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Expand Security Council through
consensus: USA
Fear grips Nepal, says
sacked PM’s wife
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Canada to appoint adviser on Kanishka probe
Indian scientist held for DNA theft
Truman scholarships for 3 Indian Americans
Pak to reciprocate if India allows
Hurriyat leaders
Pakistan may face locust attack
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Expand Security Council through
consensus: USA
United Nations, April 8 "As the reform process moves proceeds, the US would like to move forward on the basis of broad consensus and without artificial deadlines," Adviser on UN reforms to the Bush administration Shirin Tahir-Kheli said addressing the Assembly yesterday on the reform proposals of Secretary-General Kofi Annan. USA supports the reform provided it enhances the effectiveness of the council, she said adding, "We remain open to considering all proposals and would evaluate against that benchmark." Washington had not clearly stated its position on the stand taken by India, Japan, Germany and Brazil but Tahir Kheli's remarks were seized by those advocating expansion through consensus rather than vote in the Assembly to contend that America supports their position. Both USA and China are permanent members of the council with veto and their concurrence on any reform proposal, including expansion, is necessary for the measure to go through. The American representative also rejected several other key proposals of Annan, including setting deadlines for aid increase and debt forgiveness. Referring to the September Summit of the world leaders at the United Nations, She said it should not become a focal point for the UN reforms. "We continue to believe that it principal focus should be on implementation of the goals of the Millennium Declaration," she added. The goals, which include halving absolute poverty in the world by 2015, were set by the world leaders during the Millennium Summit in 2000 and their upcoming meeting would review their implementation. The USA, Tahir-Kheli said, wants to move forward now on reforms where there broad agreement. "We should also recognise that there are areas where agreement would not be reached quickly or easily and we should not be bound by artificial deadlines," she added. Asking member states to move on reforms in a pragmatic way, she advocated building consensus around reforms all agree with and "then, progressively, working to achieve, more difficult changes." Annan proposed that several key issues, including expansion of the Security Council, be decided by the time the September summit is held.
— PTI |
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Fear grips Nepal, says
sacked PM’s wife
New Delhi, April 8 Deuba who is here on a three-day visit told TNS that the common man in Nepal is paying a price for disunity among various political parties. A topper in Psychology from Panjab University, Deuba is representing Nepal at a WHO meeting as the honorary Chairperson of the Safe Motherhood Network. Describing the situation in Nepal, she said, ``After February 1, Maoists have escalated bandh calls. This has disrupted normal life and resulted in the deaths of at least five would-be mothers being rushed to the valley from the countryside. As it is, access to maternal health care facilities in Nepal is bad.’’ She said the economy has
nose-dived. ``Prices of essential commodities have gone up. This does not augur well for a poor country like Nepal where more than 40 per cent of the population of 22 million lives below the poverty line. Banks have no business these days. Because of blockades by Maoists on Prithvi Rajpath and the Tribhuvan Rajpath, goods being imported are held up on the way for a fortnight. “Newspapers cannot be critical of the government. They cannot report on Maoist activities. The government-run mobile service provider, National Telecommunication Company, has cut off all mobile connections despite suffering a huge loss of revenue. My husband was under house arrest for 40 days,’’ she said. Deuba believes that her husband was released as a face saving measure before the United Nations Commission on Human Rights meeting in Geneva. ``Even now his movement is restricted. He cannot go beyond the Kathmandu Valley. Some ministers from our party are still under house arrest. The King has not even announced elections, one of the reasons he gave for assuming executive powers.’’ She said that even civil servants are under threat. Political demonstrations are not allowed. The moment anybody comes out to raise his voice, he is put in jail. On the other hand, paid-for rallies in support of the King are allowed. They are organised by retired Generals around Narayanhity Palace. Those who participate in such rallies raise slogans announcing the return of peace in Nepal. |
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Canada to appoint adviser on Kanishka probe
Vancouver, April 8 Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan announced that the government would appoint an independent advisor to decide if a public inquiry was warranted into the bombing of Kanishka flight which crashed off the Irish coast in 1985 killing all 329 persons on board. “A full inquiry is absolutely necessary ...the advisor would consider ‘whether there are questions that remain unanswered, and whether we can reasonably expect answers 20 years after the event,” McLellan, who is also Public Safety Minister, said on Wednesday. The minister said she would meet with family members in Toronto next week to give them a chance to speak to senior government officials. “Before I take any action, I want to meet the families at the start of an ongoing dialogue so we know what questions remain unanswered for them,” she said announcing the move in Parliament. The announcement came as the House of Commons began debate on an Opposition motion asking for a public probe. “This review can only begin once we’ve determined if the province of British Columbia will appeal the (Air India) decision,” McLellan said.
