|
|
|
|
|
Egypt transition in turmoil on poll eve
Special to the tribune |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Mehdi Hasan laid to rest
Economic windfall needed for Afghanistan, says India Prachanda appeals for unity
|
|
Egypt transition in turmoil on poll eve
Cairo, June 15 Egypt's already troubled transition was plunged into turmoil by Thursday's court rulings. Islamists, who dominate Parliament and have gained most since the uprising that ousted Mubarak last year, called the court ruling a "coup". The run-off election on Saturday and Sunday was billed as the culmination of a transition before the military generals who have ruled Egypt for 16 months since Mubarak's overthrow formally hand power to a new president. The new leader will now be elected without a Parliament, whose election has been one of the few substantive gains, and without a new constitution to outline the extent of his permanent powers, a process delayed by political bickering. Officials campaigning in the race ended at midday today. The April 6 movement, which helped galvanised Egyptians against Mubarak, protested at Cairo's Tahrir Square "against the soft military coup." "We will save our revolution. We will save Egypt from military rule," the group said in a statement sent out early in the morning on Friday. The main target of the group's opposition is presidential contender Ahmed Shafik, a former air force commander who was appointed prime minister in Mubarak's last days in office. They fear he will seek to rebuild Mubarak's repressive state and reverse the gains of the revolt, although he denies this. He is pitted in the race against Mohamed Morsy of the Muslim Brotherhood, whose group secured the biggest bloc in parliament and with other Islamists forms a majority in the assembly. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the United States, long wary of Islamists and which provides $1.3 billion a year in military aid to Egypt, expected the military to fully transfer power to a democratically elected civilian government. The Brotherhood said on Thursday that the court rulings indicated Egypt was heading into "very difficult days that might be more dangerous than the last days of Mubarak's rule". "All the democratic gains of the revolution could be wiped out and overturned with the handing of power to one of the symbols of the previous era," it said.
— Reuters
|
|
Special to the tribune
Indian and other South Asian brides coerced into marrying their husbands may soon have the British government backing to take their parents to court.
A forced marriage offence (not to be confused with arranged marriages which continue to be legal) is currently on UK statute books and includes penalties for kidnapping, false imprisonment, assault, harassment and making threats to kill.
But, according to the British Home Office, additional and stronger legislation currently under consideration would have a ‘deterrent effect’ and could ‘empower young people to challenge their parents or families’, making it ‘easier for the police, social services and health services to identify that a person has been forced into marriage.’ Newly released UK government statistics reveal that the vast majority of young women from London who are being pressed into forced marriages are from South Asia with nearly 50 per cent of the cases involved women of Pakistani origin. Many of the victims were teenagers, including dozens under the age of 15. The statistics were published after British Prime Minister David Cameron described forced marriage as ‘little more than slavery’, adding that his government had plans to criminalise forced marriage. In the first six months of this year, the UK government’s Forced Marriage Unit offered advice to some 580 cases where the youngest victim was aged five and the oldest was aged 89. Some of the victims have been advised that they can rely on protection orders to stop harassment that will also help them start criminal proceedings against their parents in civil courts. Prime Minister Cameron commented: “To force anyone into marriage against their will is simply wrong and that is why we have taken decisive action to make it illegal.” He added: “I have listened to concerns that criminalisation could force this most distressing issue underground. That is why we have a new comprehensive package to identify possible victims, support those who have suffered first-hand and, indeed, prevent criminality wherever possible.” Among those supporting the forthcoming legislation against forced marriages is the controversial co-chair of the British Conservative Party, Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, who is herself of Pakistani ethnic origin and says in some worst case scenarios young girls have been drugged and taken overseas to get married. “It’s now time to say no”, Warsi commented. “The tragedy of these stories is long term. People are trapped in loveless marriages for a long, long, long time. There is often no relationship and they live as strangers in the same home. Forced marriage is akin to slavery and it is going on in Britain today. But it is time to draw a line in the sand and say enough. This is not acceptable.”
