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Sunday, March 22, 2009

Pakistan: "The Most Dangerous Country"

More than 90 Tibetan monks held after 'riot'

Chinese police detained more than 90 Tibetan monks after at least 100 people attacked a police station in the town of Rabgya, state media have said. The protests take place 50 years after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in the province.More than 90 monks have been detained in a Tibetan-inhabited town of northwest China after at least 100 people attacked a police station, state media said Sunday. The riot on Saturday in Rabgya, in the mountains of Qinghai province, is the first reported major protest in China's Tibetan areas since the 50th anniversary of a failed uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet on March 10. Chinese authorities have launched a massive security clampdown in recent weeks to quell possible unrest surrounding the anniversary of the uprising, which led the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader, to flee into exile."Police have arrested six participants in the attack. Eighty-nine surrendered to police," the official Xinhua news agency reported. "All but two of the 95 were monks in the Rabgya monastery," the report said. It was not immediately clear how many people were involved in the riot. Xinhua put the figure at "more than 100" and then "several hundred" in its report.According to the news agency, nearly 100 monks from the monastery took part. Protesters assaulted policemen and government staff, with some slightly injured, the report said.

NeWs from Pakistan: PML-N and PPP look to bury the hatchet

PM Gilani met Nawaz Sharif at Raiwind on Sunday 'bearing an oilve branch' - AFP photo.
PM Gilani met Nawaz Sharif at Raiwind on Sunday 'bearing an oilve branch'

RAIWIND Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani met with senior PML-N leadership including Nawaz Sharif on Sunday as part of a bid to foster reconciliation between the two parties in the wake of the long march.Addressing the press after his day-long meeting at Raiwind, the PM said ‘We must respect the mandate of all political parties, and I have passed on President Zardari’s message to Mian Nawaz Sharif. The situation demands reconciliation, as the country faces many challenges; the worsening economy, political stability and terrorism.’ The PM went on to say ‘The only way these challenges can be overcome is if all democratic parties in the country combine. I congratulate Mian Nawaz Sharif, the entire country and President Zardari on the movement to restore the judges.’ Gilani concluded by saying that he had taken the opportunity to meet with Sharif and ‘Dispel any misunderstandings’ over the SC decision to disqualify the Sharif brothers from holding office, and that the government would appeal against the verdict. The PM said that he ‘looked forward to working together for the betterment of the country under the Charter of Democracy.’ Nawaz Sharif responded to the PM’s remarks by saying he welcomed the views expressed by Prime Minister Gilani, and that they reflected the ‘need of the hour.’ Hailing the long march as a ‘profound change’ in the history of Pakistan he lauded the movement as a new way forward and congratulated all parties involved, as well as President Zardari. Sharif went on to say that the movement was ‘No-ones defeat,’ and instead reflected the ‘triumph of justice.’ He concluded by remarking ‘We will, I am sure, work together … and we are ready to work together … in the spirit of the Charter of Democracy, from which we will not budge one inch.’ Responding to media questions, Sharif said that the two leaders had not discussed the PML-Ns return to the ruling co-alition, saying that the aim of the movement was not about returning him to power.

3 California Police Officers Dead, Suspect Killed After Traffic Stop

OAKLAND, Calif. —  A man wanted for violating his parole killed three veteran police officers and gravely wounded another in two shootings Saturday, the first after a routine traffic stop and the second after a massive manhunt ended in gunfire, authorities said. The gunman was also killed."It's in these moments that words are extraordinarily inadequate," said Mayor Ron Dellums at a somber news conference announcing the slayings. It was the first time in the history of the Oakland Police Department that three officers were killed in the line of duty in the same day. The violence began when two officers on motorcycles stopped a 1995 Buick sedan in east Oakland just after 1 p.m., Oakland police spokesman Jeff Thomason said. The driver opened fire, killing one officer and gravely wounding another.

