Russia, China sign pacts
MOSCOW, Dec 10 — After signing a number of agreements with China on issues that have bedevilled the relations between the two neighbours, Russian President Boris Yeltsin left for home today.

USA for direct talks with China
BEIJING, Dec 10 — The USA today called for direct and candid talks with China to steadily advance Sino-US relations in the next millennium.

Indian Navy to acquire Russian missiles
MOSCOW, Dec 10 — In a bid to enhance its “blue water” capability, India is planning to acquire Russian supersonic KH-31A anti-ship missiles for arming the Navy’s Tupolev TU-142m long-range anti-submarine (ASW) aircraft, Itar-Tass has reported.

India’s response to talks positive,
says USA

WASHINGTON, Dec 10 (PTI) — USA has said India is responding “positively” to the strategic dialogue the two countries are having on nuclear non-proliferation issues.

“India is responding positively to its increased dialogue with the USA and we need to take advantage of that not just for traditional security and economic interests, but also to counter the human rights and environmental concerns that matter so justifiably to the American people,” Undersecretary of State Thomas Pickering has said.

“Change in India on these conditions could spur a change elsewhere in the region. India is the engine that moves South Asia,” he said while delivering a speech at George Washington University earlier this week.

Referring to the nine rounds of talks between External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh and US Deputy Secretary of State Stobe Talbott, Mr Pickering said “the elections (in India) brought an end to a long hiatus in our forward movement with India, and seemed to have galvanised the Indian government to consider non-proliferation issues in greater earnest.

“...a key incentive seems to be the recognition that India’s broader economic and international interests cannot be advanced until India resolves its differences on these issues with the international community,” he added.

Exuding confidence that Delhi would sign the comprehensive test ban treaty (CTBT), Mr Pickering said “India’s and Pakistan’s nuclear programmes destabilise the region and could trigger an arms race that none can afford — politically, economically or socially.”

“The nuclear programme raises the chances of a mistake of the use of such weapons — either in conflict with Pakistan over Kashmir or by accident or miscalculation,” he warned.

Mr Pickering said nuclear testing by India and Pakistan was “injurious to the USA not because either country poses any immediate and direct threat to the USA, but because the tests up-end the international non-proliferation regime, and set a terrible example to other countries.”

New Zealand govt sworn in

WELLINGTON, Dec 10 (Reuters) — New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark’s centre-left government was sworn in today after losing its outright majority to surprise Green Party successes.

Vote counting, which stretched into the early hours of today, saw Mr Clark’s Labour-alliance coalition lose another seat to the Greens in the 120-seat Parliament.

The coalition had 59 members sworn in during a brief ceremony at Government House only hours after the final results were posted by the electoral office — two weeks after the November 27 poll.

The Greens added one more member to the six who on Tuesday became the party’s first members of Parliament when co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons won the key Coromandel seat.

Labour, the senior coalition partner, has 49 seats and the Left-Leaning alliance has 10.

After watching the Greens win their seventh seat, Fitzsimons reiterated her party’s support for the government on confidence motions and supply bills, effectively assuring the coalition of a workable majority.

“Even before this extra seat changed, they needed us in order to continue governing and we had agreed on a cooperative relationship,’’ Fitzsimons told Radio New Zealand.

The Greens have said they won’t take positions on monetary policy, tax and trade, but expect to be involved in policy areas such as fisheries, economic development and the environment. The outgoing Conservative National Party has 39 seats and the remaining 15 are shared between the Free Market Act New Zealand, the Nationalist New Zealand First and the United Party.

But the results still could change, with re-counts expected in several seats, including Tauranga, held by NZ first leader and former Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters by only 62 votes.

Meanwhile, incoming Finance Minister Michael Cullen denied a newspaper report that he wanted the Reserve Bank of New Zealand to ease its inflation range target of between zero and 3 percent to stimulate growth.

Mr Cullen later said in a statement that, while Labour supports the RBNZ’s independence on monetary policy and its inflation target, he wanted to negotiate an amendment to an agreement signed by Central Bank and the previous government.

Labour suggested during campaigning last month that the policy targets agreement should be changed to allow the RBNZ more latitude to influence the value of the New Zealand dollar.

The Greens plan to back a taxation review that could include a tax increase for those earning more than $ NZ 60,000.

Window on Pakistan
Killing of children: an insensitive society

FOR months Pakistani newspapers had been reporting the disappearance of the children, now found to have been killed in a bizarre manner by a sex maniac. Since most of the 100-odd hapless children belonged to poor families, the unconcerned police — known for the midnight knocks at the doors of trade union leaders, politicians and journalists — gave no serious thought to the matter. Some of the parents from the lower middle classes in urban areas like Lahore and Sialkot did report to the police, but after usual noises no serious investigation was conducted. Certain NGOs expressed their concern at the painful development but all in vain.

