farhat was just years old when man threw acid in her face in because
her parents refused to let him marry their child
the attacker was sentenced to years in prison and ordered to pay million
rupees dollars in damages but on appeal high court reduced the
damages and said the man could go free once the money was paid
enraged farhat and asf went to the supreme court the first acid attack case
to be taken to the highest court where judges overturned the high court
ruling within minutes
chief justice iftikhar mohammad chaudhry took personal interest in the case
and recommended that the government pass new legislation to control the sale of
acid and increase punishment for acid attacks
masood says industrial strength acid used in cotton processing can be bought by
anyone for just few dollars
because of its easy accessibility to the general public for very stupid
domestic issues they will just throw acid on each other she said it does not
only destroy person face but it destroys person life
also key would be the introduction of law requiring the attacker to pay for
their victim painful and expensive treatment and counselling
asf has been pushing for such laws for years but now hopes bill will be
tabled in parliament this month
they should with relevant amendments pass it unanimously and we don expect
the government to unnecessarily delay the process or create any blocks said
parliamentarian marvi memon acknowledging the process could take months
without farhat these steps might never have been made and she remains
dedicated to helping other victims coaching bibi through her treatments and
helping her come to terms with her future
encourage other acid attack victims and tell them that they should continue
fighting for their rights and should not hesitate to come out of their homes
they should come forward farhat told afp
moderate quake jolts taiwan
taipei jan afp
magnitude earthquake hit waters off taiwan early tuesday the central
weather bureau said but there were no immediate reports of damage or
casualties
the tremor hit at am gmt monday about kilometres miles
southeast of ilan coastal town in the east with its epicentre
kilometres under the sea it said
taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates magnitude quake
killed around people in september
french bakery offers future to afghan minority children
kabul jan afp
on the wall of le pelican cafe in kabul dusty suburbs are photographs showing
baker dozen of afghan children beaming over tray of pastries fresh out of
the huge industrial oven behind them
nearby shelves are stacked with their wares croissants pains au chocolat
baguettes apple and peach tarts and turnovers sugar cookies variety of
breads which teenagers habib and zahir carefully put in paper bags for
enthusiastic customers
in city that has little trace of the sophistication of its past le pelican
boulanger is more than just welcome oasis for an expatriate community living
and working as if under siege
the cafe is an outlet for what its french owners jacques and ariane hiriart
have built from scratch to educate children from afghanistan ethnic hazara
community who have long suffered discrimination and exclusion
at the hiriart vocational centre in kabul southeastern suburbs almost
hazaras not all of them children learn to read and write before they take
on the task of turning out fine french pastries and breads
the aim is to give them skills they can use to find jobs in the hospitality
industry said jacques though he concedes the day afghanistan welcomes tourists
from across the world is probably long way off
many of the children at le pelican child care centre just knock on the door
said ariane or she hears about them by word of mouth and invites them to come
and learn
while most are children hazara women also come to learn to read and write she
said adding the youngest at the centre is six and the oldest years old
on the vocational side however it is still early days for the hazara boys
learning to make bread and hoping the skills will help them find future work
everyone is still very young and there are not so many hotels here so it is
difficult for them to find good work jacques told afp sitting over hot
chocolate in sunny alcove of le pelican as one of three cats dozed on the next
chair
jacques and ariane have long association with afghanistan having first
worked in kabul for swiss non governmental organisation in while the
brutal and extremist taliban was still in control
under the sunni taliban regime the discrimination long suffered by the shia
hazara believed to be descendants of the mongol hordes of genghis khan and
his sons who swept across central asia in the th century had become even
worse the few ngos in the country were not permitted to work with them
after the al qaeda attacks on the united states the couple were on the
last evacuation flight to leave kabul two days later
within month the taliban had been pushed from power in us led invasion and
not long afterwards the hiriarts returned to kabul to do what we really wanted
to do to take care of what we considered the most vulnerable people hazara
children ariane said
years earlier after the death of their only child at age the couple had
decided to change their lives she said
in jacques ended his year career as an oil rig engineer to retrain as
baker learning art de la patisserie with vague plan of moving abroad and
starting new life
after running successful boulangerie in eastern france for years they were
inspired by french writer joseph kessel book on the horsemen steps about
the traditional central asian mounted game of buzkashi
this was our inspiration as it was for many french people to come to
afghanistan said jacques so we joined an ngo but it was not satisfying
what was missing was contact with the population
