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Indonesia executes Bali bombers; radicals cry jihad
Myanmar vacates disputed sea patch
Pak, India fail to iron out differences
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Al-Qaida ‘planning’ attacks in UK
Obama admn likely to have many Indophiles
Obama, Medvedev agree to hold talks
NC ultimatum to Maoist-led coalition
Credit Crisis
LTTE indicates readiness for ceasefire
Skilled migrants must have hefty bank balance
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Indonesia executes Bali bombers; radicals cry jihad
Tenggulun (Indonesia), November 9 "At around 1715 GMT yesterday, the three convicted men on death row, Amrozi, Mukhlas and Imam Samudra, were executed by firing squad," said attorney general's office spokesman Jasman Panjaitan. "The autopsy results show that all three are dead," he said, adding that more details would be given later today. Amrozi, 47, his brother Mukhlas, 48, and ringleader Imam Samudra, 38, were killed with shots to the heart in an orange grove near their prison on Nusakambangan island off southern Java, TV One television reported. A source in the prison told AFP they shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is greater) as they were escorted out of their isolation cells by paramilitary police shortly before midnight yesterday. The 2002 attack targeted packed nightspots on the holiday island of Bali, killing more than 160 foreigners including 88 Australians as well as 38 Indonesians. It was blamed on the Jemaah Islamiyah regional terror network, a group once linked to al-Qaeda which has launched a series of bloody attacks in Southeast Asia over the past decade. Supporters clashed with the police as the bodies of brothers Mukhlas and Amrozi -- the latter dubbed the "smiling assassin" for his courtroom antics -- arrived by helicopter at their village of Tenggulun in east Java. The heavily armed police could not control the 500-strong crowd which surged around the ambulances carrying the bodies. Clashes broke out and the police were driven off the road amid shouts of "Jihad!" and "Get out!" Members of a radical group headed by cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, the Jemaah Islamiyah co-founder who was jailed on a conspiracy charge related to the bombings before being released, pushed people to make way for the body. Security has been beefed up around sensitive areas.On Hindu-majority Bali, 3,500 police are on the streets providing additional security, officials have said. Amnesty International said the executions should be the last time Indonesia uses the death penalty.
— AFP
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Myanmar vacates disputed sea patch
Myanmar has stepped back from the brink of military engagement with Bangladesh, as it pulled out vessels from disputed waters in the Bay of Bengal after both sides deployed warships over the last week.
Tensions mounted on Saturday when Myanmar built up its troop presence along the Bangladeshi border after Bangladesh sent warships to the Bay when Myanmar hired private contractors to explore for oil and gas in disputed waters. But Myanmar decided to pull out its vessels after the South Korean private contractor, Daewoo, hired by Myanmar to run the exploratory missions, refused to work after learning their operations were in disputed waters. “Myanmar vessels have left the disputed waters and are staying in their waters,” said Bangladesh foreign adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury on Sunday. “We have heard from the ground that Daewoo has begun the process of dismantling their installations and removing rigs,” the adviser said. A Myanmar delegation is due in Dhaka soon to continue the sea boundary delimitation talks that resumed in April this year after a pause of 22 years.
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Joint Registration of Basmati Rice Afzal Khan writes from Islamabad Islamabad and New Delhi held inconclusive talks over the joint registration of basmati rice, the sole product of the two neighbouring countries, but officials said many major differences have been sorted out. Both sides agreed to carry the dialogue forward and meet sometime in the first quarter of next year in New Delhi to achieve "uniformity of views" on the three agenda items -consensus on the definition of basmati; the areas where basmati is produced historically and how to make joint efforts to stop a third country from registering it under the geographical indication (GI) of the World Trade Organisation (WTO)'s agreement on the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). This was the second meeting of the Pak-India Joint Working Group, which was seeking protection of intellectual property rights in case of their prized product under the World Trade Organisation's geographical indication law, The WTO rules accept the rights of a member country or a geographical region when any product or item is produced or manufactured traditionally within the specified region. No other country/region can claim rights over such products. A sticking point in the bilateral dialogue is Pakistan's exception to India’s announcement last year for declaring super basmati rice as an originally Indian produce. The Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) and Rice Export Association of Pakistan (REAP) considered taking legal action against the Indian move but both countries during the course of composite dialogue decided to resolve the issue through dialogues by constituting a joint working group (JWP). The bilateral dispute apart, the two countries are faced with a challenge posed to their patent rights of basmati by some other countries, who are also trying to register basmati as their GI. RiceTec Inc, an US-based company, was granted a controversial patent in September 1997 on basmati rice grains and lines. India had challenged this patent and RiceTec Inc was forced to withdraw its claim. The JWP concluded the second session of two-day talks on Saturday, but did not issue any joint statement. But a press release issued by the Commerce Ministry of Pakistan after the meeting. Said, "Both sides shared information on standards and on delimitation of the basmati growing areas. It was also agreed to share information on third party infringement and to mount a joint defence to protect unauthorised use of the basmati brand." The GI is given to products with a reputation attributable to its place of origin or the area where it is manufactured. The GI is highlighted during the marketing of a product to fetch a higher value. The Pakistani delegation was headed by joint secretary (Exports), Ministry of Commerce Azher Ali Choudhry and the Indian team was headed by joint secretary of the Department of Commerce Dinesh Sharma. The talks were aimed at arriving at an agreed definition of basmati rice, which was a common heritage. "India had included basmati in its list of exportable commodities in May 2006, but 80 per cent of basmati exported to the EU and Gulf markets was not original," an official, dealing with trade-related intellectual property (TRIP) laws in the Commerce Ministry commented on the issue. Both sides noted with satisfaction that a number of differences were ironed out during the talks, and hoped to achieve further uniformity of views in the next session, which was planned for the first quarter of 2009 in New Delhi. The JWG of both countries held its last meeting in April in India aimed at preparing a joint case for registration of the basmati rice.
