Monday, February 1, 2010

Thailand: Final destination of plane with North Korean weapons still unknown

North Korean weapons mystery continues

BANGKOK — Thailand said Monday that an aircraft loaded with North Korean weapons was flying to Iran when it was intercepted in December but that the ultimate destination of the arms is still not known.

Thai authorities seized the Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane and its five-man crew as it landed to refuel on a flight from Pyongyang Dec. 12. Found on board were 35 tons of weapons.

A Thai government report to the U.N. Security Council, leaked to reporters in New York over the weekend, said the aircraft, which had violated U.N. sanctions against North Korea, was bound for Tehran’s Mahrabad Airport.

But Thai government spokesman Panitan Wattanayarkorn said Monday that “to say that the weapons are going to Iran, that might be inexact.”

“The report only says where the plane was going to according to its flight plan, but it doesn’t say where the weapons were going to,” he said. “It’s still under investigation, and the suspects are under our legal system.”

The five-man crew — four from Kazakhstan and one from Belarus — remain under detention. The crew has been charged with illegal arms possession, but the charges are expected to be stiffened once the investigation wraps up, police have said.

The weapons found on board the aircraft were reportedly light battlefield arms, including grenades — hardly the ones Iran’s sophisticated military would need.

From the start there has been speculation that the weapons were to be shipped on to some of the radical Middle Eastern groups supported by Tehran.

The U.N. imposed sanctions in June banning North Korea from exporting any arms after the communist regime conducted a nuclear test and test-fired missiles. Impoverished North Korea is believed to earn hundreds of millions of dollars every year by selling missiles, missile parts and other weapons to countries such asIran, Syria and Myanmar.

Investigations by The Associated Press in several countries showed the flight was facilitated by a web of holding companies and fake addresses from New Zealand to Barcelona designed to disguise the movement of the weapons.

The plane’s chief pilot maintains that the aircraft was headed for Kiev, Ukraine.

“I never said or confirmed the plane was routed to Iran. I only know that the plane was going to Ukraine and the cargo was to have been unloaded there. That’s the information I have,” the crew’s Thai lawyer, Somsak Saithong, told The Associated Press on Monday.

Eunuchs can register as ‘others’

NEW DELHI


Nov. 12: The Election Commission has decided to allow eunuchs/transsexuals to indicate their sex as "other" where they do not want to be described either as a male or a female.


The Commission had been receiving representations from various individuals and interest groups, including some students of the Law Faculty of KIIT, Bhubaneshwar, Orissa. The Commission took the decision after duly considering the requests, said Election Commission sources.


In the electoral rolls prepared by the Election Commission, the eunuchs were hitherto registered either as a male or a female, on the basis of the statement made by the person concerned. The practice was being followed to indicate the sex of the eunuchs in the electoral roll.


Election Commission sources further said besides the electoral roll, the decision also applies to all other forms used by the Commission wherein the provisions of indication of sex of the elector is made, including IT based formats and website.


Election Commission sources said necessary instructions have been issued to all Electoral Registration Officers through the chief electoral officers of all states and Union Territories to implement the above decision of the Commission.


Enumerators and Booth Level Officers shall also be instructed to indicate the sex of eunuchs/ transsexuals as "O", if they desire, while undertaking any house-to-house enumeration/verification of any application, said Election Commission sources.

