Students pelt stones
at police
JAKARTA, Nov 14 — Mobs burned cars and shops, looted goods and hurled stones at police stations in several parts of Jakarta today after deadly clashes between the security forces and student protesters.

Jones settles for $ 8,50,000
WASHINGTON, Nov 14 — President Bill Clinton agreed to pay Mrs Paula Jones $ 8,50,000 to drop her sexual harassment lawsuit — with no apology or admissions — ending a lengthy legal battle that spurred the impeachment proceedings against him.

Koirala’s offer to Maoists

Hun Sen-Norodom pact

Exemption for US banks

Iraq agrees to obey UN

DUBAI, Nov 14 (PTI) — Iraq today agreed to unconditional return of United Nations weapons inspectors in an apparent bid to avert an imminent US military aggression on Baghdad.

"Iraq has decided that inspections by the US special commission charged with disarmament can resume work," UN envoy in Baghdad Prakash Shah told mediapersons in Baghdad.

Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz handed over a letter to Mr Shah carrying President Saddam Hussain’s message to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

According to a report from the UN, Mr Annan when asked whether the letter met all UN requirements said: "Yes. In my view it does".

Iraq’s UN Ambassador Nizar Hamdoon confirmed that his country had decided to resume "full and complete cooperation with both Unscom and IAEA."

Mr Annan had written a letter to the Iraqi leader after five hours of talks in the Security Council last night urging Mr Saddam to resume cooperation with UN weapons inspectors following Baghdad’s decision to halt all cooperation.

The Iraqi decision came a few hours ahead of a meeting of the Security Council amid increasing threats of military action against Baghdad by the USA.

Meanwhile, a despatch from Washington quoted a White House spokesman as saying that US President Bill Clinton was meeting top members of his foreign policy team to discuss the Iraqi situation.

Earlier, an Iraqi Information Ministry official had said in Baghdad that the Iraqi leadership will respond positively to Mr Annan’s letter to Mr Saddam Hussain asking him to take a "wise decision" to avoid a military strike.

AFP adds from Washington: The US military build-up in the Gulf is continuing despite the announcement that Iraq has agreed to the resumption of UN weapons inspections, the Pentagon said. "The situation has not changed. We're continuing to deploy forces to the Gulf," Pentagon spokesman William Darley told AFP.

Students pelt stones at police

JAKARTA, Nov 14 (AP) — Mobs burned cars and shops, looted goods and hurled stones at police stations in several parts of Jakarta today after deadly clashes between the security forces and student protesters.

While the outnumbered riot officers fired warning shots and tear gas shells at crowds of angry youth, thousands of anti-government students marched towards Parliament to press their demand for democratic reform.

President B.J. Habibie, meanwhile, held an emergency meeting with military chief General Wiranto, the Defence Minister and other cabinet members.

At least 10 persons, most of them students, have died this week in the worst violence in Jakarta since riots and protests ousted former President Suharto in May after 32 years of authoritarian rule.

Protests broke out this week against a government assembly on political reform that students believe is not serious about a democratic change.

Mr Suharto today said the government should apologise for the students' deaths and listen to the protesters' demands, according to the official Antara news agency.

"I resigned from my position to avoid bloodshed. Why does the government now cause bloodshed", Mr Suharto was quoted as saying by his half-brother at the Antara report.

The violence started when neighbourhood youths set military tents afire in the street near Parliament and burned several vehicles, including an Army truck, near the University of Indonesia.

In another area, mobs stoned a shopping centre as crowds cheered and policemen and soldiers stood by. In Northern Jakarta, armoured personnel carriers stood amid a crowd which smashed car showroom windows and set shops on fire, but the soldiers did nothing.

The security forces which had used force to block hundreds of students from marching to Parliament allowed thousands of protesters to gather at the front gates.

Meanwhile, about 5,000 students gathered at a cemetery for the funeral of Sigit Prasetyo, a 20-year-old student who was shot dead yesterday. They watched as his casket, draped in the red and white Indonesian flag and a traditional Islamic funeral cloth, was lowered in damp red earth.

Mr Suharto is running the government by remote control," said a mourner.

Sharif seeks support for Shariah Bill

ISLAMABAD, Nov 14 (PTI) — Brushing aside strong objections raised by the Opposition, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has once again urged the people to help him get the Shariah Bill passed by the upper house of Parliament.

Addressing a public rally at Abbottabad yesterday Sharif justified his move to urge the masses to force the senators to pass the Shariah Bill by the required two-third majority so that Islamic laws could be enforced in the country.

