POHANG : U.S. military soldiers gain ground to a land during the U.S. and South Korea joint exercise for Faol Eagle' 98 against North Korea surprise attack at a beach near the Pohang city, southeast of Seoul on Saturday. AP/PTI

$ 1m for Paula Jones’ trust
WASHINGTON, Oct 31 — A New York real estate investor plans to put $ 1 million in trust for the former Arkansas state employee who is suing US President Bill Clinton for sexual harassment.

Perth turns on lights for space pioneer
HOUSTON, Oct 31— John Glenn admired the heartwarming glow of Perth, Australia, bigger and even more beautiful from orbit than he remembered as the city repeated a 36-year-old tradition and turned on all of its lights for the space pioneer.

UN to review Iraq sanctions
UNITED NATIONS, Oct 31 — The U N Security Council has completed work on a plan to review Iraq’s bid to get the 8-year-old sanctions against it lifted, provided Baghdad resumes cooperation with arms inspectors.

Press leaks by Starr’s office being probed
WASHINGTON, Oct 31 — A Federal judge has named a special investigator with broad powers to determine whether independent counsel Kenneth Starr’s office illegally leaked secret Grand Jury information to the news media about its investigation of President Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky.

Crackdown on MQM leaders

ISLAMABAD, Oct 31 (PTI) — The Nawaz Sharif government in Pakistan has allegedly launched a massive “clean-up operation” against the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) workers in Karachi after the imposition of Governor’s rule in the southern province of Sindh last night.

Hundreds of people were rounded up by security agencies during night-long raids after Mr Sharif announced on Pakistan Television the dismissal of the provincial government and imposition of Governor’s rule, MQM leader and former provincial minister, Shaoib Bokhari, told PTI over the phone from Karachi.

“It is almost the repeat of 1992 operation”, Mr Bokhari said adding the raids were mainly directed against leaders and workers of the MQM.

The party has asked its office-bearers and workers to go underground to avoid getting arrested.

Media reports also confirmed that a massive hunt for MQM workers and leaders have been launched by the security agencies since last night to round up at least 10,000 people including nearly 2000 MQM activists who had been released on parole after the PML-MQM government took over in early 1997 which include parliamentarians and members of the provincial assembly.

The self-exiled chief of the MQM Altaf Hussain had warned party workers of a massive crackdown by the government during a telephonic address from London a day earlier.

Mr Bokhari also said that the MQM had decided to move court against the imposition of Governor’s rule in the province, an act which he termed as “malafide intentions” and against the democratic norms.

He felt that any other party should have been given the chance to form the government.

Almost the entire opposition condemned the imposition of Governor’s rule and described it as the beginning of the end of the 20-month-old Nawaz Sharif government.

Incidentally the MQM, which walked out of the Sindh coalition government led by Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League, is the second largest party in the 109-member Sindh assembly with 28 seats. The PML has only 21 seats while Benazir Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is the single largest party with 38 seats.

The largest English daily, Dawn, quoting police sources in Karachi said that MQM leaders and workers would be arrested first and sent to jail to face cases pending against them and these people include Senators Aftab Sheikh and Nasreen Jalil, Members of the National Assembly, Kanwar Khalid Younus. Prof A.K. Shams and Hasan Mussanna Alvi and five members of the Sindh assembly.

Apart from them the number of MQM workers out on bail is around 1500. All of them are expected to be rounded up by the security agencies.

The federal government has also decided to strengthen the security agencies in Karachi and more contingents of a para-military force Pakistan Rangers, are being sent to the city, the report said.

A similar Army-backed operation had been launched in Karachi against the MQM during Nawaz Sharif’s first tenure in 1992 which resulted in hundreds of deaths.

The MQM chief, Mr Altaf Hussain, in a message from his London residence has alleged that the move to impose Governor’s rule is an attempt to turn Sindh into a colony of the federal government.

He also said that Governor’s rule was imposed against the constitution as law and order is purely a provincial subject and termed Governor’s rule as a “tool of the federal government to extend its authoritarian rule.

