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GOA, THURSDAY, 28 OCTOBER, 2010
Indonesian tsunami kills 272; help finally arrives AP PADANG (Indonesia), OCT 27
Planes and helicopters packed with rescue workers and supplies landed for the first time on Wednesday on remote Indonesian islands that were pounded by a 10-foot (threemeter) tsunami, sweeping away villages and killing at least 272 people. The first aerial surveys of the region revealed huge swaths of land underwater and the crumbled rubble of homes torn apart by the wave. One lay tilted, resting on the edge of its red roof, with tires and slabs of concrete piled up on the surrounding sand. Two days after a powerful earthquake triggered the wave, the casualty count was still rising as rescuers and disaster officials finally reached the Mentawai island chain, which was closest to the epicenter and the worst hit. Bad weather had kept them away. On Wednesday evening, disaster official Ade Edward nearly doubled the estimated number of casualties to 272 dead with
Russia favours ‘clemency’ for Tareq Aziz AGENCIES MOSCOW, OCT 27
Russia’s foreign ministry on We d n e s d a y c a l l e d f o r “clemency” for former Iraqi deputy premier Tareq Aziz after he was sentenced to death by hanging for murder and crimes against humanity. “It is obvious that considerations of elementary humanity demand that he is shown clemency,” the ministry said in a statement, calling on the Iraqi authorities to take account of Aziz’s age and ailing health. “We would like to be able to count on Iraq’s presidential council not allowing this sentence to be enforced,” the ministr y said, acknowledging however that the sentence was Iraq’s “internal affair.”
412 missing. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, meanwhile, cut short a state visit to Vietnam to deal with two major disasters that struck Indonesia in less than 24 hours. The country’s most volatile volcano, Mount Merapi, 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) to the east, erupted at dusk Tuesday, sending up searing ash clouds and killing more than two dozen people. Both events fell along Indonesia’s portion of the Pacific Ring of Fire, a series of fault lines that are prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity stretching from the Western Hemisphere through Japan and Southeast Asia. Disaster officials were still trying to reach more than a dozen villages on the Mentawais, a popular surfer’s destination that is usually reachable only by a 12-hour boat ride. The 7.7 magnitude quake that struck late Monday just 13 miles (20 kilometers) beneath the ocean floor was followed by at least 14 aftershocks, the largest measuring 6.2.
India has joined other countries of the world in condemning the five-decade long embargo imposed by the United States on Cuba. “Cuba has had to pay enormous extra cost, in the last five decades for sourcing products, technology and services from third countries located thousands of kilometers away,” Communist Party of India leader D Raja, told the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. “The extra territorial application of the US embargo has discouraged investment, technology transfer, and sale and other forms of business collaborations between Cuba and third countries,” Raja said. India joined other countries in voting for a resolution that called for an immediate end to the US embargo on Cuba. The US and Israel voted against the resolution. “Permit me to reiterate India’s opposition to unilateral measures by countries, which impinge on the sovereignty of another country,” Raja said. The Indian parliamentarian also pointed out that this was the nineteenth year that the General Assembly was debating the economic, commercial and financial embargo on Cuba. “In all these years, this Assembly has repeatedly rejected the imposition of laws and regulations with extra territorial impact and all forms of coercive economic measures that hurt the progress and prosperity of the world,” he said.
AGENCIES BUENOS AIRES, OCT 27
Former Argentine president Nestor Kirchner, husband of current President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, died Wednesday at his home in the southern Argentine town of El Calafate, the presidential doctor Luis Buonuomo confirmed. Kirchner, 60, suffered a heart attack and was taken to hospital in the Patagonian town, some 2,800 km southwest of Buenos Aires, in a serious condition. As he checked into Jose Formenti hospital, he was accompanied by his wife. Doctors tried to resuscitate him, but could not. He had a ‘cardiorespiratory arrest with sudden death’, doctors at the hospital said. Kirchner had already had heart surgery twice this year. In February, he suffered from an obstructed carotid artery, while in September he underwent a angioplasty. He was regarded as one of the major forces in Argentine politics, and was also a likely candidate in the South American country’s 2011 presidential election.
