Archive for November, 2006
U.S judge struck down President George W Bush’s
A federal judge struck down President George W Bush’s authority to designate groups as terrorists, saying his post-September 11 executive order was unconstitutionally vague, according to a ruling released on Tuesday.The Humanitarian Law Project had challenged Bush’s order, which blocked all the assets of groups or individuals he named as “specially designated global terrorists†after the 2001 terrorist attacks.
“This law gave the President unfettered authority to create blacklists,†David Cole, a lawyer for the Washington, DCbased Centre for Constitutional Rights that represented the group, said on Tuesday. “It was reminiscent of the McCarthy era.†The case centred on two groups, the Liberation Tigers, which seeks a separate homeland for the Tamil people in Sri Lanka, and Partiya Karkeran Kurdistan, a political organisation representing the interests of Kurds in Turkey.
US district judge Audrey Collins enjoined the government from blocking the assets of the two groups. Both consider the November 21 ruling …
Bid to keep out HIV during sex
Pills known to treat AIDS patients may soon be turned into a preventive gel or vaginal ring that will block the HIV virus from infecting a woman during intercourse.The International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) has embarked on large-scale studies to see if anti-retroviral therapy (ART) compounds, used to treat HIV, can be developed into potential microbicides to protect women from getting infected.
Six ART compounds and a class of therapeutics known as entry inhibitors, including Dapivirine, UC781, MIV150, CCR5, MLBMS and Tenofovir, known to be an effective treatment for HIV patients, are being turned into a viginal gel or ring that would release the drug gradually. IPM is keen to see if they can prevent the virus from entering the body.It is estimated that even a partially effective microbicide could prevent 2.5 million HIV infections over three years.Interestingly, in a first-ofits-kind agreement, three of the world’s leading pharma companies—Merck, Johnson & …
Indian Batting Crumbles Yet Again; Lose 3rd ODI And Series
South Africans AB de Villiers, Makhaya Ntini and Herschelle Gibbs celebrate the team’s 80-run win over India in Port Elizabeth on Wednesday. Gibbs, who scored an unbeaten 93, was Man of the Match
India, frantically looking for a solution to their batting disorder, went in with three ‘openers’ in the fourth Oneday game here on Wednesday evening. Yet, they failed to make any impact, losing all of them even before many dinners could settle down in the stadium.
By the 16th over, in fact, they were staring so hard at another defeat that even defeat itself would hide in shame. The two wicket-keepers (Dinesh Karthik and Mahendra Singh Dhoni) and allrounder (Irfan Pathan), made a bold play at counter-attack but it was too good to last. Wickets tumbled at the rate of lightning and the end came in the 39th over itself.
Squarely blaming Team India for the dismal performance in South Africa, …
US President Sidesteps ‘Civil War’ Label, Asks Nato Forces For Help In Afghanistan
US President George W Bush, under pressure to change direction in Iraq, said on Tuesday he will not be persuaded by any calls to withdraw American troops before the country is stabilised.“There’s one thing I’m not going to do: I’m not going to pull our troops off the battlefield before the mission is complete,’’ he said in a speech setting the stage for highstakes meetings with the Iraqi Prime Minister later this week. “We can accept nothing less than victory for our children and our grandchildren.â€
The recent Democratic victory in midterm US elections added fuel to the argument from Democrats that US soldiers need to come home. But Bush has resisted that move, even while projecting the need for a different approach.On Tuesday, Bush parried suggestions that Iraq had sunk into civil war, arguing that a recent upsurge in violence was part of a spiral of sectarian unrest that began …
13-year-olds can have sex legally,says top cop in UK
A police chief called on Monday for the age of consent to be reduced to 13.Chief superintendent Clive Murray said some children were being unfairly labelled criminals because of the current age of 16.
The law fails to distinguish between abuse and ‘youthful natural instinct’, according to Murray, president of the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents. He pointed to countries such as Spain, where 13-year-olds can have sex legally.“Why is there this contradiction with societies we regard as similar to our own?†he asked and added that “society had changed†since the age of consent was set at 16 in 1885.Hugh McKinney, of the National Family Campaign, said the proposal was “nothing short of a paedophiles’ charterâ€.
