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Pervez urged to remain army chief
Marriage scam involving Asians hits South Africa
India calls for effective steps to end terrorism
India, UK to intensify
cooperation in education
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US forces kill 22 Afghan rebels
India gives 50,000 marker pens for Afghan poll
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Pervez urged to remain army chief
Islamabad, September 14 The Assembly, dominated by the ruling pro-military PML-Q, adopted the resolution last night asking General Musharraf to keep both Presidency and the post of the chief of army with the Opposition charging that it was an attempt by the pro-military politicians in the country to remain in power with the support of army generals. The resolution urged General Musharraf to cancel his agreement with the Islamic alliance Muttahida Majlis-e Amal (MMA), which had supported his controversial constitutional amendments and got them ratified in Parliament, to step down as the army chief by the end of this year. Similar resolutions are expected to be adopted by the Sindh Assembly and the country's Parliament, where the ruling alliance has a majority. The resolutions adopted by the prominent legislatures in the country are expected to provide political legitimacy to General Musharraf ahead of his tour to the US later this week to address the UN General Assembly session in New York. On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session, General Musharraf would meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, US President George W. Bush and several world leaders during which he is expected to make it clear that he would continue to retain the uniform to remain a powerful President.
PTI |
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Marriage scam involving Asians hits South Africa
Durban, September 14 This has been uncovered by the police and Home Affairs officials carrying out a national campaign against foreigners who have been found to have entered into illegal marriages with local women in order to obtain permanent citizenship documents. More than 3,000 South African women have found that they had been 'married' to foreigners without their knowledge. The scam is alleged to have been carried out between corrupt Home Affairs officials and illegal immigrants. A police officer involved in the investigations, Mdu Mbhele, said in addition to the corruption perpetrated by Home Affairs officials, there were many poor and destitute families in Durban who were 'marrying off' their young daughters to foreigners for a fee. He said there were agents who targeted poor families, mainly in the predominantly Indian residential areas of Chatsworth and Phoenix in Durban. The agents, who were mainly women, acted on behalf of alleged illegal immigrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India. "We have discovered that there are recruiters, usually women, who scout for poor, young females and offer them money in exchange for being married to foreigners," said the police officer. "Last week our investigators found two mothers in Chatsworth who had 'sold' their minor daughters, aged 16 and 17, to two Pakistanis for an initial payment of R500 and then a monthly payment of R200 for 16 months. It was agreed that the Pakistanis would divorce the girls after obtaining their permanent citizenship rights, the police officer said. The police reportedly had also discovered that there was a syndicate that lured Pakistanis to come to South Africa on the promise of opportunities, jobs, and citizenship. The Pakistanis had to pay the syndicate about $ 4,000.
PTI |
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India calls for effective steps to end terrorism
United Nations, September 14 The international community would have to act at the bilateral, regional and multilateral levels to "speedily and effectively" deal with the "clear and present" danger represented by international terrorism, India's UN Ambassador Nirupam Sen said in his maiden address to the 15-member UN Security Council yesterday. Mr Sen rejected suggestions that mutual support between Al-Qaida and the Taliban is confined to assistance on local needs. Pointing out that the Taliban was an offshoot of the same fundamentalist and militant ideology that spawned Al-Qaida, he said the fact that they continued to operate in Afghanistan was a "telling indicator of the support and safe haven they continue to receive". Mr Sen was participating in the debate on 'threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts'. The debate followed presentation of the first report by the monitoring group. The "inescapable and unstated" conclusion of the report, he told the delegates, was the "integral, seamless nature of the Al-Qaida-Taliban relationship, their common ideological incubators and training". Observing that the Taliban remained a "real threat" to the reconstruction of Afghanistan, Mr Sen said its first priority should be to convince member-states to be more forthcoming with information, particularly with regard to the Al-Qaida-Taliban alliance.
PTI |
India, UK to intensify
cooperation in education
London, September 14 The decision was taken at a meeting between India's Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh and the British Secretary of State for Education and Skills Charles Clarke here yesterday. "During the meeting, the two sides agreed to intensify educational cooperation and explore linkages at higher education level," an official spokesman said. Officials of the two countries would take the necessary follow-up action, he said. India's Deputy High Commissioner Satyabrata Pal accompanied the HRD minister who was here on a brief visit on his way back home after attending a UNESCO conference in Geneva. India would actively participate in an exhibition and conference connected with education in London next month, the spokesman added.
