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Hamas leader arrested at West Bank
USA hindering war on poverty: economist Jeffrey Sachs
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Cardinals begin period of media silence
Sharif sets conditions
for talks
No martial laws in future, says Musharraf
Pak diplomat goes missing in Baghdad
Royal honeymoon begins
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Hamas leader arrested at West Bank
Jerusalem, April 10 He said Hassan Youssef, released from an Israeli jail last year as part of a rapprochement deal with new Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, was intercepted upon leaving the Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) and taken for questioning. Sources close to Youssef said he had slipped into the shrine, which Jews revere as the Temple Mount, disguised as an elderly cleric. The walled compound in Jerusalem’s Old City was under heavy Israeli guard to thwart a far-right Jewish march that the authorities feared could spark Palestinian riots. Formally sworn to Israel’s destruction, the Hamas spearheaded a four-and-a-half-year Palestinian uprising with suicide bombings before a ceasefire that took hold after Abbas’s election as president in January. Youssef has called for the Islamist movement to pursue dialogue rather than violence.
— Reuters |
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USA hindering war on poverty: economist Jeffrey Sachs
London, April 10 Jeffrey Sachs, special adviser to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and one of the world’s best-known economists, argues in a new book that the world could be just 20 years away from dragging 1.1 billion people out of “poverty that kills”. He notes that a growing number of countries, mostly in Europe, are committing more time and money to the problem. “I believe there is a growing global consensus to do this, but it does not include the United States right now,” he said. “The reason it can be brought to an end by the year 2025 is that the world is rich,’’ he told Reuters in London, where he is promoting his book “The End of Poverty”. But he also warned: “The book starts by saying this is not a forecast. There’s no guarantee that it will be accomplished.” One major hurdle is the US reluctance to make aid and poverty reduction policy priorities, according to Sachs. One problem is that the American people are unaware of how little of their money goes to aid. In his book, Sachs says 0.15 per cent of US gross national product is spent on aid, compared with a commitment by donor countries to give 0.7 per cent. “The American people think that they give many times more than they do. When was the last time President (George W.) Bush explained this to the American people? Never.” He also estimated that the US military spending in 2005 will be around $500 billion, or more than 30 times the $16 billion that will be spent on aid. “A 30-to-1 ratio is really a problem ... As long as the United States is outside the growing development consensus, we’re not really going to be able to make this breakthrough.’’ Sachs estimates that around 30,000 people die every day because they are too poor to stay alive. But there are reasons for optimism, including the fact that the proportion of people in abject poverty is now roughly one fifth of the world’s population, compared with one half just two generations ago. However, while some countries and regions have dragged themselves out of the poverty trap, others are unable to do so without outside assistance. |
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Cardinals begin period of media silence
Vatican City, April 10 The Vatican spokesman, Joaquin Navarro-Valls, announced that the cardinals had ‘‘begun a period of more intense silence and prayer.’’ ‘‘They decided unanimously to avoid interviews and meetings with the media. This should not be interpreted as a snub to the media but a gesture of great responsibility,’’ Navarro-Valls said. The cardinals had already taken an oath not to divulge what happens in their pre-conclave meetings. But outside of the meetings, many of them, including several from the American contingent, freely spoke about issues facing the Catholic Church and its next Pope. For example, Latin American prelates called for a Pope from their region. Some European cardinals urged the election of a pontiff who would grant more autonomy to bishops. During the conclave, which begins on April 18, secrecy will tighten dramatically. The cardinals will be sequestered in Vatican City and prohibited from having contact with anyone outside. A total of 117 cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote. But church officials said on Saturday that two of them, Cardinals Jaime Sin of Manila and Adolfo Antonio Suarez Rivera of Monterrey, Mexico, were ill and would not attend. The new gag rule showed the influence of German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the Dean of the College of Cardinals and the enforcer of doctrinal discipline for the late Pope, an aide to one of the cardinals said. ‘‘It was he who brought this about,’’ the aide said. ‘‘The cardinals have been asked not to have interviews with anyone,’’ said Cardinal Eugenio de Araujo Sales, the former Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro who was willing to break the ban only to discuss it. ‘‘A period of silence has begun. The decision was not mine.’’ The ban does not apply to church ceremonies. Key cardinals are scheduled to extol John Paul's virtues in eulogies at daily masses from now until the conclave. In the run-up to past conclaves, Vatican insiders and the media parsed these statements for clues to what was going on in the cardinals' private discussions. While the cardinals were still talking to the media, one of the emerging divisions was between those hoping for a Pope in the image of John Paul and those seeking a break from the recent past. Indonesian Cardinal Julius Darmaatmadja, the Archbishop of Jakarta, said on Thursday that, ‘‘we hope the man they appoint will be more or less like’’ John Paul II. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington said in an interview Wednesday: ‘‘I think if you asked most of the cardinals they'd say, give us a young John Paul II, not as he was in the last three or four years, give us a healthy, vigorous John Paul II again.’’ — By arrangement with the Los Angeles Times-Washington Post |
