Kerala Governor Sikander Bakht no more
Thiruvananthapuram Feb 23 - Kerala Governor Sikander Bakht, who underwent a surgery last week at the medical college hospital here, passed away tonight at 2130 hrs. He was 86. According to hospital sources, he had been put on ventilator after his condition worstened yesterday night. He was shifted to the Intensive Care Unit following a viral attack. Bakht had undergone an emergency operation to remove an intestinal block on February 19.
The doctors had earlier held a teleconferencing with experts at Apollo Hospital in Chennai, and if necessary a team of doctors would be flown in here to examine the Governor, hospital authorities said. Chief Minister A K Antony, P K Kunhalikutty, Cherkalam Abdullah, Nalakath Soopi and Assembly Speaker Vakkom Purushothaman reached the Medical College on hearing the news. -Keralamonitor.com
New Divisional Manager Joins Omasco Muscat
Actor-director Vijay Anand expired
Mumbai Feb 23: Renowned filmmaker and former Chairman of the Censor Board Vijay Anand, who is also the younger brother of actor-director Dev Anand, breathed his last here on Monday morning. He was 69 years old and is survived by his wife Sushma and son Vaibhav.He passed away at the Lilawati Hospital at Bandra in North-West Mumbai where he was admitted yesterday afternoon in a critical condition following a massive heart stroke, hospital sources said. According to Dr.Narendra Trivedi, Vice President of Lilawati Hospital, Vijay Anand did not respond to ''aggressive'' treatment though he was put on a life support system and administered drugs. His kidneys had failed and blood pressure was very low.
He was referred to as 'Goldie' in the hindi film industry, and has directed acclaimed movies like 'Guide', 'Jewel Thief','Teesri Manzil' 'Kala Bazaar', 'Tere Ghar Ke Samne', and besides 'Johnny Mera Naam' (1970) and 'Tere Mere Sapne' (1971). He made his debut as an actor in 'Joru Ka Bhai'(1955), and has also acted in 'Agra Road' (1957), 'Haqeequat' (1964) directed by his other brother Chetan Anand besides films like Kora Kagaz' (1974)'Hindustan Ki Kasam' (1973), 'Chhupa Rustam' (1973), and 'Hum Rahe Na Hum' (1984). The body of the filmmaker has been taken to his residence 'Ketnav' at Khar adjonining Bandra. -Keralamonitor.com
Ratan Tata to head steering group for preparing action plan to utilise hydrogen and fuel cells
Feb 23: Shri Kariya Munda, Minister for Non-Conventional Energy Sources constituted a Steering Group under the Chairmanship of Shri Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Sons while chairing the first meeting of recently set up National Hydrogen Energy Board here today. Shri A. Mahindra, President, CII will be the Co-Chairman of the group. The Steering group will prepare a report in next 4 months to prepare an action plan for demonstration and commercialization of hydrogen and fuel cell powered vehicles and power generating systems in the country through public-private partnership. The other members of the group would be among others representatives from DST, CSIR and MNES etc.
The Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources has set up the National Hydrogen Energy Board to guide the Indian Hydrogen Energy Programme. In its first meeting today various issues concerning coordinated development of hydrogen energy programme for India including production, storage, transport, distribution, safety, standards and applications were discussed.
Among others, the meeting was attended by Shri N.K. Singh, Member (Energy) Planning Commission, Shri Ratan Tata, Chairman Tata Sons and Shri A. Mahindra, President, CII. Shri Kariya Munda also visited an exhibition on hydrogen energy organized by the Ministry on this occasion. A hydrogen powered motor cycle, a three wheeler and generator sets and a fuel cell-battery hybrid vehicle and also the results of other important research work on developing hydrogen energy in the country were displayed in the exhibition.
The Ministry is working out the details of the National Hydrogen Energy Road Map, which will provide the basis for coordinated development on all aspects of hydrogen energy including production, storage, transport, distribution, safety, standards and applications. The Road Map will be prepared and implemented under the guidance of the National Hydrogen Energy Board.
Hydrogen is a clean fuel and an efficient energy carrier. The energy content in hydrogen is highest for any known fuel. Therefore, hydrogen is considered to be a potential alternative to fossil fuels, which can provide clean electricity and heat energy. It is envisaged that hydrogen will be available for a wide range of applications including power generation, transport and heating applications. Hydrogen is the most abundant energy source, but it is not available in free form.
Hydrogen can be produced from water, biomass, organic compounds and hydrocarbons such as petrol, natural gas, methanol and propane. It can be used directly as a fuel in internal combustion engines and turbines. It can also be blended with diesel and CNG. Hydrogen is also used in fuel cells to produce electricity. Fuel cells are similar to batteries, except that they do not require to be recharged with electricity. They work with hydrogen supply as a fuel.
Large-scale use of hydrogen will become possible when hydrogen supply infrastructure is put in place. This will require that all components of the hydrogen energy system i.e. production, transportation, storage, delivery and applications are developed in a coordinated manner. These efforts will require solutions to many challenges in developing technologies, creating infrastructure and making hydrogen applications affordable. Strong Government-research- industry partnership will be necessary to develop hydrogen energy technologies for large-scale commercial use. This will also require coordination among various Government agencies, academic and research institutions and industry.
The members of the National Hydrogen Energy Board are from Government, industry & experts including Shri N.K. Singh, Member (Energy) Planning Commission, Shri Ratan Tata, Chairman Tata Sons, Shri Mukesh Ambani, Chairman Reliance Industries, Shri A. Mahindra, President, CII, Dr.Y. K. Modi, President, FICCI, Shri Mahindra K. Sanghi, President, ASSOCHAM, Dr. K. Kasturirangan, former Chairman, ISRO & Chairman IIT-Madras and Prof. C.N.R. Rao, Chairman IIT - Kanpur, among others. -Keralamonitor.com
Two institutes declared Deemed University
Feb 23: The University Grants Commission has declared the Mody College of Engineering and technology and Mody College of Management Studies as Deemed to be university with immediate effect subject to a review after five years. These two institutions come under the Mody Institute of Education and Research, Lakshmangarh, Rajasthan.
