Extra police sent to Aceh
JAKARTA, Nov 24 —Indonesia is sending hundreds of police reinforcements to the troubled province of Aceh amid fears of violent protests in early December, the police said today.

Tamil Eelam ‘not possible’
COLOMBO, Nov 24 — Sri Lanka’s most protected Tamil Leader and former Chief Minister of North-East Provincial Council Varadaraja Perumal has sought India’s help to bring peace and unity in the island while totally rejecting the LTTE’s demand for a Tamil Eelam (separate nation).

Clinton greets Sikhs on Guru's b'day
WASHINGTON, Nov 24 — US President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary greeted the Sikh community on Guru Nanak’s birthday yesterday, stressing the value the President attaches to the USA rich diversity of religions and races.

UN plea for aid
GENEVA, Nov 24 — The United Nations has appealed for $ 2.34 billion to help “millions of souls” around the world suffering from war, earthquakes and other disasters.

Rebels fortify town near Grozny
from Gareth Jones

MOSCOW, Nov 24 — Prime Minister Vladimir Putin today kept Chechnya guessing on Wednesday about the tactics of Russia’s forces in the breakaway province but said the objective remained unchanged — destruction of the Islamic militants.

The rebels, accused by Moscow of bombing several Russian cities and of destabilising the whole north Caucasus region, were building up their defences in and around the Chechen capital Grozny anticipating a major offensive.

They were also reinforcing in Urus Martan, a town which guards the southern the approach to the capital and could provide an escape route for rebels into the mountains of southern Chechnya.

Mr Putin, whose tough stance on Chechnya has turned him into Russia’s most popular politician in just 100 days in office, made it clear the army was keeping its options open. ‘’It is not our aim to encircle the terrorists. Our aim is to destroy them and bring them to justice,’’ Ria news agency quoted him as saying.

‘’How we achieve that aim — by encircling them, attacking them, squeezing them out — that is all for the military leadership to decide on the spot,’’ he added.

Mr Putin, now the favourite to succeed President Boris Yeltsin next year, also praised the Emergencies’ Ministry for its work in bringing relief to more than 2,00,000 refugees who have fled Chechnya.

Last week the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Ms Sadako Ogata, visited Chechnya and neighbouring Ingushetia. She praised the Russian Government’s relief efforts but said more needed to be done as winter set in and pledged more U.N. aid.

After being briefed by Ms Ogata yesterday, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan launched an appeal for $ 16 million for the North Caucasus to provide food, clothing and shelter. He ruled out restoring a permanent U.N. Presence in the region, which has become a no-go area for outsiders in the past few years due to rampant crime including kidnappings for ransom by Chechen Gangs.

RTZ state television said residents and fighters alike faced shortages of food, medicine and other basic items in Grozny. It started that ethnic Russians still living in the capital were being attacked by the Chechen Guerrillas. The reports could not be independently confirmed. The Defence Ministry said last night that several villages and towns near to Grozny, including Urus Martan, had come under air and artillery fire. In recent days poor weather has sometimes slowed Russian advances and hindered aerial bombing — Reuters

DPA adds: The Russian air force today used a break in poor weather conditions to mount a massive wave of strikes against suspected Muslim Rebel positions, reports said.

By early morning, 80 sorties had been flown by jet bombers and helicopter gunships across the republic. Targets destroyed included a workshop for military vehicles in the Grozny, Interfax news agency reported citing the Caucasus military headquarters.

An estimated 3,000 rebel fighters in the city meanwhile continued building defensive positions. According to Russian intelligence, some 200 explosives experts under the Jordanian rebel leader Khattab were laying booby traps and mines along with dangerous chemicals.

Meanwhile the International Islamic Organisation is prepared to pay $ 25 million to kill Chechen guerrilla leader Shamil Basavey and other terrorists” if their “crimes” are proven, its president, Mohammed Amin, has told Moscow Echo Radio.

“We already have vide proof of their terrorist actions and of one Russian official”, Amin, whose group is based in Pakistan, said yesterday. He, however, expressed doubts that the “terrorist No.1” Osama bin Laden could be interested in destabilisation in the Caucasus.

