W O R L D

India, USA to join hands on health
London, May 15
In a significant development, India and the USA have agreed to collaborate, initially for a period of five years, to improve the health status and well-being of individual workers and the community in both countries and to develop mechanisms to translate research results into policies and actions.

Clinton aides confirm Pak plan on N-attack
Washington, May 15
Senior members of former US President Bill Clinton’s foreign policy team have confirmed reports that Pakistan was preparing for a nuclear attack on India during the Kargil conflict, and warn that the danger of such a cataclysmic war still remains.

Lashkar-e-Jhangavi chief shot in encounter
Islamabad, May 15
Chief of the recently-banned Lashkar-e-Jhangavi Riaz Basra and three of his accomplices were killed in a “fake encounter’’ yesterday as Pakistani intelligence agencies believed he had “outlived his utility’’, media reports said today.

• Pearl’s family slams US TV

• Pervez meets top army commanders

UN approves overhaul of sanctions against Iraq
United Nations, May 15
The United Nations Security Council has unanimously approved a major overhaul of 12-year-old sanctions against Iraq allowing unrestricted flow of civilian goods but stricter watch on items of dual use which have both civilian and military utility, a move which Baghdad said was “prejudicial” to its economy.

India to train Afghan officers
London, May 15
India and Bangladesh have offered to train Afghan officers and Indian defence technicians will service the Afghan air force’s fleet of MiG-21 “Fishbed” interceptor or ground attack aircraft fighters, a leading defence weekly has reported.

Cannes Film Festival begins
Cannes (France), May 15

The Cannes Film Festival, the world’s premiere showcase and deal-making forum for cinema, opens today, turning this French Riviera town into a magnet for stars, movie executives and fans. American director David Lynch (2nd L), President of the Jury at the 55th International Cannes Film Festival, stands next to Indonesian actress Christine Hakim (L), American actress Sharon Stone (C) and Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh (R), in front of a wall of photographers during a photo call in Cannes on Wednesday. — Reuters

Arafat forms panel to rebuild Jenin Gaza, May 15 Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has ordered the creation of a committee to immediately start rebuilding destroyed Palestinian houses in the Jenin refugee camp in northern West Bank, an official statement said. An Israeli soldier crawls through a tunnel built by Palestinians from the Gaza Strip town of Rafah into Egypt, which the Israeli army discovered on Wednesday. — Reuters photo

Estrada hits out at court

Manila, May 15 Detained former Philippines President Joseph Estrada today hit out at a court trying him for the capital crime of corruption, and castigated a television station for its alleged biased coverage. Deposed Philippine President Joseph Estrada (R) is surrounded by reporters at a press conference after he appeared at the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court in Manila on Wednesday. — Reuters

India, USA to join hands on health

London, May 15
In a significant development, India and the USA have agreed to collaborate, initially for a period of five years, to improve the health status and well-being of individual workers and the community in both countries and to develop mechanisms to translate research results into policies and actions.

This will be done by promoting collaboration between Indian and US scientists so as to exchange ideas and prepare collaborative projects in areas of mutual interests.

A joint statement on Indo-US collaboration on environmental and occupational health was signed between the Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr C.P. Thakur, and US Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy G. Thompson in Geneva yesterday.

The areas to be covered under the collaboration are laboratory sciences, surveillance, epidemiology, toxicology, environmental monitoring, emergency response, industrial hygiene and related disciplines like genetics, nutrition, operations, research and behavioural sciences.

According to the joint statement, contamination of air and water from developmental and human activities is linked with a number of diseases like bronchitis, asthma, cardiovascular diseases, cancers and birth defects. Understanding of mechanisms of such illnesses and the pathways of exposure is important.

This will help in identifying the cost-effective intervention strategies.

Indian and US scientists had been interacting for the past two years to identify the environmental and occupational health-related issues of mutual interests.

A joint working group will be set up which will periodically review, assess, facilitate and make specific recommendations concerning scientific and technical collaboration under this programme. PTI

Clinton aides confirm Pak plan on N-attack

Washington, May 15
Senior members of former US President Bill Clinton’s foreign policy team have confirmed reports that Pakistan was preparing for a nuclear attack on India during the Kargil conflict, and warn that the danger of such a cataclysmic war still remains.

Mr Clinton’s Chief White House Advisor on South Asia Bruce O. Riedel’s account that US intelligence had developed “disturbing evidence that the Pakistanis were preparing their nuclear arsenals for possible deployment’’ was yesterday confirmed by other former US officials, The Washington Post reported today. They also confirmed Mr Riedel’s account that the U S administration had obtained unsettling intelligence about Pakistan’s nuclear preparations.

