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No oath till SC gives clean chit: Musharraf
Musharraf asks Bhutto to delay her return
US to back India in process to conclude |
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12 yrs later, Malaysian court gives relief to Indian
Ertl wins Nobel for chemistry
6 in 10 UK women flirt with colleagues: Study
Cambridge students ‘working as call girls’
Pak MPs given condoms
6 Indians abducted
in Nigeria
Top Al-Qaida leader killed in
Algeria: Reports
Camilla is grandmother
Junta, Suu Kyi move towards talks
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No oath till SC gives clean chit: Musharraf
President General Pervez Musharraf has said he would not take oath of the office of President until the Supreme Court gives its verdict on his eligibility.
“As the judiciary has fixed October 17 as the next date of hearing with the order not to declare the results officially and if it (the case) continues, I will not take oath,” he said in a Q&A programme of a private TV channel to be telecast tonight. To a question that PPP did not vote for him, the President said: “Yes, they should have and it is negative.” But, he hastened to add: “However, they did not resign as others did and that is important and positive.” Asked about factionalism in the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML), Musharraf denied there were groups supporting him and others supporting Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. “There is no such grouping, which is evident from the fact that all voted for me,” he said. “Not at all,” he said emphatically when asked about any possibility of handing over A.Q. Khan to the International Atomic Energy Agency. Meanwhile, PML chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussein slightly modified his sensational statement that Benazir Bhutto was used by the government to divided the opposition. He said politics has its own dynamics and Bhutto got herself trapped because of her obsession with the corruption cases. In a TV interview earlier, Shujaat had said Bhutto’s secret talks with General Musharraf had eroded the credibility and public standing of the PPP, which was a gain for the PML. Shujaat reiterated that PPP would be the real rival of the PML and both would contest election separately. He said there is no commitment to enter into power-sharing with the PPP but much would depend on the results of the elections. PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto, in an interview with ARY, played down Shujaat’s remarks and said: “It shows that the government itself has been trapped.” But state minister for information Tariq Azim said the National Reconciliation Ordinance has exposed Bhutto that she was not interested in democracy or party but her own cases, for which she was threatening to resign from the assemblies. Meanwhile, debate continues whether Bhutto’s cases stand withdrawn automatically with the promulgation of the ordinance or not. Most legal experts say the wording, that relates to Bhutto’s cases within and abroad, is such that the cases stand withdrawn irrespective of the fate of the ordinance that has been challenged in the Supreme Court and high courts. This interpretation was corroborated by the Sindh government, which informed the Sindh High Court that it has no intention to arrest Bhutto on her return on October 18 because all cases against her have been withdrawn.
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Musharraf asks Bhutto to delay her return Islamabad, October 10 “Benazir should not come back to Pakistan on October 18 and she should delay her return till the Supreme Court decision regarding the presidential election,” Musharraf told the ARY TV channel in an interview aired today. The beleaguered military ruler swept Saturday’s presidential election that was boycotted by the opposition but cannot assume office till the apex court decides on petitions filed by his rivals challenging his decision to contest without giving up the post of army chief. “I will not be sworn in before the Supreme Court’s decision about the eligibility to contest the presidential election, which I won with an overwhelming majority,” Musharraf said, reiterating that he would doff his uniform by November 15. Musharraf also said his government had no plans to arrest Bhutto if she ignored his suggestion and would act according to the law. — PTI
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US to back India in process to conclude N-deal
Washington, October 10 US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack was asked at his briefing if Washington was troubled by the fact that the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Mohamed El Baradei had said New Delhi had not approached him to begin talks on the safeguards issue. “No, there are a number of different steps that would be taken in order to finally conclude all aspects of this agreement. It’s going to be up to the Indian government to go through some of those steps on their own,” he said. “There are some things that they would need to do by themselves. Of course, we support them in those efforts. The timing of that is going to be up to them, though,” McCormack said. He also said the Bush Administration had taken note of the recently introduced Sense of Congress Resolution in the House of Representatives by three members calling for stringent curbs in the pursuit of nuclear trade with India. “We took a look at it, and we’re going to keep working with not only those two representatives but also others in Congress to move forward on this deal,” he said. “They’re important voices and they have raised some issues. And we want to engage them to be able to reassure them of the importance of this deal, not only for the US government but for our non-proliferation efforts worldwide,” the spokesman said.
— PTI
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12 yrs later, Malaysian court gives relief to Indian
Kuala Lumpur, October 10 Guruminder Singh(53) was forced to remain in Malaysia for over a decade in connection with the court case. Singh’s employer, Mender Kaur, had splashed acid on his face when he had asked for salary. In 1997, a sessions court had ordered her to pay RM62,000 (about Rs 7 lakh) in damages for loss of sight, unpaid wages and other costs. Kaur and two others named in the suit, Surjit Kaur and Hari Singh, filed an appeal in the high court, but this was thrown out in 1999. In the same year, Singh’s lawyers filed a bankruptcy order against Mender Kaur as she could not pay the sum. In a recent order, Justice Sulaiman Daud directed to auction off the house owned by Mender Kaur so that Singh would receive his compensation. Sulaiman said Kaur, who ran a transport company, had acted fraudulently by transferring the property to her brother’s name to avoid paying Singh. Singh’s counsel said the sum owed to his client now stood at RM81,982.69. The man, who spent almost 10 years in detention because his employer had got his work permit cancelled, hopes he would be able to get his compensation sorted out quickly. The immigration authorities, who sympathised with Singh, had allowed him to live outside the detention centre.
