Sunita Williams trims hair for charity

HOUSTON, Dec 20: Astronauts cutting their hair in space in not unusual but Indian American Flight Engineer Sunita Williams has cut her hair in space which would be used for making a wig for a patient.

Sunita, who has always cherished her long beautiful hair, arrived at the orbiting outpost last week with flowing and floating hair, arranged to have her locks cut last Sunday.

And, the clippings were stowed on discovery for a future hairpiece to be donated to a patient suffering from long-term medical hair loss, collectspace.Com reported.

Her hair stylist for the orbital trim was none other than the mission specialist Joan Higginbotham, another female astronaut, who worked with Sunita on the station to operate its robot arm and helped in the effort to transfer supplies, including William’s own items, from discovery to the ISS.

Sunita’s new hairdo was noticed soon after by mission control, who commented on it but made no mention of where the separated strands were destined.

Sources close to Sunita said the astronaut intended to donate her hair to a charity that would use it to make a wig for a medically ill patient.

"This it the first [we] have heard of anything like this.It sounds pretty cool but we haven’t heard anything yet," a spokesperson for the Florida-based non-profit locks of love said.

Sunita’s ponytail will land with the discovery crew, which is scheduled to return to earth on Friday, while Sunita will stay back for another six months.

During long duration missions, astronauts do cut their hair but the clippings are generally discarded and no one had earlier thought of such a noble cause. (PTI)

Indo-US nuke deal to hamper disarmament efforts on Iran, NK

BEIJING, Dec 20: Chinese experts today expressed concern over the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal, which they said undermined the Non-Proliferation Treaty and hampered global efforts to persuade Iran and North Korea from going nuclear.

"I don’t think the Chinese Government will be opposed to nuclear cooperation between India and the United States for peaceful purposes, but the concerns of the Chinese side should be addressed," Deputy Director of the institute of Asia Pacific Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a Government think-tank, Professor Sun Shihai told .

Sun said Chinese experts were concerned about the Indo-US nuclear deal as Washington may "use" India to "counterbalance" China’s rise.

"However, I am confident that the Indian Government will not succumb to us attempts to use India against China, which is against India’s national interest," Sun, a leading Chinese expert on south Asian affairs, said.

Other Chinese experts were more critical of the deal, saying the agreement undermines the nuclear NPT.

The reaction of the Chinese experts have came as US President George W Bush signed the landmark legislation law on monday allowing the sale of civilian nuclear technology and fuel to india.

Interestingly, commenting for the first time publicly on the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Qin Gang yesterday said nuclear co-operation for civilian use "should be conducive to safeguarding the principles and effectiveness of the International Nuclear Non-Proliferation regime."

"The NPT stipulates that only countries that renounce nuclear weapons qualify for civilian nuclear assistance," the Chinese experts were quoted as saying in the state-run `China daily’, the first state-run media o come out against the just-inked deal.

The article noted that Bush called the bill the foundation for a new strategic partnership with India and said the two countries’ relationship had never been more vital.

"The US needs an ally like India in south Asia, so it sacrifices national policy to meet its geo-strategic needs," director with the Centre for Arms Control and Disarmament Studies at Peking University, Han Hua said.

Han described the co-operation as America’s trade-off deal, which imposes some conditions to let it get involved in and better supervise India’s nuclear technology development.

Some Chinese security experts said the US action will undermine international efforts to prevent states like Iran and North Korea from acquiring nuclear weapons.

"We can see from the legislative amendment that the US in fact holds a double-standard on nuclear non-proliferation for its allies and rivals," said Gao Heng, a senior expert with the institute of world economics and politics affiliated to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

"The US-India deal may create obstacles for the ongoing negotiations with Iran and North Korea since it will let the two countries find another excuse to justify their possession of nuclear weapon," said Xu Guangyu, board member of China Arms Control and Disarmament Association affiliated to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (PTI)

Iraq on the brink of disintegration: ICG

NEW YORK, Dec 20: Iraq is on the brink of "complete disintegration" into a failed state, threatening to drag down much of the region with it, a think tank said today.

"More troops in or out are not going to solve this. What is needed above all is a new multinational effort to achieve a new political compact between all relevant Iraqi players," the International Crisis Group (ICG) said, advising Washington to distance itself from the Nuri al-Maliki's government which, it said, has failed to deliver.

Instead, ICG calls for a new U.S. Regional strategy, including engagement with Syria and Iran, end of efforts at regime change, revitalisation of the Arab-Israeli peace process and altered strategic goals.

Mere engagement of Iraq's neighbours will not do; Washington must clearly redefine its objectives in the region to enlist regional, and particularly Iranian and Syrian help.

The goal is not to bargain with them, but to seek compromise agreement on an end-state for Iraq and the region that is no one's first choice, but with which all can live," it adds.

All Iraqi actors who, one way or another, are involved in the country's internecine violence, it says, must be brought to the negotiating table and pressed to accept the necessary compromises.That cannot be done without a concerted effort by all Iraq's neighbours, which in turn cannot be done if their interests are not reflected in the final outcome. (PTI)

With nuclear deal sealed, US asks India to adopt bold reforms

WASHINGTON, Dec 20: The United States has asked India to adopt sweeping reforms, including lifting ownership caps and reducing high tariff rates, to draw foreign investments and fuel rapid growth in the country.

The call came as the two countries braced for a new era of investment and trade ties capped Monday by US President George W Bush's signing into law of a landmark bill for Washington to transfer nuclear fuel and technology to India.

