Pakistan needs help now, not later - experts
While warmly welcoming an international donors’ conference last Saturday for Pakistan’s recovery from last month’s devastating earthquake, a group of United Nations experts warned this week that the vast majority of pledges are earmarked for long-term recovery even as operations remain in the critical rescue and assistance phase.
“Even in the face of such generosity, the risk of a second humanitarian disaster looms large,” the experts said in a statement on the $5.4 billion pledged.
“More lives are at risk today than the 74,000 originally claimed by the earthquakes. Donors must not rest content with the outcome of Saturday’s conference,” they said.
“In order to save lives today, these pledges must be fulfilled immediately. Moreover, donors must allow flexibility in use of the funds,” they added of the quake which beyond the dead and injured left up to 3 million people homeless.
“We remind donors that with winter fast approaching and life-saving resources scarce, tens of thousands of earthquake survivors face death, hunger and disease as well as prolonged displacement and homelessness,” they declared.
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said that with emergency conditions persisting and unlikely to abate before spring, food and shelter are in critical need if those who endured the earthquake are to survive the rapidly approaching winter.
Some 2.3 million people will require food assistance at least through April, it said.
Nepal rebels to end war
Nepal’s Maoist rebels said on Tuesday they were ready to end years of violence and rejoin the political mainstream.
The move confirms a breakthrough announced by Nepali political leaders visiting New Delhi last week. But the rebels did detail their conditions for ending the fighting.
Nepal’s seven main parties recently met the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M) to discuss ending years of war and creating a united political front against King Gyanendra, who sacked the government and took power in February.
“The CPN-M expresses its commitment to march ahead peacefully into a new political mainstream,” Maoist chief Prachanda said in a statement.
He said the rebels would continue talking with the parties about how they could rejoin the political process. His announcement came days after the parties said the Maoists were ready to accept multiparty democracy and end violence.
“We are committed to end the autocratic monarchy and establish full democracy through a forward-looking political solution,” Prachanda’s statement said.
The Maoists have been fighting since 1996 to overthrow the world’s only Hindu monarchy and install a communist rule, a revolution that has killed at least 12,500 people and shattered the economy.
There was no immediate comment from the appointed royalist government that calls the Maoists terrorists.(Reuters)
Japan to invest $1.4 bn in India
Highlighting the growing economic importance of India, Japan said on Tuesday it would invest $1.4 billion in India, but felt it would take sometime before New Delhi became a partner in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).
Japanese Ambassador Yasunuki Enoki told reporters in Delhi that the $1.4 billion investment would be made in 29 projects, which had already been approved.
Eight additional projects were under consideration and if approved, Japanese FDI from now to 2007 would exceed $1.5 billion, he said.
Two-way India-Japan trade, which currently stands at $5 billion, is also set to rise though not dramatically, with the two countries agreeing to halve the 20 per cent tax levied on services under a new treaty, the envoy said.
“Our trade will also rise, but not dramatically, after the new taxation treaty comes into force (in July 2006),” Enoki said.
He said Japan was now looking ahead to the second Japanese investment boom in India -- with the first round of investments witnessed from 1991 to 1998 which saw some $540 million come in till India’s nuclear test put relationship between the two countries on hold.
“That has changed since 2002 and the better political climate is an inducement for investments,” he said, adding that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s India visit earlier this year had a strong impact on Japanese investors.(PTI)
Delhi to spend $10 bn on airports
India is embarking on a massive drive to upgrade existing airports and build new ones at a cost of $10 billion over the next four years, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said this week.
The projects involve both upgrading and building airports in 41 cities, including six key cities, he said at the Dubai Air Show on Monday.
While airports in the metro cities of New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata would be upgraded to receive the largest and latest aircraft, two new airports would be built at Bangalore and Hyderabad.
The minister said these projects would be completed in five years. Sounding bullish on the growth of the Indian aviation sector, Patel said the industry saw growth topping 25 per cent last year and reaching 30 per cent this year.
Two Indian carriers - Air India and Indian Airlines - will also go public by issuing IPOs early next year, Patel said.
On demand from new private Indian carriers for permission to operate on the lucrative Gulf sector, the minister said the current restrictions would remain in place.
“We want the country to be connected from within and the private airlines have to show consistency for five consecutive years. Then the reward is to fly overseas,” he said.(Rediff)
India rejects Pakistan’s Kashmir ‘self-rule’ idea
India has rejected Pakistan’s suggestions regarding “self governance” on both sides of the Line of Control (LOC) and reaffirmed that there would be no re-deployment of security forces while terrorism, violence and infiltration continued.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had conveyed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during the recent SAARC Summit in Dhaka that in seeking a resolution on the Jammu and Kashmir issue the two countries could explore ideas like self governance and de-militarisation.
Rejecting the suggestion, India said people of the state already enjoyed autonomy and popular democratic rights and said residents of the state’s parts under Pakistan’s occupation were deprived this.
“No proposal regarding so called self governance was provided to which a response was expected. Our Prime Minister had conveyed that J and K already enjoyed autonomy under the Indian Constitution and had in place a popular government elected through free and fair elections,” an Indian spokesman said.
“However, there was clearly a lack of autonomy in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and there had been no popular elections in Gilgit and Baltistan to determine the wishes and aspirations of the people,” he said.
