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Pakistan orders international charity to leave

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Government accuses Save the Children aid group of working against national interest and seals its offices in Islamabad.

A spokesperson for Save the Children confirmed that its office in Islamabad had been sealed off without warning [AFP]

A spokesperson for Save the Children confirmed that its office in Islamabad had been sealed off without warning [AFP]

by Al Jazeera

Pakistani authorities have sealed off the offices of the international aid group Save the Children, saying the charity was “working against the country”, police and government officials say.

Government officials accompanied by police arrived at the charity’s office in the heart of the capital Islamabad on Thursday after working hours and placed a lock on the compound gate.

“We have sealed the office of Save the Children on government instructions,” Kamran Cheema, a senior government official, told the AFP news agency.

“We don’t know the reasons behind this order. We were sent a three-line notification by the interior ministry saying that this office should be sealed and all the expatriate staff be sent back to their countries within 15 days.”

The government did not make any formal announcement but an official from the interior ministry told AFP that the agency was involved in “anti-Pakistan activities”.

“Their activities were being monitored since a long time. They were doing something which was against Pakistan’s interest,” said the official without giving his name because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

Strong objection

A spokesperson for Save the Children confirmed in a statement that its office had been sealed off without warning.

“Save the Children was not served any notice to this effect. We strongly object to this action and are raising our serious concerns at the highest levels,” the spokesperson said.

“Save the Children has worked in Pakistan for more than 35 years and we currently have 1,200 [Pakistani] staff members working across the nation.

“All our work is designed and delivered in close collaboration with the government ministries across the country, and aims to strengthen public service delivery systems in health, nutrition, education and child welfare.”

Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder, reporting from Haripur in Pakistan, said on Friday that the suspicion against Save the Children started after the successful US mission to find al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

In 2012 a Pakistan intelligence report linked the aid group to Pakistani doctor Shakeel Afridi who was allegedly used by the CIA to carry out a fake vaccination programme as they searched for bin Laden.

The charity’s expatriate staff were forced to leave Pakistan after the accusations emerged.

Save the Children has always denied it had any links with Afridi or the CIA.

Our correspondent said the crackdown on the charity have come amid government efforts to introduce stricter controls on nongovernmental organisations and charities through the legislature.

“There has been deep suspicion with the government that [these groups] have colluded with foreign powers,” he said.

Lottery scam-tainted IPS officer Alok Kumar's posted to Internal Security Division

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alok_kumar

Bengaluru: The state government on Friday placed Alok Kumar, the Additional Commissioner of Bengalru West in a IGP level post in the Internal Security Division (ISD).  Alok Kumar, an IGP rank officer, WAS suspended for his alleged link with the main accused in the single number lottery scam.

At the same time, the government transferred Pratap Reddy, IGP of CID (Administration) as Additional Commissioner of Bengaluru West in the existing vacancy due to suspension of Alok Kumur.

Alok Kumar was suspended on May 24 by the Chief Minister SIddaramaiah after his call details proved his link with the single number lottery scam accused Pari Raran. However, Alok Kumar had said that he has friendship with Pari Rajan and does not have any connection with the single number lottery scam. Later the investigation was handed over to CBI by the Siddaramaiah government following the demand from the opposition parties and public.

KV Sharath Chandra,Inspeclor Generat of Police, Administration (Chief Office) Bengaluru is transferred as Inspector General of Police, Criminal Investigation Department, Bengaluru.

S Rangaswamy Naik, Superintendent of Police, Chamaraianugar District, Chamarajanagar has been transferred as Deputy Commandant General, Home Guards & Ex-officio Deputy Director of Civil Defence, Bengaluru. Kuldeep Kumar R.Jain, Commandant, First Battalion, Karnataka State Reserve Police, Bengaluru is transferred as Superintendent of Police, Chamarajanagar District.

(Agencies)

Zimbabwe offers new exchange rate: $1 for 35,000,000,000,000,000 old dollars

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Central bank discards local currency after years of hyperinflation which at one point reached 500,000,000,000%

An old Z$100tn note, pictured in 2010. Photograph: Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/AP

An old Z$100tn note, pictured in 2010. Photograph: Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/AP

by The Guardian

Zimbabweans will start exchanging “quadrillions” of local dollars for a few US dollars next week as President Robert Mugabe’s government discards its virtually worthless national currency.

The southern African country started using foreign currencies including the US dollar and South African rand in 2009 after the Zimbabwean dollar was ruined by hyperinflation, which hit 500 billion per cent in 2008.

