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Pakistani commanders back peace efforts Musharraf to shift to Islamabad residence Talks on Baglihar project
begin Pak minister rules out
trade link without Kashmir issue solution
Progress made in Indo-China talks USA for boosting strategic ties with India |
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220 Indian-origin workers move court over job scam Jackson to make first court appearance
First Martian weather report by April Bird flu found in Taiwan, 20,000 chickens killed
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Pakistani commanders back peace efforts
Islamabad, January 16 The commanders “approved” General Musharraf’s strategy not to permit any terrorist activity to be carried out from Pakistan, officials were quoted as saying by local daily ‘Dawn’ after the meeting which was addressed by the General last night. “Army Commanders back peace moves.... The top military leadership on Thursday declared that Pakistan would not allow its soil to be used for any terrorist activities,” the daily reported quoting the un-named officials. Addressing the meeting, General Musharraf said Pakistan stood for peace in the region and a peaceful resolution of all outstanding issues with India, including Jammu and Kashmir, through a meaningful dialogue based on sovereign equality. The meeting also reviewed the post-ceasefire situation along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir. About the prevailing international and regional environment, General Musharraf said Pakistan would continue to strive for rooting out terrorism from the country as it had damaged its image in the world and had become a stumbling block in its prosperity. The officials were quoted as saying that the President briefed the participants about what had been discussed at his meeting with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the events that led the two countries issuing a joint statement.
— PTI |
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Musharraf to shift to Islamabad residence Islamabad, January 16 Officials said Musharraf would formally move to the Aiwan-e-Sadr here by the end of this month after renovation and refurbishments. “We expect preparations for the shifting will be completed by the time the president returns from Switzerland by the end of January,” local daily The News quoted a security official as saying. Musharraf is expected to attend the World Economic Forum meet to be held in Switzerland later this month. His security, virtually upgraded to the level of an American President, has come under heavy strain lately as he travels a 20-km road linking Islamabad with Rawalpindi. Musharraf’s motorcade has come under three close attacks by suspected militants since December 14. Musharraf was advised to move into the Presidential residence to avoid frequent travel. Even after his shifting to Islamabad, Musharraf would continue to occasionally go to Army Headquarters to deal with military matters till December 31, 2004 by which time he has agreed to retire as the Chief of Army.
— PTI |
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Talks on Baglihar project
begin Islamabad, January 16 Pakistan alleges that the project is being built in violation of the 1960 Indus Water Treaty. Pak minister rules out trade link without Kashmir issue solution Islamabad, January 16 There was no question of compromise on the aspirations of Kashmiri people, he told reporters in Sukkar yesterday and hoped that India would take measures for implementing the Islamabad agreement with maximum sincerity and true spirit for resolving the Kashmir issue. He said Kashmir problem could not be separated from bilateral trade and economic relations, because it was a key factor for peace in South Asia. Rashid also ruled out the possibility of accepting the Line of Control (LoC) as international border. “There are so many solutions and options for the Kashmir problem,” he said, but linked all of them with good intent and sincerity of India. Referring to Pakistan signing the South Asia Free Trade Area (SAFTA) treaty, Rashid said the treaty would be implemented only in 2006 and by that time much water would have flown under the bridges.
— PTI |
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Progress made in Indo-China talks
Beijing, January 16 “China India relations are developing very well. Especially, we have improved our mutual trust, which is important for bilateral relations,” Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Wang Yi said. “Without mutual trust we cannot take our bilateral relations forward. This is the most important development,” said Wang, who was the chief guest at the Republic Day reception hosted by Indian Ambassador to China, Nalin Surie here. Wang noted that the bilateral economic cooperation between China and India was developing rapidly. According to official estimates, India-China trade in 2003 was expected to hit an all-time high of nearly $ 7 billion. On the border issue, he said: “We have made progress. Gradually, we are building a very strong foundation for the future of our bilateral ties.” Wang, who himself has led several rounds of India-China boundary negotiations in the past, however, did not go into the details of the talks, which were held in camera as per an understanding reached between New Delhi and Beijing. National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra and Executive Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo held the second round of boundary talks here on January 12 and 13. Wang is the senior most Chinese official to comment on the latest round of talks between Mishra and Dai. Yesterday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Kong Quan, commenting on the Mishra-Dai meeting, noted that the border issues between the two countries had existed for a long time and China hoped these could be resolved in the spirit of “mutual adjustment, understanding and concession.” Kong said the two sides had agreed to hold the third round of talks in New Delhi. The two countries held the first round of ministerial level talks in New Delhi on October 23 and 24, 2003. — PTI |
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USA for boosting strategic ties with India
Washington, January 16 “Our agenda with India is broad and deep. As you know, the White House just made an announcement on how we can enhance a strategic partnership in a number of areas. That is something Secretary of State Colin Powell and the Foreign Secretary Sinha, among others, have worked on for some time,” US State Department spokesperson Richard Boucher said yesterday. He said the USA would be interested in further improvement in its strategic relationship with India. “So there is always plenty to talk about with our Indian friends and colleagues,” he said. Boucher also said the USA welcomed the political courage of Indian and Pakistani leadership in bringing about “some remarkable developments in relations” between the two countries. “We would welcome the confidence-building measures that are being taken with trainings and sizes of diplomatic missions. We think that resuming transportation links will allow family members to meet and to improve people-to-people ties and that expanded diplomatic links will help the countries address the complex agendas that they face.”
