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Clinton tape takes stage at WASHINGTON,
Dec 11: President Bill Clinton’s videotape
testimony in ....more COLOMBO,
Dec 11: The
Indian Government has deed the allegations ...more SPACE
CENTRE (HOUSTON), Dec 11: Six astronauts jubilantly swung open the
doors to the new...more COLOMBO, Dec 11: The Sri Lankan Government suffered a major set back in Parliament today....more
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India affirms
commitment to human rights declaration From Dharam Shourie UNITED NATIONS, Dec 11 : India has affirmed its commitment to the universal declaration of human rights....more Nepal Prime Minister KATHMANDU, Dec 11 : Nepali Prime Minister Girijia prasad Koirala today asked King Birendra to dissolve....more India always sabotaged ISLAMABAD, Dec 11: Pakistan today claimed it has always entered into dialogue sincerely and charged.....more Golden jubilee of H.R ends UNITED NATIONS, Dec 11 : The 50th anniversary celebration of declaration of human rights in U N General.....more |
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Clinton tape takes stage at impeachment hearing WASHINGTON, Dec 11: President Bill Clinton’s videotape testimony in the Paula Jones sexual harassment case today took centre stage before the House Judicairy Committe as lawmakers pushed an impeachment vote. Chief democratic counsel Abbe Lowell, making a two-hour final agrument before the panel begins debate on four articles of impeachment against Clinton later today, showed the previously secret tape to rapt lawmakers. Playing from televisions on each side of the hearing room where articles of impeachment were approved against Richard Nixon marely 25 years ago, the tape showed Clinton sitting impassively as lawyers and a judge argued for ten minutes of definition of sexual relations to be used in the case. I think this could realy lead to confusion, warned Clinton’s lawyer, Robert Bannett, as the president sipped from a coffe cup and fingered his reading glasses. Does anybody in this room, does anybody in the United States, have a clear conception of what the definition of ‘sexual relations’ was if those three people, and that judge in that context had to spend that much time getting to the point?, Lowell asked. Clinton’s testimony that he did not have sexual relations with Monika Lewinsky is the basis for one of the panel’s perjury article of impeachment and led to independent counsel Kenneth Starr’s investigation of the Lewinsky matter. (REUTERS) |
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No shift in policy against LTTE, India assures Lanka COLOMBO, Dec 11: The Indian Government has deed the allegations of any ‘perceivable shift’ in its stand against the LTTE as alleged by some Indian opposition leaders and informally assured the Sri Lankan Government that there would be no let up in the crack down against the LTTE, officials of the foreign office said here today. The Indian Government has conveyed this assurance last week through informal channels on eve of the all important visits of Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, they said. Kumaratunga is scheduled to visit New Delhi towards the end of this month while Kadirgamar would be in the Indian capital next week to attend the Indo-Lanka Joint Commission meeting. The Indian Government has given the assurance to assuage Sri Lankan concerns over the reported allegations made by Janata Party leader Dr Subramanian Swamy that the BJP Government has ordered the India Coast Guard to ‘go slow and easy’ on the LTTE cadres’ movements between the Sri Lankan and Tamil Nadu coasts. In an interview published in a Sri Lankan english weekly recently, Dr Swamy claimed he had lead from Indian defence personnel that orders had been passed not to seriously pursue the LTTE cadre and charged two ministers in Vajpayee Cabinet with aiding and abetting the LTTE. Also the much published reports of the presence of top LTTE leaders and sympathisers including Thiruvenkatam Velupillai, the father of LTTE leader Prabhakaran, at the recent wedding of the daughter of MDMK leader, V Gopalaswamy in Chennai has caused considerable concern among the Sri Lankan Government and opposition circles. The presence at the wedding of Union Home Minister L K Advani and Defence Minister George Fernandes, who was perceived here as a committed LTTE sympathiser, made matters worse for the Government as President Kumaratunga and Kadirgamar were finalising their visits to Delhi to clinch the free trade agreement between the two countries. The foreign office here attaches great importance to Kumaratunga’s visit as well as the fourth meeting of the Indo-Lanka Join Commission beginning at Delhi on Dec 14 as both the Government’s were trying hard to remove all irritants coming in the way of the free trade agreement. The week-long meeting would review the progress of the joint programmes undertaken on the economic, educational and cultural fronts. A high level delegation led by Lal Jayawardene, the economic advisor to Kumaratunga was currently in Delhi to prepare a ‘short negative’ list of items to be excluded from the treaty. (PTI) |
