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Pak police detain ISLAMABAD, Mar 20: Pakistani police today detained hundreds of members of political parties to stop a rally for the restoration...more Long-term use of estrogen linked to ovarian cancer WASHINGTON, Mar 21: Women who use estrogen for more than 10 years to ease the effects of menopause have twice as high a risk of dying from....more United
Nations counters BERLIN, Mar 21: United Nations has come to the defence of India and China in countering Bush administration’s. ...more Mansingh
upbeat WASHINGTON, Mar 21: Ambassador-designate Lalit Mansingh has said that Indo-American relations are at their best in over.....more |
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Pakistan parties demand interim Government and general elections NEW DELHI, Mar 21: Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD), a conglomerate of some major Pakistani opposition....more China-US relations at "critical stage": Jiang BEIJING, Mar 21: Chinese President Jiang Zemin has said that Sino-US relations are at a "critical stage" and both countries must make joint efforts....more US
will not force peace WASHINGTON, Mar 21: US President George W Bush has told visiting Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that America "will not try to force peace"......more UN Council gets text on force for Palestinians UNITED NATIONS, Mar 21: Seven nations yesterday sponsored a Security Council resolution calling for a U.N. observer force to protect Palestinians, in......more |
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Priests, missionaries sexually abuse nuns, says a report VATICAN CITY, Mar 21: The vatican has acknowledged a damning report that some priests and missionaries were forcing nuns to have sex with them, and were in some cases committing rape and forcing the victims to have abortions. Some nuns were forced to take the contraceptive pill, the report cited in Rome daily La Repubblica said yesterday. The Vatican said the issue was restricted to a certain geographical area, but the report cited cases in 23 countries, including the United States, Brazil, the Philippines, India, Ireland and Italy. Missionary news agency Misna condemned the abuse while recalling that missionaries often worked "at the limit of human endurance". It urged the media to remember the good deeds of missionaries around the world as well as their failings. A vatican statement said "in relation to the news of cases of sexual abuse against nuns committed by priests and missionaries, chief vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls had the following announcement: "The problem is known about and is restricted to a certain geographical area. "The holy see is dealing with the issue in collaboration with bishops, the union of superiors general (grouping of heads of male religious orders) and the international union of superiors general (heads of female religious orders)." While the vatican did not name the geographical area, the report said most incidents of sexual abuse against nuns occurred in Africa where the nuns were identified as "safe" following the onset of the HIV and AIDS viruses devastating the continent. Charges made in the report, signed with names and surnames, were made known to Church authorities on several occasions throughout the 1990s, the article by La Repubblica’s respected Vatican correspondent Marco Politi said. The author of the report was nun and physician Maura O’Donohue, who presented it to the head of the Vatican’s congregation for holy orders, cardinal Martinez Somalo, in February 1995. He ordered a working group from the congregation to study the problem with O’Donohue, who was AIDS coordinator for Cafod, the London-based Roman Catholic fund for overseas development. O’Donohue made specific reference to certain cases, one in which a priest forced a nun to have an abortion, after which she died. He then officiated at her requiem mass. In reference to Africa, her report said: "it is impossible (there) for a woman or an adolescent to refuse a man, especially an older man and in particular a priest". In Africa, certain priests sought out nuns "for fear of contracting AIDS with prostitutes". "There are cases in which priests make nuns take the pill, ...And there was one case of 20 nuns in one religious community being pregnant at the same time," the article cited the report as saying. A mother superior was continually ignored by the local bishop when she complained that priests in the diocese had made 29 of her nuns pregnant. The bishop relieved her of her duties, the report said without identifying the diocese. The charges first appeared in the Kansas city-based national Catholic reporter weekly on March 16 and in a small Italian religious news agency Adista, which also publishes a weekly. In 1998, Marie McDonald, mother superior of the missionaries of our lady of Africa, presented her report on "sexual abuse and rape committed by priests and bishops". The Vatican is monitoring the situation, making sure bishops were aware of the phenomenon, but no direct action has been taken, the article said. Vatican spokesman Navarro-Valls said in his statement: "we are working on two fronts, training of people and finding a solution to individual cases. "Some negative cases cannot let us forget the often heroic faith expressed by the large majority of those men and women in religious orders and of the clergy." Misna echoed his words, complaining in a statement that "in general, people only ever talk about missionaries when they die, are kidnapped or when they make mistakes. "If on the one hand... These incidents of alleged sexual abuse cannot and should not be denied or justified, on the other hand they prompt us to reflect on the conditions in which the majority of the tens of thousands of missionaries live on the fringes of the so-called third world. "Many of them live in situations of extreme psychological and physical hardship, at the limits of human endurance." La Repubblica quoted McDonald as saying: "as far as I know, no inspections have taken place... There are some nuns who become financially dependent on priests, who can then ask for sexual favours in return." "Then there is the conspiracy of silence which makes the problem worse. Only if we confront this together, will we be able to find a solution," she said. (REUTERS) |