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Sharif sets conditions for talks Islamabad, April 10 “No talks can be held before the present regime restores the 1973 constitution, forms a neutral set-up in the country for holding free and fair election and appoints an independent election commission with the consent of the opposition,” Sharif, who lives in exile in Jeddah, said in a telephone address to the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) meeting in Pakistan city of Hyderabad yesterday. Despite trials and tribulations he would not shake hands with dictators as they had destroyed the country, Sharif said adding “I will not compromise”. Talks could only be held with the government if it met the conditions set by him, the former premier said. His comments came in the midst of talks between another former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and the government for a reconciliation. Sharif caught yesterday’s meeting by surprise as he has avoided such addresses in respect to the wishes of his Saudi royal hosts who provided exile to him. Sharif recently applied for a Pakistani passport at the end of five years of his exile. His partymen say the request has not yet been obliged and the former Prime Minister may obtain a Saudi passport to travel to London. In his address, Sharif said “I’ve gone through several phases and my heart beats with yours”. He said it was really painful for him to see the country passing through a difficult phase, adding “this darkness is about to end and the distance will soon be overcome”. He said he would return to complete his mission of strengthening the country, adding that rulers could not keep him away any more and create gulf between him and his countrymen. “Pervez Musharraf cannot reverse the whole process because it is a natural flow (of people’s aspirations) and will reach its ultimate destination. The dictators will try to flee but they will not find an escape route”, he was quoted as saying in the daily ‘Dawn’ newspaper. — PTI
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No martial laws in future, says Musharraf
Islamabad, April 10 During a question-answer session at a students’ convention, the President said that correction measures had been taken to avoid martial laws in future. ‘‘We have introduced all the required checks and balances to ensure that martial law is never imposed again in the country.’’ He said martial laws were imposed by the late Gen Ayub Khan, Gen Yahya Khan and Gen Ziaul Haq. ‘‘But the question is why had they taken over and how can this be stopped now,’’ he said, adding that people should also keep in mind the circumstances in which martial laws had been imposed. The President defended the role of the army for undertaking development activities in seven regions of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. He denied that the military had any role in politics and said the political government was running the affairs of the country. Earlier in his speech at the convention organised by the Higher Education Commission, General Musharraf expressed the resolve that less developed regions in the country, especially Balochistan, would be paid more attention for their socio-economic development. The President said he favoured more provincial autonomy and royalty for natural resources, adding that a part of royalty would be spent on the development of areas where oil, gas etc. were being produced. He said the government had endeavoured to provide jobs and reduce poverty. He pointed out that for the first time poverty was on the decline in the country. He said factories were running at their full potential and job opportunities were being created through investment in various sectors. The President described the commencement of the Muzaffarabad-Srinagar bus service as an important confidence-building measure, but made it clear that it was not a substitute for Kashmir resolution. He said a vast majority of people on both sides of the Line of Control had supported the resumption of the bus service. He emphasized the need for bringing tolerance to society, projecting moderation and curbing extremism and terrorism. He said a majority of people in the country was moderate and only a fringe extremist. He said those who imposed their views on others were fanning hatred and intolerance and supporting terrorists and extremists. |
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Pak diplomat goes missing in Baghdad
Baghdad, April 10 They said the man had failed to return from prayers at a mosque near his home yesterday. Scores of foreigners have been kidnapped in Iraq over the past year, some by insurgent groups with political demands and others by criminals seeking a ransom. An Egyptian diplomat was seized by insurgents on his way home from prayers last year but was freed a few days later.
— Reuters |
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Royal honeymoon begins
Ballater (Scotland), April 10 “It’s fantastic. It’s about time they got it together,” said Hayley Sinclair, 33, a local beautician. “You have to move on and good luck to them.” Paul Muir, 37, an offshore oil worker from nearby Craithie, said local people “wish them all the best.” The Duke and Duchess of Rothesay when they are in Scotland — are staying at Birkhall, a mansion bequeathed to Prince Charles by his grandmother, Queen Mother Elizabeth. The prince has described the early 18th-century home on the royal Balmoral estate as “a unique haven of coziness and character.” He reportedly learned to fish in the River Muick, which flows at the bottom of Birkhall’s sloping garden. Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert bought Birkhall in the 19th century and it became the Balmoral residence of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, who died in 2002, leaving it to Prince Charles. The prince’s mother, Queen Elizabeth II, spent some of her honeymoon there after her marriage to Prince Philip. And Prince Charles spent part of his honeymoon with Princess Diana in Scotland.
— AP |
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