Japan's Abe backs Putin with visit, in contrast to China, Korea ties

Japan 's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe headed to Russia on Friday in a show of support for President Vladimir Putin at the Sochi Olympics, just hours after headlining a rally demanding that Moscow return islands seized from Japan . Abe's trip to attend the Games and hold his fifth summit with Putin since taking office 13 months ago, despite the seven-decade territorial dispute, stands in marked contrast to Japan 's sharply deteriorating ties with China and South Korea, involving spats over tiny uninhabited islands. For Putin, the appearance of G7 leader Abe at Friday's opening ceremony provides a high-profile seal of approval. The Russian leader faces global criticism over the country's human rights record and a recent law against gay "propaganda," which opponents say curtails the rights of homosexuals. U.S. President Barack Obama, French President Francois Hollande, British Prime Minister David Cameron and German President Joachim Gauck are not attending the Games. The U.S. delegation includes three openly gay representatives. Russia's domestic policies have not provoked controversy in Japan , but the territorial dispute forms the backdrop to Abe's trip. He left after addressing an annual "Northern Territories Day" gathering, meant to pressure Russia to return the islands, which Russia says comprise the southern end of its Kurile chain. "While developing Japan -Russia ties as a whole, we have to finally solve the biggest so-far unresolved issue, that is the Northern Territories issue, and to sign the peace treaty with Russia," said Abe addressing the gathering in Tokyo. "This is why I will engage in tenacious negotiations with Russia," Abe added, speaking from a stage with the slogan "Return the Four Northern Islands" and the Japan ese flag at his back. Also attending were ministers, lawmakers and representatives of political parties, as well as former island residents. One woman who used to live on the islands broke down in tears as she recounted how she had been made to leave. Moscow took the islands east of Hokkaido days before Japan surrendered in World War Two, forcing 17,000 Japan ese to leave. The often acrimonious dispute has kept the two countries from signing a peace treaty. Abe and Putin - said to be on a first-name basis - have not let the dispute block progress in diplomacy centering on natural gas and other resources. By contrast, the leaders of China and Korea have rebuffed Abe's repeated calls to meet. Besides the isle spats, Abe angered Beijing and Seoul with a December pilgrimage to a shrine they see as a symbol of Tokyo's past militarism. Russia, too, criticized the shrine visit, but did not let it derail ties with Japan . Abe's Sochi trip is "a manifestation that country-to-country relations are moving in a good direction," said former prime minister Yoshiro Mori, who has longstanding ties with Russia and has done much of the legwork for Abe's bilateral diplomacy. Mori told reporters the two sides are trying to arrange for Putin to visit Japan in the autumn. Abe has made ties with Russia a priority, starting with a first-in-a-decade Moscow summit. Talks are to continue this year, although neither side expects a swift end to the dispute. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov welcomed the opening of the talks in Moscow last month but stressed that recognition of the outcome of the war would be vital. Moscow wants to bolster its position in East Asia as it warily watches the growth of China's influence in the region. "Putin, for his part, just like Obama, is shifting towards East Asia," said Nobuo Shimotomai, professor at Hosei University in Tokyo. "He aims to do that by playing Russia's soft-power trump card, that is by selling energy to the region's countries," he said. A dramatic transformation is underway in Russia's energy sector, with oil flows being redirected to Asia via the East Siberia-Pacific Ocean pipeline. Russia plans to at least double oil and gas flows to Asia over the next 20 years, as it pivots away from export routes to Europe. That spells opportunity for Japan , which has been forced to import huge volumes of fossil fuel to replace its entire nuclear power industry, shut down after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami wrecked the Fukushima plant. Japan now consumes a third of global liquefied natural gas shipments, a key reason for its record 18 months of trade deficits.

