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7 US soldiers wounded FALLUJA, IRAQ, May 1: Seven US soldiers were wounded in a grenade attack at their base in the Iraqi city of Falluja, where American troops killed.....more UN’s
role in Iraq limited NEW DELHI, May 1: The role of the United Nations in post-war Iraq would be limited to aid and relief, while all other aspects of economic and political .....more South
Asia under WASHINGTON, May 1: South Asia remained a "central battleground" in the global war on.....more US
religious leaders CHICAGO, May 1: US Christian, Jewish and Islamic religious leaders urged President George W Bush to disavow future.....more |
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Lung scarring found in HONG KONG, May 1: Doctors in Hong Kong have detected permanent damage, or scarring, in the lungs of some recovered SARS patients as.....more Indo-Pak
situation, truly WASHINGTON, May 1 : Stating that the Indo-Pak situation is "truly frightening", US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage has said the. ....more 8
Palestinians killed JERUSALAM, May 1; At least eight Palestinians, including a two-year-old child, were killed and 15 injured in an Israeli raid into the Gaza strip early......more India, Bangladesh to have DHAKA, May 1: India and Bangladesh today decided to have joint patrolling of the borders demarcating their.........more |
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Best of Indian cinema to perform at IIFA Awards 2003 ..... Beijing gets military-run SARS hospital, 16 deaths in China..... |
7 US soldiers wounded in Iraq grenade attack FALLUJA, IRAQ, May 1: Seven US soldiers were wounded in a grenade attack at their base in the Iraqi city of Falluja, where American troops killed at least 15 people during protests this week, the US military said today. "The attack was an expression of the anger of a few people in the city after what happened," Captain Alan Vaught said in reference to the US shootings at earlier anti-American demonstrations. The US soldiers injured in the grenade attack late yesterday were evacuated from the city 50 km West of Baghdad. Vaught said their injuries were not life threatening. After the attack, US troops exchanged gunfire with Iraqis but there were no additional injuries. Falluja Mayor Taha Badawi Hamid Al-Alwani, who said he was selected by local tribesmen to lead the city after the fall of Saddam Hussein on April 9, condemned the grenade attack. "Anybody, whoever he is, American or Iraqi, who resorts to violence is an evil person," said Alwani, who has been urging community and religious leaders to help defuse tensions. Deputy Mayor Ziad Mekhlif said, however: "If the Americans make a mistake and overreact again I don’t know how we will contain the hatred." Tension has been running high in the conservative Sunni Muslim city of about 270,000 over the presence of US troops stationed in a former Baath Party compound protected with barbed wire and guarded from sand-bagged gun positions on the roof. While residents generally say they are grateful the Americans ousted Saddam, they have made clear they want US troops to leave them to govern their city as soon as possible. On the perimeter walls of the Mayor’s compound, residents Hung anti-American banners. "sooner or later US killers we’ll kick you out," read one sign, written in English. Other banners repeated the message throughout the city. "Go out of our city. If you refuse our women and children will kill you," another banner said, also in English. On Monday, US soldiers fired on an angry crowd demanding US troops leave a school they had occupied. Thirteen Iraqis were killed. Two days later, two Iraqis were killed when US soldiers opened fire in a similar incident. The US military said its troops were shot at first in both incidents but Iraqi witnesses said the shootings were unprovoked. "I can’t do anything now because they have tanks. But I will wait and I will kill Americans. I will take my revenge," said 14-year-old Ahmed Muthana, whose father was wounded and uncle killed when soldiers shot at demonstrations on Monday. City officials said they had been meeting with US troops to reduce tension and were negotiating for them to move their base to the outskirts of the city. The American troops have left the school that sparked Monday’s demonstration. Deputy Mayor Mekhlif said the US military presence was less visible today than in previous days with no road check points and fewer surveillance helicopters overhead. (AGENCIES) |
