W O R L D

Indo-Pak talks
Experts to meet on October 18,19
Indian and Pakistani experts will meet again in New Delhi on October 18 and 19 for talks on conventional and nuclear confidence-building measures. In another meeting on October 22, both sides will pick up threads of their earlier discussion on evolving a joint anti-terror mechanism, foreign office spokesperson Ms Tasnim Aslam told mediapersons at her regular press briefing here today.

Copter escorting Musharraf crashes
Islamabad, October 8
A helicopter carrying officials accompanying President Pervez Musharraf on a visit to 2005 earthquake-hit areas crashed in occupied Kashmir today, killing four persons, including three armymen, on board and injuring his spokesman.

Dodi bought ‘engagement ring’ before crash
London, October 8
As the Diana inquest enters its second week, a jeweller has claimed that Dodi Al-Fayed bought the Princess of Wales an “engagement ring” from his showroom days before their death in a Paris car crash ten years back.

Space shuttle Discovery Commander Pam Melroy (left) and Pilot George Zamka walks to the space shuttle training aircraft at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Sunday. The crew of the space shuttle Discovery is at the space center for a dress rehearsal and is scheduled to launch on a mission to the International Space Station on October 23. — Reuters

60 militants killed in Waziristan clashes
Islamabad, October 8
At least 60 pro-Taliban militants were killed in clashes with the security forces that also claimed the lives of 20 soldiers in Pakistan’s troubled North Waziristan tribal region.

Over 200 Indian workers allege abuse
Kuala Lumpur, October 8
More than 200 Indian nationals working in a Malaysian factory have alleged that they are being abused by their employment agent and are desperate to return home after three of their colleagues were brutally beaten up.

2 Americans, Briton share Nobel in medicine
Stockholm, October 8
Two Americans and a Briton shared the Nobel prize in medicine today for groundbreaking stem-cell research on mice that helped establish the role of individual genes in human ailments, including diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Martial law to remain, says Junta
Bangkok, October 8
Martial law will remain in place in some Thai provinces indefinitely, one of Thailand’s junta leaders said today, despite calls by political parties to lift restrictions ahead of promised elections.

Indo-Pak talks
Experts to meet on October 18,19
Afzal Khan writes from Islamabad

Indian and Pakistani experts will meet again in New Delhi on October 18 and 19 for talks on conventional and nuclear confidence-building measures.

In another meeting on October 22, both sides will pick up threads of their earlier discussion on evolving a joint anti-terror mechanism, foreign office spokesperson Ms Tasnim Aslam told mediapersons at her regular press briefing here today.

This was her last briefing as she braces to take up a new assignment as ambassador in Italy. Foreign secretary Riaz Mohammad Khan hosted an iftar dinner for Ms Aslam this evening.

Tasnim repudiated the perception that the peace process had slowed down. She pointed out the regularity with which talks with India have continued despite political uncertainties in both counties, and the meetings scheduled for later this month. She, however, repeated that there has been no appreciable progress on "core disputes", including Kashmir, Siachin and trade.

“There’s no slowing down of the composite dialogue process because of any event either in Pakistan or in India. Of course there have been reports of what all has been going on in India,” she said. Tasnim was asked if the re-election of President Pervez Musharraf would inject new life in the process.

“What is not happening is forward movement on the core disputes, and we have repeatedly emphasised that while we are putting in place confidence-building measures, constantly improving them, the atmosphere has significantly improved, what we need to do now is to take advantage of the improved climate and move towards resolving the core disputes that have caused conflict and tension in the region,” she said.

Tasnim said Pakistan had made a number of proposals for settling the Siachen dispute but political will was required to take the matter forward.

When referred to her statement last week that there was evidence of Indian involvement in terror incidents in Pakistan, Tasnim declined to say if this would be brought up during the anti-terror meeting. Nor did she comment on what issues Islamabad expected India might put on the table.

The spokesperson said the talks on conventional confidence-building measures are to focus on the quick return to their respective countries of "inadvertent line crossers" from both sides. An agreement on this had already been negotiated, the spokesperson said while expressing the hope that it would be finalised, besides an agreement on preventing incidents at sea.

The two sides signed an agreement on reduction of the risk of nuclear accidents in February this year. The spokesperson said the talks would review the implementation of agreements already reached and discuss new proposals if any.

She said the establishment of the mechanism was an opportunity for both sides to be in direct contact to prevent terrorist incidents and help in investigation, but said neither government wanted media attention focused on the mechanism.

Copter escorting Musharraf crashes
Rezaul H. Laskar

Islamabad, October 8
A helicopter carrying officials accompanying President Pervez Musharraf on a visit to 2005 earthquake-hit areas crashed in occupied Kashmir today, killing four persons, including three armymen, on board and injuring his spokesman.

Musharraf, who was in another helicopter flying ahead, reached his destination safely, military spokesman Maj-Gen Waheed Arshad said.

