Will attack South if drill goes ahead: North Korea

Seoul/Beijing: North Korea said on Friday it would strike again at the South if a live-firing drill by Seoul on a disputed island went ahead, with an even stronger response than last month's shelling that killed four people. 

The announcement on North Korean official news agency KCNA came as South Korea readied for firing drills on Yeonpyeong island near a disputed maritime border with the North for the first time since November's exchange of artillery fire. 

"The strike will play out a more serious situation than on November 23 in terms of the strength and scope of the strike," KCNA said. 

A leading South Korean defense analyst said he doubted the North would carry out its threat, which rattled financial markets, and South Korea's Defense Ministry said the drill planned for December 18-21 would go ahead. 

The North had said its November shelling was a response to South Korean "provocations" after an artillery battery on the island fired in what Seoul said was a routine drill. 

Japanese defence announcement angers China

Beijing:  Beijing is accusing Japan of making irresponsible remarks in its new defense guidelines targeting China.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu says China is a force for peace and development in Asia and threatens no one.

She accused Japan of falsely claiming to represent international opinion and said no country has the right to make irresponsible comments concerning China's development.

The Japanese guidelines announced on Friday say Tokyo needs to focus on the rise of China and not the Cold War threat of Russia in defining its security goals.

The guidelines, which were approved by the Japanese Cabinet, also call for a stronger alliance 
with the United States - Japan's biggest ally - and expanded security networks with regional partners, including South Korea and Australia. 
 

Dalai Lama’s influence over Tibetans waning: WikiLeaks

London: Amid US fears that the influence of the Dalai Lama over the exiled Tibetan community might be waning, the Buddhist spiritual leader made desperate appeals for American intervention during the 2008 unrest in Lhasa to "make an impact" in China, according to secret US cables published by WikiLeaks.

Cables released by whistle-blower website WikiLeaks show that US diplomats in New Delhi were in for a surprise when the Dalai Lama, instead of harping on the Tibet issue, asked during a meeting that the international community should focus on climate change because environmental problems were more urgent.

US ambassador to India Timothy Roemer felt that the Dalai Lama may be seeking to reframe the Tibet issue "as an environmental concern".

75-year-old Dalai Lama told the US ambassador during a meeting in Delhi in August 2009 that the "political agenda should be sidelined for five to 10 years and the international community should shift its focus to climate change on the Tibetan plateau", The Guardian reported today. 

Lee Harvey Oswald's coffin sells for $87,469

LOS ANGELES: The simple wooden coffin that was supposed to be John F. Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald's final resting place will soon have a new resting place of its own after a mystery bidder bought it at auction for more than $87,000.

The coffin was put on the auction block late last month by a Texas funeral home owner who swapped it with Oswald's family for a new one when the body was briefly exhumed in 1981.

It sold Thursday evening for $87,469, which includes a 20 percent buyers' fee.

``Anything connected to the JFK assassination sells for really high,'' said Nate D. Sanders of Nate D. Sanders Auctions in Santa Monica.

He declined to provide details on the winning bidder, but said the bidder might speak publicly Friday. 

US: Pak action on terror not fast enough

Washington:  Declaring significant progress in disrupting al-Qaida and combating the Taliban, US President Barack Obama said on Thursday that the United States will start withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan in July as promised.

However, he still warned of sobering days, saying the war will remain a "very difficult endeavour."

Assessing the war one year after he ordered a major increase in troops, Obama said the goal is not to defeat every threat to Afghanistan's security or to build up the nation.

Rather, he said, the United States continues to shed blood in the war - one now in its 10th year - to dismantle the al-Qaida network and push back the Taliban.

"We are on track to achieve our goals," Obama told a news briefing at the White House on Thursday.

UAE to host global psychiatric conference

Dubai, Dec 14 : Over 200 psychiatrists from Britain, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Egypt, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) would take part in an international psychiatric conference that kicks off in Dubai Saturday.

Conducted by the UAE ministry ofhealth, the conference - to be held Dec 18-19 - will have the theme "Psychiatric Health: 2020 Visions".

Mahmoud Fikri, assistant under secretary for health policies, said the ministry's strategy was to maintain a healthy environment for individuals and communities.

The ministry has started new initiatives to merge psychiatric health services through its primary healthcare centres, he said.

Factory fire kills 22 in Bangladesh

DHAKA: A devastating fire tore through a multi-storeyed garment factory near here killing at least 22 people and trapping over 50 others on the roof of the building.

"The fire is still raging... firefighters are trying to douse the huge blaze," an official monitoring the fire said.

