Chinese envoy visits Tehran for nuclear talks

TEHRAN: A senior Chinese diplomat arrived in Tehran on Sunday to discuss Iran’s nuclear programme, amid differences between China and the West over how to resolve the dispute it has caused.   

The semi-official ISNA news agency said China’s assistant foreign minister, Ma Zhaoxu, met a member of the Supreme Council of National security, Ali Baqeri, for talks on Iran’s stalled nuclear talks with six world powers, as well as bilateral ties.  

The agency quoted Ma as saying China was interested in accelerating talks between Iran and the P5+1 group, comprising the United States, France, Germany, China, Russia and Britain.   

Iran says its nuclear programme is to meet its energy and medical needs. Western nations suspect it has military aims.  

China has repeatedly said that the only way to resolve the issue is through dialogue and cooperation.   

Tensions rose last month when EU leaders agreed to embargo Iranian oil and put in place further measures against Iran’s central bank. China is one of the largest users of Iranian oil, buying around one fifth of total exports.  

The EU is also a major consumer and member states have until July to find alternative sources.  

ISNA earlier quoted Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi as saying President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would soon visit China. AGENCIES

‘Avatar’ robot made in Japan

YOKOHAMA: A Japanese-developed robot that mimics the movements of its human controller is bringing the Hollywood blockbuster “Avatar” one step closer to reality.

Users of the TELESAR V don special equipment that allows them not only to direct the actions of a remote machine, but also to see, hear and feel the same things as their doppelganger android.

“When I put on the devices and move my body, I see my hands having turned into the robot hands. When I move my head, I get a different view from the one I had before,” said researcher Sho Kamuro.

“It’s a strange experience that makes you wonder if you’ve really become a robot,” he told AFP.

Professor Susumu Tachi, who specialises in engineering and virtual reality at Keio University’s Graduate School of Media Design, said systems attached to the operator’s headgear, vest and gloves send detailed instructions to the robot, which then mimics the user’s every move.

At the same time, an array of sensors on the android relays a stream of information which is converted into sensations for the user.

The thin polyester gloves the operator wears are lined with semiconductors and tiny motors to allow the user to “feel” what the mechanical hands are touching — a smooth or a bumpy surface as well as heat and cold.

The robot’s “eyes” are actually cameras capturing images that appear on tiny video screens in front of the user’s eyes, allowing them to see in three dimensions.

Microphones on the robot pick up sounds, while its speakers allow the operator to make his voice heard by those near the machine.

The TELESAR — TELexistence Surrogate Anthropomorphic Robot — is still a far cry from the futuristic creations of James Cameron’s “Avatar”, where US soldiers are able to remotely control the genetically engineered bodies of an extra-terrestrial race they wish to subdue.

But, says Tachi, it could have much more immediate — and benign — applications, such as working in high-risk environments, for example the inside of Japan’s crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, though it is early days.

“I think further research and development could enable this to go into areas too dangerous for humans and do jobs that require human skills,” he said.

Japan’s famously advanced robot technology was found wanting during the crisis at Fukushima, where foreign expertise had to be called on for the machines that went inside reactor buildings as nuclear meltdowns began.

Tachi said a “safety myth” had grown up around atomic technology, preventing research on the kind of machines that could help in the wake of a disaster.

But he said his kind of robot technology could help with the long and difficult task of decommissioning reactors at Fukushima — a process that could take three decades.

A remote-controlled android that allows its user to experience what is happening far away may have more than just industrial applications, he added.

“This could be used to talk with your grandpa or grandma living in a remote place and deepen communications,” he said. AGENCIES

Memo commission resumes proceeding

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ISLAMABAD: The commission tasked with probing the alleged memo scandal has resumed its proceeding in Islamabad High Court today (Friday).

Barristar Zafarullah said “Mansoor Ijaz is a proclaimed offender in two civil suits in the top court of America.”

Mansoor Ijaz will not come to any Pakistan high commission abroad, he asserted. The high commission, he said, is Pakistani space.

In his argument, he said security situation is not too good in the US where the 9/11 happened. 

Zafarullah said it would be an insult to the commission if it decides to go abroad to record Mansoor Ijaz’ statement. TrendPK

Tri-series: Sri Lanka win toss, elect to bowl

SYDNEY: Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene won the toss and elected to bowl against Australia in the third match of the ODI tri-series here today.

Australia have not made any change to the side that beat India in their previous match.

For Sri Lanka, Sachithra Senanayake has replaced Thisara Perera.

