Bangkok, May 11
A cargo boat carrying the first Red Cross aid to survivors of cyclone Nargis sank today, the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) said, dealing a blow to an already stumbling relief effort.

The boat, carrying relief supplies for more than 1,000 persons, was believed to have hit a submerged tree trunk in the Irrawaddy Delta and started taking on water, an IFRC official in Bangkok, Andy McElroy, said.

The accident highlighted the enormous logistical difficulties of delivering aid to the estimated 1.5 million cyclone survivors in need of food, shelter and medicine, with roads washed away and much of the delta turned to a swampland.

The reclusive military government has thrown up other obstacles on top of that, saying it will accept foreign aid but not the for eign logistics teams needed to transport the aid into the inundated delta.

The crew steered the stricken Red Cross boat to an island but it sank rapidly, McElroy said.

All crew members and the four Myanmar Red Cross personnel on the board, two men and two women, scrambled to safety.

“This is a great loss for the Myanmar Red Cross and for the people who need aid urgently”, Aung Kyaw Htut, the Myanmar Red Cross aid distribution team leader, said in a statement.

“This would have been our very first river shipment and it will delay aid for a further day.”

The double-decker river boat was travelling from Yangon to Bogalay, when it sank near Myinka Gone village.

It was carrying rice, drinking water, water purification tablets, jerry cans, stretchers, clothes, family utensil kits, soap, rubber gloves and surgical masks.

The boat sank in the morning near Bogalay, a town extensively damaged by the cyclone. —  Reuters 

Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said various proposals suggested by President Musharraf for the resolution of Kashmir issue were not acceptable to the new government.

“These were “half-baked things that didn’t have the mandate of Parliament”, Gilani said in an interview with Karan Thapar on CNN-IBN’s programme “Devil’s Advocate”.

He said the four-point formula proposed by Musharraf that envisaged self-governance and joint management of Kashmir was "actually the President’s idea. This is not the idea of the newly elected government”. He added that the Kashmir issue had to be resolved “for stable relations”.

He said the process to resolve the Kashmir issue must start from the UN resolutions and the aspirations of the people of Kashmir.

The issue would be discussed when India’s external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee would visit Islamabad on May 21, Gilani said.

“Yes there are a few core issues that we want to resolve. At the same time, we want to maintain excellent and extremely good relations with our neighbours,” the Prime Minister said.

At the same time there should be a rethink about the Kashmir issue, he added.

He said his government enjoyed the support of all political forces in the country and recalled that he received unanimous vote of confidence in the Parliament.

“Therefore, I think that the Kashmir issue needs to be debated, there should be a rethink about it and may be Parliament thinks on the same grounds.”

When asked that such an approach could disappoint India, as it amounted to turning the clock back, Gilani replied: “This is not exactly what you think about it. It is that the people of Pakistan, who have given the mandate to the new government. There is a tremendous feeling that we want to resolve the Kashmir issue. Maybe, the procedures and modalities are different.”

The ruling coalition, led by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Gilani said, would take the other political forces into confidence because it was a broad-based government.

“It’s a coalition of several parties and we have to take everybody on board.”

He made it clear that the way forward would be not to forget Kashmir, but to build trust and confidence to create an environment to resolve the issue.

The Prime Minister said PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari’s contention was that trust and confidence could be built through people-to-people contacts and trade, commercial and cultural ties, as the two countries “share a lot of commonalities”.

He pointed to trade in cement and food items as an area where the two sides could make a beginning. He also noted that they were cooperating in the energy sector through the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project.

When asked whether he agreed with Zardari’s stand that the Kashmir issue should not stop progress in other spheres of bilateral relations, Gilani replied: “To that extent, I agree. To that extent, if it (Kashmir issue) is not forgotten.”

Replying to a question on Sarabjit Singh, who was sentenced to death by superior courts in Pakistan, the Prime Minister said he believed that Sarabjit should be pardoned and added that he had advised President Pervez Musharraf to review his case.

“I have advised the President that he should stop (Sarabjit’s) execution and it should be reviewed by the ministries of interior, foreign affairs, law and justice and human rights.” This was the reason why Sarabjit’s execution was put off recently.

