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N Korea nuclear impasse dominates APEC forum BANGKOK, Oct 21: Pacific rim leaders promised a crackdown against terrorist groups and tougher steps to ... ..more Kalam calls for greater Indo-Sudan cooperation KHARTOUM, SUDAN, Oct 21: President A P J Abdul Kalam today proposed greater Indo-Sudan cooperation for "creative, balanced and sustainable .....more Hindus and Jews intolerant of interfaith marriages: poll WASHINGTON, Oct 21: Hindus, South Korean Christians and Israeli Jews generally disapprove of interfaith marriage, according to a global religion poll ....more Malaysian firms set to enter Sri Lankan LPG market COLOMBO, Oct 21: Two Malaysian firms plan to distribute Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in Sri Lanka under investments totalling 116 million, ...more |
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Nepal mounts search for kidnapped British officer KATHMANDU, Oct 21: Nepal sent troops and police to its remote west today to hunt for five people, including a British Army officer, kidnapped by .....more N
Korea apparently TOKYO, Oct 21: North Korea, locked in a standoff over its nuclear arms programme, apparently launched a short-range surface-to-ship missile ....more UK sets November 26 as date for N Irish election LONDON, Oct 21: Delayed elections to the northern Ireland powersharing assembly will be held on November 26, the . .......more US
soldiers fire in air BAGHDAD, Oct 21: US soldiers fired above the heads of thousands of Iraqi Government workers......more |
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N Korea nuclear impasse dominates APEC forum BANGKOK, Oct 21: Pacific rim leaders promised a crackdown against terrorist groups and tougher steps to prevent the spread of Weapons of Mass Destruction today as they wrapped up an economic summit shrouded in security concerns and rattled by one and possibly two North Korean missile tests. The 21-nation summit of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation concluded two days of talks with a Luncheon that included a freewheeling discussion about economic problems and security issues. US President George W Bush sought, and won, support for a new overture to end the year-old nuclear standoff with Pyongyang. The summit’s final communique did not specifically mention North Korea’s nuclear threat, but a verbal statement read by Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on behalf of the leaders, called for a restart of six-nation talks to resolve the crisis. Thaksin, flanked by 20 other APEC leaders, including Bush, stressed that the north’s security concerns must be addressed. While some nations complained that security issues had dominated the meeting’s stated economic agenda, the summit urged all countries to "eliminate the severe and growing danger problem posed by the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction," said the formal communique, released at the end of the gathering. The Asian and Pacific leaders also urged countries to "dismantle fully and without delay transnational terrorist groups that threaten the APEC economies." On the economic front, the leaders agreed to revive global trade liberalization talks that collapsed recently in Mexico. They did not offer a formula to break the impasse but directed negotiators go back to work on the text they had left behind. Before heading to their closing meeting, the leaders gathered in an ornate royal palace for a group photograph. Following a long-standing tradition, they wore shirts of the host country in this case, tailored thai silk ones, featuring animal and floral patterns. North Korea rattled nerves by firing an anti-ship missile off its east coast as part of its annual military exercise. It was North Korea’s first missile test-firing since April and called attention to Bush’s fledgling proposal to defuse tensions by offering Pyongyang a five-nation security guarantee if it would scrap its nuclear weapons program. Japan said it suspected that North Korea may have test-fired a second missile. The Government said it was trying to confirm the information. A spokesman at the South Korean military’s office of joint Chiefs of Staff disputed Tokyo’s claim of a second test. The US pressed the summit to take note of Bush’s initiative, which would commit the United States, China, Japan, Russia and South Korea to a no-invasion pledge. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad led complaints that security issues were diverting attention from economic problems. But leaders did discuss how to get the World Trade Organization to restart talks for a new global commerce deal following the collapse of negotiations last month in the Mexican resort of Cancun. Hoping to attract more investment capital for Asia’s battered economy, the leaders also agreed to do more to combat corruption and to "promote transparency" in public financial management. (AP) |
