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Interim constitution of Iraq signed
UK wants fewer troops in J&K Software being used to track down Osama
Israel tells hotel industry to hire |
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3 Indians held for human trafficking Thailand free of bird flu, says official
Bill to ban kissing in public
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Interim constitution of Iraq signed Baghdad, March 8 Before an audience of prominent Iraqi and American civilian and military officials, including top administrator of Iraq, Mr L. Paul Bremer, 25 council members signed the document on an antique desk once owned by King Faisal I, Iraq’s first monarch. Council president Mohammed Bahr al-Ulloum called the signing a “historic moment, decisive in the history of Iraq.” “There is no doubt that this document will strengthen the Iraqi unity in a way never seen before,” said Massoud Barzani, a Kurdish leader on the council. The signing came nine days after a deadline set in a US timetable. The delay was caused by a mourning period following deadly bomb attacks on Shia shrines, as well as political wrangling on the US-picked council. The impasse strained relations between Sunni, Shia and Kurdish leaders and highlighted the power of Iraq’s Shia clergy. The charter — which includes a 13-article Bill of rights, enshrines Islam as one of the bases of law and outlines the shape of a parliament and presidency as well as a federal structure for the country. It will remain in effect until a permanent constitution is approved by a national referendum planned for late 2005.
— AP |
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UK wants fewer troops in J&K London, March 8 Talking with a group of visiting Indian journalists here today, British Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Mike O’Brien said ‘’reducing the level of armament’’ in the area would be an important confidence building measure towards resolution of the Kashmir issue. Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has committed himself to put an end to cross-border terrorism and assured the international community that his country’s territory will not be used for any anti-India activity, he noted adding that political atmosphere in the past few months has changed dramatically giving rise to expectations that all outstanding issues between the two countries would be resolved amicably. Welcoming the recent successful round of official-level talks in Islamabad, Mr Brien said Kashmir would obviously be the most ticklish and difficult issue to negotiate. ‘’The sort of negotiations between India and Pakistan on this issue would be difficult. It is a genuinely complex and delicate issue,’’ he pointed out. The minister said India and Pakistan needed to take incremental steps towards the resolution of the problem. There were no quick-fix solutions to the dispute. ‘’In terms of Kashmir, it is not for Britain to tell India and Pakistan how to resolve the issue. But Britain has a responsibility because it left that part of the world with a problem,’’ he added. Coming down strongly on terrorism, he said the activity was not acceptable. Terrorism should never be defended or excused by reference to an alleged cause. Terrorists discredit any cause they claim, he asserted. British Foreign Office officials also provided text of Foreign Secretary Jack Straw’s comments on Indo-Pak ties. He said the recent progress in relations with India was ‘’very welcome.’’ It should have positive impact on all the region, above all for the Kashmiris. The minister had made these remarks in Pakistan some days ago.
— UNI |
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Software being used to track down Osama New York, March 8 Key to the search is “accumulated humint” or human intelligence, a media report said, adding that the software used in the search helps piece together data on criminal and terror networks. Quoting officials, Newsweek magazine said an increasing number of “data points” — reports of sightings — have created an ever clearer picture of Laden’s area of operation as he appears to shuttle between Pakistan and Afghanistan. They are also sending in Predator unmanned aerial vehicles to search for him. Former Navy Seal and current rear admiral William H. McRaven is heading up Task Force 121. As Laden apparently no longer uses electronic means of communication, McRaven and his hunters are now trying to snare his couriers in transit, the report said. They scored a major victory two months ago with the capture of Hassan Ghul, a Qaida operative who was carrying what US officials say was a strategic memo from Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi, the mysterious terror leader allegedly behind the bombings of Shiites in Iraq. Task Force 121, which also helped capture Saddam Hussein under McRaven’s command, represents something brand-new in warfare, a pure hybrid of civilian intelligence and military striking power. Within the past few weeks, the magazine quoted intelligence sources as saying, a US Predator also spotted a suspect believed to be Al-Zawahiri somewhere in the border area.
— PTI |
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Israel tells hotel industry to hire Indian workers Jerusalem, March 8 The Interior Ministry has told the Eilat Hotel Association to get rid of the workers hitherto employed because they tend to stay in Israel beyond the period of their legal employment, advising to bring people from India and Philippines, David Blum, Managing Director of Human Resources at Isrotel told a local daily. Indian workers have already started to arrive in Eilat and some of them have reportedly admitted paying their Indian labour agents commissions of up to $ 5,000, daily Ha’aretz reported. Thousands of foreign workers have been illegally employed in Eilat for years with the full knowledge and tacit agreement of the authorities.
— PTI |
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3 Indians held for human trafficking Kathmandu, March 8 While the woman, Biju Masari of Assam, was arrested for allegedly trafficking children, including girls, to India, the two men from Haryana were arrested for their suspected involvement in killing and poaching wildlife. Masari (21), was caught by the police at the district headquarters of Sindhuli district yesterday as she was trafficking three girls aged between 13 and 15 and three boys aged between 14 and 24 to India with the promise of providing them jobs, the police said.
— PTI |
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Thailand free of bird flu, says official Bangkok, March 8 No areas of the country have had active cases of bird flu in poultry since February 25, said Yukol Limlamthong, Director-General of the ministry’s Livestock Department. Tokyo: The head owner of a Japanese poultry business accused of covering up the spread of deadly bird flu among its chickens apparently hanged himself with his wife on one of their farms, the police said today.
— AP |
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Designer baby to save ailing brother Sydney, March 8 Scientists at the Sydney IVF clinic helped the parents conceive a brother who will be an exact tissue match for the four-year-old, identified only as BJ, Sydney’s Daily Telegraph said. They will then use stem cells from the discarded umbilical cord for a transplant to cure BJ from rare hyper IgM syndrome. None of his relatives was able to provide the matching bone marrow the boy needed. The mother, identified as Leanne from Tasmania, is now pregnant with a healthy baby boy, thanks to sophisticated IVF (in-vitro fertilisation) techniques. Doctors also developed a test to screen potential embryos to avoid hyper IgM syndrome. Only a handful of other cases of a child being born to save another have been reported in the world. Leanne told the newspaper that the breakthrough was a gift of life for her son. She and the father, Stephen, said they had been planning to have a second child anyway.
— AFP |
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Bill to ban kissing in public Jakarta, March 8 The Bill proposes that anyone guilty of organising a public display of erotic dancing be liable to a maximum 10 years in prison or a fine of one billion rupiah ($1,7,000), the Jakarta Post said.
— AFP |
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New York, March 8
ATHENS: