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India wants US to ease space,
Public up in arms after death of 17 babies
Pak court orders rearrest of gang
Britain’s fertility timebomb
10-yr-old set to be China’s youngest |
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India wants US to ease space, N-tech curbs
Pranab Mukherjee, on his first visit to Washington since donning the mantle of Defence Minister, on Monday appealed to the Bush administration to remove “anachronistic” restrictions on dual use nuclear and space technology cooperation saying that these limited India’s ability to become a stabilising force in Asia.
Speaking at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, he criticised the “serious impediments” placed in India’s way for access to materials and components. Blaming technology control regimes and restrictions on transfer of dual use nuclear and space technology for what he termed “India’s technology deficit,” Mr Mukherjee said, “If India is to play its part as an engine of growth and factor of stability in Asia, it should be in the interest of the US and others that such regimes are liberalised as quickly as possible. “We feel there should not be any restrictions. Our track record of maintaining confidentiality has been proved. We can assure technology will never fall into the wrong hands. “We have already announced a restrained and responsible doctrine for its role in our security,” he assured the gathering, that included key South Asia analysts. “Our nuclear energy and security programmes are separate.” Meanwhile, even as New Delhi mulls a US offer of F-16s or F/A-18s, Mr Mukherjee indicated that India would be interested in collaborating with US firms in the production of the multi-role fighter jets. Asked whether co-production of the jets was a pre-requisite for India to consider the offer, he said: “We are still at a very early stage, but we are interested in having co-production, transfer of technology and joint marketing also.” Earlier in the day, he made a similar point at a luncheon organised by the US-India Business Council. Speaking to the gathering of American and Indian defence industry leaders, he said there were commercial opportunities for the American industry in the sale of equipment and weapons. “But India does not look at purely a buyer-seller relationship. Such a relationship needs to be strategic. We are looking for long-term commitment,” he said. The US jets are in competition with Russia’s MiG-29, France’s Mirage 2000 and Sweden’s Grippen. Indian officials say that a formal request for proposal will be sent to the firms some time this year. The minister made a savvy sales pitch for the Indian defence industry. He said Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) had produced the advanced light helicopter (ALH) “Dhruv” with the help of “in-house R&D,” and the multi-role single-engine supersonic light combat aircraft (LCA) named “Tejas” was also being produced by it. “The cost of production in India is low and it has highly trained manpower and is using world-class infrastructure to produce high quality items,” Mr Mukherjee told the business leaders, adding that global players like Airbus Industries, Lockheed Martin, Snecma and Boeing were outsourcing work to Indian companies. “India can prove to be an excellent base for the US defence industry, for provision of repair, overhaul, maintenance and servicing facilities. It can become a centre for regional distribution and services,” he said, adding, that “With the opening up of the aviation sector in India, a large number of aircraft is being acquired. This would provide an excellent opportunity for leading US companies to enter into partnerships with established Indian companies for repair, overhaul, maintenance and other services.” The Defence Minister urged access for India to all technologies and defence equipment it needed. He said real opportunities of partnership and commerce existed in specific areas- technologies/equipment/strategy to counter terrorism; surveillance, communication equipment, sensors for border management; cyber security-synergies in the field of information technology; and devices to neutralise IEDs. Earlier on Monday, he met Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. India’s bid for a United Nations Security Council seat was raised at the meeting. He also met Defence Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld over dinner. At the Pentagon, Mr Rumsfeld described the military-to-military relationship between India and the US as excellent. |
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Public up in arms after death of 17 babies
Durban, June 28 The public in the township are up in arms following the deaths of two babies this week at the hospital. The latest deaths bring to 17, the number of toddlers who have died since the outbreak of the Klebsiella disease in the hospital's neo-natal clinic two months ago. The chief of the provincial health Department, Ronald Green Thompson, said today that an investigation had been carried out into the deaths and a full report would be submitted to the Health Minister. The head of the investigating commission, Willem Sturm, said they had determined the cause of the outbreak and managed to contain the infection. Families who have lost children to the disease said they could not understand how the authorities could allow so many babies to perish without proper preventive measures being taken.
— PTI |
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Pak court orders rearrest of gang rape accused
Islamabad, June 28
The rape victim, Mukhtaran Mai, launched an appeal yesterday against the acquittal of the five men, who had been sentenced to death for the June 2002 attack. Their conviction was overturned in March but they were quickly rearrested on the orders of the government. They were then freed again earlier this month by the Lahore High Court. — AFP
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Britain’s fertility timebomb
Britain is facing an infertility crisis, with the number of couples who experience problems conceiving expected to double within the next 10 years.
A leading fertility expert warned on Monday that by 2015 one in three couples might need IVF treatment or similar fertility procedures. The low success rates of such treatments means soaring numbers will be left childless. Professor Bill Ledger predicted a looming “infertility timebomb”, with thousands of couples forced to go through physically and mentally draining treatment, at a cost of millions of pounds to the NHS each year. He blamed the soaring rates of fertility problems on modern lifestyle factors such as obesity, women delaying starting a family, falling sperm counts among men and rising rates of sexually transmitted infections, particularly chlamydia. Smoking is also a main factor in infertility in men and women. Professor Ledger of the University of Sheffield called for the government to recognise infertility as a “disease”. Patient groups responded by saying an education campaign was needed to warn young men and women of the infertility risks associated with problems such as obesity, as well as highlighting the fact that IVF treatment did not carry a guarantee of success. One in seven couples has problems conceiving, but Professor Ledger believes that will rise. Fertility treatment still only has a 23 per cent success rate on average and costs about £ 5,000 a cycle. In addition, the NHS could be forced to spend millions of pounds a year providing fertility procedures. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), which regulates fertility treatment in the UK, has recommended all couples needing help should have a minimum of one IVF cycle on the NHS and ideally should receive two or three before being forced to pay. Britain’s level of obesity, particularly among young girls, is becoming an increasing cause for concern. Figures show 13.7 per cent of all two to 10-year-olds are defined as clinically obese, rising to 16.5 per cent of children aged eight to 10. Women who are extremely overweight have trouble ovulating and are less likely to conceive naturally. Women who are overweight are also at increased risk of polycystic ovary syndrome, another cause of infertility. The sexually transmitted infection chlamydia is also one of the leading causes of infertility among young women and has seen increases in recent years. One in eight men and one in 10 women in the UK have the infection, which shows no symptoms so many people have no idea that they are infected. Professor Ledger said: “There will be a 10-year time lag in some of these factors because women who have chlamydia do not even know they have it until they come to have children - there is your time-bomb straight away.” He criticised workplace policies, which, he said, made it hard for the younger women to make the decision to have children at a younger age. “If we prevent women having children early because we make it so difficult for them to take a break from their careers, we are making a rod for our own backs,” he said.
— By arrangement with The Independent |
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10-yr-old set to be China’s youngest college student
Beijing, June 28 According to the Tianjin University of Technology and Education, the college Zhang applied to enter, Zhang will most probably be admitted if everything goes well, although his performance in Chinese and mathematics disciplines needed improvement. Zhang finished the six-year primary school education in two years and three-year junior high school education in another two years to graduate in 2004.
— PTI |
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Wal-Mart heir John killed in plane crash
New York, June 28 The 58-year-old Walton was piloting an experimental ultralight aircraft that crashed shortly after takeoff yesterday from the Jackson Hole Airport in Grand Teton National Park, the company said. He died on the spot. However, the cause of the crash could not be ascertained, officials said. Walton is survived by his wife Christy, son Luke, mother Helen, brothers Rob and Jim Walton and sister Alice. A decorated Vietnam veteran and an experienced aviator, Walton pursued a variety of business interests, including working as a crop duster in the seventies and building boats in the eighties. More recently, he had formed a holding company, True North, to oversee various business interests.
— PTI
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