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Iranian cleric makes TEHRAN, Dec 25: An internet site run by a muslim cleric may not sound like an obvious route to wedded bliss. .....more Afghan
royalists KABUL, Dec 25: Afghan monarchists have thrown their support behind President Hamid Karzai and his vision of a strong Presidential system in a .....more 2003 - a milestone in Indo-Russian relations MOSCOW, Dec 25: The year 2003 proved to be a milestone in Indo-Russian relations, marked by unprecedented .....more Putin
greets MOSCOW, Dec 25: Russian President Vladimir Putin has greeted Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his birthday .....more |
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US soldier killed in BAGHDAD, Dec 25: A US soldier was killed in a roadside bomb blast in Baghdad, the US military said today. The military said the first armoured division soldier was taking part in an ....more RSF
expresses concern KATHMANDU, Dec 25: International media organisation ‘reporters sans frontihres’ has expressed concern about a wave of arrests and .....more Let
the baby cry a while MUNICH, Dec 25: If baby cries incessantly, won’t be comforted and is not sick, it is sometimes advisable to take......more Getting
your child to STUTTGART, GERMANY, Dec 25: Even the most case-hardened parents can ....more |
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Iranian cleric makes wedding dreams come true TEHRAN, Dec 25: An internet site run by a muslim cleric may not sound like an obvious route to wedded bliss. But hundreds of Iranians, frustrated by traditional marriage customs and strict restrictions on mingling with the opposite sex, are turning to mid-ranking Shi’ite cleric Jafar Savalanpour Ardabili to find their ideal match. Such is the demand for his services that 38-year-old Ardabili has had to restrict access to his website (www.Ardabili.Com) to process the floods of applications from those in search of love. "This place is like an Islamic coffee shop where people can meet each other, have a healthy relationship and finally get married," said Ardabili at his cramped office on the third floor of a nondescript building overlooking a busy Tehran street. In a country where many women are forced into marriages brokered by their parents and morals police often close down coffee shops and restaurants where young boys and girls flirt discreetly and exchange telephone numbers, Ardabili sees himself as a bridge between the modern and traditional world. "We cannot forget all about our past, and on the other hand we cannot just stick to traditions because they sometimes fail to satisfy our needs," he said. The modern Iranian woman, he points out, typically has a university degree — more than 60 percent of students entering higher education are women. Many have jobs or run small businesses. For them, traditional marriage customs — a complex, class-ridden procedure in which the families of the prospective couple first reach an agreement before the man formally proposes — are anachronistic and suffocating. Ardabili, whose white turban, black clerical robe and beard belie a jovial personality, has a more liberal approach. "It is important that women should be given the choice to choose their future husbands. I don’t want women to waste their time waiting for their fate, destiny, and thousands of their sweet fantasies to come true," he said. A section on his website contains queries from people struggling to reconcile their sexual urges with religious beliefs or fretting over the realisation that they are gay. Ardabili, whose website contains links to official endorsements by senior Shi’ite clerics, is quick to distinguish his from other Iranian sites offering love over the internet. "Mine is not a friendship internet dating service. We are using the internet as a tool to help those who are willing to get into married life. I am not matchmaking here," he said. In the waiting room, fairy lights and soft music lighten the heavy, expectant atmosphere that hangs over the group of mostly middle-aged men and younger-looking women. "The fact that the marriage was being carried out under the supervision of a cleric gave our family a lot of confidence," said Ali, the brother of a blind chemist who was about to marry a woman he met through Ardabili. Since he started six years ago, Ardabili has brokered 1,000 unions. His clients range in age from 16 to 82 and he receives around 30 new applicants a day. Those who fill out the basic form over the internet are invited to his office and asked to answer more probing questions which take two hours to complete. Questions include: "Are you interested in going to parties?", "Will you stay married if you learn your spouse can’t have children?", "What will you do if your family opposes the union?". After studying the answers, Ardabili selects a shortlist of five prospective partners for the applicant and allows them to look through their forms. No photographs are shown at this stage. "If we give them the photograph they stop reading the forms and concentrate solely on that." Once a preferred match has been selected, their photographs are exchanged and if they are still keen to proceed a first meeting is arranged, at Ardabili’s office, in his presence. If that goes well the couple are then encouraged to start dating and to get to know each other. He continues to keep tabs on each couple’s progress and offers psychological and even sexual counselling to those who ask for it. He refuses to handle requests for temporary marriage — unique to Shi’ite Islam which allows couples to "wed" for a few hours or several years — and says he fails to see how any sane man could want to marry more than one wife. As he enthused about his work an assistant interrupted and asked him to solve a sudden crisis. A female client had called, distraught because her prospective husband had delayed his marriage proposal for several weeks and had only just asked for permission to come around with his parents to ask for her hand. "Just tell her that he needed some time to talk to his family before formally proposing to her. He did not mean to offend her or her family," Ardabili shot back, without hesitation. A few minutes later the assistant returned to announce that the girl was delighted with his explanation. Another wedding photo for Ardabili’s bulging album beckoned. (AGENCIES) |