WATER DAY: World forum pledges to tackle water crunch

A seven-day forum on the world's dwindling water resources is expected to end with a pledge to work harder to provide clean water and sanitation, but without agreement on the recognition of access to drinking water as a "basic human right".A seven-day focus on the world's water crunch was winding up in the Turkish capital of Istanbul Sunday with an expected pledge to work harder to provide access to clean water and sanitation and tackle worsening scarcity. The declaration was to be published at the end of the fifth World Water Forum by more than 100 ministers or their stand-ins, although activists on Saturday attacked the non-binding document as worthless. "The world is facing rapid and unprecedented global changes, including population growth, migration, urbanisation, climate change, desertification, drought, degradation and land use, economic and diet changes," a draft of the statement said. It sets out a roster of recommendations for action, including greater cooperation to ease disputes over water, measures to address floods and drought, curbing pollution and better management of rivers, lakes and aquifers. The World Water Forum is held every three years, and has gained in importance as an arena for debating the globe's amplifying problems of freshwater. At least 25,000 policymakers, water specialists and grassroots workers took part in this year's event, a record attendance.  Campaigners representing the rural poor, the environment and organised labour on Saturday criticised the Forum as a vehicle for privatising of water resources and called for future meetings to be held under the UN flag. The Forum is staged by the World Water Council, a French-based organisation whose funding comes in large part from the water industry. Around 880 million people do not have access to decent sources of drinking water, while 2.5 billion people do not have access to proper sanitation, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said in a report on Tuesday. By 2030, the number of people living under severe water stress is expected to rise to 3.9 billion, a tally that does not include the impacts of global warming, it said.

When computers address the Almighty

No time to pray? The site, "Information Age Prayer" caters to busy bigots in the digital age. For a few dollars, a computer can transmit prayers to the Almighty.Can machines address God? It’s a question that would undoubtedly interest Isaac Asimov, the father of science fiction. The website "Information Age Prayer" does not shy away from such lofty theological debates and offers, for a few dollars, to recite prayers for the faithful who are too busy in this Information Age. The concept is simple. Users have to click on their religion of choice on the home page, which leads them to a list of prayers such as the “Our Father” for Christians and the "Fajr" for Muslims. Prices are based on the length of the texts and therefore vary. For Catholics, for example, the monthly fee for a daily prayer ranges from 70 cents for the “Hail Mary” to $49.97 for the rosary. And for the hesitant ones ($50 dollars, it’s a lump sum), the button offers a reminder: "Show God you’re serious - Get the complete Rosary Package." It’s an offer that’s hard to resist. Once the payment is done, a computer belonging to the site's host will recite the requested prayer, every day, using the software, "The Last Cry." For Muslims, the site specifies that the computer speakers are turned towards Mecca.

Flag rises for Pakistan's returned chief justice

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan Pakistan's fired chief justice was reinstated in a flag-raising ceremony at his house Sunday after the government bowed to protesters' demands following days of massive demonstrations.The flag-raising was ceremonial. Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry will not renew his oath of office because his firing by former President Pervez Musharraf was deemed illegal. About 100 people gathered outside Chaudhry's residence, some dancing, some beating drums in a boisterous celebration. A growing protest movement had demanded that Chaudhry and other judges that Musharraf fired be re-seated. Buckling under pressure, the government of current President Asif Ali Zardari agreed. Along with Chaudhry, most of the sixty others who had been fired have also returned to their posts. Two unresolved matters will immediately test Chaudhry on his return to office:

  • The Supreme Court last month barred Nawaz Sharif from holding public office, citing a criminal record that dates to the late 1990s. The court also stripped Sharif's brother, Shahbaz, of his post as chief minister of Punjab. Sharif supporters have accused the court of making the decisions at the behest of Zardari. The government has said it will seek a review.
  • Political observers will also watch to see what Chaudhry will do about a controversial amnesty that Musharraf granted Zardari.
  • Some experts have surmised that one reason Zardari delayed acting on Chaudhry's return is because the Supreme Court wanted to look into the amnesty.

    IPL to be held outside India

    The lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 tournament will be staged abroad due to security issues, the country's cricket chief said."Because of the extraordinary situation of the year we have decided to move the event out of India," Shashank Manohar said after a meeting of the league officials on Sunday. "We're having discussions with other boards who have shown their willingness." The IPL will, however, be played on its original dates between April 10 and May 24, and is scheduled to return to India next season, league commissioner Lalit Modi said.

    Dalai Lama denied travel to S.Africa: activists

    South Africa's embassy in New Delhi has denied travel documents to Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, barring him from attending a peace conference in Johannesburg, activists said Sunday.The Dalai Lama had planned to join other Nobel peace prize winners including Nelson Mandela and FW de Klerk at a conference Friday to discuss ways of using soccer to fight racism and xenophobia, as South Africa prepares to host the 2010 World Cup. South African Friends of Tibet said in a statement that the Dalai Lama has been denied travel documents, saying the country's high commissioner in New Delhi had asked the Dalai Lama to postpone his trip. "We believe that the barring of his holiness from the peace conference makes a mockery of the intentions of this conference," the group said in a statement. The Sunday Independent newspaper quoted China's minister counsellor at the embassy in Pretoria, Dai Bing, as saying that his government had urged South Africa to deny the visit, warning it would harm bilateral relations.

