Washington, April 7
The LTTE has quietly established presence in the USA as part of its global expansion plan to raise funds and procure anti-aircraft weapons and other military equipment on a massive scale.

The group’s political wing has established “branches” in at least 12 countries, including the USA, as part of a global expansion to purchase millions of dollars worth of anti-aircraft weapons, automatic rifles, grenade launchers, ammunition and other military equipment, the Washington Times reported today quoting officials. The expansion includes operations in Maryland, New York and New Jersey.

The LTTE has been battling the Sri lankan military since 1983 to press for a separate homeland for ethnic Tamils in Sinhalese-majority Sri Lanka. Colombo had in January scrapped a tattered ceasefire with the rebels.

Yesterday, a suspected Tamil Tiger suicide bomber hit a marathon event in Sri Lanka, killing 13 persons, including a powerful minister, and wounding 100 others.

A criminal complaint filed in federal court in New York in April last year said the LTTE relied on “sympathetic Tamil expatriates” in the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia, France and other countries to raise and launder money, smuggle arms, explosives, equipment and technology to Sri Lanka, obtain intelligence about the Sri Lankan government, and spread propaganda.

The LTTE grabbed the attention of the USA authorities in August 2006, when eight persons were charged in the New York case with conspiracy to provide resources and material support, the paper said. — PTI

Washington, April 7
To attract and retain highly skilled workers from other countries, including India, the US has extended the period of Optional Practical Training (OPT) from 12 to 29 months for qualified non-immigrant students.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released an interim final rule giving the extension that will be available to students under F-1 visa who have a degree in science, technology, engineering or mathematics and are employed by businesses enrolled in the E-Verify programme, the system for determining employment eligibility of new hires.

“This rule will enable businesses to attract and retain highly skilled foreign workers, giving US companies a competitive advantage in the world economy,” said Homeland Security secretary Michael Chertoff.

After completion of course requirements, students are eligible for up to 12 months of training under the Optional Practical Training. But what has prompted the move on the Optional Practical Training is that the applications get filled up so fast that a graduating student is either left in the lurch or forced to return home. — PTI

Kathmandu, April 7
At least eight persons was injured in a bomb attack here at an election rally on the final day of the campaign for the crucial Constituent Assembly polls on April 10.

The bomb exploded this afternoon near the Birendra International Convention Centre at Nayabaneshwor where the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) was holding its final election campaign, the police said.

An unidentified attacker on motorbike hurled a bomb at the crowded street in front of the convention centre, minutes after the RPP concluded its election rally, they said.

Islamabad, April 7
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi today said Pakistan’s new government would like to lift restrictions on disgraced nuclear scientist A Q Khan.

“I do not want to see his (Khan’s) movements restricted as they’ve been in the past,” said Qureshi, a senior leader of the ruling Pakistan People’s Party. “He is a respected Pakistani.”

Khan is a “national hero” and would not be handed over to the IAEA under any circumstances, Qureshi told Dawn news channel.

He said: “I think he (Khan) should be allowed to see friends, to go for a drive (and) to go have a meal at a restaurant. I see no reason why we should deprive him of that.

“On the other hand, we also have to be concerned about his security and his health,” the minister added. Officials of Pakistan’s nuclear establishment have said Khan is kept under detention for his own security.

Niamey, April 7
A woman in Niger, who was kept as a domestic and sexual slave for a decade, launched legal action against the government today for failing to implement laws against slavery, two UK-based rights groups said.

Anti-Slavery International said Hadijatou Mani was sold into slavery for around $500 at the age of 12, forced to carry out unpaid domestic and agricultural work and regularly beaten and sexually abused by her master.

A second London-based rights group, Interights, is helping lawyers in Niger bring Mani’s case before the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) court of justice in Niger’s capital, Niamey.

“Despite the criminalisation of slavery in 2003, the government of Niger is accused of not only failing to protect Hadijatou Mani from the practice of slavery, but also continuing to legitimise this practice through its customary law,” Anti-Slavery International and Interights said in a statement. — Reuters

Singapore, April 7
Two Indian nationals lost their appeal today against a conviction for having submitted forged educational documents in their applications for Employment Pass (EP), said the Manpower Ministry here today.

Ramasamy Alagu Pandian had submitted a forged engineering diploma in his application, and his wife, Alagu Pandian Latha, had a forged Masters degree.

Ramasamy was sentenced to eight weeks’ imprisonment last December for abetting his wife in her EP application using forged educational qualification.

He was also fined 4,000 Singapore dollars for making a false declaration in his own EP application. — UNI

BRIEFLY

UN to record West Bank damage claims
JERUSALEM: The head of a UN body charged with collecting Palestinian claims of damages resulting from Israel’s West Bank barrier has begun his first fact-finding mission, the UN officials said on Monday. A UN official said Goryayev Vladimir, executive director of the UN Register of Damage caused by the construction in the occupied Palestinian territory , would visit areas affected — Reuters

Gandhi Legacy Month kicks off
New York: Mahatma Gandhi's message of non-violence, peace and brotherhood was recalled under the shadow of his statue at Union Square in Manhattan here as the 'Satyagraha Forum' kicked off 'Gandhi Legacy Month'. The speakers stressed that his message was as relevant now as it was in his time. — PTI

Modern mums 'spoiling children'
London: Researchers in Britain have found that competitive modern mothers, juggling the demands of motherhood and career, are producing a generation of demanding and pampered children, The Daily Telegraph reported on Monday. A plethora of choices available is turning parenting into a competition and damaging women's confidence. — PTI