SPECIAL COVERAGE
CHANDIGARH

LUDHIANA

DELHI


THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS
50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS
W O R L D

Suicide attacks kill 33 in Iraq
Rescue workers clear the rubble after a suicide truck bomb attack in Baiji, Iraq, on Tuesday.Baiji, December 25
Two suicide bombings targeting US-backed neighborhood patrols today killed 33 people, highlighting the volatile situation north of Baghdad.


Rescue workers clear the rubble after a suicide truck bomb attack in Baiji, Iraq, on Tuesday. — Reuters photo

13 killed in Nepal bridge collapse
At least 13 persons were killed and scores missing after an overloaded suspension bridge over the Bheri river in Surkhet district in mid-western Nepal collapsed on Tuesday.

Egypt Building Collapse
Death toll rises to 11
Cairo, December 25
The death toll from the collapse of a 12-storey residential building in Egypt’s Mediterranean city of Alexandria rose to 11 today after authorities dug six more bodies out of the ruins, security sources said.


EARLIER STORIES


Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto gestures as she addresses her supporters during an election public meeting at Lodhran in Punjab on Tuesday.
Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto gestures as she addresses her supporters during an election public meeting at Lodhran in Punjab on Tuesday. Main opposition leaders Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif held rallies ahead of the January 8 elections, which both have said President Pervez Musharraf allies will try to rig, and which Islamic militants have vowed to disrupt. — AFP photo

Oppn should give proof of poll
rigging: Pak

Islamabad, December 25
Pakistan’s caretaker government today dismissed allegations by opposition leaders about the rigging of the January 8 general election, saying they should provide evidence to back up their claims.

253 lawyers contesting poll
Islamabad, December 25
Notwithstanding a call by the legal fraternity to boycott the January 8 general election, Pakistan's 253 lawyers are in the fray for the poll to the national and provincial assemblies.

Russia boosts air power, inducts sophisticated jets
Moscow, December 25
The Russian Air Force got a shot in their arm with induction of four ultra sophisticated and upgraded Su-24M2 Fencer tactical bombers.

Russian ballistic missile test-fired
Moscow, December 25
Russia today successfully test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile from the Tula nuclear submarine of the Russian Northern Fleet in the Barents Sea in the Arctic.

Commander of the Indian contingent Col J.S. Budhwar, his Chinese counterpart and troops of both sides pose for a photo at the closing ceremony of “Hand-in-Hand”, a joint Sino-Indian anti-terrorism exercise in Kunming on Tuesday. India-China maiden drill ends
Kunming, December 25
Enacting a real combat scene, Indian and Chinese troops today carried out a mock anti-terrorism drill in a hilly terrain in Yunnan province.


Hand-in-Hand: Commander of the Indian contingent Col J.S. Budhwar, his Chinese counterpart and troops of both sides pose for a photo at the closing ceremony of “Hand-in-Hand”, a joint Sino-Indian anti-terrorism exercise in Kunming on Tuesday. — PTI photo

Pope makes Christmas appeal for world peace
Vatican City, December 25
Pope Benedict today said he hoped Christmas would bring consolation to those living in poverty, injustice and war and appealed for just solutions to conflicts in Iraq, the Holy Land, Afghanistan and Africa.

A worker with the Electoral Commission of Kenya carries ballot boxes, which will be used in the country’s upcoming elections, at a storage facility in Nairobi, on Tuesday.
A worker with the Electoral Commission of Kenya carries ballot boxes, which will be used in the country’s upcoming elections, at a storage facility in Nairobi, on Tuesday. Two heavyweights of Kenya’s post-independence politics square off in a presidential vote on Thursday that has overshadowed Christmas and seen the opposition hold a small lead in opinion polls during the campaign. — Reuters photo

Xmas celebrations replace gloom
Bethlehem/Jerusalem, December 25
Cheerful celebrations replaced the years-long gloom as thousands of Christian pilgrims thronged the Holy city of Bethlehem, Jesus’ birthplace, to participate in the midnight mass.

9/11 victims hold last midnight Mass
New York, December 25
The first midnight Mass at ground zero happened while workers were still clearing away the debris of the fallen twin towers and recovering bodies from the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack.

2 Britons held in Afghanistan
Kabul, December 25
Two British nationals have been arrested in Afghanistan for posing a threat to national security, Afghan officials said today.

Haneef hopes for relief from Australia
Melbourne, December 25
Dr Mohommad Haneef, who was exonerated of terror charges in connection with the failed UK car bombings, has expressed hope that Australian government would compensate him for the damages caused to him as he was “wrongly” implicated in the case.

