Sartaj Aziz

Pak Govt dismisses allegation on secret
deal with India

ISLAMABAD, Mar 9: The Nawaz Sharif Government in....more

Discrimination with women workers on rise in Japan

TOKYO, Mar 9: Noriko Maeda, 35, lost her job as a flight attendant at .....more

Chinese-American scientist sacked in N-investigation

WASHINGTON, Mar 9: A Chinese-American computer scientist.....more

MOSCOW, Mar 9: In a unique enterprise a group of ...more

US pressurising
Moscow through IMF

MOSCOW, Mar 9: Russia’s unwillingness to succumb to persistent..more

‘Half women suffers
physical abuse’

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 9: Linking every continent in a live videoconference.....more

Pak Premier to visit
US in June: Report

ISLAMABAD, Mar 8: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is to visit the United States in June, the daily Dawn reported, quoting the Premier’s brother, Mr Shahbaz Sharif said yesterday.....more

Pak Govt dismisses allegation on secret deal with India

ISLAMABAD, Mar 9: The Nawaz Sharif Government in Pakistan has dismissed opposition allegations that it entered into a secret deal with India on Kashmir during the recent Prime Ministerial level meeting at Lahore.

There is no secret understanding or deal, nor is there any weakening of our position on the Kashmir dispute, Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz told Senate yesterday refuting opposition allegations that Government had compromised its position on Kashmir.

There is no question of the Government having compromised Pakistan’s principled stand on Kashmir, he said as rightwing parties led by the Jamaat-e-Islami accused Sharif of striking a secret deal with Indian Prime Minister A B Vajpayee during their meeting.

An irate opposition, however, was not pacified by the minister’s clarification and demanded that the Government take the nation into confidence about the recent summit talks.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader and leader of opposition in the House, Aitzaz Ahsan, later said his (Aziz’s) speech was a big disappointment as he has concealed more from the House than revealing anything.

If they cannot tell us in public, then they should tell us privately, Ahsan said.

Sharif, has been under fire from both opposition parties and hardline groups such as the Jammat-e-Islami, for signing the Lahore declaration that calls for a peaceful settlement of the Kashmir dispute. (PTI)

Discrimination with women workers on rise in Japan

TOKYO, Mar 9: Noriko Maeda, 35, lost her job as a flight attendant at one of Japan’s leading airlines five years ago. Today, she teaches conversational English part-time to children in the neighbourhood.

"I was the victim of a programme to cut company costs which severely affected full-time women flight attendants. So, here I am, bored, poor, and frustrated," said the housewife, who holds a degree in English literature.

Taniguchi is part of a growing number of anxious women who have either been forced to accept pay cuts, or simply saw their jobs disappear as Japanese companies embark on massive economic restructuring programmes to stay afloat in the recession.

Restructuring means personnel cuts — and women workers complain that this trend is hitting them the worst.

Labour lawyer Keiko Hashimoto says women who had joined the labour force in droves over the decades are now extremely vulnerable to discrimination as a result of bad economic times.

"Companies utilised female workers in the 1980s because they just needed more hands in the booming economy and are now quick to shut the doors as soon as they discovered they must cut costs," she explained.

Mr Suresh said equally important was the loan for employees with longer service starting their housing efforts towards the end of their career. He also referred to the superior inbuilt features of non-levying of commitment charges for delayed drawals and prepayment charges for early repayment.

More and more securities companies are downgrading female clerks to cut costs. Nikko securities, a major company hit by the floundering stock market, reported last year it will be sending 1,500 female clerks to work as temporary staff for an affiliated staff service company.

Seventy per cent of Japan’s part-timers are female, according to the Labour Ministry. Temporary staff are paid by the hour and do not expect promotions or other benefits that regular male employees are entitled to in the same company.

Keiko Tani says the Tokyo Women’s Union, which has swelled to 250 members after the initial six when it was set up in 1995, is kept on its toes negotiating for a growing number of women whose part-time pay has been reduced due to company restructuring.

