson, Sandy Mitchell and Les Walker, will now apply to the high court sheriff to seize sufficient commercial property to meet the costs, believed to be more than £100,000.

Bindman and partners have made clear they will send the sheriff in to seize Saudi property as soon as possible. They are not entitled to enter the Saudi embassy, as it is covered by diplomatic immunity and regarded as foreign territory.

However, any commercial property owned by the Saudi state in Britain is regarded fair game. That includes Saudi Arabian airlines, as well as houses and cars used for commercial purposes by Saudi officials or employees.

The Saudi embassy could not be reached for comment yesterday, but lawyers for the kingdom indicated in court that they would seek to overturn the order to pay costs by asserting immunity, setting the stage for further legal arguments.

Hailing the court's decision, Tamsin Allen, of Bindman and partners, said she was appalled by the Saudis' delaying tactics. "We, our clients and the public funding authorities are outraged that Saudi Arabia, one of the richest states in the world, should force the hard-pressed legal aid board to pay its debts and at the same time use our courts to seek immunity from torture claims."

William Sampson pointed out that the Saudis, through their barristers, had agreed not to challenge the cost order when it was granted in October and were now seeking to renege on the agreement.

"Once again they are seeking to hide behind diplomatic immunity to avoid any punishment or paying our costs," he said. "Yet at the same time they feel perfectly free to use the British court system. You can be guaranteed that had costs been awarded against us they would be actively pursuing us."

Mr Sampson, Mr Mitchell and Mr Walker were detained in connection with a series of anti-western explosions in the capital Riyadh in 2002-2003 following the death of Christopher Rodway, a British engineer killed by a car bomb.

All three were coerced into appearing in televised confessions broadcast on Saudi television in which they claimed responsibility.

The authorities claimed the bombings were part of a turf war between rival western bootleggers, something the men strenuously deny.

The fourth man, Ron Jones, was seized after being injured in a bomb blast outside a bookshop. He was taken from his hospital bed and detained for 67 days, during which his captors attempted to get him to confess to planting the device that injured him.

Mr Mitchell and Mr Sampson were sentenced to death but released last year. They named police officers Ibrahim al-Dali and Khalid al-Saleh, a jail governor, Mohamed al-Said, and Prince Naif, the interior minister, as responsible.

Four other Britons - James Lee, James Cottle, Peter Brandon and Glen Ballard - were also detained and tortured as part of the Saudi operation against the westerners.

All the men were released after an al-Qaida attack in May 2003 by nine suicide bombers in Riyadh that killed 35 people and injured 200. The attack made it clear the allegations against the men were false.

BDWN http://www.guardian.co.uk/saudi/story/0,11599,1485588,00.html?gusrc=rss

US Olympics Committee President Gives Advice to Beijing

2005-05-16T18:04:00.000+06:00

Peter V. Ueberroth, president of the US Olympics Committee, put forward some suggestions for the 2008 Beijing Olympics Monday at the Fortune Global Forum's Sports Roundtable.

The Olympic organizing committee can lower ticket prices in 2008 so as to let more local people participate in the Olympic Games, he said.

One million people can be allowed to see less attractive games such as cycling, marathon and cross-country race free of charge, he said.

Organizing committee members should use fewer luxurious cars to cut costs, and good accommodations should be provided for volunteers, he said.

The organizing committee should save every penny in other aspects to make athletes comfortable, he said, also calling for a drug-free Olympics.

BDWN http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/fortune/129011.htm

MIDDLE EAST : Iraq: Operation Matador another failure for the U.S.

2005-05-16T15:09:00.000+06:00

Monday, May 16 2005 @ 10:28 AM PDT

Primed for battle, the Marines found only booby traps. Sometimes they found them too late. On Wednesday, two artillery rounds buried in the road detonated under an Amtrac, blowing a two-foot-wide hole in its armor plating. The explosion set off ammunition inside the vehicle, creating an inferno. As the Amtrac burned, a 24-year-old Marine in a nearby vehicle grabbed his helmet in both fists and wrenched it. "I hate this country!" he screamed.

Looking for Battle, Marines Find That Foes Have Fled

Hunt for Foreign Insurgents Proves Frustrating but Deadly

By Ellen Knickmeyer
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, May 16, 2005; Page A10

ARABI, Iraq -- Cpl. Alexander Kalouf snapped an ammunition clip into his M-16 assault rifle and strapped grenades to his chest in the crowded hold of an armored vehicle, bursting into excited snatches of songs with other Marines as they headed into hoped-for battle.

Two seats away, Cpl. Jason Dominguez shouted as he led the fighters in prayer.

"This is your chance to rid the world of these evil bastards," he began, struggling to be heard over the rumble of the Amtrac armored vehicle's engine and the roar of the exhaust.

"We ask the Lord God to help us and Jesus to protect us," Dominguez, in black sunglasses, camouflage and body armor, yelled hoarsely as huddled Marines clenched their hands and bowed their heads over the muzzles of their rifles.

BDWN http://www.infoshop.org/inews/article.php?story=20050516102822411

SOUTH ASIA : Taiwan President Draws Fire From Friends

2005-05-11T17:20:00.000+06:00

May 11th, 2005 @ 4:16am
By PETER ENAV

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) - Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian's confused response to visits to China by two political rivals has spurred attacks from friends and enemies, raising questions about his continued political effectiveness.

Chen was re-elected to a second four-year term in 2004 as the standard bearer of the Democratic Progressive Party, which seeks to strengthen Taiwan's status as a self-governing entity, distinct from China.

China and Taiwan split after a protracted civil war in 1949. Since then China has been using a mixture of threats and diplomacy to try to bring the island back into its fold.

During his first four years in office Chen gained a reputation as wily politician, confidently navigating the dangerous shoals between the demands of radical DPP lawmakers for faster action on Taiwanese independence and Chinese threats to attack the island if he moved to disrupt the tense status quo between the longtime rivals.

In recent days however, visits to China by Nationalist Party chief Lien Chan and James Soong, his People First Party counterpart, have thrown Chen for a loop. He first criticized the trips, then expressed cautious support for them, and finally claimed that he alone is capable of breaking the deadlock with China over Taiwan's political status.

But in Beijing, it was Soong who continued to get the red carpet treatment. He was invited to speak on Wednesday at Tsinghua University, the alma mater of Chinese President Hu Jintao, and was scheduled to meet the president Thursday.

Song rejected formal independence for Taiwan and called for Beijing and Taipei to make peace, saying they could dominate the coming century economically if they work together. "Taiwan independence is a dead end," he told the students.

"We should make China the manufacturing center for the world and also the most prosperous market in the whole world _ not a battlefield," Soong said in comments that were punctuated by frequent applause.

On Tuesday senior DPP lawmaker Lin Cho-shui surveyed Chen's contradictory statements and wondered if he hadn't lost his touch.

"My suggestion to the president is to quickly take a number of measures after the fact to turn around this situation where warning fires are going up all around," he said. "Otherwise in the remaining three years (of his term) there will be no accomplishments worth speaking of."

Chen is in a difficult position.

China has done everything in its power to belittle him, using the trips by Lien and Soong _ both of whom support eventual unification with the mainland _ to win support from ordinary Taiwanese by promising them lucrative trade deals and other economic benefits.

It also tried to wipe out the negative publicity associated with its passage in March of a controversial law codifying the use of force if Taiwan moves toward independence, by praising the two visiting Taiwanese as revered brothers.

By contrast China has treated Chen with undisguised contempt, informing him tartly that the only way he can expect a mainland invitation of his own is by agreeing that Taiwan is a part of China. Chen seemed to respond to that with a mixed message.

"There's a good possibility that there may be government-to-government talks or a Chen-Hu meeting," Chen said, referring to the Chinese president. In virtually the same breath however, Chen criticized independence advocate and former President Lee Teng-hui, lashing out at him for suggesting the government is not moving fast enough toward Taiwanese independence.

Link http://www.620ktar.com/?nid=46&sid=47051

SOUTH ASIA : Taiwan rounds up 17 spy suspects

2005-05-11T17:19:00.000+06:00

STEPHAN GRAUWELS

TAIPEI, Taiwan - Taiwan has arrested 17 military officers and civilians on suspicion of passing secrets about the island's intelligence capability to rival China, the island's military said Wednesday.

Senior officers said the alleged spies leaked details of what the Taiwanese military knows about Chinese military exercises.

A Ministry of National Defense statement identified the key figure in the alleged spy ring as Maj. Chuang Poh-hsing, who worked in a unit of the ministry's electronic information department that handles sensitive missile systems data. No missile secrets were leaked, the ministry said.

"The documents he leaked included information about annual military exercises by China's navy and air force... but no missile, radar, or secret information codes," Lt. Gen. Li Hsiang-chou, the department's chief, told reporters.

The information about China's exercises would be of interest to Beijing because it could indicate what Taiwan knew about China's military capabilities, the military said.

Chuang was believed to have had no access to the department's most sensitive information because he had been employed there for only one year at a low security level, Li said. Chuang worked at the department's office in the Taipei suburb of Linkou.

He allegedly passed the stolen information to a retired officer, Huang Yao-chung, the ministry said. Huang was among those arrested Tuesday.

Investigators said they uncovered the ring after the coast guard found that a suspect arrested last September for smuggling guns and drugs was also involved in making false credit cards - and passing confidential information to China.

The leader of the credit card forgers, Su Tung-hung, was among the other suspects arrested Tuesday, when more than 200 investigators searched 20 locations and found dozens of secret documents. They also found more than $3 million worth of machinery used to produce fake cards, the Ministry of Justice said.

Taiwan and China frequently announce the arrest and conviction of alleged spies and are believed to be running extensive spy networks on each other's territory. Taiwan's defense ministry said Wednesday it would tighten security to thwart spying by Beijing.

The sides split at the end of a civil war more than five decades ago. Beijing still threatens military force should the island move toward declaring formal independence.

Link http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/world/11618735.htm

SOUTH ASIA : N. Korea Removes Nuclear Rods From Reactor

2005-05-11T17:18:00.000+06:00

Wednesday May 11, SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea said Wednesday it had completed removing spent nuclear fuel rods from a reactor at its main nuclear complex - a move that could allow it to harvest more weapons-grade plutonium - in the communist state's latest provocation amid a deadlock in disarmament talks. A North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman said the country had "successfully completed" removing 8,000 fuel rods from the reactor at Yongbyon, according to a statement carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency.

The step comes after South Korean officials confirmed last month that the Yongbyon reactor was shut down, which would allow the rods to be removed and be reprocessed to extract weapons-grade plutonium. The North didn't specifically say Wednesday it would take such a step.

"We are continuing to take necessary measures to increase (our) nuclear arsenal for self-defense purposes," the unnamed spokesman said.

The spokesman noted North Korea had already announced plans to operate its 5-megawatt reactor at Yongbyon, some 50 miles north of Pyongyang, and resume construction on a bigger reactor because the United States pulled out of a 1994 deal on the North's nuclear program.

U.S. officials accused the North of running a secret uranium enrichment program in 2002 in violation of the earlier deal made under the Clinton administration, sparking the latest nuclear crisis.

Worries have also grown recently that the North is preparing to conduct a nuclear test, with U.S. officials saying last week that spy satellites show activity in northeastern Kilju that could be signs of preparations for a nuclear test, including tunnel digging and the construction of a reviewing stand a sufficient distance away.

On Tuesday, the North's main newspaper alleged the United States was making a "fuss" by spreading reports of alleged test preparations. However, the commentary in the state-run Rodong Sinmun daily's didn't deny the North was planning a test.

Amid the tension, International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei said over the weekend that Pyongyang already had enough plutonium to make up to six bombs.

International disarmament talks with North Korea - including China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States - have been stalled since June, with Pyongyang insisting it won't return until Washington drops its "hostile" policy.

Link http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0505/227333.html

SOUTH ASIA : South Korea issues travel warning for Myanmar

2005-05-11T17:16:00.000+06:00

SEOUL, May 10 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's top intelligence agency on Tuesday issued a travel warning for people planning to go to Myanmar following a series of bombings there.

The National Intelligence Service asked South Koreans to refrain from traveling to Myanmar for the time being, and leave their contact numbers with Korean missions and be cautious at hotels and restaurants if they visit the Southeast Asian country.

Link http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050510/410100000020050510165848E9.html

SOUTH ASIA : GOVERNMENT TO RAISE PENALTY FOR VOTE BUYING

2005-05-11T17:15:00.000+06:00

2005-05-11 18:40:15
Taipei, May 11 (CNA) The Executive Yuan approved Wednesday a proposed amendment to the Public Officials Election and Recall Law that is designed to raise the penalty for vote buying.

Link http://www.cna.com.tw/eng/cepread.php?id=200505110027

SOUTH ASIA : Bus crashes in northern Philippines, 27 dead

2005-05-11T17:01:00.000+06:00

May 11 2005 at 12:08PM

Tuba, Philippines - A bus overturned in a mountainous area of the northern Philippines on Wednesday, killing 27 people and injuring 17, police said.

The bus was descending a steep road about 10km outside the city of Baguio when it slammed into a boulder and flipped over, Noe Wong, chief superintendent of the Cordillera region, said.

"I am considering the accident as the bloodiest car accident this year," Tuba police chief Johnny Gaspar said, adding the latest was the seventh in the area since January.

After several accidents in recent years along the same highway, named after late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, local Ibaloi tribesmen butchered native pigs and performed a dance last year to ward off bad spirits.

Drivers consider parts of the Marcos highway treacherous due to a lack of barriers on the side of the road leading to a ravine.

In the latest accident, police said 24 of the 44 people in the bus died on the spot and three others at a nearby hospital. Among those killed were a one-year-old girl, the driver and the bus conductor.

Link http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3&art_id=qw1115802721229B214

MIDDLE EAST : Area Jews plan protest of Mideast conflict film

2005-04-26T15:54:00.000+06:00

By Heather Barr

DANBURY — Area Jews today plan to protest what they call an anti-Israel film about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The WestConn Youth for Justice club screening of "Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land: U.S. Media and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict" is scheduled for noon today at the Student Center 201B on the Midtown campus of Western Connecticut State University, 181 White Street, Danbury.

The film discusses the coverage of the American and international media about the conflict. Scholars, media critics, peace activists, religious figures, and Middle East experts talk about the use of language, framing and context when news mediums report on the conflict. The documentary looks into the ethics and role of journalism and the relationship between media and politics.

When WestConn student Chris Towne, 23, put up the fliers around WestConn's campus about the screening, wiithin minutes people wrote the word "liars" on it.

Towne is president of WestConn's Youth for Justice club, which educates and lobbies for social and economic issues.

Hearing the Jewish community plans to protest the film, he said he was "kind of disappointed."

He said those who disagree with the film should come and discuss their opinions after the screening.

"I am not against free speech. I am against free hatred," said Rabbi Jon Haddon of Temple Shearith Israel in Ridgefield, who also doesn't know anyone who plans to protest.

He has not seen the film, but believes if it does not accurately portray both sides of the conflict, there is no reason for people to view it.

Towne said he is neither anti-Semitic nor anti-Israel. He said has Jewish friends and last semester he took a class with WestConn adjunct lecturer Rabbi Judith Frankle who taught a Hebrew class. Frankle also teaches Jewish history.

Just hearing the film's title, Frankle said she thinks it sounds critical of the Israeli government.

Having the film shown today — on the second day of Passover — also resonates with Jews as they remember the persecution of Jews over thousands of years.

She believes these films show only part of what's going on to sway people against Israel.

But she added "it is hard to criticize it (the film) until I see it."

Dhaka http://news.newstimes.com/story.php?id=70864&category=Local

MIDDLE EAST : Romanians seeks release of Iraq hostages

2005-04-26T15:52:00.000+06:00

Tue Apr 26 2005

AP - Thousands rallied across Romania to call for the release of three Romanian journalists kidnapped in Iraq, a day before a reported deadline on their captors' demands.