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In 6 yrs, narcotic users grow twofold

The number of drug users has doubled in the past six years with more than two-thirds of users below the age of 30, a government report said. The Current Hard Drug Users in Nepal - 2012 survey, conducted by the Ministry of Home Affairs, has shown there were 91,534 narcotic drug users in 2012, of which 70,390 were between the ages of 20-24. “More than three-quarters (81.2 percent) of drug users have experienced drugs before they reach 20 years,” the report states. Drug use has almost doubled since 2006, with a total of 45,225 new drug users added to the 2006 total of 46,309. The report said the number of drug users, excluding those using marijuana and alcohol, has increased by 98 percent with an annual growth rate of 11.36 percent. “By recognising the alarming growth rate of drug users, the government has formed a taskforce headed by the under secretary of the home ministry to prepare a national policy on narcotic drugs,” said Laxmi Prasad Dhakal, Chief Narcotic Drug Control Officer at the Ministry of Home Affairs. The Narcotic Drug s (Control) Act, 2033 (1976), which mandates punishments of 15 years to life imprisonment and fines of up to Rs 2.5 million for individuals found involved in narcotic drugs has failed to deter drug abusers and dealers in the country. “The most worrying finding of the report is the involvement of college students. The majority of them have been found to be addicted to drugs,” he told the Post. According to Dhakal, the open border and urbanisation are major factors behind the rise in drug abuse. “We have developed a strategy to intervene in narcotic activities at three levels: reduction of demand and harm and control of supply,” he said. The intervention, however, has done little to curb drug abuse in the country. The rehabilitation of drug abusers has failed to deliver results, while the state mechanism has been inefficient in tracking down drug traders and taking action against them. The survey also notes there has been a shift in the types and mode of drug intake in the last few decades. “Beside marijuana and bhang, people started taking opiates and chemical drugs like heroin, nitrazepam, buprenorphine,” the report reads. The report also says the mode of drug administration has changed from smoking or ingesting to injecting, which has become one of the major causes of HIV infection in Nepal. Interestingly, the majority of drug users (40.1pc) reported that the government should provide employment opportunities for drug users according to the survey. Similarly, some 30.1 percent reported that free treatment facilities should be created, while some asked that society adopt a positive attitude towards them. Of 18 districts, including 26 municipalities surveyed, the highest number of drug users was found in the Kathmandu valley with a figure of 36,998 drug users, followed by Sunsari with 7,407. Other districts with high number of drug users include Kaski, 6917, Morang 6415, Jhapa 6008; Rupandehi 5997; Chitwan 4515 ,Banke 4050, and Parsa 2130.

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South Korea vows fast response to North; U.S. deploys stealth jets