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UN’s role in Iraq limited to relief, US to run the oil show NEW DELHI, May 1: The role of the United Nations in post-war Iraq would be limited to aid and relief, while all other aspects of economic and political reconstruction would be managed by the United States, opines former diplomat and analyst K P Fabian. The fact that Iraq’s reconstruction has been handed over to a retired US General, Jay Garner, is a clear signal to the world that the US presence in Iraq would be prolonged and its control of the oil would be comprehensive, he told UNI on the sidelines of a function for the release of his latest title, "The comonsense on the war on Iraq," earlier this week. The veteran diplomat also warned of more such wars which would force countries listed by the US as "threat to their way of life" and the "axis of evil" to think of nuclearisation as the only deterance if not defence against US military campaigns. This is a stand which North Korea had been professing long before the commencment of the Gulf-war ii, he said. Mr Fabian has been an avid commentator and writer on West Asia and has visited Iraq regularly both in his official capacity and as a current affairs researcher. Asked about the future of the Arab world in a scenario of prolonged US presence in Iraq, Mr Fabian said, " apart from the historical interest of the US in the Iraqi oil, the need to placate Israeli fear of the Muslim world has also played a significant role in shaping the consideration of US policy on Iraq." He took a dig at the logic of Saddam and his weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) initially used by the US to launch a diplomatic campaign aginst the Iraqi regime and later to launch a war, after it failed to generate a consensus. "How did the WMDs disappear, which were so threatening to the world that a political consensus could not be forged and a war had to be waged...As far as the US is concerned the WMDs have been used as the weapons of mass deception." Mr Fabian has brought out in his book that the genesis of the war lies in the interlocking relationship between the oil behemoths and persons occupying high positions and influence of the Christian right wing and their commitment to Israel. He believes Israel has imperialistic designs and the Palestinian territories are the natural targets for the project of greater Israel. The imagery of looting and lawlessness widely publicised by the US-dominated media was aimed at creating opinion in favour of physical occupation of Iraqi territory in the name of restoring law and order, he added. "The looting that has been shown on the television is rather modest, compared to the bigger looting going on in the board rooms of corporate America. America will try to stay in and control Iraq for decades," he said. "Take the case of oil. The plans are to invest 20 to 40 billion dollars to double Iraq’s pre-sanctions capacity of 3.5 million barrels a day after privatising oil," he added. He also flayed the "so-called road-map" being flaunted by the US by saying that the plans were not made entriely by the Government but by the "almighty pentagon." (UNI) |
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South Asia under scanner in US report on global terrorism WASHINGTON, May 1: South Asia remained a "central battleground" in the global war on terrorism in 2002, and in Afghanistan, Al Qaida still has "pockets of fighters" throughout the country, and probably several more in the neighbouring tribal areas of Pakistan, says US State Department’s latest annual report on global terrorism. The Department expressed concern over Maoist rebels in Nepal forging links with extremists outfits across South Asia, while it welcomed LTTE signalling its intentions to transform itself from a terrorist organisation into a legitimate political entity in Sri Lanka. To ensure that the former Taliban and Al-Aqaida holdouts do not re-emerge as a significant threat, the report asked Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai to consolidate support among the country’s rival ethnic and regional leaders. The liberation of Afghanistan from the Taliban regime, it says, eliminated Al-Qaida’s principal base and sanctuary, but remnant cells continued in 2002 to present a danger throughout Afghanistan. "Fleeing terrorits also caused trouble in Pakistan and other States through which they transited. All countries in the South Asia region have strongly supported the coalition effort against terrorism by Al-Qaida and the remnants of the Taliban", the report said. It noted that establishment of the new transitional authority in Afghanistan has fostered significant improvements in regional security and called for persistent efforts and continued long-term international assistance to sustain progress. The report said Maoist insurgency in Nepal posed a threat to US citizens and property in Nepal adding repeated anti-US rhetoric and actions suggest the rebels view Western support for Kathmandu as a key obstacle to their goal of establishing a doctrinaire communist