Punjab panchayat forces couple to live as siblings

Chandigarh Jan. 31: A council of village elders in Haryana’s Rohtak district has ordered a young man and his wife to separate and henceforth treat each other as “sister” and “brother” because their three-year-old marriage “violates sacred traditional bonds” based on caste and kinship. Incredulous as it sounds, the khap panchayat or caste council, besides commanding Satish and Kavita Berwal to alter the status of their relationship, also wants them to surrender custody of their ten-month-old son Raunak. “They have been living in sin and we cannot allow this to continue,” said a panchayat representative in village Kheri, where the couple have been residents since they got married. “The boy belongs to the Berwal gotra (kinship group) and the bride is a Beniwal and these two gotras have shared a centuries-old bhaichara (brotherhood),” he said. Also incensed that Satish’s family had concealed Kavita’s true lineage for three years, the elders publicly humiliated the boy’s father Azad Singh Berwal by parading him with a shoe in his mouth. He was also directed to pay a penalty of Rs 3 lakh. “The money will be dep-osited in a bank and used for the upbringing of the illegitimate child they have bro-ught into this world,” Kheri panchayat member Hawa Singh told reporters adding, “the family has been given 28 days to send Kavita back to her father’s village. Failing compliance with the panchayat’s edict they will face sterner action.” Helpless in the face of aggressively enforced caste tradition, while Satish and his family appear to have conceded, the young wife said she is prepared to fight. “How is it possible for a man and wife to suddenly become brother and sister? My father and I have sought audience with the maha-pa-nchayat at Meham later this week,” Kavita said, adding she would petition the high court at Chandigarh if the elders at Meham also failed her. Meanwhile, district police officials, who were recently issued fresh instructions on dealing with such disputes, remained typically reticent. “We have not yet received any complaint in the matter,” said a senior police officer evidently nervous about having to take on the Meham Chaubisi — Har-yana’s most influential caste council. There have been dozens of similar instances where Haryana’s powerful caste panchayats have sought to enforce their will on people particularly young couples. In June 2007, two young lovers — Manoj and Babli — were murdered and thrown into an irrigation canal. The following year, Jasbir Singh and his six-month pregnant partner Sunita were strangled by the girl’s father and brothers who later displayed the bodies outside their village home in Karnal. But in perhaps the most bizarre instance to date, in July 2009 villagers bludgeoned to death a young man who had defied gotra or kinship traditions to marry the girl he loved. 21-year-old Vedpal was lynched in the presence of 15 armed policemen and a court-appointed warrant officer assigned to protect him. While the Punjab and Har-yana high court has intervened in most such cases, Haryana’s politicians have remained aloof perhaps fea-ring electoral repercussions of tampering with tradition.

Sopore: Militants flee after fierce gunbattle

SRINAGAR Jan. 31: In the fourth incident of its kind during the past fortnight, Kashmiri separatists gave the security forces a slip after engaging them in a fierce gun battle in north-western town of Sop-ore early on Sunday. Similar incidents have occurred in southern Kulgam-Shopian-Pulwama belt and the fronti-er district of Poonch before. The police officials have confirmed that the 15-hour-long gunbattle between security forces and a group of militants, including a divisional commander of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen outfit, Basharat Saleem alias Munna, reportedly holed up in a private house in Sopore’s New Colony residential area, has ended but the search operations have not led to recovery of any militants’ body. A combing operation, to hunt the militants, is on and the smouldering debris of the suspected militant hideout is being rummaged around repeatedly, witnesses said. Troops from Army’s 22 Rashtriya Rifles with members of 76 CRPF and the local police’s counter-insurgency Special Operations Group mounted a cordon-and-search operation in the area at about 5.30 pm on Saturday after learning about the presence of the Harkat commander and his accomplices in the house of one Ali Muhammad Kemoo, close to his own in New Colony area. Amidst firing and deafening explosions, the residents of the area fled to safety, witnessed had rep-orted. On Sunday morning, red-faced officials said the militants, believed to be three in number, may have fled the scene after the house in which they were hiding caught fire late on Saturday night, hours after the gun battle raged. “The operation to flush out the militants was suspended late on Saturday night but resumed with the first light on Sunday…the encounter is over and search operations have not led to recovery of any militants body,” said Deputy Inspector General of Police (North Kashmir) Abdul Qayyum Manhas. He added, “The militants had apparently fled late last night after fire broke out in the besi-eged house and the officers supervising the operation pressed fire tenders to control it from spreading to adj-oining houses,” the officer added. He also claimed that one AK-47 assault rifle with three magazines and about 900 rounds, two hand gre-nades, a laptop and a pouch were found and seized from the house of Harkat commander Basharat located in the same locality. The rifle had “Basharat” inscribed on it confirming it was in the use of the Harkat commander who had wa-lked into his neighbour’s house after the forces moved in, said Mr Manhas.

Maha Kumbh Mela also a chance to make quick money

HARIDWAR - The ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela is providing ample opportunities to unemployed youth here to make quick bucks.

