Tehran, August 22
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today inaugurated the country’s first domestically built unmanned bomber aircraft, calling it an “ambassador of death” to Iran’s enemies.

The 4-metre-long drone aircraft can carry up to four cruise missiles and will have a range of 1,000 km, according to a state TV report, not far enough to reach archenemy Israel.

“The jet, as well as being an ambassador of death for the enemies of humanity, has a main message of peace and friendship,” said Ahmadinejad at the inauguration ceremony, which fell on the country’s national day for its defence industries.

The goal of the aircraft, named Karrar or striker, is to “keep the enemy paralysed in its bases”, he said, adding that the aircraft is for deterrence and defensive purposes.

The president championed the country’s military self-sufficiency programme, and said it will continue “until the enemies of humanity lose hope of ever attacking the Iranian nation.”

Iran launched an arms development program during its 1980-88 war with Iraq to compensate for a US weapons embargo and now produces its own tanks, armoured personnel carries, missiles and even a fighter plane.

Iran frequently makes announcements about new advances in military technology that cannot be independently verified.

State TV later showed video footage of the plane taking off from a launching pad and reported that the craft travelled at speeds of 900 km per hour and could alternatively be armed with two 250-pound bombs or a 450-pound guided bomb.

Iran has been producing its own light, unmanned surveillance aircraft since the late 1980s. The ceremony came a day after Iran began to fuel its first nuclear power reactor, with the help of Russia, amid international concerns over the possibility of a military dimension to its nuclear program.

Iran insists it is only interested in generating electricity. Referring to Israel’s occasional threats against Iran’s nuclear facilities, Ahmadinejad called any attack unlikely, but he said if Israel did, the reaction would be overwhelming.

“The scope of Iran’s reaction will include the entire the earth,” said Ahmadinejad. “We also tell you, the West, that all options are on the table.” Ahmadinejad appeared to be consciously echoing the terminology used by the US and Israel in their statements not ruling out a military option against Iran’s nuclear facilities.

On Friday, Iran also test-fired a new liquid fuel surface-to-surface missile, the Qiam-1, with advanced guidance systems. — AP

Melbourne, August 22
Refusing to concede defeat, Australia’s first woman Prime Minister Julia Gillard today intensified efforts to cobble up a coalition to avoid a hung parliament after the cliffhanger general election failed to bring out a clear winner.

Gillard put up a brave face after the election mauling, but Conservative leader Tony Abott who led his Liberal- National Party coalition to an impressive show, said the “savage swing” against Labour meant it had “lost its legitimacy” to govern and the public now expected change.

With none of the two major parties securing simple majority in yesterday’s polls, Gillard swung into action to woo the independents, congratulating them on their election and saying she respected their role.

“I have a good track record in the Federal Parliament of working positively and productively with the independents ... and the Greens in the Senate,” she said.

After a tense night of vote-counting in a divided election, the country was headed for its first hung parliament in 70 years with independent MPs Tony Windsor, Rob Oakeshott and Bob Katter, all hailing from regional seats, holding the balance of power.

When the counting wrapped up last night before its resumption today, Labor and the Coalition each had won 71 seats while independents got three and Greens bagged one. Four other seats were too close to call.

Neither Labor nor the opposition Coalition led by 52-year-old Abbott looks like getting the 76 seats in the 150-member House of Representatives needed to form government in its own right, but analysts believe that Gillard’s party might get closer to the magic figure.

Australian Labor Party (ALP) national secretary Karl Bitar said it “potentially” can win 75 seats “but only if all the cards fall the right way”.

Gillard said it was now clear that the Labor had won the popular vote and this should be weighed carefully by independents who would now help decide which party governed. — PTI

London, August 22
Prime Minister David Cameron's government is caught in a dilemma over imposing an immigration cap on professionals from India and other non-European Union countries with several British companies asking ministers to reconsider the issue.

The British companies rely on foreign professionals for many specialist jobs that are hard to find in the Britain and the European Union, particularly in the IT sector.

Imposing the cap was one of the major promises of the coalition government. New research reveals that almost one in 10 private sector companies plan to relocate jobs abroad in the next year, because the immigration cap to be imposed from April 2011 will prevent the recruitment of skilled professionals from abroad in the numbers required by the British companies. — PTI

Pakistani premier Yousaf Raza Gilani will auction his designer suits to help raise funds for the flood-hit. “I have been criticised for the suits I wear,” Gilani told reporters in Lahore saying he had decided to auction them for collecting funds for flood victims.

Critics say the Prime Minister wears very expensive designer suits and never repeats them, replicating the practice of former military ruler Gen Pervez Musharraf.

Last week, Pakistani media reported arrival of three truckloads of 40 cartons shipped by world famous Harrods luxury store of London to Gilani’s residence in Defence Housing Society, Lahore. These were allegedly cleared without following the proper customs procedure.

Bruno Magli brand of Italian suits are Gilani’s favourite. These cost anything between £3000 and £7,000.

Questions have been raised regarding who supplies the clothing considering Gilani’s modest means prior to becoming Prime Minister when he had to sell an expensive watch to pay for college fees of his children. It was widely circulated in the media. He also sold the open area of his ancestral house to raise funds for 2008 elections.

The Prime Minister apparently responded to criticism by eminent columnist Ayaz Amir in his Friday column saying, “Ever since he became the Prime Minister, no one in the Republic with normal eyesight has seen him wearing the same suit twice. Why doesn’t he put up for sale a part of his wardrobe and donate the proceeds for flood relief?”

Gilani also drew flak when he made first visit to a medical camp for the flood-hit in Mianwali, immaculately dressed and wearing golf glasses as if he were on a pleasure trip.