human rights watch slammed on sunday united arab emirates court decision to
acquit the brother of the uae president of torture and said the gulf state
reputation had been sullied
report by the new york based watchdog also criticised the emirati court that
cleared sheikh issa bin zayed al nahayan of charges of torturing an afghan
trader in for failing to provide written reasons for its decision even
though it found all his accomplices guilty
if the uae government really wants to stop torture and to restore its sullied
reputation it has much to do especially in light of sheikh issa
acquittal said joe stork deputy director of hrw middle east division
the government needs to set in motion significant institutional reforms and to
make certain that human rights violations are punished he said in statement
released at dubai news conference during which hrw released its annual report
on rights developments in the uae iran iraq and bahrain
sheikh issa is the brother of the uae president and ruler of oil rich abu dhabi
sheikh khalifa bin zayed al nahayan he was acquitted by an emirati court on
january of any wrongdoing
sheikh issa lawyer said he was cleared on the basis that he was drugged and
therefore not responsible for his actions
allegations against the sheikh emerged after video aired in april
appeared to show him beating man with whips electric cattle prods and
wooden plank with protruding nails
assisted by policemen sheikh issa is seen to pour salt in the man wounds and
run over him with sports utility vehicle
the victim needed months of hospital care following the incident he was
reportedly an afghan trader who lost consignment of grain worth dollars
hrw urged the uae to take steps to improve human rights conditions including
establishing an independent body with authority to investigate abuse and
torture by security personnel others in positions of authority and private
citizens
it also called on the uae to ratify the un convention against torture and other
cruel inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
cricket mahmudullah defies indian attack with half century
dhaka jan afp
india put in disciplined bowling performance to restrict bangladesh to
at tea on the opening day of the second and final test here on sunday despite
mohammad mahmudullah half century
pacemen zaheer khan and ishant sharma and left arm spinner
pragyan ojha helped india gain the advantage as they did not allow
bangladesh to build big partnership
the highest stand of the innings was for the sixth wicket between skipper
shakib al hasan and mushfiqur rahim
the indian attack was superbly backed by wicket keeper mahendra singh dhoni who
took three catches and two stumpings
mahmudullah was the lone batsman to give good account of himself in below
par bangladeshi performance scoring fighting not out for his second
successive test half century
the lower order batsman reached his half century when he drove part time spinner
yuvraj singh through the covers for four shafiul islam was unbeaten on nine
at the interval
most of the bangladeshi batsmen failed to apply themselves with mohammad
ashraful shakib and rahim all getting out when looking well set
ashraful and shakib both fell to rash strokes ashraful stepped out to attempt
big shot off ojha missed the line and was stumped while shakib was caught
behind chasing an away going delivery from zaheer
indian earlier seized the initiative when they left the hosts reeling at in
the morning session with zaheer and sharma taking two wickets apiece and ojha
one
ashraful hit six fours in his ball knock while tamim iqbal imrul kayes
junaid siddique and raqibul hasan all failed to reach double figures
bangladesh batting problems began immediately after winning the toss when
sharma had kayes caught by dhoni with his first delivery of the match
zaheer bowled opener iqbal with delivery that came in sharply and then had
siddique caught behind to reduce the hosts to
sharma second victim was raqibul hasan caught by rahul dravid at second slip
after making only four
india lead in the short series following their run victory in the
opening test in chittagong on thursday
millions of muslims gather for prayer in bangladesh
tongi bangladesh jan afp
at least four million muslims attended prayers on sunday near the bangladeshi
capital of dhaka at the climax of the largest annual islamic event after the
hajj police said
the three day bishwa ijtema or world muslim congregation concluded after an
indian imam led final prayers with devotees filling every open space rooftops
and miles kilometres of roads leading to the congregation site
the gathering at which muslims pray and listen to religious scholars was first
held in the on the banks of the turag river and was launched by tablig
jamaat non political group that urges people to follow islam in their daily
lives
police inspector mamun hasan said at least four million people including prime
minister sheikh hasina attended the event
this year record number of people have turned up due to better weather
hasan said adding security had been tight with more than police on
guard
police said foreigners from around countries attended the event but
that most of the worshipers were poor rural bangladeshis who equate the event to
the hajj the pilgrimage to islam birthplace mecca
dhaka was deserted on sunday as many residents left their jobs sunday is
working day in bangladesh and headed to the venue kilometres miles
north of the city
the government arranged special trains and ferries while army engineers set up
dozens of makeshift bridges and water tanks
bangladesh is the world third largest muslim majority nation with muslims
making up nearly percent of its million population
football sydney back on top of league
melbourne jan afp
sydney fc came from behind to reclaim top spot in australia league with