$ 1m for Paula Jones’ trust

WASHINGTON, Oct 31 (AP) — A New York real estate investor plans to put $ 1 million in trust for the former Arkansas state employee who is suing US President Bill Clinton for sexual harassment.

Mr Abe Hirschfeld planned to hand plaintiff Paula Jones a giant mock check at a news conference. The real money would be put in a trust fund in Dallas, where her lawyers are based.

The arrangement with Mr Hirschfeld is a precursor to “negotiations” with Mr Clinton’s lawyers, an attorney in the Jones camp, speaking on condition of anonymity, said yesterday.

And then negotiations will begin with (Clinton attorney Robert Bennett ) and I don’t think it will take very long, said the lawyer, suggesting there might be some common meeting ground’’ over money.

The lawyer said Ms Jones’ attorneys would make a new overture to Mr Clinton on Monday. So far there has been no comment from the President’s lawyers.

A spokeswoman for Mr Hirschfeld said the news conference would announce “an important new development” and would include Ms Jones’ lawyers, but Mr Hirschfeld would not comment yesterday.

Previous attempts to reach a financial settlement stalled after Ms Jones rejected an offer of $ 700,000 from Mr Bennett, insisting she wanted $ 1 million.

Then Mr Hirschfeld stepped into the picture, offering $ 1 million as part of a settlement involving all parties.

Last week, however, Mr Bennett said he would only consider a settlement if it did not include “strings attached’’, referring to Mr Hirschfeld’s offer. Mr Hirschfeld then said he was withdrawing his offer.

The White House has sought to dissociate itself from Mr Hirschfeld, who is facing tax evasion charges.

Mr Hirschfeld has said he injected himself into the case in hopes of ending it “for the benefit of the country and the world.’’

Mr Clinton’s denials under oath in the Jones case of a sexual relationship with Ms Monica Lewinsky were the foundation for independent counsel Kenneth Starr’s criminal investigation of the President.

Ms Jones’ team had been demanding a total of $ 2 million from Mr Hirschfeld and Mr Clinton to drop the lawsuit, which was dismissed by a judge but could be revived on appeal.

But as late as Thursday one lawyer in the Clinton camp said the President’s attorneys were inclined to put settlement talks on hold until the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on whether to revive Ms Jones’ lawsuit.

In her lawsuit, Ms Jones claims Mr Clinton made a crude pass at her in a Little Rock hotel room in 1991, when he was Governor of Arkansas and she was a clerk for the state.

The suit was dismissed by US District Judge Susan Webber Wright of Little Rock, who ruled that Ms Jones’ allegations, even if true, fell short of the standard for sexual harassment.

Palestinians vow to fight Hamas

RAMALLAH, Oct 31(Reuters) — The Palestinian Authority has approved the latest West Asia peace deal and vowed to confront any attempt by Islamic militants to sabotage the accord.

The decision last night came after Israel demanded that Palestinian security forces apprehend a top Hamas militant implicated in a suicide bombing in the Gaza strip, saying that such attacks threatened the Wye river memorandum signed in Washington last week.

“The Cabinet approved the memorandum with a vast majority,” Mr Tayeb Abdel-Rahim, general secretary of the Palestinian Presidency, told reporters after a weekly Cabinet meeting in self-ruled Ramallah.

Mr Abdel-Rahim said Hamas would be held responsible for the consequences of the bid by a suicide bomber to blow up a busload of Israeli schoolchildren near a Jewish settlement in Gaza on Thursday. The children escaped but an escorting Israeli soldier was killed.

“We did not object to Hamas statements rejecting the agreement but we will confront any attempt to destroy this agreement with force,” Mr Abdel-Rahim said.

Perth turns on lights for space pioneer

HOUSTON, Oct 31 (AP) — John Glenn admired the heartwarming glow of Perth, Australia, bigger and even more beautiful from orbit than he remembered as the city repeated a 36-year-old tradition and turned on all of its lights for the space pioneer.

