W O R L D

Khamenei sanctions talks with USA
Tehran, March 22
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sanctioned talks with the USA on Iraq, saying Iranian officials would tell the US to leave the country. “If Iranian officials can express Iran’s opinion about Iraq to the Americans and make them understand Iran’s views, talks on this issue are not problematic,’’ Khamenei, who has the final say in all state matters, said in the northeastern city of Mashhad yesterday.

Terrorists had planned to bomb UK
London, March 22
A seven-member gang of alleged terrorists of the Pakistani origin armed with explosives was arrested just before it decided on targets for a bombing campaign on the British mainland, a court was told here.

Stockholm Water Prize for India-born scientist
Toronto, March 22
India-born scientist Asit Biswas was today awarded the $150,000 Stockholm Water Prize for his “outstanding and multifaceted” contribution to the issue of global water resources.

Zulfibar Ali of Pakistan and Sonu ( right ) of India arrive at the Immigration Detention Centre in Bangkok on Wednesday. Ali and Sonu were arrested with dozens of fake passports from India, Hong Kong and Germany in a raid on Wednesday. — Reuters

US officials to push suppliers to endorse N-deal
Vienna, March 22
Senior US officials made their case today for a US plan to share civilian nuclear technology with India, arguing the deal strengthened attempts to limit the spread of atomic arms even though New Delhi has never signed the nonproliferation treaty.

Five Pak soldiers hurt in mine blast
Islamabad, March 22
At least five Pakistani soldiers were injured when their vehicle hit a landmine in Baluchistan today, an official said. The vehicle was on routine patrolling in Dera Bugti, about 300 km southeast of Quetta, the provincial capital, when it was hit by an anti-tank mine landmine, Abdul Samad Lasi, the District Coordination Officer said.

16 Taliban killed in clash
Spin Boldak, Afghanistan, March 22
Afghan government forces killed 16 Taliban insurgents after surrounding them in mountains near the border with Pakistan, an Afghan army officer said today. Afghanistan has seen a surge in bomb and other attacks by Taliban insurgents and their militant allies in recent months.

US troops to leave Pak by March 31
Islamabad, March 22
US soldiers, who helped in rescue and rehabilitation work in Pakistan and the PoK after last year’s massive earthquake, will leave by month-end, a senior US military official has said.
In video (28k, 56k)

Insurance workers inspect buildings damaged by Cyclone Larry on the main street of Innisfail, about 100 km south of Cairns in northern Queensland, on Wednesday. Thousands of Australians on the cyclone-devastated far-northeast coast patched up homes with tarpaulin as Prime Minister John Howard unveiled a multi-million dollar aid package. — Reuters

Khamenei sanctions talks with USA

Tehran, March 22
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sanctioned talks with the USA on Iraq, saying Iranian officials would tell the US to leave the country. “If Iranian officials can express Iran’s opinion about Iraq to the Americans and make them understand Iran’s views, talks on this issue are not problematic,’’ Khamenei, who has the final say in all state matters, said in the northeastern city of Mashhad yesterday.

“But if (talks) mean opening up an arena for deceitful Americans to continue their bullying attitude, talks with America on Iraq are banned,’’ he said in a televised speech.

US President George W Bush said yesterday that Washington would make clear in the talks, expected this week, that it would not accept attempts to spread sectarian violence in Iraq.

Tehran denies US charges it is helping inflame sectarian violence in Iraq and that some components of improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, used by insurgents in Iraq have been traced to Iran.

“Our clear opinion on Iraq is that the American government should leave Iraq and stop provoking ethnic tensions and creating insecurity so that (Iraq) has peace and security,’’ Khamenei said. Iraqi political sources said they expected the US Ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, to meet with Iran’s representatives this week. — Reuters

Terrorists had planned to bomb UK

London, March 22
A seven-member gang of alleged terrorists of the Pakistani origin armed with explosives was arrested just before it decided on targets for a bombing campaign on the British mainland, a court was told here.

The gangsters are charged with conspiring between January 1, 2003 and March 31, 2004, to “cause by explosive substances, an explosion or explosions of a nature likely to endanger life”.

The accused are Omar Khyam, Waheed Mahmood, Shujah Mahmood, and Jawad Akbar, all from Crawley, West Sussex, Anthony Garcia, alias Rahman Adam, of Ilford, East London, Nabeel Hussain, of Horley, Surrey and Salahuddin Amin, from Luton, Bedfordshire. They deny the charges.

On the first day of a four-month long trial of the gangsters, all British citizens of the Pakistani origin, a jury at the Old Bailey was told yesterday that a plot stretching from New York to London and Pakistan was hatched in 2003 to set off a series of explosions in the UK.

