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Iran threatens to walk out of NPT
Denmark to pull out envoys
Bush lied over Katrina, says sacked head of disaster agency
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Indian charged with causing death of friend in USA
Govt says no to talks with Maoists
Case over existence of Jesus dismissed
Around the world
in 80 hours
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Iran threatens to walk out of NPT
Teheran, February 11 In a strongly worded speech, marking the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution, the outspoken hardliner also repeated his view that Nazi Germany’s mass killing of Jews was a “myth” and argued that Palestinians and Iraqis were suffering from “the real Holocaust”. “Until now, the Islamic republic’s policy was to use nuclear technology for peaceful ends,” the President said, a week after Iran was reported to the UN Security Council amid fears it was seeking nuclear weapons. “The Islamic Republic of Iran has continued its nuclear drive within the framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the NPT, but if we see that you want to deprive us of our right using these regulations, know that the people will revise their policy in this regard,” he said in a thinly-veiled warning. Hundreds of thousands were out, answering a call from supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to put on a show of force in the face of mounting international pressure. — AFP
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Denmark to pull out envoys Copenhagen, February 11 The diplomats’ departure follows that of Danish embassy staff in Syria who left yesterday on the grounds that the security provided by the Syrian authorities was inadequate. Denmark has been the target of protests in Islamic countries since cartoons of the Prophet, first published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten in September, were reprinted by other European newspapers in January. At the Winter Olympics in Italy, plainclothes guards accompanied the Danish team at the opening ceremony yesterday. The French police estimated that 7,200 people took part in a march through central Paris, waving banners and chanting, but the atmosphere was peaceful and many families took part. In London, up to 4,000 demonstrators converged on Trafalgar Square today, joining the capital’s Mayor Ken Livingstone in a protest against the publication of the cartoons. About 2,500 Muslims marched peacefully through the German city of Duesseldorf, past the Danish consulate, and in Berlin about 1,200 gathered outside the Danish embassy. In the Swiss capital, Berne, about 1,000 people held a peaceful protest outside the parliament building. In the Netherlands, home to one million Muslims — about six per cent of its population — reaction to the cartoon row has been muted. A few hundred protesters gathered in central Amsterdam, some carrying banners reading “Don’t mock our Prophet” and others holding Korans and Moroccan flags. Beyond Europe’s borders, angry protesters in the Chadian capital N’Djamena set fire to two cars, including one belonging to an expatriate, and wrecked several bars. In Indonesia, about 400 protesters from the radical Hizbut Tahrir group held a noisy but peaceful rally at a Jakarta intersection, demanding that Denmark apologise for what they said was an insult to Islam. They unfurled anti-Western banners that read “Western infidels never can stop insulting” and “Regret is not enough to pay for the insult to the Prophet”. The Israeli police said 150 to 200 Palestinians protested in Jerusalem’s old city. A spokesman said they tried to burn Danish flags and threw stones at the police before being dispersed. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said his government on Saturday was deeply concerned about the growing controversy.
— Reuters |
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Bush lied over Katrina, says sacked Michael Brown, head of the federal disaster agency at the time of Hurricane Katrina, has reopened a painful wound for President George Bush, charging that the White House knew New Orleans' protective levees had broken far earlier than it had acknowledged. Testifying to a Senate committee on Friday, Mr Brown said that by the evening of August 29, his Fema agency had reported to superiors that catastrophic floodwaters were pouring into the city, that fires were breaking out and large numbers of people were stranded. Conditions, a Fema message said that evening, were "far more serious" than media reports suggested. Nonetheless the following morning, Mr Bush told the country from his ranch in Texas that New Orleans had "dodged the bullet". Mr Brown quickly became the designated scapegoat for the Katrina debacle. A fortnight after the hurricane struck, he was forced to step down as Fema's director amid public ridicule, with Mr Bush's famous utterance of "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job" ringing in his ears. In his testimony, Mr Brown placed the bulk of the blame for the administration's botched response on a "dysfunctional" Department of Homeland Security. Its obsession with terrorism, he said, had reduced natural disaster relief to the status of "stepchild" of the DHS, set up in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. Mr Brown's appearance before the Senate's Homeland Security Committee came on a day when the administration's credibility came under fire on a host of fronts - from its rationale for going to war against Iraq, to its disclosure of a foiled terrorist attack on Los Angeles and Mr Bush's links with the disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. On Thursday Mr Bush revealed details of al-Qa'ida's alleged plot to fly a plane into an LA skyscraper in 2002. But the city's mayor was furious he had not been told personally of what the President was going to say, while Democrats accused Mr Bush of resurrecting an affair he first mentioned in late 2005 to deflect attention from the row over eavesdropping by the National Security Agency. — By arrangement with The Independent, London.