Both the colleges has been given Deemed University Status under the section 3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956 (3 of 1956), the Central Government, on the advice of the University Grants Commission. The Mody College of engineering and Technology is running three under graduate courses in three different disciplines and college of Management Studies is running two post graduate programmes. -Keralamonitor.com
'Incredible India' Campaign bags PATA Gold Award
Feb 23: Department of Tourism, Government of India has won the PATA Gold Award for the year 2004 in the marketing of destinations category for its 'Incredible India' Campaign. The Incredible India Spirituality campaign has also won the PATA Gold Award in the travel advertisement print media category. PATA has also recognised the e-mail newsletter through an honourable mention. This was announced by CEO and President of PATA, Mr. Peter D. Jong at Bangkok on Friday.
Pacific Asia Travel Authority (PATA) Gold Awards recognises exceptional achievement in a variety of endeavours bringing acclaim to the best regions the travel industry has to offer. The winning projects set industry standards for excellence and innovations. The PATA awards will be presented at the 53rd Annual Conference being held at Cheju Island, Korea during 18-20 April, 2004.
During 2003, India tourism registered a growth of 23% in foreign exchange earnings as compared to the same period in the previous year. The total earnings were Rs. 17200 crores as compared Rs. 14000 crores in the previous year. The total foreign tourist arrivals have increased by around 16%. The Conde Nast Traveler in its Readers Award has recently selected India s one of the top 10 preferred destinations for the discerning traveler. In a recent survey conducted in 134 countries, the lonely Planet Travel Guide has selected India as one of the top five destinations for the independent traveler.
Among other winners for 2004 are Singapore airlines for the Singapore Airlines fabulous offer campaign. Master Card for the See Australia Campaign, Banyan Tree and Resorts for the Best SPA and Tourism New Zealand for the best Website. -Keralamonitor.com
India to set up Remote Sensing Unit in Maldives
Feb 23: India to undertake satellite imaging and aerial services for Maldives as well as set up a Remote Sensing Unit in the Island for analysing and updating the data created from digital mapping. An agreement on this has already been signed and the project is currently under implementation. India has conveyed to Maldives that it is ready to provide the services on a continuing basis.
The National Remote Sensing Agency, Hyderabad of the Department of Space which is executing the project involves, creation of medium scale maps of the entire Maldives and large scale maps of selected areas. Alongwith ground reference points, these maps will be used for generating a Geographical Information System which can be updated periodically.
The Agency will also assist Maldives in setting up the unit in Male, for maintaining the GIS and for using the satellite remote sensing data for thematic studies of land and oceans. The Indian Agency will also provide training to Maldivian scientists for running the centre and interpreting the remote sensing data. -Keralamonitor.com
New rice variety released
Feb 23: A new rice variety, CSR 23 has been developed and released for alkaline soils of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, and for coastal saline soils of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and West Bengal. It has medium slender grains with good head rice recovery and has resistance to leaf blast and tolerance to bacterial leaf blight, sheath blight, neck blast and brown spot.
Among the Chilli hybrids evaluated, two hybrids namely MSH 96 and MSH 172 were found to be superior for yield, fruit quality and resistance to powdery mildew and viruses, and have been recommended for release. -Keralamonitor.com
Remote Area Rail Connectivity Yojana
Feb 23: The Remote Area Rail Connectivity Plan, at a cost of Rs. 20,000 crores, will add nearly 9000 kilometres of new rail lines in the next five years as compared to about 10,000 kilometres since the Independence.
This will add 5000 kilometres of new lines and 3340 kilometres of gauge conversions, augmenting further rail capacity to accelerate faster growth of the nation.
The completion of projects under this scheme will provide connectivity to backward and under developed areas and places of tourist interests basically on socio-economic considerations.
The Railways have a shelf of new lines and gauge conversion projects worth Rs. 43,000 crores which are throw forward from the past. Out of these, projects of new lines and gauge conversions worth Rs. 20,000 crores are in the remote backward areas. A time bound completion of these projects to provide rail connectivity to the backward areas will meet a long cherished demands of the people. -Keralamonitor.com
Nepal, India sign agreement on free flow of passenger vehicles
Feb 23: India and Nepal today signed an agreement on free flow of passenger vehicles through five border points connecting major cities.The agreement was signed between Indian Ambassador to Nepal Shyam Saran and Nepalese Labour Secretary Narayan Prasad Silwal in the presence of visiting Foreign Secretary Shashank and his Nepalese counterpart Madhu Raman Acharya here and will be operationalized after signing of the protocol for procedures and modalities. The agreement allows the movement of regular passenger bus service through five border points on 14 different routes connecting important cities of Nepal to New Delhi, Lucknow, Patna, Kolkata, Darjeeling and Varanasi among others. -Keralamonitor.com
UN NewsEU Needs Ambassador For HIV/AIDS, Experts Tell Conference
Feb 23: A two-day international conference on HIV/AIDS in Europe and Central Asia opened today in Dublin with calls for the European Union to appoint an ambassador for AIDS to coordinate efforts against the epidemic as it picks up steam in neighboring countries (Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Feb. 23).
Peter Piot, executive director of the Joint U.N. Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), said the EU must mobilize resources against the virus as it prepares to accept 10 nations into the fold in May. Among the accession states, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are developing serious HIV problems. The former Communist countries of the Baltic, Eastern Europe and Central Asia have seen a dramatic rise in HIV infections due to high levels of heroin use coupled with poverty associated with the transition to capitalism, Piot said.
"We have the fastest-growing HIV epidemic in the world at the doors of the new EU," Piot told BBC Radio, adding, "In the new EU, this should be one of the priorities" (Andrew Woodcock, Press Association, Feb. 23).
About 2.1 million of the 40 million HIV/AIDS sufferers worldwide live in Europe and Central Asia (UNAIDS release, Feb. 22). The numbers are not as alarming as the rate of increase; Estonia logged 899 new HIV diagnoses in 2002 but only 12 in 1998, and Lithuania's figures quintupled from 2001 to 2002 (UNICEF release, Feb. 22).
The conference is bringing together ministers from 55 countries and high-level representatives from U.N. agencies, among them World Health Organization Director General Lee Jong-wook, UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy and former Irish President and U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson. Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa is attending, as is erstwhile rock star and Third World fundraiser Bob Geldof.
