USA not to oppose Palestine
WASHINGTON, July 31 — The USA has decided to abandon its policy of active opposition to the creation of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state to live side by side with Israel.
Test stains on Monica’s dress: Starr
WASHINGTON, July 31 — Independent counsel Kenneth Starr’s office has asked the FBI to test for semen stains on a dress that Monica Lewinsky turned over to his office.
Malaysian visa rules for Indians relaxed
KUALA LUMPUR, July 31 — Hoping to boost the number of tourists, Malaysia has made it easier for Chinese and Indian citizens to obtain tourist visas.

Housewives in Lahore are protesting against the recent wave of inflation on Thursday. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's government is facing a lot of criticism and condemnation for imposing new taxes to support their ailing economy after nuclear explosions. — AP/PTI

Senate limits US involvement
WASHINGTON, July 31 — The US Senate has voted to limit any US military involvement in Kosovo, requiring the President to consult with Congress before using US forces.
UK envoy to quit diplomatic service
LONDON, July 31 — The British High Commissioner to India, Sir David Gore-Booth, today announced his decision to quit diplomatic service for what he called “challenges in the private sector” by the end of the year.
Lucky 13
WASHINGTON, July 31 — A $ 130 investment turned into millions for “Lucky 13”, a group of Ohio workers who banked on the number 13 and won a record $ 295.7 million jackpot.
UN defers reform move
UNITED NATIONS, July 31 — In a setback for UN chief Kofi Annan, the UN General Assembly has decided to defer until the next assembly session a reform that would set time-limits on UN mandates.

USA not to oppose Palestine

WASHINGTON, July 31 (PTI) — In a major policy decision with vast implications for the Middle-East, the USA has decided to abandon its decades old policy of active opposition to the creation of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state to live side by side with Israel.

The new policy, disclosed at a Congressional hearing, is not to take any position for or against a Palestinian state, and leave it to be decided between Israelis and Palestinians.

The change in policy became public when the House International Relations Committee, headed by Congressman Benjamin Gilman, held a hearing on the Middle-East on Wednesday. In the witness stand was Assistant Secretary of State for the Middle-East Martin Indyk.

Democratic Congressman Brad Sherman recalled a statement by Secretary of State Madeleine Albright’s predecessor Warren Christopher before a congressional committee: “Certainly, the USA does not support a Palestinian state. Certainly, I think responsible officials of Israel are the best judge as to whether or not. The steps they have taken are the right ones for Israel. We are helping the Israeli leaders try to achieve the results that they want to achieve. I think that is the proper role for the USA in this situation. We do not certainly support a Palestinian state. “Do these words still reflect US foreign policy vis-a-vis a Palestinian state?” Mr Sherman asked.

Mr Indyk made it clear that the USA is taking no position on the creation of a Palestinian state beyond opposing any “unilateral” actions.

Mr Indyk said the issue of Palestinian statehood needed to be dealt other issues as agreed on between the parties: Jerusalem, refugees, borders, and the issue of what the entity — what form the entity will take an what powers it will have — the Palestinian entity, that is.

And we are strongly opposed to unilateral actions that would seek to pre-empt the outcome of those negotiations. And unilateral actions involving a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state are included in that concern that we have that neither side take steps that would preempt the outcome of those negotiations, the Assistant Secretary of State for Middle-East said.

Mr Sherman, apparently recalling a statement by PLO Leader Yasser Arafat that he might proclaim a Palestinian state unilaterally if the talks with Israel deadlocked, asked: “So if there was a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state, how would the USA respond?”

Avoiding a direct answer, Mr Indyk said: “Well, I think, as I explained, that is an issue which should be dealt with in the final status negotiations, and that is the position that we would take.

Test stains on Monica’s dress: Starr

WASHINGTON, July 31 (Reuters) — Independent counsel Kenneth Starr’s office has asked the FBI to test for semen stains on a dress that Monica Lewinsky turned over to his office, sources familiar with the investigation have said.

Reports of the dress, and what it might mean for the investigation of alleged White House sex and cover-up, have been the latest twist in a case that is picking up speed with testimony expected shortly from Lewinsky and President Bill Clinton.

Once the dress is tested, the FBI laboratory will submit a report to Starr’s office on its findings, the sources said.

The report could be delayed depending on technical factors, including whether any genetic material, including semen, is present, and the size of the sample, the sources said.