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Afghan royalists back Karzai and strong President KABUL, Dec 25: Afghan monarchists have thrown their support behind President Hamid Karzai and his vision of a strong Presidential system in a constitution being debated in Kabul, a member of the royalist camp said today. The pro-monarchy faction claims the support of nearly 80 delegates out of 502 at the Loya Jirga (grand assembly), which since December 14 has been debating a draft constitution that outlines sweeping powers for the President. "Our executive council held a meeting with our delegates,"said Hakim Noorzai, a staunch supporter of Afghanistan’s former King Mohammad Zahir Shah, who was given the symbolic title of "father of the nation" in the draft document. "We discussed both proposed systems and we reached a conclusion to go for the Presidential system, as this is what Afghanistan needs," he told . A strong Parliamentary system would be harmful for Afghanistan, as "warlords" still controlled large swathes of the country and would influence it, Noorzai said, when asked why the group had decided to back Karzai. Royalists draw most of their support from the largest ethnic group, the Pashtuns, to which Karzai belongs and which traditionally rules Afghanistan. Karzai insists that, as Afghanistan emerges from 23 years of invasion and civil war, the country needs centralised power for the sake of unity amongst its various ethnic clans. The 46-year-old Karzai, installed to power with the help of the United States after the fall of the Taliban in 2001, needs a simple majority at the Loya Jirga to win his way. His opponents, mainly from the northern alliance of former anti-Soviet Mujahideen (holy warriors), argue that sweeping powers would create a despotic regime that could damage national unity. They are led by former President Burhanuddin Rabbani and General Abdul Rashid Dostum, an ethnic Uzbek strongman who also serves as Karzai’s Adviser on military and security issues. They want the constitution to include the position of Prime Minister, which Karzai fears could compromise his control. The dissenters say Karzai has used ministers to secure delegates’ votes in return for promises of cabinet posts in the future Government. Several opponents of Karzai have threatened not to sign the final draft of the document, saying a boycott would challenge its legitimacy. It is unlikely, however, that there will be enough dissenters to force major changes to the draft constitution. The assembly is expected to begin voting on the constitution later this week. Sheikh Asif Mohseni, a prominent religious figure and leader of a Mujahideen group, today urged delegates to ask for war damages from the former Soviet Union, which invaded Afghanistan in 1979 only to retreat in defeat a decade later. The role of Islam, women’s rights and a share of power among the ethnic groups are among the most sensitive issues alongside which type of political system to adopt. (AGENCIES) |
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2003 - a milestone in Indo-Russian relations MOSCOW, Dec 25: The year 2003 proved to be a milestone in Indo-Russian relations, marked by unprecedented activity in bilateral and strategic dialogue at various levels including Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s visits to Russia twice in six months. In May, as a special invitee of the Russian President Vladimir Putin, Vajpayee attended the Gala meeting of the world’s most powerful nations, who had converged in the former capital of imperial Russia - St Petersburg to mark its 300th anniversary. Perhaps it was the most important event in bilateral relations indicating the Kremlin’s keen desire to see India among the ‘haves’ in shaping the new world order. Leaders of veto-wielding five permanent members of the UN Security Council, who are also the official members of the exclusive ‘nuclear club’, were the main guests of the St Petersburg Gala celebrations along with the present and prospective member states of the European Union. President Putin’s invitation to Vajpayee to join the galaxy of world’s most powerful leaders including US President George W Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Chinese Chairman Hu Jintao, and the fact that the Indian Prime Minister was seated at the high table along with the Russian host and US President, go far beyond the usual diplomatic etiquette and protocol. Later in November, the Prime Minister visited Moscow for his 3rd formal Indo-Russian summit since year 2000 and his fourth meeting with President Putin in 2003. In the rapidly changing international scenario, the strategic partnership between India and Russia acquires a special importance as both countries are committed to a multi-polar democratic world order. From this point of view, 2003 has been a very eventful year, which started with Defence Minister George Fernandes’ six-day Russia visit in January. It was during Fernandes’ parleys in Moscow that