|
|
China ready to curb smuggling of goods into India: Official BEIJING, Dec 10: China has said it is ready to cooperate with India to curb smuggling of Chinese products into that country, which has triggered anti-dumping measures against low-cost Chinese goods.....more
Nawaz Sharif’s fall from grace has been dramatic ISLAMABAD, Dec 10: Pakistan’s ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who was sent along with 19 members of his family to exile in Saudi Arabia today, has been arguably the most powerful politician ever elected in the country but his fall from grace has been dramatic. .more British Defence Secretary LONDON, Dec 10: British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon will travel to India tomorrow on a three-day official visit during which a host of issues including bilateral defence cooperation and UN peacekeeping operations will be discussed. Hoon will hold ....more Fresh effort to demand return of Kohinoor from Britain LONDON, Dec 10: British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon will travel to India tomorrow on a three-day official visit during which a host of issues including bilateral defence cooperation and UN peacekeeping operations will be discussed.........more |
|
Barak to formally resign, election expected in Feb JERUSALEM, Dec 10: Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak gathered his cabinet today and planned to formally resign, ....more Kim, given Nobel, pledges to devote life to peace OSLO, Dec 10: South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung, receiving the Nobel Peace Prize today, praised Stalinist North Korea for easing cold war ...more Sharif’s exile saddens loyalists, dissidents rejoiced KARACHI, Dec 10: Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s sudden departure into exile today in a suspected deal with the country’s..more
Rushdie’s security LONDON, Dec 10: India-born author Salman Rushdie will have his one million pound a year police protection downgraded for the first time since......more |
 |
 |
China ready to curb smuggling of goods into India: Official BEIJING, Dec 10: China has said it is ready to cooperate with India to curb smuggling of Chinese products into that country, which has triggered anti-dumping measures against low-cost Chinese goods. "We are ready to cooperate with India to stop smuggling of Chinese goods, which has harmed the interests of legitimate Chinese exports to India," deputy division chief of the Department of Treaty and law of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation (MOFTEC), Wang Xin said. "Smuggling is different from dumping. If smuggling exists, we can cooperate to combat this problem," Wang said while pointing out to the Chinese Government’s nation-wide drive against smuggling which has led to the arrest and conviction of some senior provincial officials in recent months. "The Chinese Government has all along opposed to dumping activities in international trade. It has severely dealt with those enterprises which indulged in dumping," Wang said. The MOFTEC official’s remarks assume significance in the wake of the comments made by Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Omar Abdullah who said on Wednesday that India would take all necessary steps to check illegal entry of cheap Chinese goods into India. "We would take all steps to check illegal trade from China. But we can’t prevent entry of low-cost Chinese goods if they are coming through proper channels," Omar said. China’s official media on Thursday reported that the Government was winning its war on smuggling which was reflected in the figures showing customs revenue figures running well ahead of last year’s record intake. The ruling Communist Party newspaper, the people’s daily said customs revenue rose 38.9 per cent year-on-year to 201 billion yuan (24.28 billion US dollars) in the first 11 months of this year. Smuggling cases involving 7.36 billion yuan had been cracked between January and October, the newspaper said. Wang said the Chinese side believes that the Indian side does not know much about the "earth-shaking changes" that have occurred in China after undergoing over two decades of reform and opening up. "The Government is no longer in charge of production management in enterprises. It no longer decides what the enterprises produce," Wang said while asserting that Chinese firms were operating under market conditions. "They are self-managed and responsible to themselves with independent accountability," he said. Thus, India is not justified while imposing anti-dumping measures against China, Wang said. He also objected to India’s description of China as a ‘non-market economy state’ and determining the normal price of Chinese products as the price of ‘surrogate country.’ "Such measures are discriminatory," another MOFTEC official Xiong Dongmei said while stating that Beijing was against "artificially creating friction between China and India." "The comparative superiority of Chinese exported goods should be studied and commented in a just and objective manner," she said. (PTI) |
|
