Iraqi opposition leader says Saddam in Iraq

LONDON, April 21 -- Ahmad Chalabi, head of the opposition Iraqi National Congress, said on Monday that President Saddam Hussein was still in Iraq."Yes, he is in Iraq. Yes, he is moving around," Chalabi told the BBC Radio Today Program from Baghdad."We have received information about his movements and the movements of his sons," Chalabi said.

"We cannot locate Saddam... But we are aware of his movements and we are aware of the areas that he has been to and we learn of this within 12 to 24 hours," he added.Saddam tops the list of 55 Iraqi officials most wanted by the United States, which launched military action against Iraq on March 20.

The US accused Baghdad of hiding its banned arms from UN inspectors. But Saddam's regime firmly rejected the allegation.Chalabi, who left Iraq in 1958 with his family when he was a teenager and returned to Baghdad last week with US help, was now regarded by some in Washington as a possible political leader in post-Saddam Iraq.

But in the BBC interview, Chalabi again dismissed the speculation that he was a candidate for the top post."I don't want to do a political role now," Chalabi said, "I want to work on building civil society because this is the basis of democracy."Chalabi added he felt that the United Nations deserved only a "limited role" in rebuilding Iraq.

Bodies of British soldiers found Iraqi desert graves

LONDON, April 21 -- The bodies of two missing British soldiers have been found in shallow graves in the Iraqi desert, The Times Newspaper reported on Monday.The remains of Staff Sergeant Simon Cullingworth, 36, and Sapper Luke Allsopp, 24, were found in al-Zubayr, about 24 kilometers (15 miles) from Iraqi southern city of Basra, where themen had been ambushed on March 23, just three days into the US-ledwar against Iraq.

There would be an investigation into the manner of the deaths, which is likely to take several weeks, the paper quoted a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Defense as saying.A full forensic examination has been launched to determine if they were "executed", as was controversially alleged by the British Prime Minister Tony Blair soon after they had disappeared,the paper said.

At a press conference with US President George W. Bush on March27, Blair said that the men had been summarily killed by Iraqi fighters.He was forced to apologize after initially saying that after the family of Sapper Allsopp publicly denounced this analysis, insisting that their son had died in combat, as his commanding officer had told them.Blair made the remarks after the bodies of the two men were shown clearly on a television footage of the Qatar-based news channel al-Jazeera.Allsopp and Cullingworth, both belonged to 33 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Engineer Regiment, were the only British servicemen who died in combat and whose bodies were not returned immediately to Britain. Up to now, about 31 British serviceman have been killed in thisongoing conflict in Iraq.

Criminal charges filed against two persons during raids on software resellers

Company found guilty of downloading illegal software

April 21, 2003

The Dubai Police in coordination with the Arabian Anti-Piracy Alliance (AAA) recently raided a reseller in the emirate for illegally downloading software, and arrested two persons in this connection.

The raid led to the seizure of two personal computers loaded with pirated computer software including Windows XP and Office XP. An additional 19 computer software discs loaded with Windows XP, Office XP, all versions of Adobe Photoshop and Autocad were also impounded.

"The arrested persons have been criminally charged with violation of the UAE copyright law for loading software without the required authorisation," said Scott Butler, CEO of Arabian Anti-Piracy Alliance. "The AAA operations team has been monitoring the activities of suspect resellers and the raids are carried out once we receive evidence of misconduct. We are working in close cooperation with the Dubai Police to ensure that stringent penalties are awarded to these violators so that it serves as a deterrent to others."

"These raids reflect the commitment on the part of the UAE authorities to protect intellectual property rights and penalise the offenders. Such initiatives go a long way in reinforcing the country's resolve to create a healthy environment that supports creative ideas and attracts local and foreign investment," Butler added.

The recent raid is part of a concerted campaign being carried out by the UAE Government as part of their efforts to eradicate the menace of software piracy. These raids also act as a warning to software pirates and help in spreading awareness amongst end-users on the importance of installing only original software on their computers.