Television channels reported at least 22 people died and more than 50 others were trapped on the roof of the factory at the Ashulia Industrial Zone in Savar sub-district on the outskirts of capital Dhaka.

Officials and witnesses said the fire broke out around 2 pm in 'Dhats It Sportswear Ltd' of the Ha Meem group. Fire brigade officials said they were yet to ascertain the cause of the blaze that originated at the 10th floor of the building.

A nurse at the nearby Enam Medical College Hospital said that two workers had died at the hospital of their injuries, while a doctor at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital said two other fatalities had been brought in.

Germany mounts raids against Islamists in three cities

Berlin:  German authorities on Tuesday mounted raids against Islamic extremist groups suspected of seeking to overthrow the government and establish a religious state, the Interior Ministry said.

The searches targeted sites linked to Salafi jihadist groups Invitation to Paradise (EZP) in the western cities of Braunschweig and Moenchengladbach and the Islamic Cultural Center Bremen (IKZB) in northern Germany.

"The EZP and the IKZB are accused of opposing the constitutional order with the aim of replacing it in Germany with an Islamic religious state," the Ministry said in a statement.

It said it saw no link to warnings of potential impending terrorist attacks issued last month by Interior

Minister Thomas de Maiziere, adding that the raids were planned long in advance.

The groups reject parliamentary democracy and believe that Islamic law should replace the constitution.

"In a well-fortified democracy it is advisable and necessary not to wait for jihad in the form of an armed struggle before taking action against anti-constitutional groups," the Ministry said.

Assange gets bail, to stay in custody as Sweden appeals

London: Swedish authorities Tuesday lodged an appeal against a British court decision to free on bail WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, preventing his release from custody, his lawyer said Tuesday. 

"This really is turning into a show trial," lawyer Mark Stephens said in London, after receiving confirmation of the Swedish move. The appeal will be heard at the High Court in London over the next 48 hours. 

Supporters of Assange said it was becoming increasingly clear that there was a "political element" to Sweden's demand for his extradition on allegations of sex offences against two women. 

Earlier Tuesday, a judge at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court in London had granted Assange bail against a cash sum of at least 200,000 pounds ($315,000). 

Italy PM Berlusconi wins first confidence vote

Rome:  Italy Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi knows a good crisis when he sees one. As he faced a crucial no-confidence vote Tuesday that could upend his leadership, he was betting that the financial problems engulfing Europe will provide yet another miraculous salvation for his political career. 

With the debt crisis that began in Greece skipping across southern Europe, Mr. Berlusconi warned lawmakers Monday that bringing down his government would be "political folly," creating a vacuum at the top that could expose Italy to the unwelcome dynamics of economic contagion.

On Tuesday, the Italian leader won a first round of voting in the Senate, where he has a majority, by a margin of 162 to 135, news reports said. But what was expected to be a far closer vote was scheduled in the lower house within hours.

Paras is first Nepal royal to be arrested

KATHMANDU: The long arm of the law finally caught up with Nepal's former crown prince Paras Bir Bikram Shah on Tuesday, a decade after his car mowed down popular Nepali singer Praveen Gurung. He has been arrested for a drunken brawl on Saturday night at a popular resort in Chitwan, where he threatened an influential guest and let fly with his pistol.

Nepal's official media said the 39-year-old had been formally charged with attempted murder in Chitwan, the dream destination for tourists in southern Nepal where a party thrown to celebrate his daughter's birthday landed Paras in deep trouble. The celebrations at the famed Tiger Tops wildlife resort in Chitwan turned into violence and panic after Paras got into an argument with a fellow guest, who also happened to be a foreigner and the son-in-law of Nepal's Deputy Prime Minister Sujata Koirala. 

World pays tribute to Holbrooke; Taliban hopes for US roll back

Brussels: They remembered him as "The Bulldozer", a US diplomat with such a forceful persona he could drag politicians, military brass and even warlords to the negotiating table in a quest for peace. 

World leaders on Tuesday praised US envoy Richard Holbrooke for engineering the end of the 1992-1995 Bosnia war, Europe's bloodiest conflict since World War II, and for seeking to bring stability to war-torn Afghanistan. 

On the other hand Taliban said it hoped that the death of Richard Holbrooke, the US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, would prompt the withdrawal of American troops. 

Holbrooke's death in Washington after suffering a torn aorta "could have a didactic effect on the American strategists, teaching them many things to learn," a spokesman for the Afghan insurgents said in a statement emailed to a news agency. 

UNSC permanent seat for India possible next year, says Sarkozy

French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Tuesday said a reformed United Nations Security Council (UNSC) with India as a permanent member should come about next year and once at the high table, it will need to commit more troops for UN-mandated missions to defend peace.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy with wife Carla Bruni during their India visit. Photo-AP

Calling the 35-year-long standstill over reforming the UNSC as "audacious", Sarkozy said a reformed body could be in place in 2011 itself.

