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Musharraf hopes Clinton KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 28: Pakistani military ruler General Pervez Musharraf today said he hoped tension between his nation and India over ........more Internet doctors may be HONG KONG, Mar 28: Patients may be put at risk by Hong Kong doctors giving advice over the internet, the Territory’s Medical .....more
Mubarak optimistic HERNDON, VA, Mar 28: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said he was disappointed...more |
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Karachi
partially KARACHI, Mar 28: Parts of Pakistan’s commercial hub of Karachi were shut down by a protest strike today, the first since October’s military coup, ......more Japan stocks broadly TOKYO, Mar 28: Japanese stocks fell by midday on Tuesday as investors took profits on a broad range of shares which had risen in recent sessions. ......more Musharraf told about KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 28: On the first stop of a four -nation Asian tour, Pakistan’s military leader Gen Pervez Musharraf today met with advice to .....more Israeli jet crashes, TEL AVIV, Mar 28: An Israeli F-16 jet fighter has crashed off the coast into the mediterranean and its crew of two are missing, Israeli radio reported ....more Pak can survive sanctions’ impact, says Musharraf KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 28: Pakistan can survive the impact of sanctions which were imposed after the country conducted nuclear tests in 1998, its......more |
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Musharraf hopes Clinton visit calms Kashmir KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 28: Pakistani military ruler General Pervez Musharraf today said he hoped tension between his nation and India over Kashmir will ease thanks to US President Bill Clinton’s visit. "I hope so at least, I really hope so," he told Reuters in an interview after meeting Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. He was asked if Mr Clinton’s visit last week would help calm the conflict in the Himalayan region over which India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars since independence. Gen Musharraf said he was prepared to open a dialogue with India at "any time, any place" over the dispute. Mr Clinton on Saturday urged Pakistan to open dialogue with India over Kashmir, ban nuclear testing and make economic development its top priorities. The US President was in Pakistan for five hours on Saturday after visits to India and Bangladesh. In an interview with the Financial Times today, Gen Musharraf said he was prepared to persuade militant forces to reduce tension in Kashmir in order to pave the way for talks with India. (REUTERS) |
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Internet doctors may be bad for health: Patients HONG KONG, Mar 28: Patients may be put at risk by Hong Kong doctors giving advice over the internet, the Territory’s Medical Association warned yesterday. Dozens of private doctors have signed deals with internet health care business ehealthcareasia.Com to give medical tips to patients through internet chat rooms. The company’s Medical Director Doctor Nelson Wong Chi-Kit said at the launch of the business on Monday that the doctors would advise anonymously on medical conditions but avoid giving diagnoses. But in an interview with the South China Morning Post Tuesday, the Vice President of the Hong Kong Medical Association warned patients might be put at risk if they were wrongly advised by doctors who had not seen them. Doctor Lo Wing-Lok said: "The doctors would endanger the health of the patients if patients were misled into delaying treatment." "The doctor-patient relationship exists even when there are only messages on-line." the Physician said. "The doctors would still be responsible if the patients encountered problems following the advice." He cautioned that anonymous advice was no replacement for one-to-one consultations and suggested doctors providing the internet "surgeries" should close every dialogue with a recommendation to the patient to consult their own doctor. The internet health service declined to say what it was paying the doctors who were providing the advice, saying it had reached private deals with them. (AGENCIES) |
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Mubarak optimistic despite Geneva summit HERNDON, VA, Mar 28: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said he was disappointed with the outcome of a weekend summit between the leaders of Syria and the United States but stressed it was important to remain optimistic. "All of us are disappointed but we should be very careful and should be optimistic anyway, under any circumstances," Mr Mubarak told reporters yesterday while visiting an internet company in Herndon, Virginia, near Washington. Mr Clinton and Syrian leader Hafez Al-Assad met in Geneva on Sunday and the United States said afterward that the gaps remained wide but they were still working for a deal. The Clinton-Assad summit was a last-ditch attempt to salvage Israeli-Syrian peace talks suspended since January because of wrangling over the Israeli-held Golan heights. Mubarak, who is due to meet President Bill Clinton today, said he hoped that "something encouraging" would emerge from discussions on Monday between US Middle East