The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Iran, big powers set to miss N-talks deadline
Apparent deadlock raises prospects for extension of talks

Vienna, November 23
Iran, the United States and other world powers are all but certain to miss Monday's deadline for negotiations to resolve a 12-year stand-off over Tehran's atomic ambitions, forcing them to seek an extension, sources say.

The talks in Vienna could lead to a transformation of the Middle East, open the door to ending economic sanctions on Iran and start to bring a nation of 76 million people in from the cold after decades of hostility with the West.

But sources confirmed on Sunday what officials close to the talks have been predicting privately for weeks: that a final deal is still too far off to hammer out by the deadline. "Considering the short time left until the deadline and number of issues that needed to be discussed and resolved, it is impossible to reach a final and comprehensive deal by November 24,"

Iran's ISNA news agency quoted an unidentified member of the country's negotiating team in Vienna as saying. "The issue of extension of the talks is an option on the table and we will start discussing it if no deal is reached by Sunday night," the official said.

A European official who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity said: "To reach a comprehensive deal seems physically impossible. Even if we were to get a political agreement the technical annexes are not ready."

A European source said on Saturday there was no decision yet on extending the talks: "It's the ministers' decision, but talks on an extension could begin Sunday or Monday," he said, adding that a rollover could run for several months.

The US, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China began the final round of talks with Iran on Tuesday to clinch a pact under which Tehran would curb its nuclear work in exchange for lifting economically crippling sanctions.

US Secretary of State John Kerry met Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and EU envoy Catherine Ashton on Sunday at a 19th century palace in the centre of Vienna, their fifth meeting since the talks began.

"The meeting between Zarif, Kerry and Ashton was good," an unidentified Iranian official was quoted as saying by another Iranian news agency, IRNA. "However, we still have a lot to work on and it is too early for the final judgement."

In a breakthrough preliminary deal reached a year ago, the US and the EU agreed to ease some sanctions on Iran while Tehran agreed to some curbs on its nuclear programmes. — Reuters

Tough game

* The P5+1 nations, including, the US, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia and China, accuse Iran of building nuclear weapons under the pretense of developing its nuclear capabilities for civilian purposes.

* The world powers have been locked in talks with Iran since February to turn the interim Geneva accord reached a year ago into a lasting agreement by November 24. They want Tehran to curb its nuclear ambitions in return for the lifting of United Nations sanctions

* Sanctions, tightened sharply since 2010, are inflicting severe damage to Iran's economy, while the US and ally Israel have said they reserve the right to use force to destroy any Iranian nuclear bomb programme

Blast at Afghan volleyball game kills 50

Khost, November 23
Around 50 persons were killed and 60 others wounded when a suicide blast ripped through crowds gathered to watch a volleyball game in eastern Afghanistan today, officials said.

"The suicide attacker was on a motorcycle, he detonated himself in the middle of a volleyball match," Attaullah Fazli, deputy governor of Paktika province, told AFP.

"A lot of people including some provincial officials and the police chief were there. About 50 people have been killed, and 60 injured, a lot of them seriously." The attack was in Yahya Khail district of Paktika, a volatile province bordering Pakistan.

President Ashraf Ghani, who came to power in September, swiftly condemned the attack, according to his spokesman. There was no immediate response from the Taliban insurgents.

Paktika was also struck by a massive suicide blast in July, when a bomber driving a truck packed with explosives killed at least 41 people at a busy market.

Today's attack occurred on the same day that Afghanistan's lower house of parliament approved agreements to allow about 12,500 NATO-led troops to stay on next year as the national army and police struggle to hold back the Taliban. — AFP

PM Nawaz rules out early polls
Afzal Khan in Islamabad

Rejecting calls for early polls, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said 2018 would be the year for Pakistanis to judge and decide which political party to vote into power. "They [citizens] will have a chance to vote in or vote out any party," he said in a statement issued here.

"All political forces have a stake in the democratic system, and we all know that loyalty to the Constitution is imperative for us, and it is no longer an issue of choice," the PM said.

The PM's statement comes against the backdrop of spate of protest rallies by several parties and declarations by PTI chief Imran Khan and cleric Dr Tahrul Qadri that 2015 would be election year.

The PTI has been holding countrywide anti-government demonstrations in protest of the government's alleged corruption and rigging in the 2013 General Elections. The opposition party has been demanding that Nawaz should step down paving way for an 'independent inquiry' into electoral rigging and subsequent elections.

The statement comes as the PTI gears up again to hold what it promises as a landmark rally in the capital on November 30.

China starts hydro unit on Brahmaputra

Beijing, November 23
China today partly commissioned its largest hydropower station in Tibet, built on the Brahmaputra river, that could restrict the flow of water in the major river in the riparian regions in India and Bangladesh.

The first generating unit of the 9.6 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) Zangmu Hydropower Station, which is positioned over 3,300 metres above sea level on the "roof of the world", went into operation with five other generating units due for completion next year.

