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Nepal tables Bill to abolish monarchy
Ex-aide smells conspiracy behind royal massacre
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Malaysia to protect Hindu temples
1500-year-old Vishnu statues stolen
United Sikhs gets UN recognition
‘Pak used US aid against India’
PML-N hooking angry
PML-Q leaders
Bhutto faces ‘serious threats’ in Punjab
Pak SC to continue hearing suo motu notices
Brown ‘owes’ his eyesight
to Indian doctor
Good governance has paid off: NRIs
White Britons will be a minority in UK: Report
Indian found dead in Sharjah
Snowstorm kills 11 in US
Beer losing its fizzle in Germany
New Eiffel restaurant was squeezed up the lift
Thai Poll
India for next joint military exercise on its soil
Fasting nurse carried out of courtroom
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Nepal tables Bill to abolish monarchy
Kathmandu, December 24 Just a day after the seven-party alliance (SPA), including the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists reached a 23-point understanding, the government tabled the Bill to amend the Article 159 of the interim constitution that states that “Nepal shall be a federal democratic republic state; but the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly (CA) shall enforce the decision”. Besides, the amendment proposal in the Bill further added that a two-third majority in the existing interim Parliament can implement it by abolishing monarchy from the country even earlier if the King is found to be involved in creating obstacle in conducting the CA election. The Bill has also delegated all executive power of the King to the Prime Minister and allowed the latter to act as head of the state during the transitional period. On Sunday night, a meeting of top brass leaders of the SPA held at Prime Minister’s official residence in Baluwatar had reached a 23-point agreement and declares Nepal a republic formally by holding the CA poll within 15 weeks. Similarly, the meeting decided to increase the number of CA seats to 601 from the existing 497, 240 members to be elected through the first-past-the-post and 335 from proportional electoral system based on casts, creeds, gender and ethnicity and 26 would be nominated by the government. Likewise, the SPA leaders agreed to form an all-party mechanism to coordinate government functioning, to set up a panel to probe disappearances and form truth and reconciliation and state restructuring commissions within a week. Meanwhile, opposition leaders in the interim Parliament Surya Bahadur Thapa, chief of the Rastriya Janashakti Party and Pashupati Shumsher Rana, chief of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, who were known as former panchas loyal to the monarchy, came down heavily against the SPA for reaching a decision to declare Nepal a republic in the interim constitution. Speaking at the special session of the House today, both Thapa and Rana said the amendment was blatant attack against the established universal democratic principle.
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Ex-aide smells conspiracy behind royal massacre
Kathmandu, December 24 Vivek Bikram Shah, who had served for more than 30 years in the Royal Palace’s military wing, was sacked after Gyanendra became the King following the June 1, 2001, killings. The official probe commission’s report had said a drunk crown prince Dipendra, enraged over his parents’ refusal to accept the girl he wanted to marry, shot his father, mother and other members of the family before turning the gun on himself. However, many people here continued to question the official version and now the ex-military secretary to King Birendra told The Nepal Weekly, a sister publication of The Kathmandu Post that the incident was a result of “political conspiracy” and there might be hands of a “foreign” intelligence agency behind it. He said he had urged King Gyanendra to inquire into the possible political motive behind the massacre, but the palace showed no interest. — PTI
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Malaysia to protect Hindu temples
Kuala Lumpur, December 24 Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi has asked works minister Samy Vellu, the president of Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), to continuously monitor all Hindu shrines and submit a report on the status of the temples to the Cabinet periodically. He was specifically asked to forward to the premier and the Cabinet the list of temples that might have to be demolished for various reasons, Vellu said. “No temples, either legal or illegal, will be demolished without a thorough check and discussions with the MIC,” Vellu, whose party is a component of the ruling coalition, said in a statement today. “As temples are sensitive matters, a new approach is necessary to resolve them and the MIC will take over this task completely,” the MIC president said. The minister said he would travel to all the states soon to prepare a report on the number of temples in the country and their problems, which would be submitted to the Cabinet. “We will first identify the illegally-built temples and then check on their status. We want to know if there have been any moves or notices to demolish or relocate them,” he said. He said he would scrutinise all matters concerning temples with a view to ensure that no Hindu shrines were demolished in the future and if they had to be brought down then suitable alternative sites were first allocated. — PTI
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1500-year-old Vishnu statues stolen
Dhaka, December 24 Named "Vishnu" and "Bust of Vishnu", the statues are from the Gupta era of the seventh century.They were discovered in a dig at Mahasthangarh of Bogra district and were in the custody of National
Museum here. The two statues were moved to the airport premises recently to be part of the consignment headed for Paris.The authorities fear a conspiracy, as there has been opposition from sections of artists, art critics and the intelligentsia to a government-to-government exhibition being planned in Paris.