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Astronauts opens
doors to new international SPACE CENTRE (HOUSTON), Dec 11: Six astronauts jubilantly swung open the doors to the new international space station and flipped on the lights becoming the first guests aboard the 400-km-high outpost. "It’s fantastic. I can’t say how much this means to all of us," radioed down Robert Cabana, Commander of the attached shuttle endeavour yesterday. "Mission control replied: You’ve opened the doors to a whole new era in spaceflight." Cabana and Russia’s Sergei Krikalev were the first to enter the space station. Cabana beckoned for the cosmonaut to join him in crossing the threshold of the US-Russian complex. They floated in side by side. In addition to flipping on the lights, the astronauts yesterday installed air ducts and fans and also planned to bring aboard clothes and other supplies for the first permanent crew, due to arrive in 2000. For the five Americans and one Russian and hundreds of flight controllers below it was a moment for which they and their countries had been striving for years. The space station consists of only two rooms so far and is still more than five years from completion. Its first permanent residents Krikalev and two other men won’t even move in for another year or so. But for the first time in nearly 25 years, NASA has a space station of its own, with people on board. "A very significant and almost momentous event," proclaimed flight director Bob Castle. The astronauts excitedly unlocked the three hatches leading from endeavour’s crew cabin into unity, the American-built chamber launched aboard the shuttle one week ago. It was slow going the astronauts had to use wrenches to unbolt the tightly sealed hatches and wait for the air pressure to equalise. Unity was dark inside and so the astronauts took along flashlights and lanterns. Upon entering, they flipped on the three light switches. "We remember when unity was just an aluminum shell," Cabana said, admiring the spotless white and yellow walls. "It’s just so nice inside. It’s really nice to be in a new home." Then they set about opening the three remaining hatches leading from unity into Zarya, the Russian-made control module, and squeezed into that portion, too, with Cabana and Krikalev again leading the way. "Looks like home, what do you think?" mission control asked Krikalev. "It’s small yet," he replied. "We need to have more modules." As Krikalev worked at replacing a faulty battery charger inside zarya, his shuttle crewmates installed electronics for unity’s antennas. Also high on their to-do list: Removing hundreds of bolts that were used to reinforce the station components for launch. A third and final spacewalk to wrap up work outside the station is scheduled for tomorrow. The next component of the space station is due to arrive late next summer from Kazakstan. "We just can’t wait to see the outcome of what we started," said Cabana. "I just see us in the embryonic stage of this. It’s just a small beginning and it’s only going to grow." (AP) |
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Sri Lankan Govt suffers a setback in Parliament COLOMBO, Dec 11: The Sri Lankan Government suffered a major set back in Parliament today with the opposition defeated an official motion taking advantage of the absence of the majority of the ruling peoples alliance members. The motion carrying budgetary allocations of Rs 609 million grants for the Ministry of live stock development and estate infrastructure fell through by 34 to 17 votes. The sudden turn of events took place when the alert opposition United National Party (UNP), realising the thin presence of the members of the ruling alliance pressed for division and defeated the official motion. Dazed ruling party M.Ps who were present during the voting blamed the defeat on the failure of the floor management of the alliance partners. The UNP which has not asked for division on similar motions of other ministeries suddenly insisted the Speaker on voting after the live stock development and estate infrastructure minister S.Thondaman rejected an amendment proposed by UNP member Susil Moonasinghe. Angered by Minister’s refusal, Moonasinghe asked for division and defeated the Government’s motion. Parliament officials said the defeat of the official motion was quite unusual but did not call for the resignation of the Government. (PTI) |
