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India should do ‘homework’ for nuke cooperation with Russia MOSCOW, Dec 8: Russia is willing to supply any civilian nuclear technology and fuel for reactors to India provided New Delhi does its ‘homework’ by .....more November
US death toll WASHINGTON, Dec 8: One hundred and thirty-six US troops were killed in Iraq in November, the highest monthly ......more Bush seeks to boost troop morale for Iraq fight CAMP PENDLETON, CALIF, Dec 8: President George W Bush sought to boost the morale of US troops facing extended deployments ....more US House passes intelligence bill WASHINGTON, Dec 8: The US House of Representatives has given approval for ...more |
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Bahrain sees US freeing 3 Guantanamo Bahrainis soon MANAMA, Dec 8: The United States may soon release about half of the six Bahraini prisoners held at the Guantanamo bay camp in Cuba, Bahrain’s ....more Mexico Salinas murder likely business, not politics MEXICO CITY, Dec 8: The murdered brother of former Mexican President Carlos ......more US Marines dispatched to storm-ravaged Philippines WASHINGTON, Dec 8: The United States dispatched about 600 marines and navy personnel from Okinawa to help residents in the flood-ravaged.....more Colombia says US could jeopardize extraditions BOGOTA, COLOMBIA, Dec 8: Colombia warned the United States that future ........more |
India should do ‘homework’ for nuke cooperation with Russia MOSCOW, Dec 8: Russia is willing to supply any civilian nuclear technology and fuel for reactors to India provided New Delhi does its ‘homework’ by directly talking to other key members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), sources in the Government said. "There is no problem in our ability to supply more reactors for Kudankulam or nuclear fuel for Tarapur, the problem is that we are bound by the NSG guidelines. India needs to seriously do its `homework’ by engaging other key members of the group. We have conveyed this in the past also to New Delhi," official sources told PTI on conditions of strict anonymity. They were commenting on reports from New Delhi which quoted a Member of President Vladimir Putin’s delegation, Chief of Federal Atomic Energy Agency Alexander Rumyantsev as having expressed Moscow’s inability to provide more fuel for Tarapur Atomic Power Plants and two more reactors in Kudankulam Atomic Power Station. Moscow joined NSG in early 1990s after the Soviet collapse and in spite of heavy US pressure had agreed to build Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu as per a MoU signed by erstwhile Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. NSG bans nuclear co-operation with the nations like India, which have not signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and have refused to put their nuclear facilities under the safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The sources said last time (in 2001) when Russia supplied fuel for it was told by the NDA Government that it had talked to the us, and that Washington had no objection to supplies. "However, the US and other NSG members strongly raised the issue with us. We had to find arguments that it was one time supply for nuclear safety reasons," the sources said reminding that to ensure nuclear safety NSG-member nations can provide nuclear materials to non-NPT signatories. "As promised earlier to the Indian leadership Russia has been closely working with its NSG partners, who are today more convinced about India’s impeccable non-proliferation record, having developed nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons on its own." There is a greater understanding in the world about India’s growing energy requirements for development and nuclear energy as an important alternative to hydrocarbons in this, the sources said. "We hope that sooner or later this problem will be resolved through joint efforts, but India needs to do its homework," they underscored. (PTI) |
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November US death toll was highest of Iraq war WASHINGTON, Dec 8: One hundred and thirty-six US troops were killed in Iraq in November, the highest monthly total of the war, fueled by casualties from the offensive to seize Falluja from insurgents, the Pentagon said. The previous highest US military monthly death count was 135 in April, which was marked by an aborted offensive in Falluja launched after four private US contractors were killed, and a spasm of violence in the south led by fighters loyal to Shi’ite cleric Moqtada-al-Sadr. Other Pentagon figures released yesterday listed 1,274 US military deaths since the March 2003 invasion to topple President Saddam Hussein. In addition, 9,765 US troops have been wounded in action, more than 5,200 of them too severely hurt to return to duty, the Pentagon added. The US military has said more than 70 American troops were killed in Falluja operations launched on Nov 8. The insurgency, which rose up after Saddam was toppled last year, also bloodied US forces with attacks nationwide that appeared to demonstrate the rebels’ potency despite being deprived of the Falluja safe haven. US