The ban on the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) would continue for now as the Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed a designated tribunal’s order quashing the centre’s notification proscribing it under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
A bench headed by the Chief Justice of India, K.G. Balakrishnan, stayed the August 5 order of the tribunal after Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium contended that it would lead to “serious consequences” if SIMI was allowed to operate freely. The court also issued notice to SIMI and posted the matter for hearing after three weeks. The order staying the tribunal’s decision would remain in force till the next date.
In its petition challenging the tribunal’s order, the Centre said: “SIMI is against the Indian nationalism and works to replace it with the International Islamic Order.”
It said: “SIMI is known to have launched a countrywide campaign since November 1996 to mobilise support for the Muslims to establish Caliphate for Muslim community.” Financially sound, the organisation was active in 13 states, including Delhi, and involved in several terrorist and disruptive activities, it added.
The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal headed by Justice Gita Mittal of the Delhi High Court had quashed the February 2008 notification banning SIMI. The organisation was first banned in 2001 and since then the ban is being extended every two year. The ASG said the tribunal has lifted the ban on a technical ground without properly evaluating the evidence presented by the government, including the depositions of 77 senior police and Intelligence Bureau officials.
A home ministry official later said the tribunal had rejected their contention on the ground that the notification imposing the ban did not contain detailed reasons for SIMI’s proscription. The tribunal order acknowledges that its order was not on the basis of merits of the case. He said the tribunal ignored the cabinet not detailing intelligence inputs about SIMI’s illegal activities, besides the home ministry’s senior officials’ assessments and reasons for seeking a ban on SIMI.
UPA divided, BJP on offensive
The UPA stood divided on Wednesday over the ban on SIMI. The Congress favoured the continuance of the ban while the RJD and Samajwadi Party opposed it. The Congress did not agree with RJD chief Lalu Prasad and SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav’s stand of a “no ban” on SIMI.
The BJP, on the other hand, has tried to link the SIMI issue to national security. “The inability of the government to furnish ‘fresh’ evidence to the Delhi High Court Tribunal raises serious doubts about the intent of the government to fight terror in such pressing times,” said BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy.
With Saroj Nagi and Shekhar Iyer
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Broccoli may undo diabetes damage
Broccoli may help ward off prostate cancer
Eating broccoli could reverse the damage caused by diabetes to heart blood vessels, research suggests.
A University of Warwick team believe the key is a compound found in the vegetable, called sulforaphane.
It encourages production of enzymes which protect the blood vessels, and a reduction in high levels of molecules which cause significant cell damage.
Brassica vegetables such as broccoli have previously been linked to a lower risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Our study suggests that compounds such as sulforaphane from broccoli may help counter processes linked to the development of vascular disease in diabetes
Professor Paul Thornalley
University of Warwick
People with diabetes are up to five times more likely to develop cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes; both are linked to damaged blood vessels.
The Warwick team, whose work is reported in the journal Diabetes, tested the effects of sulforaphane on blood vessel cells damaged by high glucose levels (hyperglycaemia), which are associated with diabetes.
They recorded a 73% reduction of molecules in the body called Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS).
Hyperglycaemia can cause levels of ROS to increase three-fold and such high levels can damage human cells.
The researchers also found that sulforaphane activated a protein in the body called nrf2, which protects cells and tissues from damage by activating protective antioxidant and detoxifying enzymes.
Countering vascular disease
Lead researcher Professor Paul Thornalley said: "Our study suggests that compounds such as sulforaphane from broccoli may help counter processes linked to the development of vascular disease in diabetes.
"In future, it will be important to test if eating a diet rich in brassica vegetables has health benefits for diabetic patients. We expect that it will."
Dr Iain Frame, director of research at the charity Diabetes UK, stressed that research carried out on cells in the lab was a long way from the real life situation.
However, he said: "It is encouraging to see that Professor Thornalley and his team have identified a potentially important substance that may protect and repair blood vessels from the damaging effects of diabetes.
"It also may help add some scientific weight to the argument that eating broccoli is good for you."
Eating broccoli could reverse the damage caused by diabetes to heart blood vessels, research suggests.