away win over newcastle jets on sunday
sydney on points leapfrogged gold coast united and melbourne victory both on
with three matches to play till the playoffs
the fourth placed jets struck first through midfielder jobe wheelhouse in the
rd minute but former socceroo striker john aloisi pulled sydney level just
before half time
midfielder stuart musialik then broke the hearts of his former club with th
minute strike to put sydney ahead before substitute chris payne scored an injury
time goal
melbourne victory sunk arch rivals adelaide united at home on saturday
scoring in the first minute and final minute
tom pondeljak netted after just seconds and an injury time kevin muscat
penalty ensured melbourne stretched their winning streak over adelaide to nine
matches
united remain bottom of the league out of finals contention and with plenty of
problems ahead of their looming afc champions league campaign
gold coast were held to draw at central coast after striker joel porter
had put them ahead in the th minute
but the mariners swiftly hit back when nik mrdja converted penalty for his
third goal in three games
ivory coast striker eugene dadi endured nightmare homecoming as perth glory
claimed win over wellington phoenix on friday
dadi who went into the game scoring three goals in two matches for the phoenix
missed second half penalty to end any chance of wellington fightback
glory got home on the back of first half strikes from daniel mcbreen and todd
howarth
draw between north queensland and brisbane was overshadowed by an apparent
fallout between the fury and their former england international striker robbie
fowler
fowler refused to play after being told he was starting the game on the bench
casting doubt over the former liverpool forward future with the club
brisbane luke devere opened the scoring in the th minute but north
queensland fury quickly responded through david williams goal to leave the game
in deadlock
urgent three yemeni soldiers killed in shabwa attack official
sanaa jan afp
three yemeni soldiers were killed sunday in an attack by unknown assailants in
the eastern province of shabwa where yemeni forces are engaged in battle to
eradicate al qaeda local official said
myanmar army attacks force karens to flee aid groups
bangkok jan afp
aid groups on sunday expressed concern for more than ethnic karen
villagers hiding in the eastern myanmar jungle after they fled their homes to
escape attacks by government soldiers
the exodus took place in the past week as myanmar army shot and killed three
villagers burned down homes and forced number of people into labour
according to humanitarian group free burma rangers fbr
there are no large scale offensives at this time but over people have
been displaced in attacks this week while villagers were shot to death by burma
army patrols said statement from fbr which uses the country former name
similar army crackdowns in recent years in the eastern region where the ruling
junta has been battling christian majority karen rebels for decades have forced
huge numbers of villagers to flee their homes
tens of thousands of these refugees live in camps across the border in thailand
but those displaced this week are hiding in the myanmar jungle according to the
committee for internally displaced karen people cidkp an aid group
they could not bring many materials especially blankets and now the cool
season is very cold and they do not light fires because if the army see them
they will be shot said saw steve of the thailand based cidkp
if the army operation still goes on they will be in trouble if they have to
hide in the jungle there will be health problems he said confirming that
around villagers had fled and could run out of food
analysts say the junta wants to rid the country of the last vestiges of activity
by ethnic insurgents who seek greater autonomy before holding national
elections promised some time this year
around villagers escaped to thailand in june when the regime stepped up
its campaign against the karen rebels one of the few remaining ethnic insurgent
groups yet to sign peace deal with the junta
in august thousands of refugees poured across the border into china from the
northeast of myanmar after deadly clashes between junta forces and ethnic
chinese rebels
two us soldiers killed in afghan unrest
kabul jan afp
two us soldiers were killed sunday in an improvised bomb explosion in troubled
southern afghanistan the nato international security assistance force isaf
said
the force did not disclose the exact location of the incident but much of
southern afghanistan is hit by an ongoing taliban led insurgency
two isaf service members from the united states were killed today in an ied
improvised explosive device strike in southern afghanistan isaf said in
statement
there are about mainly us and nato troops deployed in afghanistan to
help the kabul government battle an islamic insurgency which has reached its
deadliest phase since the us led invasion
alert
three yemeni policemen killed in shabwa province attack official
mou wd bpz
kuwaiti islamic bank starts rights issue to raise capital
kuwait city jan afp
kuwaiti islamic lender boubyan bank on sunday started major rights issue aimed
at raising its capital by percent the bank said
in statement on the kuwait stock exchange website the bank said the share
price in the rights issue will be at nominal value of fils dollars
in addition to premium of fils dollars
the bank current capital of million dinars million dollars will
rise to million dinars million dollars after the increase
the rights issue of million new shares to raise million dinars
million dollars will continue until february the statement said it will be
open to current shareholders only
the bank shares were trading at fils dollars on sunday the
emirate largest lender national bank of kuwait holds percent stake in
