Pak safe havens requires more than military solution: Obama

WASHINGTON: Concerned over the extremist safe haven in Pakistan, US President Barack Obama has said that the issue requires more than simply military actions.

"With respect to Pakistan and safe havens there, Afghanistan and the United States and Pakistan all have an interest in reducing the threat of extremism in some of these border regions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and that's going to require more than simply military actions," Obama told reporters at a joint press conference with visiting Afghan President Hamid Karzai yesterday.

That's really going to require political and diplomatic work between Afghanistan and Pakistan, he said in response to a question from a visiting Afghan journalist when he asked the question of continued safe havens inside Afghanistan.

The United States, obviously, will have an interest in facilitating and participating in cooperation between the two sovereign countries, he noted.

"But as President Karzai, I think, has indicated, it's very hard to imagine a stability and peace in the region if Pakistan and Afghanistan don't come to some basic agreement and understanding about the threat of extremism to both countries and both governments and both capitals.

"I think you're starting to see a greater awareness of that on the part of the Pakistani government," Obama said.

Earlier in his opening remarks, Obama welcomed the recent steps taken by Pakistan towards reconciliation process. He was apparently referring to the recent release of Taliban prisoners by Pakistan.

"Reconciliation requires constructive support from across the region, including Pakistan. We welcome recent steps that have been taken in that regard, and we'll look for more tangible steps because a stable and secure Afghanistan is in the interest not only of the Afghan people and the United States but of the entire region," Obama said.

Earlier, the two leaders had three round of meetings in separate settings at the White House including one-o-one in the Oval Office, one with the two delegations and finally luncheon. Both the leaders expressed satisfaction over the progress made in the meeting.

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Four stamps released on Vivekananda's 150th birth anniversary

JAMMU: (PTI) The Department of Posts (DoP) here today released four special postage stamps and the First Day Cover on Swami Vivekananda on his 150th birth anniversary.

Chief postmaster general Jammu and Kashmir John Samuel today released the stamps and cover on Vivekananda at a simple but impressive function held at Gandhi Nagar Head Post Office here today.

These stamps have been brought out by India Post to commemorate the 150th Birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda whom the world acknowledges as great visionary, philosopher and thinker.

The stamps and the first day cover were presented to Swami Girijashananda, Secretary Swami Rama Krishna Mission by CPMG.

Speaking on the occasion John Samuel said the relevance of Vivekananda's philosophy has been accepted by the entire world and release of postage on Swami is the best way to communicate his teachings among the common masses.

The department has already released two stamps on Vivekananda in 1963 and 1993. Further special stamp has also been released on Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Tamilnadu in 1996.

Sri Lanka post has also issued a special stamp on Vivekananda in 1997.

Department is bringing out number of stamps every year on popular themes and during the last year it has brought stamps on festival of lights Deepawali, Lighthouses of India, London Olympics, Shekawati Painintings, 800th Urs of Dargah Sharif, Ajmer, Civil Aviation Centenary, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, he said.

Chief Postmaster General also informed Department will be bringing out stamps on the Basilica of Vailankanni ( Tamil Nadu) during the January-2013.

The new stamps and first day cover released are available at Philatelic Bureau, Gandhi Nagar Head Post Office in Jammu and Srinagar GPO in Srinagar, he said.

Philatelists and others who are interested in getting stamps on regular basis may deposit rupees 200 towards philately deposit account and the stamps will be sent to them every month through registered post and the postage will be free, he said.

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Congress slams Uttarakhand CM for saying women shouldn't venture out after 6pm

NEW DELHI/ DEHRADUN: Vijay Bahuguna-led Uttarakhand government's bizarre decision to prohibit women from going out after 6pm in order to order to stop crimes has invited criticism both from the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Reacting to the state government's decision here on Saturday, Union waters resources minister and Congress leader from Uttarakhand Harish Rawat said: "Issuing such guidelines that when should they (women) go out and till what time they should work is not a fair step. It is not going to work."

"I think stricter laws should be made and enforcement agencies should be held accountable to ensure swift and harsh punishment for the culprits. We will have to change the mentality. We will have to come up with a broader social campaign to change the mentality of society to stop such crimes," added Rawat.

Former chief minister of Uttarakhand and BJP leader Bhagat Singh Koshiyari said the Congress is not capable of running a government.

"It shows that the state government is incapable of providing security to women. Tomorrow, the government will stop them from going out of their homes. Instead of passing such laws, criminals should be scared of committing crimes. The government is prohibiting women," claimed Koshiyari.

