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Washington, May 1 Veteran US journalist Ted Koppel devoted his “Nightline” programme to broadcasting the names and photographs of 721 American soldiers killed in Iraq, sparking outrage from conservatives who called it an anti-war propaganda. US soldiers abuse Iraqi prisoners
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European unity completed
SARS in air, Chinese out for fun
18 Taliban suspects captured
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25 die as boat sinks off Vietnamese coast
Norway's minister in Lanka
Ties with S. Africa upbeat: Shekhawat
10 Truman Scholars
Rebels kill three in Indonesia
13 Indian fisherman held in Pak
Sweet tactics to curb brawls Stephen
Pound
re-elected Hong Kong says no to
Falun Gong Tigers maul zoo employee Aussies hardest workers in North
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Washington, May 1 But Koppel yesterday said the ABC show, extended to 40 minutes from its normal half-hour to accommodate all names, was a politically neutral way of honouring those who had died. “Our goal tonight was to elevate the fallen above the politics and the daily journalism,” he said at the end of the programme. “The reading of those 721 names was neither intended to provoke opposition to the war nor as an endorsement.” Koppel said he was not opposed to the war in Iraq, launched in March 2003 to oust Saddam Hussein. “I am opposed to sustaining the illusion that war can be waged by the sacrifice of a few without burdening the rest of us in any way. I oppose the notion that to be at war is to forfeit the right to question, criticise or debate our leaders’ policies,” he said. The show was broadcast on the eve of the anniversary of President George W. Bush’s May 1, 2003, “mission accomplished” declaration from the deck of an aircraft carrier that major combat in Iraq was over. Since then a guerrilla war waged by a range of anti-US groups has intensified and 134 Americans were killed in April alone — the bloodiest month for US forces since the war began. The programme was inspired by a June 1969 edition of Life magazine that carried the names and pictures of all the American soldiers killed in a single week in the Vietnam War. That issue of the magazine was credited with fueling public sentiment against the war in Vietnam and conservative commentators accused Koppel of trying to encourage similar opposition to the war in Iraq. A media company whose executives have been strong supporters of President Bush, Maryland-based Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc., barred its ABC-affiliated stations from airing the “Nightline” broadcast, calling it a political statement that failed to give all sides of the story. Senator John McCain, an Arizona Republican and Vietnam veteran, condemned Sinclair’s decision “to deny your viewers an opportunity to be reminded of war’s terrible costs.” He called it a “gross disservice to the public” and the US armed forces. “It is in short, sir, unpatriotic,” McCain said. Sinclair company president David Smith responded that ABC “has adopted a strategy employed by numerous anti-war demonstrators who wish to focus attention solely on the cost of war.” He said Sinclair stations would replace “Nightline” with “a balanced report addressing both sides of this controversy.” Koppel rejected Sinclair’s criticism. “We do context everyday. Today was just one programme when we decided we would honour the dead. Period,” he told Reuters in a telephone interview. ABC News said it would make a special feed of its tribute available to radio and television stations in markets where the programme was preempted by the Sinclair Broadcast chain. A poll by The New York Times and CBS News reported this week that American support for the war in Iraq had eroded substantially in recent weeks and Americans were increasingly critical of how Bush was handling the conflict. A spokesman for the Veterans of Foreign Wars group, Jerry Newberry, told ABC News he approved of the “Nightline” broadcast.
