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Benazir welcomes lifting of emergency
Panel to dispose of cases against Bhutto
Bali Climate Talks Greenpeace
lauds stand of India, China |
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Constituent Assembly poll
by mid-April
Human Trafficking
UK varsity doctorate for Narayana Murthy
Abdullah to look into ethnic Indians’ plight
Indian doc gets 30 yrs jail in
US Internet pharmacy case
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Benazir welcomes lifting of emergency
The PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto has welcomed the lifting of emergency but said she has reservations about steps being taken toward restoration of full democracy. Bhutto, who flew to Quetta today to launch her party’s election campaign in Balochistan, told reporters that the end of the emergency is a step forward, though the legislative measures accompanying the revocation orders would have to be closely examined. Meanwhile speaking to the Voice of America (VOA), Bhutto said. “It’s very difficult to say anything on this matter at this stage,” she said. “A lot will depend on the elections themselves and what the mood of the people is following the elections, because if the elections are rigged, it’s going to put Musharraf on a confrontation course with the opposition parties.” “At the moment the situation is not conducive to fair elections within Pakistan,” she added. “But certainly Musharraf has taken some steps that surprised many people, including me. And that included retiring as chief of army staff. So if he surprises us all by having a fair election that will be very welcome. But the way things are going today that would be a very big surprise.” Teresita Schaffer, a former US deputy assistant secretary of state for South Asia, participating in the discussion on VOA said President Musharraf has laid down restrictions on traditional political party activity under an electoral code of conduct. “Long processions are banned, and rallies can be held only if you get a non-objection certificate from the government,” she said. “And he (Musharraf) keeps saying ‘I’m for a wide open election campaign, but there can’t be any agitation.’ So he’s obviously trying to set the standard that whatever you do during the election, you can’t include getting lots of people together, which, as you know, is the way elections are conducted in Pakistan. That’s how you spread the word. That’s how you energise the political party troops.”
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Panel to dispose of cases against Bhutto
Islamabad, December 15 The panel will comprise attorney general Malik Qayyum, caretaker law minister Syed Afzal Haider and the law secretary. President Pervez Musharraf took the decision for “speedy” disposal of cases pending in foreign courts against Bhutto and others. Qayyum said the panel was yet to prepare its terms of reference to carry out its task. “I cannot say (anything at this point) as we have yet to go into the details,” he told The News when asked whether cases against Bhutto were being withdrawn. Sharifuddin Pirzada, Musharraf’s main legal adviser, will have a consultative role with the committee. — PTI
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Bali Climate Talks
Nusa Dua, December 15 After all-night talks and an impassioned intervention by UN chief Ban Ki-moon, the Bali conference agreed to launch a process to negotiate a new treaty that will take effect when the UN Kyoto Protocol’s commitments expire in 2012. The United States, the only major industrial nation to reject Kyoto, reached a compromise with the European Union (EU) to avoid mentioning any figures as a target for slashing greenhouse gas emissions. But on an unscheduled 13th day of talks, the US said it would not accept the statement as it wanted developing countries such as fast-growing China to make tougher commitments. Senior US negotiator Paula Dobriansky said she had heard “many strong statements from many major developing country leaders on a greater role in helping to address urgently this global problem.” It “doesn’t seem it’s going to be reflected in our outcome here in the declaration,” she said, telling the conference that the United States would reject the draft. Dobriansky was loudly booed by other delegations. A US environmental activist representing Papua New Guinea said on the floor to rousing cheers: “If you’re not willing to lead, please get out of the way.” After repeated verbal lashings, Dobriansky again took the microphone and said that Washington would “go forward and join consensus,” to the cheers of the conference. Indian Science Minister Kapil Sibal, who had been vocally critical of the US position, offered his thanks to the US for not blocking the consensus. — AFP
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Greenpeace lauds stand of India, China New Delhi, December 15 “In the face of unprecedented and open criticism on the floor of the UN, the US was forced to back down from causing a complete collapse of the meeting. Nevertheless, the Bush administration’s underhand tactics have left the Bali Mandate omitting any reference to the crucial cuts required to stop climate change and relegated the science to a footnote,” the Greenpeace said in a statement issued today. The Bush administration has unscrupulously taken a monkey wrench to the level of action on climate change that the science demands, said Gerd Leipold, executive director of Greenpeace International. They have relegated the science to a footnote. Srinivas Krishnaswamy of Greenpeace India says the Bush administration was humbled and shamed by the firm resolve of the developing countries China, India, Brazil, South Africa, who came to Bali with concrete proposals to play their fair share in global efforts to prevent dangerous climate change. What they got was a dirty strategy by Bush to challenge all the issues most important to the millions, who are already suffering from the impacts of climate change. The final agreement includes a mandate to negotiate a strengthened second phase of the Kyoto Protocol by 2009, start a process to finance and deliver clean technologies to developing countries, and a fund to help the victims of climate change. For the first time, the UNFCCC will address the outstanding problem of 20 per cent of the world’s global emissions from deforestation.