"If the authorities work properly, such incidents don't take place. We will have to spread awareness and teach ethics and values to young people. People in authority should also be alert and work properly," he added.

Meanwhile, chief minister Vijay Bahuguna has denied issuing such guidelines that restrict women from going out, and said: " It is the responsibility of the management of the organisation where they work, to take care of the women employees and they should drop them at door steps if they get late."

"There is no restriction on women and children, but the organization they are working at should drop them at their doorsteps if they get late while coming home. We will provide every possible security, but it is not our responsibility to drop them home," said Bahuguna.

However, the state government is being severly criticised for this regressive approach prohibits women from working beyond 6pm in private and government jobs.

The step is being seen as too extreme to curb crimes against women in the wake of the gang rape and subsequent death of a 23-year-old woman in New Delhi late last month. The reports have prompted several state governments and the central government to fine-tune the laws of the country regarding rape and other sexual crimes against women.

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Fresh elections only way out in Jharkhand, state BJP chief says

JAMSHEDPUR: BJP's state president Dineshanand Goswami feels fresh elections are the best and only option to prevent formation of a government based on horse-trading in Jharkhand.

Reacting to the meetings of the JMM, Congress and RJD with Jharkhand governor Syed Ahmed in Raj Bhawan on Saturday to stake claim for formation a government, Goswami said no political party or alliance has the majority to form an alternative government in the prevailing political scenario.

Goswami said if any new government is formed it will be based on horse-trading and will have to take the support of some tainted MLAs including those who were recently released on bail.

"Majority of the masses are in support of fresh elections to elect a popular, stable and development-oriented government," the BJP leader claimed.

Altogether 38 MLAs of different political parties including BJP are strongly in favour of fresh election, Goswami told a press conference here.

He demanded that the governor should not wait for a moment and dissolve the assembly to recommend fresh elections.

Referring to the recent recovery of explosives implanted in the body of a jawan killed in an ambush recently in Latehar district, and the killing of two Indian soldiers at the LoC, Goswami said the government has to deal with terrorists and extremists with an iron hand.

He cautioned that the nexus between terrorists groups from across the border and Maoists is dangerous and not a good indication for the country.

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India denies visa to British journalist Yvonne Ridley

HYDERABAD: India has denied award-winning British journalist Yvonne Ridley a visa. She was scheduled to address the Spring of Islam conference being held here by the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind.

The London-based journalist, who was captured by the Taliban on an undercover assignment in Afghanistan in 2001 and converted to Islam after her release in 2003, was to address various sessions at the three-day conference, which began Friday.

"The Indian Government is refusing to give me a conference visa to address 50,000 women in Hyderabad about women's rights ... I would have thought after the catastrophic handling of the Dehli rape case, politicians would be more sensitive, but it seems not. We women continue to be sidelined and treated as second class citizens," she said in her post on Facebook.

Ridley, through video conference, addressed three sessions of girls, women and journalists.

"The Indian government knows how powerful words are. That is why I am sitting in the UK today talking to you instead of being with you to deliver this speech in person," she said, addressing the session of journalists Saturday.

Khalid Mubashir-ul-Zafar, president of Jamaat-e-Islami's Hyderabad unit, said Ridely was given all necessary clearances by the external affairs ministry, but was denied visa in the last minute because of the tense situation in Hyderabad.

There was tension in the city Friday after a group of people staged protests in the old city over the arrest of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) leader and legislator Akbaruddin Owaisi for his alleged hate speech.

Ridley was also denied a visa when she planned a trip to Kerala in 2010 to address a Muslim women's conference organised by the Jamaat.

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Black flag shown to Canadian minister in Amritsar

AMRITSAR: Canadian Backloggers Pre-2008 Association showed black flags to the Jason Kenny,Canada's minister of citizenship Immigration and multiculturalism during his visit to Amritsar on Friday.

About 150 protesters including women were stopped by police from getting closer to the visiting Canadian minister but they managed to show black flags to him near Golden Temple. President of Moga unit of Association Jagmander Singh told TOI that there were more than 3 lakh applications pending with Canadian government .

"About 65000 applications are of Punjabi's only who had applied for migration under skilled category" He said adding that Canadian government treats them as files forgetting that future of thousands of men , women and children were at stake.

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Crack in windscreen cockpit hits Boeing 787 Dreamliner in Japan

TOKYO/WASHINGTON: Boeing Co's 787 Dreamliner jet suffered a cracked cockpit window and an oil leak on separate flights in Japan on Friday - the latest in a series of incidents testing confidence in the sophisticated new aircraft.

