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Bush names
Lindsey WASHINGTON, Jan 4: President-elect George Bush has named Lawrence Lindsey, 46, as his top financial advisor. Bush made the announcement yesterday while he conferred on the economy in Austin, Texas, with top leaders from private industry....more WASHINGTON, Jan 4: Former U.S. Secretary of State William Rogers, best known for his plan for Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank, died near Washington at the age of 87, a spokesman has said.......more Saddam son flays Iraqi ministries, Parliament BAGHDAD, Jan 4: The eldest son of President Saddam Hussein, touted as an advocate of political pluralism, has called for greater progress towards multi-party democracy in Iraq......more Winter claims MOSCOW, Jan 4: The Moscow winter claimed its 100th victim in the wake of the New Year celebrations, Health officials in the Russian capital told.......more |
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WEINHEIN (GERMANY), Jan 4: Anyone unhappy in their present job should not hang around waiting for a new one.....more China confirms Pak bid for ‘Shanghai Five’ membership BEIJING, Jan 4: China, one of the founding members of the Shanghai Five Security Forum, today confirmed .......more Prince Andrew pictured on Yacht with topless women LONDON, Jan 4: British tabloids today splashed pictures of Queen Elizabeth’s second son.......more
Gore swears in Senators, WASHINGTON, Jan 4: As Washington geared up for a new administration, Vice President Al Gore spent a bittersweet.....more |
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Bush names Lindsey as his top financial advisor WASHINGTON, Jan 4: President-elect George Bush has named Lawrence Lindsey, 46, as his top financial advisor. Bush made the announcement yesterday while he conferred on the economy in Austin, Texas, with top leaders from private industry. Lindsey is the architect of Bush’s controversial tax-cut programme that aims to reduce Taxes by 1.3 billion dollars over the next ten years. He was a federal reserve Governor in 1997 and 1998. (DPA) |
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WASHINGTON, Jan 4: Former U.S. Secretary of State William Rogers, best known for his plan for Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank, died near Washington at the age of 87, a spokesman has said. Rogers, born on June 23, 1913, died of congestive heart failure at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, where he lived, Tuesday night said the spokesman yesterday for Clifford, Chance, Rogers and Wells, the law firm in which Rogers was a partner. Rogers, a Washington lawyer for most of his career, served as Secretary of State under president Richard Nixon from 1969 to 1973 but was often overshadowed by Nixon and his national security adviser, Henry Kissinger. "Nixon knew Rogers was not an expert in foreign affairs and Nixon definitely intended to run policy himself in the White House," said Peter Rodman, who worked under Kissinger. "Rogers was a talented and decent man, maybe in the wrong job ... The travails Rogers endured in that position were built into Nixon’s selection of him. It was a tough assignment for him," added Rodman, who is now director of national security programs at the Nixon Center in Washington. In December 1969 he made public a peace plan, soon known as the Rogers plan, which envisaged Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank to its 1967 borders, with minor modifications for mutual security, in exchange for peace with Egypt and Jordan. Israel and Egypt rejected the plan, but in August 1970 Rogers was able to bring about a truce in the war of attrition between the two hostile countries. The central principle of the Rogers plan lives on in the land-for-peace idea behind the Madrid Peace Conference in 1991 and the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations which U.S. President Bill Clinton is holding in his last weeks in office. The other highlights of Rogers’ term as secretary were president Nixon’s groundbreaking visit to China in February 1972 and the signing of a vietnam peace agreement in 1973. Rogers accompanied Nixon and Kissinger on the state visit to China but Kissinger, who succeeded him as secretary of state the next year, dominated the talks with Chinese leaders. Rodman said Nixon chose Rogers out of loyalty for his help during crises in the Eisenhower years but Rogers was a victim of a trend towards centralizing power in the White House. If anything, Rogers had a moderating influence over the Nixon administration in foreign affairs. He opposed a Pentagon proposal to respond militarily when North Korea shot down a U.S. intelligence plane in 1969 and he was unenthusiastic about the controversial invasion of Cambodia during the Vietnam war. After leaving office in 1973, his main foray back into the public arena was in 1986, when he chaired the commission that investigated the space shuttle challenger disaster. His report criticised the management practices at NASA and the builders of the challenger rockets. Rogers is survived by his wife Adele and by four children — a daughter and three sons. (REUTERS) |
