W O R L D

NBC reporter dies in Iraq
Washington, April 7
David Bloom, who left an anchor’s chair at NBC to cover the war in Iraq as a reporter “embedded” with US troops has died while covering the war, NBC said.

A Syrian artist looks at a painting symbolising what many Arabs see as blind backing by British Prime Minister Tony Blair of US President George W. Bush in the US-led war against Iraq on Monday. The faculty of art at Damascus University organised the art exhibition in which 63 Syrian artists took part in protest against the war. — Reuters

Three more die of SARS
Toronto, April 7
A deadly pneumonia-like virus has killed the ninth person in Canada and the number of people infected rose further, officials said.

Action against 6 cops for detaining Indians
Kuala Lumpur, April 7
The Malaysian authorities announced today that they would take disciplinary action against six police officials found to have flouted proper procedures during a mass arrest of Indian professionals which had soured bilateral ties.

Pak: India fit case for pre-emptive strike
Islamabad, April 7
Pakistan today termed India as “a fit case for a pre-emptive strike”, alleging that it possessed weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and had kept chemical and biological weapons with neighbouring countries.

Pak delegation leaves for USA
Islamabad, April 7
A high-powered delegation headed by Federal Interior Secretary Tasneem Noorani left for Washington today to take part in a meeting of the US-Pak Joint Working Group (JWG) on counter-terrorism and law enforcement, official reports said.

GLOBAL MONITOR

Canadian singer Shania Twain poses with her Juno Award in Ottawa, on Sunday. Twain won two Junos, including Artist of the Year. — Reuters

	SARS claims 8th victim in Canada April 7, 2003
	Hands off Pak, USA tells India April 6, 2003
	British couple under observation for SARS April 5, 2003
	4 Palestinians killed in Gaza April 4, 2003
	Sars toll 75, China invites probe team April 3, 2003
	Allies jump the gun in propaganda war April 2, 2003
	Worldwide protests against war April 1, 2003
	Pak opposed to war on Iraq: Jamali March 31, 2003
	‘Shock and awe’ in store for USA March 30, 2003
	200 arrested for anti-war protest March 29, 2003

Russian ships sail for Indian Ocean
Moscow, April 7
Tanker ‘’Shakhtyor’’ of the Russian Black Sea Fleet has left its base in Sevastopol and sailed for the Indian Ocean, where joint Indo-Russian naval exercises will be held in May.

Korean talks fail to take off
Seoul, April 7
A new round of high-level government talks between South Korea and North Korea scheduled for this week won’t be held as planned, according to reports today.

Japan's famous Mount Fuji is seen behind cherry blossoms in Fuji, central Japan, on Monday. Spring has once again brought the Japanese to indulge in the country's annual obsession of cherry blossom viewing. — Reuters

NBC reporter dies in Iraq

Washington, April 7
David Bloom, who left an anchor’s chair at NBC to cover the war in Iraq as a reporter “embedded” with US troops has died while covering the war, NBC said.

After trading his position as a co-anchor of NBC’s “Today” show weekend editions to report from the battlefield on the US-led invasion, Bloom became the sixth journalist to die in Iraq since the war began about two weeks ago, although his death was not combat-related.

The 39-year-old journalist rode with the US army’s 3rd Infantry and reported its advance toward Baghdad.

In his nearly 20-year career, the award-wining Bloom covered stories ranging from the O.J. Simpson trials to a coup in Haiti and the war in Bosnia.

Including Bloom, six journalists have died in Iraq and two others are missing. Four journalists were killed in the Gulf War 12 years ago.

Michael Kelly, a former editor-in-chief of The Atlantic Monthly, was killed in an accident involving a Humvee military vehicle on Thursday, making him the first American and first “embedded’’ journalist to die in Iraq.

BBC cameraman Kaveh Golestan was killed by a land mine as he climbed out of a car in the northern town of Kifri last week. Australian cameraman Paul Moran, was killed in the north last month by a car bomb Kurdish officials blamed on the militant Islamic group Ansar al-Islam.

