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Tension in US-Pak ties over crackdown on media WASHINGTON, May 14: The United States’ relations...more
Gulshan Kumar murder
case LONDON, May 14: Lawyers of music director Nadeem Akhtar...more ‘India’s
justification MOSCOW, May 14: India’s justification of its .....more
ISLAMABAD, May 14: Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto...more |
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WASHINGTON, May 14: US President Bill Clinton and Chinese President Jiang Zemin agreed to talk, as tensions with China over NATO’s bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade appeared to be easing......more Pak economy is growing, despite sanctions: Sharif SINGAPORE May 14: Pakistan’s beleaguered economy is starting to grow as anti-nuclear sanctions against the...more China accuses US of seeking global hegemony BEIJING, May 14: Chinese president Jiang Zemin has accused the United States of seeking global hegemony and urged like-mined.....more Monkey see, monkey do, but fathers are who? LOS ANGELES, May 14: There’s some real monkey business going on at the Los Angeles zoo. The chimpanzees keep getting ...mores |
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Tension in US-Pak ties over crackdown on media WASHINGTON, May 14: The United States’ relations with Pakistan appear headed for fresh tensions over Islamabad’s ‘crackdown’ on the country’s media, including the arrest last week of Mr Najam Sethi and other prominent journalists. In an emerging row between the two countries, the State Department yesterday rejected Pakistan’s accusation that the US was interfering in its internal affairs by demanding the release of Mr Sethi. The editor of Friday Times, an English weekly was taken into custody last week for allegedly hobnobbing with India’s intelligence agency, RAW. "We do not see it as interference. The freedom of the press is an international issue and Pakistan is a party to all international conventions to preserve it. This is no interference. We will continue to pursue it everywhere," a State Department official said. He was commenting on the Pakistani foreign office’s reaction, attacking last Monday’s statement of the State Department, which asked the Nawaz Sharif Government to terminate immediately this unacceptable crackdown against members of the journalistic community. In a related development, Assistant Secretary of State Karl Inderfurth called Ms Jugnu Mohsin, the wife of the arrested editor, to express continued support of the US Government to secure Mr Sethi’s release. He also called Pakistani Ambassador to the US Riaz Khokhar, insisting that the position taken by the Clinton administration on Islamabad’s crackdown on the press was based on principles. US Ambassador to Pakistan William Milam, currently here for consultations, said at an Asia society breakfast meeting, that the Pakistan Government’s harassment of the press had evoked a strong worldwide reaction. He said Mr Clinton’s plans to visit Pakistan might be jeopardised if harassment of the press continued there. Asked about the rationale for the State Department’s ‘unusually’ strong reaction, he said the US position was based on principles. He said he knew most of the journalists who had been the target of the Government actions. "I have trouble believing what is being said about them," he said adding, "if they are guilty of anything, the charges should be made very clear and proper procedures be followed." In reply to another question, he said the US was not setting any pre-requisites. But, progress in the non-proliferation dialogue would facilitate the Presidential visit. That may or may not include signing of the CTBT, he added. (UNI) |
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Gulshan
Kumar murder case LONDON, May 14: Lawyers of music director Nadeem Akhtar, fighting extradition proceedings against him in a British court in the sensational Gulshan Kumar murder case, has presented an affidavit to state that confessions before police under coercion were endemic in India. Nadeem’s lawyers produced the affidavit to drive home the point before the British Magistrate that the confessional statement of the chief prosecution witness, Mohammad Ali Shaikh, regarding Nadeem’s alleged involvement in the murder of the bollywood music mogul Gulshan Kumar had been taken under duress. Supreme Court lawyer Indira Jaisingh, in the affidavit, had said police in India commonly resorted to omitting or changing arrest records in police diary, — which they are required to do — in order to interrogate a prisoner without intervention of a magistrate or a lawyer. Nadeem’s lawyers Clive Nicholas and Martin Lau also produced several reports from the UN Human Rights Commission, US State Department, Human Rights Watch and the Amnesty International that the police conduct in india particularly in mumbai was the subject of national and international condemnation. Nicholas, who had earlier successfully fought the extradition case of Iqbal Mirchi on the grounds of human rights record in India, apparently is staking the same plea to seek quashing of extradition proceedings against Nadeem. Ali Shaikh, in his confessional statement forwarded by the crown prosecution authorities, had implicated Nadeem for hatching the conspiracy to get Gulshan Kumar killed. He later had said his confession was false which was taken by the Mumbai Police under torture and threats to his family. However, Shaikh