Hillary confirms running for Senate

NEW YORK, Nov 24 (AFP)— First Lady of the USA Hillary Clinton has said that she plans to run for the us Senate seat being vacated in July by outgoing Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York.

“Yes, I intend to run,” Ms Hillary Clinton said here yesterday, breaking from her practice of saying she is only exploring the possibility of running for the Senate.

“I intend to campaign as vigorously as possible,” she told reporters at a meeting of the United Federation of Teachers, adding that a formal announcement of her candidacy would come later.

“This is a campaign that needs to be made,” she declared.

The wife of President Bill Clinton has been campaigning for the Senate seat unofficially since the beginning of the year, but neither she nor her likely rival, New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, has formally announced a candidacy.

“I have no illusions... It will be a hard fought campaign,” she said of her upcoming challenge against Ms Giuliani.

Ramallah (Reuters): The Palestinian Authority on Wednesday distanced itself from fresh accusations against Israel by President Yasser Arafat’s wife Suha that have sparked renewed outrage in the USA.

It issued a statement in the name of an official source within hours of a stinging public rebuke from the US State Department over allegations by Mrs Arafat that Israel was pouring toxic waste into the Gaza Strip.

“The Palestinian Authority distances itself from statements made by Suha Arafat. They represent her own point of view and she is not a member of the Palestinian Authority,” the statement said.

“The Palestinian Authority agrees with what US President Bill Clinton said recently in Oslo, namely that differences between the Palestinian and Israeli sides should be resolved through dialogue and negotiations,” it added.

Suha Arafat upset Israelis and Americans during the US First Lady’s visit to the West Bank on November 11, when she said Israel had been systematically using gas to poison Palestinian women and children.

Mrs Arafat also refused to apologise for her earlier remarks in Ramallah, which exposed Mrs Clinton to attack from pro-Israeli groups in New York State. The groups said the First Lady should have objected.

Anti-Anwar smear drive: Oppn

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 24 (Reuters) — Malaysia’s Opposition said today that a 25-minute videotape alleging that jailed former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had engaged in sodomy had been distributed in the capital ahead of the elections next week.

Raja Petra, spokesman for the Opposition Alternative Front coalition, said the Opposition intended to file a police report asking the authorities to investigate the tape, which was shown to reporters at the opposition’s daily news conference.

“The tape is supposed to be a documentary on Anwar and his alleged homosexual activities”, Raja told newsmen. “They are trying to frame Anwar. It is meant to swing voters”. Copies of the tape had been found at bus stops in the capital.

Although the former Deputy Prime Minister is not running in the November 29 election, he is the Opposition’s candidate to become Prime Minister if they pull a major upset in the polls. His accusations of corruption and cronyism in Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s Government are the major issues of the election.

“There are no X-rated scenes in the videotape apart from the language, but a lot of things which are libellous and scandalous are the tape”, he said.

The spokesman said the tape showed a hotel room where Anwar allegedly engaged in homosexual acts, and included confessions by alleged partners taped while they were in police custody, police were not available for comment.

DPA adds: A Malaysian court today dismissed an application by an opposition party from the east Malaysian state of Sabah to cancel the November 29 general election.

Kota Kinabalu High Court Judge Azahar Ma’Ah said the injunction sought by the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) because of alleged irregularities in the electoral rolls could not be exercised to stop the election on the grounds of public policy.

He also ruled that the proper avenue to deal with the clean-up of the electoral rolls was during the revision period of the rolls.

Extra police sent to Aceh

JAKARTA, Nov 24 (Reuters) —Indonesia is sending hundreds of police reinforcements to the troubled province of Aceh amid fears of violent protests in early December, the police said today.

Spokesman Colonel Saleh Saaf told Reuters that 876 reinforcements from the police mobile brigade had been sent to the region.

Members of the unit are frequently used to control demonstrations. About half of the new officers were replacing others who were being withdrawn, Colonel Saaf said.

It follows complaints from the military in the region that government orders to scale down their forces had hit their ability to control unrest in Aceh, the northern tip of Sumatra.

“We had sent two groups of policemen to Aceh to face the latest condition there,” Colonel Saaf said, adding that they left yesterday.

Fears of violence have mounted ahead of the December 4 anniversary of the rebel Free Aceh Movement’s founding.