The three - Prima TV cameraman Sorin Miscoci and reporter Marie Jeanne Ion, and reporter Ovidiu Ohanesian of the daily Romania Libera - were kidnapped on March 28, along with their Iraqi-American translator, Mohammed Monaf.

Last week, al-Jazeera television broadcast a video showing the three saying their captors threatened to kill them if Romania does not withdraw its 800 soldiers from Iraq by Tuesday.

In Bucharest, more than 1,000 people marched to government headquarters, where they left an appeal for the journalists to be freed. Many carried white balloons and posters of the hostages with the word "freedom" in English, Romanian and Arabic.

Prime Minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu said the government would not tone down celebrations for Romania's signing a historical agreement to join the European Union because of the ultimatum given by the kidnappers.

"To change our decisions ... would be exactly what the kidnappers, the terrorists, want," he said. "It's the kind of pressure meant to force us to change course."

"We need solidarity and cohesion to show we are a strong people." The prime minister did not mention Romania's troops in Iraq.

President Traian Basescu said officials were working to win the journalists' release but neither he nor the prime minister has commented on their captors' demands.

"I just hope that everything possible is done to bring them home," said Anne Maria Ohanesian, a sister of one of the hostages.

Rallies also were held in Buzau, Ploiesti, Galati, Craiova, Targu Mures, Cluj, Resita, Satu Mare and Timisoara.

Dhaka http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=48971

MIDDLE EAST : Romanians seeks release of Iraq hostages

2005-04-26T15:51:00.000+06:00

Tue Apr 26 2005
AP - Thousands rallied across Romania to call for the release of three Romanian journalists kidnapped in Iraq, a day before a reported deadline on their captors' demands.

The three - Prima TV cameraman Sorin Miscoci and reporter Marie Jeanne Ion, and reporter Ovidiu Ohanesian of the daily Romania Libera - were kidnapped on March 28, along with their Iraqi-American translator, Mohammed Monaf.

Last week, al-Jazeera television broadcast a video showing the three saying their captors threatened to kill them if Romania does not withdraw its 800 soldiers from Iraq by Tuesday.

In Bucharest, more than 1,000 people marched to government headquarters, where they left an appeal for the journalists to be freed. Many carried white balloons and posters of the hostages with the word "freedom" in English, Romanian and Arabic.

Prime Minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu said the government would not tone down celebrations for Romania's signing a historical agreement to join the European Union because of the ultimatum given by the kidnappers.

"To change our decisions ... would be exactly what the kidnappers, the terrorists, want," he said. "It's the kind of pressure meant to force us to change course."

"We need solidarity and cohesion to show we are a strong people." The prime minister did not mention Romania's troops in Iraq.

President Traian Basescu said officials were working to win the journalists' release but neither he nor the prime minister has commented on their captors' demands.

"I just hope that everything possible is done to bring them home," said Anne Maria Ohanesian, a sister of one of the hostages.

Rallies also were held in Buzau, Ploiesti, Galati, Craiova, Targu Mures, Cluj, Resita, Satu Mare and Timisoara.

Dhaka http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=48971

MIDDEL EAST : Al-Qaeda linked group says it kidnapped six Sudanese in Iraq

2005-04-26T15:26:00.000+06:00

News Article by AFP posted on April 26, 2005 at 04:14:56: EST (-5 GMT)
Al-Qaeda linked group says it kidnapped six Sudanese in Iraq

DUBAI, April 26 (AFP) - An Al-Qaeda linked group which has claimed a string of abductions and killings of foreigners in Iraq said in a statement posted on the internet Tuesday that it had kidnapped six Sudanese drivers.

"Your mujahedeen brethren managed to ambush Sudanese drivers who transport goods, ammunition and weapons to US forces," said the statement attributed to the Army of Ansar al-Sunna, the authenticity of which could not be verified.

Six drivers were captured after they left a US base west of Baghdad, said the statement, dated Monday.

The drivers were being questioned and a videotape would be released later, it added.

The Army of Ansar al-Sunna has claimed a string of attacks in Iraq, including murders of foreign hostages and Iraqis accused of "collaborating" with US-led forces.

It has often released video footage of the killings on Islamist websites.

Dhaka http://www.sudan.net/news/posted/11446.html

MIDDLE EAST : RUSSIAN TRACE IN CAIRO

2005-04-26T15:25:00.000+06:00

CAIRO, April 26 (RIA Novosti, Igor Kuznetsov) - Egypt has always attracted Russians. Pilgrims, merchants, scientists, actors and travelers visited that enigmatic country. Many of them lived for many years in Cairo, Alexandria and other cities, making their contributions to the culture and science of Egypt and opening it for the Russians.
Especially many places, reminding of Russia, are in Cairo.

For example, Antikhana Street is the place, where well known Russian artist Ivan Bilibin lived and worked in 1920-1925. He painted there several panels, portraits and landscapes, the majority of which were later found abroad. He also painted three icons for a Greek hospital church. His big picture "Persian Miniatures" is now the property of the family of former UN Secretary General Boutros Ghali. Not so famous Russian artists, brothers Strekalov, worked together with Ivan Bilibin.

During the guest performances of the great Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova, in Cairo in 1923 (she also performed in Cairo in 1910 and in 1928) Ivan Bilibin made sketches of the scenery and costumes for Cherepnin's ballets "A Russian Fairy Tale" and "Mummy's Romance."

Fyodor Shalyapin visited Cairo twice, in 1903 and in 1933.

The Cairo Opera, where Anna Pavlova, Galina Ulanova and the Igor Moiseyev Dance Company gave their concerts burned in 1971, and only the name of the square where it was located reminds one of it. The new Opera House is situated in the district of Zamalek. For many years now, Russian musicians and dancers have been working in it.

Another name of a Russian sculptor who lived in Cairo, Boris Fredman-Kluzel, is associated with Anna Pavlova. He made a statuette of Anna Pavlova and a mould of her leg. The bronze casts of the mould were purchased by the British Museum and the State Museum of Theater and Music Art in Saint Petersburg.

For more than fifteen years, Fredman-Kluzel headed the sculpture chair at the fine arts faculty of the Cairo University and reared a whole galaxy of Egyptian sculptors. Dozens of his sculptures are in private collections, but they can be also seen in the streets of the city. His big bas-relief decorates the wall above the entrance to the Saint George Church. The bust of President Gamal Abdel Nasser, made by him, stood in Sheriff Street in the center of the city. The sculptor lived in Gemina Street, nearby the famous Ezbekia Gardens, which were glorified by Russian poet Nikolai Gumilyov.

Many Russian Egyptologists taught and worked in Cairo. One of them is scientist Vladimir Golenishchev, whose collection of six thousand ancient Egyptian articles is partly in the Moscow Pushkin Museum and party in the Petersburg Hermitage. Vladimir Golenishchev, Professor Vladimir Vikentyev, Alexander Pyankov and Professor Lukyanov for many years were teaching at the Fuad (now Cairo) University and at the Egyptian Archeological Institute.

Currently there is a branch of the Russian Center of Egyptian Studies in Cairo, in Vini Square, headed by Galina Belova. Its staff members are making excavations in many regions of the country.

The Russian Cultural Center was opened in Tahrir Street. Many Cairo inhabitants visit it. The Center has a ballet school named after Anna Pavlova, the Ivan Bilibin drawing school, music, singing and language courses, a library, cinema, exhibition and lecture halls.

About 200 Russians, who lived and died in Cairo, were buried on the Orthodox cemetery in Old Cairo.

Dhaka http://en.rian.ru/russia/20050426/39742273.html

MIDDLE EAST : Toshiba signs ‘power retailer’ at GITEX Saudi Arabia

2005-04-26T15:24:00.000+06:00

[Tuesday, April 26, 2005 ]

Toshiba Computer Systems has announced at GITEX Saudi Arabia a creative new route to market that capitalises on the strong brand and reputation of one of Saudi Arabia’s top retail organisations, Abdul Latif Jameel Electronics Company (ALJ Electronics). ALJ Electronic’s well known and popular UIS (United Instalment Scheme) finance option makes high quality notebook computers more affordable to small and medium businesses, education and healthcare institutions and individuals. The company already distributes Toshiba’s range of home and consumer electronics products.
ALJ Electronics has 21 retail showrooms spread across the length and breadth of the Kingdom to ensure that buyers of Toshiba products get the support they need, covering major cities and the smaller towns.

Saudi Arabia is a very enthusiastic adopter of new technology, and the growth of Internet usage and mobile computing in the Kingdom is at unprecedented levels. We are delighted to have sealed this deal with ALJ Electronics at GITEX in Riyadh, as the company’s reputation for quality and service will give Saudi consumers and small business owners a premium new source for notebook computing technology,” said Santosh Varghese, Toshiba’s Regional Sales and Marketing Manager.

This agreement with Toshiba is strategically very important to ALJ Electronics as we see the increasing use of technology in the home and business. Consumer electronics and information technology are merging. Computers and the Internet have become part of our lifestyle, part of our work and a major part of our entertainment. Toshiba’s notebook computer products extends our range to give our customers a one-stop shop for everything they need to make their homes and businesses a great place to live and work in,” said Mr Venkat, Director of ALJ Electronics.

Our UIS instalment scheme is a key part of our value offering,” explains Naeemulla Khan, product manager for Toshiba laptops at ALJ Electronics. “It allows customers to afford the best value and feature set that meets their needs, rather than having to compromise on power or quality because they don’t have the budget available upfront.”

Toshiba will continue to be exclusively distributed in the Kingdom by Jarir Bookstore in the retail and SMB segment and Arabian Business Machines, part of the Olayan Group, which focuses on mid-sized businesses and the larger corporate accounts.

Toshiba has had spectacular year on year growth in the Kingdom, growing its business volume between 2003 and 2004 by 63%. Over the next years Toshiba is increasing its focus on the small/medium business segment, which is collectively becoming a powerhouse of the Saudi economy, driving growth and employment in the Kingdom.

Dhaka http://strategiy.com/inews.asp?id=20050426120841

MIDDLE EAST : 60% want British troops out of Iraq this year

2005-04-26T15:20:00.000+06:00

Tuesday, April 26, 2005

According to this article, from the Independent, 60% of people want to see British troops out of Iraq by the end of the year, something the Lib Dems are proposing:
Two years on from the Iraq conflict, it seems that it remains unpopular with many voters. More people (49 per cent) think Tony Blair was wrong to take Britain to war than believe he was right (32 per cent). Although the war is still opposed by a majority of Tory and Liberal Democrat supporters, Labour voters are evenly split, with 37 per cent believing Mr Blair was right and 35 per cent that he was wrong.

Dhaka http://logicvoice.blogspot.com/2005/04/60-want-british-troops-out-of-iraq.html

MIDDLE EAST : Quake jolts Zarand in southeast Iran

2005-04-25T15:56:00.000+06:00

Tehran, April 25, IRNA-An earthquake measuring 3.9 degrees on the open-ended Richter scale hit the town of Zarand in the southeastern province of Kerman Monday morning.
According to the seismological base of the Geophysics Institute of Tehran University, the tremor occurred at 09:32 hours local time (0502 GMT).

The base registered the epicenter of the quake at the outskirts of Zarand, located in 30.67 degree latitude and 65.57 degree longitude.

There are no reports of damage to property caused by the quake.

A strong quake, with the intensity of 6.4 degrees, struck the town on Feb 22, 2005, killing over 600 people and injuring thousands of others.

Iran is situated on some of the world's most active seismic fault lines and quakes of varying magnitudes are of usual occurrence.

Dhaka http://www.payvand.com/news/05/apr/1196.html

MIDDLE EAST : Israeli killed in terror attack

2005-04-25T15:27:00.000+06:00

Israeli man was critically injured in a hit and run attack on a bridge north of Hebron. A Palestinian car neared a group of Israelis who were on the bridge, hit one of them and killed him. Troops are searching for the car.

Dhaka http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3077295,00.html

MIDDLE EAST : CIA closes book on Iraq weapons program Apr 26 2005

2005-04-25T15:22:00.000+06:00

In his final report, the CIA's top weapons inspector in Iraq said yesterday that the hunt for weapons of mass destruction has "gone as far as feasible" and has found nothing, closing an investigation into the purported programs of Saddam Hussein that were used to justify the 2003 invasion.
"After more than 18 months, the WMD investigation and debriefing of the WMD-related detainees has been exhausted," wrote Charles Duelfer, head of the Iraq Survey Group, in an addendum to the final report he issued last fall.

"As matters now stand, the WMD investigation has gone as far as feasible."

In 92 pages posted online yesterday, Duelfer provides a final look at an investigation that occupied over 1,000 military and civilian translators, weapons specialists and other experts at its peak. His latest addenda conclude a roughly 1,500-page report released last autumn.

Yesterday, Duelfer said there is no purpose in keeping many of the detainees who are in custody because of their knowledge on Iraq's weapons, although he did not provide any details about the current number.

The survey group also provided warnings.

The addenda conclude that Saddam's programs created a pool of experts now available to develop and produce weapons and many will be seeking work. While most will probably turn to the "benign civil sector," the danger remains that "hostile foreign governments, terrorists or insurgents may seek Iraqi expertise."

"Because a single individual can advance certain WMD activities, it remains an important concern," one addendum said.

Another addendum also noted that military forces in Iraq may continue to find small numbers of degraded chemical weapons - most likely misplaced or improperly destroyed before the 1991 Gulf War. In an insurgent's hands, "the use of a single even ineffectual chemical weapon would likely cause more terror than deadlier conventional explosives," another addendum said.

And still another said the survey group found some potential nuclear-related equipment was "missing from heavily damaged and looted sites." Yet, because of the deteriorating security situation in Iraq, the survey group was unable to determine what happened to the equipment, which also had alternate civilian uses.

Among unanswered questions, Duelfer said a group formed to investigate whether WMD-related material was shipped out of Iraq before the invasion wasn't able to reach firm conclusions because the security situation limited and later halted their work. Investigators were focusing on transfers from Iraq to Syria.

Dhaka http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0700world/tm_objectid=15444975%26method=full%26siteid=50082%26headline=cia%2dcloses%2dbook%2don%2diraq%2dweapons%2dprogram-name_page.html

MIDDLE EAST : Arab Attacker Escapes in Kalandia

2005-04-24T15:57:00.000+06:00

Apr 25, '05 / 16 Nisan 5765
(IsraelNN.com) In the Kalandia refugee camp, near Jerusalem, a confrontation between IDF soldiers and resident Arabs broke out today. One of the Arabs involved reportedly attacked a soldier and made his escape in a taxi. The soldiers responded with shots fired in the air. There were no injuries reported in the incident.

Dhaka http://www.israelnn.com/news.php3?id=80793

Sri Lanka : A letter from Sri Lanka

2005-03-26T15:04:00.000+06:00

EXACTLY three months ago today, early on Boxing Day morning, I was enjoying a rare day off and looking forward to lunch with my family at a beachside restaurant when the first sketchy information of the tsunami reached us. Within a few hours, all the Sri Lankan Red Cross branches in the affected coastal areas that hadn’t been wrecked by the wave had begun the relief effort.

During the immediate aftermath of the tsunami, a key role of the local Red Cross was to provide mobile medical teams who helped with search-and-rescue and treat hundreds of survivors, many of whom had badly broken limbs.

Within 48 hours, the first of seven overseas Red Cross and Red Crescent emergency response teams arrived - health specialists and water and sanitation experts who assessed the scale of the damage and the needs of survivors. A British Red Cross logistics team worked at the airport in Colombo to receive and oversee the storage and onward distribution of emergency supplies - complex logistics activity is traditionally one of the British Red Cross’s key strengths in emergency response.

Within ten days, health clinics had already been sent to four of the worst affected districts to provide medical care and water sanitation to shell-shocked people who sought help in the camps.

