‘Mitch’ wreaks havoc as
toll mounts
TEGUCIGALPA, (Honduras), Nov 3 — Devastated Honduras appealed for help and set a curfew to stop looters while rescuers throughout Central America continued to dig for up to 7,000 dead yesterday after one of century’s most destructive Atlantic storms.

UN pressures Iraq on inspections
UNITED NATIONS, Nov 3 — International pressure mounted on Iraq as the UN General Assembly today asked it to immediately enter into a dialogue with the International Atomic Energy Agency which oversees elimination of Baghdad’s weapons of mass destruction.

Diana probe: Two key reports given to judge
PARIS, Nov 3 — The chief judge investigating the car crash that killed Princess Diana received two key reports yesterday, one showing the Mercedes had no mechanical difficulties and another on the driver’s blood, judicial sources said.

French warrant against Pinochet
PARIS, Nov 3 — A French judge has issued an international warrant for the arrest of Chile’s former dictator Augusto Pinochet, who is under police guard in a London hospital awaiting a ruling on an arrest warrant from Spain.

‘Mitch’ wreaks havoc as toll mounts

TEGUCIGALPA, (Honduras), Nov 3 (Reuters, AP, AFP) — Devastated Honduras appealed for help and set a curfew to stop looters while rescuers throughout Central America continued to dig for up to 7,000 dead yesterday after one of century’s most destructive Atlantic storms.

Their fragile economies ruined, impoverished Honduras and Nicaragua bore the brunt of horrific deluges and mudslides from a weeklong rampage by Mitch. Up to 1,500 persons were buried in mud in the shadows of Nicaragua’s Casita Volcano.

Guatemala, pounded yesterday by the tail end of the fourth most powerful Atlantic hurricane on record, declared a state of emergency, and southern Mexico braced for its own punishment as heavy rain began to fall on southern Chiapas state.

“Honduras is mortally wounded, but not about to expire. We will get back on our feet,” said President Carlos Flores in an emotional television address to the nation.

Flores suspended civil liberties and ordered a curfew to stop looters taking advantage of the chaos, especially in Capital Tegucigalpa where a third of all homes had been swept into raging floodwaters or badly damaged.

The official death toll for Honduras still stood at 362 yesterday but officials said they feared it would rise to 5,000.

WASHINGTON: US President Bill Clinton offered words of encouragement for the thousands of victims of floods and mudslides unleashed by Mitch in Central America and pledged US relief aid.

Speaking in an interview with Hispanic broadcast journalists at the White House, yesterday Mr Clinton said the US Government was providing $ 2 million in food, medicine, water and other emergency relief supplies.

He said two US cargo planes had already arrived with sheeting for shelter, and another plane was taking off today with more help.

“We’ll be looking at what else we can do.” Mr Clinton said.

This is a terrible tragedy for the people of Central America, and we will do what we can to help them.

At the State Department, spokesman James P Rubin said the office of Foreign Disaster Assistance will provide rolls of plastic sheeting, 10,000 one-litre water bottles and thousands of five-gallon jugs of potable water.

POSOLTEGA (Nicaragua): Rescuers battled to save lives amid fears of epidemics following floods and landslides.

Estimates of the death toll in Central America are at more than 5,000 in Honduras, 1,450 in Nicaragua, 144 in El Salvador, 93 in Guatemala, seven in Costa Rica and one each in Panama and Mexico.

UN pressures Iraq on inspections

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 3 (PTI) — International pressure mounted on Iraq as the UN General Assembly today asked it to immediately enter into a dialogue with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which oversees elimination of Baghdad’s weapons of mass destruction.

A resolution, adopted by 113 votes in favour with only North Korea opposing, asked Iraq to cooperate with IAEA to resolve its row over UNSCOM arms inspectors in line with the Security Council resolutions and an MoU signed between Deputy Premier Tariq Aziz and Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

The resolution is expected to increase pressure on President Saddam Hussein to reach some sort of immediate understanding with the UN over his decision to halt cooperation with UNSCOM arms inspectors.

Mr Annan, who yesterday termed the Iraqi decision as “total breach” of Security Council resolutions on the issue, reviewed the latest situation with chief arms inspector Richard Butler.

But the UN chief is unlikely to intervene personally unless the Security Council asks him to do so, diplomats said.

The Security Council which did not consider the issue to Iraq’s non-compliance yesterday, is expected to take up the issue shortly.

IAEA says Iraq does not have the capacity to produce nuclear weapons but it has set up a monitoring system to ensure that it does not acquire such weapons in future.

Meanwhile, Chief UN weapons inspector Richard Butler, calling the new stand-off with Iraq the most serious confrontation with the United Nations to date, has said his teams could no longer carry out any meaningful operations.

In a letter to Security Council President Peter Burleigh of the USA, Butler said yesterday Iraq had permitted inspectors from his UN Special Commission (UNSCOM) to maintain surveillance cameras by changing tapes. It also permitted maintenance work on the commission’s L-100 transport planes.