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Indian charged with causing death of friend in USA
Silicon Valley, February 11 Sukhneet Singh Virk (18) pleaded not guilty to the vehicular homicide and vehicular assault charges following the death of Rishi Sodhi (16) in the crash along the Coal Creek Parkway on January 25. Both friends were enrolled in the running start programme at Bellevue Community College. They were racing south along the Coal Creek Parkway at speeds estimated at 70 to 90 mph when Rishi lost control of his BMW and crashed into oncoming traffic, according to charges. On Thursday, a Seattle judge set Sukhneet’s bail at $100,000. He was released from jail after posting bond. Rishi was the youngest of two sons of Virender and Rekha Sodhi, both well known for their support of the Eastside Hindu community. Virender Sodhi is a naturopath and practitioner of ayurvedic medicine. The Sodhi family described Rishi as having a warm heart and loving nature. “He was one of those rare individuals who were able to meet people quickly and befriend them easily,” it said in a statement, according to “King County Journal”. Sukhneet is the son of Bellevue optometrist Sarbjit Singh Virk, who is prominent in the region’s Sikh community.
— PTI |
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Govt says no to talks with Maoists
Kathmandu, February 11 Unless the Maoists surrendered by laying down arms there is no possibility of holding dialogue with the rebels, Radio Nepal today quoted King Gyanendra’s deputy Tulasi Giri as saying in response to Maoist leader Prachanda’s statement proclaiming that the rebels were ready to initiate a dialogue with the Royal government if it announces ceasefire with the good intention of resolving the crisis. Giri, who is the vice-chairman of the council of ministers, said the Maoists were terrorists and the government cannot hold talks with them unless they gave up arms. Meanwhile, security sources said the Maoists yesterday killed at least 17 securitymen, including eight soldiers and lost four of their cadre, during a fighting that erupted after the rebels attacked a forces’ convoy at Nawalparasi, 300 km west of the capital. — PTI
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Kuala Lumpur, February 11 The pilgrims were paying homage and offering penitence to Lord Murugan, a revered Hindu warrior deity at the Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple at the Batu Caves near Kuala Lumpur. Some 10,000 persons carried brass pots with offerings of milk while another 20,000 carried metal or bamboo frames decorated with beads and peacock feathers. Many of the “kavadi” carriers attached their elaborate costumes to their backs and chests with hooks — through their skin — and others drove skewers through their cheeks and tongues. The Batu Caves temple committee expects about 1.5 million people to visit over the weekend. Thaipusam also serves as a cultural gathering for Malaysian Hindus from the ethnic Indian minority, who make up about seven per cent of the population. There are cultural dances and musical performances, and hundreds of stalls sell food, clothes and other items. An additional attraction this year is a giant statue of Lord Murugan. The 42.7-metre gold-painted statue took three years to build and was unveiled two weeks ago. — AP
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Case over existence of Jesus dismissed
Rome, February 11 The priest’s accuser, Luigi Cascioli, contended the Roman Catholic Church has been deceiving people for 2,000 years with a fable that Christ existed and he accused the priest of violating two laws with the assertion. “The Judge has ordered that the case be shelved,” said Bruno Severo, a lawyer for the prelate, Rev Enrico Righi. “The Rev Righi is very satisfied and moved,” Severo said. “He is an old, small-town parish priest who never would have thought he’d be in the spotlight for something like this.” The ruling was released on Friday in Viterbo, a town north of Rome where the priest is based. In his decision, Judge Gaetano Mautone also said prosecutors should investigate Cascioli for possible slander, the lawyer said. Cascioli filed a criminal complaint against Righi, his old schoolmate, in 2002 after Righi wrote in a parish bulletin that Jesus did indeed exist, and that he was born of a couple named Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem and lived in Nazareth. Cascioli claims that Righi’s assertion violated two laws: so-called “abuse of popular belief” in which someone fraudulently deceives people; and “impersonation,” in which someone gains by attributing a false name to someone. Righi, 76, has stressed substantial historical evidence — both Christian and non-Christian — of Jesus’ existence. Cascioli was not available for comment today. — AP
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Around the world in 80 hours Manston (England), February 11 Fossett, 61, was forced to land his lightweight experimental plane, Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer, at Bournemouth International Airport, in southern England, instead of his planned landing point in nearby Kent, after encountering generator problems. Ground control said he broke the distance record of 40,210 km, set in 1986, as he flew over Shannon, Ireland. Fossett flew 42,467.5 km in approximately 76 hours, his ground team said. That surpassed the 1986 record set by the lightweight Voyager aircraft, piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager. It also beats the balloon record of 40,812 km set in 1999 by the Breitling Orbiter 3. Weak winds over the Atlantic and severe turbulence over India which, at one point, forced Fossett to strap on a parachute prompted fears Fossett would have to ditch his record-breaking attempt in Newfoundland.
— AP |
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