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Iran rejects 9/11 report on Al-Qaida OPED: Report
on 9/11 attacks finds fault with all, holds no one responsible Bangladesh floods worsen
2 Pakistanis missing in Iraq PPP doubts Gen’s sincerity Indian’s fate hangs
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Pak sure of success of
talks 200 Indians protest against
salary delay
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Iran rejects 9/11 report on Al-Qaida Teheran, July 25 “A lot of the issues that are being raised nowadays in the US are just fodder for their presidential elections. This issue is one of them, and it is utterly without truth,” foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters. “Zionist circles have tried to link Iran to the Al-Qaida, but US officials could not prove any link. Nobody believes them because of serious ideological difference between us and the Al-Qaida,” he added. “And unlike the people who created the Al-Qaida, Iran has fought them in a practical way,” he said, referring to past links between the USA and the Al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden. The US commission investigating the September 11 suicide plane attacks alleged that Iranian operatives maintained contacts with the Al-Qaida for years and might have provided transit for at least eight of the 19 hijackers. The commission, in its report released on Thursday, said “intelligence indicates the persistence of contacts between Iranian security officials and senior Al-Qaida figures” after bin Laden returned to Afghanistan from Sudan in 1996. But it also said it found “no evidence” that Iran was aware of the planning for the terror attacks on the USA. A string of senior Iranian officials have lined up to dismiss the report, playing up their long-term differences and hostility to the Al-Qaida and their Taliban hosts whom the United States toppled in Afghanistan.
— AFP |
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Dhaka, July 25 According to the Food and Disaster Management Ministry, the past three weeks of deluge destroyed 1,997 km of flood control embankments, heightening miseries of people. The ministry put the death toll at 227 in three weeks of flooding and the authorities cancelled all leaves of the emergency health services personnel as the situation worsened. Swirling waters from the upstream flooded new areas in central Bangladesh, including capital Dhaka, where streets were filled with blackish water. Media reports said two-thirds of the capital of 12 million residents was submerged and many people were using boats to commute. “The flood situation in the district of Dhaka will deteriorate today,” said a spokesman for the government Flood Warning Centre in Dhaka. — PTI |
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Indian’s fate hangs
in balance Jakarta, July 25 Ayodhya Prasad Chaubey, who was residing in Thailand, has been in a prison in Medan, Indonesia, since 1994 after being sentenced to death. Chaubey, flew to Medan from Bangkok along with two Thais in February 1994. He left the airport there while the two Thai accomplices were arrested after the police recovered 12 kg of drugs from them. The police arrested Chaubey after the two Thais told them that he was also involved. |
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2 Pakistanis missing in Iraq
Islamabad, July 25 “We have learnt through our mission in Baghdad that two Pakistani men working for the Al-Tamimi group of industries have disappeared,” Foreign Office spokesman Masood Khan said. The missing persons have been identified as Raja Azad, a maintenance engineer and Sajjad Naeem, a driver working with the group. Both hailed from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Meanwhile, family members of Azad have been quoted as saying that they received information that he had been kidnapped while travelling from Baghdad to Halla on Friday.
— PTI
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PPP doubts Gen’s sincerity
Lahore, July 25 The PPP also demanded the setting up of a judicial commission to probe responsibility for the Kargil aggression considering claims by the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that Musharraf, then Army Chief, had initiated the action on his own.