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Saddam son flays Iraqi ministries, Parliament BAGHDAD, Jan 4: The eldest son of President Saddam Hussein, touted as an advocate of political pluralism, has called for greater progress towards multi-party democracy in Iraq. Uday Hussein, who was elected to Parliament last March, also attacked the poor performance of Government ministries in a rare paper he submitted to the Assembly when he made his first appearance there on December 24. The paper, which was obtained by Reuters on Wednesday, accused Parliament of failing to "reach a level which makes it an effective body and different from others (Parliaments)." "I regret to say that the march of the current term of the Assembly has many setbacks which we hope to settle in order to serve Iraq’s democratic march," Uday said. Uday, 35, is Chairman of Iraq’s National Olympic Committee and the Iraqi Journalists’ Union. He owns Iraq’s most influential newspaper Babel and runs the popular Shebab television channel. His media outlets have been sniping for months at Government inefficiency and corruption. Call for multi-party system In the December 24 session of Parliament, Uday called for a multi-party system in Iraq but said it should take into account the current situation in the country which is under stringent UN sanctions imposed on Iraq for its 1991 invasion of Kuwait. He said that his father had spoken about a multi-party system in Iraq but it was difficult to implement because of "aggression" against the country. He was referring to the Gulf war, the UN sanctions and the US-led force that patrols two no-fly zones in southern and northern Iraq. Uday won his seat in Parliament last March 27 in a vote in which 522 candidates were competing for 220 seats in the 250-seat chamber. All 165 candidates of the ruling Baath Party were successful, as were 55 independents. Soon after the 1991 Gulf war over Kuwait, Saddam pledged to introduce democratic changes, including a new constitution, multi-party activity and freedom of the press. But he repeatedly stressed that there would be no place for western-style democracy in Iraq. In October 1999, Saddam instructed his top aides to study the possibility of forming new political parties, setting up a state council and creating a new constitution. Uday, who was severely wounded in an assassination attempt in December 1996, portrayed his bid to enter the 250-member Assembly as an introduction of new blood into Iraqi politics and a move to usher in a new generation of politicians untainted with corruption and failings of the past. In his paper he said Minister of Endowment and Religious Affairs Abdul-Muneim Ahmed Saleh did not cooperate in building mosques in areas inhabited by Shi’ite Muslims and called for justice in building mosques and churches. The paper accused the Ministry of Education of encouraging class divisions by creating new types of schools and also criticised the ministry of higher education and scientific research for failing to address the problem of a "brain drain" which hit Iraq after the imposition of sanctions. Uday also lambasted Iraq’s Trade Ministry. Accusing it of importing bad quality goods under the country’s oil-for-food deal with the United Nations. (REUTERS) |
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Winter claims 100 lives in Moscow MOSCOW, Jan 4: The Moscow winter claimed its 100th victim in the wake of the New Year celebrations, Health officials in the Russian capital told the Interfax News agency on Thursday. Two more deaths from exposure and frostbite were reported during the night. Many of 25 new victims in the past week were believed to have died during Millennium celebrations after falling asleep outside in sub-zero temperatures under the influence of alcohol. The first of the city’s annual spate of freezing deaths was reported on October 10. Victims are usually revellers or homeless.(DPA) |
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WEINHEIN (GERMANY), Jan 4: Anyone unhappy in their present job should not hang around waiting for a new one to make the change. Action and not patience is the watchword here, according to "Psychologie Heute" (Psychology Today) magazine. It says that workers who cling too long to a job may never make the move. The magazine warns against changing jobs too quickly, though, as this habit may result in the applicant being termed an unreliable job-hopper. Ambitious workers should also avoid taking on a post out of their league personally or professionally. Once the leap to a new firm has been made, it is important that the bridges to the old employer are not destroyed entirely, as the contacts made there may prove important in time. And anyone seeking a final showdown when it comes to handing in their notice should save their breath, says "Psychologie Heute". Gripes about other people mostly create enemies at a new firm rather than friends. (DPA) |