Clinton will testify on August 17 in an extraordinary videotaped session conducted by Starr at the White House.

While Clinton’s approval ratings remain high, at least one survey indicates the public’s patience may be wearing thin.

Several polls released at midweek indicate that almost two-thirds of the public approve of the job Clinton is doing, but a Wall Street Journal/NBC news poll also showed an increase in the number of people who believe impeachment hearings would be warranted if Starr reports that Clinton committed perjury.

When questioned over the weekend, 45 per cent of the respondents said impeachment proceedings would be appropriate in case of perjury. Only 39 per cent believed that a month ago.

The phone survey of 1,006 adults had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. The Journal/NBC poll was taken before the former White House intern reached an immunity deal with Starr and Clinton agreed to testify to a grand jury on videotape.

Polls later in the week reflected the mixed emotions of Americans on what they think should happen next. For the first time in an ABC news poll, fewer than half, 45 per cent, said they believe the President should resign if he committed perjury and 39 per cent thought he should be impeached.

Taped messages from President Clinton reportedly given to investigators are innocuous, the New York Times reported. Monica Lewinsky reportedly gave Starr's office tapes of messages Clinton left on her answering machine as part of her deal for immunity from prosecution.

But The Times, citing a lawyer who had heard them, said the tapes content was banal. In one of the messages Clinton said: "hey, it's me. Sorry I missed you," The Times said, citing the lawyer.

Malaysian visa rules for Indians relaxed

KUALA LUMPUR, July 31 (AP) — Hoping to boost the dwindling number of tourists, Malaysia has made it easier for Chinese and Indian citizens to obtain tourist visas.

Deputy Home Minister Tajol Rosli Ghazali yesterday said the move was recommended by Malaysia’s emergency economic panel, the National Economic Action Council, to spur the growth of tourism in the country.

Chinese citizens now can apply for tourist visas at Malaysian embassies, he said. Indians can get multiple-entry visas by proving they are businessmen, tourists or government officers. Until now, Indians could get only short-duration single-entry tourist visas unless they had Malaysian sponsors.

Plan to sniff out life on Mars
from Tim Radford

BRITISH scientists are hoping to land an instrument on Mars that will “sniff” the presence of life. Beagle 2 — the name evokes Charles Darwin’s world-changing voyage aboard HMS Beagle in 1831 — could be launched aboard a European mission called Mars Express in 2003.

Beagle 2 will weigh just 60kg (132lb). It will have a camera and a robotic arm to drill into the heart of nearby rocks. A robot “mole” will burrow under boulders to examine soil chemistry. Its package of x-ray and spectrometry instruments will measure the potassium ratios of the rocks to date them accurately, and look for evidence of organic chemicals and the presence of water. It is hoped it will answer questions about the possibility of bygone life.

But its most sensitive detectors will also sample the thin atmosphere of known as marsh gas or “natural gas”. It is produced by microbes acting as digesters, often in conditions without oxygen.

The process goes on in swamps, termites’ nests and the guts of mammals. To put it at its crudest, scientists on Earth will use Beagle 2 to detect the faintest trace of a fart on a planet across the hugeness of space. Colin Pillinger, on the Open University (England), said: “If there is anything, any place on Mars, even somewhere deep down, 2,000km (1,250 miles) away from our landing site, contributing methane continuously to the atmosphere, then we have a chance of picking it up. I don’t expect there to be very much. But if you don’t find any methane at all then you really have to start believing this is a very dead planet.”

A NASA Viking mission more than 20 years ago pronounced Mars a dead planet. Two years ago, NASA scientists, peering at a Martian meteorite found in Antarctica, announced that they could see fossil traces of ancient bacteria in the meteoritic rock: evidence of life long ago. Others see the fossils as accidents of rock chemistry. The debate has raged on. Since then, the NASA Pathfinder mission has confirmed that Mars was once a warmer world, on which water flowed.

“Forget fossils,” says Prof Pillinger. “I believe the conditions on Mars tell us that water has been percolating around less than three billion years ago, and it was warm, and therefore, somewhere nicely hidden away from its oxidising surface, there are environments that may be geothermally heated, that could be niches for life.

There is a catch. The mission is being designed and planned by a consortium from the Open University, the University of Leicester, Matra Marconi Space at Bristol, the Martin-Baker Company, the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and others. But its promoters need to find guarantees of $40 million in time to meet an autumn deadline set by the European Space Agency.