Pakistan People’s Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari has said a clash between political forces and the institutions would destabilise the country.

“A consensus and reconciliation among all political parties is imperative to confront huge problems facing the country,” Zardari said in an interview with a private TV channel from London. Talks between Zardari and Nawaz Sharif continue to be deadlocked.

He said he stands for the restoration of judges but it was linked with constitutional and legal steps. “We cannot undo an illegal act with another illegal measure.” He expressed the confidence that the PML-N would not quit the coalition on judges’ issue.

Meanwhile, US assistant secretary of state Richard Boucher reportedly dashed to London to to mediate between leaders of both major parties, the PPP and the PML-N, and met both Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari according to media reports. Boucher played a crucial role in brokering a deal between slain PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto and President Pervez Musharaf last year.

Zardari dismissed concerns that American mediation amounts to interference and dictation on country's political affairs. He said he favoured greater interaction and improved relations with the US for mutual benefits.

He said some people have viewed the Murree accord in a narrow sense of the restoration of the judiciary.

He said Pakistan's biggest problem remained poverty and illiteracy which was main focus of the new government.

Earlier, Zardari and MQM leader Altaf Hussein discussed at length the prevailing political situation in the country, the judiciary and economic issues, and maintenance of peace and harmony in Karachi during their meeting. Both parties have underscored the importance of unity among all political forces.

Zardari said his party was committed to the charter of democracy, which carried the signature of late Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif. He said even if his party won two-third majority in Parliament, he would endeavour to carry all political parties with him in the greater national interest.

Crawford(Texas), May 11
In a welcome break from two wars, terrorism and soaring oil prices, US President George W Bush celebrated his daughter, Jenna's wedding on his Texas ranch.

Far from the pomp and publicity of past White House nuptials, Jenna(26), wed fiance Henry Hager(30), less than a year after he proposed at dawn atop Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park on Maine's coast.

"Today is my daughter Jenna's wedding day. This is a joyous occasion for our family, as we celebrate the happy life ahead of her and her husband, Henry," the President said in his weekly radio address.

"It's also a special time for Laura, who this Mother's Day weekend will watch a young woman we raised together walk down the aisle," he said, hours before the ceremony on the 1,600-acre estate.

With twin sister Barbara as her maid of honour and Hager's brother Jack as the best man, 14 young women attendants and 14 male ushers, Jenna and Henry married at 7.30 pm (6.00IST Sunday) before a cream-colored Texas limestone cross that the President ordered erected near a lake on the ranch. — AFP

Islamabad, May 11
Nine tribesmen from Pakistan's restive South Waziristan were among 13 Taliban militants killed in a clash with NATO-led forces in Afghanistan.

The bodies of the Pakistani Taliban militants were brought back to Wana, the main town of South Waziristan, for burial, local Taliban sources told journalists.

The dead Taliban belonged to the Wazir tribe and were members of a group led by Pakistani Taliban Mullah Nazir, who operates in the South Waziristan tribal region. Among the dead were Maulana Muhammad Iqbal, deputy chief of Mullah Nazir's group, and Khan Mohammed Wazir, another key Taliban commander.

Three of the dead Taliban were aged between 15 and 20 , local tribesmen said. The bodies were repatriated to Wana from Afghanistan's eastern Paktika province early today, the Taliban sources said.

The skirmish in Paktika left 13 Taliban militants and eight NATO and Afghan troops, including a colonel, dead.

Witnesses said the bodies of the Pakistani Taliban were badly burnt, making it difficult to identify them.

Sources said Maulana Iqbal had led a group of around 30 militants to Afghanistan late last month to join the Taliban there. The Pakistani Taliban launched an attack on coalition forces in Paktika and were killed in air raids by coalition fighter planes, the sources said.

Besides the nine men from South Waziristan, two militants from the Punjab province and one from Hyderabad in Sindh province were also killed.

The bodies of Pakistani militants killed in Afghanistan have been repatriated to the tribal region in the past too. The US and Afghan forces believe Taliban militants are still crossing into Afghanistan from Pakistan's tribal regions. — PTI 

London, May 11
A high-powered parliamentary committee has asked the British Government to explore with Schengen countries how the visa regime for Indian residents in the UK could be eased as getting a Schengen visa now is nothing short of a nightmare.

