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Nepal’s unpopular monarch faces uncertain future POKHARA, NEPAL, Mar 30: The King’s helicopter arrives in Nepal’s second city to the relief of thousands of supporters.....more Tamil
candidate shot COLOMBO, Mar 30: Gunmen shot dead a Tamil candidate in eastern Sri Lanka today at the end of the election campaign triggering fears that Tiger .....more Majority backs Bush handling of terrorism WASHINGTON, Mar 30: A majority of Americans approve of the way US President George W Bush is handling terrorism, according to a poll taken in ......more 2
more suspects charged MADRID, Mar 30: A Spanish Judge charged two more suspects in the Madrid railway bombings early today, bringing the total number of people..more |
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Bush welcomes seven WASHINGTON, Mar 30: US President George W Bush has welcomed the accession of seven former Soviet bloc countries — Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, ......more Annan fires security chief, demotes another over Aug 19 attack UNITED NATIONS, Mar 30: UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has fired a Security Chief and demoted another senior ......more HK lawmakers seek Beijing meeting to stop review HONG KONG, Mar 30: Hong Kong’s pro-democracy lawmakers are seeking a meeting with Chinese officials in a...more Afghan minister seeks help for Kabul’s water works SOGWIPO, SOUTH KOREA, Mar 30: Afghanistan’s Environment Minister pleaded today for more international assistance to help restore water ....more |
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Nepal’s unpopular monarch faces uncertain future POKHARA, NEPAL, Mar 30: The King’s helicopter arrives in Nepal’s second city to the relief of thousands of supporters who have been waiting for hours in a dust-choked football stadium. "Long live the king" blare the loudspeakers to the cheers of the crowd. The monarch takes his seat under a statue of a holy seven-headed serpent and waves to his subjects. More than 15,000 people have packed the stadium in Pokhara to honour King Gyanendra with a day of pageantry. Hundreds file past the royal stand in colourful traditional costumes in a show of respect. Look a little deeper, though, and the rapturous reception masks a growing distrust for the king in a country that has traditionally revered its monarchs as living Gods. Many Nepalis say this tall, severe man in his daura-suruwal tight pants and knee-length shirt is the reason their country is in crisis. He has frozen democracy and a brutal maoist revolt grows steadily bloodier after failed peace talks. The war has scared off tourists and the economy of one of the world’s poorest countries is faltering. "This monarchy has become a burden on the nation," says Madhav Kumar Nepal, head of the communist Unified Marxist-Leninist (UML) party and the leader of an alliance of the main opposition parties. "His image has eroded, his credibility is down. The king is himself creating the situation where people in large numbers are being critical of the institution of the monarchy. This time, they are talking about the republican alternative." Gyanendra has never been as popular as his brother and predecessor, King Birendra, who was massacred along with several other royals by the then crown prince in 2001. Some Nepalis remain suspicious over Gyanendra’s rise after the bloodbath in the royal palace Kathmandu. Gyanendra was in Pokhara, Nepal’s second city about 200 km (125 miles) west of the capital, the night most of those at a royal family dinner were gunned down. His standing is steadily falling and unprecedented public criticism is growing over his sacking of the elected Prime Minister in 2002 and his failure to make any progress in ending a Maoist revolt that has killed more than 9,250 since 1996. "His thinking everything can be solved by guns is part of the problem," says Shyam Shrestha, editor of Nepali weekly Mulyankan. "(and) it may happen any time — that the king ends democracy." Gyanendra’s performance has some Nepalis talking about what would once have been blasphemy: Turning the world’s only Hindu kingdom into a republic. Madhav Kumar Nepal says his UML has not yet considered dropping its support for the constitutional monarchy in favour of a republic. But the party leadership faces mounting pressure from the rank and file to do so. Around the country, disillusionment is growing. "The king is abandoning the democratic way and embracing a dictatorship," says Ananta Nath Sharma, a 69-year-old retired teacher in Nagdanda Kaski village, just outside Pokhara. Gyanendra hopes to hold polls delayed since late 2002, by mid-April next year — but only if it is safe to do so. Many doubt elections can ever be held until the Maoists are brought back to the negotiating table, something most say rests in the king’s hands. A constitutional monarch by title, Gyanendra, who people close to the palace say considered his brother weak, now effectively has full control of the Government and the country until an election can be held and a new Government formed. Analysts and journalists in Kathmandu say Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa and his seven ministers take no decision and make no comment without Gyanendra’s approval and he regularly sends his son, crown prince Paras, on inspections to ministries. Gyanendra, who likes