W O R L D	Tuesday, July 21, 1998
weather n spotlight today's calendar	.......

Sharif facing revolt in party? ISLAMABAD, July 20 — Amidst growing economic crisis, a revolt is brewing in the ruling Pakistan Muslim League against Premier Nawaz Sharif... Governor puts tidal wave death toll at 3,000 PORT MORESBY, July 20 — At least 3,000 people were killed by three huge tidal waves which devastated villages in Papua New Guinea’s remote West Sepik province, its Governor estimated today... Koizumi favoured for PM’s post TOKYO, July 20 — Japan’s youngest contender for Prime Minister, Health Minister Junichiro Koizumi, is the public’s favourite choice for the post, an opinion poll said today...

KARACHI : Two policemen stand alert in a southern Karachi area on Sunday where security forces are attempting to clear the trouble areas of militants. AP/PTI Three killed in Karachi shooting KARACHI, July 20 — Gunmen shot dead three persons in a drive by shooting in the violence-plagued Pakistani city of Karachi today, the police said.

Bengal tiger on TV menu SCORPION soup, grilled bat and water buffalo testicles were all on the menu for Fuji Television’s World Gourmet Trip. But it was when the second course walked into the studio that stomachs started to turn — a live Bengal tiger... Simple pleasures, key to longevity LONDON, July 20 — Men and the rich enjoy sex the most, while women and the poor derive pleasure out of random shopping. But everyone can extend their lives by having a little fun at intervals. Pak ‘used’ J&K to raise funds ISLAMABAD, July 20 — A prominent Pathan leader of Pakistan and MP has alleged that the issue of Kashmir had enabled the Pakistani Army to pressure the government for obtaining huge funds which ultimately were diverted to other areas. Princes ‘upset’ over tabloid leak LONDON, July 20 — Prince William and Prince Harry have been preparing a surprise 50th birthday party for their father, Prince Charles, but are “very disappointed” that the news has surfaced in a tabloid Curbs on Suu Kyi YANGON, July 20 — Myanmar opposition figure-head Aung San Suu Kyi was prevented by the security forces from travelling outside Yangon today 11 miners feared dead

Sharif facing revolt in party? ISLAMABAD, July 20 (PTI) — Amidst growing economic crisis, a revolt is brewing in the ruling Pakistan Muslim League against Premier Nawaz Sharif, and some senior leaders of the party are planning a coup to save the government from collapse, a local newspaper reported here today. In view of the imminent collapse of the government due to present political and economic uncertainty facing the country, some senior PML(N) leaders are making desperate efforts to make a “forward block” within the party to steer it out of the present crisis, The Muslim, quoting informed political sources reported. It said a group of senior leaders were finalising the strategy to prevail upon the present leadership to step down and pave the way for an in-house change since “they are convinced that if a change in the top leadership is not brought about immediately, the system would collapse due to “fatal policies of the leadership”. Over the past one week, a number of meetings attended by several party leaders have taken place at the residence of a Cabinet Minister to chalk out the strategy. They are convinced that the situation in which the country and the government find themselves in “is due to the Prime Minister and his team and not due to sanctions” imposed on the country after it conducted nuclear tests in retaliation to India’s explosions, the report said. The paper further said a revolt had been brewing in the Pakistan Muslim League since the party came to power in February 1997 as some key members of the party had been left out of the mainstream and a couple of them had always been very vocal about their discontentment and many a times raised their voice against Nawaz Sharif’s policies. There was no reaction to the report published on the eve of arrival of US Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott to have discussion on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament following nuclear tests by India and Pakistan. “We have to save the country, system and the party. The leadership must step down in the greater national interest and for the sake of the party,” a source close to the upcoming PML(N) block was quoted by the daily as saying. The group feels that the Prime Minister’s effort to look for scapegoats cannot avert the crises as there are indications that Mr Sharif in his forthcoming address to the nation may announce the sacking of Finance Minister Sartaj Aziz and the Governor of State Bank of Pakistan, the daily said. The anti-Sharif group has reportedly also finalised the name of an alternate leader in Syed Fakhar Imam and they are planning to call a meeting of the party’s working committee to move a no-confidence meeting. Commenting on the anti-defection law passed by the government earlier, the sources said: “We may not be in a position to move a no-confidence motion in the National Assembly due to 14th Amendment (anti-defection law) but the party members can move a no-confidence in the party meeting”. Incidentally the differences between Mr Sharif and Mr Ijazul Haq, a senior PML leader and son of former military ruler Zia-ul-Haq, are well known as he was not inducted in the government initially in February 1997 and later when Mr Sharif offered him a Cabinet post he refused to join. Meanwhile political activities against the government has also stepped up following visible cracks in the ruling party and a meeting between three prominent Opposition leaders — former President Farooq Leghari, Jamat-e-Islami leader Qazi Hussain Ahmed and senior leader of the Pakistan Awami Ittehad — is expected to take place in Lahore within a couple of days to chalk out their strategy.