the bank
the oil rich gulf state of kuwait has six conventional and three islamic banks
unlike conventional banking islamic finance is based on the principles of
sharia or islamic law and charging interest on loans is regarded as usury the
system also bans dealings related to alcohol and gambling
cricket bangladesh india second test scoreboard
dhaka jan afp
scoreboard at tea on the opening day of the second test between bangladesh and
india here on sunday
bangladesh st innings
tamim iqbal zaheer
imrul kayes dhoni sharma
junaid siddique dhoni zaheer
mohammad ashraful st dhoni ojha
raqibul hasan dravid sharma
shakib al hasan dhoni zaheer
mushfiqur rahim lbw sharma
mohammad mahmudullah not out
shahadat hossain st dhoni ojha
shafiul islam not out
extras lb
total for eight wickets overs
fall of wickets kayes iqbal siddique raqibul
ashraful rahim shakib shahadat
bowling zaheer sharma ojha harbhajan
yuvraj
toss bangladesh
umpires billy bowden nzl and marais erasmus rsa
tv umpire sharfuddoula shahid ban
match referee andy pycroft zim
afghanistan postpones parliamentary elections official
kabul jan afp
funding shortage and unrest in war torn afghanistan have forced authorities to
postpone parliamentary polls due in may for four months an election commission
official said sunday
the ballot was originally planned for may as required by the afghan
constitution but will be postponed until september fazil ahmad manawi
senior commissioner told reporters in kabul
the independent election commission made the decision because of lack of
budget security and uncertainty and logistical challenges the official said
the commission had previously said it was short of around million dollars to
hold the ballot for the wolosi jirga afghanistan lower house of parliament
president hamid karzai administration had earlier called for the ballot to be
held on time pledging to fund the process if the international community failed
to provide the budget
his office was not immediately available for comment
the united nations has called for reforms in the commission before funding the
next ballot the reforms are aimed at preventing fraud that was widely seen in
the presidential polls in august last year won by karzai
afghanistan held its first direct parliamentary election in september
under the constitution the next poll was due to be held no later than days
before the end of the legislative cycle which ends on june
karzai was sworn into office for second five year term in november following
controversial election steeped in fraud mostly in his favour and marred by low
voter turnout and taliban violence
water woes could undermine yemen drive against al qaeda
sanaa jan afp
impoverished yemen is reeling under the threat of al qaeda northern shiite
rebels and southern secessionists but lack of water is putting its ancient
capital at even greater risk experts say
within decade or even less sanaa could become the first waterless
capital in the world they warn adding the outlook is also bleak for the rest
of this parched country where wells in some regions are already dry
conference in london on wednesday will discuss yemen anti terrorism drive
but it is unclear whether the water woes that experts say are likely to fuel
more insecurity are on the agenda
water disputes and riots in this largely tribal nation could squeeze yemen
struggling government undermining its ability to remain focused on an
increasingly alarming security situation
the united states and major european powers concerned about the possible
fallout from resurgent al qaeda have been pressuring sanaa to uproot the
islamic militants yemen says it needs arms training and funds to do that
the situation in yemen is rapidly deteriorating in the face of several
challenges all of which have the potential to develop into serious crisis
within the next five years the carnegie endowment for international peace said
in report last year
it said roughly percent of conflicts in yemen are over water which is being
used more rapidly than it can be replenished water extraction rates in sanaa
are estimated at four times that of replenishment it added
sanaa will be the first capital in modern history to run dry the carnegie
report said
dierk schlutter water specialist with the humanitarian german development
service said that could happen in less than decade
the groundwater feeding sanaa will be exhausted in or one cannot say
exactly schlutter said
he added the government could decide to supply the capital with water tankers
but that would raise water prices which in some districts are already as high
as in european cities like paris
experts warn prices rises are likely to ignite public anger for the past few
years water riots have been common especially in the south
yemen is one of the driest countries on the planet with per capita water share
at about cubic metres cubic feet against global average of
cubic metres cubic feet
per capita water share under cubic meters cubic feet retards
development according to the united nations yemen remains the poorest and most
underdeveloped country of the arabian peninsula
sanaa built at an altitude of metres feet has notoriously
precarious water supply some districts have no supply at all and others have
taps that stop every days
as result hundreds of private drillers suck out water from depleting wells
and sell them in water tankers and jerry cans big and small
mohammad maayad year old private driller said that now drill at depths
of metres but when started only used to drill down to
metres feet to find water
yemen water table is dropping at about two metres feet per year the
carnegie report warned
as of january water and environment ministry officials estimate that more
than private drill rigs are operating in the country the report said
it added that in contrast there are only three in all of jordan and just in