dictatorship. "Furthermore, it is of concern that Maoists have forged cooperative links with extremist groups across South Asia". Listing the Maoist "belligerence" of late, it said "in 2002, Maoists claimed responsibility for assassinating two US embassy guards. They threatened foreign missions, including the US embassy, to discourage foreign Governments from supporting the Government of Nepal. The department found that limited Government finances, weak border controls, and poor security, infrastructure have made Nepal a convenient logistics and transit point for some outside militants and international terrorists. On the LTTE, the dossier said the outfit has publicly accepted the concept of internal autonomy within a federal Sri Lankan State, conceding its longstanding demand for a separate Tamil Eelam State. "Its recent public statements give reason to hope that it intends to transform itself from a terrorist organization into a legitimate political entity". The LTTE, however, has not renounced terrorism, it continues to smuggle in weaponry, and it continues forcible recruitment, including the recruitment of children into its ranks, the report noted. The Department said it is too early to tell whether the Sri Lankan peace process will ultimately bear fruit or whether the LTTE will actually reform itself. "Although guarded optimism surrounds the peace process, the United States will continue to designate the LTTE as a foreign terrorist organization until it unequivocally renounces terrorism in both word and deed", it added. (PTI) |
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US religious leaders warn of post-war policy CHICAGO, May 1: US Christian, Jewish and Islamic religious leaders urged President George W Bush to disavow future first-strike warfare and called on the American people to reflect "on the price of unilateralism" from the Iraq war. "We are at a moment of choice even more urgent than before the war in Iraq began," the leaders said yesterday in a written declaration a day before Bush was to announce that the major fighting was at an end. "We are faced with choices between hope and courage or fear and violence," a future that could be "characterized by unilateralism and by wars of choice, rather than necessity, continuing terrorism, unfettered efforts to extend US power and the exploitation of fear," they said. Bob Edgar, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches USA, an umbrella group for 50 million protestant, Anglican and orthodox members, told a news conference: "we are patriots." "We feel strongly that the united states’ foreign policy is part of our policy and we want to correct it, change it, alter it, make it more viable to our faith position ... We want to be the conscience of the nation," he said. The two-day meeting which produced the declaration drew about 100 people. It was facilitated by Edgar and by Sayyid Muhammad Syeed, Secretary General of the Islamic Society of North America, and Rabbi David Saperstein, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. The participants, assembled at the briefing, were asked if they had opposed the war. Nearly everyone in attendance indicated by raised hands that they had. But they said that Americans have yet to fully assess the war and its implications, and support for the action on which the United States and Britain embarked without the backing of other major powers may be changing. The meeting produced a six paragraph "words of reflection" which urged Bush "to distance himself from religious leaders who demonize the faiths of others." In addition the meeting issued a longer document calling for ‘’reflection, hope and action’’ which said, ``we ask that this be a time of humility not arrogance and we hope that all can be mindful of what we have lost.’’ It urged the American people "to reflect now on the price of unilateralism: The cost of war and militarism the human toll of the war in Iraq the erosion of civil liberties in the United States the shift of resources away from human need to military purposes." The declaration urged "the present leadership of the United States" to "draw back from the use and threat of first strike war (and) from unilateral US control over the reconstruction of Iraq." It also said the United State should transfer control of Iraq to the United Nations.(AGENCIES) |