Koizumi favoured for PM’s post TOKYO, July 20 (Reuters) — Japan’s youngest contender for Prime Minister, Health Minister Junichiro Koizumi, is the public’s favourite choice for the post, an opinion poll said today. But the poll by the national television network Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) found veteran politician Seiroku Kajiyama (72) is the favourite of supporters of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which will decide who will be the next Prime Minister. Foreign Minister Keizo Obuchi (61), once the frontrunner to replace Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto, was last among the public and tied with Mr Koizumi (56) among LDP supporters. It was the first sizeable opinion poll since Mr Obuchi, Mr Kajiyama and Mr Koizumi announced they were candidates. No one else has declared so far. Mr Hashimoto is quitting because of the LDP’s stunning setback in July 12 Upper House elections, a reverse regarded as a no-confidence vote in his policies to drag Japan out of its worst recession since World War II.@The post of LDP president will be decided on Friday, since the party holds a majority in the Lower Hous. The three challengers to be Japan’s next Prime Minister stepped up their campaign battle today with pledges of painful reforms to rescue the world’s second largest economy from recession. Mr Kajiyama, a fiery political veteran, said he would allow half Japan’s top 19 banks to fail, a promise certain to win support from the world’s financial markets. “We need to undertake in some cases painful surgery, not merely giving out prescription drugs for the financial sector”, he told a news conference. Mr Kajiyama set the markets alight when he entered the race for the premiership, defying power brokers within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party who have tried to push their favourite Foreign Minister Keizo Obuchi, to the fore. The third challenger, Mr Junichiro Koizumi, a 56-year-old outspoken Health Minister, offered a more radical approach. He told the Sankei Shimbun he would slash the number of seats in Parliament’s Lower House from 500 to 300 and in the Upper House from 252 to 150 over 10 years to cut costs and promote smaller government. In addition, he would cut the number of bureaucrats by half in the same period.

Governor puts tidal wave death toll at 3,000 PORT MORESBY, July 20 (Reuters) — At least 3,000 people were killed by three huge tidal waves which devastated villages in Papua New Guinea’s remote West Sepik province, its Governor estimated today. More than 1,000 have been confirmed dead since the tidal waves raged across a lagoon on Friday and swept away villages and people, many of them small children were unable to run away or climb trees to safety. Some 10,000 people lived in the stricken areas but rescue and other officials said thousands were still missing. Many were injured while fleeing for the jungle-clad mountains behind Sissano lagoon. “What you are seeing today are just survivors. But where is everybody else”, asked West Sepik Governor John Tekwie. “I would give you a near-accurate estimate of 3,000 (dead)”, he told reporters after visiting demolished villages that once dotted the lagoon west of Aitape. The stench of death from rotting corpses, vegetation and animal carcasses was suffocating in the tropical heat, said rescue teams scouring the area for survivors. VANIMO (AFP): An international mission to save the survivors of tidal waves that devastated Papua New Guinea’s north coast was stepped up today. A 60 member-strong Australian medical team flown in by raaf Hercules set up a field hospital here and immediately began to treat some of the hundreds of survivors injured in one of Papua New Guinea’s worst natural disasters. The injured told how they survived the black wall of water that wiped out seven villages in the West Sepik province leaving an estimated 6,000 homeless, many with fractured limbs and some with severe internal injuries. Waves of up to 10 metres triggered by two strong earthquakes, crashed into a 30 km stretch of coast, washing whole villages into the Sissano lagoon which was still choked with bloated bodies. Around 1,000 bodies had been pulled out by today. But soldiers, local people and aid volunteers were still trying to clear the lagoon of bodies. Many survivors were in shock. Rescue officials said they expected to have a better idea later on the death toll. “There was nothing left except for coconut trees,” said a rresident, Lusien Romme, whose wife was killed. Prime Minister Bill Skate inspected part of the stricken area on Sunday. LONDON: Pope John Paul on Sunday offered special services in memory of the victims of the tidal waves in Papua New Guinea. A Borno report quoted chief Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro Valls as saying the Pope asked for eternal rest for the dead in his weekly “Angelus” prayer.