"Software piracy directly affects developers, who face the possibility that pirated copies will outnumber the legal ones, negating expected profits and even turning an otherwise successful product into a financial failure for the company. This can prove detrimental to a country's economy especially when it involves local IT companies. Such positive measures undertaken by countries like the UAE, will also help in building greater confidence among international IT investors who would like to set up offices in the Middle East to tap the potential IT market in the region," said Butler.
"Counterfeit software is often of lower quality. Users should be aware that with illegal software, they loose the opportunities to take advantage of warranties, customer support and other benefits that come with legitimate products," he concluded.

NIGERIA: Obasanjo takes commanding lead in presidential ballot

LAGOS, 21 April (IRIN) - With results of Saturday's presidential elections released in more than half of Nigeria's 36 states, incumbent President Olusegun Obasanjo has established a commanding lead over his closest rival, Muhammadu Buhari.

Results on Monday from 21 states showed Obasanjo with 13.64 million votes - about 66 percent - compared to 5.62 million - some 27 percent - for Buhari. The remaining votes, seven percent, were shared by 18 other opposition candidates.

Saturday's polls also included elections for the post of state governor. Most of the state governorships declared so far have been won by the ruling party, which has made inroads into former opposition strongholds, particularly in the southwest.

However, most opposition parties have protested against the results, alleging massive rigging by the ruling party through the use of government machinery.

"What we have seen is no election," Uche Ezechukwu, spokesman for the main opposition All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP) told IRIN. "We have a situation where people express their will one way and it is rewritten another way by the government and electoral officials."

Saturday's election was generally peaceful in most parts of the West African country of 120 million people, including some 61 million registered voters. However, isolated incidents were reported in different parts of the country, including the snatching of ballot boxes and voting materials by political thugs. In Bayelsa State in the southern Nigeria's oil-producing Niger Delta, six youths were reportedly shot dead by policemen after they resisted orders to leave a polling station.

"As far as we are concerned there has been no rigging," Abel Guobadia, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), told reporters in the capital, Abuja, on Sunday. He said votes would be voided in areas where it was confirmed that ballot boxes had been snatched and election materials tampered with.

However, election observers have expressed concern about statistics released by INEC last week for legislative elections on 12 April which showed huge turnouts in some places where the poll was boycotted.

The electoral commission reported a 98-percent turnout in parts of the Niger Delta, where militants from the Ijaw ethnic group had boycotted the polls. In Saturday's governorship vote in another southern area, Rivers State, won by the ruling People's Democratic Party candidate, the commission reported a 96-percent turnout despite a boycott by the main opposition party.

Monitors of the Catholic Justice, Peace and Development Commission, which has the largest number of election observers in the country - 30,000 - have accused INEC of not reflecting voting trends observed at polling centres in the final results it announced. Observers of the International Republican Institute of the United States have also queried "discrepancies" in INEC's figures.

Police and troops have been deployed across major cities in Nigeria to prevent anticipated violence after the ANPP last week urged "mass action" by its supporters if they thought the vote had been rigged.

Somalian Opposition rejects election results in Somaliland

NAIROBI, 21 April (IRIN) - The main opposition party in the self-declared republic of Somaliland, northwestern Somalia, has rejected the results of last week's presidential elections. The presidential candidate for the Kulmiye (Solidarity) Ahmad Muhammad Silanyo, the main challenger to incumbent President Dahir Riyale Kahin, has reportedly said that he would not accept the results, because they were rigged, a senior party official told IRIN on Monday.

"We cannot accept results we know to be false," the official, who requested anonymity, added. "We are confident that we won. We are not contesting the way the poll was conducted. What we are contesting is the counting."

The Somaliland Election Commission (SEC) on Saturday declared Kahin of the Unity of Democrats (UDUB) Party the winner of Somaliland's first multiparty presidential election, which was held on 14 April.

SEC officials, however, dismissed the allegations. "The elections were free and fair", Ahmad Adan Ali Godir, a member of the SEC, told IRIN on Monday. "All parties had agents present at each counting place who countersigned each result, so there was no rigging."

