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Saddam Hussein LONDON, Dec 17: Ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein should be tried in Iraq if the Iraqis have a "proper independent judicial process", British. ....more At
least 17 dead in BAGHDAD, Dec 17: A roadside bomb exploded next to a fuel truck in Baghdad today, causing a huge ball of fire that .....more Pak accuses India of violating ceasefire ISLAMABAD, Dec 17: Pakistan has charged India with "taking advantage" of the unilateral.....more Bush
approval rating WASHINGTON, Dec 17: The capture of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has given US President George Bush .....more |
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China jails Japanese BEIJING, Dec 17: A Court in southern China’s Zhuhai city today sentenced 12 people to up to 15 years in prison after convicting them of arranging or ....more Nepal students arrested for raising anti-king slogans KATHMANDU, Dec 17: Three Nepali student leaders have been arrested for shouting anti-king slogans during the demonstration ....more At
least 21 killed in RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec 17: At least 21 people were killed when a vacation bus in.. ....more DHAKA, Dec 17: At least 11 people were killed and 40 injured when a Dhaka-bound bus hit a roadside tree on the Dhaka-Khulna highway in ....more |
Saddam Hussein should be tried in Iraq: Blair LONDON, Dec 17: Ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein should be tried in Iraq if the Iraqis have a "proper independent judicial process", British Prime Minister Tony Blair has said. "We only try people internationally if there isn’t the capacity within a country of trying people for the crimes they have committed against the citizens of that country," Blair said yesterday in an interview to British forces broadcasting service. "There is something like the remains of 400,000 human beings that have been found in mass graves already. "There is a very strong feeling in Iraq that he should be tried in Iraq," he said. In a separate interview with the BBC Arabic service, Blair reiterated the Iraq survey group’s October report which found "massive evidence" of a "huge" system of secret laboratories in Iraq. When asked if he hoped the capture of Saddam would lead coalition forces to Iraq’s Weapons of Mass Destruction, Blair said: "There is obviously that possibility there, but I think in any event, we have got to carry on the work that we are doing." He then stressed: "The Iraq survey group has already found massive evidence of a huge system of clandestine laboratories, workings by scientists, plans to develop long range ballistic missiles. "Now frankly, these things weren’t being developed unless they were being developed for a purpose..." Later a spokesman of the downing street said the Prime Minister’s remarks referred to the interim report published by the Iraq survey group and not to any new findings. Asked what his Christmas message to British forces was, Blair replied: "This year, more than any other, to give thanks to them, not just on my behalf, but on behalf of the whole country. "Whatever people thought of the decision to go to war in Iraq, everybody supports our troops themselves - they have done a fantastic job." In both interviews Blair urged former members of Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party to start working for the reconstruction of Iraq. "It is extremely important to give a strong message to Sunni Muslims and even former Saddam supporters that they would not be excluded. "What is extremely important for us is to give a very strong message to the Sunni population in Iraq that they have a place in this new Iraq." He was keen to offer reassurance to those, like Saddam Hussein, who are Sunni Muslims, that they will not be left out of efforts to reconstruct the country. He said they were "not going to be excluded" and he wanted the country to be "truly representative of all the people in Iraq. "And it is even true that there are people ...Who were in the Baath Party under Saddam, who were there, not because they wanted to be, but because they had to be, and we should also be reaching out to some of them also," Blair said. (PTI) |
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At least 17 dead in Baghdad blast-police BAGHDAD, Dec 17: A roadside bomb exploded next to a fuel truck in Baghdad today, causing a huge ball of fire that caught a minibus in which 17 people were killed, police said. A police spokesman said the explosion in the Bayya’a neighbourhood also wounded several people. (AGENCIES) |
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Pak accuses India of violating ceasefire ISLAMABAD, Dec 17: Pakistan has charged India with "taking advantage" of the unilateral ceasefire by erecting fence along the Line of Control in the disputed areas. Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri told US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage over the phone that India was allegedly trying to change the Line of Control into an international border, ‘The Nation’ reported today, quoting an official statement. Mr armitage called for resumption of dialogue between India and Pakistan on all issues, including Jammu and Kashmir. The Pakistani minister informed him of the steps taken by his country towards Confidence Building Measures including decision of a unilateral ceasefire on the LoC, and agreeing to grant overflight facilities to India. (UNI) |
