 |
|
Arafat in France for treatment
UK releases guidelines on religious education |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Islamabad, October 29 The chief security officer of Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and an American diplomat were among eight persons injured in the explosion in a five star hotel here last night, which the government claimed was caused by a short-circuit. Unique protest against death penalty Video tape shows
explosives went missing
|
|
Arafat in France for treatment
Villacoublay (France), October 29 The 75-year-old President and former guerrilla leader, who has for decades symbolised the conflict with Israel for a Palestinian state, landed at Villacoublay military airfield southwest of Paris in a small jet provided by the French state. He will receive treatment at the nearby Percy military hospital which has a strong reputation for treating patients with blood disorders and cancer. Arafat waved to crowds from a helicopter as he flew out of his shell-battered compound in Ramallah where he has been confined for more than 2-1/2 years by Israeli forces. The Palestinian leader boarded a Jordanian helicopter wearing an olive military greatcoat and a furry hat. He arrived at Amman airport in Jordan soon afterwards and was carried by doctors on a wheelchair to the waiting French presidential jet. “God willing, I will come back,” Arafat, who was laid on a stretcher inside the jet, told aides before the plane departed. As he was placed aboard the helicopter in his West Bank compound, scores of tearful bystanders, bodyguards and officials chanted, using his nom de guerre: “We will sacrifice our blood and souls for you, Abu
Ammar.” “The mountain cannot be shaken by the wind,’’ they called out, repeating one of his favourite sayings. A senior Palestinian official told Reuters Arafat was believed to be suffering from leukaemia, a blood cancer that can be fatal, though more tests were needed for a firm diagnosis. One of the doctors treating Arafat earlier said the disease had probably been ruled out but that tests showed him to have an abnormally low count of blood platelets — which can be caused by leukaemia or other illnesses. Percy military hospital, which is protected by a high wall, treats civilian as well as military patients and occasionally caters to more important visitors. “There are no VIP rooms here,” chief doctor Christian Estripeau said. “(But) a room will be made available for him.” Arafat agreed to go to France after Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, his long-time foe, said he would let him return to the West Bank. Israel had previously said that if Arafat left his compound in Ramallah it would not guarantee his return. The death of a leader whom Israel and its US ally see as an obstacle to peace could also shuffle the cards in the West Asian conflict as the USA heads into a presidential election on Tuesday. Arafat, short, stubble-bearded and usually seen in his trademark black-and-white Arab headdress, has named no successor since emerging from exile under interim peace accords. He has not appointed an acting president to cover during the treatment. European countries have resisted US and Israeli pressure to sideline Arafat. The ex-guerrilla, loved by most of his people and reviled by many Israelis, has had stomach pains since last week. Should Arafat die, parliamentary speaker Rawhi Fattouh would replace him as Palestinian Authority President for a 60-day period, during which elections would be held. In Washington, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said he hoped Arafat would get the treatment he needed to recover but, in a small but telling sign of US disregard, avoided answering a question on whether he wished Arafat a speedy recovery. Arafat’s incapacitation or death would raise fresh questions about Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s unilateral plan for withdrawal from Gaza and parts of the West Bank in 2005, a move that has caused political turmoil in the Jewish state.
— AFP, Reuters |
|
UK releases guidelines on religious education ATHEISM and Zoroastrianism should be taught alongside Christianity in schools, according to the first national government guidelines on religious education published on Thursday. Mr Charles Clarke, Secretary of State for Education, launched the proposals acknowledging that the views of religious and non-religious pupils should be treated with equal respect. The guidelines attempt to counter fears that Christianity has been sidelined in religious education (RE) to become merely another faith taught alongside the other major religions. The new framework calls for children to study Christianity during every stage of their school careers. The other five major religions - Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism - should all be studied by pupils by the age of 14. But children should also study other religious traditions such as the Baha'i faith, Jainism and Zoroastrianism as well as secular philosophies such as humanism. Mr Clarke said religious education had a vital role in promoting tolerance and that the new framework would be important in ensuring that children learned about different beliefs. "Children have a right and indeed, should expect to be told about what is important to their friends who may hold different beliefs to their own," he said. "Religious education can transform pupils' assessment of themselves and others, and their understanding of the wider world. I see it as vital in widening inclusion, understanding diversity and promoting tolerance." The guidelines recommend that children as young as three should learn about religion in order to develop their understanding of the world, social and communication skills. The government-backed guidance is not compulsory, but is certain to influence the way religion education is taught in schools. Children have to study RE up to the age of 16, unless their parents opt to withdraw them from the subject. Although pupils do not have to take exams in the subject, RE has become an increasingly popular option. The National Secular Society condemned the document as a "charter for indoctrination" and said it would urge non-religious parents to withdraw their children from RE lessons as the new framework concentrated on religion as "a truth to be embraced" rather than "something to be vigorously questioned". However, the British Humanist Association welcomed the inclusion of humanism in the framework, arguing that it was vital to respect the views of the 65 per cent of young people who consider themselves to be "not religious". — By arrangement with The Independent, London |
|
US envoy hurt in Pak hotel blast
Islamabad, October 29 Besides the chief security officer Lt Farooq Latif and SSP Pervaiz Zahur, two Italians, two locals and two staff members were injured in the blast at Marriott hotel. A US diplomat, who was having dinner with other American officials at the hotel, was “slightly injured”. Interior Home Minister Aftab Shepao and Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad said preliminary investigations found that short-circuit could be the cause of the blast. “This is not an act of terrorism and we are investigating into the matter as bomb disposal squad and other relevant authorities are looking at all aspects. We will shortly reach the conclusion,” Mr Shepao said. However, local daily The Nation quoted unidentified officials as saying that “the apparent look of the front windowpane wall shows the occurrence of a powerful blast rather than a short-circuit.
— PTI |
|
Unique protest against death penalty
Vienna, October 29 The activists said they were protesting Schwarzenegger's support for capital punishment in California. The death penalty is illegal in Austria, where Schwarzenegger was born and began his bodybuilding career. "We decided to pointedly protest the death penalty in California a few days before the US presidential election next Tuesday", said Mr Peter Rosenaer, a spokesman for the group Resistance for Peace. Two members of the group dressed in blue workmen's overalls walked unnoticed into Schwarzenegger Stadium in Graz, 200 km south of Vienna, and used a ladder to reach the roof and cover Schwarzenegger's name with the banner.
— AP |
|
Video tape shows
explosives went missing
New York, October 29 The ABC network tape, claimed to be made with American troops when they opened bunkers, showed there was a huge supply of explosives found at the facility just three days after the fall of Saddam Hussein. About 380 tonnes of high explosives which could be used in car bombs with which insurgents are attacking American-led coalition forces were reported missing from the facility, the network said. Barrels inside the Al Qaqaa facility appear on the videotape shot by ABC television-affiliate KSTP which had a crew embedded with 101st Airborne Division when it passed through Al-Qaqaa on April 18, 2003, nine days after Baghdad fell. Experts who have studied the images, ABC said the barrels on the tape contain the high-explosive HMX, and the universal markings on the barrels are clear that these are highly dangerous explosives. “I talked to a former inspector who’s a colleague of mine, and he confirmed that, indeed, these pictures look just like what he remembers seeing inside those bunkers,” David Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington, was quoted by ABC as saying.
— PTI |
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Videos
