W O R L D

Overlap between India, Pak caucuses raises concern
Twelve members of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans are also members of the Congressional Caucus on Pakistan. This overlap has raised concern in some quarters about a “conflict of interest,” and that dual responsibilities could result in members “tempering” their stand on some important issues.

Woman fined for veiling her face
Sabrina Varroni, 34, converted to Islam nine years ago after marrying a Moroccan with whom she has four children. But the mayor of Drezzo, the 1,000-strong village near the Swiss border where she lives, has strong views on what he calls "the burqa".

7 NRIs among top 100 scientists
Houston, September 21
Seven Indian origin scientists, including Mr Srinidhi Varadarajan, who built a super computer from off-the-shelf commercial products, were named among the world's top 100 young researchers by Technology Review published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Britney Spears with husband Kevin Federline as the couple drive away from a private home in Studio City, California, on Saturday after they married in a private ceremony. — Reuters

US lifts sanctions on Libya
Washington, September 21
US President George W Bush has lifted most of the economic sanctions on Libya as Tripoli addressed the global concerns over its possession of dangerous weapons, the State Department said.

An Iraqi man shouts at police officers and US soldiers after a blast destroyed part of his house in Baghdad on Tuesday. A car packed with explosives, possibly targeting the police recruiting centre, was detonated by the US military. Two civilians were wounded in the explosion, witnesses said. — Reuters Moroccan nomadic riders fire from their guns during a festival in the town of Tan-Tan, central Morocco. The town used to be the scene of a major cultural event at which the majority of the various tribes used to celebrate a great gathering called "Moussem". After a break of 30 years, the annual meeting of thousands of nomads has been revived as a result of an initiative by UNESCO. The picture taken on September 18, 2004. — Reuters

US hostage beheaded in Iraq
Baghdad, September 21
Islamic militants beheaded a US citizen in Iraq, while the lives of his two British and American colleagues were in grave danger after a 48-hour deadline to save them expired.

Annan calls for fair globalisation
United Nations, September 21
Ahead of the UN General Assembly meeting, the US and leaders from over 50 countries disagreed on the strategy to fight poverty and increase funding for development, while Secretary General Kofi Annan called for fair globalisation to achieve the millennium goals.

British men shed stiff upper lip, weep
London, September 21
British men are abandoning their stiff upper lips but still do not wear their hearts on their sleeves like Americans, a new survey showed on Tuesday. When it comes to raw emotion, the once buttoned-up Brits are now happy to shed tears quite openly, but Italians can still “out-sob” them.

Shah Rukh back at live stage shows after 4 years
Houston, September 21
Bollywood star and teenage sensation Shah Rukh Khan has hit the live stage show circuit in grand style after a gap of more than four years at a musical extravaganza here witnessed by thousands of Indians and Pakistanis.

Overlap between India, Pak caucuses raises concern
Ashish Kumar Sen writes from Washington

Twelve members of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans are also members of the Congressional Caucus on Pakistan. This overlap has raised concern in some quarters about a “conflict of interest,” and that dual responsibilities could result in members “tempering” their stand on some important issues.

A list of members of the Pakistan Caucus made available to The Tribune, includes Sheila Jackson-Lee (Texas Democrat), Jan Schakowsky (Illinois Democrat), Danny K. Davis (Illinois Democrat), Pete Sessions (Texas Republican), Fred Upton (Michigan Republican), Dale E. Kildee (Michigan Democrat), Linda T. Sanchez (California Democrat), Kay Granger (Texas Republican), Gregory W. Meeks (New York Democrat), Michael M. Honda (California Democrat), Joe Pitts (Pennsylvania Republican) and Peter T. King (New York Republican), all of whom are also members of the India caucus.

Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf will officially inaugurate the Pakistan Caucus in Washington on Wednesday.

Co-chairman of the India Caucus, Congressman Joseph Crowley, New York Democrat, said he did not see overlapping membership as “conflicting, because of the movement in peace talks between the two nations.”

In his role as Co-Chairman, Mr Crowley has been a vocal critic of the Bush administration’s decision naming Pakistan a major non-NATO ally. Incidentally, he is also the founder and chairman of the Congressional Caucus on Bangladesh.

He was confident that the presence of members in both the India and Pakistan caucuses would not undermine the work of the India Caucus.