"It is time in 2011, not even in 2012," the French president said during an address to business leaders at hotel Taj Mahal in Mumbai before ending his four-day trip to India.

Sarkozy said changing the global high table "is not a matter of choice" and added, "If you demand it, no one can resist".

Sarkozy, who while backing India's quest for the UNSC permanent membership had earlier said that a rising power with a population of over 1 billion cannot be kept away from the global high table, also reminded India of the increased responsibilities that would come its way.

"You will have to send troops beyond your borders to defend peace," he said, adding, this definitely comes at a cost as precious lives can be lost.

"We (France) have also lost lives, it is painful. That is the price you pay (for being a big power)," he said in his 30-minute extempore address.

"You will have to shoulder responsibilities and we will help you doing so," Sarkozy said.

Indians booze the least: Survey

Britons are the world's heaviest tipplers while Indians drink the least, a survey has found.

Britain is the most boozy nation in the world, with more people drinking, and more regularly, than any other country, a leading UK daily reported quoting the survey.

Around 84 per cent of Britons are drinkers, way ahead of the lowest nation India, where just 27 per cent ever have a tipple compared to the international average of 71 per cent.

The survey found nearly one in ten Britons admit to drinking every day, almost twice the number in France.

Around 41 per cent of Britons drink regularly, more than our nearest rivals in Australia, 27 per cent, and the international average of 17 per cent.

Around one in three Britons exercise for less than an hour a week, and one in four smoke.

The UK is fourth in the obesity league, with obesity rates at 33 per cent, after the US which tops the table with 53 per cent, Mexico 44 per cent and Australia 34 per cent.

Dr Annabel Bentley, of Bupa Health and Wellbeing, said: "It's shocking to see us trailing behind so many other countries when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle."

"People might be surprised to hear that being inactive is as harmful to your heart as smoking cigarettes," she said.

"Maybe sofas, as well as cigarette packets, should carry a health warning," she said.

Australia says US responsible for Wikileaks

Brisbane: The Australian government on Wednesday blamed the United States, not WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, for the unauthorised release of about 250,000 secret US diplomatic cables and said those who originally leaked the documents were legally liable. 

Foreign minister Kevin Rudd also said the leaks raised questions over the "adequacy" of US security over the cables. 

"Mr Assange is not himself responsible for the unauthorised release of 250,000 documents from the US diplomatic communications network," Rudd told a news agency in an interview. 

"The Americans are responsible for that," said Rudd.

'Musharraf responsible for Agra Summit’s collapse'

New Delhi: Joining issue with Pervez Musharraf who has blamed a top External Ministry official for failure of the Indo-Pak talks in Agra, BJP leader Sushma Swaraj Wednesday said the former Pakistan president was responsible for the collapse of the summit. 

In a twitter message, she said the Agra summit collapsed as Indian political leadership did not accept Musharraf's effort to bring Kashmir as 'core issue' and no mention of 'cross-border terrorism' in the agreed statement. 

"Musharraf is wrong to blame Vivek Katju (who is now Secretary, West) for failure of Agra talks. Katju was then Jt. Secy in MEA," said the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha. 

"The truth is that Musharraf wanted Kashmir as 'core issue' and no mention of 'cross-border terrorism' in the agreed statement. This was not acceptable to the political leadership then. This is not acceptable even today," Swaraj said. 

While referring to the summit meeting, Musharraf, in an interview to an Indian TV channel, had said that things were progressing fine during his talks with the then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee till Katju intervened. 

"There was someone from the Foreign Ministry sitting there named Katju. He may still be there, he created a lot of hurdles," he had said. 

Katju, who is now Secretary (West), yesterday dismissed Musharraf's claim that he created a "lot of hurdles" during the Agra peace talks. 

Katju, a 1974 batch IFS officer, was then joint secretary in-charge of Pakistani division in the External Affairs Ministry. 

Vajpayee and Musharraf met in Agra on July 15 and 16, 2001 to resolve outstanding issues between India and Pakistan. 

But the summit collapsed as the two sides couldn't arrive at any agreement, despite five one-to-one rounds between the two leaders and hours of discussion between the two delegations. 

Key oil spill panel nears final stretch of probe

A key federal investigative panel is nearing the final stretch in its quest to assign blame for the Gulf of Mexico rig explosion and worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history.

The panel is set to question BP and Transocean officials, as well as technicians responsible for alerting rig workers when gas levels may be too high in drilling mud.

