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US, China to move WASHINGTON, Mar 23: The US and China treaded carefully on the future of bilateral relations, agreeing to move forward in ties while acknowledging fundamental differences on key issues from ....more 400
cases of foot, and DUBAI, Mar 23: The deadly foot-and-mouth disease, which is sweeping Europe, has affected some countries in the middle East with more than 400....more Mounting
US-Russia spy WASHINGTON, Mar 23: Former foes Washington and Moscow returned to a familiar refrain yesterday, moving toward tit-for-tat expulsions of one ..more |
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‘Crouching tiger’
doesn’t HONG KONG, Mar 23: Highly-acclaimed martial arts fantasy "crouching tiger, hidden dragon" may have mesmerised movie-goers in North America..more Pak
rejects India’s offer of GENEVA, Mar 23: Angered by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan’s remarks that the Security Council resolutions on Kashmir cannot form the basis for .....more Law,
not love, may CHICAGO, Mar 23: Love may be in the air, but a a surge in marriages this year may have more to do with a soon-to-expire law that allows illegal...more |
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US, China to move forward in ties WASHINGTON, Mar 23: The US and China treaded carefully on the future of bilateral relations, agreeing to move forward in ties while acknowledging fundamental differences on key issues from national missile defence to Taiwan. In an hour-long meeting between President George W Bush and visiting Chinese Vice Premier at the White House yesterday, Bush said "our relationship will move forward. Nothing we do is a threat to you, and I want you to tell that to your leadership." He, however, acknowledged that differences existed between the two countries on issues like Taiwan, human rights, religious freedom and national missile defence. "It is in our nations’ best interests that we have good relations," he said but pledged to support the military needs of Taiwan and push for human rights reforms in China. "It would certainly be a lot easier to move forward (in relations) in a constructive way when the people with whom we conduct our affairs honour religious freedom within their borders," official sources quoted him as saying. Affirming that efforts were needed from both sides to put the often-bumpy relations on a smooth course, Qian said when "we have shared interests, we can advance our relationship forward. Where we disagree, we can have very good exchange of views." Bush said that he will visit Beijing in the fall as part of a broader Asian trip. Recalling his tour of China in 1975, he said "I look forward to my return. I can’t wait to see the change," according to the officials. (PTI) |
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400 cases of foot, and mouth disease detected DUBAI, Mar 23: The deadly foot-and-mouth disease, which is sweeping Europe, has affected some countries in the middle East with more than 400 cases of the livestock virus being detected in Saudi Arabia alone. A Saudi daily said some 420 calves had been found to be infected with the disease in the country’s Eastern province and nearly 120 had died. Mr Majed Al-Khamis, head of the Agriculture Ministry’s Livestock Resources Department, was quoted as saying that ten infected sites had been detected in three parts of the kingdom. He said the disease had been known to the kingdom since 1970s. " The virus appears at the end of winter and disappears when the summer gets hotter." The disease can be prevented from spreading by destroying the sick animals and imposing strict control on animals and other carriers coming from infected areas. Saudi Agriculture and Water Minister Abdullah Muammar had recently stated that ten cases of the disease had been detected and that eight cows and calves had been destroyed. Meanwhile in the UAE, health authorities recently destroyed some 150 infected animals to contain the disease. A UAE official was quoted as saying that the GCC states had launched steps to prevent the spread of the deadly virus. All imported livestock were inspected and disinfected at all ports and imports required prior approval, he added. The Oman Government, meanwhile, sought to allay fears about the disease, saying it did not affect human health in any way. "It (disease) only affects some categories of animals such as buffaloes, goats and sheep," a statement from the Sultanate’s ministry of agriculture and fisheries said. Other countries in the region have also initiated various steps to check the devastating plague. (UNI) |
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Mounting US-Russia spy scandal recalls cold war WASHINGTON, Mar 23: Former foes Washington and Moscow returned to a familiar refrain yesterday, moving toward tit-for-tat expulsions of one another’s diplomats in the biggest spy scandal since the end of the cold war. The United States expelled four Russian diplomats and officials said 46 others would have to leave by July, in a move to trim what Washington says is Russia’s growing spy network. Within hours, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov was quoted as saying Moscow would respond in kind — expelling one US diplomat for each Russian forced to leave. A senior Ivanov aide said the order reflected the world view of a new US administration whose roots lay in the superpower rivalry of old. "This morning the department of state notified the russian Embassy that four of its accredited diplomats have been declared persona non grata in the United States and should leave the country forthwith," US State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher said. Boucher said Russia had been told to send four of its diplomats home within 10 days, and US officials later said Moscow was asked to withdraw 46 others by July 1. The United States linked the expulsion of the first four with the arrest in February of FBI counter-espionage expert Robert Hanssen, who faces charges of spying for Russia. A ranking US Congressman called the move a "line in the sand," designed to warn the Russians against escalating their espionage activities. In an interview with US television networks NBC and CNN, Ivanov said Moscow "had to take adequate measures" to respond. Asked if that meant the same number of Americans would be asked to leave Moscow, Ivanov