At the height of the country’s economic crisis, Zimbabweans had to carry plastic bags bulging with banknotes to buy basic goods. Prices were rising at least twice a day.

From Monday, customers who held Zimbabwean dollar accounts before March 2009 can approach their banks to convert their balance into US dollars, the governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, John Mangudya, said in a statement.

Zimbabweans have until September to turn in their old banknotes, which some people sell as souvenirs to tourists.

Bank accounts with balances of up to 175 quadrillion Zimbabwean dollars will be paid $5. Those with balances above 175 quadrillion dollars will be paid at an exchange rate of $1 for 35 quadrillion Zimbabwean dollars.

The highest – and last – banknote to be printed by the bank in 2008 was 100tn Zimbabwean dollars. It was not enough to ride a public bus to work for a week.

The bank said customers who still had stashes of old Zimbabwean notes could walk into any bank and get $1 for every 250tn they hold. That means a holder of a 100tn banknote will get 40 cents.

The bank has set aside $20m to pay Zimbabwean dollar currency holders.

25 electrocuted after live wire falls on bus in Rajasthan

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Rajasthan

Jaipur: At least 25 persons were electrocuted Friday when a bus in which they were travelling came in contact with a live wire in Pachewar area of Tonk district of Rajasthan, officials said.

15 deaths are confirmed and several others also received burn injuries, district collector Rekha Gupta said.

Police and district administration officials have reached the spot, the DC said.

The death toll is likely to increase, the SP Deepak Kumar said.

(PTI)

US opens probe against TCS, Infosys for H1-B visa violations

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TCS-Infosys

New York: The US government has opened an investigation against two of the biggest Indian outsourcing companies for possible violations of H1-B visa rules, according to a media report.

The Department of Labour has opened the investigation against Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys for “possible violations of rules for visas for foreign technology workers under contracts they held with an electric utility Southern California Edison,” the New York Times said.

The power company had recently laid off more than 500 technology workers amid claims that many of those laid off were made to train their replacements who were immigrants on the temporary work visas brought in by the Indian firms Senators Richard Durbin of Illinois and Jeff Sessions of Alabama announced the investigation after they were notified by the department, the report said.

The move by the Labour Department comes days after the NYT had reported that hundreds of employees at entertainment giant Walt Disney were laid off and replaced with Indians holding H1-B visas.

About 250 Disney employees were told in late October last year that they would be laid off and many of their jobs were transferred to immigrants on H1-B visas brought in by an outsourcing firm based in India, the report had said.

It had also cited the layoffs at the Southern California Edison power utility, saying that the layoffs are “raising new questions about how businesses and outsourcing companies are using the temporary visas, known as H-1B, to place immigrants in technology jobs in the United States.”

(PTI)

Alok Kumar pressured me to become an ‘approver’ in alleged terror conspiracy: Syed Sadiq Sameer

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Syed Sadiq Sameer

Bengaluru: Syed Sadiq Sameer, a businessman from Bengaluru, who was acquitted in the Hubballi terror conspiracy case, has revealed that IPS officer Alok Kumar had pressured him to become an approver.

Sadiq, along with 15 others, was acquitted in the case recently, as police failed to create evidence.

“I was scared when the police arrested me in the case. Even before the police took me to the magistrate, Alok Kumar called me and asked me to become an approver. I refused, and I was also charge-sheeted for the conspiracy. This offer was given to me repeatedly at the CID office, as well. I was not told what I should do after becoming approver,” he said.

Syed Akmal Hassan Rizvi, a High Court advocate and member of the Association for Protection of Civil Rights, said: “The CID police had framed charges and the court termed the investigation shoddy and casual.

“Many witnesses in the case were from the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, who had protested against one of the accused, Dr Asif, for making arrangements in his hostel room for prayers,” he revealed.

“The judge had also noted in the order that 14 cases were registered against the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike. The judge further doubted the seizure of the explosives stating that they could have been planted, as suggested by the defence,” he added.

It could be worth mentioning here that IPS officer Alok Kumar was recently suspended from the post of Additional Commissioner of Police for his connections with illegal lotteries and the cricket betting mafia.

(Agencies)

Actor Christopher Lee dies at the age of 93

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The veteran actor was best known for roles including Dracula and Saruman in the Lord of the Rings franchise

Sir Christopher Lee, who passed away at the weekend. AFP PHOTO / CARL COURT (Photo credit should read CARL COURT/AFP/Getty Images)

Sir Christopher Lee, who passed away at the weekend. CARL COURT/AFP/Getty Images

by The Guardian

Sir Christopher Lee has died at the age of 93 after being hospitalised for respiratory problems and heart failure.