Over the last three months, the medical supplies we have sent to these clinics have so far been used to treat some 35,000 families, while the hygiene parcels we have given have helped 30,000 families to maintain their dignity. To date, 270,000 people have received emergency non-food relief items, including kitchen sets and shelters.

Help for displaced families will continue for at least the next six months until people can begin to move from temporary shelter to semi-permanent and permanent homes. The creation of permanent housing, restoring the community infrastructures and rebuilding people’s livelihoods are the crucial mid to long-term projects for the Red Cross and Red Crescent, and technical teams are already at work.

Other priorities over coming years include working with Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Health to rehabilitate 34 health centres in the worst-hit regions, which account for more than a third of the health centres identified by the government as being in urgent need of redevelopment. We will also build 15,000 permanent homes and provide water and sanitation to these communities and to the centres. We will also go on providing psycho-social support to those affected by the disaster for as long as it is needed.

It may only have been three months since the tsunami struck, but for many it is already past history. However, for the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in Sri Lanka, it will be our future for years to come. BDWN

Sri Lanka : Peace talks with Tigers on hold for now: Lanka

2005-03-26T15:03:00.000+06:00

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s foreign minister ruled out an early resumption of peace talks to end a three-decade conflict with Tamil Tiger rebels but said a deal on disbursing tsunami relief was possible.

“A formal resumption of the peace process is very much on the backburner,” Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar told a meeting of the Foreign Correspondents’ Association of Sri Lanka here late on Thursday.

Kadirgamar however said the government could sign a deal brokered by Norway with the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to provide a formula for distributing tsunami relief as long as it was not seen giving the rebels de facto recognition as a government.

The remarks came as President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s administration faced pressure from its Marxist coalition partner, the JVP or People’s Liberation Front, which is opposed to any involvement of rebels in relief operations that could give them political recognition.

The Marxists initially warned they would pull out of the government if the rebels were given any official role in tsunami relief operations. “What the JVP will do when it (the joint mechanism,) is signed and sealed, I do not know,” Kadirgamar said. “Indications are that that they will voice opposition. If that opposition remains the same after they have seen the fine print, we do not know.”

Peace talks have been stalled since April 2003. In April 2004, Kumaratunga won a general election with the support of the Marxists who oppose any moves to divide the country along religious or ethnic lines. The previous government had broadly agreed to establish a federal state in Sri Lanka to resolve a long-running separatist conflict.

Despite the suspension of face-to-face discussions, the two parties are abiding by a ceasefire arranged by Norway and in place from February 23, 2002.

The foreign minister said Colombo’s main objective now was to enter into a “joint mechanism” with the Tigers to distribute foreign aid for tsunami victims in the island’s northeast, much of which was held by the rebels.

“I am told that process (of a joint mechanism) is moving. It is not standing still. It is not going backwards,” Kadirgamar said.

The guerrillas earlier this month said they agreed to the joint mechanism proposed by Norway, but there has been no formal announcement from Colombo on the exact contents of the proposed deal.

The Tigers had seen the joint tsunami relief mechanism as a spring board for setting up an interim political administration. BDWN

Sri Lanka : Most tsunami victim female

2005-03-26T14:59:00.000+06:00

LONDON: More women than men were killed by the Asian tsunami, Oxfam figures from India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka suggest.

In some regions the disaster claimed four times as many women as men.

The charity says women were worst hit because they were waiting on beaches for fishermen to return, or at home looking after children at the time.

The research comes exactly three months after the under-sea earthquake caused a wave that devastated coastlines around the Indian Ocean.

Oxfam International focused their research on the Indonesian province of Aceh, the Cuddalore district of India, and took data from camps across Sri Lanka.

In four villages in Aceh Besar district only 189 of 676 survivors were female, men outnumbering women three to one. BDWN

Nepal : Nepal draws heavy fire in Geneva: Reports

2005-03-26T14:54:00.000+06:00

The recent political and human rights situation in Nepal drew a lot of attention in Geneva as the general debate on the violation of human rights on any part of the world concluded Thursday, reports said.

According to Indo-Asian News Service (IANS), Nepal drew the heaviest fire at the general debate in the annual session of the UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) in Geneva, though China, Iran and Myanmar were also criticised over alleged rights violations.

New Zealand said it was dismayed at the recent suspension of civil and political rights in Nepal and the culture of impunity there. The US urged the king to restore and protect civil and human rights, release detainees and restore civil liberties and multiparty democracy.

Canada expressed concern, saying it was "deeply troubled by the human rights and humanitarian situation in Nepal". Australia too urged His Majesty King Gyanendra to restore multiparty democracy and asked all parties to support efforts to promote peace and stability (in the Himalayan kingdom), according to the IANS news report.

Meanwhile, the official website of the UN Commission on Human Rights quoted Peter Splinter of the Amnesty International as saying that the situation in Nepal remained a hidden crisis not fully appreciated by the international community.

“For many years the people of Nepal had suffered grave and widespread human rights abuses in the context of an internal insurgency. Now Nepal was on the brink of a human rights and humanitarian catastrophe,” Splinter said. “Nepal's human rights community had been paralyzed by new restrictions under the state of emergency imposed on 1 February, with the National Human Rights Commission as well as national non-governmental organizations unable to investigate reports of abuses,” he added.

Speaking on behalf of the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development, Dr. Arjun Karki, said the Forum was greatly concerned about serious human rights violations, abandoned rule of law, worsening democratic rule in Nepal and the restrictions placed on the work of human rights defenders and independent media personnel in Nepal.

“A lack of democratic space had created serious obstacles to the prospect for dialogue and negotiated settlement. The United Nations and the international community should play a significant role in reinstating democracy and lasting democratic peace in Nepal,” said Karki, who also heads the NGO Federation of Nepal.

Speaking in a right of reply in response to the concerns towards rights situation in Nepal, Royal Nepalese ambassador at the Nepal’s permanent mission in Geneva, Gyan Chandra Acharya, against it, said Nepal had been subjected to atrocities perpetrated by insurgents over the last nine years. The work of the Government in this context had been to ensure peace and security for all.

Acharya said the state of emergency had been declared as the best possible means of countering the situation imposed by the terrorists. Nepal government terms Maoist insurgents as terrorists.

“In this situation, certain derogable fundamental rights had been suspended, but this was only temporary and was being gradually relaxed. Non-derogable rights had never been suspended, and never would be. Political parties have not been banned. HM King Gyanendra has confirmed his commitment to multi-party democracy. Violations of rights brought to the attention of the Government had been investigated and punished, and there was no culture of impunity,” said Acharya.

The Nepalese envoy further said the government employees had been sensitised to human rights issues, and those found guilty of human rights crimes had been dismissed, tried and sentenced. There were also allegations about the freedom of human rights defenders, which were not true. Nepal's cooperation with the international community would continue, he added.

The 61st session of the UNCHR would continue until the third week of April, according to reports. BDWN

India : Indian Team for one-day series against Pakistan on March 28

2005-03-26T14:44:00.000+06:00

Bangalore, Mar 26 (UNI) The Indian team for the one-day series against Pakistan will be announced on March 28.

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary S K Nair told UNI that Selection Committee members headed by chairman Kiran More was already here to watch the performance of the players in the ongoing third and final Test between the two teams before finalising the team.

The other members on the Committee are Yashpal Sharma, V B Chandrasekhar, Pranob Roy and Gopala Sharma.

The six one-day internationals would be played in Kochi (April two), Vishakapatnam (April five), Jamshedpur (April nine), Ahamadabad (April 12), Kanpur (April 15 and Delhi (April 17). BDWN

BANGLADESH: 80 killed in Bangladesh summer storms

2005-03-26T14:27:00.000+06:00

DHAKA (Reuters) — Tropical storms sweeping across Bangladesh have killed at least 80 people over the past four days, officials said yesterday.

Most victims died under collapsed houses and uprooted trees in southern and western districts, disaster management officials said. Others died in lightning strikes, hail storms or sinking boats.

"Storms continue to hit many places and we are getting reports of casualties and property damage every day," a disaster management official in Dhaka said.

Around 1,000 people were injured and more than 15,000 people were left homeless by the storms, the first of the annual storm season, the officials said.

Tropical outbursts kill hundreds of people in Bangladesh each summer and meteorology officials said frequent storms were likely through the summer season to the end of May. BDWN

BANGLADESH: 80 killed in Bangladesh summer storms

2005-03-26T14:17:00.000+06:00

Afghanistan : Seven killed in firefight in Afghanistan

2005-03-26T14:07:00.000+06:00

March 25, 2005

KABUL, Afghanistan — U.S.-led forces trying to capture a suspected Taliban militant got into a firefight that left seven people dead, including two children and a woman, the military said Thursday.

The suspected militant, Raz Mohammed, and two other insurgents were also killed in the firefight Tuesday in southeastern Paktika province near the Pakistani border, the military said.

"Coalition troops were fired on by Raz Mohammed and other Taliban forces when they attempted to capture Mohammed," the military said in a statement. "During the ensuing firefight, Mohammed and two other enemy insurgents were killed. An Afghan woman and two children also died."

An Afghan helping coalition troops also was killed, the military said.

It was unclear if the man was a member of the Afghan security forces or an informer.

Mullah Hakim Latifi, a purported Taliban spokesman, said the clash occurred when U.S. troops surrounded the tents where Mohammed was living in Waza Khwa, an impoverished district on the Pakistani border.

He confirmed the death of Mohammed, who he said was a senior military commander in eastern Laghman province before the Taliban's ouster in 2001. He said Mohammed's wife and six of his children were also killed.

Latifi claimed that eight American soldiers died in the battle, but the American military said none of its soldiers was hurt. BDWN

Middle East : Three rebels killed in Yemen

2005-03-26T14:00:00.000+06:00

Three supporters of a slain cleric in Yemen have been killed while trying to flee from police after a shootout, security sources have said.

A source who did not wish to be identified said five followers of Husain al-Huthi - who was killed by Yemeni forces last year - had sped away in a car after exchanging fire with police at a weapons market in Saada province, north of the capital, Sanaa, on Saturday.

It was the first such incident since the Yemeni government announced on 10 September 2004 that the army had killed al-Huthi, a prominent Zaidi Shia sect cleric, nearly three months after he started a rebellion in the mountainous northwest, near the border with Saudi Arabia. The fighting left more than 400 people dead.

The Zaidi sect is dominant in northwest Yemen but is in the minority in the mainly Sunni country.

The Yemeni government accused al-Huthi, leader of the Faithful Youth group, of setting up unlicensed religious centres and forming an armed group which staged violent protests against the United States and Israel.

High profile targets

The trio who were killed on Saturday were prominent members of the organisation.

Al-Huthi was one of a number of rebel leaders in Yemen, but he represented a considerable target having engaged the security forces over a long period.

According to experts, his group had no links to al-Qaida. BDWN

Middle East : Car bomb outside Qatar theatre kills one

2005-03-26T13:56:00.000+06:00

11:31 AEDT Sun Mar 20 2005

AP - One person has been killed and a dozen injured after a car bomb exploded outside a theatre in the Qatari capital Doha, the Interior Ministry says.

Twelve other people were injured in the blast in the northern suburb, the ministry said in a statement. Ten of those injured have already been released from the hospital.

The ministry said investigations were under way. It gave no other details.

"I saw people lying on the ground. I think they were in shock because of the explosion. They were mostly foreigners," said Ahmed Goudah, a witness who spoke from the scene outside the Doha Players Theatre.

Goudah said dozens of cars were smashed with shattered windows. Some were engulfed in flames. Firefighters and emergency vehicles converged on the area, which was sealed off by police.

Earlier, General Ahmed Al-Hariki of the Interior Ministry told Al-Jazeera television that the blast occurred at a restaurant inside the theatre.

US Army Captain Eric Clark, who is based in Qatar, said he spoke with a woman who was performing in Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" when a blast shook the hall.

"She heard a massive explosion and there was mass chaos and people just exited the building," Clark said by telephone. He said there were about 100 people in the audience.

The theatre is a popular venue for non-Qataris from Western and Arab countries and is located in Farek Kelab, a northern suburb of the capital.

Al-Jazeera television showed a wooden building in flames and heavy smoke. Ambulances waited outside and dozens of bystanders gathered.

A British school is located in the vicinity of the theatre. The US Embassy is 10 kilometres (six miles) from the scene, and a US military base is almost 20 kilometres away.

Such violence is rare in Qatar, a small, quiet country with tight security. The last incident of this type was the February 2004 car bomb assassination of Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev, a rebel leader and former Chechen president who lived in Qatar for several years.

A Qatari court later convicted two Russian intelligence officers of the murder and sentenced them to 25 years in prison

Energy-rich Qatar is a close ally of the United States in the Gulf. The country is home to the US Central Command's forward operations in the Middle East. BDWN

Middle East : Chairman of Lebanese zakat fund praises Kuwaiti charity institutions

2005-03-26T13:31:00.000+06:00

REL-LEBANON-KUWAIT
Chairman of Lebanese zakat fund praises Kuwaiti charity institutions

By Fahad Al-Zamel BEIRUT, March 26 (KUNA) -- Chairman of the Zakat (alms) fund of the Dar Al-Fatwa in Lebanon, Sheikh Dr. Marwan Qabani praised the Kuwaiti charity institutions which reflect Kuwait's honorable role.

Interviewed by KUNA Saturday, Qabani said that these institutions highlight the Kuwaiti people's support towards the charity work.

He added that the relation between the Lebanese zakat and Kuwaiti charity organizations have been ongoing since the establishment of the committee in 1984, during which there have been exchanged visits with the Kuwaiti Zakat House and some other institutions.

He pointed out that the Kuwaiti Zakat House offered support to 160 families in Lebanon and offered support to hundreds of orphans, in addition to carrying out several projects.

Regarding the role of the zakat fund in Lebanon, Qabani said that it works on improving the health, financial and social conditions of the Muslims.

The fund spent last year about 3.93 billion Lebanese pounds (one US dollar is equivalent to 1,514.00 LBP) to help the sick, students and orphans, in addition to distributing social support and food. (end) faz. BDWN

Middle East : Four Car Bombings Across Iraq Kill 17

2005-03-26T13:28:00.000+06:00

By MARIAM FAM

This story ran on nwitimes.com on Saturday, March 26, 2005 1:05 AM CST

BAGHDAD - Insurgents reasserted themselves in a spasm of deadly attacks after days of reported setbacks, killing 17 Iraqi security forces in four separate car bombings, gunning down five Iraqi women working for American troops and assassinating a senior Iraqi military official, authorities said Friday.

In an effort to counter support for the insurgency among minority Sunni Arabs, the interim government's deputy prime minister, Barham Saleh, said negotiators had intensified efforts to include the Sunnis in the still-to-be-formed government.

But the attempt has caused delays in agreeing on a new leadership, prompting public frustration.

"It is not acceptable that two months on from the elections, that Iraq does not have a transitional government yet," Saleh told The Associated Press in an interview. "We are under pressure, and we have to respond to public sentiment and have a government established as soon as possible."

And as the negotiations dragged on, insurgents bent on stopping the creation of a new leadership intensified attacks on Iraqi security forces, whose deployment and success are seen as the key to an eventual American withdrawal.

Twin suicide car bombings Friday in Iskandriyah, 30 miles south of Baghdad, targeted an Iraqi army convoy and police barracks, killing four policemen, two civilians and an Iraqi soldier, police officials said. Eight other members of the security forces and 15 civilians were injured.

Another suicide car bombing Friday targeted an Iraqi convoy south of Baghdad and killed one Iraqi soldier and wounded four others, police said.

Late Thursday at a checkpoint in the central city of Ramadi, a white sedan was blown up, killing 11 Iraqi soldiers and wounding 14 people _ including two U.S. Army soldiers, nine Iraqi security forces, and three civilians _ the U.S. military said. The Islamic Army in Iraq posted an Internet statement claiming responsibility.

