6 theSun | MONDAY AUGUST 24 2009

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Iran clerics object to
Rival Koreas meet
women ministers
TEHERAN: Iran’s conservative clerics have ob-
jected to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s deci-
sion to include three women in his new cabinet,
a report said on Saturday, dealing a blow to the
hardliner’s bid to secure parliament’s nod for his
ministerial line-up. Ahmadinejad named Sousan
ahead of state funeral
SEOUL: The funeral yesterday
of former South Korean Presi-
AFPPIX
without comment. It had ar-
Keshvaraz, Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi and Fatemeh rived in Seoul on Friday and
Ajorlou as his ministers respectively of education, dent Kim Dae-jung, whose ef- was the North’s first to the
health, and welfare and social security in his 21- forts to reconcile the divided South in nearly two years. They
member cabinet. peninsula won him the Nobel flew home just before the state
“Although it is a new idea to choose women Peace Prize, was marked by the funeral.
as ministers, there are religious doubts over the rival Koreas’ first top level talks Yonhap news agency said
abilities of women when it comes to management. in nearly two years. about 20,000 mourners, the
This should be considered by the government,” Dignitaries Kim, who died on Tuesday largest number the country has
walk past
Mohammad Taghi Rahbar, the head of the clerics’ aged 85, was a driving force in seen for a funeral, gathered in
faction in the 290-member conservative-domi- the memorial South Korea’s shift to democra- the grounds of the National As-
altar for Kim
nated Iranian parliament was quoted as saying by cy and initiated the “Sunshine sembly to mark the death of the
the conservative daily Teheran Emrouz. during the Policy” to try to coax the North man who was a towering figure
state funeral
He said the faction will seek the opinion of the out of its shell, leading in 2000 in the fight to bring democracy
ceremony at
country’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to the first ever summit of the to what is now Asia’s fourth
on the issue. Ahmadinejad’s proposed cabinet, the National two Korean leaders. largest economy.
which boasts 11 new names including the three Assembly North Korean leader Kim Kim Dae-jung, popularly
in Seoul
women, will face a vote of confidence on Aug 30. Jong-il sent a delegation to the referred to by his initials “DJ”,
– AFP yesterday. South to join the mourning spent much of his political life
for the former president and, behind bars or under house ar-
with them, a message to South rest. He was once sentenced to
Taiwan bars surrogate mother Korea’s current President Lee content of the message to Lee, routinely death and the target of a number
company from seeking clients Myung-bak whose 18 months in office derided in communist North Korea’s of assassination attempts.
TAIPEI: The government has warned a Thai have seen a sharp deterioration in rela- media as a traitor and a pawn of the Growing up in poverty on a small
surrogate company against seeking infertile- tions between the two. United States. island called Hawi to an unwed mother,
parent clients in Taiwan because Taipei’s The delegation, The reclusive North, furious at Lee’s he took a job after high school to support
law still bans using surrogate headed by a top aide to policy of ending aid until Pyongyang his family. As the military rule in South
mothers to produce babies, a Kim Jong-il, met Lee starts to dismantle its nuclear weapons Korea tightened, Kim emerged as a
newspaper said yesterday. in the latest sign the programme, has all but cut ties with its young leader of dissidents in parliament.
Wu Hsiu-ying, an official from impoverished North is far wealthier neighbour. He challenged Maj-Gen Park Chung-hee
the Council of Agriculture, told softening its tone after a “President Lee said, if South and North for the presidency in 1971, and won over
the Apple Daily that doctors nuclear test in May and Korea solve problems through dialogue 46% of the vote in an election widely
who introduce infertile parents SNAP
AN D WIN missile launches were and in a sincere manner, there is nothing criticised as rigged in favour of Park.
to a foreign surrogate mother met with tightened UN we cannot resolve,” presidential spokes- Two years after his run for the
INAT IO N
company face loss of licence TICKETS TO ANY DEST sanctions and further man Lee Dong-kwan said. presidency, Kim was abducted by South
and fines of up to T$250,000 IN MA LA YS IA ! international isolation. “The North delegation expressed its Korean secret agents in a Tokyo hotel
(RM26,250). The South’s presi- gratitude for allowing the meeting and in 1973. Abroad, he is best remembered
“Taiwan has not passed the dential Blue House suggests both sides can cooperate and for the hugs and smiles he exchanged
surrogate mother bill. So if a doc- said the meeting lasted resolve problems,” he said. in Pyongyang with North Korea’s Kim
tor arranges a surrogate mother about 30 minutes but North Korea’s KCNA news agency Jong-il at the summit he brokered in
for infertile parents here, he would not disclose the announced the return of the delegation 2000. – Reuters
MALAYSIA
or she could lose their doctor’s N HOSPITA

license,” she told the Apple Daily. PH T LITY

– dpa CONTEST
Afghan challenger says election ‘widely rigged’
Finns dominate KABUL: Afghan Abdullah, whom polls gave a fighting it was dealing with scores of complaints,
contest for mobile President Hamid Kar- chance of pushing the election to a but there was no sign they would directly
phone throwers i s,
t dition zai’s main challenger second round in October, said yesterday affect the result.
Capture people, foo f d, d tra
said yesterday he had he had evidence of widespread rigging. The Independent Election Commis-
HELSINKI: Finnish nationals else tha t bes t
cultures and anything evidence last week’s Abdullah and Karzai’s camp both say sion (IEC) also said partial results would
dominated the 10th Mobile Phone n Ho spitality. election had been they are ahead in the vote count. be released on Tuesday, and repeated its
showc ase s Ma lay sia
Throwing World Championships held widely rigged by the “The initial reports we are receiving warning to candidates that they should
on Saturday near the Finnish town of incumbent and that are a bit alarming. There might have not make premature declarations.
Savonlinna. Pauli Kosunen’s 79.60m he had lodged more been thousands of violations throughout Two opinion polls ahead of the election
throw gave him the victory in the than 100 complaints. the country,” Abdullah said, adding his predicted Karzai would win, but not by
men’s category, but was no threat to For more information
, go to With counting team had already lodged more than 100 enough to prevent a second round run-off
Mikko Lampi’s world record of 94.97m s.html
www.sun2surf.com/ma underway following complaints with election officials. against Abdullah. Karzai must win more
set in 2005. Thursday’s vote, the “Widespread rigging has taken place than 50% of the vote to avoid a run-off.
Suvi Torikka won the women’s event country is on tenterhooks ahead of an by the incumbent, through his campaign The Election Complaints Commission
with a 37.05m throw, while 12-year-old Verneri official result. team, and through the state apparatus, said it had received 225 complaints of
Aleksejev won the junior class hurling the handset An election result respected by the can- through government officials. which 35 had been labelled a priority.
43.77m. In all 62 contestants including those from didates and their supporters is crucial for “This has to be prevented. That’s “The allegations contained in the com-
Australia, Canada, Estonia, France, Germany, Japan the country and for US President Barack critical for the survival of the process and plaints we have received so far range from
and Spain took part. According to championship Obama, who has made stabilising Af- that’s critical as far as the hope for a better voter intimidation, violence, ballot box
rules, the devices are provided by the organisers who ghanistan his top foreign policy priority. life of the Afghan people is concerned.” tampering (to) interference by some IEC
collect them from mobile phone dealers. – dpa Former foreign minister Abdullah The country’s election watchdog said officials,” Grant Kippen said. – Reuters