But he said such activities were, “by themselves, minor in terms of providing credible monitoring.”

“The commission is not in a position to provide the council with any level of assurances regarding Iraq’s compliance with its obligations not to re-establish prescribed activities.”

Butler said, however, he would keep more than 100 UNSCOM staff members in Iraq “so they can resume full activities without delay” if the situation changed in the next few days.

Meanwhile, reports from Baghdad said IAEA teams visited Iraqi defence sites for routine monitoring.

So far IAEA is not barred from its monitoring activities independently of the UNSCOM inspectors.

WASHINGTON: President Bill Clinton has warned that no options against Iraq were “off the table” and said Saddam Hussein’s latest defiance of UN inspectors would “backfire” by uniting the international community more firmly against him.

Clinton sent Defence Secretary William Cohen to Europe and the Gulf to consult with allies over the latest crisis with Iraq, sparked on Saturday when Baghdad abruptly announced it was suspending cooperation with UN arms inspectors and monitors.

Britain and Germany called on Iraq to comply with UN resolutions on arms inspectors or face the consequences. Russia, which has close ties with Iraq, urged Baghdad to reconsider. France said it was looking for a peaceful solution to the crisis but said Baghdad had to meet its obligations.

Iraq showed no signs of reversing its decision. It also demanded the Security Council sack Richard Butler, Chairman of UNSCOM which is in charge of scrapping Iraq’s chemical and biological weapons.

India to reopen embassy in Fiji

SUVA, Nov 3 (AFP) — India is to reopen its diplomatic mission in Fiji eight years after it was asked to close it in the country by the post-coup military-backed regime of Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, officials said today.

A three-man delegation from New Delhi headed by Bhaswati Mukherjee, Joint Secretary from the Ministry of External Affairs, arrived here this week to finalise arrangements for the re-opening of the embassy.

Relations between Fiji and India, fractured in the military coups against Fiji’s Indian population in 1987 followed by what many saw as the persecution of the community, culminated in the expulsion of the embassy in May 1990.

Ratu Mara’s government severed ties with India and gave the embassy 24 hours to close because of what it regarded as interference by the Indian Embassy in the internal affairs of Fiji where 43 per cent of the population were of Indian origin.

Fiji was expelled from the Commonwealth following the second military coup of 1987 because of its racist policies.

Subsequently the Indian veto kept Fiji out of the Commonwealth until last year when it was unanimously welcomed back following a successful review of its racist post-coup Constitution.

No major upset likely in poll

WASHINGTON, Nov 3 (Reuters) — The campaign for the 1998 US mid-term elections wound up last evening with polls suggesting that Democrats would not pay a major political price for the scandal surrounding President Bill Clinton.

Last-minute polls by two US television networks suggested no major upheavals in Congress. Surveys by the CBS and the ABC showed voters almost evenly divided in their preference for the Democrats or the Republicans.

Other polls indicated that the Democrats had some slight momentum and could even shock their opponents with unexpected gains in today’s vote, which some have cast as a referendum on whether Clinton should be impeached but others see as a “Seinfeld election” — about nothing.

Thirtyfour Senate seats, 36 Governorships and all 435 seats in the House of Representatives are at stake in the election, as well as thousands of lesser offices at the state and county levels.

The party holding the White House usually loses house seats in mid-term elections and especially in the sixth year of a presidency. But the campaign of 1998, long overshadowed by the personal scandal surrounding Clinton, could break the pattern.

Republican National Committee Chairman Jim Nicholson dismissed the polls and predicted more gains for his party.

“I think we’ll pick up more seats in each category, and if we do, we’ll have the biggest majorities the Republican Party has had for 50 years,” he said.

Mr Clinton, who has kept a low profile throughout the campaign, mainly confining himself to raising funds for his party, gave a series of interviews in which he urged Democrats to turn out in force. He also recorded radio spots and telephone messages encouraging blacks to vote.

Mr Clinton acknowledged feeling both “confident and apprehensive” about the elections because he said it would determine how much he could do in his last two years in the office.

When likely voters were asked which party they would support in their own congressional districts. Gallup gave Democrats a four percentage point advantage. Pew Research Centre put the Democratic lead at two points.

Still, that represented a significant turnaround since mid-October, when the Republicans had a five-point lead.

Di’s car crash probe
Two key reports given to judge

PARIS, Nov 3 (AP) — The chief judge investigating the car crash that killed Princess Diana received two key reports yesterday, one showing the Mercedes had no mechanical difficulties and another on the driver’s blood, judicial sources said.

Two other reports were expected to be turned over to Judge Herve Stephan this week: one on the level of medical care Diana received and another general report on the causes of the accident.

Civil parties to the investigation had one month to request the judge to order a new panel of experts to provide a second opinion on any of the reports once they were officially submitted, the sources said.

Sources close to the investigation, 10 days ago told Associated Press the results of the tests on the Mercedes showed the car had no mechanical problems, was going slower than originally believed and brushed against a Fiat Uno.