Malhi: Need for reforms in Canada’s visa regime
Toronto, December 25
Canada should put in place a new visa regime as the current one is “discriminatory”, especially against the Indians, said MP Gurbax Singh Malhi.

Prachanda wants Prabhakaran to stop attacks
Colombo, December 25
In an interesting turn of events, the once-feared Nepalese guerrilla leader Prachanda has reportedly said Tamil Tiger supremo Vellupillai Prabhakaran should stop terrorist attacks on civilians and politicians.

Sobhraj slams Nepal judiciary
Kathmandu, December 25
Notorious international criminal Charles Sobhraj, currently serving life imprisonment here for the murder of an American woman over three decades ago, has alleged that Nepal’s Supreme Court was delaying a verdict on his appeal due to fear of media criticism.

Jazz pianist Oscar Peterson dies at 82
Toronto, December 25
Oscar Peterson, whose speedy fingers propulsive swing and melodic inventiveness made him one of the world’s best-known and influential jazz pianists, has died at 82.

Vacation makes you ill
Washington, December 25
Spending a lazy holiday on the beach, listening to music, gorging on your favourite food or whizzing off for winter sports to break free from a workaholic schedule can make you fall sick,experts warn.

2007 — a tumultuous year in Indo-Australian ties
Melbourne, December 25
The year 2007 could be viewed as the most tumultuous in the Indo-Australian ties, which reached a new high when the Howard government expressed a desire to sell uranium to New Delhi.

Plan to summon worshippers from mosque
London, December 25
A major row has erupted in Britain over a plan by Muslims of East Oxford to summon believers for prayers over a loudspeaker from a mosque, with local residents terming the practice an attempt to turn the area into a "Muslim ghetto".

No more artifacts for Paris museum: Bangladesh
Dhaka, December 25
Amidst public outcry and debates over the theft of two valuable terracotta statues of Hindu God Vishnu, the Bangladesh government today decided not to dispatch the artifacts to Paris’ Guimet Museum.

B’desh seeks Interpol help to trace stolen Vishnu idols
Dhaka, December 25
Bangladesh today sought Interpol help to trace two statues of Lord Vishnu stolen from the airport here.

We knew of Turkish mission over Iraq: US
Baghdad, December 25
The US military in Iraq said the Turkish government had informed it of plans to fly reconnaissance missions over northern Iraq on Tuesday.

Video
Floods in Sri Lanka displaced 1,75,000 people.
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Suicide attacks kill 33 in Iraq

Baiji, December 25
Two suicide bombings targeting US-backed neighborhood patrols today killed 33 people, highlighting the volatile situation north of Baghdad.

The US military says Al-Qaida gunmen are regrouping there. 

In the city of Baiji, Salahuddin province, a suicide bomber driving a vehicle rigged with explosives blew up at a checkpoint near a residential complex.

Iraqi army Major Shamil Mohammed and a senior provincial police official said 23 people were killed and 77 others wounded. The US military and interior ministry in Baghdad earlier put the death toll at 20.

In the province of Diyala north of Baghdad, a suicide bomber wearing a vest packed with explosives struck a funeral in the city of Baquba, killing 10 people and wounding five, the US military said.

The police said the blast wounded 21 people and said all casualties were members of the neighborhood patrols.

It said the funeral was for a father and a son who had worked as armed volunteers with the US military. They had been killed hours earlier in a shootout with US forces.

The US military said its troops had killed two “armed individuals”, one a patrol member, but was not certain whether that incident was linked to the funeral.

Neighborhood patrols, which are mainly Sunni and include many former insurgents, have been credited by the US military with helping to reduce violence in Iraq. But they have increasingly come under attack by Al-Qaida militants.

A Reuters photographer in Baiji said the bomber hit a checkpoint on a road leading to a residential compound housing employees of the Northern Oil Company.

There were conflicting accounts whether the bomber was driving a car or a truck. — Reuters

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13 killed in Nepal bridge collapse
Bishnu Budhathoki writes from Kathmandu

At least 13 persons were killed and scores missing after an overloaded suspension bridge over the Bheri river in Surkhet district in mid-western Nepal collapsed on Tuesday.

Around 300 persons were crossing the ill-fated bridge connecting Daha-chaur and Medhapura village development committees in Surkhet when it collapsed at around 1.30 pm, J. Panday, a local correspondent of The Kathmandu Post, quoted the police officials as saying.

“Seven bodies, two women and five men, who were killed in the incident, have been recovered so far,” Bheri zonal police said. At least 15 persons, most of them women and girls, have been airlifted to the Bheri regional hospital.

