FIJISUN MAY 2012

USA

Vol-22

Issue-4

Page-23

Karen Artsrong

Nominated for Awards Page-31

Summer wedding

Top 7 Controversial

She is tagged as drama queen by many. Item girl Rakhi Sawant has always made headlines either for making sarcastic remarks on actresses like Katrina Kaif...

FIJI PM IN JAIPUR

May

www.fijisun-usa.com

The head of government met with 10 women from Fiji who were sent last month to India to undergo 6 months training as solar engineers at the Barefoot College in Rajasthan. Prime Minister Bainimarama who is India to attend the International Sugar Organisation conference also thanked the college for facilitating his meet with the women from Fiji.

“Thank you for giving me this opportunity to meet with our ladies from Fiji who are being trained at the Barefoot College.

After talking to the team here, I have no doubt, of the exciting projects that these trainees will come up after their studies here”, Prime Minister Bainimarama said.

The 10 trainees come from Cakaudrove, Macuata, Bua, Ba and this is one of the significant projects coordinated by the Ministry of Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation

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Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama this week visited met with women from Fiji currently undergoing courses in India. to empower women to become solar engineers in Fiji. Last year Mr Bunker Roy, the founder of Barefoot College visited Fiji and confirmed that the College has trained 300 women as solar engineers from the continents of

Africa and through the partnership between Indian High Commission, Ministry of Women, UN Women, Fiji too will experience the same benefit once the 10 women return to solar electrify their villages.

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Veena Malik: From Fiji with love

Page-32

Zaien's 60th birthday

KIA puts HIBI visa holders in car ownership

Ron and Reshma

Sales staff Sam hands over keys to the newest Kia customer as Kia sales steadily leads to top the list. (See page 2)

Page-05

Vigyan holds fast to free $7 trillion mortgage fraud seminar

Lukas Hindi song

Disregarding calls to boycott the AIM mortgage crisis seminar, Vigyan Pratap bravely took the stage and gave a ninety minute free presentation on the $7 trillion mortgage fraud, the largest fraud in human history.

While others are sitting quiet (sucking thumb) on such a tragedy in which more than 60 million Americans have lost their homes, Fiji’s Vigyan Pratap (3rd from left in the picture) is the only mortgage specialist working tirelessly with a team of Bay Area lawyers taking cases to court.

(CONT. PAGE INSIDE PAGE-12)

With China in range, India fires N-capable Agni-V

India on Thursday conducted a successful test-fire of its indigenously developed nuclear capable Agni-V ballistic missile with a strike range of over 5,000 km from a test range off Odisha coast. "The mission was successful. The missile hit the target in Indian Ocean in a perfect way," chief of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), VK Saraswat said.

COMPLETE STORY ON PAGE-8

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May 2012 H. Koya (PhD)

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Sanjna Chand (MA) Associate Editor

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May 2012

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May 2012

BUSINESS NEWS

Health in the News FDA may approve a new diet drug

An advisory panel for the Food and Drug Administration overwhelmingly recommends that the drug Qnexa be approved. The prescription drug would be the first approved for weight loss in more than a decade.

Qnexa, made by Vivus, Inc., of California, was approved by a panel of non-FDA medical experts who were convinced that the drug's benefits outweighed any safety risks. They were impressed by the amount of weight study subjects lost, an average of 10 percent of body weight. It would be prescribed for patients who are obese or who have weight-related conditions. Some foods fight arthritis pain You probably know that omega-3 fatty acids are good for your heart, but they are also good for reducing arthritis pain. These essential fatty acids are found in foods

including cold water fish, like salmon, tuna and halibut, flaxseeds and walnuts. They decrease inflammation in the body. Olive oil contains a natural compound called oleocanthal, which blocks the same inflammatory pathways as ibuprofen and aspirin. Green tea contains a natural antioxidant called EGCG that works to stop the production of certain inflammatory chemicals involved in arthritis. Citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruit, contain vitamin C, one of the nutrients most responsible for the health of collagen. Other C-rich foods are bell peppers, strawberries, pineapple, broccoli, kidney beans, and kiwi.

Cherries, all berries, red and black grapes and plums all contain a powerful antioxidant. It can defuse the dangerous free radicals that irritate body tissues and cause the inflam-

mation that is typical in arthritis. Get up, lace up, and show up for fitness It's time to check your tennis racket, shine up your golf clubs, and unpack your roller skates and swim fins.

These active pastimes can be healthy and fun. If you aren't much into sports, you can walk, splash around in a pool, play badminton, go camping, carry picnic baskets or play catch with a softball. The key to greater fitness is to do any of these things more often. Or you can stay inside where it never rains. Try a yoga class. It's a deceptively simple practice that includes holding a variety of positions designed to increase strength and flexibility. Belly dancing has become increasingly popular with no bellies showing. Depending on the level of the class, it can be a highly aerobic activity.

Retailers are trying several new plans to reduce the lengths of their checkout lines. They want to please customers, and at the same time encourage customers to shop in person rather than go online to buy. The percentage of shoppers who buy online is growing. Store managers say selfcheckout helps, but some people don't like it. Some stores have copied the Apple model with roaming personnel using hand-held devices for mobile checkout, but that doesn't work in a gro-

cery store. Other stores have personnel come to a long line to pre-scan items while the shoppers are waiting in line.

