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Angry Californians LOS ANGELES, Oct 8: Californians rose up in political revolution, storming the ....more American
duo wins STOCKHOLM, Oct 8: Americans Peter Agre and Roderick Mackinnon today won the 2003 nobel chemistry prize for ......more Sodhi
killer suffered NEW YORK, Oct 8: The man who killed Indian immigrant Balbir Singh Sodhi four days after the September 11 terror attacks on the United States, ....more Pak test fires Hatf-IV medium-range missile ISLAMABAD, Oct 8: In the second such test in five days, Pakistan today "successfully" test-fired ...more |
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Authors paint Bush as l NEW YORK, Oct 8: Bookstore display tables give the distinct impression there is a lot of lying going on in America these days, with President George.....more Belgium
throws out BURSSELS, Oct 8: Belgium has thrown out a human rights abuse lawsuit against China’s former President Jiang Zemin....more UK’s
Blair sparks BLACKPOOL, ENGLAND, Oct 8: Britain’s main opposition party today called for an independent inquiry to examine whether.......more Nobel
economics prize NEW YORK, Oct 8: US economist Robert Engle today described his nobel prize for economics as a symbol of how his research on investmen......more |
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Angry Californians dump Davis, elect Schwarzenegger LOS ANGELES, Oct 8: Californians rose up in political revolution, storming the polls in record numbers to throw their Governor out of office and elect in his place Arnold Schwarzenegger — an Austrian-born action film star who tapped a deep vein of voter anger. Network exit polls and early returns yesterday showed gov. Gray Davis being swept out of office in stunning defeat as Californians vented their unhappiness with the career politician who was once even mentioned as a possible Presidential nominee. The decision means that the nation’s most populous state will be ruled by a republican Governor heading into a Presidential election year — a possible boost for President George W Bush. With 14 percent of precincts reporting, 56 percent of voters wanted Davis out while 44 favored his staying in office. Schwarzenegger, making his first ever run for public office, led his nearest rival, lt Gov Cruz Bustamante, in the replacement section of the ballot by a nearly 2 to 1 margin, 52 to 30 percent, with republican Tom Mcclintock third with about 12 percent. If the numbers hold, it would mean that the two republican candidates together polled about two-thirds of the vote. Mcclintock conceded gracefully, saying "this is a great day for California. History will record that on this day in response to a common danger, the people of California rose to their duties as citizens and ordered a new direction for our state." his was the first concession speech of the evening by a major candidate. Davis called the recall a "right-wing power grab" and boasted that he would survive, but the political veteran with 30 years of climbing the statehouse ladder was beaten by a man who never spent a day in Government service. The historic recall election that only months ago was written off as a circus with 135 candidates — including a Porn star, smut peddler, sumo wrestler and a muscleman with the foreign accent —became a watershed political moment. Davis, reelected only in November, became the first Governor of California ever essentially fired by the people who put him in office and republicans gained a critical bully pulpit in a heavily democratic state with the 2004 Presidential election looming. Schwarzenegger also appeared headed for a commanding victory from voters, who embraced his lack of political experience and outsider status and shrugged off a blizzard of last-minute sexual harassment allegations by 15 women. The newspaper that printed the allegations, the Los Angeles times, said it received a barrage of criticism and 1,000 subscription cancellations. An estimated 10 million California voters cast ballots in the special election, 30 percent more than voted in the Governor’s race that reelected Davis last year and the biggest turnout for any non-Presidential contest in state history, according to the field research corp. Political analysts said the lion’s share of the higher turnout was coming from disaffected voters galvanized by Schwarzenegger. Experts said the "terminator" star took advantage of the political landscape in California, where voters felt ignored by their leaders in Sacramento and cut off from their Government amid a worsening state economy that politicians failed to fix because of fierce partisan squabbling. "If Californians had the constitutional right to recall all 120 members of the State Legislature they probably would have done that too," Allan Hoffenblum, a republican political consultant, said. Analysts said that despite the news media’s fixation on Schwarzenegger, the key to the election was not so much the action film star as it was Davis — a profoundly uncharismatic man who seemed passionate only about raising campaign funds and was estranged from many state leaders. "He was all but marginalized and ineffectual and the voters knew it and they were fed up with it," Hoffenblum said. While some pundits ascribed Schwarzenegger’s success on the replacement ballot to his movie star status and populist rhetoric, analysts said much of the actor’s strength came from his centrist message. The republican staked out socially liberal and fiscally conservative positions that appealed to most Californians. "You had Cruz Bustamante on the left talking about 8 billion dollar in new taxes and more rights for illegal immigrants and Tom Mcclintock on the right and they gave the entire middle to Arnold Schwarzenegger," Hoffenblum said. Schwarzenegger’s ascendance was seen as a victory for republicans — who hold few statewide offices and saw the state vote for democrat al gore in the last Presidential election — and devastating to democrats who control both houses of the legislature but now must work with the new Governor to solve the state’s problems or face voter rage themselves. Although results seemed clear last night after polls closed it could be weeks until the state certifies the official result and some observers held out the prospect of a recount or court challenge. (AGENCIES) |