Bellamy urged participants to enlist young people, who face the highest risk of infection - people under 30 account for 80 percent of HIV infections in Eastern Europe, for example - in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
"The evidence shows that when serious and sustained prevention efforts target young people, HIV prevalence rates decline as they did among young people in Cambodia, Uganda and Brazil," Bellamy said (UNICEF release).
Nigerian State Going Ahead With Polio Vaccine Boycott
Feb 23: A Nigerian state comprised mainly of Muslisms announced yesterday it would go ahead with an official boycott of an internationally led emergency polio vaccine campaign.
Charging that the vaccines are purposely contaminated to expose Muslims to HIV/AIDS or sterility-causing agents, Islamic leaders say the vaccines are part of a U.S. plot to kill Nigerian Muslims.
"Unless we are convinced by our committee (of health experts) that the oral polio vaccines are safe, the exercise remains suspended in Kano state," Kano government spokesman Sule Ya'u Sule said.Polio has recently spread from northern Nigeria to nations where polio had been eradicated.
UNICEF's Nigerian branch disaproved of Kano's boycott."UNICEF has been immunizing children around the globe for decades and our biggest wish is to continue to do the job and eradicate polio once and for all in Nigeria and worldwide," a UNICEF statement said (John Murray, Associated Press/Yahoo! News, Feb. 22).
Maternal Deaths In Latin America, Caribbean Called "Shameful"
Feb 23: A consortium of U.N. agencies, international organizations and aid groups pledged Friday to reduce the maternal mortality toll in Latin America and the Caribbean by 75 percent by 2015, a target in line with the Millennium Development Goals.
Calling the region's 23,000 annual maternal deaths "shameful," Pan American Health Organization Director General Mirta Roses said the vast majority of maternal deaths in the region were "routinely prevented in developed countries" and called for stepped-up efforts to provide better prenatal care for women.
More than one-fifth of maternal deaths in Latin America and the Caribbean are due to hypertensive disorders, while 20 percent are due to hemorrhage, 15 percent to post-partum complications and 11 percent to complications from unsafe abortions. The maternal mortality rate in the area is 190 women for every 100,000 live births - 10 times that of the United States.
Roses was speaking in Washington at the unveiling of a strategy to combat maternal deaths by supporting national- and local-level efforts to improve maternal health, ensuring that all births are attended by skilled professionals and increasing public demand for childbirth services through education. The strategy is supported by PAHO, the U.N. Population Fund, UNICEF, the U.S. Agency for International Development, Family Care International, the Population Council, the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank (PAHO release, Feb. 20).
Belafonte Urges African Nations To Increase Birth Registrations
Feb 23: UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Harry Belafonte today urged African governments to redouble efforts to increase birth registrations and to make sure the right is compulsory, free and accessible, during the first regional conference on the issue in Dakar, Senegal.
"For children to count they must be counted," Belafonte said. "To deny children their legal documentation, their names, their identity is to jeopardize their very lives and to deny them a future as citizens."
The ambassador also stressed that birth registration allows children to have access to health care, school enrollment and to have legal protection against child labor, child trafficking, early recruitment into armed services, illegal child marriage for girls and other abuses.
The regional conference in West and Central Africa is being attended by 24 countries and is sponsored by UNICEF, the U.N. Population Fund and Plan International (UNICEF release, Feb. 23).
Rising Temperatures Seen Wiping Out Great Barrier Reef
Feb 23: Warmer ocean temperatures due to climate change will kill 95 percent of coral on the Great Barrier Reef by 2050, according to a study by the University of Queensland's Center for Marine Studies in Australia.
The reef - the world's largest chain of coral - will not disappear completely, but coral cover is expected to decline to just 5 percent by mid-century, even under the most favorable circumstances.
Temperature increases of just 1 degree Celsius have either killed or bleached coral, and marine scientists predict that water temperatures will rise up to 6 degrees Celsius over the next century.
"There is little to no evidence that corals can adapt fast enough to match even the lower projected temperature rise," said the report, commissioned by the Worldwide Fund for Nature and Queensland's state tourism body.
A spokesman for Australia's Environment Ministry called the report "a good contribution to debate about the reef," but said the government's decision not to ratify the Kyoto Protocol would remain unchanged because it was not a global treaty.
Neither the United States nor Russia has signed on to the climate-change agreement, leaving it short of the threshold needed to come into force.
The Great Barrier Reef, which stretches nearly 1,200 miles along Australia's northern coast, is one of the seven wonders of the natural world and home to thousands of coral, fish and mollusk species.
The reef's Marine Park has put in place a climate-change program. Paul Marshall, the program manager, said, "We have to accept degradation, but how much and how fast is certainly something we can influence."
He said efforts to curb the flow of sediment, fertilizers and pesticides on the reef would also help make coral more resilient (Kathy Marks, London Independent, Feb. 23).
Brazilian President, UNDP Launch Forest Initiative
Feb 23: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and the U.N. Development Program have launched an initiative to protect the Caatinga forest of northeast Brazil and improve the lives of people living in the region.
The $27 million project, begun earlier this month, aims to conserve the diverse array of life found in the forest. Up to 20,000 plant species and many animals can be found there. The northeast region has been subject to deforestation, its trees used by local tile, brick and steel industries. Industrialization has taken a toll on the environment, causing soil erosion and a decreased water supply.
The UNDP will work with aid communities in implementing more environmentally friendly land-use initiatives. The U.N. agency will also offer communities incentives to protect forest areas rich in natural resources.
"This is a unique opportunity to promote human development in one of Brazil's poorest regions through the sustainable use of Caatinga's resources, while protecting one of the most threatened and globally important eco-regions," said UNDP official Carlos Lopes (UNDP release, Feb. 20).
Pressure For World Bank To Stop Oil, Coal Financing Rises
Feb 23: World Bank President James Wolfensohn has come under pressure to favor recommendations from an internal review urging the bank to stop financing all oil and coal projects in the developing world after five Nobel Prize winners asked him to do so in a letter dated Feb. 9 and presented at a recent meeting in Melbourne.