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Lung scarring found in Hong Kong SARS victims HONG KONG, May 1: Doctors in Hong Kong have detected permanent damage, or scarring, in the lungs of some recovered SARS patients as scientists around the world race against time to uncover more about the deadly disease. The territory, among the worst hit in the world from severe acute respiratory syndrome, faced more chilling news when authorities disclosed 12 discharged patients had experienced relapses. Six of them were still in hospital. Scarring, or pulmonary fibrosis, occurs when lung tissues die and are unable to transport oxygen. The level of disability depends on the extent of the damage. Radiologists at a major Hong Kong hospital said they found scarring in some recovered patients who had been severely ill. "We have scanned 20 patients who have been discharged. I’ve seen a couple. One of them, there was obvious scarring which will probably be long-term if not permanent," Professor Anil Ahuja at the Prince of Wales Hospital told media. Gregory Antonio, another radiologist on Ahuja’s team, said some patients had "patchy areas" that might eventually become scars. "I think there is a very high possibility there will be some scarring...For most of the patients." But the doctors were uncertain whether the scarring was due to the disease or the cocktail of the anti-viral drug, Ribavirin, and Steroids used to treat SARS patients here. Ahuja said: "It may be a consequence of the disease or the treatment. They’ve received high doses of steroids, a lot of oxygen, and that is probably...(making) a change in the lungs." Scarring happens to some pneumonia and tuberculosis patients. A person with extensive lung scarring may even have problems walking up or down a few flights of stairs, said Antonio. Medical experts in mainland China and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have questioned the use of the treatment in Hong Kong, saying there was no evidence to show they could fight SARS. But Hong Kong doctors say it works for more than 90 per cent of SARS patients here. Experts have identified the culprit virus as a new strain from the family of coronaviruses, which causes the common cold. Travellers have spread the virus to almost 30 countries, where nearly 6,000 people have been infected almost 380 have died in the last two months since the flu-like virus first appeared in southern China in November. With 1,589 infections and 157 people deaths, Hong Kong is the second worst-hit area after mainland China. Doctors told media today that the 12 patients who had been re-admitted for treatment may not have fully recovered when they were first discharged. David Hui, a doctor taking care of SARS patients, said the SARS virus was similar to a number of others that take at least 21 days to run their course. "If you release patients earlier, you run the risk of letting go people who only deteriorate later," he said. Infectious disease expert Lo Wing-Lok agreed but added that the relapses may have been due to secondary infections. "The patients’ immune systems may have been weakened by SARS or by steroids and bacterial infection may then happen," Lo said. Nearly 800 people have recovered in Hong Kong. (AGENCIES) |
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Indo-Pak situation, truly frightening: Armitage WASHINGTON, May 1 : Stating that the Indo-Pak situation is "truly frightening", US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage has said the need of the hour is to stop the weakening of international security architecture and put an end to the spread of nuclear weapons. "... You will see India and Pakistan with a thousand-mile shared border and a 50-year history of enmity and war—a situation that is truly frightening when you add into the mix nuclear weapons outside the system of international restraints," Armitage said in an address to the National Defence University yesterday. On North Korea, he said it is blighted nation led by a dictator who defies his international commitments and fiddles with nuclear threats. And you will see Iran where an entire generation is ready to change, while elements of a violent and backward past look to buy and to build weapons of mass destruction despite their solemn obligations to the contrary. "Now all of this goes on while terrorists are shopping the globe for enriched uranium, lethal chemicals and technical expertise. And, of course, in the headlines you will certainly see Iraq," Armitage said, pointing out that Iraq offers proof that the community of nations needs to to deal with the tough proliferation challenges of today and tomorrow. These, he said are "among the most pressing global security concerns of our time." Recalling that forty years ago, President John F. Kennedy predicted that within a decade his successor could face a world bristling with nuclear weapons—with such weapons in the hands of "countless countries large and small, stable and unstable, responsible and irresponsible, scattered throughout the world," Armitage said that is is not the world President Bush confronts. Today, instead of the 25 or so countries that President Kennedy once predicted, only a handful of nations (US, UK., France, Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and, now, North