South Korea will strike back quickly if the North stages any attack on its territory, the new president in Seoul warned on Monday, as tensions ratcheted higher on the Korean peninsula amid shrill rhetoric from Pyongyang and the U.S. deployment of radar-evading fighter planes. North Korea says the region is on the brink of a nuclear war in the wake of United Nations sanctions imposed for its February nuclear test and a series of joint U.S. and South Korea n military drills that have included a rare U.S. show of aerial power. North Korea said on Saturday it was entering a "state of war" with South Korea in response to what it termed the "hostile" military drills being staged in the South. But there have been no signs of unusual activity in the North's military to suggest an imminent aggression, a South Korea n defense ministry official said last week. "If there is any provocation against South Korea and its people, there should be a strong response in initial combat without any political considerations," President Park Geun-hye told the defense minister and senior officials at a meeting on Monday. The South has changed its rules of engagement to allow local units to respond immediately to attacks, rather than waiting for permission from Seoul. Stung by criticism that its response to the shelling of a South Korea n island in 2010 was tardy and weak, Seoul has also threatened to target North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and to destroy statues of the ruling Kim dynasty in the event of any new attack, a plan that has outraged Pyongyang. Seoul and its ally the United States played down Saturday's statement from the official KCNA news agency as the latest in a stream of tough talk from Pyongyang. North Korea stepped up its rhetoric in early March, when U.S. and South Korea n forces began annual military drills that involved the flights of U.S. B-2 stealth bombers in a practice run, prompting the North to puts its missile units on standby to fire at U.S. military bases in the South and in the Pacific. The United States also deployed F-22 stealth fighter jets on Sunday to take part in the drills. The F-22s were deployed in South Korea before, in 2010. On its part, North Korea has cancelled an armistice agreement with the United States that ended the Korean War and cut all hotlines with U.S. forces, the United Nations and South Korea . NUCLEAR WEAPONS "NOT A BARGAINING CHIP" Park's intervention came on the heels of a meeting of the North's ruling Workers Party Central Committee where leader Kim Jong-un rejected the notion that Pyongyang was going to use its nuclear arms development as a bargaining chip. "The nuclear weapons of Songun Korea are not goods for getting U.S. dollars and they are ... (not) to be put on the table of negotiations aimed at forcing the (North) to disarm itself," KCNA news agency quoted him as saying. At the meeting, Kim appointed a handful of personal confidants to the party's politburo, further consolidating his grip on power in the second full year of his reign. Pyongyang took part in nuclear disarmament talks for five years aimed at paying it off in return for abandoning its atomic weapons program. Those talks fell apart in 2008. Some experts say the talks gave the North grounds to pursue a highly enriched uranium program that took it closer to owning a working arsenal. Songun is the Korean word for the "Military First" policy preached by Kim's father who used it to justify the use of the impoverished state's scare resources to build a 1.2-million strong army and a weapons of mass destruction program. CALLS FOR RESTRAINT White House National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said North Korea's announcement that it was in a state of war followed a "familiar pattern" of rhetoric. China has repeatedly called for restraint on the peninsula. However, many in South Korea have regarded the North's willingness to keep open the Kaesong industrial zone, located just a few miles (km) north of the heavily-militarized border and operated jointly by both sides, as a sign that Pyongyang will not risk losing a lucrative source of foreign currency by mounting a real act of aggression. The Kaesong zone is a vital source of hard currency for the North and hundreds of South Korea n workers and vehicles enter daily after crossing the armed border. It was still open on Monday despite threats by Pyongyang to shut it down. Closure could also trap hundreds of South Korea n workers and managers of the more than 100 firms that have factories there. The North has previously suspended operations at the factory zone at the height of political tensions with the South, only to let it resume operations later.

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Government unveils new ambitious plan

The government has unveiled an ambitious Immediate Governance and Economic Action Plan-2012, incorporating 200 important initiatives under 15 important public sectors. The 23-page plan, endorsed by the Cabinet last week, aims at high growth rate and promotion of good governance, while helping people reap benefits, a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said. The plan set out clear-cut mandates, timelines and measuring rods to achieve its goals. According to the plan, the government will buy eight aircraft—two for the international route and six for the domestic sector—for Nepal Airlines within six months. “Those who fail to initiate the purchase process (of the aircraft) within a month will be fired,” the plan states. However, given the lengthy procurement process, one month’s time looks unrealistic. Giving a thrust to self employment programmes, the plan envisions creating employment opportunities to 15,000 youths by investing Rs 3 billion. As the current UPA government ’s flagship project in India—National Rural Guarantee Scheme—the new plan further aims to guarantee 100 days of employment for poverty identity card holders. Chief Secretary Leelamani Poudel, who played a key role in preparing the plan, admitted that the project is ambitious. He, however, said the targets are not unachievable. “The government wants to bring about changes by doing small things that can yield better and positive results,” he said.The plan also envisages three separate think tanks—security, foreign policy and strategic affairs—within six months. To give a boost to ‘Nepal Investment Year’, the action plan talks of organising an Economic Summit, identify 50 bankable projects within the next six months and honour people investing over Rs 1 billion with the Prime Minister National Award. In a bid to streamline INGOs, the document says such international organisations working in Nepal must make public their annual budget, their work and programmes, expenses and human resources. “All kinds of foreign assistance coming through the INGOs will be chanalised under the one-window system,” the plan says. The government has also decided to revive Saja Yatatayat and has instructed authorities concerned to resume the bus operations in Kathmandu and other major cities across the country within one year. Further, 25 Integrated Service Centres will be set up across the country, which will provide services in areas of citizenship, land affairs and development work under one umbrella. According to the plan, vacant positions of VDC secretaries will be filled within a year. “Any local development officer failing to take action against any village development secretary not performing his duties well will be removed from office,” the plan says. Akin to the National Development Service (NDS) during the Panchayat era, the government has made at least three years’ internship in public schools mandatory for anyone seeking the Master’s degree in science, humanities, information and technology, education and management streams. The government has further made it mandatory for students of health, agriculture, forestry and engineering to work in Nepal for at least two years before they pursue diploma, bachelor or master degree courses abroad. The plan further has it that except for the Foreign Secretary, no other government secretary will be allowed to spend more than 50 working days outside the country. It also bans observation visit for government officials and ministers. Ministers and secretaries must follow the protocol while attending foreign programmes and accepting invitations to the UN or bilateral and multilateral forums. The plan restricts government sponsored programmes, and calls for austerity measures while spending money in public functions. “Government sponsored meetings and seminars should not exceed more than one hour and such programmes must be held before or after the office hours or during public holidays. Rituals and formalities like taking seats, badge distribution, welcome speech or vote of thanks should be avoided,” the plan states. It has put a ban on using children to welcome VIPs in functions. It also aims to build five public restrooms and a cafeteria in Singha Durbar, while rain water will be harvested and the administrative hub lighted with solar energy. Ambassadors for foreign mission will be chosen from among career diplomats in the foreign ministry, former chief secretaries, secretaries and eminent personalities.

