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Kyrgyz President
Akayev resigns
Canadian recipient refused Indian kidney
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Oysters good for men’s drive
Baluchistan situation alarming
Serial killer confesses to 45 murders
SC rejects Schiavo’s appeal
Cardinal stands for Pope at Holy Thursday
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Kyrgyz President Akayev resigns Bishkek, March 24 ITAR-TASS news agency quoted Kyrgyz Opposition leader Felix Kulov as saying that the President has resigned. Kulov, former vice-president under Akayev, who was released today from the jail by his supporters, has summoned the joint emergency session of outgoing and newly elected parliamentarians on behalf of the Opposition alliance. In a joint statement over the republic’s TV tonight, the Opposition leaders announced that Akayev and his family members would be given full guarantees of their safety, “which are available in a democratic country.” The Opposition alliance was formed to restore the flow of constitution and democracy in the country amid the crisis, which could escalate into a civil war, Russia’s Channel 1 TV reported. Earlier, the Interfax news agency reported that Akayev has flown to Russia and that his family has fled to Kazakhstan. Thousands of anti-government protestors today stormed the Presidential Palace in Bishkek, seizing the seat of power amidst an organised withdrawal of police and para-military troops guarding the compound. Later, some of the Opposition supporters were seen waving a flag from a second floor window and scattering documents and throwing out portraits of the President. — PTI
Moscow, March 24
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Canadian recipient refused Indian kidney
Toronto, March 24 "Why can't an Indian donate his kidney for purely altruistic reasons? What bothers me is the assumption in Canada that anybody from India must be doing it for money and that somebody is up to no good if he comes forward to donate a kidney," Mr Jacobovici said here last night, a day after he and Tegegne challenged a Montreal hospital for refusing to perform the transplant. The hospital reportedly suspects that money may have changed hands for the kidney donation which is against the Canadian laws. Jacobovici has never met the Indian donor, Shridhar, but is convinced that he belongs to a middle class family and is educated. "We have never haggled. He has never demanded money from us and he is not living on the streets. He read about Tegegne on the internet website, matchingdonors.com, and was impressed by his story. Besides, Shridhar lost his own grandfather to kidney failure and wants to help Tegegne," asserts Jacobovici, reluctant to give Shridhar's address on grounds of privacy. Though Shridhar hasn't asked for a penny from Tegegne, he will be compensated for the time he spends recuperating in Canada after the donation, he said. "He may be here for four months, six months— we don't know. All he wants is an equivalent in lost wages. He can't be spending his time here in Canada while his wife and children wait it out in India," the film-maker says, adding that no amount had yet been worked out with Shridhar whose airfare and expenses in Canada will also be taken care of by Tegegne. Asked as to why Shridhar needed to donate his kidney to a Canadian when there were so many Indians needing the organ in India, Jacobovici said his understanding was that Shridhar was afraid of the post-operative complications which may arise if he goes to an Indian hospital. "There is a risk of secondary infections in the third world countries. In Canada, he will get excellent after-care," he said. Mr Jacobovici charged the North American hospitals with creating a black market for kidneys. "If they allowed Canadians to donate kidneys to patients they are not related to, people wouldn't go running to poorer countries like India to look for donors," he said. "In North America, if you are poor, you wait for a kidney and die. If you are rich, you find a middleman who gets you a donor from India or Moldova," he
says. — UNI |
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Oysters good for men’s drive
Washington, March 24 According to legend, Casanova, the 18th century Italian lover used to consume 50 oysters daily. Now, a study of the properties of oysters by a team of Italian and American researchers has found that spring is the time of the year the shellfish have their greatest aphrodisiac quality. They analysed bivalve mollusks—a group of shellfish that includes oysters—and found they are rich in rare amino acids that trigger increased levels of sex hormones. The finding was announced to 15,000 scientists in San Diego at a meeting of the American Chemical Society last week,
the Washington Times reported. — PTI |
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Baluchistan situation alarming
Islamabad, March 23 Ms Rehman, who returned from Dera Bugti and Sui after visiting the area with a parliamentary delegation on Wednesday morning, told Dawn that even a small incident could lead to a serious situation. The PPP MNA said their visit proved that the casualty figures put by Nawab Akbar Bugti were correct. She said Frontier Constabulary (FC) DIG Brig Salim Nawaz had also confirmed that 60 persons were killed in the March 17 clashes. "We saw that Nawab Bugti's own fortress and nearby houses had clearly been the target of a military operation," she said, adding that both sides had suffered damages but the imbalance between the casualties on the two sides suggested that the heavier shelling and firing came from the paramilitary troops. However, she said, it would be difficult to say that who attacked first. Ms Rehman said that they had also visited the area adjacent to the Bugti's fort, where a number of Hindus were killed in the gun battle and saw a horrible picture. About her meeting with Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) chief Nawab Akbar Bugti, the PPP MNA said the tribal chief was in a state of mourning owing to the killing of his people. Mr Bugti said that he was not ready to talk to those who had killed his people, she quoted the JWP chief as having said, who had showed an indifferent attitude towards the government members of the delegation and did not talk to them. Ms Rehman said that Mr Bugti had stated that he could consider talking to the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML) president, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, if he (PML chief) was really empowered by the forces that be. "It seems that Mr Bugti has no hope for the solution to the ongoing conflict," she added. Sui installations could not be protected by forces alone, she said, adding that the government should first give the people their due rights and then ask them to disarm themselves. She regretted that the people of Sui to the day did not have the gas facility. The PPP MNA was of the view that Baluchistan would have to be accommodated in the political mainstream otherwise it would become a hostage to the new 'great games' in the geo-political environment. Given the sensitivity of the situation, she said, the opposition suggested immediate review of political recommendations of the parliamentary committee on
Balochistan. By arrangement with
The Dawn |
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Serial killer confesses to 45 murders
Beijing, March 24 Wang Qiang, 30, confessed during a two-day hearing that ended today at the Shenyang Intermediate People’s Court in the provincial capital of Liaoning, Li Changren said. “Wang Qiang has confessed to most of the crimes. He has confessed but he hasn’t shown any remorse,” Li said. Prosecutors have charged him with 45 murders in 34 cases and an additional eight counts of rape in separate cases, Li said. “He did not confess to the rapes, but his crimes are so many that may be he couldn’t recall them.” He is also charged with robbing his victims of about $ 3,600 worth of cash and goods.
— AFP |
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Washington, March 24 This is for the fifth time that the Supreme Court has rejected a request in such a case. Schiavo’s parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, had filed the appeal with the US Supreme Court late yesterday. — AFP
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Cardinal stands for Pope at Holy Thursday
Vatican City, March 24 The 84-year-old Pope, whose health is still precarious following throat surgery last month, watched the service on television from his Vatican apartments. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, a senior Vatican cardinal, presided at the first of two Holy Thursday rites, which the ailing Pope will have to skip.
— Reuters |
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