Earlier this month, Terry Grange, chief constable of Dyfed-Powys Police, suggested that men as old as 30 who have sex with underage girls should not necessarily be classed as paedophiles.He argued there was a difference …
Former captain Sourav Ganguly appears to be on the top of the list
Nine months after being sidelined from Team India, former captain Sourav Ganguly appears to be on the top of the list of players who will make it to South Africa for the three-Test series.When the five-member panel, headed by Dilip Vengsarkar meets here on Thursday, Ganguly along with left-hand opener Gautam Gambhir and seamer VRV Singh are likely to be included. “It’s going to be a long meeting,’’ said one selector on condition of anonymity.
It is learnt that the team management and the selectors have run out of patience with the “grooming process’’ and are keen to get the “experienced players’’ back in the team. Youngster Suresh Raina will be the first to bear the brunt of it. Raina, Dinesh Mongia and Ajit Agarkar are the three players who are expected to return from South Africa after the ODI series ends on Sunday.With Rahul Dravid injured and unlikely to play …
Important newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party says”Nehru backed free Tibet”
An important newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party has added a discordant note to the general atmosphere of bonhomie between India and China created by President Hu Jintao’s visit.when Hu was in New Delhi, the Chinese language Huanqiu Shibao, or Global Times, published a ‘historical document review’ to show that Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister, misled Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai about his objective, which was to support the independence of Tibet.Nehru was concerned with inheriting the British colonial approach and supporting US plans to create an independent Tibet, the newspaper said in the article, quoting recently released official documents on Zhou’s four visits to India between 1954 and 1960. Indian leaders felt that the country had much to gain by Tibetan independence, it said.According to the paper, India made two aggressions on the Chinese border timing them with an uprising in Tibet in 1959. This is when the relationship …
Iraqi Prez seeks Iran’s help
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani was due to visit Iran on Monday amid growing calls for Washington to engage Teheran in dialogue to help stop Iraq sliding into civil war.Talabani’s trip had been delayed because of a curfew imposed on Baghdad following a bomb attack on Thursday that killed 200 Shiite Muslims. The curfew was lifted on Monday.
Political analysts said Iran might try to use talks with Talabani to show off its influence to the US and bolster its position ahead of any dialogue with its old enemy.They said Talabani, who speaks Farsi fluently after years of contacts with Iran when in opposition to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, could press Iran to stop seeing Iraq as a battleground in its three-decade-old fight with Washington. Iranian officials said Talabani was expected to arrive later on Monday but did not give any details about the planned talks. Asked last week what his talks …
Mohammad Yousuf basks in record glory
Mohammad Yousuf set a batting record with his eighth hundred of 2006 but West Indies restricted Pakistan to 257 for 7 at close of play on the first day of the third and final Test.Pakistan lost four wickets for 83 in the last session on Monday, including that of Yousuf who made 102, his 22nd career century.
Yousuf broke the old record of seven hundreds in a calendar year jointly held by West Indian Vivian Richards and Sri Lankan, Aravinda de Silva.It was also Yousuf ’s sixth century against the West Indies in eight Tests and his fifth in successive matches. The 32-year-old has accumulated 1,664 runs in 11 Tests this year.
Pakistan were comfortably placed on 174 for 3 at tea. Inzamam’s dismissal in the third over after tea was the catalyst for the mini collapse. The persistence of West Indian bowlers Jerome Taylor, Corey Collymore, Daren Powell and Dwayne Bravo …
Indian origin Muslim teaching assistant in west Yorkshire
An Indian origin Muslim teaching assistant in west Yorkshire, suspended earlier for refusing to remove her veil during school hours, has now been dismissed from the job.Aishah Azmi, 24, was dismissed from her job at the Headfield Church of England School in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.The case hogged headlines in October along with the remark by senior Labour leader Jack Straw that Muslim women who see him in his constituency should remove their veils. The two incidents sparked off yet another debate on multi-culturalism in Britain.
Azmi had attended a disciplinary hearing last week, with her face veiled, in front of school governors and members of the local education authority.Azmi, who attended the hearing alone, was told she was being dismissed. Her legal advisers are reported to be awaiting official notification before considering any appeal.