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Al-Qaida ‘planning’ attacks in UK
London, November 9 The report, which has been prepared by the intelligence branch of the British Ministry of Defence, MI5 and Special Branch, warned that secret cells of Al-Qaida extremists based in London, Birmingham and Luton are planning attacks in the UK. The so-called Government Security Zone (GSZ), an area which covers the Houses of Parliament, Whitehall, Buckingham and St James’ Palaces, is a possible target of the Al-Qaida cells, ” the Daily Telegraph reported. “For the foreseeable future the UK will continue to be a high-priority target for terrorists aligned with Al-Qaida. It will face a threat from British nationals, including Muslim converts, and UK-based foreign terrorists,” the top intelligence report said. “Most of the extremists are British nationals of south Asian, mainly Pakistani origin but there are also extremists from Africa, Iraq and the Middle East ,” it warned. British security officials believe that UK-based Al-Qaida cells will attempt to carry out “spectacular” attacks with major transport termini, such as airports and train stations, being the likely targets. — PTI
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Obama admn likely to have many Indophiles India is likely to have many friends in a future Barack Obama administration. Even a cursory glance at the names doing the rounds for top positions in President-elect Obama's Cabinet reveals many individuals who are at the very least mindful of the importance of the US-India relationship. The list starts with Vice-President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. The Delaware senator as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee helped shape and shepherd the US-India civilian nuclear agreement on Capitol Hill. Biden also played a significant role winning over skeptics in the Democratic Party. While Obama introduced a “killer amendment” to the Hyde Act, he eventually voted for the nuclear deal. Biden's South Asia hand, Jonah Blank, an Indophile who has written “Arrow of the Blue Skinned God,” a book that traces the footsteps of the Hindu God Rama, is one of Obama's top advisers on South Asia policy. In his foreword, Blank writes he wanted to give American readers a sense of why the Ramayana is something they should care about. In his present avataar, Blank is ensuring Obama doesn't forget that India is something he must care about. Two former officials in President Bill Clinton's administration, Karl Inderfurth and Bruce Riedel also have Obama's ear on South Asia. Both have a wealth of experience — Inderfurth served as Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs, while Riedel was a Special Assistant to Clinton and Senior Director for Near East and South Asian Affairs, National Security Council. Preeta Bansal, a former solicitor general of New York, has also been advising the President-elect on issues related to South Asia. “Obama’s two key economic advisers, Paul Volcker and Lawrence Summers, are personal friends of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, have high professional regard for him, and have deep interest in closer economic relations with India,” says Sanjaya Baru, visiting professor at the Institute of South Asian Studies in Singapore and a former media adviser to Prime Minister Singh. He predicts both Volcker, a former chairman of the Federal Reserve, and Summers, a Clinton Treasury Secretary, are likely to favour a larger role for India in global economic management. Both have been mentioned as possible Treasury secretaries. Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry's name is being bandied about for the post of Secretary of State. Other possible contenders are former UN Ambassador Richard Holbrooke and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson. Holbrooke has visited India in the past year and has also met the prime minister. In an interview with an Indian news site in 2006, Holbrooke said, “I love India. I have always been bullish about India even when I worried about India. India is the indispensable country. The success of India is success for all of us.” Like Biden, Kerry visited India at the time the civil nuclear agreement was being debated and was a supporter of civilian nuclear cooperation with India. While some believe Obama is likely to retain President George W. Bush's defence secretary, Robert Gates, the name of John Hamre, a deputy secretary of defence under Clinton, has also been thrown into the ring as a likely defence secretary. Hamre chaired the first “track two” US-Japan-India Strategic Dialogue in Tokyo in 2007 and under his leadership Center for Strategic and International Studies has taken keen interest in the US-India strategic and defence relationship, Baru points out.
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Obama, Medvedev agree to hold talks
Moscow, November 9 Medvedev, who had earlier sent a plane-worded message to Obama following his election, called up the future US head of state to personally congratulate him on his “impressive” victory in the presidential elections. “The two leaders expressed their desire to engage in constructive and positive interaction for the benefit of international stability and development. In this regard, Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama understand the need for a bilateral meeting in the nearest future,” a Kremlin release said yesterday.