said: "I think so, yes." "There was no basis for this action, therefore we think it can only be viewed as a political action. And why was it needed now?" he asked, according to a transcript of the interview provided by NBC. "What happened today is a return to the cold war. It is an attempt by those who do not want a constructive dialogue between our countries to push us backwards, to push us back into confrontation." Meanwhile, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Avdeyev told RTR state television the order went "much deeper than a mere expulsion of diplomats." "A new team is in place which is used to working in conditions of confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union," he said. "It hasn’t worked for eight years and doesn’t know what today’s Russia is all about." If carried through fully, the US action would mark its biggest expulsion of suspected spies since "operation famish" in 1986 when President Ronald Reagan ordered 80 soviet diplomats out — long before the cold war ended a decade ago. The dispute also represents the latest twist in relations already complicated by differences over arms control and the rebellious region of Chechnya — just weeks after President George W Bush took office. Earlier, US officials said they were optimistic the diplomatic fallout could be contained. "The actions we took yesterday speak for themselves. I am confident that we can have ... Good relations with the Russians," Bush told reporters after a speech to newspaper editors yesterday. "We’ve got some areas where we can work together. We made the right decision," Bush said. The Kremlin lost little time in commenting, saying the expulsion plans were a sorry lapse into cold war Spymania. "If these reports are true, such action would cause deep regret in Russia," Russia’s interfax news agency quoted President Vladimir Putin’s Foreign Policy Adviser as saying. "Any campaigns of spymania or searches for an enemy are only worthy of deep regret and are a relapse into the cold war era," Sergei Prikhodko said in the first Kremlin reaction. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said the expulsions were linked to the arrest of the FBI’s Hanssen, charged with giving Moscow a wealth of US secrets over 15 years. He was detained on February 18 and accused of selling secrets to moscow for 1.4 million dollars in money and diamonds. But Fleischer dismissed suggestions the United States was returning to a "cold war" mentality. "Clearly the cold war ended 10 years ago," he said. "But the level of Russian intelligence officers in the United States is at a high level." "It’s been a concern to the United States Government — to the Clinton administration and to George W Bush’s administration. President George Bush took action," he said. (REUTERS) |
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‘Crouching tiger’ doesn’t have magic touch at home HONG KONG, Mar 23: Highly-acclaimed martial arts fantasy "crouching tiger, hidden dragon" may have mesmerised movie-goers in North America but it has not had the same magic touch back home. Despite the strong presence of Asian stars including former bond girl Michelle Yeoh and Chow Yun-Fat of "Anna And The King", it appears not to have struck the same chord with Chinese audiences as it has in the United States, where it has shattered several box office records. "In Hong Kong, we are not bowled over by it because we have seen a lot of martial arts films. What is novelty in one place is not a novelty here," China movie critic Paul Fonoroff told Reuters. "We are used to seeing people flying through the air." The film’s graceful and at times fantastical fight scenes were choreographed by Hong Kong martial arts director, Yuen Wo-Ping, who became established in hollywood only after working on "The Matrix" and "Charlie’s Angels". His career, in fact, spans back to the 1970s when he began directing and choreographing a series of Kung Fu hits including "Drunken Master", which gave Jackie Chan a major breakthrough in his acting career. "Crouching Tiger", which mixes gravity-defying fight scenes and sword play with heart-wrenching romance, shattered the US 100 million mark in North American theatres over the weekend, the first Asian and first foreign-language film to the barrier. It has nabbed 10 academy award nominations, including nods for best picture and best director for Taiwan-born filmmaker Ang Lee. In Hong Kong, however, it didn’t even make it into the top five at last year’s box office, according to Edko films, the local distributor of the Kung-Fu epic. The film raked in HK 15 million (us1.92 million) during its initial release in the territory last July and a subsequent re-release in January has only brought in HK 1.3 million over 11 weeks. This compared with last year’s top-grossing film "Mission: Impossible 2", starring Tom Cruise and directed by Hong Kong film maker, John Woo, which grossed HK 34 million. Some also attribute the lukewarm reception to the choice of language. The film was shot in Mandarin, a dialect spoken across mainland China but not Hong Kong where cantonese is the predominant dialect. Neither he nor Yeoh are native Mandarin speakers. Reviews in mainland China, where the film has been coldly received, have come out with scathing remarks about Chow’s poorly-mastered lines. "It’s a film where his performance only works if you don’t understand Chinese well. His Mandarin isn’t good enough to have those long stretches of dialogue," said Fonoroff, referring to Chow Yun-Fat. Still, local media are hoping to cash in on the extra hype in asia created by the film’s Oscar race. With only a few days to go, Sunday’s awards ceremony has turned into a true hollywood cliffhanger with no clear favourites for the top categories. The unprecedented success of the film in hollywood and suspense over who will get the top trophies are expected to make this year’s academy awards one of the most closely-followed ever in Hong Kong, said Television Broadcast Ltd, which will broadcast the event live. But with so many awards already under its belt, some of the film’s cast insists they feel no pressure. As its star Michelle Yeoh put it: "getting this kind of nominations, to have come this far, I really honestly believe we are winners already." (REUTERS) |