A second car bomb exploded Friday in the city center, targeting a U.S.-Iraqi convoy. The two insurgents in the car were killed, but no one else was hurt.

In Baghdad on Friday, unknown gunmen assassinated Col. Salman Muhammad Hassan, who helped lead an Iraqi Army division based in the southern city of Basra, and wounded two of his sons as they left a relative's funeral in Baghdad, security officials said. Police also said Friday they found two decapitated bodies clad in Iraqi army uniforms a day earlier on a road north of the capital.

Along a road near Kirkuk, attackers ambushed a Defense Ministry officer, identified only as Col. Sarajeddin, and kidnapped him, Iraqi army Maj. Gen. Anwar Mohammed Amin said.

In Baghdad on Thursday, five women translators who worked for the U.S. military were gunned down by insurgents as they returned home from work, police Capt. Ahmed Aboud said.

Near Abu Ghraib, firefighters worked to extinguish an oil-pipeline blaze ignited by insurgent bombs. The conduit connects Iraq's northern oil fields with a Baghdad-area refinery.

The U.S. military said four insurgents were killed and two were detained during an attempted ambush in the northern city of Mosul.

Still, the reported gains against militants have been impossible to verify, including the Iraqi government's claim that it killed 85 insurgents Tuesday during a raid on a suspected training camp.

The U.S. military, which participated in the raid, refused to confirm the death toll, and Army Maj. Richard Goldenberg, a 42nd Infantry Division spokesman, said many militants in the camp fled carrying casualties.

On the political front, Iraqi lawmakers had repeatedly delayed calling a second session of the National Assembly that first met March 16, a month and a half after they were elected. The next session is tentatively set for Tuesday, said Jawad al-Maliki, a negotiator from the Shiite-led United Iraqi Alliance.

Saleh said the meeting likely would focus on electing a speaker, although it hadn't been decided yet if the president _ expected to be Jalal Talabani, a Kurdish leader _ would be announced. The prime minister is expected to be Ibrahim al-Jaafari, a politician from Iraq's Shiite Arab majority.

Shiite and Kurdish officials are considering giving Sunnis the parliament speaker post, one of the two deputy presidents, and possibly the Defense Ministry.

Saleh said the Kurds were expected to take at least eight ministries in the new government, including the Foreign Ministry. Both the Kurds and the alliance are interested in the Oil Ministry, but Saleh said no decision had yet been made.

He also said that trials of some members of the former regime could start as early as a month from now. "You may well see trials starting in the next four to six weeks, actual trials," he said.

Qasim Abdul-Zahra contributed to this report from Baghdad. BDWN

Middle East : U.S. Guards Find Tunnel in Iraq Prison

2005-03-26T13:26:00.000+06:00

By DOUGLASS K. DANIEL

This story ran on nwitimes.com on Saturday, March 26, 2005 1:05 AM CST

WASHINGTON - U.S. military guards discovered a 600-foot tunnel _ dug with makeshift tools _ leading out of the main prison facility for detainees in Iraq before anyone had the opportunity to escape, officials said Friday.

The tunnel at Camp Bucca was 12 to 15 feet deep and as wide as 3 feet and had reached beyond the compound fence, said Army Maj. Flora Lee, a spokeswoman at the Army's Combined Press Information Center in Iraq said by telephone. She did not know when guards discovered the tunnel.

Camp Bucca holds 6,049 detainees, nearly two-thirds of all those in Iraq, Lee said. Situated near the southern city of Umm Qasr, it is one of three detainee facilities in Iraq.

A bucket cut from a water container and a shovel made of tent material were used to dig the tunnel, Lee said. The opening was under a floorboard of the compound and was concealed with dirt.

Authorities in charge of the compound realized a tunnel was under way after they found dirt in latrines and other places, Lee said. It may have been the most extensive effort aimed at a mass escape, she said.

"I'm not aware of any other instances where this has happened," Lee said. "There have been a few other attempts at digging a tunnel but nothing of this size."

U.S. guards fired on prisoners during a riot at Camp Bucca on Jan. 31, killing four detainees and injuring six others.

The guard detachment at Camp Bucca includes military police of the 105th Military Police Battalion and Air Force security forces personnel with the 586th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, she said. BDWN

Middle East : West Jackson Baptist teaches children with Jerusalem Marketplace

2005-03-26T13:22:00.000+06:00

By WENDY ISOM
wisom@jacksonsun.com
Mar 26 2005

Children file in to look in on Jesus and his disciples.

They have just entered the Jerusalem Marketplace at West Jackson Baptist Church, where the re-enactment of the last supper is about to take place.

Ken Hindman, children's minister at West Jackson Baptist Church, blows the shofar before he begins to narrate.

Some children inch closer for a better view when Jesus starts washing the disciples' feet.

''Jesus did this to show humility,'' Hindman said of the message behind Jesus washing his disciples' feet.

West Jackson Baptist transformed its children's area into a replica of a period street in Jerusalem, complete with sights, tastes and smells of the time when Jesus ministered on the earth.

Children will meet a Roman soldier at the door before they see a number of costumed Biblical characters.

Children can stop by a fisherman's booth, where they can sample some fish sticks. They also can taste some dried foods such as raisins, blueberries and almonds.

In conjunction with Easter, children at West Jackson will be treated to an authentic period feast for Easter. ''It's not going to be sausage, biscuits and eggs,'' Hindman said.

The meal the children will have will include bran muffins, dried beef, grapes, cheese and grape juice. In keeping with the modern day food issues, the children's minister said the church will post food allergy alert signs for children who may be allergic to something in the feast.

The marketplace display, however, will be up beyond the Easter season. The marketplace is going to stay up through May as a visual tool to help children better understand the stories of the Bible.

More than 150 church volunteers helped to build the storefront sets, props and costumes for the marketplace.

Hindman invites area children and their families to stop by to see the marketplace.

''I think it's really neat and very realistic,'' said 12-year-old Ashley Orr.

Eight-year-old Katie Hail agrees. ''It was good,'' Katie said of the marketplace re-enactment. Accompanying Katie on a recent Wednesday night was her mother, Kelli Hail and her 7-year-old brother, Caleb, and her 5-year-old sister, Kelsey.

The mother of three said she was most impressd with the visual aspect of the marketplace. ''Most children learn and remember what they see,'' she said.

That was the idea, Hindman said. Children learn best, he said, when ''you can touch one or all of their five senses.''

Visit talkback@jacksonsun.com to share your thoughts.

- Wendy Isom, 425-9782

About Easter Easter is the oldest feast of the Christian Church celebrating the resurrection of Christ; Easter day falls on or between March 21 and April 25.

- Source: www.lichfield-cathedral.org/glossary.htm

If you go

The public is invited to see the Jerusalem Marketplace at West Jackson Baptist Church, 580 Oil Well Road in Jackson. For more information, call 660-4535. BDWN

Traditional boats of Bengal

2005-03-25T23:53:00.000+06:00

By FARIZAA SABREEN

Mar 24, 2005, 11:39

An exquisite Boat Show took place from 19th March to 6th April,2005 at Bangladesh National Museum. Our little fleet of traditional Bangladeshi boats, each painstakingly built and outfitted for your cruising pleasure. This show bring in the rhythm of life in the Bangladeshi countryside to urban people.

This exhibition is organized by Friendship, German Embassy, Dhaka and sponsored by Grameen Phone, Mutual Trust Bank Limited, in cooperation with Design and Technology Limited.

The naval master- carpenters of Bengal have worked at heir craft over thousands of years in their quest for the best. Their constant relation with the wind and the water, they have created tools for their communication.

It's aim is to introduce our culture and heritage to today's generation. The purpose of this exhibition is to allow us to admire the natural beauty of these works of art and collectible items, to preserve the pride of the master carpenters who are building the traditional boats and to make us realize how urgent it is to preserve these last witnesses of millenniums of history. And of course to develop a dynamic to save these thousand year old traditions.

The goal of the show is to create awareness amongst the national and international communities in order to create a Museum of Traditional Bengal Boats. The museum will show the carpenters at work and will perpetuate their traditional art and craft. Thus we can admire their works.

The organizers have compiled a list of boats that appeared at the show. Fishing Boats are used for catching and carrying fish in the coastal regions of Bangladesh. This is about 40-50 feet in inch and can carry approximately 80 tons. Similar to traditional Arab Dhows.

Shandi boats are fishing boats used on the Jamuna river in the Pabna district. Its manpower force is up to 12 people using nets of 500 feet long.

Shampan boats are usually seen in Chittagong, Cox's Bazar and Mongla. This vessel is 40 to 50 feet in size.

Horonga boats are found in the river Surma of Sylhet. This vessel may hoist vertical twin sails. It is mainly used for freight.

Patam boats have the same name as Patams which are metal staples, stiching the planks of the vessel together. These are found in the region of Sylhet. And are plying mainly on the Meghna river.

The technology of boat building was a hereditary profession passing from father to son. The local builders used the hand, fingers and feet as the units of measurements. In different places different kinds of boats were built for specific purposes. These boats may bear some similarity in material, techniques or in shape and size.

Mr Mazhar, a boat enthusiast said that exhibiting at the traditional boats was always a good guide to the popularity of boating in the country. BDWN

Nepal : ‘17,000 Nepali girls in Indian sex market’

2005-03-25T14:57:00.000+06:00

Himalayan News Service
Nepalgunj, March 25:

There are 17,000 Nepali women forced into prostitution in India’s Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Calcutta redlight centres alone. Anju Chhetri and Manju Thapa of the Asmita women’s publication group arrived at this number by conducting on-the-spot investigation in every brothel in the redlight areas of India’s four cities. As claimed by Chhetri and Thapa, 15,000 Nepali women in Mumbai, 300 in Delhi, 500 in Pune and 1,200 in Calcutta are sex workers. Chhetri and Thapa also claimed that over 5,000 Nepali women are taking up the world’s oldest profession in Gorakhpur, Lucknow, Allahabad, Surat and Nagpur redlight areas. Speaking at the workshop related to the women and children trafficking, media engagement, study, conclusion and exchange of experiences held in Nepalgunj yesterday, Thapa admitted though that they could not claim that their research was 100% true. She added that an earlier estimate, which had put the number of Nepali women sex workers in India at between 1 to 2 lakh, had been proved baseless.

They said they had collected the figure by visiting Mumbai’s main brothels — Kamati, Bhiundi, Jamuna Mansion, Bareli, Grand Road and Bhandup; Puna’s Budhbarpet; Calcutta’s Sonagachhi, Kidderpore, Bowbazar, Kalighat, and Delhi’s GB Road. Thapa pointed out that most of these sex workers were below 18 years of age. Anju Chhetri said they talked personally to the Nepali women in the brothels of India in course of doing research. Chhetri added, “Most of them fall prey to the avarice of family members. Local brokers come second in the line of the process of selling them there.” Speaking at the workshop, Sabin Gurung of Maiti Nepal quoted the International Labour Organization (ILO) statistics, saying over 10,000 Nepali women are trafficked to India into the sex trade every year. Journalist Purna Lal Chuke, who presided over the workshop, said that the although researchers and rescuers did not face big problems in rescuing the women, the main problem was rehabilitating them. Till date, Maiti Nepal has rehabilitated 1,500 trafficked women. BDWN

BANGLADESH: Independence Day

2005-03-25T14:29:00.000+06:00

THE observance of the Independence Day of the country is a great occasion, as always, to review the progresses made and glean prospects for the future. Skeptics are too many and they remain impatient with the slow rate of success in development and economic growth. This is also understandable in the backdrop of the fast economic uplift of some countries in the Asian neighbourhood which only decades ago were not dissimilar to Bangladesh as backward or undeveloped economies.

The success stories of these countries fuel expectations in this country about a short-cut to economic progress. But the rate of economic advancement of Bangladesh has not been so slow as to justifiably create so much of pessimism about the country's future. Bangladesh may not have moved forward economically at the expected level during the last 34 years of independence. But there are enough proofs to express optimism about its economic future. Compared to centuries of developmental history of the developed countries of today, Bangladesh, a new nation of only 34 years, can be credited as having attained considerable economic sinews.

The population of Bangladesh has nearly doubled. Prior to the independence of the country, Bangladesh used to be a net substantial importer of foodgrains annually to make up for its shortfall in foodgrains production. This country now successfully feeds its huge population as it has attained roughly self-sufficiency in the production of foodgrains. This is no small achievement from the perspective of strengthening the basic security of the country by ensuring food security. Bangladesh has rather decisively changed its image of a basket case or the perpetual recipient of international charity as described by the former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. From a pathetic or total dependence on foreign aid to carry out its developmental activities, Bangladesh today substantially finances developmental projects from its own resources. Its exports have surged to notably higher levels than they were two decades ago and much of the costs of its imports can be met from the receipt of its export earnings. Bangladesh's export-oriented ready-made garment (RMG) industry enjoys worldwide fame and indeed, this country is regarded as one of the leading exporters of apparels in the markets of developed countries. Bangladesh's international debts are modest by regional standards and it is praised by donors for the regularity of its debt servicing. Roads and other infrastructures have increased manifold in Bangladesh since 1971. It has cut the number of its people in poverty significantly during the last three decades notwithstanding the population growth. Progress in the social sectors such as literacy, safe water availability, sanitation, among others have also been promising.

Thus, there is no reason to be so disillusioned or disheartened about the country's future. Bangladesh is not making spectacular socio-economic progress in the short run but it is firmly on track and can be expected to steadily reach its destination in the longer run.

However, it is important for Bangladesh to have good and visionary leadership. The leadership must have integrity. Besides, it is crucial for Bangladesh to graduate out of its present political stand-off which seems to display more of the trappings of a democracy than the signs of a vibrant functional democracy. With these challenges overcome in the political sphere, there is no reason for our beloved country not to race ahead in the economic and social spheres in the years to come. BDWN

Middle East : A noble war

2005-03-25T13:33:00.000+06:00

Article Last Updated: 03/25/2005 11:04:22 PM

I would like to offer another perspective of the involvement of the United States in the war in Iraq to the eighth-grader who wrote on Feb. 25 and the many other young bright people who ponder this very important issue.
Our soldiers are waging a valid and noble war in Iraq against terrorism and for the principles of peace and freedom. As a ruthless killer who used WMD even against his own people, Saddam Hussein posed an eminent threat to world peace. He hated the freedom that nations, particularly the U.S., represented, and he targeted them for attack.
Given our intelligence, forcibly removing Hussein from power was a good decision by the president. Hussein's known connections with terrorist groups, along with the strong indications of Iraq's possession of WMD and plans to build more signaled an eminent threat for additional terrorist attacks.
In the aftermath of the attack on the World Trade Center, he president did not go after the wrong person (Hussein vs. bin Laden). Metaphorically he went after both the drug lord and his street dealer rather than just the street dealer.
I support our country's leadership for taking a bold stand against terrorism. We should honor the fallen soldiers in this war and those from past wars, for making the ultimate sacrifice for the preservation of peace and freedom for us and other nations for generations to come. BDWN

Nepal : Nepal Punishes 108 Soldiers for Rights Abuses

2005-03-24T14:55:00.000+06:00

Thu Mar 24, 2005 09:44 AM ET

KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Nepal's army, facing criticism from human rights groups, said on Thursday it had punished 108 soldiers for violating basic civil liberties while battling a bloody Maoist revolt that has killed thousands since 1996.

Human rights groups have slammed the Royal Nepali army, blaming it for extrajudicial killings, disappearances, arbitrary arrests and torture in an attempt to crush Maoist insurgents.

Human Rights Watch said earlier this month that King Gyanendra's seizure of total power in the Himalayan state on Feb. 1 after he dismissed a multi-party government had increased the risk of greater army abuses including forced disappearances.

In Kathmandu, army spokesman Brig. Gen. Dipak Gurung told reporters those guilty of rights violations were being punished with penalties ranging from warnings to imprisonment.