The Extractive Industries Review, drafted by former Indonesian Environment Minister Emil Salim in consultation with various industry, government and environmental group representatives, was a two-year examination of the World Bank's role in funding oil, coal and gas-mining projects in developing countries. It was presented to the bank on Jan. 16.
In the letter, Nobel Laureates Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Jody Williams, Sir. Joseph Rotblat, Betty Williams and Mairead Maguire urged Wolfensohn "in the strongest possible terms to embrace the spirit of the report and accept the recommendations in their entirety when devising a strategy for moving forward."
"War, poverty, climate change, greed, corruption, and ongoing violations of human rights - all of these scourges are all too often linked to the oil and mining industries. Your efforts to create a world without poverty need not exacerbate these problems. The review provides you an extraordinary opportunity to direct the resources of the World Bank Group in a way that is truly oriented toward a better future for all," they added.
The letter was presented days after reports were leaked of a draft bank document indicating it will reject the review's main recommendations (Bob Burton, Public Agenda/allAfrica.com, Feb. 23).
Among the rejected proposals was one that recommended the bank and its private sector arm, the International Finance Corporation, to phase out involvement in oil projects within five years and back renewable energy instead.
The leaked document said ending the financing of oil projects "would unfairly penalize small and poor countries that need the revenues from their oil resources to stimulate economic growth and alleviate poverty" (U.N. Wire, Feb. 3).
A World Bank spokesman, however, said the "leaked report does not represent the final bank view of the EIR report as there will be further internal and external consultations" (Burton, Public Agenda/allAfrica.com).
UNESCO Survey Finds Few Countries Teaching Mother Tongue
Feb 23: Although the use of mother tongues as a medium of education is gaining popularity, few countries have incorporated the idea into their education systems, a UNESCO survey indicates (UNESCO release, Feb. 19).
With an average of two indigenous languages dying out every month, UNESCO has called for national education systems to teach children in mother tongues from the earliest age as a means of both stimulating learning ability and preserving the world's rich heritage of linguistic diversity (U.N. release, Feb. 20).
"It is widely acknowledged nowadays that teaching in both the mother tongue and the official national language helps children to obtain better results and stimulates their cognitive development and capacity to learn," said UNESCO Director General Koïchiro Matsuura in a message Friday for International Mother Language Day (UNESCO release, Feb. 19).
The study shows India to be a forerunner in multilingual education systems, with about 80 languages being used to teach children at different levels of schooling. African and Latin American nations fared poorly in the study, where the vestiges of colonialism have left the dominance of English, French, Spanish and Portuguese within the education systems.
According to the Atlas of the World Languages in Danger of Disappearing, there are more than 6,000 languages spoken in the world today, 95 percent of which are spoken by only 4 percent of the population (U.N. release, Feb. 20).
Rebels Kill 192 In Strike On Northern Uganda Refugee Camp
Feb 23: Rebels with the Lord's Resistance Army massacred 192 refugees at a camp in northern Uganda late Saturday, torching homes and gunning down people as they fled, according to witnesses cited by Associated Press.
Describing the bloodshed at the Barloonyo camp as the "worst situation I've ever seen in my life," local lawmaker Charles Anjiro said he and the district police commander counted the dead bodies yesterday morning. However, other news sources and the Ugandan army report varying death tolls (Geoffrey Muleme, AP/Yahoo! News, Feb. 22). The Ugandan daily New Vision said the attack was the largest by the rebels since 1995, when they killed 240 people in a raid near the border with Sudan (New Vision/allAfrica.com, Feb. 23).
Many people were burned alive after fleeing to their homes to escape rebel fire.
"I saw one hut with seven family members still burning and three (people) in the next hut were also still burning," said Reverend Sebhat Ayele, who visited the camp on Sunday.
Army spokesman Major Shaban Bantariza confirmed the attack, saying the camp, some 150 miles north of the capital city of Kampala, was home to 5,000 people (Muleme, AP/Yahoo! News).
Government soldiers combed villages in northern Uganda today on the hunt for members of the LRA after clashing with a small group of the rebels yesterday, killing one (Muleme, AP/Yahoo! News, Feb. 23).
Earlier in the week, government soldiers backed by helicopter gunships had followed the elusive LRA to Ngora, about 240 miles north of Kampala, on Wednesday, where they killed 36 insurgents and rescued 22 abducted children, said Lieutenant Chris Magezi. The army was pursuing the rebel group after they had raided a nearby camp for displaced people, Magezi said (AP/Yahoo! News, Feb. 19).
The Ugandan Army also claims to have killed 25 rebels in a different area on Saturday. However, while the army claims to be weakening the rebels, civilians remain extremely vulnerable, said the BBC's Will Ross (BBC Online, Feb. 22).
"They are always hiding the figures of casualties from the war," said Anjiro of the army. "They always make sure that the figures they give to the public do not indicate they are weak" (Muleme, AP/Yahoo! News, Feb. 23).
Details of the recent raid were difficult to confirm since LRA members rarely make contact with the outside world. The group has been fighting Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni since he came to power in 1986. LRA leader Joseph Kony claims to have spiritual powers and the group has terrorized towns throughout north and northeastern Uganda, forcing an estimated 1 million people out of their homes.
After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, U.S. President George W. Bush put the group on a list of organizations suspected to have links to terrorism (AP/Yahoo! News, Feb. 22).
World Food Program Needs Funding For Ethiopia
Feb 23: Due to a lack of funding, the World Food Program announced Friday that it was necessary to cut the amount of food aid donated to refugees in Ethiopia.
"The imminent cut in food rations will put at risk the health and lives of refugees, especially women and children," said the WFP's director for Ethiopia, Georgia Shaver.The 126,000 refugees from Eritrea, Somalia, and Sudan, with little income to purchase food, will see a 30 percent reduction in their food intake. Shaver said this will negatively affect the health of the refugees.
"We will only be able to provide 1,500 kilocalories per person per day, which is well below the minimum 2,100 kilocalories required to carry out a healthy and active life," Shaver said.
The WFP said it needs $10 million to stop further food reductions and to continue feeding the refugees throughout 2004. Only 40 percent of this amount has been donated so far. The WFP will outrun its supply in May if donors do not act immediately (WFP release, Feb. 20).
