German UN envoy slams Russia over Syria inaction

German UN envoy slams Russia over Syria inaction


WASHINGTON: Germany on Wednesday accused Russia of preventing the UN Security Council from taking decisive action over the deadly crackdown on anti-regime protests in Syria. 

Germany's UN envoy Peter Wittig said the 15-member council "did not live up to its responsibilities" in face of Russian opposition to a European-drafted resolution that would have threatened Damascus with "targeted measures." 

"I think it was a decision taken in Moscow. It was a very deliberate decision" to back the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, Wittig said at an event in Washington. 

The German envoy strongly criticized Russia for linking the debate on Syria to the NATO attacks in Libya. Moscow argues that NATO and its partners overstepped an UN resolution passed in March last year that authorized military force to stop ousted Libyan strongman Moamer Kadhafi's assault on civilians. 

"I sometimes have a feeling it is a pretext for not engaging in a more constructive manner on Syria," Wittig told an audience at the Woodrow Wilson Center. "I don't think the cases can be compared." 

Wittig deplored the ongoing violence in Syria, denouncing the "ruthless repression of the freedom movement." The situation in Syria "was and still is of utmost concern," he said. 

According to the UN, 5,400 people have been killed since protests erupted in March. The UN Security Council is struggling to agree a common position on Damascus's crackdown on the dissent. 

Russia and China vetoed a European-drafted resolution on Syria in October. Russia has since proposed its own resolution, which condemns the government and opposition violence, but Western council members have rejected it as too weak.

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Ties hit new low: Pak puts off visit by US special envoy

Ties hit new low: Pak puts off visit by US special envoy


WASHINGTON: US special envoy Marc Grossman's visit to Pakistan for consultation on exploratory talks with Taliban has been put off as Islamabad rejected the move, a state department official said. 

The US had made a request for a visit of Grossman, Obama's special representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan, as part of his itinerary to hold consultations with the US allies in the Middle East on a new move to involve the Taliban in Afghan reconciliation process. 

"We received word that the Pakistan government felt that it would be best to wait (for Grossman's visit) until this parliamentary review is concluded," state department spokesman Mark Toner told a news briefing. 

The development indicates further deterioration in Pak-US relationship which has been on a continuous downswing since the May 2 US raid on Osama bin Laden's hideout in Abbottabad. But, in response to questions, Toner said that Pakistan would continue to play a role in Afghan reconciliation process. On Pak-US differences, the state department spokesman said there was no alternative other than for two countries to work on their divergences. 

"We view Pakistan as an essential partner to this Afghan-led reconciliation process ," Toner said. 

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White House locked down after smoke bomb attack

White House locked down after smoke bomb attack

WASHINGTON: The White House was locked down on Wednesday for more than an hour after a "smoke bomb" landed inside the compound of the United States president's residence, breaching the high security cordon around the building.

The incident took place on Tuesday night when an estimated 1,000 people of the Occupy Wall Street movement were protesting outside the White House. Panic struck the Secret Service - the federal agency responsible for security of the US president - when they saw a smoke bomb landed inside the high secure ground of the White House. The White House was temporarily locked down and streets around the area were cordoned off. The protesters were peacefully dispersed and the White House was all clear. President Obama, and First Lady Michelle were not at home when the incident occurred.

Obama had taken Michelle to a restaurant for a dinner on the occasion of her 48th birthday. The First Couple have since returned to the White House without any difficulty . Secret Service spokesman George Ogilvie said there were no arrests and the agency was investigating the incident.

The journalists who were travelling with the president on return were prevented from leaving the grounds. After holding in the briefing room for 45 minutes, a White House official escorted the press corps out of the White House grounds through the Executive building and out to an exit on 17th Street.

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Urban Turban : Sikh is mayor of historic US city

‘Urban Turban’ : Sikh is mayor of historic US city

WASHINGTON: A turbaned Sikh-American has been elected mayor of a historic US city most famously associated with founding father Thomas Jefferson, attesting both to the town's embrace of diversity and the efforts of the Sikh community to be a part of the American mainstream.

Satyendra Huja, 70, was voted mayor ofCharlottesville by the City Council this week, capping a three-decade long public service record in the 50,000-strong community that is home to three American presidents - Jefferson, Monroe , and Madison (from nearby Orange), and the University of Virginia (UVA), which Jefferson founded in 1819.

Sikh activism in the US has been an inspiring story for other minorities. The community has worked strenuously after racial and ethnic profiling setbacks post-9 /11 to educate Americans about the religion and its adherents and the pay-off has been handsome and visible.

"There are not too many communities in America where a guy with a beard and turban who doesn't look mainstream can get elected," Huja, who was once dubbed "Urban Turban" by resident businessmen , told a local newspaper after his victory. "And I think people realize that I do have some skills and qualities of use that are more important than what I look like."

Indeed, resident activists speak highly of Huja's involvement in city and community planning for more than 30 years, including during his years as director of strategic planning for the city from 1998 to 2004. An adjunct professor in the Architecture School at the UVA, he was elected to city council in 2007 and 2011 and is its senior most and longest serving member.

Born in Kohat in presentday Pakistan, Huja came to the US in 1966 as an undergraduate and studied at Cornell and Wesleyan before earning a master's degree in urban planning from Michigan State University. He moved to Charlottesville in 1973, when he was hired as the director of city planning. After retiring in 2004, he made his first run for council in 2007 as a Democrat, and he was reelected to another four-year term on council last year, polling more votes than any other council member.

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Child charged with murder in San Diego-area death

Child charged with murder in San Diego-area death

EL CAJON (CALIFORNIA): The San Diego County district attorney's office says a child has been charged with murder and felony assault in the fatal stabbing of a 12-year-old boy.

Spokesman Steve Walker declined to say Wednesday if the defendant is the victim's 10-year-old neighbor who was taken into custody shortly after the stabbing. The neighbor is the only one to have been identified by homicide investigators as a suspect.

The 12-year-old died Monday, little more than an hour after he was stabbed in the 10-year-old's driveway in a quiet, kid-friendly neighborhood in El Cajon, east of San Diego.

A detention hearing is scheduled Thursday morning in juvenile court.

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NASA spaceport breaks ground for shuttle display

NASA spaceport breaks ground for shuttle display


CAPE CANAVERAL: NASA's retired space shuttleAtlantis is a step closer to completing its final journey. 

The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex broke ground yesterday for Atlantis' permanent home, a USD 100 million exhibit due to open in summer 2013. 

Schoolchildren waved red, white and blue Atlantis flags 33 flags representing each of Atlantis' space missions as state and local dignitaries joined former shuttle staff at the construction site. 

The astronaut who commanded Atlantis' final spaceflight, Christopher Ferguson, told the more than 100 guests that Atlantis will serve as "a reminder of the limitless potential" of Americans and also inspire children, some of whom will become future space travelers. 

Ferguson, who now works for Boeing on new space vehicles, made note of the effort to preserve the past while working toward the future: "I'd like you all to stay tuned as we turn to the next chapter of the journey that will never end." 

Shuttle Discovery will actually be the first to ship out to museums. 

In April, it will head to the National Air and Space Museum's display hangar outside Washington. 

Shuttle Endeavour will travel to the California Science Center in Los Angeles in the second half of the year. 

NASA's 30-year shuttle program ended last July with the voyage of Atlantis. Since then, workers have been getting them ready for display by draining hazardous fuel, disconnecting or removing some systems and replacing the main engines with replicas.

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