8/14/2019 TheSun 2009-08-07 Page09 Clinton Played It Right

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bask in the reflected glory of thisglobal superstar paying court.The public choreography of themeetings in Pyongyang was atleast as significant as that in theLos Angeles airport hangar,

where Clinton contented himselfwith genial restraint and left thespeaking to Ling and Gore.

In the North Korean capital,Clinton adopted the formality

and the grave publicmien of his host. Themessage was thatthis was serious;business not pleas-ure. Kim Jong-il,it can safely beassumed, doesnot do public cor-diality. He neededpictures thatshowed a meet-ing of equals.

But nor couldClinton be seento be looking toocheerful with aleader who is atloggerheads not just with theUS, but muchof the rest ofthe worldas well. Heplayed the part

to perfection.

The other key to this meetingcame in Gores short speech,where he carefully describedthe mission as humanitarian.Again, this official descriptionsuited both sides. It restricted theUS objective to the plight of twoyoung women journalists andallowed North Koreas leaderto appear magnanimous and incontrol, with no further obliga-tions to be met. The compositionof Clintons delegation, however,which included his long-stand-ing chief of staff and a formerState Department Korea expert,suggests something more, per-haps much more, was afoot.

The White House has deniedClinton had taken with himany personal message, whetheron Pyongyangs nuclear pro-gramme or anything else. Intruth, though, he did not need to.He was the message a messagethat the door to engagement isnot closed. If it is recognition thatNorth Korea craves, Clinton willsurely have left its leader in nodoubt about what he must donext. -The Independent

briefs

newswithout borders9theSun | FRIDAY AUGUST 7 2009

Britons willing to pay for better media servicesLONDON: Britains recession-hitconsumers would rather cut backon eating out and holidays than giveup their broadband, mobile phoneand pay-TV services, according toa new report from media regulatorOfcom.

Customers are looking to savemoney on communications andmedia deals but are still willing topay up for services that enhancethe experience, such as digital videorecorders and mobile broadband.

Britons are shopping aroundmore, signing long-term contractsin exchange for cheaper payments,

and bundling services such as TV,phone and telephony, Ofcoms Com-munications Market Report said.

Despite the recession, peopleare spending more time watchingTV, using their mobile phone oraccessing the Internet, said Ofcompartner Peter Phillips.

Meanwhile, we are becomingmore canny about the way we payfor these services (and) as well asgetting better deals we are demand-ing more control.

In the first quarter of 2009, 46% ofconsumers took a bundle with twoor more services from one operator,

such as pay TV groups BSkyB andVirgin Media, up from 39% a yearearlier. For mobile phones, some70% of users said they would ratherretain their existing handset thanupgrade if it meant a cheaper deal.

But the report showed thatdespite the pressure on spending,consumers were still prepared topay for services that enhanced theexperience, such as digital videorecorders, high definition televisionand mobile broadband.

According to the report, morethan a quarter of UK homes hada digital video recorder, while

consumers with faster broadbandaccess were also catching up onprogrammes via online catch-upsites.

More than two million house-holds had access to a high definitionservice, according to the report, and17.6 million HD-ready sets, in nearlynine million households, have beensold in the UK.

Almost 70% of homes tookbroadband by the end of the firstquarter of 2009, up from 58% a yearago, while more than one in 10households had access to mobilebroadband. Reuters

Pennsylvania gym killer blogged his own massacreNEW YORK: A sexually frustrated manwho killed three women in a Penn-sylvania health club, then himself,blogged his preparations with thefinal chilling entry announcing the bigday, police said on Wednesday.

The killer, who late Tuesday burstinto the LA Fitness Gym in Bridgeville,near Pittsburgh, and sprayed 36 bul-lets, apparently wrote the blog ona personal web page starting lastNovember. On the eve of the killings,he wrote: Took off today, Monday,

and tomorrow to practice my routineand make sure it is well polished ...Tomorrow is the big day.

Local police superintendentCharles Moffatt said the killer, GeorgeSodini, prepared meticulously.

After twice visiting the gym earlierin the day, Sodini entered the Latindance class, turned off the lights andopened fire, Moffatt.

Sodini carried four handguns, threeof which were fired: Two 9mm semi-automatics and a .45 calibre revolver

he turned on himself. A total of 12people were shot.

He shot at least 36 times. Hehad clips of ammunition that held30 rounds, Moffatt said, noting thatthe military-style ammunition had

been legal since 2004, when a banexpired.

The blog, which Moffatt said wasbeing treated as genuine, and whichwas quickly pulled off the Internet,reveals a sinister, often banal mind ofa man crippled by sexual frustration,

anger at women and depression.A picture of Sodini, 48, attached

to the blog shows a lean, white malewith slightly graying hair and wearinga smart blue shirt. Moffatt said theblog showed the hatred in him and

that computer sleuths were lookinginto whether anyone saw the blog.

In the blog, Sodini wrote as far backas Nov 5, 2008, that he planned to dothis in the summer but decided to seethe result of the presidential electionwon by Barack Obama. AFP

LA police chief quitsto train police abroadLOS ANGELES: Los Angeles Police ChiefWilliam Bratton announced his resigna-tion on Wednesday to take a job trainingpolice in developing nations. Brattonsaid he will lead a new division at theprivate security firm Altegrity where hewill focus on training police and law-enforcement officials in developingcountries and post-conflict nationssuch as Afghanistan and Iraq.