U.N. Assists Refugee Families In Western Sahara
Feb 23: The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees will soon launch a family visit program for Western Saharan refugees separated from their relatives since Spain's withdrawal from North Africa sparked war nearly 30 years ago.
Under the program, slated to begin in early March, a U.N.-chartered aircraft will, on a regular basis, shuttle four or five families between the Western Saharan city of Laayoune and the Algerian town of Tindouf, where five camps for 165,000 Western Saharan refugees are situated. Algeria, Morocco, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Rio de Oro have consented to the visits.
UNHCR has been actively helping the refugees near Tindouf and their families. This latest program follows an initiative last month installing telephone lines to ensure communication between refugees and family members in Western Sahara. Negotiations are taking place to start a mail service (U.N. release, Feb. 20).
U.N. Judge's Resignation Setback For Milosevic TrialFeb 23: The decision by the presiding judge in former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic's U.N. war crimes trial to step down for health reasons could spell a major setback for prosecutors, as Milosevic is expected to argue for a new trial, the Chicago Tribune reported.
British Judge Richard May, who announced yesterday he would step down in three months from his post at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, has been in poor health since late January.
Meanwhile, legal experts say that after the prosecution presented nearly 300 witnesses, introduced tens of thousands of pages of documentary evidence and produced a voluminous court record, the body of evidence could be insufficient to win a conviction for genocide.
Some analysts say failure to make the genocide charges against Milosevic stick would have serious implications for future genocide prosecutions.
"The thinking is that if Milosevic is not convicted, it will narrow the definition of genocide and make it harder to get convictions in future," Northwestern University law professor Anthony D'Amato said, adding that in light of the evidence, or lack of it, the decision to charge Milosevic with genocide was a serious misjudgment on the part of the prosecution.
"I think the prosecution wanted Milosevic in the dock so badly that once they got him, they threw everything and the kitchen sink at him," he said. "(The evidence) we've seen seems to show the prosecution really didn't know what it had. They went fishing. They hoped some witness would walk in with a smoking gun," he added (Tom Hundley, Chicago Tribune, Feb. 23).
The tribunal president, Theodor Meron, said U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan would appoint a successor soon. Following tradition, the new judge is expected to be from the same country as his or her predecessor, in this case the United Kingdom.
Patrick Robinson of Jamaica and O Gon Kwon of South Korea will continue to serve on the three-judge panel.
Under the rules, if a sitting judge steps down, the court can either stop the trial and start anew, or order the proceedings to continue, a move for which Milosevic must give his consent. If he objects, the judges may overrule him, but even then he would have a right to appeal (Marlise Simons, New York Times, Feb. 23).
In other news, Milosevic and nine others go on trial at the Special Court for Organized Crime in Belgrade today on charges of murdering Ivan Stambolic, a former Serbian president. The indictment, the first major one served by Serbia on its former leader, accuses Milosevic of masterminding and ordering the killing of Stambolic (Zimonjic/Castle, London Independent, Feb. 23).
Milosevic, who is also charged with ordering the death of opposition leader Vuk Draskovic in 2000, does not have to be present in Belgrade because he is already on trial for war crimes at the U.N. tribunal (Misha Savic, Associated Press/Yahoo! News, Feb. 23).
On Saturday, Serbia's new prime minister, Vojislav Kostunica, said extraditing top suspects to the U.N. war crimes tribunal will not be his top priority, thereby defying U.S. threats to cut aid and crucial political support to the Balkan republic. Kostunica said Serbia has more important issues to deal with, such as simmering social tensions and a ruined economy, AP reported.
"We should talk - plead if necessary ... to find a solution that is not black and white and which allows us to survive," said Kostunica, who, like many Serbs, condemns the U.N. court as anti-Serb. "This country is not a simple deliverer of human goods to The Hague tribunal."The United States says Serbia must hand over war crimes suspects in order to receive $100 million this year in aid and other support from international financial organizations (Dusan Stojanovic, AP/Yahoo! News, Feb. 22).
Canadian Justice Named U.N. Human Rights Chief
Feb 23: Canadian Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour has been named U.N. high commissioner for human rights, replacing Sergio Vieira de Mello, who was killed last Aug. 19 in a bomb attack on the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad.
Arbour, 57, had served as chief prosecutor for international tribunals dealing with war crimes in the former Yugoslav federation and genocide in Rwanda during the late 1990s. She issued indictments against former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, who is on trial in The Hague.
"Louise Arbour is someone who knows how to get governments to do the right thing and has shown that she's not afraid of the bad guys," said Reed Brody of Human Rights Watch (Maggie Farley, Los Angeles Times/South Florida Sun Sentinel, Feb. 21).
Arbour has published extensively, in both English and French, on criminal procedure, human rights, civil liberties and gender issues (U.N. release, Feb. 20).
She initially turned down an offer for the post in November, U.N. officials said, but was later persuaded to leave the Supreme Court seat she has held since 1999 to rejoin the world body.
The General Assembly must approve the appointment. If it does so, as expected, Arbour would begin work in June (Farley, Los Angeles Times). She would serve for four years heading the Geneva-based U.N. human rights office (U.N. release).
Conservatives Reclaim Iranian Parliament
Feb 23: Islamic conservatives swept Iran's parliamentary polls Friday in a day of balloting marked by boycotts and voter apathy, setting the stage for a rollback of hard-won liberties and questions over the election's legitimacy. Eight people died in weekend clashes with police over disputed poll results.
Four people in the southern province of Fars, including a policeman, were killed when protests over election results turned violent. In southwest Khuzestan province, four more died in clashes with police. Reuters reported that in spite of the protests, there were no widespread allegations of vote-rigging (Arami/Hafezi, Reuters, Feb. 22).
With a final count expected tomorrow, conservatives today formally regained control of parliament when they took 149 seats, three more than needed for a clear majority in the 290-seat body. Reformists and independents had taken about 65 seats (Ali Akbar Dareini, Associated Press/Yahoo! News, Feb. 23).