It’s been a long time ago I looked at the same thing from a little lower altitude,” the 77-year-old astronaut said yesterday as space shuttle Discovery soared 560 km above the continent. “But it looks beautiful up here and you can pass that along to the people of Perth.” he added.

The world’s oldest space traveller slipped back into the past as he savoured the view.

Later in the day, Glenn radioed down he and everyone else on board felt fine and were doing “real well” despite puffy faces.

Back at mission control, meanwhile, shuttle managers launched a pair of investigations to determine why a door for Discovery’s parachute-like landing gear ripped off just before lift-off on Thursday and whether there are any safety impacts to next weekend’s landing.

The 5-kg aluminium door struck the bottom of an engine nozzle. If it had hit the engine a foot or so higher and pierced a hydrogen-cooling line, it could have been disastrous, said mission operations director Jeff Bantle.

Glenn and his six crewmates managed to keep Perth in view for about five minutes even though Discovery passed well north of the western coastal city because of the shuttle’s unusually high altitude more than twice the height experienced by Glenn when he became the first American to orbit the earth in 1962.

“We got a good view of Perth, a nice glow and spread out,” the retiring Ohio Senator reported. He said the city looks even better now than it did back then. They’ve really got them lit up tonight here.”

Mission control replied: “Glad you’re having a chance to take advantage of that sight again after all these years.”

Glenn promised to send Perth pictures taken by the shuttle crew.

Australian officials knew Discovery’s orbital course might not allow the astronauts to see Perth, but asked residents to turn on their lights anyway, just in case. Townspeople gathered in the streets for a glimpse of the shuttle. They didn’t see it, but that didn’t dampen the jubilant mood.

It’s been incredible,” said Perth Mayor Peter Natrass, adding, It’s captured the imagination of everyone in Perth.’’

An astronomer at the Perth observatory, Peter Birch, said “it’s not only nostalgia, it’s the romance of having a senior citizen up there mixing it with the young fellers.”

“Going back 36 years when it was all done then, it put us on the map,” Birch added.

UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has congratulated US astronaut John Glenn “on yet another triumph in a long and heroic career.”

Noting that Glenn is known as a “pioneer of space age, Mr Annan said, “you have now become a pioneer for longevity.”

Glenn, who is also a senator from Ohio, became the oldest astronaut to orbit the earth when he returned to space aboard shuttle Discovery on Friday after a gap of 36 years.

By returning to space at the age of 77, Glenn is helping the UN to launch the International Year of Older People, Mr Annan added.

UN to review Iraq sanctions

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 31 (Reuters) — The U N Security Council has completed work on a plan to review Iraq’s bid to get the 8-year-old sanctions against it lifted, provided Baghdad resumes cooperation with arms inspectors.

At the same time, the USA yesterday blocked council consideration of a possible piecemeal lifting of sanctions, such as the oil embargo, if Baghdad only fulfilled demands on dismantling its weapons of mass destruction.

The USA insisted that other demands also be satisfied before there is a rollback of sanctions, imposed after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in August 1991.

Still, the plan to review lifting of sanctions is seen as an inducement to Iraq to rescind its August five decision to ban most weapons inspections.

The council’s decision was spelled out in a letter to Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who had “sought a “comprehensive review” of Iraq’s relations with the UN.

The Chinese envoy, who had held up final approval of the letter, agreed to its contents last night, the UN announced.

The letter said the review could begin as soon as the UN Special Commission (UNSCOM) and the International Atomic Energy Agency, in charge of Iraqi disarmament, determined inspections have resumed.

Iraq stopped all cooperation with inspectors in August on the grounds they were following hardline US positions in prolonging the sanctions.

Press leaks by Starr’s office being probed

WASHINGTON, Oct 31 (Reuters) — A Federal judge has named a special investigator with broad powers to determine whether independent counsel Kenneth Starr’s office illegally leaked secret Grand Jury information to the news media about its investigation of President Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky.

Chief U.S District Judge Norma Holloway Johnson Cited 24 news reports as evidence of possibly illegal leaks and ordered the investigator to determine also whether Mr Starr’s office should be held in contempt.

