The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

China’s old guard bows out
Xi Jinping all set to become President

Beijing, March 5
China’s old guard led by President Hu Jintao today bowed out of power after highlighting the communist giant’s rise as a world power during their decade-long rule, paving the way for new leader Xi Jinping to assume charge of the world’s second largest economy.

Premier Wen Jiabao, who along with Hu steered China for the past 10 years, made his final bow before the 3,000-strong National People’s Congress (NPC) after presenting a lengthy work report listing out achievements of his era, especially the nation’s emergence as the world’s second-largest economy overtaking Japan in 2011.

The NPC began its two-week long session here today during which the new leaders will take over reins from the outgoing leadership headed by Hu in what was regarded as a smooth power transfer considering speculation about the factionalism in the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Wen’s 29-page report mainly focused on achievements like creating vast infrastructure with dozens of airports, thousands of kilometres of roads and high-speed trains besides all-round development of the world’s most populous country.

But at the same time, the 70-year-old leader, who last year refuted allegations of his family accumulating $2.7 billion assets, called for unwavering efforts to combat corruption, excessive concentration power and strengthening of political integrity.

He also spoke about problems China faced, prominent of which is the “unbalanced, uncoordinated and unsustainable development”.

Watched by 70-year-old Hu, Xi and other top leaders of the party, Wen spoke of growing disparities between rich and poor and development gap between regions, potential risks in the financial sector and conflict between industrial development and environmental protection.

The NPC is set to formally elect 59-year-old Xi as President, 57-year-old Li Keqiang as Premier and other top leaders, names of which have already been finalised by the ruling CPC in its Plenum.

The NPC will also approve a government institutional reform plan.

While Wen received applause from delegates at the NPC, often described as the rubber stamp legislature for its routine endorsements of party line, many nitizens criticised the Premier for failing to present specific solutions to looming challenges in their comments on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter.

“The report spent 50 minutes on achievements and three minutes listing problems. A great report indeed,” one user was quoted by BBC as saying. “There are so many issues on the agenda, but it is useless just to deliver proposals!” wrote another. — PTI

7 killed in Congo plane crash

Goma (Congo), March 5
A plane crash in the centre of the eastern city of Goma killed seven persons and injured three, Congolese officials said today.

The Ukrainian pilot of the plane for CAA managed to avoid buildings in the densely populated area, and crashed the plane on the fences in the backyard of a housing plot. The plane had taken off from the city of Kananga in the country’s southwest, stopped in Lodja and was on its way to Goma before the crash, Goma’s Mayor said.

“There was a thunderstorm and we heard a loud noise. We went out and saw a plane in the backyard. I hadn’t realized a plane had crashed, I was under the impression that it was loud thunder,” said Lauren Welsh, a resident of the nearby house.

As night fell, the rescue team arrived on site and started tearing apart the plane to extract the bodies of the six victims. The body of one crew member is still missing, said an authority with the airplane company, Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation, or CAA. The authority spoke on condition of anonymity because he did not have permission to speak to the press.

The CAA official and rescue authorities confirmed that 10 persons were on board. Rescue officials found six bodies, including the pilot. An official with the company said five crew were among the dead, one crew member was missing and one passenger was killed. Three Congolese men survived the crash and were taken to the hospital, he said.

Goma Mayor Naasson Kubuya confirmed that seven were dead.

The mayor had earlier said 40 persons were on board and only four persons survived based on initial police estimations.

“The pilot managed to avoid houses,” said Kubuya. "It's a horrifying accident. The city of Goma has become a field of disasters. We sympathise with the families of the deceased." The plane crashed due to bad weather conditions, he said.

Given the number of crashes in eastern Congo every year, the mayor of Goma called on national authorities to increase measures to improve air traffic and safety. — AP

kenya prez poll
Kenyatta takes early lead

A poll official shows a ballot during the counting operation in western Kenya on Monday. — AFP

Nairobi, March 5
Kenyan presidential hopeful Uhuru Kenyatta opened an early lead as the east African nation counted ballots on Tuesday in an election that brought out millions of voters despite pockets of violence that killed at least 15 persons.

The deputy prime minister, who faces international charges of crimes against humanity linked to the last election, was ahead of Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

But Kenyatta could still be overhauled as the count goes on in a vote Kenyans hope will restore their nation’s image as one of Africa’s most stable democracies after the bloodshed five years ago.