A University of Warwick team believe the key is a compound found in the vegetable, called sulforaphane.
It encourages production of enzymes which protect the blood vessels, and a reduction in high levels of molecules which cause significant cell damage.
Brassica vegetables such as broccoli have previously been linked to a lower risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Our study suggests that compounds such as sulforaphane from broccoli may help counter processes linked to the development of vascular disease in diabetes
Professor Paul Thornalley
University of Warwick
People with diabetes are up to five times more likely to develop cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes; both are linked to damaged blood vessels.
The Warwick team, whose work is reported in the journal Diabetes, tested the effects of sulforaphane on blood vessel cells damaged by high glucose levels (hyperglycaemia), which are associated with diabetes.
They recorded a 73% reduction of molecules in the body called Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS).
Hyperglycaemia can cause levels of ROS to increase three-fold and such high levels can damage human cells.
The researchers also found that sulforaphane activated a protein in the body called nrf2, which protects cells and tissues from damage by activating protective antioxidant and detoxifying enzymes.
Countering vascular disease
Lead researcher Professor Paul Thornalley said: "Our study suggests that compounds such as sulforaphane from broccoli may help counter processes linked to the development of vascular disease in diabetes.
"In future, it will be important to test if eating a diet rich in brassica vegetables has health benefits for diabetic patients. We expect that it will."
Dr Iain Frame, director of research at the charity Diabetes UK, stressed that research carried out on cells in the lab was a long way from the real life situation.
However, he said: "It is encouraging to see that Professor Thornalley and his team have identified a potentially important substance that may protect and repair blood vessels from the damaging effects of diabetes.
"It also may help add some scientific weight to the argument that eating broccoli is good for you."
30pc of U.S. Army may be robotic by 2020
Tue, Aug 5 11:05 AM
Washington, August 5 (ANI): U.S. technologists have revealed that the country's military has plans to have about 30 per cent of the Army comprised of robotic forces by approximately 2020.
Doug Few and Bill Smart of Washington University in St. Louis say that robots are increasingly taking over more soldier duties in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that the U.S. Army wants to make further additions to its robotic fleet.
They, however, also point out that the machines still need the human touch.
"When the military says 'robot' they mean everything from self-driving trucks up to what you would conventionally think of as a robot. You would more accurately call them autonomous systems rather than robots," says Smart, assistant professor of computer science and engineering.
All of the Army's robots are teleoperated, meaning there is someone operating the robot from a remote location, perhaps often with a joystick and a computer screen.
While this may seem like a caveat in plans to add robots to the military, it is actually very important to keep humans involved in the robotic operations.
"It's a chain of command thing. You don't want to give autonomy to a weapons delivery system. You want to have a human hit the button. You don't want the robot to make the wrong decision. You want to have a human to make all of the important decisions," says Smart.
The technologist duo says that researchers are not necessarily looking for intelligent decision-making in their robots. Instead, they are working to develop an improved, "intelligent" functioning of the robot.
"It's oftentimes like the difference between the adverb and noun. You can act intelligently or you can be intelligent. I'm much more interested in the adverb for my robots," says Few, a Ph.D. student who is interested in the delicate relationship between robot and human.
He says that there are many issues that may require "a graceful intervention" by humans, and these need to be thought of from the ground up.
"When I envision the future of robots, I always think of the Jetsons. George Jetson never sat down at a computer to task Rosie to clean the house. Somehow, they had this local exchange of information. So what we've been working on is how we can use the local environment rather than a computer as a tasking medium to the robot," he says.
Few has incorporated a toy into robotic programming, and with the aid of a Wii controller, he capitalizes on natural human movements to communicate with the robot.
According to the researchers, focussing on a joystick and screen rather than carting around a heavy laptop would help soldiers in battle to stay alert, and engage in their surroundings while performing operations with the robot.
"We forget that when we're controlling robots in the lab it's really pretty safe and no one's trying to kill us. But if you are in a war zone and you're hunched over a laptop, that's not a good place to be. You want to be able to use your eyes in one place and use your hand to control the robot without tying up all of your attention," says Smart.