— PTI |
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Indian scientist held for DNA theft
Houston, April 8 Singh Lakshman Meena, (33), a research scientist at the University of Central Florida (UCF), has been made to give up his passport after spending nearly two weeks in jail, media reports said. Meena was arrested on March 22, two days before he planned to leave for India, on charges of offence against intellectual property, petty theft and obstruction by false information.
— PTI |
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Truman scholarships for 3 Indian Americans
Houston, April 8 The Indian students Amar Chopra Bakshi from Washington, Hirsh Sandesara from Illinois and Pooja Aggarwal from Missouri were selected from among 75 students from 65 US colleges and universities. The 75 scholars were selected from among 602 candidates nominated by 299 colleges and universities. Each scholarship provides $ 30,000 for graduate study. In addition to the generous scholarship amount, scholars also receive priority admission and supplemental financial aid at some premier graduate institutions, leadership training, career and graduate school counselling, and special internship opportunities within the government.
— PTI |
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Pak to reciprocate if India allows Hurriyat leaders
Islamabad, April 8 The government was ready to send the leaders from the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK), if the Hurriyat leaders were permitted to travel to Pakistan, Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri said while addressing a reception in Lahore last night. “We will do the same in the case of” PoK leaders “if the Indian Government permits Hurriyat Conference leaders to visit Pakistan,” he added. His comments came after Pakistan did not permit the top politicians of Jammu and Kashmir to travel by the inaugural bus service across the LoC. Instead, it said their names were not in the first list and wanted the bus to be used by the divided families. Kasuri’s comments were seen here as Pakistan’s willingness to permit politicians from PoK to visit Srinagar. India has already clarified that Hurriyat leaders could apply to obtain special permission for travel by the Kashmir buses. — PTI
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Pakistan may face locust attack
Islamabad, April 8 A senior official in the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock
(MINFAL) told Dawn on Thursday that a recent meeting of the Federal Committee on Agriculture
(FCA) was informed about a revised forecast of the Food and Agriculture Organisation
(FAO) of the United Nations on locust swarms. According to the FAO, most of the locust swarms in Egypt are expected to move towards the Red Sea. The FAO has forecast that if a large number of swarms arrive in Sudan and breed successfully, they may cross the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia. “Successful breeding may occur on either sides of the Red Sea. These swarms from Saudi Arabia may infiltrate into the Pakistan-India border area during June-July 2005,” a MINFAL report quoted the FAO as saying.
MINFAL said: “Recent widespread heavy rainfall in the locust breeding areas of
Baluchistan has made the ecological conditions congenial for the flare up of locust population.” The official said though the government was ready to cope with the situation, there was no need to panic. He said the government had authorised MINFAL to use about Rs 11 crore to enhance the logistic supports for locust survey and control. This include about Rs 3.9 crore for the procurement of 100 tonnes of pesticides, Rs 4 crore for 14 surveillance vehicles and about Rs 1.7 crore for 30-UVL sprayers for locust control. Necessary tenders have also been called and supply orders are being placed to procure these requirements. In addition, about Rs 1 crore have also been sanctioned to purchase spare parts and repair of aircraft. He said the FAO had originally cautioned Pakistan about a possible locust attack during March-April, but revised its forecast for June-July. He said Pakistan’s major crop wheat was now in the safe phase because its harvest had already started and would be over in a few weeks time. Locust attack is a sort of pest plague that can damage crops, fruits and even trees. |
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New Delhi, April 8
