W O R L D

18 Tamil Tigers die in clashes
Colombo, November 17
Sri Lankan security forces killed at least 18 Tamil Tiger guerrillas in three separate confrontations in the eastern district of Batticaloa, the Defence Ministry said today.

George Bush arrives in Vietnam
Holland Hanoi, November 17
President George W. Bush became the second US President to visit post-war Vietnam today, looking to advance mutual trade and security ties and avoid dwelling on a war that still strains the American psyche 30 years later.

Superstars Tom Cruise and his fiance Katie Holmes, holding their daughter Suri, leave a restaurant in central Rome on Friday. They are expected to marry in the Odescalchi Castle in the lakeside town of Bracciano near Rome at the weekend. — AFP

US, Pak rebuilding defence ties
Washington, November 17
The USA and Pakistan have been quietly rebuilding their military-to-military relationship disrupted in 1990 when Washington slapped restrictions on Islamabad for its efforts to develop nuclear weapons, says a congressional report.

N. Korea has fuel for nine N-bombs, says expert
Washington, November 17
A US nuclear scientist who toured North Korea this month has said he believes the North has enough fuel for as many as nine nuclear weapons.

Nobel economist Friedman dead San Francisco, November 17 Milton Friedman, one of the most influential economists of the past century and winner of a 1976 Nobel Prize, died this morning of heart failure at a San Francisco area hospital, a spokeswoman for his family said. He was 94. A free-market economist, Friedman preached free enterprise in the face of government regulation and advocated a monetary policy that called for steady growth in money supplies. FAREWELL: This file photo shows Milton Friedman, recipient of the 1976 Nobel Prize for economic science, who died on Thursday at the age 94. — AP photo

18 Tamil Tigers die in clashes

Colombo, November 17
Sri Lankan security forces killed at least 18 Tamil Tiger guerrillas in three separate confrontations in the eastern district of Batticaloa, the Defence Ministry said today.

"Due to the successful retaliation, troops confirmed that 18 Tigers were killed," the ministry statement said.

"Troops were also able to recover a stock of arms, ammunition and war-like materials." However, the ministry did not say if troops had suffered any casualties in the clashes.

The report came as a British envoy left here last night after a three-day visit to try and salvage the island's stalled peace bid. British MP Paul Murphy is expected to convey his findings to the British government. — PTI

George Bush arrives in Vietnam

Holland Hanoi, November 17
President George W. Bush became the second US President to visit post-war Vietnam today, looking to advance mutual trade and security ties and avoid dwelling on a war that still strains the American psyche 30 years later.

Asked if South Korea was doing its part to prevent North Korea from exporting nuclear-related technology, White House Spokesman Tony Snow said, ''Let me put it this way, we do expect parties to abide by the provisions of the UN Security Council resolution 1718.'' The resolution, approved after North Korea's October nuclear test, imposed sanctions on North Korea to prevent it from exporting nuclear materials or technologies. — Reuters

US, Pak rebuilding defence ties
Anwar Iqbal
By arrangement with the Dawn

Washington, November 17
The USA and Pakistan have been quietly rebuilding their military-to-military relationship disrupted in 1990 when Washington slapped restrictions on Islamabad for its efforts to develop nuclear weapons, says a congressional report.

The report by the Congressional Research Service notes that in June 2004, President Bush designated Pakistan as a major non-Nato ally of the USA.

The report says the close US-Pakistan security ties of the cold war era - which came to a near halt after the 1990 aid cut-off - have been in the process of restoration as a result of Pakistan’s role in the US-led anti-terrorism campaign.

The Pentagon reported Foreign Military sales agreements with Pakistan worth $ 344 million between 2003 and 2004, growing to $ 492 million in 2005.

In June 2006, the Pentagon notified Congress of a possible foreign military sale to Pakistan worth up to $ 5.1 billion. The deal involves up to 36 F-16 combat aircraft, along with related refurbishments, munitions and equipment, and would represent the largest-ever weapons sale to Pakistan.

Congressional concerns about the sale and displeasure at the Bush Administration’s apparently improper notification procedures spurred a July 20 hearing of the House International Relations Committee. During that hearing, many members worried that F-16s were better suited to fighting India than to combating terrorists; some warned that US military technology could be passed from Pakistan to China.

The USA has undertaken to train and equip new Pakistan Army air assault units that can move quickly to find and target terrorist elements.

N. Korea has fuel for nine N-bombs, says expert

Washington, November 17
A US nuclear scientist who toured North Korea this month has said he believes the North has enough fuel for as many as nine nuclear weapons.

Mr Siegfried Hecker, former director of the Los Alamos Nuclear Laboratory who met chief North Korean nuclear scientists during his October 31-November 4 visit, said while he learned no technical details about the North's October 9 nuclear test, officials indicated the test was "fully successful." — AP

Nobel economist Friedman dead

San Francisco, November 17
Milton Friedman, one of the most influential economists of the past century and winner of a 1976 Nobel Prize, died this morning of heart failure at a San Francisco area hospital, a spokeswoman for his family said. He was 94. A free-market economist, Friedman preached free enterprise in the face of government regulation and advocated a monetary policy that called for steady growth in money supplies.

His ideas played a pivotal role in informing the governing philosophies of world leaders like former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and former US President Ronald Reagan.

Friedman believed that economic stabilisation policy did not operate like a thermostat, because of the “long and variable lag” between policy actions and their ultimate effects. — Reuters