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July 29, 2009 ,BAGHDAD: US Defence Secretary Robert Gates on Wednesday dangled the prospect of a faster withdrawal of US troops as he urged Iraq's Arab and Kurdish leaders to settle their feuds.Gates told reporters after a two-day visit to Iraq that there was "at least some chance for a modest acceleration" of plans for the drawdown of American troops this year.Citing his talks with the top US commander in Iraq, he said a stepped up withdrawal was possible "because of the way General (Ray) Odierno sees the way things going" amid declining violence and increasingly capable Iraqi security forces.The current plan foresees two combat brigade teams departing by the end of the year but Gates said "maybe one more" brigade could be withdrawn as well before elections in January.The precise number of additional troops that might be withdrawn remains unclear but a combat brigade comprises about 3,000 to 4,000 troops and is often accompanied by supporting units.

Thursday, July 30, 2009 WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday urged Iran to release political prisoners held after protests over the disputed elections last month."We believe that it is imperative for the (Iranian) authorities to release political prisoners," Clinton told a press conference with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband

Wednesday, July 29, 2009 DHAKA: Record rainfall in Bangladesh capital Dhaka has claimed the lives of at least nine people, besides disrupting normal life extensively.Reports in several Bangladeshi dailies, including the Daily Star and The Independent quoted the Met Office as saying on Tuesday that Dhaka received 290 mm of rainfall over a six-hour period. The previous highest rainfall in the city took place 60 years ago, the Met officials said.Reports said that people heading to work had to wade through almost waist-deep rainwater on Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue in front of Prime Minister's Office. Much of the city is knee-deep in water, wreaking havoc on life and trade. Dhaka has received 333 mm of rainfall between since Monday, while Mongla received 169 mm of rainfall. Meteorologists said a low formation of clouds in the Bay of Bengal joined forces with monsoon clouds to cause the extraordinary rainfall.More rain has been predicted over the next 48 hours.People in the shantytowns wer

Wednesday, July 29, 2009 VIRGINIA: Virginia Tech undergrads packed an all-terrain buggy with technology lifted from the university’s DARPA Urban Challenge entry to create a car the blind can drive.The semi-autonomous vehicle uses a laser range finder, voice software and other sensory technology, and it worked flawlessly when blind drivers took the wheel on a closed course. Advocates for the blind joined the lead researcher in calling the vehicle a breakthrough in independent living for the visually impaired.“We are not only excited about the vehicle itself, but also the potential spinoff technologies from this project that could end up helping the blind,” Dennis Hong, the director of the university’s Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory said. The car was born of a challenge the National Federation of the Blind’s Jernigan Institute issued in 2004 when it called on universities to develop a vehicle for the blind. Virginia Tech accepted the challenge in 2006 — the only university to do so

Wednesday, July 29, 2009 JAKARTA: The five-star hotels hit by suicide bombers in Indonesia's capital nearly two weeks ago reopened Wednesday with tighter security, officials said.Attackers detonated explosives-laden luggage near the hotel lounges of the J.W. Marriott and Ritz-Carlton in Jakarta on July 17, killing themselves, seven victims and wounding more than 50 others.The blasts blew out windows and caused serious damage to the hotels' ground floors, but the structures remained intact and repairs were almost complete Wednesday when they reopened.The first terrorist bombings in Indonesia in nearly four years have prompted heightened security at the hotels, national police spokesman Nanan Sukarna said, without naming specific measures. Other potential targets where Westerners gather have also increased security.Els Ramadhita, a spokeswoman for the Ritz-Carlton, provided no details about the reopening, saying only that guests were again checking in.Police suspect the Southeas

Wednesday, July 29, 2009 NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday told Parliament that Pakistan did not give any dossier to India on Balochistan when he met his Pakistani counterpart Yousaf Raza Gilani in Egypt July 16. No such dossier was given, Manmohan Singh said while intervening in a debate in Lok Sabha on the July 16 India-Pakistan joint statement at Sharm-el-Sheikh that delinked Islamabad's action on terror from the composite dialogue process. The contentious statement included a reference to threats to Balochistan, a province in Pakistan, for the first time in a bilateral document between the two countries. Manmohan Singh was responding to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yashwant Sinha's contention that some Pakistani leaders have seized upon the reference to Balochistan. Sinha alluded to reports in Pakistan that Gilani gave Manmohan Singh a dossier on India's alleged role in fomenting insurgency in Pakistan's southwest province.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009 RIYADH: Regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia will not recognise Israel until it withdraws from occupied Arab land and makes committed steps toward a lasting two-state solution, a senior official said on Wednesday. Foreign ministry spokesman Osama Nugali also called Israeli policy "schizophrenic" and said it was jeopardising attempts to revive Middle East peace talks aimed at creating an independent Palestinian state. "Our position is well known. It is Israel that has to move seriously towards the peace process," Nugali said. "As we all know, Israel is continuing to take unilateral measures by changing the geographic and demographic facts on the ground, by building settlements and expanding the existing ones," he said. "The Arab peace initiative is very clear," he said, referring to a 2002 Saudi-inspired Middle East peace blueprint. "That Israel should withdraw from the Arab lands and put an end to its occupation and res

