otics may lead to future antibiotic-resistant infec - Kuwait Times

FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2012
KUALA LUMPUR: An Iranian man held in Malaysia
and accused of involvement in an alleged plot to
attack Israeli targets in Bangkok resisted extradition
yesterday, claiming he had been in Thailand only for
a vacation. A handcuffed Masoud Sedaghatzadeh,
31, appeared briefly in a Kuala Lumpur court, saying
through an interpreter that he had nothing to do
with the accusations and wanted to know why he
was there.
Sedaghatzadeh was arrested at a Malaysian airport
soon after an apparently accidental explosion
rocked a residential Bangkok neighborhood Feb. 14,
followed by two more explosions on nearby streets.
Thai police say bombs were found in the house
where the blast occurred, and that Sedaghatzadeh
and two Iranian men now in Thai custody were seen
leaving the building.
Thai officials have said Israeli diplomats may have
been the target of the alleged plot. Israel has
blamed Iran for the explosions, which wounded five
including one of the alleged bombers, as well as two
incidents the day before: a bombing in India that
wounded an Israeli diplomat’s wife and driver, and
an attempted bombing in the former Soviet republic
of Georgia. Iran has denied involvement.
On Wednesday, a New Delhi court issued a warrant
seeking the arrest of three Iranians accused of
being involved in the blast there. The men were
identified as Housan Afshar, Syed Ali Mehdi Sadr
and Mohammed Reza Abolghasemi, according to a
police official who spoke on condition of anonymity
because he was not authorized to speak publicly.
The police official said the government would
approach Interpol for help in locating and extraditing
the men, whose whereabouts are not known.
Sedaghatzadeh’s Malaysian lawyer, Nashir Hussin,
said his client insists he went to Thailand for a holiday
at the beach town of Pattaya, before coming to
Malaysia to buy automobile parts for his business in
Tehran.
International
Iranian in Malaysia denies Thai terror accusations
MANILA: Victims of tobacco-related diseases holding their
pictures, march towards the Philippine International
Convention Center where ProTobEx, a large international
tobacco fair is held, in suburban Pasay city, south of Manila
yesterday.—AP
Protesters picket
key tobacco show
in Philippines
MANILA: Hundreds of anti-smoking advocates yesterday picketed
a large international tobacco fair in the Philippines, a country
that has drawn more attention from the industry as Western
nations pile on restrictions and taxes. A pack of cigarettes costs
only about 50 cents here, and nearly one out of every three
Filipinos 15 years or older smokes, according to a survey cited by
the World Health Organization. The government supports legislation
aimed at discouraging smoking with a new tax, but it is also
trying to ramp up foreign investment to fight rampant poverty
and unemployment.
Organizers of the tobacco exhibits, among the largest in the
world, said city authorities waived an indoor smoking ban for delegates.
Philippine President Benigno Aquino III sent a welcome
message with hopes the meeting would benefit the country’s
economy. One of the protest leaders, Roberto del Rosario, said
the government should not have allowed the trade fair to go on.
“This business kills people,” said del Rosario, president of the
Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Alliance-Philippines.
WHO also criticized the gathering that opened in Manila yesterday,
saying it provides a platform for the industry to promote “a
deadly product in the Philippines and throughout Asia.” Media
were barred from the trade exhibits; organizers said the shows
were “strictly industry-only private meetings.”
They said the Philippines was chosen as a venue “after months
of in-depth research locations ... for a number of compelling reasons.”
It provides opportunities for tobacco and cigarette producers
to meet suppliers of raw materials such as leaf, paper, filters
and manufacturing equipment. —AP
BEIJING: China’s Communist Party sidelined a powerful, charismatic
politician yesterday following a messy scandal that saw a
trusted aide flee to a US consulate and that threatened to cast a
shadow over a looming leadership transition. Bo Xilai’s removal as
party chief of the huge inland city of Chongqing appears to end
the upward trajectory of a political celebrity who months ago
seemed headed for the uppermost ranks of power.
Tall and telegenic, Bo exuded confidence and courted the
media, rare traits among the bland, low-key Chinese leadership.
His signature policies in Chongqing - an anti-mafia crusade and
promotion of communist culture - drew a national following but
made him a polarizing figure among his peers.
In terse statements carried by state media, the leadership said
that Bo Xilai was being replaced in Chongqing by a vice premier.
The reports did not explicitly address the scandal nor say if Bo
would be ousted from his seat on the decision-making Politburo.
