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Guantanamo reviews delayed |
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Written by Sheetal Mehta
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Tuesday, 21 July 2009 15:43 |
 Washington - A report by an Obama administration panel set up to review detention and interrogations policies and outline a plan to close the Guantanamo Bay prison has been delayed.
The panel was due to submit its finding by Tuesday but has asked for an extension on the deadline set by President Barack Obama as part of his plans to shutter the controversial facility by January, the New York Times reported.
US officials said that a task force assembled by Obama for reviewing detention policy needed another six months to complete its report, while a second one examining interrogation policy has received a two-month extension.
The officials maintained that the goal of closing the facility by the end of January remained in place despite the delays. The prison currently holds about 230 detainees.
Obama signed an executive order after taking office setting up the panels and a six-month deadline to report back. The failure to meet the deadline reflects the complexity of closing Guantanamo.
Countries have been slow to respond to reguests by the Obama administration to host some of the prisoners cleared for release, while Congress has moved to block the transfer of any of them to US soil.(dpa)
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Clinton condemns "senseless" attack in Indonesia |
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Written by Harpreet Verma
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Friday, 17 July 2009 15:38 |
 Washington - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton condemned Friday the bombing of two prominent hotels in Indonesia's capital Jakarta that killed at least nine people and injured dozens.
"We condemn these senseless acts of violence and stand ready to provide assistance if the Indonesian government requests us to do so," Clinton, who was arriving in India Friday at the start of a week-long trip to Asia, said in a statement.
"The attacks reflect the viciousness of violent extremists and remind us that the threat of terrorism remains very real," she said.
Two suicide bombings rocked the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in Jakarta Friday morning. More than 40 people were injured. Three Australians and one New Zealander are believed to be among the nine dead.(dpa) |
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Security beefed-up in Mumbai ahead of Clinton’s visit |
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Written by Reetu Sharma
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Friday, 17 July 2009 15:36 |
 Mumbai, July 17 : Mumbai witnessed tightened security measures today, following intelligence agencies warning about possible militant strikes in at least seven places in the country.
The beefed up security arrangements are also being attributed to the fact that US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton will begin her five-day visit to India by landing in Mumbai today around 10 pm and spending a day in the city.
Security forces were keeping vigil outside the Taj Mahal Hotel where Hillary Clinton has decided to stay.
Meanwhile, Naseem Khan, Home Minister of Maharashtra said that the state police personnel have been placed on alert and also the round-the-clock vigil is being maintained at several spots.
"Hillary Clinton is now going to stay in Hotel Taj where terror attacks took place last year. This means that the security system in Mumbai has been improved. This is a message which shows that the state-centre have done their jobs to give fool-proof security, be it on the marine front or in the city areas," said Naseem Khan, Home Minister of Maharashtra, Mumbai.
Appreciating these steps, local residents of Mumbai believe that it is the duty of the security forces to make sure that no untoward incident happens in the city even after Hilary''s visit.
"We want to say that Indian government should give full security as she (Hillary Clinton) is our guest. It is our responsibility to make sure her visit is safe here and no security lapse takes place until she departs from Mumbai," noted Vikram Kumar, a local resident. (ANI) |
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UN's Ban praises Nelson Mandela on his 91st birthday |
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Written by Samrat Khanna
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Friday, 17 July 2009 15:34 |
 New York - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday called former South African President Nelson Mandela an "exemplary global citizen" for his life-long devotion to making his country a democratic and multi-racial society.
Mandela's 91st birthday will be celebrated at home as well as in New York City with a star-studded fund-raising concert at Radio City Hall. Performers are to include Stevie Wonder and Carla Bruni, wife of French President Nicholas Sarkozy who will be in the audience.
The aging freedom fighter cannot attend due to his fragile health, but he has sent his wife Graca Machel, widow of former Mozambique president Samora Machel, and other Mandela family members, to the concert and other events this week in New York commemorating the birthday.
"Nelson Mandela is a living embodiment of the highest values of the United Nations," Ban said in a message on "Mandela Day."
"Nelson Mandela has made a lasting imprint on our lives," Ban said. "That is why I am so pleased to join people throughout the world in wishing him a happy 91st birthday. May we all continue to benefit from his wisdom, his good works and good humour for many years to come." (dpa) |
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Chinese-American engineer convicted of spying |
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Written by Sheetal Mehta
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Friday, 17 July 2009 15:32 |
 Los Angeles - A Chinese-American engineer who worked for Boeing corporation for 30 years has been convicted of spying for China after agents found 300,000 sensitive documents at his home, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.
Dongfan Chung, 73, was found guilty of acting as a foreign agent, conspiring to violate the Economic Espionage Act and seven other charges. Prosecutors are expected to ask for a 15 to 20 year jail sentence.
During the ten day trial, the court heard how investigators found some 300,000 documents in his home - including plans for the fueling system of a Delta 4 rocket, an antenna system for the space shuttle and other aerospace and military technologies.
Prosecutors alleged that since the late 1970s, Chung had sent information to China via various means, including mail, sea freight, a Chinese agent named Chi Mak and the Chinese consulate.
"As federal agents sifted through the hundreds of thousands of pages of documents in Mr Chung's home, the story of Mr Chung's secret life became clear," US District Court Judge Cormac Carney wrote in his decision. "He was a spy for the People's Republic of China."
Defence attorneys said they expected to appeal. Lawyers claimed he had the documents because he planned to write a book about the space shuttle.(dpa) |
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Page 4 of 9 |
Belgrade - Serbia on Wednesday reported its first case of swine flu, a man who recently returned from Argentina, the ...
The International master Thej Kumar of South Western Railway ended match his with his team-mate IM Ratna Kumar into a...
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