Iran allowed civilian N-power, but not N-weapons: Clinton PTI WASHINGTON, OCT 27
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that Iran is entitled to the peaceful use of civilian nuclear power but renewed accusations that the Islamic republic was seeking atomic weapons. “Iran is entitled to the peaceful use of civilian nuclear power. They are not entitled to a nuclear weapons programme,” Clinton said. Speaking on the sidelines of a UN Security Council debate in United Nations, she said what they (Iran) are doing is starting a reactor that is, based on everything we know about it and everything that the Russians have informed us about it since they have worked with the Iranians over many years to build this reactor, strictly for peaceful purposes. “Our problem is not with their reactor at Bushehr. Our problem is with their facilities at places like Natanz and their secret facility at Qom and other places where we believe they are conducting their weapons programme,” she said. “I heard some of the news coverage that oh my goodness,
the Iranians are starting the reactor. That is not the issue. They are entitled to peaceful civilian nuclear power. They are not entitled to nuclear weapons. There’s two different processes,” Clinton told reporters. “We are hoping that the Iranians will come back to the table soon with the – what we call the P-5+1 or the E-3+3, headed by Cathy Ashton, to begin an in-depth negotiation over their nuclear arms programme,” she said. “This reactor is monitored by the IAEA with cooperation from Russia. We have monitoring in place on something and we believe Iran has the right to pro-
Appeal may not change Tariq’s death sentence, says daughter AGENCIES BAGHDAD, Iraq, OCT 27
The daughter of former Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz says an appeal will probably do nothing to stop her father’s death sentence. “I don’t think he has any hope of coming out” of prison, said Zainab Aziz. Tariq Aziz, one of the bestknown faces of the Iraqi government for more than two decades, was sentenced to death Tuesday by the Iraqi High Tribunal for his role in eliminating religious parties during Saddam Hussein’s regime. His family was shocked by the verdict, the daughter told CNN. The family had no idea he was going to be sentenced Tuesday, Zainab Aziz said from Amman, Jordan. “Until last week, they were hearing new witnesses in this
India flays continuing US blockade of Cuba PTI UNITED NATIONS, OCT 27
Two foreigners who survived the tsunami off Mentawai island walk on the pier in Padang in Indonesia on Wednesday.
Ex-Argentine president Kirchner dead
For two decades, the US has ignored General Assembly resolutions that have called on Washington to end the embargoes that have been in place since the 1960s. Defending the persisting restrictions on Cuba, US representative, Ambassador Ronald D Godard said, “The US, like all Member States, has the sovereign right to conduct its economic relationship with another country.” “The US economic relationship with Cuba is a bilateral issue and part of a broader set of relations meant to encourage a more open environment in Cuba and increased respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms,” he added. Godard also stressed that the debate in the General Assembly was not helping Cubans and slammed Havana for labeling the trade restrictions as genocide. “We should not lose sight of that in a debate mired in rhetorical arguments of the past and focused on tactical differencesa debate that does nothing to help the Cuban people,” the ambassador said. “My delegation regrets that the delegation from Cuba continues, year after year, to inappropriately and incorrectly label US trade restrictions on Cuba as an act of genocide.” Godard further said the US sold USD 533 million in agricultural products, medical devices, medicine, and wood to Cuba in 2009 – a year in which Cuba reported that the United States was its fifth largest trading partner.
case,” she said, criticising both the verdict itself and its timing. “My father served his country for more than 22 years. He delivered himself to the US Army (after the fall of Hussein) because he wasn’t afraid. He didn’t do anything wrong. He served his country,” she said. “He has been wronged,” Zainab Aziz said. Badi Arif, an attorney who used to represent Aziz, said there is a political motive behind the death sentence. “Mr Aziz used to always tell me, ‘They’ll find a way to kill me, and there is no way for me to escape this,’” Arif told CNN. “But from a legal perspective, this sentence is wrong; this is illegal and this is unexpected.” In March 2009, Aziz was sentenced to 15 years in prison in
connection with the 1992 executions of 42 merchants. Aziz was deputy prime minister from 1981 to 2003, also holding the post of foreign minister for part of that time. Amnesty International urged Iraq not to carry out the sentences on Tuesday, even as it acknowledged the brutality of Hussein’s regime. The Vatican also released a statement on Tuesday. “The position of the Catholic Church on the death penalty is known. It is truly hoped therefore that the sentencing against Tariq Aziz not be carried out, precisely to favour the reconciliation and reconstruction of the peace and justice in Iraq after the great suffering it has gone through,” spokesman Federico Lombardi said in a statement.
LTTE man gets 30 yrs for attempt on ex-Prez PTI COLOMBO, OCT 27
Myanmar's Prime Minister Thein Sein (left) receives a boutique flower from a Vietnamese woman as Vietnamese Education Minsiter Pham Vu Luan looks on upon his arrival at Noi Bai airport in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Wednesday. Thein Sein is in Hanoi for ASEAN summits from October 28 to 30.
Hamas to step up executions of collaborators AGENCIES GAZA STRIP, OCT 27
Hamas authorities in Gaza have begun imposing the death penalty as part of a campaign against Palestinians found guilty of collaborating with Israel. Two men have been executed in Gaza this year for passing information to Israeli forces. Dozens more are in jail. But human rights workers say the executions have been carried out in violation of Palestinian law. Omar Kaware is one of 42 men who share a single prison cell in Gaza’s main jail. Metal bunks cram the room
and the inmates share one toilet and one bathroom between them. Every one of these men is accused of spying for Israel. And several, including Mr Kaware, have been sentenced to death. “They accused me of collaborating with the Israelis, but I’m innocent,” he said. Mr Kaware was accused of giving information to Israeli forces which helped them pinpoint and assassinate a string of Palestinian militants. He says he was set up by a vengeful neighbour and was tortured into making a confession. He revealed scars on his hands and feet as evidence.