not really interested in doing the sort of work that means you sit behind
your computer and never see what is happening outside that is very sad most
important for us is the contact with the local people
as their plans took shape they found help in odd corners for instance the
bread oven at their centre was brought into afghanistan by the french military
fighting with the us and nato to quell taliban insurgency
we had our first customer on september the day of my birthday he
said searching for the bill on his laptop we sold croissants pains au
chocolat and hamburger buns
annual operating costs are dollars said jacques adding that the cafe
and sales of the bakery products had made dollars since april
they rely on private donations and keep low profile not wishing to draw
attention in country ranked by the international watchdog transparency
international as the world second most corrupt after somalia
unlike many foreigners with businesses in afghanistan the hiriarts refuse to
pay bribes to stay open believing they are setting an example to their
trainees
for now however they believe they have reached plateau and that to take
their concept further they need help preferably from another couple who will
be able to run the cafe and bakery while they develop the centre
we are searching but it is not easy not many people like us want to come to
afghanistan said jacques
israeli village stirs up hummus war with record bid
abu gosh israel jan afp
at the risk of whipping up discord with lebanon an arab israeli village is
planning to make the world biggest hummus humble chickpea dip that stirs
passions across the middle east
on friday residents of abu gosh near jerusalem will mash up kilogrammes
pounds of chickpeas sesame paste olive oil lemon juice and garlic
that is twice as much as the guinness record set in october by chefs in lebanon
israel neighbour longtime political foe and culinary rival
an inexpensive nutritious and tasty dish hummus is the great leveller in the
middle east enjoyed by rich and poor by muslims jews and christians and by
israelis and palestinians
it is something we have in common something all of us love says shooky
galili an israeli journalist who runs the hummus blog that seeks to give
chickpeas chance
but it is also the root of heated disputes that rattle friendships and fuel
animosities between longtime foes
lebanon technically at war with israel since the jewish state was created in
recently sought to have the european union register the popular dip as
lebanese specialty
the lebanese society for industrialists claims israeli businesses are robbing
them of tens of millions of dollars in potential earnings by exporting packaged
hummus made with traditional lebanese recipes
this drew outrage derision and bemusement in israel
hummus can be owned by anybody it like saying someone owns bread says
galili who calls himself the hummus guy
he deplores the bad blood over his favourite dish but admits that the hummus
war is certainly one of the nicest wars we have in the region if all our
battles were like that it would be wonderful
hummus is sometimes described as one of the oldest known prepared foods eaten
in the middle east for centuries but its origins have become lost in the sands
of history
some suggest its roots might be traced to ancient rome or greece but voicing
such theories out loud is not recommended in this volatile region
galili says it is irrelevant who first came up with the tasty concoction that
has become an integral part of middle eastern culture suggesting it should be
seen as god gift to the region
in the holy land it enjoys near cult status
often shared with family and friends with everyone dipping their pita bread in
the same plate the ubiquitous dish crosses israeli palestinian boundaries
israelis generally recognise the best hummus is made by arabs
but arguing about who serves the best hummus and whether it should be creamy or
chunky is not for the faint hearted just about everyone has favorite hummus
joint and is willing to defend it at high volume and with much gesticulation
one name that often comes up is that of abu shukri hole in the wall family
run hummus eatery that has become landmark in the heart of jerusalem old
city
hummus pundits also hold the traditional restaurants in the historic arab
israeli cities of jaffa and acre in high esteem
and many aficionados have soft spot for abu gosh an arab israeli village
few minutes drive from jerusalem which on weekends is packed with hungry day
trippers on search for the holy grail of hummus
jawadat ibrahim who owns restaurant named after the village and is organising
the guinness bid acknowledges that lebanese hummus is very good but boasts
that abu gosh is the hummus capital of the world fighting words to rival
fans
hummus fiends in these parts tend to be as loyal to their eatery of choice as
sports fans to their club
even if your football club doesn win the championship you still believe it
the best and everyone else is wrong with hummus it the same there no way
you ll convince anyone their favourite is not the best says galili
passionate hummus arguments do not however degenerate into hooliganism he
adds reassuringly
we argue but we don kill each other
afp features
paris jan afp
we will shortly move the following stories
highlights
israeli village stirs up hummus war with record bid
french bakery offers future to afghan minority children
lifestyle mideast gastronomy record offbeat feature
abu gosh israel
at the risk of whipping up discord with lebanon an arab israeli village is
planning to make the world biggest hummus humble chickpea dip that stirs
passions across the middle east
words by patrick moser picture
afghanistan unrest france charity bakery feature
kabul
on the wall of le pelican cafe in kabul dusty suburbs are photographs showing
baker dozen of afghan children beaming over tray of pastries fresh out of