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American duo wins nobel chemistry prize for cell membrane work STOCKHOLM, Oct 8: Americans Peter Agre and Roderick Mackinnon today won the 2003 nobel chemistry prize for cell membrane discoveries providing crucial insights into many diseases afflicting humanity, the nobel jury said. The pair’s research is particularly valuable for illnessess affecting the kidneys, heart, muscles and nervous system. "Peter Agre and Roderick Mackinnon have contributed to fundamental chemical knowledge on how cells function. They have opened our eyes to a fantastic family of molecular machines," the nobel jury said. "This year’s prize illustrates how contemporary biochemistry reaches down to the atomic level in its quest to understand the fundamental processes of life," it added. Agre’s and Mackinnon’s discoveries have clarified how salts and water are transported out of and into the cells of the body. For example, they have shown how kidneys recover water from primary urine and how the electrical signals in nerve cells are generated and spread. The pair will share the prize sum of 10 million kronor (1.11 million euros, or 1.3 million dollars). This year’s nobel season opened last week with the awarding of the literature prize to South African author J M Coetzee. On Monday, US scientist Paul C Lauterbur and Sir Peter Mansfield of Britain won the medicine prize for discoveries about magnetic resonance imaging, and yesterday, the Physics prize was awarded to three quantum physicists, Alexei A Abrikosov, vitaly l Ginzburg and Anthony J Leggett, for their work on the theory of superconductors and superfluids. (AFP) |
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Sodhi killer suffered from stress disorder: Psychiatrist NEW YORK, Oct 8: The man who killed Indian immigrant Balbir Singh Sodhi four days after the September 11 terror attacks on the United States, suffered from acute stress and brief periods of psychosis following the terrorist strikes, a psychiatrist today testified before a jury. The jury in Mesa, Arizona state, which had convicted 44-year old frank Silva roque of first degree murder on September 30 rejecting his insanity plea, is now considering whether roque should be sentenced to death. Roque had fatally shot Sodhi, mistaking him for an Arab because of his flowing beard and turban and later shot at another gas station which had a Lebanese clerk. After that he fired at the house of an afghan family but no one was injured in the later two firings. The psychiatrist, Dr Jack Potts, said the "horrific events" would not have occurred had there been no September 11. During the trial, potts had testified for the prosecution and contended that it was "clearly arguable" that roque was mentally ill. But now he says further research had convinced him that roque’s rage fits the pattern of post-traumatic stress. The defence had contended that the crime was not racially motivated and that roque was insane at the time of shooting - a paranoid Scizophrenic. Maricopa county Deputy Attorney Vince Imbordino had argued that the shooting was "not mental illness. It’s hatred, it’s anger." He also noted that roque took time to practice shooting and reloaded his gun before killing Sodhi. The jury also heard from the family members of Sodhi, including his brother and son, who said Sodhi loved children and gave them free candy. (PTI) |
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Pak test fires Hatf-IV medium-range missile ISLAMABAD, Oct 8: In the second such test in five days, Pakistan today "successfully" test-fired an "indegenously" built surface-to-surface ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads having a range of 700 Kms, covering targets in India. The test-fire of the Hatf-IV, also known as Shaheen I, was conducted at 0843 IST and "in a spirit of confidence building, Pakistan has given prior notification of the test to its neighbour," an official announcement here said. "The test is part of an ongoing series of tests of Pakistan’s indigenous missile systems," a military statement said, adding all technical parameters required to be tested were successfully validated. Pakistan had test-fired short-range Hatf II ‘Gaznavi’ on Friday last, the first after Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee extended his hand of friendship in April to Islamabad. Pakistan Defence Spokesman Maj Gen Shoukat Sultan termed the missile test as "routine" one which was aimed at fulfilling technical requirements. The medium-range missile is capable of reaching all Indian cities. Both Ghaznavi and Shaheen-1 have already been tested in the past. Besides Ghaznavi and Shaheen-1, Pakistan claims to have Shaheen-II with a range of 2500 Km, Ghauri-1 with range of 1500 Km and Ghauri-II with 2300 Km range. In all Pakistan is reported to have about 50 long and short-range nuclear capable missiles. (PTI) |
