Daily Excelsior... World

Musharraf hopeful of fair resolution of Kashmir issue

ISLAMABAD, Apr 25: Returning home after his visit to India and two other countries, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has said his talks with .....more

Taj Mahal, exotic food & chic fashions at India festival

HOUSTON, Apr 25: Ever heard of world famous monument Taj Mahal anywhere other than Agra?....more

Deaths rise above 900 on quake-hit Indonesia isles

JAKARTA, Apr 25: The death toll from a massive earthquake that struck islands off the coast of Sumatra nearly four weeks ago has risen to 905 and ....more

Rich Americans less
confident in the
economy: Survey

NEW YORK, Apr 25: Wealthy Americans felt less secure in the economy’s strength in the latest quarter, but their fears . .....more

At least 37 killed, over 220 injured in Japan rail disaster

TOKYO, Apr 25: At least 37 people were killed and over 220 others injured today in western Japan when a morning commuter train derailed, sending . .......more

Nuclear test would threaten N Korea’s future-Seoul

SEOUL, Apr 25: Any move by North Korea to test a nuclear weapon would only isolate it further and jeopardise the future of the Communist state, South ...more

Three killed, several injured in Bangladesh storm

DHAKA, Apr 25: At least three persons were killed and several others injured when a storm hit northern Bangladesh’s Rangpur district. ...more

High oil prices, terrorism on Bush-Abdullah agenda

CRAWFORD, TEXAS, Apr 25: President George W Bush will meet Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah at his Texas ranch .......more

China ready to welcome Taiwanese opposition leader ........

Aus to hold talks with ASEAN leaders over Nonaggression treaty .....

China eyeing more LNG contracts in Australian gas fields .....

Remains of Neolithic Titan discovered in south China region .....

Musharraf hopeful of fair resolution of Kashmir issue

ISLAMABAD, Apr 25: Returning home after his visit to India and two other countries, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has said his talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has yielded "very positive results" and he was hopeful of progress towards a "fair resolution" of the Kashmir issue.

"Other than the cricket match it was the dialogue process between me and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh which yielded very positive results and resulted in a joint statement, in which there is clearly a resolve that Kashmir needs to be moved forward for a final settlement," Musharraf told reporters on board his plane while returning last night from an eight-day-long tour of India, Philippines and Indonesia.

"A breakthrough has been achieved in the peace process between the two countries," official APP news agency quoted the President as saying.

On his talks with Singh, Musharraf said, "the Prime Minister Singh has unambiguously expressed the resolve to solve all issues, including Kashmir," as reflected in the joint statement.

"The Indian Prime Minister also committed himself to resolving all disputes," when he said at the Asian-African summit in Jakarta that "we want to resolve all issues in an amicable manner."

He said after his visit to New Delhi he was hopeful of progress towards a "fair resolution" of the long-standing Jammu and Kashmir issue. "I am optimistic — there is sincerity as it has been accepted that all issues should be addressed — we have to address the Kashmir issue and leave it behind."

Referring to his breakfast meeting with the Indian editors guild in New Delhi he said he had a useful interaction with the Indian media during which he had "forcefully put forward Pakistan’s stand."

On India’s efforts to get a permanent seat in the UN Security Council, he said he has forcefully put forward Pakistan’s stand opposing the expansion of permanent seats in the UN Security Council during his meeting with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on the sidelines of Afro-Asian summit.

"I reiterated Pakistan’s position that the expansion of the Security Council should be only in the non-permanent category," he said.

Musharraf said his visit to India, Philippines and Indonesia had provided him a veritable opportunity to project Pakistan’s stance on key questions of the day.

"My visit has been successful from all accounts, my meetings with the Philippine and Indonesian leaders and a series of meetings with regional leaders on the sidelines of the summit helped advance Pakistan’s political and economic relations with these countries," he said.

The Pakistan President was accorded a warm welcome by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and top military and civil officials when he returned home late last night from Jakarta.

He said in his visit to Manila and Jakarta, he has secured firm support of President Maria Arroyo and Susilo Bamgbang Yodhoyono for Pakistan’s efforts aimed at gaining full dialogue partnership with the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). (PTI)

Taj Mahal, exotic food & chic fashions at India festival

HOUSTON, Apr 25: Ever heard of world famous monument Taj Mahal anywhere other than Agra?

