18 June 2006
Washington, June 18 (IANS) Following is excerpted from an important speech, with strong and positive references to the US-India nuclear deal, made by US Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Dick Lugar after he received his 40th honorary degree Friday from the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island:
"Let me discuss with you a current debate before the Congress and our country. I believe it is critical that the US Congress come to conclusions about President Bush's proposed civilian nuclear agreement with India. The India agreement represents the most important strategic diplomatic initiative undertaken by President Bush, and it represents a fundamental departure from the crisis management mentality that has dominated foreign policy in both the executive and legislative branches in recent years. By concluding this pact and the far-reaching set of cooperative agreements that accompany it, President Bush has embraced a long-term outlook that seeks to enhance the core strength of our foreign policy in a way that will give us new diplomatic options and improve global stability. With this agreement, the President and Secretary (Condoleezza) Rice are asking Congress to see the opportunities that lie beyond the horizon of the current presidential term.
As such, a Congressional rejection of the agreement -- or an open-ended delay -- risks wasting a critical opportunity to begin to expand beyond our Cold War alliance structures to include dynamic nations with whom our interests are converging.
Many Members of Congress, including myself, have been studying the implications of the nuclear pact on non-proliferation policy. India has not signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, and it has developed and tested nuclear weapons. The US-India agreement would allow India to receive nuclear fuel, technology, and reactors from the United States - benefits that were previously denied to it because of its status outside the treaty. We should be concerned about the precedent set by this action, and we must ensure that this agreement does not undercut our own responsibilities under the Nonproliferation Treaty.
But I believe that we can do that satisfactorily. Both Houses of Congress are working through language that would guide our policy toward India. I believe that we can help solidify New Delhi's commitments to implement strong export controls, separate its civilian nuclear infrastructure from its weapons programme, and place civilian facilities under IAEA safeguards. This agreement also would be a powerful incentive for India to cooperate closely with the United States in stopping proliferation and to abstain from further nuclear weapons tests. These outcomes could represent important advancements for non-proliferation policy.
The Administration's declaration that we would welcome India's advancement as a major economic and political player on the world stage represents a strategic decision to invest political capital in a country with a vibrant democracy, rapidly growing economy, and increasing clout. With a well-educated middle class that is larger than the entire US population, India can be an anchor of stability in Asia and an engine of global economic growth.
It can also be a key partner in countering global extremist trends. Both of our countries understand the importance of opposing violent movements through the promotion of religious pluralism, tolerance, and democratic freedoms. As a country with well-entrenched democratic traditions and the world's second largest Muslim population, India can set an example of a multi-religious and multi-cultural democracy in an otherwise volatile region.
India's growing energy demand - likely to double within 20 years - makes global energy security an integral part of our strategic dialogue and provides important opportunities for cooperation. I introduced S. 1950 the "U.S.-India Energy Security Cooperation Act" last November to take advantage of these opportunities to cooperate with India on reducing global oil dependence. The bill, which has been passed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, promotes and authorizes funding for joint research and development of alternative energy sources and clean coal technologies. It is essential that we elevate our energy dialogue with India and work together to increase the availability of clean energy and help stabilize world energy markets.
We already are beginning to see strategic benefits from developing closer relations with India. For instance, India's votes at the IAEA on the Iran issue last September and this past February demonstrate that New Delhi is able and willing to adjust its traditional foreign policies and play a constructive role on international issues. While acknowledging that India prizes its strategic autonomy, it will have increasing incentives to use its influence to help sway debates and events in other areas that serve stability and global economic progress.
Building on our Relationship with China
Whenever discussions of the strategic vision behind the India nuclear agreement occur, inevitably, the subject of China arises. Some analysts contend that India's ability to act as a counterweight to China is the primary strategic benefit of the deal. Though I understand the impulse behind this thinking, it oversimplifies global relationships in the 21st Century, and it underestimates the broader value of engaging India as a partner in a changing world. Both India and the United States have reason to be vigilant about the growth of Chinese military power, but it is far from clear how a U.S.-Indian partnership of the type envisioned by the agreement would contain China or why India would participate with the United States in such a containment regime.
We should not see India as a card to play in balance of power games. Alliances based on shared dangers can have a long shelf life if the threat is intense enough, but they are rarely transformational. We need more from India than security cooperation. We need a partner that sits at the intersection of several strategic regions and that can be a bulwark for stability, democracy, and pluralism.
Seeing India as merely a counterbalance to China also makes the mistake of presuming that China is destined to be an enemy. Even as the United States must speak forthrightly about our current differences with China over numerous issues, we should not assume that we cannot build a foundation of mutual interests with China that will support a positive relationship with that nation over time. In fact, we have been doing this for several decades with varying degrees of success. China is our third largest trading partner and our fourth largest export market. U.S.-China trade has increased from just $5 billion in 1980 to $285 billion in 2005. China has become an enormous stakeholder in the international economy.
The scope of our relationship with China is circumscribed by that nation's lack of democracy and its troubling human rights record. But few problems in Asia are going to be addressed without the cooperation of China. Beyond trade and investment, we have mutual interests in regional stability, combating diseases that know no borders, and developing new energy sources that relieve our dependence on fossil fuels.
It is no coincidence that the future of our relations with India and China intersect heavily with energy. Although a consumer cartel is probably not a viable response, fossil fuel dependent nations can forge agreements that further energy technology and conservation."
Dhaka, June 18 (IANS) Bangladesh is yet again attempting to rewrite the history of its liberation war, ignoring the role of founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and placing above him Ziaur Rahman, the war hero husband of current Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, a newspaper report has alleged.
A book containing 11 chapters on the 1971 Liberation War compiled by a new committee is about to hit the market. According to the Bangladesh Observer, it contains "incongruities and distortions".