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Authors paint Bush as liar in flurry of new books NEW YORK, Oct 8: Bookstore display tables give the distinct impression there is a lot of lying going on in America these days, with President George W Bush and his top advisers portrayed as the main culprits. Bristling with indignation at the conservative republican President and his policies, the books by liberal commentators include: "The lies of George W Bush: mastering the politics of deception" by David Corn, "big lies: The right-wing propaganda machine and how it distorts the truth" by Joe Conason and "bushwhacked" by Molly Ivins and Lou Dubose. And if readers can’t figure out who is lying about whom and about what in these books, they can turn to "lies and the lying liars who tell them: A fair and balanced look at the right" by Acerbic political humorist Al Franken. In various ways, these authors and others accuse Bush and his right-wing backers of telling big whoppers since winning the White House for the republican party almost three years ago by virtue of the razor-thin Florida vote. Washington literary agent Jeff Kleinman, who said he receives one anti-Bush book "pitch" a week, said that in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, hijacked plane attacks on America, publishers tended to turn them down. "Anything that was seen as anti-American was almost impossible to sell and I think the publishers’ feelings were reflecting the marketplace, that people were not going to buy," Kleinman said. But that has changed. Industry publications and best-seller lists show that some anti-Bush books are now selling well as the former Texas Governor prepares to run for a second term in November 2004 and 10 democrats vie for the challenger’s mantle. Liberal writers have unsheathed their sharpest pencils to accuse Bush of lying about the effects of his tax cuts, the impact of his policies on the environment and the justification for his declared war on terror. They also contend he distorted intelligence about Iraq’s purported Weapons of Mass Destruction to wage war on Saddam Hussein. "George W Bush is a liar," Corn, Washington editor of the left-wing news weekly the nation, writes in his introduction. "He has lied large and small, directly and by omission. He has mugged the truth — not merely in honest error, but deliberately, consistently, and repeatedly." Corn, whose weekly’s October 13 cover depicts Bush with a long Pinocchio nose, concedes in his book that "a liar in the White House is not a remarkable development. Most Presidents lie, many brazenly and with impunity." Books hammering Bush mirror best-seller lists of the 1990s that were crammed with books bashing President Bill Clinton, the democrat who was impeached for perjury before a grand jury and obstruction of justice in the Monica Lewinsky affair. New York Times columnist David Brooks said the Partisan books on Clinton and Bush marked a shift in America to the "Presidency wars" from "culture wars" of preceding decades. "To the warrior, politics is no longer a clash of value systems, each of which is in some way valid. It’s not a competition between basically well-intentioned people who see the world differently," Brooks said in a September 30 column. "It’s not even a conflict of interests. Instead, it’s the Florida post-election fight over and over, a brutal struggle for office in which each side believes the other is behaving despicably." John Baker, editorial director of industry newspaper publishers weekly, said Franken’s book and one by Princeton university economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman were selling "extraordinarily well." In "the great unravelling," Krugman said Bush lied during his 2000 Presidential campaign, lied once he took office, turned a record budget surplus into the biggest deficit to line the pockets of the rich and abused the public’s patriotism after the September 11 attacks. "There is always a flurry of books leading up to the election time, but this time it is particularly contentious because the parties are further apart than they usually are," Baker said. One publishers weekly reviewer remarked that "liberals are fighting back" against liberal-bashing from right-wing commentators on television, radio, online and in print. For some background on the media wars, book readers can also consider buying conservative commentator Ann Coulter’s "Slander: liberal lies about the American right" — her take on liberal lies — or eric alterman’s "what liberal media? the truth about bias and the news." In the latest slew of books to hit the market, coulter is one target of liberal authors, but most reserve their strongest statements for Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. (AGENCIES) |