Three days of hearings were to begin Tuesday at an airport hotel in Houston before the joint U.S. Coast Guard-Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement panel.

It's the panel's sixth series of hearings, and at least one more is expected after this one before the panel issues its report, which is due by March 27. The panel is still awaiting the results of forensic testing on a key piece of evidence — the blowout preventer that failed to stop the spill. Investigators are analyzing it at a NASA facility in New Orleans.

Besides issuing conclusions on the cause of the explosion, the panel also was expected to make recommendations on how to improve regulation, safety and oversight.

Top Israel rabbis: Don't sell property to non-Jews

Three dozen top Israeli rabbis threw their support Tuesday behind a religious ruling barring Jews from selling or renting homes to non-Jews — an indication of growing radicalism within the rabbinical community at a time of mounting friction between Israeli Arabs and Jews.

The action by the clerics — who are chief rabbis in some of Israel's largest cities and influential among the devout — quickly fueled charges of racism. It was also likely to deepen the feelings of alienation growing between Israel's majority Jews and minority Arabs, and widen the schism between secular and religious Jews.

The religious opinion first became a focus of controversy last year when the chief rabbi of Safed — a town in northern Israel that has a large concentration of devout Jews — urged that it be applied specifically to Arabs.

Israel: Talks on settlement curbs postponed

Israeli talks with Washington meant to curb settlement construction and restart negotiations with the Palestinians have been put on hold, Israel's defense minister said Tuesday.

The U.S. has pressed Israel to renew a moratorium on new settlement construction in exchange for security and diplomatic assurances. But Israel wants a written pledge that disputed east Jerusalem will be exempted from the moratorium.

Palestinians say they won't return to stalled peace talks unless Israel halts all building in the West Bank and east Jerusalem — lands they want for part of their future state.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak told a parliamentary committee Tuesday that talks with the American side have been postponed because Washington was busy dealing with fallout from secret documents released on the WikiLeaks website, as well as with tensions between North and South Korea.

Pakistan government transfers five ministries to provinces

Islamabad, Dec 7 (IANS) The federal government in Pakistan transferred five ministries to the provinces Tuesday in the first phase of the devolution plan agreed in the 18th amendment of the country's constitution invoked in July this year.

The ministries are of: Local Government and Rural Development, Population Welfare, Zakat and Ushar, Youth Affairs, and Special Initiatives.

The federal government has handed over lists of employees while the finance ministry will take care of the budgetary details, Dunya TV reported.

Under the plan, as many as 3,700 employees of the federal government have now been placed in the surplus pool and will now be placed in different attached departments, the channel said. The provinces had refused to accommodate these employees without provision of extra funds.

Arizona voters approve medical use of marijuana

PHOENIX: Arizona voters have approved a measure that will legalise medical marijuana use in the state for people with chronic or debilitating diseases.

Final vote tallies showed on Saturday that Proposition 203 won by a tiny margin of just 4,341 votes out of more than 1.67 million votes counted. The measure had started out losing on election day by about 7,200 votes, but the gap gradually narrowed.

"Now begins the very hard work of implementing this programme in the way it was envisioned, with very high standards," said Andrew Myers, campaign manager for the Arizona Medical Marijuana Policy Project. "We really believe that we have an opportunity to set an example to the rest of the country on what a good medical marijuana programme looks like."

Arizona is the 15th state to approve a medical marijuana law. California was the first in 1996, and 13 other states and Washington, DC, have since followed suit.

The Arizona measure will allow patients with diseases including cancer, HIV/AIDS and any other "chronic or debilitating" disease that meets guidelines to buy 60 grams ounces of marijuana every two weeks or grow plants
.

'After World War II, Nazis were given safe haven in US'

A secret history of the United States government's Nazi-hunting operation concludes that American intelligence officials created a "safe haven" in the United States for Nazis and their collaborators after World War II, and it details decades of clashes, often hidden, with other nations over war criminals here and abroad. 

The 600-page report, which the justice department has tried to keep secret for four years, provides new evidence about more than two dozen of the most notorious Nazi cases of the last three decades. 

It describes the government's posthumous pursuit of Dr Josef Mengele, the so-called Angel of Death at Auschwitz, part of whose scalp was kept in a justice department official's drawer; the vigilante killing of a former Waffen SS soldier in New Jersey; and the government's mistaken identification of the Treblinka concentration camp guard known as Ivan the Terrible. 

Madoff possessions sold for $2m

NEW YORK: A diamond engagement ring that belonged to the wife of Bernie Madoff fetched $550,000 at an auction, while a pair of black velveteen slippers embroidered with the convicted swindler's initials went for $6,000, US marshals said. 

