 |
Thursday,
September 18, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
|
USA blocks UN bid to shield Arafat
Singaporeans cherish memories of Media in frenzy on Vajpayee’s visit
Indo-Pak talks must for J&K solution, |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sikh sues airlines over racial profiling Washington, September 17 Sikh businessman Hansdip Singh Bindra has filed a lawsuit against Delta Airlines, its affiliate Atlantic Coast Airlines and the flight crew for racial profiling, intimidation and harassment during a flight. Dhaka-Agartala bus service from tomorrow
|
|
USA blocks UN bid to shield Arafat United Nations, September 17 “It’s a black day for the United Nations and for international law,” chief Palestinian peace negotiator Saeb Erekat said hours after the Bush administration vetoed the measure yesterday. “I hope that Israel will not interpret the resolution as a license to kill President Arafat,” he said.” Eleven Security Council members voted in favour of the draft while Britain, Germany and Bulgaria abstained after hours of consultations failed to lead to a compromise acceptable to the USA and Syria, the resolution’s sponsor. The measure, drafted by Palestinian UN envoy Nasser Al-Kidwa with the support of Arab governments, demanded that “Israel, the occupying power, desists from any act of deportation and cease any threat to the safety of the elected president of the Palestinian Authority.” It also called for “complete cessation of all acts of violence, including all acts of terror, provocation, incitement and destruction” and called for increased efforts to implement the international road map for Middle-East peace. “We will come back to you, perhaps soon in the future,” Al-Kidwa told the council following the vote. “We will not be intimidated by what happened.” During nearly eight hours of harsh debate in the 15-nation Security Council on Monday, more than 40 governments condemned the decision in principle to get rid of President Arafat. After the veto, several council members, including US Ambassador John Negroponte cautioned Israel that the veto did not mean it should harm President Arafat or send him into exile. “The USA does not support either the elimination of Mr Arafat or his forced exile. While Mr Arafat is part of the problem, we believe that this problem is best solved through diplomatic isolation and we have made this view clear,” Mr Negroponte said. He said the text was vetoed because it failed to explicitly condemn Palestinian militant groups, such as the Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, blamed for the suicide bombings in Israel.
— Reuters |
|
Singaporeans cherish memories of Iranian twins Singapore, September 17 Two months down the line, since the twin sisters died during the separation surgery, their fond memories are still fresh, not just in the minds of the Raffles Hospital staff but also common Singaporeans, who had developed a special liking for the charming twins. The staff members recall how a special bed was made and hand rails put in the bathroom for their convenience and a computer installed in their room as they were very fond of the gadget. During their almost eight-month stay at the hospital, special counselling sessions were held to make them understand the complexity of the surgery and the high risk involved. “Even today we have people coming here to inquire about the room in which the twins stayed and the operating theatre, where the unsuccessful surgery was performed,” said Liang Hwee Ting, Manager, Corporate Communication, Raffles Hospital. The hospital staff still talk emotionally about the sisters, their affable and friendly nature, which had endeared them to the staff and the patients alike. A Laleh and Ladan Bijani Memorial Fund, backed by the US $300,000 donated by the Iranian Government, has been set up at Raffles, as a befitting tribute to the twins. The hospital authorities said the money would be used for treating neurological cases. “We went into the surgery with full hope and confidence, so obviously we were shattered when we failed and lost the adorable 27-year-old twins,” said Liang Hwee. It was the return of the four-month-old Korean twins, Ji Hye and Sa Rang to Raffles Hospital, after the failed surgery of the Iranian girls, which came as a pleasant surprise to the doctors and other staff. “Since we had given up hope on the return of the Korean twins, who had gone to London for a second opinion, their arrival within days after the demise of the Iranian girls helped lift our morale and we were able to separate them successfully on July 22,” said a doctor. The hospital staff recall how the Iranian twins were fond of the Korean twins, with whom they had developed an emotional attachment during their stay at Raffles. The Bijani sisters even learnt English to be able to converse with their parents, as they tried to impress upon them that they should go ahead with the separation surgery, even if they did not survive the operation. They realised that performing a surgery at an early age was definitely less risky than at an advanced stage. It was some time ago that a team of doctors led by Dr Keith Goh, had successfully separated Nepalese twins, Ganga and Jamuna, at Singapore General Hospital. Ever since the successful operation on the Korean twins, Raffles Hospital has been flooded with queries from doctors from all over the world, keen to undergo training on complicated separation surgery. The hospital, on its part, is still processing these requests, as it awaits undertaking a new case of conjoined twins. |
||
|
Media in frenzy on Vajpayee’s visit Ankara, September 17 There were 16 cameramen and an equal number of still photographers. Journalists tripped over themselves to get a sound bite from Mr Vajpayee and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, both past masters at handling the media, were not ruffled by the loud yells and questions hurled at them. There are over 300 television channels, all Turkish. Five of these, all news channels, carried the ceremonial pictures live. Mr Salih Melek, Press Counsellor at the Prime Minister’s office, said the Turkish media attached a lot of importance to the Indian Prime Minister’s visit. This, he said, did not mean that it had let down its traditional ally, Pakistan. It just meant that there was a new level of interest in India, which was making rapid strides in technology, he said.