Devices like unmanned aerial vehicles, ground robots for explosives detection, and Packbots have already been inducted in the military.
"When I stood there and looked at that Packbot, I realized that if that robot hadn't been there, it would have been some kid," says Few. (ANI)
Washington, August 5 (ANI): U.S. technologists have revealed that the country's military has plans to have about 30 per cent of the Army comprised of robotic forces by approximately 2020.
Doug Few and Bill Smart of Washington University in St. Louis say that robots are increasingly taking over more soldier duties in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that the U.S. Army wants to make further additions to its robotic fleet.
They, however, also point out that the machines still need the human touch.
"When the military says 'robot' they mean everything from self-driving trucks up to what you would conventionally think of as a robot. You would more accurately call them autonomous systems rather than robots," says Smart, assistant professor of computer science and engineering.
All of the Army's robots are teleoperated, meaning there is someone operating the robot from a remote location, perhaps often with a joystick and a computer screen.
While this may seem like a caveat in plans to add robots to the military, it is actually very important to keep humans involved in the robotic operations.
"It's a chain of command thing. You don't want to give autonomy to a weapons delivery system. You want to have a human hit the button. You don't want the robot to make the wrong decision. You want to have a human to make all of the important decisions," says Smart.
The technologist duo says that researchers are not necessarily looking for intelligent decision-making in their robots. Instead, they are working to develop an improved, "intelligent" functioning of the robot.
"It's oftentimes like the difference between the adverb and noun. You can act intelligently or you can be intelligent. I'm much more interested in the adverb for my robots," says Few, a Ph.D. student who is interested in the delicate relationship between robot and human.
He says that there are many issues that may require "a graceful intervention" by humans, and these need to be thought of from the ground up.
"When I envision the future of robots, I always think of the Jetsons. George Jetson never sat down at a computer to task Rosie to clean the house. Somehow, they had this local exchange of information. So what we've been working on is how we can use the local environment rather than a computer as a tasking medium to the robot," he says.
Few has incorporated a toy into robotic programming, and with the aid of a Wii controller, he capitalizes on natural human movements to communicate with the robot.
According to the researchers, focussing on a joystick and screen rather than carting around a heavy laptop would help soldiers in battle to stay alert, and engage in their surroundings while performing operations with the robot.
"We forget that when we're controlling robots in the lab it's really pretty safe and no one's trying to kill us. But if you are in a war zone and you're hunched over a laptop, that's not a good place to be. You want to be able to use your eyes in one place and use your hand to control the robot without tying up all of your attention," says Smart.
Devices like unmanned aerial vehicles, ground robots for explosives detection, and Packbots have already been inducted in the military.
"When I stood there and looked at that Packbot, I realized that if that robot hadn't been there, it would have been some kid," says Few. (ANI)
Monday, August 4, 2008
World Needs A Leader Like This!
Prime Minister John Howard - Australia
Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on
Wednesday to get out of Australia , as the government targeted
radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks.
Separately, Howard angered some Australian Muslims on Wednesday by
saying he supported spy agencies monitoring the nation's mosques.
Quote: 'IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT. Take It Or Leave It.
I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some
individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali , we
have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of
Australians. '
'This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles,
trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought
freedom'
'We speak mainly ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese,
Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to
become part of our society . Learn the language!'
'Most Australians believe in God. This is not some Christian, right
wing, political push, but a fact, because Christian men and women, on
Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly
documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of
our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another
part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our
culture.'
'We will accept your beliefs, and will not question why. All we ask is
that you accept ours, and live in harmony and peaceful enjoyment with
us.'
'This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow
you every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are done
complaining, whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our
Christian beliefs, or Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take
advantage of one other great Australian freedom, 'THE RIGHT TO
LEAVE'.'
'If you aren't happy here then LEAVE. We didn't force you to come
here. You asked to be here. So accept the country YOU accepted.'
Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on
Wednesday to get out of Australia , as the government targeted
radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks.
Separately, Howard angered some Australian Muslims on Wednesday by
saying he supported spy agencies monitoring the nation's mosques.