marines led the offensive to take control of Falluja, a Sunni Muslim city that US officials said insurgents had used as a sanctuary from which to launch a spree of killings, bombings and kidnappings. The US military has estimated that 1,200 to 1,600 rebels were killed in Falluja, but said senior rebel leaders may have escaped. In November, there were seven days with at least 10 US deaths, all in the first half of the month when the urban fighting in Falluja was at its peak. There has been a steady increase in American deaths since the United States transferred sovereignty to the US-backed interim Iraqi Government headed by Prime Minister Iyad Allawi on June 28, officially ending the occupation. Forty-two US troops died in June. There has been an increase in the US death toll in every month since then with the exception of October. On Nov 18, Lt Gen John Sattler, the top Marine Commander in Iraq, said the Falluja offensive had "broken the back of the insurgency," disrupting rebel operations nationwide. Brookings institution defense analyst Michael O’Hanlon called sattler’s assessment "wishful thinking." "The insurgency has continued to grow in strength and in reach and in effectiveness," O’Hanlon said. "The trend lines were all in the wrong directions. It remains to be seen, of course, if that will change." Parliamentary elections scheduled for Jan 30 represent the next big milestone in Iraq, and the Falluja offensive was part of an effort to improve security ahead of the polling. The Pentagon has announced that it will increase US troops levels to 150,000, up from 138,000, ahead of the election in a bid to improve security, mostly by delaying the departure of thousands of troops who had been scheduled to leave Iraq. About 1,500 soldiers from the 82nd airborne division have begun deploying to Iraq as well. "The best-case scenario is: The elections go off as scheduled at the end of January without too much violence accompanying it, and the US then uses that as a justification to begin to withdraw its forces," said defense analyst ted carpenter of the Cato institute. "The worst-case scenario is: The country really explodes in full-scale civil war, with the US being caught right in the middle." (AGENCIES) |
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Bush seeks to boost troop morale for Iraq fight CAMP PENDLETON, CALIF, Dec 8: President George W Bush sought to boost the morale of US troops facing extended deployments in Iraq by promising to train Iraqi forces to replace them but acknowledged only mixed results so far. As deadly insurgent attacks continued, claiming another American life in Baghdad and taking the US combat death toll to 1,000 since last year’s invasion, Bush made clear he expects a tough road ahead and stopped short of offering timetables. While a recent offensive in Falluja "dealt the enemy a severe blow," Bush said the insurgents who used the city as their stronghold will "keep on fighting," and offered a more cautious assessment of Iraqi troops than he has in the past. "Some Iraqi units have performed better than others," Bush told thousands of camouflage-clad marines. "Some Iraqis have been intimidated enough by the insurgents to leave the service to their country." But Bush said "a great many are standing firm," and the United States would continue training Iraqi security forces "so the Iraqi people can eventually take responsibility for their own security." he touted a new NATO training program and said efforts were underway to "develop a core of well-trained senior and mid-level Iraqi officers" to lead the new forces. On Monday, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said he hoped US troops would be pulled out of Iraq in the next four years. Classified CIA assessments disclosed on Tuesday, however, said the situation was deteriorating and unlikely to improve any time soon. The White House said the visit was part of Bush’s effort to boost US troop morale. He flew more than nine hours round-trip from Washington to give a 30-minute speech at Camp Pendleton, which has had one of the highest casualty rates in Iraq of any US military base. After his speech, he sat down to a lunch of pasta, rice and beef in the Mess hall, and met with families of soldiers killed in action. The Pentagon announced last week it would increase the number of American troops in Iraq to 150,000, from 138,000, in a bid to improve security for elections at the end of January. The move will extend the promised yearlong Iraq tours of 8,100 army soldiers to 14 months and the seven-month tours of 2,300 marines to nine months. Pentagon officials say the increase in troop strength — to the highest level since the war began in March 2003 — is temporary, lasting through next March. But some of Bush’s advisers and key republicans in the US Congress say more troops may be needed. In a sign of growing tension, eight US soldiers serving in Iraq and Kuwait filed a lawsuit this week over a military policy that forces them to serve beyond their enlistment contracts. Bush said his goal was to "build a force that no longer needs coalition support so they can defend their own nation and then American soldiers and marines can come home." Citing the temporary increase in troop strength, Bush said the United States and its allies in Iraq have "a strategy in place to aid the rise of a stable democracy in Iraq, to help the Iraqi Government provide security during the election period." Bush has vowed to press ahead with Jan 30 elections in Iraq despite a surge in violence that has killed more than 70 people in recent days. "As election day approaches, we can expect further violence from the terrorists," Bush said, adding: "Free elections will proceed as planned." (AGENCIES) |