    Former opposition leader becomes Madagascar's president

    After two months of political turmoil, former opposition leader Andry Rajoelina was inaugurated in front of thousands of supporters Saturday as Madagascar's president, eyewitnesses said.The event, which took place at a soccer stadium in the capital city of Antananarivo, was broadcast on national television. The country's political crisis ended earlier this week, after then-President Marc Ravalomanana ceded power to the military, which handed over government control to Rajoelina, the former mayor of Antananarivo. Rajoelina declared himself president of a transitional government, and was confirmed by Madagascar's high court. The country was plunged into political instability in January after thousands of people took to the streets to protest rising food prices and what they perceived as autocratic behavior by Ravalomanana. The protests soon degenerated into rioting and looting, leaving about 100 people dead.

    World Bank: Global economy to dive

    The global economy is set to shrink by one to two per cent this year, Robert Zoellick, the World Bank president has said.Zoellick's comments, made at a conference in Brussels on Saturday, referred to an International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecast that the world economy would shrink by one per cent this year. "We in the Bank will be coming up with ours again soon, probably in the range of one to two per cent ... We haven't seen a figure like that globally since World War Two, which really means since the Great Depression," he said. The World Bank chief has raised concerns over existing efforts to tackle the crisis, warning of the risk of doing "too little, too late". He said that fiscal stimulus without addressing the roots of the credit crunch will be a mere "sugar high" with no lasting impact on the economy.

    Former British reality TV star Jade Goody dies of cancer

    British reality TV star Jade Goody died in her sleep early Sunday morning at her home in Upshire, Essex. The 27-year-old former 'Big Brother' TV show participant had led a public battle with cervical cancer for months.Jade Goody, a one-time dental assistant whose final days were as closely chronicled in the media as her appearances on reality television, died of cervical cancer early on Sunday, British media reported. The 27-year-old mother of two, who married her boyfriend in a televised ceremony only last month, died in her sleep at her home in Essex, southeast England, her publicist Max Clifford said. By endlessly poring over every detail of Goody's losing battle with the disease, newspapers, gossip magazines and broadcasters have been accused of being obsessed with someone who is famous for little more than being famous. Even Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been asked to comment on her condition in recent weeks. Goody shot to fame in 2002 after appearing in Big Brother, a reality show in which people are locked in a house and their every move televised. Initially ridiculed for her apparent lack of education, she gradually won over the public with her straight-talking style. She went on to become a regular in gossip magazines, wrote an autobiography and launched her own perfume, but her popularity sank in 2007 because of her racially charged tirades against an Indian housemate in Celebrity Big Brother. Goody's decision to die in the public gaze, in order to earn as much money as possible for her two young sons and publicize awareness of cervical cancer, largely restored her popularity.

    Venezuelan army 'seizes ports'

    Venezuela's military has taken control of all the country's major airports and sea ports, a move that critics say is meant to limit the powers of mayors, governors and other potential rivals to Hugo Chavez, the president.Chavez said on Saturday: "Since this morning we began to reverse the disintegration of national unity." The takeover, which was approved by the country's parliament, aims to bring the country's major transportation hubs under federal control this year. "We are reunifying the motherland, which was in pieces. This is a very important step," Chavez said. The measure also prohibits states and municipalities from collecting tariffs or tolls at transportation hubs or on highways, cutting off a key source of funding for local projects that could otherwise compete with federal handouts, Abelardo Daza, a Caracas-based economist,  said. Soldiers were seen occupying major facilities under the legal reform approved by the pro-Chavez parliament, taking over maritime terminals in the opposition stronghold city of Maracaibo in the state of Zulia, the port of Guanta in Anzoategui and others in the states of Carabobo and Nueva Esparta. Chavez announced the move last week and threatened to arrest opposition governors if they resisted. Many opponents decried the order as unconstitutional and as an attempt to concentrate all power in Chavez's hands.