The veteran actor, best known for a variety of films from Dracula to The Wicker Man through to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, passed away on Sunday morning at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, according to sources.

The decision to release the news days after was based on his wife’s desire to inform family members first. The couple had been married for over 50 years.

As well as his career in film, Lee also released a series of heavy metal albums, including Charlemagne: The Omens of Death. He was knighted in 2009 for services to drama and charity and was awarded the Bafta fellowship in 2011.

His film career started in 1947 with a role in gothic romance Corridor of Mirrors but it wasn’t until the late 50s, when Lee worked with Hammer, that he started gaining fame. His first role with the studio was The Curse of Frankenstein and it was the first of 20 films that he made with Peter Cushing, who also became a close friend. “Hammer was an important part of my life, and generally speaking, we all had a lot of fun,” he said in a 2001 interview.

Christopher Lee as Dracula. Photograph: REX/Moviestore Collection

Lee’s most famous role for Hammer was playing Dracula, a role which became one of his most widely recognised although the actor wasn’t pleased with how the character was treated. “They gave me nothing to do!” he told Total Film in 2005. “I pleaded with Hammer to let me use some of the lines that Bram Stoker had written. Occasionally, I sneaked one in. Eventually I told them that I wasn’t going to play Dracula any more. All hell broke loose.”

In the 70s, Lee continued to gain fame in the horror genre with a role in The Wicker Man, a film which he considered to be his best. “Wonderful film… had a hell of a time getting it made,” he said. “Its power lies in the fact that you never expect what eventually happens, because everyone is so nice.” He went on to play a Bond villain in 1974’s The Man with the Golden Gun and turned down a role in Halloween, which he later said was one of biggest career regrets. In his career, he also turned down a role in Airplane!, something he also regretted.

Christopher Lee as Saruman. Photograph: EPA

His concern over being typecast in horror films led him to Hollywood and roles in Airport ‘77 and Steven Spielberg’s 1941. His career saw a resurgence in 2001 with a role as Saruman in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and then as Count Dooku in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

He also became a regular collaborator with Tim Burton, who cast him in Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Alice in Wonderland and Dark Shadows. Burton went on to award him with a Bafta fellowship.

In 2011, he returned to Hammer with a role in the Hilary Swank thriller The Resident although he generally tried to avoid the horror genre in later years. “There have been some absolutely ghastly films recently, physically repellent,”he said. “What we did was fantasy, fairy tales – no real person can copy what we did. But they can do what Hannibal Lecter does, if they’re so inclined, people like Jeffrey Dahmer and Dennis Nilsen, and for that reason, I think such films are dangerous.”

Hand over Kashi, Mathura, Ayodhya to Hindus, says Ashok Singhal

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Ashok Singhal

Lucknow: Hindutva hawk and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Ashok Singhal on Wednesday appealed to the Muslim community to “hand over” Kashi, Mathura and Ayodhya to Hindus for “love and amicable atmosphere” in the society.

Addressing a programme where Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh was also present, Mr. Singhal said: “I again appeal to the Muslim community to hand over three places — Kashi, Mathura and Ayodhya — to Hindus peacefully…love and amity will prevail in the society.”

Reacting to Singhal’s call, one commentator on social media jokingly posted: “Didn’t know Muslims control these places”.

UN warns of worsening situation in Sudan's Darfur

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Security Council discusses violence that has seen tens of thousands displaced this year by new violence in the region.

Darfur has been in turmoil since 2003 when ethnic Africans revolted against the government of President Bashir [Reuters]

Darfur has been in turmoil since 2003 when ethnic Africans revolted against the government of President Bashir [Reuters]

by Al Jazeera

The UN has warned that violent attacks on international peacekeepers and civilians in Sudan’s conflict-torn Darfur region have been increasing, forcing tens of thousands of people from their homes.

Edmond Mulet, UN peacekeeping deputy chief, told the 15-member Security Council on Wednesday that there has been negligible progress in peace efforts for Darfur.

He blamed the second phase of the Sudanese government’s Decisive Summer military campaign to end armed uprisings for causing the new wave of displacement across the region.

Humanitarian organisations have estimated at least 78,000 newly displaced this year, while the UN has unverified reports of 130,000 more, Mulet said.

“There is also significant concern about reports of indiscriminate attacks against civilians” and other human rights violations, he said.

