The Hindu : Opinion / News Analysis : Corrections and Clarifications

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Wednesday, Dec 20, 2006
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Opinion - News Analysis

Corrections and Clarifications

In the Editorial "Interpreting the signals right" (December 16, 2006), a sentence was: "The Sensex that had set a record by crossing 14,000 last week lost some 800 points in three trading days and moved below 13,000 at one point on Tuesday." It should have been "... in two trading days" (in terms of closings alone). However the decline of 1000 points was over three days.

A sentence in "`Don't concede right to conduct nuclear tests'" (early editions, December 16, 2006, page 1) was: "So, any future atomic test will not automatically result in a heavy economic loss and render the country unable to operate imported reactors, they pointed out." It should have been "So, any future atomic test will automatically result ... ." The error was corrected in later editions.

The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, on arrival in Tokyo was met at the airport by the Japanese Foreign Minister, Taro Aso, "a gesture seen as a signal of the importance attached to the visit" ("Manmohan arrives in Japan with heavy economic agenda", December 14, 2006, page 1). According to protocol, airport welcome is usually at the level of junior Ministers or officials, and the formal reception by the Prime Minister comes later. When Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi arrived in New Delhi on April 29, 2005, he was received at the airport by the Minister of State for External Affairs, E. Ahamed.

The third paragraph in "Air pollution threatening quality of life in Asia: U.N." (December 17, 2006) led to some confusion. The sentences were: "The major finding of this report is that the concentration of the fine particulate matter PM10 is serious in Beijing, Dhaka, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, Kathmandu, Kolkata, New Delhi, and Shanghai. However, the report finds that cities like Shanghai, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei and Tokyo have excellent capacity to manage air quality. It looks that there is some hope to contain and improve air quality in these cities." What is implied is that though Shanghai has a relatively high concentration of PM10, it has the capacity to manage air quality and the potential to recover.

A wrong usage that is seen frequently is "terminated", which means bring to end. A sentence "Those who fail to report for duty would be terminated ... " in the item "Minister's directive" ("Briefly", Kerala, December 18, 2006, page 4) is wrong. Services are terminated, not people. In North American colloquial use, "terminated" is "dismissed from employment".

The Editorial "When death cheats justice" (December 12, 2006), on Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet stated that when a Spanish magistrate, in 1998, tried unsuccessfully to have him extradited from Britain — where he was receiving medical treatment — under the principle of universal jurisdiction, pressure grew within Chile for the ex-dictator to be put on trial at home. In the same issue, and on the Op-Ed page, a New York Times article "Pinochet — a symbol of human rights abuse" stated that in October 1998, he was arrested by the British police in response to an application from a Spanish judge seeking the General's extradition to Madrid to stand trial on charges of genocide, torture and kidnapping. A 16-month legal battle ensued, ending with a decision to send him back to Chile in March 2000. The facts are: The General was not extradited and tried in Madrid. In 1998, Pinochet travelled to the United Kingdom for medical treatment. While there, he was arrested under an international arrest warrant issued by judge Baltasar Garzón of Spain, and was placed under house arrest. The government of Chile opposed his arrest, extradition to Spain, and trial. There was a 16-month legal battle in the House of Lords, the highest court of the United Kingdom. Pinochet claimed immunity from prosecution as a former head of state. This was rejected, but the Lords decided that extradition could proceed. He was eventually released on medical grounds by the then Home Secretary, Jack Straw, and returned to Chile.

It is the policy of The Hindu to correct significant errors as soon as possible. Please specify the edition (place of publication), date and page.

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