WB’s corruption hotline

WASHINGTON, Oct 31 (PTI) — The World Bank (WB) has announced the setting up of a telephone hotline to receive information on fraudulent or corrupt practices within the bank group or in WB-financed contracts anywhere in the world.

The hotline, said a bank press note would be available to both bank group staff and the public.

The telephone number in the USA and Canada is 1-800-831-0463. In other countries, this toll-free number will be accessible through an AT and T operator.

The decision is part of the steps being taken by the bank to ensure greater transparency and accountability of its operations.

“The setting up of the hotline is part of our continuing effort to maintain high operational and financial standards, both internally and externally. It will provide a central focal point within the institution for reporting allegations of fraud and corruption”, the press note said.

Arafat ill, likely to quit soon
WASHINGTON: Palestinian authority Chairman Yasser Arafat is expected to retire soon due to ill health, US Radio and television networks said quoting Lebanese media reports. Mr Arafat is reportedly suffered from Parkinson’s disease. — PTI

Taiwan severs ties
BEIJING: Taiwan today said it would sever diplomatic ties with Tonga after its oldest Pacific ally decided to switch formal recognition to Taipei’s arch communist rival China, media reports said here. The Foreign Ministry solemnly announces the Government of the Republic of China has decided to sever its diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Tonga effective November 2, 1998” a Foreign Ministry spokesman said. Tonga’s move, which comes into effect on Monday, reduces the number of countries recognising Taiwan to just 26. This year, China successfully wooed South Africa, the Central African Republic and Guinea-Bissau to its camp increasing the diplomatic pressure on Taiwan. — PTI

Older peacekeepers
UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations has set the age limit for peacekeepers for the first time in the 50-year history of the peacekeeping operations. It will now require that civilian police and military observers not be younger than 25 years of age. The troop contributing countries are being advised that members contingent should be at least 21 years of age but certainly not less than 18 years. — PTI

Mission extended
UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council has decided to extend the mandate of the peacekeeping mission in the disputed territory of Western Sahara till December 17 to enable it to continue the process for a referendum now scheduled for December next year. In an unanimous resolution, the 15-member council accepted the recommendation of Secretary General Kofi Annan to speed up the process of identification of voters and publish the first list of the electorate by December 1 next. In the referendum, the Western Saharans are to decide between integration with Morocco and independence as being advocated by Polishario. — PTI

Pinochet gets bail
LONDON: The High Court in London on Friday granted conditional bail to former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet while the House of Lords — the country’s highest court — ponders his fate. The retired general will be required to remain at the private psychiatric hospital in north London where he was moved on Thursday, under continued police surveillance. The decision came hours after the National Court in Madrid declared that Spanish courts had jurisdiction to try the 82-year-old Pinochet for crimes against humanity. — AFP

Bin Laden’s US links
NEW YORK: Federal prosecutors have filed secret charges against a former sergeant in the US special forces suspected of aiding the global terrorist campaign mounted by Saudi exile Osama Bin Laden, the New York Times reported. The charges are part of efforts by US authorities to prove Bin Laden was behind the bombings of two US embassies in Africa in August and other attacks against US soldiers in Somalia, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen, The Times said on Friday. — Reuters

Troop pullout
MASERU: South Africa announced on Friday that it was immediately withdrawing 1,400 troops from neighbouring Lesotho, nearly halving its intervention force in the troubled Kingdom. South Africa military commander General Siphiwe Nyanda said in the Lesotho capital Maseru that the intervention force was being downscaled because “relative peace has been restored” in Lesotho. The intervention force, consisting of troops from South Africa and Botswana, entered Lesotho on September 22 to quell an alleged coup. — AFP

Radio liberty
WASHINGTON: The USA began radio broadcasts to Iran and Iraq, programming that is extremely controversial in both Tehran and Baghdad. Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty announced that Radio Free Iraq, which broadcasts in Arabic, and the Farsi service to Iran went on air as scheduled at 8.30 p.m. (IST) on Friday for half-an-hour in each language. — Reuters