US warns nationals visiting Pak
WASHINGTON, Aug 11 — The US State Department yesterday issued a travel warning for American nationals in Pakistan but made it clear that it had no connection to the downing of a Pakistani plane by India that same day.

No-trust vote against Obuchi defeated
TOKYO, Aug 11 — Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi easily survived a no-confidence motion in Parliament, but the real battle was still being fought over his endangered plan to forge an expanded ruling coalition.

Veiled trafficking of women
HANOI, Aug 11 — More than 11,000 Vietnamese women from Ho Chi Minh city have married foreigners — about half of them Taiwanese — over the past three years, and two-thirds of the brides said they did so for economic reasons, said officials.

Dagestan rebels gain fresh footholds

MOSCOW, Aug. 11 (UNI) — As religious extremists in the North Caucasian regions of Russia gain fresh footholds in Dagestan republic, President Boris Yeltsin has decided to adopt some drastic measures to curb the rebellion and cut short the intruders’ movements, which are being directed from the neighbouring breakaway Chechen republic.

A decision to this effect was taken at an urgent meeting by President Yeltsin with his newly-appointed Premier Vladimir Putin, Minister for Ethnic Relations Vyacheslav Mikhailov and Defence Minister Igor Sergeev in the Kremlin, according to a Novosti despatch.

Prime Minister Putin later told mediapersons that the government hoped to free the village conclaves captured by the intruders in two or three weeks.

Though Kremlin troops had driven away the rebels from the two villages in Dagestan earlier captured by them, fresh reinforcements from the breakaway Chechen state have managed to gain control of new areas.

Russian heavy artillery and air force planes continued to pound rebel positions in the troubled area. The situation in Dagestan, according to commentator, Valentin Kunin, remains very tense. Islamic wahabites and extremists continue to infiltrate the mountainous areas of Dagestan.

Their strength is estimated at 1,500 but the areas they are ensconced in are ideal for waging a guerrilla war. This has now forced Moscow to deploy the anti-terrorist storm-troops to clear the hilly regions now in the hands of the infiltrators, the “Voice of Russia” said last night.

The Novosti despatch disclosed that rebels were in possession of anti-tank and anti-aircraft systems, including Stingers. The captured infiltrators when interrogated revealed that their armed formations are being led by Chechnya’s most dreaded terrorist Shamil Basayev and a field commander of Jordanian descent Colonel Khottab.

They have set up on the territory of Dagestan an ‘’independent Islamic state’’ and are now forming administrative structures of the “new state’’ to be governed by Sharia courts, the despatch discloses.

BAKU: Azerbaijan has stepped up security along its border with Russia’s turbulent province of Dagestan following an eruption of fighting there between Russian troops and Islamic guerrillas, Azeri officials said today.

“The Azeri side of the border with Russia will not be closed, but security along the border will be tightened,’’ said Araz Gurbanov, Press Secretary at the state security ministry.

Azeri Security Minister Namik Abbasov told Reuters he did not exclude the possibility of the rebellion spreading to northern Azerbaijan, where several years ago ethnic Lezgins demanded the creation of an independent state comprised of Lezgin regions in the oil-producing republic and in Dagestan.

“The radical Lezgin movement, Sadval and the Islamists are stepping up their activity in Azerbaijan by using the situation in Dagestan, but we are in complete control and will nip these attempts in the bud,’’ Mr Abbasov said late yesterday.

WASHINGTON: The USA has condemned the Islamist guerrillas who have declared independence in the Russian province of Dagestan, accusing them of violence against civilians.

State department spokesman James Rubin also said yesterday the guerrillas were fighting a ‘’lawful authority’’ and that the USA supported the territorial integrity of the Russian federation, which includes the Caucasian province.

A senior US official, asked not to be named, said a fragmentation of Russia would be “bad for the world’’ and for US national interests. He said Washington did not see religion as a major factor in the conflict. Organised crime, oil and gas interests and ruthless Chechen warlords were bigger factors, he added.

Taliban unfazed by US sanctions

ISLAMABAD, Aug 11 (Reuters, PTI) — The Taliban’s supreme leader today said that the US sanctions against Ariana, the Afghanisatn airline, would not force his movement to hand over Saudi-born terrorism suspect Osama bin Laden.

“US sanctions will not force us to give over Laden” Mullah Mohammad Omar told the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP), an independent Pakistan-based news agency.

He was commenting on a US decision yesterday which froze the assets of Ariana and was designed to block the US companies and individuals from doing business with the Taliban.

The move was aimed at getting the Islamic movement to extradite bin Laden to face charges of masterminding bomb attacks on the US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania last year which killed more than 200 persons.

Omar said if Laden wanted to leave his Afghan sanctuary, he was free to go and the Taliban would back his decision.

“If Laden finds some place in another country and leaves Afghanistan of his own free will, we will help him and welcome his decision. But our dignity does not allow us to give him up to anyone or throw him out of Afghanistan,” Omar said.