The auction of jewelry, furniture, antiques, clothing and other personal effects to help compensate Madoff's victims raised more than $2 million, the marshals said. Madoff pleaded guilty last year and was sentenced to 150 years in prison. Proceeds from the auction will go to the department of justice's asset forfeiture fund for victims of Madoff's Ponzi scheme.

UNSC reforms seek end to permanency

What does the UN security council do? 
Although the UN is a multilateral charter with various organs pertaining to different aspects of global development, peace and security, the UN security council (UNSC) is often referred to as the organ which was the direct product of World War II. The body is responsible for maintaining global peace and security, which was the primary reason for the formation of the UN. It strives to maintain international peace, investigates disputes, recommends solutions, calls members to apply economic sanctions and even take military action on aggressors. Apart from this, the council has power to carry out peacekeeping operations. Along with UN general assembly, it also elects the judges of the International Court of Justice. The UN charter authorizes the security council to take action on behalf of the members. These powers are exercised through UNSC resolutions, which are decided by the votes of the members, and hence membership is important. While the other organs of the UN make recommendations to governments, the council alone has the power to take decisions which members are obliged to follow. 

Obama's Asian trip shows limits on global stage

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama left Asia with a greater foothold in the emerging nations that could help shape the American economy for years. But his failure to deliver on his own high expectations on key economic issues served notice that the global stage is not nearly his for the taking.

The president returned to Washington on Sunday with mixed results to show from his longest foreign trip abroad as president, an exhausting 10-day tour through India, Indonesia, South Korea and Japan.

His first two stops yielded dramatic diplomatic successes and memorable images in two booming Asian democracies that will only become more important strategically to the U.S.

But the narrative soured once Obama arrived in Seoul, South Korea, for a meeting of the Group of 20 developed and emerging economies. Obama failed to achieve a free-trade deal with Korea that was to have been the biggest trophy of his trip, and instead of banding with America against China's currency manipulation, several countries aligned themselves against the U.S. 

22-year-old son attempts to rape mother: Report

LONDON: In a horrific incident, a 22-year -old man in Britain has allegedly attempted to rape his mother and gouged out her eyes, just two hours after police visited their home over a "domestic incident", a media report said.

The 53-year-old victim was left blinded by the attack and her son has been arrested by the police only after he ran naked from his home and started jumping into moving cars, the 'Daily Mail' reported.

"A 22-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted rape and grievous bodily harm and transferred to a secure unit," a Thames Valley Police spokesman said. 

After Suu Kyi, Dalai Lama hopes for Liu Xiaobo freedom

DHARAMSALA: Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Monday welcomed the release of Myanmar's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and hoped China too would free fellow Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo and "other prisoners of conscience".

Suu Kyi, 65, was released on Saturday evening after completing over seven years of house arrest. She has spent 15 of the past 20 years under arrest.

"I welcome the release of fellow Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and extend my appreciation to the military regime in Myanmar. I extend my full support and solidarity to the movement for democracy in Burma and take this opportunity to appeal to freedom-loving people all over the world to support such non-violent movements," the Dalai Lama, who himself is a Nobel Peace laureate, said in a message from Japan. 

Malaysia to work with Indian govt to hire medical specialists

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's Health Ministry has said it will work directly with the Indian government to hire qualified medical specialists to help tackle the shortage of doctors in Malaysia.

Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai said his ministry had advertised in the foreign media for specialists but the applicants were not very good, local media reported.

Apart from India, Malaysia will also work with the governments of Egypt and Pakistan to hire qualified medical specialists, he said.

Malaysia wants to project itself as a medical tourism hub but lack of medical specialists in some areas is coming up as an obstacle in this path.

Millionaire's NRI wife killed on South Africa honeymoon

London:  A UK-based newly-wed NRI woman, who was on her honeymoon in South Africa, was allegedly abducted and murdered by unidentified armed men in Cape Town.

Twenty eight-year-old Anni and her 30-year-old millionaire husband of two weeks Shrien Dewani, were returning to their hotel from a popular nightspot in one of the city's townships in a taxi on Saturday night when two men armed with handguns forced the driver out and drove off with them.

According to reports, the newlywed couple from Bristol were driven for about an hour before the attackers pushed Dewani out and drove off with his wife.

The husband was picked up by a passing motorist who took him to a police station.

Later, the car with the woman's body on the back seat was found abandoned yesterday morning at a short distance where Dewani was dropped. The body was bearing gunshot wounds.

The couple, who runs a chain of nursing homes, had arrived in Cape Town on Friday.