Salary for part-time jobs, which paid 13.8 US dollars per hour, have been reduced to 12.3 cents for clerical work. Pay for waitresses or shop assistants, is down from 8 to 6.5 dollars hourly.

Labour analysts explain that women workers have never been treated equally in Japan’s male-dominated society — and this has been exposed again by women bearing most of the recession’s employment pains.

Tani explains that a major barrier to equality is Japan’s weak legislation directed at the "invisible" barriers that hinder equal pay and opportunities for women in the workplace.

Dismal statistics have proved time and again that social tradition and discrimination have indeed discouraged women from playing a greater role in society.

In July, the Prime Minister’s Office released survey results showing that employed women at the same time remain in charge of household chores. This is contrast to men who answered that marriage leaves their schedules unchanged — a situation that does not encourage women to pursue time-consuming careers.

A hotline operated by lawyers in February 1998 to advise working women also found sexual harassment in the workplace one of their top concerns, followed by lay-offs without sufficient notice.

Though Japan became a signatory to the UN Equal Employment Opportunity Law in 1996, women account for only eight per cent of legislators in the DIET or Parliament, and comprise 0.2 per cent of Corporate Directors, ranking last among industrialised nations.

Although women account for half of the nation’s workforce, their take-home pay reaches only 62 percent of their male counterparts and a good number of women hold part-time jobs.

According to the economic planning agency, Japan ranked 19th — one rung below Mexico — in terms of easiness for women to work.

"Against such a backdrop, it is no wonder that women are first affected in the current economic crunch," says Tani. "The situation can only change if the Government enacts stricter laws that will force companies to pay men and women equally whatever job they are forced to do at this particular time."

Revisions in employment laws to be implemented from April 1st are geared toward equal treatment in employment, but have only increased anxiety about corporate restructuring.

There are no penalties for companies that discriminate against women.

While the laws ban sexual discrimination in advertising for job placements, women say the new law does not address the reality that men, who lose their jobs, will win over women who face the "handicap" of having to look after their families.

But people like Junko Kawano, in charge of ‘Tarabayo’, one of Japan’s leading job opportunity magazines, believes the job picture is changing.

"As deregulation picks up and new equality laws are established, Japan’s job market has undergone a revolution," explains Kawano, whose magazine readership comprised mostly single young men but will now cater to women as well.

"What Japanese employees must realise now is that the old system of depending on the company for security in exchange for company loyalty, is disappearing," Kawano said, adding that jobs will depend on people’s skills.

This change is an opportunity that could work for women, Kawano explains. "By becoming specialised, women can compete with men in Japan’s competitive new job market. What we need from now on is better official support to improve the situation when it comes to the household sector that continues to pin down aspiring women," she said.

In this area, Japan’s new laws try to help by calling for equality in the home and asking men to share domestic chores — but how far laws can go ahead of tradition remains to be seen. (IPS)

Chinese-American scientist sacked in N-investigation

WASHINGTON, Mar 9: A Chinese-American computer scientist suspected of passing nuclear warhead secrets to China has been fired from his job at a federal weapons development facility, Department of Energy officials said yesterday.

"We felt we had enough grounds for dismissal," Department of Energy Secretary Bill Richardson said in an interview with ABC television.

"The FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) is pursuing this case vigorously."

The New York Times revealed Saturday that US investigators beginning in 1995 suspected China had been given information in the mid-1980s that eventually allowed them to dramatically improve their nuclear warheads along a US design, allowing them to jump 10 to 15 years of development.

A nuclear warhead tested by China, information on which was provided by a Chinese official to US intelligence, indicated the warhead was very similar to the W-88, which is small enough to allow multiple warheads on one rocket.

The Chinese-American computer scientist "stuck out like a sore thumb" in subsequent investigations. In 1985, for example, the scientist’s wife - a secretary - was invited to speak at a Chinese conference on computer topics, accompanied by her husband, the newspaper said.

The Clinton administration was notified of the suspicions and investigation, but the newspaper said some officials say it sought to minimize the issue for policy reasons given US efforts to engage Beijing in political dialogue.

The name of the suspect was not immediately available, but he worked for years at the Los Alamos National Labaoratory in New Mexico.

