3,000 dead in Indonesia quake
AGENCIES May 27, 2006 14:29 IST
A powerful earthquake flattened buildings in central Indonesia?on Saturday, killing at least 3,000 people and injuring thousands more in the country's worst disaster since the 2004 tsunami.
The magnitude 6.2 quake struck at 5.54 am local time near the ancient city of Yogyakarta as many people slept, causing death and damage in many nearby towns.
Sixteen hours after the quake struck, the number of dead stood at 3,068, Social Affairs Ministry official Sopar Jaya
said adding, that two-thirds of the fatalities occurred in devastated Bantul.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ordered the army to help evacuate victims and arrived in densely populated Central Java province on Saturday afternoon with a team of Cabinet ministers to oversee rescue operations.
ரீடிப்.காம்
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Sunday, May 21, 2006
சவுதி அரேபியர் இணையத்தில் என்ன செய்கிறார்கள்?
Most of Kingdom’s Internet Users Aim for the Forbidden
Raid Qusti, Arab News
RIYADH, 2 October 2005 — Of the estimated 2.2 million Internet users in the Kingdom, the majority regularly try to access forbidden or indecent material, Arab News has learned.
“Of those who log on to the Internet, 92.5 percent are trying to access a website that, for one reason or another, has been blocked,” said Dr. Mishaal Al-Kadhi, acting general manager of the King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST).
KACST is not only the Internet gateway for the Kingdom but also acts as a filter for unsuitable material. The official said that pornographic material was one of the main items on the city’s “black list” which also includes gambling, terrorism and politics as well as anything contrary to Islamic beliefs.
He said that since the royal decree was issued in 1998 choosing KACST as the gateway for the Internet in the Kingdom and authorizing it to act as a filter, a special committee had been set up to decide what should and should not be inaccessible.
“A permanent security panel was established for this purpose. It consisted of members from 10 ministries, headed by the Interior Ministry,” he explained. A year after the panel’s establishment, 85 percent of the material on the blocked sites was pornographic with the remaining being what was deemed “inappropriate” for the Kingdom.
Asked why he thought many of those who access the web in the Kingdom were looking for pornography, Al-Kadhi said that he did not believe the Kingdom was any different from other nations in the world regarding this phenomenon. He went on to note, however, that a new dangerous tendency has begun to sweep the Internet: People “have shifted from pornography to pedophilia.”
He said that according to statistics from different countries around the world, there had been a global increase in the demand for pedophilia on the Internet.
“Pedophilia has become a major problem in many countries. In Germany alone there are 30,000 people addicted to pedophilia and 20,000 others who are its victims. There is even a nationwide campaign there that asks people, ‘Do you like children too much?’” he said. He said that there was a similar problem in Italy too.
Al-Kadhi said that according to a Swedish official responsible for filtering the Internet there, “after Sweden passed new laws in the year 2000 aimed at preventing people from having sex with children, many had turned to their pets.”
He said that these bizarre sexual preferences were being fought by the European Union with new legislation. “The governments of many European countries are now using ‘safer Internet’ from which this kind of material is filtered.”
He pointed out that many committees were trying to increase public awareness of the phenomenon. “We (officials in Saudi Arabia) feel justified since we blocked this kind of thing from the very beginning and will continue to do so,” he said.
Al-Kadhi said that KASCT had received the Asia Pacific Information and Technology Award for providing the best software to block adult sites.
The system uses “Robots,” a program that automatically blocks certain phrases on an adult website and has an accuracy of 99.9 percent, he said.
Asked about the blocking of sites that promote terrorism, he said that KACST works only as a technical agency and that it blocks such sites when it receives an order to do so from the Interior Ministry.
He explained that KASCT did not screen personal e-mails and would not do so unless it received a request relating to national security from the ministry.
Commenting on the blocking of websites which would permit Internet users to access information about other religions such as Buddhism, Judaism and Christianity, the official said that there were no laws to ban those sites but that KACST naturally made mistakes like any other group or organization.
He said KACST had ignored requests from many people to block all religious sites except for Islamic ones. Any person, he added, may fill out a request concerning a blocked URL and send it to KACST, mentioning the reasons why the site should not be blocked.
“The request is reviewed within 24 hours,” Al-Kadhi added. He said KACST was not to blame for the slow Internet dial-up connections in the Kingdom, adding that the problem was with the Saudi Telecom Company lines.
பார்க்க,படிக்க: http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=71012&d=2&m=10&y=2005
So much so for their islamic puritanism!!
Raid Qusti, Arab News
RIYADH, 2 October 2005 — Of the estimated 2.2 million Internet users in the Kingdom, the majority regularly try to access forbidden or indecent material, Arab News has learned.
“Of those who log on to the Internet, 92.5 percent are trying to access a website that, for one reason or another, has been blocked,” said Dr. Mishaal Al-Kadhi, acting general manager of the King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST).