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Pak rejects India’s offer of cease-fire, talks on Kashmir GENEVA, Mar 23: Angered by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan’s remarks that the Security Council resolutions on Kashmir cannot form the basis for the settlement of the issue, Pakistan today displayed its frustration at the session of the commission on human rights when it said dialogue and cease-fire offered no permanent solution to the 53-year-old issue. "Irrespective of arguments over cease-fire and dialogue, the reality is that the problem of Kashmir can only be resolved in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri people," Mr Akram Munir, Pakistan’s representative, said here at the 57th session of the commission. Speaking on self-determination, he virtually criticised Mr Annan for his remark that the resolutions on Kashmir were not self-enforcing. "It is the duty of the UN to devise means to implement these resolutions, he said. Mr Munir said if solemn agreements endorsed by the Security Council could be disavowed, it will erode the very basis of international law and the UN charter. While urging the UN to play its role in the Kashmir issue, Mr Munir said it had legal, political and moral obligation to "foster a just an peaceful solution to the dispute." The UN has an obligation to hold the parties concerned to their commitments and to promote the implementation. "If the resolutions do not prescribe the mechanism for their enforcement, it is the duty of the UN and its membership to devise means to implement them," he said. Denying the charge that Pakistan provided material support to terrorism in Kashmir, he said the Kashmir struggle was " spontaneous and indigenous and no external forces were involved in it." However, Mr Munir’s assertion on militancy were questioned by the Indian representative who said "Pakistan is patronising terrorists by providing them moral, material and financial support." Mr Rajesh Prasad, an Indian diplomat, said Pakistan’s statement was yet another indicator of its obsessive hostility towards India. He said root cause of the Kashmir problem was cross-border terrorism which was encouraged, carried and financed by Pakistan. Mr Prasad said the Indian Government repeatedly expressed its reainess for resumption of dialogue with Pakistan, but Islamabad had to create conducive atmosphere for that. Referring to the Lahore process, he said it showed India’s intentions to settle all disputes with Pakistan through dialogue, but Islamabad scuttle the process through its intrusion in Kargil, which heightened tension in the region. A country where the military has repeatedly overthrown constitutional Government and which preaches "military determinations" at home has no right to sermonise others on self-determination, he remarked. The Pakistan’s representative again raked up the Kashmir issue when he spoke on behalf of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) on the issue of self-determination in the context of Palestinian problem. He said it was unfortunate that the people of Palestine and Jammu and Kashmir still awaited the realisation of their right to self determination. The Indian representative said Pakistan was misusing the oic platform by raising the Kashmir issue. He said Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee offered cease-fire in the state with an aim to bring peace and normalcy. He said Pakistan had denied basic rights to the people living in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. (UNI) |
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Law, not love, may lie behind surge of US marriages CHICAGO, Mar 23: Love may be in the air, but a a surge in marriages this year may have more to do with a soon-to-expire law that allows illegal immigrants who say "I do" to stay in the United States, officials said. "I don’t know if a whole lot of people are falling in love, or are just looking to get the benefits" of the law, Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) spokeswoman Marilu Cabrera said in a telephone interview on Wednesday. The law, signed on December 21 by then-President Bill Clinton, offered a limited amnesty to undocumented immigrants with a family relationship with someone legally residing here. While the bill was meant to reunite families, in practice it meant that undocumented immigrants who marry a US citizen before April 30 may obtain a visa immediately that makes it legal for them to live and work here. Once legally in the United States, they can begin the process of obtaining citizenship. Previously, illegal immigrants who had been here six months had to return to their home country for a minimum of three years. That’s why some blame the approaching deadline for the crush of business at city halls across the country and even some dating services. New York’s five boroughs have issued 125 percent more marriage licenses so far this year compared to a year ago, and Los Angeles county issued nearly 6,000 licenses in January and more than 7,000 in February, a combined 60 percent more than a year ago. But beware: What the Government gives it can snatch away. The INS said it will be on the look-out for sham marriages by undocumented immigrants. Still, the INS estimated there are roughly five million immigrants in the United States illegally, and the agency usually actively tracks down only those suspected of committing crimes. And some sort of identification and 30 generally dollars gets couples a marriage license, few questions asked. "We’re not an investigative agency, we don’t ask the couple why they’re getting married. We’re busy," said Grace Chavez, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Registrar Recorder. But in Chicago, where more than 8,000 marriage licenses have been issued this year, or almost one-third more than last year, the cook county clerk’s office was clear about some couples’ motivation for tying the knot now rather than later. "It’s the new law, and we expect it to continue through April 30. We’ve shifted some staff to accommodate them," Cook County Clerk spokesman Scott Burnham said. The rush to the altar has also kept matchmakers busy, said Joseph Speyer of Field’s Exclusive Service in New York. "A lot Europeans, Russians, Poles, they’ve been coming in. They add a lot to society, they work, and they want to stay," speyer said. "We promise dates. If it leads to marriage, it leads to it." (REUTERS) |
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