US media reports on Lashkar's control centre for 26/11

Washington:  Stocked with computers, televisions and voice-over-internet phones, top commanders of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) had set up a control room from where they controlled and directed the 26/11 Mumbai carnage, a US report has said."Lashkar had set up a remote command post in a safe house or a hotel that US and Indian officials believe was in Lahore or Karachi," The Washington Post and ProPublica reported.

The new disclosures come as US counter-terrorism officials said that masterminds of the terror attack were still at large.

While attention has been focused on Pakistani-American terror convict David Headley, the real mastermind of the 26/11 attacks was Sajid Mir, according to the new investigative report.

Scientists propose one-way trips to Mars

Pullman (Washington):  Invoking the spirit of "Star Trek" in a scholarly article entitled "To Boldly Go," two scientists contend human travel to Mars could happen much more quickly and cheaply if the missions are made one-way. They argue that it would be little different from early settlers to North America, who left Europe with little expectation of return. "The main point is to get Mars exploration moving," said Dirk Schulze-Makuch of Washington State University, who wrote the article in the latest "Journal of Cosmology" with Paul Davies of Arizona State University. The colleagues state -- in one of 55 articles in the issue devoted to exploring Mars -- that humans must begin colonizing another planet as a hedge against a catastrophe on Earth. 

Mars is a six-month flight away, possesses surface gravity, an atmosphere, abundant water, carbon dioxide and essential minerals. They propose the missions start by sending two two-person teams, in separate ships, to Mars. More colonists and regular supply ships would follow. 

Russia, China praise India's role at UN

Wuhan, China:  At the end of the tenth trilateral talks between India, China and Russia in the Chinese city of Wuhan, for the first time, there was a specific mention of India's role at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), as a non permanent member.

The joint statement however stays silent on President Obama's endorsement for a permanent seat. It says:

"The ministers of China and Russia appreciated the role played by India in international affairs and welcomed India's election to the UNSC. We look forward to deepening cooperation with India within the Council."

Indian officials say a full endorsement is still far off.

"The idea is of communication and closer communication. I think, incrementally, speaking is a positive indicator. Whether they fully endorse our candidature, to say that would be inaccurate. But they are alert to this issue," said Nirupama Rao, Foreign Secretary.

Manmohan Singh asks G-20 nations to avoid competitive devaluation of currency

Seoul, Nov 12 : The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, on Friday urged G-20 countries to avoid competitive devaluation of currencies at all costs and resist any resurgence in protectionism.

Addressing the plenary session of the fifth G-20 Summit in Seoul this morning, Dr. Singh said: "Advance deficit countries must follow policy of fiscal consolidation. This should be consistent with their individual circumstances to ensure debt sustainability over the medium term."

"While structural reforms are necessary everywhere, these should increase efficiency and competitiveness in deficit countries, while expanding internal demand in surplus countries. This rebalancing will take time, but it must begin," he added.

He said the exchange rate flexibility is an important instrument for achieving a sustainable current account position and the policies must reflect this consideration.

"Recycling surplus savings into investment in developing countries will not only address the immediate demand imbalance but it will also help to address developmental imbalances," he added.

Expressing confidence that G-20 will be able to translate the rich agenda before the summit into tangible outcome under the forthcoming presidency of France, he said: "The G-20 was an apt response to an adverse situation that the world faced."

Dr. Singh further complimented the South Korean presidency for the initiative it took to include development as an accepted item in the agenda of the G-20.

"The G-20 was born at the time of a crisis and as such it has been preoccupied with the short term agenda of crisis management and global rebalancing. However, one of the biggest imbalances facing us the development imbalance and putting development on the G-20 agenda fills an important gap," he added.

He said developing countries performed well in the years before the crisis and have also done well in subsequent years.

"However, we need to ensure that the global economic environment, including especially the environment for trade, and investment flows remains strongly supportive of development," Dr. Singh said.

Dr. Singh said the Seoul Development Consensus and the associated Multi- Year Action Plans, which are before the G-20 countries provide a comprehensive agenda with timelines, which should be pursued in all relevant fora in the months ahead.

"I am particularly happy to endorse the focus on facilitating investment in national and regional infrastructure projects and the call for establishing a High Level Panel to recommend measures to mobilise private, semi-public and public resources for infrastructure investment and to review MDB policy in this area," he said.

India, Canada begin free trade talks

Seoul, Nov 12 : India and Canada Friday launched talks for a comprehensive economic partnership pact, another step towards furthering their trade and business ties after signing a nuclear deal this year.

The decision was taken at a meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper on the margins of the G20 Summit here.

