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Volcker panel’s term extended
Top scientist quits for faking stem cell research
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Saran describes N-pact talks with US ‘positive’
Kasuri hopeful of third round of Indo-Pak talks
5 jailed for beating up Sikh
Lord Tennyson’s great grandson knifed to death
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Volcker panel’s term extended
United Nations, December 23 However, hundreds of thousands of pages of evidence and documents collected by the committee during its 18-month investigation would be available indefinitely to member states who want to launch investigations as, under an agreement with the world body, they would be transferred to the UN when its renewed term expires on March 31. Officials said the committee and the UN were still negotiating on the release of documents as the committee had received them from several governments and sources, including Iraq, with some of whom it had signed confidentiality agreements. From January 1, the
committee will have no investigatory authority as it has completed its work and will be headed by a new Executive Director. Former head of the American Federal Reserve Paul Volcker, who headed the Independent Inquiry Committee (IIC), and other commissioners would serve on it on a “strictly advisory capacity,” a UN spokesman said. It will be called the office of the IIC and will be headed by Canadian Reid Mordan, executive director of the Committee. — PTI |
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Top scientist quits for faking stem cell research
Seoul, December 23 “I sincerely apologise to the people for creating a shock and disappointment,” Hwang told reporters as he was leaving his office at Seoul National University. “With an apologising heart. I step down as professor of Seoul National University,” he said. However, Hwang still maintained he had produced the technology to create patient-matched stem cells as he claimed to do in a May article in the journal Science. “I emphasise that patient-specific stem cells belong to South Korea and you are going to see this,” said Hwang, a veterinarian. Earlier today, a panel of Seoul National University experts said Hwang had faked results of at least nine of 11 stem cell lines he claimed to have created in the May paper — the first confirmation of allegations that have cast a shadow over all his puported breakthroughs in cloning and stem-cell technology. “This kind of error is a grave act that damages the foundation of science,” the panel said. The South Korean government, which had strongly supported Hwang and designated him the country’s first “top scientist,” said today it was “miserable” over the reported results of the investigation.
— AP |
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Saran describes N-pact talks with US ‘positive’
After two days of talks with Under Secretary R. Nicholas Burns in Washington
Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran said he was returning to New Delhi “very
encouraged by the environment with regard to the implementation” of civil
nuclear agreement between India and the U.S.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday evening, Mr Saran said: “We came to the
conclusion that we should be in a position to make a significant advance on this
initiative before President Bush visits India.” At State Department
spokesman Sean McCormack pointed out there are “things that have to
happen both on the Indian side as well as the U.S. side” before the
deal is implemented. “There would be some changes to the law
that would need to be made. Obviously, the Congress is the only body
that can do that. We’re going to be working closely with the Congress
on that. And we’re also going to be working very closely with the
Indian Government on the steps that they need to take and that they have
agreed to take on this issue,” he said. Mr Saran’s two-day
visit was intended to review progress in the implementation of the
various understandings arrived at in the July 18 Joint Statement between
India and the United States. He met Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley on Wednesday, and on Thursday met Senator Richard Lugar, Indiana Republican, and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Mr Saran met his counterpart in the Department of Energy, Mr David Garman, and Mr Eric S. Edelman, Under Secretary in the Department of Defence at the Pentagon. The next meeting of the Joint Working Group will be in January 2006 when Mr Burns is expected to travel to New Delhi. The
two sides expressed satisfaction at the progress achieved in taking the
Indo-U.S. strategic partnership forward and agreed that Mr Bush’s
forthcoming visit to India would be a landmark event in India-U.S.
relations, the embassy said. |
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Kasuri hopeful of third round of Indo-Pak talks
Islamabad, December 23 He admitted that progress in the dialogue had been dismal as far as Kashmir was concerned. However, he said, both countries seriously felt that they needed to go a bit faster. Responding to a question, he said though India had given most favoured nation (MFN) status to Pakistan, the latter would wait for reciprocal action till the joint tariff committee took a positive decision with regard to the higher Indian tariffs to provide for a level-playing field to both countries. About the opening of five points on the Line of Control, he said though the confidence-building measures were not according to the expectations of Pakistan, the plying of the Muzaffarabad-Srinagar bus and other steps were positive development towards normalisation. He said there was much scope for expansion of trade and investment between India and Pakistan as economy of the latter was fast growing and the atmosphere was tension free. He, however, added that as long as the Kashmir issue was there neither lasting peace nor normalisation of relations was possible and this situation could affect the morale of Kashmiris who were pinning great hopes on the process. He said Pakistan had made it clear that the proposals floated by President Pervez Musharraf were in the direction of a just settlement without compromising Pakistan’s position on Kashmir. Asked about the back-door channel diplomacy and a deadline for resolution of the Kashmir issue, Mr Kasuri said both back and front-door channels would be used but giving a deadline was not possible. |
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5 jailed for beating up Sikh
New York, December 23 The men were yesterday convicted of attacking Rajinder Singh Khalsa, 50, in July 2004. They have been accused of punching Khalsa and his friend Gurcharan Singh, 51, after hurling racial slurs and calling Khalsa’s turban a “dirty curtain.” As a result of the assault, Khalsa suffered several facial injuries, including a broken nose. The five, who were tried, were found guilty of second-degree assault. But Khalsa disagreed with the ruling, saying racial and religious epithets were heard before and during the incident. —
PTI |
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Lord Tennyson’s great grandson knifed to death
London, December 23 Hallam Tennyson, 85, himself a writer, was discovered by his gay lover and BBC producer Kevin lying naked on a blood-drenched duvet at their London home, the police said today. Hallam had been knifed in the throat and police believe he may have been killed by a stranger he met at a bar. An openly gay man, Hallam often entertained other men at home, despite being with Kevin, who was quizzed by officers but is not a suspect. “Tennyson was stabbed with great force in the neck with a knife taken from his kitchen and bled to death lying on his bed. He was in a full-time gay relationship but also had affairs with other men. Hallam published his autobiography in 1984, in which he wrote: “In the Second World War, I was a pacifist and refused to fight. In addition, I realised that I was attracted to men.” Tennyson was married for 20 years and has a son and daughter. His daughter Rosalind, who lives in South Wales, arrived at the murder scene yesterday afternoon but left half an hour later after talking to police. — PTI |
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Seoul, December 23