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Alleged 9/11 mastermind: America killed more people than hijackers did

The alleged mastermind of the September 11 attacks told the Guantanamo courtroom on Wednesday that the U.S. government had killed many more people in the name of national security than he is accused of killing. Khalid Sheik Mohammed was allowed to address the court at a pretrial hearing focused on security classification rules for evidence that will be used in his trial on charges of orchestrating the hijacked plane attacks that killed 2,976 people. "When the government feels sad for the death or the killing of 3,000 people who were killed on September 11, we also should feel sorry that the American government that was represented by (the chief prosecutor) and others have killed thousands of people, millions," said Mohammed, who wore a military-style camouflage vest to the courtroom. He accused the United States of using an elastic definition of national security, comparable to the way dictators bend the law to justify their acts. "Many can kill people under the name of national security, and to torture people under the name of national security, and to detain children under the name of national security, underage children," he said in Arabic through an English interpreter. "The president can take someone and throw him into the sea under the name of national security and so he can also legislate the assassinations under the name of national security for the American citizens," he said in an apparent reference to the U.S. killing and burial at sea of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and the U.S. use of drone strikes against U.S. citizens accused of conspiring with al Qaeda. He advised the court against "getting affected by the crocodile tears" and said, "Your blood is not made out of gold and ours is made out of water. We are all human beings." The judge, Army Colonel James Pohl, gave Mohammed permission to speak and did not interrupt him, but said he would not hear any further personal comments from the defendants. Mohammed's lecture to the court came during a week of pretrial hearings at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base in Cuba for him and four other captives accused of recruiting, funding and training the hijackers. He did not indicate why he wore a camouflage vest, but his wardrobe choice suggested he might try to invoke protections reserved for soldiers. Pohl had ruled on Tuesday that the defendants could wear what they want to court, so long as it did not pose a security risk or include any part of a U.S. military uniform like those worn by their guards. Mohammed's lawyers had argued that he should be allowed to wear a woodland-patterned camouflage vest to court because he wore one as part of a U.S.-armed mujahideen force fighting against Russian troops that occupied Afghanistan in the 1980s. "Mr. Mohammed has previously distinguished himself on the battlefield by wearing a military-style vest or clothing. He did it in Afghanistan for the U.S. government during that proxy war, he did it in Bosnia and he has a right to do it in this courtroom," his defense attorney, Army Captain Jason Wright, argued on Tuesday. The United States is trying Mohammed and the other alleged al Qaeda captives as unlawful belligerents who are not entitled to the combat immunity granted to soldiers who kill in battle. They could face the death penalty if convicted of charges that include conspiring with al Qaeda, attacking civilians and civilian targets, murder in violation of the laws of war, destruction of property, hijacking and terrorism. Under the Geneva Conventions, one of the things that separate soldiers from unlawful belligerents is the wearing of uniforms that distinguish them from civilians. Soldiers must also follow a clear command structure, carry arms openly and adhere to the laws of war. Wright had argued that forbidding Mohammed from wearing military-style garb could undermine his presumption of innocence in the war crimes tribunal. "The government has a burden to prove that this enemy prisoner of war is an unprivileged enemy belligerent," Wright said.

