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Kofi Annan’s successor soon
Talks may resume in late Oct: Pak
Pervez says ex-ISI men may be aiding Taliban
Pak, US ink deal on F-16s
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Musharraf's Kargil account contested by ex- Pak FM
‘Vajpayee was aware of Pervez’s Kargil plans’
Many killed in US school attack Mwanawasa is Zambian President for second term
Iran hasn’t hinted at nuclear work suspension: Rice
Intruder gets into Downing Street grounds with knife
Playboy dares Japanese PM to bare all
China to increase train speed to 200 kmph next year
Stop, I’ve been stolen!
Weightless teachers carry thrills home to students
Pak quake victim’s body found
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Kofi Annan’s successor soon
A final straw poll will be held at the United Nations in New York on Monday to determine a likely successor to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
South Korea's Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon has topped all three straw polls held so far while India's candidate, Shashi Tharoor, has placed second. The nominee must receive at least nine "encourage" votes in the 15-member U.N. Security Council, including no veto from a permanent member. There are five permanent members - China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the USA - and 10 rotating non-permanent members, Argentina, Congo, Denmark, Ghana, Greece, Japan, Peru, Qatar, Slovakia and Tanzania. Unlike the three previous polls, Monday's straw poll will require the five permanent council members to cast ballots of a different colour clearly indicating whom the veto-wielding members favour. Mr Tharoor, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, dropped from 10 "encourage" votes in the second straw poll on September 14 to 8 encouragements in the third poll held on September 28. Mr Tharoor told the Washington Post before the third poll that if Mr Ban strengthened his lead, "I guess we'll have to admit that it's pretty much over." Mr Ban, too, dropped from 14 encouragements to 13 in the third poll and got 1 discouragement and 1 no opinion. Mr Tharoor had three "discourage" votes and four no opinions. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's candidate Ambassador Jayantha Dhanapala, a distinguished career diplomat and former international civil servant, dropped out of the race after the third straw poll gave him three encourage, seven discourage and five no opinions. "Following the results of the third 'straw poll' in the election of the Secretary-General conducted by the members of the Security Council on Thursday, September 28, 2006, the Government of Sri Lanka - with the total agreement of its candidate - has now decided not to further pursue the candidature of Ambassador Jayantha Dhanapala in the interest of ensuring a consensus in electing an Asian candidate," the Sri Lankan permanent mission at the UN said in a statement. Sri Lanka has since thrown its weight behind Mr Ban. Japan also plans to endorse the South Korean. The Asahi newspaper, quoting Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso, reported on Sunday that the endorsement of Mr Ban is expected to come at an upcoming Japan-South Korea summit. The date of this meeting has not yet been set. Interestingly, Mr Ban's first overseas posting was in New Delhi, where, according to his biography, he was able to acquire first-hand experience on development issues. Besides Mr Ban and Mr Tharoor the other candidates in the fray are Mr Ashraf Ghani, Chancellor of Kabul University; Mr Surakiart Sathirathaim, former Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand; Mr Vaira Vike-Freiberga, President of Latvia; and Mr Zeid Ra'ad Zeid al-Hussein, Jordan's Ambassador to the United Nations. Mr Annan steps down on December 31, ending 10 years at the head of the United Nations. Under the UN Charter, the Secretary-General is elected by the 192-member General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council. In practice, the five permanent members have dominated the succession process. Asia has not held the post since Mr U. Thant of Burma served from 1961-1971. The US government is interested in supporting a candidate with strong managerial and administrative skills. It is speculated that Mr al-Hussein, Mrs Vike-Freiberga and Mr Ghani were encouraged to enter the race by the USA. However, the Washington Post reported last week that the USA had decided to vote only for Mr Ban after having "encouraged" both Mr Ban and Mr Tharoor in the earlier straw polls. Singapore officials are reported to have no interest at all in putting forward Mr Chan Heng Chee, Ambassador to the USA, who was rumoured to be on the recent US short list. Most observers continue to view China's support as the deciding factor. China has declared it will only support an Asian candidate, but has not officially endorsed any of the contenders.