"Forty-four soldiers have been jailed for up to seven years for abuses like excessive use of force and forcibly collecting donations from the people," another officer said.

Gurung said 31 soldiers had been dismissed from the service and 12 others demoted. The rest had been warned or lost their annual increment in pay or been denied promotion.

Human rights groups say more than 1,200 people are missing due to the conflict. But Gurung said the figures could include many unidentified rebels who had been killed in clashes or people who had fled to India which shares a long border with Nepal.

The Maoist rebels are fighting to topple the monarchy and set up a single-party communist republic in the world's only Hindu kingdom, wedged between Asian giants China and India.

More than 11,000 people have been killed so far in the revolt in one of the world's poorest nations.

Gyanendra said he had been forced to take power last month as politicians had failed to tackle the revolt. He imposed a state of emergency and suspended civil liberties and press freedom.

The move brought worldwide condemnation. Britain and India suspended military supplies to the Nepali army, demanding that the king restore democracy and free politicians from jail. BDWN

Nepal : King Gyanendra sends emissary

2005-03-24T14:50:00.000+06:00

March 24, 2005 16:30 IST

With India not changing its tough position on Nepal, King Gyanendra has sent his emissary to New Delhi to clear the logjam in bilateral relations.

Field Marshal Meen Bahadur Rana is expected to meet officials in the ministries of external affairs and home as part of Kathmandu's efforts to persuade India to soften its stand, sources said.

Chairman of Nepal's State Council Parashu Narayan Chaudhary is also in Delhi. Although the visit is being dubbed a private affair, it is expected that he may meet some officials in the government.

The visits come barely four days after India's Ambassador to Nepal Shiv Shankar Mukherjee returned to Kathmandu after holding "consultations" with the government.

India has maintained that its policy on Nepal remained unchanged despite the release of some political prisoners by King Gyanendra's government.

New Delhi maintains that nothing short of complete restoration of democratic processes in the Himalayan Kingdom
will be acceptable to it.

India has also indicated to the King that it will not bail out his government during the upcoming meeting of UN Rights
Commission in Geneva. BDWN

India : India, China to discuss boundary issue

2005-03-24T14:48:00.000+06:00

Press Trust of India
Beijing, March 24, 2005
Ahead of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's maiden visit to India, the two countries have revived a Foreign Secretary-level bilateral mechanism to address the vexed boundary issue, which would hold a crucial two-day meeting in Beijing from March 30, a senior official said on Thursday.

The 15th meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on the India-China boundary issue will be held in Beijing from March 30 to 31, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said.

At the invitation of Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei, Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran would be visiting Beijing to take part in the JWG meeting, he told the agency and added, "the arrangements for the JWG meeting are being made."

The meeting will discuss the "guiding principles" that could lead to a mutually acceptable resolution of the India-China boundary issue, sources said.

Wen, at his annual press conference here on March 14, had stressed that one of the three items on his agenda in New Delhi would be to discuss the boundary issue, which he described as an issue "left over from history."

Official sources said the Chinese Premier would visit India from April 9-12.

The JWG mechanism was established after the visit of then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to China in December 1988 to discuss the boundary-related issues.

The JWG has met 14 times and its last meeting was held in New Delhi on November 21, 2002. However, not much progress was made during these meetings. BDWN

India : Will she be Miss India 2005?

2005-03-24T14:45:00.000+06:00

By: Kamia Wahi
March 24, 2005

Aparna Sharma

At 5 feet 9 inches, Aparna Sharma is standing tall and proud. She is among the four finalists from Mumbai competing for the Miss India contest.
This Airforce Station resident looks forward to carving a niche for herself in the glamour world.

“The Miss India contest seems like a good place to start a successful modelling career. I just sent my biodata and few photos to apply for the contest,” says Aparna.

However, modelling is nothing new for the 18-year-old, who has modelled for Tata Motors and Sony TV. Aparna has also acted in Kitni Mast Hai Zindagi aired on MTV, where where she plays the sister of lead actress Ananya.

Aparna wants to follow the footsteps of her role model Aishwarya Rai and switch to the silver screen after her modelling stint. Among her other favourites are Rani Mukerji and Sheetal Malhar.

But preparing for one of the most coveted titles in the country is not a cakewalk.

Aparna, who is undergoing a four-week training period along with the other contestants, begins her day at 5.30 am with a healthy glass of vegetable or fruit juice, followed by a workout sessions with Mickey Mehta, diction classes with Sabina Merchant, and so on.

One would think that with all this hype and hard work, Aparna would be pretty nervous about the D-day. But the bubbly teenager remains unfazed.

“I am having lots of fun, making new friends, learning so much and generally hanging out with all the girls. Besides, I don’t want to stress myself out and let it show on my skin,” she adds with a laugh.

Aparna, who moved to Thane about seven months ago, is already in love with the area. Coming from Delhi, she really appreciates Thane’s pollution-free atmosphere as compared to the rest of the city.

“I am glad to be here and whatever the outcome of the contest, I just hope to have a great time learning from the experience,” says Aparna. BDWN

Afghanistan : Document suggests bin Laden escaped at Tora Bora

2005-03-24T14:11:00.000+06:00

Military brief appears to contradict past Pentagon statements

From Mike Mount
CNN

Thursday, March 24, 2005 Posted: 10:56 PM EST (0356 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A document from the U.S. military appears to contradict the Pentagon's previous statements that it does not know whether al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden escaped U.S. forces at Tora Bora in Afghanistan in December 2001.

The legal document, which summarizes evidence against a terror suspect in U.S. custody at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, states the prisoner "assisted in the escape of Usama Bin Laden from Tora Bora."

There is no date or time frame given.

Originally released after a Freedom of Information Act request by The Associated Press, the document is now on the Pentagon Web site. Who wrote it and what level of information that person had is unclear.

The document is dated December 14, 2004. It is part of what the U.S. military calls Combatant Status Review Boards, a process to determine whether a detainee is an enemy combatant and should continue to be held or if he should be released.

Pentagon officials would not discuss the information in the document and the numerous others released with it, saying the statements were generated from classified information.

Neither the prisoner's name or nationality was disclosed. In the document, he is said to be associated with al Qaeda and the Taliban, and is described as having had bodyguards at one point, indicating he may have been of some importance.

The document also says the detainee was a commander for bin Laden during the Afghan fight against the Soviet occupation in the 1980s, and at some point called for a jihad, or holy war, against the United States.

Other evidence cited against the detainee states the person organized at least one rocket attack against U.S. troops and supported others.

The December 2001 siege of Tora Bora, aimed at killing or capturing bin Laden, has been hotly debated. U.S. military commanders have repeatedly said they didn't know if bin Laden was in the region or if he got away.

At a Pentagon news conference during the 2001 manhunt, Rear Adm. John Stufflebeem told reporters: "I'm not sure how close we ever really have been. We have narrowed it down to an area. Indicators were there, and now indicators are not there. So maybe he still is here, maybe he was killed, or maybe he's left."

The matter surfaced again during the 2004 presidential campaign. (Full story)

Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry repeatedly asserted that President Bush let bin Laden escape by using Afghan forces instead of American troops against al Qaeda in Tora Bora.

In an October 2004 opinion article in The New York Times, Gen. Tommy Franks wrote, "We don't know to this day whether Mr. bin Laden was at Tora Bora in December 2001. Some intelligence sources said he was; others indicated he was in Pakistan at the time."

Franks was the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan at the time.

"Tora Bora was teeming with Taliban and Qaeda operatives ... but Mr. bin Laden was never within our grasp," wrote Franks, who retired in 2003 and backed Bush in the election. BDWN

Middle East : Permitted For Publication: Israeli Arab Behind Stage Club Bombing Arrested

2005-03-24T13:16:00.000+06:00

09:47 Mar 24, '05 / 13 Adar 5765

(IsraelNN.com) A gag order was just lifted on the arrest of the lead terrorist behind the bombing of the Stage nightclub in Tel Aviv one month ago.

Ashraf Kaisi, an Israeli Arab resident of Baka al-Gharbia, was arrested by Israeli security forces on February 26, the day after the attack.

In his interrogation, Kaisi amitted to handling the terrorist who blew up the nightclub on the Tel Aviv boardwalk. BDWN

Afghanistan : One killed in Afghan prison riot

2005-03-22T14:15:00.001+06:00

22.05.2005
One prisoner has been killed and six people including three policemen injured during a clash at a jail in southern Afghanistan, officials said Tuesday.

The incident took place on Monday night in the city of Kandahar, the former stronghold of the ultra-Islamic Taliban regime. “One prisoner was killed and six others including three police were injured in Kandahar prison,” city police director General Salim Khan told AFP, declining to give more details.

The trouble started when an inmate attacked a prison police guard and opened fire, injuring him and two other policemen, a police source said. In a subsequent exchange of fire the attacker was killed and three prisoners were wounded, the source said. BDWN

Afghanistan : One killed in Afghan prison riot

2005-03-22T14:15:00.000+06:00

Middle East : 45 dead in Iraq unrest

2005-03-21T13:54:00.000+06:00

By Mujahid Mohammed in Mosul

March 21, 2005

AT least 45 people have died in violence in Iraq, including a US soldier, as Washington defended its decision to lead an invasion exactly two years ago amid protests around the world.

With talks on a new governing coalition still dragging on seven weeks since landmark January elections, Iraq was plunged into a diplomatic crisis with neighbouring Jordan as the two countries recalled their respective envoys after accusations of a Jordanian's involvement in a deadly suicide bombing.

Insurgents struck around Iraq yesterday hitting the fledgling security forces hard at a time when the US Government is channelling all its resources into training and equipping them to pave the way for the exit of US-led troops.

In the main northern city of Mosul, a suicide bomber with a fake badge slipped into a building housing the provincial anti-corruption department and blew himself up inside the office of its chief, General Walid Kachmoula, killing him and two of his guards.

Attackers struck again hours later opening fire on the procession bearing Kachmoula's coffin as it made its way to the cemetery, killing two people and wounding 14, hospital sources said.

Separately, two unidentified bodies shot in the chest and head were found in the city, which has become a new front for the insurgency since November.

In another flashpoint town, gunmen attacked a police station in Baquba killing at least four police and wounding two as a truck bomb rammed into the entrance of an Iraqi army barrack wounding 17 people, a police official said.

Four insurgents were killed in an ensuing firefight.

In the capital, 24 Iraqi insurgents were killed and six coalition soldiers wounded in a firefight, the US military said.

In the northern oil centre of Kirkuk, a US soldier was killed and three others wounded when a roadside bomb hit their patrol, the US military said.

An Iraqi army commander from the Turkmen minority, General Mohsen Hazaa Bayram al-Bayati, was also seriously wounded in the ethnically divided city in an apparent assassination attempt, officers said.

In the key refinery town of Baiji, a Turkish driver travelling in a convoy escorted by the US military was killed by small arms fire, said Lieutenant Colonel Hassan Salah.

A policeman was killed and three others wounded in a similar attack in Samarra, while the bodies of an Iraqi army officer and his cousin were found in the same area, according to police.

In the main southern city of Basra, a civilian was killed when a roadside bomb exploded in the path of a police patrol, police said.

There were also conflicting reports about the fate of an official convoy headed to the capital from Basra.

Interior ministry sources said 10 guards were kidnapped. A provincial official in the port city had said a government minister was also seized but aides later denied it.

Despite the continuing high casualty toll from insurgent violence two years after Washington hailed Iraq's liberation, US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld insisted that serious progress had nonetheless been achieved.

"It's a wonderful thing to see 25 million Iraqis liberated, to see their economy improve as it has been, to see their political process move toward democracy," Mr Rumsfeld told Fox News.

About 11,000 American troops have been wounded and more than 1500 US soldiers have died in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion.

Amid worldwide protests, US President George W. Bush hailed the decision to get rid of Saddam, calling Iraq a beacon of democracy in the region.

"Only the fire of liberty can purge the ideologies of murder by offering hope to those who yearn to live free," he said in a radio address on Saturday.

Relations between Iraq and its pro-Western neighbour Jordan were meanwhile in crisis as both governments withdrew their envoys following a wave of protests over the alleged involvement of a Jordanian in a deadly suicide bombing.

The first move was made by Jordan, whose Foreign Minister Hani Mulki announced the kingdom was recalling its top diplomat from Baghdad, in a move that threatened to overshadow an Arab summit in Algiers later this week.

"We have recalled home for consultations charge d'affaires Dimai Haddad because the embassy (where he also lives) is unsafe for him, while other diplomats who live outside the embassy remain in Iraq," Mr Mulki told AFP on the sidelines of an Arab foreign ministers' meeting to prepare tomorrow's summit.

Iraq's interim government swiftly retaliated, announcing it was recalling its ambassador from Amman.

"Relations between the two countries are in crisis mode," an Iraqi official said.

Hundreds of Shiites have been demonstrating outside the Jordanian embassy in Baghdad in the past week, burning the country's flag and cursing King Abdullah II. BDWN

Middle East : Al-Qaeda claims killing of senior officer

2005-03-21T13:50:00.000+06:00

March 21, 2005

MOSUL: Al-Qaeda today claimed responsibility for a suicide attack in northern Iraq that killed the head of the local anti-corruption authority and two of his guards.

"The renegade (General) Walid Kachmoula has been assassinated in a martyrdom operation, thanks to God," the group said in a statement posted on an Islamic website.

The claim's authenticity could not be verified.

Kachmoula was "the number one American agent in the province of Nineveh", it said.

A suicide bomber with a fake badge slipped into Kachmoula's office in the centre of Mosul and blew himself up earlier today. Two guards were also killed in the attack, the interior ministry said.

Two more people were killed and 14 others wounded when gunmen attacked Kachmoula's funeral in Mosul hours later.

Kachmoula was the head of the local commission responsible for fighting corruption in the local administration. Its offices are in the city centre, the scene of several insurgent attacks in recent weeks.

Various groups linked to al-Qaeda have claimed responsibility for scores of deadly attacks in Iraq since the 2003 US-led military invasion of Iraq. BDWN

Middle East : Nevzlin, Brudno, Dubov buy stake in Israel Petrochemicals

2005-03-21T13:45:00.000+06:00

21/03/2005 01:22
By Ami Ginsburg

Russian Jewish businessmen Leonid Nevzlin, Mikhail Brudno and Vladimir Dubov, are to complete their first investment in Israel, by buying a controling stake in Israel Petrochemical Enterprises.

Through their international investment company, Menatep, the three will buy 20 percent of Modgal, Israel Petrochemical's parent company from the Belgian company Pastich Holding.

Menatep will be allocated a further 7.5 percent stake in Modgal, for an undisclosed sum.

Menatep's principal activity is in investments in the fields of gas, minerals, oil, telecoms and information technology. One of its major holdings is in the Russian oil company Yukos, whose controling shareholder, Michael Khodorkovsky, was arrested a year and a half ago, and is
currently in prison in Russia. At the time, Nevzlin, Brudno and Dubov fled to Israel and have since established themselves in Herzliya Pituah. Khodorkovsky transferred his shares in Yukos to Nevzlin.

Following the transaction announced Sunday, Menatep will own 26 percent of Israel Petrochemicals, through its subsidiary Alder. Indirectly, it will hold a further 14.8 percent. Modgal's major shareholders David Federman (former owner of Elite confectionery company), Jacob Gottenstein and Alex Passal - will hold 69.5 percent of Modgal after the deal is complete. BDWN

Middle East : Arab Jews in Palestine Before Israel

2005-03-21T13:42:00.000+06:00

Monday, 21 March 2005, 11:42 am
Opinion: Genevieve Cora Fraser
Arab Jews in Palestine Before There Was a State Called Israel

By Genevieve Cora Fraser

The news is full of stories about Jerusalem lately, focusing on Israeli encroachment on what remains of East Jerusalem, which is the designated capital of a future Palestinian state. It was recently uncovered that millions of dollars have been surreptitiously paid by foreign Jewish investors to buy two large properties from the Greek Orthodox Church in the Palestinian section of Jerusalem's Old City. And depending on which newspaper you read, the government of Israel has allocated somewhere between $1.2 million and $2 million to demolish somewhere between 20,000 and 26,000 Palestinian homes in Jerusalem. (Apparently the so-called cease-fire doesn't include home and life destroying, super-sized Caterpillar bulldozers.)