Terry Lloyd, a reporter with Britain’s Independent Television News, was killed after coming under fire on the way to Basra in the south. Two of his crew are still missing.

Britain’s Channel 4 TV reporter Gaby Rado was found dead in an Iraqi hotel, but his employers said the death appeared to be unconnected to combat.

Some 600 journalists are “embedded” with US and British forces. Reuters

Three more die of SARS

Toronto, April 7
A deadly pneumonia-like virus has killed the ninth person in Canada and the number of people infected rose further, officials said.

The public health authorities did not identify the latest victim of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus. They said the individual had a ‘’direct connection’’ with an original cluster of early cases at Scarborough Grace Hospital in Ontario. SARS has infected about 179 persons in the province of Ontario, up from 163 on Saturday. Those include 87 probable and 92 suspect cases, Ontario health officials said yesterday.

SINGAPORE: SARS virus has killed two more persons in Singapore, bringing the nation’s death toll from the disease to eight in two weeks, state television reported on Monday.

The report on state-run channel News Asia gave no further details, and Ministry of Health officials could only confirm one new death in Singapore from SARS. “We can confirm one death and we are checking on the television report,’’ said a Ministry of Health spokeswoman. Reuters

Action against 6 cops for detaining Indians

Kuala Lumpur, April 7
The Malaysian authorities announced today that they would take disciplinary action against six police officials found to have flouted proper procedures during a mass arrest of Indian professionals which had soured bilateral ties.

National police chief Norian Mai said the six men, including senior officers, had failed to adhere to procedures during a raid aimed at weeding out illegal immigrants at an apartment block in Kuala Lumpur last month.

He said the men were found to be guilty following the findings of a special committee set up to investigate the incident, in which around 200 Indian nationals, mostly information technology professionals, were detained and allegedly malstrated before being allowed to leave.

Many of those detained worked in the Multimedia Super Corridor, a business development initiative set up by Malaysia to emulate the Silicon Valley in the USA. “With the action against our (police) personnel, we hope that the issue will come to an end,” said Norian.

“Other than disciplinary action, the policemen may also face transfer to other districts or departments,” he was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency. DPA

Pak: India fit case for pre-emptive strike

Islamabad, April 7
Pakistan today termed India as “a fit case for a pre-emptive strike”, alleging that it possessed weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and had kept chemical and biological weapons with neighbouring countries.

“If India thinks of going in for a pre-emptive strike, then we also have the right to go for a pre-emptive strike,” the minister said. UNI

Pak delegation leaves for USA

Islamabad, April 7
A high-powered delegation headed by Federal Interior Secretary Tasneem Noorani left for Washington today to take part in a meeting of the US-Pak Joint Working Group (JWG) on counter-terrorism and law enforcement, official reports said.

The JWG meeting will mainly focus on Pakistan’s support to the USA in fight against terrorism and review the progress of the Border Security Programme and other law enforcement reforms. During the visit, the US Government will be requested to assist Pakistan in establishing the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), National Crime Database and strengthening the CID to counter the global threat of terrorism. The delegation will also take up the issue of provision of further assistance for phase two of the Border Security Project. UNI

Russian ships sail for Indian Ocean

Moscow, April 7
Tanker ‘’Shakhtyor’’ of the Russian Black Sea Fleet has left its base in Sevastopol and sailed for the Indian Ocean, where joint Indo-Russian naval exercises will be held in May.

“The tanker and a large landing ship will be the first to pass through the Bosporus and the Dardanelles,’’ Interfax reported, quoting a Black Sea Fleet headquarters spokesman.

It will be followed by the missile cruiser ‘’Moskva’’, which is the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet and the patrol boats ‘’Pytlivy’’ and ‘’Smetlivy’’. The entire squadron is expected to reach the Mediterranean Sea by April 11 and sail through the Suez Canal to enter the Indian Ocean. The Black Sea squadron will rendezvous with the ships of the Pacific Fleet off the Socotra Island.

