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Bush makes final appointment to Iraq WMD panel Powell takes credit for Indo-Pak peace moves US soldier accused of aiding Al-Qaida First US gay marriage performed Pak interrogating businessman over N-deals Chechen ex-President
dies in car blast Japan allows use of embryo stem cells |
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Bush makes final appointment to Iraq WMD panel
Washington, February 13 Bush announced the commission last week under heavy political pressure and gave it until March 31, 2005, to complete its investigation — well after the November presidential election. Democrats want it to report back sooner. To fill in the two remaining seats on the handpicked panel, Bush tapped Charles Vest, who has served as president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology since 1990, and Henry Rowan, a public policy and management professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Bush is scrambling to limit the political fallout from revelations that almost all pre-war intelligence about Iraq’s alleged unconventional weapons may have been wrong. Claims that Iraq had stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction were the main reason cited by Bush for the Iraq war, in which more than 500 US troops have died. Last week, Bush picked former Virginia Governor and Senator Charles Robb, a Democrat, and Appeals Court Judge Laurence Silberman, a Republican, as the commission’s chairman. The other members are Arizona Republican Sen John McCain; Lloyd Cutler, who was White House counsel for former Democratic Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter; Vale President Richard Levin; Admiral William Studeman, former Deputy Director of the CIA, and former Appeals Court Judge Pat Wald.
— Reuters |
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Powell takes credit for Indo-Pak peace moves Washington, February 13 Powell expressed appreciation for the work “the US missions around the world are doing for the American people” at a testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee yesterday. “Suddenly, you find a Libya that is willing to give up its weapons of mass destruction.... Suddenly, you go from a situation where India and Pakistan were almost at war with each other 18 months ago and we were worried about nuclear conflagration on the subcontinent, to a point now where they are cooperating with each other and moving forward, and even starting to inch up on the difficult issue of Kashmir. “And we find that Pakistan feels sufficiently confident in their position, and with our help and pressure, we are dealing with the A Q Khan situation and we are going to get that network all ripped up,” Powell said. Meanwhile, ranking member of the committee Joseph Biden expressed serious doubts on claims that Khan was solely responsible for the proliferation. “I find the idea — I could be wrong — that the ISI and the Pakistani military had nothing to do with Khan’s proliferation activities — I find that absolutely, totally, completely beyond my comprehension,” he said. “I hope I will be wrong on that, but the fact of the matter is it (the claim that Khan was solely responsible for the proliferation) is difficult to believe,” Biden said. Powell said both he and President George W. Bush had spoken to Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on the nuclear proliferation issue. On the alleged activities of Taliban with Pakistan as their base, Powell said the militia was trying to stage a comeback, but US forces were active against them. The US has talked to Pakistan and asked them to prevent any crossing of the Afghan border from the Pakistani side, he added.
— PTI |
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US soldier accused of aiding Al-Qaida
Washington, February 13 The soldier, identified as Specialist Ryan Anderson, was detained at Fort Lewis, Washington, yesterday, said Lieut-Col Stephen Barger. Anderson was a member of the Washington National Guard’s 81st Armored Brigade, which was preparing to deploy to Iraq. “Specialist Anderson will be held at the Fort Lewis regional correction facility and the criminal charges of aiding the enemy by wrongfully attempting to communicate and give intelligence to the Al-Qaida terrorist network in violation of the Uniformed Code of Military Justice,” Barger said. Anderson was taken into custody by army and federal law enforcement authorities, but has not been formally charged.
— AFP |
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First US gay marriage performed
San Francisco, February 13 The couple, Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, said “I do” in the California metropolis’ city hall after Mayor Gavin Newsome yesterday ordered officials to wed gay couples and issue marriage licences in an act of civil disobedience aimed at challenging state law that bars same-sex marriages. “We got married,” said one of the women ecstatically after the ceremony. City official Mabel Teng presided over the ceremony, exchanging the tradition phrase of “Husband and wife” for “spouse for life.” Newsome, who took over running the liberal city after winning an election in December, announced he would defy state law and marry gay couples in a bid to fight discrimination.
— AFP |
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Pak interrogating businessman over N-deals Washington, February 13 Jafri’s dealings, said The Wall Street Journal, quoting Pakistani officials, were shedding light on the vast business and financial networks established by Dr Khan in more than two decades of global arms dealings. “We believe Jafri was an intermediary between Dr Khan and the larger illicit network,” a Pakistani official said. Three of the detainees were retired military officers, Pakistani officials said, while the other three worked with Dr Khan at Khan Research Laboratories.
— PTI |
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Chechen ex-President dies in car blast Doha, February 13 The doctor told The Associated Press that Yandarbiyev died from his injuries on the way to the hospital. Earlier, an official had told AP that Yandarbiyev was in surgery for his injuries. The doctor, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Yandarbiyev’s son was in critical condition. He said they were the only two persons brought to Hamad General Hospital. The hospital official had earlier said two bodyguards arrived dead at the hospital. The hospital would not confirm that the injuries came from a car explosion, but Arab satellite channels Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya both reported that Yandarbiyev was injured in an explosion that killed two other persons.
— AP |
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Japan allows use of embryo stem cells Tokyo, February 13 The Ministry of Science’s Committee on Bioethics gave the go-ahead to researchers from Kyoto University to use the cells to generate blood vessels, ministry spokeswoman Yuka Suzuki said. Embryonic stem cells can develop into virtually any kind of cell in the body. Using them to grow replacement blood vessels could lead, for example, to new ways of fixing blocked arteries or treating heart disease. — AP |
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