W O R L D

Pak to have women’s ombudsman
Violence against women, particularly honour killings and thrashing, has registered an increase of over 20 per cent in Pakistan. According to a report released to mark International Women’s Day here on Monday, Sindh province and the federal capital were most vulnerable with 9,396 such cases recorded in 2009.

Toddler’s Death
Woman gave lift to taxi driver
Melbourne, March 9
Part-time taxi driver Gursewak Dhillon apparently ran out of fuel and was helped by a woman in this Australian city while he was driving around with three-year-old Gurshan Singh Channa in the boot of his car, the police said.

Husain applies for OCI card
Dubai, March 9
Famed painter MF Husain may have quit his Indian citizenship, but he does not want to snap his links with the country of his birth and has applied for an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card. "India is my motherland and I simply cannot leave that country.

Women react to the sight of bodies in Dogo Nahwa on Monday. More than 200 persons, most of them Christians, were slaughtered on Sunday in Nigeria. — AP/PTI

Ban writes for release of Suu Kyi
United Nations, March 9
With the elections in Myanmar likely to take place later this year, UN Chief Ban Ki-moon has asked for the release of all political prisoners including detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Fonseka likely to face court martial
Colombo, March 9
Sri Lankan authorities have completed summary of evidence over conspiracy charges against detained ex-army chief Sarath Fonseka and are likely to initiate a against him shortly, amid efforts by his wife to seek his release with the help of opposition parties.

India okays Copenhagen pact, with riders
United Nations, March 9
India and China today formally backed the Climate Change Accord hammered out in Copenhagen last year calling for voluntary cut in greenhouse gas emissions. Both the countries today submitted official letters to the UN Climate Change Secretariat saying that they agreed to being listed in the preamble of the Accord subject to certain conditions.

Pak to have women’s ombudsman
Afzal Khan writes from Islamabad

Violence against women, particularly honour killings and thrashing, has registered an increase of over 20 per cent in Pakistan. According to a report released to mark International Women’s Day here on Monday, Sindh province and the federal capital were most vulnerable with 9,396 such cases recorded in 2009.

The Pakistan Government has also decided to establish the office of women’s ombudsman and granted National Commission on Status of Women (NCSW) total administrative and financial autonomy.

Addressing a gathering to mark International Women Day here on Monday, Gilani reaffirmed the strong commitment of the present government towards women empowerment. He said more steps would be adopted to achieve that goal.

The prime minister also directed the federal and provincial governments to ensure implementation of 10 per cent job quota for women in letter and spirit. He announced conversion of Youth Development centres in Peshawar and Quetta into working women’s hostels and said these would also be established in Islamabad and provincial capitals on priority basis.

Incidents of beating up of women went up by 17 per cent, honour killings six per cent, acid throwing 19 per cent, rapes 10 per cent and physical harassment at workplaces 17 per cent. As many as 1,096 women were murdered, 901 beaten up, 329 faced other domestic incidents, 408 became victims of honour killings, 30 faced acid attack or were burnt, 2,088 were raped and 187 were gangraped in 2009.

The figures, now part of the National Assembly record, provide that 112 and 170 women, respectively, were physically abused and sexually harassed at workplaces, besides there are 4,056 uncategorised violence cases in 2009.

Toddler’s Death
Woman gave lift to taxi driver

Melbourne, March 9
Part-time taxi driver Gursewak Dhillon apparently ran out of fuel and was helped by a woman in this Australian city while he was driving around with three-year-old Gurshan Singh Channa in the boot of his car, the police said.

The police intends to speak with the woman they believe stopped to help Dhillon between 12 noon and 3 pm on Thursday, Australian news agency AAP reported.

Dhillon is alleged to have placed the child in the boot of his car unconscious, but still alive.

Gurshan’s body was found on Wildwood Road on Thursday night after a massive search following a complaint by his parents who were staying in Lalor, over 20 km away.

Officials believe the woman helped Dhillon who was driving a dark green car somewhere in Melbourne’s northern suburbs. She took him to a service station. Dhillon was a housemate of Gurshan’s parents.

It was still unclear as to how the boy was rendered unconscious; an autopsy has failed to determine a cause of death.

Gurshan arrived in Australia in January with his parents. The family was due to return to India as his father Harjit Singh Channa failed to find work in Melbourne.

Singh and his wife Harpreet Singh Channa gave statements to police Friday but officials say they are not suspects.

Gurshan’s death had caused uproar in India, with New Delhi on Friday describing the incident as “most unfortunate”.

There have been a string of attacks on Indians in Australia, with one of them proving fatal. Nitin Garg was fatally stabbed January 2 while on his way to work in this city. — IANS

Husain applies for OCI card

Dubai, March 9
Famed painter MF Husain may have quit his Indian citizenship, but he does not want to snap his links with the country of his birth and has applied for an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card. "India is my motherland and I simply cannot leave that country. What I have surrendered is just a piece of paper," Husain, revered by many as India's Picasso, was quoted by the local media as saying, a day after he surrendered his Indian passport in Doha.