— IANS
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United Sikhs gets UN recognition
New York, December 24 The international non-profit, non-governmental, humanitarian relief, human developmental and advocacy group was given recognition by the NGO section of the UN’s Department of Public Information (DPI). Announcing its recognition, president of the group Mejindarpal Kaur said, “This is a significant achievement on behalf of 25 million Sikhs, who will now be able to participate in global initiatives according to the Sikh principle of selfless service.” In a letter to the United Sikhs, head of NGO section of Department of Public Information (DPI) had informed that the committee on NGOs had approved its association with the DPI. The United Sikhs had filed an application for its association with the UN through the DPI earlier this year. “Our application was supported by the UN agencies such as the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) with whom we worked during Tsunami relief operations in Sri Lanka. We also had the support of other UN associated advocacy and multi-faith NGOs with whom we have done projects,” Kaur said. The United Sikhs joins about 1,500 NGOs, associated with the DPI, which gives the UN valuable links to the people around the world. Through this association, the DPI will help United Sikhs gain access to and disseminate information about the issues in which the UN is involved, so that Sikhs can better understand the aims and objectives of the world body and its work. — PTI
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‘Pak used US aid against India’
Washington, December 24 There were very few controls over the money that the US had sent to Pakistan, they said, calling for a complete revamp of the strategy to improve the Pakistani military. The US provided $ 5 billion to Pakistan through a programme ‘Coalition Support Funds’, to curb terrorism. Besides, Pakistan receives $ 300 million per year in traditional American military financing, which pays for training and equipment. Referring to Pakistan’s requests for reimbursement, a senior American military official and reviewer of the programme said, “I personally believe there is exaggeration and inflation.” “Then, I point back to the US and say we didn’t have to give them money this way,” the New York Times quoted him as saying in an interview. On Thursday, lawmakers in the US sought assurance from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on the restoration of democracy in Pakistan.
— UNI
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PML-N hooking angry
PML-Q leaders
Having entered the race late, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which is the major beneficiary of the wear and tear in the Musharraf-backed PML-Quaid (PML-Q), is trying to hook the disgruntled members of the PML-Q from southern Punjab, Daily Times learnt.
The former ruling party is confronted with a crisis-like situation in southern Punjab, where its key members are deserting the party ahead of the general elections. Some have joined the PPP while others are seeking PML-N support. The PML-N received a crippling blow from Mushrraff after its leader Nawaz Sharif left for Saudi Arabia through a deal brokered by royal leaders. The PML-Q was formed by inducing large scale defections from the PML-N. Nawaz Sharif was allowed to return to Pakistan only a day before the last date of filing of nomination papers. He found little time to reorganise the party and select good candidates. He adopted a policy to accept those defectors back to its fold who have not done damage to the PML-N. According to the PML-N sources some noted members of the PML-Q were likely to join the PML-N during Nawaz Sharif’s visit to the area. “Some prominent members of the PML-Q have assured us that they would join us when Sharif visits southern Punjab,” a PML-N leader said. Several former parliamentarians and ministers of the PML-Q have either joined the PML-N or the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), while some of them have decided to contest polls as independent candidates. Two former federal ministers, Jehangir Khan Tareen and Zahid Hamid, and former parliamentary secretary for defence Tanvir Hussain Sayed have left the party. A senior PML-N leader said although Tareen and his brother-in-law Makhdoom Ahmed Mehmood had joined the PML-Functional (PML-F), they desired to join the PML-N. “They desired to join our party, but later decided to contest the election on PML-F ticket. But our doors are still open,” he added. Reportedly, former chief whip of the PML-Q in the national Assembly, Nasrullah Dreshak, has also developed differences with the Chaudhrys of Gujrat and may contest the election as an independent candidate.
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Bhutto faces ‘serious threats’ in Punjab
Former premier Benazir Bhutto faces serious security threats in Punjab as she begins her election tour of the country's biggest province, her security adviser Rehman Malik has said. After concluding her Sindh tour, Bhutto is slated to address 16 public gatherings in Punjab which is the key to her quest for power with about 55 per cent seats in the National Assembly.
A TV channel quoted Rehman as saying that Benazir would not postpone her visit to Punjab despite the threats, adding that she would address public meetings there according to the schedule. He said it was binding upon the government to provide Benazir with proper security, adding that he hoped the provincial government would provide jammers and bulletproof vehicles to the PPP chairwoman during her visit.