KACST is not only the Internet gateway for the Kingdom but also acts as a filter for unsuitable material. The official said that pornographic material was one of the main items on the city’s “black list” which also includes gambling, terrorism and politics as well as anything contrary to Islamic beliefs.
He said that since the royal decree was issued in 1998 choosing KACST as the gateway for the Internet in the Kingdom and authorizing it to act as a filter, a special committee had been set up to decide what should and should not be inaccessible.
“A permanent security panel was established for this purpose. It consisted of members from 10 ministries, headed by the Interior Ministry,” he explained. A year after the panel’s establishment, 85 percent of the material on the blocked sites was pornographic with the remaining being what was deemed “inappropriate” for the Kingdom.
Asked why he thought many of those who access the web in the Kingdom were looking for pornography, Al-Kadhi said that he did not believe the Kingdom was any different from other nations in the world regarding this phenomenon. He went on to note, however, that a new dangerous tendency has begun to sweep the Internet: People “have shifted from pornography to pedophilia.”
He said that according to statistics from different countries around the world, there had been a global increase in the demand for pedophilia on the Internet.
“Pedophilia has become a major problem in many countries. In Germany alone there are 30,000 people addicted to pedophilia and 20,000 others who are its victims. There is even a nationwide campaign there that asks people, ‘Do you like children too much?’” he said. He said that there was a similar problem in Italy too.
Al-Kadhi said that according to a Swedish official responsible for filtering the Internet there, “after Sweden passed new laws in the year 2000 aimed at preventing people from having sex with children, many had turned to their pets.”
He said that these bizarre sexual preferences were being fought by the European Union with new legislation. “The governments of many European countries are now using ‘safer Internet’ from which this kind of material is filtered.”
He pointed out that many committees were trying to increase public awareness of the phenomenon. “We (officials in Saudi Arabia) feel justified since we blocked this kind of thing from the very beginning and will continue to do so,” he said.
Al-Kadhi said that KASCT had received the Asia Pacific Information and Technology Award for providing the best software to block adult sites.
The system uses “Robots,” a program that automatically blocks certain phrases on an adult website and has an accuracy of 99.9 percent, he said.
Asked about the blocking of sites that promote terrorism, he said that KACST works only as a technical agency and that it blocks such sites when it receives an order to do so from the Interior Ministry.
He explained that KASCT did not screen personal e-mails and would not do so unless it received a request relating to national security from the ministry.
Commenting on the blocking of websites which would permit Internet users to access information about other religions such as Buddhism, Judaism and Christianity, the official said that there were no laws to ban those sites but that KACST naturally made mistakes like any other group or organization.
He said KACST had ignored requests from many people to block all religious sites except for Islamic ones. Any person, he added, may fill out a request concerning a blocked URL and send it to KACST, mentioning the reasons why the site should not be blocked.
“The request is reviewed within 24 hours,” Al-Kadhi added. He said KACST was not to blame for the slow Internet dial-up connections in the Kingdom, adding that the problem was with the Saudi Telecom Company lines.
பார்க்க,படிக்க: http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=71012&d=2&m=10&y=2005
So much so for their islamic puritanism!!
Friday, May 19, 2006
பெரோஸ்கானை தடை செய்தது பாகிஸ்தான்
Musharraf bans Feroze Khan's entry into Pak
ISLAMABAD, MAY 18 (PTI)
Upset over his reported remarks criticising Pakistan during his recent visit, President Pervez Musharraf has banned veteran Bollywood actor Feroze Khan from entering the country.
"He (Khan) has misbehaved, abused our hospitality which was not acceptable, therefore he is barred from entering Pakistan," Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam told PTI today.
"The President House has taken serious notice of his remarks which were widely covered in the Indian and Pakistani media and directed the concerned authorities to blacklist him and impose a ban on his entry into Pakistan," private ARY channel reported quoting sources in the Presidency.
It said the President's decision has been communicated to the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi.
The 67-year-old actor, during his visit to Pakistan last month for the premiere of his brother Akbar Khan's film 'Taj Mahal', had reportedly made the comments in Lahore on April 26 highlighting comfort levels of Muslims in India in comparison to that in Pakistan, setting off a heated verbal exchange between him and local compere Fakher-e-Alam, and trigerring a controversy here.
"I am a proud Indian. India is a secular country. Muslims there are making a lot of progress. Our President is a Muslim, Prime Minister a Sikh. Pakistan was made in the name of Islam but look how the Muslims are killing each other," he was quoted as saying by a Pakistani daily last month.
Soon after airing Musharraf's orders banning Khan's entry, local Geo TV telecast a cartoon video titled 'Feroze Khan, Fakhar-e-Hindustan' depicting him in an inebriated condition.