had later before a Mumbai Magistrate said the confession was true. But Nadeem’s lawyers are arguing that Shaikh’s evidence is not admissible and that without it the prosecution had no ground for seeking extradition of the music director. Nadeem’s lawyers are pointing out that a vital issue in the case was that Ali Shaikh was arrested in August 25, while police records were showing the date of his arrest on August 31. They brought in the affidavit of Jaisingh in this regard. Jaisingh, in her affidavit, said illegal custody of Shaikh would raise a strong presumption that he had been subjected to extreme torture and threats. She said while police records showed that Shaikh was kept in custody from Sept one to Sept 18 1997, the Supreme Court advocate pointed out that under Indian legal laws a person could be held in police remand for ninety days, but only for 15 days stretch at a time. Earlier, the crown prosecution service which is fighting the extradition plea on behalf of the Indian Government produced a counter affidavit from Maharashtra Assistant Public Prosecutor K G Goswami to refute claims by Nadeem’s lawyers that Shaikh had been taken to a different magistrate after the first one at Ballard Pier court had refused to witness his confession. |
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‘India’s
justification of nuke weapons MOSCOW, May 14: India’s justification of its nuclear weapons policy is quite reasonable, feels the Kremlin. This unexpected support for India has come in the wake of continuing NATO attacks on Yugoslavia. Washington would have adopted a different stance towards both Yugoslavia and Iraq had they been nuclear powers, opines Novosti’s Peter Romanov, reacting to New Delhi’s statement on the first anniversary of Pokhran II. The expert on Russian nuclear policy further says that his country had been pressing India to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty and Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty till March 24, when NATO started bombing Yugoslavia. Russia is planning to modernise its tactical and strategic nuclear arsenal. Work is now progressing on developing new generation tactical nukes, Mr Romanov writes. Like the United States, Russia now desires to develop ‘non-strategic, high-precision, low-yield nukes’ capable of striking any part of the globe, Novosti says. This support for India assumes added significance in view of the talks in Kremlin slated between Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh and Russian leaders on May 24 and 25. It has also been disclosed that a Russian document on conducting a series of tests in Novaya Zemlya is awaiting presidential clearance. The document is part of the Russian National Security Council’s defence plans. The proposed tests have been termed ‘non-nuke blasts’ and are to be conducted in conformity with international norms. Surprisingly, Moscow, has admitted its helplessness in resolving the on-going Yugoslav conflict. "Do you know why the problem in Yugoslavia has arisen?" Prime Minister Sergei Stepashin asked the media on the eve of his appointment as caretaker premier. "Simply because we are weak, especially economically." another factor, he said, was the absence of realistic targets. (UNI) |
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ISLAMABAD, May 14: Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, whose appeal against her conviction by the Punjab High Court was returned by the Supreme Court yesterday, may delay her return to Pakistan for an indefinite period. Her lawyer and leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in Parliament Aitjaz Hussain told the urdu suervice of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) last nigh that the decision of the Deputy Registrar of the Supreme Court to return Ms Bhutto’s appeal would be challenged in the court. "Ms Bhutto will certainly return to Pakistan but it is too early to say when, " he told the BCC. He said he was 30 days to file an appeal against the Deputy Registrar’s decision. The appeal was returned on technical grounds because Ms Bhutto did not surrender herself to the authorities after the verdict of Punjab High Court’s Ehtesab Bench last month. The Ehtesab Bench, had on April 15, sentenced Ms Butto and her husband Asif Zardari to five years imprisonment and fined them 86 lakh dollars besides disqualifying them from holding public office. Later the Chief Election Commissioner gave them time until May 17 to petition before the Supreme Court or face disqualification proceedings. The Supreme Court, two days ago, suspended Mr Zakdari’s disqualification. Ms Bhutto was in London when the Ehtesab Bench announced its verdict. She later shifted to Dubai where her children and mother Begum Nusrat stay. If the Supreme Court reject my appeal, fear that I will be murdered in jail, she said in Dubai. (UNI) |
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WASHINGTON, May 14: US President Bill Clinton and Chinese President Jiang Zemin agreed to talk, as tensions with China over NATO’s bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade appeared to be easing. Mr Zemin had avoided talking to Mr Clinton since the bombing on Saturday, which killed three people. His readiness to talk was conveyed by Chinese Ambassador Li Zhaoxing, who took a condolence book to the White House for Clinton to sign. "He indicated a willingness to talk, and we’re setting up the call," National Security Council spokesman David Leavy said yesterday. It was unclear whether the call could be arranged before coming Friday. Earlier in the day, addressing US veterans about the conflict in Kosovo, the Embassy bombing was still on Clinton’s mind. But he reminded listeners of the reason for NATO’s air campaign against the forces of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. "Of course, we regret any casualties that are accidental, including those at the Chinese Embassy," he said. (AP) |