    Pakistan Chief Justice Back at Work After Protests

    ISLAMABAD Pakistan's chief justice was back at work Sunday following two years of protests over his ouster, while the U.S.-allied country's premier reached out to the opposition to further calm political turmoil. Hundreds of lawyers and activists who have agitated for Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry's return gathered outside the judge's home for a ceremonial flag-raising. They carried balloons and threw rose petals, calling the judge's reinstatement a milestone for democracy and a victory for the populace. The U.S. has expressed hope that Chaudhry's return will allow Pakistan to focus on battling the rising Al Qaida and Taliban violence along its border with Afghanistan. The top judge tackled routine duties Sunday such as approving panels of jurists and dates for hearings in criminal and civil cases, a court statement said. He was formally back in office after midnight following the Saturday retirement of the chief justice who had replaced him. Former President Pervez Musharraf deposed Chaudhry in 2007 after the independent-minded judge began examining cases that could have embarrassed the military ruler and threatened his claim to office. The justice's firing sparked a wave of lawyer-led protests that helped force Musharraf to allow elections that brought his foes to power.

    India beat NZ by ten wickets

    Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid safely guided India to a comfortable 10-wicket victory over New Zealand on the fourth day of the first Test at Seddon Park.Gambhir finished on 30 not out, while Dravid was on eight after Harbhajan Singh had ripped through New Zealand's second innings with figures of six for 63 to set up the win - their first in New Zealand since 1976. India had scored 520 in their first innings, anchored by man of the match Sachin Tendulkar's 160, and New Zealand needed to make at least 241 to force the Indians to bat a second time. However they collapsed to 216 for eight at tea on the fourth day, and it was only a stubborn 76-run ninth wicket partnership between Brendon McCullum (84) and Iain O'Brien (14) that allowed the hosts to give India a small target to chase.
    Fourth day scoreboard
    New Zealand first innings 279
    India first innings 520

    New Zealand second innings (overnight 75-3)
    T McIntosh c Tendulkar b Khan 0
    M Guptill c Sehwag b Harbhajan Singh 48
    D Flynn c Gambhir b Harbhajan Singh 67
    K Mills lbw b Patel 2
    R Taylor c Sehwag b Patel 4
    J Ryder lbw b Harbhajan Singh 21
    J Franklin c Patel b Harbhajan Singh 14
    B McCullum c Laxman b Yuvraj 84
    D Vettori c Dhoni b Harbhajan 21
    I O'Brien c Laxman b Harbhajan Singh 14
    C Martin not out 0
    Extras 4
    Total (all out, 102.3 overs) 279
    Fall of wickets: 1-0 2-68 3-75 4-110 5-132 6-154 7-161 8-199 9-275 10-279

    India second innings
    G Gambhir not out 30
    R Dravid not out 8
    Extras 1
    Total (for no wickets, 5.2 overs) 39

    Man of the match: Sachin Tendulkar

    Proteas set Aussies huge total

    Australia made a steady start to their second innings against South Africa in the third Test, but on 102 for two wickets at the close were still 340 runs behind with two days to play.At the wicket were opener Simon Katich on 44 and Michael Hussey on 13. The touring side face a tough battle to make South Africa bat again in Cape Town, having gone 442 runs behind in the first innings earlier in the day. Australia started briskly in their second innings with Katich and Phillip Hughes adding 57 for the first wicket in 57 minutes. Hughes' 32 included four fours, while Katich, top-scorer in the first innings with 55, had hit three fours and a six in his 150-minute knock of 44. Hughes fell to Paul Harris, the second time in the match the spinner had taken the opener's wicket in his first over of the innings. This time Hughes edged Harris third ball to Jacques Kallis at slip. Aussie captain Ricky Ponting (12) went caught behind for the second time in the match, this time off Dale Steyn. Three balls earlier Harris had claimed a catch off Ponting low down in the gully, but TV umpire Billy Bowden ruled it not out. Earlier, South Africa unleashed an assault on Australia's bowling attack to extend their first-innings lead to 442 runs.
    Third day scoreboard

    Australia first innings 209 (S Katich 55)
    South Africa first innings
    I Khan c and b Siddle 20
    A Prince c Haddin b Hilfenhaus 150
    H Amla c Haddin b Johnson 46
    J Kallis c and b Hilfenhaus 102
    AB de Villiers c McDonald b Katich 163
    J Duminy b Johnson 7
    M Boucher c Ponting b Johnson 12
    A Morkel b McDonald 58
    P Harris c Haddin b Johnson 27
    D Steyn c Clarke b Katich 0
    M Ntini not out 4
    Extras 62
    Total (all out; 154.3 overs) 651
    Fall of wickets: 1-65 2-162 3-322 4-415 5-443 6-467 7-591 8-637 9-637