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Kalam calls for greater Indo-Sudan cooperation KHARTOUM, SUDAN, Oct 21: President A P J Abdul Kalam today proposed greater Indo-Sudan cooperation for "creative, balanced and sustainable democratic socio-economic growth in both the countries." "Time has come for the two nations to consolidate and forge stronger bonds... For prosperity, happiness and freedom from insecurity," Dr Kalam said, while addressing the Sudan national assembly here. Dr Kalam, who is on a three-day state visit to this African country, said, "we may learn from each other and strengthen our resolve to move our nations ahead to greater prosperity as the two countries have so much in common." While enumerating India’s vision to be a developed nation by 2020 and its development plan, the President said India’s vision and its experiences could be useful in evolving a mission for the development of Sudan. "It is only natural that the two countries should strive to synergize their development goals and policies and acquire enviable capabilities by 2020." "This partnership in the development of our nations will be a model for other developing and developed nations," he said. Dr Kalam said one among the key resources of Sudan is hydrocarbon. With a large part of the country still unexplored, hydrocarbon contribution to the national economy was likely to increase significantly in the future, he added. One key area in which India could help Sudan is oil exploration, he said, adding that both the nations could work together in building capabilities for oil exploration, refining, marketing and value added oil based products. He said exploitation of hydrocarbon and other natural resources by Sudan with India’s assistance could fuel economic growth of Sudan through many mission mode projects like the vision 2020 of India. He said hydrocarbon contribution to the national economy of Sudan would increase significantly in the near future with several oil companies from India and other countries now participating in the discovery of oil in Sudan. The public sector Videsh ONGC has invested about 750 million dollars in Sudan for joint oil exploration, Dr Kalam said. The President reminded Sudan of the historical ties between the countries and said Khartoum must realise the value of cooperation and collaboration with neighbouring nations. He said India always had cordial and friendly relations and formed many institutional arrangements for widening the scope of cooperation and collaboration with Sudan. "Time has thus arrived for our two nations to consolidate these developments since independence, and forge stronger bonds between planning and implementation institutions, public and private of both nations, for prosperity, happiness and freedom from insecurity," he said. The President said using existing mechanisms, or creating new ones, if necessary, the two nations must emerge with well-defined joint missions, programmes and projects. The objective of cooperation should be primarily for sustainable democratic socio-economic growth of the two countries. But it should also have an objective to create new programme management organisations and joint venture institutions and forge strong linkages between the existing institutions for specific developmental missions, he added. This should enable each other to attain and sustain self-sufficiency in energy, food, water, health care and critical new technologies, especially analysis and use remote sensing data) and to develop surplus capacities to assist other nations, Dr Kalam said. (UNI) |
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Hindus and Jews intolerant of interfaith marriages: poll WASHINGTON, Oct 21: Hindus, South Korean Christians and Israeli Jews generally disapprove of interfaith marriage, according to a global religion poll conducted by the University of Rochester and polling firm Zogby international. American Catholics and American mainstream protestants had the most tolerant views of religious exclusiveness and joined Peruvian Catholics in strongly supporting interfaith marriages, the poll found. In what the university called an unprecedented collaboration to provide a broad, global perspective on religious beliefs, members of 11 religious groups in 7 countries were surveyed for the poll. John Zogby, president and chief executive officer of Zogby international and William Scott Green, Professor of Religion and a Dean at the University of Rochester, said the results demonstrated that "Religion can build bridges among people as much as it today causes chasms." The findings are based on 4,388 interviews conducted from January through March 2003. Those surveyed include members of the Orthodox Church in Russia, protestant Christians from the United States, Russia and South Korea, Muslims from India, Israel and Saudi Arabia, South Korean Buddhists, Indian Hindus, Israeli Jews and Roman Catholics from the United States and Peru. "Religion clearly remains a significant force in the lives of most people, but its role varies across cultures," said Green. "Comparing the data from religion to religion, country to country and between different religions within the same country reveals some intriguing commonalities and differences." The study found that for all groups surveyed, except for the Russian Orthodox Christians, when asked to rank life goals among several choices including family and economic security, having an active religious life is more important than being politically active. In fact, being politically active is the lowest or second-lowest priority for all groups except for the Russians. "The range between religion and politics as a high choice for a personal goal is really substantial, said Green. He also noted that political involvement, when ranked among several other life goals, is the lowest ranked choice for all groups, "except the American Christians for whom traveling abroad is lower." In the area of religious instruction and leadership, those surveyed said raligious leaders are not necessarily the most important source of religious teaching. All of the religious groups, however, agree that parents are the most important source of religious instruction within families. A majority of communities surveyed do not associate religion with unrest or with violence in their own country. And although Israeli Jews and Indian Hindus are most likely to see a relationship between unrest and religion, their position was still a minority view in those groups, the poll found. "Everyone claims to know religion, but the truth is that we humans know relatively little about it — our own and, especially, that of others," said Zogby. "This seminal study is an effort fill in this gap." (UNI) |
