W O R L D

30 Kurds die in battle with Islamic militants
Shashik (Iraq), December 4
As many as 30 fighters of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) were killed or wounded today in an early morning battle with Islamic militants believed to be linked to Al-Qaida near the city of Halabja, Kurdish military officials said. Militants from the Ansar al-Islam seized two hilltop positions of the Patriotic Union, said Sheikh Jaffar Mustafa of the Kurdish militia that has long sought to drive the Muslim radicals from the region.

5 dead in East Timor

Dili, December 4 At least five East Timor students were killed and several seriously wounded when the police fired into a crowd of around 500 protesters marching in the city, a witness said.
East Timorese protesters walk past a supermarket owned by a foreigner after angry protesters set alight fires in Dili, East Timor, on Wednesday. — Reuters photo

US official meets Pervez

Islamabad, December 4 A top US official today discussed steps to break the impasse over Indo-Pakistan dialogue as well as bilateral issues with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali. Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf (L) meets Stephen Hadley, US Deputy National Security Adviser, in Islamabad on Wednesday. Hadley held talks in Islamabad in Washington's first high-level contact with the new civilian government. — Reuters photo

Pervez reluctant to quit army post
Islamabad, December 4
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has indicated that he was willing to scale down his powers to dismiss Parliament in order to obtain the support of the dominant opposition parties but talks in this regard failed to make progress as he was unwilling to accept their demand to give up the post of army chief.

Palestinian dies in Israeli attack
Gaza, December 4
Israeli helicopter gunships fired three missiles at a small building in the central Gaza City today, killing a Palestinian militant and blasting a hole through the one-room concrete structure, witnesses said.

Borlaug decries free market
Washington, December 4
Nobel laureate and noted agricultural scientist Norman Borlaug has charged the free-market policies of the World Bank, the USA and European governments with condemning Africa to perpetual famine and undermining the efforts of organisations working for food security.

When morning became night Musina (South Africa), December 4 Skies darkened over southern Africa today as a rare total solar eclipse raced across the continent, delighting astronomers, astounding tourists and confusing animals as morning briefly became night. The sun is blocked by the moon during a solar eclipse in the Australian outback town of Lyndhurst, around 700 km north of Adelaide, on Wednesday. — Reuters photo

UN experts visit Iraqi N-site
Baghdad, December 4
UN experts today started a visit to a facility associated with Iraq’s nuclear programme before the 1991 Gulf War.

Muslims’ no to coke
Kuala Lumpur, December 4
Thousands of Muslims in Malaysia today began a boycott of US soft-drink giant Coca-Cola, Mr Nadzim Johan, executive secretary of the Muslim Consumer Association of Malaysia (MCAM) said.

14 Maoists killed
Kathmandu, December 4
Security forces gunned down at least 14 Maoist rebels in simultaneous operations in different parts of the Himalayan kingdom, who were believed to be behind the landmine explosion and a series of blasts in the country, Defence Ministry said today.

30 Kurds die in battle with Islamic militants

Shashik (Iraq), December 4
As many as 30 fighters of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) were killed or wounded today in an early morning battle with Islamic militants believed to be linked to Al-Qaida near the city of Halabja, Kurdish military officials said. Militants from the Ansar al-Islam seized two hilltop positions of the Patriotic Union, said Sheikh Jaffar Mustafa of the Kurdish militia that has long sought to drive the Muslim radicals from the region.

Shiekh Mustafa said he believed his force had suffered 30 casualties, but he could not give an exact figure since some of his forces were on leave and his side had been unable to retrieve the bodies from the battlefield.

He also said he did not know how many among the casualties were dead, nor how many Islamic militants had been killed or wounded. Some PUK fighters died while sleeping since the Ansar al-Islam launched its attack before daybreak. Brown smoke could be seen rising from near the two hills at the base of the Suren Mountains along the Iraq-Iran border. The guerrillas from the Ansar al-Islam fired heavy artillery as they charged the Kurdish positions, Sheikh Mustafa said.

