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killed in Indian- administered Kashmir as polls opened Tuesday for the fourth and final round of voting in State Assembly elections. VOA’s J.T. reports from our New Delhi bureau. Separatist militants made good on their pledge to disrupt voting in Kashmir’s elections attacking a polling station in D. 173 kilometers east of Kashmir’s winter capital Jammu. Tuesday’s final round of voting for Kashmir’s State Assembly elections has taken place in 6 constituencies in D. district and another district in northern Kashmir. About 90000 security force personnel are on duty in D. – a rugged and remote region of the state, where separatist militants are especially active. Separatist militants have pledged to kill any candidates and voters taking part in the elections. Separatist political parties have urged to boycott. About 600 people have died so far in election violence since campaigning began in August. (VOA October, 2002) News 20 Dock workers have criticized the move by President Bush that could lead to the reopening of West Coast ports. The ports have been closed for the past week in a labor dispute that has cost US businesses billions of dollars. M.S. reports from Los Angeles. The President is considering a move that could force the workers back on the job. Management have said workers were staging a slowdown, which the workers deny. US Labor Secretary L.C. welcomes the President’s action. (VOA October, 2002) News 21 Indonesian police have announced that two Indonesian men being questioned as witnesses to the bomb attack in Bali are now being treated as formal suspects to the bombing. The men were detained on Tuesday after the identity card of one of them was found close to the night club where the car bomb exploded killing nearly 200 people. Police said the retired Indonesian Air Force officer living on Bali was also being questioned in connection with the attack. The announcement comes after Australia and Indonesia agreed to set a joint investigation and intelligence team after a visit to Jakarta by the Australian Foreign Minister. From Indonesia R.G. reports. (BBC October, 2002) News 22 The US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has agreed to the use of military surveillance in the hunt for the serial sniper who’s killed 9 people in the Washington suburbs. Following an approach from the FBI at the weekend the Pentagon is providing manned fixed–winged reconnaissance aircraft capable of relaying information quickly. The Pentagon stresses that the military will simply be supporting the law–enfocement agencies. (BBC October, 2002) News 23 Iraqi officials say President Saddam Hussein has won 100% backing in a referendum on whether he should stay in power. They said turn–out was also 100%. Saddam Hussein was the only candidate and last time he won more than 99% of the vote. The Iraqi government is describing the referendum as a challenge to the United States at a time when President Bush has threatened military attack. C.H. reports from Baghdad. (BBC October, 2002) News 24 The two parties in the German government – the Social Democrats and the Greens – have signed a new coalition agreement after their victory in last month’s elections. Chancellor Schroeder said during its second term in office the government would focus on employment, education, and women’s, and family issues. The deal also commits the government to cutting the federal budget deficit to zero by 2006. (BBC October, 2002) News 25 The centre–right coalition government in the Netherlands is on the verge of collapse after only 3 months in office. Two ministers left their posts today, and there’ve been calls from party leaders for the entire government to resign and allow new elections to be held. The government is divided over a range of issues, but the BBC correspondent in the Hague says the central problem has been a power struggle between two members of the right–wing party, the LPF, set up by the murdered populist politician T.T. He was shot dead in May only 9 days before general elections in which the LPF took the second place. (BBC October, 2002) News 26 Chechen separatists who have taken over the building have been releasing a few of their hostages. First one was freed, then, an hour later, 6 were allowed to leave. Russian television showed them walking calmly one by one to waiting police. Foreign diplomats have been arriving amid reports that foreigners among the hostages are to be released. From Moscow J.C. reports. The negotiations have been delicate. The Russian authorities believe they’re dealing with the heavily–armed group prepared to die for their cause. But the Chechens appear ready to make a significant concession. They promise to release the 75 foreign hostages they’ve been holding, a number to include British, Australian, German and American citizens. That still leaves hundreds of Russians inside the theatre, a strong negotiation card for the Chechens. The camera crew allowed inside filmed female members of the Chechen group with what looked like explosives strapped around their bodies. The