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Long-term use of estrogen linked to ovarian cancer WASHINGTON, Mar 21: Women who use estrogen for more than 10 years to ease the effects of menopause have twice as high a risk of dying from ovarian cancer as those who did not, medical researchers have reported. But still, the overall risk of fatal ovarian cancer is low — long-term postmenopausal estrogen replacement therapy doubles it from about 1 percent to 2 percent over a lifetime — and no single recommendation applies to all women, Dr. Carmen Rodriguez said yesterday in a telephone interview about her research. "The key finding is that women who use postmenopausal estrogen had twice the risk of dying from ovarian cancer as women who never take them," Rodriguez said. In a study published in the journal of the American Medical Association, Rodriguez and her colleagues at the American Cancer Society followed 211,581 postmenopausal women from 1982 to 1996 and found that those who used estrogen for more than a decade had an increased risk of ovarian cancer. Women who used estrogen for less than 10 years had no increased risk, and those who did use it for long periods and then stopped saw the risk decline with time, the researchers found. Postmenopausal women generally have less estrogen in their bodies, and this can put them at higher risk for osteoporosis and heart disease. Estrogen replacement therapy can counter these risks. But some studies have shown that estrogen therapy increases the risk of endometrial cancer, or cancer of the uterine lining. A combination therapy using estrogen plus the hormone progesterone or its synthetic version, called progestin, may offset the uterine cancer risk but could be associated with increased breast cancer risk if used over the long term. Rodriguez noted that most of the women in her study were taking only estrogen, rather than estrogen plus progestin. "We don’t know what the addition of progestin to the estrogen will do on ovarian cancer risk," she said. "It may happen, as with endometrial cancer, that the risk goes down, or it may happen, like with breast cancer, that the risk is higher ... We need to know what combination therapy will do." Acknowledging that millions of women born during the baby boom will enter menopause in the next decade, Rodriguez said these women must balance risks and benefits from the various therapies. "I think that the recommendation is as unclear as it was before I don’t think this study changes anything," she said. Women should discuss their health with their doctors, taking into account their risk for coronary heart disease, breast cancer and ovarian cancer, Rodriguez said. But she stressed, "there is not any contra-indication for a short-term use of hormone replacement therapy and (it) really is going to improve your quality of life. The problem is when you decide that you are going to take it for 10 or more years and that is when you start to get into a not-easy decision." The study was part of a special issue of jama examining women’s health issues, and also included articles on the heart benefits of walking for women, the relationship between homicide and pregnant and recently pregnant women, and the lack of a link between longer reproductive periods for women and diminished risk of dementia. (REUTERS) |
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United Nations counters US
criticism BERLIN, Mar 21: United Nations has come to the defence of India and China in countering Bush administration’s criticism against the Kyoto protocol for not assigning greenhouse gas emission target for these "populous industrialising countries". "The emissions of carbon dioxide from fuel combustion (the mainsource of greehouse gases) in developing countries was some two tonnes per head," chief of UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) secretariat Michael Cutajar said. "The per capita average of the developed countries was about 12 tonnes of these emissions with the U.S. alone emitting more than 20 tonnes per head," he said. "Fairness suggests that the developed countries act first to limit emissions," he said. Cutajar’s remarks were his first public comments in the debate surrounding the decision by U.S president George W Bush not to treat carbon dioxide as a pollutant to be regulated under the U.S clean air act which was also accompanied by criticisms of Kyoto protocol and its scientific foundations. The Kyoto protocol, which is not yet in force, assigns targets to the US and other developed countries for limiting their emissions of carbon dioxide and other green house gases. Cutajar, who heads the Bonn-based UNFCCC secretariat, said the developing countries, which are not covered by the first round of emission limitation targets under the protocol, account for some 40 per cent of current global carbon dioxide emissions while the U.S. alone produces a quarter of these green house gases. Referring to the new concerns of the US that the state of scientific knowledge of global climate change was "incomplete", Cutajar pointed out that the ``precautionary principle’’ embraced by the UNFCCC clearly stated that lack of full scientific certainty should not be used as a reason for postponing action to combat serious threats. Cutajar hoped the current review of climate change policy by the U.S administration would lead to a renewal of Washington’s constructive engagement in global warming negotiations that are due to resume in July. The negotiations broke down at the Hague last year over steps to implement the Kyoto protocol. The U.S being the world’s biggest economy and by far the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions bears the greatest responsibility for dealing with their consequences, he added. (PTI) |