Godir said he hoped all parties would accept the results, but added that anyone who disputed them was "entitled to petition the high court, within 20 days as stipulated in our constriction".

The Kulmiye official told IRIN that the party would petition the high court "for redress". He added, "Our legal team is currently busy drawing up our petition, along with a long list of evidence of wrongdoing by the election commission."

According to Godir, Kahin got 205,595 votes, or 42.08 percent, against 205,515, or 42.07 percent, for Silanyo, a difference of 80 votes. Faysal Ali Warabe of UCID (Justice and Restoration), the third candidate, came in third, polling 77,433, or 15 percent, of the total vote of 498,639 votes cast around the country. An estimated 800,000 people were eligible to vote of Somaliland's three million people.

Kahin, 51, assumed the Somaliland presidency after the death of longtime President Muhammad Ibrahim Egal in May 2002. He is the first popularly elected president since Somaliland declared unilateral independence. Elders appointed Abdirahman Tur, the first president, and Egal.

Somaliland, a former British protectorate, declared independence from the rest of Somalia in 1991 after the collapse of the Siyad Barre government, but has not been internationally recognised. Over the past decade, it has moved away from conflict, while the rest of Somalia has been locked in civil strife.

Assisting the NRIs a central policy: T. P. Srinivasan

To assist Non-Resident Indians, contributing to the developmental activities of the country is a policy of the Government of India, and should be encouraged, said Mr. T. P. Srinivasan, Ambassador of India to Austria. Mr. Srinivasan was in the Capital City of Thiruvananthapuram recently, to announce the Global NRI Night, slated to take place from August 2 to 4 in Thiruvananthapuram. He also inaugurated the website in connection with upcoming event.

According to Mr. Srinivasan, since all these years, after attaining freedom, the country has finally started identifying non-resident Indians and has taken several initiatives to secure the welfare of Indians working abroad. Mr. Srinivasan pointed out that, the first military coup in Fiji, during his tenure as ambassador, prompted the Government of India to go for bold initiatives to protect the interests of Indians abroad. The Global NRI Night, to be held at Aswathy Gardens in Kazhakuttam in August would have the participation of NRI families, numbering more than two thousand, from different parts of the world.

Sri Lankan Airways to commence service from Kochi

Sri Lankan Airlines is all set to begin its fight service from Kochi from April 22nd. The service in the Colombo-Kochi-Colombo sector would be available on all Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the flight from Colombo would depart for Kochi at 08.10 hrs to reach Nedumbasseri in Kochi at 09.00 hrs. The flight would then leave Kochi at 10.15 hrs to reach Colombo at 12.05 hrs.

The Friday flight would leave Colombo at 09.40 hrs to reach Kochi at 10.30 hrs, which would leave Kochi at 11.50 so as to reach Colombo at 13.40 hrs. As part of commencing its operation in the Colombo-Kochi-Colombo sector the Sri Lankan Airlines has announced an attractive tour package for two persons, entitling them spend 4 days and 3 nights in Colombo.

Sheikh Ahmed presents the first-ever Emirates Businesswomen Award

Salwa Saleh Saeed Ali Shaibani and Habiba Hassan Al Marashi gain recognition for exceptional entrepreneurship and dynamism

April 21, 2003

DUBAI - Two of UAE's most self-motivated and skilled businesswomen became the first ever recipients of the Emirates Businesswomen Award that has been instituted to recognize the achievements of women in the professional and business world in the UAE.The awards were presented by H.E. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Department of Civil Aviation and patron of the Dubai Quality Group, at a gala ceremony held yesterday (Sunday 20 April, 2003) at the Grand Hyatt Dubai, attended by three hundred eminent personalities.

Emirates Businesswomen Award was launched by Shell Dubai and Northern Emirates in association with the Dubai Quality Group, with the intention of singling out extraordinary women with achievements in the professional and business arena through a stringently devised points system based on five parameters of visionary leadership, future goals, professional achievements, career achievements and community contribution.