“The [India] caucus advocates many different issues, and supporting both India and Pakistan should not be viewed as a conflict. In addition the caucus focuses on Indian-Americans and their concerns of better education, healthcare, hate crimes legislation, many issues which Pakistani Americans and other new Americans are also concerned about.”

Mr Crowley said the Pakistan Caucus was “another avenue for members to support the war on terrorism and ensuring the growth of a civil society in Pakistan.”

A key player on the Pakistan Caucus, Congressman Dan Burton, Indiana Republican, is an ardent supporter of the dwindling Khalistan lobby in Washington and a vitriolic critic of India’s record in Kashmir.

Besides Mr Burton, other members of the Pakistan Caucus are: Major R. Owens (New York Democrat), John Conyers, Jr (Michigan Democrat), Rick Renzi (Arizona Republican), Jim Turner (Texas Democrat), Joe L. Barton (Texas Republican), Jeb Bradley (New Hampshire Republican), Rod Simmons (Connecticut Republican), Elijah E. Cummings (Maryland Democrat), John B Larson (Connecticut Democrat), Thomas M. Davis III (Virginia Republican) and Peter Hoekstra (Michigan Republican).

A September 9 invitation from Mr Burton and Ms Jackson-Lee to Wednesday reception states the Pakistan Caucus was created on July 9, this year “in an effort to foster mutual respect and cooperation between the USA and the Nation of Pakistan while improving and further developing long-term political and security relations between the two nations.”

“(President) Musharraf has made great strides to engage the Indian Government in establishing a sustained peace dialogue through confidence-building measures. The goal of which is to create a safe and peaceful South-Asian community to foster socio-economic growth,” the letter notes.

Officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the caucus members who were also involved with the India Caucus would serve the Pakistan Caucus well if they “communicate India’s concerns to Pakistani officials and let them know that some of these are real.”

Explaining Mr Pitts’ involvement in both the India and Pakistan caucuses, the Congressman’s spokesman Derek Karzhner said: “Our nation is a close ally of both countries (India and Pakistan). The Congressman sees his role as a partner working for peace and reconciliation between the two countries. In his view there is no conflict of interest.”

The presence of the Pakistan Caucus on Capitol Hill, Mr Karzhner said, would help create a “level playing field, help raise issues Pakistan deals with and improve Pakistan’s profile.”

Confirming Mr Honda’s involvement in both the Pakistan and the India caucuses and his plan to attend the reception for Gen Musharraf, Jay Staunton, the Congressman’s Communications Director and counsel, said: “He sees this as an opportunity to foster mutual respect and cooperation between the USA and Pakistan while improving and developing long term political and security relations between the countries and the South Asia region as a whole.”

Mr Staunton dismissed concern about a conflict of interest. Acknowledging that there are “historical tensions between the two countries,” Mr Staunton said this was “all the more reason to have representatives who are able to discuss solutions.

The Congressman doesn’t see it as undermining his efforts to work with each group. It would be more problematic to be a member of one and not the other. He is not interested in playing favourites.”

Many times, Mr Crowley said, members join caucuses based on their constituencies. “Many (lawmakers) represent both active Pakistani and Indian communities.”

Ms Granger’s spokeswoman also allayed concerns about a conflict of interest. “Relations with both India and Pakistan are important for international trade and global security. The congresswoman understands that both countries are our strategic partners,” she said, on condition of anonymity.

Various lobby groups with deep pockets regularly use members of Congress to further their agenda on Capitol Hill.

In the past, Mr Burton has tabled resolutions in Congress aimed at censuring and cutting aid to India. At that time, members of the India Caucus successfully thwarted those attempts. In future, caucus members with twin loyalties may find it difficult to act with such conviction.

Woman fined for veiling her face
Peter Popham in Milan

Sabrina Varroni, 34, converted to Islam nine years ago after marrying a Moroccan with whom she has four children. But the mayor of Drezzo, the 1,000-strong village near the Swiss border where she lives, has strong views on what he calls "the burqa".

A member of the xenophobic and separatist Northern League, Mr Cristian Tolletini found two laws on the books to serve his purpose of stamping the thing out, a law passed in 1931 banning the wearing of masks in public and another dating from 1975, at the height of the Red Brigades scare in Italy, forbidding the wearing of items that disguise a person's identity.