India and Russia decided to hold the first ever joint naval exercises in the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal in the month of May, with Russia staging a modest but significant comeback in the Indian Ocean after the breakup of the ex-USSR in 1991. In the course of naval wargames, the warships of the two countries carried out over 60 battle manoeuvres including 15 missile launches and over 30 artillery exercises. Defence has been one of the key components of the multi-faceted Indo-Russian strategic partnership. In year 2003, all the three service Chiefs had visited Russia. Perhaps for the first time in history, Indian Army Chief and Naval Chief were simultaneously in a foreign land, in the same city, when in the course of his six day goodwill visit in June, Chief of the Army Staff General N C Vij was in St Petersburg and Naval Chief Admiral Madhvendra Singh was there to commission first of the three stealth frigates- INS Talwar. (PTI) |
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Putin greets Vajpayee on birthday MOSCOW, Dec 25: Russian President Vladimir Putin has greeted Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his birthday today and wished him good health, prosperity and good luck. Extending his ‘sincere and cordial greetings’ and best wishes, the Russian President said he recalled with pleasure their meetings held invariably in a warm atmosphere, which characterises the relationship between the two countries on the whole. "I am convinced that Russian-Indian cooperation will continue to develop vibrantly in all spheres in the interests of further strengthening strategic partnership between Russia and India," President Putin said. (UNI) |
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US soldier killed in Baghdad bomb blast BAGHDAD, Dec 25: A US soldier was killed in a roadside bomb blast in Baghdad, the US military said today. The military said the first armoured division soldier was taking part in an operation in north-central Baghdad when he was killed yesterday. His death brought to 206 the number of US soldiers killed by hostile fire since Washington announced the end major combat in Iraq on May 1. (AGENCIES) |
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RSF expresses concern over the arrest of journalists in Nepal KATHMANDU, Dec 25: International media organisation ‘reporters sans frontihres’ has expressed concern about a wave of arrests and disappearance of journalists in Nepal, saying they represented a serious attack on the rule of law. Calling it a serious threat to freedom of expression, the Paris-based journalist watchdog pointed out that journalist Ram Krishna Adhikari of the weekly ‘Sanghu’ and the ‘radio times FM’ has been missing since December 10. A wave of arrests and kidnappings of journalists throughout the country followed the announcement of a cease-fire by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) on August 27, the statement released by the group said. At least 15 journalists, six of whom were arrested after the breakdown of the cease-fire, were currently being detained and that the Government has given no information about them, it added. The RSF also hoped that the Nepalese Government will allow, into the country, UN’s special rapporteurs on freedom of expression and against torturee, along with members of the working group on enforced and involuntary disappearances. In November 2002, the then UN High Commissioner for human rights Sergio Vieira De Mello had responded positively to a recommendation from RSF to base a permanent representative of the High Commissioner in the country. According to Brussels-based International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), three journalists were killed in Nepal in 2003 and many arrested. The umbrella group for media unions worldwide also condemned widespread government indifference about the fate of journalists in crisis situations. (UNI) |
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Let the baby cry a while if your nerves get frayed MUNICH, Dec 25: If baby cries incessantly, won’t be comforted and is not sick, it is sometimes advisable to take a few moments of time out to calm your nerves, the German parenting magazine Bel advises. Parents should realize that it is better to keep their wits than to frantically try to calm the little one and lose their temper. After a few moments in another room, return to baby with a soothing demeanour. Munich-based Bel recommends sitting down with the screaming infant in a very comfortable chair and shutting your eyes. The calm that you exude will often be picked up by the baby. (DPA) |
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Getting your child to tidy his room is a labour of love and patience STUTTGART, GERMANY, Dec 25: Even the most case-hardened parents can sometimes be shocked when they peer into their young child’s room at the end of a hard day’s play to view a scene that looks as though a Tornado has struck. The floor is scarcely visible, all the neatly packed toys on the shelves have been removed, tables and chairs lie on their sides and the teddy - a birthday present from grandad - looks up forlornly from the floor, one eye missing. Mums and dads find themselves looking at each other in desperation, posing the question: "What on earth can we do to curb this impetus to create chaos?" The experts’ advice is a mixture of tolerance and firmness - but in the right blend. "Every family experiences this kind of conflict. Children do not come into the world with a well developed sense for order," says Margarethe Schindler, a psychologist in the German university city of Tuebingen. Creating order is a skill we