The book avoids a direct mention of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, known as Father of the Nation, while it is "full of eulogies" for Ziaur Rahman, it says.
The new version seeks to ignore the role of Jamaat-e-Islami, now a coalition partner in the government, whose cadres had participated in the killings on the side of the Pakistan Army during the freedom movement in 1971.
Proscribed after the independence, Jamaat is the largest Islamist party having 18 members in the national assembly, three of whom are ministers in the Zia government.
What was a "peoples' war" is sought to be projected as a "military conflict" to highlight the role of Ziaur Rahman, then an army major who led a battalion level fight in the 'Z sector' (named after him), it said.
Ziaur Rahman later became the army chief and the country's military strongman. He ruled as president till his assassination in May 1981.
The new history was being "sector-based" to facilitate Zia's projection and a version of the fighting at the brigade level was also being prepared by a Project Attestation Committee formed by the government in 2002.
The committee, composed of "pro-government" academics, historians and former military personnel, took over the work after a committee formed by the government of Sheikh Hasina, daughter of Mujibur Rahman, was dissolved, the newspaper said.
History has been sought be rewritten with each government change in Bangladesh. The version of the Awami League has projected the freedom movement as a popular political struggle led by its founder Sheikh Mujib.
India's role and that of its armed forces in what developed into a major conflict with Pakistan is also tailored according to the political leanings of the government of the day.
Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party has tended to ignore it. However, the prime minister, during her visit to New Delhi in March this year, said her country could not forget India's role.
The differing versions are part of the political legacies of Zia and Hasina, who lead the country's two principal parties.
Commenting on the 'distortion' in the history, Professor Moniruzzaman Mian, a Member of the Project Attestation Committee, said that "such a tradition will continue, till the conflict between two big parties in the country doesn't end", the newspaper said.
Dhaka, June 18 (IANS) Air India has offered concession fares to London-bound travellers from Sylhet in northeast Bangladesh with national carrier Bangladesh Biman developing problems.
The travellers would have to pay the same fare as Dhaka-London flights, Air India's manager for Bangladesh A.K. Mitra announced, the Bangladesh Observer reported.
The northeastern province sends out a large number of workers to Europe. Cooks and restaurateurs from Sylhet do very well in Britain.
The one-way Dhaka-London fare is $US 1,250 in the First Class and $US 2,500 return, $US 800 one-way and $US 1,500 return in Business Class and $US 400 one way and $US 800 in the Economy Class return.
Air India is the only airline connecting Dhaka with three international cities -London, New Delhi and Kolkata - with competitive fare, said Mitra. It offered the cheapest Economy Class, Business Class and First Class fares to Kolkata, slashing them by about 13 percent, 10 percent and five percent respectively.
Air India has slashed fares for London, New York, Chicago and Toronto by five to 10 percent. Biman has been forced suspend its flights to the US, both for security and financial reasons.
AMMAN, June 18 (NNN-Xinhua) -- Officials from Arab nations on Saturday urged the international community to honor their commitment of providing USD$950 million U.S. dollars in aid to Palestine's refugees for 2006 and 2007.
The delegates from Jordan, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and the Arab League made the appeal at a meeting in the Jordanian capital Amman to coordinate Arab countries' stance on Palestinian refugees' issues.
Wajieh Azaiza, an official of Jordanian relief agency, appealed to the international community to honor the commitment to offer financial aid to the Palestinians through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
In addition, the Arab delegates, whose countries have admitted five million Palestinian refugees, expressed opposition toward attempts to alter the stance of UNRWA, or integrate it with other international organizations.
Official statistics show that nearly five million of the estimated million Palestinian refugees outside the West Bank and Gaza Strip are living in neighbouring Arab nations.
Jordan hosts two million and its government provides Palestinian refugee camps with annual financial aid of USD$500 million. dollars.
Kuala Lumpur, June 18 (IANS) Defending champions Australia trounced India 4-1 in a pool A match of the 15th Azlan Shah hockey tournament here Sunday.
World No. 1 Australia led 1-0 at the halftime and, after a rain-induced break in the second half, pumped in three more goals.
India's next match is against Malaysia Monday.
Dhaka, June 18 (IANS) Polio-afflicted Jafrruddin hopes to become a famous singer one day. And a novel initiative by an NGO in Bangladesh is helping him realise that dream partly.
Twenty-four-year-old Jafrruddin is learning how to host his own music show on Bangladesh's first cable community radio station in Sitakund in the coastal Chittagong district.
The community radio is part of a youth community multimedia centre (YCMC) that was set up by Youth Power in Social Action (YPSA), an NGO.
The YCMC studio generates locally relevant content in Bangla on a daily basis for 90 minutes. The studio has been connected to the cable operator's office that covers about 1,000 households in Sitakund.
YPSA's mantra is: "If you can't use the airwaves, then try cable, video or simple old loudspeakers to get the messages across."
As a lack of laws does not allow community radio in Bangladesh - as in much of South Asia except Nepal - the centre uses different mediums like cable, loudspeakers and video to meet information needs of the local community.
For those without television sets, the YCMC plans to set up loudspeakers directly from the studio.
The successful project was highlighted in Unesco's Community Media & ICT News that is published in electronic format from here.
Issues that have come up for generations include environmental matters, human rights in the ship breaking industry in Sitakund, women's rights, rights of the disabled, education, unemployment and communal harmony.
Jafrruddin first heard of the youth community multimedia centre in Sitakund in September 2005 when a local staffer invited him to a training workshop.
In a recent community radio training workshop, he learnt how to record and edit programmes using the free and open source software, Audacity.
The training also involved learning about the rationale for community radio, importance of community participation and ownership.
