Daily Excelsior... World

Nepal’s poverty index declines by 11 pc: Report

KATHMANDU, May 6: Nepal’s poverty index has declined by 11 per cent over the last eight years majorly due to the high inflow of remittances and rapid urbanisation.

The poverty head count for the Himalayan kingdom has declined to 30.85 per cent in 2003-2004 from 41.76 per cent in 1995-96, a report published by the Central Bureau of Statistics said.

Besides the high inflow of remittances, other important factors behind the decline in poverty are high wage for agricultural labourers, massive increment in the economically active population, rapid urbanization and increase in non-farm incomes, the report said.

"Nepal has achieved the most speedy poverty reduction among the least developed countries," National Planning Commission vice-chairman Shanker Prasad Sharma said warning, however, that any decline in foreign aid would jeopardize the remarkable achievement attained by the country in reducing poverty.

Meanwhile, in a major reshuffle in the civil administration, the Nepalese Government has transferred and appointed heads of District Administrations in 52 out of a total of 75 districts across the country, Government run daily ‘The Rising Nepal’ said. (PTI)

Taliban said suffering big losses in Afghan spring

KABUL, May 6: Taliban rebels have been moving in larger numbers since the end of the winter, making them vulnerable to big losses in stepped up attacks by Government and US-led forces, Afghan officials said today.

About 60 insurgents have been killed in recent days in two battles against US and Afghan Government forces backed by air power, the US military said.

But a Taliban spokesman denied heavy losses, saying most of the dead were civilians.

The clashes were the latest in a surge of rebel violence since a winter lull raised hope their insurgency might be fading, even though the Taliban had vowed to launch a spring offensive.

"We’ve stepped up our operations and at the same time the Taliban have been operating in bigger numbers since the weather warmed up," said Salim Khan, a senior police official in Kandahar province in the south.

"So they easily lose men in fighting, whether they’re attacking or defending," he said.

About 20 rebels were believed killed in a battle in Kandahar province on Wednesday, the US military said, after they killed nine Government soldiers in an ambush.

The day before, 40 insurgents were killed in neighbouring Zabul province, the US military said.

The losses would be the heaviest since up to 50 Taliban were killed in a battle with US forces in Khost province, near the border with Pakistan, in August last year.

But a Taliban spokesman, Abdul Latif Hakimi, dismissed the casualty figures as US propaganda.

"Most of the dead have been civilians," he said by telephone from an undisclosed location. "Our casualties are low because we only carry out only guerrilla attacks."

Five Taliban had been killed while dozens of US and Afghan soldiers had died, he said, vowing more attacks.

"Any time, anywhere"

The Governor of Zabul province and the US military said authorities were getting more help from villagers in their hunt for militants.

"Our success is also because of cooperation from locals who inform us about the whereabouts of Taliban and their friends," said Governor Dilbar Arman.

The Zabul battle broke out after a man complained to police about a group of gunmen and Afghan and US forces were fired upon when they went to investigate.

More than 100 people, most of them militants but including several members of the 18,300-strong US-led force, have been killed in the south and east since late March.

"Traditionally, you see insurgents coming out more at this time but the capability of the coalition and the Ana is 365 days, said US military spokeswoman Lieutenant Cindy Moore, referring to US-led troops and Afghan National Army.

"We’re able to take the fight to them any time, anywhere." the nine Ana deaths in the ambush were its heaviest loss in a single incident. President Hamid Karzai said he was deeply saddened and called on authorities to bring the culprits to justice.

Karzai has offered an amnesty to Taliban rank-and-file and while a handful, including some local-level commanders, have given up, there has not been a flood of defections.

US and Afghan opposition forces drove the Taliban from power in late 2001 after they refused to hand over Osama bin Laden, architect of the September 11, 2001, attacks.

The insurgents failed in a vow to disrupt an October Presidential election. (AGENCIES)

Father of dead Iraq soldier rebukes Blair

SEDGEFIELD, ENGLAND, May 6: The father of a young British soldier killed in Iraq delivered a cutting rebuke to Tony Blair after standing against him in yesterday’s election and said he hoped the Prime Minister would one day apologise.

Reg keys, who won 4,252 votes against the 24,421 secured by Blair in Sedgefield, northern England, said he felt a duty to his son killed shortly before his 21st birthday.

"Fighting this campaign has not been an easy task for me but I had to do it for my son," said keys as Blair stood expressionless on the returning platform. "Tonight there are lessons to be learnt and I hope in my heart that the Prime Minister one day will say sorry."

keys said that had the war in Iraq been legal, he would have "grieved" and not "campaigned".

He went on to say he hoped Blair would find time to visit wounded soldiers in hospital and dedicated his campaign to the 88 British servicemen killed in the conflict so far.

Iraq dominated the final stages of the campaign, with opposition conservative leader Michael Howard labelling Blair a "liar" over the reasons for taking Britain into war.

Blair who earlier spoke after being re-elected acknowledged the impact of his support for war in Iraq.

"I know Iraq has been a divisive issue in this country but I hope we can unite again in the future," he said.

Although the former lawyer, who celebrates his 52nd birthday on Friday, has apologised for incorrect intelligence used to take Britain into the conflict, he has consistently refused to apologise for the decision to join the US-led invasion. (AGENCIES)

EU, France say deal near with Japan on reactor

BRUSSELS/PARIS, May 6: The European Union and Tokyo are moving closer towards an agreement on whether France or Japan should host the world’s first nuclear fusion reactor, EU and French officials have said.