the huge industrial oven behind them
words by lynne donnell picture
pakistan social women acid crime feature
islamabad
naziran bibi knows exactly what she would consider apt justice for the person
who hurled acid in her face burnt out her eyes disfigured her beyond
recognition and destroyed her life
words by charlotte mcdonald gibson picture
for questions email nancy shields afp com or call
brand hyderabad takes hit in indian unrest
hyderabad india jan afp
the city of hyderabad once symbol of the new emerging india and home to it
giants such as google and microsoft is mired in protests threatening its
future as an investment friendly hub
the southern state of andhra pradesh of which hyderabad is the capital has
been rocked for weeks by violent demonstrations for and against the division of
the state into two entities
the national government first backed the idea under pressure from hunger
strike then appeared to backpedal and since then almost daily disruptions by
protestors have dented the city image as fertile ground for business
chief minister rosaiah told reporters last week that firms including metals
group bharat forge and french automaker psa peugeot citroen had relocated
projects or deferred planned investment on account of the turmoil
the image of hyderabad as an investment destination and hub of information
technology pharmaceuticals and other industries has taken beating because of
the unrest said rosaiah
hyderabad star rose during the and last decade as india established
itself as global it hub offering low cost services to multinational companies
for fraction of the cost in their domestic markets
proposed new state called telangana would be carved out of andhra pradesh
poor tribal belt drought prone region which supporters say has been neglected
by the state government for too long
hyderabad is located in what would become telangana but neither telangana
supporters nor those in the rump of andhra pradesh are willing to give up the
capital and its spoils
the year old city boasts mix of tall glass buildings amid its many
minarets and historic temples sign of the software boom which began when us
software giants oracle and microsoft first planted themselves on indian soil
hyderabad has since attracted several fortune and indian companies
including the disgraced outsourcing giant satyam once the city pride
in satyam was discovered to be the source of india biggest corporate
fraud worth more than three billion dollars
now frequent strikes and road and rail blockades have caused widespread
disruption to the operation of several firms including software and
pharmaceutical companies
analysts say the political turmoil has created sense of uncertainty among
investors many of whom might look to the rival larger indian it hub of
bangalore
foreign investors are following the wait and watch strategy before making any
financial commitment in the region said deepak kher an it analyst working in
hyderabad
the state government has created task force to protect the city business
interests after industry representatives and corporate executives conveyed their
concerns to the state government
chief minister rosaiah appealed to protestors not to subject industries to
hardship as the latter are no way concerned with their demands
he said hyderabad pharmaceutical industry had suffered loss of five billion
rupees million dollars in the past one month and that hotels had
registered percent drop in reservations
he also said the world largest steel maker arcelor mittal and japanese
pharmaceutical company eisai have put proposed investments on hold
hyderabad accounts for software exports of billion dollars and pharma and
bulk drugs exports of billion dollars annually according to local and
national government estimates
chowdary former president of the hyderabad software exporters association
said companies were being disrupted by the strikes and street protests though
losses could not be quantified yet
all it exports and businesses are definitely taking beating due to the
agitation he told afp
the telangana rashtra samithi party which is spearheading calls for the new
state accused the state government of using fear to discredit the movement
several industries did not come to hyderabad because of the faulty policies of
the government why blame the telangana movement party member harish rao
said
communication experts say the image of hyderabad as the modern face of india
cosmopolitan fast paced and professional was under threat
both sides are fighting to get hyderabad but they are failing to realise that
this political mess will dampen hyderabad image all over the globe said
madhukar sabnavis an executive with advertising firm ogilvy and mather
football former flame leads malawi in angola
blantyre jan afp
kinnah phiri was leading light of the malawi national team as player in the
before turning to coaching with spells in swaziland south africa and
now back with the national side as manager
born on october in blantyre phiri helped the flames win the east and
ceentral africa challenge cup twice as an international
among his managerial positions he has been at the helm of south african side
free state stars and the malawi under side
football saadane takes algeria to new heights
alger jan afp
rabah saadane returned for his fifth stint as algeria coach after the country
failed to qualify for the african nations cup
the year old defender in his playing days replaced frenchman jean michel
cavali and oversaw algeria qualification not only to angola but also the
world cup
his previous spells at the national helm came in and
under his latest reign algeria have prospered with the side climbing to their
highest ever fifa ranking of th
born in batna saadane playerd for series of algerian sides as well as french
