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Denisov disagreed with US Ambassador John Bolton’s proposal that the selection process be completed by midyear, saying it might sideline Annan, who completes 10 years in office on December 31.

 

Last month, Bolton suggested that Eastern Europeans should also be eligible for the post, since they had not held the job before. From Eastern Europe, the names mentioned most frequently are former Polish president Aleksander Kwasniewski and Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga. But Denisov said only that he had not heard “practical proposals.” Meanwhile, many Asians believe the next secretary-general should come from Asia because no one from that continent has held the post since U Thant of Burma, who served from 1961-71. The declared candidates from Asia are Thai Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai and Sri Lankan peace negotiator Jayantha Dhanapala.

 

According to the UN Charter, a secretary-general is to be appointed by the General Assembly at the recommendation of the 15-nation Security Council, which means Russia as well as the United States, Britain, France and China have veto power.

 

Madonna's Grammy Performance Censored in Malaysia

 

Madonna's performance was struck from Malaysia's television broadcast of the Grammy Awards because her skimpy outfit and steamy dance moves were too risque for audiences in this Muslim-majority nation. The Grammys aired Thursday night on Malaysia's 8TV station, 12 hours after the show took place in the US. But Malaysian fans were surprised when the show kicked off without the much-hyped opening act—Madonna and the cartoon-fronted rock group Gorillaz. “From our point of view, it wasn't suitable for our audiences,” said an official at the program content unit of 8TV, one of Malaysia's main private networks. The rest of the telecast wasn’t censored, but Madonna’s barelegged leotard attire and sexy gyrations were “too much of a risk for us to take if we tried to show it,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

 

In her Grammy performance of her recent hit, "Hung Up," Madonna, 47, writhed onstage with her background dancers, both male and female, to a throbbing disco beat. Television shows and movies screened in Malaysia must abide by a strict censorship code that forbids sex, graphic violence and provocative handling of topics such as race and religion. (AP)

 

 

Thursday, February 09, 2006

 

NLD Members Jailed on Drugs Charges

 

Two National League for Democracy members have been sentenced to seven years in prison, having been found guilty of possession of drugs, following a police raid on their home last November. A local court in Bhamo Township, Kachin State, yesterday found against Ko Ko Myint, the joint secretary of Shwe Gu Township NLD and senior NLD member Thein Zaw. Speaking from Bhamo, NLD spokesman Zaw Thin confirmed that both men were sent to Bhamo prison yesterday.

 

The search which led to the arrests was apparently prompted by police intelligence concerning documents from an NLD meeting. The official reason given to the two NLD members at the time, though, was that the police wanted to check the overnight guest list. The documents related to an NLD program to provide distance-learning instruction on human rights and HIV/AIDS awareness. When the NLD members did not produce the documents on request, the police searched the house and found a quantity of illegal narcotics. According to a Mandalay Division NLD defense lawyer, the two detainees had passed an official drug test and displayed no signs of drug use.