Jafrruddin, who is afflicted with polio, was quoted by trainer Ramnath Bhat as saying: "I want to speak about how people with disabilities should be treated with respect. I also want to have a weekly programme where I will sing local songs. These songs are not available on the market and people will like to listen to them. This way, I also will get recognition and people will also be entertained."
By Amulya Ganguli, The 'spoilt brat' syndrome is too easy an explanation for Rahul Mahajan's drug-related problems. A closer analysis is needed about the lifestyle of the murdered Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pramod Mahajan's son, and also of the party's recent history, to ascertain the reasons for the scandal.
The starting point has to be the BJP's spectacular rise from the margins of Indian politics to centre-stage. What is immediately obvious is that the party's success did not represent a 'natural' growth but was fuelled by the cynical use of non-political factors. The root of the tragedy can be traced to this phenomenon.
When the strength of a party increases from a mere two seats in parliament to 182 in the course of a decade and a half (from 1984 to 1999), there is something exceptional - and evidently odd and unnatural in political terms - at work.
Once this seemingly magical transformation is studied, it may be possible to ascertain what degenerative impact it had on the party's inner workings.
It is one thing for a party to increase or lose its influence gradually. That the BJP is finally becoming 'normal' in this respect is the drop in its number of seats to 138. Most parties follow this route. All the other parties in India - whether the Congress or communists or socialists - have experienced this slow process of change, either for the better or for the worse, or winning and losing in alternate elections.
The result is that the party members become accustomed to a certain uniform living condition, neither too flashy nor too shabby. It is only when a party acquires a monopoly of power through a long stint in office (as in the case of the Congress between 1947 and 1967) that extravagant habits can develop. But this is now becoming the exception in India rather than the rule because of the frequency of elections.
The BJP's case was different in two respects. One was that the party rose too quickly, giving its members a sudden taste of the high life to which not all of them were accustomed. What was worse was that the reason for its growth - the cynical use of Hindu religious sentiments - convinced the party that it had found the mantra of continuous success.
Even today, many in the party, and especially in the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), harbour this illusion. What the expedient use of religion in politics does is to impart a sense of innate superiority to a party vis-à-vis its rivals, thereby making it oblivious to the danger of losing ground. It is this attitude of disdain towards others that explains why the BJP was stunned into a prolonged silence of nearly two weeks when it lost the 2004 general election to the Congress-led alliance.
The other crucial factor behind the BJP's fall from grace was its predominantly middle class base, which was somewhat different from those of the other parties. The Congress, for instance, always had people of considerable affluence at the helm, usually highly successful lawyers. The same was true of the communists. These two parties may have drawn their political strength from the middle and lower classes, but the leadership was patrician, usually educated abroad.
The BJP was different in the sense that, as a marginal party, it didn't always have leaders of national stature till recently. It had none with an Oxbridge background or from the well regarded Indian academic institutions such as the Doon School or St Stephen's College. In addition, the austere RSS-inspired background of its leaders and cadres ensured that the party consciously cultivated not only an eminently middle class style of living but even a Spartan one.
The sudden acquisition of power, therefore, had a hugely disorienting effect. Not only did the party expand exponentially in terms of members, whose different backgrounds undermined internal discipline, its sojourn in the corridors of power also ensured that it came in touch with the usual suspects who gather round parties in power - wheeler-dealers and quick-fix specialists.
The fact that the BJP's elevation to office took place when India's old socialistic licence-permit-control Raj hadn't been fully dismantled meant that the industrial magnates hovered round ministers and party apparatchiki with the ubiquitous briefcases.
Of all the youthful rising stars in the party, Pramod Mahajan epitomized the new kind of life with its heady mix of power, fame and fortune that the party members were beginning to enjoy. The fact that he belonged to an ordinary middle class family may have made him more susceptible than some of the others.
Inevitably, children tend to become the worst victims of such a lifestyle. Rahul Mahajan may be suffering from the consequences of a particularly wild evening in his late father's sprawling colonial-style residence in one of New Delhi's most exclusive areas.
But subsequent journalistic investigations have revealed the virtually unchecked prevalence of the drug 'culture' in India among the affluent. In recent years, at least two prominent young men, belonging to the film fraternity, Fardeen Khan and Sanjay Dutt, have been caught using the banned substances.
Till now, monetary scandals were the bane of Indian politics. The Rajiv Gandhi government, for instance, lost in 1989 because of the Bofors howitzer scam. But 'snorting' has now gained currency as a new word involving a political family. It is not a little ironical that its association today is with a party that claimed to be upholding the high principles of Hindu life. Rarely has the cynical use of religious sentiments boomeranged on the pretenders in so devastating a manner.
(Amulya Ganguli is a political analyst. He can be reached at aganguli@mail.com)
Munich, June 18 (Xinhua) Brazil beat Australia 2-0 at their World Cup Group F match to qualify for the knockout stage here Sunday.
Striker Adriano opened the scoring in the 49th minute from a pass from Ronaldo.
Ronaldo, who kept his starting position despite his disappointing performance in beating Croatia 1-0, gathered the ball on the left-hand corner of the area and three defenders immediately circled him.
He spotted Adriano and played a square ball to his striker partner who struck the ball low into the corner of the net.
Fred, who was brought into the game with only a few minutes to go, scored the second goal to give Brazil an unbeatable 2-0 lead.
Brazil, also survived several scares in the second half. But Australia wasted several good chances and failed to score a goal.
Sofia, June 18 (Xinhua) India's Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma met with Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev and discussed ways to further bilateral political and economic ties.
Sharma, on a visit to Sofia at the invitation of Foreign Minister Ivailo Kalfin, said Saturday his government would encourage Indian companies to invest in Bulgaria.
Stressing on the strong economic ties between the two countries, Stanishev said that broad opportunities exist for India and Bulgaria to promote two-way trade, particularly in the field of high technology.
"Bulgaria and India should also cooperate further in education, science and culture," the Bulgarian prime minister said.
