 |
|
|
US troops to stay in Iraq till 2011
Osama my priority, says Obama
Obama quits Senate
|
|
|
Kalam in Kathmandu
‘Our strategic interests lie with India’
Hillary will be great secy of state, says Bill Clinton
Do not come to Gulf, advise expats
Kara Row Meet demands or face poll boycott, says Khaleda
|
|
US troops to stay in Iraq till 2011
Baghdad, November 17 “Definitely, today is a historic day for Iraqi-American relations, signing the security pact after months of difficult talks and negotiations,” Zebari told reporters after exchanging signed copies with Crocker. Both men smiled and enthusiastically shook hands as officials applauded. Apart from the troops pact, the two men signed a long-term strategic framework, which Crocker said would define relations between the countries for years in “economy, culture, science, technology, health and trade, just to name a few.” “It reminds us all that, at a time when the US forces will continue to withdraw from Iraq in recognition of the superlative security gains over the past few years, our relationship will develop in many other important ways.” But the main focus for Iraqis is the pact committing the US to withdraw a force that now numbers about 1,50,000 by December 31, 2011, a firm date that reflects the growing confidence of Iraq’s government as violence has eased. Iraqi leaders consider the date to be a major negotiating victory after the administration of outgoing President George W. Bush long vowed not to accept a firm timetable. “This was a complicated and tough negotiation, and I think all Iraqis can be very proud of the substantial achievement that their negotiating team has witnessed,” Crocker said. Iraqi lawmakers were due to begin a first reading of the troops accord later today, the start of an approval process that should run into next week. “The final word will be for the parliament, but the political atmosphere is positive,” Zebari said. The pact gives the Iraq’s government authority over the the US troops presence for the first time, replacing a UN Security Council mandate that has governed the US presence, since shortly after the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Under the deal, the US troops will leave the streets of Iraqi towns and villages by the middle of the next year and leave Iraq altogether by the end of 2011. The deal also provides for Iraqi courts try US soldiers for serious crimes committed while off duty, but only under very tight conditions. The agreement’s passage through parliament is likely, but not assured. Followers of Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr oppose the pact altogether, and the largest Sunni Arab bloc, the Accordance Front, says it should be put to the public in a referendum.
— Reuters
|
|
Osama my priority, says Obama
Washington, November 17 “I think it is a top priority for us to stamp out al-Qaida once and for all. And I think capturing or killing bin Laden is a critical aspect of stamping out al-Qaida,” Obama said in his maiden interview since his historic win in the November 4 US presidential election. “He is not just a symbol, he’s also the operational leader of an organisation that is planning attacks against US targets,” Obama told CBS News. Asked when he would start redeployment of US troops out of Iraq, Obama, who is scheduled to be sworn-in as the 44th US President, the first black-American, said it would happen soon. “Well, I’ve said during the campaign, and I’ve stuck to this commitment, that as soon as I take office, I will call in the Joint Chiefs of Staff, my national security apparatus, and we will start executing a plan that draws down our troops.” Since US troops were having “problems” in Afghanistan, he said the government had to step up its efforts to contain the threat it faced from the al-Qaeda in the war-ravaged nation. “Particularly in light of the problems that we’re having in Afghanistan, which has continued to worsen. We’ve got to shore up those efforts,” he said. Asked whether he would follow through his election promise to shut down the controversial Guantanamo Bay prison facility in Cuba, he said, “Yes. I have said repeatedly that I intend to close Guantanamo, and I will follow through on that.” Obama also said he would change the interrogation methods that are currently used by US troops. “I have said repeatedly that America doesn’t torture. And I’m gonna make sure that we don’t torture. Those are part and parcel of an effort to regain America’s moral stature in the world.”
— PTI
|
|
Obama quits Senate
Washington, November 17 By resigning from the Senate, the 47-year-old first-time Democratic Senator from Illinois, who defeated his Republican rival John McCain in the November 4 presidential elections, has removed himself from any official role in the lame-duck session of the Congress that will convene this
week. Obama announced his resignation from the Senate in a letter published in Illinois newspapers, telling his constituents, “I will never forget, and will forever be grateful, to the men and women of this great state who made my life in public service possible.”