Well, seeing is believing, as hundreds of people saw it and much more at the 34th Houston International Festival’s "incredible India zone" spread for over 16 acres in downtown, which is bustling with huge crowds since friday after a joint inauguration by Houston’s Mayor Bill White and Indian Ambassador, Ronen Sen.

The riveting recreation of Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan’s Taj Mahal by renowned Indian sand artist Sudarsan Patnaik, for the first time on the us soil, was a major crowd puller.

"Seeing such a believable replica being made in three days by one person is beyond our imagination", said Jackie, a visitor here, while Patnaik was quietly converting 25 tonne of light Gray Texas sand into 15 feet tall Taj Mahal.

Patnaik (28), from Orissa, was invited to the US to recreate a replica of the Taj Mahal during the festival.

"I am proud to represent India and excited to create a replica of the 17th-century monument built by Mughal Emperor Shahjahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal at the festival," he said.

Patnaik, who has been creating sculptures on the city’s beach for the last 15 years, teaches the art to students in his open-air school in Puri. He has represented India in many countries and won accolades.

"It’s a talent which I discovered as a child while building sand castles on the Puri beaches in Orissa," he said.

"Recreating Taj was a challenge for me as pillars have to withstand the weight, but Texas sand is magical", he said with a smile.

Sudarshan has represented India in 17 international competitions, creating sculptures of buildings or Hindu Gods towering as high as 40 feet.

"This is a temporary art form and can collapse any time. Everything is temporary. Even life itself is temporary," he told PTI when asked if he feels bad when the labour of love on which he works is demolished.

The other festival attractions this weekend included huge royal Indian parade, which was a reenactment of Dusserah procession in Mysore, India.

Exotic folk dances by urban gypsy tribal ballet dance troupe were capitivating. And the visual treat for one an all was the alluring, chic and stylish fashion show by Mumbai designer Payal Singhal.

Singhal showcased a fusion of glamorous Indo-Western looks to go with the Indian spirit of the garments, strapless tube kurtas, collared kurtas, bootleg jeans. Bold colors, embroidery and embellishment dominated her styles.

Last but not the least, visitors were seen entering for rangoli contest, nibbling rotis, trying mango juice, admiring Henna Art and Traditional Craft from various states. (PTI)

Deaths rise above 900 on quake-hit Indonesia isles

JAKARTA, Apr 25: The death toll from a massive earthquake that struck islands off the coast of Sumatra nearly four weeks ago has risen to 905 and is expected to climb higher, Indonesia’s disaster management agency said today.

The March 28 magnitude 8.7 tremor destroyed buildings and roads on nias island as well as nearby Simeulue and the Banyak islands, flattening homes and shops in the main nias town of Gunungsitoli and other areas hit just three months earlier by an even greater earthquake and a Tsunami.

"The number of dead is now 905. There was a significant rise in bodies found in Gunungsitoli and nias Selatan (south nias) in the last few days," Wisnu Widjaya, a senior official at the national disaster agency, told .

"I think there will still be an increase in the number, but it will not be so much. Now that we have the heavy tools working in those areas, I reckon the total number will be over 1,000 but not exceeding 2,000," he said.

"The most casualties are in Gunungsitoli, and we have been working with heavy tools in that area for days now. I don’t think there will be a dramatic increase."

The previous toll had been around 715 dead. Immediately after the earthquake, officials said they feared up to 2,000 may have been killed.

The United Nations, along with other relief organisations and military personnel from countries including Australia and the United States, are involved in aid operations in the area.

Relief workers on nias say damage to roads and other infrastructure has made reaching isolated communities difficult. Many people are still sleeping in tents because of regular aftershocks.

Other islanders have yet to return from the hills, where they fled fearing a Tsunami, similar to the one that swept the Indian Ocean on Dec 26, leaving hundreds of thousands dead or missing. (AGENCIES)

Rich Americans less confident in the economy: Survey

NEW YORK, Apr 25: Wealthy Americans felt less secure in the economy’s strength in the latest quarter, but their fears are unlikely to thwart spending and investment plans, a survey published today found.