Security officials deployed in aerial inspection and search operation said many persons could be seen flowing in the river. Deputy inspector-general at the regional Armed Police Force Office Krishna Bahadur Bista reported that most of them included women and girls.

The people were on their way to observe a big religious fair at Subha-ghat area in Surkhet. Around 100 persons reportedly managed to swim to safety.

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Egypt Building Collapse
Death toll rises to 11

Cairo, December 25
The death toll from the collapse of a 12-storey residential building in Egypt’s Mediterranean city of Alexandria rose to 11 today after authorities dug six more bodies out of the ruins, security sources said.

Army rescue team has joined efforts to search for survivors in the rubble, which is thought to have buried 25-30 persons.

Rescue workers have extracted at least two survivors from the rubble since the collapse, security sources said. The state news agency MENA gave the figure as three.

The building disintegrated on Monday as construction workers carried out repairs on the first floor. It was constructed as a seven-storey building in 1982 without a permit, authorities said. The owner obtained a permit later but then illegally added five more storeys.

A source on a panel of experts formed by the government to investigate the collapse said yesterday preliminary findings suggested the causes were shoddy building materials and insufficient use of steel reinforcement bars.

Prosecutors have issued warrants for the arrest of the woman who owned the building, the contractor and the architect responsible for the renovation work that was being carried out immediately before the collapse.

The state news agency MENA gave the owner’s name as Hanem Mustafa, and said the police believed she was in Kuwait.

Building collapses are common in Egypt because of lax building standards and poor maintenance. — Reuters

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Oppn should give proof of poll rigging: Pak

Islamabad, December 25
Pakistan’s caretaker government today dismissed allegations by opposition leaders about the rigging of the January 8 general election, saying they should provide evidence to back up their claims.

Information minister Nisar Memon said the interim government believes that the political parties and candidates should work together to create an atmosphere conducive to the holding of free, fair and transparent polls.

Dismissing apprehensions of “pre-poll rigging” expressed by some political leaders, Memon said in a statement that the “unfortunate culture of questioning the electoral process has become a custom in our country”.

Former premiers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif have alleged that the government would indulge in “massive rigging” to benefit the PML-Q party which backs President Pervez Musharraf.

Bhutto has also demanded the suspension of local governments and mayors and the reconstitution of the Election Commission and the caretaker government.

But Memon said: “It will be appreciated if evidence is provided to the government about the authority or the officials allegedly involved in subverting the caretaker government’s commitment to hold free, fair and transparent elections. Mere levelling of accusations would serve no purpose.”

The government, he said, would welcome suggestions from political parties and proof of “anything that is contrary to the code of conduct issued by the Election Commission”.

Memon noted that even “political leaders who have been in the government in the past have been questioning the fairness of the elections.” — PTI

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253 lawyers contesting poll

Islamabad, December 25
Notwithstanding a call by the legal fraternity to boycott the January 8 general election, Pakistan's 253 lawyers are in the fray for the poll to the national and provincial assemblies.

While a majority of the black coats are contesting as independents,112 lawyers are fighting on ticket issued by various political parties.

Of these,79 lawyers are contesting for the National Assembly (lower house of Parliament) seats and 174 for provincial assemblies.

The same number of members from the medical fraternity -- 253 -- are fighting it out for 98 National Assembly and 155 provincial assembly seats.

Seventyfive retired military officers are also taking part in the general election.Of these, 28 are contesting for the National Assembly while 47 for the provincial assemblies.

According to the final list of candidates issued by the Election Commission, around 139 doctors are contesting poll on ticket of various political parties, while 114 are contesting as independent candidates.

The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) led by former Premier Benazir Bhutto has awarded ticket to 63 doctors, including 26 for the National Assembly and 37 for the provincial assembly seats.

The ruling PML-Q has fielded five doctors for the National Assembly and 15 for provincial assembly seats. — PTI

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Russia boosts air power, inducts sophisticated jets

Moscow, December 25
The Russian Air Force got a shot in their arm with induction of four ultra sophisticated and upgraded Su-24M2 Fencer tactical bombers.

The fighter jets were inducted to an Air Force regiment based in Russia’s Far East, the company said in a statement today.

The aircraft have been modernised at a Novosibirsk-based aircraft manufacturing plant, a subsidiary of the Sukhoi Aircraft Holding. Another six Su-24s are currently being modernised at the same plant.

“Four Su-24M2 frontline bombers have flown from the Novosibirsk-based Chkalov aircraft-manufacturing association to an airbase in Russia’s Far East, where they would be deployed as part of an air regiment,” the Sukhoi statement said.