All Nippon Airways Co said a domestic flight from Tokyo landed safely at Matsuyama airport in western Japan after a crack developed on the cockpit windscreen, and the plane's return to Tokyo was cancelled.

The same airline later said oil was found leaking from an engine of a 787 Dreamliner after the plane landed at Miyazaki airport in southern Japan. An airline spokeswoman said it later returned to Tokyo after some delay. No one was injured in either incident.

The world's first carbon-composite airliner, which has a list price of $207 million, has been beset by problems this week. Some analysts say these are normal teething issues as a new plane enters service under close scrutiny. Others say the incidents could erode public confidence in the mould-breaking aircraft.

US transportation officials will hold a press conference in Washington at 0930 EDT (1430 GMT) to discuss issues related to recent electrical problems on the new plane, one person familiar with the matter told Reuters. Bloomberg News said the US Federal Aviation Administration would announce a review into the jet's power system.

US regulators have raised questions about the plane's reliability on long transocean routes, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The 787 Dreamliner made its first commercial flight in late-2011, after a series of production delays put deliveries more than three years behind schedule. By the end of last year, Boeing had sold 848 Dreamliners, and delivered 49.

Earlier this week, a battery fire caused damage to an empty 787 jet operated by Japan Airlines while it was on the ground at Boston airport. The next day, another JAL 787 spilled 40 gallons of fuel onto the taxiway at the same airport after a problem that caused a valve to open, forcing the plane to delay its departure. On Wednesday, ANA cancelled a domestic Dreamliner flight due to a brake-control computer glitch.

Boeing's top Dreamliner engineer, Mike Sinnett, was rolled out midweek to defend the 787, saying the plane's problem rates were no higher than with Boeing's successful 777 jet.

Spider web crack

ANA said crew noticed a spider web-like crack in a window in front of the pilot's seat about 70 minutes into Friday's flight, which was close to its destination.

"Cracks appear a few times every year in other planes. We don't see this as a sign of a fundamental problem" with Boeing aircraft, a spokesman for the airline said.

On the later flight, the ANA spokeswoman said she could not specify how much oil leaked from the engine.

Later on Friday, ANA - which, with JAL flies 24 of the 49 Dreamliners delivered to end-December - launched its maiden service between Tokyo's Narita Airport and San Jose, California with the Dreamliner.

Jun Akiyama, a plane enthusiast who was taking photos at the airport ahead of the San Jose departure, said: "It's worrying. If there was a major accident lives would be at stake, and these defects are only increasing fears."

But Yasushi Uesaka, a systems engineer from Osaka who was also taking pictures nearby, played down the incidents. "When new things come out, there will naturally be defects. That a lot of these defects didn't occur during flight means they're not too critical, I think."

In India - where state-owned Air India has taken delivery of six Dreamliner jets and has more on order - a senior official at the aviation regulator said there was concern at the recent spate of Dreamliner glitches. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has not ordered any Dreamliner checks for now, but is waiting for a safety report from the US National Transportation Safety Board, the official said.

Air India spokesman K Swaminathan said the airline's debut Dreamliner flight to Paris on Thursday went without a hitch.

Fuel savings

One of Boeing's chief innovations with the 787 is its use of electrical power to run on-board functions such as hydraulics and air conditioning, instead of relying on heavier pneumatic systems used on other planes. The weight savings make the 787 more fuel efficient, a big advantage for airlines battling high jet fuel costs.

To power the electrical system, the 787 uses generators attached to the plane's engines, which produce about 1.5 megawatts of power, enough to power about 300 hot water heaters. The system uses high-voltage distribution panels and powerful batteries, such as the one that caught fire in Boston on Monday.

Makoto Yoda, president of Japanese battery maker GS Yuasa Corp, which makes the Dreamliner batteries, said his company was looking into Monday's fire, and was sending a team of engineers to cooperate with the US investigation.

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Prospect of Iran nuke probe uncertain: IAEA chief Yukiya Amano

TOKYO: The UN nuclear agency chief said on Friday he was not optimistic about talks with Iran next week on getting access to a military base Western powers suspect has been used for atom bomb-related work.

The comments by Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), contrasted with a more upbeat assessment given by the Vienna-based UN agency after a meeting with Iranian officials last month.

The IAEA, whose mission it is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons in the world, has been trying for a year to negotiate a so-called structured approach with Iran that would give it access to sites, officials and documents.