— PTI |
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220 Indian-origin workers move court over job scam
New York, January 16 The complainants are seeking at least $ 75,000 each in damages from the three who took between $ 10,000 and $ 20,000 each after promising jobs and assistance in getting green cards. In the lawsuit filed in the US federal district court in New Orleans, it was alleged that the men were “kept against their will at various locations” and not allowed to leave. Many were reduced to eating out of trashcans. The workers claimed to have borrowed money at high interest rates to pay the trio, believing that they would be able to pay back the debt once they got the lucrative jobs. The suit names as defendants B.J. Singh, who is believed to be a Canadian national and owner of NTS Skillforce Resources; Terry Forrester, an Idaho resident who runs Labour Consultants International; and Chad Chandler of Centreville, president of Falcon Steel Structures. A local newspaper quoted Chandler as saying through his New Orleans attorney, George Fagan, that he broke no laws in bringing the workers to America. Nor did he breach any terms of his arrangement with the workers, he said. The suit alleges that the three defendants interviewed skilled workers, mostly welders, in India, Dubai and Singapore starting in 2000 and continued doing so till January of last year — promising them jobs in Louisiana that would pay about $ 14 an hour. In Louisiana, they were forced to stay in out of the way hotels and holding areas, where they were refused food and medical attention. Falcon Steel and Chandler then “farmed” out the men as temporary workers and demanded a “portion of the workers’ wages”, the suit said. And when the men tried to get work on their own, it says, “they were terrorised and hounded.”
— PTI |
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Jackson to make first court appearance
Santa Maria, January 16 Jackson (45) will be formally arraigned on nine counts in a court in Santa Maria, a town north of Santa Barbara. The “King of Pop” could be jailed for more than 20 years if convicted. “Michael will enter a plea of not guilty,” attorney Mark Geragos said in a statement yesterday, in which he revealed that another high-profile celebrity attorney, Benjamin Brafman, had joined Jackson’s defence team. Brafman, a New York-based criminal defence lawyer, is best known for successfully defending rap star Sean “Puffy” Combs (now known as P. Diddy) against gun possession and bribery charges. “Michael and I agreed that expanding the team would best serve his interests, as we work toward his acquittal on the false charges that have been levelled against him,” Geragos said. The Californian town looked as if it was preparing for a Michael Jackson concert, rather than a 30-minute appearance in a 120 seat courtroom. On the eve of Jackson’s arraignment, helicopters hovered over the court complex, while police on the ground tried to corral hordes of mediapersons.
— AFP |
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First Martian weather report by April Paris, January 16 Data will be provided by an experiment aboard the Mars Express spacecraft, which is making its final orbital adjustments around the planet after being captured by its gravity last month. Scientists will transmit a precise radio signal to the orbiter, which will then send the signal back when it loops around the planet and is almost exactly aligned with Earth. By passing through the thin Martian atmosphere on its trip home, the signal undergoes subtle changes that, when transcribed, gives details as to atmospheric temperature, density and pressure. The experiment will undergo a test run on Tuesday and if everything works well, should be able to produce the “first Martian weather report” in April, a service that should run for the next four years, an ESA press statement said yesterday. By terrestrial standards, Martian weather forecasts will be unremittingly bleak. The planet has an atmosphere that is mainly carbon dioxide, is frequently gripped by fierce dust storms and its temperatures are often could enough to freeze blood.
— AFP |
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Bird flu found in Taiwan, 20,000 chickens killed Taipei, January 16 Quarantine personnel destroyed the chickens on the farm in Changhwa, west Taiwan, last night after detecting a weak strain of the H5N2 virus, Su Ih-jen, director of the Center for Disease Control said. “Two farm workers are coughing, so health workers are conducting tests to find out if the workers are infected with bird flu,” he said. “We suspect the virus was brought to Taiwan by migratory birds,” Su said. Taiwan is the fourth country in the past week to report bird flu outbreaks. The others are Vietnam, Japan and South Korea.
— DPA |
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