The Christian Aid Relief Web reports that Israel's plans for the route of the separation barrier around Jerusalem will cut East Jerusalem and the largest Israeli settlement in the West Bank off from the rest of the West Bank, and will divide Bethlehem. According to the report, "Christian Aid's Palestinian and Israeli partners say the route will jeopardize peace talks and argue that the decision amounts to a unilateral attempt to prejudge the borders of a final solution to the conflict."

And if that isn't enough to destroy any hope for peace, a clandestine meeting in Jerusalem's Old City of rabbis and far-left Jewish extremists, representing 30 groups, was caught on tape and broadcast on Israeli TV. The assembled were plotting to take over the Temple Mount, the Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) to Muslims, in an attempt to thwart Israel's withdrawal from Gaza.

About the only glimmer of hope as Israel rushes to establish "facts on the ground" in Jerusalem, and elsewhere in the occupied territories, is the recently released Sasson Report. The report exposes criminal activity at the highest levels as Israel steals what little remains of Palestine from Palestinians. From government ministries to the nationally owned utilities, the Israel Defense Forces and the World Zionist Organization, the government of Israel provides the underpinnings for the illegal network of settlements and outposts, according to the report. But will anyone do anything about it? Even the United Nations now takes Israel's side - omitting references to the illegality of the occupation, settlements and the racist Apartheid Wall while expressing concerns about the safety of the illegal settlers who torment and kill Palestinians, destroy their olive and citrus trees and seize their farmlands and other assets on a daily basis.

But how did we get from Al Nakba in 1948 to what some believe in 2005 is the new beginning and others see as the beginning of the end for Palestinian hopes? Too often I have heard comments from otherwise reasonable and intelligent people saying with an air of resignation "but that's the way it's been between the Arabs and the Jews for thousands of years." These people fail to realize that for thousands of years, the Arabs were the Jews - with the Hebrew people migrating from out of Arabia to Southern Babylonia, Egypt, the Middle Euphrates, Palestine and Syria.

One all too frequently overlooked source of information on the documented real history of the region is the Jerusalem Quarterly, published by the Institute for Jerusalem Studies. The latest issue, which can be found on-line at http://www.jqf-jerusalem.org/current.html, focuses on the status and tribulations of the native Jewish community in Palestine on the eve of Zionism.

Edited by Salim Tamari, who has contributed the article "When Native Jews Ceased to be Arabs" to the current issue, the publication is an English-language journal "aimed at identifying and tracing trends in the changing status of the city." Given the explosive nature of this spiritual home to Jews, Christians and Muslims perpetually in conflict with Israeli encroachments and Palestinian acts of peaceful and active resistance, matters covered by the publication of "zoning and land appropriation, the building of new settlements and the expansion of old ones, regulations affecting the status of Arab residency in Jerusalem, demographic trends, formal and informal Palestinian negotiating strategies on the final status of Jerusalem as well as the impact of these urban policies on local, everyday culture," are of monumental importance, with repercussions felt round the world. As an added bonus, the articles are often poignant and always intelligently written as well as informative. BDWN

Middle East : Syria Says Taking All Steps to Leave Lebanon

2005-03-20T13:52:00.000+06:00

Sun Mar 20, 2005 06:01 PM ET

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq al-Shara said on Sunday his country was doing everything necessary to pull its troops out of neighboring Lebanon.

"We are doing everything necessary to implement the Taif Agreement. We made a very important step that is the first stage of the Taif Agreement," Shara said, referring to the 1989 deal that ended Lebanon's 15-year civil war and demanded Syria initially pull back to eastern Lebanon then withdraw fully.

Faced with mounting international pressure and Lebanese popular protest since the killing of a former Lebanese prime minister last month, Syria has completed the first stage of a two-phase plan to withdraw its troops from Lebanon, pulling them back to the Bekaa Valley and withdrawing 4,000-6,000 completely.

A Syrian-Lebanese military committee is due to meet next month to agree a timetable for the withdrawal of the remaining 8,000-10,000 troops.

The United States wants Syria to get its troops and intelligence agents out of Lebanon before general elections due in May.

Shara said Syria's plans to pull out of Lebanon overlapped with a United Nations resolution passed last year, demanding foreign troops pull out of Lebanon and militias there disarm.

But he said resolution 1559 was part of a U.S. campaign of pressure aimed at redrawing the Middle East.

"We used the sort of consistency between the two so we do not complicate matters and so some don't think we are clinging to remaining in Lebanon," Shara told Lebanon's al-Manar TV, a mouthpiece for the anti-Israeli Hizbollah guerrilla group Damascus backs and the United States wants disarmed.

"This pressure comes as part of a reshaping of the Middle East. I don't believe success in this will be easy and they will find difficulties because they ignore the rights of the Arabs to regain their occupied territories." BDWN

Middle East : Aide says Lebanese president won't resign under opposition pressure

2005-03-20T13:37:00.000+06:00

Sun Mar 20, 6:43 PM ET

BEIRUT (AP) - President Emile Lahoud will not bow to pressure from the anti-Syrian opposition to resign, a senior aide to the Lebanese leader said Sunday.

Lahoud's media adviser stressed the president can be forced to step down only if he is impeached by Parliament for either violation of the constitution or high treason.

"Since these two matters have not occurred . . . this issue is out of the question for the president," Rafik Shalala told The Associated Press. Lahoud, Shalala said, "will not relinquish power and leave a constitutional vacuum in the country."

Lebanon's president is elected by Parliament.

On Saturday, Druse leader Walid Jumblatt, who is leading the opposition campaign against Syria's military and political role in Lebanon, renewed his call for Lahoud to step down as a way out of the political crisis.

"Unless a new president is elected from the current Parliament - and there are many opposition legislators who are qualified to lead the country - the future may be unknown," Jumblatt said in a speech to supporters.

Only Jumblatt and four other legislators - and not the entire opposition - have demanded Lahoud's resignation.

Lebanon's most prominent anti-Syrian opposition leader, former army commander Gen. Michel Aoun, said from France that he is against Lahoud's resignation for now because the current 128-member legislature, packed with Syria's supporters, can elect a new president loyal to Damascus.

"We do not want to bring the president down under the present Parliament because this Parliament can immediately elect a pro-Syrian president," Aoun said in a statement published Sunday by An-Nahar newspaper. BDWN

Middle East :Turkish Student Amnesty Law Approved Despite Fears From Secularists

2005-03-19T14:03:00.000+06:00

Reuters, Arab News

ANKARA, 19 March 2005 — A law allowing hundreds of thousands of Turkish students thrown out of university to resume their studies came into force yesterday, despite opposition from academics and the country’s secular establishment. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which has Islamist roots, has strongly backed the so-called student amnesty law, saying it will give a second chance to students forced to abandon their studies after a 2001 financial crisis.

But secularists are uneasy because it will also allow women expelled for wearing the Islamic-style headscarf to return to university. The AKP counters the strict ban on headscarves at university will remain in force so any girls returning to their studies will still have to remove their scarves.

President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, a staunch secularist, had originally vetoed the law on technical grounds, saying any amnesty required the support of three-fifths of the members in the 550-seat Parliament. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan personally intervened in this week’s renewed debate on the bill and helped ensure it passed unchanged but this time with sufficient support from deputies.

Sezer signed it into law on Thursday evening. He could still appeal to the Constitutional Court or even call a referendum on the issue but that now seems unlikely. He has made no public reference to the headscarf issue. But the head of Turkey’s higher education board, Erdogan Tezic, signaled his continued disquiet yesterday, saying politicians should not meddle in the universities.

Academics fear that the amnesty will dilute standards and strain universities’ limited financial resources. Critics of the bill have long argued it is a purely populist measure designed to bolster support for the AKP. Estimates suggest between 224,000 and 650,000 students will benefit from the amnesty, the 10th of its kind since a 1980 military coup which established the present structure of higher education in Turkey.

Meanwhile, the risk of fresh landslides was impeding rescue workers in efforts to find 15 people who were buried in their houses when a landslide hit a mountain village in northeastern Turkey, the Anatolia news agency said yesterday. More than 20 houses were buried on Thursday when a hillside gorged by heavy rain collapsed onto the village of Sugozu in Sivas province, a region known for its mushy ground.

Fifteen people were missing and nine were injured in the disaster, but their lives are not at risk, the crisis center in Ankara said. Dozens of rescuers were immediately sent to the area along with earth-moving machines, but they have been forced to stand by since late Thursday for fear their efforts may cause the earth to move again.

Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener told reporters during a visit to the village that water had flooded the landslide area, forming a pond 15 to 20 meters (50 to 66 feet) deep. “It looks as if an attempt to remove the earth would cause a (new) landslide,” the minister said in televised remarks. “Experts will evaluate the situation and rescuers will begin work as soon as the coast is clear, technically.”

Sener, flanked by Housing and Civil Works Minister Zeki Ergezen, said the government would help villagers pick up the pieces after the landslide, but also announced plans to relocate the village, which is located about 400 kilometers northeast of Ankara. “All the houses and barns will be rebuilt,” Ergezen said. BDWN

Middle East : Three rebels killed in Yemen

2005-03-19T14:00:00.000+06:00

BANGLADESH: Who The Fuck Is Bangla Bhai?

2005-03-17T14:31:00.000+06:00

Late last month the New York Times Magazine published a stunning article on Bangla Bhai, a radical Islamist vigilante who seeks to "bring about the Talibanization of his part of Bangladesh," and which also suggested that the country faced the prospect of an Islamic Revolution. Not surprisingly, the Bangladeshi government promptly complained that the NYT report was "baseless and politically motivated," and Bangladesh's Permanent Representative to the United Nations "sent a written protest" to the NYT. As a government official pointed out, "the one-sided report of a remote village (Bagmara in Rajshahi) out of nearly 90,000, does in no way depict the correct and objective picture of the country."

However, the issue does not end there. Despite the government's assurances that it is handling the Bangla Bhai issue with a firm hand, observers and the political opposition note that the militant "still eludes a police dragnet despite high-level government orders for his arrest, including one by the premiere half a year ago, giving rise to the conjecture that he enjoys mysterious and strong backing. As some disgusted Bangladeshis point out,
It's not that we lack the capacity to catch him. Our law enforcers are definitely capable of capturing such a criminal any day. But if ambiguous statements about so-called Bangla Bhai are made by people in authority, then it might well be construed as lack of intention on their part to put him behind the bar. The government can rest assured that when there is a serious bid to arrest him, there would be no dearth of support from the common men; for, we are in no doubt about a growing public sentiment against the monstrosity of Bangla Bhai and his party. BDWN

Nepal rebels deny reports of rift

2005-03-16T22:23:00.000+06:00

Maoist rebels in Nepal have flatly denied official claims they have expelled one of their senior leaders.

State-owned media has reported that Baburam Bhattarai and his wife, Hisila Yami, were ousted after a meeting of the rebels' central committee.

But a rebel statement said the reports were "absolutely false".

Mr Bhattarai was "working with party chairman Prachanda and continuing to carry out his responsibilities", the statement circulated to the media said.

Correspondents say Baburam Bhattarai is the second most powerful person in the rebel movement.

The Maoist statement also said it was untrue that there had been a campaign of graffiti against the party leadership and the movement.

"Both of these claims amount to propaganda by the army and a continuation of the reactionary policy of divide and rule," it said.

"We urge people not to be taken in by such misinformation."

Mounting violence

Mr Bhattarai led the rebels in failed peace talks with the government in 2003.

Since then there have been frequent newspaper reports alleging a rift between him and rebel leader Prachanda - apparently over Mr Bhattarai's wish to resume peace talks.

Violence has escalated in Nepal following the rebels' withdrawal from negotiations in August 2003.

About 11,000 people have now died in the 10 years since the rebels began their fight for a communist republic, the army says.

Last month, with the security situation worsening, King Gyanendra sacked the multi-party government, seized direct powers and declared a state of emergency.

Prachanda responded by promising to step up what he called armed resistance. BDWN

Bangladesh Bans Smoking In Many Public Places

2005-03-16T22:20:00.000+06:00

DHAKA - Bangladesh has banned smoking in public places, in line with a United Nations treaty on tobacco control.

Parliament passed a law implementing the ban late on Sunday, setting a fine of 50 taka (80 US cents) for people caught smoking in places such as schools, offices, libraries, hospitals and airports.

The typical daily wage of a farm labourer in Bangladesh is 60 (S$1=63.45 taka) taka, just under one US dollar.

The law prohibits advertisement of tobacco products in cinemas, newspapers or on television in the country of 130 million people.

The World Health Organisation said about half of Bangladeshi men and one-fifth of Bangladeshi women use tobacco in either smoking or smokeless forms.

The global pact, signed by 167 nations, came into effect in February, despite what UN officials and activists say has been intensive lobbying by the tobacco industry. BDWN

BD to send 1,600 troops to Sudan

2005-03-16T22:18:00.000+06:00

DHAKA, March 15: Bangladesh has finalized preparation for sending some 1,600 troops under the UN peacekeeping mission to Sudan.

The government is now awaiting a final nod from the United Nations. A six-member UN team arrived in Dhaka on Monday for pre-deployment inspection, said a senior official in the Bangladesh Army's public relation department.

"Although we are yet to finalize as how many peacekeepers will be sent this time, we expect it will be about 1,600, mostly from the army and some from the navy," the officer said.

Since Bangladesh started participating in the UN peacekeeping missions in 1988, it earned Tk 4,600 crore by contributing 40,800 soldiers of the Bangladesh Army. More than 8,000 peacekeepers from the Bangladesh armed forces are now deployed in 11 countries. Nine Bangladeshi army men were killed in Democratic Republic of Congo in February in the worst ever attack by rebels. BDWN

Pakistan rape victim in fear after attackers released

2005-03-16T22:07:00.000+06:00

By Asim Tanveer

MEERWALA, Pakistan (Reuters) - The victim of a notorious gang rape in Pakistan said on Wednesday she was living in fear of her life after four men convicted of the crime were released from jail.

The men were freed from prison in the central town of Dera Ghazi Khan on Tuesday, pending a Supreme Court hearing of different appeals arising from their conviction for the 2002 crime and subsequent acquittal.

An anti-terrorism court sentenced six men to death in 2002 for the gang rape of Mukhtaran Mai -- four for carrying out the rape and two who sat on a village council that ordered it to assuage the honour of a powerful tribal family.

The case provoked an outcry in Pakistan and drew international attention to the plight of women in the country.

Speaking to Reuters at her home in the village of Meerwala in the central province of Punjab, Mai broke down in tears at the release of the four men, saying she was losing hope of justice.

"My heart is broken and I have no desire to live," she said.

Mai had pleaded against the release of the men ahead of their appeal and said she now feared for her safety, having received threats from the powerful Mastoi tribe to which they belong.

"We have been threatened that we will be killed, we have been told that they will make us disappear from the area," she said.

A legal controversy over the case erupted when a high court in the central city of Multan overturned the anti-terrorism court ruling and acquitted five of the six due to lack of evidence and commuted the death sentence of the sixth to life imprisonment.

Days later, the Federal Shariat Court, Pakistan's highest Islamic tribunal, threw out the Multan judgment, saying the high court had no jurisdiction.

The Supreme Court then intervened, suspending further proceedings of both the Federal Shariat Court and Multan High Court and saying it would hear appeals and counter appeals against the rulings.

The Supreme Court has yet to set a date for the hearing.