Sri Lanka: Mahela Jayawardene (capt), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Sachithra Senanayake, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Dhammika Prasad, Lahiru Thirimanne

Australia: Michael Clarke (c), David Warner, Matthew Wade, Ricky Ponting, Mike Hussey, David Hussey, Dan Christian, Ryan Harris, Mitchell Starc, Clint McKay, Xavier Doherty. AGENCIES

Great painter Sadequain’s anniversary today

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KARACHI: Syed Sadequain Ahmed Naqvi, who is also often referred to as Sadequain Naqqash, or just Sadequain is being remembered on his death anniversary today (Friday).

The great painter of Pakistan, Sadequain was born in 1930 in Amroha, UP, India. At the age of 31, his work won recognition at the 1961 Paris Biennale.

Sadequain had a prolific career and much of his work is displayed in public places. During his life, Sadequain became a cult figure with a large following from all walks of life. The content of his work has wider appeal, and the early works addressed social evils. In the later decades, Sadequain used the unifying spirit of calligraphy to appeal to the masses.

Sadequain was responsible for the renaissance of Islamic Calligraphy in Pakistan. He was one of the greatest calligraphers of his time who transformed the art of calligraphy into eye-catching expressionist paintings.

In Pakistan, the art of calligraphy was relegated to a second class status until Sadequain adapted this medium in the late nineteen sixties.

Sadequain also painted in bold form the poetic verses of Ghalib, Iqbal and Faiz, which illustrate his love for classical literature. He belonged to the school of thought, which enriched realism with lyricism.

Sadequain wrote thousand of quartets and published them. Sadequain is the only painter who has been copied openly and widely by many painters and even the copies fetch large sums to the copiers, an irony since the artist himself hardly ever sold his works in spite of offers coming from the royals and the common public. As an example his masterpiece rendition of Sureh-e-Rehman has been copied widely by many known painters of the modern era.

The brush strokes stopped on February 10, 1987 in Karachi, when the greatest of the painters and calligraphists was just 57. Many have imitated his work since then, but he remains to this date a very class of his own, which cannot be imitated, copied or reproduced. TrendPK

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Australia lead China 2-0 in Davis Cup

SYDNEY: Straight sets wins for Lleyton Hewitt and Bernard Tomic on Friday gave Australia a 2-0 lead over China in their best-of-five Davis Cup tie.

Veteran two-time grand slam winner Hewitt beat China’s top-ranked men’s player Zhang Ze, while Tomic saw off rising youngster Wu Di in the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group I first round tie.

“One day I hopefully can win the Davis Cup,” said Tomic, 19, after his 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 victory over world number 502 Wu at the Geelong Lawn Tennis Club.

Seasoned Davis Cup campaigner Hewitt, who reached the fourth round of last month’s Australian Open along with Tomic, said Wu’s form was better than his ranking.

“Wu is the best 500 player I’ve ever seen,” he said.

Hewitt defeated Zhang 6-2, 6-1, 7-6 (7-4) and will now hope to win the tie when he partners Chris Guccione in the doubles on Saturday. AGENCIES

SC calls off contempt proceedings against FIA chief Shah

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ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court (SC) Friday brought to an end the contempt proceedings against Director General of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Tehseen Anwar Shah, who extended apology in Khurram Rasool case.

A three-strong bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammed Chaudhry heard the contempt case against the FIA’s DG Shah, who told the court that Khurram asserted that he had bargain worth Rs.160 million between him and the petitioner.

The FIA has indentified Khurram’s property with an estimate worth of Rs.500 million, which will be confiscated.

Tehseen Shah apologized to the court over the contempt; on this, the proceedings regarding the contempt of court against him were abolished. TrendPK

Syrian opposition responsible for violence: Russia

MOSCOW: Russia on Friday said the Syrian opposition bore full responsibility for the ongoing violence and accused the West of being an “accomplice” that pushed the regime’s opponents into armed conflict.
  
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the ITAR-Tass news agency the opposition’s refusal to enter direct talks with the Syrian government meant it “bears full responsibility for improving the situation,” accusing the West of being “accomplices in the process of inflaming the crisis.” AGENCIES

India piles up arms with China in mind

 

In recent weeks, India has decided to buy 126 fighter jets from France, taken delivery of a nuclear-powered submarine from Russia and prepared for its first aircraft carrier modernizing its military to face a rising China.

 

India and China have a long history of tension, dating back to a 1962 border war, and New Delhi has watched with dismay in recent years as Beijing has increased its influence in the Indian Ocean.

 

China has financed the development of ports in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar, virtually encircling India. Beijing s recent efforts to get access to facilities in the Seychelles have prodded New Delhi to renew its own outreach to the Indian Ocean island state off its west coast.

 

With its recent purchases, running into tens of billions of dollars, India is finally working to counter what it sees as aggressive incursions by neighboring China into a region India has long dominated.