Last fortnight, Javed Iqbal, a 38-year-old resident of Lahore, shot a stunning letter to the police which ultimately awakened it from its slumber. Iqbal confessed that he had killed at least 100 children after sexually assaulting them. They were mostly engaged in begging. They were picked up from busy markets, mosques and railway stations. Javed, described as a psychopath, kept dumped the bodies of his victims in acid-filled containers.

The police initially ignored the letter as one from some crank, out to make fun of it. It was the outcry in the newspapers that forced the police to act. Now it has arrested three accomplices of Javed. After sustained interrogation they have admitted their participation in the most heinous crime in the recent past. Mohammad Sabir and Zafar Ahmed also led the police to those containers which had consumed the bodies of the unfortunate children. The accomplices narrated how this psychopath had been sexually abusing the children and then killing them mercilessly. The two alleged criminals had participated in the crime of killing of at least 25 boys.

The third accomplice, Ishaq Billa, jumped to death from the first floor of a Lahore police station building following his torture by the police. Now a probe has been ordered into the alleged suicide.

Iqbal, who is married and has a daughter, gave his own reasons for what he has done: “I was wrongfully arrested by the police and tortured, and I have taken my revenge”. However, the tragedy is too horrifying to be brushed aside by any civilised society. It looks so unreal and gory that no one is prepared to believe it. The tragedy speaks volumes about the criminalisation of society, now in a deep morass of hatred and hopelessness.

So many people, including Iqbal’s wife and daughter and the two wretched accomplices, knew of the misdeeds and yet no one cared to report to the police. The family says it has maintained no relationship with Iqbal, but it must have known about some of the tragic happenings. In any case, no one protested strongly only because the victims came from the wretched sections of society.

Today society does not care for what happens in the midst of it. Old neighbourhood concept has disappeared. Is it not a common practice in the subcontinent that small children are stolen and then crippled and turned into beggars? “Dadas” in Bombay and Lahore do this heinous job without any fear of law. Society looks the other way.

The police should hang its head in shame even if it succeeds in arresting the serial killer. In a recent article, Dawn summed up the situation thus:

“There are so many other economic and social pressures that make our children vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. We should hang our head in shame for caring so little about them. Even if the revelations about the mass murders in Lahore do not jolt us into seriously looking at problems of juvenile deprivation and delinquency, then we will only be proving that we really and truly are a heartless, insensitive nation where those at risk can expect no protection.”

— Gobind Thukral

Russia, China sign pacts

MOSCOW, Dec 10 (UNI) — After signing a number of agreements with China on issues that have bedevilled the relations between the two neighbours, Russian President Boris Yeltsin left for home today.

Russia and China managed to resolve their border dispute during Mr Yeltsin’s 26-hour visit to China. Agreements were also signed on the joint economic use of the islands and the border rivers and defence cooperation.

Russia’s envoy to Beijing Igor Rogachev told mediapersons accompanying the Russian President that the entire 4300-km-long frontier “has been demarcated to the metre’’.

Mr Yeltsin visited Beijing despite advice to the contrary by his doctors to curry Chinese support for Kremlin’s offensive in Chechnya, which has come in for criticism from the West.

Buoyed by Beijing’s support and the success of his talks with Chinese leaders, Mr Yeltsin launched a frontal attack on the US, saying nobody should dictate terms to Moscow.

Beijing also supported Moscow’s stand on issues like amendments to the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and Disarmament.

After meeting with President Ziang Zemin, Prime Minister Zhu Rongji and Chairman of Chinese National Assembly Li Peng, Mr Yeltsin said both Moscow and Beijing would oppose the hegemony of any one power in the world.

Russia was, and would remain a great power, he said

He also supported China on Taiwan and spoke out against interference of other states.

Mr Jiang, Earlier and Mr Yeltsin took a stroll through the scenic grounds of Beijing’s state guest house complex on a sunny, but cold and windy morning before beginning their talks.

Chinese support for the Chechnya campaign, offered swiftly and strongly shortly after the Russian leader arrived on a 26-hour visit yesterday, appeared to invigorate Mr Yeltsin, who defied doctors’ orders to travel to Beijing.

Under increasing verbal fire from the West and threats to international aid and loans for Russia’s stumbling economy, Mr Yeltsin let rip after some trenchant criticism from US President Bill Clinton as thousands of Chechens fled their homes.

Nobody was going to tell nuclear-armed Russia what it should or should not do in Chechnya, Mr Yeltsin thundered in the presence of television cameras.

“It seems he has for a minute, for a second, for half a minute, forgotten that Russia has a full arsenal of nuclear weapons. He has forgotten about that. Therefore he decided to play with his muscles, as they say,” Mr Yeltsin said of Mr Clinton.

USA for direct talks with China

BEIJING, Dec 10 (PTI) — The USA today called for direct and candid talks with China to steadily advance Sino-US relations in the next millennium.