Final voter turnout figures from the Interior Ministry showed a record low of 50.6 percent of Iran's 46 million eligible voters, far lower than the 67 percent who voted in the 2000 parliamentary elections. Turnout in Tehran hovered around 30 percent. Reformists had been calling for a boycott of the elections to spoil conservatives' widely expected victory, but analysts said voters stayed home as much out of frustration with the reformists' ineffectiveness as out of solidarity with them (Arami/Hafezi, Reuters, Feb. 22). The call to boycott gained momentum last month when clerics banned 2,400 candidates, most of them progressive, from standing in the elections (Robyn Dixon, Los Angeles Times, Feb. 23).
Iran's powerful Guardian Council accused the Interior Ministry, which is dominated by reformists, of "playing with figures" to discredit the election. "If we consider the real figures, then we will get to around 60 percent of the eligible voters," the clerical council said in a statement on its Web site (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo! News, Feb. 23).
Conservatives said their victory was proof of their popularity. "People voted for us because they liked our programs and because they saw that our candidates would serve the people," said Ali Riaz, a winning candidate and member of the main conservative bloc, Alliance for the Advancement of Islamic Iran (Arami/Hafezi, Reuters). Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei hailed the victory as a "national and an Islamic epic in the true meaning."
Reformists took a different view. "Victory in a competition without rivals is not epic but a historical fiasco," said parliamentarian Rasoul Mehrparvar, one of those banned from seeking re-election, speaking in a session of parliament aired on state radio (Dareini, AP/Yahoo! News, Feb. 23).
The Los Angeles Times reports that although conservatives hastened to reassure Iranians that Friday's election would not translate to dramatic restrictions on freedoms, signs of a crackdown have emerged in recent days, including the closure of two reformist newspapers, the blocking of reformist Web sites and the summoning to court of more than a dozen student activists (Dixon).
Rights Commission Says Liberian Soldiers Massacred Civilians
Feb 23: Liberia's Independent National Commission on Human Rights said Saturday that soldiers loyal to former President Charles Taylor massacred 369 civilians - including mothers and children - last April in three southeastern villages, after accusing them of supporting rebels in the area, Associated Press reported.
The commission accuses the former commander in the region, William Sumo, whose whereabouts are unknown, of ordering the killings.According to the report, which quotes witnesses and survivors, the massacres took place after villagers and local chiefs expressed opposition to a 27-vehicle convoy that was carrying weapons and Liberian government soldiers to neighboring Ivory Coast to support a rebel faction in that country's civil war.
The report called on authorities to bring Sumo and others it said were responsible for the killings to trial (AP/CNN.com, Feb. 21).
Suicide Bomb Kills 10 Outside Police Station In Northern Iraq
Feb 23: Ten people were killed and 45 injured today when a suicide bomb exploded outside an Iraqi police station in the northern city of Kirkuk, police and hospital officials said.The bombing was the latest in a string of attacks targeting Iraqis working with the U.S.-led coalition, and the third blast since late January against Kurds in the north.
Hospital officials said all the dead were thought to be Iraqi policemen. The U.S. military command in Baghdad said at least four civilians were among those killed.
Kirkuk is at the center of the controversy over whether Kurds will achieve self-rule in an independent Iraq. While largely Kurdish, the city also has Arab, Turkomen and other populations vying for control, and tensions have broken out into violence in recent months.
U.S. officials have been divided over whom to blame for the recent spate of attacks. Some have cited a letter believed to be from a Jordanian militant in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, to al-Qaeda leaders in Pakistan and Afghanistan as evidence that foreign insurgents are behind the violence.
Kurdish officials believe that Ansar al-Islam, a militant group in Iraq with alleged links to al-Qaeda, is carrying out the attacks in their areas (Tarek al-Issawi, Associated Press/Yahoo! News, Feb. 23).
U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld arrived in Baghdad today to assess the security situation in Iraq in advance of a handover of power to Iraqis planned for June 30. He may ask whether Iraqis will be equipped to assume increased responsibility for security after that date, Reuters reports (Chris Aldinger, Feb. 23).
The Washington Post reports today that with no obvious alternative at hand to the abandoned U.S. plan for how to transfer sovereignty, both the United States and the United Nations would like the other to take the lead in designing a new solution.
The United States had hoped that a report from U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi would provide a road map for the handover, but U.N. officials have said the report would only outline the ideas that emerged during his talks with Iraqi leaders last week (Wright/Chandrasekaran, Washington Post, Feb. 23).
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan said yesterday the report would be released publicly today (U.N. release, Feb. 22).
According to the Washington Post, the U.S. administration is reluctant to propose a third transition plan for fear it, like the others, will be rejected. The newspaper quoted a senior U.S. official as saying the United Nations was hesitant, too.
"The reason the U.N. doesn't want to pick (a plan) is because it doesn't have any brilliant new ideas, either. No one wants (the new plan) to be its formula, so both sides are playing the 'after you' game," the official said.
Religious and ethnic tensions have mounted since the coalition originally drafted its strategy in November, with Kurds in the north seeking self-rule and Shiites under cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani leading opposition to the U.S. handover plan. The Iraqi Governing Council has also been emboldened, the Post says, with many council members backing the extension of the council's authority past the handover date.
Transferring sovereignty to an expanded and more representative council is perhaps the most frequently mentioned option, but U.S. and U.N. officials are wary of preserving the council because it could end up tainted to Iraqis because of its origins.
"The problem now is that everyone is thinking micro here. We cannot go on like this," said Ghazi Yawar, a Sunni member of the Governing Council. "Everybody now speaks of everything but Iraq. They only care about their own group."
Said one State Department official, "Each community is intensely worried that whatever is done now will end up as the political picture for the foreseeable future ... so they want to position themselves as well as they can now" (Wright/Chandrasekaran, Washington Post).
Paul Bremer, the chief U.S. administrator in Iraq, said Saturday that elections could take over a year to organize, far longer than expected by the Shiite leaders calling for direct elections.
Bremer said Iraq lacked an electoral law and the infrastructure to conduct free and fair elections. "These technical problems will take time to fix - the U.N. estimates somewhere between a year and 15 months," he told al-Arabiyya, an Arab news channel.
Most Shiite leaders have accepted Annan's announcement last week that elections were not feasible before June 30, the Financial Times reports. Most have said they want to study the report from Brahimi and have limited themselves to urging that elections be held as soon as possible.
