 |
|
|
Annan asks India to sign CTBT
Sarabjit’s lawyer may file review petition
British police arrests London blast suspect
46 hurt in Belarus explosion
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Annan asks India to sign CTBT
New York, September 23 Expressing alarm that countries whose ratification was essential for the treaty to enter into force had still not
acted, Mr Annan said the longer the pact was delayed, the greater the risk that someone, somewhere, would test nuclear weapons. "The treaty was opened for signature nine years ago," he told the fourth conference on facilitating its entry into
force." But after nine years, the treaty is still not in force. We should all be gravely concerned about
that." he added. It would be a major setback back to the cause of non-proliferation and disarmament if someone tests the nuclear weapons, he said, noting that although 176 states had signed it and 125 had ratified it, 11 of the 44 states who must ratify the treaty for it to enter into force, still had not done so. States which had not done so included India, China, Colombia, North Korea, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Pakistan, the USA and Vietnam "I call on all the states that have not signed or ratified the treaty to do so without delay -- particularly those states who must ratify the treaty in order to bring it into
force," the UN Secretary General said. Pending its entry into force, he urged all states to maintain a moratorium on nuclear weapons test explosions or any other nuclear explosions, and to refrain from acts that would defeat the object or purpose of the treaty. Mr Annan reiterated his oft-repeated disappointment of the "significant failure" of last week's UN World Summit to agree on moving forward on disarmament, non-proliferation, and peaceful uses of nuclear energy.—PTI |
|
Sarabjit’s lawyer may file review petition
Islamabad, September 23 Rana Abdul Hamid, who has been hired by a human rights group from Canada to save Sarabjit's life, said over the telephone from Lahore today that he was awaiting government's permission to meet his client, imprisoned in Kot Lakhpath jail, despite seeking it over a month back. Hamid said that if he was not granted permission, he may file a writ petition in the Lahore High Court at the earliest seeking a meeting with Sarabjit. On the review petition in the Supreme Court, he said he was getting the papers ready for the petition to be filed possibly on September 26 but wanted government's nod to meet Sarabjit before he files it. "It is important for me to meet my client before I file the review petition." He said he also met Additional Home Secretary of Punjab Province Prisons, Javed Iqbal, and sought his intervention to get the permission to meet Sarabjit. On August 18, a two-member Bench of the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence awarded to Sarabjit, who Pakistan claims is Manjit Singh, by dismissing his appeals on similar judgement of the Lahore High Court and Anti-Terrorism Court. The Supreme Court had released its detailed judgement on September 13. Sarabjit has to file a review petition within 30 days after that date. Hamid was hopeful about the chances of the review petition succeeding in the apex court, saying that it was the last legal resort left with Sarabjit. Hamid, in his review petition, plans to inform the apex court about the assertions by a key witness that he was forced to positively identify Sarabjit as present at the time of explosion in one of the five blast sites in Pakistan's Punjab province in 1990. The witness had told an Indian TV channel earlier this month that he had not seen Sarabjit before and was asked by a Pakistani Army major, who investigated the case, to depose before the court that he had seen Sarabjit at the blast site. The lawyer said it was imperative, however, that the witness should say that before the court, whatever he has stated to the channel. The defence counsel argued that chances are that the prosecution mistook Sarabjit, who crossed to Pakistani side inadvertently, to Manjit Singh. The Supreme Court judgement has already overruled the contention of Hamid that the entire case against Sarabjit was based on his confessional statement which he withdrew subsequently. It said the confessional statement was corroborated by witness accounts and circumstantial evidence.
—PTI |
|
|
British police arrests London blast suspect
London September 23 Detectives from Scotland Yard's extradition unit were on board the private jet with him which landed at the RAF Northholt in West London After it landed, Isaac, also known as Hussein Osman, was formally arrested under the British law on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder and alleged explosives offences. A convoy of vehicles, including police outriders, was waiting to take him to the high security Paddington Green police station and there was also extra security around the airport perimeter. Isaac will be formally charged at the police station. He will appear at Bow Street Magistrates' Court, sitting at the high security Belmarsh complex in south East London, tomorrow. The process of bringing Isaac back to the UK began when he was taken from his cell at Rebibbia jail on the outskirts of Rome and driven in a prison van to Ciampino airport. Meanwhile according to Reuters the widow of one of the suicide bombers who killed 52 persons in attacks on London's transport system on July 7 said today radical British mosques had "poisoned" her peace-loving husband's mind. Samantha Lewthwaite, the wife of Jamaican-born Germaine Lindsay who killed 27 persons on an underground train near the King's Cross station, said he had become twisted by fanatics he had met towards the end of last year.
— PTI, Reuters |
|
46 hurt in Belarus explosion
Minsk (Belarus), September 23 Alexei Murzhankov, a duty officer at the Vitebsk city department of the ministry, said that 25 of those injured in the yesterday night blast had been hospitalised, four of whom were in intensive care. The Interfax news agency, citing emergency response officials, reported that the explosive device was buried in a flower-bed outside the cafe.
— AP |
|
20 Rita evacuees killed in bus fire
Wilmer, Texas, September 23 “Deputies were unable to get everyone off the bus,” spokesman Don Peritz said. “We believe it’s going to be closer to 20 fatalities” he added. The bus, carrying about 45 people, was engulfed with flames, causing a 27-kilometre backup on a Interstate 45, already heavily congested with evacuees from the Gulf Coast. The bus was reduced to a blackened, burned-out shell, surrounded by numerous police cars and ambulances. There were indications of oxygen used by elderly evacuees having a role in the fire, Mr Peritz said. There were a series of explosions, apparently from the oxygen equipment, he added. “The early indications are this is a mchanical issue. The driver did survive the accident,” Mr Peritz said. “It’s my understanding he went back on the bus several times to try to evacuate people.” Interstate 45 stretches more than 400 kilometres from Galveston through Houston to Dallas. The site is roughly 27 kilometres southeast of downtown Dallas.
— AP |
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
New York, September 23