    Australia second innings
    P Hughes c Kallis b Harris 32
    S Katich not out 44
    R Ponting c Boucher b Steyn 12
    M Hussey not out 13
    Extras 1
    Total 102
    Fall of wickets: 1-57 2-76

    Pennsylvania acid spill forces evacuations

    A tractor-trailer carrying 33,000 pounds of toxic hydrofluoric acid overturned in eastern Pennsylvania early Saturday after the driver tried to avoid a deer. About 5,000 residents were forced to evacuate.Northampton County spokesman John Conklin said the driver, who initially was trapped in the truck, was taken to a hospital, where he was treated and released. A passenger in the truck was unhurt, and no other injuries were reported. State police identified the driver as Raymond Leblanc, 54, of Harrow, Ontario, Canada. The truck flipped over on its side and slid along northbound State Road 33, which was then closed in both directions from Belfast to Saylorsburg. Most of the acid was in the form of pressurized gas, Conklin said. State and federal hazardous materials experts stopped the leak by noon. The truck overturned at 3:30 a.m. near Wind Gap,

    First Tourists Visit Iraq Since War Began in 2003

    BAGHDAD Ancient ruins aside, touring war-torn Iraq for the last two weeks hasn't been as satisfying as Tina Townsend Greaves had hoped.Not because of safety fears. To the contrary. More because some sights that the Briton wanted to explore during her two week visit have been closed. Greaves was one of eight visitors — including Britons and Americans — on the first officially sanctioned tour of Iraq outside the semiautonomous northern Kurdish region since the March 2003 U.S. invasion. "Sadly, we did not have the chance to see the museum or any of the monuments because they've been shut," Greaves said at her hotel Saturday morning, preparing to sight-see in other parts of Baghdad. Iraq's restored National Museum, which houses priceless artifacts from the Stone Age through the Babylonian, Assyrian and Islamic periods, reopened to the public on a limited basis last month but was closed Saturday. The trip was organized by a British adventure travel agency in the latest indication of security improvements.

    CIA chief arrives in Pakistan

    This handout picture shows Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani shaking hands with US CIA chief Leon Panetta upon his arrival for a meeting in Islamabad on March 21.-AFP
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan Leon Panetta, director of the CIA, arrived in Pakistan on Saturday morning, a Pakistani Interior Ministry official said.Panetta is scheduled to meet with Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Rehman Malik, head of the country's Interior Ministry. Panetta was sworn in as CIA chief in February. Panetta was an eight-term congressman from central California who chaired the powerful House Budget Committee before moving over to the Clinton White House as the budget director and later as the president's chief of staff. He left government in 1997 and returned to California, where he and his wife created the Leon & Sylvia Panetta Institute for Public Policy, a nonprofit foundation.

    Pakistan, India exchange fire across Line of Control

    Indian army soldiers at the Line of Control —Reuters/File photo
    Indian army soldiers at the Line of Control

    SRINAGAR Indian forces resorted to ‘unprovoked firing’ on Pakistani positions across the Line of Control but there were no casualties in the rare clash between the rivals, the Pakistani military said on Saturday.‘The firing started from the Indian side at around 10 p.m. (1700 GMT on Friday) and intermittent firing continued for several hours,’ said a Pakistani military official who declined to be identified. A ‘strong protest’ had been lodged with India, the military said. There was no immediate Indian response. Meanwhile, Indian army officials have said that an Indian soldier was injured when Pakistani troops allegedly fired at Indian army positions across the Line of Control, the Indian army said. The incident broke five months of relative calm along the heavily militarised border. According to the Indian army officials, Pakistani troops fired 1,500-2,000 machinegun rounds towards Indian forward posts in the Western Uri sector, an Indian army spokesman said. The firing lasted five hours, ending early Saturday morning, the spokesman said, adding that Pakistani fire was ‘unprovoked’.

    Car Bomber Kills 6 in Afghanistan as U.S. Announces Security Push

    KABUL  A homicide car bomber attacked a police checkpoint in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, killing six people, police said, as the American envoy to the country said the U.S. would push for a "very significant increase" in the country's police force to improve security and stability.Richard Holbrooke, who is the special envoy to both Pakistan and Afghanistan, said current plans to increase Afghanistan's national police from 78,000 to 82,000 over the next four years were "not sufficient." Afghan police, who have less training and fewer weapons than Afghan and international soldiers, often bear the brunt of insurgent attacks. "We need to devise programs which improve the Afghan government's capability to defend itself and that means considerably strengthening the Afghan national army and the Afghan national police," Holbrooke said during a debate on the Afghan war in Brussels. "We are looking in conjunction with our allies at a very significant increase." European countries, not eager to send additional troops to fight, are currently being urged by Washington to provide military and police trainers, cash or other expertise to help stabilize Afghanistan. Holbrooke said the police force is now "riddled with corruption," and greater numbers of well-trained police would allow international troops in the country to focus on military operations rather than law enforcement.

