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| Bangla CEC turns down demand for resignation DHAKA, Dec 14: Bangladesh’s Chief
Election Commissioner (CEC) Abu Hena has turned down the
opposition demand to....more NEW
YORK, Dec 14: The
United States Senate will enter mostly unchartered course
if the house of representative decides ...more SHANGHAI,
Dec 14: A
gas explosion in an East China coal mine has killed 32
miners and injured 10 others, mine officials said
today....more KATHMANDU, Dec 14: Destruction awaits the home and society which ill-treat their women, thundered a Nepali woman ....more |
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Clinton starts land RAFAH, GAZA STRIP, Dec 14: US President Bill Clinton began a landmark visit to the ..more Astronauts set station SPACE CENTER (HOUSTAN), Dec 14: After successfully joining and outfitting the....more Jobless person sets ISLAMABAD, Dec 14: In a bizarre incident in Pakistan, a jobless person burnt his .....more PLA expanding BEIJING, Dec 14: China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), which is in the process of .....more US Embassies in Arab DUBAI, Dec 14: US Embassies in the Arab Gulf countries on yesterday warned their....more |
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Bangla CEC turns down demand for resignation DHAKA, Dec 14: Bangladesh’s Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Abu Hena has turned down the opposition demand to resign for alleged rigging in a crucial by-election saying he would not do so under pressure from any quarter. Time has not come yet for me to resign. I will not hesitate to resign at any moment in the national interest and for he sake of the people. But I will not resign under pressure from any quarter, Abu Hena was quoted today as saying by the Bengali daily Pratham Alo. The CEC’s statement comes in the wake of main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)’s decision to organise a march to the Election Commission Secretariat on December 17 demanding his resignation and BNP chief Begum Khaleda Zia accusing him of bias and incompetence. Hena, who conducted the June 1996 general elections held under a caretaker administration, said the Election Commission held the recent by-election in Pabna-2 parliamentary constituency in a free and fair manner. Hena said he had made all efforts to see that the poll remained free from any Government influence. Bnp enforced a countrywide shutdown yesterday to protest the alleged rigging in the by-election held on Thursday which ruling Awami League candidate A K Khandaker won by 20,000 votes. (PTI) |
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US Senate will enter mostly unchartered course NEW YORK, Dec 14: The United States Senate will enter mostly unchartered course if the house of representative decides to impeach President Bill Clinton as recommended by the Judiciary Committee and then the Senate decides to proceed with the trial. The only impeachment trial of the President in American history so far was held 130 years ago in which Andrew Johnson was acquitted by one vote. Under the constitution, two-thirds majority of members present and voting is required to remove a President or any high official whose case goes to trial. The cost of defence of the President, considered an official duty, would be borne by the state and the President could decide whether to appear or not at the trial which would be conducted by teams of lawyers. The Senate has only rules written during Johnson’s trial for guidance, but at that time it comprised 50 members as against 100 now. Besides, 12 such trials have been held so far but only seven resulted in conviction — all of federal judges. However, the Presidential trial presents quite a unique situation as it could lead to political repercussions, especially as the next elections would be due in just over a year’s time when it is expected to end. (PTI) |
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China blast kills 32 coal miners, injures 10 SHANGHAI, Dec 14: A gas explosion in an East China coal mine has killed 32 miners and injured 10 others, mine officials said today. A spark touched off the explosion on Saturday, said an official at the Changguang mine in Zhejiang province. We don’t know what caused the spark yet, he said, speaking by telephone. Nine of the injured were seriously hurt in the explosion at the number six mine in Changxing County, about 160 km South-West of the provincial capital of Hangzhou. Officials at the mine had no other details saying only that rescue teams had been rushed to the scene. Senior Zhejiang provincial officials, including Communist Party Secretary Zhang Dejiang and Governor Cai Songyue, were also on hand to inspect the rescue operations, the Wenhui Dail said. The mine is one of several in the area operated by a coal group that has 10,000 miners producing 800,000 tonnes of coal a year. (REUTERS) |
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Have yourself a fake but Merry Christmas HONG KONG, Dec 14: Talking Teletubbies, Rolex watches and Calvin Klein boxer shorts will fill many christmas stockings across Asia this year. But watch out if the goodies are from Hong Kong: they may turn out to be Telotubbies, Roluxes and Gioven Kelvins. As Asia’s financial crisis persists, more holiday shoppers are turning to cheaper counterfeit products. "People don’t have as much money now," said Calvin Leung, head of intellectual property protection of the customs and excise department. "Do you know how much it is to buy a designer suit for your wife? and do you know how much you can save if you buy a copy?" Shoppers from around the world know the answer. " They’re terribly fake," said Peter Schmidt, a German banker living here, who bought three counterfeit Ralph Lauren Polo t-shirts from a hawker. Mr Schmidt paid 30 Hong Kong dollars (3.80 US dollars) per shirt - compared with 430 Hong Kong dollars (55 US dollars) for the real thing. "You can throw them away after one day," Mr Schmidt said. In the temple street night market, tourists, trendy teen-agers and middle-aged