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Talks may resume in late Oct: Pak
Islamabad, October 2 The Mumbai police on Saturday said Pakistan military’s Inter-Services Intelligence and the Lashkar-e-Toiba militant group were behind the blasts that killed 186 persons and wounded hundreds more on July 7. “If India feels that it’s not just propaganda, and it feels it has some information that suggests links with some people here or some kind of connection, then yes we will take action. We will help in investigations,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam told a weekly news conference in Islamabad. Both Pakistan and Lashkar have rejected the accusations. However, the new Indian Foreign Secretary, Mr Shiv Shankar Menon, asserted yesterday that India would hand over evidence to Pakistan. Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh agreed to resume the peace process during a meeting in Havana last month and directed their foreign secretaries to work out dates for their talks. New Delhi had cancelled talks after the blasts in July, but the spokeswoman said ideas on dates for a resumption had been exchanged. “The likely time for the foreign secretaries’ review meeting is anytime after Ramadan,” she said, referring to the Islamic fasting month that is likely to end on October 24. — Reuters
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Pervez says ex-ISI men may be aiding Taliban
New York, October 2 “I have some reports that some dissidents, some retired people who were in the forefront in ISI during the period 1979 to 1989 may be assisting the links somewhere here and there,” Gen Musharraf said in an interview with NBC Television’s “Meet the Press” which was recorded before he left the USA. But he rejected allegations that the ISI was at present acting in collusion with the Taliban. “I totally disagree with this. Nobody in the ISI helps” the militia, he asserted. Asked about the Iraq war, Gen Musharraf said the US should not leave Iraq now, despite having stated earlier that the Iraq war was a mistake and that it had made the world less safe. “No, they can’t. They should not because again it will destabilise the situation and I agree with President Bush in what he is doing,” said Gen Musharraf. “Whatever has happened now has happened. Now we have to make sure that we stabilise and then come out. Otherwise it has its reverberations that will be felt in the Gulf.” “Instead of talking about what it has become, we are talking about what is the present and what is the solution to the problem. That is more important to me... and whatever has happened has happened,” the President added. About Osama bin Laden, Gen Musharraf said extremists would become more active if Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden was captured inside Pakistan, but insisted his government would not be toppled because of it. “No, no, never. That will never happen and I am not fearful,” he said when asked if he was concerned about implications to his government if Osama was caught inside Pakistan. “But yes indeed it will cause... waves within the extremists. The extremists will get more active. These are my apprehensions and I am not fearful. Not at all.” “My government does not get toppled. People support me. People know what I am doing and it is not that fragile.” He rejected as “misperception” that there would be re-deployment or withdrawal of troops after a deal signed by the Pakistan government with tribal chiefs of Waziristan. “There are two misperceptions. When you say you have withdrawn the military, the unfortunate part is this is being spread by people with vested interest. Not one soldier has been moved out...not one soldier has been relocated. The military is there and we think what we are doing will be to success. “We are only involved in military operation. And military operations are not solutions in themselves. They will only buy you time and create an environment which my army did on our side. “And having that environment, these tribals themselves approached the governor saying we want to reach a peace agreement and we put a bottom-line for it... which is not negotiable: No Al-Qaeda activity, no Taliban activity on our side or across the border. This is a strategy which has a ray of hope, a ray of success,” he said.
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Pak, US ink deal on F-16s
Islamabad, October 2 “The ongoing negotiations regarding F-16s have culminated in the signing of letter of acceptance between the Governments of Pakistan and United States of America on 30 September, 2006, at Rawalpindi,” Pakistan Air Force (PAF) said in a statement. “The package includes the supply of 18 new F-16s, upgraded used F-16s, upgradation of the present fleet of 32 PAF F-16s, air-to-air and air-to-ground weaponry and other support infrastructure,” the statement said. “Subsequent to the signing of letter of acceptance, the supply of aircraft and weapons to Pakistan will take place in due course of time,” it said. But it was not clear as to when the aircraft would be delivered. Commenting on the deal, Foreign Office Spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said “this is something that was expected.”
