RARE CRANE SIGHTED N KANCHANPUR Kathmandu, 14 Nov.: The rare Sarus cranes have been seen in southern parts of the Kanchanpur district, RSS reports from Kanchanpur. Duththa Rana, a member of the Nature Guides Association, said that five or six cranes of this species have been spotted for the first time in the wetland area at Beldandi VDChere. Rana said that tis type of crane is usually found near the Pyaratal wetland at Parasan VDC and Mojula area in the Dudhuwa National Park of India. According to the Bird Conservation Association, the Sarus crane´s natural habitat is around the Annapurna area and these birds might have migrated to the Tarai with the start of the winter season. Nnnn BURMESE OPPOSITION LEADER IN NEW DELHI Kathmandu, 14 Nov.: Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday on her first visit to India in four decades, reported IANS on Tuesday. Suu Kyi flashed a traditional "namaste" as she stepped out of the aircraft that brought her from Yangon. Officials in New Delhi said she would meet Indian leaders including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, said IANS. The road map for enhanced cooperation between India and Myanmar, especially on the economic front, will be further defined when democracy icon Aung Saan Suu Kyi arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday to touch base with old friends and interlocutors, bolstering her India connect after a gap of 40 years. The India visit in many ways holds the most significance for Suu Kyi , who spent her formative years in the country and studied and lives in Delhi. An admirer of Rammohan Roy, Rabindranath Tagore, Mahatama Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, she is said to have an "openness to ideas and innovations from other cultures" according to biographer Peter Popham. During the trip, she would imbibe some for the development of Myanmar which has just come out of decades of political and economic isolation. She is particularly interested in learning from the Indian experience in agriculture, health, science and technology. The Myanmarese government of President Thein Sein has unleashed the "second wave of reforms" focusing on economic growth, foreign investment and infrastructure. In April, it scrapped the fixed exchange rate and moved to unify multiple exchange rates for the kyat. Also, it has passed a new investment law tailored to attract foreign investment. Barring a few sensitive sectors, the government has allowed 100 percent ownership of foreign ventures with no minimum capital in all. Diplomatic observers say the country is breaking free of the "Chinese grip" on its economy and external trade. India, which has played a part in coaxing the generals in Myanmar into political reforms that have unfolded in the past year, sees its relations as part of its effort to reinvigorate its "Look East" policy that aims at improving diplomatic and commercial ties with its neighbours in Southeast and East Asia. Officials said Myanmar is looking at India for more investment and trade. India has agreed to upgrade an extensive network of roads and bridges in Myanmar that would effectively connect the country to Thailand as early as 2016. Suu Kyi, who has made the transition from a freedom fighter to a politician, is aware of the nation building that lies ahead. She has called for "democracy friendly, human right friendly investments". "Investors must take responsibility for the results of the business that they do inside our country. It's not just environmental consciousness, but also a consciousness of possible long-term results," she said, addressing the International Labour Organisation in Geneva in June. International business watchers see a huge "gold rush" going on in Myanmar and say the Indian government and industry have to be aggressive in exploring business opportunities in the resource-rich country that could be "the next economic frontier in Asia". Bilateral trade has expanded from $12.4 million in 1980-81 to $1.07 billion in 2010-11. Both countries have agreed to double bilateral trade to $3 billion by 2015. To give a fillip, the Trade and Investment Committee, instituted by the two governments, would meet in Moreh, Manipur, this week. High-level visits have their own dynamics and impact in strengthening relations between countries. Suu Kyi's trip is expected to facilitate the future engagement between India and Myanmar. The Indian prime minister visited Myanmar in May 2012 and the president of Myanmar came to India in October 2011. US GENERAL IN AFGHANISTAN DRAGGED IN PETRAEUS SEX SCANDAL Kathmandu, 14 Nov : The sex scandal that felled CIA Director David Petraeus widened Tuesday to ensnare the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, an improbable drama unfolding at a critical time in the Afghan war effort and just as President Barack Obama was hoping for a smooth transition in his national security team, AP reports from Washington.. The suddenly public story — by turns tragic and silly — involves a Florida socialite, a jealous rival, a twin sister in a messy custody dispute and flirty emails. Obama put a hold on the nomination of Afghan war chief Gen. John Allen to become the next commander of U.S. European Command as well as the NATO supreme allied commander in Europe after investigators uncovered 20,000-plus pages of documents and emails that involved Allen and Tampa socialite Jill Kelley. Some of the material was characterized as "flirtatious." Allen, 58, insisted he´d done nothing wrong and worked to save his imperiled career. Kelley, 37, who had worked herself into the center of the military social scene in Florida without having any official role, emerged as a central figure in the still-unfolding story that has embroiled two of the nation´s most influential and respected military leaders. Petraeus, a retired general, had served as the commander of the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Known as a close friend of Petraeus, Kelley triggered the FBI investigation that led to his downfall as CIA director when she complained about getting anonymous, harassing emails. They turned out to have been written by Petraeus´ mistress, Paula Broadwell, who apparently was jealous of the attention the general paid to Kelley. Petraeus