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Mansingh upbeat about his assignment as US Ambassador WASHINGTON, Mar 21: Ambassador-designate Lalit Mansingh has said that Indo-American relations are at their best in over fifty years and his main task as the New Indian Envoy to the US would be to ensure that their momentum is maintained. "I am looking forward to my assignment with great expectations," Mansingh, former Foreign Secretary, told reporters here. "I know it is going to be a challenge but I know that Indo-American relations (will continue on the upward path). We will continue what has been achieved and we will make an effortto expand our relationship in every single area of our activity," he said. On External Affairs and Defence Minister Jaswant Singh’s visit to the capital in early April, he said, "his visit is going to be particularly significant because he combines two key portfolios... We are hoping he will be meeting the top leadership in the country." Jaswant Singh’s visit would be followed by that of the Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha, Mansingh, who is expected to present his credentials at the white ouse in mid-April, said. He said Indo-American relations were at their best, having overcome the highs and lows of their relations following two Indo-American summits last year, one in New Delhi and the other in Washington. Mansingh pointed out that former US President Bill Clinton and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had set the "benchmark" for the shape of relations between the two countries in the vision statement they signed last year. "We also have a dialogue architecture ... It creates a mechanism for pursuing wide-ranging dialogue and involves meetings between the leadership at all levels," he said. Mansingh said that his aim would be to ensure the development of the "four C’s": Commerce or economic relations, Congress or India’s political relations with the US, community and culture. "The Indian community has done India proud... There has been a distinct maturity of the community in terms of its new leadership and ability to reach out to the political leadership of this country. We are equally proud of the achievements of people of Indian origin, particularly in the field of information technology," he said. Culture would be form an important focus during his tenure, he said, adding he hoped that the long-planned cultural centre would be built during his tenure. (PTI) |
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Pakistan parties demand
interim NEW DELHI, Mar 21: Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD), a conglomerate of some major Pakistani opposition parties, has accused Pervez Musharraf’s regime for taking the country to "a verge of collapse" in its 16-month rule and demanded immediate formation of an interim national Government which would oversee general elections within a specified time-frame. ARD, which recently issued a chargesheet against the military regime, has also demanded lifting of ban on political activities, restoration of 1973 constitution and creation of an "impartial" Election Commission to hold the elections, according to Pakistani media reports. "Jung" daily quoted a leader of ARD partner, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), as saying that foreign exchange reserves had dipped enormously, GDP growth rate declined substantially and trade deficit gone up to 1.14 billion dollars. Demanding lifting of ban on political activities and restoration of the 1973 constitution, PPP leader Munir Ahmed Khan said ARD had also sought formation of an interim national government to hold general elections within 90 days under an "impartial" Election Commission. He said the Musharraf regime was trying to prolong its rule "against the wishes of the masses" and quoted a US report as saying that corruption and inefficiency "remained acute in all departments of Pakistan. "The overall credibility of judiciary remained low. The Government’s policies on human rights remained poor. The Government committed numerous serious human rights violations," the PPP leader said. Karachi stock exchange’s six-month deficit stood at over rs eight billion, the chargesheet said, adding that Pakistan State Bank was forced to draw 1.5 billion dollars from the open market. According to the chargesheet, foreign investment had dropped substantially from last year’s figure of 276.6 million dollars to just 74.7 million and the Pervez Musharraf regime had miserably failed to achieve the targets set for production of various crops — over 19 per cent for sugarcane, about 12 per cent for rice, about 11 per cent for cotton and ten per cent for wheat. The military regime had collected only Rs 210 billion as tax revenue as against the target of Rs 430 billion and its export target had declined by five billion dollars, it added. (PTI) |
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China-US relations at "critical stage": Jiang BEIJING, Mar 21: Chinese President Jiang Zemin has said that Sino-US relations are at a "critical stage" and both countries must make joint efforts to enhance trust and communication between them, the state media reported today. "Looking back at the 20th century, despite twists and turns, the Sino-US ties are in general forging ahead. Currently, the relations are at a critical stage," Jiang told the visiting former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Jiang said that China and the US should aim at the common interests of the two nations and push forward Sino-US relations in the 21st century. "The Chinese Government and I myself attach great importance to the Sino-US ties", he said, expressing his hope that the two sides will enhance trust and communication and expand cooperation. "I look forward to making joint efforts with President bush in this regard," he said. US President George Bush is scheduled to pay a state visit to China in October. Jiang said Kissinger’s visit to China three decades ago as the special envoy of former US President Richard Nixon made a ‘historic contribution’ to bilateral relations. Meanwhile, Qian, who is scheduled to meet with US Secretary of State Collin Powell and other senior Bush administration officials, is expected to urge Washington not to go ahead with the planned sales of high-tech weapons to Taiwan, which China views as a rebel province. Qian is the senior-most Chinese leader to visit Qashington after Bush took over US presidency. Speaking at a luncheon hosted by Asia Society in New York, Qian, who is also China’s top foreign policy official, said the Taiwan question is the most important and sensitive issue in China-US relations, and that it must be taken seriously and handled properly. "There is only one China in the world. Both the mainland and Taiwan are part of China. China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity brook no division," Qian said reminding Washington that any arms sales to Taiwan would be an affront on China’s sovereignty. He said the Chinese Government stands for peaceful reunification of Taiwan with the mainland. "That is to say, we will try to resolve the taiwan question through peaceful means. This conforms to the interests of the Chinese people on both sides of the Taiwan straits and the interests of all people, including Americans," Qian said. (PTI) |