Sharma, who arrived here Friday, also elaborated on India's views and proposals on United Nations reform, expressing appreciation at Sofia's support for a permanent Indian seat on an enlarged UN Security Council.
The two also discussed defence cooperation and expressed willingness to take joint action against terrorism.
Nuremberg, June 18 (Xinhua) Croatia missed a penalty and a number of other chances to draw 0-0 with Japan in their second World Cup Group F tie here Sunday.
The penalty was awarded in the 20th minute when Croatia striker Dado Prso was brought down in the box.
Japanese goalkeeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi made a brilliant save, diving to his left to keep Darijo Srna's penalty out.
In the 27th minute, Croatia playmaker Niko Kranjcar smashed a shot against the crossbar from 25 yards out, and the ball rebounded to safety.
Japan's best chance came four minutes after the interval when Atsushi Yanagisawa missed a chance to score from Akira Kaji's cross.
Lucknow, June 18 (IANS) A former union minister is seeking to bring together different Muslim political organisations in Uttar Pradesh under a common banner, a development that has the potential to worry mainstream political parties preparing for the forthcoming polls.
The former civil aviation minister, C.M. Ibrahim, who has reportedly met Shahi Imam Ahmed Bukhari of Delhi's Jama Masjid, is camping here to build bridges with Lucknow-based prominent Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawaad.
Bukhari's announcement of a Uttar Pradesh United Democratic Front (UPUDF) came shortly after Jawaad had formed his People's Democratic Front. The two had failed to come under a common banner because Bukhari was reportedly unwilling to accept Jawaad as head of the body.
Ibrahim is focused on bringing different leading Muslims clerics together. He proposes to meet Lucknow's Naib Imam Maulana Khalid Rasheed, who has his reservations against the formation of a Muslim political outfit. Rasheed commands a large following among Sunni Muslims.
Ibrahim has also met some prominent members of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board. He also proposes to rope in influential retired Muslim and Dalit bureaucrats into his proposed political outfit.
Inspired by the success of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in Assam, both Bukhari and Jawaad had set up their political outfits in Uttar Pradesh last month.
Ibrahim, who was also the chairman of the UDF Governing Council, told IANS: "I am hopeful that both leaders will realise the need for unity. My aim is not limited to bringing just the two of them together, but to bring various Muslim organisations under a common banner."
"My effort will also be to bring in Dalits and other oppressed classes under one banner," he added.
The formation of such outfits is seen as a matter of concern for the political parties in Uttar Pradesh, particularly for the Samajwadi Party of Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, who has sought to portray himself as the champion of the Muslim cause in the country.
Guwahati, June 18 (IANS) Thousands of people in India's northeast continue to live in makeshift shelters with floods in the Brahmaputra river caused by monsoon rains killing 16 and displacing 530,000, officials said Sunday.
The floods were receding and the overall situation was improving in the weekend, according to An Assam government statement.
"There has been no reports of fresh flooding since Saturday evening though thousands are taking shelter in makeshift camps and on raised platforms with their villages under knee-deep waters," Assam's Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Bhumidhar Barman told IANS here.
Eleven people have died of drowning or in landslides triggered by heavy rains in Assam with another 520,000 left homeless with floodwaters submerging their homes.
Five people were killed during the week in neighbouring Tripura state where 10,000 residents were also displaced.
According to a Central Water Commission bulletin, the Brahmaputra river was flowing below the crisis was far from over as people were not in a position to return to their homes, the minister said.
"There are no drinking water facilities in villages with all the water sources filled with mud and slush," he said.
Road and rail communications were disrupted in many parts of Assam with floodwaters covering highways and rail tracks.
Floodwaters had entered the Kaziranga National Park, home to the endangered one-horned rhinoceros, and forced animals to migrate to higher ground.
The 2,906-km river traverses Tibet, India and Bangladesh before emptying into the Bay of Bengal. Every year monsoon rains bring floods in the river in Assam. In 2004, at least 200 people died and millions were displaced due to floods.
Cologne, June 17 (Xinhua) World Cup debutants Ghana have kept alive their hopes of reaching the last 16 with an astonishing 2-0 win over the Czech Republic in their second Group E clash here Saturday.
Asamoah Gyan netted in the first-ever score for the Black Stars in the finals in just 75 seconds as he chested down a centred ball from captain Stephen Appiah and fired past Petr Cech with an unstoppable low shot after the Czechs failed to clear their lines following a corner.
Sulley Muntari scored the second in the 82nd minute, coolly finishing a cross from Gyan after the latter broke forward down the right, steadied himself and squared the ball to Muntari.
By Mike Swanson, Berlin, June 18 (DPA) Ghana scored Africa's first victory in the 2006 World Cup on Saturday as Portugal advanced to the next round and the US held Italy to a draw in a bruising encounter that saw three players sent off.
Asamoah Gyan scored after just 70 seconds and set up a late goal for Sulley Ali Muntari as the West Africans upset pre-match favourites Czech Republic 2-0 in front of a crowd of 43,000 in Cologne.
Ghana, back in form after their 2-0 opening loss to Italy, could afford a dramatic missed penalty and poor finishing as the injury-hit Czechs never got into a hard-fought game that saw them reduced to 10 men after Tomas Ujfalusi was sent off for a 65th minute foul that led to the penalty.
Ghana were the more elegant side, pressuring the Czechs in their own half and regularly threatening Petr Cech's goal with fluid - even cocky - moves and Chelsea's Michael Essien directing in midfield.
The result threw Group E wide open before Italy and the US faced off. However, both Ghana scorers picked up their second yellow cards of tournament, sidelining them for the last group game against the US next Thursday.
Any of the four teams could go through to the knockout stage after a plucky US team reduced to nine men held 10-man Italy to a 1-1 draw in a dramatic clash in Kaiserslautern.