acknowledged the affair and resigned Friday. In the course of looking into that situation, federal investigators came across what a Pentagon official called "inappropriate communications" between Allen and Kelley, both of them married. According to one senior U.S. official, the emails between Allen and Kelley were not sexually explicit or seductive but included pet names such as "sweetheart" or "dear." The official said that while much of the communication — including some from Allen to Kelley — is relatively innocuous, some could be construed as unprofessional and would cause a reasonable person to take notice. That official, as well as others who described the investigation, requested anonymity on grounds that they were not authorized to discuss the situation publicly. The FBI decided to turn over the Allen information to the military once the bureau recognized it contained no evidence of a federal crime, according to a federal law enforcement official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter on the record and demanded anonymity. Adultery, however, is a crime under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. A senior defense official said that the FBI first notified the Pentagon of the Allen matter at 4:15 p.m. EST on Sunday. The Pentagon´s top lawyer, Jeh Johnson, then called Defense Secretary Leon Panetta´s chief of staff, Jeremy Bash, about 5 p.m. as Bash and Panetta were flying to Honolulu aboard a military jet to begin a weeklong Asia trip. Bash then informed Panetta. Allen was not suspended from his military position, even though his nomination for promotion is on hold. The White House will soon be deciding how many troops will remain in Afghanistan — and for what purposes — after the U.S.-led combat operation ends in 2014. Allen has provided his recommendations to the White House and is key to those discussions. Still more subplots in the story emerged Tuesday with news that both Allen and Petraeus wrote letters last September on behalf of Jill Kelley´s twin sister, Natalie Khawam, in a messy custody dispute. In 2011, a judge had denied Khawam custody of her 3-year-old son, saying she "appears to lack any appreciation or respect for the importance of honesty and integrity in her interactions with her family, employers and others with whom she comes in contact." Kelley served as a sort of social ambassador for U.S. Central Command in Tampa, hosting parties for Petraeus when he was commander there from 2008-10. The friendship with the Petraeus began when they arrived in Tampa, and the Kelleys threw a welcome party at their home, a short distance from Central Command headquarters, introducing the new chief and his wife, Holly, to Tampa´s elite, according to staffers who served with Petraeus. Such friendships among senior military commanders and prominent local community leaders are common at any base, a relationship where the officers invite local people to exclusive military events and functions, and the invitees respond by providing private funding to support troops with everything from morale-boosting "Welcome Home" parades to assistance for injured combat veterans. Petraeus aides say Jill Kelley took it to another level, winning the title of "honorary ambassador" from the countries involved in the Afghan war for her extensive entertaining at her home on behalf of the command, throwing parties that raised her social status in Tampa through the reflected glow of the four-star general in attendance. Petraeus even honored Kelley and her husband with an award given to them in a special ceremony at the Pentagon just before he left the military for his post at the CIA, an aide said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment on the matter publicly. White House spokesman Jay Carney, employing understatement, was asked about the revelations involving Allen and said Obama "wouldn´t call it welcome" news. Carney described Obama as "surprised" by the earlier news about Petraeus. As he prepares for a second term, the president has hoped to run a methodical transition process, with the goal of keeping many Cabinet members and other high-ranking officials in their posts until successors are confirmed, or at least nominated. Petraeus´ resignation has disrupted those plans, leaving Obama with an immediate vacancy to fill and raising questions about how much other immediate shake-up the national security team can handle. National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said Obama put Allen´s nomination on hold at the request of Panetta. The general succeeded Petraeus as the top American commander in Afghanistan in July 2011, and has been working with Panetta on how best to pace the withdrawal of U.S. troops. Vietor said in a written statement that Obama "remains focused on fully supporting our extraordinary troops and coalition partners in Afghanistan, who Gen. Allen continues to lead as he has so ably done for over a year." The unfolding story caused a commotion on Capitol Hill as well, as lawmakers complained that they should have been told about the investigation earlier. Acting CIA Director Michael Morell met with Senate intelligence chairwoman Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat, and ranking Republican Saxby Chambliss on Tuesday, to explain the CIA´s understanding of events that led Petraeus to resign. That session came ahead of meetings with the leaders of the House intelligence committee Wednesday, according to congressional aides. The chairman and top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee said their panel would go ahead with Thursday´s scheduled confirmation hearing on the nomination of Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, who is to replace Allen as commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, if Allen is indeed promoted. Even though Petraeus has stepped down, Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said the retired general should testify about the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, "if he has relevant information." Republican Sen. Susan Collins said it was "absolutely imperative" that Petraeus testify, since he was CIA director during the attack and visited Libya afterward. Nnnn ________________________________________