There is never a good time to leave,but there is a right time, Bratton said.For me, personally and professionally,this is the right time.

Widely regarded as the most suc-cessful police chief in modern US historyBratton, 61, pushed down crime rates inLos Angeles and in his prior job as NewYorks top cop. dpa

Judge delays sentencingof singer Chris BrownLOS ANGELES: A judge on Wednes-day postponed the sentencing of R&Bsinger Chris Brown to make sure hispunishment for assaulting formergirlfriend Rihanna would includephysical labour such as road cleanup.Los Angeles Superior Court JudgePatricia Schnegg rescheduled thesentencing to Aug 27 to give court of-ficials time to arrange the communityservice that Brown, 20, must performas part of a plea deal he made in Juneon an assault charge. Reuters

Jefferson guiltyin bribery schemeWASHINGTON:Former US Representa-tive William Jefferson, who was caughtwith US$90,000 (RM315,000) in cash inhis freezer, was found guilty on Wednes-day of bribery and money laundering,

Louisiana television reported.The former Louisiana lawmaker wasaccused in 2007 of soliciting millionsof dollars in bribes from a dozen com-panies while using his office to brokerbusiness deals in Africa. In a searchof his home, FBI agents said they hadfound the US$90,000 in a freezer.

Jefferson was found guilty on 11 of16 counts, Louisiana television stationWWLTV reported. He faces up to 115years in jail, the station said. Reuters

Pregnant drug smugglerhanded to UK officialsLONDON:A pregnant British womanjailed for heroin smuggling in Laoshas been handed over to British of-ficials in the southeast Asian countrybefore her return home, the ForeignOffice said in a statement yesterday.

Samantha Orobator, 20, who be-

came pregnant while awaiting trial ina prison in Laos, will serve the rest ofher life sentence in a British prison.

Her transfer followed pressurefrom the British government, includ-ing a letter sent in July by PrimeMinister Gordon Brown to his Laocounterpart, Thongloun Sisoulith.

The transfer means that Saman-tha will give birth in the UK, close toher relatives, Foreign Office MinisterChris Bryant said. Reuters

Hongkongs tea faircomes under spotlightHONGKONG: Tea lovers are set for atreat at Hongkongs first internationaltea fair when nearly 250 exhibitors from10 countries pay homage to the citysfavourite drink, a media report saidyesterday. The fair, due to run from Aug13 to 15, is to focus on all things tea,

the Hongkong edition of the China Dailynewspaper said.

It is to include a tea gallery featuringtea pots, brewing equipment and tea-making performances. Exhibitors arealso to showcase teaware, packagingand processing equipment. dpa

Clinton played it right

LONDON: Two young Ameri-cans rescued from 12 years ofpenal servitude behind one ofthe worlds last iron curtains nthe emotional scenes at Burbankairport seemed to say it all. Thewomen emerged from the planetearful, but overjoyed. Theirfamilies were at the foot of thesteps to meet them. So was theiremployer, vice-president turnedmedia-owner Al Gore. There wasmuch kissing, hugging and cry-ing, and a heartstrings-tuggingspeech from Laura Ling. It wasa classic piece of all-Americantheatre, and none the worse forthat.

But those scenes in the airporthangar did not say it all, nothinglike. Behind the freedom of Lingand her colleague, Euna Lee, layone of the most ingenious andambitious diplomatic venturesseen for many years. The extentof its success will become clearonly in the coming weeks,perhaps months, even years.The pardon granted to the two

journalists, who had confessedto crossing illegally into NorthKorea, was an immediate reward

for this bold approach. With itssuccess, new prospects haveopened up.

Former US presidents have anotable track record as extraor-dinary envoys, Jimmy Carterbeing a distinguished example.But Bill Clinton wields particularpolitical and personal authority.Not only is he the most recentformer Democratic US president,and so the direct forerunner ofBarack Obama, but heleft office in a blazeof internationalgoodwill, leavingtwo major initia-tives on the MiddleEast and, as it hap-pened, on NorthKorea incomplete.The other reason forhis special position

is that his wife is USSecretary of State.Clinton was the

consummate insider-outsider to undertakethis ultra-sensitivemission. The WhiteHouse could, as itdid, deny any directpart in the undertak-ing, while the NorthKorean leader, KimJong-il could, as he did,

Clintonstays on

the sidelineas formerUS VicePresident AlGore (centre)addressesfreed LauraLing (3rd left)and EunaLee (2ndright) andtheir familiesafter thetwo womenarrived inBurbank onWednesday.

LOS ANGELES: When billionaire Steve Bing heard hisfriend Bill Clinton was embarking on a mission to free USjournalists in North Korea, Bing offered his jet a personalfavour that could cost US$200,000 (RM700,000).

Avjet Corp, the charter company that operates and

manages Bings Boeing business jet, was alerted onFriday to prepare to fly to North Korea, said AndrewBradley, senior vice president of the Burbank, California-based company.

Hes a personal friend and supporter of Mr Clintonand when the need arose, he graciously offered hisaircraft to be part of this historic event, Bradley saidon Wednesday. Former President Clinton returned withthe American journalists Laura Ling, 32, and Euna Lee,36, on Wednesday. They arrived at Burbanks airport atdawn to an emotional homecoming. Reuters

Clintons pal Bing paidfor jet to retrieve reporters