The original trial heard that Mai's rape was ordered by the village council as punishment for her brother's suspected affair with a woman from the Mastoi tribe.

Police in Meerwala said they had assigned officers to guard Mai's house and neighbourhood in case of any reprisals.

Just 6 km away in the home village of the four men, hundreds of fellow members of the Mastoi tribe celebrated their release and proclaimed their innocence, some performing traditional dances and banging drums.

Gang rapes and honour killings of women are common in rural Pakistan, where tribal customs still hold sway. In most cases the perpetrators go free because of the poor standard of police investigations and flaws in the legal system.

President Pervez Musharraf has called for stringent steps to curb crimes against women, including a review of controversial Islamic laws rights groups say are discriminatory.

However, the government has failed to take steps given stiff opposition from Islamic parties and powerful feudal politicians. BDWN

US Secretary of State arrives in Islamabad

2005-03-16T22:05:00.000+06:00

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday on her first visit for talks on bilateral matters, regional security and war on terror, state media reported.

Ms Rice is expected to call on President General Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and hold a bilateral meeting with Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri.

"Besides the bilateral relations, we would also be discussing regional situation, international issues and of course the situation in the Middle East, Afghanistan and Iraq," Foreign Office Spokesman Jalil Abbas Jilani said this week.

Defence cooperation will be discussed during the talks and Pakistani officials said the US is aware of Pakistan's legitimate defence requirements.

Delivery of F-16 fighter jets is reportedly under consideration by the American administration. BDWN

India-Pakistan peace process tops agenda as Rice meets Indian leaders

2005-03-16T22:04:00.000+06:00

NEW DELHI : US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is to hold a flurry of talks with Indian leaders in New Delhi focussing on the India-Pakistan peace process and other regional issues, as well as bilateral trade.

"India is emerging not just as a regional power, but also as a global power," Rice told reporters on board the aircraft that brought her to the Indian capital for the start of her six-nation tour of Asia, her first visit to the region since being appointed to the job in January.

"We saw that in the work that we were able to do with India in the core group for the tusnami relief, and I think there are many more opportunities -- economic, in terms of security, in terms of energy cooperation -- that we can pursue with India," she said.

India and the United States, on opposite sides during the Cold War, cooperated on relief efforts after the December 26 tsunamis in the Indian Ocean, using their navies to rush relief supplies to Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Thailand.

"With India, we clearly have a broader and deeper relationship than we ever had," Rice said.

She was to have a full working day Wednesday in the Indian capital, meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Foreign Minister Natwar Singh among other leaders before flying to Islamabad in the evening.

She was also to address a joint news conference with her Indian counterpart after their talks in New Delhi, Indian foreign ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said.

Bilateral trade, economic and security relations, the situation in Nepal, Bangladesh and the India-Pakistan peace process, ongoing cooperation in Afghanistan, developments in Iraq and United Nations reforms are some of the issues expected to come up for discussion, Sarna added.

In Islamabad, Rice will hold talks with her counterpart Khurshid Kasuri and meet President Pervez Musharraf, Pakistani foreign office spokesman Jalil Abbas Jilani said earlier this week.

Rice said that at the same time as US relations with India have been moving forward, her country's relations with Pakistan are perhaps the best they have ever been as well. She cited deepening relations with Pakistan in the war on terrorism, support for President Musharraf's efforts to modernize his country, and support for Pakistani education and the globalization of the Pakistani economy.

"And so our ability to have good relations with India and good relations with Pakistan I think has helped the two states to have good relations with each other," Rice said.

Pakistan has been a staunch ally of US President George W. Bush since the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, which killed about 3,000 people and for which Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility.

Rice has not commented about Pakistan's request to buy more F-16 fighter jets from the US. India strongly opposes the sale.

The Wall Street Journal said Tuesday that Rice would signal US willingness to sell F-16s to both Pakistan and India.

The paper, citing US government sources, said the US could sell Pakistan about two dozen of the jets while India could buy as many as 125.

On Thursday Rice will make a short trip to Afghanistan's capital Kabul and return the same day, leaving Islamabad Friday.

"We will continue to talk to the Afghans about reconstruction, about building an economy there that can be self-sustainable, about the problems they continue to face in the war on terror, and of course on the counter-narcotics side as well," she said Tuesday.

Rice continues from Pakistan to Japan, South Korea and China. BDWN

Pakistan and China want to expand military ties, Islamabad says after talks

2005-03-16T22:02:00.000+06:00

Islamabad, March 15, SPA -- Pakistan and China want to expand their military ties, a Pakistani Defense Ministry statement said Tuesday after officials from both sides held talks.
"Pakistan and China have expressed the desire to further enhance and strengthen defense collaboration," the
statement said. Both sides "expressed satisfaction over the existing friendly and cooperative ties ... (in) defense
and defense production."
"Cooperation between Pakistan and China was critical for peace and stability in the region," it added.
Maj. Gen. Jia Xinoning led the six-member Chinese delegation at the talks in the Defense Ministry
headquarters in Rawalpindi, a city near the capital, Islamabad. Defense Minister Rao Sikandar Iqbal headed the
Pakistani side, the statement said.
It was not clear what position Xinoning had in the military. BDWN

Pakistan set to join top ten in Asia: PM

2005-03-16T22:00:00.000+06:00

By Shahzad Raza
MUSCAT — Pakistan economy has reached the growth rate of 7 per cent and this year the country will join the top ten in Asia, Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz told a select gathering of Pakistani community in Oman yesterday.
Addressing his countrymen as his first engagement in Oman, Aziz said the gross domestic product (GDP) growth which was only 4.5 per cent in 1998-99, reached 6.4 in 2004 and had already reached 7 per cent this year.
“I don’t mean to say there are no problems in Pakistan but let me tell you that we first moved out of intensive care ward to general ward and now are out of the hospital,” he said referring to the perilous situation in 1998 when the country was on the brink of default.
“We were totally bankrupt when President Musharraf took over. Nothing at that time suggested we were going through a serious crisis. It was like we had high fever but did not know we were ill. We first tried to stop this haemorrhaging and then came to economic reforms.
“We gradually improved. Now we are in the growth phase. You can even see foreign publications, facts and figures beat testimony to this. As far as growth rate is concerned, we will be among Asia’s top ten by the end of this year,” Aziz announced amid loud applause.
Inviting the Pakistanis to invest in their country, the prime minister referred to his meeting earlier in the day with Prince Waleed, known to be the richest man in the Muslim world with projects in 105 countries, who has expressed his willingness to invest in Pakistan.
Briefing the community on Wana operation, Aziz informed them the situation had radically improved in the area.
“The government had to take some difficult decisions but let me tell you every decision is taken in national interest. When Karzai government took over many people fled Afghanistan and settled in our tribal areas.
“A lot of them were foreigners and were involved in terrorist activities. Action was taken to purge the area of those elements and now you can see the tribal areas are relatively peaceful. In fact there is a lot of development going on there including hospitals, roads and even schools for girls.
Reiterating Pakistan’s stand on Kashmir, the premier said the ties with India were improving but the core issue of Kashmir must be resolved according to the wishes of Kashmiri people.
He also apprised the gathering of government’s new five-year programme presented at National Economic Council (NEC) meeting which comprises five priorities — water security, energy security, infrastructure, health, education, population and gender programmes and finally second generation reforms. “Second generation reforms means to take the process forward. I often say the only constant in life is change. There always a way forward. We have reached a level, now we have to move on to next step to improve competitiveness.”
Praising the community for joining hands to form a united front as the new leadership of Pakistan Social Club, the premier paid glowing tributes to the overseas Pakistanis who contribute over $4 billion in foreign remittances to the national exchequer every year.
Later he gave a hearing to the people’s concerns and promised to raised them during his talks with the Omani government. BDWN

Pakistan upgrading nuclear program

2005-03-16T21:59:00.000+06:00

Pakistan has developed new illicit channels to upgrade its nuclear weapons program, despite efforts by the U.N. Atomic watchdog to shut down all illegal procurement avenues, diplomats and nuclear experts said. BDWN

Hinduism has many gods, but shares the idea of a trinity

2005-03-16T21:26:00.000+06:00

Alice Mannette

With more then 33,000 gods, Hindus have a god for every occasion.

When giving birth, one prays to Shashti, the goddess who protects women and children during childbirth. But in order to conceive one must ask Siva, the God of fertility, for assistance.

"All gods are important," said Gaurai Rai, who moved to the United States from India and resides in Staunton.

By saying 33,000, Hindus are saying an infinite number of gods. There are also more than 150 days set aside for religious festivals. Each one is filled with color and pageantry, as well as reverence for the particular god that is being honored.

All of the gods are interrelated — husbands, wives, children, consorts and reincarnations. The supreme gods form a triad, or trimurti, consisting of Brahma, the creator; Siva, the god of fertility and destruction; and Vishnu, the divine protector.

"There is only one god. It's like an elaborate chandelier. There is one light source, but many bulbs." said Mary Baldwin College professor of religion Daniel Metraux.

More than 3,500 years ago the Vedas, or holy scriptures, appeared, making Hinduism the oldest formal religion in the world. Years later, books on laws of conduct, morality and mysticism were transcribed. One of these sacred texts was the Bhagavad-Gita, which is commonly known as the jewel of Hinduism.

"The Bhagavad-Gita is a book of duties," said Nepal native Prajeep Adhikari. "It is a very big philosophy. The oldest in the world."

This ancient religion, which is celebrated throughout India and Burma, is the official state religion of Nepal, where 85 percent of the population is Hindu. Like Western religions, there are different factions, but the core belief system remains the same.

After death, the soul passes onto another being, known as transmigration. Because Hindus believe that the soul continues after death, reincarnation is fundamental to the religion. They believe an action in a previous lifetime affects the next life and the status, or caste, that one is born into. The only way to stop the perpetual cycle of death and rebirth is to obtain mosksha, release from reincarnation and unity with the divine.

"Karma is like a bank loan," Metraux said. "When you pay off your car loan, you're free. To get closer to God is the whole point of a Hindu's life."

Adhikari quoted from the Bhagavad-Gita, "Whatever is yours today, was somebody else's before you. And tomorrow it will become somebody else's. Change is the rule of the world." Dhaka

Big Bang of IT ideas goes off today

2005-03-16T21:24:00.000+06:00

HYDERABAD: Time to talk specifics. The labour's done, now for some sparkling new ideas. The Times of India-Virtusa My Hyderabad My Destiny campaign kicks off on Tuesday at the Grand Ballroom of Taj Krishna. The event is being held in association with Taj Krishna and Jet Airways.

In what promises to be a massive churning of ideas to be kicked off by chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, captains of IT industry and academe will lay out the route map for Hyderabad's quest to be top of the IT pile.

Ideas will be tossed up, concepts debated. But this will only be the big bang that'll give birth to a universe of opinions. Among those who'll address Tuesday's session will be Ramalinga Raju, chairman of Satyam Computer Services Ltd. Raju, an icon in the field of IT will deliver the keynote address. His address begins around 9.35 am.

Expect some scintillating speeches from B V Naidu, head of the Software Technology Park of India (Hyderabad/Bangalore), Bob Hoekstra, MD, Philips Software, Subroto Bagchi, COO, MindTree, and Romi Malhotra, MD, Dell International Services. IT majors that they are, they'll speak on how Hyderabad can be put on the fast track to progress.

And then, look forward to the Debate of the Day, in which a panel of speakers will slug it out over whether our city is yet a true blue IT destination. Among those who are participating are Dr Santanu Paul, general manager, Virtusa (India), and secretary Ajay Sawhney. The debate will be anchored by Arnab Goswami, vice-president and editor of the TV news division of The Times of India. This one promises to be a major draw and out of the heated debate will emerge the guide map to a bright future.

Two sessions on unleashing Hyderabad's IT potential follow thereafter. The first one will revolve around the question of human resource and infrastructure, where the panelists — J C Mohanty, principal secretary, IT, Srini Koppolu of Microsoft, Ninad Karpe, MD, Computer Associates, and Srikant Sunderrajan, CTO, Cognizant — will seek ways of building further from where we've reached thus far.

The second part of the panel discussion unfolds thereafter. Given the concerns expressed by the industry on the quality of manpower we churn out in Andhra Pradesh, a panel of eminent academics will discuss the issue threadbare. The panelists for this session are Sabyasachi Mitra of ISB, Prof. Sadagopan of IIIT Bangalore, Prof. Govindarajulu of IIIT Hyderabad and G Subba Rao, who heads the Institute of eGovernance. Former chief minister Chandrababu Naidu will deliver the valedictory address. BDWN

Police probe Sri Lanka killings

2005-03-15T22:44:00.000+06:00

Police near the central Sri Lankan town of Welikanda say they are investigating the killing of two youths in the area late on Monday night.

They say unidentified gunmen wearing combat fatigues took the youths from their homes and shot them dead.

One of the victims was found with multiple gunshot wounds to the head.

Military sources said the two were believed to be supporters of the Tamil Tiger rebel group, but this could not be independently verified.

The town of Welikanda is close to the eastern district of Batticaloa - which has been the scene of rival Tamil killings after the renegade Tiger commander, Colonel Karuna, split from the main Tiger faction in March last year.

Earlier this month a top female Tamil Tiger leader was shot and wounded in the eastern district of Ampara.

That attack raised fears of a breakdown of a fragile three year truce between the rebels and the government. BDWN

Buddhists help rebuild Sri Lanka

2005-03-15T22:43:00.000+06:00

Denise Brehm, News Office
Sasha Brown, News Office
March 15, 2005

Sri Lankan families left homeless by the tsunami could find themselves living in an enclave of MIT-designed housing if the efforts of MIT's Buddhist chaplain and a researcher in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning are successful.

And there's every reason to believe they will be.

Immediately after the Dec. 26 tsunami hit, the chaplain, Tenzin L.S. Priyadarshi, formed an alliance between MIT's Buddhist community and the Prajnopaya Foundation, which is working with the Sri Bodhiraja Foundation in Sri Lanka to collect funds for rebuilding permanent housing near the Sri Lankan seashores. Priyadarshi and the Prajnopaya Foundation, along with the Committee of World Religions for Tsunami Efforts in Taipei, Taiwan, raised more than $130,000 by Jan. 15. On Feb. 27, the alliance dedicated 25 new homes, each built for about $1,200. They hope to build 1,000 homes altogether.

"Many people are still thinking about how to relocate the victims and how to build camps for the victims. But because of the Buddhist monks' involvement in this project, some new homes have already been built and are housing families," said Priyadarshi, who is a Buddhist monk from India. He explained that the Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka wield a great deal of influence with the Sri Lankan government, making it possible for them to work quickly.

The houses built by the alliance are being assigned to families on an as-needed basis, with the first homes going to single mothers who lost their husbands in the disaster.

Priyadarshi and Carlo Ratti, a research scientist in urban studies, are forming a team of MIT students and faculty to create a design model for building small homes (about 400 square feet) with indoor plumbing that can be built using local materials, mostly wood, which is better able to withstand ocean storms than the concrete block buildings that were there before.

"Building a cluster of these houses based on an MIT model would be a way for MIT to reach out and show compassion to the victims and to house people in a socially conscious way," said Priyadarshi.

The Prajnopaya Foundation was founded by the Dalai Lama and has no paid employees. All donations go directly to building the homes.

Another aspect of the MIT project is Ratti's work with the MIT SENSEable City Laboratory to create an electronic disaster alert system for Sri Lanka. A joint research proposal developed by MIT and the University of Moratuwa in Sri Lanka calls for an early warning system that could be set up through cellular service to allow for early evacuation. BDWN

Senior official expelled from Nepal’s Maoist party: reports

2005-03-15T22:27:00.000+06:00

KATHMANDU - Nepal’s outlawed Maoist party has expelled its moderate third-in-command, Baburam Bhattarai, the local media said on Tuesday in reports vehemently denied by the rebels.