Bengal tiger on TV menu from Jonathan Watts in Tokyo SCORPION soup, grilled bat and water buffalo testicles were all on the menu for Fuji Television’s World Gourmet Trip. But it was when the second course walked into the studio that Japanese stomachs started to turn. The three celebrity tasters or talento were given a blind tasting of a braised meat dish and asked to guess what it was. A live Bengal tiger, which is on the world’s endangered species list, was led into the dining room by way of answer. Today we partook of something really delicious”, said one of the three entertainers who gathered round to pat the tiger appreciately after their meal. The station was bombarded with complaints from horrified viewers and animal welfare groups, but the foodies at Fuji were less than apologetic. A spokesman for the station said the Bengal tiger used in the dish had died a year ago in a fight with other tigers in a Shanghai zoo. It had been lying in their freezers ever since. Fuji TV’s public relations spokesman said, “in ancient China, tiger meat was eaten as an elixir for longevity and we re-enacted that custom.” He added, “I guess we were pushing the envelope on this.” The programme, which comes in the Chinese Year of the Tiger, was called immoral by the Worldwide Fund for Nature. “It sent completely the wrong signals about the treatment of an animal that is protected by the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species,” Makiko Mizuno, communications officer of the WWF in Japan, said. The WWF pointed out that there are only between 3,000 and 4,700 Bengal tigers left in the wild. “The broadcast did not contravene the Washington treaty which prohibits trade in endangered species,” Fuji TV said in a statement. But, stung by the criticism, it has begun an internal inquiry and pledged greater sensitivity towards the feelings of animal lovers in the future. Japan has often been criticised for its conservation record. Meat from whales killed in the name of research, for example, usually finds it way to restaurants in Tokyo and Osaka. Earlier this week, Tokyo was lambasted for announcing plans to resume catches of southern bluefin tuna, a species considered by many countries to be critically endangered. A fascination for lavish and exotic foods is another ingredient in the row. Japan’s television channels are packed with high-budget gourmet shows, which compete to satisfy their audiences’s apparently insatiable appetite for new dishes. Programmes pit champion chefs against one another to create the most spectacular dishes, while quiz shows occasionally involve food forfeits fot the losers, including having to eat frog’s guts and grilled cicada. — The Guardian, London

Simple pleasures, key to longevity LONDON, July 20 (ANI) — Men and the rich enjoy sex the most, while women and the poor derive pleasure out of random shopping. But everyone can extend their lives by having a little fun at intervals. Two independent scientific studies have justified that everyone tends to have the same “pleasure quota”. However different groups of people can buy pleasure in different ways, irrespective of their background and circumstances. A team of researchers affiliated to the Associates for Research into the Science of Enjoyment (ARISE) asked about 4,000 people in eight countries to assess their level of enjoyment from 13 everyday activities, including having sex, sipping a glass of wine, relishing a piece of chocolate, puffing a cigarette, tasting a cup of tea or coffee or watching television. Professor David Warburton, founder of ARISE and head of the Psycho-pharmacology department at the University of Reading said “there is a wealth of evidence to suggest that the cumulative effect of these little pleasures and happy moments can make us all live longer”. The institution established in 1989, correlated facts and figures obtained at random by the international group of scientists to create a better understanding in the society about the benefits of these pleasures. He believed in the concept that one should try to introduce as many happy moments as possible into a person’s life.

Pak ‘used’ J&K to raise funds ISLAMABAD, July 20 (PTI) — A prominent Pathan leader of Pakistan and MP has alleged that the issue of Kashmir had enabled the Pakistani Army to pressure the government for obtaining huge funds which ultimately were diverted to other areas. Mr Abdul Latif Afridi, a member of the National Assembly, claimed that Rs 2,000 billion had been spent on the Kashmir issue by the government till now but the elected representatives of the people hardly got any opportunity to ask about the utilisation of those funds, a report in the Muslim said. Speaking at a tribal ‘jirga’ (meeting) on the economic situation of the country, Mr Afridi alleged that during Ms Benazir Bhutto’s first tenure in 1990, the then Army chief, Gen Mirza Aslam Beg, had forced her to raise the price of petrol to obtain Rs 10 billion for the Kashmir cause, the daily said in a report from Peshawar.

Princes ‘upset’ over tabloid leak LONDON, July 20 (AP) — Prince William and Prince Harry have been preparing a surprise 50th birthday party for their father, Prince Charles, but are “very disappointed” that the news has surfaced in a tabloid, a spokeswoman for Prince Charles said yesterday. She declined to confirm a Sunday Mirror report that the event would be held at Prince Charles’s county home, Highgrove, on July 31, and that the young princes would star in a specially-written comedy play. The Sunday Mirror said William (16) and Harry (13) would appear with Oscar-winning actress Emma Thompson and comedy actor Stephen Fry, who have written the script. The newspaper said William conceived the idea of a play in the style of the comedy hit series “Blackadder” and his former nanny, Ms Tiggy Legge-Bourke, helped him organise it. The newspaper said the party is scheduled for the end of this month to fit in with the young princes’ school vacation, the royal family’s traditional summer stay at Balmoral in Scotland, and crowded diaries. Prince Charles turns 50 on November 14.