— PTI
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Musharraf's Kargil account contested by ex- Pak FM
London, October 2 "I do not agree with General Musharraf's view in his book that it was Kargil which helped in bringing back the Kashmir issue into international focus," Mr Aziz, who was the Foreign Minister at the time of the conflict, said in an interview. "In fact, Kargil led to disruption of Lahore process initiated by (the then Prime Ministers) Nawaz Sharif and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The military takeover completely destroyed the process," he said. Contradicting General Musharraf's claim that Mr Sharif and his cabinet were fully aware of the happenings of Kargil since the beginning, Mr Aziz said: "This statement of General Musharraf is not correct. He has mentioned about the date of February 5, 1999. I was present in that meeting. Discussion was held regarding the road disruption along Neelum valley and the possibility of an alternate road. Kargil was not mentioned in this meeting. "I would like to say some of the things said about Kargil in the book are not correct. I would agree with some of the things he has written about Kargil, but not all," Mr Aziz told a BBC Hindi programme last night. Mr Aziz also contested General Musharraf's claim that the political leadership of the country lost the gains made by Pakistan army during the Kargil conflict. "I do not agree with General Musharraf....It was Mr Nawaz Sharif, who during his visit to Washington, when the conflict was on, resolved the matter in a way which benefited both India and Pakistan," he said. Mr Aziz said military option could not solve any problem between the two countries. "Military entry point could not have solved Kargil and for that matter this option would not be able to solve anything between the two South Asian neighbours." The former Pakistan Foreign Minister refrained from clearly endorsing General Musharraf's claim that Kargil was a victory for Pakistani forces. "Technically in the short run one may say so. However, it is difficult to establish the victory or loss in a conflict after the ceasefire. From the army's point of view, this may be different, but once both countries decided to return to normal positions, victory or loss cannot be claimed". Welcoming the Havana joint statement issued by President Musharraf and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Mr Aziz said : "This is a good step and should be sincerely taken forward." Supporting the joint mechanism between the two countries to tackle terrorism, Mr Aziz said "Mumbai blasts is a good test case for this. If a joint investigation could be carried out for Mumbai blasts, then the evidence would be credible in the eyes of international community. If those who have been arrested are made to go through joint investigation, then the case would certainly be solved and both nations would be able to reach to the roots of terrorism." Mr Aziz also appealed to India to exercise restraint while talking about terror activities. Asked how he perceived General Musharraf's rule, the former Foreign Minister said "Issues concerning Pakistan can only be solved when there would be a true democracy governed by rule of law and supremacy of the Constitution. Unfortunately, General Musharraf's book does not spell out a roadmap for any of these essentials of a democracy".
— PTI
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‘Vajpayee was aware of Pervez’s Kargil plans’
Islamabad, October 2 In the book ‘Kargil: Adventure or Trap’, released yesterday, Muhammad Siddiqul Farooq, Joint Secretary of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) also claims that India was aware of Pakistan army’s plans to launch the Kargil operation a year before it was put into action. The Indian intelligence agencies kept the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and other top Ministers and officials informed about the plans being drawn up Pakistan Army, he says claiming that when “Vajpayee came to Pakistan on ‘Dosti bus’ on a two day visit, he was aware of Gen Musharraf’s plans”. Musharraf, Farooq writes, “stole” the report of an inquiry commission set up by Sharif to probe Kargil defeat and toppled his government to avoid possible court-martial in the light of the panel’s recommendations. Declining to reveal names of those who conducted the inquiry, Farooq says Sharif constituted the committee consisting of military officers in order to avoid such incidents in future. “It recommended court-martial of Gen. Musharraf and those responsible for the Kargil misadventure,” he says. The excerpts from the book were published by the ‘Dawn’ daily today. “Besides other steps Sharif also wanted ensure that in future the military did not take decision without taking civil government and other two service chiefs into confidence,” Farooq says supporting Sharif’s claims that he was kept in dark about Kargil plans by Musharraf. The Pakistani President has denied the charge in his recently released book “In The Line of Fire”. — PTI
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Many killed in US school attack New York, October 2 “There are a number dead. The exact number I am not sure at this point. There are also a number of wounded. And the shooter is not at large,’’ said state police Corporal Ralph Striebig of the schoolhouse was in rural Lancaster County. “There are multiple injuries. There are multiple casualties. I cannot give any names or numbers. It’s a horrible, horrible tragedy,’’ Lancaster County Coroner Gary Kirchner said . A local hospital said three girls including one aged 11 were in critical condition with gunshot wounds. The hostage-taker was either killed or captured at the scene. ‘’One or the other, but he’s not at large,’’ Striebig said. The incident, the third school shooting in a week in the United States, happened at Georgetown Amish School in Bart Township. ‘’The three that are here are in a critical condition, they will be airlifted from our hospital to pediatric hospitals in the region,’’ said Lancaster General Hospital spokesman John Lines. ‘’They arrived here suffering from gunshot wounds.’’ A spokeswoman at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center said it was also receiving patients from the school, but gave no information yet on how many. Amish schools typically group students from the first through eighth grade — aged about six to 14 — in the same schoolhouse, so the victims were likely in their “teens or pre-teens. They’re all in one school from first grade up,” Striebig said. The Amish people dress and live simply in Lancaster County farm country, shunning modern machines and vehicles, including cars and cultivating their land using old-fashioned traditions. The shooting was a shock to a community that one resident called almost crime-free. Aaron Meyer, owner of a local buggy company, told the CNN: “In this township of about 30,000 persons, we have no the police. Because there’s just virtually no crime. Many of these townships here have no police at all.’’ The shooting in Pennsylvania followed reports earlier on Monday of lockdowns at two Las Vegas area schools as the police searched for an armed youth, local television reported. Last Friday a 15-year-old student killed his school Principal in western Wisconsin. Last Wednesday a drifter took six female high school students hostage, molested them and then shot one to death and killed himself as the police closed in.