shoppers browse at stalls selling clothing, toys, electronics, watches, inflatable couches and CDs. At one stall, cheap speakers blasted out "my heart will go on," the theme song for hollywood blockbuster "Titanic." But the "Celine Dion" was conspicuously singing a couple of keys too low with a cold-stricken voice. "This is the real thing," the vendor insisted. Some of the goods look real enough to fool almost anyone. The 140 Hong Kong dollar (18 US dollars) counterfeit Prada Wallets smell like leather. Each carries a bogus "certificate of authenticity." Other products are outright fakes, like the boxer shorts in boxes emblazoned with the initials CK. The fine print says "Gioven Kelvins." A digital watch resembling the Casio G-Shock, popular among Asian teen-agers, was actually an "S-Shock." Kim Jae Kyong and You Jong Dae, businessmen from Seoul, South Korea, haggled with a woman selling fake designer bags. She displayed nothing more than photographs of her goods taped to a folding table. She recited some numbers on her mobile phone, and two assistants emerged minutes later with the products. The woman wouldn’t identify herself but had a good reason to keep her products off the street. "It’s quite dangerous here, and we don’t want to run into trouble," she said. Despite the heavy penalty "counterfeit dealers can face fines or up to five years in prison" plenty of retailers are getting into the lucrative trade. Some of the newly unemployed are also at work selling fakes. "I wouldn’t do this if I could find a job," said a man selling bogus designer bags who gave only his first name, Rodrigo. "You go to jail if you get caught." (AP) |
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Astronauts set station loose, fly away SPACE CENTER (HOUSTAN), Dec 14: After successfully joining and outfitting the first two pieces of the international space station, endeavour’s astronauts set the seven-story complex loose and flew away. They were sorry to go. "Wish we could stay longer," Commander Robert Cabana said yesterday, "but we’ll get safely away and leave it for somebody else to come back and add more to it." It will be spring before the next construction crew arrives. With the flick of a switch that released the snares holding them together, space shuttle endeavour separated from the 77-foot (23-meter), 70,000-pound (31,700-kilo) station and, with pilot Rick Sturckow at the controls, slowly backed away. Flight controllers in Houston and Moscow monitored the 394-km-high action. The undocking, similar to those between space shuttles and Mir, occurred over Russian ground stations. The winged, cylindrical station glistened in the sunlight as the shuttle circled from a distance of 450 feet (137 meters) for a final photo survey. Once that was done, sturckow fired endeavour’s thrusters and the shuttle pulled away for good. The astronauts could still see the station from more than eight miles out and excitedly beamed down pictures. "It’s the brightest new star on the horizon," Cabana said as the station grew smaller and smaller, its two components resembling the head and body of a snowman lying sideways. With endeavour’s flawless departure, Nasa’s lead flight director, bob castle, was finally ready to declare the Assembly part of the 12-day mission a success. "I’m very, very, very gratified," Castle said. The undocking capped an intense week for endeavour’s six astronauts, who are due back on earth late tomorrow. They captured Zarya, the Russian-built control module, and stacked it on the American-made unity chamber in the shuttle cargo bay on December 6, then conducted three spacewalks to wire the components together, install and fix antennas, and attach a tool box to the outside. They also spent a full day inside the station, sprucing it up for the first permanent crew, due to arrive in just over a year. Working quickly, they accomplished everything they set out to do and more. (AP) |
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Jobless person sets daughter on fire for demanding bread ISLAMABAD, Dec 14: In a bizarre incident in Pakistan, a jobless person burnt his eleven-year-old daughter to death for demanding bread to satisfy her hunger pangs. Bindya Bano, a resident of a Rawalpindi slum, succumbed to her burn injuries yesterday, five days after her father poured kerosene on her and set her ablaze, a report said. The girl, who never attended school for lack of money, told police in her dying statement that she had asking her father for some roti since she had not had anything for the last five days. But her father insistedthe slaughter her pet hen and eat it. When she protested against this, her enraged father set fire on her before her mother and grandmother, she said. Her mother and grandmother tried to save her by wrapping her in a quilt but by then she had suffered maximum burn injuries. Police later tried to arrest the man on the basis of a complaint filed by Bano’s mother, but he escaped. My husband used to hurl threats of kiling the entire family as he is unable to earn for us, Bano’s mother said in her complaint. Police said the girl died also due of lack of proper treatent s the doctors of the local hospital sent her to the district hospital without any first aid. Police also tried to contact some NGOs for her treatment but, None of them came forward, report said quoting police sources. (PTI) PLA expanding military diplomacy BEIJING, Dec 14: China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), which is in the process of massive military modernisation, has taken up military diplomacy in a big way to dispel fears among neighbours and other countries alike that Beijing is a threat to them. The world’s largest Army is now practising military diplomacy as an integral part of its overall diplomacy and has taken advantage of the reforms and liberalisation for a new look, the official Xinhua news agency said. The PLA’s military diplomacy has made contribution to a better international and domestic environment for China’s reforms and opening up of the economy has proven that the PLA is a disciplined peace-loving