— ANI |
|
Indo-Pak talks must for J&K solution, says Annan United Nations, September 17 In a brief reference to the subcontinent in his report to the General Assembly, Mr Annan noted that the relations between India and Pakistan had improved. In May last, they announced the appointment of High Commissioner to each other’s Capitals, restoration of rail, road and air links and other confidence-building measures, he recalled. “I hope that those measures will lead to the resumption of sustained dialogue and to real progress towards a peaceful settlement of the outstanding problems between the two neighbours, including over Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
— PTI |
|
Sikh sues airlines over racial profiling Washington, September 17 Mr Bindra’s lawsuit, among other things, seeks to mandate cultural and religious awareness training of all Delta employees to prevent acts of illegal discrimination against air travellers in the future, by ensuring that passengers are not profiled on the basis of race or religion. The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday at the US District Court, Newark, New Jersey, says the website of civil rights group Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART). Software consultant Bindra is also seeking compensatory and punitive damages. According to the complaint, on November 26, 2002, Mr Bindra, who wears a turban and beard, boarded a flight in Newark-bound for Dayton, Ohio. On seeing Mr Bindra board the airplane, a flight attendant approached passengers prior to departure and commented “she would not allow what happened before, on this flight,” making reference to the terrorist attacks of 9/11. She then solicited passengers’ help to physically subdue Mr Bindra on her signal, because she felt “the one wearing the turban would be trouble” on the flight. After assuming his seat, Mr Bindra was confronted by the flight attendant, who told him that he and others from West Asia should maintain a “low profile”. Mr Bindra attempted to inform the flight attendant that he was a Sikh of South Asian origin, but was told to “shut up”, “stay seated” and “do not cause any problems”. The flight attendant then told Mr Bindra that she felt threatened by his presence on the airplane and was going to ask the captain to take the airplane back to the gate so that he could be removed by law enforcement officials. In response to these disgraceful events, a number of Mr Bindra’s fellow travellers filed complaints against the flight attendant at the conclusion of the flight. Passengers felt the flight attendant had lost her composure and that she, not Mr Bindra, was a security risk. They also submitted affidavits verifying Mr Bindra’s version of events on the flight, according to his lawyer Ravi Singh Bhalla.
— IANS |
|
|
Dhaka-Agartala bus service from tomorrow
Dhaka, September 17 The inaugural function will be held here and Bangladesh Communications Minister Barrister Nazmul Huda and Indian Minister for Road Transport and Highways Maj Gen (Retd) B C Khanduri will jointly open the bus service. The inaugural function in Dhaka will be held at the auditorium of Roads and Highways Department, while the inaugural ceremony at Agartala, capital of Tripura, will be held at the Tripura Road Transport Corporation (TRTC) bus terminal. BRTC Chairman Taimur Alam Khandaker told reporters here today that the Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Chief Minister of Tripura Manik Sharkar and Chief Secretary of Tripura Tulshi Das will arrive here tomorrow to attend the inaugural ceremony. Besides, a 30-member team of journalists will also arrive here from Tripura tomorrow to cover the inaugural event. Bangladesh Communications Minister Nazmul Huda, along with the Indian Ministers, will go to Agartala by road to join the inaugural function there. A group of cultural activists, journalists and representatives of various professions from Bangladesh will travel to Agartala with them.
— UNI |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 123 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Ankara, September 17
United Nations, September 17
Video
