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| Saturday,
July 7, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Qayyum’s
party wins PoK poll 8 killed
in Aceh violence USA, Japan
finalise deal on suspect
Hanssen
pleads guilty to spying Nepal army
chief asked to return home
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| Zambian
Oppn leader murdered Lusaka, July 6 The former campaign manager of Zambian President Frederick Chiluba, who switched to the opposition in a bid to unseat his old boss, was murdered at his home today in a crime the opposition blamed on the state. UK Indian wins case
against law body
Asians
leaving for lack of jobs Norway
best place to live: UN Palestine
plans political initiative 2 US
scholars on trial in China
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Qayyum’s party wins PoK poll Muzaffarabad, Pakistan, July 6 Pro-independence candidates had been barred from the election for refusing to profess their faith in all of Kashmir joining Pakistan. Candidates who want Kashmir to join India, or be independent, had also been barred. The election took place ahead of the July 14-16 talks in India between Pakistani military ruler Gen Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. Election officials said the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference (AJKMC) won 21 of 40 seats at stake in a 48-seat Assembly while the PPP won 13 to lead the new opposition. The results of two seats have not been announced yet. Three seats have been won by independent candidates and one by the only woman among the 40 deputies, who represent the state branch of Pakistan Muslim League party of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The result will ensure an AJKMC majority in the House. The 40 elected deputies will select people later this month to fill the remaining eight seats reserved for representatives of women, professional and religious groups, political sources said. The AJKMC is headed by a former state Prime Minister, Sardar Abdul Qayyum. It is not known if he plans to stand for another term as premier. Qayyum’s followers call him Mujahid-i-Awwal (the first fighter) for his role at the start of the first Kashmir war in 1947. He opposes involvement of Pakistani parties such as PPP in state politics until the territory’s future is settled. Sixteen political groups — with more than 300 candidates and more than two million voters — contested the election held on Thursday. Amanullah Khan, chairman of the pro-independence Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), was detained on Tuesday after he addressed a rally against the ban on pro-independence candidates in Kotli. JKLF said about 300 other party activists had been arrested. The Kashmir vote marked the Pakistani military rulers’ first experiment in running a parliamentary election. While Musharraf says he will not let Pakistan return to civilian rule before October 2002, the Kashmir elections were held in line with the end of the assembly’s five-year term. Pakistan’s Kashmir is separated from India’s portion by a UN-monitored Line of Control along which the armies of the two nuclear rivals face each other.
Reuters |
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Banda Aceh, July 6 The four GAM members were killed yesterday in a gunfight with a battalion of Indonesian military (TNI) following a raid in East Aceh, the battalion’s commander, Major Suraji told mediapersons. “The armed skirmish took place following a raid by TNI soldiers on GAM members in the area,” Major Suraji said, adding that the GAM members who died were wearing military fatigues. He made no mention of government casualties. But local GAM spokesman Ishak Daud claimed that the rebels had lost only three men, and that the fourth casualty was a civilian. Daud said the TNI troops had shot dead the civilian to “unleash their anger for losing so many men” during the raid. He gave no details as to how many government men were lost. He also said the civilian victim was among 10 village residents who had been arrested following skirmish. “They were rounded up and tortured... up till now, their whereabouts remain unknown,” Daud told AFP. Humanitarian workers yesterday evacuated four decomposed corpses, bearing torture marks and gunshot wounds, from a ravine in Nisam subdistrict of North Aceh, one of the workers said. The four, according to GAM field commander Teungku Amr bin Abdul Wahab, were shot dead by government troops while chopping wood in a forest during a recent search operation. JAKARTA: Embattled Indonesian President, Abdurrahman Wahid on Friday again threatened to declare a state of emergency if a hostile Parliament tried to impeach him in three weeks time. “If that happens, I as the President, will immediately declare a state of danger — meaning civil emergency,” Wahid told the congregation at a mosque in Ciganjur on the outskirts of Jakarta after Friday prayers. But Wahid said he was prepared to compromise if the National Assembly, or People’s Consultative Assembly
(MPR), did not call him to account for his 20 months in office at the special session called for August 1.
