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US welcomes India's role in Asia Pacific region

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The US welcomes India's greater involvement in East Asia and is committed to working with New Delhi as it increases ties with US allies in Southeast Asia and Japan, a senior US official has said.
"Ultimately, we think that India's role in the Asian-Pacific region stands to be one of the most important new developments over the course of the next decade," Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia Kurt Campbell told reporters on Wednesday.
Offering to help India and China improve their relations, he said: "We also, frankly, support an improvement in dialogue between India and China, and we would seek to take steps to facilitate that as we move forward." Back in November 2009, India had expressed deep concern over a joint statement issued after President Barack Obama's China visit acknowledging Beijing's role in South Asia. Among other things, it "welcomed all efforts conducive to peace, stability and development in South Asia".



It also supported "the improvement and growth of relations between India and Pakistan" and expressed readiness "to strengthen communication, dialogue and cooperation on issues related to South Asia and work together to promote peace, stability and development in that region". However, after Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit to Washington last month, the joint statement made no reference to South Asia apparently in response to New Delhi's sensitivities.
Downplaying the absence of a reference to Beijing's role in South Asia in the latest US-China joint statement, Washington said it did not necessarily reflect a change in policy.Though the joint statement issued here after Obama's talks with Hu made no direct reference to South Asia it clearly stated, "The presidents further reaffirmed their commitment to the November 2009 US - China Joint Statement."
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Cyclone Yasi batters northern Australia

Category: , By Echo
Melbourne: The most powerful cyclone to hit Australia in generations has affected over 170,000 people in flood-ravaged northern Queensland province, uprooting trees, tearing off roofs and cutting electricity.
Cyclone Yasi was the worst cyclone that hit the country since 1918. Over 170,000 residents in the affected region were without power and for many it would take a month to get back electricity, according to latest media reports.
Ergon Energy spokesman John Stock said that early reports indicated damage was worse than experienced during Cyclone Larry in 2006. There have been hundreds of reports of fallen power poles and damaged power lines. Witnesses reported roofs being ripped off, buildings shaking and trees flattened under the power of the winds.


No deaths or serious injuries have been reported. Amid the chaos and devastation of cyclone Yasi, a baby girl was also born at one of the Cairns evacuation centres at 6:09 am (local time). The damage was severe across Tully, Mission Beach and Cardwell. Early reports suggest the communities of Mission Beach, where the category 5 cyclone made landfall about midnight, nearby Tully and Innisfail, 50 km north of ground zero were the worst hit.
The Cyclone Yasi brought 340 mm of rain in some areas with the stretch between Ingham and Mission Beach getting 200-230 mm. Queenslanders were now assessing how destructive Yasi was after a terrifying night.
"It's a great relief this morning to be able to say at this time we have no report of casualties, serious injuries or any fatalities," Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said. She said the picture in the region would become clearer as reports will come from smaller and isolated communities.
Meanwhile, immediate threat to coastal communities from a second storm surge still loomed but was reduced this morning and residents were now being allowed to return back to some affected areas. Flood alerts remained in place in some areas as river levels continue to rise.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard also asked north Queenslanders to not let their guard down in the wake of Cyclone Yasi, saying the storm was still dangerous.
Gillard said people needed to stay alert and listen to the advice of emergency services workers."Surging tides, powerlines that are down, flooding danger and there are some parts of Queensland that are bracing for the cyclone to come across land and to still hit," she said in Canberra.

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Ayurvedic medicines face EU ban from May 1

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A ban on the sale of Ayurvedic and other herbal medicines will take effect across Europe from May 1 following a European Union directive introduced as a response to growing concern over adverse effects of such
alternative medicines.

Users and promoters of such medicines have called the EU directive called The Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive, 2004/24/EC, "discriminatory and disproportionate".

Ayurvedic and traditional herbal medicines will need to licensed to comply with the EU directive passed in 2004, which takes effect from May 1.
 