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US House passes intelligence bill WASHINGTON, Dec 8: The US House of Representatives has given approval for a historic legislation that would overhaul the national intelligence network consisting of 15 spy agencies, based on recommendations by the commission that probed the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. As recommended by the Commission, there will now be an "intelligence czar" coordinating all the agencies, intensifying aviation and border security and allowing more wiretaps of suspected terrorists. "We have come a long way toward taking steps that will ensure that we do not see another September 11th," said House rules chairman David Dreier, after the House yesterday voted in favour of intelligence reforms. Now "we have in place a structure that will ensure that we have the intelligence capability to deal with conflicts on the ground wherever they exist." The network had come under severe criticism because of their failure to anticipate and prevent the September 11 attacks. Some changes had to be made to overcome the Pentagon’s objections to the original bill. The House voted 336-75 to send the senate legislation to create a new National Intelligence Director, establish a counter-terrorism centre, set priorities for intelligence gathering and tighten US borders. The measure would implement the biggest change to US intelligence gathering and analysis since the creation of the CIA after World War II to deal with the newly emerging cold war. (PTI) |
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Bahrain sees US freeing 3 Guantanamo Bahrainis soon MANAMA, Dec 8: The United States may soon release about half of the six Bahraini prisoners held at the Guantanamo bay camp in Cuba, Bahrain’s Foreign Minister said. "We are making every effort to free our sons at Guantanamo. We understand that some of them will be freed soon," Sheikh Mohammed Bin-Mubarak-al-Khalifa told reporters yesterday. "They are around three people." There are six Bahrainis, including a member of the Royal-al-Khalifa family, held in Guantanamo for more than two years among prisoners suspected of ties to the Al-Qaeda militant network or Afghanistan’s Taliban. Human rights activists in the pro-western Gulf Arab state, which hosts the headquarters of the US fifth fleet, earlier this year alleged that two of the six had been tortured. Manama said it would ask Washington to investigate the allegations. (AGENCIES) |
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Mexico Salinas murder likely business, not politics MEXICO CITY, Dec 8: The murdered brother of former Mexican President Carlos Salinas was probably killed because of a business feud rather than a political dispute, prosecutors said. The body of Enrique Salinas, 52, was dumped in a car in an affluent suburb of Mexico city on Monday. He suffocated when his killers put a plastic bag over his head. Prosecutor Alfonso Navarrete yesterday said speculation that the killing may have been political was off the mark. "We are sure that this affair is related more to his personal life, probably of a business or professional nature," he told W radio station. Carlos Salinas led Mexico between 1988-1994. Lauded for modernizing the country and taking it into the north American free trade agreement with the United States and Canada, he is also widely blamed for the "Tequila crisis" financial collapse that hit shortly after he left power. Another brother, Raul Salinas, is in prison for ordering the murder of a leading politician in 1994. Enrique Salinas was a businessman who stayed out of politics. "It is not a political issue. This person did not participate in politics," President Vicente Fox told foreign journalists. Prosecutors said the killers may have accidentally murdered salinas during an attempt to scare him for extortion. "By suffocating someone you are trying to prolong the agony or get some kind of information, which points more toward some kind of extortion," said Navarrete. Mexican prosecutors said French authorities investigating financial crimes had asked Mexico last month via interpol for information of his whereabouts. Police have video of a four-wheel-drive vehicle leaving the scene where the car with Salinas’ body was found, prosecutors say. (AGENCIES) |
