January 29, 2002
- Globalisation of the Written Word. International Book Exhibition
- Poverty Alleviation through Digital Revolution
- Dubai based Farhan Malik behind Kolkatta shoot out
- National Sports Talent Contest Scheme
- Saudi Mining Company to open Dubai base
- Click Online for Majid Al futtaim Group
Indonesian Housemaid kills seven month old baby, Commits Suicide
KM Crime Bureau - Dubai : January 29, 2002 A teenage housemaid from Indonesia has committed suicided in one of the Gulf countries after murdering the seven month old daughter of her Arab employer . What is suspected to be a double murder occurred last week in the Government housing apartment in one of the Gulf capital cities. According to informed sources, the 16 year old Indonesian teenage girl was brought by the employer to work as a housemaid in the Arab country. One of the special assignment was to look after the new born baby to the Arab working couple.
- Just three months before she landed in the Arabian peninsula, the committed suicided by hanging herself from the ceiling. It is learned that she took the extreme step of killing herself and killing a seven month old baby by cutting its throat to avenge the alleged sexual crime committed by her employer. The 16 year old housemaid has been allegedly raped by the police official in his own house. Afterwards, when he went out, the girl cut the throat of the seven month old baby girl and committed suicided.
- The incident is an eye opener to the Arab employers who try to molest young Asian girls after bringing them to the Gulf to work as housemaids. Recently, recruiting agents have been bringing very young girls from Muslim countries like Indonesia who are willing to work with a salary equivalent to less than $100 per month. The fact that many of these new recuits know Arabic language is an added advantage for Indonesian housemaids. The labour market was dominated by the Indians, Sri Lankans and the Philippinos. Such stories of sexual harassment of the housemaid by their employers is very common in this part of the world. It is also learned that the employer is a policeman.
- Recently Saudi Police cheif announced a scheme in which members of public can complain about the alleged misconduct by the police officials. The Saudi Police Chief has also created a special email address and phone number to make such complaints. The incident shows that other Arab countries should follow suit.
BJP Minister urges Wakf Boards to generate Income for spreading Muslim Education
keralamonitor.com
New Delhi; The Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment Dr. Satyanarayan Jatiya, has called for streamlining the functioning of the Wakf Boards in the country in order to augment their income for extending their welfare activities especially the education of girls among the Muslims. He was addressing the 45th meeting of the Central Wakf Council here on January 28. Stressing the need for strengthening measures for protecting the Wakf properties, Dr. Jatiya said that the Wakf Boards should also take care that the income of the Wakfs is properly utilised and its benefits reach the community. Dr. Jatiya said that the measures may be taken to get the Wakf properties exempted from Rent Acts etc. Dr. Jatiya said that 11 states have implemented the Wakf Act, 1995 and urged the remaining states to implement it immediately.
The Council approved scholarship to 800 students pursuing Technical/ Professional degree courses at the rate of Rs.6,000 per annum to each student. It also approved the recommendation of the Wakf Development Committee for loan assistance of 3.5 crore rupees to 24 Development Projects in different parts of the country including Manipur in the North-East. The Council also approved the Budget of the Central Wakf Councill for the financial year 2002-2003.
The Central Wakf Council gives loan assistance to the Mutawallis for constructing the commercially viable buildings on the urban Wakf properties in order to augment their income. Under the Scheme 111 commercial buildings have already been constructed on the Wakf land which include Shopping Complexes, Hostels, Hospitals, Cold Storages etc. Work on more than 50 such projects is in progress.
Dubai based Farhan Malik behind Kolkatta shoot out
keralamonitor.com
A Breakthrough has been achieved in the investigation of the Kolkata shoot-out case, an attack on the American Centre, which took place on the January 22 and in which 4 policemen lost their lives and 18 persons were injured.