Nawaz Sharif’s fall from grace has been dramatic ISLAMABAD, Dec 10: Pakistan’s ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who was sent along with 19 members of his family to exile in Saudi Arabia today, has been arguably the most powerful politician ever elected in the country but his fall from grace has been dramatic. Fifty-one-year-old Sharif was toppled in a bloodless coup in October last year and was serving jail sentence in the plane hijacking case. He has also been banned for life from political activities under a law brought in August. Born into the family of a prominent Lahore industrialist in 1949, Sharif made his mark in politics representing an urban constituency. He first came to national prominence when inducted into the Punjab Government during the early days of General Zia’s martial law, serving as Finance Minister and then Chief Minister. Although he was never considered a particularly impressive political figure, Sharif proved himself a competent administrator during his time as Chief Minister. Nawaz Sharif first became Prime Minister in 1990, but was dismissed in 1993, clearing the way for the opposition leader, Benazir Bhutto, to form a Government. After becoming Prime Minister again in 1997 with a comfortable majority, Sharif brought about a series of changes which were seen as part of an attempt to stifle any institutional opposition. Strengthening his position, Sharif controversial reversed a constitutional amendment which took away the President’s powers to dismiss the Prime Minister. A power struggle with the judiciary also gripped the country after Sharif fell out with the then Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah. Sharif faced possible disqualification from office after charges of contempt of court were brought against him, but these were eventually dismissed. In 1998, he was confronted by another stand-off after the former Army Chief, Jehangir Karamat, proposed the Army should formally have a say in the running of the Government. He subsequently resigned. Tensions between Pakistan’s then Army Chief, General Pervez Musharraf, and Sharif heightened after the Prime Minister used his influence to withdraw Pakistani-backed forces from the Indian side of the Line of Control in Kashmir in 1999. The Army has always been a highly powerful institution in Pakistan, and this conflict showed how dangerous it was for any politician to attempt to curtail its influence. (PTI) |
|
British Defence Secretary to start India visit today LONDON, Dec 10: British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon will travel to India tomorrow on a three-day official visit during which a host of issues including bilateral defence cooperation and UN peacekeeping operations will be discussed. Hoon will hold talks with Defence Minister George Fernandes on a wide range of issues, including strengthening of defence cooperation between the two countries. Hoon will also meet External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh. The talks will follow the philosophy outlined by Singh during his visit here last month that Britain and India should engage not just as buyer and seller of arms, but as partners in defence. Peacekeeping operations will be at the top of the agenda of discussions, particularly in the light of the recent report on how the United Nations’ peacekeeping management can be improved. British and Indian forces have a long record of collaboration in peacekeeping, going back to cyprus in the mid-seventies, when British troops were under the Command of General Prem Chand. Recently, they were side by side in Sierra Leone, where the Indian contingent received high praise from their British colleagues. Other subjects for discussion will be a programme for further exchanges between the armed forces of the two nations, the situation of countries involved in conflicts and where Britain and India may be able to help and cooperate in technology. Though the issue of India purchasing the British Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT), Hawk, will be on the agenda, an agreement on this is expected only next month. Fernandes recently told Parliament that India intended to buy 66 hawks and that negotiations for the purchase were at an advanced stage. Hoon, who described the hawk as the most sophisticated AJT in the world, said "as many as half of them might be assembled in India." India’s reported wish to equip more than 200 artillery regiments with 155 mm howitzers over 10 years may also come up for discussions. A British company, Marconi Marine, is said to be one of the nine foreign manufacturers to be asked to submit proposals, and the royal artillery is equipped with 155 mm howitzers which are claimed to be excellent weapons. Discussions on technology exchanges will cover a wide range of subjects, including a study of how aircraft behave when they go through the sound barrier, and how to improve "human performance" of soldiers by dietary control. Britain will talk about chemical compounds specially designed for this purpose, while India will put forward "composite herbal preparations." Accompanied by Fernandes, Hoon will visit Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Bangalore where AJTs will be assembled. (PTI) |
|