— PTI
|
|
|
Kalam in Kathmandu
Kathmandu, November 17 Talking briefly to journalists upon his arrival at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) today, the former President expressed his happiness to visit the Himalayan country. He also expressed hope for peaceful Nepal ahead, adding the progress on peace process was positive. Kalam was invited to participate in the 14th convocation ceremony of the Kathmandu University, a private university in the Himalayan nation, scheduled tomorrow, as the chief guest. Immediately after his arrival, Kalam addressed a discourse on ‘Dynamics of Societal Transformation’ organised by the BP Koirala India-Nepal Foundation. Prior to this programme, he visited a monastery in Kathmandu. He is scheduled to meet President Ram Baran Yadav before returning home tomorrow.
|
|
‘Our strategic interests lie with India’
Male, November 17 “Our primary strategic interests lie with India. And there is nothing that can change this plain fact,” Maldives foreign minister Ahmed Shaheed said in an interview in the capital days after 41-year-old Mohamed “Anni” Nasheed was sworn in as the first democratically elected president of the country. “We have always been able to identify our interests with those of India. The 400 miles (640 km) between Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram) and Male is never going to change. That simple geographical fact is the cornerstone of our foreign policy,” said Shaheed, who has visited India at least 20 times. “Our foreign policy is convergent to that of India,” he stressed. Shaheed played a key role in the democratic movement in the Maldives that dislodged Asia’s longest serving ruler Maumoon Abdul Gayoom in the country’s first multi-party elections last month. He also served as the foreign minister in the Gayoom presidency, but resigned last year and joined the pro-democracy alliance after he felt Gayoom was not interested in promoting real democracy in the Maldives, home to 25,000 Indians. “People should credit Maldives with more maturity in foreign policy. We have never embraced any policies that will upset the regional balance of forces,” Shaheed said when asked about China’s attempts to scale up its presence in the Maldives that some fear could endanger India’s interests in the country. The 44-year-old Shaheed, who became the country's youngest foreign secretary at the age of 34, is upbeat about new areas of expanded cooperation between India and the Maldives under a new democratic dispensation like science and technology, IT and renewable energy. “The past contains the seeds of the future. After the 2004 tsunami, the Indian government provided the budgetary support to the Maldives. We are hopeful it will come this time also,” he said. “We are inviting Indian companies to invest in schools, hospitals and infrastructure. We are also planning an international tender for the construction of an intra-Maldives marine transport network. Indian companies are welcome to participate in it,” he said. “Some people link strong India-Maldives ties with the Gayoom era. But all the primary architects of Gayoom’s foreign policy are on this side now - Ibrahim Hussain Zaki, who is now presidential spokesperson, long-time foreign secretary Salah Shihab and myself,” he said. “In fact, I articulated the India doctrine. Our foreign policy is convergent to that of India,” he stressed. Capturing the national enthusiasm and the sense of renewal that has washed across the shores of the Maldives after the democratic elections, Shaheed said: “People are thrilled. Many of us have aspired and dreamt of this moment for a long time.” Shaheed asserted that the new government will overcome “all cleavages and obstacles” and fulfil the promises of better governance and economic conditions to about 370,000 inhabitants who live in 200-odd inhabited islands of the archipelago. In a country that relies overwhelmingly on tourism, restoring financial health will be a top priority, the minister said while admitting that the recession in Europe has affected the flow of tourist into the country. “The rough and tumble of politics and governance has begun. What is now required is common sense, stability to resolve real issues. I am confident that this government can pull it through,” he said. There is no alternative but to live up to soaring expectations of people, he stressed. “People have said yes to democracy. We are confident we will deliver. Till then, we are in warranty period.”