— PTI
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NC ultimatum to Maoist-led coalition
Nepal’s main opposition party in the Constituent Assembly, the Nepali Congress (NC), on Sunday issued an ultimatum to the CPN (Maoist)-led coalition government either to fulfill their demands immediately or face obstruction in the ongoing budget session of Parliament.
Handing over a nine-point memorandum to Puspha Kamal Dahal, alias Prachanda, a delegation led by NC vice-president Ram Chandra Poudel urged the government to implement the past agreements reached among the then seven-party alliance, including immediate return of properties seized by the Maoists during the decade-long insurgency. “The NC is bound to issue last ultimatum to the government as the Maoist party did not heed our concerns to internalise past pacts and understandings and ensure a conducive environment for drafting new constitution within stipulated time and take the ongoing peace process to a logical end,” Poudel told reporters after he handed over the memorandum to Prachanda. According to Poudel, while receiving the memorandum, Prime Minister Prachanda has said that he was serious about the issues floated by the NC and the government would give response in this regard by Monday. “Otherwise, the NC will take strong step against the government obstructing the budget session,” Poudel said. It has also urged the government to introduce special package programmes to provide relief for the internally displaced people during the decade-long insurgency. On June 25, the then seven-party alliance leaders, including Maoist chairman Prachanda had signed a seven-point agreement wherein they had agreed to return all private and public properties seized by the Maoists and create a conducive environment for safe return of the displaced people to their homes. The NC claims that out of around 2,100 families, whose properties were illegally seized by the Maoist during the insurgency, still more than 1,600 have yet to receive their properties.
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Credit Crisis London, November 9 According to a report in the Sunday Telegraph, the Queen, who paid a visit to the London School of Economics last week, had a briefing from professors on the economic meltdown. Her question on the large hole in the international economic system had the pleasing incisiveness of an astute child’s: “Why did nobody notice it?” The Queen, whose personal fortune is estimated to have fallen by 25 million pounds in the credit crunch, described the turbulence on the markets as “awful”. “The Queen asked me, If these things were so large, how come everyone missed them,” Professor Luis Garicano, director of research at the LSE’s management department, was quoted as saying by the British media. Explaining the origins and effects of the credit crisis, Garicano told the Queen: “At every stage, someone was relying on somebody else and everyone thought they were doing the right thing.” Like homeowners across Britain, the Queen has faced escalating prices for fuel, food and home repairs which have seen the costs of carrying out her duties double. In April, the Queen’s private wealth was estimated to be 320 million pounds by Forbes magazine, which included a personal investment portfolio valued at £100 m.
— PTI
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LTTE indicates readiness for ceasefire
Colombo, November 9 Liberation Tigers’ political head B Nadesan said, “There is no hesitation on our side to reiterate our position that we have always wanted a ceasefire,” the pro-LTTE website Tamilnet reported. “Nadesan said the Tigers were only fighting a defensive war since Colombo has thrust upon Tamils an aggressive war,” the website said. Nadesan reiterated the rebel outfit’s commitment to the truce when contacted by TamilNet, following reports of Tamil Nadu leaders seeking clarification on LTTE’s stand on the ceasefire. The website quoted the LTTE leader as saying that it was the Government of Sri Lanka which had unilaterally abrogated the Norway-brokered peace, while the Tigers had always said they have been committed to it. “Earlier, the State Secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI), Mr D Pandian issued a public statement urging those who were fighting for the democratic rights of the Eezham Tamils... to come forward to announce their stand in a clarifying manner,” the pro-LTTE website said. Sri Lanka had formally notified the Norwegian Government in January 2008 of its decision to unilaterally terminate the ceasefire which concluded in 2002. “Indian external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee had also ruled out any military solution to the Sri Lankan problem two days after the government of Sri Lanka formally scrapped the five-year ceasefire with the LTTE,” the Tamilnet said.
— PTI
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Skilled migrants must have hefty bank balance
London, November 9 Detailed Home Office guidance for the new points-based system indicated that each highly skilled migrant must show that they have at least in their bank account the local equivalent of £2,800 for themselves and £1,600 for each family member or £7,600 for a family of four for sustenance for three months. The new rules require overseas students who want to come to Britain to study for 12 months or more to show they have £9,600 for themselves and £535 for each dependent in addition to the funds to pay their fees in full. A Home Office spokesman said the £2,800 represented a cash reserve for highly skilled migrants to support themselves for just over three months as they were not entitled to public funds. The student rate of £800 a month followed a British Council recommendation. “We think this is a fair, reasonable amount to require them to have,” the spokesman added.
— PTI
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Bruni glad to be French Palin linked to death threats against Obama Osama's son in Qatar
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Three Islamists sentenced to death for the Bali bombings which killed 202 people were executed by firing squad early today, sparking clashes between the police and their emotional supporters.