Several newspapers and the state-run news agency RSS reported that Bhattarai and his wife, Hishila Yemi, had been expelled from the politburo of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist).

The news came amid reports in Kathmandu that the Maoist party had split into two factions -- one favouring peace talks with the king and the others seeking to continue the conflict.

Maoist party spokesman and central committee member Krishna Bahadur Mahara issued a strong denial.

“The reports about the expulsion of our party leaders Baburam Bhattarai and his wife Hisila Yemi, publicised by the government-run communication media quoting the so-called army directorate, are one hundred percent false,” Mahara said in a statement faxed to AFP in Kathmandu.

“The fact is that Bhattarai and Yemi have been conferring and closely working together with the party chairman Comrade Prachanda and continuing to play their responsible roles within the party,” he said.

“It has been the same old tactics of the reactionaries to divide and rule by spreading confusion and unnecessary propaganda.”

King Gyanendra offered unconditional talks with the rebels soon after he seized power in the Himalayan kingdom on February 1, but the rebels have yet to respond formally.

Gyanendra defended the power grab as necessary to crush a Maoist rebellion that has killed more than 11,000 people since 1996.

Bhattarai is the third most senior official in the ranks of the rebels, who are fighting to install a communist republic in Nepal.

The Maoists held a nationwide 14-day transport blockade shortly after the king assumed power which sent food prices soaring as supplies dried up.

At the weekend, Prachanda called another transport blockade effective on Monday and to run until April 1. BDWN

Mines, SMGs seized in Bandarban

2005-03-15T22:21:00.000+06:00

Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) yesterday seized seven SMGs, 29 land mines and seven walky-talkies from Naikkhongchhari upazila under Bandarban district.

Acting on a tip off, a BDR team led by Hasinur Rahman raided a remote area of Naikkhongchhari and seized the arms that were found abandoned.

However, none was arrested in this connection. BDWN

Who The Fuck Is Bangla Bhai?

2005-03-15T22:11:00.000+06:00

India-Pakistan peace process tops agenda as Rice kicks off Asia visit

2005-03-15T21:22:00.000+06:00

EW DELHI (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites) arrived in the Indian capital at the start a six-nation tour of Asia which she said was in the midst of "tremendous change".

"This is going to be an opportunity to exchange views with important countries, important players in the region that is itself in the midst of tremendous change," Rice told reporters on board the aircraft which brought her to New Delhi.

"For instance with India, we clearly have a broader and deeper relationship than we ever had," she added Tuesday.

Rice was received at the airport by senior Indian foreign ministry officials when she arrived around 7:00 pm (1330 GMT).

She will have a full working day in the Indian capital on Wednesday when she meets Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Foreign Minister Natwar Singh before flying off to Islamabad in the evening.

She said increased military spending by Beijing was a concern because it comes at a time when there was growing tension between China and Taiwan.

Rice also criticised Beijing for passing a new law Monday that gives its military the legal basis to attack Taiwan if the island moves towards independence.

"Certainly, the military spending is concerning because it is taking place at a time when the cross-Strait issue (with Taiwan) is not still resolved," Rice told reporters on her plane.

China's rubber-stamp parliament approved Monday a 12.6 percent increase in military spending this year to 244.65 billion yuan (29.5 billion dollars).

"The anti-secession law is not helpful in reducing cross strait tensions," she said.

The legislation is expected to be raised during Rice's stay in China which comes at the end of a tour that will also take her to Pakistan, Afghanistan (news - web sites), Japan and South Korea (news - web sites).

The secretary of state is due to address a joint news conference with her Indian counterpart after their talks, Indian foreign ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said in Delhi Tuesday.

Sarna said bilateral trade, economic and security relations, the situation in Nepal, Bangladesh and the India-Pakistan peace process, ongoing cooperation in Afghanistan, developments in Iraq (news - web sites) and United Nation reforms are some of the issues expected to come up for discussion.

Asked if India would take up the issue of proposed sales of arms to Pakistan by the United States, Sarna said the US was "well aware of our concerns".

He said India and the United States had been in close touch and recently "worked together in the UN on coordinating our approach on Nepal".

India and the United States were the first to pull their envoys out of Nepal after King Gyanendra sacked the Sher Bahadur Deuba government in February. India and Britain have suspended arm sales to Nepal while Washington has warned it will follow suit unless the king restores multiparty democracy in the Himalayan outpost.

In Islamabad, Rice will hold talks with her counterpart Khurshid Kasuri and meet President Pervez Musharraf, Pakistani foreign office spokesman Jalil Abbas Jilani said.

Speaking of her trip to Inia's neighbour, Rice said, "We fully expect President Musharraf to be committed to a democractic path for Pakistan."

Pakistan has been a staunch ally of US President George W. Bush (news - web sites) since the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington.

On Thursday, Rice will make a short trip to the Afghan capital Kabul and return the same day, leaving Islamabad Friday after meeting Kasuri, Jilani said.

"Besides discussing bilateral relations, we would also be discussing the regional situation," he added.

However, he did not say if Rice would make any announcement about Pakistan's request to buy more F-16 fighter jets from the US. India strongly opposes the sale.

The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that on her swing through South Asia Rice is expected to signal US willingness to sell F-16s to both Pakistan and India.

The paper, citing US government sources, said the US could sell Pakistan about two dozen jets while India could buy as many as 125.

Sales of the fighter jets, it said, would be a major policy shift for Washington and a final step toward acceptance of both countries' possession of nuclear weapons. BDWN

Afghan parliamentary elections may be postponed for six months

2005-03-15T20:36:00.000+06:00

Kabul, March 15, SPA -- The head of Afghanistan's election commission said Tuesday that authorities were
discussing a proposal to postpone parliamentary elections until September, a step that has long been rumored due to logistical delays in organizing the vote.
"We are discussing a proposal to delay the elections ...
to September, but a final decision about it will be taken soon," Bismillah Bismil told a meeting of representatives
of the political parties in the capital, Kabul. BDWN

Sri Lankan maid injured in Rawdah grenade explosion

2005-03-14T22:41:00.000+06:00

KUWAIT By Hanan Al-Saadoun: A Sri Lankan housemaid in Rawdah has been hospitalised with serious injuries after a grenade exploded in her hand. According to reports, her Kuwaiti sponsor, an employee of the Ministry of Defence, who earlier found the device had kept it with him to hand over to the concerned authorities. But the maid apparently handled it in a wrong way resulting in the blast. Detailed investigations are in progress. Beauty saloon The municipal inspectors in Mubarak Al-Kabeer have filed a report against the owners of a beauty saloon who resisted them from carrying out their inspection in the saloon. The two women, a Kuwaiti and an Arab, have abused the female inspectors and refused them entry to check the premises, as required under the law. If proved, the charges are punishable with up to KD 500 fine. Missing girl The search for a 15-year-old girl, who had gone astray from her home, has lead to the rescue of another teenage girl from a Fintas apartment. Acting on a tip off, the cops raided the flat and found her in the company of a GCC citizen. Both have been taken into custody, while the search for the other girl continues. Mobile phone The Kuwaiti girl who was held for pilfering a mobile phone from a Jabriya beauty saloon has turned out to be the one reported by her family as absconding. The girl told the Hawally police that she sold the stolen phone to a taxi driver for KD 60 and spent the money on food and clothes. Citizen held The Farwaniya police arrested a Kuwait citizen who showed up at a local bank in a heavily intoxicated state. The man was sent for a medical check to determine the level of alcohol in blood stream. Money stolen Unidentified miscreants broke the glass of a parked car and stole KD 1000 from it. Police took the fingerprints from the car and started investigations. According to reports, the car belonged to a Kuwaiti VIP and the car was parked in an open ground at the time of the incident. Lebanese employee Police are searching for the Lebanese employee of a large commercial establishment, who allegedly embezzled a huge sum of money from the company. The Kuwaiti woman who owns the company had reported to Sulaibikhat police that the man, who received KD 2 million from the US military base in Doha on behalf of the company, had deposited the amount in his personal account. Thereafter he withdrew the amount and fled the country. Security sources said the accused person must have left the country on a forged passport. Investigations are still on. Rape attempt A stateless person was arrested by the capital patrols recently for attempting to kidnap and rape a Kuwaiti juvenile, said security sources. Case papers indicate that while the young citizen was walking by the municipality park in downtown Kuwait, the stateless person, who was heavily drunk, grabbed him in an attempt to drag him to a dark area and rape him. However, the young man managed to escape and call the police giving them the attacker's description. The man was later on arrested and transferred to the concerned authorities. BDWN

Nepal's rising vigilante violence

2005-03-14T22:28:00.002+06:00

A wave of tit-for-tat political violence in south-western Nepal has been creating terror and driven hundreds from their homes.

And King Gyanendra's handpicked government admits it has encouraged violence by anti-Maoist vigilantes.

In a serene landscape of wheat and rice plains, pretty haystacks and lumbering ox-carts, civilians have been butchered by the anti-Maoists, with the rebels responding brutally.

Men in Krishnanagar, by the Indian border, talk openly - using the Hindi language they are comfortable with - about the onset of violence last month.

"I was there in a crowd of 10,000. I was part of it," says a 28-year-old businessman.

"Everyone beat up the Maoists, including me. We used our hands, our shoes, everything we could find to beat them.

"Those who couldn't take part cried and wept and refused their food."

They were beaten to death - 12 men, branded as Maoists, by people fed up with Maoist extortion and two fresh Maoist abductions.

The mob gave the victims no chance.

The following days saw hundreds of houses in many villages destroyed, and people axed, shot, even burnt to death - people who may or may not have had anything to do with the Maoists.

Human rights researchers say the mob raped a 12-year-old girl.

At the height of the violence, three government ministers came to address a crowd.

Home Affairs Minister Dan Bahadur Shahi says he knew they had beaten 12 men to death.

Laws 'not relevant'

"I encouraged their self-defence system," he told the BBC. "Why shouldn't I? When the Maoists massacred the people and burned their properties?"

Recourse to the courts "is not relevant during a war", he continued.

"They gathered, found them and killed them. I thought I should praise them."

In Hallanagar, rows of mud-built houses stand charred and roofless, torched by the vigilantes. Here dwell hill people, already displaced by war.

Thirty-year-old Rikh Bahadur Gaha Magar, his face blank with grief, found his cousin's body.

"His brain was oozing from his head. He'd been axed and pierced with a spear, and we think he was cut with a sickle because his hand was broken in two places," he says.

"Please tell others we need help. We're terrified we'll be attacked again."

Women here said the villagers knew nothing of politics. They lost their belongings and have little to eat.

Om Prakash Aryal, a local human rights lawyer, says the violence between vigilantes and Maoists has killed 36, ruining over 600 houses and displacing 20,000 people to the Indian border.

"The Maoists used to force ordinary people to attend their programmes. Now in the anti-Maoist violence, the same civilians' houses have been burnt down just because they attended rallies," he says.

"There have been innocent victims on both sides. Nobody should take the law into their own hands."

Defensive

The security forces are defensive.

"Legally what these people are doing is a bad thing. But it was done by the crowd," says Major Sunil Gahle at a makeshift barracks in Ganeshpur village.

"The Maoists started their looting and all these bad things, so the people started this type of protection for themselves," he said, predicting the government might soon distribute firearms to villagers.

The Maoists themselves deny there is a popular uprising against them.

I met one of their senior officials, Shashi, a small, wiry intellectual, in rebel-dominated territory in Kapilbastu.

"I

Nepal's rising vigilante violence

2005-03-14T22:28:00.001+06:00

Nepal's rising vigilante violence

2005-03-14T22:28:00.000+06:00

A day in Bangladesh isn't what it seems

2005-03-14T22:12:00.001+06:00

By David Fuller
ROANOKE.COM COLUMNIST

I feel a certain pressure that comes from the constant tension in some Middle Eastern countries. I gave a sigh of relief as I boarded my 2 a.m. flight out of this part of the world and on to the next destination. I was going farther east to meet with new friends in the country of Bangladesh.

I slept well for the entire flight and was not really aware of my surroundings. I woke to pass through yet another customs line feeling as refreshed as is possible after an overnight flight. I felt a lot more relaxed, having left the oppressive cloud that seems to hover over places where an extreme fundamentalist form of Islam reigns.

My visas were in order. Customs was slow but uneventful. As the 300 passengers stood quietly in line trying to wake up, we could not even begin to imagine how that calm was to be shattered as we emerged from that room.

Having checked no bags I was one of the first to leave the arrival hall in search of a shuttle to the hotel. I was met by armed soldiers who demanded my name. This was unsettling after all of the relaxation I had enjoyed. I just wasn’t prepared for it. I was really hoping that Bangladesh was going to be a break from the action.

The soldiers scanned the list my name was on. The tension grew. They politely escorted me to a small and plain room where I was told to wait.

My mind was racing. I was thinking of exit strategies, and then began to realize there were no guards posted at the door of the room. I began to think that a break was not only possible but would be simple. Others began to be escorted into the room. There were no other Americans, but many of those who arrived, about 15 or so, were British. We talked among ourselves, trying to understand why we were being held.

At just about that point a not-so-official looking local entered the room and proceeded to brief us. We were not being held, I learned. We were being warned. The warning included an explanation of the current political crisis. On this early Saturday morning we were told that the former finance minister, who was a part of the opposition party, had been assassinated.

The ruling Bangladesh party has become increasingly fundamentalist in their approach to both Islam and civil law. The opposition party is of a moderate Muslim variety. I learned that an assassination in Bangladesh is not uncommon. In fact, many leaders in the relatively liberal opposition party have been killed by the fundamentalists.

What made this crisis different was the reaction of the opposition party. They began to demonstrate and these demonstrations had become violent. In the capital city, where we had landed, hundreds of thousands marched in the streets in opposition to the fundamentalist government.

They began to light cars on fire as they marched and explosions erupted all over the city. The government discharged their guns in the crowds. Several had been killed and hundreds had been wounded. I wondered if it had even made the news back home.

Because of all of this, a nationwide strike had been called and now the crowded and busy streets of Bangladesh were quiet. In Bangladesh they call it a “nationwide strike,” but it sure smells and feels like the imposition of what we call marshal law.

We had been assembled, not to be held, we were told, but very simply to try to arrange for our transportation to our hotel. Now it began to feel very American. There was a company, who for a modest sum, was happy to break the strike and take us to our hotel. It was explained to us that for $20 (about four times the normal cab fare) they would take us on a bus with armed guards and armed escorts.

Then it became even more American as we were all asked to sign a release of liability forms. There were no attorneys to consult and it seemed like a pretty good use of 20 bucks as I stepped to the door and observed a mob gathering just outside the airport.

We made it to the hotel without incident. I settled in and began to think through the lessons I had learned along the way. Read carefully, as there are spiritual implications to all of these.

Lesson #1: Often, money really does buy, at least the illusion of, security. We may not have been safe but it felt like it sitting next to that AK47.

Lesson #2: Poor people really don’t have many options. This one I learned as I saw older Bangladeshi passengers walk out into the mobs of protesters struggling with large suitcases as they began their long walk home.

Lesson #3: Just because all is quiet really doesn’t mean that peace is at hand. The streets were quiet and there was little movement. But confirming the unease were the clouds of smoke from cars that had been torched.

Lesson #4: While being isolated may be uncomfortable, it really may be the avenue of provision. It was uncomfortable to be separated from the other arriving passengers at the airport. So much so that I was looking for an escape but in the end this isolation proved to be for my protection and even my provision. I wonder how many times I have escaped or tried to escape what was really meant for my protection and even the source of my provision.

Lesson #5: There is almost always peace before the storm. Often following a great move of God, like we had seen in the Middle East, there comes an all out frontal assault from the enemy. Hence, the Bible's clear directive to be on guard always ready to give an account to the good news to which you were called. BDWN

A day in Bangladesh isn't what it seems

2005-03-14T22:12:00.000+06:00