Quote: 'IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT. Take It Or Leave It.
I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some
individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali , we
have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of
Australians. '
'This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles,
trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought
freedom'
'We speak mainly ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese,
Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to
become part of our society . Learn the language!'
'Most Australians believe in God. This is not some Christian, right
wing, political push, but a fact, because Christian men and women, on
Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly
documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of
our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another
part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our
culture.'
'We will accept your beliefs, and will not question why. All we ask is
that you accept ours, and live in harmony and peaceful enjoyment with
us.'
'This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow
you every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are done
complaining, whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our
Christian beliefs, or Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take
advantage of one other great Australian freedom, 'THE RIGHT TO
LEAVE'.'
'If you aren't happy here then LEAVE. We didn't force you to come
here. You asked to be here. So accept the country YOU accepted.'
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Relations between ISI and CIA souring?
3 Aug 2008, 0804 hrs IST, Chidanand Rajghatta,TNN
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WASHINGTON: In BBC correspondent Mohammed Hanif's partly fictional book, A Case of Exploding Mangoes, set during the Zia era, the then CIA Director Bill Casey and a Saudi prince race to Pakistan in their respective jets because they feel like eating a dish of mutton curry and bitter gourd cooked by Mrs Zia. Casey is received at a Pakistani airbase by his fawning ISI counterpart General Akhtar Abdur Rehman, who addresses him as “Field Marshal” in response to the “Generalissimo” title the American spymaster has given him. On the drive into Islamabad, Rahman produces a bottle of Royal Salute whisky in the car so the CIA chief can tank up before meeting the teetotaller military dictator.
Those chummy days now seem to be over. Last month, when CIA's No.2 official Stephen Kappes flew to Pakistan to confront its leaders with evidence of the ISI’s role in terrorism, including the bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul, there was no bitter gourd or mutton curry. The meat-and-drink days had been replaced with plain bitterness and recrimination. A few days later, Kappes boss Michael Hayden personally presented Pakistan's visiting PM Gilani with what some reports say was irrefutable evidence of ISI's role in bombing.
On Friday, the White House declined to get into the specifics of the exchanges, which some accounts say have become testy, but acknowledged that the “overall issue of counter-terrorism cooperation between our military and our intelligence services was discussed' ' in the meeting between Gilani and Bush. “It would be inappropriate for me to talk about intelligence matters here, so I'd refer you to the intelligence community, if in fact they would like comment on it,” White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.
The intelligence community has been commenting on the issue aplenty- in private, background conversations as is in the norm. And what they are saying is the ISI, or elements in it, may well be on the way to being named a terrorist organisation.
The overall narrative is complicated. One view is that sections of Pakistan's ISI has turned rogue and is out of control. Telecom intercepts and intelligence obtained separately by US and Indian agencies show the ISI elements aided militants in the bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul.
“The Indians are absolutely convinced it's true, and they're right,” an unnamed US official told the Wall Street Journal . It’s the first time US has publicly backed an Indian intelligence account, which were previously viewed with scepticism.
While it is not clear if the US and India worked together on this case (New Delhi has long been leery of CIA's close ties with ISI), the big question facing both sides is whether Pakistan's still powerful military establishment is complicity in the attack, which comes at a time when things have also heated up in J&K and on the border, and to what extent. The ISI is headed by General Nadeem Taj, who is related to the eclipsed military ruler Musharraf through marriage, and was handpicked by him, having been at his side during the coup.
Shortly before his Washington visit, Pakistan's new civilian government headed by PM Gilani tried to bring the ISI under its administrative control. The move, however, was rebuffed by the military, reportedly by the orders of Musharraf and his chosen army chief Pervez Ashraf Kiyani, Nadeem Taj's predecessor who closed ranks.
While some analysts say the move by the civilian establishment - Gilani and his party boss Asif Ali Zardari - to reign in ISI was at Washington's instance, others suggest it was more a domestic decision aimed at firewalling ISI from international criticism.
Pakistan's civilian leaders publicly said as much, implicitly conceding that a military-controlled ISI was in effect a terrorist organization and needed to be brought to heel.