all have to learn, she says. "The problem starts with the fact that adults see disorder as something very negative, but children need some disorder around them, or their creative side will have little opportunity to develop." for this reason nagging is an inappropriate response to the devastation left behind after they have been playing. Rather parents should encourage their children to take responsibility for what belongs to them, possibly by showing the advantages of keeping their toys in order, Schindler says. "When the crayons are packed away in their place each time, they can be found more easily, and children can be taught to realize this," she says, but she adds that children will never make the connection if parents always tidy away for them. Abstract commands of the type, "go tidy your room" simply do not work, according to Monika Fischer-Koch, a social worker at a state advice centre for parents and their children in Stuttgart. (DPA) |
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Martian atmosphere, may have landed DARMSTADT, GERMANY, Dec 25: The Mars lander, Beagle 2, is believed to have touched down today, but it will be several more hours before scientists and engineers will get confirmation that all went to plan. The European space agency’s Beagle 2 probe entered the Martian atmosphere at 0817 Hrs IST to begin the final descent to the surface, but nothing will be heard until 1200 Hrs IST at the earliest. If all goes as planned Beagle 2 will send back a stream of data headed by a call sign composed by the British rock band blur. Beagle 2 successfully separated from its Mars express mothership on Friday. The European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany said the landing would require "a very complicated and challenging series of operations" prior and after landing. It is the first planetary mission for the 15-nation European Space Agency which is hoping to determine whether there are - or have been - signs of life on Mars. The planned experiments would represent the first direct search for life on the planet since Nasa’s twin viking landers sent back inconclusive results in 1976. The Beagle lander and its mars express orbiter were launched June 2 aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket at Baikonur Space Centre in Kazakhstan. The two craft separated after a journey that covered 400 million kilometres of space. Beagle 2 has no propulsion of its own, and has to be well aimed towards its target, a flat basin called Isidis Planitia. As soon as the 70-kilogramme lander has parachuted to the surface, solar panels will unfold to catch sunlight and charge the batteries that will power the lander and its six months of experiments. The lander will activate a robotic arm equipped with a so-called position activated workbench, or Paw, where most of the experiments are situated. The Paw’s first job will be to take pictures of the surroundings with its cameras. (DPA) Singapore police looking into lawyer’s death in India SINGAPORE, Dec 25: Singapore police are looking into the death of a lawyer believed to have committed suicide in India after disappearing with money belonging to his clients, news reports said today. Officials are "trying to establish the accuracy of the information" about the death of Kumaravellu Niraiselvan, 49, found hanging from a tree near Haridwar, one of the holiest sites in north India on November 29, a spokesman told the Straits Times. He went missing in August last year with 230,000 US dollars and is believed to have been in India since April. Indian police said the decomposed body had been in the forest between a week and 10 days before it was discovered. His identity was ascertained through documents found on him including a passport, soiled suicide note, and a law academy card. "The police would probably want to corroborate evidence of the man’s identity through independent means," Samaraj Vijaya, Associate Director of an International Security Consultancy, was quoted as saying. "India is a vast country and it is common for a wanted felon to just disappear," he added. (DPA) New Singapore test to ensure safety of cheaper generic drugs SINGAPORE, Dec 25: Patients who want to save money can switch from a branded drug to a generic one with the same potency under a new rule ensuring the two are nearly identical, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said today. All solid prescription drugs entering Singapore starting in the middle of next year will have to pass a Bio-Equivalence (BE) test. Drugs are bio-equivalent if they are absorbed at about the same rate by the body. A 20-per cent difference either way is acceptable. Anything greater or less means that the patient is getting too much or too little of the drug. Several countries including the United States and Malaysia already require be tests for generics. Singapore introduced be tests for six "high risk" drugs last year. Dr John Lim, Director of HSA’s centre for Pharmaceutical Administration, told the Straits Times the be test ensures patient safety. About 4,500 of the more than 7,000 drugs sold here are generic. (DPA) Palestinian killed in explosion in Nablus JERUSALEM, Dec 25: A Palestinian was killed when a car blew up in the west bank city of Nablus. Israeli media reports, quoting Palestinian eye witnesses and security forces, said the car exploded near an electronics factory late yesterday. It was possible that a bomb in the car detonated prematurely. The Palestinian is believed to be a member of the radical Islamic group Hamas. An Israeli military spokesman said Israeli forces were not involved in the incident. DPA) |
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