Tamil Eelam ‘not possible’

COLOMBO, Nov 24 (UNI) — Sri Lanka’s most protected Tamil Leader and former Chief Minister of North-East Provincial Council Varadaraja Perumal has sought India’s help to bring peace and unity in the island while totally rejecting the LTTE’s demand for a Tamil Eelam (separate nation).

“I don’t see the possibility of an Eelam or separation as demanded by the LTTE,” Mr Perumal, who once made the self-proclamation of Tamil independence in 1999 in Jaffna and fled to India, said after admitting that he had become “more refined and tolerant” during his long exile.

Speaking to the Colombo-based foreign journalists for the first time since his return to Sri Lanka after nine years of self-exile in India, he said he and other Tamils in general were opposed to the principle of a separate nation. At the same time, he favoured talks with the LTTE and finding a solution to the current ethnic problem through devolution process.

He agreed that the current conflict could not be solved militarily. “If the government decided to solve it militarily, the problem will again surface more violently,” he said.

Clinton greets Sikhs on Guru's b'day

WASHINGTON, Nov 24 (PTI) — US President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary greeted the Sikh community on Guru Nanak’s birthday yesterday, stressing the value the President attaches to the USA rich diversity of religions and races.

The greetings message of the first couple said "Warm greetings to the Sikhs across America as you observe the birth of Guru Nanak... Hillary joins me in extending best wishes for a meaningful observance."

"As Americans, we can be proud of our diversity. People of different ethnicities, backgrounds, races and beliefs have contributed to the success of our nation, reflecting the profound truth that this rich diversity is one of our greatest strengths," read the message released yesterday by Dr Rajwant Singh, an active participant in the inter-faith meetings.

"The teachings of Guru Nanak, founder of Sikhism, echo this important ideal. Based on the principles of equality, charity and humility, his message encourages us to face our challenges together in a spirit of cooperation, fellowship and hope, he added.

"I am confident that we will be an infinitely better, stronger country if our decisions are informed by, driven by, and advanced by people of faith, and I applaud the followers of Sikhism for your efforts to promote spiritual growth and devotion to service. As you gather to celebrate the life and teachings of Guru Nanak and to reaffirm your commitment to the values that guide you, I commend you for striving to create a society united in peace and mutual understanding," the message went on to say.

UN plea for aid

GENEVA, Nov 24 (AP) — The United Nations has appealed for $ 2.34 billion to help “millions of souls” around the world suffering from war, earthquakes and other disasters.

Places that will need more help next year include those that have received the most attention in recent weeks — Kosovo, East Timor, Turkey and Chechnya, said UN Secretary Gen Kofi Annan.

But, he added, “As we struggle to catch up and provide the assistance needed in those places, crises are emerging, resuming or intensifying in many other places around the globe.”

This year’s launch, named “World Humanitarian Day,” marks a renewed effort by the United Nations to improve funding for its aid operations.

Shia shrine torched
MULTAN: Vandals destroyed a 500-year-old Muslim shrine in the central Pakistani city on Tuesday, the police said. Four persons entered the shrine of a Muslim saint, Shah Shams Sabzwari, and set its gates on fire before fleeing. The police blamed the attack on terrorists. The historic shrine, popular among the country’s minority Shiite Muslim community, was badly damaged. — AFP

Paedophile priest jailed
CORK: A 74-year-old Irish Roman Catholic priest has been given 36 years in prison for paedophilia in this south-western town, the highest sentence ever handed down in Ireland for such a crime. James Kellay, known as Brother Ambrose in the Brothers of Charity Order, pleaded guilty to sexual acts against three boys aged 8 to 18 at the time of the crimes, which took place nearly 40 years ago. The three victims were present on Tuesday at the trial. — AFP

42 rhinos killed
KATHMANDU: At least 42 one-horned rhinoceros, considered an endangered species, have been killed by poaching or poisoning in the Chitwan national park, about 80 km south of the Nepalese capital, in the past 15 months, officials said on Wednesday. — DPA

64 Tibetans held
KATHMANDU: A group of 64 young Tibetans, including four women, have been arrested at a Nepalese checkpoint near Mount Everest while fleeing, a police source said on Wednesday. It was the second large group of Tibetans detained in just over a week trying to reach Nepal. — AFP