In Washington, Pakistan's new civilian government appointed envoy Hussain Haqqani, blamed the previous military government for the “several outstanding problems in the relationship between the US and Pakistan' ' including “issues of trust between our two intelligence services.” The statement was also a poke at Washington's partly-eclipsed and still favoured dictator Musharraf and his ''nephew' ' Nadeem Taj.
But here's the catch: even as the Bush administration is turning the screws on ISI, it is still protecting Musharraf, who in turn still controls the ISI, which in turn runs the country behind the civilian facade.
Print EMail
Discuss New
Bookmark/Share
Save Write to Editor
WASHINGTON: In BBC correspondent Mohammed Hanif's partly fictional book, A Case of Exploding Mangoes, set during the Zia era, the then CIA Director Bill Casey and a Saudi prince race to Pakistan in their respective jets because they feel like eating a dish of mutton curry and bitter gourd cooked by Mrs Zia. Casey is received at a Pakistani airbase by his fawning ISI counterpart General Akhtar Abdur Rehman, who addresses him as “Field Marshal” in response to the “Generalissimo” title the American spymaster has given him. On the drive into Islamabad, Rahman produces a bottle of Royal Salute whisky in the car so the CIA chief can tank up before meeting the teetotaller military dictator.
Those chummy days now seem to be over. Last month, when CIA's No.2 official Stephen Kappes flew to Pakistan to confront its leaders with evidence of the ISI’s role in terrorism, including the bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul, there was no bitter gourd or mutton curry. The meat-and-drink days had been replaced with plain bitterness and recrimination. A few days later, Kappes boss Michael Hayden personally presented Pakistan's visiting PM Gilani with what some reports say was irrefutable evidence of ISI's role in bombing.
On Friday, the White House declined to get into the specifics of the exchanges, which some accounts say have become testy, but acknowledged that the “overall issue of counter-terrorism cooperation between our military and our intelligence services was discussed' ' in the meeting between Gilani and Bush. “It would be inappropriate for me to talk about intelligence matters here, so I'd refer you to the intelligence community, if in fact they would like comment on it,” White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.
The intelligence community has been commenting on the issue aplenty- in private, background conversations as is in the norm. And what they are saying is the ISI, or elements in it, may well be on the way to being named a terrorist organisation.
The overall narrative is complicated. One view is that sections of Pakistan's ISI has turned rogue and is out of control. Telecom intercepts and intelligence obtained separately by US and Indian agencies show the ISI elements aided militants in the bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul.
“The Indians are absolutely convinced it's true, and they're right,” an unnamed US official told the Wall Street Journal . It’s the first time US has publicly backed an Indian intelligence account, which were previously viewed with scepticism.
While it is not clear if the US and India worked together on this case (New Delhi has long been leery of CIA's close ties with ISI), the big question facing both sides is whether Pakistan's still powerful military establishment is complicity in the attack, which comes at a time when things have also heated up in J&K and on the border, and to what extent. The ISI is headed by General Nadeem Taj, who is related to the eclipsed military ruler Musharraf through marriage, and was handpicked by him, having been at his side during the coup.
Shortly before his Washington visit, Pakistan's new civilian government headed by PM Gilani tried to bring the ISI under its administrative control. The move, however, was rebuffed by the military, reportedly by the orders of Musharraf and his chosen army chief Pervez Ashraf Kiyani, Nadeem Taj's predecessor who closed ranks.
While some analysts say the move by the civilian establishment - Gilani and his party boss Asif Ali Zardari - to reign in ISI was at Washington's instance, others suggest it was more a domestic decision aimed at firewalling ISI from international criticism.
Pakistan's civilian leaders publicly said as much, implicitly conceding that a military-controlled ISI was in effect a terrorist organization and needed to be brought to heel.
In Washington, Pakistan's new civilian government appointed envoy Hussain Haqqani, blamed the previous military government for the “several outstanding problems in the relationship between the US and Pakistan' ' including “issues of trust between our two intelligence services.” The statement was also a poke at Washington's partly-eclipsed and still favoured dictator Musharraf and his ''nephew' ' Nadeem Taj.