Mcdonald financial group said its affluent consumer confidence index fell to 50 this month from 55 in January, when the poll was last conducted.

"The affluent demonstrate a decline in confidence since last quarter, but indicate their spending and investing will remain strong over the coming three months," said David Legeay, senior vice president at Mcdonald financial group, part of Keycorp.

Strong spending might help bolster the economy at a time when many analysts are nervous about a possible slowdown in growth.

The Mcdonald financial survey is based on a national survey of randomly selected individuals with investable assets of 500,000 or more, and/or annual personal income of 150,000 or more. (AGENCIES)

At least 37 killed, over 220 injured in Japan rail disaster

TOKYO, Apr 25: At least 37 people were killed and over 220 others injured today in western Japan when a morning commuter train derailed, sending one carriage hurtling into an apartment block in the nation’s deadliest rail accident in 14 years.

The crash was initially attributed to the train hitting a car but authorities later backtracked and said the train’s 23-year-old driver may have been speeding or failed to negotiate a corner.

The train was carrying some 580 passengers during the morning rush hour when three of its seven carriages were thrown from the tracks. One smashed into the side of an apartment building and another carriage lay tilted beside it.

Thirty-seven people were killed and 222 people injured, said a spokesman for the fire department in Amagasaki, a city near Osaka and Kobe some 400 kilometers west of Tokyo.

Emergency crews rushed to the scene to try to cut apart the wreckage to free trapped survivors. Hyogo authorities also asked tokyo to send in the military to help with the rescue operations.

"I could hear voices of people in the carriage that hit the building," said an employee of National Broadcaster Japan Broadcasting Corp (NHK) who was in the third car of the train.

Television footage showed a young man with blood stains over his face as a woman shrieked in the background. It was not immediately clear how many of the dead were passengers or bystanders. (AFP)

Nuclear test would threaten N Korea’s future-Seoul

SEOUL, Apr 25: Any move by North Korea to test a nuclear weapon would only isolate it further and jeopardise the future of the Communist state, South Korean Foreign Minister Ban-ki-Moon was quoted as saying today.

The strong comments came amid growing concern about the north’s continued refusal to resume multinational talks on its nuclear aims and after recent US media reports that Pyongyang might be preparing for its first nuclear test.

"If North Korea takes the reckless action of conducting a nuclear test, it will further deepen its isolation and take itself on a road where its future would not be guaranteed," Ban was quoted by Yonhap news agency as telling a forum.

The top US negotiator to the six-party talks also began discussions on Monday in Seoul on how to break the deadlock.

US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill met his South Korean counterpart, deputy Foreign Minister Song Min-Soon. Hill is due to travel to Beijing tomorrow and Tokyo on Wednesday for further talks.

"What we are focusing on is the diplomatic track and the need to get the talks going and more importantly, once they get going, to achieve progress," Hill told reporters after meeting song.

Hill said he and song had a "very good and complete agreement on how to proceed", without elaborating.

Three rounds of the talks by the two Koreas, the United States, Japan, China and Russia have produced no substantive progress. A fourth round never materialised after Pyongyang said Washington must first drop what it called a hostile policy against it.

Arriving in Seoul on Saturday, Hill hinted that his agenda for consultations went beyond just trying to restart the stalled six-country talks, saying officials would try to address "a problem", referring to North Korea’s refusal to attend the talks.

"We have to see what we can do to get (North Korea) there and see what else we can do," Hill told reporters on Saturday.

Washington has said North Korea could be taken to the United Nations Security Council for debate on possible sanctions if it continued to snub the six-party talks.

South Korea has been reluctant to explicitly discuss the possibility, but officials have said it was reviewing the option.

"(Hill) was speaking in general terms, but I understand he was saying other solutions must be sought if current efforts to hold the six-party talks do not work out," song was quoted as saying by Yonhap before his meeting with Hill.

The Wall Street journal reported late last week that the United States had warned China that North Korea might test a nuclear weapon and urged Beijing to put pressure on Pyongyang to stop such a move.