Chechens are still insisting they’ll blow the theatre up if their calls for an end of the war in Chechnya and the withdrawal of all Russian troops aren’t met. (BBC October, 2002) News27 The United States Defence Department has confirmed for the first time that it’s using armed pilotless aircraft to attack targets which threaten American and British patrols over southern Iraq. It says the drones, known as ‘Predators’, carry missiles which are used to attack a range of targets if Western coalition planes come under fire while enforcing the flight exclusion zone there. (BBC October, 2002) News 28 North Korea says it’s willing to address American concern over its nuclear weapons programme if Washington agrees to a non–aggression treaty. The country’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that such a treaty would be a realistic solution to the nuclear issue. It went on to say that the treaty should also guarantee North Korea’s sovereignty and its free economic development. The statement is the fullest response from Pyongyang over the issue. Washington has called for an immediate end to the nuclear programme and says it’s mobilising international pressure to back its demand. (BBC October, 2002) News 29 This week marks the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, a time of fasting, prayer, and family activities for Muslims around the world. In America, too, Muslims will be observing Ramadan securing the knowledge that they live in a country where all people are free to practice their faith. Many people are scarcely aware that there are several million Muslims in the US. In fact, Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in the US today, with more than 1200 mosques and 400 Islamic schools. American Muslims have also established more than 400 associations and 200 publications. An estimated 200000 Muslims operate businesses in the US and thousands serve in the US Armed Forces. Like people everywhere, Americans have not always lived up to their highest principles. But there can be no question that Americans have long been committed to religious freedom. The first settlements in America were established by people fleeing religious persecution in their homeland. (VOA November, 2002) News 30 And at the top of the news US voters will cast ballots today in national mid–term election that will decide whether Democrats maintain control over the Semate, Senate that is, or the balance of power in Congress swings towards the Bush’s Republican Party. The entire of US House of Representatives is up to election Tuesday, and is one third of the Senate. Voters will also choose governors in 36 of the 50 states. Democrats narrowly hold the Senate, while Republicans have a slim majority in the House. Till up to campaign President Bush has urged voters to keep his party control of the entire legislature. (VOA November, 2002) News 31 Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein says he will consider cooperating with the new UN disarmament resolution if it does not threaten US military actions. VOA’s D.D. reports the US hopes to present a new resolution to the Security Council by the end of the week. The administration began its quest for a new resolution with the September, 12th UN address by President Bush in which he said the UN risks losing its political relevance if it fails to enforce its own disarmament resolutions on Iraq and also warned the US was prepared to act on its own if the UN failed. US officials have been frustrated by the slow pace of deliberations in the Council. Spokesman Boucher said the administration with its pending new draft has gone a long way toward accommodating the concerns of other member countries and that it is now time for the Security Council to act. (VOA November, 2002) News 32 News reports quoting US officials say the Central Intelligence Agency has used a remote control airplane that killed the top Al-Qaeda operative in Yemen. Officials say the man known as A.A. and 5 other Al-Qaeda members died in the strike. Intelligence officials believe he was behind the 2000 suicide bombing at the US SS (steamship) “Cole” and a similar attack on a French oil tanker in October. (VOA November, 2002) News 33 And the State Department has congratulated Turkey’s Justice and Development Party on its big election win Sunday. VOA’s R.W. reports the first task facing the new party is to decide which of its members will be Prime Minister. The AKP says its executive board will meet on Tuesday to discuss who will be put forward for Prime Minister after its overwhelming victory at the poll. The AKP is the first Turkish party in more than a decade that will be able to govern alone without the need to form a cumbersome coalition. The only other group to enter the legislature is the staunchly secular Republican Peoples’s Party, which obtained 19% of the vote. (VOA November, 2002) News 34 Iraq’s Parliamentary Speaker S.H. told the 250–member body the resolution is provocative, deceitful, and a preamble for war. He said the resolution seeks to create a crisis and paves the way for aggression rather