W O R L D

US declares $1 billion aid for troubled Ukraine
Kiev, March 4
Secretary of State John Kerry flew to Kiev today to show US support for the fledgling Ukraine government, and the Obama administration announced with his arrival a $1 billion energy subsidy package.

KERRY IN KIEV: US Secretary of State John Kerry (C) with Oleksandr Turchynov, Parliament Speaker and Ukraine’s interim President (L) and PM Arseniy Yatsenyuk in Kiev on Tuesday. AFP

Military force will be ‘last resort’
Moscow, March 4
President Vladimir Putin delivered a robust defence of Russia's actions in Crimea on Tuesday and said he would use force in Ukraine only as a last resort, easing market fears that East-West tension over the former Soviet republic could lead to war. But tension remained high on the ground.

Court bans activities of Hamas in Egypt
Cairo, March 4
An Egyptian court today banned all activities of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, an offshoot of the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood, as the army-backed regime tightened its grip on the Islamist organisation ahead of the crucial polls.

India, Pak ramp up aid as they jostle for influence in Kabul Kabul, March 4 India’s most important message for Afghanistan is that it is not leaving, and it is backing that message with the biggest aid package it has ever given another country. New Parliament building of Afghanistan is under construction. The project is built with an Indian assistance. Reuters

CLOWN REVELRY: A trio of revelers poses for a photo during the Clowns’ Parade in Lisbon. AP/PTI

Cameron’s aide arrested over child abuse images
London, March 4
A senior aide to British Prime Minister David Cameron has resigned after being arrested on suspicion of child pornography offences. Patrick Rock, who had been involved in drawing up proposals for internet porn filters, resigned as the deputy head of the policy unit after being questioned by police last month, Downing Street said yesterday.

Sharif for continuation of peace talks with Taliban
Islamabad, March 4
Notwithstanding a brazen terror attack here, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today asked the government-appointed committee to continue the dialogue process with the Taliban to end the decade-long insurgency.

US declares $1 billion aid for troubled Ukraine

Kiev, March 4
Secretary of State John Kerry flew to Kiev today to show US support for the fledgling Ukraine government, and the Obama administration announced with his arrival a $1 billion energy subsidy package.

The fast-moving developments came as the United States readied economic sanctions amid worries that Moscow was ready to stretch its military reach further into the mainland of the former Soviet republic.

Kerry arrived as the Ukraine government grapples with a Russian military takeover of Crimea, a strategic, mostly pro-Russian region in the country's southeast, and as Russian President Vladimir Putin said he wouldn't be deterred by economic sanctions imposed punitively by the West.

While on the ground, Kerry was planning to pay homage to the dozens of protesters who were slain on February 20 in anti-government demonstrations which culminated days later in the ouster of President Viktor Yanukovych.

As Kerry arrived, the White House announced the package of energy aid, along with training for financial and election institutions and anti-corruption efforts. US officials traveling with Kerry, speaking on grounds of anonymity, said the Obama administration is considering slapping Russia with unspecified economic sanctions as soon as this week.

Additionally, the officials said, the US has suspended what was described as a narrow set of discussions with Russia over a bilateral trade investment treaty.

It is also going to provide technical advice to the Ukraine government about its trade rights with Russia. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to be quoted by name before the official announcement was made.

Putin pulled his forces back from the Ukrainian border today, yet said that Moscow reserves the right to use all means to protect Russians in the country. He accused the West of encouraging an "unconstitutional coup" in Ukraine and driving it onto anarchy, declaring that any sanctions the West places on Russia will backfire.

Speaking from his residence outside Moscow, Putin said he still considers Yanukovych to be Ukraine's leader and hopes Russia won't need to use force in predominantly Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine. — AP

Military force will be ‘last resort’

Moscow, March 4
President Vladimir Putin delivered a robust defence of Russia's actions in Crimea on Tuesday and said he would use force in Ukraine only as a last resort, easing market fears that East-West tension over the former Soviet republic could lead to war. But tension remained high on the ground.

Russian forces fired warning shots in a confrontation with Ukrainian servicemen at an air base, and Russian navy ships were reported to have blockaded the strait separating the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula from Russia.

At his first news conference since the crisis began, Putin said Russia reserved the right to use all options to protect compatriots who were living in "terror" in Ukraine, but force was not needed for now.

His comments, coupled with the end of Russian war games near Ukraine's borders, lifted Russian bonds and stock markets around the world after a panic sell-off on Monday.

Putin denied the Russian armed forces were directly engaged in the bloodless seizure of Crimea, saying the uniformed troops without national insignia were "local self-defence forces". "As for bringing in forces, for now there is no such need, but such a possibility exists," he said. “What could serve as a reason to use military force? It would naturally be the last resort, absolutely the last.”