india whose population is more than times that of yemen million people
pulling the water from the ground is all but free for drillers like maayad
because the diesel fuel they need for their pumps is subsidised by the
government and sold for paltry cents litre cents per gallon
officials and international experts blame yemen water problem largely on qat
mild narcotic plant that is chewed by the majority of yemeni men
the problem is qat said european expert who did not wish to be identified
adding about half the water used for agriculture goes to growing qat water used
for agriculture accounts for about percent of all consumption he said
qat fetches four times more than coffee and the plantations are often in the
hands of tribal chiefs or the so called qat mafia who are too powerful for
the government to go after he added
law aimed at curbing water depletion bans private drilling but it is
rarely applied schlutter said
he said the solution to the water issue was to ban qat cultivation but
acknowledged that would be impossible because qat is so entrenched in yemeni
society
it like trying to ban beer in germany or wine in france he added
but five to years from now they will have to decide chew qat or give water
to their children schlutter said
the government is between rock and hard place if they reduce qat production
they will have violent reactions from tribes and producers but if they don
they will have demonstrations over water he added
stuttering start for revamped european union
brussels jan afp
sidelined at the copenhagen climate talks bickering over helping haiti quake
victims struggling to define its own leadership the eu has made an uncertain
start to its new era under the lisbon treaty
the reform treaty which came into effect on december after long and fraught
gestation aims to make the growing european bloc more efficient with
stronger more united voice on the world stage
since then the bad news has been accumulating for europe according to jean
dominique giuliani head of the brussels based robert schuman foundation think
tank
it is urgent to put matters right he warns
the un sponsored climate talks in copenhagen opened last month just days after
the lisbon treaty came into effect
europe entered those talks having set an ambitious target for greenhouse gas
cuts which it hoped would be model for the rest of the world eu officials
left the talks marginalised
those last hours in copenhagen china india japan russia the us each spoke
with one voice while europe spoke with many different voices incoming eu
commissioner for climate action connie hedegaard complained last week
the jury is also out on whether post lisbon europe with its first permanent eu
president and beefed up foreign policy supremo can respond to the growing
challenges of globalisation
british peer catherine ashton who recently assumed the new foreign policy post
has endured something of baptism of fire
criticised by eu parliamentarians for being too vague on major global issues
the high representative for foreign affairs took more flak last week for not
rushing to quake hit haiti
ashton defended herself arguing that she would only be taking up valuable space
on plane not doctor not firefighter she told the assembly which
is beginning to wonder exactly what she is
the haiti drama is the first test for the new european architecture france
european affairs minister pierre lellouche told the figaro newspaper friday we
could have hoped for shorter reaction time greater visibility from the
start
ashton problems are in part caused by the lisbon treaty structure designed to
simplify and streamline things
several observers are instead seeing the kind of four headed dragon described
by one mep
certainly henry kissinger seems no closer to an answer to his famous question
who do call if want to speak to europe
should he ring ashton or the so far rather quiet eu council president herman
van rompuy perhaps eu commission chief jose manuel barroso who has just
embarked on second five year term or what about the rotating eu presidency
currently held by spain
and that not to mention jerzy buzek the president of the european parliament
the one and only eu elected body
so far the impression is of competition between the various institutions and
office holders
last week barroso took to waving copy of the lisbon treaty in the european
parliament as he read out clauses underlining his powers
that was days after rumiana jeleva bulgaria candidate for seat on the eu
commission was forced to withdraw due to opposition among lawmakers as the
european parliament flexed its muscles
what we are seeing at the moment is battle for influence said lellouche
van rompuy who has maintained low profile will be hoping his hour will come
at crisis economic summit in brussels on february
in the meantime spanish prime minister luis rodriguez zapatero has been making
frequent and sometimes unwelcome declarations despite the fact that under the
lisbon treaty the rotating presidency is handed lesser role
he upset his european partners by suggesting binding system to force eu
nations to follow the same economic policy
despite the eu ever closer integration it remains an alliance of very
different member states
the islamic veil state of play in europe
paris jan afp
ban on the wearing of the full islamic veil is being studied in several
european countries including the netherlands denmark and austria
in france parliamentary commission is due to present much awaited report on
tuesday which is expected to recommend that new legislation be enacted to ban
the full veil known as the burqa or niqab in public places
the state of play in western europe
the netherlands several draft laws concerning the wearing of the veil are in
the pipeline including measure which would ban the garment for teachers