poetry and relaxing with whisky and cigarettes, kept a relatively low profile before his sudden and bizarre return to power, focusing mainly on environment projects. He was never expected to be crowned again after a three-month "reign" in 1950 when, three-years-old, he was crowned after being left behind when his grandfather, King Tribhuvan, who fled to India with the young Birendra during a row with the Ranas, the hereditary family of Prime Ministers who effectively ruled Nepal. Tribhuvan returned after India negotiated a settlement. "I never asked for the job. And I certainly never expected it," Jonathan Gregson quotes Gyanendra telling a close friend in his book on the 2001 massacre, "blood against the snows". Despite the crisis, Gyanendra, or the monarchy, still has some support among ordinary Nepalis. The Pokhara rally may have been heavily orchestrated, with community, religious and pro-Government groups drafted to help fill the stadium, but many also came for a glimpse of their sovereign. Kanta Gurung, 75, proudly wearing medals awarded by Birendra for her social work in the 1980s, walked an hour-and-a-half to get there and waited three-and-a-half more in the dust and scorching heat for the royal helicopter to touch down. "He cares about the welfare of everybody," she says. "We feel it is good to come and see the king." But for some in one of the poorest countries in the world, the daily grind of survival weighs heavier than any debate about the fate of the monarchy and democracy. "I wanted to see the spectacle if I also see the king and queen, that is good, too," said 48-year-old labourer Chinta Mani Baral, who walked for two hours from his home because buses were stopped by a strike called by the Maoists to disrupt the rally. "I don’t know anything about him. I don’t know what type of person he is. The main reason I came is to get away from the dull life in my village." (AGENCIES) |
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Tamil candidate shot dead in Sri Lanka COLOMBO, Mar 30: Gunmen shot dead a Tamil candidate in eastern Sri Lanka today at the end of the election campaign triggering fears that Tiger guerrillas were ready to unleash a factional war, official sources said. The assailants killed candidate Rajan Sathyamoorthy at his home in Batticaloa even as the head of the European election monitoring mission, John Cushnahan was on a visit in the region, officials said. They entered Sathyamoorthy’s house in the heart of the Batticaloa town, 300 kms, east of the capital Colombo and escaped after spraying bullets on him and his son-in-law, they said. Sathyamoorthy, a candidate from the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), had been a staunch supporter of breakaway Tiger leader V Muralitharan, better known as Karuna, who led an unprecedented split in the main rebel group earlier this month. Karuna’s spokesman Varadan said that the killing was the handiwork of the main Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) based in north island. "Choosing civilian targets is highly provocative," Varadan said. "In spite of all these provocation we try to be patient. We fear the consequences of these activities of Prabhakaran and his intelligence chief Pottu Amman," he said. However, Tiger officials in the island’s north denied any involvement in the killing. The main Tiger leadership had earlier warned those who supported Karuna that they too would be treated as traitors. Tigers are known to kill people whom they label as "traitors." Chief Election Monitor Cushnahan paid a visit to the residence of Sathyamoorthy and offered condolence to the family of the bereaved, a spokesman for the monitors said. Sathyamoorthy had organised several protests in the region in support of Karuna after the main rebel organisation expelled him and labelled him a traitor. Military officials in the area fear that there could be more attacks against Karuna supporters. The latest killings came amid a series of shootings that have targeted top electoral candidates in Batticaloa in recent weeks. A candidate was murdered here on March 1 and two days later the Tiger movement split with both sides blaming each other for the murder. Today’s killing comes as private poll monitors expressed fears of spurt in attacks before Friday’s elections. Political parties fear that voting itself could be marred by violence. Meanwhile spokesman of Election Commissioner said, "there is a two-day cooling period during which there can be no campaigning. All arrangements are now in place to conduct the election." Independent surveys have placed the two main contenders —president Chandrika Kumaratunga’s Leftist Freedom Alliance (FA) and Prime Minister Ranil Wickreme Singhe’s right-wing United National Party (UNP) — neck to neck. The president called the election four years ahead of schedule after a feud with the premier over the handling of the Norwegian-backed peace bid. (PTI) |
