http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/12/satellites-reveal-depletion-of-a-vital-middle-east-water-supply/
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
AFZAL GURU
SRINAGAR\NEW DELHI: Afzal Guru's familyhas turned down the Centre's offer to let his wife, son and a few other close relatives offer prayers at his grave inside the Tihar Jail complex in Delhi.
"We have only one demand that the government of India should return us the body," Guru's cousin Mohammad Yaseen told the TOI. He was reacting to the Centre's offer to allow Guru's wife Tabassum, son Galib and a couple of other close family members offer "fathiah namaz"( prayer at the grave) inside Tihar Jail.
This has the potential of leading to a standoff as home ministry officials ruled out the possibility of handing over Guru's body to the family, even though Union home secretary R K Singh on Tuesday confirmed the Centre's willingness to let them offer prayers at his grave as a one-time gesture. "We have no problem if the immediate family of Afzal Guru wants to come and offer prayers at his grave in Tihar Jail". He also said belongings of Guru will be returned to them. Guru's kin insisted that they would go to Tihar "only if the government is kind enough to hand us his body for burial here".
The home secretary refrained from giving any timeframe for such visit, officials in his ministry said it would happen soon in consultation with the state and the government would facilitate the visit of the family members of Guru, if they wish, to Tihar Jail complex.
"The Tihar jail authorities will soon take a formal decision on the possible date for Guru's family to visit the grave," Besides expressing their wish to offer prayers at Guru's grave and to get all his belongings (letters, clothes, spectacles etc) back, the family members through lawyers also demanded return of his body.
The home secretary's statement came a day after home minister Sushilkumar Shinde spoke about considering any such request by Guru's family to visit the grave.
About the procedure to be followed by the family members to visit here to offer prayer at Guru's grave, officials in the home ministry said that relatives of the deceased could approach jail authority anytime as per jail rules.
They said the Jammu & Kashmir government had been sounded out about the Centre's willingness to allow the family members to visit Tihar. Backroom efforts were on to facilitate the visit, keeping in mind the wish of Tabassum, they added.
"As per jail rules, Tihar officials will only consider a 'proper request' from the family only if Afzal's wife sends a letter signed by her, along with a 'probate form' attached to prove her relationship to him," an official said.
"We have only one demand that the government of India should return us the body," Guru's cousin Mohammad Yaseen told the TOI. He was reacting to the Centre's offer to allow Guru's wife Tabassum, son Galib and a couple of other close family members offer "fathiah namaz"( prayer at the grave) inside Tihar Jail.
This has the potential of leading to a standoff as home ministry officials ruled out the possibility of handing over Guru's body to the family, even though Union home secretary R K Singh on Tuesday confirmed the Centre's willingness to let them offer prayers at his grave as a one-time gesture. "We have no problem if the immediate family of Afzal Guru wants to come and offer prayers at his grave in Tihar Jail". He also said belongings of Guru will be returned to them. Guru's kin insisted that they would go to Tihar "only if the government is kind enough to hand us his body for burial here".
The home secretary refrained from giving any timeframe for such visit, officials in his ministry said it would happen soon in consultation with the state and the government would facilitate the visit of the family members of Guru, if they wish, to Tihar Jail complex.
"The Tihar jail authorities will soon take a formal decision on the possible date for Guru's family to visit the grave," Besides expressing their wish to offer prayers at Guru's grave and to get all his belongings (letters, clothes, spectacles etc) back, the family members through lawyers also demanded return of his body.
The home secretary's statement came a day after home minister Sushilkumar Shinde spoke about considering any such request by Guru's family to visit the grave.
About the procedure to be followed by the family members to visit here to offer prayer at Guru's grave, officials in the home ministry said that relatives of the deceased could approach jail authority anytime as per jail rules.
They said the Jammu & Kashmir government had been sounded out about the Centre's willingness to allow the family members to visit Tihar. Backroom efforts were on to facilitate the visit, keeping in mind the wish of Tabassum, they added.
"As per jail rules, Tihar officials will only consider a 'proper request' from the family only if Afzal's wife sends a letter signed by her, along with a 'probate form' attached to prove her relationship to him," an official said.