While some unemployed youth have devised ingenious ways to earn money themselves during what is perhaps the largest religious gathering in the world, others have been hired by “established shopkeepers” to cater to the rush of customers from around the globe.

Youth collecting coins offered to the Ganga, the holiest river of the Hindus, is the most visible way in which they are making money. For collection of coins that devotees offer ritually to the river as a part of their prayers, young people here have come up with a simple device.

Popular as Paisa Pakad, the hand-held device comprises ropes or sticks with magnets tied to one end. Keeping a hawk’s eye on the devotees who offer coins, armed with the Paisa Pakad, these youth get into action the moment a coin is thrown into the river.

“It’s a very profitable business. You virtually do not need any investment for the business that could be started with a few metres of string and a magnet,” Rinku, a man in his mid 20s, told IANS.

Rinku and many of his unemployed friends converge along the banks of the river in large numbers with Paisa Pakad.

“We come here at around 7 a.m. and start our work of searching for coins. Though you can find us in various stretches along the river, our favourite is the Har-Ki-Pauri ghat,” said Akku, 19, who had to leave his studies because his family could not afford the fees.

Har-Ki-Pauri is one of the most revered and visited ghats of the Ganga. “Har-ki-Pauri is our favourite spot, but we have to do our business cautiously, evading the eyes of the policemen. On several occasions, policemen deployed at the ghats, who object to our business, take our devices in their possession and even beat us,” added Akku.

Those involved in collection of coins say they manage to earn Rs.200-300 a day.

“At times, when we are lucky we manage to catch old coins that we sell to shopkeepers at a good price. Yesterday, I got a Nepalese coin and sold it to a shopkeeper, who after negotiations took the coin, paying me Rs.30,” said Akku.

Other young people have got temporary jobs as shop assistants, especially in shops selling Rudraksha beads, utensils, and items used in religious rituals.

“Earlier, before the Maha Kumbh I made several efforts to get employment in shops selling religious items. But every time I was told there was no opening. But now it has changed completely. Shopkeepers themselves come to us to hire us,” Mukesh Prakash, who recently got employed at the Shiv Poojan Bhandar, near the Har-ki-Pauri ghat, told IANS.

(Asit Srivastava can be contacted at asit.s@ians.in)

A.R. Rahman Grammy Award

LOS ANGELES — You must have got the news that A.R. Rahman, the Mozart of Asia has won two Grammy awards for his music in the Oscar winning film ‘Slumdog MIllionaire’.

In the 52nd Grammy Awards presentation ceremony in Los Angeles on January 31, Rahman’s “Jai Ho” won in the best motion picture song category. Previously, the track “Jai Ho”, written by Gulzar, fetched Oscar for Rahman.

Incidentally, this is the first time that the 44-year-old Indian musician has been nominated for the ‘Grammys’, popularly known as the Oscars of the music industry.

It’s like adding two more feathers in his crown since the great composer of India had already been honored with a Golden Globe and two Academy awards earlier for his original score in the same movie. The two Grammy came under the categories of “Best Compilation Soundtrack” and “Best Song” respectively.

In the best song category Rahman’s beaten rivals included Bruce Springsteen for his song “The Wrestler”, from the Oscar-nominated movie of the same name.

In the soundtrack category, other nominees included Steve Jordan for “Cadillac Records,” Quentin Tarantino for “Inglourious Basterds”, and the producers of “Twilight” and “True Blood.”

The talented music genious humbly accepted his award before the audience. He thanked God for everything.

We salute the king of music. Lets his victorious run continue with more and more awards. Jai ho…..!

Maria Carey’s upcoming remix album postponed

LONDON - Mariah Carey’s upcoming remix album Angels Advocate will now be released five weeks later from its original launch date.

Earlier this week Carey released two singles from the dance record - Angel Cry and Up Out of My Face.

However, the initial 23 February launch date has been postponed and fans will have to wait until March to grab the complete album.

Carey’s rep made the announcement in a post on the singer’s Twitter.com page.

“Mariah’s Newly Remixed Album of Duets, Angels Advocate to be released on March 30th!” the Daily Express quoted the message, as saying.

No explanation for the delay was given. (ANI)






mariah carey