Korea) possess nuclear weapons. "Of course we suspect many more countries have chemical and biological weapons but still short of the scores that have been predicted in the past." Agreements such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the chemical weapons convention, organizations such as the IAEA and the nuclear suppliers group—these constitutes a global security architecture that has served US satisfactorily and kept US safe, Armitage said. And yet, he continued, "the system we have in place for dealing with such proliferation challenges does not really offer solutions for these problems. This is a system that works to dampen the demand for such capabilities and to deny the means to develop them and with some success. But it is not a system that has a clear and consistent way of dealing with nations who pass certain milestones. "It is time for the world community to reinvigorate our shared commitment to stopping the spread of these weapons. And perhaps it is time to refashion the tools we already have for doing so—to develop new tools to deal with these challenges as well as to commit to vigorous bilateral and multilateral negotiations whenever necessary."(PTI) |
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8 Palestinians killed in Israeli raid JERUSALAM, May 1; At least eight Palestinians, including a two-year-old child, were killed and 15 injured in an Israeli raid into the Gaza strip early today, hours after the release of an internationally-backed "roadmap" aimed at ending the Middle East violence. The casualties occurred during a gunbattle between Israelis and Palestinians after 10 Israeli tanks and military vehicles, backed by helicopters, swept into Shija’ia neighbourhood in Eastern part of Gaza city surrounding the house of top Hamas fugitive Yousuf Abu Hein, reports from Gaza quoted witnesses and Palestinian officials as saying. Israeli troops asked familiy members inside the house to leave but they refused, witnesses said. Abu Hein is a member of Izzedine Al-Qassam, the militant wing of Hamas. At least 15 other people were wounded - several of them seriously - and the house of the Hamas activist was destroyed, according to Palestinian sources. Israeli media said seven Israeli soldiers were also injured during the gunbattle. The incursion by Israeli troops into the densly populated area occurred at a time when the new Palestinian Government has been established amid administrative reforms and the long-awaited "road map" for peace was presented. The roadmap, drawn up by the European Union, the United States, Russia and the United Nations, aims at ending violence and establishing a Palestinian State by 2005. The military operation also came a day after a suicide bomber killed three Israeli citizens in a Cafe in Tel Aviv. (PTI) |
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India, Bangladesh to have jt patrolling along borders DHAKA, May 1: India and Bangladesh today decided to have joint patrolling of the borders demarcating their own areas by respective border forces. The two countries will conduct joint patrolling in sensitive parts of their borders where incidents of push-in or firing take place frequently, it was announced here today. The borders between the two neighbours will measure more than 4000 kilometers. India’s Border Security Forces (BSF) and Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) also agreed to hold joint enquiry in case of tension erupting at any point on the frontiers. The two sides ended five-day long talks in Dhaka today to ensure border security and to stop cross border crimes that include smuggling and trafficking of people. BSF Director General Ajai Raj Sharma, who led the Indian team, said the joint patrolling will start from the first of August after working out necesssary modalities. The two sides agreed to prepare lists of all disputed constructions near the zero line by the end of next month. Sector commanders of the two forces will enquire in to these disputes and resolve them. The Indian side also gave to Bangladesh officials a list of 155 insurgency camps reported to be operating from their territory. It is gathered that though the two sides signed a joint document, serious differences persisted on the core issue of illegal migration with the indian delegation making it clear that illegal immigrants when detected will be sent back. (PTI) Best of Indian cinema to perform at IIFA Awards 2003 JOHANNESBURG, May 1: ‘Devdas’, the Shah Rukh Khan-Madhuri Dixit-Aishwarya Rai starrer which failed to make it to the nominations of the oscars this year, will dominate the technical honours of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) with as many as nine awards going to it. The fourth IIFA, which is marking its return to the sun-kissed shores of South Africa with the IIFA Awards 