The huge project, which straddles the middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River, the local name for Brahmaputra will have a total installed capacity of 510,000 kilowatts upon completion. It is designed to generate 2.5 billion kilowatt hours of power annually, Xinhua reported.

Reports said besides Zangmu, China is reportedly building few more dams. China seeks to ally the Indian fears of running river projects which are not designed to hold water.

The dams also raised concerns in India over their ability to release the water at times of conflict which could pose serious risk of flooding. In Tibet itself the dams sparked off apprehensions over their impact on the fragile environment of the Himalayan region. — PTI

Russia not isolated over Ukraine crisis, says Putin

Moscow, November 23
President Vladimir Putin denied Moscow would be isolated internationally over the Ukraine crisis and said Russia's economy would not be the only one to suffer from Western sanctions and falls in oil prices and the rouble.

The United States and the European Union have imposed sanctions on Russia over its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula and its backing for separatists in the east opposed to Kiev's rule.

"We understand the fatality of an 'Iron Curtain' for us," Putin was quoted as saying the TASS news agency in an interview published on Sunday. "We will not go down this path in any case and no one will build a wall around us. That is impossible!" Sanctions have hit Russia's weak economy and sparked a slide in rouble, pressure exacerbated by a sharp drop in the global price for oil, one of Russia's main exports.

"If the price of energy is lowered on purpose, this also hits those who introduce those limits," Putin said. "It's far from certain that sanctions, sharp falls in the oil price (and) the depreciation of the national currency will cause negative effects or catastrophic consequences only for us. No such thing will happen!" — Reuters

5 killed, 80,000 affected in China quake

Beijing, November 23
China today launched an all-out rescue operation after a powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck quake-prone Sichuan Province, killing at least five persons and affecting nearly 80,000 others.

Tibetan residents gather outside makeshift tents at a relief centre in Kangding; and (below); an aerial view shows rescue workers investigating collapsed houses after an earthquake in Hakuba town, Japan, on Sunday. AFP

Fifty-four people were injured, including six in critical condition and another five suffering severe injuries, latest updates said.

Chinese leaders have urged all-out rescue efforts after the quake hit the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province yesterday. "The death toll from the quake rose to five," officials said.

"The provincial and civil affairs authorities must be swift in organising rescue and relief work and do their best to minimise casualties," said President Xi Jinping.

Nearly 80,000 people have been affected by the quake and 25,000 houses were damaged. About 6,200 people had been relocated, the provincial civil affair department said in a statement.

A 35-member rescue team of armed police has arrived at Tagong township, the epicenter, two hours after the quake occurred. Six military aircraft, 60 medical staff and nearly 1,000 soldiers and militia are ready for mission call. Premier Li Keqiang has also ordered immediate verification of the damage and all-out rescue and relief efforts.

The China Earthquake Administration and Sichuan Provincial Earthquake Administration launched Grade II emergency response and sent work teams to Kangding. Power facilities, tents and quilts have also been sent to the quake-hit areas. Sichuan, neighbouring the Tibet Autonomous Region, is a mountainous and quake-prone area. — PTI

37 homes collapse as quake hits Japan

* Helicopter surveys showed more extensive damage than earlier thought from an earthquake in the mountainous central Japan area that hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics

* At least 37 homes were destroyed in two villages, and 39 persons were injured across the region, including seven seriously, mostly with broken bones

* Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority said no abnormalities were reported at three nuclear power plants in the affected areas

* All of Japan's nuclear plants are offline following a magnitude-9.0 earthquake and massive tsunami in 2011 that sent three reactors at the Fukushima plant into meltdown

Pak to have 200 nukes by 2020: US think tank

Washington, November 23
Pakistan has the fastest growing nuclear weapons programme in the world and by 2020 it could have enough fissile material to produce more than 200 nuclear devices, a top American think tank has said.

“Though many states are downsizing their stockpiles, Asia is witnessing a buildup. Pakistan has the fastest-growing nuclear programme in the world. By 2020, it could have a stockpile of fissile material that, if weaponized, could produce as many as 200 nuclear devices,” Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) has said.

The report ‘Strategic Stability in the Second Nuclear Age’, authored by George Mason University’s Gregory Koblentz, has identified South Asia as the region “most at risk of a breakdown in strategic stability due to a mixture of territorial disputes, cross-border terror, and growing nuclear arsenals”.

Pakistan, the report said, has deployed or is developing 11 delivery systems for its nuclear warheads, including aircraft, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. “Pakistan has not formally declared the conditions under which it would use nuclear weapons but has indicated that it seeks primarily to deter India from threatening its territorial integrity or the ability of its military to defend its territory,” the report said.

The CFR said while Pakistan is focused on the threat posed by India, it is also concerned by the potential for the US to launch a military operation to seize or disarm its nuclear weapons. — PTI

Fastest growing N-programme

* The Council on Foreign Relations has said Pakistan has the fastest growing nuclear weapons programme in the world

* It says besides threat from India, Pakistan is concerned about a potential US operation to seize or disarm its nuclear weapons

* India is estimated to possess enough fissile material for between 90 and 110 nuclear weapons; China has 250 weapons