The IAEA's priority is to visit the Parchin military facility southeast of Tehran, where the agency suspects explosives tests relevant for nuclear weapons may have taken place, perhaps a decade ago. Tehran denies this.

"The outlook is not bright," Amano said in Tokyo, referring to the negotiations to be held in Tehran on Wednesday on the framework accord the IAEA hopes will enable it to quickly resume its stalled investigation into suspected atom bomb research.

The talks between the IAEA and Iran are separate from, but linked to, broader diplomacy by six world powers to resolve the nuclear row with Iran before it leads to a Middle East war, feared because of Israeli threats to bomb Iranian nuclear sites.

Western powers say Iran is trying to develop the capability to make atomic weapons, a charge the Islamic Republic rejects.

Both the IAEA and Tehran have said progress was achieved at the December meeting, without giving details.

However, Amano said in Japanese comments translated into English: "Talks with Iran don't proceed in a linear way. It's one step forward, two or three steps back ... So we can't say we have an optimistic outlook" for the January 16 meeting.

Window of opportunity?

Western diplomats say Iran has worked for the past year to cleanse Parchin of any evidence of illicit activities, but Amano said late last year an IAEA visit would still be useful.

The IAEA said after last month's talks in Tehran it expected a deal could be completed in January and swiftly implemented.

But Western diplomats in Vienna later said stumbling blocks remained, including Iran's demand for access to intelligence documents that form part of the basis for the IAEA's concerns.

Even if a deal is reached, the diplomats said, it remained to be seen how it would be carried out. Western officials have often accused Iran of stonewalling IAEA investigations.

"An agreement is a good first step, but implementation is the most important part," one Western envoy said on Friday.

Iran's refusal to curb nuclear activity with dual civilian and military applications, and its lack of openness with the IAEA, have drawn tough Western punitive measures and a threat of pre-emptive military strikes by its arch-adversary Israel.

Analysts and diplomats say there is a window of opportunity for world powers to make a renewed diplomatic push to find a broader negotiated solution to the dispute after US President Barack Obama won re-election in November.

The six powers - the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China - want Iran to scale back its uranium enrichment programme and cooperate fully with the IAEA. Iran wants the West to lift sanctions hurting its economy.

Both sides say they want to resume talks this month, but have yet to agree on a date and venue.

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Crack in windscreen cockpit hits Boeing 787 Dreamliner in Japan

TOKYO/WASHINGTON: Boeing Co's 787 Dreamliner jet suffered a cracked cockpit window and an oil leak on separate flights in Japan on Friday - the latest in a series of incidents testing confidence in the sophisticated new aircraft.

All Nippon Airways Co said a domestic flight from Tokyo landed safely at Matsuyama airport in western Japan after a crack developed on the cockpit windscreen, and the plane's return to Tokyo was cancelled.

The same airline later said oil was found leaking from an engine of a 787 Dreamliner after the plane landed at Miyazaki airport in southern Japan. An airline spokeswoman said it later returned to Tokyo after some delay. No one was injured in either incident.

The world's first carbon-composite airliner, which has a list price of $207 million, has been beset by problems this week. Some analysts say these are normal teething issues as a new plane enters service under close scrutiny. Others say the incidents could erode public confidence in the mould-breaking aircraft.

US transportation officials will hold a press conference in Washington at 0930 EDT (1430 GMT) to discuss issues related to recent electrical problems on the new plane, one person familiar with the matter told Reuters. Bloomberg News said the US Federal Aviation Administration would announce a review into the jet's power system.

US regulators have raised questions about the plane's reliability on long transocean routes, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The 787 Dreamliner made its first commercial flight in late-2011, after a series of production delays put deliveries more than three years behind schedule. By the end of last year, Boeing had sold 848 Dreamliners, and delivered 49.

Earlier this week, a battery fire caused damage to an empty 787 jet operated by Japan Airlines while it was on the ground at Boston airport. The next day, another JAL 787 spilled 40 gallons of fuel onto the taxiway at the same airport after a problem that caused a valve to open, forcing the plane to delay its departure. On Wednesday, ANA cancelled a domestic Dreamliner flight due to a brake-control computer glitch.

Boeing's top Dreamliner engineer, Mike Sinnett, was rolled out midweek to defend the 787, saying the plane's problem rates were no higher than with Boeing's successful 777 jet.

Spider web crack

ANA said crew noticed a spider web-like crack in a window in front of the pilot's seat about 70 minutes into Friday's flight, which was close to its destination.

"Cracks appear a few times every year in other planes. We don't see this as a sign of a fundamental problem" with Boeing aircraft, a spokesman for the airline said.