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US Marines dispatched to storm-ravaged Philippines WASHINGTON, Dec 8: The United States dispatched about 600 marines and navy personnel from Okinawa to help residents in the flood-ravaged philippines. The Pentagon said tents, water and medical supplies also were being sent. At least 657 people have been killed and 718 are missing after two weeks of storms caused floods and landslides across a swathe of the northern Philippines, according to officials there. An estimated 168,000 residents are homeless. "At the request of the Government of the Philippines, US forces are moving rapidly to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief as a result of a series of storms that have devastated the country," the Pentagon said. About 600 troops and sailors attached to the 3rd marine expeditionary brigade began departing on Tuesday from their home base on the Japanese island of Okinawa to provide humanitarian assistance and relief, the marine corps said. A 16-member military disaster assessment team has been in the devastated area since Friday and the Pentagon said potable water, medicine, basic medical supplies, large tents, blankets and generators were being sent. "US forces will remain in the Philippines only as long as necessary to assist the Government in managing the effects of these natural disasters," Brig Gen Kenneth Glueck, commander of Marine Brigade, said in a marine statement. US and Philippine military and civilian authorities have set up a joint headquarters at Clark air base in the Philippines to coordinate efforts to get large quantities of relief supplies to the affected area. The United States no longer maintains military basing in the Philippines after American forces left Clark field and Subic bay naval base more than a decade ago on orders from the Philippine Government. But the two countries maintain close ties and US troops have recently helped train Filipino forces in battling Muslim guerrilla insurgents in the southern Philippines. (AGENCIES) |
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Colombia says US could jeopardize extraditions BOGOTA, COLOMBIA, Dec 8: Colombia warned the United States that future extraditions of drug smugglers could be jeopardized if former Cali Cartel Boss Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela is tried in Miami for crimes committed before 1997. Media widely quoted US attorney for the southern district of Florida Marcos Daniel Jimenez as saying on Monday Rodriguez Orejuela could be tried for pre-1997 crimes. The United States later said the official’s statements were misinterpreted. In a letter to US Secretary of State Colin Powell, Colombia’s acting Foreign Minister Jaime Giron Duarte yesterday said trying the drug lord for acts before Colombia ended a ban on extraditions would violate the terms under which he was handed to the United States. Rodriguez Orejuela, one of the most powerful drug lords ever extradited by Colombia, admits to drug trafficking before 1997. But says he is innocent of charges he ran a drug smuggling ring from a prison cell in Colombia after this date. Extraditions to secure US jails are a key part of Washington’s war on drugs in Colombia, the world’s largest producer of cocaine. President Alvaro Uribe, who says drugs fund rebels fighting a 40-year-old war, has dramatically stepped up the pace of hand-overs to US authorities. The letter was a rare protest from one of the closest US allies in latin America, which has received more than 3 billion dollars in anti-drugs aid from Washington over the past four years. (AGENCIES) Dutch plan citizenship test to improve integration AMSTERDAM, Dec 8: The Dutch Government announced plans to force some 755,000 people to take a citizenship exam and Dutch language test or risk a fine and possibly lose their right to live in the Netherlands. The plans, outlined in a letter to Parliament by immigration minister Rita Verdonk, come amid a heated debate about how to improve the integration of the country’s big immigrant population following the murder of an outspoken film maker. Theo Van Gogh, who had angered the almost one million Muslims in the Netherlands with his criticism of Islam, was killed on November 2. A 26-year-old Dutch-Moroccan with suspected ties to Islamic extremists has been charged with the murder. "The aim of the system is that everybody who wants to live for a long time in the Netherlands sufficiently masters the Dutch language to be able to participate in society," Verdonk said yesterday. "They must also know enough about how society works." Verdonk said that anybody who had less than eight years schooling in the Netherlands would have to take the test, including Dutch people. About 18 per cent of the Dutch population of 16 million is of recent foreign descent. The minister had originally only wanted to target immigrants from outside the European Union but changed the criteria to years of schooling to avoid charges of discrimination. Those exempt from the test include those with certain diplomas, those older than 65 and EU citizens. The Government said it would ask the European Commission whether it could oblige Turkish immigrants to take the test. She said the individual would bear the costs of taking the exam, although people could claim most back if they pass the test. The scheme is expected to cost the Government about 260 million euros (349.9 million dollars) a year. New arrivals would have up to five years to pass the test or risk a fine of 400 