World Briefs

Author: [no author name found]

INDIA, PAKISTAN TALKS

PRESIDENT BUSH LEFT THE REGION ON GOOD TERMS AFTER LENGTHY NEGOTIATIONS WITH BOTH PAKISTANI AND INDIAN LEADERS. INDIA EMERGED AS THE BIG WINNER AFTER THE WEEKEND VISIT, GARNERING BOTH A U.S.-LED INITIATIVE FOR CIVILIAN NUCLEAR ENERGY DEVELOPMENT AND POSITIVE PRESS FROM THE TIMES OF INDIA." MEANWHILE, PAKISTANI PRESIDENT PERVEZ MUSHARRAF REAFFIRMED HIS COMMITMENT TO THE UNITED STATES' SO-CALLED "WAR ON TERRORISM" AND IS EXPECTING PRESIDENT BUSH TO PRESSURE INDIA TO CHANGE ITS STANCE TOWARDS THE FREQUENTLY TROUBLESOME KASHMIR REGION.

-NEW YORK TIMES, NEW DEHLI

THE NEXT COLD WAR?

IN THE WAKE OF WEEKS OF RIOTS PROTESTING THE PUBLICATION OF CARICATURES OF THE PROPHET MOHAMMED IN DENMARK, THE STRINGS OF TENSION REMAIN TAUT IN THE MIDDLE EAST, WITH FEAR OF WHAT IS TO HAPPEN NEXT MOUNTING. ON MARCH 4, FORMER IRANIAN PRESIDENT MOHAMMAD KHATAMI WARNED THAT THE ANIMOSITY BETWEEN THE ISLAMIC WORLD AND THE WESTERN WORLD ARE BEGINNING TO SPIN IN A COLD WAR-LIKE DIRECTION. KHATAMI SUGGESTS THAT ISLAM IS BEING CAST AS THE "ENEMY OF HUMANITY," AND THAT THIS "ISLAMOPHOBIA" IS GOING TO DRASTICALLY POLARIZE THE WORLD FOR YEARS TO COME.

-WASHINGTON POST, TEHRAN

PAT TILLMAN

AN INVESTIGATION OF THE DEATH OF FORMER ARIZONA CARDINAL PAT TILLMAN IN AFHGANISTAN IS BEING RE-OPENED. TILLMAN, WHO GAVE UP A $3 MILLION CONTRACT WITH THE CARDINALS TO JOIN THE ARMY AFTER 9/11, WAS FIRST REPORTED KILLED BY ENEMY FIRE IN APRIL OF 2004. WITHIN DAYS OF THE DEATH, HOWEVER, AN ARMY INVESTIGATION PROVED TILLMAN'S FATAL WOUNDS WERE CAUSED BY FRIENDLY FIRE. ACCORDING TO A RECENT REPORT RELEASED BY THE PENTAGON, INVESTIGATORS NOW BELIEVE THE BULLETS THAT CUT DOWN TILLMAN MAY HAVE BEEN A RESULT OF "GROSS NEGLIGENCE" ON THE PART OF HIS FELLOW SOLDIERS. MURDER AND MANSLAUGHTER HAVE NOT BEEN RULED OUT AS THE NEW INVESTIGATION MOVES FORWARD.

-ESPN, WASHINGTON

HOPE FOR CHINA'S POOR

WITH THE OPENING SESSION OF CHINA'S ANNUAL PARLIAMENT UNDERWAY, EFFORTS HAVE BEGUN TO CHANNEL MORE FUNDING INTO THE COUNTRY'S POORER, MORE RURAL REGIONS. AIMED AT EASING THE GAP BETWEEN CHINA'S RICH AND POOR, THIS NEW SPENDING WILL BE SLOW-MOVING, BUT ON THE WHOLE, THE ECONOMY OF CHINA IS PROJECTED TO GROW UP TO 8 PERCENT. BEIJING IS EXPECTING TO SPEND AN ADDITIONAL $5.2 BILLION ON RURAL SCHOOLS, HOSPITALS AND FARMING ORGANIZATIONS.

-CNN, Beijing