Envoy Dennis Ross and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. "For the time being there’s nothing," Mubarak said. The Egyptian leader has played a key role in the US-led Middle East peace process and is as keen as Clinton to clinch a settlement on the Syrian, Lebanese and Palestinian tracks. Mr Clinton and Mr Mubarak are expected to discuss a whole gamut of Middle East issues during their meeting. During his week-long visit to the United States, Mr Mubarak is also seeking to promote economic ties between the two countries and is particularly interested in information technology and other high-tech areas. Mr Mubarak told CNN in an interview yesterday that he had advised Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak during a recent meeting not to count on any concessions from Assad on the return of the Golan heights. "It it is impossible. It is going to mean problems in his country and he will be unable to give any concessions," Mr Mubarak said he told the Israeli leader. "If Barak, if Israel, really wants peace and wants to solve this problem, they should make sure they will give back all the occupied territory, as they have promised before." Mubarak said in the interview with CNN. Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq Al-Shara told a Lebanese newspaper yesterday that Mr Assad had reiterated in his conversation with Mr Clinton that he would never abandon a demand that Israel return all the Syrian land captured in the 1967 West Asia war. Mr Mubarak also said Syria was ready to sign an agreement, but would not agree to Israel keeping any part of the Golan heights. "I think Syria is ready to reach an agreement if they drop any acquisition of land by force," he said. "They should give them back that land. It’s impossible for Syria ... To accept any concession on that." Mr Mubarak said assassinated Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin had told him years ago that he was ready to return the golan to Syria, and what he wanted in return was full diplomatic relations, security measures and the exchange of ambassadors, in other words, a relationship similar to the one Israel enjoys with Egypt. The Egyptian leader said he had told Mr Assad of this conversation, and he had not rejected the conditions outright. He also said rumours about Mr Assad’s failing health were overstated. "He’s still in power. He’s still very alert," Mr Mubarak said, noting that Mr Assad had accompanied him to the airport in Damascus and the two leaders had discussed West Asia peace moves for a solid two hours. Asked about prospects for an independent Palestinian state, Mr Mubarak said, "for sure they should have a state." He noted that Palestinian President Yasser Arafat had declared several times that he intended to declare an independent Palestinian state by September. Such a declaration would be good news for Israel, he said, noting that it would mean that Israeli was dealing with only one Government, instead of several entities within the Palestinian political scene. "Declaring a Palestinian state is much more vital to Israel. Instead of dealing with different groups, they are going to deal with an administration, one Government," he told CNN. (REUTERS) |
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Karachi partially closed by protest strike KARACHI, Mar 28: Parts of Pakistan’s commercial hub of Karachi were shut down by a protest strike today, the first since October’s military coup, and police said at least eight vehicles were torched overnight. "No incident of violence has been reported in the morning so far, but eight vehicles were burnt in different parts of the city," a police official said in Karachi. The one-day strike in Sindh province, of which Karachi is the capital, was called by the ethnically based Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz with the support of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) in protest at the sacking of employees from state-run companies. Military ruler General Pervez Musharraf’s Government says many state-run companies, which are to be put up for sale, are over-staffed. But there are no official figures of how many people will be sacked. The MQM is Karachi’s most powerful political group, and has brought the port city to a complete standstill several times in the past through protests and strikes but today’s call out was their first after the October military coup. Witnesses said crowds of people were standing at bus stops for the little public transport that was still running in the central district of Karachi. Shops and several schools in the central and the eastern districts were also also shut because of the overnight violence. But witnesses said life appeared normal in the southern commercial district of the city. Police said they had detained several MQM activists but did not say if any prominent leaders of the two parties had been arrested. Mahaz and MQM leaders, who made the call for business and transport in the province to be shut down for the day, were not immediately available for comments. (REUTERS) |
