W O R L D

End conflict, urges Pope

Vatican City, December 25 Pope Benedict today urged the world’s Catholics to be beacons of peace in a troubled world and offered a special prayer for an end to strife in the Holy Land. The 78-year-old German-born Pope, who was elected last April 19 to succeed Pope John Paul, celebrated a solemn Christmas Eve mass in St Peter’s Basilica to lead the world’s 1.1 billion Roman Catholics into one of the holiest seasons of the year.

Pope Benedict XVI leads the midnight mass in Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on Sunday. — Reuters photo

A second longer New Year Eve
Washington, December 25
Get ready for a minute with 61 seconds. Scientists are delaying the start of 2006 by the first “leap second” in seven years, a timing tweak meant to make up for changes in the earth’s rotation.

Several hundred Belarussians dressed at Father Frost, equivalent to Santa Claus, and Snow Maiden march in central Minsk on Sunday. Most Belarussians traditionally celebrate the coming of the New Year on December 31 as the biggest family holiday of the year. — Reuters

Pak seeks parity with India, moves IAEA
Islamabad, December 25
Pakistan has sought the support of the UN nuclear watchdog IAEA in its quest for being treated at par with India by the Nuclear Suppliers Group, which controls developing countries’ access to nuclear technology.

Blast in Kyrgyzstan
Bishkek, December 25
A blast hit a regional administration building in Kyrgyzstan today, with authorities not ruling out the possibility of a terrorist act.

Lankan legislator shot
Colombo, December 25
A Sri Lankan legislator allied to Tamil Tiger rebels was shot dead by unidentified gunmen during midnight Christmas mass at a church in the island’s east, as upsurge in violence threatened to derail the country’s fragile ceasefire.

Actress Argentina Brunetti dead
Los Angeles, December 25
Argentina Brunetti, a character actress who played the worried wife of Mr Martini in the classic film “It’s a Wonderful Life,” has died. She was 98.

End conflict, urges Pope

Vatican City, December 25
Pope Benedict today urged the world’s Catholics to be beacons of peace in a troubled world and offered a special prayer for an end to strife in the Holy Land.

The 78-year-old German-born Pope, who was elected last April 19 to succeed Pope John Paul, celebrated a solemn Christmas Eve mass in St Peter’s Basilica to lead the world’s 1.1 billion Roman Catholics into one of the holiest seasons of the year.

Benedict recounted the story of Christ’s birth in a stable in Bethlehem and asked Catholics not to forget that the true meaning of Christmas was the “inner light” radiating from the Child Jesus.

“Let us keep this light-giving flame from being extinguished by the cold winds of our time!” he said.

He urged his listeners to help to end conflicts and misunderstandings wherever they were found.

The Pope, who has been invited to visit both Israel and Palestinian territories, made a special appeal for peace in the Holy Land.

“On this night, when we look towards Bethlehem, let us pray in a special way for the birthplace of our Redeemer and for the men and women who live and suffer there,” he said. “We wish to pray for peace in the Holy Land: Look, O Lord, upon this corner of the earth, your homeland, which is so very dear to you! Let your light shine upon it! Let it know peace!”

One of the prayers read during the mass asked that all those who recognise Abraham as the father of their faith — Muslims, Jews and Christians — ‘’practice reciprocal respect, with works of justice and peace”.

In Bethlehem, calls for peace resonated today as a lull in violence spurred the biggest influx of pilgrims for years to celebrate Christmas in the West Bank town.

Both Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said in messages they were committed to peacemaking in 2006.

At midnight mass in the town where Christians believe Jesus was born, Vatican envoy Michel Sabbah said there was a real opportunity to grasp, with both Israelis and Palestinians due to hold elections early next year.

Chanting, incense and organ music drifted among the pillars of the church where Midnight Mass was celebrated, adjacent to the grotto revered by Christians as the birthplace of Jesus. — Reuters

A second longer New Year Eve

Washington, December 25
Get ready for a minute with 61 seconds. Scientists are delaying the start of 2006 by the first “leap second” in seven years, a timing tweak meant to make up for changes in the earth’s rotation.

The adjustment will be carried out by sticking an extra second into atomic clocks worldwide at the stroke of midnight Coordinated Universal Time, the widely adopted international standard, the US National Institute of Standards and Technology said this week.

“Enjoy New Year’s Eve a second longer,” the institute said in an explanatory notice. “You can toot your horn an extra second this year.”