AFP |
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USA, Japan finalise deal on suspect Tokyo, July 6 The alleged rape follows a string of offences by the US forces on Okinawa, reluctant host to the bulk of the US military presence in Japan, and has fanned already smouldering resentment among Okinawan residents. Japanese ire has also been mounting because of the US delay over the decision on handing over the suspect, who has denied committing the crime. Timothy Woodland, the US airman suspected of having committed the crime, was called in for more questioning by the Okinawan police today. Domestic media reports said a decision on handing over Woodland was being stalled because of a US demand that an American interpreter be present when Woodland was questioned and that time limits be set on how long he could be interrogated. In Washington, a senior US official said the USA had agreed to hand over Air Force Staff Sergeant Timothy Woodland, who was suspected of raping a woman on Japan’s southern Okinawa island last Friday. Woodland had denied the accusations. “They (the USA and Japan) have got an agreement,” the official said in response to questions, adding that the transfer was expected to take place after a meeting between the new US Ambassador Mr Baker, and Japanese officials here. Woodland had not been indicted for the alleged attack but under an agreement governing the conduct of the US military in Japan, a suspect could be handed over before an indictment in the case of a “heinous” crime.
Reuters |
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Hanssen
pleads guilty to spying Alexandria, Va., July 6 Hanssen, believed to be one of the most damaging spies in US history, appeared in a packed high-security courtroom in Alexandria, Virginia, near Washington and, asked how he pleaded, said in a strong voice: “Guilty.” His lawyer, Plato Cacheris, told reporters later Hanssen, who dropped his plans to plead innocent after months of negotiating over possible pursuit of the death penalty, said he wanted to make amends for his actions. Asked if Hanssen felt remorse, Cacheris said: “Yes. He very much wanted to make amends. That’s a big reason for this disposition today.” Hanssen (57) an FBI agent for 25 years, has been charged with selling secrets to Moscow over 15 years for $1.4 million in money and diamonds. He pleaded guilty to 15 counts of espionage and one count of conspiracy to commit espionage. As part of a plea deal, reached in June, prosecutors were expected to press for life in prison for Hanssen, avoiding a trial and the possible disclosure in court of national security secrets. Hanssen, the father of six children and a devote church-goer, has also sought some financial benefits for his wife, allowing her to receive a large chunk of his retirement benefits even though he was fired from the FBI soon after his arrest in February, said one source. Hanssen, arrested on February 18, has been accused of compromising secrets related to satellites, early warning systems, US means of defence or retaliation against large-scale nuclear attacks, communications intelligence and defence strategy.
Reuters |
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Nepal army chief asked to return home Kathmandu, July 6 The English daily Kathmandu Post quoted army sources as saying General Rana had been ordered to return home because of the “deteriorating situation in the Kathmandu Valley”. The newspaper did not say who ordered him to cut short the visit, which was made on the invitation of the British Defence Chief, Admiral Sir Michael Boyce. The newspaper quoted an unidentified Nepalese Army officer as saying the army “has been seriously following the rising activities of the Maoist rebels within the Kathmandu valley in recent days”. The Maoist insurgents had planted bombs in public places in three cities of the Kathmandu valley in the past few days. Though these bombs were mostly harmless and there had been no casualties, political observers said the Maoists had made a mockery of the government claim of “tight security” in the valley.
DPA |
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Zambian Oppn leader murdered Lusaka, July 6 Paul Tembo, (41) was murdered execution-style in front of his horrified wife, his lawyers said. The high-profile murder of Tembo heightened political tensions in Zambia as African ministers gathered in the southern African nation for the annual summit of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). Tembo was due to give evidence at a tribunal investigating corruption and abuse of office by three cabinet ministers, including Finance Minister Katele Kalumba. His opposition party, the Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD), said the killing was political, linking it to the corruption investigation and upcoming elections. “This is a clear assassination. It had become evident that Paul would be a major thorn in the government side in this year’s elections,” said senior FDD official Bwalya Ngandu. “His evidence at the tribunal was likely to seal the fate of the three ministers,” Ngandu added. FDD spokesman Dipak Patel said: “Nothing was stolen from Paul’s house and his wife Clara, rules out robbery. The robbers left cash and credit cards in his wallet. His vehicles were also untouched. This was a political assassination.” Tembo’s lawyer Mutembo Nchito gave a chilling account of his client’s murder in full view of his wife and children. “Three killers forced their way into the compound, roughed up Paul, led him to his bed, made him lie on it and then shot him in the back of his head,” Nchito told Reuters. “They made his wife watch.” Tembo headed Chiluba’s re-elected campaign in 1996 and spearheaded a botched bid by Chiluba, a former trade unionist, to seek an unconstitutional third five-year term in office. He quit the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) party in May, saying that Chiluba had rigged the party’s internal elections to prevent him from being Vice-President. Last month he joined the FDD headed by among others former vice-president Christon Tembo, which has emerged as the most serious challenge to Chiluba’s MDD at presidential and general elections due this year.