"We urge the government to explore with Schengen countries how the visa regime for Indians resident in the UK and those needing to travel to other European Union countries could be eased, or periods of the EU visa validity extended considerably," the House of Commons Business and Enterprise Committee said in its fifth report of 2007-08.

The committee also urged the government "to keep under review the possible improvements in visa and other related arrangements that could be made to the mutual benefit of the British and Indian economies. The UKIBC should be well positioned to give advice on this important issue."

Headed by Conservative MP Peter Luff, the 11-member committee also asked the government to end the anomaly in the period allowed to Indian students to remain in the UK after completing their studies.

Noting that Indian students are attracted more to Australia and the USA than the UK, it asked the government to undertake a comprehensive examination of the ways of making the UK a more attractive place to study for them, including overcoming visa issues and increasing the length of time the students can remain in the UK after graduation. — PTI

Kathmandu, May 11
A 1600-year-old temple in Nepal, considered as the country’s oldest monumental site, is facing a grave threat to its existence, as the valley surrounding it witnessed continuous soil erosion and landslide, experts have said.

The Changu Narayan temple, which is located in Kathmandu valley, is on the agenda of a team of researchers from Kiel University, who are conducting research into the deteriorating environmental condition of the area.

“The surrounding area of the hill, where Temple Changu Narayan is situated, will collapse if the landslide and soil erosion are allowed to continue,” warned German archaeologist and professor at the Kiel University of Germany Hans R Bork. The team includes researchers Gvonne Schweikhard and Prajal Pradhan, besides Prof Bork.

“The monumental area, spreading in 36 hectares of land, is facing soil erosion, landslide, deforestation and other man made environmental problems,” said Pradhan.

Planting of more trees, construction of scientific pavements and a curb on animal gazing, besides creating awareness about the importance of the monument were the immediate steps needed to save the World Heritage site, he suggested. — PTI 

Kathmandu, May 11
With Nepal’s main political parties unable to iron out their differences to form a Maoist-led government, India’s new ambassador Rakesh Sood today met CPN-M chairman Prachanda for the fourth time in three weeks and discussed the latest political developments in the country.

The discussions, during the hour-long meeting, centred around the latest political developments, formation of the new government and the bilateral relations between the two countries, CPN-Maoist sources said.

Prachanda’s deputy Baburam Bhattarai was also present in the meeting.

The meeting is regarded here as “significant”. Hectic consultations among the major political parties are on in Nepal on formation of a new government. Sood had held talks with Prachanda, whose party is expected to lead a coalition government in the Himalayan nation, on last Thursday also.

Maoist number two leader Bhattarai, talking to businessmen in Kathmandu, called for regulating the 1,700 km border with India. —  PTI 

Kuala Lumpur, May 11
Accusing Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi of harassing him for his questioning a decision taken by the Sultan of Perak state, a prominent ethnic Indian parliamentarian has said that he feared for his safety.

Karpal Singh, chairman of the opposition Democratic Action Party said he feared for his safety following Badawi’s statement to the country’s Attorney-General to decide the punishment for him.

“His statement urging the Attorney-General (AG) to act quickly because a lot of people were interested to know what the appropriate punishment should be, clearly amounted to him directing the AG to punish me even before I have been charged in court,” Singh told reporters.

He said Abdullah’s statement carried a lot of weight and had serious implications and consequences, which made him worried about his safety.

“The statement gave the public a pre-conceived idea that I had committed an offence and should be punished,” he was quoted as saying by the media.

Singh had questioned the Sultan’s action of stalling the transfer of a senior official, who remains in charge of the Islamic religious department.

The police has since recorded a statement by Singh.

Singh (68) reportedly said the Sultan had no jurisdiction over the transfer of the official.

Singh said the Attorney-General must not be influenced by Abdullah’s call and should act without fear and favour. He is likely to raise the issue in Parliament tomorrow. — PTI

London, May 11
Poverty-stricken British soldiers are being forced to leave the military because they are unable to feed themselves from their monthly salary.