“They beat me. They tied my arms to the ceiling, hit me all over,” he said. Prison officers here say collaborators or informants are among the most despised people in Palestinian society. Although they acknowledge many become collaborators only because they are blackmailed or coerced. Nevertheless, the director of Gaza’s prison system, Nasir Suleiman, says he supports execution in the worst cases. “One collaborator gave information about a top resistance leader,” he said. “The Israelis then fired a missile, killing him and many other
Palestinians.” Last April, two collaborators were executed in Gaza - the first time in five years that authorities in Gaza or the West Bank have carried out a death sentence handed down by a Palestinian court. And human rights workers, including Mahmoud Abu Rahma, predict more will follow. “There are indicators that authorities in Gaza do intend to increase the executions, the death penalties,” he said. In fact the death sentence is not uncommon in Gaza or the West Bank. But Palestinian law dictates the president, now Mahmoud
Giant pandas eat carrots at Bifeng Gorge Breeding Base of Wolong Giant Panda Protection and Research Center in Ya’an, Sichuan province on Wednesday. Six giant pandas left their home in southwest China's Sichuan Province for Guangzhou Wednesday to add cheer to next month's Asian Games.
Democratic groups catching up late on poll spending AP WASHINGTON, OCT 27
Unions and other Democratic interest groups are rapidly closing the gap with their conservative opponents in spending on the midterm elections, using fresh support from well-heeled donors to quicken the pace of expenditures in the final days of the campaign. Democratic leaders from President Obama on down have assailed the spending by outside conservative
groups, complaining that the business lobby and other Republican allies are pouring millions of dollars into the election as they shield donors from public scrutiny. But now independent groups that support Democrats - including unions, environmental groups and new players - are fast gaining ground, often while using some of the same techniques condemned by Democrats. The strategies include using money from nonprofit organizations
that can keep their donors secret and tapping into union dues to pay for unlimited attack ads. Nearly four of every 10 dollars spent by independent groups last week was aimed at helping Democratic candidates, according to a Washington Post analysis of campaign-finance disclosure filings. The number is a dramatic improvement from just a few weeks earlier, when Democratic allies were being outspent by 7 to 1, the data show.
duce peaceful nuclear power,” White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters at his daily news conference. “That does not let it get out of its responsibilities in international agreements and commitments to step away from an illicit nuclear weapons programme. So I would definitely divorce the two things,” Gibbs said in response to a question. The White House spokesman, however, refuted reports that the sanctions on Iran are not working. “I think if you look at articles over the past several weeks, sanctions are having an impact on the economy of Iran,” he said. “The (US) President that travels around the world and makes outlandish comments is, in stepping away from his country’s obligations, making it harder for the people of Iran. That's the message I think that’s being delivered with sanctions,” Gibbs said. Earlier, State Department spokesman P J Crowley said that it believes that Busher nuclear reactor is for peaceful purpose and does not pose a proliferation risk.
Once spending by the parties themselves is added into the mix, Democratic candidates are getting the benefit of nearly half - 46 percent - of independent spending reported to the Federal Election Commission. Many Democratic incumbents are also sitting on flush bank accounts that they have been building up since the end of the 2008 election. The trends mean that, overall, Democrats and their allies still have a good chance of outspending Republi-
cans in the end. The pattern undercuts Democratic attempts to blame wellfunded conservative groups for an expected wave of losses when voters go to the polls Tuesday. “The outrage over spending by GOPleaning outside groups is a political ploy, selective in its focus and hypocritical in its messaging,” said Jonathan Collegio, spokesman for American Crossroads, which has reported spending $30 million on behalf of Republicans so far.
Abbas, must sign off before a sentence is carried out - something he has been reluctant to do. But Mahmoud Abu Rahma says Hamas rulers in Gaza who refuse to recognise the president’s authority are now illegally approving the executions themselves. “Now the basic law states that the prime minister assists the president in implementing the law,” he said. “They interpreted this as the prime minister, for them in Gaza, Mr Ismail Haniyeh, can actually assist the president in implementing the court rulings, which includes the death penalty.” Gaza’s jail is already overcrowded and the collaborators’ cell at least looks set to become even more so.
A Tamil Tiger cadre was on Wednesday sentenced to 30 years in prison for conspiring and attempting to kill the former Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga in 1999. Though Kumaratunga escaped the bid on her life but she lost one eye in a blast at her election rally in Colombo Town Hall premises in December 1999 in which 26 people were killed and 80 others injured. Colombo High Court Judge W T M P D Waraweva sentenced Pachchavel Ilangeshwaram, an ethnic Tamil man who was 19 at the time of the crime, and six others on various counts related to conspiracy to assassinate Kumaratunga. The accused pleaded not guilty earlier but changed his plea to guilty later. Kumaratunga had to be rushed to London for medical treatment. The case was being heard since 2001. Soon after the attack, Kumaratunga had said she was not “hysterical” about her injury, despite the loss of sight. She said: “Medically (the doctors say) I can carry on but probably I have lost the sight of one eye.”