The tests on the Mercedes, which were conducted for 13 months at a police laboratory outside Paris, were considered the largest part of the puzzle still missing in the investigation into Diana’s death in a Paris traffic tunnel on August 31, 1997.  

Both crash tests and tests using a computer found the Mercedes had no brake problems, contrary to reported testimony in the police records that the car was dangerous when braking suddenly.

The car also had no problems with its air bags, and it was only going at 62 mph at the time of the crash, much slower than initial reports indicated. Still, it was twice the speed limit for the area.

The tests also showed the Mercedes, as had long been believed, brushed with a Fiat Uno before crashing although it was not known what role that played in the crash.

French warrant against Pinochet

PARIS, Nov 3 (Reuters) — A French judge has issued an international warrant for the arrest of Chile’s former dictator Augusto Pinochet, who is under police guard in a London hospital awaiting a ruling on an arrest warrant from Spain.

The French warrant was issued by investigating judge Roger Leloire yesterday in connection with his investigation into the disappearance of Frenchmen Marcel Amiel-Baquet, Rene Chanfreau and Etienne Pesle during Mr Pinochet’s rule in the 1970s.

The investigation was ordered last week by the Paris State Prosecutor’s office which must now formally demand Mr Pinochet’s provisional arrest pending a formal request for his extradition.

Eiffel strike
PARIS: The Eiffel Tower — the most visited monument in the city of light — stood empty for a third full day on Monday with striking workers refusing to relent on their demand for more personnel. The press office for the Eiffel Tower refused to predict when the “grande dame” of Paris monuments would reopen its steel grills to visitors. Workers, mainly hosts and hostesses, went on strike on Friday, shutting out up to 35,000 visitors over the All Saints Day holiday weekend. — AP

“No goodbye”
LONDON: The Spice Girls are counting on having their third consecutive Christmas No. 1 single in Britain, but they don’t want people to read anything into the title of the new song “Goodbye.” Although the song is called, “Goodbye,’ the chorus is actually ‘Goodbye my friend, it’s not the end,” said Melanie Brown, Aka Scary Spice. So for all those people who think we’re breaking up, we’re not it’s a very sentimental song, and it means a lot to us. It’s about everything that happened this year, with Geri leaving then being strong.” — AP

Executioner wanted
MBABANE: The tiny South African kingdom of Swaziland cannot afford a full-time hangman so it is looking for someone to do the gruesome job on a part-time basis. Justice Minister Maweni Simelane said on Monday that the ideal candidate should come from one of the member countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). So far more than 200 persons, including women, have applied for the post. — DPA

Death-row prisoner
WASHINGTON: Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by a death row prisoner whose 16-year-old case has become an international cause celebre. The judges rejected arguments by lawyers for Mumia Abu-Jamal, convicted of murdering a white policeman, who appealed saying that the judge who presided the 1982 trial was biased. “Our careful review of the proceedings reveals that none of the challenged behaviour on the part of judge (Albert) Sabo evidences an inability to preside impartially,” the judges said. — AFP

Messenger of peace
NEW YORK: Italian journalist Anna Cataldi has been appointed a U.N. messenger of peace by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, a post in which he will promote respect for human rights. Mr Cataldi has the “desire to help focus worldwide attention on the noble aims and objectives enshrined in the United Nations charter” while his career as a journalist and human rights activist had “demonstrated time and again (his) dedication to what is best in humankind”, Mr Annan said on Monday. — DPA

Great Wall
BEIJING: Chinese archaeologists have discovered a section of The Great Wall dating back more than 1,400 years, some 700-km west of Beijing, the official Xinhua has reported. The report quoted Wang Huimin, an authority on The Great Wall from the Ningxia Institute of Archaeology, as saying the 25-km long section was built in the Sui dynasty (581-618 AD). Wang, who has just completed a two-month field study, on Monday said the Sui Great Wall located in the Mus Us desert in northern Ningxia province was totally different from other parts of The Great Wall in colour and architectural structure. — AFP

US Everester
KATHMANDU: The first American to conquer Mount Everest was cremated on Monday on the banks of Bagmati river which runs through the Nepali capital, US Embassy spokesman said. Luther Jerstad, 61, who scaled the 8,848-metre Everest on May 22, 1963, died of heart attack at Tukla village in Lobichhe, near the world’s highest peak, on Saturday. He was trekking in the Everest region with his step-daughter and grandson when he died. — AFP

6 worshippers dead
BANGKOK: Six Thai Buddhist worshippers were killed and several injured on Monday when three giant ceremonial joss sticks collapsed at a temple near Bangkok, local radio said. The radio quoted rescue workers and the police as saying four of the dead were women and two men. At least 12 others were taken to hospital with various injuries, it said. The joss sticks stood 24 to 27 metre tall and were said to be the largest ever built in Thailand. — Reuters

Actress dead
LONDON: Rosamund John, one of Britain’s most popular actresses during the World War II years, has died at the age of 85. Ms John, who dominated the British screen with such 1940s films as “Green for danger” and “The way to the stars,’’ died on October 27, according to newspaper death notices. — AP