It was on the sidelines of the previous G20 meet in Toronto in June that the two countries signed a civilian nuclear deal, marking the reversal of Canada's strong stand against India's nuclear tests in 1974 and 1998.

Harper said: "Canada's vibrant, one million strong, Indo-Canadian community helps promote trade and investment between our two countries.

"These people-to-people ties can only be enhanced by a new Canada-India agreement on trade," he added in a statement issued after his meeting with Manmohan Singh.

The two sides said the new economic pact can boost their bilateral trade to USD 6 billion from around USD 4.5 billion now.

Besides meeting Harper, Manmohan Singh had a series of engagements since Thursday. He met his Ethiopian counterpart Meles Zenawi, Mexican President Felipe Calderon and British Prime Minister David Cameron.

Manmohan Singh Friday put his grand proposal before the G20, calling for a new global rebalance in which funds from surplus nations can go to bridging the infrastructure gap in poor and emerging economies to avoid destabilisation.

He also warned against protectionism in the wake of unemployment in rich nations, while asking the G20 leadership to agree to what is called the mutual assessment process to determine what level of deficit or surplus is good or bad for each country.

The Indian delegation includes Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and Finance Secretary Ashok Chawla.

Besides India, South Korea, the G20 comprises Brazil, the US and Canada, Argentina, Australia, China, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, Britain and the European Union.

Brazil recommends sex to prevent hypertension

Brazilian Health Minister Jose Gomes Temporao Monday recommended that Brazilians have sex up to five times a week as a way to prevent chronic health problems such as hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular trouble.

'Dance, have sex, keep a stable weight, do physical exercise, and above all measure your blood pressure,' Gomes Temporao said in Brasilia, as he launched a hypertension prevention campaign.

According to Brazilian authorities, the problem of high blood pressure is growing among Brazilians. A study by the Health Ministry that conducted telephone interviews of 54,000 people, showed the proportion of Brazilians who say their blood pressure is 140/90 or above rose from 21.5 percent in 2006 to 24.4 percent now.

At a press conference, Gomes Temporao called upon Brazilians to eat more fruit, vegetables and legumes and to get exercise, including sex.

'It's not a joke, I'm serious. Getting physical exercise regularly also means having sex, obviously protected sex,' the minister said, while safeguarding the ministry's insistence on safe sex to prevent the spread of HIV.

G-20 Summit: No consensus yet on joint statement

Seoul: Amidst an escalating currency war between the US and China and differences on trade imbalances, negotiators at the G-20 Summit were struggling on Thursday to find common ground on a joint communique that was expected to speak out against competitive devaluation of currencies and protectionism, taking on board India's concerns.

Indian sources said notwithstanding the strong views held by the US and China on issues like currency valuation and trade deficits and surpluses, a consensus is evolving on the need for countries not to resort to competitive devaluation or undervaluation, a stand the G-20 Finance Ministers took at their meeting in South Korea just last month.

China has been strongly resisting attempts by the US to revalue its yuan, as a lower value gives it a tremendous export advantage over other countries. But the US Federal Reserve's decision to pump $600 billion into the sluggish American economy, effectively devaluing the dollar, has also not been taken to kindly by countries like Germany.

Notwithstanding Summit spokesman Kim Yoon-kyung's claim that major countries are deadlocked on issues, Indian sources said the outlook was not all that gloomy and a consensus document on many issues was likely to be hammered out during Summit proceedings on Friday.

Waka Waka! This time in Africa: Manmohan Singh

Sources said the joint communique is expected to call for countries to desist from competitive devaluation, a point Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to tell the Summit in the plenary session immediately after its inauguration on Friday morning. 

Musharraf wanted to replace Jinnah's image with his own on Pak currency

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's former Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali has revealed that the military ruler General Pervez Musharraf wanted to replace the image of the founder of the country Muhammad Ali Jinnah with his own on Pakistani currency notes.

Jamali made this revelation during an interview with Geo TV station. "The former President tried to print his photo on currency notes instead of Quiad-e-Azam (M A Jinnah), but I straight away refused that it could not happen," Jamali said adding that he was of the belief that nobody could replace the founder of the nation.
Jamali said that he was not aware as to who had advised Musharraf to publish his picture on currency notes.

During the interview, Jamali disclosed that the former dictator had also committed Pakistani troops for Iraq to the US President George W Bush in Camp David in 2003.

"When I met Bush in the White House I told him that I could not send troops to Iraq without informing the parliament. After a few days Musharraf decided to dissolve the parliament just for sending troops to Iraq."

Jamali went on to say that Musharraf's legal wizard Sharifuddin Pirzada had even drafted the dissolution order but the US Secretary of State Colin Powel stopped Musharraf from dissolving parliament at the last minute.