One diplomat speaking to Al Jazeera described UNAMID, a joint mission by the UN and the African Union, as “the most dysfunctional peacekeeping mission in the world”.

“UN officials will tell you privately that the actions of the government of Sudan are one of the reasons why UNAMID is not working,” Al Jazeera’s Diplomatic Editor James Bays reported from the UN headquarters in New York.

“Some will tell you that if UNAMID continues to fail, then eventually the UN should withdraw. But of course that’s exactly what Sudan has made it clear it wants to happen.”

UN chief Ban Ki-moon’s latest progress report on UNAMID said there were 60 “incidents and hostile attacks against UNAMID” in the three months to May 15, compared with 46 in the previous quarter.

The new surge of violence in Darfur comes as the UN holds talks with the government of President Omar al-Bashir on an exit strategy for UNAMID, which has at least 15,000 peacekeepers on the ground.

Sudan ordered UNAMID out of Darfur late last year.

Constraints on force

Abiodun Oluremi Bashua, the acting head of UNAMID, said constraints placed on the peacekeepers by the Sudanese government is one of the reasons they cannot do their job properly.

“We can leave Darfur in a year if the government creates the necessary conditions to make that possible,” he told Al Jazeera.

“Those conditions have to do with the security, the protection of civilians, the guarantees for their protection and their security, their ability to go back home without fearing that they might be attacked or something.

“We also need to have engaged and encouraged governments to address the root causes of the major inter-tribal conflicts.”

The Security Council is due to decide on June 24 on renewing the mandate of UNAMID until next year.

Darfur has been in turmoil since 2003, when ethnic Africans revolted, accusing the Arab-dominated Sudanese government of discrimination.

Rights groups accused the government of retaliating by unleashing Arab armed groups on civilians, a claim the authorities deny.

Hassan Hamid Hassan, Sudan’s deputy UN ambassador, told the Security Council that the violence and displacements were mainly due to tribal clashes and attacks by rebels, not government forces.

UN peacekeepers accused of swapping goods for sex

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Hundreds of exploitation and abuse allegations, many involving children, made in 2008-2014 period, UN draft report says.

UN peacekeepers

by Al Jazeera

UN peacekeepers commonly pay for sex with cash, dresses, jewellery, perfume, mobile phones and other items despite a ban on such relationships, a draft UN report has concluded.

The draft study by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), obtained by Reuters news agency, says surveys of hundreds of women in Haiti and Liberia found their reasons for selling sex included hunger, poverty and lifestyle improvement.

“Evidence from two peacekeeping mission countries demonstrates that transactional sex is quite common but underreported in peacekeeping missions,” concluded the OIOS draft dated May 15.

The UN currently has more than 125,000 troops, police and civilians deployed in 16 operations around the world.

The OIOS draft report also notes that “the number of condoms distributed, along with the number of personnel undergoing voluntary counselling and confidential testing for HIV … suggest that sexual relationships between peacekeeping personnel and the local population may be routine”.

It said a UN bulletin issued in 2003 banned transactional sex by peacekeepers, in part because it undercuts the organisation’s credibility in areas where it is serving.

The OIOS draft said 480 allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse had been made between 2008 and 2013, of which one-third involved children.

It said missions in Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Haiti and South Sudan accounted for the largest numbers of accusations.

In 2014 it said 51 allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse had been made against UN peacekeepers.

States providing troops to UN missions have the primary responsibility to investigate allegations against their soldiers and police.

“Despite continuing reductions in reported allegations, that are partly explained by underreporting, effectiveness of enforcement against sexual exploitation and abuse is hindered by a complex architecture, prolonged delays, unknown and varying outcomes, and severely deficient victim assistance,” OIOS said.

‘Fundamental problems’

Speaking to Al Jazeera from London on Thursday, Anneke Van Woudenberg, Africa deputy director at Human Rights Watch, the New York-based rights monitor, said she was not surprised by the findings in the draft UN report.

“This is something that we have seen in many countries of the world where the UN is operating and it has been a problem that has been going on for many years,” she said.

“The UN has tried to tighten up on it, but it has got a couple of fundamental problems – one of which is that there is immunity from prosecution for peacekeepers that are deployed on UN peacekeeping missions.

“If those peacekeepers commit crimes [while on mission], they cannot be held to account in those countries. They can only be held to account in their home countries, and far too often this immunity is like a protective cloak.”

The draft report included a response by the UN Departments of Peacekeeping Operations and Field Support.

They regretted that OIOS did not evaluate prevention efforts and only focused on enforcement and remedial assistance efforts.

 

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