Month: December 2009

Beijing, Dec 02: A Chinese official on Tuesday evaded questions on reports that China had asked authorities in Jammu and Kashmir to stop construction work on a road near the disputed border between the two countries.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Qin Gang neither confirmed nor denied reports that China had raised objections with the State authorities over the construction of an 8-km road in Ladakh near the Line of Actual Control, the effective demarcation between the two countries.

Beijing, December 02: After objecting to construction of a road in Ladakh, China today asked India to stop building activities along their disputed boundary, insisting that till this issue is settled, the two countries should maintain “peace and stability” in the border areas.

“On the border issue, China and India have disputes,” foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said at a news conference.

Washington, Dec 02: A week after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was accorded a red carpet welcome in the US, the Obama administration has termed his visit as “historic” and said both the countries had some “specific accomplishments.”

“It was really an historic visit, that we had some specific accomplishments,” the State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told.

London, Dec 02: British Government denied that the five sailors detained by Iran had any malicious intentions and demanded their immediate release hoping that the issue would be resolved without turning into a diplomatic row of the sort two years ago.

When a group of British Navy sailors and marines were held for a month by Revolutionary Guards for allegedly illegally entering Iranian waters.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband sought to play down the incident describing it as simply a “consular” matter.

Washington, Dec 02: Underscoring the need for more rapid development of Afghan national security forces, President Barack Obama has given his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai a clear time line of 18 to 24 months to achieve the goals set by the US.

“President Obama underscored the need for more rapid development of the Afghan National Security Forces so that Afghans themselves can assume greater responsibility over the security of their country,” White House said in a statement.

Sydney, Dec 02: Australia’s Parliament defeated legislation to set up a greenhouse gas emissions trading system on Wednesday, throwing a central plank of the government’s plans to combat global warming into disarray.

The Senate, where Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s government does not hold a majority, rejected his administration’s proposal for Australia to become one of the first countries to install a so-called cap-and-trade system to slash the amount of heat-trapping pollution that industries pump into the air.

Washington, Dec 02: US President Barack Obama has said that the cancer of violent extremism has taken roots in the border region of Pakistan and argued the need for the US and its allies to successfully treat it.

“We are in Afghanistan to prevent a cancer from once again spreading through that country. But this same cancer has also taken root in the border region of Pakistan. That is why we need a strategy that works on both sides of the border,” Mr. Obama said at the West Point Military Academy in New York.

New York, December 02: Some 80 countries still penalise homosexuals, including passing criminal laws that fuel discrimination against them, the joint UN programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) said.

On World AIDS Day, UNAIDS said that such laws have prevented effective national responses to help those living with HIV and are a violation of their human rights. World AIDS Day is held annually Dec 1.

Washington, December 02: A suspect in the shocking execution-style killings of four police officers over the weekend was shot dead by a Seattle patrolman who was making a routine check of a stolen car, authorities said.

Maurice Clemmons, 37, had been the subject of a massive police manhunt after he allegedly gunned down the officers as they were filling out paperwork in a coffee shop before the start of their shift Sunday.

Washington, December 02: Golfer Tiger Woods will be cited for careless driving resulting into car crash outside his home last week, the Florida Highway Patrol said. But the world-famous golfer will not be the subject to any criminal investigation into the incident, said police, who also ruled out any domestic violence charges.

Woods could face a fine of $164 for the careless driving citation, said Major Cindy Williams of the Highway Patrol in a televised press conference Tuesday.