US and South Korean officials later said there was no definitive evidence suggesting the North was preparing for a test. (AGENCIES)

Three killed, several injured in Bangladesh storm

DHAKA, Apr 25: At least three persons were killed and several others injured when a storm hit northern Bangladesh’s Rangpur district.

The three died after being struck by lightening during the storm on Saturday night, media reports today said.

Several people were also injured in the storm as houses collapsed and trees were uprooted, daily ‘Prothom Alo’ said.

A power supply tower also collapsed due to the strong winds of the storm called ‘Norwesters’ that are common around this time of the year in the calamity-prone country. (PTI)

High oil prices, terrorism on Bush-Abdullah agenda

CRAWFORD, TEXAS, Apr 25: President George W Bush will meet Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah at his Texas ranch today to praise the kingdom’s efforts to fight terrorism and seek its help in countering the economic threat posed by record oil prices.

Abdullah and other Saudi officials met with Vice President Dick Cheney in Dallas on the eve of the meeting with Bush, which was expected to produce statements about cooperation between the two countries.

Saudi Arabia’s image in America was tarnished by the fact that 15 of the 19 hijackers in the Sept 11, 2001, attacks were Saudi citizens and members of the Al-Qaeda network led by Osama bin Laden who was born in Saudi Arabia. The kingdom has disavowed Bin Laden.

The American invasion of Iraq in 2003 angered Saudi Arabians, but US-Saudi ties strengthened after the kingdom took steps to capture or kill senior Al-Qaeda members within its borders.

"We need the Saudis and they need us, despite the poor image of the United States in Saudi Arabia and their poor image here," said David Mack, Vice President at the Middle East institute.

The White House is facing growing consumer dissatisfaction over rising oil prices, with retail gasoline hitting a record nationwide average of 2.28 dollars a gallon this month.

Bush is expected to press for more oil production from Saudi Arabia, the biggest producer within the organization of petroleum exporting countries.

Democratic Rep Edward Markey of Massachusetts blamed the Bush administration for a "failed energy policy" and called for a plan that focused on renewable technologies, energy efficiency and conservation rather than an expansion of oil and gas drilling in the United States.

The house of representatives has approved an 8 billion dollar energy bill with incentives to increase domestic production of crude oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear and other energy sources. It would allow oil drilling in Alaska’s Arctic national wildlife refuge. The senate was expected to complete its version of the bill in May.

The Saudis are hoping for an agreement that would pave the way for the kingdom to join the World Trade Organization. Officials have been working around the clock to see if the last sticking points can be ironed out so it can be announced at the Bush-Abdullah meeting.

The United States wants barriers eased to allow more US corporate participation in the Saudi insurance, financial services and telecommunications markets.

Bush also planned to discuss his efforts to promote democracy and peace in the Middle East as well as the battle against terrorism.

In his February state of the union speech, Bush mentioned Saudi Arabia as one of the countries that had captured or detained Al-Qaeda militants.

Saudi Arabia says it has killed more than 90 militants behind the suicide bombings and shootings that have killed civilians and security personnel in the past two years.

"They have been rooting out Al-Qaeda sympathizers, organizers in their country," a former US Intelligence official said. "They’ve been knocking off senior guys."

The Saudis also want the United States to play a stronger role in the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians, and that issue was likely to be discussed at the meeting. (AGENCIES)

China ready to welcome Taiwanese opposition leader

BEIJING, Apr 25: A confident China is ready to accord a red carpet welcome to arch-rival Taiwan’s main opposition leader Lien Chan, who is embarking on a historic "peace journey" tomorrow, which will mark the highest-level political contact between the two sides in 56 years.

Lien, chairman of the Kuomintang Party (KMT) has been invited by Chinese President Hu Jintao, also the General Secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) and two are scheduled to meet here on Friday, official sources said.

The meeting with Hu during Lien’s eight-day visit will mark the first highest-level contact between the two parties since the defeated nationalist Government retreated to Taiwan island after a bitter civil war and the founding of the people’s republic in 1949 by the CPC under Mao Zedong.

Hu has made it clear that Beijing welcomes the efforts made by any individuals or any political parties in Taiwan towards recognising the ‘one-China’ principle that both the mainland and Taiwan belong to one and the same China.