NORTH KOREA-UNDERGROUND NUCLEAR TEST
Watch N. Korea announce nuclear test
Kim Jong Un developing his legacy
What North Korea can actually do
China's role in Korean crisis
Q&A: North Korea finally conducts nuclear test, what now?
updated 7:45 AM EST, Tue February 12, 2013
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Test a "step forward" in North Korea's nuclear ambitions, says Chinoy
- U.S. likely to push for tougher sanctions, he says
- China's reaction to nuclear test will be key
- Timing linked to power transitions in the region and propaganda value
Editor's note: Mike Chinoy, a senior follow at the University of South California, the author of Meltdown: The Inside Story of the North Korean Nuclear Crisis and a former CNN senior international correspondent explains the implications of North Korea's third nuclear test.
Hong Kong (CNN) -- North Korea has conducted an underground nuclear test using more sophisticated technology than its previous two attempts, drawing widespread international condemnation.
It's the first test carried out under the secretive nation's young leader Kim Jong Un and threatens to undermine an already fragile security situation in the region.
How worried should we be about North Korea's nuclear test?
It's worrying but does this mean they can drop a nuclear weapon on Los Angeles? Absolutely not. The notion that they are going to target the U.S. is way off the mark.
Watch N. Korea announce nuclear testKim Jong Un developing his legacyWhat North Korea can actually doChina's role in Korean crisis
Any time the North Koreans stage a test, it significantly improves their nuclear capabilities. This comes after they staged a rocket launch that was successful, a long range rocket which appears to have put a satellite into orbit. What they need to achieve to have the weapon they want is the capability to miniaturize a warhead and put it on a rocket. This test isn't going to do that in and of itself, but it is a significant step forward.
What will happen next?
The U.N. Security Council will meet. South Korea is the chair this month so they get to call the agenda. There will be discussion about a much tougher sanctions resolution. The $64,000 question is whether the Chinese will in the end agree to anything significant enough for it to really affect North Korea.
I think it's certain, whatever the U.N. does, the U.S. will move on its own to ratchet up sanctions. I also think the Americans will beef up their military presence in the region. It will mean stronger anti-missile defenses going to South Korea and possibly Japan
Why is China's reaction so important?
The Chinese don't like the idea of international sanctions and coercing other countries. They still have a strategic interest in maintaining a viable separate North Korea as a buffer against a pro-U.S. South Korea and that has only become more important as tensions between the U.S. and China have increased.
On the other hand, a nuclear North Korea that is behaving in an adventuristic way risks very bad outcomes from the Chinese point of view. What China least wants is a more active, antagonistic, robust U.S. military presence in North East Asia in conjunction with the strengthening of military capabilities of allies who are not China's friends.
Chinese companies are more involved in North Korea than they were half a dozen years ago, so the Chinese stand to lose on that front if the U.S. tightens sanctions.
Who really calls the shots in North Korea?
(North Korean leader) Kim Jong Un has people around him but he's driving the show. There's no evidence to suggest that he's not in charge. All the personnel changes he made he was able to make without enough pushback for it to matter. He's got military people around him, and his uncle. I don't see any evidence to see that he's not ultimately in charge.
How significant is the timing of the test?
It's the birthday of Kim Jong Il (Kim Jong Un's late father) on (Saturday). Assuming this (test) is not a total dud, this will be ... great propaganda and they will play it to the hilt. North Koreans are extremely nationalistic. They may be hungry, they may be miserable but by God they've got a bomb and they can stand up to the rest of the world and that really, really matters in North Korea.
You also have a power transitions in Seoul, Tokyo (and the U.S.). How can Barack Obama not devote more attention to North Korea in his State of the Union address? Everyone is reacting to them and that's how they (North Koreans) like it.
What don't we know?
We don't know yet whether this was a test of a plutonium device or a uranium device. The previous two tests were plutonium. We know they have a uranium enrichment capability. We know that a uranium bomb, once they master it, is easier to make and they have deposits of uranium in North Korea so they can keep digging it up.
If they have successfully detonated a uranium bomb and they have moved forward in the process of developing the technical capabilities to miniaturize it and put it on a war head, then in purely military terms it's worrying
The test also raises interesting questions on the proliferation front. The more successful they are with this program, the scarier the consequences should they choose, for example, to provide Iran with test data or fissile material or other information.
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