Another two modernised aircraft were deployed earlier in December with the Lipetsk pilot combat training center in central Russia.

The Su-24 is a two-seat fourth generation twin-engine tactical bomber and is similar to NATO’s Tornado and Mirage 2000 planes.

The fighter jet has been in service with the Russian Air Force since the mid-1970s.

Russia boosted by revenue from robust oil sales is pushing for fleet modernisation of its air planes and is on the path of phasing out its fourth generation jets. The safety records of these fighter jets have become a cause of concern for Russians.

The Sukhoi has upgraded the existing Su-24M and the new version is now called Su-24M2, equipping it with improved cockpit, SVP-24 computer and latest software, which improves navigational accuracy and non-guided weapon delivery precision.

According to the defence ministry, the Su-24 will be gradually replaced with new Su-34 Fullback strike aircraft, which has the potential to become the top plane in its class for years to come.

Russia and India have already inked an agreement in October for the production of fifth generation advanced multi-role fighter which is being developed by Sukhoi, which is part of Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), and India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited under an intergovernmental agreement. — UNI

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Russian ballistic missile test-fired

Moscow, December 25
Russia today successfully test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile from the Tula nuclear submarine of the Russian Northern Fleet in the Barents Sea in the Arctic.

“The launch has been conducted from an underwater position,” Russian navy’s spokesman Capt (3rd rank) Igor Dygalo said.

“A simulated warhead hit the target at the Kura testing ground at the designated time,” RIA Novosti quoted him, as saying.

The K-114 Tula (Delta IV-class) nuclear submarine of the northern fleet fired a new-generation Sineva intercontinental ballistic missile from a submerged position, targeting a test site on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia’s far east.

Russia’s strategic missiles forces recently said the country would conduct at least 11 test launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles next year. — UNI

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India-China maiden drill ends

Kunming, December 25
Enacting a real combat scene, Indian and Chinese troops today carried out a mock anti-terrorism drill in a hilly terrain in Yunnan province.

This marked the climax of the first-ever joint military exercise between the world’s two largest armies that took their ties to a new high.

In the simulated 80-minute anti-terror war game, combat forces launched a joint attack using battle tanks, artillery and helicopters on 50 armed terrorists who infiltrate the Sino-Indian border area covertly, set up a training camp and attempt to launch strikes on the trade passes along the border and take hostages before they are neutralised by the troops.

Lt Gen Susheel Gupta, Deputy Chief of Staff, who heads the military Observer Group from India, his counterpart in China’s People’s Liberation Army Lt Gen Ma Xiao Tian and other senior army officials were in attendance during the operation.

At the post-operation press briefing, Ma, answering a question on the impact of the joint military exercise in respect of the festering boundary row between the two nations, said, “it is true that there are some pending questions between China and India. We have different stands and approach to questions and also we have our own interests”.

He said it had been the Chinese government’s “continuous” stand that disputes and differences should be resolved through consultations and negotiations.

“We need to understand each other and communicate with each other. Through this kind of mutual communication and understanding, we can know more about the other side and understand each other”. — PTI

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Pope makes Christmas appeal for world peace

Vatican City, December 25
Pope Benedict today said he hoped Christmas would bring consolation to those living in poverty, injustice and war and appealed for just solutions to conflicts in Iraq, the Holy Land, Afghanistan and Africa.

In his Urbi et Orbi (to the city and the world) Christmas Day message, the Pope also urged people in modern societies to accept the light of Christ and warned that many human tragedies were caused by environmental upheavals.

“May this Christmas truly be for all people a day of joy, hope and peace,” he said in his address from the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica to tens of thousands of people below.

The address was broadcast live to some 57 countries.

“May the light of Christ, which comes to enlighten every human being, shine forth and bring consolation to those who live in the darkness of poverty, injustice and war,” he said.

Christmas should bring hope to those “still denied their legitimate aspirations for a more secure existence, for health, education, stable employment, for fuller participation in civil and political responsibilities, free from oppression and protected from conditions that offend against human dignity”.

The Pope, marking the third Christmas season of his reign, said he was close to society’s most vulnerable members, who were often the main victims of conflict and terrorism -- women, children, the elderly, migrants, refugees and evacuees.

He warned that “ethnic, religious and political tensions, instability, rivalry, disagreements, and all forms of injustice and discrimination are destroying the internal fabric of many countries and embittering international relations”.

On a day that signifies peace, he said he was close to those living in places where “the grim sound of arms continues to reverberate”.

He spoke of Darfur, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Lebanon, the Holy Land, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Balkans and “many other crisis situations that unfortunately are frequently forgotten”.