, Wednesday, July 29, 2009 TOKYO: Japan's opposition leader Yukio Hatoyama, seen as the likely next premier, said Wednesday he would early next year end a naval support mission backing US-led forces in Afghanistan, media reported."Our basic stance is not to extend it," the president of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) was quoted as saying by Jiji Press while he was campaigning for the August 30 vote which his party is widely tipped to win.The Indian Ocean naval mission -- which began in December 2001 and has been periodically renewed since then by Japan's conservative government -- provides fuel and other logistical support to the US-led coalition.Media reports earlier Wednesday quoted an unnamed top DPJ official as saying that, if the party takes power in September, it would not renew the mandate for the mission when it expires in January.The DPJ would seek to placate Washington by instead launching new humanitarian aid projects for Afghanistan, the reports said.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009 NEW DELHI: Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon today briefed the Congress MPs about various aspects of the Indo-Pak joint statement issued at Sharm-el Sheikh, hours ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's intervention on the issue in Parliament.Menon briefed a group of party MPs from both the Houses on the technical details of the statement so that they were aware of all the details of the communique before the discussion on the issue, sources said here.The Indo-Pak joint statement, issued after the meeting between Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani, came under attack from all sides for delinking of terror from the composite dialogue process and the reference to Balochistan.Singh's intervention has assumed significance in view of the fact that the Congress has so far failed to openly come out in support of him on the issue.

, Wednesday, July 29, 2009 SRI NAGAR: Pandemonium reigned in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly for the third consecutive day on Wednesday as the People's Democratic Party (PDP) sought a judicial probe into state Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's alleged involvement in the 2006 sex scandal. Accusing the CBI of defending Omar Abdullah, senior members of the PDP tore up a letter issued by the CBI in connection with their investigation of the case. The CBI letter states that neither Chief Minister Omar Abdullah nor Union Minister for Non-Renewable Sources of Energy and Omar's father Farooq Abdullah is figured in the list of suspects that were involved in the 2006 sex scandal. Assembly Speaker Akbar Lone confirmed that he had received a communication from the CBI to this effect. Union Home Minister P Chidambaram had said on Tuesday that there was no mention of Omar Abdullah in the CBI list. Earlier, Jammu and Kashmir Governor N. N. Vohra had refused to accept Omar Abdullah's resi

Wednesday, July 29, 2009 VARANASI: The monsoon rain on Monday evening brought a relief to the citizens from the sultry weather. According to the weather records, a fall of six degrees C in maximum temperature and three degrees in minimum temperature was recorded on Tuesday. The district recorded a rainfall of 33.5 mm in last 24 hours. On the other hand the Ganga was also showing a rising trend in Varanasi, Mirzapur and Ghazipur on Tuesday. According to the record of the Central Water Commission (CWC), the water level of Ganga recorded a rise of 0.6 metre in last 24-hours in Varanasi. However, the river was flowing 10.502 metre below the danger mark.The state held Varanasi drought-stricken and appealed to farmers to cultivate such crops that require less water; but, the farmers are now intent on paddy crop after the rains.Despite the monsoon arrival, at least 47 district of Uttar Pradesh are still waiting for the rainfall.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009 VARANASI: The monsoon rain on Monday evening brought a relief to the citizens from the sultry weather. According to the weather records, a fall of six degrees C in maximum temperature and three degrees in minimum temperature was recorded on Tuesday. The district recorded a rainfall of 33.5 mm in last 24 hours. On the other hand the Ganga was also showing a rising trend in Varanasi, Mirzapur and Ghazipur on Tuesday. According to the record of the Central Water Commission (CWC), the water level of Ganga recorded a rise of 0.6 metre in last 24-hours in Varanasi. However, the river was flowing 10.502 metre below the danger mark.The state held Varanasi drought-stricken and appealed to farmers to cultivate such crops that require less water; but, the farmers are now intent on paddy crop after the rains.Despite the monsoon arrival, at least 47 district of Uttar Pradesh are still waiting for the rainfall.