Ever since the controversy erupted, Fakher-e-Alam, also a pop singer, has been appearing in Pakistani TV channels accusing Khan of insulting and hurting Pakistan's pride in an inebriated state.
Many Pakistani film stars and producers have objected to Khan using the platform of his brother's film's premiere to make "controversial remarks," but they have also been pleading that this was an isolated incident which should not be allowed to spoil the unprecedented friendly ties evolving between the two countries.
Alam himself has been a frequent visitor to India and regularly interviewed Bollywood stars for Pakistani TV channels.
After the Pakistan government gave permission to screen 'Taj Mahal' and new print of 'Mughal-e-Azam', expectations were high that Islamabad would lift the four-decade-old ban on Indian films. But there are apprehensions here that the Feroze Khan episode was being played up by opponents of the peace process to spoil the friendly relations.
The other Indian film stars and delegates accompanying Khan to the premiere of 'Taj Mahal' had reportedly apologised to Alam for the incident.
பார்க்க, படிக்க : http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?id=381064
ISLAMABAD, MAY 18 (PTI)
Upset over his reported remarks criticising Pakistan during his recent visit, President Pervez Musharraf has banned veteran Bollywood actor Feroze Khan from entering the country.
"He (Khan) has misbehaved, abused our hospitality which was not acceptable, therefore he is barred from entering Pakistan," Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam told PTI today.
"The President House has taken serious notice of his remarks which were widely covered in the Indian and Pakistani media and directed the concerned authorities to blacklist him and impose a ban on his entry into Pakistan," private ARY channel reported quoting sources in the Presidency.
It said the President's decision has been communicated to the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi.
The 67-year-old actor, during his visit to Pakistan last month for the premiere of his brother Akbar Khan's film 'Taj Mahal', had reportedly made the comments in Lahore on April 26 highlighting comfort levels of Muslims in India in comparison to that in Pakistan, setting off a heated verbal exchange between him and local compere Fakher-e-Alam, and trigerring a controversy here.
"I am a proud Indian. India is a secular country. Muslims there are making a lot of progress. Our President is a Muslim, Prime Minister a Sikh. Pakistan was made in the name of Islam but look how the Muslims are killing each other," he was quoted as saying by a Pakistani daily last month.
Soon after airing Musharraf's orders banning Khan's entry, local Geo TV telecast a cartoon video titled 'Feroze Khan, Fakhar-e-Hindustan' depicting him in an inebriated condition.
Ever since the controversy erupted, Fakher-e-Alam, also a pop singer, has been appearing in Pakistani TV channels accusing Khan of insulting and hurting Pakistan's pride in an inebriated state.
Many Pakistani film stars and producers have objected to Khan using the platform of his brother's film's premiere to make "controversial remarks," but they have also been pleading that this was an isolated incident which should not be allowed to spoil the unprecedented friendly ties evolving between the two countries.
Alam himself has been a frequent visitor to India and regularly interviewed Bollywood stars for Pakistani TV channels.
After the Pakistan government gave permission to screen 'Taj Mahal' and new print of 'Mughal-e-Azam', expectations were high that Islamabad would lift the four-decade-old ban on Indian films. But there are apprehensions here that the Feroze Khan episode was being played up by opponents of the peace process to spoil the friendly relations.
The other Indian film stars and delegates accompanying Khan to the premiere of 'Taj Mahal' had reportedly apologised to Alam for the incident.
பார்க்க, படிக்க : http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?id=381064
தமிழ்நாடு செய்தி - காங்கிரஸ் அரசில் சேர விரும்புகிறதாம்.
Congress wants to join DMK-led govt
Chennai, May 19: The Tamil Nadu Congress Legislature Party today unanimously resolved to join the Tamil Nadu Cabinet in the interest of stability of the state government and to fulfil the expectations of the people.
The AICC observer in charge of Tamil Nadu, Veerappa Moily, said after the hour-long CLP meeting that the resolution would be forwarded to Congress president Sonia Gandhi for appropriate action. "We expect the DMK president and Chief Minister M Karunanidhi to discuss the matter with Sonia Gandhi when he visits Delhi shortly," Moily told chennaionline shortly after the CLP meeting.
Moily said he had already broached the subject with Karunanidhi soon after the announcement of election results in the state. "I had discussed the matter informally with Mr Karunanidhi even then but I did not share the information with the media," Moily said with a smile adding that he had also conveyed to Sonia Gandhi the wishes of the partymen in the state to join the government.
"Soon after the election results, a number of Congressmen in the state did speak to me about their desire that the Congress should join the government. I have duly conveyed this both to Mr Karunanidhi and to the Congress president. I expect that the two leaders will discuss the matter further when the Chief Minister visits Delhi shortly," Moily added.