“It was certainly enough for us to take it very seriously,’’ former Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott said, adding that the Kargil crisis “had the potential of going all the way’’.

Another former official involved in addressing the issue for the Clinton administration said the USA had learnt that Pakistan was moving its intermediate-range Ghauri missiles, which were intended to carry nuclear warheads, out of storage and to new locations.

He said the movement might have been offensive in nature or might have been intended to protect the missiles by dispersing them in case of a preemptive Indian strike.

“Clearly, tensions are increasing as a result of the latest incidents in Kashmir,’’ said Mr Karl F. Inderfurth, Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs under Mr Clinton. UNI

Lashkar-e-Jhangavi chief shot in encounter

Islamabad, May 15
Chief of the recently-banned Lashkar-e-Jhangavi (LJ) Riaz Basra and three of his accomplices were killed in a “fake encounter’’ yesterday as Pakistani intelligence agencies believed he had “outlived his utility’’, media reports said today.

Basra, who was arrested six months ago, was supposed to “be handed over to the police to pursue the legal course after the agency had completed the investigation,’’ The News quoting sources said, adding that “the legal course was obviously a rough way as compared to killing the suspect in an encounter’’.

With Basra’s killing near Lahore yesterday, a chapter in two-decade old sectarian violence has come to an end, an official of an intelligence agency was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, suspected militants are reported to have blown up a suspension bridge in semi-autonomous Waziristan agency bordering Pakistan, even as army officials for the first time banned the display arms in the volatile tribal area.

A 90-metre long suspension bridge lnking the Ragh Kani Garam area in the Waziristan mountains was blown off with powerful time bombs yesterday, Pakistan’s NNI newsagency reported.

Residents believe that the destruction of the bridge might be against the crackdown by the Pakistan’s paramilitary forces on Al-Qaida hideouts, it said.

Meanwhile, reports from the area said the Pakistani authorities have banned the display of arms for the first time in the semi-autonomous northwestern tribal area bordering Afghanistan.

The ban came after President Pervez Musharraf said last week the military presence along the border would be beefed up to stop the infiltration of alleged terrorists from Afghanistan. UNI, PTI

Pearl’s family slams US TV

New York, May 15
A US television network has telecast parts of a videotape made by captors of US reporter Daniel Pearl and was immediately criticised by his family who asked other networks not the follow suit.

Pearl’s family described the airing of the tape last night by the CBS television network as “heartless” action even though it did not show the gruesome scenes of murder being committed.

Both the State Department and the Justice Department were reported to have advised the network against showing the video.

The network justified the showing of a short clip in which Pearl was forced to say he was Jewish, arguing that it wanted to show how anti-American propaganda was being waged against the Americans.

Pearl’s family, however, rejected the argument and “attempts to rationalise” the airing of “despicable terrorist propaganda.” PTI

Pervez meets top army commanders

Islamabad, May 15
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has reviewed the security situation along the Indo-Pak border following terrorist attacks near Jammu killing 30 persons, mostly Armymen and their family members.

“In the wake of the threat by the Indian leadership following the events that took place in Jammu, General Musharraf has held important meetings in which he was given various briefings over eastern borders with India”, a report by Pakistan NNI news agency said today.

Pakistan Foreign Office and Information Minister Nisar Memon denied any involvement of Pakistan in the massacre near Jammu. Mr Memon told BBC here last night that such charges were aimed at maligning Pakistan. PTI

UN approves overhaul of sanctions against Iraq

United Nations, May 15
The United Nations Security Council has unanimously approved a major overhaul of 12-year-old sanctions against Iraq allowing unrestricted flow of civilian goods but stricter watch on items of dual use which have both civilian and military utility, a move which Baghdad said was “prejudicial” to its economy.

A 302-page list has been attached with the resolution which specifies items which would require scrutiny by the council’s sanction committee where each member has veto power.

Syria, the only Arab member of the council, sharply criticised the resolution and accused the council of trying to perpetrate the sanctions but voted in its favour despite Iraq openly opposing the new measure.

It had wanted the resolution to explicitly say that Iraq has the right to defend itself in case of aggression. This was among several amendments proposed by it and rejected by the council on Monday.

The unanimous vote was a victory for the USA which managed to bend all members, including Russia, to its viewpoint. It took almost a year for Washington and Moscow to agree to the list of non-humanitarian items. Russia fell in line despite its earlier pronouncements that it wants to see sanctions eased.