than for peace. Mr. H. was speaking to the opening session of the emergency meeting of Parliament called by President Saddam Hussein to consider Security Council resolution unanimously approved last Friday. The Head of Iraq’s Arab and International Relations Committee S.A. told Parliament to reject the resolution and hand the matter over to President Saddam for final decision. The final decision on Iraq’s position will be determined by President Saddam thru his Revolutionary Command Council. Arab League Secretary General A. said Monday he believes Iraq will cooperate with the new resolution. High–level sources in the Arab League have told VOA Mr. Saddam has already decided to accept the terms of the resolution, which calls on Iraq to allow UN weapons inspectors full access to all sites throughout the country including Saddam Hussein’s 9 presidential palaces. Iraq has been told if it rejects the resolution, the US would be willing to act unilaterally, if necessary, to disarm Iraq. Iraq has until Friday to decide whether to accept the resolution. (VOA November, 2002) News 35 Prime Minister Blair used his annual Foreign Policy Address at a London Bank Monday night to explain how his government handles the threats of new attacks by the Al-Qaeda terrorist network. He spoke as intelligence analysts warned of possible terrorist strikes before year’s end in Britain or elsewhere in Europe. Mr. Blair says the dilemma for his government and the people of Britain is to maintain vigilance without crippling the economy and social life. Mr. Blair says modern–day terrorism knows no bounds of geography or scale, as evidence by the attacks against the US last year, and the recent Bali bomb blast, and the Moscow theatre siege. The Prime Minister said the world community also must realize that the Israeli–Palestinian conflict is arousing much of, what he called, the passion and anger that Islamic terrorists exploit. Mr. Blair is urging the new Middle East peace negotiations, preferably before the end of this year. “Until this happens, this issue hangs like a dark shadow over our world chilling our relations with each other, poisoning the understanding of our motives, and providing the cover under which the fanatics build their strength.” (VOA November, 2002) News 36 The Colombian Roman Catholic Bishop who heads the Latin American Bishop Conference has been kidnapped outside Bogota. Police say gunmen seized Monsignor J.R.H. and another priest Monday as they headed to the town of P. to perform a religious ceremony. The Commander of the Colombian Army JCRA is offering a 35-thousand-dollar reward for information leading to the release. The Army blames the incident on the Rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the nation’s largest guerrilla force. (VOA November, 2002) News 37 Russia is bound to keep fighting rebels based in the mountains of Chechnya until all guerrillas have been driven from the region. Russia’s Defense Minister S. Ivanov said Monday the troops will continue to fights the targets in operation in Chechnya. The announcement came shortly after Chechen separatist President A. Maskhadov said he remains ready for peace talks with Russian President V. Putin. President Putin again ruled out any negotiations with Mr. Maskhadov to end the war in the breakaway republic. (VOA November, 2002) News 38 There was more talk on Russia and Chechnya in Brussels. That came as Russia reached an agreement with European Union officials on the easing of travel rules to the Russian Baltic region known as Kaliningrad. VOA’s R.W. has the story. Kaliningrad has been cut off from the rest of Russia since the Soviet Union disintegration in 1991. Russians living in the enclave have been able to travel to Russia itself thru Lithuania and Poland without visas. But that will change when those two countries join the EU. EU rules require them to strengthen border controls and issue visas for most non–EU citizens including Russians. But Russia has protested strenuously that its citizens should not have to obtain visas to travel between different parts of their country. The EU and Russia were deadlocked on the issue until Monday when after doubt in a line of negotiations they finally struck a compromise that will allow Russians traveling between Kaliningrad and Russia to use a special document akin to a multiple entry visa. Danish Prime Minister Andres Fogh Rasmussen, whose country holds the EU’s rotating presidency, says the deal satisfies Russian concerns and the EU requirements. (VOA November, 2002) News 39 In focus today Nepal. The small South Asian nation of 23 million people landlocked between world’s two most populated nations, India and China, is facing a guerrilla war by Maoist rebels who want to abolish the monarchy and establish a Communist system in their poor country. S.A. reports. With the world’s highest mountain Everest and spectacular scenery and wildlife, Nepal has been a popular tourist destination. But now the country is the focus of a violent rebel movement. Almost 7000 people have died since 1996 when the Maoists launched a bloody