W O R L D

Election by yearend, says Bangla govt
Dhaka, January 12
The interim government in emergency-ruled Bangladesh today pledged to hold general elections by the end of this year and hoped it would be able to prepare a “well-designed path towards transformation to democracy” along with political parties and the poll panel.

UK eateries to serve cloned food
London, January 12
Britons could now be served cloned animal’s meat and milk in restaurants as the EU gave green signal for the sale of cloned food in UK.

‘Mush not welcome at Bhutto’s grave’
The Pakistan People’s Party has spurned overtures from the Presidency indicating President Pervez Musharraf’s desire to visit Naudero to condole the death of Benazir Bhutto with her spouse Asif Zardari.

Paralysed Sikh refugee can travel home: Doctor
Toronto, January 12
A paralysed Sikh, who had entered Canada allegedly on a false passport and is now resisting deportation by taking sanctuary in a Gurdwara, is well enough to make the trip home, his family doctor said.

Election by yearend, says Bangla govt

Dhaka, January 12
The interim government in emergency-ruled Bangladesh today pledged to hold general elections by the end of this year and hoped it would be able to prepare a “well-designed path towards transformation to democracy” along with political parties and the poll panel.

The government has decided to hold talks with political parties on “reform measures”, chief adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed said in a televised speech as his administration completed a year in power after its installation with military support.

“The government will soon take next step to hold dialogue with the political parties on reform measures in line with the cabinet decision taken two days ago,” he said.

He further added, “We will hope, the government, the election commission and the political parties will prepare a well designed path towards transformation to democracy through discussions.” Ahmed also said his administration would lift the state of emergency in phases according to necessity and situation.

His comments came as major parties today called for the early restoration of democracy with the Awami League (AL) of detained former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina demanding that general elections be held by July.

Her archrival and detained ex-premier Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) said the government should hand over power to a civilian elected government as soon as possible.

“The government is quickly losing popularity so it should lift the emergency and start dialogue with the major parties to initiate the process to hand over power to an elected government through a credible election,” acting AL president Zillur Rahman said. — PTI

UK eateries to serve cloned food

London, January 12
Britons could now be served cloned animal’s meat and milk in restaurants as the EU gave green signal for the sale of cloned food in UK.

The EU scientists admit cloned animals suffer higher rates of early death and disease but say there is no food safety reason to keep their products off from shop shelves.

The support of European Food Safety Authority would open the door to clone farming in the UK and the importance of products made from cloned meat and milk in the US, where the technique is already in use.

The draft opinion of the authority will horrify critics, who see the development of such animals as “Frankenstein Farming”, tampering with nature in a similar way to GM foods, the Daily Mail reported.

It has been said the report was at odds with the clear desire of consumers for more natural food.

Cloning opponents say that allowing this type of farming will accelerate the trend towards super-size cows, producing vast quantities of milk, and monster pigs.

The EU began an inquiry into the issue in February last year after it was revealed that the offspring of a cloned cow from the US had been born on a farm.

The arrival of the calf, unknown to both the government’s food and farming department, and the Food Standards Agency, highlighted serious gaps in the policing of clone farming.

The UK government has indicated in the past that it has no objections to clone farming and rejected advice from one of its own expert committees to set up a regime to regulate it. — UNI

‘Mush not welcome at Bhutto’s grave’
Afzal Khan writes from Islamabad

The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has spurned overtures from the Presidency indicating President Pervez Musharraf’s desire to visit Naudero to condole the death of Benazir Bhutto with her spouse Asif Zardari.

“Musharraf would not be welcome here; he should not come,” PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar said when contacted by phone in Naudero. He said Zardari was not looking forward to this visit.

Persistent media reports said Musharraf wants to visit Naudero to personally express his condolences and lay a floral wreath at Bhutto’s grave. He talked to Zardari on telephone a couple of days after Bhutto’s assassination and conveyed his grief.

Babar said the PPP workers were very angry and would not allow Musharraf to visit Naudero. “He is not coming, and nobody has contacted Zardari about such visit to Naudero.” News reports, which have not been denied, said the President would condole Bhutto’s death with Zardari in Naudero shortly and lay a floral wreath at her grave in the Bhutto mausoleum.

According to media reports, a key presidential aide, who was engaged in talks with the PPP during Bhutto’s life, had recently hinted at Musharraf’s desire to visit Naudero where Zardari has confined himself for 40 days to receive people coming from across the country to share his grief.

President Musharraf’s spokesman Maj-Gen Rashid, when contacted, said he personally has no knowledge of any plans for presidential visit to Naudero. “Not to my knowledge,” Rashid said on a question whether any aide had contacted Zardari for this purpose.

Paralysed Sikh refugee can travel home: Doctor

Toronto, January 12
A paralysed Sikh, who had entered Canada allegedly on a false passport and is now resisting deportation by taking sanctuary in a Gurdwara, is well enough to make the trip home, his family doctor said.

Protests by supporters of 48-year-old Laibar Singh, who is seeking refugee status on compassionate grounds, had thrice prevented Canadian officials from deporting him, including on Wednesday, when dozens showed up at the Guru Nanak temple in Surrey, where volunteers were caring for him.

“At this time, anyone in his condition with the proper medical treatment can travel,” said Dr Gulzar Cheema, a former provincial Liberal cabinet minister now working as a family physician in Surrey.

“Singh needs better care than what volunteers can provide in a temple,” he said, although he saluted them for the “great job” they were doing. “He has to be in a place where primary care can be provided 24 hours, seven days a week...ultimately, there has to be a place, where his care will be fully provided,” the medic said.

Dr Cheema disputed suggestions by supporters of Singh that he was left a quadriplegic due to an aneurysm and said he appeared to be suffering from effects of a spinal infection. — PTI