AC Milan striker Alberto Gilardino headed a 22nd minute opener for Italy then Cristian Zaccardo knocked a Bobby Convey free-kick into his own net in the 27th minute.
A minute later Daniele De Rossi was sent off for a vicious elbow into the face of Brian McBride but the Americans went a man down in the 44th minute when Argentine-born Pablo Mastroeni was red carded for a bad tackle on Andrea Pirlo.
Then Uruguayan referee Jorge Larriondo sent off Eddie Pope when he caught Gilardino for a second yellow card in the 47th minute.
Goalkeeper Kasey Keller, who was voted Man of the Match, saved the US with two great saves in the last 10 minutes from substitute Alessandro Del Piero.
"I think we could have won with 10 men but not with nine," Keller said afterwards. "Of course, it's not three points, but to get just one point from this situation is tremendous."
The Italians top the group on four points ahead of the Czechs and Ghana on three points each but could yet fail to qualify for the next round if they lose to the Czechs and Ghana beat the United States next Thursday.
It was only the fourth time in World Cup history three players had been sent off in one match. The other occasions were Brazil-Italy in 1938, Brazil-Hungary in 1954 and Denmark-South Africa in 1998.
In the day's other game, Portugal became the sixth team to advance to the second round with a hard fought 2-0 victory over outsiders Iran in Group D.
A sublime 63rd-minute long-range strike by midfielder Deco and an 80th minute penalty by Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo sent the Iranians crashing out of the tournament.
The defeat meant Iran have no points from their two matches, following their 3-1 defeat by Mexico in the opening game. Portugal head the group on 6 points ahead of Mexico on 4.
Angola still have a one-point lifeline from their goalless draw against Mexico Friday, and will look to take maximum points against Iran in the final round as Portugal and Mexico battle to take top spot in the group next Wednesday and probably avoid facing Argentina.
"We are very happy that we made it to the next round. This was our aim. We knew that it would be a difficult match, but we prepared ourselves accordingly," said Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari.
MADINAH, June 18, (NNN-SPA) -- Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul-aziz has expressed optimism that the Muslim Ummah regain its early status and unite against all challenges.
The King made these remarks in an address at a ceremony, in the presence of Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul-Aziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General.
During the ceremony, he laid the foundation stones for a number of projects including the expansions of the eastern parks and shades against sun and protective covers from rains at Masjid-e-nabvi.
Abdullah expressed his pleasure to be in the city with the grand sons of the Prophet’s companions.
Ever since the establishment of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by the late King Abdulaziz, Abdullah said "We have been serving Islam and Muslims and we should be proud of this which cannot be matched to any worldly things."
"In view of Madinah’s sacred status in the Islamic world, I am pleased to announce the conversion of Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz Airport to an International Airport," King Abdullah said.
The King also thanked Madinah people for their generosity, wishing them success and happiness.
Colombo, June 18 (NNN-PTI) -- Sri Lankan troops pounded Tamil tiger positions using helicopter gunships and artillery in fierce land and sea battles in the northwest that killed at least 52 people on Saturday, leading the rebels to give a strong warning of "possible retaliation."
The defence ministry said the navy and the airforce together destroyed eight of the 11 boats used by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to attack navy patrol in Mannar islet near Palk Straits, the sea boundary dividing India and Sri Lanka.
It said 30 guerrillas were killed in the fighting while loosing 15 navy sailors.
Mi-24 helicopter gunships were pressed into service to counter the rebel strike.
Hospital officials said six civilians caught up in the crossfire also died while a suspected Tiger rebel consumed cyanide pill to avoid capture.
But the LTTE denied the military figures, claiming they did not lose any of their combatants and that only two cadres were wounded.
The Tigers in a flotilla of 11 boats had attacked patrol craft of the navy off the coast of Mannar.
The rebel attack came after Sri Lankan military unleashed two days of retaliatory strikes after a bus bombing on Thursday in Anuradhapura, which killed 64 people.
The Tigers also shelled a police station at Pesalai in the small Mannar islet and the security forces retaliated using artillery.
In a statement sent to the Norwegian peace monitors, the LTTE gave a "strong warning to Colombo of possible retaliation following the provocative aerial bombing."
The pro-rebel Tamilnet website said at least 30 civilians were wounded in today's fighting but the defence ministry put the figure at between 15 and 20.
Meanwhile, police recovered two powerful bombs near a coastal town about 60 kilometres north of Colombo.
The defence ministry said it suspected that the Tigers may have been planning a suicide mission against an unspecified target and their plans may have gone wrong.
But police chief Chandra Fernando said the Tiger frogmen had been planting limpet mines along a strategic sea lane used by the navy and where merchant shipping did not operate.
Police also reported a huge explosion, possibly at mid sea, off the coast of Negombo district which is south of Mannar.
Two men with diving equipment were arrested along the beach and they had taken cyanide, police said.
The two were in a critical condition and admitted to hospital where one succumbed to injuries.
The escalation of violence came in spite of pressure from the international community to the warring sides to resume peace talks.
Describing the Thursday blast as an "abhorrent act of violence which marks the bloodiest attack on civilians since the signing of the cease-fire agreement in 2002," the European Union said it was "another clear violation of that agreement."
"The EU calls upon all parties to put an end to violence and to return to the negotiation table with a view to strengthening the immediate cease-fire and working towards a durable political solution of the conflict, so as to relieve the Sri Lankan people from the ordeal of 20 years of
persistent conflict," it said in a statement released in Austria on Friday.
GAZA, June 17 (NNN-Xinhua) Foreign minister of the Palestinian Hamas-led government Mahmoud Zahar, who returned last week from a seven-nation tour with USD$20 million in his luggage, pledged on Saturday to keep funneling cash through the Egypt-Gaza border despite European objections.