 

“The Indian military is strengthening its forces in preparation to fight a limited conflict along the disputed border, and is working to balance Chinese power projection in the Indian Ocean,” James Clapper, the U.S. director of national intelligence, told a Senate committee last week.

 

India has created new infantry mountain divisions and plans to raise a strike corps aimed at countering aggression by China. Their border still has not been agreed upon despite 15 rounds of talks, and patrols from the two sides frequently face off on the ground.

 

Analysts say that although the probability of a conflict between the two Asian giants is remote, a short, sharp conflict in the disputed Himalayan heights can t be ruled out.

 

“Over the last couple of years, the Chinese have been acting more and more aggressively in the political, diplomatic and military arena,” said retired Brig. Gurmeet Kanwal, director of the Indian army-funded Centre for Land Warfare Studies in New Delhi.

 

Indian leaders and defense strategists have watched with alarm as China modernized its forces and extended its military advantage over India. For some in India, countering China is taking precedence even over checking longtime rival Pakistan. “Of late, there has been a realization (in India) that China is the real danger of the future,” Kanwal said.
To compete, India has embarked on a long-overdue drive to modernize its forces and replace their obsolescent, Soviet-era weapons.

 

Its orders for fighter jets, naval frigates, helicopters and armaments have made India the world s largest importer of arms. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said India accounted for 9 percent of all the world s weapon imports in 2010, the latest year for which figures were available.

 

Last week s order of 126 combat aircraft, won by France s Dassault, followed a bitter battle by global jet manufacturers hoping to entice India.

 

The initial cost for the 126 planes is estimated at about $11 billion, but on-board weaponry, technology transfers, maintenance, warranties and other costs are expected to almost double the price.

 

The Indian navy last week took command of a Russian Nerpa nuclear submarine, renamed INS Chakra-II, at the Russian port of Vladivostok, propelling India into an elite group of countries operating underwater nuclear-powered vessels. Others in the club are the United States, France, Russia, Britain and China.

 

The Chakra-II, on lease from Russia for the next 10 years at a cost of nearly $1 billion, is expected to be inducted into the navy by March. Later this year, India is expected to take delivery of a retrofitted Soviet-built aircraft carrier.

 

In addition, six Scorpene subs being built in India under license from France in a $5 billion deal are expected to start going into service in 2015, three years behind schedule, said Defense Minister A.K. Antony. Labor problems and difficulties procuring needed technology have hampered the project, he told the Indian Parliament recently. Critics also blame India s sluggish bureaucracy for the delays.

 

“India s efforts at modernizing its forces have been very slow,” said Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, a defense analyst at the New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation.
Some Indian military experts complain that the country is not doing enough to upgrade its forces to the level befitting the regional power it aspires to be.
“It s not only China that is rising. India is on the ascent too, and it s a trend that will continue for some decades,” said retired Air Vice Marshal Kapil Kak at the Centre for Air Power Studies in New Delhi.

 

India may be watching China s overtures to its neighbors with alarm, but New Delhi has also embarked on its own effort to reach out to the Southeast Asian and East Asian countries in Beijing s backyard.

 

India has struck a strategic partnership with Vietnam, including helping Hanoi beef up its defense capabilities. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been actively pursuing a “Look East” policy, engaging the leaders of South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, among others. The policy has resulted in a troupe of high-level visits to India, bolstering trade and economic cooperation.

 

Nowhere is the contest between China and India more evident than in Myanmar, where both of the energy-seeking Asian giants are caught in a race to gain access to the country s natural gas sources.

 

India has regularly conducted defense exercises with countries in the region. It is scheduled to host the navies of 14 Asian countries in maritime exercises later this week; the Chinese and Pakistani navies have not been invited.

 

And, while India is increasing its defense capabilities, China is doing the same, but faster, making it difficult for India to catch up. The Chinese government s military budget is the second largest in the world after the United States.

 

India has raised two mountain divisions of soldiers to add to its existing high-altitude troops. Around 36,000 soldiers and officers of the divisions have been posted in the remote northeast, not far from India s Arunachal Pradesh state, which China claims as part of its territory.

 

A proposal for a mountain strike corps is awaiting clearance by India s Cabinet, and an independent armored brigade for the mountain region also is in the works. India hopes to show it can strike deep beyond its neighbor s borders to serve as a deterrent for any Chinese aggression, Kanwal said.

 

“India is building up its capability for offensive operations in the mountains with a view to taking the fight into Chinese territory,” Kanwal said.
 

Turkey to spearhead international initiative on Syria

ANKARA: Turkey will launch a “new initiative” with like-minded countries after the rejection of a UN resolution aimed at ending months-long bloodshed in neighbouring Syria, its prime minister said on Tuesday.
  
“We will start a new initiative with those countries who stand by the Syrian people, not the regime,” Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in parliament, without elaborating. AGENCIES

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