The EU’s executive commission said low-level talks with Japanese officials in Geneva earlier yeserday had gone "in a good direction for the European Union".

"There’s no agreement," a spokesman for the Commission said in Brussels. But he added: "It was very much in favour of the European side."

Francois D’aubert, France’s junior Minister for Research and New Technology, said in a written statement in Paris: "the conclusion (of talks) is near"

there was no immediate comment from Tokyo.

The six partners involved in the project — the EU, Japan, China, the United States, Russia and South Korea — are divided in support for the competing bids from Japan and France.

French President Jacques Chirac said on Tuesday France was on the verge of winning the 10 billion euro ( 12.96 billion) project to host the reactor, which will try to emulate the power of the sun.

A Japanese newspaper, the Yomiuri Shimbun, said on Wednesday that Japan may give up its bid to host the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), but the Japanese Government has not confirmed the report.

The experimental reactor would try to reproduce the sun’s nuclear fusion to generate what supporters say could be an inexhaustible energy source of the future. It is not expected to be operational before 2050.

Japan has previously balked at holding high-level talks over ITER, which it wants to build in the northern fishing village of Rokkasho. Paris wants it to be in Cadarache in southern France.

"We will have it at Cadarache," Chirac said in a televised interview on Tuesday. (AGENCIES)

US house approves 82-bn-dollar budget for Iraq, Afghanistan

WASHINGTON, May 6: The US House of Representatives has approved an 82-billion-dollar emergency budget for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan that also includes 656 million dollars to aid victims of last year’s Tsunami in the Indian Ocean.

The compromise measure, approved by a 368-58 vote yesterday, is the result of negotiations to resolve differences with similar legislation passed by the US senate. The senate is also expected to approve the compromise.

The legislation provides money for more troops, weapons and equipment and to help build both Afghan and Iraqi security forces.

It also would raise the one-time death benefit for the families of US troops killed in action to 100,000 dollars from 12,000 dollars and the maximum insurance benefit to 400,000 dollars from 250,000.

Also included is 592 million dollars to build a new US embassy in Baghdad and 200 million dollars in economic and infrastructure aid to the Palestinians.

The measure also requires any agency receiving us disaster aid to set strict codes of conduct aimed at preventing the sexual exploitation of Tsunami victims by aid workers. (AFP)

Bush demotes US Army General in Abu Ghraib scandal

WASHINGTON, May 6: President George W Bush demoted a one-star General who figured prominently in the Abu Ghraib Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal, the US Army said.

Army reserve Brig Gen Janis Karpinski became the first high-level US military officer demoted in the scandal after Army leaders deemed her job performance "seriously lacking" and accused her of concealing a past shoplifting arrest.

The Army yesterday said in a statement Karpinski had been reduced in rank to Colonel, although an investigation by the Army Inspector General’s officer "determined that no action or lack of action on her part contributed specifically to the abuse of detainees at Abu Ghraib."

The Army, which had been accused by human rights activists of punishing only a handful of low-ranking soldiers involved in the physical abuse and sexual humiliation of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib jail, also said it had taken disciplinary action against a series of other officers in connection with detainee abuse.

They included a Colonel, four Lieutenant Colonels, three Majors, 10 Captains, four 1st Lieutenants and two 2nd Lieutenants, the Army added, but declined to identify them.

Five of the officers, none with a rank higher than Captain, faced unspecified criminal charges, but most of the discipline was administrative punishment such as a formal letter of reprimand or a discharge from the military, the Army said. (AGENCIES)

US, Vietnam reach agreement on religous freedoms

WASHINGTON, May 6: The US State Department said it would not impose sanctions on Vietnam for repressing religion after Hanoi freed some religious prisoners, reopened churches and banned forced renunciations of faith.

The United States last year placed Vietnam on a blacklist of "countries of particular concern" for abusing rights to worship, which can lead to 14 various political and economic sanctions should the US Government choose to apply them.

In last year’s report on religious freedom, the department accused Vietnam of pressuring many ethnic minority protestants to recant their faith, of arbitrarily detaining and beating believers and of placing Buddhist leaders under house arrest.

US officials yesterday said they had struck an agreement with Vietnam to hold off on the sanctions and to consider dropping the communist nation from the blacklist entirely because it had taken several actions to improve religious protections.

US Ambassador John Hanford praised Vietnam for passing legislation as well as regulations that "provide increased latitude and protection for religious belief and practice."

Hanford said Vietnam promised to make it easier to open houses of worship, to instruct local authorities to respect the new laws and to give special consideration to amnestying prisoners whose cases are raised by the United States.

"While these commitments offer a strong foundation, other important steps remain to be taken, and the United States will continue to monitor developments in Vietnam closely," he told reporters, saying Vietnam will stay on the US list for now.

Vietnam’s progress on religious freedom, as well as the further steps Washington wants it to take, will be discussed when US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick visits Hanoi today.

In a sign of improving ties, Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai said on Thursday he planned to visit the United States in late June — the first such trip by the Communist country’s top leader since the end of the Vietnam war 30 years ago. (AGENCIES)