While some of the Ansar al-Islam forces are Kurds, they also include Arabs who trained in Afghanistan and are believed to have ties with the Al-Qaida terrorist movement of Osama bin Laden. Some fighters from the group have said they trained at Al Qaida camps in Afghanistan but denied having any current links to Bin Laden’s group. AP

5 dead in East Timor

Dili, December 4
At least five East Timor students were killed and several seriously wounded when the police fired into a crowd of around 500 protesters marching in the city, a witness said.

“At least five were killed and I saw another six persons in a minivan being taken to the hospital with really bad injuries,” said the witness, a journalist, adding that it was the police who opened fire.

“Some of the protesters had gunshot wounds and some had been beaten up,” he said. Reuters

US official meets Pervez

Islamabad, December 4
A top US official today discussed steps to break the impasse over Indo-Pakistan dialogue as well as bilateral issues with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali.

Visiting US Deputy National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley called on General Musharraf and Mr Jamali separately after his arrival here today.

Mr Hadley discussed with Pakistani leaders the situation in South Asia, including Kashmir, with an emphasis on the importance of normalisation of Indo-Pakistan relations and the early resumption of bilateral dialogue to address all outstanding issues, Pakistan Foreign Office said in a statement.

He also held meetings with Foreign Secretary Riaz Khokhar and the Secretary of the National Security Council.

Mr Hadley is scheduled to be in New Delhi tomorrow. PTI

Pervez reluctant to quit army post

Islamabad, December 4
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has indicated that he was willing to scale down his powers to dismiss Parliament in order to obtain the support of the dominant opposition parties but talks in this regard failed to make progress as he was unwilling to accept their demand to give up the post of army chief.

In the on-going talks between the leaders of the pro-Musharraf Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) and six-party Islamist Party alliance Muthahida Majlis Amal (MMA), to reach an agreement on extending support to the fledgling government of Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, General Musharraf has expressed willingness to compromise on his powers to dismiss the National Assembly, MMA leaders said.“The government negotiating team has informed us about General Musharraf’s willingness to restrict his power to sack only the government of the day but not the National Assembly”, local daily ‘The Nation’ quoted leaders of the MMA as saying.

The PML-Q leaders, including Jamali in their talks with the MMA leaders have indicated General Musharraf’s willingness to compromise on 58, 2(b), the controversial clause of the constitutional amendments which granted him powers to dismiss the Assembly.

General Musharraf while showing willingness to be flexible on 58, 2(b) was, however, reluctant to give up the post of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) as he believed that he would become vulnerable if he give up his hold on the army.

“We had clearly asked the government negotiating team that General Musharraf should put off army uniform to seek our support to be elected as constitutional President. We are demanding a clear cut deadline as to when the President would vacate the office of the COAS. There were still differences between the two sides,” the MMA leaders said.

A meeting of the MMA held here two days ago has put off its decision on the issue to December 17 by which time the PML-Q was expected to come up with more proposals.

Meanwhile, the beleaguered PML-Q got a breather yesterday when the Muthahida Quami Movement (MQM) reversed its decision to withdraw its support to the Jamali ministry, which has a one vote majority. If the PML-Q and the MMA reach an agreement, the Jamali government could have a comfortable run with the help of the 60 member strong MMA support. PTI

Palestinian dies in Israeli attack

Gaza, December 4
Israeli helicopter gunships fired three missiles at a small building in the central Gaza City today, killing a Palestinian militant and blasting a hole through the one-room concrete structure, witnesses said.

The dead man was identified as Mustafa Sabah, a 35-year-old guard at the main Palestinian Authority compound. Palestinian sources said he also belonged to a group of militants behind a series of attacks on Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip.

The group of militants to which Sabah belonged blew up an Israeli-made Merkava tank in the Gaza Strip in February, killing three soldiers, the sources said.

Reporters saw Sabah’s dismembered body and missile fragments being removed from the building near a Palestinian security complex.