|
|
China’s 1st woman soars into space today
Beijing, June 15 "When I was a pilot, I flew in the sky. Now I am an astronaut, I will fly in the space. That will be a higher and farther flight," Liu Yang who addressed a nationally televised press conference said summing up her feelings after being chosen for tomorrow's flight in a stiff competition. "Aside from fulfilling the tasks, I want to experience the fantastic environment in space and appreciate the beautiful Earth and our homeland from the space," she said. She along with her two male crew members Jing Haipeng and Liu Wang addressed the media before getting ready to join the count down to blast off tomorrow evening from a launch site in the Gobi desert. The three astronauts, who are all members of the ruling Communist Party of China, will board the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft tomorrow at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwestern China to fulfill the country's first manned space docking mission in a key step towards becoming only the third nation after US and Russia to set up a permanent base in orbit. All three crew members are former pilots of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Liu's mission will make China the third country after Russia and the US to send a woman into space. When successful, this will be China's fourth manned space launch. Liu and her two male colleagues will dock with with Tiangong-1 module currently orbiting earth.
— PTI
|
|
Mehdi Hasan laid to rest
Defying scorching heat, thousands of people attended funeral prayers in Karachi to bid farewell to legendary ghazal singer Mehdi Hasan on Friday.
Prominent politicians, music lovers, friends and close relatives gathered at Noorani mosque in Karachi for the prayers.
They included Sindh Assembly Speaker Nisar Khuro, provincial ministers, MQM leaders and representatives of other major political parties, including PPP, PML-N and the PTI. The India-born maestro died on Wednesday following multiple organ failure at the age of 84. Hassan was born in Luna village in Rajasthan in 1927. His father Ustad Azeem Khan and uncle Ustad Ismail Khan were renowned classical musicians. His family migrated to Pakistan during Partition. He is survived by nine sons and five daughters.
|
||
|
Economic windfall needed for Afghanistan, says India Kabul, June 15 Minister of Law and Justice Salman Khurshid told the first Ministerial Meeting of the Istanbul Process in Kabul that in addition to military measures to fight terrorism, it was also crucial to bring in private and foreign capital to begin a fresh narrative of "opportunity and hope" in the country. Khurshid, who led the Indian delegation, at the conference of 14 regional countries on boosting regional cooperation to fight terrorism and drug trafficking and pursue economic development, insisted that a purely military solution cannot resolve the Afghan problem and political approaches are required. "It is important to recall that the principal problem in Afghanistan continues to remain the existence of terrorism, drawing upon ideological, financial and logistical support from beyond its borders. "We recognise that the solution to this problem cannot be purely military, but also requires political approaches. The Istanbul Process underlines this political effort and seeks to underpin it with economic cooperation," he told the gathering. The conference was attended by officials from regional nations including Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and United Arab Emirates. Khurshid said private and foreign capital and entrepreneurship can play an important role not only in ensuring the economic future of Afghanistan, but also in countering the current narrative of anxiety of withdrawal and reversing it with a narrative of opportunity and hope. "The prospect of economic progress among the region can create a political dynamic that would discourage external interference aimed at destabilising Afghanistan," he said without mentioning any country, in remarks yesterday. The conference, he said, had agreed on crucial regional confidence building measures, that would require an atmosphere of security in the country and in the region afflicted by the phenomenon of terrorism, extremism and drug trafficking. He pointed out that New Delhi would play host to an Investment Summit on Afghanistan on June 28, aiming to bring to the centrestage the "crucial missing component" in international dialogue. "By highlighting the opportunities of investing in Afghanistan, and providing foreign investors, from the region and beyond, with a forum to share their risks by venturing together, the 28 June event will, hopefully, lead to greater inflow of foreign capital and technology into this country," he said. — PTI
|
||
|
Kathmandu, June 15 Prachanda appealed to the disgruntled faction led by Vice President Mohan Vaidya 'Kiran' to work for party unity and try to resolve the differences. "We can always discuss our differences within the party," said the Maoist supremo, in an attempt to bridge the void that has been increasing between the moderate Prachanda-led faction and the more radical group led by Vaidya. — PTI
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