The Pope made another appeal for environmental protection, saying that the number of migrants, refugees and evacuees “is also increasing because of frequent natural disasters, often caused by alarming environmental upheavals”.

Earlier today the Pope led the world’s 1.1 billion Roman Catholics into Christmas with a midnight mass in St Peter’s Basilica, where he urged people to find time and space for God, the needy and the suffering.

In that midnight sermon, he said the fact that Jesus was born in a manger because there was no room for Mary and Joseph at the inn in Bethlehem, had modern parallels.

“In some way, mankind is awaiting God, waiting for him to draw near. But when the moment comes, there is no room for him,” he said.

“Man is so preoccupied with himself, he has such urgent need of all the pace and all the time for his own things, that nothing remains for others -- for his neighbour, for the poor, for God. And the richer men become, the more they fill up all the space by themselves.

And the less room there is for others.” In the run-up to Christmas, the Pope several times urged Catholics to rediscover its religious significance, lamenting that the holiday had been dominated by materialism. — Reuters

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Xmas celebrations replace gloom

Bethlehem/Jerusalem, December 25
Cheerful celebrations replaced the years-long gloom as thousands of Christian pilgrims thronged the Holy city of Bethlehem, Jesus’ birthplace, to participate in the midnight mass.

The Manger Square near the church of nativity was abuzz with activity as tourists jostled for space and vendors tried to sell inflatable Santas, peanuts, items of traditional craftsmanship and ‘strong Arabic coffee’.

The streets, which remained forlorn for the past seven years because of the deadlock over Jerusalem, showed signs of revival with Palestinian scouts adorning colourful outfits marching through them, and vendors scattered all around.

Children in Santa Claus outfit could be seen strolling all over the place shaking hands with tourists and wishing them ‘Merry Christmas’.

“In the past two days, I have managed to earn what I sometimes earn in a month. The hotels look very lively with tourists deciding to stay in Bethlehem this time instead of coming from Jerusalem only for the mass”, Hisham Abdelrahim, a taxi driver, said.

Jae Young, a youngster from South Korea, said “I feel very happy participating in the celebrations this year. My earlier visits to Bethlehem for the midnight mass were depressing, as I didn’t see any cheerfulness on the faces of the locals. It is certainly different this time”. — PTI

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9/11 victims hold last midnight Mass

New York, December 25
The first midnight Mass at ground zero happened while workers were still clearing away the debris of the fallen twin towers and recovering bodies from the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack.

The last Mass was held on Monday night, giving police, firefighters, ground zero workers and September 11 families a final chance to pray on Christmas Eve at the site, where intensifying construction is taking up more and more open space.

“It was poignant, it was moving, it was uplifting,” the Rev Brian Jordan said after the service ended early today.

A chaplain for the New York State Building and Construction Trades Council, he spent 10 months at ground zero after the attacks and has since officiated at every midnight Mass at the World Trade Center site.

“A lot of us felt sad this was the last official midnight Mass on-site, but at the same time, there was a sense of relief. This brought closure for us,” Jordan said.

About 75 persons attended the Mass, Jordan said. A sanitation worker, who was involved in the ground zero cleanup and has sung at each year’s service rendered “God Bless America” and the Christmas hymn “O Holy Night”.

Jordan carried a chalice dedicated to the memory of the Rev Mychal Judge, a police chaplain killed while performing last rites on victims’ bodies outside the trade center.

More than 150 persons attended the first Mass in 2001, while thousands of workers were still removing the towers’ debris and searching for bodies. “One hour before, we found the body of a fireman,” Jordan said. — AP

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2 Britons held in Afghanistan

Kabul, December 25
Two British nationals have been arrested in Afghanistan for posing a threat to national security, Afghan officials said today.

One of the officials said the pair were suspected of helping Taliban militants with weapons and money, but this was not confirmed separately.

“They are British and were arrested five days ago,” a government official who asked not to be identified told AFP, after President Hamid Karzai’s spokesman said two foreigners had been detained.

Another official confirmed they were British nationals. The British embassy said it was aware of the report and was following up with Afghan authorities.

Britain is one of the main countries helping war-torn Afghanistan get back on its feet after the ouster of the Taliban, who were toppled from government in a US-led invasion after the September 11 attacks on the US. — AFP

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Haneef hopes for relief from Australia

Melbourne, December 25
Dr Mohommad Haneef, who was exonerated of terror charges in connection with the failed UK car bombings, has expressed hope that Australian government would compensate him for the damages caused to him as he was “wrongly” implicated in the case.