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Pak SC to continue hearing suo motu notices
The reconstituted Supreme Court (SC) will continue the hearing of the pending suo motu notices served by the deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry in human rights violations, an official of the SC Human Rights Cell said. Musharraf's cited Justice Chaudhry's penchant for issuing suo moto notices on a variety of social and financial matters as one cause of friction between the executive and the judiciary that prompted Musharraf to impose emergency. The deposed Chief Justice provided relief to several thousand poor applicants from executive's excesses which they could not expect in normal circumstances. Judicial activism that had distinguished the apex court under Chaudhry, appeared to be the first casualty after Musharraf sacked him and about four dozen other independent judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts on November 3 following the imposition of emergency. The SC official, whose cell is virtually non-functional since the removal of Justice Chaudhry on November 3, said the court had conducted hearing on many such cases during recent weeks. He said that thousands of applications received by the SC Human Rights Cell by post were still pending for action. He said these applications pertaining to minor and individual grievances may not be entertained at all.
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Brown ‘owes’ his eyesight
to Indian doctor
London, December 24 According to a report in The Times today, after four decades as a barely acknowledged footnote in Brown’s career, Dr Hector Chawla has spoken at length for the first time about the procedure that saved the future Prime Minister’s sight. Dr Chawla, who was born in Sialkot in pre-partition India to a Scottish mother and an Indian father serving in the British army during World War II, said: “The story in most of the biographies is that he had four operations which left him with partial sight in one eye”. “That’s not true. He had three operations that left him blind in one eye and one operation that I performed that restored his vision completely (in the other eye). And nearly 40 years later he’s still got perfect sight in that eye,” Dr Chawla, now 70, said. When the teenage Gordon Brown, then a student at Edinburgh University with a growing reputation as a left-wing radical, was referred to Dr Chawla in 1970 he had already gone blind in his left eye. During a rugby match several years earlier he had gone down on a loose ball and been kicked in the head close to his eyes. Within weeks he had started to notice a shadow across the vision in his left eye and the diagnosis was a detached retina, the membrane that lines the inside of the eye and converts light into nerve signals that are transmitted to the brain. Despite three operations, the attempts to repair the damage failed. The techniques used during the surgery were not precise enough to locate the tear in the retina, Dr Chawla said. When similar symptoms began to affect his right eye, the young Brown feared that it would only be a matter of time before he went blind. With his sight gradually failing, he was referred to the young Dr Chawla, who had just returned from a yearlong fellowship as a retinal surgeon in Chicago. Dr Chawla said he just happened to be in the right place at the right time and that without him Brown would have gone blind. “He would have had no light perception in either eye. His life would have been completely different,” he said. Although Dr Chawla knows that the Prime Minister is grateful, he said that he would like some public recognition for the work he performed on his most famous patient.
— PTI
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Good governance has paid off: NRIs
London, December 24 Lord Paul said: “It is a victory for the people of Gujarat and democracy. People prefer good governance and they have voted for good governance.” Another leading NRI entrepreneur, Sir Gulam Noon, chief of the multi-million pound Indian takeaway Noon Products, said: “Today, people are worried about vikas (development), commerce and prosperity and Narendra Modi has done well in these and my congratulations to him.” Sir Noon said: “Roots of democracy and secularism in India are very deep and recent elections have shown that personal attacks on individuals never pay.” — PTI
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White Britons will be a minority in UK: Report
London, December 24 The watershed is expected to reach first in Leicester, with a large Indian community, where whites will form less than 50 per cent of the population by 2020, followed by Birmingham in 2024, and by Slough and Luton soon afterwards. Leicester’s Indian population is set to rise from 22.9 to 26 per cent over the same period, with the African population increasing from 0.4 to 11.2 per cent, the study from the University of Sheffield showed. The city has seen its white population falling from 70.1 per cent of the total in 1991 to 59.5 today, and the figure is predicted to fall below a half by around 2020. The study said record levels of immigration combined with higher birth rates among the newcomers would tip the balance between whites and non-whites and create a string of “super diverse” cities, where no single group would form a majority.
— PTI
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Indian found dead in Sharjah
Dubai, December 24 T.J.Sudhakar Kurup (50), an employee of the United Arab Bank, was returning home after visiting a friend in Al- Quoz in his car when his car fell into the waters off Al- Mamzar Corniche in Sharjah on the night of December 19. Basheer, a close friend of Sudhakar, said, “On Saturday, we got a call from the police saying that his body was in the morgue. It came as a rude shock for all of us, especially his wife and two children,” he said. Sudhakar, a former general-secretary of Samadarshini, hailed from ChirayinKeezhu in Kerala.