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Belgium throws out case against China’s Jiang Zemin BURSSELS, Oct 8: Belgium has thrown out a human rights abuse lawsuit against China’s former President Jiang Zemin under the country’s revamped genocide law, one of the plantiffs in the case today said. Six members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement, labelled an "evil cult" by the Chinese authorities, took the case to a Belgian court, alleging Jiang had put together a plan aimed at eliminating the group in China. Matthias Slaats, one of the six plantiffs, told Reuters he had been informed of the decision by the Belgian federal prosecutor to reject the case a few days ago. He added the group might appeal. "We are still checking the possibility," he said. The Jiang Zemin case was the first test of Belgium’s law on genocide and crimes against humanity since the Government imposed severe restrictions on how the law can be used in August. Earlier suits under the law, when it had a much wider remit, were launched against world leaders such as President George W Bush, Ariel Sharon and Tony Blair, severely embarrassing the Belgian Government. All these cases have been dismissed by Belgium. Under the reformed law, only Belgians or long-term residents of the country can bring a legal action, and only within strict conditions and under international immunity rules. The Falun Gong movement was banned under Jiang in 1999 after it mounted a massive protest in beijing against the mistreatment of its followers by authorities. It combines a mixture of Taoism, Buddhism and traditional Chinese breathing exercises with the ideas of its founder Li Hongzhi. (AGENCIES) |
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UK’s Blair sparks conservative wrath over Iraq BLACKPOOL, ENGLAND, Oct 8: Britain’s main opposition party today called for an independent inquiry to examine whether Prime Minister Tony Blair took the country to war against Iraq on the basis of a lie. The conservative party used its annual conference to shine a spotlight on a row that has seen Blair’s public trust ratings plummet. Blair’s Government, which has rejected calls for a judicial inquiry, accused the conservatives of opportunism and hypocrisy, given its backing for the war. The aftermath of the Iraq war and the failure to find any weapons of mass destruction has plunged Blair into the darkest days of his six-year premiership. A recent inquiry into the suicide of a Government expert on iraq’s weapons also raised questions about the case Blair made for war. The conservatives say the inquiry, which will report later this year, is no substitute for an independent probe. But polls show the conservatives have failed to capitalise on Blair’s troubles and they have allowed their conference to be overshadowed by talk of a coup to oust leader Iain Duncan Smith. Michael Ancram, the conservatives’ spokesman for foreign affairs, accused Blair of deceiving Parliament and the public over Iraq but said his party still supported the ousting of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. "Mr Blair, the case was sound. There was no need to lie. You didn’t need to stretch the truth. You didn’t need to manipulate the intelligence material," he told the conference. "No one trusts this rotten Government anymore," he added. Bernard Jenkin, the party’s spokesman for defence, backed calls for an inquiry in his speech to the conference. The tories, as the conservatives are known, also warned of an organised challenge to Blair’s refusal to put a European Union constitution to a referendum. The Constitution, designed to accommodate an enlarged EU next year, is still being drafted. Ancram said the conservatives would file a petition with Parliament calling for a referendum. The petition could attract signatures from lawmakers from Blair’s ruling labour party who also want a vote on the constitution, in what could prove an embarrassment to the Prime Minister. (AGENCIES) |
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Iraq will need 50 billion foreign aid in next four years STOCKHOLM, Oct 7: Iraq will need about 50 billion dollars in foreign aid for reconstruction in the four years to the end of 2007, the Planning Minister in Iraq’s US-appointed Governing Council today said. The top priorities are electricity, water, education and health, Mehdi Hafedh told a news conference. "We are actually planning for something in the range of 50 billion dollars," he said. Hafedh is on a European tour ahead of an International Donor Conference in Madrid on October 23-24 which will try to raise money for the reconstruction of Iraq, battered by more than two decades of wars and sanctions. "We are optimistic that a number of donors are ready to contribute," Hafedh said, mentioning pledges from the European Union and Japan. The EU has promised an initial 200 million euros ( 234 million) with more in the pipeline and Japan is expected to contribute 4-5 billion dollars overall. "We are still at the beginning and I think that there will be some more pledges in the near future," he said. The World Bank, United Nations and International Monetary Fund have estimated jointly that 35.6 billion dollars will be needed over the next four years to reactivate the Iraqi economy. This is on top of 20 billion pledged by the United States over the next 18 months for rebuilding under the US-led body now governing Iraq, the coalition provisional authority. The three international organisations and leading donor nations agreed last week to set up a trust fund outside Washington’s direct control to administer the cash they raise, so that donors can support specific sectors and institutions. Hafedh has already visited Madrid, Amsterdam, the Hague and London, and goes on to Oslo and Copenhagen. The Scandinavian countries and the Netherlands are among the world’s biggest foreign aid donors in per capita terms. Hafedh agreed with Washington’s UN Ambassador John Negroponte that it was important for the Security Council to adopt a new Iraq resolution before the Madrid Donor Conference. "The conference will take place with or without the resolution. But we would like the resolution to be out before the conference...It is very important in order to defuse any misunderstanding or differences of opinion," he said. The UN resolution is intended to spell out how Iraq is to be governed in the future. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has ruled out any political role for the United Sations as long as Iraq remains under occupation. This has frustrated US efforts to win a bigger UN role in reconstruction work, which could encourage Governments that opposed the US decision to invade Iraq without UN approval to send aid and peacekeeping troops. Hafedh said recurring media reports about security problems in Iraq, mainly attacks on US troops, exaggerated what he said was a problem confined to one particular area north of Baghdad. "We don’t think that this would have any serious effect on the reconstruction process," he said. "Iraq is a rich country, and the oil is in Iraq, and this will be of interest for the other countries...There will be a lot of interest in Iraq from donors and investors," he said. The institute of international finance, representing 330 leading commercial banks, said in a recent report that private companies would be reluctant to invest in Iraq until a stable Government had been formed. The international organisations’ 35.6 billion dollars estimate of reconstruction costs includes 24.2 billion dollars for infrastructure, 7.2 billion dollars for education, health and jobs, and 3 billion dollars for agriculture. The 20 billion dollars from Washington includes 5 billion dollars for security and police, 8 billion dollars for rebuilding the oil industry and 3.5 billion dollars for the environment. US President George W Bush has sent a bill to congress seeking approval for 87 billion dollars in spending on Iraq and Afghanistan, made up of 67 billion dollars for the US military plus the 20 billion dollars for reconstruction in Iraq. (AGENCIES) UN Envoy urges Israel, Syria to avoid escalation BEIRUT, Oct 8: The UN’s top West Asian envoy urged Syria and Israel today not to allow an Israeli strike deep inside Syria to escalate into a wider conflict. Tensions flared on the Lebanese-Israeli border this week, after Israel bombed what it said was a training camp for Palestinian militants deep inside Syria. "Attacks and counterattacks like these are taking us down a steep and precarious path towards more violence," UN West Asia Coordinator Terje Roed-Larsen said. Roed-Larsen commended Syria’s decision to respond to the Israeli attack through diplomatic rather than military means. "The Government of Israel must refrain from unilateral use of force and address its complaints through the (UN) Security Council and stop violations of Lebanese airspace," Roed-Larsen said after talks with Lebanese President Emile Lahoud. "The Government of Lebanon must exert control over the use of force from all its territory," he added, condemning the killing of an Israeli soldier at the Lebanese-Israeli border on Monday. Israel blamed his death on the Syrian-backed Hizbollah guerrilla group, which denied any involvement. Hours later, a missile fired from inside Lebanon towards Israel fell short and killed a young Lebanese boy. Others landed in northern israel, an israeli military source said. (AGENCIES) UN Envoy urges Israel, Syria to avoid escalation BEIRUT, Oct 8: The UN’s top West Asian envoy urged Syria and Israel today not to allow an Israeli strike deep inside Syria to escalate into a wider conflict. Tensions flared on the Lebanese-Israeli border this week, after Israel bombed what it said was a training camp for Palestinian militants deep inside Syria. "Attacks and counterattacks like these are taking us down a steep and precarious path towards more violence," UN West Asia Coordinator Terje Roed-Larsen said. Roed-Larsen commended Syria’s decision to respond to the Israeli attack through diplomatic rather than military means. "The Government of Israel must refrain from unilateral use of force and address its complaints through the (UN) Security Council and stop violations of Lebanese airspace," Roed-Larsen said after talks with Lebanese President Emile Lahoud. "The Government of Lebanon must exert control over the use of force from all its territory," he added, condemning the killing of an Israeli soldier at the Lebanese-Israeli border on Monday. Israel blamed his death on the Syrian-backed Hizbollah guerrilla group, which denied any involvement. Hours later, a missile fired from inside Lebanon towards Israel fell short and killed a young Lebanese boy. Others landed in northern israel, an israeli military source said. (AGENCIES) 6 killed, 12 injure dby bomb in Colombia capital BOGOTO, COLOMBIA, Oct 8: At least six people, including two police officers, were killed and 12 civilians injured when a car bomb exploded today in a grimy district known for selling smuggled goods in Colombia’s capital. No group fighting in the country’s four-decade guerrilla war immediately claimed responsibility for the blast — the worst car bombing in Bogota since 36 people were killed and 160 wounded at the exclusive Nogal Club in February. Two officers were killed after arriving in the San Andresito district to investigate a telephone call about a suspicious vehicle. About 110 lbs (50 kg) of explosives packed in an old jeep detonated just as they arrived on a motorbike at about 0800 hrs local time (1830 hrs Ist), also killing four civilians, police said. Colombia’s war pits leftist rebel groups against right-wing militias and the military. The conflict, fueled by money from the drug trade, claims thousands of lives every year. (AGENCIES) |
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