"We are going to continue to bring money in through Rafah crossing. We are not going to allow anyone to prevent us," Zahar told reporters in Gaza, referring to the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, which was opened after Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip last year.
He claimed that the transporting of cash over the border was a "legal process."
Zahar is one of two ministers of the Hamas-led government to bring in money in suitcases during the past week to help the cash-strapped Palestine administration.
Information Minister Yousef Rezqah of the Hamas-led government was also found with USD$4 million in his luggage at Rafah crossing last Thursday, after the Arab information ministers conference in Cairo.
The Hamas government is close to bankruptcy following international financial sanctions imposed for its refusal to renounce violence against Israel.
Zahar also said an Iranian pledge to hand over 50 million U.S. dollars, 300 cars and two aircraft to the Palestinian government would be made good soon.
In a further development on Saturday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in Egypt for a meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, vowed to continue a 16-month-old cease-fire with Israel.
By M.R. Narayan Swamy, New Delhi, June 18 (IANS) Indian Muslims are demanding the right to pray in nearly 600 historical mosques across the country which are under the control of the central government for archaeological reasons.
Muslim leaders say it is high time the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) permitted their community to pray five times a day in all these mosques if it does believe in religious equality.
"There are nearly 600 mosques all over the country, 53 in Delhi alone, where Muslims cannot pray because they are seen as historical monuments," said Intezar Naeem of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, a body founded in 1941.
"Imagine how you would feel if reasons of history were given to prevent you from praying in equally ancient (Hindu) temples?" he asked.
The 53 mosques in the Indian capital include those located inside the 17th century Red Fort, one across the road near Jama Masjid, in the Safdarjung Tomb, in Lodi Garden and at the imposing Qutub Minar complex (Quwwat-ul-Islam).
The Khairul Manazil mosque opposite the Old Fort is also out of bounds for prayers. So are the ones inside the Delhi Golf Club grounds and near Wazirabad bridge, near the Yamuna river.
Similar restrictions are in place at the mosque near the Ferozeshah Kotla ground here. Nevertheless, on major Islamic holidays, Muslims pray there in large numbers.
But once the prayers get over, the police slap cases against the prayer leaders accusing them of intruding into protected monuments.
According to Naeem, all the nearly 600 mosques were built during the Mughal era and are 500 to 250 years old.
"The ASI says these are historical mosques and they need to be preserved as part of history," Naeem told IANS.
"Our stand is that mosques are not built for any historical reasons. They are built so that Muslims can pray. What will happen if the Makkah is disallowed for prayers because it is a historical mosque?
"However beautiful or old or both, the mosques will be looked after by Muslims. They will also pray there. All mosques where prayers go on end up being well maintained. Many mosques with ASI are in a bad condition."
The issue of being denied permission to offer prayers in historical mosques has repeatedly brought Muslims into conflict with the authorities here.
In the 1980s, Muslims in the Indian capital took to the streets saying they should be permitted to pray at the mosque near the main gate of Safdarjung Tomb, a huge 18th century monument near Lodi Garden.
The deadlock continues to this day although prayers are now allowed on Fridays.
Recently, Abdul Haq Ansari, the head of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, urged the Indian government to throw open the gates of all historical mosques to Muslims.
Shoaib Iqbal, deputy speaker of the Delhi legislative assembly, made the same demand when he called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to discuss a variety of issues.
"The government is aware of the problem," said Naeem. "They know about it. They simply don't want to solve it."
ASI officials admit they don't have the resources to protect or preserve all the mosques in their custody. But some ask why should Muslims insist on praying in these monuments when there are tens of thousands of mosques in the country.
"The reason is simple," replies Naeem. "A mosque is meant for our community, not for tourists. If you don't agree, where is the freedom of religion?
"How will you feel if the government does not allow you to pray at a temple just because it is hundreds of years old?
"Worse, while we Muslims cannot pray at these mosques, all kinds of people enter them, wearing shoes and slippers. Some outlying mosques (here) have become dens. But when Muslims go to pray, they are chased away.
"The right to prayer is justified. Please remember that there is deep resentment in the community over this. Probably the government does not realise this."
New Delhi, June 18 (IANS) Stressing on the need to introduce a common school system in the country, educationists Sunday said it was the only method to improve the primary education system and remove disparities among students.
"There is a need to introduce common school system in the country so that all students get equal opportunities and facilities, thus lessening disparities amongst students," said Madhu Prasad, educationist and a professor in Delhi University, while speaking at a seminar on measures to improve municipal schools in the national capital.
Pointing towards poor infrastructure facilities in the 1,854 municipal corporation schools in the capital, Prasad emphasised that the standard of education should be raised to such a level so students from these schools are able to compete with those from other schools.
The speakers said most of the primary schools run by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) lack basic amenities and drinking water facilities. They said though students are given free books, uniforms and food in the schools, teaching standards are deteriorating.
"Birth of a child is a matter of chance and it is important that children get proper education no matter what their background might be," said Indira Yadav, director MCD (schools).
She said most of the people who send their children to MCD schools do not have strong financial background.
"If educated people visit these schools and make recommendations to the school management, then the standard of education will certainly improve," Yadav said.
Similar were the views of Nalini Juneja, a professor. "It is important to integrate children, parents and teachers for a child's better future," Juneja said.
New Delhi, June 18 (IANS) A group of human rights organisations have demanded a probe into the police shootout that killed three suspected terrorists who were apparently planning to attack the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters in Nagpur June 1.
The three, suspected to be part of Lashkar-e-Taiba, were killed in a gun battle with police at dawn, minutes after they rammed through the rear barricade of the RSS headquarters, apparently with an intension to blow it up.
The rights organisations, however, doubt the police version of the event.