“The relationship between our nations is vital to both of us, to the Asia-Pacific region and to our world as we enter a new century and the new millennium. Our common interests transcend the issues that keep us apart,” Washington’s new Ambassador to Biejing Admiral Joseph Prueher (retd), said.

“I am confident that we can advance our relations in an atmosphere of mutual respect and understanding,” he said in a statement on his arrival here last night.“I look forward to promoting a direct and candid dialogue and steadily strengthen the structure of, and confidence in the US-China relationship,” said Admiral Prueher who was the Commander of the US forces in the Pacific during a tense 1996 face-off between China and Taiwan during the first presidential election in the rebel province.

His arrival fills the sensitive post, which has been vacant for five turbulent months during which Sino-US relations underwent twists and turns following NATO’s bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade on May 7.

However, the historic Sino-US World Trade Organisation (WTO) deal, signed on November 15, has brought some stability to their bilateral ties, which Admiral Prueher has described as vital to the USA and China.

Indian Navy to acquire Russian missiles

MOSCOW, Dec 10 (PTI) — In a bid to enhance its “blue water” capability, India is planning to acquire Russian supersonic KH-31A anti-ship missiles for arming the Navy’s Tupolev TU-142m long-range anti-submarine (ASW) aircraft, Itar-Tass has reported.

Four TU-142m ASW of the Indian Navy, to be armed with these missiles are already undergoing gradation in St. Petersburg, the agency quoting unnamed military-diplomatic sources said.

India is expected to sign an additional contract with Russia for arming these ASW with four KH31A missiles each.

TU-142m, a maritime version of the Soviet TU-95 strategic nuclear missile carrier, was acquired by the Indian Navy in 1988.

With the range of over 12,000 km, with its full weaponload TU-142m is capable of flying from Mumbai to Johannesburg and back without mid-air refuelling.

According to earlier reports under the upgrade programme Indian Navy’s TU-142m ASW aircraft are to be fitted with Russian state-of-the-art Morskoi Zmei’ (Sea Dragon) anti-ship warfare system.

Morskoi Zmei mission avionics suite is designed to detect and intercept surface vessels and submarines within a range of 150 km. It can also be linked to the satellite based Russian global positioning system Glonass to detect airborne targets, Russian experts said.

Studio lots on sale
WEST HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA: Warner Bros, oversubscribed on studio space, is selling the historic lot that produced such films as “West Side Story” and “The Thief Of Baghdad.” BA Studios plans to close the deal for the 13-acre Warner Hollywood Studios late this month. Sources who spoke on condition of anonymity said the sale price was about $ 65 million. — AP

Christmas in space
WASHINGTON: Astronauts on the space shuttle Discovery will spend Christmas in space due to the latest mission delay caused by a dented hydrogen line which pushed the launch date back to December 16, NASA said. The delay marks the sixth time the 10-day mission to make urgently needed repairs on the Hubble space telescope has been delayed. It was originally scheduled for mid-October. — AFP

Princess pregnant
TOKYO: Six years after her marriage to the heir to Japan’s ancient Chrysanthemum Throne, Crown Princess Masako may finally be pregnant, Japanese media reported here on Friday. The apparent pregnancy has already been reported to Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, according to the daily Asahi Shimbun, one of Japan’s major newspaper. — AP

11 dead in shooting
BOGOTA: Eleven persons were killed and another eight injured when shooting broke out in Colombia’s largest prison, authorities said. Col Laureano Villamizar, Director of the prison in north-eastern Bogota, said the extended exchange of fire that took place between guards and prisoners was started by an escape attempt, on Thursday. But, media reports said it broke out between imprisoned guerrillas and drug handlers. — DPA

Paintings recovered
MOSCOW: The police has recovered 16 paintings dating from the 18th and 19th centuries that were stolen from a St. Petersburg museum, and made two arrests in connection with the heist, a police spokesman said. The paintings, which include works by the Russian master Ilya Repin, were stolen on Saturday night. The thieves broke through a door in the Museum of the Academy of Arts, sliced the works out of their frames and fled. — AP

Pilots face cancer risk
PARIS: Airline pilots face an increased risk of developing leukaemia and other cancers, triggered by cosmic radiation, if they fly for long periods at high altitude, a study warns. Scientists from the Institute of Cancer Epidemiology in Copenhagen sifted through more than 50 years of medical records on 3,790 Danish male pilots and other cockpit crew, the country’s best and earliest available data on flight personnel. Among those who had flown more than 5,000 hours, 92 developed cancer, compared with a statistical average among the general population of 77. — AFP

Landslide kills 7
JAKARTA: Rescue workers in Indonesia’s West Sumatra province searched for at least 48 persons buried alive under huge landslides, news reports said here on Friday. The landslides, triggered by torrential downpours, engulfed 30 houses in the Bukit Lantiak village in West Sumatra province on Thursday morning, burying dozens of villagers alive, the private RCTI Television Network said. — DPA