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Bush approval rating up on Saddam’s capture WASHINGTON, Dec 17: The capture of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has given US President George Bush a ratings boost, but few Americans think that the United States is now safer from terrorism, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll released. The poll found that in the two days after Saddam’s capture, Bush’s overall approval rating rose six points to 58 percent, the highest level since last July, and up from 52 percent in the four days before the former Iraqi leader’s arrest. Despite the capture of the ousted Iraqi leader, 60 percent of Americans believe his status will make no difference in the terror threat against the United States, the poll found yesterday. Eighty-six percent of those polled believe that even though Saddam is in custody, the war in Iraq is still going on, while 11 percent thought it was over. The public was evenly divided, 46 percent to 47 percent, over whether the United States could declare victory in Iraq. According to the poll, immediately before Saddam was arrested, less than half said that removing him from power was worth the cost. But in the polling since Saddam’s capture, 54 percent said ousting him was worth the costs of war, including the loss of American lives. One-thousand-fifty-seven adults were polled December 10-13 prior to Saddam’s capture. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points. A second round of polling involving 635 people was conducted December 14-15 and has an error margin of plus or minus four percentage points. (AGENCIES) |
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China jails Japanese firm’s sex tour organisers for up to 15 years BEIJING, Dec 17: A Court in southern China’s Zhuhai city today sentenced 12 people to up to 15 years in prison after convicting them of arranging or providing sexual services for up to 400 employees of a Japanese firm. The two main organisers of prostitutes for the Japanese men, Liu Xuejing and Zhang Junying, were sentenced to 15 and 12 years in prison, respectively, state media quoted a Court statement as saying. Zhang and Liu were senior employees of the Luxury Zhuhai International Conference Centre Hotel, where hundreds of prostitutes were hired for the Japanese group in September, earlier reports said. Ten other people convicted of involvement in the mass prostitution were sentenced to between two and 10 years in prison today, following trials last week. China has also asked Japan to arrest and extradite three Japanese nationals suspected of involvement in the case, the official Xinhua news agency said. Staff at the hotel said an unnamed Japanese construction firm held a party on September 16-17 to celebrate the 15th anniversary of its founding but said the state media reports of a "mass orgy" were exaggerated. Chinese media reported 500 Chinese prostitutes were "involved in a well orchestrated group activity to serve the Japanese tourists there with a price of 1,200-1,800 yuan (145-217 dollars) per night". The Japanese company admitted that employees invited 200 to 300 "hostesses" to a party held by 268 employees at another hotel in Zhuhai, Japanese media said. Both hotels have been closed. State media and Chinese websites Ran Lurid accounts of the incident, together with strong anti-Japanese rhetoric. Public outcry was fuelled by the timing of the alleged orgy, as September 18 marked the 72nd anniversary of a Japanese attack in northeastern China that led to Japan declaring a puppet state of Manchuria there in 1932. Prostitution is illegal but widespread in China, especially in hotels, massage parlours and hairdressing salons. (DPA) |
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Nepal students arrested for raising anti-king slogans KATHMANDU, Dec 17: Three Nepali student leaders have been arrested for shouting anti-king slogans during the demonstration by the five political parties in Kathmandu, sources said today. President of the Nepali Congress-affiliated Nepal students union guru Ghimire and general secretary Gagan Thapa and the CPN-UML-affiliated students union supporter Purushottam Acharya were arrested last evening, the Himalayan Times said today. The five parties had marked December 16 as black day when late King Mahendra had dismissed the elected B P Koirala Government and banned political parties in 1960. The parties have been demanding the restoration of the dissolved House of Parliament, formation of an all party Government and conducting talks with Maoists rebels. (UNI) |