“I would be very grateful if they look into this aspect, some of the damages that authorities have done to me previously. I’m very hopeful of this,” he said replying to a question on whether he would seek compensation from the Australian government.

In a legal victory for Haneef, the Federal Court on Friday upheld a decision to reinstate the work visa of the Indian doctor.

New Labor Immigration Minister Chris Evans has said Haneef was entitled to return to work after the court verdict.

Haneef said the Federal Court’s decision had proved that his detention was wrong.

“The things that have come up later... that they had kept me in custody for no reason, that’s wrong,” he was quoted as saying by The Age newspaper. “Then they charged me, there is no basis for that.”

Yesterday, Haneef said he needed reassurance from authorities that he and his family would be safe in Australia before he can consider returning to the country. — PTI

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Malhi: Need for reforms in Canada’s visa regime

Toronto, December 25
Canada should put in place a new visa regime as the current one is “discriminatory”, especially against the Indians, said MP Gurbax Singh Malhi.

“This government has repeatedly ignored my calls for reforms in the visa system,” said Malhi.

Punjab-born Malhi, who represents the Bramalea Gore-Malton for the Liberal Party, said his comments were in the wake of alleged remarks by a Canadian official in New Delhi that Toronto should not make efforts to recruit students and professionals from Punjab.

“The remarks are evidence of a deeply- flawed visa system,” he said.

“Minister of citizenship and immigration Diane Finley must immediately condemn these comments and act to ensure that the visa system works fairly and without prejudice regardless of the applicants’ race, religion, or place of origin,” he said.

According to British Columbia attorney-general Wally Oppal, visa officer Brian Hudson said, “I did not understand why the heck we were recruiting in Punjab.”

Oppal’s claim was made following a recent trip to India by a group of BC College and university leaders.

The delegation was visiting the country in an effort to attract Indian students and professionals to Canada. The Federal Immigration minister had ordered a review in the matter.

“For over a hundred years Punjabis have thrived in every facet of Canadian society,” Malhi said and added, “This type of comment shows a complete lack of respect for the people of Punjabi origin in Canada and around the world.”

“Minister Finley needs to stop avoiding this issue and immediately address the deeply-rooted problems and discriminatory attitudes present in the visa system,” Malhi added. — PTI

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Prachanda wants Prabhakaran to stop attacks

Colombo, December 25
In an interesting turn of events, the once-feared Nepalese guerrilla leader Prachanda has reportedly said Tamil Tiger supremo Vellupillai Prabhakaran should stop terrorist attacks on civilians and politicians.

"LTTE leader Prabhakaran must stop his suicide bomb attacks on politicians and civil society," said Prachanda, whose Maoist party returned to political mainstream in Nepal after signing a landmark peace deal last year.

The Maoist chairman's comments came during a meeting with Sri Lankan healthcare minister Nimal Siripala de Silva in Nepal, the Island Newspaper reported today.

"All South Asian and Asian countries must help out Sri Lanka wipe out the LTTE terrorism," it quoted Prachanda as saying.

The decade-long Maoist insurgency left at least 13,000 people dead in Nepal. During his Nepal trip, De Silva also held discussions with Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and other senior leaders and officials. — PTI

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Sobhraj slams Nepal judiciary

Kathmandu, December 25
Notorious international criminal Charles Sobhraj, currently serving life imprisonment here for the murder of an American woman over three decades ago, has alleged that Nepal’s Supreme Court was delaying a verdict on his appeal due to fear of media criticism.

63-year-old Sobhraj, also known as ‘Bikini Killer’, said that he was shocked over the recent decision of the Supreme Court to reopen a fake passport case against him, which was earlier dismissed by the lower courts.

French national Sobhraj, who is half-Indian and half-Vietnamese, had filed an appeal before the apex court against Kathmandu District Court’s verdict awarding him life sentence for murdering American backpacker Connie Bronzich here in 1975.

Besides Bronzich, police had accused him of murdering her Canadian companion Laurent Armand Carriere, but he was convicted by the lower court of killing Bronzich only.

A two-judge Supreme Court bench last week delayed a verdict on his appeal against the life sentence, but ordered reopening of the fake passport case which, it said, would be heard along with the murder case.

In an e-mail statement to various media organisations from the Central Jail of Kathmandu where he is lodged, Sobhraj, who is often described as “Serpent” for his skills at deception and evasion, claimed that he was innocent and had become a victim of injustice in the Himalayan nation.

He alleged that Nepal’s judiciary was scared of a section of media due to which it was delaying a verdict in his case.

