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Daschle quits over tax problems
Soon, India may have transit via Bangladesh
Mumbai Heat |
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Indian techie shot dead in US
Afghan Prez hits out at NATO, US allies
Air India Express to fly to Srinagar from Dubai
Shelling kills 50 Lankan civilians
Taliban turn guns on lawyers in Swat
30 securitymen abducted
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Daschle quits over tax problems
President Barack Obama on Tuesday admitted he had "screwed up" in trying to make exemptions for Cabinet picks who had failed to pay their taxes. Earlier in the day two of his nominees withdrew their names from consideration, saying their tax problems would distract from the new administration's promise of change.
Obama offered the mea culpa in network interviews with NBC and CNN. "I think I screwed up," Obama said in an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper. "And, I take responsibility for it and we're going to make sure we fix it so it doesn't happen again." In an interview with NBC's Brian Williams, Obama said, "I'm here on television saying I screwed up, and that's part of the era of responsibility. It's not never making mistakes; it's owning up to them and trying to make sure you never repeat them and that's what we intend to do." He added: "So, did I screw up in this situation? Absolutely and I'm willing to take my lumps, you know that's part of the job here. But I think it's important not to paint a broad brush here, because overall, not only have we gotten in place a functioning government in record time but the quality of other appointments is outstanding." Obama's pick to head the department of Health and Human Services, Tom Daschle, and chief performance officer nominee Nancy Killefer both bowed out on Tuesday morning. In a statement announcing his decision, Daschle said it was an honour to be picked for the post. "But if 30 years of exposure to the challenges inherent in our system has taught me anything, it has taught me that this work will require a leader who can operate with the full faith of Congress and the American people, and without distraction," he said. "Right now, I am not that leader, and will not be a distraction." Daschle is a former Democratic senator from South Dakota and has served as the Senate Majority Leader. His tax problems include improperly reporting $15,000 in charitable donations, failing to list $80,000 in lobbying income due to what he said was a paperwork error and not declaring a car and driver loaned to him by a business associate as income.
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Soon, India may have transit via Bangladesh
Bangladesh may sign a deal to provide India transit through its territory during the upcoming visit by Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, according to Commerce Minister Faruk Khan.
Junior Foreign Minister Hassan Mahmud echoed Khan's statements on Wednesday, saying "some quarters want to link politics with transit. Transit is no longer a political issue. It is rather an economic issue". Mahmud said it is an era of interdependence. "We feel that we need some practical decisions protecting the interests of the country." Transit facilities to India would allow India to use Bangladesh's water, rail and road facilities to link the “seven-sister” states of India's north-east with West Bengal. Previous Bangladesh governments resisted Indian proposals for transit through Bangladeshi territory due to its political sensitivity. But, Faruk claimed, a clause on transit to India for the use of Bangladesh's waterways, roads and railways was included in the Indo-Bangladesh Trade Agreement of 1978, which had been renewed by all governments, including the previous BNP government in 2006. "I see no reason why we should not give transit. The people who oppose these agreements have a problem of understanding," he said. He quoted Article VIII of the trade agreement, which states: “The two governments agree to make mutually beneficial arrangements for the use of their waterways, roadways and railways for commerce between the two countries for passage of goods between two places in one country through the territory of the other.' Faruk blamed past political practice, especially by rival Bangladesh Nationalist Party, for blocking greater economic cooperation with India. But the Commerce Minister added the deal would have to be mutually beneficial, alluding to Dhaka's call to allow Nepal and Bhutan transit through India to Bangladeshi ports. He said duty-free access of Bangladesh garments to India would also be discussed during the upcoming day-long visit by Pranab Mukherjee on February 9. "All issues can be resolved if political will is there," he said. Dhaka also expects a regional anti-terrorism task force to be part of discussions with Pranab, along with other major irritants between the two neighbours, including water-sharing, maritime and land disputes, and trade.