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Majority backs Bush handling of terrorism WASHINGTON, Mar 30: A majority of Americans approve of the way US President George W Bush is handling terrorism, according to a poll taken in the days after a former aide charged that Bush had underestimated the terror threat prior to the September 11, 2001, attacks. The USA today/CNN/Gallup poll released yesterday also showed gains in Bush’s political position against presumptive democratic Presidential nominee senator John Kerry of Massachusetts. The poll results suggest that the Bush campaign’s attempts to paint Kerry as a tax-and spend democrat who wavers on the issues had more impact on the race than charges by former White House counterterrorism adviser Richard Clarke that Bush focused on Iraq and ignored Al-Qaeda in the months leading up to the 2001 attacks, CNN reported. According to the poll, 58 percent of Americans approve of Bush’s handling of the terrorism threat and 39 percent disapprove. His overall job approval rating stood at 53 percent, up four percentage points since a poll conducted at the beginning of March. Given a matchup between Bush and Kerry, 51 percent of the respondents said they would likely vote for Bush — up seven percentage points from a March 5-7 poll. Forty-seven percent said they would likely choose Kerry, down from 52 percent. The poll of 1,001 adults was conducted March 26-28 and has an error margin of plus or minus three percentage points. (AGENCIES) |
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2 more suspects charged in Madrid bombing MADRID, Mar 30: A Spanish Judge charged two more suspects in the Madrid railway bombings early today, bringing the total number of people charged in the case to 14, court officials said. Judge Juan Del Olmo released three other people after hours of questioning at the national court. Basel Ghayoun, a Syrian, was charged with mass killings and belonging to a terrorist organization, while Hamed Ahmidam, a Morrocan, was charged with collaborating with a terrorist organization and a drug charge unrelated to the March 11 bombings that killed at least 190 people. Of the 21 people arrested since the March 11 train bombings, 14 have been charged and six have been released. Another suspect, whose arrest was announced Friday, has not been identified and has yet to appear before the court. Ahmidam’s brother said Ahmidam was released, as were Mohammed Almallah Dabas, a Spanish citizen of Syrian descent, and fouad Almorabit, also from Morocco. The charges stop short of a formal indictment but suggest that the court has strong evidence against them. They can be jailed for up to two years while investigators gather more evidence. Spanish news agencies reported Monday that another bombing victim, a 49-year-old woman, had died in a Madrid hospital, bringing the death toll to 191. Hospital officials would not confirm the reports. More than 1,800 people were injured in the terrorist attack on four commuter trains during rush hour. (AP) |
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Bush welcomes seven new NATO members WASHINGTON, Mar 30: US President George W Bush has welcomed the accession of seven former Soviet bloc countries — Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia — to NATO. "When NATO was founded the people of these seven nations were captives of an empire. They endured bitter tyranny, they struggled for independence, they earned their freedom through courage and perseverance. And today they stand with us as full and equal partners in this great alliance," Bush said yesterday at a ceremony welcoming new NATO members. Under NATO’s banner, said Bush, the nations of Europe put aside rivalries that had divided the continent for centuries. NATO’s core mission remains the same: The defence of its members against any aggression, he added. "Today our alliance faces a new enemy, which has brought death and destruction to innocent people from New York to Madrid," said Bush, referring to terrorism. "We will never bow to the violence of a few. We will face the mortal danger of terrorism, and we will overcome it together." He said all seven of the new NATO members were helping to bring lasting freedom to Afghanistan and Iraq. Welcoming the new members to the US State Department, Secretary of State Colin Powell said that NATO was determined, above all, to prevent aggression. "Now it is determined, above all, to promote freedom." The new members will take their seats at NATO next month. The membership then increases from 19 to 26. (PTI) |
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Annan fires security chief, demotes another over Aug 19 attack UNITED NATIONS, Mar 30: UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has fired a Security Chief and demoted another senior staffer following a highly critical report by an external panel which faulted several top officials for events leading to deadly bombing of world body headquarters in Baghdad on August 19 last year which killed 22 people. He, however rejected the resignation of his Deputy Louise Frechette, a Canadian, who headed the steering group which advised Annan to send senior staff members to work in Iraq despite unstable security situation following the US led military action. Two officials responsible for security on the ground in Baghdad came in for highly critical comments and were charged with misconduct. They would face disciplinary proceedings. UN Security Coordinator Tun Myat of Myanmar on paid leave since November last was asked to step down as the report said he "appealed to be oblivious to the developing crisis." Annan rejected Frechette’s offer to resign but sent a critical letter to her expressing "disappointment and regret" over security flaws, Chief UN Spokesman Fred Eckhard said. The report faulted the group of failing to ask "some searching questions" about the security before concluding that the staff could be sent to Baghdad. The security officials, the report said, "appeared to be blinded by the conviction that UN personnel and installation would not become target of attack, despite clear warnings to the contrary." They did not take measures to improve the security at the headquarters even after they became aware of the risk. (PTI) |