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Malaysian firms set to enter Sri Lankan LPG market COLOMBO, Oct 21: Two Malaysian firms plan to distribute Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in Sri Lanka under investments totalling 116 million, an investment promotion official said on Tuesday. Malaysia’s Subur Lincah SDN has signed agreements with Sri Lanka’s board of investment for a 100 million project to import 32,000-40,000 cylinders of LPG per month. Filling stations and a gas storage facility were also planned, said board official Dileep Samarasinghe. A 20-month ceasefire after a two-decade-long ethnic war has raised investor interest in the island, and foreign direct investment of 300 million is expected this year. Malaysia’s global gas alliance will distribute LPG from Malaysian state oil firm petronas in a 16 million investment, Samarasinghe said. Sri Lanka’s market for LPG is dominated by Shell Gas Lanka Ltd, a unit of Royal Dutch/Shell group. Sri Lanka imports all of its crude requirements and the bulk of its oil product needs. (AGENCIES) |
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Nepal mounts search for kidnapped British officer KATHMANDU, Oct 21: Nepal sent troops and police to its remote west today to hunt for five people, including a British Army officer, kidnapped by Maoist rebels while on a drive to recruit Gurkha soldiers for the British Army, officials said. The British officer and four Nepali soldiers were taken on Sunday as they recruited young Gurkhas from a remote village in Baglung district, 300 Km west of capital Kathmandu. "We rushed in a rescue team consisting of soldiers and policemen early today," baglung district administrator prem narayan sharma told. Nepali officials said yesterday there were two Britons among the five kidnapped by the rebels. But an official, who declined to be named, said today there was only one British Army officer in the group. Mr Sharma said the search team had begun its gruelling five-hour walk to the village at daybreak through rebel-infested hilly terrain. The area is a stronghold of Maoist insurgents fighting since 1996 to topple Nepal’s constitutional monarchy. Mr Sharma said he believed that the five detainees were in no danger and hoped the kidnappers would release them today. "Once the rescue team arrives in the village I think it will not be difficult to find them," Mr Sharma said. The British Army recruits about 230 Gurkhas from Nepal annually. Maoist rebels oppose the recruitment of Gurkhas by Britain and India, which also takes Nepali nationals into its Army. There are currently 3,400 Gurkhas serving in the British Army. Known for their fighting skills, they have served with the British Army for the past 187 years. It is the first time the rebels, who draw their inspiration from Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, have kidnapped foreigners. In the past, they have extorted money or stolen from foreign tourists visiting the scenic Himalayan kingdom. More than 7,700 people have been killed in the revolt so far. Britain supports the Government drive against the guerrillas. (AGENCIES) |
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N Korea apparently launches missile-Japan’s NHK TOKYO, Oct 21: North Korea, locked in a standoff over its nuclear arms programme, apparently launched a short-range surface-to-ship missile today, Japan’s NHK television said. A spokesman for Japan’s defence agency said it was unaware of a missile launch. The report came a day after the agency said it had an unconfirmed report of a similar launch. (AGENCIES) |
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UK sets November 26 as date for N Irish election LONDON, Oct 21: Delayed elections to the northern Ireland powersharing assembly will be held on November 26, the British Government said today. Northern Irish voters should have gone to the polls in May, but the election was cancelled by Britain, which judged pledges from the Irish Republican Army to end all violence were not sufficient to ensure the stability of a post-election Government. (AGENCIES)fn 52 iraq=convoy-attack polish convoy attacked south of baghdad warsaw, oct 21 (dpa) a convoy of polish troops was attacked last evening south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, the polish news agency pap reported today citing witnesses. The troops were travelling to babylon when an explosive device was thrown out a car and exploded in front of a mini bus. Nobody was injured and only material damage ensued, the report said. The headquarters of the multi-national forces under polish command are in Babylon and in the occupation zone known as "Central South". (DPA) |