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India affirms commitment to human rights declaration From Dharam Shourie UNITED NATIONS, Dec 11 : India has affirmed its commitment to the universal declaration of human rights, and stressed upon the need for international cooperation to eradicate poverty and economic deprivation to help people enjoy the rights enshrined in it. It is no surprise that the aggressive promotion of human rights in international forums comes from those countries which are the most self satisfied. A larger need is of introspection and policies of meaningful assistance would be far more useful than lofty judgementalism, Indian Ambassador Kamlesh Sharma said yesterday addressing the United Nations General Assembly on the 50th anniversary of the declaration. The principles enshrined in the declaration would be meaningless unless applied to both conditions of absence of civil and political freedom or discrimination and to economic and social deprivation, he said. The dignity of free development of the personality of a person, he emphasised, is most generally compromised by poverty and economic deprivation and degradation. Yet freedom from want, the fundamental right enshrined in the declaration, has never been addressed as a global crusade, Sharma said. The cause of universality of human rights will be truly promoted when lives everywhere in planet are held in equal value and sanctity, he told the Assembly. There is need, he added, to recognise and strengthen an agenda of Solidarity rights of which the right to development is the prime example. |
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Nepal Prime Minister wants
Parliament KATHMANDU, Dec 11 : Nepali Prime Minister Girijia prasad Koirala today asked King Birendra to dissolve Parliament and call fresh elections, state radio said. The recommendation followed a Cabinet meeting one day after communist allies pulled out of his coalition government over differences on a power-sharing accord. Koirala, leader of the Centrist Nepali Congress party, recommended to the king that a mid-term general election be held on March 31, the radio said. Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has, in accordance with the Constitution of the kingdom of Nepal, 1990, recommended to his majesty the king that the present House of representatives be dissolved..., it said, quoting a statement by Koirala’s office. Elections officially are not due until November 1999 in Nepal, which introduced multi-party democracy under a Costitutional monarchy in 1990 after a bloody pro-democracy movement. Koirala has in the recent past said he wanted to hold elections in April or may in the Himalayan Kingdom, which has been hit by political uncertainties since the last elections in 1994. The statement said the recommendation for early elections had been approved earlier by the Nepali Cabinet. An emergency meeting of the central working committee of koirala’s party said the recommendation was appropriate. (REUTERS) India always sabotaged peace process in South Asia: Pak ISLAMABAD, Dec 11: Pakistan today claimed it has always entered into dialogue sincerely and charged India with sabotaging peace process in South Asia even as senior officials said the second round of talks in New Delhi were expected from February 6. The Indians have always tried to sabotage the peace process in South Asia...They not want to make progress, as they often come up with suggestions to halt the peace process, senior Pakistani officials, who said they do not expect any ‘positive results’ in this bilateral talks, alleged. They claimed Pakistan had always entered into dialogue witsincerity of purpose and for meaningful negotiations. Senior officials in Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry have been quoted by the media as saying the Delhi round of talks are expected to be held from February 6 to 9, which would be a continuation of the Indo-Pak bilateral dialogue held in Islamabad in mid-October. The Pakistan-India dialogue, which will be the continuity of failed negotiations held in Islamabad from October 15 to 18, is expected to be held from February 6 to 9 next year, english daily ‘The News’ quoted a senior official as saying. (PTI) Golden jubilee of H.R ends without common consensus UNITED NATIONS, Dec 11 : The 50th anniversary celebration of declaration of human rights in U N General Assembly has ended without yielding much results as the North-South divide came in the way of any consensus decision on millions of people living in political oppression, abject poverty and social depravation. The day-long session yesterday devoted to the celebration of the anniversary and a series of events organised across the world heard abundant pious thoughts, but little promise of action. At the outset of the meeting, the 185-member Assembly adopted a consensus resolution, solemnly declaring its commitment to the declaration as a common standard for all peoples and nations. It also called for further promotion and protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms including right to development. But the consensus ended at that. As representatives of more than 120 nations made their presentations, the divide between developed and developing nations became clear. While developed nations stressed political rights, the developing states emphasised on right to development, hence failing to provide any common meeting ground between the two. (PTI) |
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