Earlier yesterday, the large anti-submarine ships ‘’Marshal Shaposhnikov’’ and ‘’Admiral Panteleyev,’’ and the tanker ‘’Vladimir Kolechitsky’’ of the Russian Pacific Fleet left their base in Vladivostok.

“By agreement between the Russian and Indian defence ministers, Indian-Russian naval exercises will be held in the Indian Ocean in May. The Pacific Fleet’s group comprises the large anti-submarine ships Marshal Shaposhnikov under Andrei Nelidin’s command and Admiral Panteleyev under Nikolai Ozirny’s command, and the tanker Vladimir Kolechitsky under Alexander Denisov’s command,’’ Pacific Fleet Commander Viktor Fyodorov told journalists in Vladivostok after the armada left yesterday. UNI

Korean talks fail to take off

Seoul, April 7
A new round of high-level government talks between South Korea and North Korea scheduled for this week won’t be held as planned, according to reports today.

North Korea, as of today, did not respond to inquiries for the preparation of discussions, said a speaker for the Unification Ministry in Seoul.

The Unification Ministry regretted in a telephone call to North Korea that the ministerial discussions could not take place as planned from today to Thursday in Pyongyang.

The North Korean Government was asked to reschedule the discussions as soon as possible. North Korea also called off business talks with South Korea last month. As a reason, North Korea indicated that the Seoul government “under the pretext of the Iraq war” increased the level of alert in its neighbouring country. DPA

GLOBAL MONITOR

Actor Russell Crowe and Danielle Spencer arrive at the 74th annual Academy Awards in Hollywood in this March 24, 2002, file photo. Academy Award-winning actor Crowe will marry long-time girlfriend Spencer at his cattle farm in Nana Glen 500 km north of Sydney during a sunset ceremony on Monday.  — Reuters In video (28k, 56k)

KIWI PM APOLOGISES TO BUSH
WELLINGTON: New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark on Monday said that she had apologised to the USA for saying that war against Iraq would have been avoided if a different President was in the White House. Ms Clark said she had apologised through diplomatic channels for any offence created by the comments, which she said were not intended to malign. “I became aware that inference had been taken from that statement which was not intended. And unless the matter was, in my judgement, put right by me, that wouldn’t be a good thing to let linger,” Ms Clark told reporters. Reuters

BANGLADESH ‘SUICIDE SQUAD’ FOR IRAQ
DHAKA: More than 1200 Bangladeshis have registered for a ‘suicide squad’ being recruited by Islamic organisations to fight the US-led aggression on Iraq “Mrittunjayee Squad,’’ a new platform of various Islamic organisations, has arranged a six-day programme inviting “Islamic-minded’’ people to register their names to go to Iraq and fight the allied forces, a leading English Daily Star reported on Monday. UNI

WIFE-BEATER JAILED FOR THIRD TIME
SINGAPORE: A recalcitrant wife-beater was sentenced to another two years in a Singapore jail for the third time after he threatened violence against his former spouse, it was reported on Monday. Soon after his release from prison in December, Ravindran Ramachandran, (31), started drinking again, trailing his ex-wife and abusing her for coming home late at night, The Straits Times said. Ramachandran had been jailed twice for battering the woman, once for four years in 1999 and again in 2001 for two years. DPA

SEPARATE PAK TV STATION FOR POK
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali has, in principle, approved the establishment of a separate television station for the occupied Kashmir (PoK), Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said. The minister, talking to mediapersons at Multan during a visit on Sunday, said it had also been decided to allow the private sector to establish private TV channels without any hindrance, and the government would facilitate the process at all levels, The ‘News’ daily reported on Monday. UNI

BREAST-FED INFANTS NEED VITAMIN D: DOCS
CHICAGO: Breast-fed infants need a vitamin D supplement to ward off rickets because exposure to the sun is no longer a safe way to provide the needed nutrient, a doctors group said on Monday said. Rickets is rarely fatal but can soften bones and result in bowing of the legs and impede growth, as well as causing respiratory and heart problems, said a physician who coauthor a policy statement for the American Academy of Paediatrics. Reuters