But here's the catch: even as the Bush administration is turning the screws on ISI, it is still protecting Musharraf, who in turn still controls the ISI, which in turn runs the country behind the civilian facade.
Friday, August 1, 2008
UN watchdog clears path for Indo-US nuke deal
New Delhi: The governors of the UN nuclear watchdog approved an inspections plan for India on Friday, an important step towards completing a nuclear cooperation deal between New Delhi and the United States.
The India-specific safeguards agreement, approved by consensus by the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, will permit regular IAEA surveillance of India's declared civilian nuclear energy plants—14 of 22 existing or planned reactors.
This clears a hurdle to the Indo-US nuclear deal that would allow sales of atomic materials and technology for civilian use to India. The deal has been criticised because New Delhi has not signed the global Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Washington will now need the approval of a 45-nation nuclear supply group to grant India an unprecedented waiver allowing trade with a non-NPT state and ratification by the US Congress for the deal to go into force.
The first Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) meeting on India is expected to be held on Aug. Twenty-six of the 35 nations on the IAEA governing body are also NSG members.
The approval came after Mohamed ElBaradei, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said the India-specific safeguards agreement “satisfies India's needs while maintaining all of the agency's legal requirements.''
Tabling the safeguards text at the start of the meeting, ElBaradei said: "These are not comprehensive or full-scope safeguards(unlike with NPT member states)...but it (agreement) satisfies India's needs while maintaining all the agency's legal requirements."
ElBaradei's remarks gave a boost to the prospects for the Indo-US nuclear deal and the 27-member European Union too threw its weight behind the safeguards pact that set the stage for its approval.
US, Manmohan applaud IAEA
The US described the approval of India-specific safeguards agreement as a key step in the implementation of the Indo-US nuclear deal and vowed to "vigorously" obtain an India-specific exception in the NSG and clearance from the US Congress.
The India-specific safeguards agreement, approved by consensus by the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, will permit regular IAEA surveillance of India's declared civilian nuclear energy plants—14 of 22 existing or planned reactors.
This clears a hurdle to the Indo-US nuclear deal that would allow sales of atomic materials and technology for civilian use to India. The deal has been criticised because New Delhi has not signed the global Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Washington will now need the approval of a 45-nation nuclear supply group to grant India an unprecedented waiver allowing trade with a non-NPT state and ratification by the US Congress for the deal to go into force.
The first Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) meeting on India is expected to be held on Aug. Twenty-six of the 35 nations on the IAEA governing body are also NSG members.
The approval came after Mohamed ElBaradei, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said the India-specific safeguards agreement “satisfies India's needs while maintaining all of the agency's legal requirements.''
Tabling the safeguards text at the start of the meeting, ElBaradei said: "These are not comprehensive or full-scope safeguards(unlike with NPT member states)...but it (agreement) satisfies India's needs while maintaining all the agency's legal requirements."
ElBaradei's remarks gave a boost to the prospects for the Indo-US nuclear deal and the 27-member European Union too threw its weight behind the safeguards pact that set the stage for its approval.
US, Manmohan applaud IAEA
The US described the approval of India-specific safeguards agreement as a key step in the implementation of the Indo-US nuclear deal and vowed to "vigorously" obtain an India-specific exception in the NSG and clearance from the US Congress.
India best human rights performer in South Asia: Report
1 Aug, 2008, 2040 hrs IST, AGENCIES
"India is the best human rights performer in the South Asian region because of the existence of institutional mechanisms. However, its record on human rights continued to be poor," said ACHR director Suhas Chakma.
India continues to fail to ensure political freedom and inclusion to vulnerable groups like Dalits, Sikhs who migrated from Pakistan to Jammu and Kashmir in 1947 and the Chakmas and Hajongs of Arunachal Pradesh, the report said.
"India records high number of cases of blatant violations of the right to life due to custodial deaths, fake encounter killings, torture and killings through the disproportionate use of fire-arms. From April 1, 2007 to Dec 31, 2007, a total of 1,459 cases of custodial deaths were registered. It implies over five persons were killed in custody every day."