Bo’s sidelining creates a mixed picture for the transfer of power
later this year when President Hu Jintao and other leaders
retire to make way for younger leaders, always a time of divisive
infighting. Party power-brokers no longer need to accommodate
the ambitious Bo, though the eventual lineup of the Politburo
Standing Committee, the apex of power, remains unsettled.
“A very big personality, someone who had a very strong personality,
is no longer going to be engaged in trying to make sure
he gets a seat on the Politburo,” said David Zweig, a China watcher
at Hong Kong University of Science And Technology.
That “probably will make politics more relaxed over the next
six months.” In a sign of the delicate factional balancing in China’s
leadership, Bo was replaced in Chongqing by Vice Premier Zhang
Dejiang, a North Korean-trained economist who has run two economically
vibrant provinces. Both men share a common political
patron. The change comes just weeks after longtime Bo confidante
and Chongqing vice mayor Wang Lijun - currently under an
unspecified investigation - fled overnight to the US Consulate in
Chengdu, possibly to seek political asylum, before leaving the
building. Wang, as police chief, headed the gangland crackdown
that made both men national figures, and his flight to a foreign
consulate represented a potential breach of sensitive internal
information, violating party discipline and tainting Bo. The scandal
has consumed the attention of China’s politically minded
classes as did the latest twist. China’s popular Twitter-like service,
Sina Corp.’s Weibo, had blocked searches for Bo’s name for much
of the past two weeks. After yesterday’s announcement, the
blocks were seemingly gone, and the news triggered tens of
thousands of postings.
Still, amid the rumors of political intrigue, no public explanation
has been offered about what set off the scandal or what
transgressions led to Bo’s removal. Premier Wen Jiabao offered
the bluntest criticism of Bo and the affair on Wednesday telling
reporters that Chongqing leaders “must seriously reflect on the
Wang Lijun incident and learn lessons from this incident.”
“He met a lot of Iranians there, took pictures, said
hello and goodbye,” Nashir told reporters. “He does
not know any of them, he can’t remember anyone.
He is incriminated by the pictures.” Prosecutors in
their application said the Iranian was wanted by
Thailand on suspicion of “taking part in making and
possessing an explosive device” as well as causing
an explosion that led to human injuries and property
damage. He faces life in prison if convicted in
Thailand.
The court scheduled a hearing for April 16 after
government lawyers said they were waiting for photos
and security camera footage from Thailand.
Sedaghatzadeh’s parents attended yesterday’s hearing
but refused to speak to reporters. Nashir said his
client’s parents were “very shocked” with his arrest.
Thai authorities want Sedaghatzadeh to be handed
over immediately, but Malaysia has said the process
must go through the courts under extradition
laws.— AP
China replaces leader
hit by messy scandal
Removal upward trajectory of political celebrity
“The public is still in the dark as to what really happened and
what has been found in the investigation,” said Liu Shanying,
expert on public administration from the Chinese Academy of
Social Sciences. “What should Mr. Bo reflect on? His hiring decision?
If it was only a firing decision, the consequences wouldn’t
have been like this. But what else did Premier Wen imply? The
public is still puzzled.”
In announcing Bo’s replacement, the leadership’s top official
in charge of personnel told Chongqing party members that it was
done “after discreet consideration and based on current circumstances
and the overall situation.” Wang’s whereabouts since his
consulate visit aren’t known. A separate Xinhua News Agency
report said yesterday that he has been removed from his last
remaining post as Chongqing vice mayor.
Bo’s removal came just after the close of the annual session of
the legislature and underscores how party leaders dealt with Bo’s
troubles behind the scenes while trying to project an image of
unity for the public. Bo sparked new rumors by missing a key
meeting of the body last week, but sprung back last Friday with a
public appearance at which he admitted to mistakes but defended
his record in Chongqing.
If Bo is stripped of his Politburo seat, it would be the first time
a member of the collective leadership has been removed since
2006 when Shanghai’s party secretary, Chen Liangyu, was purged
and later sentenced for corruption. Chen’s removal was seen as a
well-orchestrated move by President Hu Jintao to consolidate his
power and remove a rival midway through his 10-year term.
Unusual for party infighting, Bo’s undoing unfolded in public.
Wang’s trip to the US Consulate was first rumored on the Internet
and, after the US State Department confirmed the visit, the government
was forced to follow suit.—AP
BEIJING: This photo taken on Wednesday shows Chongqing
Party Secretary Bo Xilai during the closing ceremony of the
National People’s Congress at the Great Hall of the People in
Beijing. —AFP