2003, will be held at the 11,000-seater dome in northgate in this city. The IIFA awards were first held in London in 2001, followed next year in sun city in South Africa, and in Malaysia last year. While the programme is being organised by Wizcraft, the technical and some other awards are to be presented by Samsung which is the main sponsor. In a star-studded press conference held at Il Grande, Monte Casino here, it was announced two of the fourteen technical awards would go to Ram Gopal Varma’s ‘Company’ starring Ajay Devgan which had also introduced Vivek Oberoi. The awards that have gone to ‘Devdas’ are for choreography (Saroj Khan) for the song ‘Dola Re Dola’, sound recording (Jitendra Chowdhary, Vikram Motwane and Kunal Sharma), make up (Arun Pillai, Jaywant Parab, Pradeep Nahate), cinematography (Binod Pradhan), dialogue (Prakash Kapadia), art direction (Nitin Chandrakant Desai), song recording (Daman Sood, Bishwadeep Chatterjee, Tanay Gajjar), sound re-recording (Leslie Fernandes), and costume designing (Neeta Lulla, Abu Jani, Sandeep Khosla, Reza Sharifi). ‘Company’ gets the awards for editing (Chandan Arora) and action (Allan Amin). The other technical awards are screenplay - Mahesh Bhatt for ‘Raaz’, special effects (visual) - prime focus for ‘Kaante’, and background score - A R Rahman for ‘Saathiya’. The IIFA weekend will commence on May 15 and will be hosted at various venues within the Monte Casino and Johannesburg, culminating with the IIFA awards on May 17 which will be telecast live by sony and other channels. Launched three years ago at the millennium dome, London, the presentation ceremony has grown into a three-day extravaganza - the IIFA 2003 weekend - showcasing the best of Indian cinema and providing a platform for interaction with global media. Those expected to attend the ceremony are megastar Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Mira Nair, Shekhar Kapur, Anjelina Jolie, Kylie Minogue, Jackie Chan, Bo Derek and Miranda Richardson, apart from Anil Kapoor, Lara Dutta, Rani Mukherjee, Akshay Kumar, Mohanlal, A R Rahman, Chiranjeevi, Venkatesh, Shilpa Shetty and Salman Khan among others. The events include the IIFA forum - a panel of opinion leaders from Indian cinema that will discuss the business of Indian cinema and ideas for increasing revenue IIFA world premieres which will be hosted with NU metro, leading cinema exhibitors for South Africa, at their showcase theatres at the Monte Casino complex and world premieres of Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost starring Abhishek Bachchan and Lara Dutta and Armaan starring Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor and Preity Zinta. Another highlight would be the specially assembled IIFA International Media Centre, powered by Sahara Computers. Previous movies premiered at the IIFA awards include the classic ‘Lagaan’ that went on to receive an oscar nomination for best foreign film and ‘Aankhen’ that is now being remade into a hollywood blockbuster. Monte Casino and the Palazzo, official hosts for the IIFA weekend have several supporting activities planned to entertain and enthuse the visiting guests. Johannesburg s famous Bombay Blues will handle all the catering requirements and are putting together menus to delight the South African and Indian contingent. The Indian performers on stage will include Salman Khan, Shilpa Shetty, Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan. The famous Las Ketchup troupe and a host of mind blowing South African entertainers will also perform. The votes for the awards for technical excellence and popular categories were cast by the best talent from Indian cinema, including actors, film directors, music directors, producers, scriptwriters and singers during the IIFA voting weekend held in mumbai, india on march 28-29, 2003. Internationally reputed audit firm Pricewaterhousecoopers Private Limited, official auditors for the Oscars, will independently monitor all voting and audit and compile the final list of winners of the IIFA Awards 2003. The nominations for the popular category are open for public voting, using the globally accessible msn.Com platform between April 12 and May 10, on www.Msn.Co.In/iifa. (UNI) Beijing gets military-run SARS