— PTI
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Pak sure of success of
talks Islamabad, July 25 The two countries have worked out a busy schedule of talks on the Wullar Barrage/Tulbul Navigation project on July 28-29 in Islamabad, Promotion of Friendly Exchanges on August 3-4 in New Delhi, Siachen on August 5-6 in New Delhi, Sir Creek on August 6-7 in New Delhi, Terrorism and Drug Trafficking on August 10-11 in Islamabad and Economic and Commercial Cooperation on August 11-12 in Islamabad. Foreign Secretaries of the two countries have held talks on peace and security, including Confidence Building Measures and Jammu and Kashmir, in New Delhi on June 27-28 as part of the ‘two plus six’ formula of outstanding issues identified by them. External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri will formally review progress in the composite bilateral dialogue on outstanding issues in New Delhi on September 5-6. During his recent visit to Pakistan, Mr Natwar Singh had conveyed to the Pakistani leadership that the new United Progressive Alliance government was committed to carrying forward the peace process initiated in January. ‘’We have been reassured by the Government of India that they will sincerely pursue the dialogue process,’’ Pakistani sources said. The sources said the meeting between Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and Mr Natwar Singh here on Friday went off very well and the two sat together for over 90 minutes for a free and frank discussion on all bilateral issues. General Musharraf had expressed satisfaction over the progress in the talks. —
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200 Indians protest against
salary delay Singapore, July 25 The workers have not been paid by their employer Wan Soon Construction for the past few months. They are owed $ 600-3,500 (Singapore) each. Wan Soon has acknowledged its dues, but said it was facing financial difficulties.
— UNI |
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Tibetan area with many firsts Tsedang (Tibet), July 25 The town situated at an altitude of about 3,400 metres now has another first to its credit: it is the most prosperous of the seven prefectures of Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR). Two hundred kilometres away from Lhasa, it is quite close to India and Bhutan. Land is fertile and water resources abundant. According to its Deputy Commissioner, Ms Tsam Trom, its GDP growth last year has been a phenomenal 17.69 per cent way above the Tibetan average of 12 per cent. The annual average income of a farmer in the prefecture has registered a double digit increase, bringing it to 1925 yuan (one yuan is equivalent to about 6 Indian rupees). That may not appear to be a lot but keeps the farmers in good financial condition. She attributes this success to a unique ‘2-4-4’ policy which her administration has adopted during the 2001-5 10th Five-Year Plan. Under this policy, the top priority is given to four main goals: one, opening up the insular prefecture; two, develop it as a big market by promoting trade and development; three, bring about great development and four, inculcate the culture of working hard by cutting down redtapism. The next in line are five goals: one, increase income of the people; two, promote tourism; three promote Tibetan medicine; four, promote eco-agriculture and five, give a boost to construction and building activity. The third in the comprehensive list are science and technology; exchange and collaboration with other prefectures and provinces outside Tibet; forest and ecology preservation; water conservation; basic education for all; and vocational education. The main source of income for the people of this area on the roof of the world is agriculture and animal husbandry. The hundreds of mountains which are omni-present are totally barren with only some moss and creepers growing on them. Life for the people is extremely hard and it is a miracle that they are eking out a living. Besides agriculture, tourism is being promoted in a big way. The scenic beauty in itself is a big magnet. Add to that the fantastic monasteries and tourists from all over the world make a beeline to Shennan. It is 200 metres lower than Lhasa and that helps them to acclimatise themselves to the height of Lhasa and other such high altitude areas. Interestingly, although Shennan is very rich in mineral resources, there is very little manufacturing activity. This is deliberate so as not to harm the fragile ecology of the prefecture. A very disciplined attempt is being made to strike a balance between economic and social development. It boasts of full half of the total chromite deposits of the whole of China. The only factory that one sees around manufactures cement. There are 12 towns, 59 counties and 24 villages in the prefecture with a total population of 3.3 lakh. Health and education are the basic needs of the people. Every village has a primary school and a primary health centre. According to the official claim, 98 per cent of the children go to primary schools. The figure for middle school is 80 per cent. The life expectancy today is 70 years whereas for the whole of Tibet it is 63. She claimed that it was only 36 years before the Chinese took over in 1951. Every person today gets a subsidy of 40 yuan per year. Women’s lot has improved considerably in Tibet. Ms Tsam Trom is not the only Deputy Commissioner. All seven prefectures have a woman either as Commissioner or Deputy Commissioner. Needless to say that all these are official figures and there is no independent way to confirm them. That is so not only because of the language problem, but also the very tight itinerary to which the journalists from India have to stick to. The Deputy Commissioner talked of the military importance of the area but when we tried to get any facts and figures, all that we met was a great wall. |
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