    Israel bans 'capital of Arab culture' Jerusalem celebrations

    Jerusalem's designation as the 'capital of Arab culture 2009' was celebrated with events across the West Bank. Israel, which annexed east Jerusalem after occupying it in the 1967 Six-Day War, bans any official Palestinian activity in the city.Events were being held in the West Bank on Saturday to mark Jerusalem's designation as the 2009 "capital of Arab culture" while Israel banned them in the disputed Holy City itself. The streets of Bethlehem, south of Jerusalem, were bedecked with the flags of Arab countries for the cultural festival to be launched by Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas at 5 pm (1500 GMT). It was there that Abbas and prime minister Salam Fayyad received officials from Morocco, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Jordan. The Palestinian Authority had organised cultural activites in several locations -- including annexed, mostly Arab east Jerusalem -- to celebrate the city's proclamation as this year's capital of Arab culture. Arab culture ministers have named a city each year since 1996. Damascus held the title in 2008. But Israeli police vowed to "prevent any Palestinian attempt to hold official activities" in Jerusalem, and on Saturday police reinforcements were posted throughout the eastern part of the city.

    Deadly clashes in Russia's Dagestan

    At least five soldiers and several anti-government fighters have been killed in clashes in Russia's southern Dagestan region. Clashes between government security forces and armed opposition groups started on Thursday in the Karabudakhkentsky district, about 30km south of the regional capital Makhachkala. "This is the third day of a special operation to rid the area of militants," Takhir Ramazanov, the deputy head of Dagestan's internal ministry, told Russia's state-run Vesti-24 television on Saturday. "It has become clear they have fled to the mountains." The bodies of 10 fighters were reportedly found after security forces pounded their positions using mortars and helicopter gunships. Four others were shot dead as they drove their car through Makhachkala late on Friday.

    Iran's leader dismisses Obama offer

    Iran's supreme leader has dismissed overtures from the US president, saying Tehran does not see any change in US policy under Barack Obama's administration.Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a speech on Saturday that there could be no change in US-Iran relations unless Obama puts an end to US hostility towards Iran and brings "real changes" in US foreign policy. He made the remarks in a televised speech in the city of Mashhad to mark the Iranian New Year. Commenting on Obama's videotaped offer of a "new beginning" in relations between the two countries, Khamenei said Iran has yet to see any change in Washington's attitude towards it. "They chant the slogan of change but no change is seen in practice. We haven't seen any change," he said. Khamenei criticised US behaviour towards Iran since its 1979 Islamic revolution, saying that the US was "hated in the world" and should stop interfering in other countries' internal affairs. He asked how Obama could congratulate Iranians on the new year while the US continues to accuse the country of supporting terrorism and seeking nuclear weapons. Saying that a change of US words was not enough, Khamenei said:  "We will watch and we will judge ... You change, our behaviour will change."

    Foreign envoys shun Rajoelina inauguration

    Madagascar's new strongman Andry Rajoelina announced the "end of dictatorship" as he took the oath of office in a ceremony marked by the absence of several foreign envoys who chose to censor what they call a "coup d'état".Jubilant supporters packed a stadium for the installation of Madagascar's army-backed new leader, Andry Rajoelina, on Saturday, but several foreign envoys stayed away in a show of censure. Music blasted out and army marksmen stood on roofs as the ceremony began in the 40,000-capacity sports arena of the sweltering capital, Antananarivo. The 34-year-old opposition leader took over this week after leading months of street protests against President Marc Ravalomanana. The unrest killed 135 people, scared away tourists and unsettled investors in the Indian Ocean island's fast-developing mining and oil sectors. Ravalomanana, 59, handed over to the military, who in turn conferred power on Rajoelina to be president. In the strongest expression of widespread international disapproval, the African Union (AU) suspended Madagascar. Major Western powers including the United States and the European Union have termed Rajoelina's rise a coup d'etat and called for early elections. Several nations have suspended aid. Africa's youngest and newest president is carefully calling himself "president of the transitional authority" because of the questions over the legality of his rise to power.