Asked if there were any riders or conditions to the decision of the Congress to support the DMK-led government in the state, Moily said there was absolutely no question of any condition to the decision of the Congress to support the government in the state. "Our support to the government here is absolutely unconditional. We are a dignified national party. We don't put conditions to our support. All that we have done is to merely express our desire to join the government. It is for the leaders concerned to take the matter forward. Our support to the government is total and without any condition whatsoever."
Moily also disclosed that the Congress believed that the other poll partners also can join the government. "We would like all the poll partners to join the government. Our desire to join the government is not made out of a selfish motive. We want others also to be there."
The party was also in favour of evolving a Common Minimum Programme (CMP) as has been done by the UPA at the Centre, Moily added.
On the election results, Moily expressed happiness over the performance of the Congress in Tamil Nadu. "Our percentage of victories as compared to the number of seats contested is among the highest in the state," Moily pointed out.
The resolution adopted by the CLP today said, "Resolves to respond to the wishes of the people of Tamil Nadu to strengthen DPA for the full term. CLP is also of the conviction that in the interest of stability of the government and also to fulfil the expectations of people of Tamil Nadu, other partners of DPA join hands with the government associating with the Cabinet and its various functions. It is also resolved to have a Common Minimum Programme on the lines of UPA. It is of the firm conviction that mandate of the people of Tamil Nadu is for DPA government led by Dr Kalaignar Karunanidhi. The matter may be taken up with Smt Sonia Gandhiji, the Congress president."
Earlier, the CLP meeting unanimously resolved to elect the senior MLA, D Sudarsanam, as the CLP leader in Tamil Nadu. The filling up of other posts like deputy leader, whip, secretary and joint secretary would be taken up later in consultation with the CLP leader and PCC president M Krishnaswamy, Moily said. (R Rangaraj)
படித்தது :
சென்னை ஆன்லைன்
Chennai, May 19: The Tamil Nadu Congress Legislature Party today unanimously resolved to join the Tamil Nadu Cabinet in the interest of stability of the state government and to fulfil the expectations of the people.
The AICC observer in charge of Tamil Nadu, Veerappa Moily, said after the hour-long CLP meeting that the resolution would be forwarded to Congress president Sonia Gandhi for appropriate action. "We expect the DMK president and Chief Minister M Karunanidhi to discuss the matter with Sonia Gandhi when he visits Delhi shortly," Moily told chennaionline shortly after the CLP meeting.
Moily said he had already broached the subject with Karunanidhi soon after the announcement of election results in the state. "I had discussed the matter informally with Mr Karunanidhi even then but I did not share the information with the media," Moily said with a smile adding that he had also conveyed to Sonia Gandhi the wishes of the partymen in the state to join the government.
"Soon after the election results, a number of Congressmen in the state did speak to me about their desire that the Congress should join the government. I have duly conveyed this both to Mr Karunanidhi and to the Congress president. I expect that the two leaders will discuss the matter further when the Chief Minister visits Delhi shortly," Moily added.
Asked if there were any riders or conditions to the decision of the Congress to support the DMK-led government in the state, Moily said there was absolutely no question of any condition to the decision of the Congress to support the government in the state. "Our support to the government here is absolutely unconditional. We are a dignified national party. We don't put conditions to our support. All that we have done is to merely express our desire to join the government. It is for the leaders concerned to take the matter forward. Our support to the government is total and without any condition whatsoever."
Moily also disclosed that the Congress believed that the other poll partners also can join the government. "We would like all the poll partners to join the government. Our desire to join the government is not made out of a selfish motive. We want others also to be there."
The party was also in favour of evolving a Common Minimum Programme (CMP) as has been done by the UPA at the Centre, Moily added.
On the election results, Moily expressed happiness over the performance of the Congress in Tamil Nadu. "Our percentage of victories as compared to the number of seats contested is among the highest in the state," Moily pointed out.
The resolution adopted by the CLP today said, "Resolves to respond to the wishes of the people of Tamil Nadu to strengthen DPA for the full term. CLP is also of the conviction that in the interest of stability of the government and also to fulfil the expectations of people of Tamil Nadu, other partners of DPA join hands with the government associating with the Cabinet and its various functions. It is also resolved to have a Common Minimum Programme on the lines of UPA. It is of the firm conviction that mandate of the people of Tamil Nadu is for DPA government led by Dr Kalaignar Karunanidhi. The matter may be taken up with Smt Sonia Gandhiji, the Congress president."
Earlier, the CLP meeting unanimously resolved to elect the senior MLA, D Sudarsanam, as the CLP leader in Tamil Nadu. The filling up of other posts like deputy leader, whip, secretary and joint secretary would be taken up later in consultation with the CLP leader and PCC president M Krishnaswamy, Moily said. (R Rangaraj)
படித்தது :
சென்னை ஆன்லைன்
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