सजा पूरी होने पर भी पाक जेलों में बंद 25 भारतीय

लाहौर। सजा पूरी होने के बावजूद 25 भारतीय कैदी पाकिस्तान की जेलों में बंद हैं। पाकिस्तान के मशहूर मानवाधिकार कार्यकर्ता अंसार बर्नी ने राष्ट्रपति आसिफ अली जरदारी के समक्ष इन कैदियों का मामला उठाया है।
जरदारी को लिखे पत्र में बर्नी ने भारतीय बंदियों की हिरासत को 'गैरकानूनी' करार देते हुए उन्हें तत्काल रिहा करने की मांग की है। बर्नी के अनुसार, 'सजा पूरी होने के बावजूद भारतीय बंदियों को हिरासत में रखना गैरकानूनी और मानवाधिकारों का सरासर उल्लंघन है।' पाकिस्तान के पूर्व मानवाधिकार मंत्री बर्नी ने भारतीय कैदी किरपाल सिंह और सरबजीत सिंह की मौत की सजा को उम्र कैद में बदलने की गुहार लगाई है।
जेल में बंद भारतीय कैदियों में मुंबई निवासी 38 वर्षीय टीना पेका भी हैं। पेका को 12 साल पहले गिरफ्तार किया गया था। उन्हें एक हजार रुपये जुर्माने के साथ एक वर्ष की सजा दी गई थी। मानसिक रूप से विक्षिप्त भारतीय महिला बोला को 2007 से अपनी रिहाई का इंतजार है।
सजा पूरी करने के बावजूद पाकिस्तानी जेलों में बंद अन्य भारतीय कैदियों के नाम हैं:-
नकाया
राम प्रकाश
साजू राम
गणेश पांदी (29)
गोमघ सिंह
दीन मुहम्मद
शहाबुद्दीन मीर (63)
इलियास
गोपाल दास (49)
मुहम्मद मुस्लिमुद्दीन
रामू राम
खुर्शीद अहमद
आरिफ हिदायत
कासिम मुहम्मद अमीन (66)
सुरजीत सिंह (69)
कुलदीप सिंह (37)
कुलदीप कुमार (41)
मंगा सिंह (34)
बिरजू (28)

Pitt donates $1m to cancer ward

Hollywood actor Brad Pitt and his siblings have donated $1m (£612,000) to help open a new paediatric cancer centre in the US.
The ward will be named after their mother in honour of her passion for children's issues.
The money was given to St John's Hospital in Springfield, Missouri - the town where Pitt and his brother and sister grew up.

Swine flu: Three more cases in Wellington

There are now 109 confirmed cases of swine flu in New Zealand, with 23 of them coming in the last 24 hours.
Of the 23 latest cases, seven cases are in Auckland, three in Wellington and 13 in Christchurch.
The Health Ministry said that while the number of cases was increasing, there are still relatively few cases and only isolated instances of community transmission.
The public interest in swine flu had been significant with 1500 calls answered at Healthline yesterday, almost double the usual amount.

There is a possibility of a Russian thaw in Indo-Pak relations. For the first time after 26/11, there will be a one-on-one meeting between the heads of the two countries.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari will meet on Tuesday on the sidelines of a BRIC summit.
There are two views on whether they should meet at all. Some say that Pakistan has just released Jamat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed and they are not serious about tackling any terrorism that targets India. A second view believes that what the terrorists want is a cold war between India and Pakistan, and a warmer peaceful relationship would defeat that,But the Indian government has hinted at a softening of its stand, and a possible thaw with Islamabad - something even the Prime Minister confirmed.
"During my visit, I look forward to meeting and exchanging views with the other world leaders who will be present in Yekaterinburg," said Manmohan before leaving for Russia.
Singh and Zardari will have a bilateral meeting, but sources say the comprehensive dialogue process may not restart, yet, the dialogue even if it resumes, could be in a different form

Making Honesty a Policy in Indonesia Cafes

SAMARINDA, Indonesia — A country not known for its transparent practices in business, politics and many other areas, Indonesia is pressing ahead in its long-running anticorruption drive by opening up cashier-free “honesty cafes” across the archipelago.

During a break at a high school here one recent morning, Selica Erlindi, 15, a 10th grader who wants to be a pediatrician, picked a drink and a bag of spicy cassava chips from the local honesty cafe’s shelves. Then, in keeping with the cafe’s goal of nurturing probity among its customers and society at large, she deposited, on the honor system, the equivalent of 60 cents inside a clear plastic box. As part of a national campaign led by the attorney general’s office, the provincial government here on the eastern shore of the island of Borneo opened a dozen honesty cafes last month alone in schools and government offices. By 2010, the provincial government here plans to have more than 1,000 such cafes in operation, including in private establishments.
The attorney general’s office says the honesty cafes will nip in the bud corrupt tendencies among the young and straighten out those known for indulging in corrupt practices, starting with civil servants. By shifting the responsibility of paying correctly to the patrons themselves, the cafes are meant to force people to think constantly about whether they are being honest and, presumably, make them feel guilty if they are not

England surrender to Windies

Hosts England went from elation to despair in the space of a few minutes as West Indies eliminated them from the ICC World Twenty20 at The Oval.
Facing an adjusted target of 80 off nine overs after a rain interruption, Chris Gayle's side were teetering on the brink when they were reduced to 45-5.
But Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivanarine Chanderpaul kept their heads to see their side home on 82-5 with four balls to spare, after England had earlier made 161-6 from a full allocation of 20 overs.

Iran to recount votes in disputed election

TEHRAN-- Iran's election authority has agreed to recount votes in the disputed presidential election, government-funded Press TV said Tuesday.

The Guardian Council -- which is made up of top clerics and judges -- said it will recount votes that the opposition questioned in Friday's race.
The surprise announcement came as supporters of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and those of the man he claims to have trounced in last week's vote were planning rival marches -- raising the specter of more violence as the country entered a fourth day of post-election unrest.
Seven people were killed on Monday night in the capital, Tehran, after they allegedly attacked a military post. Earlier in the day, another person was reportedly fatally shot at the end of a massive rally by supporters of opposition leader Mir Hossein Moussavi.
Press TV said Tuesday that the seven were killed when they tried to damage a military post near Azadi, or Freedom, Square.