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That succulent piece of meat you are about to bite could be unsafe

Sharada Ghimire of Shantinagar, Kathmandu has plans of purchasing at least six kgs of meat for Dashain . She has already ‘booked’ the meat at her local butcher shop and will soon buy the meat and store it in her refrigerator. “It saves me the time and effort of going out every time guests arrive,” she said. Hundreds of thousands of animals are slaughtered every Dashain . Urban residents, however, prefer to buy meat from shops. Due to a lack of proper slaughterhouses people buy their meat from roadside shops, a number of which spring up overnight, simply to cater to the Dashain meat rush. The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) estimates that there are over 2,000 meat shops inside the city despite the fact that it has registered only around 800 of them. This means that a large section of the meat shops do not abide by government standards of hygiene and meat safety. Moreover, buying meat from an open roadside stall is not at all safe and neither is storing the meat in a refrigerator. Microbiologist Dwij Bhatta said that a survey conducted by the Central Department of Microbiology at Tribhuvan University some three months ago showed the presence of coliform bacteria in meat samples collected from various areas of Bhaktapur, Kathmandu and Kirtipur. Bhatta, who is head of the department, said that although the practice of sterilising meat has yet to be practiced, basic safety measures need to be taken prior to the consumption of meat. “The erratic supply of electricity means that even meat kept in the deep freezer of refrigerators is likely to melt and make it unhealthy for consumption,” said Bhatta. “Some cold-loving bacteria can also survive in such conditions and secrete toxins, increasing the chances of cross-contamination in the refrigerator.” Dr Indresh Jha, veterinary officer at the district livestock services, Kathmandu, said the meat must be stored at temperatures between -5 degree Celsius and -20 degree Celsius. “However, regular power outages is sure to deteriorate the meat,” Jha said. Experts claim that partially-cooked meat and even burned meat are not good for health. Dr Bhupendra Basnet, gastroenterologist at the Bir Hospital, claims that over-consumption of proteins is likely to lead to indigestion, gastritis and even food poisoning. These issues are further exacerbated by the simultaneous consumption of large amount of alcohol. “Barbequed meat can raise the risks of cancer and consuming liquor, along with meat, is not good for the heart, the blood vessels and the liver,” said Dr Basnet. Additionally, the water used during the slaughtering, meat processing and during preparations for consumption should be well-treated. Five areas for goat, sheep sale The KMC has allocated five areas for the sale of goats and sheep brought into the Capital in droves for the Dashain festival slaughter. The KMC has decided to allow the sale of goats only at Khasi Bazaar in Kalanki, Bijulibazaar, an open ground at Tinkune, the Tukucha Khasi Bazaar and one area in Balaju. Dr Baburam Gautam of the KMC said they have sent a team of veterinary doctors to the areas to check the animals being sold. He said the ones found unhealthy are being marked with red paint, while the healthy ones are being marked with green. According to him, the unhealthy ones will be allowed to be sold after their treatment. It is estimated that over 60,000 goats and sheep will be sold and subsequently killed during the festival season.

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Concern grows in U.K., U.S. over Somali-based militants

In late October, two 18-year-old men from the Welsh city of Cardiff were arrested on Kenya's border with war-torn Somalia. The father of one of them told the BBC he believed his son had been "brainwashed" and was on his way to join an Islamic holy war.