The attack bore all the hallmarks of a strike against a wanted Palestinian militant. Reuters

Borlaug decries free market

Washington, December 4
Nobel laureate and noted agricultural scientist Norman Borlaug has charged the free-market policies of the World Bank, the USA and European governments with condemning Africa to perpetual famine and undermining the efforts of organisations working for food security.

Borlaug, who was persuaded by the Sasakawa Foundation to try and replicate his the Green Revolution in Africa and was working with the Carter Foundation to develop several million demonstration plots in Africa said, “I have done my job. We could double or triple grain production in Africa in three years” and demanded a change in free market policies for Africa.

He questioned the insistence on free market policies by western donors who gave huge subsidies to their farmers but used their clout to oppose any subsidy to African farmers.

The yield of corn in test plots in Ghana and elsewhere tripled but the project fell into disarray after the government of Ghana was browbeaten by western governments to stop helping the farmers with subsidised fertiliser and temporary loans, Borlaug was quoted by the Wall Street Journal as saying. PTI

When morning became night

The Diamond Ring appears after the totality of the solar eclipse in Ceduna, South Australia, on Wednesday. — AP/PTI

Musina (South Africa), December 4
Skies darkened over southern Africa today as a rare total solar eclipse raced across the continent, delighting astronomers, astounding tourists and confusing animals as morning briefly became night.

“It’s amazing for us,’’ said 15-year-old Rhengu Baloyi as he peered skywards with special eclipse glasses distributed by the local tourism authorities. “For a moment I thought our lives were going to be endangered.’’

The eclipse first touched African shores around 10.45 a.m. IST as the moon moved in between the sun and the earth, blocking out the summer sunshine with its shadow.

In Angola’s capital of Luanda, one of the first areas to enter the eclipse zone, scattered groups of sky-gazers gathered on the beach to watch the sun disappear.

“It’s a bit cloudy, but we’re hopeful. You can tell it is getting darker,’’ said Lee Barker, a Canadian geologist.

Moving faster than 5,000 km an hour, the lunar shadow sped eastwards across the continent, momentarily casting parts of Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa into darkness before heading out to sea at Xai-Xai in Mozambique.

Clouds remained an intermittent problem across the eclipse’s African trajectory, with most areas reporting partly overcast conditions.

In northern South Africa, cars pulled to the side of the road in rural areas in and around the country’s famous Kruger National Park as tourists put themselves into prime position to see the celestial spectacular. It grew colder, the sky grew black and the murmuring crowd went quiet as the moon passed in front of the sun.

“It’s awesome,’’ said Cherie, a South African woman.

Wildlife experts said the eclipse could be briefly confusing for the region’s animals, although the speed with which daylight returned would probably prevent any major impact.

In Johannesburg, South Africa’s commercial capital, the eclipse meant the sun was about 85 per cent obscured. Partly cloudy conditions hid much of the action, a disappointment for many who were hoping to get a good view of the last eclipse in the region for almost three decades.

The eclipse had been billed as a major tourism draw for southern Africa, where towns along the path of the total eclipse have set up special festivals. Reuters

UN experts visit Iraqi N-site

Baghdad, December 4
UN experts today started a visit to a facility associated with Iraq’s nuclear programme before the 1991 Gulf War.

Inspectors from the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency left their headquarters in Baghdad at 8:30 a.m. for the facility at Al-Tuwaitha, about 20 km to the south. Meanwhile, Iraq today criticized UN arms experts for the first time since they began inspections. AFP

Muslims’ no to coke

Kuala Lumpur, December 4
Thousands of Muslims in Malaysia today began a boycott of US soft-drink giant Coca-Cola, Mr Nadzim Johan, executive secretary of the Muslim Consumer Association of Malaysia (MCAM) said.

“The boycott is in response to Western interference in the internal affairs of Muslim countries in the guise of fighting terrorism,” Nadzim said.

“It is non-violence. It is also a fight against discrimination, not just against Muslims but everyone.”