Intelligence Agencies and Police of various States had been alerted and were keeping a close vigil for clues and leads on this case. Pin-pointed intelligence ultimately became available about the presence of a terrorist module, and its hide-out in Hazaribagh town, being run by Dubai-based Farhan Malik @ Aftab Ansari who had claimed responsibility for the incident. It also became known that Farhan Malik operated this terrorist module in conjunction with Harkat-ul-Jihad Islamie (HUJI) and Lakshar-e-Toiba (LeT), the two pak based terrorist tanzeems, the Indian Government said in a press note.
Accordingly, the Jharkhand Police raided a terrorist hide-out in Hazaribagh at day-break today and in the resultant shoot-out two terrorists, both Pakistani nationals, namely, Zahid and Salim were seriously injured. Zahid admitted that he was a resident of Khanewala, Distt. Multan, Pakistan and had opened fire at the policemen guarding the American Centre. An AK-47 rifle, believed to have been used in the Kolkata firing, has been recovered from the hide-out in Hazaribagh. Further investigations are being carried out but there is hardly and doubt now about the role of Pakistani nationals and Pak-based terrorist tanzeems, in this case.
Significantly, a new trend is emerging in terms of the direct involvement of Pakistani nationals in terrorist, espionage and subversive activities in India. Apart from the fact that all the five terrorists who attacked the Indian Parliament on December 13, 2001 were Pakistanis, there have been at least five cases of subversion and espionage in recent months in which Pakistani nationals were arrested in India and they, during interrogation, themselves admitted that they were Pakistanis and had been sent to India for sabotage and terrorism at the behest of Pak ISI.January 28, 2002 (keralamonitor.com)
National Sports Talent Contest Scheme
The scheme of National Sports Talent Contest (NSTC) is designed to nurture genetically gifted and physically fit children in the age group of 8-14 years and groom them scientifically in Sports Authority of India (SAI) adopted schools. Selection to the scheme both from hilly as well as plain areas is based on a battery of tests to identify children endowed with good motor qualities and physical growth, having future potential for excellence subject to age verification and medical fitness.
The selected trainees are given scientific training in one of the ten identified disciplines of athletics, badminton, basket ball, foot ball, gymnastics, hockey, swimming, table tennis, volley ball and wrestling.The scheme is in operation in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala Madhya Pradesh, Maharastra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
Saudi Mining Company to open Dubai base
January 29, 2002
Dubai; Saudi Arabia's industrial minerals firm Hamad M Aldrees Company For Industry & Mining unveiled a Gulf expansion plan on the final day of the Glass, Ceramics, Minerals and Mining (GCMM) exhibition which closed Tuesday night at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
The Riyadh-based company says its plans include a feasibility study into the opening of an office in Dubai to serve the UAE's growing manufacturing base.
"Our products silica sand, limestone and nepheline syenite are used in glass, ceramics, rubber, plastics and insulation products and we see a huge market here," said General Manager, Mohammed Al Khayal."We already have clients in the UAE but acknowledge the need to further tap the full potential of the market."The company, which is currently investing US $3 million in a factory in Riyadh to manufacture nepheline syenite, says it's also planning an office in Cairo to serve North African markets. Hamad M. Aldrees was one of three Saudi companies at GCMM, which attracted visitors from over 20 countries.
Global AIDS Fund calls for proposals from African countries
JOHANNESBURG, 29 January (IRIN) - The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has issued its first call for funding proposals from countries hard hit by the epidemics. Members of the new Board of the Global Fund held their first meeting on Monday and finalised procedures for the disbursing of funds.
The first round of grants - to be awarded in April - will be the first made from the Fund initiated by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan last year.
"Today, we are taking a major step forward, moving rapidly to get these resources to the people that need them most," Paul Ehmer, team leader of the Secretariat, was quoted as saying in a press release.
"Proposals will be funded rapidly, with minimum red tape, but with enough safeguards to make sure funds are used responsibly and effectively. Also, the Fund will finance projects that are most likely to clearly demonstrate measurable success," the release said.