The medium-lift Puma helicopter, which was carrying the President’s spokesman, Maj-Gen (retired) Rashid Qureshi, and other officials, crashlanded at Majohi near Garhi Dupatta in the Jhelum valley after catching fire.

An army brigadier, two soldiers and a PTV cameraman were killed, while Qureshi received some injuries, officials said.

Qureshi and four others who were injured were taken to a hospital in Muzaffarabad in PoK. — PTI

Dodi bought ‘engagement ring’ before crash

London, October 8
As the Diana inquest enters its second week, a jeweller has claimed that Dodi Al-Fayed bought the Princess of Wales an “engagement ring” from his showroom days before their death in a Paris car crash ten years back.

“I had given Scotland Yard the actual copy of the receipt given to Dodi’s secretary on which was clearly written ‘engagement ring’. I am probably the only witness to the fact that Dodi and Princess Diana were going to get engaged,” the media reported here today, quoting Alberto Repossi as saying.

The Italian jeweller has also alleged that the British police had urged him to lie about the 130,000 pounds ring.

“They said it would be better for your reputation if you change your version of events,” he claimed.

Repossi’s claims came a week after Mohammed Al-Fayed alleged at the inquest, which opened this month, that Diana and his son Dodi were assassinated by British secret service on the orders of Prince Philip.

Fayed insists that the Diana was pregnant at the time of her death, and both were planning to get married. He is also considering to drag an American intelligence agency to establish his claim.

According to reports, Al-Fayed’s legal team would soon make a demand for top US intelligence files on Diana to be presented at the inquest as they believe that the National Security Agency had amassed a wealth of information on her. — PTI

60 militants killed in Waziristan clashes

Islamabad, October 8
At least 60 pro-Taliban militants were killed in clashes with the security forces that also claimed the lives of 20 soldiers in Pakistan’s troubled North Waziristan tribal region.

Army spokesman Maj-Gen Waheed Arshad today said 60 militants and 20 soldiers had been killed in the clashes that erupted last morning after the military launched an operation against the militants in the Mirali area after pro-Taliban militants attacked a convoy of the security forces.

Fifteen soldiers and 35 militants were also injured in the clashes, the most severe since the pro-Taliban militants scrapped a peace deal with the government in July.

A Taliban spokesman Ahmedullah Ahmadi, however, denied any casualties among the militants.

Tribesmen said the army used fighter jets and gunship helicopters to bomb the mountainous region and alleged several civilians were killed and injured in the attacks.

TV channels said at least eight civilians, including three women and children, were killed in the clashes. The army did not confirm reports of civilian casualties. — PTI

Over 200 Indian workers allege abuse

Kuala Lumpur, October 8
More than 200 Indian nationals working in a Malaysian factory have alleged that they are being abused by their employment agent and are desperate to return home after three of their colleagues were brutally beaten up.

The 264 Indian workers, employed at a factory in Senai in Johor state, claimed their agent started abusing them when they arrived in Malaysia two years ago.

The workers claimed that three of their colleagues were abducted and beaten up for putting up a notice stating that workers no longer wanted 2.50 (25 rupees), the cost of hostel canteen food, to be deducted from their daily wages.

The Indian workers, part of the 1,500-strong foreign workforce at the plastic-moulding factory, staged a picket to demand the release of the three, local media reports said.

The trio, with bruises all over their bodies, have since returned to the hostel, the report said. One of the workers, Thangaraju (39), said he could have ended up dead if not for the strike staged by his co-workers.

Thangaraju claimed that he and the other two workers were beaten for hours and the men tried to force him to drink detergent when he asked for water, the report said.

He said the beatings started two months after they arrived at the hostel in November 2005.

“We found worms in the rice served at the canteen. When we complained, 20 of my colleagues were abducted and given a severe beating. Only 10 returned and to date, we don’t know what happened to the rest.” — PTI

2 Americans, Briton share Nobel in medicine

Stockholm, October 8
Two Americans and a Briton shared the Nobel prize in medicine today for groundbreaking stem-cell research on mice that helped establish the role of individual genes in human ailments, including diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Mario R. Capecchi, Oliver Smithies and Sir Martin J. Evans were honoured for a technique called gene targeting, which lets scientists deactivate or modify particular genes in mice.

That in turn lets them study how those genes affect health and disease.

The trio won the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research, which is often dubbed “America’s Nobel”, in 2001 and had figured prominently in Nobel speculation in recent years. — AP

Martial law to remain, says Junta

Bangkok, October 8
Martial law will remain in place in some Thai provinces indefinitely, one of Thailand’s junta leaders said today, despite calls by political parties to lift restrictions ahead of promised elections.

Gen Winai Phattiyakul, secretary general of the junta that overthrew Thaksin Shinawatra last year, said unspecified security concerns meant martial law would remain in much of the kingdom.

“In some areas it will be lifted, while in others - mainly on the border with neighbours - it will be maintained for security reasons,” he said.

TOKYO: Hundreds of Myanmar expatriates in Japan joined family and friends at the funeral today of a Japanese journalist killed last month during the military crackdown in Yangon. — AP