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UK Indian wins case against law body London, July 6 Ms Bahl, 46, once set to be the society’s first Asian and woman president, defied the odds to win what she called her ‘David and Goliath battle’ with the Law Society, a professional body of over 80,000 solicitors in the UK and Wales, that ousted her 15 months ago. An employment tribunal in London, which heard evidence over 28 days, found that the society was “vicariously liable” for discriminatory behaviour by Mr Robert Sayer, its former president and Ms Jane Betts, its former secretary-general. The tribunal, in its 126-page ruling said Mr Sayer’s behaviour would not have been the same towards a white man. It also singled out the failure by Ms Betts to acknowledge the “obvious racial context” of words such as “lebensraum” and her comment that “hand were going to be chopped off”, which it said had “clear racial overtones”, being descriptive of Sharia (Islamic law). The other claims of victimisation and unfair dismissal were rejected. Ms Bahl, a former chairman of the Equal Opportunities Commission, was suspended from her post as vice-president of the society, amid complaints of bullying staff. An independent inquiry under the retired law lord, Lord Griffiths, upheld all five complaints and Ms Bahl was forced to step down.
PTI |
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Want divorce? Say it on mobile Kuala Lumpur, July 6 Divorce declarations sent via short message services (SMS) on mobile phones are valid, Hashim Yahya was quoted as saying by today’s edition of the Malay-language Berita Harian. Under Islamic laws, Muslims men who want a separation must first make a simple declaration — “I divorce you” — to their wives, before taking it to a sharia court. “Declaring a desire to divorce via SMS has the same effect as through a letter ... this goes for declarations through the telephone and e-mail, Mr Hashim said. Muslim women who receive the divorce message must report to the sharia courts, which would then validate the declarations with both husband and wife, he added. Malaysia’s move to validate divorce declarations via mobile phones followed a recent similar decision by Singapore to accept such divorce message, the newspaper said. Ethnic Malays, most of whom are Muslims, make-up more than half of Malaysia’s 23 million population.
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Asians leaving for lack of jobs Wellington, July 6 That is because they migrated to New Zealand without properly researching the country and its opportunities, Immigration Minister Lianne Dalziel said today. “Frankly, I would rather people make the decision not to come, than come with an unachievable level of expectation,” she told Deutsche Press-Agentur.
DPA |
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Norway best place to live: UN
Oslo, July 6 The UN report, to be published next week, shows for the first time Norway ranking at number one in a league of life expectancy, education and gross domestic product indicators, the paper said yesterday. “This is a recognition of Norway that will be noticed,” Norwegian Prime Minister, Jens Stoltenberg, was quoted as saying in the country’s biggest daily.
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Palestine
plans political initiative Ramallah (West Bank), July 6 A cabinet statement called for the immediate appointment of international observers for the West Bank and Gaza and a commitment by both sides to implement a US backed multi-tiered peace plan as a single package within a short timeframe. “The political initiative is based on the concern to protect the peace process and to pave the way for serious, peaceful negotiations,” said the statement, issued after the cabinet’s weekly meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Israel has said it is opposed to foreign observers and wants the peace plan sketched by an international panel led by former US Senator George Mitchell implemented step-by-step and only after complete calm is restored with the Palestinians. PARIS: A defiant Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon brushed off international criticism of his strong-arm policies against the Palestinians during a European tour designed to drum up support amid a faltering ceasefire. Mr Sharon said he told German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and French President Jacques Chirac in talks in Berlin and Paris yesterday that Israel had “the right to defend itself”.
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2 US scholars on trial in China Washington, July 6 “The Chinese Government has confirmed to us that the trials for Li Shaomin and Gao Zhan are underway,” said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher. News of the trial came shortly after President George W. Bush expressed concern over the fate of the scholars in a telephone call yesterday to Chinese President Jiang Zemin. Li and Gao are among five academics, either US citizens or permanent residents, currently being held in China, on what rights groups say here politically motivated charges. Gao is a US permanent resident who works at American University here and Li is a US citizen who has been teaching in Hong Kong.
AFP |
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