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US will not force peace on middle east: Bush WASHINGTON, Mar 21: US President George W Bush has told visiting Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that America "will not try to force peace" on the middle east and endorsed Sharon’s view that there can be no talks with Palestine until it gives up violence. "I told him (Sharon) that our nation will not try to force peace, that we will facilitate peace and that we will work with those responsible for peace," Bush said in a joint appearance after the two leaders met briefly. "While the administration intends to work with friendly nations in the middle east to give peace a chance, it is up to Israel and the Arabs to make their own decisions," Bush said. Sharon later told reporters, "I think what I understand (to be) the policy of the democracy is that one should not surrender to terror and pressure and violence." "The first and most important thing is to bring security to the citizens of Israel. This is the first thing we have to accomplish before we start with our negotiations," Sharon said adding that "Israel and the US are partners in the struggle against terrorism." He said he had urged Bush not to invite Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to the US for talks because such a meeting would prove that "terrorism pays." "Such an invitation to Washington would be proof that terrorism pays," Sharon said. He has repeatedly blamed Arafat for violence in the region. Bush has invited Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan’s King Abdullah. Ending the session, Sharon told Bush, "we have friends here and you have friends there in Israel, which is a democratic country, a stable democracy, which appreciated the values of democratic life, I am sure that we can do many things together." On the issue of Jerusalem, Bush said, "the city’s future will ultimately be determined by the interested parties" but added that he maintained his campaign pledge to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem. In a speech on Monday, Sharon said "Jerusalem is Israel’s eternal, undivided capital." (PTI) |
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UN Council gets text on force for Palestinians UNITED NATIONS, Mar 21: Seven nations yesterday sponsored a Security Council resolution calling for a U.N. observer force to protect Palestinians, in an effort to get a vote before an Arab summit next week. At issue is a repeat call that the 15-nation council, at minimum, state its willingness in principle to send unarmed U.N. observers to the West Bank and Gaza even if Israel refuses to allow them into the territories. The draft resolution expresses the Security Council’s "determination to establish a U.N. force of military and police observers to be dispatched throughout the territories occupied by Israel since 1967." The measure was sponsored by seven Council members belonging to the non-aligned movement — Bangladesh, Colombia, Jamaica, Mali, Mauritius, Singapore and Tunisia. China and the Ukraine may support the group, thereby giving the resolution the minimum nine votes needed for adoption —providing there is no veto. U.S. officials have said they would oppose the text as it now stands. But they did not say if there was a resolution Washington could accept to placate the Palestinians and not use its veto power on behalf of Israel before the Arab League summit in Amman, Jordan, on March 27-28. Russia, Britain, France, Norway, Ireland are anxious to avoid a U.S. veto and would like a compromise draft. But they argue that sponsors of the draft would not modify it unless they could count on the Bush administration’s support. Valeri Kuchynski, the Ukrainian envoy who is the current president of the Security Council, hoped any action would not escalate the crisis. "If the Council gets involved it has to do something positive, to assist, not to flare up the confrontation." He said Council members, even those supporting the Palestinian resolution, were ready to work with the United States on some changes. Russian Ambassador Sergei Lavrov said the Council faced a dilemma even though Israel had reacted with excessive force. "If we want to condemn violence and want to make a legal and political point, that is one thing," he told reporters. "If we want international observers to actually be on the ground, then you cannot avoid agreement by both parties. You cannot," Lavrov said. "No Government would send its citizens into such kind of operation. It’s as simple as that." The Security Council in December could not muster the minimum nine votes for an observer force, thereby sparing the United States a veto. But Palestinian delegate Nasser Al-Kidwa believes the situation was different now. "It is a different situation because of politics, because of the situation on the ground, because of internal dynamics of the Council, because of the change in the Israeli Government and the change in the U.S. administration," he said. Violence broke out in late September after Ariel Sharon, now Israel’s Prime Minister, visited Jerusalem’s holy sites, claimed by Arabs and Jews. Since then some 430 people have been killed, mostly Palestinians. Sharon met President George W. Bush in Washington on Tuesday and comes to the United Nations on Wednesday. The draft resolution also calls for "the immediate cessation of violence and excessive use of force" and expresses support for a resumption of the middle east peace process. (REUTERS) |
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