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Mumbai Heat
Islamabad, February 4 Relations between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan have been strained since militants killed 179 people in the attacks in India's commercial capital. India has put dialogue on hold. Ban said the United Nations wanted India and Pakistan to resume dialogue and resolve outstanding disputes peacefully. "(Pakistan) must have a full investigation into this issue and fully cooperate with the Indian government," Ban told a news conference with Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani. A committee of the UN Security Council in December added four leaders of the LeT to a list of people and groups facing sanctions for ties to Al-Qaida or the Taliban. The sanctions also covered what the committee said was a front for the LeT, the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD). The UN will also assist Pakistan in tackling the challenges it is facing, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said here on Wednesday. Addressing a press conference with Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Ban said a prosperous Pakistan is in the interest of all. — Agencies
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Indian techie shot dead in US
Hyderabad, February 4 R Sudhir Kumar (31), a native of West Godavari district, was killed at Atlanta, where he was working as a mechanical engineer with Toyota company, West Godavari district SP B Balakrishna said. Kumar was reportedly killed for money, he said, but did not have details including when the incident happened. — PTI
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Afghan Prez hits out at NATO, US allies
Kabul, February 4 Last month, Karzai’s government presented a draft proposal to NATO with a list of measures aimed at preventing civilian casualties, including a demand that arrests of all Afghan nationals be made by Afghan security forces only and that there be “high-level”' co-ordination of air strikes. “Our demands are clear and they are that house searches of Afghans, arrests of Afghans and civilian casualties must cease. And they (US and NATO countries) are naturally putting on pressure to make us silent and retract from this claim. This is not possible,” Karzai said. Karzai, facing elections in August, has repeatedly called for an end to civilian casualties caused by foreign troops, while Western leaders constantly call for “good governance” - implied criticism of Karzai's ability to rule effectively. — Reuters
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Air India Express to fly to Srinagar from Dubai
Dubai, February 4 Biswajit Mukherji, manager, Dubai & Northern Emirates, Air India and Air India Express, said, “There would be a one-way introductory fare starting from Dh99 (Rs 1,300) plus taxes.” “The carrier, which commenced operations in 2005, would increase its fleet to 25 aircrafts by 2009-end, from 20 next generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft it currently operates,” he added. — UNI
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Shelling kills 50 Lankan civilians
Colombo, February 4 Amid increasing international concerns over the safety of the 2.5 lakh civilians trapped in the shrinking war zone, a cluster bomb struck one of the last functioning hospitals in the Wanni region, the fourth consecutive day it was hit. The latest attack came as Sri Lanka marked its 61st Independence Day, with President Mahinda Rajapaksa declaring that the LTTE will be totally defeated in the next “few days”. In Suranthapuram in Wanni, 52 civilians were killed in shelling last evening, UN spokesman Gordon Weiss said, adding it was not known who was responsible for the attack. The government had on Monday asked all civilians to enter the demarcated “safety zone” as soon as possible, cautioning that otherwise their security could not be guaranteed. It has also accused the cornered Tamil Tigers of “forcibly” holdin the people back and using them as “human shields”. Concerned over the humanitarian situation, the US and Britain have asked both the government of the island nation and the LTTE to agree to a “temporary no-fire period” to allow the civilians and the wounded to leave the conflict zone. — PTI
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Taliban turn guns on lawyers in Swat
Islamabad, February 4 In a new dictum, Taliban have told lawyers in what was once Pakistan's Switzerland, to stay away from the courts or face the gun. Branding the present Pakistani jurisprudence as “infidel judicial system”, the Taliban has told the lawyers to stay away from the courts or they would be killed, according to local officials. Vowing to enforce their version of Islamic Shariah law, the Taliban’s diktat caused such a panic among the lawyers in the region that they are making contacts with militant commanders saying they were ready to implement their instructions. The threat was announced over Taliban’s clandestinely-run FM radio channel. — PTI
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30 securitymen abducted
Islamabad, February 4 Six policemen and 24 paramilitary frontier corps personnel were kidnapped as Taliban fighters encircled two police stations in the Shamzoi area. — PTI
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President Barack Obama on Tuesday admitted he had "screwed up" in trying to make exemptions for Cabinet picks who had failed to pay their taxes. Earlier in the day two of his nominees withdrew their names from
consideration