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HK lawmakers seek Beijing meeting to stop review HONG KONG, Mar 30: Hong Kong’s pro-democracy lawmakers are seeking a meeting with Chinese officials in a bid to stop Beijing from reviewing the territory’s electoral laws, a move they fear will damage its high degree of autonomy. "We want to tell them not to twist the meaning of the constitution because it will damage the high degree of autonomy promised to Hong Kong (at the handover in 1997)," said James to of the democratic party. To and two other pro-democracy legislators have asked Hong Kong leader Tung Chee-Hwa to help secure a meeting for them in Beijing with Chinese officials. Tung Has yet to reply. Wary of growing demands for direct elections from as early as 2007, Beijing will later this week review clauses in Hong Kong’s constitution on how its leaders and lawmakers may be chosen. Political observers see the move as a sign that Beijing is prepared to exert its authority more forcefully in the former British colony. Legislator Frederick Fung, who will accompany to on the visit, said they were prepared to fly to beijing on wednesday even in the absence of any reply from Tung. Beijing regards Hong Kong’s pro-democracy activists as troublemakers and many of its legislators have been banned for years from entering the Chinese mainland. Newspaper polls show most Hong Kong people are against the planned review. After being assured for years that they would be consulted on political reforms, the review is likely to limit the scope of change before consultation begins. To and his colleagues said the review would only damage the high level of autonomy promised by China. "The Constitution is very clear, why does Beijing need to interpret it? If it is planting new elements and adding new meanings, then it is breaking its promise to Hong Kong and damaging the ‘one country, two systems’ principle," to said. (AGENCIES) |
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Afghan minister seeks help for Kabul’s water works SOGWIPO, SOUTH KOREA, Mar 30: Afghanistan’s Environment Minister pleaded today for more international assistance to help restore water supplies to the three million residents of the war-shattered capital, Kabul. Just 16 percent of Kabul residents have access to safe drinking water, a condition that puts them in a worse state than rural dwellers, said Ahmad Yusuf Nooristani. "Our needs are more than what we are receiving now," he told a news conference on the sidelines of a United Nations conference on the environment. He said Iraq had diverted attention from his south Asian country’s struggles. The United Nations environment programme has gathered environment officials from 158 countries for three days in the South Korean island of Cheju to focus on water issues, including scarcity in poor countries and pollution of the oceans. "Rebuilding is in the interest of the people of Afghanistan and the world," Nooristani said. Greater international assistance to rebuild the country’s water supply would have an impact on the economy by providing jobs, he said. Much of the water that exists in Kabul is wasted because of leakage, he said. International assistance pledged to Afghanistan remains at just one-thirtieth of assistance promised to rebuild Iraq, Nuristani said. Sixty aid donors are meeting this week in Berlin to review progress in reconstructing Afghanistan. A democratically elected Government was set up in Kabul in 2002 after three decades of invasion and civil war, including the US-led campaign that ousted the Islamic Fundamentalist Taleban Government. (AGENCIES) |
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China detains relatives of Tiananmen victims BEIJING, Mar 30: Chinese security agents have detained three prominent relatives of victims of the crackdown on the 1989 Tiananmen square pro-democracy protests, the husband of one of the activists said today. Ding Zilin, 67, a Beijing-based leader of the Tiananmen mothers campaign, was taken into custody by plainclothes agents while visiting her ancestral home of Wuxi on Sunday, Ding’s husband, Jiang Peikun, 70, told . Zhang Xianling and Huang Jinping, also members of the campaign which has lobbied the Government to re-assess the crackdown, were detained in Beijing the same morning, said Jiang. "I suspect this is because the 15th anniversary of June 4 is coming soon," said Jiang. "They fear people might make demands regarding June 4, so it’s an alert." (AGENCIES) Palestinians fear for homes at Gaza border hotspot RAFAH, GAZA STRIP, Mar 30: Amid the rubble of homes destroyed by Israeli soldiers, 16-year-old Nada-al-Agha and her family struggle to stay put in the Palestinian refugee camp of Rafah. Both her parents have been wounded by Israeli gunfire and bullet holes mark the walls of rooms within the sights of an Israeli border watchtower, but the family will not leave. "We expect they could destroy the house," said Nada in the battered camp