 
 
Official sources said those ayurvedic products marketed before the legislation came into force in 2004 can continue to market their product until April 30, 2011, under the transitional measures.
Once this time limit has expired, all herbal medicinal products must have prior authorisation before they can be marketed in the EU. Ayurvedic medicines such as "ashwagandha" will not be available for sale across Europe from May 1.
The directive aims to protect users from any damaging side-effects that can arise from taking unsuitable medicines.
The UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued more than a dozen safety alerts in the past two years, including one over aristolochia, a banned toxic plant derivative, which reportedly caused kidney failure in two women.
After the ban comes into effect, only high quality, long-established and scientifically safe herbal medicines will be sold over the counter, official sources here said.
Herbal practitioners say it is impossible for most herbal medicines to meet the licensing requirements for safety and quality, which are intended to be similar to those for pharmaceutical drugs, because of the cost of testing.
According to the Alliance for Natural Health (ANH), which represents herbal practitioners, not a single product used in traditional Chinese medicine or ayurvedic medicine has been licensed.
Producers and independent health store owners allege that the directive draconian and favours large European manufacturers, but smaller firms will be in danger of being squeezed out of the market.
Under EU law, statutorily regulated herbal practitioners will be permitted to continue prescribing unlicensed products, but the government in Britain has delayed plans to introduce a statutory herbal practitioner register.
 
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Egypt: CNN-IBN journo's ID card, tapes burnt

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CNN-IBN video journalist Rajesh Bhardwaj was taken into preventive custody in Cairo on Thursday and his identity card and tapes burnt. Bhardwaj along with some other media personnel was reportedly taken into custody by the Egyptian Army but released after some time. Bhardwaj was shooting the anti-Hosni Mubarak protests at Tahrir Square in Cairo when the Army took him into custody.

However, Bhardwaj said after his release that those who took him into custody were not in army uniform.

"They asked me from where I was. When I replied that I was an Indian they took me near some Army tanks and asked for my identity card. My identity card was torn and burnt. My tapes were taken away and burnt them. They even took away my camera but returned it after removing the tapes from it. Those who burnt my identity card and tapes were not in army uniform," he said.

He also said that some Army personnel opened fire at anti-government protestors in Tahrir Square.

BBC reporter Rupert Wingfield-Hayes was arrested, handcuffed, blindfolded and interrogated. Wingfield-Hayes was arrested shortly after interviewing the advisor to Mubarak.

Passports of several journalists were also taken away by Egyptian authorities.

Indian Ambassador to Egypt, RS Swaminathan, told CNN-IBN that the Embassy had not been contacted so far by the Indian journalists present in Egypt. But he promised to get any Indian journalist under custody in Egypt released.

The Ministry of External Affairs has also decided to issue an advisory asking all Indian journalists to avoid troubled spots in Egypt. The Ministry also got in touch with the Egyptian government to get Bhardwaj released immediately after the news came out

Earlier, Army used tanks to separate supporters of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak from the anti-government protestors. The Army stepped in after fresh clashes erupted in Cairo ahead of a Friday deadline for Mubarak to quit.

The violence started again just a few hours after Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq apologised for earlier violence and promised to hold an investigation into the deadly clashes that left at least six people dead and several others injured.

Supporters of President Mubarak targeted anti-government protesters in Tahrir Square reportedly from assault rifles.
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Egypt forced Vodafone to send pro-govt SMSes

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Egyptian authorities forced Vodafone to broadcast government-scripted text messages during the protests that have rocked the North African nation, the UK-based mobile company said Thursday.
Micro-blogging site Twitter has been buzzing with screen grabs from Vodafone's Egyptian customers showing pro-government text messages sent to them in the run-up to the violent clashes in central Cairo that broke out on Wednesday.
Vodafone Group PLC said in a statement that Egyptian authorities had been using the country's emergency laws to script text messages to its customers since the beginning of the unrest. The company said it had no ability to change the content of the messages.
Egypt forced Vodafone to send pro-govt SMSes
"Vodafone Group has protested to the authorities that the current situation regarding these messages is unacceptable," the statement said. "We have made clear that all messages should be transparent and clearly attributable to the originator."
Vodafone has already come under fire for its role in the Internet blackout that cut Egypt off from the online world for several days. The company said the order to pull the plug on its Egyptian customers could not be ignored as it was legal under local law.
The company noted in its statement that the Egyptian government also has the power to compel other mobile operators, including Egypt's Mobinil and Etisalat, to send pre-scripted text messages.
It was not clear whether those companies were also involved. Vodafone did not immediately return a call seeking comment on the exact nature of the government messages, although Twitter users described them as carrying patriotic messages as well as attacks on "traitors".
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