But to get the council’s approval for new procedure, Washington dropped its original proposal to monitor Iraq’s border to ensure that it does not smuggle oil in contravention of the sanctions to its neighbours. The proposal ran into tough opposition and finally the USA decided not to pursue it.

The charges are that Iraq smuggles oil to Syria and Jordan and other countries and the money earned is used to ensure a comfortable lifestyle for the elite whose support to President Saddam Hussein is essential and also to procure weapons and their components.

Russia too gains out the new procedure as some 700 million worth of its items put on hold by the sanctions committee would be automatically released as they are not the list of prohibited goods.

Besides the verbal slamming of the new measure, the only option Iraq has, is to stop export of oil it is allowed to export under the “oil-for-food” programme that was simultaneously extended for another six months till November 25.

At present, Iraq is exporting oil worth $10 billion a year and its decision to stop the flow of oil could have serious impact on the price of the crude. But it would also have an impact on Baghdad’s earnings.

The dual-use items listed include trucks to telecommunication equipment. The military goods are outright banned.

At present the council’s sanctions committee, on which all members are represented, has a final say on import of every item by Iraq.

But under the new procedure, Iraq would inform UN officials about the humanitarian items it plans to import. The officials would have 10 days to pass on the list to the bodies monitoring the sanctions which, in turn, would have 10 days to decide.

If they find any item objectionable, it would be referred to the sanctions committee for its decision. PTI

India to train Afghan officers

London, May 15
India and Bangladesh have offered to train Afghan officers and Indian defence technicians will service the Afghan air force’s fleet of MiG-21 “Fishbed” interceptor or ground attack aircraft fighters, a leading defence weekly has reported.

Quoting officials, the report said India was keen to gain influence over the Afghan army, albeit limited, to neutralise Pakistan’s attempts to regain its sway over Kabul. PTI

Cannes Film Festival begins

Cannes (France), May 15
The Cannes Film Festival, the world’s premiere showcase and deal-making forum for cinema, opens today, turning this French Riviera town into a magnet for stars, movie executives and fans.

Billboards of some of the 22 features in the competition for the festival’s prestigious Palme d’Or award dotted the beachside strip.

But they were easily dwarfed by spectacular advertisements for future Hollywood blockbusters not being shown here, paid for by US studios more interested in milking Cannes’s publicity value than its tradition of rewarding arty but less lucrative fare.

The latest James Bond movie, “Die Another Day” was the most heavily promoted. The elegant facade and private wharf of Hotel Carlton boasted the 007 adventure, while a gleaming Aston Martin — Bond’s gadget-heavy vehicle — stood out front.

Other hype-building publicity included huge posters of “Minority Report”, a sci-fi thriller starring Tom Cruise, and “K-19: The Widowmaker”, which puts Harrison Ford in the role of a Russian submarine captain. The official festival line-up — dominated by low-key US, British and French offerings — seemed pale by comparison.

Perhaps because of this, special, out-of-competition screenings have been drafted in to spice up programme, including “Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones” and Woody Allen’s “Hollywood Ending”. AFP

Arafat forms panel to rebuild Jenin

Palestinian lawmakers, held in Gaza by Israeli closure, watch Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's speech in Ramallah through a video conference in Gaza Strip on Wednesday. — Reuters

Gaza, May 15
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has ordered the creation of a committee to immediately start rebuilding destroyed Palestinian houses in the Jenin refugee camp in northern West Bank, an official statement said.

The statement issued yesterday after the weekly meeting of the Palestinian Authority Cabinet held in Ramallah said Mr Arafat nominated Cabinet Minister Azzam El Ahmed to chair the committee and start field work.

Dozens of Palestinian houses in Jenin were destroyed in April by Israeli army tanks, bulldozers and helicopter missiles when the Israeli army entered the camp and battled with Palestinian militants for eight days.

“The committee would also study the needs of residents who gave big sacrifices for the sake of freedom and national independence,’’ said the statement published by the Wafa news agency.

The statement said Mr Arafat gave his instruction to the committee to rebuild all what had been destroyed by Israel.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet approved a Bill for implementing as immediate as possible a Palestinian independent law after it was discussed and approved by the Legislative Council.

The Cabinet statement said Mr Arafat ordered to publish the law in the local newspapers and start implementing it soon.

Palestinian officials said the Cabinet Ministers expressed satisfaction after the law was approved. The law was issued two years ago, but it was not approved or implemented because of the situation in the Palestinian territories.

Meanwhile, Israeli troops backed by four tanks and an armoured bulldozer pushed 200 metres into a Palestinian-controlled sector in the southern Gaza Strip early today and began searching homes, Palestinian security sources said.