situated on Gaza’s border with Egypt. "But there is no money to rent somewhere else." Her family inhabits the edge of a devastated no man’s land that Israel has carved out of Rafah where it touches the border in what it calls a continuing campaign to root out Palestinian gunmen and find tunnels they use to smuggle in arms from Egypt. With peacemaking at a standstill, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon plans to evacuate Jewish settlers from Gaza to reduce exposure to militant violence. His "disengagement plan"is of little solace to Palestinians on Rafah’s front line. "This is what they (the Israelis) are talking about, but who knows?" said Abla, a Rafah resident, pointing to bullet holes in her washing machine. Israel’s Defence Ministry, armed forces and security services have advised Sharon that it made sense to leave most of Gaza except for a strip along the border with Egypt. Fighting has actually increased in Gaza since Sharon announced his plan. Militants want to claim victory if the Israelis withdraw Israel wants to prevent that by smashing armed factions beforehand. Israel killed Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in an air strike outside a Gaza Mosque on March 22, prompting the Palestinian Muslim militant group to vow all-out revenge. Israel has threatened to kill more militant Palestinian leaders. Families in battle-scarred houses on the edge of Rafah’s dead zone live in constant fear of becoming casualties or being made homeless. They sleep in back rooms relatively sheltered from Israeli fire. "If you go over there, they will start shooting," said retired sports teacher Muhammed Hassan Mansour, pointing past the wall of a neighbour’s house. (AGENCIES) Stem cells help attack cancer in mice WASHINGTON, Mar 30: Stem cells, immature cells already showing promise as tools to regenerate and replace damaged tissue, may also help target and destroy cancer, US scientists have said. Tests in mice showed the cells could deliver powerful cancer-killing proteins, destroying tumors while leaving healthy cells untouched. Dr Michael Andreeff and colleagues at the university of Texas M D Anderson cancer center in Houston used cells taken from bone marrow. These immature cells, known as mesenchymal stem cells, usually give rise to muscle and other tissues. The researchers genetically engineered these cells to carry interferon alpha, an immune system protein that can help kill cancer cells, or a cancer-destroying virus. In mice these cells slowed several kinds of Leukemia, attacked Melanoma — skin cancer and breast cancer cells — that had spread to the lung, and tackled brain tumors. The approach cured 70 percent of mice implanted with one kind of human ovarian cancer, the researchers told a meeting of the American association of cancer research in Orlando, Florida. "This drug delivery system is attracted to cancers, both primary and metastatic, and anti-tumor effects are observed when the cells integrate into the tumor micro-environment," Andreeff said in a statement. "The most important discovery here is that these cells are capable of migrating from the bone marrow or blood circulation selectively into tumors and produce anti-tumor agents only at the sites of these tumors and their metastasis." Andreeff said tumors attract Mesenchymal stem cells by sending out signals similar to those sent by damaged tissue. (AGENCIES) UK newspapers find size really does matter LONDON, Mar 30: Britain’s broadsheet newspapers, facing a steady decline in readership and a highly-competitive market, are getting serious about going small. The independent and times have launched compact editions and netted new readers. The guardian, concerned about defections to its rivals’ smaller editions, is considering a mid-sized format to set itself apart from the burgeoning tabloid pack. Even Britain’s top-selling broadsheet the telegraph — up for sale amid chaos at its parent hollinger international — says it has produced dummy versions of a tabloid edition. In Britain’s cut-throat newspaper market, where readers’ loyalties are intertwined with politics and class, tabloids like the sun, the mirror and mail are at the top of the heap in terms of circulation if not prestige. British tabloids — The word is derived from a condensed form of a medicine — are synonymous with lower newsstand prices, often lurid news coverage and pictures of topless women. Their smaller sizes are also easier to read on crowded trains and buses. "Quality" papers, as broadsheets are known in the Britain, are hoping to draw new readers from commuters, borrowing a bit of tabloid buzz while maintaining their premium-priced editorial content. But in the process they are blurring the line that has always set them apart. The independent, owned by independent news media, was the first broadsheet to make the leap to tabloid size, and it had little to lose — it was bottom in circulation among its peers and a consistent money-loser. Its ground-breaking compact edition has won it some 43,000 new readers and the prestigious "newspaper of the year" title at this month’s British press awards. But it has not come cheaply, especially as for now it still publishes its broadsheet edition. Costs were also incurred changing printing plants and editorial systems, as well as in marketing the new edition. (AGENCIES) |
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