गुरुवार, 7 अगस्त 2008

Pakistan's ruling coalition to impeach President Musharraf

Islamabad (DNS): Pakistan's ruling coalition on Thursday declared that it will launch impeachment proceedings against President Pervez Musharraf, accusing him of "eroding" trust of the nation through his policies and actions।
"We have good news for democracy। The coalition believes it is imperative to move for impeachment against General Musharraf," PPP Chairman Asif Ali Zardari told a joint press conference with PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif after intense parleys between the two sides for the past three days on the issue.
"We will present a chargesheet against Musharraf," Zardari said without giving a timeframe for the impeachment of the 64-year-old beleaguered President।
On the issue of judges sacked by Musharraf during the emergency rule last year, the PPP chief said all the deposed justices will be reinstated immediately after the impeachment of the Presidency।
Echoing Zardari's views, Sharif said he was in "total agreement" with his ally on the decision of impeaching Musharraf, whose ouster the former Premier's party has been demanding for a long time।
Zardari blamed Musharraf for the economic woes of Pakistan and said his policies had "eroded" the trust of the nation।
Earlier, an unnamed PPP Cabinet member, who participated in discussions between the two parties, was quoted as saying by Dawn News channel that the ruling coalition is expected to move an impeachment motion against Musharraf in Parliament on August 11

BJP to launch nationwide stir on Amarnath shrine land row

New Delhi (DNS): A day after the government asked the BJP to reconsider its decision on a three-day nationwide agitation over the Amarnath land transfer issue, the party's core committee today decided to go ahead with the protest starting on Monday।
"The meeting discussed in detail about the latest developments in Jammu। The party is going ahead with the agitation programme. There is no change," party sources told PTI after the meeting.
The government had formally asked the BJP to suspend the agitation in order to facilitate the dialogue process with protestors of the Shri Amarnath Sangarsh Samiti (SASS)।
The all-party meeting convened by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was attended by BJP president Rajnath Singh and General Secretary Arun Jaitley।
The meeting held today at BJP leader L K Advani's residence was attended by Jaitley, Rajnath Singh, General Secretary Sushma Swaraj and other senior leaders including M M Joshi।
Sources said the BJP top brass is inclined towards a low-key agitation but the RSS is not ready to relent on the matter। While BJP feels that any more deterioration of the issue could benefit separatist forces, the RSS is of the view that "a lot of blood has been already shed and there is no point in looking back."
The SASS, a body comprising of more than three dozen social and political outfits including the BJP, enjoys patronage of the RSS and is spearheading the current agitation in Jammu for over a month.

HIV testing: India ranked best, Russia worst

New Delhi: India topped the list of five mid-income countries that provide free HIV testing and counselling to people, reported the scientific journal 'The Lancet'। The unexpected pat on the back came after a comparison of testing and counselling facilities in India, Russia, Mexico, Uganda and South Africa that showed India's was not only the cheapest but also the most cost-effective. Russia did the worst.
The Lancet study compared data from several clinics in each country to calculate the cost-effectiveness and quality of services provided। "India and Russia represent the two extremes in terms of implementation performance, with the quality of services being similar in almost all centers surveyed in India. The difference between quality in different clinics was the highest in Russia," said lead author Dr. Stefano M. Bertozzi from the National Institute of Public Health, presenting the data at the XVII International AIDS Conference on Tuesday.
India's programme, run by the National AIDS Control Organisation, is also the most cost effective, costing the government US$ 3 (Rs 120) per person। The cost was as high as US$ 1,000 in some centres in Russia.
One reason for cost being down in India was the number of people counselled and tested, with a study showing that doubling the numbers reduced the average cost by 50 per cent in India, "We may have the volumes, but that too is because people have increased awareness about the disease and more and more are coming forward to get tested। You must remember that the testing is purely voluntary and people can refuse if they so wish," says Suresh Mohammed, national programme officer, National AIDS Control Organisation.
There are 2।47 million people living with HIV in India, with almost 1.6 lakh getting free treatment under the government programme. The cost to government is Rs 550 per patient per year.
Dolling up sex education
Former US policewoman Marcia Morgan uses a unique sex education tool that crosses all language barriers: dolls with sexual body parts। “Anatomical dolls help children de-personalise and share their own perceptions about sexual behaviours, including abuse,” says Morgan, tUS-based consultant in criminal justice and social issues.
Morgan developed the dolls 30 years ago to help sexually abused children describe what happened to them। These dolls are currently used for sex education not just in the US but also in Mozambique, where role-playing helps children with no education learn about sexual body parts, pregnancy prevention, preventing sexually-transmitted diseases and how to wear a condom.
“Apart from genetalia, these dolls have mouths and tongues and come with clothes and underclothes. They come in shades of white, light brown and dark brown and can be dressed in clothes appropriate to the area where there are being used," says Morgan. Given the opposition to sex education in India, these dolls are not likely to be seen in a sari or kurta soon.