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At least 21 killed in bus accident in Brazil RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec 17: At least 21 people were killed when a vacation bus in Brazil plunged 50 metres off a cliff and broke apart, killing at least 21 people and injuring dozens, media reports said today. The reports said the crash last night occurred near the city of Diamantina in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais. The driver and 42 passengers were taken to hospitals - some with serious injuries. Among the dead and injured were numerous children, a police spokesman was quoted as saying. The bus, which was on its way from the economic capital of Sao Paulo in the northeast, was carrying mostly poor families, the reports said. Authorities said the bus was loaded with more passengers and luggage than allowed by law. The cause of the crash is being investigated. (DPA) |
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DHAKA, Dec 17: At least 11 people were killed and 40 injured when a Dhaka-bound bus hit a roadside tree on the Dhaka-Khulna highway in Bangladesh last night. Seven people died on the spot while four succumbed to injuries on way to the hospital, the UNB news agency reported. Twenty seriously injured people were admitted to the Jhenaidah hospital. (UNI) |
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China jails 14, seeks Japanese detentions for orgy BEIJING, Dec 17: China sentenced 14 people to jail, including two for life, today for organising an orgy with hundreds of Japanese tourists, and is seeking the detention of three Japanese involved in the case that sparked public outrage. A Court in the coastal city of Zhuhai handed out prison terms of two to 15 years, in addition to the two life sentences, for "organising prostitution and or assisting the organisation of prostitution", the official Xinhua news agency said. All the defendants were Chinese. Chinese police had also requested France-based interpol issue so-called "red notices" on three Japanese citizens it said were involved, Xinhua said. The notice is not an arrest warrant but can be used by police to detain someone pending extradition. (AGENCIES) Hot dog maker heads reverse Christmas wish list SYDNEY, Dec 17: Australians ranked hot dog makers, facial saunas and foot spas as the presents they would least like to find under the Christmas tree this year, according to a survey released today. The Australian consumers association’s survey also identified electric massagers, ice cream makers and waffle irons as the presents least likely to make it out of the box. The ACA asked 1,000 members to rate 42 household gadgets for their usefulness in a survey that also sought to pick out the most useful gizmos. Electric water filters, rice cookers and hair clippers were the most appreciated presents. The ACA’s Linda Mcgee picked out the foot massager as potentially the season’s greatest gift disappointment. "Mum will find it extremely heavy when it’s full of water and it will splosh all over when she’s trying to carry it - if it doesn’t break her wrists as she’s doing it," Mcgee said. "She’ll end up using it as a door stop." (DPA) Fire threatens fish in Europe’s largest aquarium COPENHAGEN, Dec 17: A fire raging in the north sea museum on Denmark’s northwestern coast threatened to destroy Europe’s biggest aquarium, the oceanarium, housed inside the musem building, police said. "The fire is under control to the extent that it is no longer spreading. But we can’t get anywhere near it and we don’t know if the tank will hold," police officer Erik Kjaersgaard in the nearby town of Hjorring said by telephone. The elliptical ‘tank’ contained 4.5 million litres of sea water and around 4,000 fish, among them a specimen of the ocean sunfish, or mola mola, which is the world’s largest known bony fish species. Together with the seals and sharks, the oceanarium’s Mola Mola, which weighed 60 Kg as a baby and can weigh up to two tonnes when fully grown, has been one of the aquarium’s top attractions since a local fisherman delivered it in 2000. Danish TV2 television showed footage of the large building enveloped in flames and billowing black smoke. (AGENCIES) Turkish Court refuses to allow Kkurdish names with letters Q,W or X ANKARA, Dec 17: A Court in Ankara ruled that while Kurdish names are legal in Turkey they cannot contain the letters Q,W or X, letters that are common in Kurdish but do not officially exist in the Turkish language. "Our alphabet has 29 letters. According to the law and Constitution...All official work and names must be in these 29 letters. It is not possible to allow any other letters besides these," the Court said in its ruling yesterday. In accordance with Turkish law concerning changing names, Ferhat Yegin had applied to the Court to change his first name to Qalferat. Kurdish names have never been illegal in Turkey but local officials, especially in the predominantly Kurdish southeast, have often refused to allow parents to give their children Kurdish names. As a part of Turkey’s bid to become a member of the European Union the Justice Ministry recently issued a circular pointing out that it is legal for Kurdish names to be used but pointed out that the letters Q,W and X cannot be used. (DPA) |
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