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US soldiers fire in air at Baghdad protest BAGHDAD, Oct 21: US soldiers fired above the heads of thousands of Iraqi Government workers protesting today after hearing that the Americans had detained a woman for refusing to be searched by a sniffer dog. A correspondent said US soldiers fired in the air to disperse a furious crowd at a complex of Government buildings in Baghdad that includes the oil, electricity, trade and irrigation ministries. (AGENCIES) APEC lends strong support to deadlocked WTO talks BANGKOK, Oct 21: Pacific rim leaders issued a ringing call on Tuesday for the revival of World Trade talks which collapsed in Cancun last month because of deep divisions between rich and poor. The 21 leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum hope their message will have the same galvanising effect as a statement issued by the first APEC summit a decade ago in Seattle, which helped revive an earlier round of stalled global market-opening talks. APEC leaders said after a two-day meeting they had agreed to re-energise the negotiation process, recognising that flexibility and political will were needed to make a success of the World Trade Organisation’s Doha round of trade talks. "We lent our strong support for continuing the valuable work done at the Cancun ministerial conference to advance the Doha Development Agenda," the leaders said in a concluding statement. The text dropped references in earlier drafts to the Cancun conference, where ministers convened to take stock of progress in the Doha round, as a "missed opportunity". The World Bank estimates that a successful conclusion to the Doha round would add more than 500 billion to global incomes by 2015, taking 144 million people out of poverty. Some Governments which put their names to Tuesday’s communique were on opposite sides of a deep divide in Cancun. Rich and poor countries squabbled in the Mexican beach resort over an array of issues, notably how quickly to reduce the 300 billion a year in aid that industrial states pay their farmers and whether to write new trade rules in areas such as investment and competition. The acid test of whether the Bangkok rhetoric counts for much will come in Geneva, the home of the WTO, where envoys will meet by December 15 to try to put the derailed talks back on track. APEC carries heft because its members account for nearly half of World Trade. But even if its leaders means what they say, many experts doubt that ministers can meet their self-imposed deadline of wrapping up the Doha round by the end of 2004. Looming elections in November 2004 will make it hard for the United States to swallow the political compromises that trade talks demand, while the European Union will be preoccupied with the addition of 10 new members to the 15-country bloc. "As things currently stand, there’s not much hope for the Doha round," said Jean-Pierre Lehman, a Professor at the IMD business school in Lausanne, Switzerland. Diplomats said the most concrete achievement of the APEC summit, which was preceded by talks among foreign and trade ministers, was an agreement that negotiations should resume on the basis of a compromise text put forward in Cancun by Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Ernesto Derbez, who chaired the conference. Although the text ultimately proved unacceptable, many diplomats in Cancun said it seemed to offer enough common ground to enable a compromise to be struck over the emotive issue of farm handouts. In their communique, APEC leaders vowed to "work towards the abolition of all forms of agricultural subsidies". (AGENCIES) Officials said floodwaters had started to recede in parts of central Vietnam and soldiers had evacuated nearly 40,000 people in Quang Ngai and neighbouring Binh Dinh province. Nearly 52,000 houses were submerged, many villages were cut off and traffic on the country’s north-south highway one was blocked. They said they had yet to estimate the overall damage but at least 7,600 hectares of rice had been ruined. Rice prices are likely to rise because of the flood damage, additional demand to supply relief work and thin supplies in the Mekong delta in the post-harvest period. Vietnam is the world’s third largest rice exporter after Thailand and India. (AGENCIES) Iran ready for full transparency on nuke issue TEHRAN, Oct 21: Iran’s Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi today said Tehran was ready to show the world complete transparency regarding its nuclear programme, which some western powers fear could be used to make atomic bombs. "We are ready for total transparency because we are not pursuing an illegal programme," Kharrazi told reporters after meeting Foreign Ministers from Britain, France and Germany. (AGENCIES) US posts record 374.22 bln budget gap in 2003 WASHINGTON, Oct 21: The US Government posted its largest budget gap in history in the just-ended 2003 fiscal year, 374.22 billion in red ink, the treasury department said on Monday. That broke the previous record of more than 290 billion in the 1992 budget year. As a percentage of the economy, the deficit totalled 3.5 per cent, the largest since 1993. In its final monthly budget statement for fiscal 2003, the treasury also said the Government posted a 26.38 billion surplus in September. Administration officials warned the deficit, which they blame on sluggish Government revenues and rising expenses related to the war on terrorism, may be even larger in the current 2004 budget year, which began Oct 1. (AGENCIES) Sonia Gandhi calls on Wickremesinghe NEW DELHI,Oct 21: Leader of opposition Sonia Gandhi today called on visiting Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and is understood to have discussed matters of mutual interest. Mr Wickremesinghe also apprised her of the progress in the ongoing peace process in Sri Lanka. Civil Aviation Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy also met Mr Wickremesinghe and discussed bilateral air service agreements between the two countries. In the afternoon, Petroleum Minister Ram Naik and former Prime Minister I K Gujral will meet the Sri Lankan leader. Mr Wickremsinghe, who is on a three-day visit to India, yesterday held discussions with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani and External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha. (UNI) |
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