He said the campaign would last three months and that the group would evaluate the impact and would then launch a similar action against another US product such as McDonald’s.

The MCAM launched its campaign today by publicly emptying dozens of Coca-Cola cans.

Among the members of the MCAM is the 7,000-member Muslim Restaurant Operators of Malaysia.

“There are also thousands of other small operators participating in the campaign. Our programme will hurt Coca-Cola, in particular during the coming Id-ul-Fitr,” he said. “But it is not going to run them out of business nor will it end Coke’s operation in Malaysia.” AFP

14 Maoists killed

Kathmandu, December 4
Security forces gunned down at least 14 Maoist rebels in simultaneous operations in different parts of the Himalayan kingdom, who were believed to be behind the landmine explosion and a series of blasts in the country, Defence Ministry said today.

Maoists were killed in Raha, Tehrathum, Sankhuwasabha, Morang, Dang, Pyuthan and Darchula districts and the forces seized guns, pistols, explosives, socket bombs, grenade, bullets, medicine and cash from the rebels. UNI

WORLD BRIEFS

Pop entertainer Michael Jackson leaves court for recess on crutches on Tuesday, in Santa Maria, Calif., in a $21 million breach-of-contract lawsuit alleging he failed to appear for a pair of millennium concerts. Jackson's return to the witness stand followed a two week absence from the trial during which he visited Germany and sparked worldwide outrage by dangling his infant son Prince Michael II from a fourth-floor hotel balcony. — AP/PTI

FIVE BALI BLAST SUSPECTS HELD
JAKARTA: Five persons believed to be linked to the Bali bombing were arrested on Wednesday, the Indonesian police said. “Five men were arrested in Central Java in relation to the Bali bomb case,” Edward Aritonang, spokesman for the investigation team, said. He said he did not yet have their identities and could not give other details. Chief investigator I Made Mangku Pastika said the police was checking whether one of them was a man called Mukhlas, who was the new operations chief for the Jemaah Islamiyah regional terror network. AFP

AL-MUHAJIROUN MEMBER ARRESTED
LONDON: A member of the British Islamic organisation Al-Muhajiroun has been arrested by the anti-terrorism police, the group has said. Hassan Butt was arrested on Monday at his home in Manchester and transferred to a London police station where he was being held for questioning, Al-Muhajiroun’s British director Anjem Choudary said on Tuesday. Scotland Yard confirmed that such an arrest had been made, but did not reveal the man’s name or organisation. AFP

MAN FOUND WALLED AFTER 44 YEARS
LUCCA (ITALY): Bricklayers in Tuscany discovered the body of an Italian man who went missing 44 years ago walled inside the basement of what was once his home, it has been reported. Nemo Cianelli disappeared from his home of Benabbio, near Lucca, in 1958 and relatives thought he had emigrated to the USA. But bricklayers discovered his remains while tearing down a wall during renovations of the building. According to the police, Cianelli walled himself in and then shot himself. He left a note behind saying that he wished to die because he thought he was ill. DPA

MAN GETS DEATH FOR POISONING NEIGHBOURS
BEIJING: A man in northern China’s Shaanxi province has been sentenced to death for poisoning 14 of his neighbours and killing his wife so that he could start a new life with his lover, state media said on Wednesday. The man, who lived in Tongchuan city, wanted to poison his wife, but was worried about being caught, the Huashang newspaper said. To confuse the police, he decided to also poison his neighbours living in the same apartment building by spiking their daily delivery of milk with rat poison. Fourteen of his neighbours were poisoned and his wife died after drinking the milk. AFP

ETHIOPIA MISHAP CLAIMS 25 LIVES
ADDIS ABABA: Twentyfive passengers were killed and 17 injured when a bus plunged into a ravine in the northern Ethiopian region of Tigre yesterday, the official ENA news agency reported today. The bus was carrying 42 passengers when it skidded and plunged into the narrow gorge on the road linking the northern town of Mekele with Addis Ababa. AFP