In Washington, US National Security Council spokesman David Leavy had said yesterday that the US move would freeze roughly $ 5,00,000 in assets held by the airline.

Asked whether the White House has specific information that Ariana has helped bin Laden, he said: “The appropriate authorities at justice, state and treasury made a determination about a month ago, and the President signed sanctions on the Taliban, which basically blocked any of their assets or their business dealings with the USA”.

“Under that provision and those orders, the appropriate authorities were looking at additional entities. They identified Ariana as one that has supported or is linked to the bin Laden network,” the spokesman said.

He denied a report from Qatar that the USA would launch strikes against bin Laden from Pakistan with a commando force. “There is no substance to it,” he said.

Century’s last eclipse sweeps into clouds

LAND’S END, (England) Aug 11 (Reuters) — The last solar eclipse of the 20th century swept towards the English mainland today — but bad weather marred the early moments of one of nature’s greatest spectaculars.

The eclipse began when the shadow of the moon completely covered the sun at 0931 GMT off Canada’s East Coast near Nova Scotia and started a three-hour-long, 2,400 km an hour race across the Atlantic Ocean, Europe, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent.

Only passengers paying £ 1,500 for a ticket on the Concorde supersonic airliner were lucky enough to join the chase as day turned into night.

The 2,000 population of the Isles of Scilly has been quadrupled by an influx of eclipse watchers.

A British Royal Air Force Hercules aircraft flying above the clouds over Cornwall was beaming back live pictures.

In Berlin, a 24-year-old German was the first victim of the eclipse when he was taken to hospital with severe burns after he climbed a power pylon to get a good view and then touched the 20,000-volt electricity cable.

France and Germany were next in line after the UK. Then comes Hungary. The Romanian capital of Bucharest is the only European capital directly in its path.

The point of greatest eclipse — as the moon’s axis passes closest to earth — is set to fall on the Romanian town of Rimnicu Vilcea for two minutes and 27 seconds.

Nature is turned upside down for the rare celestial event. Temperatures drop by as much as 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Birds stop singing, dogs howl and badgers come out of lairs.

Pope John Paul, a keen astral watcher, will have a bird’s eye view of the eclipse as he flies by helicopter from the Vatican to his summer residence south of Rome.

The further it goes across the globe, the better are the chances of clear skies for eager eclipse watchers gazing at the heavens — despite all the warnings of blindness from health experts.

In the Iranian city of Isfahan, where many astronomers have gathered, the chances of a perfect view rise to 96 per cent.

UN, USA call for restraint

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 11 (Reuters, PTI) — U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has expressed regret at the loss of life resulting from India’s downing of a Pakistani plane and called on both nuclear-capable countries to exercise maximum restraint.

‘‘The Secretary-General regrets the loss of life following the downing of a Pakistani aircraft by the Indian Air Force,’’ Mr Annan said yesterday in a statement issued through his spokesman.

The U.N. Spokesman said Mr Annan was ‘‘increasingly concerned at the repeated incidents between India and Pakistan and urges that the differences between them be resolved by peaceful means.’’

‘‘He calls on both countries to exercise maximum restraint. The Secretary-General looks forward to an early resumption of the bilateral dialogue between the two countries in the spirit of the Lahore declaration,’’ the statement added.

Pakistan’s new U.N. Envoy, Ambassador Inamul Haque, presented his credentials to the Secretary-General yesterday and referred to the ‘‘unprovoked shooting down’’ of the Pakistani plane.

After conveying the greetings of his government and its leaders, Mr Haque told Mr Annan he was greatly admired in Pakistan for various quality, and ‘‘most of all for the attitude that you bring to resolve international issues and problems in these very difficult times.’’

WASHINGTON: The USA on Wednesday said that it “does not want to express undue alarm” over the shooting down of a Pakistani reconnaissance aircraft by the IAF and hoped both the neighbours would exercise restraint and resume their dialogue process to reduce tension in the region.

Stating this National Security Council spokesman David Leavy told reporters here that the incident would not affect President Bill Clinton’s plan to visit the sub-continent.

“The President believes that restraint and dialogue must carry the day, that any additional absence of dialogue is only going to allow for those kinds of incidents to arise,” he said.

“What we have to do is to look forward to getting back to the Lahore process,” Leavy said.

Maintaining that the best way to reduce tensions and move forward was direct dialogue between the two parties, he said: “So that is where the focus of our contacts will be.”

In reply to a question he said the President wants to go to India and Pakistan in spite of this “unfortunate incident” as the USA “does not want to express undue alarm” over the shooting down.

“I don’t have any dates for you, but I don’t think the latest incident will impact those plans,” Leavy said at a joint briefing with White House spokesman Barry Toiv.

“He (Clinton) believes it is important to go. We have a lot of interests, irrespective of the latest conflict, with both countries. The President wants to go and I think it is his intention to go,” he said.

MOSCOW: Russia today said it was hopeful that New Delhi and Islamabad would resolve through political and diplomatic means the tension between them over the downing of a Pakistani naval surveillance aircraft by the IAF yesterday.