A set of guidelines to help countries when submitting their proposals would be issued in the next few days, Melanie Zipperer, communication officer for the Fund, told IRIN on Tuesday. These guidelines will explain eligibility, application procedures, the types of projects the Fund is prepared to support, and the criteria on which funding decisions will be based.
"The deadline for submitting the proposals will be around the end of February or the beginning of March," said Zipperer.
"The Fund will support interventions based on best practice that have the potential to fight the three diseases effectively and with lasting results," the release said.
To date, pledges to the Fund amount to US $1.9 billion, including US $200 million pledged by the US on Monday. The US made an initial pledge of US $200 million last year. Up to US $700 million are expected to be disbursed by the Fund this year.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan last year called for the multimillion dollar global fund to combat HIV/AIDS, saying US $7 billion to US $10 billion was needed annually to curb the spread of the disease.
Meanwhile AIDS activist group Act Up-Paris, issued a statement last week calling for the World Health Organisation to show "clear commitment" on the role of the Global Fund, by advocating that a minimum of 30 percent of Global Fund financing be devoted to purchasing HIV/AIDS medications, in support of the Ouagadougou Call issued at last year's International Conference on AIDS and STDs in Africa (ICASA).
The Global Fund was a "masquerade" as contributions from wealthy nations were outrageously low, the statement said. "And the majority of donor countries refuse to significantly finance the purchase of medicines, thus blocking care for millions of people with AIDS," it added.
Click Online for Majid Al futtaim Group
Dubai, 29 January 2002: Majid Al Futtaim (MAF), the UAE-based group that pioneered the concepts of the mega-mall and the hypermarket in the Middle East, today launched its new website aimed at raising its business profile across the region and overseas.The website at www.majidalfuttaimgroup.com focuses on the rapidly expanding range of shopping, entertainment and leisure projects it continues to develop throughout the UAE , the Gulf and the region while also highlighting its growing interests in lifestyle, professional and financial services.
The page dedicated to the Group's future, draws together and outlines MAF current and future plans. These include the unique Souk Al Nakheel complex in Dubai's southern corridor which will feature a huge ski slope in a real snow playground, completion of a Carrefour hypermarket at Shindagha, Dubai, a series of significant projects in Egypt and potential investment in schemes in Lebanon, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
The user-friendly site - which offers text in Arabic, English and French - traces the structure of the Group and examines each of its main business areas. These include
§ the City Centre-branded shopping, entertainment and leisure complexes - Deira City Centre, Dubai's most visited destination, and Ajman, Sharjah and Muscat City Centres
§ nine Carrefour hypermarkets§ CineStar multiplex cinemas, a joint venture with Greater Union, Australia's premier cinema chain
§ Magic Planet family entertainment centres
§ The Sofitel City Centre Hotel and Residence at Deira City Centre
§ MAF Securicor, a joint venture with Securicor, Europe's leader in international security
§ MAF Orix, a leasing venture with Orix of Japan, one of the world's largest financial services organizations.The MAF website provides direct hot links to Deira City Centre's , Cinestar's and Carrefour's own websites.
Commenting on the launch of the website, Mr Saeed Al Tayer, Group Vice President, Commercial Development, said: "Through the website, our corporate audiences, both at home and abroad, from governments and shareholders to current and potential business partners, will be able to comprehend the boldness of vision of our founder, Majid Al Futtaim, and the sheer size and scope of organization he is leading - all at the click of a mouse.
"The website also clearly shows the direction MAF is going, the Group's willingness to take prudent risks and to seek new business alliances while enhancing the vitality and quality of life of the communities in which we operate and maximizing returns on our investments."
The website includes a Pressroom page where the latest news about MAF, its projects and businesses is to be regularly posted.Pages on Current Projects, which will track the construction of MAF developments, and on Career Opportunities at MAF are currently being prepared. A further page will cover leasing opportunities in the City Centres, including Deira City Centre and the others now operating, as well as in MAF's new developments around the region.