"It is impunity which directly contributes to such large-scale custodial deaths," Chakma said.
According to the index, Sri Lanka had the worst human rights record for violations of the right to life, child rights, attacks on human rights defenders and violations of the rights of the minorities. On press freedom, it ranked as the second worst violator only after Bhutan - which has no independent press.
"Discrimination lies at the heart of the war with the Tamils and the introduction of restrictions on Tamils travelling to Colombo are a powerful symbol of government intent. The political ramifications of the exclusion - not least in terms of prospects for a peaceful settlement of the conflict - of an entire ethnic group from the nation's capital are of deep concern," the report stated.
The human rights situation in Pakistan, according to the report, deteriorated in 2007 as President Musharraf increased repression in an attempt to retain position and power. In 2007, hundreds of people have been disappeared, arbitrary detention and torture in detention remained routine and impunity for human rights violations remained very high, it said.
The indexing system is based on a comparative assessment of nine issues crucial for the enjoyment of human rights: political freedom, right to life, judiciary and administration of justice, status or effectiveness of National Human Rights Institutions, press freedom, violence against women, violations of the rights of the child, violations of the rights of the minorities and tribal peoples and repression on human rights defenders.
Afghanistan has not been included in the index as its security is ensured by international forces over which the Afghan government has no mechanism to establish accountability - a necessary condition for indexing.
"Bangladesh was ranked as the No. 2 human rights violator in the region. On political freedom, Bangladesh scores the worst in the region with an effective ban on politics," the report said.
"In the first 10 months of 2007, a total of 440,684 people had been arrested and of these, only 239,480 were issued arrest warrants. Only 778 were wanted by the police for criminal offences," the report said.
"India is the best human rights performer in the South Asian region because of the existence of institutional mechanisms. However, its record on human rights continued to be poor," said ACHR director Suhas Chakma.
India continues to fail to ensure political freedom and inclusion to vulnerable groups like Dalits, Sikhs who migrated from Pakistan to Jammu and Kashmir in 1947 and the Chakmas and Hajongs of Arunachal Pradesh, the report said.
"India records high number of cases of blatant violations of the right to life due to custodial deaths, fake encounter killings, torture and killings through the disproportionate use of fire-arms. From April 1, 2007 to Dec 31, 2007, a total of 1,459 cases of custodial deaths were registered. It implies over five persons were killed in custody every day."
"It is impunity which directly contributes to such large-scale custodial deaths," Chakma said.
According to the index, Sri Lanka had the worst human rights record for violations of the right to life, child rights, attacks on human rights defenders and violations of the rights of the minorities. On press freedom, it ranked as the second worst violator only after Bhutan - which has no independent press.
"Discrimination lies at the heart of the war with the Tamils and the introduction of restrictions on Tamils travelling to Colombo are a powerful symbol of government intent. The political ramifications of the exclusion - not least in terms of prospects for a peaceful settlement of the conflict - of an entire ethnic group from the nation's capital are of deep concern," the report stated.
The human rights situation in Pakistan, according to the report, deteriorated in 2007 as President Musharraf increased repression in an attempt to retain position and power. In 2007, hundreds of people have been disappeared, arbitrary detention and torture in detention remained routine and impunity for human rights violations remained very high, it said.
The indexing system is based on a comparative assessment of nine issues crucial for the enjoyment of human rights: political freedom, right to life, judiciary and administration of justice, status or effectiveness of National Human Rights Institutions, press freedom, violence against women, violations of the rights of the child, violations of the rights of the minorities and tribal peoples and repression on human rights defenders.
Afghanistan has not been included in the index as its security is ensured by international forces over which the Afghan government has no mechanism to establish accountability - a necessary condition for indexing.
"Bangladesh was ranked as the No. 2 human rights violator in the region. On political freedom, Bangladesh scores the worst in the region with an effective ban on politics," the report said.
"In the first 10 months of 2007, a total of 440,684 people had been arrested and of these, only 239,480 were issued arrest warrants. Only 778 were wanted by the police for criminal offences," the report said.
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