another draft aims at ban concerning civil servants
denmark the government is currently discussing the possibility of limiting
wearing of the veil in public places including school and courts it is
awaiting the opinion of government commission before deciding
italy law aimed at protecting public order makes it illegal to cover
one face in public places the provision applies equally to the veil and
motorcycle helmets some mayors from the anti immigrant northern league have
banned the wearing of the full veil and the islamic swimsuit locally
britain the education ministry in march published directives allowing
directors of public establishments and denominational schools to ban the niqab
after several high profile court cases
austria social democratic women minister gabriele heinisch hosek launched the
debate recently and is mulling ban on the full islamic veil in public spaces
if the number of women veiled from head to toe increases dramatically
france in it passed law banning headscarves or any other conspicuous
religious symbols in state schools
belgium numerous districts ban the full veil in public places under local laws
and police ban the wearing of masks in the street except during the period of
carnival
france moves to outlaw the burqa
paris jan afp
france moves one step closer to barring muslim women from wearing the full
islamic veil when much awaited report is released this week laying the
groundwork for ban on the burqa
after six months of hearings surrounded by fierce public debate commission
set up by parliament will publish its findings tuesday on outlawing the full
face veil
home to europe biggest muslim minority estimated at about six million france
is heading into unchartered territory no european country has adopted sweeping
national legislation on restricting the full veil
president nicolas sarkozy set the tone for the debate when he declared the burqa
not welcome in france and described it as symbol of women subservience
which cannot be tolerated in country that considers itself human rights
leader
the page report will recommend that parliament first adopt resolution
stating that the face covering veil known as the burqa or niqab is an affront
to french values and should be prohibited member of the panel said
parliamentary source on friday said the report would recommend the resolution
be followed by legislation to ban the burqa in public services including
hospitals schools and transport
those breaching such ban would not face punishment but would be refused
service for example woman could be denied family welfare payments if she is
wearing veil when she turns up to collect them
politicians of all stripes have cautioned however that some time will be needed
to craft solid text that could stand up to court challenge
think that we are going to liberate lot of women said andre gerin the
communist deputy who chairs the commission and supports ban
gerin has come out in favour of broader law that would make it illegal for
muslim women to wear the full face veil in state offices schools hospitals and
even on the streets
he also wants to take aim at the french taliban husbands brothers and
self styled gurus who force women to cover themselves and has argued for
penalties targeting them
lawmakers however are divided on the scope of the restrictions with many
fearing that draconian law would stigmatise muslims who are already bristling
at the anti islam rants heard during the government national identity debate
the leader of sarkozy right wing party in parliament jean francois cope has
already presented draft legislation that would make it illegal for anyone to
cover their faces in public for reasons of security
women caught wearing the full veil could be fined up to euros
dollars according to his draft bill which is not scheduled to come up for
debate until after regional elections in march
the parliamentary source said tuesday report however will stop short of
calling for full ban in all public spaces judging it uncertain whether that
would be practicable or constitutional
despite large muslim presence the sight of fully veiled women is not an
everyday occurrence in france only women wear the niqab according to the
interior ministry
half of them live in the paris region and percent are under
parliament burqa commission called people to testify politicians
women rights activists french muslim leaders experts and one woman who
wears the full veil
we did listen lot said socialist daniele hoffman rispal member of the
panel and what we heard is that the issue is very complex and will not be
solved simply by adopting law
french support for law banning the full veil is strong poll last week
showed that percent are in favour
france moves are being closely watched at time of particular unease across
europe over islam three months after swiss voters approved ban on minarets
danish prime minister lars loekke rasmussen last week said his government was
also considering restrictions on the all encompassing veil
the british government responding to petition by muslim women for prime
minister gordon brown to advise sarkozy against ban said it does not share
france views on secularisation but the issue was matter for the french
government
manhunts alienation in latest rwanda genocide film
kigali jan afp
the latest feature film on the rwanda genocide which premiered here at the
weekend shows in excruciating detail what day to day life must have been like
for those who survived beyond the first days of the killing
belgian director philippe van leeuw shot le jour ou dieu est parti en voyage
the day god stayed away over two months june to august partly in
kigali partly in the southwestern province of cyangugu
the title comes from the saying in kinyarwanda that god may spend the daylight
hours somewhere else but always comes home to spend the night in rwanda the
