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US House votes to honour Dalip Singh Saund
Abbas accepts invite to visit Iran
Couple tries to snatch tsunami-hit baby, held
Benazir moves HC against EC decision
Pregnant women in UK forced out of jobs: survey
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US House votes to honour Dalip Singh Saund
The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly to honour Dalip Singh Saund by naming a California post office after the late Indian American congressman.
The Bill, which was passed 410-0, was sponsored by Congressman Darrell Issa and co-sponsored by Congressman Bobby Jindal, only the second Indian American Congressman in the history of the United States of America. The act names a post office in Temecula, California, after the first Indian-American member of the U.S. Congress who represented California. “Dalip Saund’s story is one of determination and true accomplishment,” Mr Jindal said. “He personifies the idea that every person can, through hard work and dedication, achieve amazing heights.” Mr Saund was born in 1899 in the village of Chhajalwadi in Punjab. He came to the United States in 1920 to study food preservation at the University of California at Berkeley. He eventually switched to mathematics and earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D in the subject. Despite his educational qualifications Mr Saund worked as a lettuce farmer as the only work South Asians were permitted to do in the United States in the 1920s was in the field of agriculture. Indians were also not eligible for U.S. citizenship. Following an amendment to the law, Mr Saund became a citizen in 1949 and in 1956 was elected to Congress, where he served three terms. “Dalip Saund’s election to Congress brought pride and joy not only to Indian-Americans, but to all Americans,” Mr Jindal said. “Each of us owes a debt of gratitude to his trailblazing efforts, so that America could continue to be a land of opportunity.” Former co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, Congressman Joe Wilson said renaming the post office for Mr Saund would “properly honour and remember one of California’s most respected and accomplished leaders.” Mr Wilson also introduced a Bill in the House calling for a portrait of Mr Saund to be displayed on Capitol Hill. “The ‘Dalip Singh Saund Post Office Building’ will honour an American who followed his dream to the United States, broke barriers, and served as a representative of the people,” said Mr Issa. “This act of Congress will preserve Congressman Saund’s legacy and honors the success of all immigrants from India and their accomplishments.” The House resolution now heads for the Senate where it is expected to be promptly passed and signed into law by President George W. Bush. |
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Abbas accepts invite to visit Iran
Ramallah, West Bank, February 2 Israel has hailed Abbas’s bid to end a bloody four-year uprising by militants, now observing a tacit ceasefire at Abbas’s behest, but has accused Iran of trying to scuttle progress by continuing aid to what it calls “terrorist groups”. “Abu Mazen has received an invitation to visit Iran. He has accepted the invitation and will decide on the date after he returns home,” a senior Palestinian official told Reuters, using Abbas’s popular nickname. Abbas is in Turkey, having also visited Moscow earlier in the week. A source close to Iran’s Foreign Ministry confirmed Abbas would probably visit shortly and said his trip showed that Teheran wanted “friendly ties with the Palestinian government as it has with all Palestinian groups”. “This doesn’t mean that Iran will change its view about the peace process. Iran has always supported the Palestinians politically,” another Iranian source said.
— Reuters |
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Couple tries to snatch tsunami-hit baby, held
Kalmunai (Sri Lanka), February 2 “The Medical Superintendent of the hospital and a few other members have filed a complaint that the parents tried to grab the baby,” Jameel Alm, Inspector, said. “It cannot be allowed because the court has ordered the baby to be kept in the custody of the hospital until the DNA tests are done,” he said. A magistrate in this eastern Sri Lankan town, which was badly battered by the tsunami, earlier today ordered DNA tests be carried out on the baby as well as on the couple, Junitha Jeyarajah and her husband Murugupillai, to prove they are his parents. Alm said five other persons had been arrested with the couple, including the man who rescued the baby, Samithamby Sri Skandarajah. They were expected to be produced in the court later today or tomorrow. The couple broke down and threatened to commit suicide after magistrate M.P. Mohideen ordered the DNA test, as relatives sought to calm them. “There is no need for a DNA test, this is our son,” Junitha Jeyarajah said as her husband held unidentified tablets in his hand — threatening to kill himself by swallowing them. “This is not justice,” Jeyarajah said. “There is no need for a DNA test.”
— AFP |
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Benazir moves HC against EC decision
Karachi, February 2 The former Prime Minister said the ECP had no authority to allow the merger of splinter groups and register them under the name of the parent party. The decision taken by the ECP on June 17, 2004, on an application moved by the two factions was violative of the principles of natural justice, the provisions of the Constitution and the Representation of People Act, she said. It was also repugnant to the ECP’s constitutional mandate to hold free, fair and impartial elections. The decision would confuse people as it was likely to mislead voters into believing that the defectors represented the real PPP, she said. Besides the ECP, Federal Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao of his own group of the party and Defence Minister Rao Sikandar Iqbal of the Patriots have been cited as respondents. PPP Secretary-General Jahangir Badr is the co-petitioner. The PPP’s parliamentary party, which is led by Makhdoom Amin Fahim, is registered as the PPP Parliamentarians. Ms Bhutto was disqualified from contesting the polls or leading the party in the October 2002 elections. Her petition against the disqualification is still pending. |
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Pregnant women in UK forced out of jobs: survey
London, February 2 The survey, published today as part of an EOC campaign for the rights of pregnant women, showed widespread discrimination against them in the workplace. Of those questioned, nearly half reported experiencing some form of discrimination because of their pregnancy and a fifth lost their jobs or missed out on pay rises or promotions. In a statement, the EOC said research for its campaign had unearthed many forms of pregnancy discrimination. “These range from denial of promotion, bonuses and training opportunities and changes in job descriptions to being left out of decisions and even verbal abuse,” it said. Olympic gold medal winner Denise Lewis, who experienced problems with her coach when she announced she was pregnant, has offered the campaign her support. She was quoted on the EOC website as saying: “I really believe that women should not suffer at work just for being pregnant. For me pregnancy was a short pit-stop and I always believed that I would return to my career.”
— Reuters |
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Karachi, February 2