— PTI
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Milwaukee, December 24 Winter storm warnings were posted for parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan yesterday as the core of the storm headed to the north across the Great Lakes. Parts of Wisconsin already had 30 cm of snow, and up to a foot was forecast yesterday in northeastern Minnesota, the National Weather Service said. “Everything is just an ice rink out there,” said Sgt Steve Selby with the sheriff’s department in Rock County, Wisconsin. Wind gusting to more than 50 mph, uprooted trees in parts of Michigan. “I can see the snow moving basically sideways,” meteorologist Wayne Hoepner said in Grand Rapids. Winds were recorded blowing as fast as 88 mph over the Lake Michigan with gusts of 50 to 68 mph across the Chicago region, according to the National Weather Service. — AP
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Beer losing its fizzle in Germany
Berlin, December 24 Brewery association managing director Peter Hahn today told Die Welt newspaper that demographics were partly to blame for the fall from a peak of 156 litres in
the 1980s. But Germans are also drinking more non-alcoholic beverages, industry figures show. Only once in the last nine years did beer consumption in Germany rise - in 2006 when it hosted the World Cup. It has long since fallen behind the Czech Republic and
Ireland. — Reuters
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New Eiffel restaurant was squeezed up the lift
Paris, December 24 “It’s a bit like a ship’s kitchen or an air plane cabin,” said France’s most celebrated chef, Alain Ducasse, who is opening the tower’s second-storeyed restaurant, Jules Verne, this weekend. On the eve of the opening, somewhat of an event in a city fiercely proud of its almost 120-year-old tall monument, Ducasse and a cloud of workmen, waiters and cooks bustled about the restaurant nestled amid Gustav Eiffel’s iron girders, with Paris breathtakingly laid out below. Set at the heart of a restaurant catering to 130, the compact cooking centre which at any one time will be busy with 13 cooks, was painstakingly put together in just four months -- like the rest of the place. To begin with, the old Jules Verne had to be picked apart and every piece weighed before being carted down the four-metre-square service lift clattering up and down the iron-laced tower. “They were not allowed to add any weight to the existing structure in order to safeguard it,” said an official for the monument’s managers, the SETE. — AFP
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Thai Poll
Bangkok, December 24 The People Power Party (PPP), a reincarnation of the former Thai Rak Thai Party of coup-ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawtra, claimed this afternoon that it had received enough support to form a government. While results are still to be officially announced, the Election Commission said today the PPP was the clear winner with 232 of the 480 seats in the lower house of Parliament. Its main rival, the Democrat Party had 165 seats. According to the Election Commission, about 32 million voters exercised their franchise, marking a voter turnout of over 70 per cent yesterday. “We will wait for the Election Commission to ratify the result and then move forward with forming the government,” PPP secretary-general Surapong Suebwongless said. All eyes are now on a group of medium and small parties that hold the key to government formation. Prominent among these is the Chart Thai of former Prime Minister Banharn Silpa-arch with nearly 40 seats. However, Banharn, who has played a kingmaker role over the past decade in Thai politics, remained non-committal. PPP leader Samak Sundaravej, self-admittedly acting on behalf of Thaksin, who is judicially banned from political activity for five years along with 110 senior members of his former party, has invited all political parties to join a national government. Thaksin, in media interviews from Hong Kong yesterday, said he favoured a national reconciliation government of all parties. However, the Democrat Party rejected the invitation. Its leader Abhisjit Vejjajiva said he would attempt to form a government only if the PPP failed to cobble together a ruling coalition. Like the PPP, the Democrat Party has been trying to woo the Chart Thai before and after the election. Abhisjit told reporters that he was awaiting the outcome of Chart Thai’s talks with other smaller parties. If these parties decide to stay away from the PPP, the Democrat Party would try its hand at government formation, he added. — UNI
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India for next joint military exercise on its soil
Kunming, December 24 “Hopefully, we will have a similar exercise in India next year,” Lt-Col Susheel Gupta, deputy chief of staff of Indian Army, who is heading the observers group for the ongoing exercise, said at a joint meeting with their counterparts here this evening. Hailing as “a great event” the joint military exercise between the troops of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and India, he said: “We look forward to many more such engagements in the future.” Gupta said terrorism posed a great danger to the world today and the exercise between the armies of India and China was a “step in the right direction”.“This is just the beginning of a long-term understanding and partnership that is going to happen,” he said. Responding to the offer of holding the next joint military exercise in India next year, Lt-Gen Ma Xia Tian, deputy chief of general staff of the PLA, said” “We will give a serious and careful study of your suggestion and give you the feedback.” “Personally, I am greatly interested,” he said. At a banquet, Ma said there were “factors of uncertainty and instability in today’s world” and added that the two armed forces should work together to find a way to tackle them.
— PTI
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Fasting nurse carried out of courtroom
N’Djamena, December 24 French army medics lifted Nadia Merimi by stretcher out of the courtroom and whisked her away in a military ambulance in the direction of a French military base in Chad’s capital N’Djamena, Reuters witnesses inside and outside the court said. Defence lawyer Gilbert Collard said Merimi, like her five French co-accused, was still observing a hunger strike begun early in December to draw attention to their case. The six have taken water but refused food. He could not give any more details as to her condition. The six members of French humanitarian group Zoe’s Ark are on trial on charges of child kidnapping and fraud after being arrested while trying to fly 103 African children to France to live with European families. Several Chadians are also on trial.
— Reuters
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