— Reuters |
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US soldiers abuse Iraqi prisoners
Washington: Images of atrocities allegedly committed by US soldiers against Iraqi prisoners of war dominated the media on Friday. The graphic pictures inflamed the Arab world and forced the Bush administration to scramble to contain the fallout of what is, undoubtedly, a public relations nightmare for Washington. The pictures showed naked prisoners being forced to simulate sex acts and standing with wires attached to their genitals. The photographs, which were first broadcast on Wednesday on CBS’ “60 Minutes II” in the USA, were shown on Friday by Arab television networks. President George W. Bush vowed that those responsible for the atrocities would be “taken care of.” “I shared a deep disgust that those prisoners were treated the way they were treated. I didn’t like it one bit,” Mr Bush said at the White House on Friday. The people who are alleged to have carried out the abuse “do not reflect the nature of men and women we sent overseas,” he added. Amnesty International said the atrocities committed at Abu Ghraib prison, south of Baghdad, were “not an isolated incident.” “It is not enough for the USA to react only once images have hit the television screens,” the human rights group said in a statement. Qatar-based TV channel Al Jazeera said the images showed the “unethical and inhuman” conduct of American soldiers. Al-Arabiya TV condemned the “humiliating” pictures, which demonstrated the soldiers’ “savagery.” The photos showed hooded prisoners piled in a human pyramid and simulating sex acts, as US soldiers celebrated. One photo showed a hooded prisoner standing on a box with wires attached to his hands; the prisoner was told that he would be electrocuted if he fell off the box. White House spokesman Scott McClellan described the acts depicted in the photos as “despicable.” “We cannot tolerate it, and the military is taking strong action against those responsible,” Mr McClellan said. Asked about a potential global backlash, Mr McClellan said, “It does not represent what we stand for, and I think the military has made it very clear that they are going to pursue — to the fullest extent of the law — these individuals.” Abd al-Bari Atwan, editor-in-chief of the London-based Arabic daily al-Quds al-Arabi, told Al Jazeera, “This is the outcome of the culture of hate that the US administration adopts against the Arabs and Muslims.” “They (the Americans) removed Saddam Hussein for acts of abuse, but who will remove [President George] Bush and (Defence Secretary) Rumsfeld for inciting these acts?” Mr Atwan said the U.S. administration had lost “the battle of winning the hearts and minds not only in Iraq but in the whole Muslim world.” In Cairo, a spokesman for Amr Moussa, secretary general of the Arab League, said: “We roundly denounce the mistreatment and humiliation” of Iraqi prisoners. He called on the coalition to “punish everyone who has been involved in these savage acts.” Brig-Gen Mark Kimmitt, the coalition’s deputy chief of operations in Iraq, said that he was “appalled that fellow soldiers who wear the same uniforms as us would do this.” “They crossed the line and violated every tenet we teach in the army about dignity and respect,” he said. In its Saturday editions, London’s Daily Mirror newspaper published photographs that purportedly show British soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners, including one picture of a soldier urinating on a hooded detainee. British Army commander Gen. Michael Jackson, speaking on behalf of Britain’s minister of defense, said he was aware of the allegations and that the ministry has launched an investigation. “If proven, not only is such appalling conduct clearly unlawful, but it also contravenes the British army’s high standards of conduct,” Gen. Jackson said in a statement. |
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Dublin, May 1 After leading overnight festivities in their homelands, presidents and prime ministers from the new members will sit down for the first time as equal members of the EU’s governing council. "We used to be the gateway to Europe. ... We are now inside the gate," Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy told revelers yesterday in Budapest. "A new chapter can commence in our national history," Medgyessy said. "Tomorrow is an opportunity for a new modern Hungary." The 10 nations officially became members after midnight yesterday in central Europe. They are Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Cyprus and Malta. The event was marked by fireworks and street celebrations in nations where the EU entry is seen as a return to the European mainstream after decades under the Soviet yoke. In Ireland, which holds the EU’s rotating presidency, a "Day of Welcomes" was kicked off with evening fireworks in Dublin Bay. Festivities scheduled for today range from Slovak folk dancing in Cork to Hungarian poetry reading in Sligo and a banquet of eastern European delicacies in streets of Dublin. Prime Minister Bertie Ahern was to start the day with Christian, Muslim and Jewish religious leaders at a "Prayers for Europe" ceremony in Dublin Castle. Leaders from the other 24 EU nations were expected to arrive today for a summit that begins with symbolic raising of their flags outside the parkland residence of President Mary McAleese. Ireland placed 5,000 police and 2,000 soldiers on alert to prevent demonstrators from disrupting the event. The short summit will toast the historic importance of EU enlargement, which comes just weeks after NATO opened its doors to Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Romania and Bulgaria, most of them former Warsaw Pact foes. Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999. Any concerns about the impact of EU expansion will probably be put on hold until the bloc holds its next summit in mid-June at its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. Also attending the Dublin summit will be leaders of countries still knocking at the EU’s door: Romania and Bulgaria, which hope to join in 2007, and Turkey, which aims to open membership talks next year.