insurgency. Maoists now hold about a quarter of the country and are increasing their control of rural areas. Most of these Maoists are young people from peasant families of D.L.Hindus and make up 20% of Nepal’s population. Several leaders of these Nepalese Maoists come from lower middle class families. Many of them are educated and were influenced by leftist ideas while studying in India and other countries. Although the movement was initially inspired by the revolutionary notions of the late Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedon, many analysts today say the rebels are building on popular discontent in the country. ( VOA November, 2002) News 40 A curfew has been enforced overnight in the northern Nigerian city of K. after riots over the Miss World beauty contest in which at least 12 people were killed and more than 200 hurt. Heavy security has restored a degree of order after street battles involving Muslim youth protesting the pageant being held next month in Nigeria. P.S. reports. With a curfew imposed, a degree of law and order has returned to K. following escalating violence sparked by a controversial story in a national newspaper. The article said that if the Prophet Muhammad were alive, he would take a Miss World contestant as his wife. This has been interpreted by many Muslims to be extremely offensive. (BBC November, 2002) News 41 Israeli forces have entered the town of Bethlehem in response to a Palestinian suicide attack on a bus in Jerusalem on Thursday. Israeli soldiers have taken up positions around Christian holy sites in the centre of the city. S.W. reports. The Israeli operation began in the early hours. Troops entered the town from the south and east surrounding houses and making arrests. One detachment of soldiers headed for M. Square securing the entrance to the Church of Nativity. The Church, which marks the traditional birthplace of Christ, was the scene of a lengthy siege earlier this year after Palestinian gunmen took refuge there during an earlier Israeli incursion. Israeli military and political sources said the action’s being taken to disrupt the infrastructure of the extremist groups, who’ve killed hundreds of Israelis over the past two years in shootings and suicide bombings. (BBC November, 2002) News 42 The authorities in Ecuador have declared a state of emergency in the Andian city of R.B., where a powerful explosion at an ammunition depot on Wednesday killed at least 7 people and injured hundreds more. Ecuadorian President A.N. said that the move should help channel funds to the emergency services, which are struggling to cope with a large number of injured. The mayor of R.B. said that not a single house in the city was left without a broken window. (BBC November, 2002) News 43 North Korea is reported to have refused entry to international experts who want to check the use of fuel oil supplied by international consortium. Diplomats in Japan said the decision had been conveyed in the letter to the consortium, the Korean Peninsula Energy Organisation, by the authorities in Pyongyang. It’s provided North Korea with fuel since 1994 in exchange for the freezing of its nuclear programme. But the agency stopped the oil shipments after North Korea had reported the mission that it secretly operated a uranium enrichment programme. (BBC November, 2002) News 44 Russia and China have urged the United States and North Korea to normalise diplomatic relations and called for the Korean Peninsula to be kept free of nuclear weapons. The call came in the joint declaration by the Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Jiang Zemin. T.W. reports. After an hour-long meeting in Beijing Presidents Putin and Jiang appealed to the US and North Korea to establish closer ties. They also said a nuclear–free North Korea was important for the destiny of the world and the security of the region. Both China and Russia have strong links with North Korea. Pyongyang’s relations with the United States have been strained since October when North Korea reportedly admitted that it works secretly to develop nuclear weapons in breach of the 1994 Agreement to freeze its nuclear programme. In response Washington has halted deliveries of fuel oil to Pyongyang. (BBC December, 2002) News 45 A high–level conference opens in Germany today to assess progress towards peace and reconstruction in Afghanistan. A year after the fall of the Taleban and the internationally-backed settlement that made Hamid Karzai President. Security is likely to be the dominant issue. On Sunday American planes bombed an area of Western Afghanistan after US soldiers came under fire during a battle between Afghan militias. A.C. reports from Bonn. This time last year officials in Bonn were celebrating the establishment of the post–conflict government in Afghanistan. Security will inevitably be at the top of the agenda. Although UN force patrols the capital Kabul, there have been several outbreaks of fighting between the rival warlords in the provinces indicating that President Hamid Karzai has only limited authority across Afghanistan. With