Fresh effort to demand return of Kohinoor from Britain LONDON, Dec 10: A fresh effort is being made here to demand the return of fabled Kohinoor diamond, a national treasure from Britain to India. The 108-carat diamond, unearthed from a mine in South India, is currently resting as part of queen mother’s crown jewels in the tower of London. While 25 MPs led by Kuldip Nayar, a former Indian High Commissioner to Britain, have sought to raise the Kohinoor issue in the Rajya Sabha, the association for the restitution of the cultural heritage of India (archindia) here plans to move the House of Commons Committee to consider the return of the jewel, on the lines of the demand by Greece for returning elgin marbles. The Archindia President Bhaskar Ghorpade said today that the Association would demand the return of all major works of art and treasures, particularly the Kohinoor, which were either stolen or dubiously acquired by Britian. "Kohinoor is a national treasure and it belongs to India and India’s case for reclaiming the treasure is very strong," he told PTI. Ghorpade, a barrister who successfully fought the case for the return to India of a famous 8th century Pathur Nataraja statue, has represented the Indian Government in all cases involving its cultural heritage. "This is an opportune moment. The House of Commons select committee can inquire into the possession of all major works of art and treasure, particularly the Kohinoor, either stolen or dubiously acquired by Britain’s museums and art galleries," Ghorpade said. One of the most famous and ill-fated gems in the world, the Kohinoor has a long and chequered history before being taken from the 11-year old Sikh ruler Maharajah Duleep Singh in 1849 by the Governor-General, Lord Dlhousie, as a gesture of submission to imperial rule. The earliest authentic reference to the Kohinoor is found in the Baburnama, the memoirs of Babur. One account says that in 1297 Sultan Allauddin Khilji, ruler of Delhi from 1295 to 1316, defeated the last king of Gujarat and got his hands on the Kohinoor while another says the diamond came into the hands of the Hindu ruler of Gwalior and was presented to Humayun by family of Raja Bikramajit as a token of gratitude for protection. Then for two centuries it formed part of the Mughal treasure. In 1813 Shah Shoojah on the break-up of the Saddozai dynsty took refuge with Ranjeet Singh. In his most extended and emphatic letter on the subject of the Kohinoor dated Jan 7, 1958, which he worte from Malta, Dalhousie stated "when Ranjeet Singh seized it from Shah Shoojah, the Durani Emperor, he was very anxious to ascertain its real value. Babur had declared that it was worth two and a half days food for the whole world. (PTI) |
|
Barak to formally resign, election expected in Feb JERUSALEM, Dec 10: Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak gathered his cabinet today and planned to formally resign, a move that will plunge Israel into a wide-open election campaign at a time whe violence with the Palestinians is also raging. Barak, who gave no warning before his bombshell announcement in a last night television address, will remain in office and plans to run for re-election in a ballot expected in early February. His decision to quit was widely seen as a tactical move designed to block his leading rival, former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, from running for the post. Opinion polls give Netanyahu a huge lead. Under the current circumstances - elections for Prime Minister, but not for Parliament - only sitting members of Parliament can run for Prime Minister. "Israel is in a state of emergency," Barak said in his address yesterday. "Tomorrow I will advise the President of my resignation and in 60 days we will go to special elections for Prime Minister." Barak was to explain his decision to the cabinet in this morning session, and was expected to formally tender his resignation after to Israel’s President, Moshe Katsev. As his political support dwindled in recent months, barak had reluctantly agreed to hold new national elections, which were expected in about four or five months. His decision to resign and hold elections in two months appeared to catch most everyone in Israel off-guard. (AP) |
|
Kim, given Nobel, pledges to devote life to peace OSLO, Dec 10: South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung, receiving the Nobel Peace Prize today, praised Stalinist North Korea for easing cold war tensions and pledged to dedicate the rest of his life to peace and human rights. Mr Kim, in an acceptance speech to be delivered at the Oslo prize ceremony, also recalled how he had survived assassination bids and "shuddered with fear of death" after he was sentenced to death by South Korea’s former military rulers in 1980. "I humbly pledge before you that... I shall give the rest of my life to human rights and peace in my country and in the world, and to the reconciliation and cooperation of my people," he said in Oslo City Hall. Mr Kim, 75, was awarded the prize for his "sunshine policy" of closer ties between capitalist South and Communist North Korea, divided since the 1950-53 Korean war, and for lifelong efforts to promote democracy and human rights across Asia. He said the honour of the prize went to "countless people and colleagues" in South