“Making Pakistan an Islamic welfare state is my mission and people should help me in getting the Shariah Bill passed by the Senate with two-third majority,” Sharif told the meeting at the small city in frontier province.

The Prime Minister told the people that he wanted to replace the present, “Unjust system” with a “clean and just one” and that once the Shariah Bill was passed by the senate, complete Shariah (Islamic laws) would be enforced in Pakistan.

While referring to the accusations of the Opposition that he (Sharif) was trying to agitate the masses by asking them to urge their representatives in the Senate to support the Shariah Bill, the Prime Minister said it was his right to ask the people to support a Bill which was imperative for the betterment of the people.

“People have elected me to serve them and enforce Shariah,” a determined Sharif claimed.

While rejecting the Opposition’s allegations against him that he was inciting people to secure the passage of Shariah Bill, Sharif said that he did not care for such things as he was accountable to God only and had to serve the masses who gave him a mandate .

“As a matter of fact as a representative of the public I am demanding from the Senate to pass the Bill. I don’t care about any propaganda and I am answerable only before Allah almighty”, Shairf said.

Most still prefer Clinton

WASHINGTON, Nov 14 (AP) — Despite a pending impeachment inquiry, Americans prefer to have President Clinton take the lead in solving the nation’s problems rather than the fractious Republicans who control the US Congress, a new poll suggests.

Mr Clinton emerged from the November 3 national elections with soaring job approval ratings, a Democratic Party that picked up five House seats and a country that wants him to retain stewardship.

A poll released yesterday by the Pew Research Centre for the people and the Press said 65 per cent of Americans surveyed gave Mr Clinton a favourable job rating. “About half said they want him to take the lead in solving the nation’s problems.’’

Republicans, meanwhile, didn’t fare as well as 48 per cent said they disapprove the job Republicans were doing in Congress.

Party affiliation had little influence in deciding the voters choice. Very few Republicans said their votes were motivated by a desire to curtail Mr Clinton’s authority. Only one in 10 said their vote for a Republican was a vote to try to control Mr Clinton’s power, compared to two years ago when twice as many people (22 per cent) cast anti-Clinton votes.

Jones settles for $ 8,50,000

WASHINGTON, Nov 14 (AP) — President Bill Clinton agreed to pay Mrs Paula Jones $ 8,50,000 to drop her sexual harassment lawsuit — with no apology or admissions — ending a lengthy legal battle that spurred the impeachment proceedings against him.

“Mrs Paula is very pleased that it’s finally over,’’ said Mr Bill McMillan, a lawyer for Mrs Jones.

Mr Clinton’s lawyer, Mr Robert Bennett, said the President remained certain that Mrs Jones’ “allegations are baseless but wanted to get the dispute behind him. The President has decided he is not prepared to spend one more hour on this matter,’’ Bennett said.

Yesterday’s settlement says Mr Clinton will pay Mrs Jones within 60 days and requires both parties to unconditionally release each other and representatives in connection with any claims stemming from the lawsuit.

Mrs Jones alleged that Mr Clinton, as Arkansas Governor, made a crude advance in a room at a Little Rock hotel. Mr Clinton has denied her accusation, and her lawsuit was dismissed last spring. An appeal of that dismissal was pending.

Mrs Jones, who was a clerk for the Arkansas State Government when the alleged encounter occurred in 1991, contended in her lawsuit that her rejection of Mr Clinton’s advance later affected her job opportunities.

US District Judge Susan Webber Wright ruled on April 1, that Mrs Jones’ allegations, even if true, did not add up to a hostile environment’’ case of sexual harassment.

Nearly half of the payment will come from the Chubb Group Insurance, a legal source familiar with the case told AP. For a lump sum of roughly $ 4,00,000, Chubb was buying out the President’s personal liability policy, which had been paying his Jones-related legal bills, the source said.

The balance could be drawn from Mr Clinton’s Legal Expense trust, which contains donations of at least $ 1 million. Trust administrator Peter Lavallee said that as of Friday evening he had not been contacted about any such request.

Koirala’s offer to Maoists

KATHMANDU, Nov 14 (AP) — Nepalese Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has offered a general amnesty to the Maoist insurgents if they agreed to give up fighting the state. Speaking at a conference of his Nepali Congress Party workers in the town of Pokhara in western Nepal on Thursday night, Mr Koirala urged the guerrillas to surrender arms.

More than 350 persons have been killed since the insurgency began two and half years ago. The guerrillas oppose Nepal’s constitutional monarchy and want Nepal to be turned into a republic.

