W O R L D

Maoists step up anti-India agenda
Want an end to New Delhi's ‘intervention’ in Nepal affairs and abolition of all ‘unequal’ treaties
Kathmandu, November 18
Ahead of a key party meet, Nepal's Maoists have stepped up their anti-India campaign demanding an end to alleged "intervention" in their country and abolition of all "unequal" treaties.

LeJ splits into 8 cells for terror coordination
Notorious anti-Shia militant group operates mostly in central parts of Pakistan Punjab
Islamabad, November 18
The Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), a notorious anti-Shia militant group accused of having links with Al-Qaida, has split into at least eight small cells to better coordinate its activities across Pakistan, according to a media report.

High BP? Now, an hour’s operation can cure it
London, November 18
Believe it or not, just an hour’s operation could now “cure” your high blood pressure, claim scientists, after an international study, published in ‘The Lancet’ journal, found it to be “safe and effective”.

Chinese missiles for Pak planes
Beijing, November 18
Pakistan will buy Chinese air-to-air SD-10 missiles and avionics to arm its 250 JF-17 Thunder fighter fleet, the country's Air Force chief has said, amid signs that the French had spurned offer to equip them.

Maoists step up anti-India agenda
Want an end to New Delhi's ‘intervention’ in Nepal affairs and abolition of all ‘unequal’ treaties

Kathmandu, November 18
Ahead of a key party meet, Nepal's Maoists have stepped up their anti-India campaign demanding an end to alleged "intervention" in their country and abolition of all "unequal" treaties.

"Stop Indian-intervention in Nepal and abolish all the unequal treaties, including Nepal-India Friendship Treaty of 1950," reads a wall-painting made by the UCPN-Maoist ahead of their much talked about plenum in Palungtar of Gorkha district in western Nepal, to be attended by hundreds of Maoist leaders and cadres on November 21.

The Maoists have also been blaming India for its inability to form a government under its leadership despite the resignation tendered by Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal five months ago.

Last month, the Maoists had misbehaved with Indian ambassador Rakesh Sood in north-East Nepal's Solukhumbu district, where he visited to construct various development projects under Indian assistance.

India has also lodged its concern with the government of Nepal regarding the Maoists providing training to Naxalites within its territory which have been denied by the Maoists.

The Maoists are making grand preparations for its extended meeting to be held in Gorkha district next week. Ruling parties the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML and civil society members have criticised the Maoists plan to allow their People's Liberation Army (PLA) commanders to participate in the plenum saying that it would violate the peace accord.

The participation of the Maoists' army personnel in the meeting will challenge the existence of the peace accord, said Nepali Congress leader and Minister for Energy Prakash Sharan Mahat. The participation of some 1,400 PLA members in the meeting violates the Comprehensive Peace Accord, says senior journalist Pralhad Rijal.

Around 70 straw-made hamlets have been constructed to accommodate some 6,000 Maoist cadres, who are taking part in the grand meeting. The Maoists have allocated around Rs 30 million for the event. Acommodation, food, drinking water and toilet facilities have been arranged for the plenum.

Maoist chair Prachanda, first vice-chairman and hardliner leader Mohan Vaidya Kiran and second vice-president Baburam Bhattarai, are presenting three separate documents during their extended central body meeting.

Vaidya's political paper stresses the need for launching people's revolution immediately with a view to capturing power, whereas Baburam's paper talks about institutionalising the democratic achievements, including multiparty democracy and federal republican system and to go through election procedure instead of organising a revolt. — PTI

LeJ splits into 8 cells for terror coordination
Notorious anti-Shia militant group operates mostly in central parts of Pakistan Punjab

Islamabad, November 18
The Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), a notorious anti-Shia militant group accused of having links with Al-Qaida, has split into at least eight small cells to better coordinate its activities across Pakistan, according to a media report.

"The creation of the cells is aimed at coordinating the banned group's activities in the area ranging from the southern port city of Karachi to Waziristan in the restive tribal belt bordering Afghanistan," the Express Tribune newspaper quoted its sources in Kohat, Hangu, Peshawar and Lahore as saying."Each sub-group is responsible for carrying out activities in a specific geographic location," one of the sources said.

Individuals with connections within the LeJ and intelligence officials tracking the group said the move appeared to be an attempt to outsmart law enforcement agencies. "It looks like (LeJ strategists) don't want to put all their eggs in one basket. It's a typical guerrilla warfare and urban militancy technique. With scattered cells, they have better chances of survival by diverting the focus of law enforcement agencies," said an intelligence official on conditions of anonymity.