Korea. Yellow flowers symbolising sunshine decorated the Ornate City Hall, where Norway’s King Harald was among hundreds of guests. Mr Kim hailed North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, who hosted a historic summit in Pyongyang in June, for easing a key North Korean demand that US troops be withdrawn from South Korea. About 37,000 American troops are still stationed in South Korea and the border between the two nations, the most militarised in the world, is one of the last cold war flashpoints. Mr Kim said that in talks with his North Korean counterpart he had likened South Korea to Europe, saying that despite the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 US troops "continue to be needed for peace and stability in Europe". "To this explanation of mine, Chairman Kim, to my surprise, had a very positive response," he said. "It was a bold switch from North Korea’s long-standing demand, and a very significant move for peace on the North Korean peninsula and Northeast Asia." Mr Kim, who has said that he would prefer to be sharing the first Nobel Peace Prize of the 21st century with the reclusive North Korean leader, receives a gold medal, a diploma and a cheque for nine million Swedish crowns (930,000 dollars). Mr Kim said he had travelled to Pyongyang for the June summit with "a heavy heart, not knowing what to expect". But he said the talks achieved some important agreements that have led to closer economic and cultural ties. Mr Kim said yesterday that he believed in his dream of unification of the two Koreas, but that it could be decades away. He also said he would seek to modernise South Korea. "The reforms will continue in Korea. We are committed to the early completion of the current reform measures, as well as to reform an on-going process of transformation into a first-rate economy of the 21st century," he said. He also spoke of terrifying moments of persecution during a lifelong campaign for human rights. Mr Kim’s supporters call him "Asia’s Mandela". "Five times I faced near death at the hands of dictators, six years I spent in prison, and 40 years I spent under house arrest or in exile and under constant surveillance," he said. "In 1980, I was sentenced to death by the military regime. For six months in prison, I awaited the execution day. Often, I shuddered with the fear of death. But I would find calm in the fact of history that justice ultimately prevails," he said. (REUTERS) |
|
Sharif’s exile saddens loyalists, dissidents rejoiced KARACHI, Dec 10: Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s sudden departure into exile today in a suspected deal with the country’s military rulers saddened loyalists in his divided party. Dissidents who recently forced an open split in the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) by demanding election of a new leader, however, rejoiced over the dramatic development. "This is unprecedented that the whole family has left," said a central PML leader Ejaz Shafi, a close aide to Sharif. "Party workers may have been shocked but now General Pervez Musharraf can at least announce the elections after Sharif is out," he said. Another PML leader, Mushahidullah said: "I feel sad. Anyhow I don’t have to go to jail or agitate now for Sharif’s release." A female loyalist, Shamim Akhter, hit out at Sharif’s wife Kulsoom. "I blame Kulsoom for all this as she has been saying from the day one that her agenda is just to seek Sharif’s release. She has succeeded but hurt feelings of millions of loyalists," she said. Raja Zafarul Haq, who ran party affairs while Sharif was in jail, said a PML meeting would be held to take stock of the situation and guide party workers. Leaders in the anti-Sharif PML faction, accused by loyalists of toeing the line of the military regime, did not hide their joy. (AFP) |
|
Rushdie’s security to be downgraded LONDON, Dec 10: India-born author Salman Rushdie will have his one million pound a year police protection downgraded for the first time since Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Khomeini issued a Fatwa (religious edict) against him over a decade ago, The Sunday Times newspaper said today. Rushdie, 53, who is currently living in New York with his Chennai-born girl friend Padma Lakshmi, has been provided with British Special Branch detectives and elaborate security cover since the religious death sentence was imposed on him in 1989. In the past, British detectives have been sent at taxpayers’ expense to protect Rushdie in America. However, he has had US protection during recent visits when he had spent much of his time working and socialising among New York’s literary elite. In a special deal negotiated with Washington, American Secret Service which protects the President has taken over the cost of Rushdie’s close protection in the US, while Special Branch would still be responsible for his safety in UK. The latest "threat assessment" of Rushdie’s safety, conducted by Mi5 Security Service together with the police and a special section of the Foreign Office, suggests that the risk of assassination is now so reduced that security can be downgraded although that decision is for the police not the intelligence agency. (PTI) |
|
|