— PTI
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Ertl wins Nobel for chemistry
The coveted 10 million Swedish crown ($1.54 million) award recognised his studies on what happens when molecules hit solid surfaces, an important process in the modern world. “His insights have provided the scientific basis of modern surface chemistry. His methodology is used in both academic research and the industrial development of chemical processes,” the academy said. Ertl, who took the Nobel on his 71st birthday, is the former director of the Fritz-Haber Institute at Berlin's Max-Planck Gesellschaft. The academy said his research into how individual layers of atoms and molecules behave on the surface of catalysts could explain, “why iron rusts, how fuel cells function and how the catalysts in our cars work”. This was the third of this year’s crop of prestigious Nobel Prizes handed out each year for achievements in science, literature, economics and peace. The prizes bearing the name of dynamite inventor Alfred Nobel were first awarded in 1901 in
accordance with the 1895 will of the Swedish businessman. — Reuters
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6 in 10 UK women flirt with colleagues: Study
London, October 10 Even the once unthinkable idea of having a relationship with your boss was widely acceptable with nearly three-quarters of women ready to consider the prospect. The study of 2,000 women suggested that the fairer sex was deserting bars, clubs, dinner parties and internet dating sites in order to face the ever-increasing hours in the office. British men and women work the longest hours in Europe, according to the study, with only being second to the United States. “Women spend so many hours at work now it’s not surprising the boardroom is replacing the bedroom,” the a local daily said. “Work is far more pressurised than it used to be and flirting has become a natural way to make the job more enjoyable. It’s also much easier to get away with flirting behind your colleagues’ backs thanks to email,” she added. The figures revealed that 64 per cent of women flirt with male colleagues and eight out of ten have been attracted to someone they’ve worked with. And men in positions of power are main targets, with 61 per cent saying they’re attracted to those higher up than them. The study also found that very few of those who have relationships with co-workers lose their jobs. Overall, 70 per cent of the respondents believe “flirting makes the workplace more interesting” and three out of ten working women have gone the whole way and had sex at work.
— ANI
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Cambridge students ‘working as call girls’
London, October 10 “Undergraduate life is expensive these days, especially for those who enjoy the odd luxury. But why are 350 Cantabridgians working as escorts?” the report said. It also said that a “plethora” of undergraduates were also raising money by selling essays. The paper claimed it spoke to one such student who “admitted” spending her first year as an undergraduate working as a 50-pounds-an-hour call girl. “I did have a day job at the same time, but it just wasn’t paying enough. I met other students who did it too. Once you’ve done it, it is tempting. If you need quick, easy money, it’s there,” she said. She added, “I would sleep with between one and seven clients a night.” The newspaper also interviewed another undergraduate student, without revealing her name, who said she earned “up to 100 pounds per dance” while working as a stripper. “On an average night, I would be working from 10.30 pm. First you have to wear a long dress that does not show too much flesh, then at midnight you change into something skimpier, usually a short dress,” she was quoted as saying. However, university teachers are worried. “I was very concerned to read the report. Senior tutors would want to do everything they could to give support to students well before they found themselves in such a situation,” Rob Wallach, the secretary of the University’s Senior Tutors’ Committee, told a British daily.
— PTI
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Pak MPs given condoms
Pakistani MPs have received a unique gift of 100 condoms each on the eve of Eid-ul-Fitr from the ministry of population in a bid to encourage population control at the top-level. “Yes, the condom packs have been distributed among the male parliamentarians. Each MP has been gifted a pack of condoms containing 100 condoms,” said an official of the ministry. The distribution of condoms has enraged opposition Members of the National Assembly (MNAs), who have taken it as an insult and have decided to raise it with Assembly speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain. “I will take up the issue with the speaker and move a privilege motion if need be. We are all educated people and know the benefits of contraceptives, but this move is meant to humiliate the MPs,” said a PPP MNA, who requested not to be named. He said perhaps such “stupid acts” were the government’s way of showing the world its “moderate face”.
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Lagos, October 10 The whereabouts of the Indians who were seized at Ajaokuta Steel Company yesterday, were still unknown, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) said. NAN said the workers also barricaded the main entrance to the firm in an attempt to force the management to honour a 15 per cent pay rise agreed on October 2. The abduction comes just ahead of a planned visit to Nigeria by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who will be in Abuja Sunday ahead of a summit meeting in Johannesburg. — AFP
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Top Al-Qaida leader killed in
Algeria: Reports
Algiers, October 10 Sofiane el-Fassila, alias Hareg Zoheir, was an alleged mastermind of several recent suicide bombing attacks in Algeria that were claimed by a former insurgent group calling itself Al-Qaida in Islamic North Africa, newspaper reports said yesterday. El-Fassila and two suspected accomplices were shot dead on Saturday near a roadblock put up by security forces in the town of Boghni in the Kabylie region east of Algiers. Security forces had been searching for el-Fassila who was wanted in connection with April 11 suicide bombings.
— AP
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Camilla is grandmother
London, October 10 The Duchess of Cornwall’s son, Tom Parker Bowles, and his wife, Sara Buys, have named their daughter Lola. “The Duchess is absolutely thrilled,” a spokeswoman for the prince’s Clarence House office said yesterday on condition of anonymity in line with palace policy. Parker Bowles, who is a food writer, and Buys, a fashion columnist, married in 2005. Prince Charles is Parker Bowles’ godfather as well as his stepfather.
— AP
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Junta, Suu Kyi move towards talks
Yangon, October 10 The party said it was prepared to make “adjustments” for the sake of a dialogue, and the junta had appointed a relatively flexible Cabinet-level official to coordinate contacts with Suu Kyi. — AP
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Stockholm, October 10