BEIJING: China on Wednesday expressed deep regret over India’s downing of a Pakistani military plane a day earlier, state media reported.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao urged both sides to exercise restraint and quickly resume negotiations, the Xinhua news agency said.

LONDON: The UK has urged India and Pakistan to avoid further provocation after India shot down a Pakistani maritime aircraft, prompting threats of retaliation from Islamabad.

‘‘We regret the loss of life. We are urging India and Pakistan to take the greatest care to avoid provocation and misunderstanding,’’ a Foreign Office spokesman told Reuters yesterday.

US warns nationals visiting Pak

WASHINGTON, Aug 11 (UNI) — The US State Department yesterday issued a travel warning for American nationals in Pakistan but made it clear that it had no connection to the downing of a Pakistani plane by India that same day.

The travel warning states the US Government “continues to receive a growing body of information that suggests strongly that extremists based in Afghanistan are preparing to attack US interests in Pakistan in the near future.”

It urges Americans who live in Pakistan or will travel there to be on guard.

The travel warning notes that international terrorist Osama bin Laden, now living under the protection of the Taliban Islamic militants who control much of Afghanistan, has a good deal of public sympathy and support in Pakistan.

No-trust vote against Obuchi defeated

TOKYO, Aug 11 (Reuters) — Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi easily survived a no-confidence motion in Parliament, but the real battle was still being fought over his endangered plan to forge an expanded ruling coalition.

The Lower House voted 354 to 134 against the motion, which was submitted by the main opposition Democratic Party in an effort to block passage of controversial legislation that would legalise wiretapping in investigations of organised crime.

The motion, doomed from the start by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) majority in the lower chamber, was an attempt by the Democrats to grab attention at the end of a Parliament session which saw them marginalised.

But it was just a sideshow to the real drama behind closed doors, as Mr Obuchi’s aides struggled to keep Mr Ichiro Ozawa, leader of the LDP’s junior coalition partner, from bolting due to a dispute over electoral reform.

Mr Ozawa, who has said he would deliver his verdict on the coalition after Parliament rises on Friday.

Veiled trafficking of women

HANOI, Aug 11 (DPA) — More than 11,000 Vietnamese women from Ho Chi Minh city have married foreigners — about half of them Taiwanese — over the past three years, and two-thirds of the brides said they did so for economic reasons, said officials.

In many cases, there were large lump sum cash deposits made to the brides’ family, officials said yesterday, causing concern over what in some cases amounts to a kind of veiled trafficking of women.

The figures were presented during a recent conference on the subject organised by the local women’s union, which is looking into measures to curb the practice, even though it is voluntary.

Although officials at the women’s union were reluctant to speak about their plans, one said they are pushing to have stronger legal penalties for intermediaries involved in the trade.

They are also trying to decide how best to raise awareness among women, particularly poor women, who are vulnerable to appeals of a good life overseas.

Marriages arranged through intermediaries can cost up to $ 12,000, according to local press accounts.

Local papers periodically carry stories about Vietnamese women who return from Taiwan after finding out they have been deceived by their husbands and in some cases severely abused.

No reliable data about this practice has been made public because of haphazard statistics collection and the sensitivities involved.

Bob Herbert dead
LONDON: Bob Herbert, the man who created the British pop sensation, the Spice Girls, has died in a car accident, the group’s record company RCA has said. Herbert, 57, was killed instantly when his car crashed on Monday in heavy rain. He selected the five members of the girl band after they answered an ad in The Stage magazine. AFP

Found after 56 years
ROME: An Italian soldier who lost his wallet in France during World War II has been told it has just been found, ANSA news agency reported. Gueseppe Fuggi, a 78-year-old Roman, dropped the wallet during active service in the southern resort of Saint Tropez in the winter of 1942-43. — Reuters

4,000 expelled
WASHINGTON: Almost 4,000 US pupils were expelled during the 1997-98 school year for carrying arms, the Department of Education has reported. Some 3,390 — a drop of 31 per cent over the preceding year — were thrown out for bringing handguns, rifles, grenades or bombs to school. — AFP

Ban on engagement
NICOSIA: The Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus is about to scrap religious engagement ceremonies in an effort to discourage sex before marriage, news reports have said. The decision was taken by the church’s highest body, the holy Synod, and priests read out a relevant circular at church services across the island. — DPA

Dalai Lama’s photo
GENEVA: A news-stand inside the United Nations Geneva headquarters was forced to take down a portrait of the Dalai Lama, a UN spokeswoman said. — AFP

Chinese poet jailed
BEIJING: A Chinese poet who founded the Literary Renaissance Party has been sentenced to seven years in jail on rape charges, a dissident exile group reported on Wednesday. Yu Xinjiao was arrested in early June in Beijing. — AP

5 Britons kidnapped
LONDON: Five British men are missing after a series of kidnappings in the Delta region in southern Nigeria over the past week, the British Foreign Office has reported. The men, part of a nine-member group of British nationals in the area, were kidnapped in three separate incidents, officials disclosed on Tuesday. — DPA