hospital, BEIJING, May 1: Chinese military medical personnel today took charge of the world’s first 1000-bed hospital here exclusively to treat the SARS epidemic, as 11 deaths were reported in China and five in Hong Kong on a somber may day largely spent indoors without much celebration. A Taiwanese nurse treating the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome patients died, as Canada, worst-hit after Asia reported two more deaths, one day after rejoicing over the lift of a who warning against travel to toronto city. With the 187 new cases reported today, China’s nation-wide death toll now stands at 170 and the number of cases at 3,647. With the five new casualties, the deathtoll in Hong Kong special administrative region has mounted to 162. The deceased include five men aged between 34 and 83. It also reported 11 new patients since yesterday, much less than the usual 30 to 40 till Tuesday, taking the total number of infections to 1,600 since March 12. The SARS hospital in xiaotangshan in the northern suburbs of Beijing was built by 7000 workers in eight days and the facility would be manned by Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) doctors and other medical personnel, according to authorities. Nearly 800 military medical personnel had already arrived at the hospital, to which some 200 SARS patients from other local hospitals have been moved. China’s Ministry of Health said that seven of the 11 new deaths were in the capital Beijing, currently the hardest hit place in the world, and the city accounted for 122 of the latest cases. The secretary of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Liu Qi last night visited the Beijing hospital and thanked the military medical staff, the official Xinhua news agency reported. The military medical staff members were transferred from the country’s major military area commands in accordance with the recommendations of the Central Military Commission, it said. The outbreak has forced China to scale down events to mark the usually colourful international labour day with the ruling Communist Party using the occasion to salute front-line medical workers in the fight against the disease. The Government cancelled the traditional week-long holiday for May Day and curtailed it to five days as part of the efforts to contain the spread of SARS. Extending may day greetings to millions of workers, Chinese Vice-President Zeng Qinghong first praised front-line medical staff for their efforts and bravery in combating SARS. Zeng, also a senior Communist Party leader, said the Chinese Government had taken the prevention and treatment of sars as a significant political task, since it was closely related to the people’s health and security, and even to the stability of China’s reform and development. China also suspended the approval of group visits to Taiwan so as to curb the spread of SARS on both sides of the Taiwan strait, a mainland spokesman said here. In Canada, whose deathtoll stands at 23, international experts held a SARS summit in Toronto to discuss how to counter the virus which has killed more than 370 people and infected more than 5,600 around the world. (PTI) Powell says Iraq journalist deaths accident of war MADRID, May 1: US Secretary of State Colin Powell today said that US troops appeared to have acted in self-defence when they fired on a hotel in Baghdad, killing two journalists working for Spanish television and Reuters. Some of the television crews at Powell’s news conference in madrid wore white T-shirts printed with the name and face of Spanish cameraman Jose Couso and the word "murdered". The back of their shirts read "we want answers". Powell said the incident was still under investigation. "We regret that it happened...But we believe truly it was an accident of war," he told reporters at the conference ahead of a visit to the West Asia. Reuters Cameraman Taras Protsyuk, a 35-year-old Ukrainian, and Couso, 37, from Spanish television channel telecinco were killed after a US tank fired on a hotel serving as the main base for dozens of international journalists covering the Iraq war. Three other Reuters staff were wounded in the Palestine hotel shelling on April 8. "We had young American soldiers who were trying to liberate that section of Baghdad and they came under fire...And their lives were at risk as they tried to engage the enemy, as best as we understand what happened," Powell said. "There was no fault, we believe, on the part of our soldiers. "We will continue to see if we can gather any more with respect to the matter to see if there was anything done which was improper or inappropriate," he added. The US military has said it was fired upon first from the hotel, but journalists there have questioned that version of events. Journalist groups have called for an investigation. (AGENCIES) Gunman wounds US defence worker in Saudi: Agency RIYADH, May 1: A gunman wounded a US worker at a naval base in Saudi Arabia today, the official Saudi press agency reported. It quoted a Defence Ministry official as saying security forces were looking for the gunman who fled after the attack. The American, who worked for a defence contracting company at the King Abdul-Aziz naval base in Eastern Saudi Arabia, was taken to a base hospital and was in a "good" condition, the official said. (AGENCIES) |
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