— Reuters
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Mwanawasa is Zambian President for second term
Lusaka, October 2 The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) announced the final results after Sata conceded defeat, but accused Mwanawasa of stealing victory. Sata coupled his announcement with an appeal for calm after a night of violence and looting blamed by the police on his supporters alleging poll rigging. Yesterday’s unrest forced the commission to delay its announcement, while the police was deployed today in anticipation of wider violence. Sata’s stronghold in the Copperbelt region, the hub of Zambia’s mainstay copper production, was calm. ECZ chairwoman Ireen Mambilima told mediapersons that Mwanawasa polled 1,177,846 votes (43 per cent). Sata had received 804,748 votes (29 per cent), she said.
— Reuters
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Iran hasn’t hinted at nuclear work suspension: Rice
Shannon, Ireland, October 2 Speaking to reporters as she flew to the West Asia, Ms Rice said the foreign ministers of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany might meet later this week to discuss Iran’s nuclear programme. The council has threatened to impose sanctions on Iran if it fails to suspend its enrichment of uranium, a process that can produce material for atomic weapons. Iran denies it is developing nuclear weapons. The foreign ministers held a conference over the weekend to discuss European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana’s efforts to coax Iran into suspending enrichment. “I think it’s fair to say that we have not yet heard anything that suggests that the Iranians are going to suspend”, Ms Rice said, noting that Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had been quoted as rejecting any suspension. “I believe that Javier Solana will probably check his sources one more time to see if there is anything more there,’’ she added. “We did have a discussion of the importance of remaining firm on (UN Security Council) Resolution 1696, which means that if the Iranians don’t suspend, then we will go to the Security Council for sanctions.’’ “This week or never”
In Brussels, an EU official said Solana hoped to speak to Iran’s chief negotiator,
Ali Larijani, today, bringing forward a planned mid-week contact with Teheran in an effort to press for a decision this week. European diplomats say that while Iran has moved on secondary issues related to the conduct of possible negotiations with the major powers, it has still given no commitment on the central issue of suspending enrichment. “It’s this week or never”, one European diplomat said.
— Reuters
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Intruder gets into Downing Street grounds with knife London, October 2 But there was no danger to the Prime Minister or his family, Scotland Yard said, adding that there was a brief scuffle with a policeman after the man scaled a fence behind the building late last night. The man was being questioned at a Central London police station, while a review was immediately launched into security measures around the Prime Minister, the BBC reported. “We are satisfied that at no time was the Prime Minister at risk,” said the spokesman. The man was understood to have climbed over the fence at the rear of Downing Street in Horseguards Parade. He was then challenged by a police officer and lunged at a member of the diplomatic protection force who challenged him. There was a brief struggle — during which the intruder did not use the knife — before he was pinned to the ground, as other officers arrived. The intruder was found to be in possession of a large kitchen knife, and was held on suspicion of affray and assaulting a police officer, the spokesman added.
— AFP
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Playboy dares Japanese PM to bare all
Tokyo, October 2 But in case readers are looking for naked shots of Japan’s youngest post-World War II Prime Minister, the magazine made it clear its challenge to Abe dealt with policy. In between pictures of less than decent women, the men’s magazine devoted a seven-page cover story to accusing Abe of being opaque on his agenda. “Our weekly magazine’s motto is and always has been, ‘Be more naked’”, “Playboy said in an issue marking the 40th anniversary of its Japanese edition. “Men and women, and Japan, be more naked: Shinzo Abe and your fellow men, are you ready?” it said, referring to Abe’s male-dominated cabinet. Playboy featured contributions from commentators ranging from an independent politician to journalists to comedians to offer their views on Abe, who took office on September 26. They criticised Abe for not giving clear explanations on issues ranging from restoring Japan’s finances to the perceived widening gap between rich and poor.