"The narrative of the whole encounter, instead of clearing the mystery of the attackers, confounded the citizens all the more. The reports were conflicting and left innumerable questions on the ground-zero situation unanswered," says the report of a fact-finding team.
The exercise, organised by the People's Union for Civil Liberties, Nagpur, and four other organisations, was led by B.G. Kolse Patil, former judge of the Mumbai High Court.
The report alleges that police had a rehearsal of the shootout on the same spot a few days before the incident. "The police even fired in air on the occasion, local residents say," it notes.
"When police had prior information about a possible attack on the RSS headquarters and they were prepared to handle it, why did they allow the attackers to go close to the headquarters?"
The report also points out that there is no eyewitness to the gun battle which took place at 4.15 a.m. "The bodies of the assailants were removed even before the press reporters, who were the first people other than police to reach the spot, arrived there at about 5 a.m.," it says.
Police maintained that when an ambassador car with a red beacon atop moved towards the RSS headquarters, one of the constables in a Tata Sumo vehicle "casually" asked the young occupants about their intentions. Immediately, the alleged militants opened fire on the police vehicle even as they tried to get away.
"For the constable to ask casually, either he must have brought his car (the police vehicle) beside the terrorists' vehicle or come by foot close to it. How did the constable escape unhurt? The narration of the incident does not have any detail to clarify this," the report says.
That the terrorists battled for 20 minutes "hopelessly" not using any of their arms "is a narration that fails to convince common sense," it adds.
It also criticises authorities for declaring the terrorists as "Islamic" and Pakistan-based "fidayeen".
"The stated seizure of a diary containing all their names and telephone numbers sounds farce. Terrorists on a deadly mission carrying a diary with their own identities defies common sense."
Seoul, June 18 (DPA) Indications that North Korea is preparing to test its Taepodong 2 long-range missile very shortly are growing, media reports here said.
Yonhap news agency quoted unnamed diplomatic sources in Seoul Saturday as saying that tests of the missile, which has a range of up to 6,000 km and is capable of reaching the United States, could take place as soon as this weekend or Monday.
But North Korean officials denied any such preparations were afoot, Kyodo News agency cited an unnamed South Korean official as saying.
Japan has sent Pyongyang a warning through diplomatic channels in Beijing, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso was quoted as saying.
South Korea, for its part, was said to be using all available communications channels to persuade the North to abandon the test, sources in Seoul said.
Japan's Aso and US Ambassador to Japan J. Thomas Schieffer had agreed at a meeting on Saturday that North Korea must stop its "serious and provocative" behaviour.
The US and Japan would consider the option of economic sanctions against North Korea if it launched a ballistic missile, the sources said.
On Friday, the US State Department warned that if North Korea followed through on reported plans to test the missile it would be a "provocative act" that would further isolate the communist country from the rest of the world.
South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported that North Korea had brought starter rockets and fuel tanks to a launch pad where a Taepodong missile had been installed.
According to Japanese media reports, North Korea may have already fuelled its ballistic missiles.
According to US estimates, the Taepodong-2 missile gives North Korea the ability to strike parts of the United States with nuclear warheads.
The communist country triggered international concern in August 1998 when it tested without warning a multi-stage Taepodong-1 missile, claiming it had launched a satellite carrier rocket.
Washington, June 18 (DPA) Blogs are everywhere these days. At last count, over 44 million blogs populated the Internet, with the number doubling every five months, according to Technorati, a US-based blog-tracking site.
It's easy to see why blogs are growing exponentially. Thanks to sites like Google's Blogger.com (http://www.blogger.com), MSN Spaces (http://spaces.msn.com), and Yahoo 360 (http://360.yahoo.com), starting your own blog takes just a few clicks and about five minutes of your time.
Some people are using their blogs in traditional ways - to share thoughts, pictures, review movies, talk politics, or rant about whatever is bugging them. But the fact is a blog is an instant personal website, ready for just about anything you'd like to use it for.
Join the blogging universe, though, and soon you'll find yourself wanting software tools that you've never needed before - programmes that make updating your blog easier, for example, or applications that make finding other blogs and using information from sites around the Internet. Here are a few.
- Blogger for Word
There's good reason to start your blogging career with a service such as Google's Blogger (http://www.blogger.com/start). It's free and easy and removes most of the technical hurdles that might prevent you from getting your blog up and running in a hurry.
But there's one problem with Blogger: to create additional blog entries, you normally need to visit the site.
But there's hope. The relatively new Blogger for Word (http://buzz.blogger.com/bloggerforword.html) is a Microsoft Word add-in that lets you update your blog without ever leaving the comfort of the most popular word processor.
With Blogger for Word installed, you don't even need to open a browser to publish an entry into your blog. Just click a toolbar button, and you're done. The downside? Blooger for Word works only with blogs set up with the Blogger service.
- WordPress
When you sign up for a free blog space with Blogger or MSN Spaces, you get a variety of layout templates to choose from. If you want to move beyond the canned look of those pre-defined choices, however, it may be time to investigate the more powerful creation abilities of a tool such as WordPress.
WordPress (http://wordpress.org) is a full-fledged, open source (free) blog creation tool and editor. You can use the product on your own Web site and domain, following the detailed installation and usage instructions provided by the product's creator.
There are many reasons you might gravitate toward WordPress over the site creation tools provided by the major blogging sites. WordPress caters to the needs of serious bloggers, and therefore it has features that allow your blog to contain automatically-updated information from other sites, more easily attract readers, feature advertising, blog by e-mail, be creative with formatting, and much more.
- Blogsome
Getting started with WordPress can be a bit too technical for some, however. That's why Blogsome (http://www.blogsome.com) was created. This website makes creating a blog as easy as it is with Blogger, but your blog hosted by Blogsome comes with a pre-installed version of the powerful WordPress. By default, ads appear on your Blogsome blog, but you can turn them off. Unfortunately, you can't collect any of the revenue from the ads if you leave them on -
that's how Blogsome makes its money.
