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Pak raises three objections to Neelum dam
Plot to transfer $ 20 m by cyber criminals
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Protest to check pressure on India over AIDS drug
Indo-Chinese pact on Parechu
Palestinian militants to extend truce
Two Indian NGOs honoured
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Pak raises three objections to Neelum dam
Islamabad, March 18 Sources said Pakistan had raised objections over the design of the dam, diversion of the Neelum to the Jhelum river through a tunnel and its negative impact on Pakistan’s water use. Pakistan’s commissioner for the PIC Syed Jamaat Ali Shah briefed a meeting on Thursday about the project, violations by India of the Indus Waters Treaty and Pakistan’s technical objections, besides his recent meetings with his Indian counterpart. The sources said Pakistan had asked India to hold a meeting of the commissioners of the PIC specifically on the project, the timeframe for which was being worked out. Unless the issue is resolved in two months, Pakistan will be left with no option but to approach the World Bank for appointment of a neutral expert without further delay, they said. They said India had provided details of data and engineering design of the project to Pakistan during the PIC meeting last month and Islamabad conveyed its objections and asked New Delhi to resolve the issue. They said India had not provided for an outlet towards original route of the river, which meant its flow would be reduced by about 27 per cent, reducing the power generation capacity of the proposed 969 mw Neelum-Jhelum hydropower project in occupied Kashmir. The design suggested that India was diverting the Neelum river through a 22 km tunnel to the Wular Lake on the Jhelum. Under the treaty, India had no right to divert one tributary to another, they said. The sources said the construction of the Kishanganga project could cause a water shortage of eight to nine per cent in Pakistan.
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Plot to transfer $ 20 m by cyber criminals
A
high-technology crime gang planned to transfer millions of pounds from the London offices of the Japanese bank Sumitomo Mitsui into 10 bank accounts around the world.
But before they could download any money, detectives arrested one of the alleged robbers. Yeron Bolondi, 32, was seized by the police in Israel after the plot was investigated by the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit (NHTCU) in London. He was charged with money laundering and deception after an attempt to transfer $20m into an account in Israel. Further arrests are expected. Computer specialists said the case highlighted the growing threat to financial institutions from cyber criminals. The NHTCU has been investigating the electronic attack on Sumitomo since October after the gang gained access to the bank’s computer systems and tried to transfer the money. The plan was uncovered before any money was stolen. The hackers infiltrated the system using keylogging software to track every button pressed on computer keyboards. From that they could learn account numbers, passwords and other sensitive information. Takashi Morita, head of communications at Sumitomo in Tokyo, said: “We have undertaken measures in terms of security and we have not suffered any financial damage.” “The case is still in the middle of investigation so we cannot comment further,” he added. Anti-virus experts said organised electronic crime was growing so fast that even the very latest security software was struggling to keep pace. Steve Purdham, CEO of the web security company SurfControl, said the planned theft “must act as a wake-up call for the banking and finance sector and business in general”. Graham Cluley, an anti-virus specialist at the computer security firm Sophos, said this type of electronic attack was becoming more and more popular with criminals. — By arrangement with The Independent |
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Protest to check pressure on India over AIDS drug
Dar es Salaam, March 18 The demonstration will be aimed at urging the Indian Government to withdraw a Bill which, if passed by the Indian Parliament, will halt production of generic anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs). Mr Julius Kaaya, chairman of the Tanzania Network of Organisations for People Living With HIV/AIDS, said New Delhi should hold wide-ranging consultations on the impact of the Bill on public health in India and elsewhere in the world. “We want to urge the Government of India to hold dialogue with health activists and organisations globally to ensure protection of public health and access to medicines for all,” Mr Kaaya added. He said his coalition wanted to urge India through the demonstration to lead a coalition of developing countries to resist the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) pressure to stop production of ARVs. Mr Kaaya said Indian-made ARVs were very affordable as compared to western ones. “One dose costs about $30 as compared to the branded drugs that cost over $1,000 per dose,” he added. According to the activists, developed countries have been pressuring India to phase out its production of generic ARVs or sell their drugs through the WTO. Over 2.5 million people are afflicted with HIV/AIDS in Tanzania, where only close to 2,000 are currently on ARVS.
— IANS |
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Indo-Chinese pact on Parechu
Beijing, March 18 "We have finalised a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the provision of hydrological information on the Sutlej in the flood season by China to India," they said. Describing it as a major bilateral agreement, the source said the two-day talks held here between Secretary, Water Resources, Mr V.K. Duggal and Chinese Vice Minister of Water Resources, Mr Zhai Houhai, were held in a "friendly" atmosphere and "fruitful". The two sides also discussed the Parechu issue and reached consensus on how to tackle the artificial lake formed in Tibet, the sources said. "The outcome of the discussions on the Parechu issue was positive," the source said, adding that details of the MoU and other issues would be released during Wen's visit. India had sent a team of experts to Tibet to see first-hand the threat posed by an artificial dam and the artificial lake. — PTI
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Palestinian militants to extend truce
Sixth of October City, Egypt, March 18 Palestinians linked what they called a period of calm to Israel freeing prisoners and withdrawing from West Bank towns. Sharon reiterated his call for Palestinian militants to disarm. In Washington, State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said their move fell short of America's demands that they renounce violence.
— Reuters |
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Two Indian NGOs honoured
New York, March 18 Barefoot College (Social Work and Research Centre) in Rajasthan and International Development Enterprises in Delhi, will get the amount over a three-year period, the foundation announced yesterday. The winners of the Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship (SASE) were selected through "an open competitive process that identifies social entrepreneurs who have piloted innovative programmes and are ready to take the next steps toward systemic social change," it said. The SASE awards will be presented on March 31 at the second annual Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship at Oxford University in England, the foundation said. Barefoot College in Rajasthan's Ajmer district has been active in training poor rural people in appropriate skills and modern technologies. International Development Enterprises is engaged in identifying product needs of the poor, developing suitable products and create market chains.
— PTI |
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