Curbs on Suu Kyi YANGON, July 20 (AFP) — Myanmar opposition figure-head Aung San Suu Kyi was prevented by the security forces from travelling outside Yangon today, the country’s junta said. The National League for Democracy (NLD) leader was stopped about 30 km south of the capital as she attempted to travel to Pantanaw town, the junta said in a statement. Pantanaw is some 75 km south of Yangon. The incident was a repeat of another on July 7 in which Aung San Suu Kyi was blocked from travelling north of Yangon to meet supporters. Three killed in Karachi shooting KARACHI, July 20 (AFP) — Gunmen shot dead three persons in a drive by shooting in the violence-plagued Pakistani city of Karachi today, the police said. The attackers sprayed bullets from a car at people sitting near the roadside in the western neighbourhood of Orangi, leaving three dead and three wounded.The gunmen managed to escape after the attack, they said. The current wave of violence in the city has claimed more than 240 lives while the death toll from ethnic, political and sectarian unrest in Karachi this year has topped 700, the police said. 11 miners feared dead LONDON, July 20 (ANI) — Even as the search for the 11 men trapped inside a Austrian magnesium silicate mine continues, the Austrian Government today announced that it may shut it down for good. Reports reaching here quoted Austrian officials as saying that they had given up all hopes of finding alive any of the miners trapped inside.

Global monitor China to clone giant panda BEIJING: China has announced plans to clone the endangered giant panda by adopting the more difficult trans-species cloning technology. The elite Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has announced the cloning of a giant panda within five years as a key project, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday night, quoting project leader Chen Dayuan. “China will be able to use trans-species cloning technology to create a panda. This will be much more complex and difficult than the intra-species cloning done by British and Japanese scientists, who cloned sheep and cattle respectively,” Mr Chen said. The giant panda is an endangered animal and Chinese scientists hope cloning technology can help the rare species to thrive in the wild. — PTI Presidents’ kids wed ALMATY (Kazakhstan): In the closest thing to a royal wedding that the former Soviet Union is likely to see, the son of the President of Kyrgyzstan married the daughter of the President of Kazakstan on Sunday. As many as four Central Asian Presidents, including the fathers of the bride and groom, were believed to have attended the wedding at a mountain resort in Kyrgyzstan. The ceremony was relatively small and private, with heavy security. The groom was Aidar Akayev, the son of Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev. The bride was Aliya Nazarbayev, the daughter of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev. — AP Castro’s illness MIAMI: The Miami Herald newspaper has reported Cuban President Fidel Castro was treated in October for hypertensive encephalopathy, a potentially fatal illness affecting the brain. The front-page report, datelined San Jose, Costa Rica, cited as its source Dr Elizabeth Trujillo Izquierdo, described as a Cuban surgeon who said she was formerly part of the medical team at Havana’s Cimeq Hospital. However, the dates cited by The Miami Herald for Mr Castro’s illness - the newspaper quoted Dr Trujillo as saying that he was hospitalised from October 22 to 28 and again for two days from October 30. — Reuters 17 dead in bus fire TEGUCIGALPA: At least 17 persons died and 18 were injured when the bus they were travelling in burst into flames, the police said. The fire, which quickly engulfed the bus, may have been caused by a problem in the vehicle’s electrical system, said Sergeant Rodolfo Zambrano, police chief of Gracias, some 250 km north of the capital, on Saturday. Mr Zambrano said the injured, some in grave conditon, were taken to a hospital in Gracias. —AFP Embargo lifted BEIJING: Hong Kong’s troubled air cargo operator has lifted its embargo on most imports and exports but warned that operations would remain at 50 per cent of capacity until mid-August. All incoming freighter aircraft were leaving fully loaded, Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (HACTL) said on Sunday. “We lifted our embargo... and I believe our recovery plan is going ahead on schedule,” said Mr Anthony Charter, Managing Director of HACTL, which handles 80 per cent of Hong Kong’s air cargo. — PTI Kidnapper slain COTABOTO (Philippines): Three kidnap victims killed one of their kidnappers and wounded another in a dash for freedom near the southern Philippines city of Marawi, the police said on Monday. The three, including a government accountant, grabbed firearms off their kidnappers on Sunday and shot them, regional police Chief Superintendent Dammingunga told reporters. The wounded kidnapper was later arrested. — AFP Thousands evacuated HONG KONG: Most of the 132,000 people stranded by the swollen Yangtze river of China at the Three Gorges dam, a popular tourist site, have been evacuated. The mighty Yangtze floodwaters have claimed at least a thousand lives this summer. Not only that, the killer river has caused suspension of work on the $ 29-million dam project which has been under construction mainly to tame the occasional flood fury. — ANI

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