SOUTH ASIA

PAKISTAN REJECTS REPORT OF SCIENTIST SELLING NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY

Pakistan yesterday rejected a report that an international black market in weapons technology, run by disgraced Pakistani scientist A.Q. Khan, may have sold equipment to Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries.

Information Minister Sheik Rashid Ahmed described as “baseless” the allegations printed in this week’s edition of Time magazine, but he did not rule out that Mr. Khan could have sold technology to more countries than initially thought.

“We don’t know of any other country that he gave nuclear technology to. But if there is another country, we will investigate,” Mr. Ahmed said. “If there are any questions, we will ask them.”

Mr. Khan, once regarded as a national hero for his role in developing Pakistan’s nuclear deterrent against rival India, has lived under virtual house arrest since he confessed in February 2004 to selling sensitive technology to Iran, Libya, and North Korea.

President General Musharraf has pardoned Mr. Khan, and says the scientist’s international network has been dismantled. The government denies any official involvement in the multimillion-dollar illicit trade that earned Mr. Khan a fortune – estimated by Time at up to $400 million.

– Associated Press

CARIBBEAN

11 GUANTANAMO DETAINEES CONTEND THEY GAVE FALSE CONFESSIONS

Nearly a dozen detainees at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp contend they were wrongly imprisoned after repeated abuse by American troops in Afghanistan and Pakistan, including beatings with chains, electric shock, and sodomy, their lawyer said yesterday.

“These are classic stories of men who ended up in Guantanamo by mistake,” charged attorney Tom Wilner, who represents 11 Kuwaiti prisoners held in the detention center at the American Navy base in eastern Cuba.

Most of his clients say they falsely confessed to belonging to Afghanistan’s ousted Taliban regime or Al Qaeda’s terror network as a way to stop the abuse, Mr. Wilner said. He said one is too angry over his treatment to discuss details of his case, but all argue their detentions are unjustified.

Human rights groups and defense lawyers have long charged that some information used as the basis for incarcerations at Guantanamo Bay resulted from abuse or torture. Many of the 545 prisoners there have been held for more than three years, most without charge. About 150 have been let go, but officials have not given explanations for their release.

– Associated Press

WEST AFRICA

WESTERN DIPLOMATS BOYCOTT TOGO PRESIDENTIAL CEREMONY

LOME, Togo – The man the military picked to succeed his late father as Togo’s president was sworn in yesterday even as Western diplomats boycotted the ceremony and hundreds of protesting students tried to disrupt it.

Faure Gnassingbe came to power in a tiny, impoverished country with little experience of rule of law, having spent nearly 40 years under the ruthless rule of his father. President Eyadema, who died of a heart attack Saturday, was among the last of Africa’s “Big Men” who held power through patronage, the loyalty of their ethnic and regional groups, and military force.

His son promised change, saying Togo is on the road to democracy. Mr. Gnassingbe, wearing a blue suit at his 15-minute inauguration, pledged to “devote all my force to the development of the well-being of all Togolese and respect for human liberties in the national interest.”

– Associated Press

CENTRAL ASIA

RELATIVES OF PLANE CRASH VICTIMS TRY TO RETRIEVE BODIES

Security forces yesterday turned back relatives trying to get to a freezing mountain where NATO soldiers found human remains but no survivors in the wreckage of an Afghan airliner four days after it struck a snowbound peak with 104 people on board. NATO helicopters spotted parts of the wreckage some 11,000 feet up Chaperi Mountain on Saturday, but freezing fog, low clouds, and up to 8 feet of snow had prevented teams from reaching the site.

Clear weather yesterday allowed a Spanish Cougar helicopter to drop five Slovenian mountain troops onto the mountain top 20 miles east of Kabul, where they toiled through the deep snow to inspect several pieces of fuselage.

– Associated Press

WESTERN EUROPE

BRITISH MINISTER PLEDGES ACTION ON IMMIGRATION

LONDON – The government proposed tighter immigration controls yesterday and said only skilled workers who speak English would be allowed to settle in Britain permanently.

Home Secretary Charles Clarke said the government also would fingerprint all foreigners applying for visas to stop them from remaining in Britain once their permits expire.

The measures, which would not affect citizens of the European Union, are part of a Europe-wide drive to tackle illegal immigration – an issue particularly sensitive for Prime Minister Blair’s government as it gears up for national elections expected in May.

“This country needs migration. Tourists, students, and migrant workers make a vital contribution to the U.K. economy. But we need to ensure that we let in migrants with the skills and talents to benefit Britain, while stopping those trying to abuse our hospitality and place a burden on our society,” Mr. Clarke said.

– Associated Press