London, November 30
More than 150 illegal immigrants went on a rampage at Britain's largest detention centre at Harmondsworth in west London, setting fires at the facility and smashing furniture. Their action forced the authorities concerned to free them back on to the streets.

The rioting last night was sparked off by guards turning off a television set.

The illegal immigrants then came out of their rooms and lighted fires in protest against alleged mistreatment by jail officials.

The trouble began shortly after midnight when a series of fires were started by a hardcore of trouble-causing detainees. They went wild after a guard switched off a television news bulletin detailing a report by the Chief Inspector of Prisons, which was critical of the regime at the 500-bed centre.

Sprinklers doused the flames, but left corridors flooded by water. Detainees then went on a wrecking spree as more than 100 prison officers and policemen tried to regain control.

Furniture, TV sets and computers were destroyed, and wash basins and urinals were ripped out.

A home office spokesman said "The situation at Harmondsworth remains contained. The perimeter remains secure, and no one has escaped. There has been no risk to the public.

No injuries to staff or detainees have been reported.

"Harmondsworth holds about 500 people. One third are foreign nationals who have been in prison whom we are in the process of deporting. Two thirds are immigration offenders whom we are in the process of removing. This appears to have been a deliberate attempt at sabotage in order to frustrate these processes," the spokesman 
said. — PTI

Washington, November 30
Another Indian American astronaut, Sunita Williams, is all set to go into space on December 7 with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) clearing space shuttle Discovery for its first night-time launch in four years.

Flight Engineer Williams will join six other crew as Discovery lifts off at 9:36 p.m. on December 7 in the third launch of the year and the fourth since the Columbia disaster killed seven astronauts, including Indian-born Kalpana Chawla in 2003.

"There were really no dissenting opinions on the night launch," said Mr Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA's Associate Administrator on Wednesday announcing the launch plans for the 20th flight to the International Space Station on a 12-day mission.

The announcement followed a two-day flight readiness review at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida typically conducted two weeks prior to the opening of the launch window for each space shuttle mission.

The group thoroughly evaluates all activities and elements necessary for the safe and successful performance of shuttle mission operations -- from the pre-launch phase through post-landing -- including the readiness of the vehicle, flight crew and payloads.

The launch window for the STS-116 mission opens on December 7 and extends through December 17. The seven-member flight crew will arrive for launch at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility in the afternoon of December 3.

Born on September 19, 1965, in Euclid, Ohio, Williams received her commission as an Ensign in the United States Navy from the United States Naval Academy in May 1987. She has logged over 2770 flight hours in more than 30 different aircraft. — IANS

London, November 30
Prominent dentistry expert Raman Bedi has been appointed Chairman of the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO), which espouses the interests of South Asian doctors in Britain.

BAPIO has been in the forefront in mounting a legal challenge to work rules that came into effect in April. The changes effectively made it difficult for doctors of Indian origin to seek employment in the National Health Service (NHS).

Dr Bedi, Director of the Global Child Dental Health Taskforce, said: "It is a great honour to be given this unique role and I look forward to helping to progress and support BAPIO's interests.” — IANS

Islamabad, November 30
December 1 will go down in the country’s history not only as World Aids Day or two decades since the first HIV case was detected in Pakistan, but as the formal launch of the Association of People Living With HIV and AIDS (PLWHA).

The main objective of the association, to be launched during a photo exhibition in Islamabad on Friday, is “to build capacity and empower PLWHA in Pakistan”. The association will comprise a 10-member board of people living with HIV and AIDS, including two female members.

In Pakistan there are very few NGOs directly working with people living with HIV which are being run by them. Most of them are concentrating on prevention, but they lack coordination and sometimes even basic knowledge about the epidemiology of the virus and its impact on communities.

“One of the first tasks of the association will be to prepare a work plan based on the key objectives identified with the technical support of the UN and other partner organisations. The progress both in terms of technical as well as financial will be monitored and evaluated regularly by UNAIDS,” explains Dr Aldo Landi, country director of the UN agency.

The initiative supports the UNAIDS core function to support empowerment of people living with HIV.

— By arrangement with the Dawn