The international fugitive claimed that fearing media criticism, the judges hesitated to apply Nepal’s laws and international practices in his case. — PTI

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Jazz pianist Oscar Peterson dies at 82

Toronto, December 25
Oscar Peterson, whose speedy fingers propulsive swing and melodic inventiveness made him one of the world’s best-known and influential jazz pianists, has died at 82.

Peterson died at his home in Mississauga on Sunday, said Oliver Jones, a family friend and jazz musician. He said Peterson’s wife and daughter were with him during his final moments.

The cause of death was kidney failure, said Mississauga’s mayor Hazel McCallion.

“He’s been going downhill in the past few months,” McCallion said, calling Peterson a “very close friend.” During an illustrious career spanning seven decades, Peterson played with some of the biggest names in jazz, including Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.

He is also remembered for the trio he led with Ray Brown on bass and Herb Ellis on guitar in the 1950s.

Peterson’s impressive collection of awards include all of the Canada’s highest honours, such as the Order of Canada, as well as seven Grammies and a Grammy for lifetime achievement in 1997.

“I’ve always thought of him as Canada’s national treasure. All of Canada mourns for him and his family,” said Jones.

“He had being considered the top jazz pianist in the world for 60 years. A jazz player is an instant composer,” Peterson once said in a CBC interview, while conceding jazz did not have the mass appeal of other musical genres.

“You have to think about it, it’s an intellectual form,” he said.

Peterson’s stature was reflected in the admiration of his peers. Duke Ellington referred to him as the “Maharajah of the keyboard,” while Count Basie once said, “Oscar Peterson plays the best ivory box I’ve ever heard.” — AP

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Vacation makes you ill

Washington, December 25
Spending a lazy holiday on the beach, listening to music, gorging on your favourite food or whizzing off for winter sports to break free from a workaholic schedule can make you fall sick,experts warn.

According to a study, illness goes up when the stress of work goes down.The condition termed as ''leisure sickness'' leads to aches and pains, cold and flu-like symptoms and other health problems just when people tend to take a break from their busy schedule to enjoy a little relaxation.

The underlying cause of the problem has a lot to do with stress, the Wahington Post quoted Ad Vingerhoets of Tilburg University as saying.

A survey of 1,893 people revealed that about 3 per cent of respondents indicated that they seldom fell ill during work days but during weekends and vacations.

Many attributed their symptoms to difficulties transitioning from work to non-work, to stress associated with travel and to balancing a heavy workload.

Respondents who identified themselves as workaholics or perfectionists tended to have a much harder time relaxing than others.

Esther Sternberg of the National Institutes of Health termed leisure sickness as a real condition, tied to the release of hormones under stress and their interaction with the nervous and immune systems.

In times of stress, the body's adrenal glands release adrenaline, which makes the heart beat faster and causes you to feel sweaty and anxious.

Adrenaline gives a boost to the immune system, the body's defense against infection but while adrenaline is pumping, so is cortisol -- a potent anti-inflammatory hormone also released by the adrenal glands, he explained.

Paul J Rosch, president of the American Institute of Stress in Yonkers, however, rubbished the claim saying, ''The condition is psychosomatic and not a bona fide diagnosis.'' — UNI

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2007 — a tumultuous year in Indo-Australian ties
Natasha Chaku

Melbourne, December 25
The year 2007 could be viewed as the most tumultuous in the Indo-Australian ties, which reached a new high when the Howard government expressed a desire to sell uranium to New Delhi.

But, the handling of the case of Indian doctor Mohd Haneef, wrongly accused of involvement in failed UK car bombings, caused huge embarrassment to Canberra.

In August, the then Prime Minister John Howard's conditional offer to sell uranium to India elevated the bilateral relationship to a new level.

For the Australian government, it meant a drastic shift in its policy as it has long opposed selling uranium to countries like India, which have not signed the global nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

However, Howard made it clear that uranium exports were conditional on a satisfactory conclusion of a civilian nuclear deal between India and the US.

But, the new Prime Minister and Labour Party leader Kevin Rudd has pledged to review the Australian government's decision to export uranium.

Rudd's Labour Party has a strong and vocal disarmament lobby, which is worried that the export deal could spark a regional nuclear arms race.

"Materially and symbolically, the deal is crucial to the relationship," Rory Medcalf, a former Australian diplomat was quoted as saying by the media.

"The Indian government would find it very difficult to understand if a new government reverted to the old policy." But the relationship has always been based on "Kangaroo hops" — improvements for a short time, which aren't sustained, he said.