"We think really the issue is political - that the United Nations is taking a middle line between all the parties," said Adel Abdel Hamid of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution on Iraq, a powerful Shiite party (James Drummond, Financial Times, Feb. 23).
In related news, two officials from the International Committee of the Red Cross visited toppled Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein on Saturday to assess his physical and mental state, according to a spokeswoman for the agency.Hussein gave the ICRC a letter to be delivered to his family, BBC Online reports.
The United States offered Hussein prisoner of war status last month, paving the way for the ICRC visit. The international organization is responsible for monitoring the welfare of prisoners under the Geneva Conventions (BBC Online, Feb. 21).
ICJ Hearings On Barrier Begin; Jerusalem Bus Blast Kills Eight
Feb 23: The International Court of Justice hearings on the barrier Israel is building in the West Bank began today at The Hague, with the Palestinians arguing against the barrier and in favor of the court's authority to hear the case and render an opinion (Josef Federman, Associated Press/Yahoo! News, Feb. 23).
The start of the hearings comes a day after a Palestinian suicide bomber struck in Jerusalem, killing eight people on a bus and injuring almost 60 others. Israeli officials immediately condemned the attack and said it underlines the need for the barrier.
The blast occurred early Sunday morning, ripping apart the back of the bus and scattering body parts and glass around a two-block radius.
Israeli officials said the attack never would have happened had the barrier been in place around Israel. "This attack proves just how urgent it is to build the fence. It is a clear preventive measure," Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said. "We will continue building it because it saves lives."
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia also condemned the attack, saying it would give Israel an excuse to continue building the barrier and carrying out raids against militants (Gavin Rabinowitz, AP/Yahoo! News, Feb. 22).
The Israeli daily Haaretz reported yesterday that the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade released a statement taking responsibility for the attack and making reference to the barrier, which it called "a Nazi wall which will not stop us attacking." The statement also claimed the attack was in retaliation for the Israeli military's killing of 15 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Feb. 11.
Israel was not expected to launch a "harsh" response to the attack, Haaretz reported, quoting government sources privy to a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz (Feb. 22).
As for the hearings, Israel rejects the court's jurisdiction on what it says is a security issue and is refusing to take part in the case. Although the court's ruling is advisory, if it rules against Israel the matter is likely to be taken up at the United Nations (Greg Myre, New York Times, Feb. 22).
The 15-judge panel is planning three days of hearings, with all the participants expected to criticize the barrier. The United States and European Union oppose the court's intervention in the matter and, like Israel, are refusing to attend.
Palestinian envoy to the United Nations Nasser al-Kidwa, speaking for the Palestinians at the tribunal, argued that the wall was not a "security" issue. "It is about entrenching the occupation and the de facto annexation of large areas of Palestinian land," he said.
He blamed Israel for the suicide bombings and attacks against civilians that have plagued both sides in the conflict. "This phenomenon is the result of Israeli policies and measures, including the relentless colonization of our land," he said.
Although Israel will not respond through representatives at the court, it says in written arguments that the court has no authority over the matter and that the proceedings will undermine the U.S.-backed "road map" peace plan (Federman, AP/Yahoo! News).
The court, which includes judges from Egypt, Jordan, China, the United States and Japan, among others, was to hear arguments later in the day against the barrier from South Africa, Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh (Tovah Lazaroff, Jerusalem Post, Feb. 23).
Human Rights Watch released a briefing paper to the court today condemning the barrier, saying Israel "has a right and duty to protect its civilians from attack, but it must not use means that entail indiscriminate punishment of entire communities."
The organization also argues that the barrier violates Israel's obligation under the Geneva Conventions to ensure the welfare of a population under occupation. "The settlements violate the Geneva Conventions' prohibitions against transfers of population and have gravely affected Palestinian access to basics like employment, land and water," the paper said. "The separation further encroaches on the land and resources of the West Bank with the aim of consolidating this illegal enterprise" (Human Rights Watch release/ReliefWeb, Feb. 23).
Israel yesterday began dismantling a five-mile section of the barrier surrounding the Palestinian town of Baka al-Sharkia, a move the Israeli Defense Ministry said was coincidental to the World Court case.
The 10,000 residents of Baka al-Sharkia and the neighboring village of Nazlat Issat will now have more freedom of movement, although a wall will remain in place on or near the West Bank boundary of the town. The Israeli military said it had put up a wall on the eastern side of the town until the wall bordering the West Bank boundary could be built (Myre, New York Times).
East Timor Asks Security Council for Continued Troop Presence
United Nations Feb 23: The foreign minister of East Timor, Jose Ramos-Horta, asked the Security Council on Friday not to shift too much responsibility for security in his country from peacekeeping troops to international police. Such a change is under discussion as the council debates extending the peacekeeping mission in East Timor for another year.
"Peace is a reality, but we also acknowledge that peace is still very fragile and so [is] the institution of law and order and the institutions of the state," Ramos-Horta said in requesting the continuation of the U.N. Mission of Support in East Timor.
Ramos-Horta said he did not want to see police taking over too much responsibility from peacekeepers because his government believes that UNMISET is a more effective deterrent "against any potential conflict."
"We do not wish to underrate an international police force, but a police force does not have the same credibility as a foreign military unit," he added.
"For us it is extremely important that the council that has been united on this issue … remain united," Ramos-Horta said. "But it is equally important that we should not, for the sake of unity, reach a consensus that undermines the recommendations of the secretary general."
The council is debating U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan's recommendation to extend the mandate of the mission in East Timor for another year, but with reductions in the numbers of civilian administrators, police and soldiers. Ramos-Horta said he welcomed the proposal to extend the mission and could accept the drawdown of the civilian and police personnel, but was worried about reducing the troop strength.
Warning against "a too early reduction of the U.N. presence in the country," Ramos-Horta said the peacekeepers are needed to to give "time and space to the international community and the Timorese government to strengthen our police and defense forces."
UNMISET expires on May 20. In his report to the council last week, Annan recommended a reduction in all components of the mission - civil advisors, soldiers, and civil police - for a final "consolidation phase" ending in May 2005.