"Dubai Quality Group's (DQG) contribution and support to the Emirates Businesswomen Award is a part of its objective to support Dubai's drive for quality," said Ahmed Al Banna, Chairman, Dubai Quality Group. "Emirates Businesswomen Award has great significance for businesswomen in this region, as they have taken progress in their stride while preserving their culture, tradition and values. We are pleased to see the accomplishments of all women in the UAE. DQG would like to congratulate the winners and thank all the applicants for participating, as well as extending particular thanks to Shell for sponsoring the event, Sikologia Consultancy for being the official award consulting company and Khalil Al Sayegh Jewellers for designing and manufacturing the special award for winners."

"Emirates Businesswomen Award is the culmination of Shell's active involvement in social issues in the Middle East as part of its corporate philosophy," said Ian Everigham, Chairman, Shell Dubai and Northern Emirates. "Over the years, we have seen a dramatic transformation of UAE women and their successful progression into the world of business. We are proud to be associated with this award and recognize that these two winners are the embodiment of female entrepreneurship in the UAE."

Salwa Saleh Saeed Ali Shaibani, President and CEO, Condor Medical Waste Management, winner of the Business owner/investor category said: "It is a great honour to be recognized through such an auspicious award, and I am proud to be representative of so many UAE women who have achieved success in their own fields. To constantly challenge you and not be discouraged when setbacks arise has been the secret to my achievements. Women have great abilities and those who are determined to succeed can achieve anything they aspire to."

Habiba Hassan Al Marashi, Chairperson, Emirates Environmental Group, winner of the Professional category, said: "This award is significant in UAE society today, which is now able to recognize the leadership and managerial quality of women. I hope that this achievement inspires other women to push their limits and excel in their respective fields of expertise." The winners received elegantly designed crystal trophies and a citation, as well been presented a diamond butterfly brooch specifically created for the occasion by Khalil Al Sayegh Jewellers.

Emirates Businesswomen Award attracted numerous entries from national as well as resident women in the UAE. Dr. Nadia Buhannad, Managing Director of Sikologia Consultancy, supervised the selection process. The members of the judging panel comprised of Dr. Khalid Al Khazraji, Undersecretary of Labour, Ministry of Labour; Dr. Fatima Al Shamsi, Associate Dean, College of Business & Economics, UAE University; Mr. Hussain Al Mahmoudi, External Affairs Manager, Shell Dubai and Northern Emirates and Mr. Mohammad Asghar, Secretary General, Dubai Quality Group. The judging panel was also presented certificates by H.E. Sheikh Ahmed for their diligent effort in the selection process.-keralamonitor.com

Sheikh Mohammed urges Dubai e-Government to encourage greater participation of UAE youth in the IT sector during his visit to the Career Fair 2003

April 21, 2003

His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Defence Minister, today urged the Dubai e-government to play a leading role in creating greater opportunities for UAE nationals to be gainfully employed and also to equip the youth with the necessary skills that will help them to become effective contributors in bringing about the transformation of Dubai into a digital economy. He was visiting the Dubai e-Government stand at the Career Fair 2003 on Monday April 21, 2003. His Highness instructed the Dubai e-Government to spread the knowledge of IT throughout the community and to encourage people to make greater use of electronic services in all their governmental transactions.

"We are deeply encouraged by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid's visit and will fully implement his instructions to boost the skills and opportunities for UAE nationals in the Information Technology sector as well as open the doors of opportunity for them within the government and private sector enterprises. We are working hard to fulfill the vision of His Highness to transform the nature of government services and accelerate the move towards creating a technologically developed society. Dubai e-Government is taking rapid strides towards electronically integrating all the government services," said Salem Al-Shair, Director Services, Dubai e-Government.

"His Highness also instructed the Dubai e-Government to conduct workshops and road shows that will persuade the UAE youth to contribute effectively to make the Dubai e-Government's achieve its objectives of providing e-Services to the residents and business entities," Al-Shair added.

Marwan Al Naqi, Acting Manager, Community Outreach & Marketing, Dubai e-Government gave His Highness Sheikh Mohammed a detailed demonstration on the benefits the online recruitment facility that the Dubai e-government is providing UAE nationals through its portal www.dubai.ae.