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Ties with China most crucial, says Indian envoy Britain to tighten immigration laws Terror suspect takes police to court BBC journalist shot in Riyadh
S. Korea meet USA over troop pullout |
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Microbes under earth surface found Window on Pakistan
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Ties with China most crucial, says Indian envoy
Beijing, June 7 “The Government of India attaches great importance to retain freedom of option in conducting its foreign relations. India's foreign policy is rooted in the abiding principles of equality among states, commitment to peace, attention to economic well-being and to the defence of the country,” Mr Surie said in an interview to “Beijing Review”, a leading state-run Chinese weekly. “Within this perspective, India will continue to attach high importance to its relations with China and the USA”, he said when asked what kind of “adjustments” will the new government make in its relations with countries like China and the USA. Mr Surie, speaking ahead of the celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of the five principles of peaceful co-existence (panchsheel), initiated by India, China and Myanmar, this month, said New Delhi attached the highest priority to “nurturing and expanding relations between India and its neighbours in all respects.” Commenting on Sino-Indian relations, Mr Surie said the ties were in the process of diversification and development. “The new government in India has made it very clear that this process of normalising, strengthening and expanding relations with China will continue, for this is the most important factor affecting Asian security and stability,” he said. Recalling the first telephonic conversation between the new External Affairs Minister, K Natwar Singh and his Chinese counterpart, Li Zhaoxing, the Indian Ambassador noted that the two ministers agreed to work closely together to further strengthen bilateral relations. Asked about the ongoing border negotiations, he said the third meeting of the special representatives on the boundary question would take soon.
— PTI |
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Britain to tighten immigration laws
London, June 7 According to a British daily, leaked documents showed that Prime Minister Tony Blair and Home Secretary David Blunkett want quotas to be introduced. A decision in this regard was taken at a recent meeting presided over by Mr Blair and attended among others by Mr Blunkett, Immigration Minister Desmond Browne, Trade Secretary Patricia Hewitt and Foreign Secretary Jack Straw. Quotas would require careful handling to avoid accusations or perceptions of discrimination, according to the document and added, the Prime Minister said the Home Office should tighten the scheme with a view to end abuse from New Commonwealth countries. Applications from these countries have increased sharply since rules were relaxed last year. In the past around 40,000, mainly young people from “Old Commonwealth” countries like Australia, New Zealand and Canada, came to the UK on working holiday visas. They were allowed to stay and work for two years as long as they did not claim social security benefits. But since the scheme was expanded to the “New Commonwealth” countries applications have soared. However, there will be no tightening of the rules for people from predominantly white countries like Australia. The revelation could spark a race row. Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesman Mark Oaten has been quoted as saying, “The colour of skin or nationality should not be the determining factor.’’ But a Downing Street spokeswoman said race was not an issue and no firm decisions had been taken.
— UNI |
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Terror suspect takes police to court
Jakarta, June 7 Despite violent protests from his supporters they rearrested him on April 30 as he stepped out of prison after completing a sentence for immigration violations. Lawyer Achmad Michdan, bringing a lawsuit against national police chief General Da’i Bachtiar, asked South Jakarta district court to order the release of the 65-year-old cleric. Meanwhile, an Indonesian who stored explosive material which was later used in the deadly Marriott hotel bombing has had his 10-year prison sentence reduced on appeal, a court official said. The appeal court cut Sardona Siliwangi’s sentence to eight years as he had not realised that the chemicals were intended for use in a bomb, the court spokesman said.
— AFP |
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BBC journalist shot in Riyadh London, June 7 Thirtysix-year-old Cumbers was a freelance journalist and cameraman working for the BBC, the BBC said in a statement. Frank Gardner, 42, is the BBC’s security correspondent and a leading expert on Al-Qaida, the statement said. Gardner is being treated in hospital in Riyadh. Riyadh’s police chief said the attack was carried out by “unknown elements”. According to the statement, the two men had travelled to Saudi Arabia last week following terrorist attacks in the city of Khobar and have been reporting from the country for BBC News since then. BBC Director of News Richard Sambrook said that Gardner “suffered, I gather, a number of gunshot wounds”. “Our thoughts are with the families of Simon and Frank tonight. We are in touch with them and offering them all the support that we can,” Sambrook said in the statement issued last night.