Public interest in Mars is growing. A meeting in Boulder, Colorado, next month will launch the Mars Society, to push for a human expedition within the next 10 years. — The Guardian, London

Senate limits US involvement

WASHINGTON, July 31 (AP) — The US Senate has voted to limit any US military involvement in Kosovo, requiring the President to consult with Congress before using US forces.

The action, which is similar to weak restrictions already imposed on extending troops in Bosnia, came yesterday in an amendment to a $ 250 billion Defence Appropriations Bill. The funding has passed the House without the Kosovo provision.

The Kosovo measure leaves President Bill Clinton the option of a Kosovo deployment as long as he justifies it to Congress. He would have to explain the mission, the cost and a timetable for pulling out.

The provision also covers deployment of any troops in Albania or Macedonia in connection with the conflict.

UK envoy to quit diplomatic service

LONDON, July 31 (PTI) — The British High Commissioner to India, Sir David Gore-Booth, today announced his decision to quit diplomatic service for what he called “challenges in the private sector” by the end of the year.

The 56-year-old career diplomat made the sudden announcement this morning in a statement circulated through the Foreign Office. Sir David has not returned to his post after he was recalled by the Foreign Office in May to register a protest against India’s nuclear tests.

Ms Karen Stanton, a Foreign Office official said Sir David would go back to India to serve till the end of this year, before leaving diplomatic service.

A group of 13 mechanics who work together in a Westerville, Ohio plant and have been playing together for years beat 80 million to one odds to win Wednesday evening the world’s largest powerball lottery. Earning them each over $ 12 million, said a spokeswoman at their workplace.

The group of men bought the single winning ticket, worth of $ 130, just over the border in Indiana.

The record lottery was worth $ 295.7 million, but the lucky group chose to take $ 162.56 million in cash rather than have the full sum paid out over 25 years.

Mr Annan said he hoped would be adopted by the end of the current assembly session. But informal consultations of the 185-nation General Assembly yesterday failed to resolve differences pitting developing countries against the USA and Europe.

Ex-Mayor gets 16 years’ jail
BEIJING: Former Beijing Communist Party Chief Chen Xiton was sentenced to 16 years in jail on Friday for his role in a $ 2.2 billion corruption scandal, the largest in Chinese history, the official Xinhua news agency reported. The highest Communist leader ever tried for graft, Chen is entitled to appeal to the Supreme People’s Court but must do so by August 10. — AFP

Tallest man?
KATHMANDU: A 20-year-old Nepali man, measuring seven feet and nine inches, is staking a claim to be the tallest man in the world, a state-run Nepali daily “Gorkhapatra” reported on Thursday. Rajan Adhikary, who lives in Jhapa district around 395 km southeast of Kathmandu, “is probably the tallest man in Nepal and also the world”. He weighs 95 kg, lives in Sharnamati village and has been married since the age of 15. — AFP.

Noorjehan better
NEW YORK: The condition of yesteryear’s melody queen Noorjehan, who underwent heart surgery about two weeks ago in Ohio is improving but she is still in intensive care unit, a doctor treating her said on Thursday. Noorjehan’s condition has improved a lot but her condition cannot be described as “fully stable”. The Pakistani singer is on dialysis but has been taken off from life-support systems. — PTI

UN force in Lebanon
UNITED NATIONS: The Security Council has approved a six-month renewal until January 31, of the 4,500-member UN interim force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in a resolution adopted unanimously and without debate. The force was established in 1978 to restore the Lebanese Government’s authority over the southern part of the country after an Israeli incursion against Palestinian guerrillas. — Reuters

15 feared dead
QUIBERON: Fifteen persons were feared dead after two small planes collided off the Brittany town of Quiberon, officials said on Thursday. Officials said “15 persons were involved in the collision” between the two planes. “It is unlikely that any survivor will be found,” he added. — AFP

Galileo spacecraft
PASADENA (California): The Galileo spacecraft touring the moons of Jupiter has overcome another hurdle and is sending science data back to the earth. The spacecraft recently began beaming new data back to the earth and on Friday, it was expected to begin replaying data recorded earlier, mission officials at NASA’s jet propulsion laboratory announced. —AP

UN ‘peace messenger’
UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has enlisted Hollywood film star Michael Douglas as a “messenger of peace” to promote UN causes around the world. Douglas told a news conference here that he planned to use his celebrity status to call for the elimination of nuclear weapons and non-proliferation of small arms. — AFP