“The interception came only when most of the necessary components were in place and all that remained before their plans achieved their ultimate goal was for the target or targets to be finally agreed,” said David Waters, QC, prosecuting.

“They played their respective roles in a plan to acquire the ingredients necessary to manufacture a bomb or bombs which would be deployed at the very least to destroy strategic plants within the UK, or more realistically to kill and injure citizens of the UK.”

Khyam, Garcia and Hussain are also accused of possessing more than half a tonne of ammonium nitrate fertilizer which can be used to make bombs. The cache was seized during a police raid on a West London storage depot in 2004. — PTI

Stockholm Water Prize for India-born scientist

Toronto, March 22
India-born scientist Asit Biswas was today awarded the $150,000 Stockholm Water Prize for his “outstanding and multifaceted” contribution to the issue of global water resources.

The 67-year-old Canadian citizen is president of the Mexico City-based Third World Centre for Water Management.

Mr Biswas helped foster a critical re-think among United Nations agencies, national governments, professional associations and others about how to improve the delivery of water and sanitation services and management of the planet’s water resources, The Stockholm International Water Institute, which administers the annual award, said.

Mr Biswas, a tireless water proponent who constantly challenges the “status quo”, has, through his multi-faceted roles as a scientist and educator, acted as an adviser and confidant to policy makers in water and environmental management in 17 countries, to six heads of the United Nations agencies and to other inter-governmental and international organisations, it said.

Mr Biswas fostered a new “socio-economic and political climate” that enabled translation of scientific (both natural and social) and technical advances into meaningful measures for people and planet.

He helped to formulate and promote the International Water Supply and Sanitation Decade in the 1980s which

significantly improved the lives of millions of people in the developing world, it said.

Mr Biswas is author of hundreds of books and articles and his work has been translated into 31 languages. — PTI

US officials to push suppliers to endorse N-deal

Vienna, March 22
Senior US officials made their case today for a US plan to share civilian nuclear technology with India, arguing the deal strengthened attempts to limit the spread of atomic arms even though New Delhi has never signed the nonproliferation treaty.

Richard A. Boucher, the Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, and Stephen G. Rademaker, Acting Assistant US Secretary of State for Arms Control, were speaking before a meeting tomorrow of the Nuclear Suppliers Group in the Austrian capital.

The two were expected to detail the proposed plan tomorrow and push for support among members of the 45-nation organisation, which aimed to reduce proliferation through export controls on materials that could be used for weapons development.

Apart from efforts to muster international support for the deal, the United States of America is running an aggressive campaign at home to convince skeptical US lawmakers of the merits of the plan, put forward by US President George W. Bush. — AP

Five Pak soldiers hurt in mine blast

Islamabad, March 22
At least five Pakistani soldiers were injured when their vehicle hit a landmine in Baluchistan today, an official said.

The vehicle was on routine patrolling in Dera Bugti, about 300 km southeast of Quetta, the provincial capital, when it was hit by an anti-tank mine landmine, Abdul Samad Lasi, the District Coordination Officer said.

Lasi said the landmine had been planted by rebels who have been fighting security forces in the region.

Today’s blast is the first since armed clashes began between government forces and a militia led by a powerful tribal chief Nawab Akbar Bugti.

Locals claimed both tribal rebels and security forces planted landmines in the area. — PTI

16 Taliban killed in clash

Spin Boldak, Afghanistan, March 22
Afghan government forces killed 16 Taliban insurgents after surrounding them in mountains near the border with Pakistan, an Afghan army officer said today.

Afghanistan has seen a surge in bomb and other attacks by Taliban insurgents and their militant allies in recent months. The Taliban have vowed to launch a spring offensive against foreign forces and the country’s western-backed government.

Afghan forces attacked the Taliban near the southern border town of Spin Boldak late yesterday after getting intelligence reports. — Reuters

US troops to leave Pak by March 31

Islamabad, March 22
US soldiers, who helped in rescue and rehabilitation work in Pakistan and the PoK after last year’s massive earthquake, will leave by month-end, a senior US military official has said.

“Relief and rehabilitation operation of US marines in the earthquake-affected areas is coming to an end and all US troops who participated in the massive operation will leave Pakistan by March 31 in their Chinook helicopters,” Gen Peter Pace, Chairman US Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters yesterday.

He was speaking after touring the quake-affected areas with US Rear Admiral Michael Lefever, Commander US Disaster Assistance Centre US ambassador Ryan C Crocker and Pakistan’s Relief Commissioner Major Gen Farooq.