"No matter who he is or which political party it is, and no matter what they said and did in the past, we’re willing to talk with them on issues of developing cross-straits relations and promoting peaceful reunification - as long as they recognise the one-China principle and the `1992 consensus’," Hu said in early March. (PTI)

Aus to hold talks with ASEAN leaders over Nonaggression treaty

SYDNEY, Apr 25: Australia will hold talks with several southeast Asian countries to try and solve an impasse over its attendance at a coming regional summit, the Foreign Minister said today.

Earlier this month, Foreign Ministers from the association of southeast Asian nations agreed that Australia, New Zealand and India could attend the inaugural east Asian summit in December if they sign a non-aggression treaty banning the use of violence to settle regional disputes.

Australia wants to attend the meeting, but has so far refused to sign the agreement, calling it a relic of the cold war.

However, Prime Minister John Howard has recently hinted that he might sign the treaty if Australia were invited to take part in all future summits discussing the creation of an east Asian trade bloc.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said he and senior leaders would work with ASEAN members to try and resolve the treaty dispute and secure Australia’s attendance at the summit.

"We’ll be having discussions in the next few weeks at the official level with ASEAN about the treaty and what difficulties we have with it," Downer told the Australian broadcasting corp. Radio today.

Downer said it was "within the bounds of possibility" that Australia could agree to sign the treaty before the summit, but said that would depend on the outcome of negotiations.

"From my discussions informally with my ASEAN counterparts, I’m moderately optimistic," he said. (AP)

China eyeing more LNG contracts in Australian gas fields

BEIJING, Apr 25: Chinese oil giants are in talks with Australian partners to import more Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and equity options in major Australian gas fields, the Chinese media today said.

If the talks are fruitful, Chinese oil companies, including China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC) and SINOPEC, may also buy equity in some of Australia’s largest gas projects, such as Gorgon, Browse and Sunrise, media quoted senior officials as saying.

The deal would make Australia China’s largest supplier of LNG. The country has already clinched a record-breaking 19 billion US dollar deal to ship the super-cool, condensed fuel to a CNOOC terminal in south China’s Guangdong province for 25 years from 2006, ‘China daily’ reported.

"We will further explore cooperation in projects such as Gorgon and Browse," Minister of the National Development and Reform Commission Mai Kai said.

"We are making progress. We pay special attention to cooperation with Australia as we have had successful cooperation before. We hope Australia cherishes the market opportunity and continues to deepen the co-operation," Mai said.

The Gorgon project, located off the northwest coast of Australia, is estimated to have gas reserves of 40 trillion cubic feet, nearly one-third of Australia’s proven total.

The Browse gas project is estimated to have gas reserves of more than 20 trillion cubic feet. Sunrise in the Timor sea has a reserve of more than nine trillion cubic feet. (PTI)

Remains of Neolithic Titan discovered in south China region

BEIJING, Apr 25: Archaeologists in southern China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region have unearthed remains of a 180-centimetre tall man from a tomb dating back over 6,000 years, the state media reported today.

"Such a tall man was seen rarely in south China in ancient times," said Huang Xin, head of the cultural relics management institute of Youjiang district, Baise city.

Huang is one of the archaeologists who took part in the recent excavation at the Neolithic site in Gongyuan village, Yangxu town of Baise city.

The archaeologists were amazed to see that the bones of ancient people, scattering at the site, were thicker than of modern people, and they were even awestruck by a stone totem in the shape of penis unearthed from the site, Xinhua news agency reported.

Apart from remains of human beings, archaeologists also found a large number of stone tools such as hammers and chisels, and remains of wildlife like bears, monkeys and deer.

With an area of 800 sq km, the Baise basin, where the Neolithic site is located, lies between south China’s Yunnan-Guizhou plateau and southeast Asia, a crucial location in the study of the origin, evolution and migration of ancient peoples, experts said.

Whether the discovery of these Neolithic graves and the remains of an ancient very large man can lead to a conclusion that a kind of tall ancient race that lived in the Youjiang river valley thousands of years ago requires further study, Huang said. (PTI)