—AP |
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SARS in air, Chinese out for fun
Beijing, May 1 Airports and train stations across the country installed thermal scanners to check passengers for fever, a telltale symptom of potentially deadly SARS. The World Health Organisation, which has sent teams to China to investigate the outbreak in Beijing and the eastern province of Anhui, believes the latest cases may have come from two people who caught the virus in a SARS laboratory. More than 90 million people are expected to travel during the seven-day holiday starting today, pouring 35 billion yuan (4.23 billion dollars) into tourism-related industries, China’s National Tourism Administration has said. An outbreak of SARS last year prompted the government to cancel the May Day holiday, one of the country’s three annual “Golden Weeks’’ when businesses close and much of the country goes on holiday, giving the economy a shot of consumer spending.
That outbreak pounded the economy, especially service sectors such as tourism, in China and across much of Asia. Well over 1,000 people have been isolated in connection with the latest five confirmed and four suspected SARS cases. China came in for criticism last year for failing to report the outbreak, which began in the south of the country, when it first appeared but WHO has applauded China’s efforts to cut the chain of transmission this time. “We believe that at this point in time there is no significant public health threat from this outbreak of SARS,’’ said Julie Hall, a SARS team leader with WHO in China. Nevertheless, several countries, fearful of a repeat of last year’s SARS outbreak that was spread by travellers and killed nearly 800 people worldwide, have started screening visitors from China. WHO had not recommended additional measures for the government to take over the holiday, but Hall added: “It is too early to say that this is under control and the chain of transmission has been broken.’’
— Reuters |
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Islamabad, May 1 The Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) quoted unnamed sources in Kandahar - once Taliban’s stronghold - as saying the militants were detained in the Panjwaei and Band-e-Taimour districts. Those arrested include Fazal Ahmed, an official of the "Department for Promotion of Virtues" which the Taliban had created during their regime to ensure enforcement of strict Islamic laws. Two others were named as Mullah Siddiqueullah and Mullah Allauddin. The reported arrests followed an ambush two day ago by hardline Taliban fighters which left five Afghan soldiers dead in the southern district of Panjwaei. Five blood-stained vehicles, apparently used for carrying wounded militiamen, were also seized during this week’s operation that involved only Afghan troops, the report said. Panjwaei district has been the scene of attacks by Taliban and Al-Qaida operatives in recent weeks, leaving at least 15 dead. Meanwhile Pakistan has extended by a week the deadline for amnesty to Al-Qaida and Taliban militants holed up in its tribal areas ordering Afghanistan after yesterday’s ultimatum to surrender or face military action passed without a single foreign militant turning up to lay down weapons and seek clemency. The deadline has been extended by seven days to give another chance to the foreign militants, Pakistan’s Defence spokesman Shaukat Sultan said. Security Chief of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) Mehmoos Shah said the deadline has been further extended to ally the fears of the militants. Al-Qaida and Taliban militants were given time till yesterday to surrender or face new military action. However, the ultimatum expired yesterday without a single foreign militant emerging from hiding to register with authorities and seek clemency.
— Agencies |
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25 die as boat sinks off Vietnamese coast
Hanoi, May 1 The accident happened yesterday after the pump system broke down on the fishing boat that its owner was illegally using to ferry visitors from Ca Mau province to an island 25 km from the mainland. “Police, navy and army personnel were sent to the scene and are still there searching for survivors,” said Nguyen Duy Phien, chairman of the Ngoc Hien district People’s Committee. “Until now we have recovered 25 bodies and rescued 94 persons but we do not have an accurate picture of how many are still missing,” he said, adding that at least one third of those who drowned were children. The officials said they doubted whether any more survivors would be found. State media said the boat was carrying nearly 200 persons, including high school students and families celebrating the 29th anniversary of the fall of the US-backed South Vietnamese regime. The police in the coastal Ngoc Hien district, which is around 340 km south-west of the southern business capital of Ho Chi Minh City, said it had arrested the married couple who owned the vessel.
— AFP |
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Colombo, May 1 Norwegian peace envoy to Sri Lanka Eric Solheim is scheduled to arrive in Colombo later this evening, sources added. The Norwegian delegation is scheduled to meet President Kumaratunga tomorrow for resolving the 20-year old strife. Later, Mr Solheim and Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar would proceed to Kilinochchi on May 3 for consultations with the LTTE leadership. The Norwegian peace delegation comes exactly a week after President Kumaratunga, highly critical of the Norwegians for their role as peace facilitators, telephoned Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik inviting them to resume their role as peace facilitators. The LTTE, however, said that it would be ready for talks only after it had assessed President Kumaratunga government’s intentions on resolving the conflict. Norway withdrew from the peace talks in last November after President Chandrika Kumaratunga took over three ministries, including Defence and Interior Administration from the then United National Front (UNF) government alleging that it had compromised national security in the guise of peace talks.