— AFP
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China to increase train speed to 200 kmph next year
Beijing, October 2 Minister of Railways Liu Zhijun said China had finished the renovation of the 102-year-old Jiaoji Railway to make it allow trains to run at a speed of 200 km per hour. The railway, built in 1904, stretches 380 km from Ji'nan, capital of east China's Shandong province, to the province's coastal city, Qingdao. On September 29, it took only one hour and 53 minutes for the first experimental train, made in China, to cover 342 km on that railway, at an average speed of 181.6 km per hour, Xinhua news agency reported. "The success of the experimental train on the Jiaoji Railway shows that China has managed the technology to raise train speed to 200 km per hour on existing rails," Mr Liu said. The nation-wide speed raise will boost China's transport capacity, and priority should be to ensure safe operation, the minister said.
— PTI
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Stop, I’ve been stolen!
London, October 2 The Remote XT system would also automatically wipe all information on the stolen mobile, including phone numbers, photos and other data, after having saved them on a central computer server. The piercing high-pitched sound emitted by the handset, which sounds exactly like a human scream, can only be turned off by removing the battery from the phone, effectively rendering if pointless to steal it in the first place. “By making mobiles unusable to anyone but the rightful owner, the phones become worthless and we’ll see (the) market for stolen handsets stamped out once and for all,” said Mr Mark Whiteman, MD of Remote XT. “Theft-proof phones spell disaster for the huge criminal industry that has benefited from mobile theft for too long,” he added. Under the system, if an owner is mugged or has their mobile stolen they phone a 24-hour call centre to have it registered as stolen. The handset is then wiped and disabled, and cannot even be used if a new SIM card is
inserted. There’s only one glitch: for the moment the system is aimed at business customers and comes with a subscription of $18.71 per month, possibly prohibitive for private mobile owners.
— AFP
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Weightless teachers carry thrills home to students
Dulles (Virginia), October 2 "After the first bounce, I said nuts to the experiments," an exhilarated Hickey said after returning from his 90-minute flight aboard G-Force One, an aircraft specially designed to simulate the zero gravity of space by making controlled free-fall descents. Mr Hickey and 38 other teachers took part over the weekend in the last of five "Weightless Flights of Discovery" sponsored by Northrop Grumman Corp. <NOC.N> and Zero Gravity Corporation of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. They giggled, somersaulted, gulped floating blobs of water and pushed each other around the padded cabin of the modified Boeing 727. "Any tiny movement shot you across the plane," said Tracy Cindric of Lincoln High School in Gahanna, Ohio. "It was very chaotic." The teachers, representing 28 schools in Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, Arizona, Louisiana and Washington, DC, are now expected to take their experience, their photographs and above all their enthusiasm back to the classroom and inspire the next generation of scientists, mathematicians and engineers. "For every teacher you train and every teacher you excite, they will go back and excite 100 kids," Mr Thomas Vice, a Sector Vice-President at Northrop Grumman who helped devise the programme, said in an interview. "They see if you are a scientist, if you are an explorer, they see it's fun," added Mr Brooks McKinney, a spokesman for Northrup Grumman, after the first of two flights at Dulles International Airport on Saturday. He said the company's motivation is partly selfish. "We are in a high-tech business that requires maths and science and a passion thereof," Mr McKinney said in an interview. "It is important to our future as a company." But the future competitiveness of the USA is at stake, too. Mr Vice, the teachers, and others cited surveys that show US school children falling behind students in Asia and Europe in maths and science. "Are we going to be competitive in the future?" asked Mr Vice. "Do we have the right scientists and mathematicians thinking about the next problem? I believe that teachers are the heart of this country and the make-or-break turnaround point for where we are going in the future." The teachers said they felt the pressure. "Research is showing us that those people who go into the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields have pretty much made up their minds by the time they enter eighth grade," added Ms Linda Froschauer, President of the National Science Teachers Association. "Newton's laws are not easy," Ms Froschauer told the teachers. "Now you can take them back and make them real." Some of them may need a little remedial instruction themselves before they can do so. Mr Hickey was mystified by one experience. "I had a water bottle with this much water in it, that I was going to drink," he said, indicating a small amount. "At zero gravity there was nothing in there that you could see. But when gravity came back, it was in there. It had just vaporized or something." — Reuters
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Pak quake victim’s body found
Gul Merah, October 2 His body was found in the rubble on Friday during reconstruction work in the town of Balakot in North West Frontier Province. He was buried in his home village of Gul Merah on Saturday. ''We always thought he had escaped in Balakot and would come home some day,'' said Rehman's daughter Sonia, sitting next to her sobbing mother.'' Rehman, 42, was found with a faded identity card in his pocket. |
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