- Google's Adsense
If your blog ends up with a loyal following, why not make some money from your efforts? Google's popular Adsense (http://www.google.com/intl/en/ads) programme allows you to do just that. Anyone can enroll in the Adsense programme. Once enrolled, you follow instructions on how to copy code into your blog. The popular Blogger site make it especially easy to incorporate Adsense ads.
The beauty of Adsense is that the ads that Google feeds to your site are customised to its content. If in one blog entry you're talking about the latest blockbuster movie, the Adsense ads that appear on the page will likely be about movies - things your readers may be interested in knowing more about. When someone clicks on an ad, you make money. It's that simple. At the end of each month, Google sends you a cheque for the proceeds from your ads.
- Blogarithm
There's no better way to learn how to create a great blog than by viewing successful blogs. To keep up with the latest changes of all the blogs in your bookmark list, though, is a challenge. That's where Blogarithm (http://www.blogarithm.com) can help.
Blogarithm help you track changes made to blogs that your read. Whenever one of those blogs changes, you're alerted. You can also set up Blogarithm to alert you to changes on regular websites.
- Lots more blog tools
Tools to help you with blogging are mushrooming almost as quickly as blogs themselves. While there are several compilations of good blogging tools around, the Weblogs Compendium of Blog Tools (http://www.lights.com/Weblogs/tools.html), an alphabetical list of software tools and resources of use to bloggers, is one of the finest.
Kaiserslautern (Germany), June 18 (DPA) The United States held Italy to a 1-1 draw in an explosive World Cup Group E match in Kaiserslautern on Saturday.
With three players sent off, the US was reduced to a nine-man team as it faced 10-man Italy in the match.
AC Milan striker Alberto Gilardino headed a 22nd minute opener for Italy then Cristian Zaccardo knocked a Bobby Convey free-kick into his own net in the 27th minute.
A minute later Daniele De Rossi was sent off for a vicious elbow into the face of Brian McBride but the Americans went a man down in the 44th minute when Argentine-born Pablo Maestroni was given a red card for a bad tackle on Andrea Pirlo.
Then Uruguayan referee Jorge Larriondo sent off Eddie Pope when he caught Gilardino for a second yellow card in the 47th minute.
Goalkeeper Kasey Keller saved the US with two great saves in the last 10 minutes from substitute Alessandro Del Piero.
"I think we could have won with 10 men but not with nine," Keller said afterwards. "Of course, it's not three points, but to get just one point from this situation is tremendous."
And he refused to accept that the Americans could make no further progress in the tournament with the Italians on four points, the Czech Republic and Ghana on three each and the US on one.
"This group is alive now. We have every chance of qualifying," he said.
After Ghana's shock 2-0 win over the Czech Republic earlier on Saturday, Group E was wide open.
The Italians top the group on four points ahead of the Czechs and Ghana on three points each but could yet fail to qualify for the next round if they lose to the Czechs and Ghana beat the United States next Thursday.
It was only the fourth time in World Cup history that three players had been sent off in one match. The other occasions were Brazil-Italy in 1938, Brazil-Hungary in 1954 and Denmark-South Africa in 1998.
American defender Carlos Bocanegra headed Pirlo's free-kick on to his own crossbar in the closing stages and Italy effectively finished with nine men as Simone Perrotta was hobbling with all three substitutes having been used.
"I'm disappointed and angry," said Italy coach Marcello Lippi afterwards. "We didn't go into this match in the right frame of mind and we paid for it with the nervous way we played and the mistakes we made."
US coach Bruce Arena praised his side's refusal to surrender.
"Two red cards in the space of five minutes is pretty harsh and I respect the team for the way they dealt with it."
Italy: Gianluigi Buffon - Cristian Zaccardo (54. Alessandro
Del Piero), Fabio Cannavaro, Alessandro Nesta, Gianluca
Zambrotta - Simone Perrotta, Andrea Pirlo, Daniele De Rossi -
Francesco Totti (35. Gennaro Gattuso) - Luca Toni (61. Vincenzo
Iaquinta), Alberto Gilardino
USA: Kasey Keller - Steve Cherundolo, Eddie Pope, Oguchi Onyewu,
Carlos Bocanegra - Pablo Mastroeni - Claudio Reyna, Landon Donovan,
Clint Dempsey (62. Damarcus Beasley), Bobby Convey (52. Jimmy Conrad)
- Brian McBride (77. Josh Wolff)
Referee: Jorge Larrionda (Uruguay)
Attendance: 46,000
Goals: 1-0 Gilardino (22), 1-1 Zaccardo o.g. (27)
Yellow Cards: Totti, Zambrotta
Yellow/Red Card: Pope
Red Cards: De Rossi / Mastroeni
New York, June 18 (IANS) Eating vegetables and fruits may reduce cholesterol, prevent build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries and can provide protection against heart disease, according to a study on mice.
US researchers led by Michael Adams at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine assessed the effect of diet on heart disease by studying mice, reported online edition of BBC News.
These mice had been specially bred to rapidly develop atherosclerosis - the formation of fatty plaques in the arteries that can eventually block blood flow leading to heart attacks and strokes.
Half of the studied mice were fed a vegetable-free diet and half the mice were fed a diet that included broccoli, green beans, corn, peas and carrots.
After 16 weeks, researchers measured cholesterol content in the blood vessels and plaques in the arteries of the mice.
They found 38 percent less build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries of mice that were fed a mixture of vegetables, including carrots and peas.
"Although the pathways involved remain uncertain, the results indicate that a diet rich in green and yellow vegetables inhibits the development of hardening of the arteries and may reduce the risk of heart disease," Adams said.