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Constituent Assembly poll
by mid-April
Top leaders of the Nepal’s ruling Seven Party Alliance (SPA), including Maoists, reached a consensus on Saturday to conduct the Constituent Assembly (CA) elections, which were postponed due to various reasons, by mid-April next year.
An all-party meeting, held at Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala’s official residence late evening, decided to ask the coalition government to table a proposal to amend Article 33 (A) of the interim constitution in the interim Parliament accordingly. Following the decision, the government of Nepal tabled the third amendment Bill of the interim constitution, which was promulgated on January 15, 2007, in Parliament to avoid the possible constitutional crisis. The SPA leaders have agreed to meet on Sunday to reach on an agreement on the remaining issues. According to a source, the parties have almost reached a consensus to incorporate term “Nepal will go to a federal republic” in the next phase of amendment to the interim constitution. Earlier, Maoists had refused to go for CA poll slated for November 22 by putting forward 22-point preconditions, including immediate declaration of republic through the interim Parliament and adoption of full proportional electoral system for CA poll. Now, again, the Maoists have been floating another condition to reshuffle the government and redistribute the major portfolios in the cabinet among the major political parties.
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Human Trafficking Harrisburg(US), December 15 They allegedly charged thousands of dollars per person, organising the conspiracy. Eight suspects were arrested December 5, while the ninth, 22-year-old Rajesh Katwa of Chicago, is considered a fugitive. The indictment describes how the alleged ringleader Naresh Patel, 45, a native of India who is a naturalised US citizen, was heard outlining his plan to smuggle people from India, China and Egypt during a September 2006 meeting at an off-track betting parlour in York. About five months later, six Indian nationals were moved through Thailand, Los Angeles and Philadelphia before ending up in a York motel, where a woman paid a $ 25,000 cash fee, the indictment said. The defendants, if convicted, face possible maximum sentences of 15 years. Federal authorities are seeking the forfeit of $ 69,000 seized at the time of arrest. — AP
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UK varsity doctorate for Narayana Murthy
London, December 15 The honorary degree - a doctor of science - was conferred on him by the Chancellor of the University, Sir Chris Bonington, at a special awards ceremony in Lancaster on Wednesday, the University said in a statement. Murthy founded Infosys in 1981 along with six other software professionals and served as its CEO for 21 years before handing over the reins of the company to co-founder Nandan Nilekani in 2002. He then served as Executive Chairman of the Board and Chief Mentor from 2002 to 2006. Murthy designed and implemented the Global Delivery Model, which has become the foundation for the success of IT services outsourcing from India. Among numerous honours, Murthy was voted the ‘World Entrepreneur of the Year’ by Ernst and Young in 2003 and India’s most powerful CEO for three consecutive years by ‘The Economic Times’. Speaking about the award, Prof Vudayagi Balasubramanyam from Lancaster University Management School’s Department of Economics said: “Murthy is a towering figure in the world of business known for his immense contribution to India’s recognised presence in the global information technology sector. “He is in a class of his own as a businessman. He not only tirelessly promotes the information technology industry of India but is a staunch supporter and advocate of management education in India and abroad.”
— PTI
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Abdullah to look into ethnic Indians’ plight
Kuala Lumpur, December 15 The assurance was given to leaders and representatives of 14 NGOs led by Malaysian Hindu Council Chairman R Nadarajah, during a two-hour meeting with Badawi at the Prime Minister’s office yesterday. President of the Malaysia Indian Congress (MIC) Samy Vellu, who is also Works Minister, was present at the meeting. “The Prime Minister said he would look into all these and we are satisfied with the meeting. He gave each and every one of us the time to raise the problems facing the Indian community and he took down all the points highlighted,” Nadarajah said.
— PTI
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Indian doc gets 30 yrs jail in
US Internet
Philadelphia, December 15 Akhil Bansal (29) a doctor studying for a business degree at Temple University, ran a network with his family that smuggled 11 million prescription pills from India and distributed them to 60,000 Americans, prosecutors said. “You distributed poison throughout the country,” US district judge Paul Diamond told Bansal in court yesterday. “Truly in my heart, I believe I did not commit these serious charges,” Bansal said. The family operated a wholesale pharmacy network, supplying dozens of illegal online pharmacies, offering Viagra, sedatives and painkillers without a prescription, prosecutors said. The Bansals shipped as many as 75,000 pills a day from a New York safe house, reaping about $ 8 million, they said. Bansal faced a 20-year minimum mandatory sentence and a guideline range of 30 years to life.
— AP
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