"I will continue to travel to India and have applied for an Overseas Citizen of India card as Indian law does not permit its citizens to hold dual citizenship. I'm here to fulfil my professional commitments and I'm grateful that Qatar came to my support," said the 95-year-old painter, whose decision to quit his Indian citizenship has caused dismay and cynicism in equal measures among Indians in the Gulf.

However, an official at the Indian embassy, who choose to remain anonymous, expressed regret over the entire episode. "I have seen some of his controversial paintings on the web. I just don't understand what was the need for him to do such paintings. The entire situation could have been avoided," he said.

Another Indian national, Iftikhar Ahmad, said Husain's decision should be seen in the context of the hassles he might have faced as a resident in India.

Asked if the Indian mission had advised him against surrendering his passport in the wake of Home Minister P Chidambaram's recent plea for him to return to his home country, Husain replied in the negative.

"She (Indian ambassador to Qatar Deepa Gopalan Wadhwa) is such a gracious lady. I could read her pain from her face when I surrendered the document," he said. — PTI

Ban writes for release of Suu Kyi

United Nations, March 9
With the elections in Myanmar likely to take place later this year, UN Chief Ban Ki-moon has asked for the release of all political prisoners including detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

In a letter to top leader, Senior General Than Shwe, the Secretary-General emphasised that without the participation of all parties the elections will not be inclusive.

“Most importantly, all the political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi, should be released as soon as possible, so that all of them can take part in elections.

That would make the elections inclusive and credible,” Ban told journalists here, noting that the letter was sent ten days ago. No date for the poll has been set, but the ruling generals have promised that it will be sometime this year. — PTI

Fonseka likely to face court martial

Colombo, March 9
Sri Lankan authorities have completed summary of evidence over conspiracy charges against detained ex-army chief Sarath Fonseka and are likely to initiate a against him shortly, amid efforts by his wife to seek his release with the help of opposition parties.

The summary of evidence, made in compliance with provisions of the Army Act, has been completed and handed over to the force's chief Lt Gen Jagath Jayasuriya, according to a special communique issued by the army.

Officers in the Army Directorate of Legal Services are now in the process of reviewing the contents to maintain that there is a prima facie case against Fonseka, who was arrested on February 8, on more than five charges under the Army Act.

Following legal consultations, the army chief is expected to appoint a court martial for trial shortly, the communique said.

Meanwhile, Fonseka's wife Anoma has pledged to continue her struggle for his release. — PTI

India okays Copenhagen pact, with riders

United Nations, March 9
India and China today formally backed the Climate Change Accord hammered out in Copenhagen last year calling for voluntary cut in greenhouse gas emissions.

Both the countries today submitted official letters to the UN Climate Change Secretariat saying that they agreed to being listed in the preamble of the Accord subject to certain conditions.

“It may be recalled that India actively participated in the discussions on the Copenhagen Accord. India stands by the contents of the Accord,” Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh wrote to the UN Climate Chief Yvo de Boer.

“The accord is only an input into the two-track negotiations. The accord is not a new track of negotiations or a template for outcomes,” he said.

In a one-sentence note, China's chief climate negotiator, Su Wei said, “I am writing to confirm that the Secretariat can proceed to include China in the list of parties included in the chapeau of the Copenhagen Accord.” India has made it clear that the accord is a political document and not a legally binding one.

“The accord could have value if the areas of convergence reflected in it are used to help the parties reach agreed outcomes under the UN multilateral negotiations in the two tracks - the Ad-hoc Working Group on Long Term Cooperative Action and the Ad-hoc Working Group on Kyoto Protocol,” Ramesh wrote. — PTI

BRIEFLY

Israeli President Shimon Peres (right) laughs with US Vice-President Joseph Biden after signing the guest book ahead of their meeting in Jerusalem on Tuesday. Biden says there is a moment of opportunity for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. — AP/PTI

TV series on attempts to kill Castro
HAVANA: Cuban state television has premiered the series ‘El que debe vivir’, which will examine some of the 638 attempts to kill former President Fidel Castro. The first episode of the eight-part series, broadcast on Sunday night, ran 70 minutes and covered the earliest attempts to kill Castro before his rebel forces defeated dictator Fulgencio Batista's army in 1959. Series director Rafael Benitez said he wanted to tell a story using “a mixture of genres” to “give the viewer more information about the events”. Attempts have been made to kill Castro with bombs, sharpshooters and poison gas, as well as with poisoned cigars and milk. — IANS/EFE

Woman is UN’s top cop
UNITED NATIONS: Marking International Women's Day, UN Chief Ban Ki-moon has appointed Ann-Marie Orler as Police Adviser for the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, which makes her the first woman to hold the top rank. "Now, the United Nation's top cop is a woman. That is a wonderful way to celebrate International Women's Day," Ban told journalists here on Monday. — PTI