‘DSK entered his hotel room with another woman’
New York, July 9
Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who was accused of sexual assault by a chambermaid, had entered his room at the Sofitel hotel with another woman before the alleged attack took place, a media report said today.

Counter-terror cooperation with India high priority: US
Washington, July 9
Ahead of the crucial Indo-US strategic dialogue, the Obama administration has said that counter-terrorism cooperation with India is a “very high priority” for it as it would help prevent Mumbai-type attacks in future.

Kuala Lumpur, July 9
More than 50,000 people today poured onto the streets of Malaysian capital in the biggest political showdown in years to demand electoral reforms, defying a massive lockdown with authorities arresting more than 1,600 people, including opposition leaders.

People came out in large numbers for the opposition-backed rally to bring pressure on Prime Minister Najib Razak’s long ruling coalition to usher in electoral reforms and more transparency ahead of national polls early next year.

The police fired tear gas and detained more than 1,600 people as they sealed off all major roads leading to the city centre in the capital, closed train stations and deployed trucks mounted with water cannons to thwart the rally.

Leaders of the opposition parties were among those detained in a massive security operation to stall the rally, which failed as more than 50,000 people took to the streets, organisers claimed.

Protesters faced baton wielding policemen in front of the downtown bus station as they attempted to march to independence stadium, the venue of the rally. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was injured during the protest.

The rallyist broke into three groups with some attempting to march to the king’s palace to handover a memorandum detailing their demands.

Among those arrested were Ambiga Sreenivasan and Maria Chin Abdullah, the two leaders of the Bersih, the opposition coalition that had organised the rally.

Thousands of other marchers were also trying to make their way to the venue, shouting slogans ‘long live the people’ and ‘we want electoral reforms’.

The police has declared the protest illegal, warning of chaos in the streets. Hundreds of policemen, many armed with batons and anti-riot gear and backed by water cannon, were deployed in strategic locations around the capital.

The rally, called by the non-governmental organisation Bersih 2.0 (meaning clean in Malay language), was to be held at the city centre but after Prime Minister Najib suggested that the march be held inside a stadium, Bersih chief Ambiga Sreenevasan agreed. — PTI

Gualish, July 9
Libyan rebels said they were preparing to push forward in their drive on Tripoli from the south and west in a bid to isolate Muammar Gaddafi. But the embattled leader remained defiant, telling supporters on Friday that “the regime in Libya will not fall.”

After heavy fighting, rebel fighters captured the desert hamlet of Gualish on Wednesday, taking them closer to the strategic garrison town Gharyan and the last major objective standing between them and Tripoli to the north.

For now, they have set their sights on Asablah, 17 km north of Gualish on the road to Gharyan. “Three times we tried to take Gualish before we succeeded,” said rebel fighter Mohial Omar, 21. “That was the hardest part. Now it’s going to be easier.”

One of his comrades, 28-year-old Talal Ahmed, explained. “We have plenty of rebels inside Asablah. NATO bombed there heavily on Friday and that stresses the (Gaddafi) soldiers and makes them more unsteady. “We are just waiting for the go-ahead from NATO,” he added.

Following that, the objective is to head straight for Gharyan, which lies on the main highway south out of Tripoli, 80 km away, Ahmed said.

“Once we control that city, Gaddafi will no longer be able to receive weapons from the south, nor will he be able to flee in that direction.” A second target in a three-pronged strategy is the coastal city of Zawiyah, one of the last major strongholds to the west of Tripoli.

Outside Bir Al-Ghanam, some 50 km inland, rebels are also awaiting the nod from NATO so that they can take it and move forward. — AFP

Washington, July 9
Ahead of the crucial Indo-US strategic dialogue, the Obama administration has said that counter-terrorism cooperation with India is a “very high priority” for it as it would help prevent Mumbai-type attacks in future.

“I do not see any limits on our counter-terrorism cooperation with India,” Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake told reporters during a web-chat hosted by the US State Department yesterday.

“This is a very high priority for the US to look with our Indian friends to ensure they have the best system possible to prevent future terrorist attacks such as the terrible attack that occurred in Mumbai in November 2008,” he said.

His remarks came ahead of the key visit of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to India on July 19 and 20 for the Strategic Dialogue between the two countries.

He said one of the hallmarks of India-US cooperation over the last several years has been the increase in their counter-terrorism cooperation. “We are looking to build on that,” he underlined.

The two countries, he said, just had a very successful Homeland Security Dialogue that was chaired and led by Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano who went to New Delhi in May to meet Union Home Minister P Chidambaram.

“They had very successful meetings on a wide range of new collaborative arrangement to expand on homeland security cooperation and counter-terrorism cooperation,” Blake said.

“We do not in any way try to hyphenate that with Pakistan or with any other country. We do it on its own merit. We attach a very high priority,” he said.

Blake said the US views with tremendous respect and admiration the steps India has taken to expand its own cooperation with Afghanistan.

He also said that he did not consider India a non-aligned country now. “I do not consider India a non-aligned country any more. I think that really changed after 9/11 where India really realised that it has a wide range of common interest with the United States,” he said.

“I do not think that India and the United States would be allies in the traditional sense, but I do think, that we have an expanding convergence of our national interest,” Blake said.

He said the two leading democracies of the world “have common vales like support for free market economies, support for peace and stability around the world”.

Blake underlined that India and the US are increasingly working together to help promote peace and security, “so that is why our President has said that this is going to be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century”. — PTI