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Israel seizes Gaza-bound aid vessel
UK to prevent forced marriages among Asians
Phet Fury
Indian American teen wins Spelling Bee crown |
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US demands action against N Korea
Pak seeks info on Kasab’s arrest warrant
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Israel seizes Gaza-bound aid vessel
Jerusalem, June 5 The takeover today came after Israeli warnings that it would not allow the 1,200-ton "Rachel Corrie" to reach the Hamas-ruled coastal strip, which is under blockade by the military. It came several days after an Israel Navy takeover of another boat headed the coastal strip ended in violent clashes and the deaths of nine passengers. Israeli special forces soldiers used boats to board the ship, and were not air-dropped as in the nighttime takeover of the Mavi Marmara on Monday, an IDF spokesman said today. He was quoted as saying by the Haaretz daily that the soldiers had boarded after receiving full consent from the Free Gaza activists on the ship. The vessel was being taken to Israel's Ashdod port. He said the Israeli forces boarded the Cambodian-flagged boat and took control without meeting any resistance from the crew or the passengers. The IDF said earlier that the Rachel Corrie had ignored an invitation to unload its cargo at an Israeli port and chose to continue its trip toward Gaza. The organisers "chose to ignore the invitation to dock at the Ashdod port where the cargo could be unloaded and transferred to the Gaza Strip upon inspection," according to the army. The takeover stood in marked contrast to a violent confrontation at sea earlier this week when Israeli commandos blocked a Turkish aid vessel trying to break the blockade. At the time, Israeli commandos slid down from helicopters and a clash with passengers left nine pro-Palestinian activists dead. The Cyprus-based Free Gaza group used website Twitter to announce that troops from three three Israeli naval boats, which had been tailing the ship, had boarded peacefully at 5:50 am Israel time, with no struggle or injuries, the report in the Israeli daily said. There is growing diplomatic pressure on Israel amid protests across Europe and the Muslim world to end its embargo in Gaza that was imposed after the Islamic militant Hamas group seized power three years ago. Thousands protest Israel’s deadly raid in Istanbul
Istanbul: Some 5,000 persons took to the streets in Turkey's biggest city Istanbul on Saturday to protest Israel's raid on aid ships bound for Gaza that killed nine Turks. The crowd gathered at Caglayan on the European side of the city straddling the Bosphorus Strait at the call of Foundation of Humanitarian Relief (IHH), one of the key organisers of the aid flotilla to the Gaza Strip. "The longer we keep silent, the bigger the massacre grows," read a banner in French while the demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and shouted anti-Israeli slogans. There have been daily demonstrations across Turkey against Israel, which controls Gaza, since Monday when Israeli commandos stormed the aid fleet.
— Agencies
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UK to prevent forced marriages among Asians
London, June 5 Every year, several such cases are reported with young Britons being taken to the Indian sub-continent on the pretext of holiday or family compulsions and forced to marry there against their will. The foreign office here has set up a Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) to tackle the phenomenon and has now launched an online resource to help frontline professionals working to protect potential victims. The unit’s e-learning is the first interactive online training tool, which provides guidance to a range of frontline professionals on handling forced marriage cases. Also aimed at education, health, social care and legal professionals, police and housing officers and registrars, the resource encourages anyone, who comes into contact with those affected. The FMU, a joint-initiative between the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Home Office, is the government’s specialist ‘one-stop shop’ for forced marriage. It provides support to victims of forced marriage as well as expert training and guidance to professionals working with victims or potential victims. In 2009, the FMU’s helpline received 1,682 calls about potential incidents of forced marriages and is committed to raising awareness about it across the public sector. Frontline professionals may only have one chance to help someone at risk of forced marriage, and making the wrong call could have devastating results, joint head of FMU Olaf Henricson Bell said. “We encourage people to make the most of this tool in the run up to the summer holidays, which is when we see an increase in cases of forced marriage,” he said. “Given that many of the men and women forced into marriage are of school age, the need to raise awareness of this issue amongst professionals working with young
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Phet Fury
Dubai, June 5 Nine Omanis and three expatriates were killed by the storm, General Malek
al-Muammari, head of Oman’s civil defence force, told Oman’s state television. The Indian died in Quriyat area, an Oman TV report said, without identifying the victim. It said he was electrocuted. A Bangladeshi woman also died after being electrocuted in the same area while nationality of another expatriate has not been identified. Heavy rains paralysed life in Muscat, Al
Dakhiliyah, Al Sharqiyah, Al Batinah, Al Dahirah, Al Wusta, Dhofar and other areas in Oman while various localities in Muscat
governorate, Muttrah, Baushar, Amerat and Quriyat were inundated. The continuous downpour, coupled with high velocity winds, led to the overflowing of large areas of the land. Despite Phet’s downgrade from a Category 3 to Category 1 yesterday, the cyclone brought fierce, heavy rains with winds peaking at 138kph. The meteorological office said that wind speed was 120kph near
Masira. However, the cyclone was expected to move away from Oman. The Oman TV report said the area of Sur in Sharqiyah bore the maximum brunt as heavy rains accompanied with strong winds lashed and flooded the entire region.
— PTI
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Indian American teen wins Spelling Bee crown
Washington, June 5 “I’m really, really happy. This is one of the best moments of my life,” said the 14-year-old from North Royalton, Ohio, who defeated another Indian American, Shantanu Srivatsa of West Fargo, North Dakota in the nationally televised final round on Friday night to become the bee’s 83rd champion. Her win earns $30,000 cash prize and engraved trophy from the event’s sponsor, The E.W. Scripps Co., along with a $2,500 savings bond and a complete reference library from Merriam-Webster, a $5,000 scholarship from the Sigma Phi Epsilon Educational Foundation and a package from Encyclopaedia Britannica totalling $3,499. Veeramani, who finished fifth in last year’s bee, also survived a marathon four-and-half hour semifinal round earlier Friday that contained a little bit of controversy.
— IANS
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US demands action against N Korea
Singapore, June 5 In a show of solidarity, the US, Japanese and South Korean defence chiefs met in Singapore to discuss punitive steps against North Korea as the UN Security Council prepares to take up the crisis triggered by the sinking of the Cheonan. US Defence Secretary Robert Gates told his counterparts that “it’s important we have a unified front to deter further provocations,” his press secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters. While condemning North Korea's alleged torpedo attack that left 46 South Korean sailors dead, Washington and Seoul have called for calm and avoided talk of a military response. But given the North's volatile reputation, the US and its allies have to be prepared for possible violence, Morrell said. “When you're dealing with a regime as unpredictable as (North Korea), that's always a concern,” he said. Tensions have soared on the peninsula since a multinational probe last month concluded a North Korean torpedo sank the Cheonan, triggering trade reprisals by South Korea and threats of war by the communist North.
— AFP
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Pak seeks info on Kasab’s arrest warrant
Islamabad, June 5 Judge Malik Muhammad Akram Awan of Rawalpindi-based anti-terrorism court heard arguments by prosecution and defence lawyers on making Kasab, a Pakistani national sentenced to death by an Indian court for his role in the attacks, and Ansari, who was acquitted, part of the proceedings in Pakistan.
— PTI
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