And he has instructed the local police to enforce them.

Last week as a result, Ms Varroni received two penalties each amounting to 41.32 euros in two days, once at a local bus stop and another in the municipal office.

She would in all likelihood have received a third on Sunday, but chose to remain at home instead.

The application of the law in this way has already been rejected by the regional prefect on the grounds that the mayor does not have competence for the matters of public security. Mr Tolettini, 29, shrugs off such details.

For Ms Varroni to go around in public wearing the burqa, he said, was "a continual and conscious violation of the law".

Asked whether Ms Varroni was therefore a threat to the public security, he replied, "Not her, but anybody could put on the same garment and render themselves unrecognisable."

Through a lawyer Ms Varroni commented, "This is persecution. I have been wearing the veil for years, I am an Italian, raised in Drezzo, and I have never done any harm to anyone. Why persecute me?"

Ms Varroni's mother Santinia, 69, said the behaviour of the local authorities was "worse than the Fascists 60 years ago."

By arrangement with The Independent, London

7 NRIs among top 100 scientists

Houston, September 21
Seven Indian origin scientists, including Mr Srinidhi Varadarajan, who built a super computer from off-the-shelf commercial products, were named among the world's top 100 young researchers by Technology Review published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

The top 100 honour, an annual event by the prestigious institute, recognises exceptional talent in the fields like biotechnology, medicine, nanotechnology and computing.

Besides Mr Varadarajan, the other young Indian origin researchers selected were Mr Anuj Batra, Mr Ramesh Raskar, Ms Chaitali Sengupta, Mr Ravi Kane, Mr Vikram Sheel Kumar and Mr Ananth Natarajan, according to the magazine.

Mr Varadarajan, Director of Terascale Computing Facility, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, conceived and built the world's third-fastest supercomputer from a cluster of 1,100 Apple Macintoshes.

Mr Batra (34), systems engineer at Texas Instruments. He leads one of the industry's top teams advancing ultra wideband wireless technology.

Mr Raskar (34), a visiting research scientist at Mitsubishi Electric was named for building large computer display systems that seamlessly combine images from multiple projectors.

Ms Sengupta (34), systems architect with Texas Instruments, which oversees the architecture of the communication chips.

Mr Kane (32), assistant professor, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, was selected for creating a highly potent anthrax treatment.

Another young researcher, Mr Kumar (28), co-founder and CEO, Dimagi, founded his company in Boston to develop interactive software that motivates patients to manage chronic diseases such as diabetes and AIDS.

Mr Nataraja (33), CEO, Infinite Biomedical Technologies, was named for devising technology that enables implantable cardiac devices to detect incipient heart attacks. — PTI

US lifts sanctions on Libya

Washington, September 21
US President George W Bush has lifted most of the economic sanctions on Libya as Tripoli addressed the global concerns over its possession of dangerous weapons, the State Department said.

Bush, in an executive order yesterday, removed the remaining economic sanctions on aviation services with Libya, permitting direct, scheduled air service and regular passenger charter flights and unblocked approximately $1.3 billion in frozen assets.

"This step is taken in response to actions that Libya has taken over the past nine months to address concerns by the international community about its weapons of mass destruction programmes," State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said.

But, Tripoli remains on the US list of state sponsors of terrorism, he said.

"I would remind you that Libya still is on the list of state sponsors of terrorism, and is subject to sanctions pursuant to that," he added. — PTI

US hostage beheaded in Iraq

Baghdad, September 21
Islamic militants beheaded a US citizen in Iraq, while the lives of his two British and American colleagues were in grave danger after a 48-hour deadline to save them expired.

Hopes were dashed for Eugene 'Jack' Armstrong, one of the three foreign contractors, grabbed at gunpoint from his home in an upscale Baghdad neighbourhood last Thursday.

Footage of Armstrong's execution was posted on an Islamic website yesterday in the name of Tawhid wal Jihad, the group run by suspected Al-Qaida operative Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi.

A US official in Washington said Armstrong's decapitated body had been found and positively identified. — AFP

Annan calls for fair globalisation
Dharam Shourie

United Nations, September 21
Ahead of the UN General Assembly meeting, the US and leaders from over 50 countries disagreed on the strategy to fight poverty and increase funding for development, while Secretary General Kofi Annan called for fair globalisation to achieve the millennium goals.