Although India in recent years has embraced reforms which have helped fuel the country's current rapid economic growth, "significant challenges" exist, US Under Secretary of Commerce Franklin Lavin said yesterday, suggesting key reforms.

He called for the opening of India's retail sector to foreign multi-brand retailers, saying it would allow Indian consumers access to the "best products at the lowest prices" and improve supply chain efficiencies in the world's second most populous nation.

"Despite recent news stories about cracks in the dam on retail access, the fact is that barriers remain," he said, apparently referring to American retailer Wal-Mart's penetration of the Indian retail market through a local partnership.

Lavin, in charge of the US Commerce Department's international trade portfolio, also suggested that India eliminate foreign equity caps in the financial services, banking and insurance sectors.

"Right now, investment caps are very low," he said, citing particularly the 26 per cent equity limit in the insurance sector which prohibited foreign firms from participating in the lucrative pensions sector. (AGENCIES)

China simplifies border entry, exit formalities

BEIJING, Dec 20: As part of a major reform in entry-exit procedures, all Chinese citizens, including Taiwan residents, will be able to enter China without filling forms from January 1, an official spokesman said today.

"All Chinese citizens including mainland residents, Taiwanese and overseas Chinese will not be required to fill entry registration cards at border checkpoint. This will greatly shorten the processing time," a spokesman for the Ministry of Public Security announced here.

The registration card includes personal details such as name, gender, birth date, passport number, purpose of visit and passport-issuing place.

The ministry has operated entry and exit card procedures since March 1976. However, the rapid increase in international travellers has put enormous pressure on border checkpoints.

China recorded more than 302 million entries and exits last year, including more than 40 million foreigners, up 19.9 per cent from 2004, and almost 262 million Chinese citizens, up 8.42 per cent.

China's booming economy and deepening reforms were making overseas travel easier for Chinese, he said.

Mainland residents bound for Hong Kong and Macao special autonomous regions and Chinese tourist groups to foreign destinations, together accounting for two thirds of border crossings in 2005, are not required to fill entry or exit cards.

China views the self-ruled island of Taiwan as a rebel province that must be reunified with the mainland. (PTI)

Gold Little Changed After Rising From Lowest in Seven Weeks

MELBOURNE, Dec 20: Gold was little changed in Asia after rising for two straight days from its lowest in seven weeks as the euro gained against the dollar.

The euro climbed the most against the dollar in three weeks, driving gold prices as investors bought the metal to hedge against a decline in other assets denominated in the U.S. Currency. Speculators, cautious about the metal's outlook, cut back on their trading.

Gold fell 60 cents, or 0.1 per cent, to 622.35 dollar an ounce, after rising 43 cents. Gold, sold in dollars, generally moves in the opposite direction of the US currency as investors buy the bullion as a hedge against the erosion of other dollar-denominated assets. (AGENCIES)

Man kills two primary school students

BEIJING, Dec 20: At least two primary school students were killed while four others, including a teacher were injured when a man suddenly attacked them today in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, police said.

According to local police, the incident occurred around 2:00 pm (local time) while the students and teacher were waiting to walk across the street in front of their school.

One student died on the spot and another died in hospital, Xinhua news agency quoted the police as saying.

The victims were about nine to ten years old.

The report did not say whether the assailant was arrested or the reason for the attack.

In 2005, China had reported a series of attacks on students following which the Chinese Government tightened security for schools. (PTI)

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Daily usage of Malay deteriorating due to text messages

KUALA LIMPUR, Dec 20: Bahasa Melayu, the official language of Malaysia is degenerating as more and more citizens turned to short text messaging and emails to communicate.

"The widespread use of modified, often short-form Malay words in texts and chats meant the spoken language was degenerating," Deputy Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Wong Kam Hoong was quoted as saying by the Bernama news agency.

Wong, replying to a question in the senate, said that his ministry would attempt to revive the proper usage of Malay in daily conversation by organising poetry, story-telling and debating contests from next year.

"The ministry will also cooperate with various parties, including the National Library, to check the widespread use of corrupted Bahasa among Malaysians," he was quoted as saying.

The government is waging a campaign to preserve the integrity of the national language, known locally as Bahasa Melayu, which it says is also being diluted by English words. (PTI)

US, North Korea to meet again on nuclear, financial issues

BEIJING, Dec 20: Envoys of the United States and North Korea to the six-party talks will meet again today for "substantial discussions", including on the sanctions issue, to overcome their sharp differences on the denuclearisation of Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme.

Top US negotiator Christopher Hill told reporters here that he expected a bilateral meeting with his North Korean counterpart, Kim Kye-gwan for the second time in as many days, looking for a breakthrough.

"If we are going to get to the end of the week, we probably need to be working something on paper," Hill, also Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said.

He said the primary purpose of the six-party talks is to denuclearise North Korea and also aims at the normalisation of diplomatic relations with "the relevant country."

"I just don't know where we are going to end up or when we are going to end up," Hill said. "Clearly we have to be on substantive discussions today."

The six-party talks, which aim at resolving the Korean nuclear issue, resumed here on Monday after a 13-month hiatus. The six-way talks involve North Korea, South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia.

Hill said the six-party process is really working, noting they had "some good discussion" yesterday.

As to the financial issue between the U.S. And North Korea, Hill said the discussion was "still going on."

On the sidelines of the six-party talks, the United States and North Korea held a separate meeting on financial issue yesterday. (PTI)

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