Although voting passed off broadly peacefully with a big turnout, the real test will be whether the candidates and their backers accept the result, after the disputed 2007 vote touched off ethnic blood-letting that killed more than 1,200 persons.

“Nobody should celebrate, nobody should complain,” Election Commission chairman Isaac Hassan told journalists, saying work was going on to resolve glitches and speed up the count. “We therefore continue to appeal for patience from the public.”

The commission said provisional results might not be tallied until Wednesday, meaning an official declaration will not come until then or later.

Kenyatta’s lead has held overnight but more than 60 per cent of polling stations have yet to report. Odinga’s camp said counting in their strongholds had not been completed yet and a debate over the fate of a sizeable number of rejected votes could help shift the balance.

The United States and Western donors have watched the vote closely, concerned about the stability of a nation seen as a regional ally in the fight against militant Islam.

They are also worried about what to do if Kenyatta wins because of the charges of crimes against humanity he faces at the International Criminal Court (ICC) related to the violence five years ago. — Reuters

Hugo Chavez’s health deteriorates

Mexico, March 5
The health condition of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who is currently in a military hospital in Caracas, has deteriorated, the authorities said on Tuesday.

“Chavez has suffered a deterioration in his respiratory system,” Venezuelan Communications and Information Minister Ernesto Villegas told national television.

The 58-year-old leader, who has ruled Venezuela for 13 years, underwent four surgeries and four courses of chemotherapy in Cuba and Venezuela within the past two years. His fourth operation, to remove cancerous tissue, took place in Cuba on December 11.

His new term’s inauguration had been slated for January 11, but he was unable to attend it for health reasons. On January 9, Venezuela’s Supreme Court ruled to postpone Chavez’s inauguration until he completed his latest round of treatment.

On Sunday, Chavez's deputy Nicolas Maduro said, the President was "battling for life”. — IANS

12-yr-old Indian girl has higher IQ than Einstein

London, March 5
A 12-year-old Indian-origin girl in UK has stunned everyone after she scored an incredible 162 on her IQ test — even higher than Einstein and Stephen Hawking.

Neha Ramu, daughter of an Indian doctor couple, achieved a score of 162 on a Mensa IQ test — the highest score possible for her age.

The score puts the girl in the top one per cent of brightest people in the UK and means she is more intelligent than physicist Hawking, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and scientist Albert Einstein, who are all thought to have an IQ of 160. “Neha scored 162 on the Cattell IIIB test, putting her within the top one per cent of people in the country,” a spokesman for British Mensa said.

Neha’s parents lived in India before moving to Britain when their daughter was seven, 'The Telegraph' reported.Einstein never took an IQ test as none of the modern intelligence tests existed when he was alive, but experts believe he had an IQ of around 160. — PTI

US to honour Delhi gang-rape victim with courage award

Washington, March 5
'Nirbhaya', the 23-year-old Delhi gang-rape victim, will be posthumously honoured by the US with the prestigious International Women of Courage Award for inspiring people to fight against gender-based violence.

First Lady Michelle Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry would present the award on March 8, an official announcement said.

The girl, a paramedical student, was brutally raped by six men in a moving bus in south Delhi on December 16 last year which triggered nationwide protests.

She was shifted to a Singapore hospital for treatment where she succumbed to her injuries on December 29.

“For millions of Indian women, her personal ordeal, perseverance to fight for justice, and her family's continued bravery is helping to lift the stigma and vulnerability that drive violence against women," the State Department yesterday said about her as it announced the awards to be given to 10 women from across the world.

She bravely recorded two police statements while in the hospital, repeatedly called for justice against the attackers, and stated her will to survive to see justice done, it said.

"Like many Indians inspired by her struggle, she was born into a working class family that invested their hopes and life savings into her dream to pursue medicine," it said.

"In the wake of her death just two weeks after the attack, India's civil society began advocating heavily for legislation and social programs to stem gender-based violence in all its forms and to ensure higher rape conviction rates and gender-sensitive law enforcement and justice systems.

"Thanks to these efforts, the Indian government has begun to take action to follow through on those demands," the State Department said.

The Secretary of State's International Women of Courage Award annually recognises women around the globe who have shown exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for women's rights and empowerment, often at great personal risk.

Since inception of the award in 2007, the Department of State has honoured 67 women from 45 different countries. — PTI