Noting that too many people, particularly in developing countries, feel excluded and threatened by globalisation, Annan asked the leaders to summon the political will to better manage the economic and social effects of globalisation.

Participating in a debate that focused on the impact of globalisation and poverty alleviation on the eve of the UNGA session, he said “in the Millennium Declaration, world leaders pledged to work to make globalisation a positive force for all the world’s peoples.

Addressing the debate, leaders led by French President Jacques Chirac and his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva voiced concerns about the rising gap between the rich and the poor. — PTI

British men shed stiff upper lip, weep

London, September 21
British men are abandoning their stiff upper lips but still do not wear their hearts on their sleeves like Americans, a new survey showed on Tuesday. When it comes to raw emotion, the once buttoned-up Brits are now happy to shed tears quite openly, but Italians can still “out-sob” them.

“Thirty per cent of all British males have cried in the last month. That is a very high figure,” said Peter Marsh, Director of the Social Issues Research Centre, which took the emotional temperature of Britain.

“Only 2 per cent said they could not remember when they last cried,” the head of the independent research group said.

Long gone is the “no tears-we’re British” era when emotion was considered distinctly bad form.

“In our poll of 2,000 persons, very few people in their 40s or 50s had seen their father cry. Now it is twice as many,” he said. “Seventy-seven per cent of men considered crying in public increasingly acceptable.” Almost half the British men opened the floodgates over a sad movie, book or TV programme. Self-pity got 17 per cent crying. 9 per cent sobbed at weddings.

“You can see what is happening over the generations. Role models burst into tears at the drop of a hat, people like (England soccer captain) David Beckham with his ‘New Man’ image.

“He had a little cry when he took his son Brooklyn to school for the first time,” Marsh said.

From the days of the Empire, the British have always considered themselves models of reserve, haughtily mocking “excitable foreigners” who show no restraint.

Marsh argued the divide was still there, “We have probably not caught up with the Americans or the Italians when it comes to the actual display of emotions.” “But we are clearly shifting. — Reuters

Shah Rukh back at live stage shows after 4 years

Houston, September 21
Bollywood star and teenage sensation Shah Rukh Khan has hit the live stage show circuit in grand style after a gap of more than four years at a musical extravaganza here witnessed by thousands of Indians and Pakistanis.

Thousands thronged the Toyota Centre here on Sunday to catch a glimpse of their favourite star in live action, dancing and lip-syncing to the latest Bollywood tunes at the live stage show — “Temptations 2004.”

Although the colourful show also featured stars like Rani Mukherjee, Preity Zinta, Saif Ali Khan and Arjun Rampal, it was more or less a “Shah Rukh show.”

Shah Rukh, who was bogged down with neck and knee injuries for the past few years, was also named the goodwill ambassador for Houston in recognition of his contribution to the industry and for spreading the message of brotherhood during his tours.

Teenage US-born South Asian girls went beserk as they plucked his shirt and caught a basketball, thrown by him towards them.

According to the show’s promoters, was the most expensive Bollywood tour yet and also one of the priciest concerts with top tickets for most of the shows costing $ 500 and floor seats averaging $ 200. — PTI

BRIEFLY

Film on Hitler a box-office hit
BERLIN: A German film about Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler’s final 12 days leapt to the top of the country’s box office with nearly half a million tickets sold in its opening weekend, distributor Constantin Film said on Tuesday. “The Downfall’’, starring Swiss actor Bruno Ganz, or “Der Untergang’’, as it is known in Germany, is told from the point of view of Traudl Junge, one of Hitler’s secretaries in his Berlin bunker, and also based on a book by German historian Joachim Fest. The film has set off an emotional debate in Germany over whether Hitler can be portrayed as anything less than the world’s greatest evil. — Reuters

Man slashes 25 school kids
BEIJING: A Chinese bus driver slashed 25 primary school students with a knife and kidnapped a young girl in east China’s Shandong province before being captured by the police, the state media reported on Tuesday. The boys and girls sustained injuries on their arms and faces and are said to be in a stable condition. Jia Qingyou, stabbed 25 students with a kitchen knife and kidnapped a nine-year-old girl at No. 1 Experimental Primary School in Juxian county on Monday. — PTI