Hun Sen-Norodom pact

PHNOM PENH, Nov 14 (DPA) — Cambodian strongman Hun Sen and opposition leader Prince Norodom Ranariddh have finalised an agreement to form a new coalition government, according to a statement released on Friday by Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk.

Mr Hun Sen’s ruling party agreed to pardons for five self-exiled opposition political and military leaders in exchange for Mr Nariddh’s Funcinpec party joining a two-party coalition, the statement said. The parties, which began summit talks on Thursday afternoon with Mr Sihanouk, were continuing negotiations over control of the chairmanship of Parliament, which has been a major obstacle to a deal, the statement said.

Exemption for US banks

WASHINGTON, Nov 14 (PTI) — American banks operating in India and Pakistan have been exempted from the purview of the US sanctions following the nuclear tests and would be free to lend to any private company or government entities, a senior State Department official said on Friday.

Though the relaxation covers only one year, steps have been taken to ensure the issue is not raised again after a year, he told reporters here. Initially the Treasury Department was to slap embargo in the banking sector as well. But with President Bill Clinton easing some of the sanctions it has decided not to impose any restriction covering private banks, analysts said.

Washington ‘sired son with slave’

CHICAGO, Nov 14 (AFP) — Buoyed by genetic tests showing Thomas Jefferson fathered a child by one of his slaves, an Illinois woman hopes to prove that she has descended from another US President, George Washington, and a slave, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Janet Allen (44) of Peoria, claims her ancestor, West Ford, was the son of the first US President and plantation slave named Venus during a liaison that began in 1784 and lasted a year or more, the paper reported on Tuesday.

Allen and her family, who publicised their claim two years ago, said their case has been strengthened by the recent publicity over Jefferson’s sexual relationship with his slave, Sally Hemmings.

Genetic tests on 14 male descendants of Jefferson, showed the third US President and an author of the Declaration of Independence, fathered Hemmings’ youngest son, according to a recent report in the journal Nature.

“We’re trying to prove who we are,” Allen was quoted as saying. “Maybe it will bring us together to know that the first President (who died in 1799) had a black son, and because of slavery was unable to claim him as his own,” Allen’s colorado-based sister Linda Allen Bryant was also quoted as saying.

The paper said evidence unearthed by historical reseachers for Washington’s estate in Mount Vernon, Virginia, confirmed that Allen’s slave ancestors played a key role in Washington’s family although the estate is adamant that the first US President never bore any children.

Killer “vampire”
WASHINGTON: A San Francisco man who allegedly slashed the throats of at least four homeless persons killing one, has told police he was a 2,000-year-old vampire who thrived on drinking blood. Joshua Rudiger, (21) was in custody on charges of slashing the throat of a homeless man in San Francisco’s Chinatown. The victim, who survived the attack, pointed Rudiger out to the police, who arrested him and found a knife with him. The police said that in at least three cases Rudiger used his victims’ blood to scrawl the Chinese character for “death” on the pavement near the scenes of the attacks. “He talked for a long time and said a lot of weird things,” one police officer said, noting that none of the slashing victims had reported that their attacker attempted to drink their blood. — ANI

Wye accord letter
NABLUS: US President Bill Clinton told Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on Friday that Washington would do everything possible to get the Wye river accord implemented, an adviser to the Palestinian authority chief said. Clinton’s letter promising to make every effort to get the Israeli-Palestinian October agreement implemented was handed to Arafat by US Consul John Herbat, said Nabil Abu Rudeina. — AFP

Baffling cash gifts
RIO DE JANEIRO: Mysterious cash gifts totalling thousands of dollars are enthralling poor Brazilians in the country’s southeastern Sao Paulo state, reports said. At least 56 families in the Riberao Preto region had found envelopes containing 1,000 reais in cash (850 dollars) and a religious message like “Christ is with you” or “God loves you” on their doorsteps. “When I saw the money, I could hardly believe it,” Benedita Furtado (48) told the Estado de Sao Paulo. Furtado’s husband is a sugar plantation worker who earns 50 reais (42 dollars) a week. Now the Furtados will be able to pay off their debts and open their first savings account, reports said. — DPA

LTTE charge denied
COLOMBO: The Sri Lankan government has denied the LTTE accusations that it were using food as a weapon to starvation in the Wanni area of the northeast province and said the militant organisation is propagating “distorted” reports to international organisations. The government has followed a consistent policy of supplying the food particularly requirement of the people in the north-east province, particularly in the uncleared areas of Wanni, although it is common knowledge that the LTTE has been siphoning away a substantial part of these food supplies for its terrorist activities, a Defence Ministry release said. — UNI