Western sanctions under consideration against Russia would be counter-productive, he said. The Russian Foreign Ministry warned that Moscow would retaliate.

In Washington, U.S. President Barack Obama acknowledged that Russia had legitimate interests in Ukraine but said that did notgive Putin the right to intervene militarily.

"President Putin seems to have a different set of lawyers making a different set of interpretations," Obama said. "But I don't think that's fooling anybody.” — Reuters

Court bans activities of Hamas in Egypt

Cairo, March 4
An Egyptian court today banned all activities of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, an offshoot of the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood, as the army-backed regime tightened its grip on the Islamist organisation ahead of the crucial polls.

The Cairo court also ordered the seizure of its assets and the suspension of all dealings with the group.

Egyptian authorities have accused Hamas of plotting with deposed Islamist president Mohammed Morsi of the Brotherhood to fuel insurgency and carry out “terror attacks” on security forces in the Sinai Peninsula, which borders Hamas-ruled Gaza and Israel.

The relationship between Hamas, which has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2006, and authorities in Egypt soured since the army toppled Morsi in July 2013 amid massive protests against his one-year turbulent rule.

Since then the army-backed regime has intensified operations against Islamists and several Brotherhood and Hamas leaders are facing trial on various charges, including espionage and plotting terror attack against Egypt.

Though the date for the presidential elections is not yet announced, authorities have cracked down heavily on Islamist groups, including Hamas which they classify as a significant security threat.

After the Egyptian government declared the Brotherhood a terrorist group in December 2013, Egyptian lawyer Samir Sabri had filed a lawsuit with the court asking it to brand Hamas a “terrorist” organisation and suspend any dealings with it.

The ruling by the Court of Urgent Matters did not directly declare the group a terrorist organisation. It temporarily banned all activities of Hamas. — PTI

India, Pak ramp up aid as they jostle for influence in Kabul

Kabul, March 4
India’s most important message for Afghanistan is that it is not leaving, and it is backing that message with the biggest aid package it has ever given another country.

Indian diplomats insist the message is meant as reassurance for allies in Afghanistan nervous about waning international support as NATO withdraws its troops. Yet it could equally have been chosen to send a warning to India’s arch-rival, Pakistan.

The nuclear-armed neighbours both want to secure influence in Kabul after foreign combat forces leave this year, and both are using aid as part of their strategy. India’s $2 billion aid package includes several big projects, including a white marble parliament in Kabul that is rising up next to the blasted ruins of the old king’s palace. Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan are rockier.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai regularly accuses Pakistan of supporting Taliban militants, and has curtly made clear he cares more about security than Pakistani aid. Some Afghans fear that the regional rivalry might drag their country into a proxy war. “This is a very sensitive situation. Both are powerful, important allies,” said Senator Arifullah Pashtoon, chairman of Afghanistan’s foreign relations committee. “India is our friend. But Pakistan is our twin.”

With the NATO withdrawal looming, Afghanistan has increasingly sought Indian military assistance, while Pakistani offers of military help have largely been snubbed. India, wary of antagonising Pakistan, has refused to supply lethal equipment but that may change after Indian elections due by May. For now, New Delhi relies on soft power.

Aid with no strings

A handsome new cream-and-red sandstone building in New Delhi houses the Indian agency overseeing foreign projects. Created in 2011, the agency’s 25 officers oversee billions of dollars. An official, who declined to be identified, estimated India is expanding such projects by about 20 per cent a year. The agency is determined to do things differently from the donors who used to patronise India.

Overheads are minimal: just one person in India’s Kabul embassy oversees the Afghan package and all money goes through the Afghan government budget. — PTI

Cameron’s aide arrested over child abuse images

London, March 4
A senior aide to British Prime Minister David Cameron has resigned after being arrested on suspicion of child pornography offences. Patrick Rock, who had been involved in drawing up proposals for internet porn filters, resigned as the deputy head of the policy unit after being questioned by police last month, Downing Street said yesterday.

Following the 62-year-old’s arrest on February 13, it was “arranged for officers to come into Number 10 [to] have access to all IT systems and offices they considered relevant”, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s office said. Rock was involved in preparations for a summit last year, working with the National Crime Agency, at which leading companies agreed to make it as difficult as possible to find images of abuse on their search engines. — PTI

Sharif for continuation of peace talks with Taliban

Islamabad, March 4
Notwithstanding a brazen terror attack here, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today asked the government-appointed committee to continue the dialogue process with the Taliban to end the decade-long insurgency.

Sharif met with the state negotiators today at his residence here and the committee submitted recommendations to him to resume the dialogue process.

Prime Minister Sharif directed the committee to continue consultations and it was decided that a meeting with the committee nominated by the Taliban will be held in the next few days, media reports said.

A statement released by the Prime Minister's Office said participants of the meeting agreed that attacks such as the one on a court in Islamabad are harmful for the dialogue process.