Mr. Singh had also reiterated that there would be no question of re-deployment of Indian security forces while cross border terrorism and infiltration continued and there was no cessation of terrorist violence.(Agencies)
While warmly welcoming an international donors’ conference last Saturday for Pakistan’s recovery from last month’s devastating earthquake, a group of United Nations experts warned this week that the vast majority of pledges are earmarked for long-term recovery even as operations remain in the critical rescue and assistance phase.
“Even in the face of such generosity, the risk of a second humanitarian disaster looms large,” the experts said in a statement on the $5.4 billion pledged.
“More lives are at risk today than the 74,000 originally claimed by the earthquakes. Donors must not rest content with the outcome of Saturday’s conference,” they said.
“In order to save lives today, these pledges must be fulfilled immediately. Moreover, donors must allow flexibility in use of the funds,” they added of the quake which beyond the dead and injured left up to 3 million people homeless.
“We remind donors that with winter fast approaching and life-saving resources scarce, tens of thousands of earthquake survivors face death, hunger and disease as well as prolonged displacement and homelessness,” they declared.
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said that with emergency conditions persisting and unlikely to abate before spring, food and shelter are in critical need if those who endured the earthquake are to survive the rapidly approaching winter.
Some 2.3 million people will require food assistance at least through April, it said.
Nepal rebels to end war
Nepal’s Maoist rebels said on Tuesday they were ready to end years of violence and rejoin the political mainstream.
The move confirms a breakthrough announced by Nepali political leaders visiting New Delhi last week. But the rebels did detail their conditions for ending the fighting.
Nepal’s seven main parties recently met the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M) to discuss ending years of war and creating a united political front against King Gyanendra, who sacked the government and took power in February.
“The CPN-M expresses its commitment to march ahead peacefully into a new political mainstream,” Maoist chief Prachanda said in a statement.
He said the rebels would continue talking with the parties about how they could rejoin the political process. His announcement came days after the parties said the Maoists were ready to accept multiparty democracy and end violence.
“We are committed to end the autocratic monarchy and establish full democracy through a forward-looking political solution,” Prachanda’s statement said.
The Maoists have been fighting since 1996 to overthrow the world’s only Hindu monarchy and install a communist rule, a revolution that has killed at least 12,500 people and shattered the economy.
There was no immediate comment from the appointed royalist government that calls the Maoists terrorists.(Reuters)
Japan to invest $1.4 bn in India
Highlighting the growing economic importance of India, Japan said on Tuesday it would invest $1.4 billion in India, but felt it would take sometime before New Delhi became a partner in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).
Japanese Ambassador Yasunuki Enoki told reporters in Delhi that the $1.4 billion investment would be made in 29 projects, which had already been approved.
Eight additional projects were under consideration and if approved, Japanese FDI from now to 2007 would exceed $1.5 billion, he said.
Two-way India-Japan trade, which currently stands at $5 billion, is also set to rise though not dramatically, with the two countries agreeing to halve the 20 per cent tax levied on services under a new treaty, the envoy said.
“Our trade will also rise, but not dramatically, after the new taxation treaty comes into force (in July 2006),” Enoki said.
He said Japan was now looking ahead to the second Japanese investment boom in India -- with the first round of investments witnessed from 1991 to 1998 which saw some $540 million come in till India’s nuclear test put relationship between the two countries on hold.
“That has changed since 2002 and the better political climate is an inducement for investments,” he said, adding that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s India visit earlier this year had a strong impact on Japanese investors.(PTI)
Delhi to spend $10 bn on airports
India is embarking on a massive drive to upgrade existing airports and build new ones at a cost of $10 billion over the next four years, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said this week.
The projects involve both upgrading and building airports in 41 cities, including six key cities, he said at the Dubai Air Show on Monday.
While airports in the metro cities of New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata would be upgraded to receive the largest and latest aircraft, two new airports would be built at Bangalore and Hyderabad.
The minister said these projects would be completed in five years. Sounding bullish on the growth of the Indian aviation sector, Patel said the industry saw growth topping 25 per cent last year and reaching 30 per cent this year.
Two Indian carriers - Air India and Indian Airlines - will also go public by issuing IPOs early next year, Patel said.
On demand from new private Indian carriers for permission to operate on the lucrative Gulf sector, the minister said the current restrictions would remain in place.
“We want the country to be connected from within and the private airlines have to show consistency for five consecutive years. Then the reward is to fly overseas,” he said.(Rediff)
India rejects Pakistan’s Kashmir ‘self-rule’ idea
India has rejected Pakistan’s suggestions regarding “self governance” on both sides of the Line of Control (LOC) and reaffirmed that there would be no re-deployment of security forces while terrorism, violence and infiltration continued.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had conveyed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during the recent SAARC Summit in Dhaka that in seeking a resolution on the Jammu and Kashmir issue the two countries could explore ideas like self governance and de-militarisation.
Rejecting the suggestion, India said people of the state already enjoyed autonomy and popular democratic rights and said residents of the state’s parts under Pakistan’s occupation were deprived this.
“No proposal regarding so called self governance was provided to which a response was expected. Our Prime Minister had conveyed that J and K already enjoyed autonomy under the Indian Constitution and had in place a popular government elected through free and fair elections,” an Indian spokesman said.
“However, there was clearly a lack of autonomy in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and there had been no popular elections in Gilgit and Baltistan to determine the wishes and aspirations of the people,” he said.
Mr. Singh had also reiterated that there would be no question of re-deployment of Indian security forces while cross border terrorism and infiltration continued and there was no cessation of terrorist violence.(Agencies)