— IANS
|
|
Hillary will be great secy of state, says Bill Clinton
Kuwait City, November 17 “If he (Obama) decided to ask her and they did it together, I think she’ll be really great as a secretary of state,” Clinton told an economic conference in Kuwait hosted by the National Bank of Kuwait. “She worked very hard for his election after the primary fight with him, and so did I, and we were very glad that he won and we have a lot of confidence that he can do a good job. But she didn’t do what she did with the hope or expectation of getting any kind of job offer, much less having this discussed,” Clinton said yesterday. US media reported on Friday that Obama was considering naming former First Lady Hillary Clinton, his one-time rival for the White House, as his secretary of state. Hillary Clinton (61) has extensive foreign policy experience from her time in the Senate, where she serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, and indirectly when her husband was president from 1993 to 2001. The former President said he had a couple of phone conversations with his wife in the past two days, but he was unaware if the issue of her appointment was discussed between the Obama camp and Hillary. “The truth is I don’t know,” he said.
— AFP
|
|
Do not come to Gulf, advise expats
Dubai, November 17 Readers responded in hundreds after pollsters asked expats currently living in the Gulf Cooperation Council, whether they would still recommend the region to their friends and family as a place to live and work. But factors such as soaring rental costs, especially within the UAE, seem to be making people think twice about making the region their new home. According to the poll by the Arabian Business, more than 40 per cent of the respondents would urge their friends and family to stay away, while another 32 per cent would only recommend Gulf if the person proposing to come was earning a big salary. The results come as expats living in the UAE are hit by restrictions on credit facilities, problems with ID cards and a crackdown on sharing rental accommodation. More than 80 per cent of the UAE workforce comes from abroad and many of the key industries across Gulf rely on skilled workers from overseas. A report by Asteco, a real estate company, highlighted that rental rates in Abu Dhabi soared by upto 157 per cent in the third quarter of 2008, compared to the same period in the past year as a lack of supply and ever increasing demand drove prices higher. In the poll, 41 per cent of the people who voted said the cost of living in the Gulf now outweighs the advantages of tax-free living and they would not recommend the region to friends and family. But not everyone had such a negative view of the region and 27 per cent said they would still recommend people coming to the region.
— UNI
|
|
Kara Row
London, November 17 Yesterday local Labour MP Ann Clwyd blasted Governors for “wasting taxpayers’ money”. She said: “I told them they’d lose.” In the wake of this verdict, schools in Britain will struggle to enforce rules about uniform, a teachers’ union has warned. Clarissa Williams, president of the NAHT teaching union, said: “We’re expected to have school uniform policies, this puts schools in an invidious position. The main issue with jewellery is the health and safety aspect - it’s not about discrimination.” Justice Silber ruled last year that Sarika had suffered indirect discrimination from Aberdare Girls School. Legal experts then warned that Justice Silber’s ruling could pave the way for similar cases involving religious apparel. Sarika was isolated from her classmates for two months and even accompanied to the toilet by a member of staff, before finally being excluded for persistently breaking the “no jewellery” rule. In court, Sarika said wearing the bangle - known as the Kara - was as important to her as it was to the England cricketer Monty Panesar. Finding the school guilty of discrimination under race relations and equality laws, the judge said Sarika, from Cwmbach, near Aberdare, could go back to school wearing the bangle.
— ANI
|
|
|
Meet demands or face poll boycott, says Khaleda Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the military-backed government on Monday to meet four key demands or face an electoral boycott by her party. Zia, recently released from prison and under several corruption investigations, said her right-leaning Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) would not take part in the December 18 polls if the government did not lift the ongoing state of emergency and suspend new electoral rules. A boycott by the BNP, one of the country’s two major parties, would jeopardise the credibility of the crucial elections, deferred by two years by the current interim administration after protracted pre-poll violence early last year. “If the government accepts these four demands within the next 48 hours, we will take part in the elections,” said Zia in a widely-anticipated press briefing on late Monday night. Zia demanded the government suspend new electoral rules that empower the Election Commission to cancel the nomination of candidates, who were under corruption investigation. The BNP, which leads a four-party alliance that includes the Jamaat-e -Islami, has over 50 senior leaders in jail on corruption charges, putting them at a significant disadvantage in the upcoming elections. She also asked the government to defer the polls to allow the return of Haj pilgrims from Mecca.
|
Endeavour docks with space station 7 die in plane crash Journalist shot Comedian Reg Varney dead Prez Hu in Costa Rica 
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