outfit rennes before turning his attention to managerial matters
aside from algeria he has experience at club level with raja casablanca and
etoile sportive du sahel
football mali coach keshi in fifth african nations cup
bamako jan afp
nigerian stephen keshi who won the african nations cup as player in was
appointed coach of mali after the edition in ghana with the job of securing
the west african state ticket to angola
he duly accomplished his mission and will be hoping for more enjoyable
experience than when as the then coach of togo in his team failed to pick
up single point in egypt
keshi who had taken tiny togo to the world cup will have to draw on all
his know how over the next few weeks with mali in tough group with hosts
angola world cup finalists algeria and malawi
keshi defensive colossus in the mid when nigeria lifted the african title
cup and made their maiden world cup appearance achieved the seemingly
impossible with perennial underachievers togo
mali are counting on little of that keshi magic to rub off on their
campaign
this is his fifth african nations cup
football jose the key to angola cup run
luanda jan afp
manuel jose appointed angola coach last june could emerge as the star turn
for the hosts of the africa cup of nations
the wily year old took over the palancas negras after successful five year
spell at the helm of top egyptian side al alhy and in his six month tenure he
appears to have already reversed angola dipping fortunes
angola and benfica striker pedro mantorras manuel believes jose was shrewd
appointment
the biggest star in our side is our coach he says
described as very clever coach and one that can psychologically get the
best out of players jose arrival has raised nation expectations
jose has already injected note of discipline into the squad taking tough
stance when star striker manucho turned up late for those friendlies axing the
real valladolid forward from his squad
want to play with strong characters want men he told his team after
warm up friendly draws with ghana and congo
on his appointment non nonsense jose said this will be good challenge for my
career and am very motivated
by december can guarantee that the angolan national team will be mentally
physically technically tactically and psychologically ready
football kamwondo overseas experience can help minnows
blantyre jan afp
if malawi are to punch above their weight in angola they will be counting on the
likes of joseph kamwondo one of the country overseas based contingent
the year old midfielder is based in south africa with the orlando pirates
the club he joined in
before he joined the pirates he had spells in denmark and zimbabwe where he was
voted player of the year in
he made an immediate mark for his south african club scoring on his debut
against tottenham hotspur in pre season friendly
kamwondo made his international debut at the age of
his international career has not been all plain sailing as he was temporarily
kicked out of the team in for leaving training camp without permission
the pirates star is looking forward to angola and the chance to help his country
make their mark in rare appearance on the interantional stage
we want to prove that we can match the best and that the only reason malawians
players are not playing for top teams in europe is due to our poor ranking he
said in recent interview
football yahia achieves hero status in algeria
alger jan afp
in november algeria discovered new national hero antar yahia scorer of the
goal that put them into their first world cup finals since at the expense
of bitter rivals egypt
the defender who struck in the th minute of the play off with egypt was born
in the french town of mulhouse and plays for german first division side vfl
bochum
since joining the bundesliga outfit he has established himself as key part of
their first team where he is under contract until
appropiately given that mali are among algeria first round rivals yahia made
his international debut against the malians in
he has gone on to make appearances with the egypt strike his fifth
international goal
yahia relating how he had managed to outfox egypt keeper essam al hadary said
shot it up he caught it shot it down he caught it shot it there where
the devil coudn catch it
football king kanoute on national service for mali
bamako jan afp
frederic kanoute who at high will be hard to miss in angola is appearing
in his third african nations cup
the towering sevilla striker who helped mali to fourth place at the
edition in tunisia was born in the suburbs of lyon and represented france at
youth level before switching allegiances
after starting out at lyon he moved to the english premiership first with west
ham and then tottenham before joining his present club sevilla for million
pounds million euros in august
the african footballer of the year he was the first foreign born player
to win it was instrumental in getting mali on the plane to angola with an
eight goal haul in qualifying
like many of his fellow african players who have made the big time he has never
forgotten his roots creating foundation in mali to help children
particularly orphans
in the year old attacker dipped into his pockets to the tune of over
half million euros to save mosque in sevilla from closure
devout muslim he has had special dispensation not to wear his club sponsors
logo on his shirt the sponsor is betting firm which goes against his
religion
kanoute missed mali qualifier against ghana in november due to injury
football manucho has work to do to repair battered image
paris jan afp
rewind two years and angola striker manucho was having the time of his life
the year old burst onto the international scene at the african nations
cup in ghana firing angola into the quarter finals with three goal haul
snapped up by manchester united he was loaned out by the premier league giants