The former PM also revealed that Musharraf was ready to handover the country's nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan to the US in 2004. He added that he had blocked the moven even as an American plane had arrived in Islamabad for taking A Q Khan to the US.

Jamali claimed that he had also blocked the privatisation of Pakistan Steel Mills, National Bank of Pakistan and sale of Roosevelt Hotel in New York, owned by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). He said these were the reasons of his differences with Musharraf.

After the general election of October 2002, Jamali was elected as Prime Minister by the Parliament. This was the first general election to take place in Pakistan following the 1999 coup by General Musharraf. However, Jamali resigned on 26 June 2004 as Musharraf wanted to appoint his finance minister Shaukat Aziz as PM
.

Sri Lankan capital, suburbs hit by floods

COLOMBO: More than 36,000 families were affected by floods Thursday as heavy rains hit Sri Lanka's capital, Colomba and its surrounding areas, interrupting the power supply, a government spokesman said.

"We have received the highest rainfall in 18 years in Colombo," the spokesman said.

It received more than 400 mm of rain overnight, Sri Lankan news reports said.

Eleven emergency shelters have been erected to accommodate displaced people while rescue boats have been sent to some of the areas to those marooned, the spokesman said.

Weather forecasters said the rains were likely to continue.

The parliament building, located in the suburbs, was also flooded. Lawmakers and staff had to be transported to the building by the military, and Thursday's session has been postponed.

The government closed down schools and granted permission to public servants to stay away from work while private businesses were short-staffed as people struggled to reach work
.

Japan says China still blocking rare earth exports

SEOUL: Shipments of valuable rare earth minerals from China to Japan still appear to be on hold, Japanese officials said on Thursday, urging Beijing to resume exports after a diplomatic row.

"There is no noticeable progress in this regard," Hidenobu Sobashima, deputy director general at the foreign ministry, told reporters as the G20 group of rich and emerging nations opened a two-day summit in Seoul.

"We keep requesting the Chinese side for more information and more concrete results, but as far as the statistics and the facts go, there is not much progress," Sobashima said.

Tokyo has accused China of restricting shipments of rare earths -- elements used in high-tech products from iPods to cars -- since a September maritime incident in disputed waters sparked a bitter diplomatic row.

China, which controls 95 per cent of the global market, has denied any embargo, but a Japanese trade ministry survey in October found that all 31 companies handling rare earths in Japan had reported disruption to shipments.

Japanese deputy cabinet secretary Noriyuki Shikata warned today that "Chinese companies could suffer as a result -- we are exporting some of those parts or materials (made with rare earths) to China".

"It's in the interests of the Chinese side" to resume shipments, he said.

Japan is in talks with "many candidate countries" over alternative rare earth supplies, Shikata said, including India, Vietnam, Mongolia and Botswana, while private-sector deals are already in place with Australian firms.

Rocky relations between China and Japan led to the cancellation of a planned meeting between the two countries' premiers at a Southeast Asian summit last month.

There are no plans for their leaders to hold bilateral meetings at the G20 or at an Asia-Pacific economic summit in Yokohama this weekend, officials in each country have said.

Parents seek permission to sell their kidneys

Kanpur:  The parents of a sick teenager in Kanpur have asked a local court to permit them to sell their kidneys so that they can raise the money needed for his treatment.

14-year-old Anuj Behl has aplastic anemia - a disorder in which the body does not produce new blood cells. He needs a bone marrow transplant - that and other medical attention that he needs could cost upto 25 lakhs, say doctors.

"We don't even have enough to eat. We appeal to our countrymen to help us save our son's life," said Sangeeta Behl, mother.

Anuj's father is a scooter mechanic and the only earning member of his family of five.

The son's treatment has literally driven them out on the streets. Every valuable in the house sold, the two daughters are forced to beg and polish shoes.

"Every month we have to arrange 6-7 bottles of blood for him," said Manish Behl, father.

In court today, the government said it has deposited 1.5 lakhs for Anuj's treatment at  the Sanjay Gandhi PGI Hospital in Lucknow - a baffling attempt at help because this hospital reportedly does not have the expertise to treat aplastic anaemia.

"The state government has deposited Rs. 1.5 lakh at the Sanjay Gandhi PGI Hospital in Lucknow and will give more financial support if required," District Magistrate Mukesh Meshram said.

The court is expected to hear  Anuj's parents' appeal on the 26th of this month.

How You Can Help
Should you want to donate to this family, you can send a cheque in the name of:
Sangeeta Behl
Punjab National Bank
A/C: 2340000100212519

For more information, contact Maneesh Behl at 092358-31083