Kenyan authorities quickly sent the two Britons -- one of Somali ancestry, one of south Asian descent -- back to Britain. After questioning by police, they were released without charge.

The arrests, which occurred just as Kenyan security forces launched an air and ground incursion into Somalia, shone a light on an increasing concern for British and U.S. counter-terrorism experts -- the interest of young British Muslims in joining al Shabaab.

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How the agreement was finally sealed

KATHMANDU, NOV 02 -

The much-awaited deal that the parties struck on Tuesday evening, charting out a time-bound action plan on completing the peace process, was a result of a series of formal and informal talks between the leaders of the major political parties over the past few months.

Though the parties had agreed in principle to complete the peace process and prepared some ground for forging consensus some seven months ago, they began working practically on consensus when they started meaningful discussions about a month ago.

The parties that had intensified discussions after PM Baburam Bhattarai’s return from New York, were very optimistic of a breakthrough when they formed a three-member taskforce on October 19 to prepare a draft of a ‘package deal.’ The taskforce that comprised Krishna Prasad Sitaula from the Nepali Congress, Barsa Man Pun of the UCPN (Maoist) and Bhim Rawal of the CPN-UML, was successful in sorting out almost all disputes except for the number of combatants to be integrated and the rehabilitation package.

Though the parties were planning to seal a deal the next day (October 20) when Bhattarai was scheduled to leave for India, they could not do so after the Mohan Baidya faction of the Maoists objected to the understanding.

Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and PM Bhattarai, however, got the negotiations going despite the rift in their party. Meanwhile, they continued to reach out to Baidya, but when the latter boycotted a crucial meeting called to discuss the differences, they said they would move ahead and sign agreements on completing the peace process based on the party’s majority decision.

Tuesday’s deal was possible after top leaders of the three parties and the taskforce members held a decisive meeting at 2:00 pm at Hotel Radisson, Lazimpat, where they resolved differences in the draft prepared by the taskforce. Earlier on Monday, a three-party meeting had asked the top leaders of the NC, the Maoists, and the UML to come up with a joint proposal.

Dahal, NC President Sushil Koirala and UML Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal and other leaders were engaged the whole day in giving final touches to the draft.

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Conjoined twins from Philippines separated in US

US surgeons successfully separated conjoined two-year-old girls born in the Philippines, the California hospital where the operation took place announced.

Medics operated for eight hours to separate Angelina and Angelica Sabuco, who were born joined at the chest and abdomen.

"The surgeons are happy with the progress of the operation so far," said Reena Mukamal, a spokeswoman at the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital in the northern city of Palo Alto, after the twins were moved to separate operating rooms for reconstructive surgery.

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Leaders seal the 'peace deal'

KATHMANDU, NOV 01 - The peace process that was started five years ago in 2006 is likely to witness its logical conclusion. The meeting of the top brass leaders of the major political parties—Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, UCPN (Maoist) and the Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha—on Tuesday agreed on contentious issues of the peace process and sealed the deal.

The leaders are due to hold a press conference at the Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai's official residence in Baluwatar shortly.

Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, NC President Sushil Koirala and UML Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal signed on the pact.

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Indian hunger striker warns of new fast

NDIA, NOV 01 - Indian protester Anna Hazare, whose campaign in August for a new anti-corruption law galvanised millions, threatened on Tuesday to start another hunger strike unless his demands are met.

The 74-year-old activist wants a new law passed by the end of the winter session of parliament on December 21 that would create a powerful new ombudsman able to investigate and prosecute public servants.

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25 injured in bus accident

Nepal, Nepalgunj
25 passengers were injured in a bus accident in Bardiya on Tuesday.

The bus (Na 3 Kha 2288), en route to Tikapur from Kalikot, met with an accident at Belawa in Bardiya at 6 this morning.

A year-old Manisha Silwal has been critically injured in the accident. Most of the injured have returned home after receiving primary treatment.

A team under Armed Police Force Inspector Shital Shrestha had rescued the injured passengers.

The bus driver has been absconding following the accident, police said.

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