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China confirms Pak bid for ‘Shanghai Five’ membership BEIJING, Jan 4: China, one of the founding members of the Shanghai Five Security Forum, today confirmed Pakistan’s formal bid to join the group but said Islamabad’s accession requires "negotiated consensus." "The Chinese side has taken note of the wishes made by the Pakistani side to participate in Shanghai Five," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao said. "But, I think, taking new members requires negotiated consensus of the five members of the Shanghai five," Zhu told reporters at a bi-weekly ministry briefing here. The Shanghai Five, launched in 1996 comprises China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. Islamabad has submitted its application to the group’s current chair Tajikistan, diplomatic sources said. This was followed up by the Director General of Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), Lt. Gen. Mahmud Ahmed, when he made a secret visit to Beijing in November last year. However, China’s response to the request of its closest ally was reportedly non-committal, Jane’s defence weekly reported. Zhu told newsmen that the sixth leadership summit of the Shanghai five would be held in May in Shanghai. (PTI) |
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Prince Andrew pictured on Yacht with topless women LONDON, Jan 4: British tabloids today splashed pictures of Queen Elizabeth’s second son Prince Andrew enjoying a sunshine holiday on a Yacht off Thailand with topless women. Forty-year-old Andrew, whose marriage to the Duchess of York ended in divorce in 1996, was relaxing off the Thai island of Phuket where he had been the guest of Swedish millionaire Johan Eliasch, the mass circulation Mirror said. Shortly after Andrew and the Duchess separated in 1992, newspapers splashed pictures of her cavorting topless with Texan businessman John Bryan — causing a royal scandal. Last year there was speculation of reconciliation and a possible remarriage between Andrew and Fergie, as she is popularly known from her maiden name Sarah Ferguson. The couple have remained on amicable terms since their divorce and live in different wings of Andrew’s Sunninghill Park Mansion near London with their two daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. The daily mail quoted an unidentified friend of Andrew and Fergie as saying: "she knew about the (Thai) holiday. They both lead their own lives." The tabloids reported that while Andrew was soaking up the sun, Fergie and their two daughters were on a skiing holiday in Switzerland. (REUTERS) |
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Gore swears in Senators, urges support for Bush WASHINGTON, Jan 4: As Washington geared up for a new administration, Vice President Al Gore spent a bittersweet day basking in praise for making a graceful exit while urging support — within limits — for president-elect George W Bush. Heading into his last days in office, Gore yesterday swore in senators of the new 107th Congress and addressed black members of the House of Representatives, many of whom have decried the contested results in Florida that handed the presidency to Bush. "I believe very deeply that we all must respect, and wherever possible, help President-elect Bush because from the moment he takes his solemn oath a great responsibility will rest in his hands," Gore told the 38 members of the Congressional Black Caucus, all fellow democrats. But as he called for healing "our nation’s divisions," Gore said the bipartisanship that Bush has called for since emerging as the victor in the bitterly fought election should go only so far. "When you are the conscience of the congress, you, of course, have to do your best to reach across party lines, but you also have to know when to draw the line," he told the black lawmakers. And, in his first public statements since conceding the election to bush on December 13, gore could not resist needling his rival, the former Texas Governor, a little bit. "The country better get ready, because America is about to see some bold new leadership from the state of Texas. Of course, I’m talking about Eddie Bernice Johnson," Gore said, referring to the Dallas Congresswoman who is the new head of the Congressional Black Caucus. Gore then moved on to his role as President of the senate to swear in Senators elected in November, including New York’s New Senator, first lady Hillary Clinton. For 17 days, until the Bush administration takes office, Gore’s tie-breaking vote means that democrats will have control of a senate that has 50 Republicans and 50 Democrats. Senate Republican leader Trent Lott of Mississippi, who until January 20 is minority leader, thanked Gore "for the example that you have set during a very difficult time. You took the appropriate step and now we are prepared to move into a transition and into a new administration." Lott also expressed "the appreciation of the senate and a grateful nation to the presiding officer, the Vice President of the United States, for the service he has given to our country." As loud applause subsided, Gore deadpanned: "The chair will remind the senate that boisterous demonstrations are against the rules of the senate." Gore then swore in members of the new senate, and gave a kiss on the cheek to the first lady. He paused before swearing in senator Joseph Lieberman, who ran for re-election to his connecticut senate seat at the same time he stumped the country as Gore’s Vice Presidential running mate. "Congratulations my friend, I’m proud of you," Gore said as they hugged and clasped hands. (REUTERS) |
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