On the later flight, the ANA spokeswoman said she could not specify how much oil leaked from the engine.

Later on Friday, ANA - which, with JAL flies 24 of the 49 Dreamliners delivered to end-December - launched its maiden service between Tokyo's Narita Airport and San Jose, California with the Dreamliner.

Jun Akiyama, a plane enthusiast who was taking photos at the airport ahead of the San Jose departure, said: "It's worrying. If there was a major accident lives would be at stake, and these defects are only increasing fears."

But Yasushi Uesaka, a systems engineer from Osaka who was also taking pictures nearby, played down the incidents. "When new things come out, there will naturally be defects. That a lot of these defects didn't occur during flight means they're not too critical, I think."

In India - where state-owned Air India has taken delivery of six Dreamliner jets and has more on order - a senior official at the aviation regulator said there was concern at the recent spate of Dreamliner glitches. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has not ordered any Dreamliner checks for now, but is waiting for a safety report from the US National Transportation Safety Board, the official said.

Air India spokesman K Swaminathan said the airline's debut Dreamliner flight to Paris on Thursday went without a hitch.

Fuel savings

One of Boeing's chief innovations with the 787 is its use of electrical power to run on-board functions such as hydraulics and air conditioning, instead of relying on heavier pneumatic systems used on other planes. The weight savings make the 787 more fuel efficient, a big advantage for airlines battling high jet fuel costs.

To power the electrical system, the 787 uses generators attached to the plane's engines, which produce about 1.5 megawatts of power, enough to power about 300 hot water heaters. The system uses high-voltage distribution panels and powerful batteries, such as the one that caught fire in Boston on Monday.

Makoto Yoda, president of Japanese battery maker GS Yuasa Corp, which makes the Dreamliner batteries, said his company was looking into Monday's fire, and was sending a team of engineers to cooperate with the US investigation.

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A dozen Iraqi inmates seize weapons, escape from prison

BAGHDAD: A dozen prisoners including al-Qaida-linked death row inmates escaped from a prison near Baghdad on Friday, the latest sign that Iraq still struggles with basic law and order more than a year after American troops withdrew, officials said.

The brazen prison break happened hours before thousands of overwhelmingly Sunni protesters rallied in the capital and other parts of the country, keeping pressure on an Iraqi government. Among the demands of the three-week wave of protests are the release of detainees held in Iraqi jails and changes to a tough counterterrorism law that Sunnis believe unfairly targets their sect.

The prisoners managed to escape through windows in their cells early in the morning and then seized the weapons of guards manning two observation towers, according to a police official. He said all of the prisoners had been convicted on terrorism charges and that some were awaiting execution, but did not provide further details of the crimes they were alleged to commit nor give a specific number for how many escaped.

A guard chief in Taji prison confirmed the account. He said a number of guards were arrested and are being questioned to see if they helped the prisoners escape. Security forces launched a manhunt to arrest the escapees. He and the police official agreed to discuss the incident on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to media.

Jailbreaks are not uncommon in Iraq. In September, scores of inmates escaped following clashes at a prison in Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit that left 12 people, including 10 guards, dead. The government acknowledged the inmates in that escape had help from the inside.

Meanwhile, several thousand demonstrators took to the streets for the third Friday in a row in the western province of Anbar and in other predominantly Sunni parts of the country.

The protests began last month following the arrests of bodyguards assigned to Finance Minister Rafia al-Issawi, one of the central government's most senior Sunni officials. He has since become a rallying point for the demonstrators, who are angry over perceived second-class treatment by the Shiite-led government.

Al-Issawi roused a crowd of several hundred people gathered at a Baghdad mosque after midday prayers Friday, saying the demonstrations "will be able to shake any throne."

Without naming Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki or other officials directly, he warned that anyone who threatens the protesters could face the same downfall as Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president who was pushed from power by the Arab Spring protests in 2011.

"If you want to stay out of prison after your term ends, do not stain yourselves with protesters' blood," he said. The rallies have for the most part been peaceful, and government forces have not tried to break them up.

His address was frequently interrupted by chants from the crowd demanding the toppling of the government.

The rallies have grown into the largest and most sustained demonstration of Sunni discontent since the 2003 US-led invasion. They are raising fresh concerns that Iraq may be heading for new conflict between the country's Sunnis and the Shiite majority.

Sectarian tensions are a major driver of the violence that continues to plague Iraq, with Sunni extremists carrying out attacks mainly against Shiite targets in an effort to undermine the government's authority.

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