— UNI |
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Ties with S. Africa upbeat: Shekhawat
Cape Town, May 1 Addressing a reception here hosted by Indian High Commissioner to South Africa S S Mukherjee on the concluding day of his six-day official visit to the country last night, he said the two nations shared a commonality of history and destiny, “symbolised most of all by the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi.” “My current visit to South Africa is yet another step in forging new bonds between our two countries. I bring the message of friendship, goodwill and solidarity between our two countries... “I am sanguine that relations between our two countries are bound to grow and become stronger every day. And together, in cooperation with other developing countries, we shall make positive contribution to world peace and harmony and welfare of the whole humanity,” he said. South Africa’s Minister for Arts and Culture Pallo Jordan was present on the occasion, besides members of the local Indian community, who Mr Shekhawat described as “ambassadors of India.” “I am confident that the community will continue to contribute meaningfully to South Africa’s future development and act as a valuable bridge of friendship between India and South Africa,” the Vice-President said. — PTI |
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Houston, May 1 The Indian students — Swati M Saini, Biren A Bhatt, Jacqueline Chattopadhyay, Swati Mylavarapu, Indivar Dutta-Gupta, Sunita Arora, Maya A Babu, Anjali Garg, Ravi Gupta and Menaka Kalaskar — were selected from among 77 students from 67 US colleges and universities. The winners of this USD 2,000 scholarship will be travelling to William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri for a week-long leadership development programme and will accept their awards in a special ceremony at the Truman Library in Independence on May 23, 2004, according to a press release issued by the foundation. Candidates for the scholarship
underwent a rigorous five-month-long application process in which they submitted a policy proposal and detailed their career aspirations. A total of 77 scholars were selected from a national pool of 609 applicants representing 300 colleges and
universities nationwide. — PTI |
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Rebels kill three in Indonesia
Banda Aceh, May 1 A 47-year-old woman and her 74-year-old mother were shot dead at their home in Pidie district on Thursday after they refused to give money to members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), local military chief Abdul Rochim Siregar said. The rebels wanted the woman, a teacher, to pay “taxes”, Siregar said. In a separate incident, rebels shot dead another high school teacher early yesterday. “A group of GAM rebels with M-16 rifles and pistols came to his house and asked him to pay taxes. He was shot dead after he said he didn’t have money,” Siregar said. Rebel spokesmen could not be reached for comment. — AFP |
13 Indian fisherman held in Pak
Karachi, May 1 The fishermen, who were in two boats, were arrested yesterday by a patrol of the Maritime Security Agency about 150 km east of Karachi, Pakistan’s main seaport, said Ahmad Nadeem Bukhari, spokesman for the agency. He said the men were to appear before a judge next week.
— AP |
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Sweet tactics to curb brawls London, May 1 In an effort to reduce alcohol-related violence, the police in the southern county of Dorset are handing out chocolate bars to late-night revellers as they leave the town’s bars and clubs during the current three-day holiday weekend. The government has launched a crackdown on heavy drinking in towns and cities across the country, aimed particularly at the young.
— Reuters |
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Stephen
Pound
re-elected London, May 1 The new team includes political heavyweights such as Lord Triesman of Tottenham, who was until recently the Labour Party’s General Secretary, and four Parliamentary private secretaries to government ministers.
— PTI |
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Hong Kong says no to
Falun Gong Hong Kong, May 1 Falun Gong is banned as an “evil cult” in mainland China, but remains legal and holds frequent protests in Hong Kong.
— AP |
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Tigers maul zoo employee Bangkok, May 1 The sudden attack happened yesterday afternoon while Uraiwan Sansern, 18, was feeding the tigers in a glassed-in cage at the Sriracha Tiger Zoo in Chon Buri. Uraiwan reportedly hit one of the tigers with a stick but the animal turned on her and attacked.
— DPA |
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Aussies hardest workers in North Sydney, May 1 The reputation of heavy drinking Australians is also debunked by figures showing alcohol consumption has dropped dramatically since 1980 and the country now guzzles below average amounts of wine and beer.
— Reuters |
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Accept environmental refugees, Australia told Sydney, May 1 |
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Placards of US President George W. Bush
and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi are displayed in
protest against US and Japanese troops’ presence in Iraq at
a May Day rally in Tokyo. — Reuters photo