Coordinated Universal Time coincides with winter time in London. On the US East Coast, the extra second occurs just before 7 pm on New Year’s Eve. Atomic clocks at that moment will read 23:59:60 before rolling over to all zeros.

A leap second is added to keep uniform timekeeping within 0.9 second of the earth’s rotational time, which can speed up or slow down because of many factors, including ocean tides. The first leap second was added on June 30, 1972, according to NIST, an arm of the US Commerce Department.

Since 1999 until recently, the two time standards have been in close enough synch to escape any need to add a leap second, NIST said.

Although it is possible to have a negative leap second — that is, a second deducted from Coordinated Universal Time — so far all have been add-ons, reflecting the Earth’s general slowing trend due to tidal breaking.

Deciding when to introduce a leap second is the responsibility of the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service, a standards-setting body. Under an international pact, the preference for leap seconds is December 31 or June 30.
— Reuters

Pak seeks parity with India, moves IAEA

Islamabad, December 25
Pakistan has sought the support of the UN nuclear watchdog IAEA in its quest for being treated at par with India by the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), which controls developing countries’ access to nuclear technology.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was aware of Pakistan’s needs for nuclear technology to meet its growing demand for energy, local daily ‘Dawn’ today quoted “informed sources” as saying.

It claimed that IAEA believes that Pakistan’s requirements of nuclear technology should be met to help it generate more electricity and eliminate widespread salinity and water-logging.

Pakistan has informed the IAEA it has launched a Rs 178 million programme to reclaim 25,000 acres of waterlogged and saline land across the country. “But this programme needs nuclear technology from the United States and other members of NSG,” a source was quoted as saying by the daily, adding that the country would also be needing 8,800 MW of electricity by 2030.

The sources told the paper that the US and other Western countries should treat Pakistan at par with India to ensure equilibrium in the region. — PTI

Blast in Kyrgyzstan

Bishkek, December 25
A blast hit a regional administration building in Kyrgyzstan today, with authorities not ruling out the possibility of a terrorist act.

The blast, which shattered windows in the Osh region’s administration office and nearby houses, “by preliminary information happened due to a gas leak, but we’re working on the terrorist act version as well,” the local police spokesman said late today, adding that there were no casualties.

According to a source in Kyrgyzstan’s interior ministry, “The chief version is a terrorist act, as police found an explosive device near the administration building.”

Three years ago, a similar blast in Osh was first explained by a gas explosion, with investigation later blaming it on Uigur separatists, particularly active in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. — AFP

Lankan legislator shot

Colombo, December 25
A Sri Lankan legislator allied to Tamil Tiger rebels was shot dead by unidentified gunmen during midnight Christmas mass at a church in the island’s east, as upsurge in violence threatened to derail the country’s fragile ceasefire.

The assassins fired at Joseph Pararajasingham (71) at close range, while he was at the St Michael’s church at Batticaloa, 303 km east of here the police said.

They said at least eight persons, including the politician’s wife, were injured during an exchange of fire between his police bodyguards and an unknown number of attackers who fled the scene.

Parajasingham became a member of Parliament in 1990 succeeding Sam Thambimuttu, who was gunned down by suspected Tamil Tiger rebels.

However, Pararajasingham represented the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) which is seen as a proxy of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). A breakaway faction of the Tigers is opposed to the TNA. — PTI

Actress Argentina Brunetti dead

Los Angeles, December 25
Argentina Brunetti, a character actress who played the worried wife of Mr Martini in the classic film “It’s a Wonderful Life,” has died. She was 98.

Brunetti died in sleep in Rome, said Ben Ohmart, whose Boalsburg, Pennsylvania-based publishing house, BearManor Media, released Brunetti’s autobiography.

Brunetti starred in dozens of films and television shows over a career spanning more than 50 years.

She portrayed Dean Martin’s mother in the 1953 comedy “The Caddy,” in which Martin sings “That’s Amore” to her, and performed with Desi Arnaz in the 1949 film “Holiday in Havana.”

Her TV credits include “Hopalong Cassidy,” “The Untouchables,” “Kojak” and “Everybody Loves Raymond.”

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1907, Brunetti followed her Sicilian mother, actress Mimi Aguglia, into the theatre.

Beginning with a walk-on role at age 3 in the opera “Cavalleria Rusticana,” Brunetti performed throughout Europe and South America. — AP