to first greek club panathinaikos then hull city
he made his debut for united in league cup win over middlesbrough last
september and his only premier league appearance for the club was as
substitute against stoke
manucho full name mateus alberto contreiras goncalves was unable to secure
place in sir alex ferguson plans and in july he moved to spanish side real
valladolid
then followed very public falling out with angola new coach manuel jose when
the forward failed to show on time for two november friendlies
his punishment was being temporarily kicked out of jose squad
he thinks he is more important than the national team put him out because he
arrived late to training with stupid excuse explained portugual born jose
manucho issued an apology to the teacher and to my colleagues in particular
and to the nation in general for all that has happened
am very sad about this situation that am considered undisciplined by the
angolan people
he will be out to redeem himself where it matters most on the pitch over the
coming weeks
football malawi out to defy outsider status
blantyre malawi jan afp
malawi turn up for their second appearance at the african nations cup as the
competition rank outsiders
drawn in group they will be registering major shock if they can make it to
the second round coming up against first round rivals world cup qualifiers
algeria hosts angola and mali
but the team who just scrape in to fifa top at number arrive in
angola on the back of some favourable warm up performances including win
against mozambique and draw agaisnt fellow cup qualifiers egypt
malawi whose world cup qualifying campaign was marred by tragedy when fans
were killed in stadium stampede in tie against ivory coast in abidjan last
march made their cup debut in when they failed to negotiate the first
round
in another incident on the road to angola there was an outbreak of fan violence
after kenya defeated them in july last year
they open against algeria next monday followed by angola on january and then
mali four days later
the malawi squad is peppered with players based in south africa including
orlando pirates midfielder joseph kamwendo and skipper peter mponda defender
with black leopards
top scorer with six goal haul in their qualifying campaign was chiukepo
msowoya striker with mozambique side desportivo malculmana
football world cup qualifiers algeria have lofty ambitions
paris jan afp
algeria won the african nations cup as hosts in and will be seeking to make
major impression on the edition with the world cup looming
the desert foxes snatched place at the world cup finals at the expense of
bitter rivals egypt in tense play off in november
algeria are drawn in group with hosts angola mali and malawi and will fancy
their chances of making it through to the knock out stages
given the security headache it would present angolan officials must have
breathed huge sigh of relief when algeria and egypt were kept apart in the
group stages
they made the quarter finals in but failed to qualify for the last two
competitions
coached by an experienced figure in rabah saadane algeria squad includes
madjid bougherra who plays for scottish premier league leaders rangers and
fellow defender nadir belhadj of english premier league strugglers portsmouth
portsmouth are doubly represented with hassen yebda in midfield
the national side whose current fifa ranking is had difficult start to
life having been set up by an algerian national front leader in with fifa
warning that any team that played the side would be expelled from the world cup
it received official recognition after algeria gained independence from france
in its first official match coming against bulgaria the following year
at the world cup finals algeria were robbed of place in the second round
after west germany infamous win over austria result that eliminated the
algerians
football mali eagles set to take flight in angola
bamako jan afp
mali spearheaded by sevilla striker frederic kanoute are making their sixth
appearance in the african cup of nations
the landlocked largely desert west africa country finished runners up to congo
in and fourth in in tunisia in when they hosted the biennial
continental football showcase and in in tunisia again
two years ago les aigles eagles failed to make it out of tough first round
group after win over benin worthy goalless draw against giants nigeria
and loss to ivory coast
in angola they are drawn in group and face tricky encounter against the
hosts in the competition opening fixture in luanda on sunday followed by
world cup finalists algeria four days later and closing with malawi on january
if they can scrape their way past that opposition another top four finish is not
impossible
aside from african footballer of the year kanoute mali nigerian manager
stephen keshi has plethora of players attached to major european clubs at his
disposal
the midfield is especially strong with the likes of barcelona seydou keita
real madrid mahamadou diarra and mohamed lamine sissoko of juventus
the squad features no fewer than players based in france including abdou
traore
one regular who will not be making the trip to angola however is sidi yaya
keita the injured spanish based midfielder whose place has been filled by
samba sow of french club lens
in goal they have soumbeyla diakite who performed heroics for his club stade
malien when he saved three spotkicks in shoot out triumph over entente setif
of algeria to net mali first african club title in december
as for kanoute he contributed eight goals in their qualifying campaign to get to
angola haul only bettered by cameroon samuel eto and moumouni dagano of
burkina faso
mali failed to make the world cup despite holding qualifiers ghana to
draw in their final qualifier in december to finish disappointing third in
their group behind ghana and benin