extreme poverty still widespread, Afghanistan’s economic recovery will also be a major focus of the talks. Efforts to reconstruct the shattered infrastructure have been slow. (BBC December, 2002) News 46 Reports from the United States say the Roman Catholic Church in Boston is considering the unprecedented step of filing for bankruptcy. The archdiocese is facing more than four hundred lawsuits launched by people who say they were sexually abused in childhood by priests. Bankruptcy protection would suspend all these actions and prevent any new ones being filed while the Church reorganises its finances. (BBC December, 2002) News 47 The new Archbishop of Canterbury R.W. officially takes up his appointment today becoming the spiritual head of the world’s 60 million Anglicans at the ceremony in St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. Dr. R. has already angered conservatives in the Church by speaking out in support of stable homosexual relationships and of the promotion of women priests to the rank of bishops. (BBC December, 2002) News 48 United Nation’s weapons inspectors in Iraq have begun investigating Saddam Hussein’s Scud Missile Programme. From the plant in Baghdad B.B. reports. In the past Al.K. is known to have made guidance and control systems for Scud missiles, which were fired by Iraq during the Gulf War at Israel and Saudi Arabia. Under UN’s rules Saddam Hussein is now only allowed short-range missiles but the recent British government dossier on Iraq claims he has illegally held on to 20 much more powerful Scuds with a range of 400 miles, or 650 kilometres, in order to threaten his neighbours and even British military bases on Cyprus. (BBC December, 2002) News 49 The British government is today releasing a detailed report on, what it says, the widespread torture and murder of thousands of opponents of the Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. The Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said the aim is to remind the world that the abuses of the Iraqi government extend far beyond its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction. (BBC December, 2002) News 50 The three–man crew of the French mini submarine is waiting to see if weather conditions will let them dive down to the wreck of the oil tanker ‘Prestige’ off the northwest coast of Spain. The submarine arrived in the port of Vigo yesterday. The French team plans to make a series of dives to see if the tanker is still leaking oil. (BBC December, 2002) News 51 The United States says it has a solid basis for saying Iraq does have weapons of mass destruction even though UN inspectors have yet to find any of them. A White House spokesman said Thursday it has intelligence information proving that Iraq has banned weapons. Iraq meanwhile says the declaration that it must turn over by Sunday will not list any of these banned chemical, biological or nuclear arms, and UN weapons inspectors are expected to resume their search Saturday after taking a two–day break while Iraq observes the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. (VOA December, 2002) News 52 President Bush says fighting terrorism is global in nature and all countries should work together. He made the comment Thursday during the White House meeting with Kenyan President D.M. and Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi in the aftermath of the last week’s twin terror attacks in Kenya. Mr. Bush said if terrorists could strike in Kenya, they could strike in Ethiopia and Europe or elsewhere. And he called the leaders of the two Horn-of-Africa countries steadfast allies in the war against terror. And they pledged to keep sharing information with the United States and to keep working to cut off funding for terrorists. (VOA December, 2002) News 53 Hospital officials in the Gaza Strip say Israeli forces have killed seven Palestinians in the B. refugee camp. Witnesses say Israeli troops and tanks pushed into the camp earlier today sparking gunfires before destroying a house. Meantime on Thursday Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Osama Bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda network is operating in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. (VOA December, 2002) News 54 Macedonia says Al–Qaeda terrorists might have been behind the Thursday bombing of its consulate in Karachi, Pakistan that left 3 people dead. The Macedonian Foreign Ministry called the assault a professionally prepared terrorist attack and said a message left on the wall of the blast identified the attackers as Al–Qaeda members. (VOA December, 2002) New 55 Meanwhile other American law–makers are speaking out about the twelve–thousand–page report Iraq submitted Saturday to the UN. Baghdad says it shows it has no weapons of mass destruction. Senator J.L., a Connecticut Democrat, told the Fax News Sunday television program that he has doubts. President Bush said in his radio address Saturday that the report will comment a close study. He acknowledged it will take some time to determine its honesty and completeness. (VOA December, 2002) |