Azmi is married to Ahmed Masoud Khan and the couple has a two-year-old daughter, Zainab.In October, she was …
Cave-In At Cape Town; Dravid, Chappell Have No Explanation To Offer After Durban Debacle
The backdrop of the picturesque Table Mountain here soon degenerated into an all too familiar nightmare for India on Sunday. Powered by a Justin Kemp century, South Africa recovered from the loss of two big wickets in the opening over of the second one-dayer to post a massive 274 for seven that looked as distant as the moon at one stage. They then came back even more strongly to snuff out India for 168 in 41.3 overs. The 106-run victory has given the South Africans a 2-0 lead and a stranglehold on India.
Rahul Dravid, after finally agreeing to bat at number three, fought a lonely and futile battle. His 63 off 103 balls and Mahender Singh Dhoni’s quickfire 55 (including 3 boundaries and 4 sixes) were never going to be enough. Especially after they lost their key players, Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar, inside the first five overs. Before that, …
Two Pakistani journalists have been held by Taliban in Afghanistan
Two Pakistani journalists have been held by Taliban in southern Helmand province of Afghanistan and put on trial for unknown reasons, a newspaper report said on Saturday.Quoting family members, The Star, a local evening paper, said that its reporter Saleem Shahzad and another journalist Qamar Yousafzai have been detained by Taliban commander Matiullah.
“According to the message received on the telephone by his family this morning, he (Shahzad) said that he has been put on trial by the Taliban after his arrest on November 21,†it said. “He has been arrested by Taliban and put on trial for unknown reasons and unknown charges,†the newspaper said and added that Shahzad reached Helmand on November 19 via southwest Chaman border to cover the insurgency in the region. “Saleem was planning to cover the activities of Taliban inside Afghanistan,†the report said
Diplomatic crisis between Europe and Vladimir Putin’s Russia
In a gathering diplomatic crisis between Europe and Vladimir Putin’s Russia, Britain has officially asked the Kremlin for help in investigating the mysterious and extraordinary death by radioactive poisoning of former KGB spy-turned-dissident-turned-British citizen Alexander Litvinenko.Litvinenko’s painful death on Thursday in a central London hospital, allegedly by a massive dose of the highly radioactive and toxic material polonium 210, has set off a full counter-terrorism police investigation across the British capital with traces of the element found across several locations in the city, sparking public health fears.
Britain’s heavyweight Cobra committee, the Downing Street crisis team, met several times in emergency session over growing fears that Litvinenko’s murder could mean an assassination squad is targeting Russian dissidents in London.The metalloid polonium is extremely rare in nature. It occurs in trace amounts in uranium ore and is very difficult to obtain other than from a nuclear installation, scientists said. Experts warned of …
Pak-China rail link on the cards
Frustrated with India stonewalling its proposal to open a highway from Tibet into India and use Kolkata as a landing port for China-bound consignments, Beijing appears to have turned to its ally Pakistan to resolve logistics.
China is talking with Pakistan to build a rail route and an energy pipeline linking the two countries and eventually turning the Chinese-built Gwadar port in Pakistan into a landing point for international cargo headed to western China through Balochistan, sources said.
Beijing, which built the 809 km Karakoram highway connecting the two countries in 1978, has also accepted a Pakistani request to rebuild and broaden the highway to carry more load. The state-owned China Road and Bridge Corporation has already drawn up a blueprint to make the 335 km stretch between Raikot bridge to the Khunjerab mountain pass, a 30-metrewide road from from its present width of ten metres, informed sources said. The purpose is …
Skipper Ponting makes his ninth century in his last 12 Tests
Ricky Ponting joined Steve Waugh as Australia’s greatest century-maker in Test cricket to put his team in command over England on the first day of the Ashes opener at the Gabba on Thursday.Skipper Ponting plundered the English attack for the ninth century in his last 12 Tests to make an emphatic statement of Australia’s intent to wrest the Ashes back off England with a thumping first-day total of 346 for three.It mirrored Australia’s savaging of the English attack on the first day of the last Ashes Test here four years ago when they scored 364 for two at stumps after being sent into bat. At close, Ponting was unconquered on 137 off 206 balls with Mike Hussey batting on 63.
An infrared camera reportedly designed to track fighter jets has become the latest hi-tech gadget used to cover the Ashes series between Australia and England.Host broadcaster Channel Nine said the device, …
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