The LeJ, which is dominated by militants from Punjab, has established hideouts inside North Waziristan tribal region, which is controlled by the network of Afghan Taliban commander Jalaluddin Haqqani. While there are no significant signs suggesting that the Haqqani network is directly supporting LeJ activists, security officials contend the two groups have a strong commonality connecting them — both are staunch allies of Al-Qaida.

The LeJ is the biggest militant group operating in Karachi and 94 of 246 terrorists arrested in the city since 2001 belonged to it, according to a secret report of the CID. — PTI

High BP? Now, an hour’s operation can cure it

medical miracle Procedure involves severing nerves connecting kidneys to brain which carry signals to control BP A wire is threaded along a patient's vein, its tip is heated to burn the nerves Tiny burns are done in a spiral pattern around the blood vessels until the connections are severed

London, November 18
Believe it or not, just an hour’s operation could now “cure” your high blood pressure, claim scientists, after an international study, published in ‘The Lancet’ journal, found it to be “safe and effective”.

The procedure, known as renal sympathetic-nerve ablation, takes around one hour and involves severing nerves connecting the kidneys to the brain which carry signals to control blood pressure.

In fact, during the operation, a wire is threaded along a patient's vein into the main blood vessels feeding the kidney where the tip of the wire is heated to burn the nerves running along the outside of the vessel.

The tiny burns are done in a spiral pattern around the blood vessels until the connections are severed, say the scientists. Dr Paul Sobotka, chief medical officer of Ardian, an American company that developed the equipment and funded the study, was quoted by ‘The Daily Telegraph’ as saying, “For the first time we can think about a cure for hypertension.”

For their study, the scientists recruited 52 patients who underwent the procedure. And, the subjects saw their blood pressure drop by around 20 per cent as compared to those who remained on their normal medication.

On average, the patients who received the procedure saw their systolic blood pressure, expressed as the first of two numbers, from 178 to 146 and this was sustained over six months. The target systolic pressure is 130 mm of mercury. High blood pressure is diagnosed as consistent readings at or above 140/90 mmHg and healthy blood pressure is less than 120/80 mmHg.

Mel Lobo, lead UK investigator in the trial from the National Institute of Health Research Unit at Barts and The London Trust, said: “These are outstanding results, showing good safety and a sustained reduction in blood pressure of a large magnitude.” He said that initially patients who are resistant to blood pressure treatment or those unable to tolerate the drugs should be treated but it is thought that others could benefit.

Experts have welcomed the research, but with caution. Professor Graham MacGregor, chairman of UK charity the Blood Pressure Association, said: “This is exciting research which could play a part in tackling the massive issue of high blood pressure. — PTI

Chinese missiles for Pak planes

Beijing, November 18
Pakistan will buy Chinese air-to-air SD-10 missiles and avionics to arm its 250 JF-17 Thunder fighter fleet, the country's Air Force chief has said, amid signs that the French had spurned offer to equip them.

"Islamabad is seeking to deepen military cooperation with Beijing", Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman, the Chief of the Pakistani Air Force told the 'Global Times'.

Pakistan has opted to go in for full Chinese armament systems for the jointly developed fighters, and Suleman, currently on a visit to China, told the paper that the advanced active radar and homing middle-range missile developed by China, called the SD-10 would become the standard Beyond Visual Range (BVR) weapon of the JF-17.

"PAF has no plans to install western devices and weapons on the aircraft for the time being", Pakistani Air Force Chief said.

'Global Times' quoting unnamed sources claimed that the French consortium had withdrawn from a reported 1.2 billion euro contract to supply radars and missiles for the first wave of 50 JF-17 fighters, after pressure from India.

The paper said Pakistan might also buy upto four batteries of the Chinese SAM missiles. — PTI

WikiLeaks founder may be arrested in rape case

Stockholm, November 18
A Swedish prosecutor requested a court order today to detain WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for questioning on suspicion of rape, sexual molestation and unlawful coercion. Assange has denied the allegations, which stem from his encounters with two women during a visit to Sweden in August.

The Stockholm District Court was to rule on the request later today. The move could mean that prosecutors are preparing an international arrest warrant for the Australian, whose whereabouts were not immediately clear. "The reason for my request is that we need to interrogate him," Director of Public Prosecution Marianne Ny said in a statement. "So far, we have not been able to meet with him to accomplish the interrogation." WikiLeaks has angered the Pentagon by releasing thousands of classified US war reports from Afghanistan and Iraq. Assange had considered setting up a base for WikiLeaks in Sweden, where some of its servers are located, but Swedish immigration authorities denied him a residence permit.

Investigators have released a few details about the allegations against Assange. — AP