A highly- sensitive internal report into the state of the British Army revealed that many soldiers were living in poverty, with some being forced to rely on emergency food voucher schemes set up by the ministry of defence (MoD).

The findings outlined in the briefing report written for Sir Richard Dannatt, the British Chief of the General Staff, included an admission that many junior officers were being forced to leave the army because they simply could not afford to stay on, The Independent revealed today.

"More and more single-income soldiers in the UK are now close to the UK government’s definition of poverty," said the report, which has been described by General Dannatt as "a comprehensive and accurate portrayal of the views and concerns of the army at large".

It revealed that "a number of soldiers were not eating properly because they had run out of money by the end of the month", forcing commanders to tackle the problem through "hungry soldier" schemes, under which destitute soldiers are given loans to enable them to eat. The cost is deducted from their future wages, adding to the problems of soldiers on low pay.

The internal army report was based on interviews with thousands of soldiers and their families between July, 2007, and January, 2008. — PTI

London, May 11
Nobel Prize-winning author Doris Lessing has said that winning the award for literature in 1997 has been a “bloody disaster”, reports said today.

“All I do is give interviews and spend time being photographed,” Lessing said during a BBC radio interview to be broadcast tomorrow.

Lessing (88) said she has been constantly in demand since her win last October and that her writing had stopped, as she didn’t “have any energy anymore”.

Her latest book is a memoir entitled “Alfred and Emily” which is partly fiction.

She warned younger writers to use their talents while they still had time.

Lessing’s best-known works include “The Golden Notebook” and “The Good Terrorist”.

She was born in Iran and moved to what was then Rhodesia — now Zimbabwe — as a child. She settled in Britain in 1949. — IANS

London, May 11
Britishers pay the highest fuel taxes in Europe, and probably in the world, a new study has revealed.

According to the study, the average Briton pays almost 900 pounds in petrol taxes annually, higher than in America, Canada and Australia.

The study, by the Association of European Automobile Manufacturers, showed that Britain had the highest fuel taxes of 27 European countries surveyed.

Edmund King, the president of the automobile association said, "We may be pleased that we have two English teams in the Uefa Champions League final, but it is more worrying that we are top of the European fuel taxation league in terms of unleaded petrol and diesel."

A Treasury spokesman said yesterday, "The government understands that families are feeling the pressure from high fuel prices. To respond to short-term pressures, we announced in the budget that the two pence per litre increase, scheduled for April 1, will be deferred until October 1."

"Our immediate priority, however, is to encourage international pressure on the oil-producing countries in OPEC to bring down high oil prices," The Daily Telegraph quoted him as saying. — UNI 

BRIEFLY

Indian women walk the ramp in saris in Pak
Islamabad: Women walking the ramp in saris is an unusual sight in Pakistan. So, when the Indian High Commission's Women's Association decided to flaunt their six-yard drapes, the function was bound to be a show-stopper.The sari show by the Indian women was part of the annual Asian Study Group gala, "Beyond Borders", which showcased the cultures of the subcontinent. Some of the best saris from India were displayed during the show titled, "The Classic Weaves of India". — PTI

Alert in Rawalpindi as 3 held with bomb material
Islamabad: An alert was sounded on Sunday in the Pakistani garrison city of Rawalpindi following the arrest of three would-be suicide bombers by security forces.The three men, Khalid Saifullah, Asad Hussain and Asif, were arrested near Ayub Park in Rawalpindi late on Saturday night after the police received a tip-off from an anonymous caller, TV channels reported.The police seized two suicide jackets, explosives and bomb-making equipment from the three terrorists, who are currently being interrogated by security agencies. — PTI

Medical aid for detained leader sought
Kuala Lumpur: Hundreds of ethnic Indians on Sunday held protests across Malaysia and demanded that the government should provide medical aid to one of the community leader, currently detained under the controversial Internal Security Act."Doctors have confirmed that P Uttayakumar has some irregularities in his heart and we want him to be moved to the National Heart Institute immediately," Eshwari Wayathamoorthy, wife of Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) Chairman P Wayathamoorthy,said. — PTI