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Japan stocks broadly weaker at midday, Sony tumbles TOKYO, Mar 28: Japanese stocks fell by midday on Tuesday as investors took profits on a broad range of shares which had risen in recent sessions. At midday on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the benchmark nikkei 225 average was down 209.57 points or 1.03 percent at 20,071.46. The June futures contract eased 40 points to 20,110. "Overall buying sentiment has weakened, with investors selling small shares which they bought just yesterday," said Hiroshi Sato, Equities Manager at Cosmo Securities. "Internet issues are still being avoided." Some traders said a 4.55 percent tumble in Sony Corp, a key high-tech issue, had dampened overall sentiment, especially after Sony had risen on Monday ahead of its two-for-one stock split. But most said the Nikkei should be supported around the psychologically key 20,000 level in coming sessions, helped by expectations of more buying by individual investors in April due to maturation of postal savings time deposits. The topix index of all first-section shares held on to positive territory by midday, ending a up 0.32 points at 1,654.15. Traders said the topix index had been helped by gains in telecoms giant and key market heavyweight Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) Corp and its mobile phone operating unit NTT Docomo NTT rose 5.84 percent to 1.63 million yen, while Docomo rose 4.21 percent to 4.21 million. Market players said they had been bought on expectations they would be heavily incorporated into the portfolios of new investment trusts. (REUTERS) |
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Musharraf told about democracy as he starts Asian tour KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 28: On the first stop of a four -nation Asian tour, Pakistan’s military leader Gen Pervez Musharraf today met with advice to return his country to democratic rule. Musharraf, who met with Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, was told that Pakistan should return to civilian rule, Malaysia’s Foreign Minister told reporters. Democracy is still the best form of Government, despite all its flaws, Mahathir told Musharraf, according to Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar, who briefed newsmen on the meeting. In an effort to win new friends and investments, Musharraf flew into Kuala Lumpur yesterday, two days after President Bill Clinton warned Pakistan it could face diplomatic isolation unless democracy was restored. During a short visit to Pakistan, Clinton pressed Musharraf for a timetable for national elections, to curb terrorism and to move forward on nuclear nonproliferation. Musharraf appeared to be meeting with the same concerns as he began his tour of Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei. Mahathir stressed that Pakistan must return to democratic rule. This was agreed to by Musharraf, who said he didn’t want to rule for ever, Syed hamid told reporters. He said that the visit was at Pakistan’s insistence and Malaysia had not invited Musharraf. Malaysia is an influential member of the commonwealth, the grouping of Britain’s former colonies which suspended Pakistan after Musharraf toppled the elected Government of Nawaz Sharif last October in a bloodless coup. Mahathir also expressed concern about Sharif’s trial, Syed Hamid said. (AP) |
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Israeli jet crashes, crew of 2 missing TEL AVIV, Mar 28: An Israeli F-16 jet fighter has crashed off the coast into the mediterranean and its crew of two are missing, Israeli radio reported today. No emergency call was received from the plane and the reason for the accident was still not known. The report said there had been a crop of recent defects in the US-made fighters. (DPA) |
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Pak can survive sanctions’ impact, says Musharraf KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 28: Pakistan can survive the impact of sanctions which were imposed after the country conducted nuclear tests in 1998, its military leader said today. We can hold out, Gen. Pervez Musharraf told reporters after meeting with Malaysian businessmen on the first stop of a four-nation Asian tour to improve his country’s image and seek investment. But he admitted that Pakistan was in dire need of investment and was hoping for help from the Muslim countries in the region. That’s why we have come here. To cooperate and to bring about the betterment of the country, Musharraf told newsmen. Musharraf, who arrived in Malaysia yesterday, is also scheduled to visit Indonesia and the oil-rich sultanate of Brunei. All three are predominantly Muslim nations. The only non-Muslim nation he is visiting is Singapore. The US first cut off aid to Islamabad in 1990 on the belief it had a nuclear bomb then. New sanctions were imposed in 1998 when both Pakistan and India conducted nuclear tests. Pakistan is burdened by a dollars 32 billion debt and a chronic budget deficit. It recorded a budget deficit of 3.4 percent in the financial year that ended in June 1999. Almost 60 percent of its gross domestic product is used for the repayment of foreign debt, while one-third of its dollars 14 billion budget is spent on defense. Pakistan is trying to obtain a dollars 3 billion loan package from the International Monetary Fund for poverty alleviation programmes and to finance economic reforms. IMF stopped funding in May 1999 during the last days of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s Government, which Musharraf’s Army overthrew in a bloodless coup in October. (AP) |
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