Moscow, March 8
Russia is open to having an "honest, equal" dialogue with foreign states on the crisis in Ukraine, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said today.

"We are open to an honest, equal and objective dialogue with our foreign partners to find a way to help all of Ukraine come out of the crisis," Lavrov said at a televised news conference in Moscow with his Tajik counterpart, in a clear reference to the West.

"We are ready to continue dialogue on the understanding that this dialogue should be honest and partner-like, without attempts to portray us as one of the sides in the conflict." Lavrov added: "This crisis was not created by us (Russia).

All the more, it was created in defiance of our repeated and longstanding warnings." Tensions between Moscow and the West have surged in recent days as pro-Moscow forces took over the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which then announced plans to hold a referendum on becoming part of Russia.

Lavrov has held talks with Western officials including US Secretary of State John Kerry, but without reaching any breakthrough.

The Russian foreign minister launched a new attack on the Ukrainian government that took power after the overthrow of president Viktor Yanukovych and said terror and chaos were reigning in the country. "The so-called temporary government is not independent and depends very unfortunately on radicals who carried out an armed seizure of power," Lavrov said. "There is no kind of de facto state control for law and order," he said. — Agencies

Colombo, March 8
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has said he has nothing to fear as his country faces a US-moved human rights resolution at the UN rights body. Addressing a televised question and answer session last night, the president said, "We have nothing to be worried of, I am not worried". He said a handful of powerful countries are being backed by local elements to undermine him and his government.

"The opposition who can never be victorious in the country and certain NGOs are carrying tales to the international community. They try to win this way," Rajapaksa quipped.

The US-moved resolution is to back UN rights chief Navi Pillay's proposal to subject Sri Lanka to an international investigation over its alleged human rights abuses.

"This commissioner (Pillay) came here and stayed for 4 days gathering incorrect information. Now they are tyring to base those wrong information. We have rejected it. We have said we will not accept it," he said.

Rajapaksa said Cuba and Israel have also faced similar action by the UN Human Rights Council against their countries. "So it is not only us. There are more countries".

Rajapaksa said he had guaranteed the right to live of all Sri Lankan communities by ending the separatist armed campaign of the LTTE. "What greater human rights than being allowed to live?", he asked. Rajapaksa said, the government had already addressed rights concerns. — PTI 

Washington, March 8
Manju Goel, a Republican Indian-American Congressional candidate in Illinois, has been asked to withdraw from the primary race over accusations of putting up fake web and social media sites to discredit her opponent.

The head of the Cook County Republican Party asked Goel to withdraw after her opponent in the March 18 primary Larry Kaifesh accused her campaign and supporters of taking her "campaign into the gutter". "Everything is a façade. They've created imaginary images," Kaifesh was quoted as saying by the local WLS-TV. "There's a Where's Larry web site. All malicious in nature."

According to the phony site, which resembles Kaifesh's official campaign web site, it was paid for by a super political action committee called Indian Americans for Freedom, which lists Goel's address. Under US law, Super PACs, officially known 
as "independent-expenditure only committees", can engage in unlimited political spending as long as they don't make contributions to candidate campaigns.

The PAC was formed by Indian-American businessman Shalli Kumar. — IANS

Fort Bragg (US), March 8
A US general accused of sexual assault pleaded guilty today to three lesser charges, a remarkable admission sure to end the military career of a man once regarded as a rising star among the Army's small cadre of trusted battle commanders.

The case against Brig Gen Jeffrey A Sinclair, believed to be the most senior member of the US military ever to face trial on sexual assault charges, comes as the Pentagon grapples with revelations of rampant rape and sexual misconduct within the ranks.

The US Senate today blocked a bill that would have stripped senior military commanders of their authority to prosecute rapes and other serious offenses in the ranks. The bill was firmly opposed by the Pentagon. In his immaculate blue dress uniform, Sinclair stood ramrod straight before a judge Thursday and pleaded guilty to three charges that could send him to prison for up to 15 years.

Sinclair, 51, still faces five other charges stemming from the claims of a female captain who said he twice forced her to perform oral sex. But by pleading guilty to the lesser charges, Sinclair's lawyers believe they will strengthen his case at trail by potentially limiting some of the salacious evidence prosecutors can present.

The former deputy commander of the 82nd Airborne could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted of the sexual assaults. Opening statements were expected tomorrow. — AP

Islamabad, March 8
An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan today adjourned till March 22 the hearing in Benazir Bhutto murder case after the federal prosecutor failed to turn up citing security concerns. Judge Pervez Joya adjourned the case as Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) special prosecutor Mohammad Azhar Chaudhry could not attend the hearing.

Court sources told PTI that Chaudhry has moved an application seeking enhanced security arrangement after he received some threats. The sources didn't elaborate on the exact kind of threats. Azhar, who took over as special prosecutor in the case just last year, assumed the position after his predecessor Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali was shot dead in Islamabad in May.

The lawyer is also the prosecution chief in the Mumbai attacks case here against seven accused including LeT commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi. In Pakistan's high-profile criminal and terror-related cases, the job of prosecutors as well as of the defence counsels is perilous.

Bhutto was assassinated in a bomb attack on December 27, 2007 in Rawalpindi, two weeks before the scheduled 2008 general election in which she was a leading opposition candidate. — PTI 

Washington, March 8
Muslim fanatics are reportedly plotting taking over schools in Birmingham by ousting school heads and replacing them with Islamic hardliners in an operation dubbed “Trojan Horse”. Islamic extremists or jihadis are framing teachers and making false allegations against them in a bid to get their services terminated.

According to Daily Star, the ousted head teachers are replaced by supporters in key positions to encourage the school to educate children on strict Islamic principles, segregating boys and girls in some lessons.

In documents leaked to Birmingham City Council, fundamentalists said that the plot involves recruiting fundamentalist parents and teachers to spread false allegations. — ANI