force and an important one for guarding regional and world peace, stability and development, it said. The PLA, founded in 1927, has followed the principle that military diplomacy should serve national diplomacy and the modernisation of China’s defence and armed forces, Xinhua said quoting an official report analysing the three million strong PLA’s role. It notes that PLA’s military diplomacy has increased mutual understanding, trust and friendship with foreign amed forces. Further, it has also led to developing the traditional cooperation with armed forces of majority of developing countries while improving relations with the armed forces of developed nations. (PTI) US Embassies in Arab warn nationals of possible attacks DUBAI, Dec 14: US Embassies in the Arab Gulf countries on yesterday warned their nationals to be on alert because of the threat of a terrorist attack against Americans. The Embassies have "information indicating a strong possibility that terrorist elements are planning an attack against US targets in the Gulf, possibly in the next 30 days," said a warning issued by the US Embassies in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. The warning continued: "All American citizens should remain alert to any suspicious activity and take precautionary steps to reduce the profile and vulnerability of any US facilities." The Embassies urged Americans to manitain a low profile, vary their routes and travel times and treat mail from unfamiliar sources with suspicion. US Embassies in the Gulf have made similar warnings in the past. The last such warning was made when the US looked set to launch a military attack against Iraq last November over Baghdad’s refusal to cooperate with United Nations Arms Inspectors. (DPA)
RAFAH, GAZA STRIP, Dec 14: US President Bill Clinton began a landmark visit to the Gaza Strip today feted by Palestinian leaders as a boost to their quest for statehood. The marine one Presidential helicopter flew in from Jerusalem to Gaza’s airport, which opened last month under the Wye River land-for-security deal with Israel that Clinton is now trying to rescue on his three-day Middle East mission. The control tower was wrapped from the top to the ground in a giant stars andstripes and the Palestinian flag for the first visit by a US President to Palestinian-ruled soil. Mounted Palestinian Police guarded the Windswept Airport as Clinton landed at 1356 Ist and armed security forces blanketed the impoverished territory, most of which gained self-rule in 1994 under an interim peace deal with Israel. Two US snipers were also on alert on the roof of the control tower, a Palestinian security official said. Welcome to Palestine, read a sign erected on the road outside the airport, where Clinton and his wife Hillary received a red carpet welcome and bouquets of flowers from Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and his wife Suha. A band played march tunes but national anthems were missing in a sign of the delicacy of a visit Clinton has said Palestinians should not see as endorsing their aspirations to statehood, which Israel opposes. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has frozen handover of more occupied west bank land until Palestinians meet Israeli conditions that include a pledge not to proclaim a state in may, the deadline for a final peace under the interim process. There’s always been a danger that the trip...Would be truncated and perverted into an implicit recognition of the Palestinian sovereignty, David Bar-Illa, a senior aide to Netanyahu, said in Jerusalem. But Clinton’s seven-hour visit, which will include talks with Arafat and a keynote speech to PLO leaders, was certain to bolster the Palestinian drive for independence. We hope that this visit will herald American recognition of a Palestinian state, said Zakaria Al-Agha, a Palestine Liberation Organisation Executive Committee member who was among 200 guests on hand to greet Clinton. He compared the visit to one by the late President Richard Nixon to China in 1972 that blazed a trail to US ties with Beijing. Clinton, labouring like Nixon under the shadow of possible impeachment, is seeking to salvage the accord he brokered between Arafat and Netanyahuat we river, Maryland, in October. The success of Clinton’s visit will depend in part on the gathering of the PLO’s Palestine National Council and other bodies which he was to address in Gaza city later today. He is
expected to urge the 1,500 participants to reaffirm the
nullification of articles in the 1960s Palestinian
charter tatcalls for destruction of Israel. (REUTERS)
KATHMANDU, Dec 14: Destruction awaits the home and society which ill-treat their women, thundered a Nepali woman journalist, quoting Mahabharata and other ancient Hindu scriptures to drive home her point. Rama Parajuli, reporter with Kathmandu post, was expressing the general mood at an international media seminar which looked at the issue of population and development with particular emphais on women’s status and their reproductive health rights in the Asian region. Instances of ill-treatment of women in India, Bangladesh, Nepal and other countries in the region were highlighted by journalists and representatives of NGOs who took part in the four-day seminar here last week. Opposition to the Women’s Quota Bill in Parliament was only part of the general malaise in India, argued Anita Anand, Chief of Delhi-based Women’s Feature Service (WFS) and facilitator at the seminar. Another participant from India cited an episode in a television serial to highlight the vulnerability of women. Parveena, sexually harassed by a politician’s son, files a case but the wily youth turns the tables on her in the courtn lying that he had raped her, thus ruining the girl for ever. These expressions of anger and anguish set the tone for the seminar organised by the Washington-based Population Reference Bureau (PRB), International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) of London and the Family Planning Association of Nepal (FPAN). (PTI) |
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