— PTI |
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S. Korea meet USA over troop pullout Seoul, June 7 A US delegation, led by the Assistant Secretary of Defence Richard Lawless, met South Korean officials to discuss what would be the first major troop cut on the Korean Peninsula since 1992. Washington has kept troops here since the Korean war, in part to help Seoul deter potential aggression from the North. The Korean war ended without a peace treaty. The two-day Future of the Alliance talks end tomorrow and are mainly to discuss US plans to reposition most of its forces currently stationed near the North Korean border to points south of the South Korean capital, Seoul.
— AP |
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Microbes under earth surface found Beijing, June 7 “Cultured in a series of media, two strains of living bacteria have been found in the drilling core” Xu, head of the drilling programme told the ongoing assembly of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. “People used to think that there is no life inside rock, those bacteria living in the high temperature and anoxybiotic environment have broken down our tradition concept of life,” she said.
— PTI |
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Window on Pakistan Bomb blasts in Karachi and ethnic and religious riots in the North Western Frontier Province spelt more trouble for President Pervez Musharraf who repeated his pledge to end extremism in Pakistan. Interestingly, Pakistan has been spending huge money and manpower in exporting this commodity called extremists or jihadis to other countries, particularly to India. Now it wants to end all this. But neither in urban Karachi, Multan, Peshawar or Lahore, nor in the tribal belts of the NWFP, the government seems to be succeeding. In this fight, Musharraf took the right step of revising school syllabus, reforming madarasa system and modernising education. But he stopped short of providing Pakistan a democratic government. But this neither suits the mullahs nor the political parties, the MMA whose mainstay is backward-looking people fed on extremism. But most mainline newspapers support as do the middle across the board. Writing Jamil-ur-Rehman in daily Dawn said, “It is a great pity that President Musharraf’s attempt to develop the traits of enlightenment and moderation in the civic and political culture of Pakistan is not making a forceful impact. It is not as if people are intolerant and averse to moderation and enlightenment. It is because a very influential segment of our political leaders, especially those leading the religious parties, vehemently oppose moderation and enlightenment. Unless these leaders expunge their prejudices, the goal of structuring democratic Pakistan would remain unattainable.” Rehman could not be truer. Daily Times in its editorial discussing the issue, wrote, “The problem of syllabus we now encounter in Gligit and also elsewhere is the product of the state’s enterprise of backing a particular brand of Islamic exegesis. Of course, there are other factors, not least the rampant corruption in the region by officials of the state and lack of development and employment opportunities. But the ground reality is that the area is sitting atop a time bomb and the syllabus is the trigger that could activate it. That is why it is surprising that despite the issue festering for so long the federal government has done nothing visible to address it. Now it threatens to become a law and order problem.” President Musharraf wrote an article in Washington, which was picked up many newspapers. Here he talked about modernising the State of Pakistan. “The suffering of the innocent multitudes, particularly my brethren in faith — the Muslims — at the hands of militants, extremists and terrorists has inspired me to contribute towards bringing some order to this disorderly world,” Musharraf wrote. Commenting on this, Ayaz Amir responded, “No one can accuse Pakistani leaders of not being high-minded. Their own country may be in a mess, its largest city paralysed by lawlessness, yet they are moved by the ambition to bring order to the world. The laws are there but nothing akin to parliamentary democracy or the rule of law exists in Pakistan.” This, indeed, is not to the liking of Musharraf. Amir did not mince words, “The source of all authority, the fountainhead of law, is the army chief of staff’s cane. Where it swings, what it points at and what line it demarcates, is national policy at any given moment. Decisive action with regard to Sindh and Karachi would mean not the search for scapegoats, which is the tempting option, but confining this cane strictly to the C-in-C’s office and allowing Sindh a government more representative of popular wishes than the farce symbolised by Abad and Mahar.” Amir termed Musharraf’s article full confusion. “So straightforward a course of action elsewhere, so complicated in Pakistan. For it represents a momentous act of self-denial, something Pakistan army chiefs are simply not programmed to deliver. “Enlightened moderation” is a tautology for moderation is enlightened by definition. Before deploying this expression at every turn, Musharraf could ponder the meaning of another one: “enlightened self-interest”. |
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