Media reports said he was recently administered a polygraph (lie-detector) test, which he failed.

The firing came amid a hue and cry by Republican lawmakers over "lax security" and suspicions of Chinese attempts to gain US weapons technology.

China has strongly denied that it engaged in any espionage within the US nuclear weapons program. (DPA)

Russian artists will embark on Ganga voyage

MOSCOW, Mar 9: In a unique enterprise a group of Russian artists will embark on a Ganga voyage this summer and draw sketches while sailing on India’s hallowed river.

The voyage will commence from Gomukh, the source of the sacred river and cover its 2500 km course in about three months.

Giving details of the project radio Moscow reported many of the artists compare the Ganga with their own revered volga river, which is addressed as ‘mother’ by the Russians.

Celebrated artist Yuri Petrov, a leading light of the Russian academy of arts has said the ‘Ganga voyage’ will be fulfillment of a long-cherished dream. The project has been approved by the authorities of both the countries.

A spokesman of the organisers said the ambitious project is a fulfillment of dream of several artists, whose favourite topic of drawing has been India and its many facets. It will be an unforgettable experience, he added.

The project also includes exhibition of paintings on India, her people and culture by the Russian masters at various cities.

Many boats, carrying artists, newsmen and crew will be sailing downstream till the place where the Ganga meets the Bay of Bengal. The participants will stop overnight at different towns during the voyage. Indian security forces will be providing adequate protection to the team.

The date and other details about the voyage will be announced soon, spokesman said. (UNI)

US pressurising Moscow through IMF

MOSCOW, Mar 9: Russia’s unwillingness to succumb to persistent pressure from the US to ‘curtail its arms deal with India and change its stand on the Iraq and Kosovo issues has led to the toughening of the IMF position on releasing fresh credits to Moscow, authoritative sources disclosed here.

Former senior Russian Minister Sergeiv Glaziyev told the Novostsi news agency that in their recent meetings with Russian Prime Minister Yevgeni Primakov, US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and her Deputy Strobe Talbott "persistently advised him to curtail Russia’s activity in the armaments markets of India".

However, the Russian Prime Minister expressed to the two visiting US leaders his country’s unwillingness to concede its demands, except that relating to the ratification of the Start-2 treaty, which provoked ‘ire’ of the White House, the senior statesman disclosed.

Unable to prevent Russia from pursuing its independent course in the international arena, the US, was now trying to block release of fresh credits from the IMF which, according to Mr Glaziyev, is under the full sway of the United States.

According to a report by a ‘Izvestia’, a leading Moscow daily, the US is playing a geo strategic game vis-a-vis Russia and using IMF as its ultimate weapon".

Sources in political circles quoted by the Novostsi news agency point out that while on one hand the IMF has demanded a drastic curtailment in the social sector spending in Russia and doing away with subsidies to revive the national industry, on the other hand it is also keen to see to see the departure of one-time Communist leaders, Yuri Maslyukov and Genadi Kulik from the Primakov cabinet.

If the Premier does not accede to these demands, talks with IMF will collapse while the removal of the two Communist leaders from the cabinet will explode the current political configuration in Russia, they point out.

According to a report in the daily ‘Segodnya’, the west sees "the possibility of these loans being used for the Communists election campaign", hence their clamour for removal of Communists from the Primakov cabinet.

However, according to the analysts,"the current hysteria over difficulties in the talks with the IMF is aimed at squeezing out of the Primakov cabinet persons who are trying their best to safeguard the national interests".

Political observers say the storm over the issue arose from a news item recently published in in the Russia’s most circulated weekly "Argumenti I Fakti" about the President having given an ultimatum to the Prime Minister to "purge Communists from his cabinet in ten days time, otherwise......". This, they say, encouraged those who do not see eye to eye with Mr Primakov on several international and national issues to raise the demand.

However, political circles close to the Kremlin point out that Prime Minister will be able to persuade the United States during his forthcoming visit to Washington to provide at least some portions of the credit promised by the IMF. Mr Primakov will meet US Vice-President Al Gore in Washington on March 23. (UNI)