PTI |
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US forces kill 22 Afghan rebels
Kabul, September 14 Meanwhile, the United Nations withdrew a number of staff from the western city of Herat yesterday, a day after mobs ransacked its offices. The mob violence came after President Hamid Karzai fired the city's warlord Governor. His replacement later ordered a 9 pm curfew. The 12-hour battle in the southern province of Zabul, a hotbed of resistance to Karzai's US-backed government, began late Sunday, the military said. Spokesman Maj Scott Nelson said around 40 militants attacked coalition soldiers on a search operation. The troops called in two Apache helicopters, which opened fire on the fighters. The US forces seized a global positioning system, a video camera with tapes, four grenades and two assault rifles, he said.
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India gives 50,000 marker pens for Afghan poll
Kabul, September 14 India's Ambassador to Kabul Vivek Katju handed over the pens to Zakim Shah, Chairman of the Joint Electoral Management Body (JEMB), in Kabul today. The pens, used to mark the index fingers of voters, who have exercised their franchise, to ensure the same voter does not vote more than once, were made in India in accordance with the specifications given by the JEMB. Handing over the consignment, the Indian envoy said: "As the world's largest democracy with a proud record of conducting free and fair elections, India will be happy to share its experience and extend all cooperation to the JEMB as it proceeds with its important task of ascertaining the will of the Afghan people in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of Afghanistan." Interim President Hamid Karzai is facing 17 challengers in the UN-conducted election, earlier scheduled for June.
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Fathers turn stuntsmen in quest of justice
A
comic book superhero perched in a dangerous location and brandishing a banner has become an increasingly common sight in recent months.
From Bristol's Clifton Suspension Bridge to London's Tower Bridge, numerous landmarks have been targeted by the costume-clad campaigners of Fathers 4 Justice. For Mr Jason Hatch, the Batman-clad father behind the most recent protest at Buckingham Palace, it is not the first time that he has been involved in a high-profile stunt. Mr Hatch, 32, has been involved in a string of events, from scaling cathedrals to chaining the doors of court houses, as part of his dedicated programme of protest. His involvement in the campaign began three years ago when Mr Hatch, a builder and decorator, returned to his Cheltenham home after a job in London to find that his wife had moved out with their two children. While a court granted him two hours access to his five-year-old daughter and six-year-old son every three weeks, he claims he has only been allowed to see them on three occasions in the past three years. It is this scenario that has transformed him from a content and doting father into an increasingly prolific National Co-ordinator for Fathers 4 Justice. Like many fathers taking part in these demonstrations and stunts, Mr Hatch believes that their tactics are the last resort in a fruitless struggle against the legal system. Describing his position earlier this year, Mr Hatch, who now lives with a new partner and their six-month-old daughter says, "My life is on hold until I can see my children properly. A lot of fathers call it a living bereavement." In February, he was one of the four men who caused traffic chaos after scaling Bristol's Clifton Suspension Bridge, where they determinedly remained for one-and-a-half day. Mr David Pyke, 48, from Cheltenham, who was dressed for yesterday's stunt as Robin, was also present during the climbing of the bridge. The four men are due to appear at Bristol Crown Court, accused of offences under Section 5 of the Public Order Act, facing allegations that they caused harassment, alarm or distress. It was in May that Mr Hatch helped organise a demonstration in which two other members climbed to the third floor window of Cardiff Civil Justice Centre dressed as Batman and Robin. In June, he reportedly locked the doors of Gloucester County Court with purple chains as a symbolic Father's Day gesture. The following month, Mr Hatch scaled the York Minister, dressed as a cardinal, in protest at the church's lack of support for father's rights. Only last month, he was arrested after a day-long rooftop protest at the Gloucester County Court, while a week later, he staged a further protest on the roof of Birmingham's County Court. For Mr Hatch and many other members of Fathers 4 Justice, the risk of imprisonment and the endangerment to their lives is a small price to pay to raise the profile of their plight. The organisation has long campaigned to highlight what they believe has been a "steady erosion" of the rights of fathers. While studies show that mothers gain custody in four out of five disputes, the organisation believes that 40 per cent of fathers subsequently lose contact with their children within two years.
By arrangement with The Independent, London |
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