"I am convinced that a comparatively modest additional effort can make a crucial difference in broadening the scope and increasing the sustainability of the remarkable achievements that have already been made, and allowing Timor Leste [East Timor] to reach a threshold of self-sufficiency," Annan wrote.
Jean-Marie Guehenno, the undersecretary general for peacekeeping, asked the council on Friday to endorse Annan's recommendations, saying the additional year "is essential to reinforce and strengthen what has been achieved to date."
He said the continued U.N. presence will help the Timorese investigate criminal charges against people accused of inciting violence during the country's independence struggle, assist in building an indigenous civil administration and police force and help secure the country's border with Indonesia.
During the debate on Annan's report, all council members supported the extension of the mission for a final year, but differed over how much emphasis should be given to the police, as opposed to the peacekeepers.
Brazilian Ambassador Ronaldo Mota Sardenberg, who was speaking as the chair of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries, said "the visible presence of the UNMISET military component" would be a deterrent and "help maintain a calm environment in the country." Brazil is also an elected member of the council.
Other countries, including Australia and some European states, suggested the police should take over more responsibilities from the soldiers. While not on the council, Australia is one of the main contributors of troops to UNMISET.
By Jim Wurst
U.N. WireAfghan Police Arrest Suspected Taliban Fighters After Attack
Feb 23: Police in Afghanistan arrested 30 suspected Taliban members and seized five AK-47 assault rifles today when they raided a southern village searching for the assailant who sprayed a U.S. company's helicopter with gunfire yesterday, killing an Australian pilot and wounding two passengers, Associated Press reports.
The attack took place when three foreigners and an Afghan interpreter had traveled in the helicopter to inspect the construction of a clinic in the village."The helicopter was on the ground getting ready to take off," Lieutenant Colonel Bryan Hilferty told a press conference in Kabul. "A crowd of people gathered ... one person stepped out of the crowd with an AK-47 (assault rifle) and fired 20-30 shots" (Noor Khan, AP/Yahoo! News, Feb. 23).
In other news, Pakistan is reported to be preparing for a major military offensive against Taliban and al-Qaeda forces along its border with Afghanistan, where Pakistani and U.S. officials believe fugitive al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is hiding, according to the New York Times.
Pakistani officials denied recent news reports that bin Laden's whereabouts had been narrowed down to an area of several dozen square miles. Instead, they said the planned offensive is part of a campaign to drive al-Qaeda members over the border to where U.S. forces would be waiting.
U.S. military officials said they expect Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters to try to disrupt Afghanistan's national elections, which are scheduled for June (Rohde/Gall, New York Times, Feb. 23).
Rebels Take Control Of Haiti's Second-Largest City
Feb 23: Rebels took control of Cap-Haitien, Haiti's second-largest city, yesterday in the biggest blow yet to President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, whose government has so far lost control over most of the country's north.
The New York Times reports that rebels met little resistance in taking over Cap-Haitien, as hundreds of residents cheered, burned the police station, stole food from port warehouses and looted the airport. The police and Aristide supporters reportedly fled the town.
"We came here to free the people," said Guy Philippe, a 36-year-old rebel commander. "We are ready to die for Haiti. This is our advantage. No one wants to die for Aristide."
"Aristide is a dictator," said a resident. "He was in hell, and the devil put him out because he was so wicked."
Although a rebel soldier said they would maintain order in the city and not allow vengeance killings, at least four people were reportedly killed yesterday, including a 12-year-old girl. The three men were government supporters. According to Philippe, 11 people were killed. A total of 60 people have died since the uprising started three weeks ago (Lydia Polgreen, New York Times, Feb. 23).
Philippe also said "that in less than 15 days we will control all of Haiti," predicting an easy victory over Aristide's partisans when trying to take over the capital city of Port-au-Prince (Paisley Dodds, Associated Press/Yahoo! News, Feb. 23). He added that rebels would take the capital today (Polgreen, New York Times).
Meanwhile, political opponents of Aristide are scheduled to answer by 5 p.m. today whether they accept a peace proposal presented this weekend by a diplomatic delegation formed by envoys from the United States, Canada, France, and Latin American and the Caribbean nations, which arrived in Haiti Saturday.
Under the proposal, the government and the opposition would have to agree by tomorrow to a three-way commission of representatives from both sides and international delegations. The commission would pick a prime minister, who would then organize parliamentary elections. A new police chief and police internal affairs chief would also be appointed.
Aristide has already agreed to the peace plan, although he said he would not negotiate with the soldiers who had ousted him in 1991. His political opponents, however, have signaled they might not accept the plan, since they want the president to step down.
Some rebel soldiers also criticized the plan.
"What about me? When the international community come into Haiti ... they (will) take my gun," said Buteur Metayer, a rebel soldier. "He (Aristide is) going to kill me" (Mark Stevenson, AP/Yahoo! News, Feb. 22).
In related news, U.S. government spokesman Scott McClellan said Friday the United States will turn away and repatriate any Haitians who try to reach the country by sea.
"We have a plan in place to stop any boats," McClellan said. "They will be returned to the country from which they departed, absent of any specific indication of protection concerns" (Agence France-Presse/ReliefWeb, Feb. 20).
Regional Force Needed In West Africa, U.N. Chiefs Say
Feb 23: U.N. mission chiefs in West Africa, worried about the circulation of weapons and soldiers between states newly emerged from civil wars, may seek an expanded mandate for U.N. peacekeepers, Associated Press reported Friday.
The top representatives of the U.N. missions in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Guinea and West Africa said halting the flow of arms and combatants could require cross-border U.N. peacekeeping patrols and cross-border air support, something AP reported as likely to win Security Council approval.
Their comments came Friday after a meeting in Senegal on coordination between the 24,500 U.N. peacekeeping troops in Sierra Leone and Liberia and the 6,000 in the pipeline for Ivory Coast. All three countries have been embroiled in years of strife that issued from Liberia, and U.N. officials spoke of combatants sneaking across borders in search of new grounds on which to wage old wars.
"They behave like cockroaches," said Daudi Ngelautwa Mwakawago, chief of the U.N. Mission in Sierra Leone. "If you don't fumigate the whole area, they go to the area ... that hasn't been fumigated," he said (Ellen Knickmeyer, AP/Yahoo! News, Feb. 22).