The raid into Rafah came the morning after two Palestinians were slightly wounded by Israeli gunfire in the same area, near the border with Egypt. DPA, AFP

Estrada hits out at court

Manila, May 15
Detained former Philippines President Joseph Estrada today hit out at a court trying him for the capital crime of corruption, and castigated a television station for its alleged biased coverage.

Mr Estrada was livid after Sandiganbayan anti-graft justices summoned him to a hearing today on contempt charges filed by a group of anti-Estrada lawyers.

“By entertaining this frivolous complaint at the expense of more urgent issues, the Sandiganbayan is in effect tolerating the systematic persecution of my family and myself,” he said in a statement read in the courtroom by one of his lawyers. AFP

WORLD BRIEFS

SPIELBERG COMPLETES BACHELOR’S DEGREE
LOS ANGELES: Steven Spielberg has finished one of his few incomplete projects: getting his college degree. He enrolled at California State University, Long Beach, in 1965 but dropped out three years later to pursue his film-making career. After re-enrolling nearly a year ago, the Oscar-winning director of “Schindler’s List” and “Saving Private Ryan” has caught up on his credits and plans to attend this month’s graduation in cap and gown. “Completing the requirements for my degree 33 years after finishing my principal education marks my longest post-production schedule,” Spielberg joked in a statement. AP

ECONOMIST BAUER DIES AT 86
LONDON: Lord Bauer, a Hungarian-born economist who opposed development aid for poor countries, has died at age 86. Peter Bauer, who became a life baron in 1982, died at his home in London on May 3, the House of Lords said. Before becoming a peer, he divided his professional life between the London School of Economics, where he was professor of economics, and his old Cambridge college, Gonville and Caius, where he was a fellow. AP

APOLOGY FOR TOPLESS PENTHOUSE PHOTOS
NEW YORK: A St Louis jewellery salesman has tearfully apologised for telling Penthouse magazine that his topless videotape pictures of a fashion designer’s daughter-in-law were of tennis star Anna Kournikova. Frank Ramaesiri, dabbing his eyes with a tissue, said he believed he was right until he spotted his true subject, 28-year-old Judith Soltesz-Benetton, in the US District Court, where he was summoned to testify. “I’m very sorry. I made a mistake,” Ramaesiri said after Judge Denny Chin asked him if he still believed he had videotaped the tennis star several years ago on South Beach in Miami, Florida “I’m probably the last to know.” AP

VET FOUND GUILTY OF BLINDING DOG
HONG KONG: A Hong Kong veterinarian was found guilty of blinding a dog by repeatedly trying to push its eyeball back into its socket after the terrier was run over by a car, a news report said on Wednesday. Lau Yin-ping was found guilty of professional negligence by a veterinary surgeons’ board hearing and ordered to undergo retraining, the South China Morning Post reported. DPA

KIDS ‘MAIN CAUSE’ OF MARITAL DISCONTENT
HONG KONG: When they argue, the subject married couples are most likely to squabble over is their children, a survey published on Wednesday found. Children are the subject of 57 per cent of all domestic rows, almost three times as many as the second most common grounds for matrimonial discord — financial problems. Money worries cause 20 per cent of fallouts between husbands and wives, while pressure at work is the third most common cause of arguments between spouses. DPA

USA BANS IMPORT OF INDONESIAN SHRIMP
JAKARTA: The USA has banned the import of Indonesian shrimp caught by 30 gross ton vessels in an efforts to protect the ocean’s diminishing turtle population, reports said on Wednesday. Soempeno Putro, Director-General of Marketing at the Marine and Fishery Ministry, said the ban had gone into effect on May 1, according to the state-run Antara news agency. Putro complained that the USA had enforced the ban prior to sending a delegation to monitor Indonesia’s shrimp-catching techniques. DPA

EARTHQUAKE SHAKES TAIWAN’S CAPITAL
TAIPEI: A strong earthquake shook Taiwan’s capital on Wednesday, causing buildings to sway for about one minute. No damage or injuries were immediately reported. The 6.2-magnitude quake’s epicenter was 9 km off the island’s northeast coast, the Central Weather Bureau said. Shortly before noon, buildings started to rock slightly and the shaking gradually became stronger. AP

GANG LOOTS 1,400 BLANK PASSPORT BOOKS
ISLAMABAD: A gang of four unidentified armed men looted the Regional Passport Office in Sukkur in Punjab province and decamped with 1,400 blank international passport books, reports said on Wednesday. PTI