euros and possible implications for their continued residency in the country. (AGENCIES) Al-Pacino sets his sights on King Lear, Macbeth NEW YORK, Dec 8: After years of gangsters, villains and hard men with a heart, Al-Pacino has come back to Shakespeare and after playing Jewish moneylender Shylock he has his sights set on King Lear and Macbeth. "Learning it in school was a bit of a bore," Pacino admitted to reporters in New York where he was promoting his new movie "The Merchant of Venice" in which he plays Shylock. The film opens nationwide on Dec 29. Nonetheless Pacino, now 64 and still best known for playing Michael Corleone in "The Godfather" that first hit screens in 1972, says he did get hooked on the bard at school. "Some actors have an appetite for it, some actors don’t," he said. "It’s just what rings your bell." He said "The Merchant Of Venice" may be difficult for audiences given the moral complexities, particularly his character who loans a fortune on condition that he receive a pound of the borrowers flesh if the loan is not repaid. "I’ve always found there’s a way Shakespeare can be presented to make it more entertaining and get a sense of its relevance," he said, recalling his 1996 documentary "Looking For Richard," about Shakespeare’s "Richard III," as the project he has been most passionate about in recent years. The Oscar winner says he sees Shylock, who endures anti-semitic insults, is spat on in the street and sees his daughter elope with a Christian Nobleman, as more sinned against than sinner. Asked about future plans for more Shakespeare, Pacino said he had discussed a couple of movies — "King Lear," the tragedy of a father and his three daughters, and "The Scottish Play," an actor’s superstitious reference to "Macbeth." But Pacino plays down suggestions he is about to become some sort of Ambassador for Shakespeare in modern America. "I like him the way other people do. I love him, I love his work but I’m not here to ... Represent shakespeare to the world," he said. "He doesn’t need me, he doesn’t need anybody, he’s going to do fine." (AGENCIES) Surviving conjoined twin returns to Germany NEW YORK, Dec 8: A 16-month-old German girl who was surgically separated from her conjoined twin sister three months ago at Johns Hopkins children’s center has left Baltimore to return home to Lemgo, Germany, the hospital said. Lea Block, discharged from the hospital a month ago, had remained with her family in Baltimore for follow-up care and rehabilitation before leaving for Germany. The hospital yesterday said she is good health. Tabea block, who was joined at the head with her sister, died of complications associated with the separation surgery. "We have been very pleased with Lea’s recovery. With continued care by her physicians in Germany, as well as with the support of her family, I believe lea will grow into a strong, healthy young girl and will lead an independent life," lead neurosurgeon Benjamin Carson said in a statement. Carson said lea is very alert and interactive. She is feeding herself and like other children her age, she engages in baby babble and is teething. On Sept 22, Lea underwent surgery to reconstruct tissue protecting her brain and to fully close her scalp. She will need further skull and scalp reconstruction surgery in the coming years, including the placement of metal or plastic plates over the areas where the girls’ skulls had been fused, according to pediatric plastic surgeon Rick Redett. (AGENCIES) US deserter Jenkins wants Japan citizenship: Report TOKYO, Dec 8: A former US army sergeant who deserted to North Korea in the 1960s and who has begun a new life in his Japanese wife’s hometown has said he wants to become a Japanese citizen, a newspaper reported today. Charles Robert Jenkins, 64, was sentenced last month to a dishonourable discharge and 30 days confinement after saying he deserted from South Korea to the secretive communist state because he was frightened. He was released on November 27 after getting time off for good behaviour and arrived on Tuesday on the remote Japanese island of Sado to start what he said was the "last chapter" of his life with his wife and their two North Korean-born daughters. The Asahi Shimbun newspaper said Jenkins and his daughters, Brinda, 19, and 21-year-old Mika, intended to apply for permanent residence in Japan and that Jenkins wanted to take Japanese citizenship, a process which can be difficult. Jenkins, from rich square in north Carolina, was a 24-year-old sergeant when he deserted in January 1965 to North Korea while on patrol near the demilitarised zone between the two Koreas. He said at his trial he had deserted to avoid hazardous duty in South Korea and escape combat in Vietnam. He met and married Hitomi Soga, 20 years his junior, in North Korea after she was kidnapped by Pyongyang’s agents to help train spies. She was repatriated two years ago and the family was reunited last July. "It is here on this island of Sado in Japan that I will hopefully live my remaining days with my wife and children," he told a news conference on Tuesday as his wife and daughters sat by his side. (AGENCIES)
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