Pak economy is growing, despite sanctions: Sharif SINGAPORE May 14: Pakistan’s beleaguered economy is starting to grow as anti-nuclear sanctions against the country are gradually being lifted, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said today. "It has done well," Mr Sharif said in response to reporters’ questions about economic growth. "Gradually, the sanctions are also now being removed." the economy "is under the recovery process." The Prime Minister is visiting Singapore to meet with leaders and to promote business opportunities in Pakistan. His remarks about the economy followed a speech to businessmen and officials. (AP) |
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China accuses US of seeking global hegemony BEIJING, May 14: Chinese president Jiang Zemin has accused the United States of seeking global hegemony and urged like-mined nations to jointly work towards the establishment of a just and rational new world order, state media reported today. Speaking at a ceremony here yesterday to confer the ‘revolutionary martyr’ status to three Chinese journalists killed in NATOs bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia, Jiang, for the first time directly accused the US of seeking hegemony and bullying China. Relying on its economic, scientific and technical and military prowess, the US continues to pursue hegemonism and power politics and wantonly interferes with the internal affairs of other countries, the Chinese President charged. All countries and people that love peace and upholds justice should unite together to push forward the establishment of a just and rational new international order in the common struggle against hegemonism and power politics, Jiang said at the function attended by senior Chinese leaders. China would oppose hegemonism and work to safeguard world peace, he said adding the great peoples Republic of China can never be bullied. Praising the three killed journalists — Shao Yunhuan, Xu Xinghu and Zhu Ying as national heroes, Jiang said all three died for peace, justice and the motherland and they will stay in our memory forever. (PTI) |
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Monkey see, monkey do, but fathers are who? LOS ANGELES, May 14: There’s some real monkey business going on at the Los Angeles zoo. The chimpanzees keep getting pregnant, even though all the males thought capable of breeding have had vasectomies. No one is quite sure why it’s happening, but it’s created the kind of excitement zoos lust for. "The zoo has never had this much publicity about anything," zookeeper Vicki Bingaman said. In the past three months, two chimps have given birth and a third is pregnant. DNA tests to determine the father or fathers cannot be done for months, until the babies are old enough to be separated from their mothers. The real mystery is this: Three of the four adult males had vasectomies in 1996. And toto, who is 45, has never shown sexual interest in anyone but himself. As for 2-year-old ripley and 4-year-old Glenn, they were considered too young to breed. Ms. Bingaman thinks the vasectomies may have failed. Vasectomies are known to have a one per cent failure rate in humans. "Chimps are very resilient. It wouldn’t surprise me if they found some way around" their vasectomies, Ms. Bingaman said. Mr Charles Sedgwick, the zoo’s director of animal health sciences, thinks she’s wrong. "Vasectomies in chimps are the same as vasectomies in people, except that chimps are much more prodigiously endowed," Mr Sedgwick said. In both humans and chimps, the tubes that carry semen are severed, and "there’s not much chance that would spontaneously reattach." Mr SSdgwick thinks toto or perhaps the youngsters are the fathers. He said there have been rare cases of young chimps impregnating a female. The chimps at the Los Angeles zoo have sex every day, Mr Sedgwick said. The zoo started trying to curb its chimp population about eight years ago because the enclosure was getting too crowded and chimps aren’t an endangered species. First, zookeepers distributed birth control pills. But the females passed them around. Babies ate them. So did males. Then Ms Bingaman tried contraceptive implants. They weren’t strong enough. "So we vasectomised the males and we still had babies," she said. The newest, a four-pound (two-kilo) girl, was born last week and brings the chimp population to 15. The zoo and a radio station are sponsoring a name-the-chimp contest, to start Sunday. Ms Bingaman thinks the problem is finally under control. A new, more naturalistic enclosure gives zookeepers more room to walk around and make sure only the adult females are swallowing birth control pills. On Thursday, Ms Susan Taj, a parent volunteer, helped lead a group of second-graders on a field trip. She had heard about the chimp hanky-panky and called it unbelievable. Would she explain it to the children? "Not to second-graders, I don’t think," she said. (AP) |
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