The controversial case of Haneef, Brisbane-based Indian doctor who was arrested and released over the failed UK bomb plot, was dubbed as the most embarrassing for the Australian government as well as its federal police. — PTI

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Plan to summon worshippers from mosque

London, December 25
A major row has erupted in Britain over a plan by Muslims of East Oxford to summon believers for prayers over a loudspeaker from a mosque, with local residents terming the practice an attempt to turn the area into a "Muslim ghetto".

Local residents, who met at a council meeting over the issue, attacked the plan for a two-minute- long call to prayer to be issued three times a day, saying that it could drown out the traditional sound of church bells.

But, a spokesman for the Central Mosque said that Muslims also have the right to summon worshippers.

"The proposal to issue a prayer call is very un-neighbourly, especially in a crowded urban space such as Oxford," Dr Mark Huckster, who lives in Stanton Road and works at East Oxford, told the Oxford Mail.

Dr Huckster argued that if an evangelical Christian preacher proposed issuing sermons three times a day at full volume,then there would be an outcry.

"There could be a sense of ghettoisation of East Oxford. Cowley Road would have a Muslim flavour and could become a Muslim ghetto which is contrary to what we want in a multicultural society," he observed.

Allan Chapman, who lives in East Oxford, said, "I do not want preaching at. It is not the tradition of this country or the tradition I subscribe to." David Hutcheson, of East Avenue, said: "I'm very happy for people to practice their own religion but very unhappy about the thought of having a loudspeaker broadcasting any messages into my private space."

Sardar Rana, a spokesman for the Central Mosque, said "the call is going on in so many places in the UK, and we must get the same right as everybody else."

"When they ring the bells in church, we respect it but that is also a call to prayer," he was quoted as saying by Britain's Daily Mail. — PTI

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No more artifacts for Paris museum: Bangladesh

Dhaka, December 25
Amidst public outcry and debates over the theft of two valuable terracotta statues of Hindu God Vishnu, the Bangladesh government today decided not to dispatch the artifacts to Paris’ Guimet Museum.

An official statement said due to an unfortunate incident of theft of two artifacts from the Zia International Airport on Saturday and because of the complexity and public outcry over the matter, it has been decided that the remaining artifacts would not be dispatched.

A special meeting, chaired by caretaker government chief adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed, took the decision after thoroughly reviewing the situation involving the dispatch of the artifacts to France.

The meeting decided that the Guimet Museum would be informed regretfully that it would not be possible to “go ahead with holding the exhibition of the items as planned”.

In response to an invitation from Guimet Museum, the Bangladesh government had accepted the offer to showcase its rich cultural heritage in Paris, keeping in line with the usual practice of countries doing such displays.

Earlier, 42 artifacts in 10 boxes were sent to Paris for the exhibition. The second consignment of 147 artifacts was being sent after the Supreme Court cleared the legal roadblocks.

On Saturday, last 13 crates containing 147 artifacts were handed over to the Air France authorities after completing customs formalities.

The police said soon after the crates were loaded in the aircraft, it was found that one crate containing two statues of Hindu God Vishnu was missing. Later, the missing crate was found empty in a ditch near the runway of the airport.

The government formed a five-member inquiry committee to investigate into the matter and submit its findings by tomorrow.

The French Embassy here said they feel that the disappearance of the crate containing two small statues was “highly suspicious and could also be the result of a conspiracy” by a very small nexus of people to embarrass the two countries.

The Embassy in a release said the crate containing two small statues, belonging to the National Museum, was stolen from the service area of Zia International Airport, hours before being loaded on a flight.

Loose procedures geared towards garment exports have led to such valuable crates being left unattended on the tarmac of the airport in an area where neither the lending nor the borrowing institutions have any control, the statement added. — UNI

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B’desh seeks Interpol help to trace stolen Vishnu idols

Dhaka, December 25
Bangladesh today sought Interpol help to trace two statues of Lord Vishnu stolen from the airport here.

The statues were to be dispatched to France for an exhibition. The police continued searches for recovering the 1,500-year-old relics.

Officials said the National Central Bureau (NCB) of the police had sent a message to Interpol informing it of the heist and seeking its help in finding the Gupta era statues and hunting down those responsible for the theft. — PTI

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We knew of Turkish mission over Iraq: US

Baghdad, December 25
The US military in Iraq said the Turkish government had informed it of plans to fly reconnaissance missions over northern Iraq on Tuesday.

It added that it had no information about whether they had dropped bombs.

The US military spokesman in Iraq, Rear Admiral Greg Smith, said two Turkish F4 Phantom jets had crossed the border into Iraqi airspace.

“We were informed of the intent to fly reconnaissance aircraft. We have no independent report of them dropping any ordnance,” he told Reuters. — Reuters

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