Studies show that having one line that flows into three registers makes checkout faster. If one register has a problem, the other two are still moving customers. The plan works even better if the line flows into six cash registers.

Oddly, people still prefer to wait in the individual line of their choice, even though they experience remorse if the line turns out to be slower. One compa-

ny timed shoppers in line with a stopwatch to determine how impatient they get. They found that up to 2-3 minutes, shoppers' estimates of how long they waited were pretty accurate.

When the wait time jumped to five minutes, many thought they had waited twice that long. Many select a line depending on how full the carts of other shoppers are, the ages of people in front of them and how chatty the checker is, all of which they think will slow down the line.

The quest to find the best checkout line

Video games can be good for you

Since home video games became popularized in the 80s, killjoys have blamed them for many evils, including creating socially awkward, obese children.

Recent studies playing video games improve: Brain function. A growing body of research shows that people who play action-based video and computer games make decisions 25 percent faster than others and without sacrificing accuracy. They make choices and act upon them four times faster than most people. And they develop the ability to pay attention to six things at once, compared with four for others.

Dexterity. A study conducted by psychologists at the University of Rochester found that video game-playing surgical residents and surgeons, who were tasked with performing a certain procedure, were 24 percent faster, made 32 percent fewer errors and scored 26 percent better overall. The percentages were even higher for those who played games frequently.

Eyesight. According to the Rochester studies, people who played action video games for a month were able to identify letters presented in clutter 20 percent better. The results were shown after just 30 hours of play.

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May 2012

High gas prices spark interest in natural gas cars

With the price of gas nearing $5 a gallon, car makers are now testing natural gas vehicles.

GM and Chrysler have announced a new heavy-duty natural gas truck with a duel fuel option for gasoline. Meanwhile, Honda is expanding sales of its natural gas Civic.

About 113,000 natural-gas vehicles are on U.S. roads, says NGV America, a trade group for naturalgas vehicles. Worldwide the cars are much more popular with 4.2 million on the road in Latin American and 6.8 million in the Asia-Pacific region. A natural gas vehicle has almost zero carbon emissions, a fact pleasing to those who care deeply about the environment. Compared to gasoline, natural gas is also a good deal. For the equivalent on one gallon of gas,

customers pay $2 to $2.59 for natural gas. But… now let’s look at price, cost and practicality. Upfront price for a vehicle is higher than gasoline. Honda sold 2,000 natural gas Civics in 2011 at a cost of about $4,000 more than the gasoline powered mode. The bi-fuel Chrysler heavy-duty pickup will cost almost $12,000 more. Refilling is more of a problem in the U.S. than in Latin America but in every state power companies offer fueling to the public. Problem is that this might not give you enough fueling stations to actually use the car for travel. Consumers can purchase a natural gas filling station for $6,000.

These stations tap into your home's natural gas line, compressing the gas for use in your car. It takes about six hours to fill up but costs only $15.

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FIJI NEWS

Shallow quake tremors shock Suva

May 2012

FNU to build medical campus at Lautoka

The Fiji National University is to build a medical campus at Lautoka. Speaking at the FNU graduation yesterday, Minister for Education Filipe Bole said the new campus will extend the services offered throiugh the FNU's college of medicine, nursing and health science. Bole said it would also help cater for the increased demand for doctors, nurses and medical support personnel. He said the government has set aside $1.5 million for the medical campus. He said the government is also looking at upgrading the university's engineering and resources. The medical campus will be built behind McGregor House which already accommodates medical interns and is juts metres away from the Lautoka Hospital.

A shallow earthquake that measured 4.6 on the Richter Scale, caused tremors to be felt in the Suva-Nausori corridor this afternoon. leaving office workers and residents shocked. No tsunami warning has been issued and no damage has been reported although people have been advised to move to higher ground as there will be little time to issue warnings. The earthquake was located at 7.01 northnorthwest of Suva and 2.3 kilometres north-northwest of Lami.

Mineral Resources Department director Malakai Finau told FijiLive the tremor was mainly felt in the Suva to Nausori corridor because it was a shallow one.

The widespread effect of the tremors left people surprised.

Sharon Chand, 22, a sales repre-

sentative at the Downtown Boulevard FNPF Plaza in Suva, said some people rushed tomove out while others seemed unworried. “People were rushing to get

out of the building and security staff ushered everybody out of the building as a precautionary measure," Chand said. “People were on their mobile phones get-

ting in touch with family members to see if they were okay but the feeling was one of surprise.

“Some people who were eating had to be told numerous times to move out of the building and leave their food behind.”

While some may have felt the earthquake, others were not aware of the tremor. Meresia Losena, 48, of Wainadoi said she did not feel the tremors as she was riding on the bus. “I was on the bus it was moving and most of us did not feel it but heard about it later." Fiji is on the Pacific Ring of Fire and the last tsunami encountered was in 2009. This was reported after an 8.1 magnitude earthquake hit Samoa and brought large waves with no major damage reported on the coasts of Fiji.

FIJI NEWS Night clubs on police radar Daughter, 12, receives mum's degree Fiji Police Force will be keeping a close eye on nightclubs in Suva tonight to ensure that clubs do not allow under age people in. So far police is glad that it has not received any reports so far making this week incident free so far.

Director Operations SSP Rusiate Tudravu said they will be monitoring nightclubs that allow minors to enter, if laws are broken,

nightclubs could be closed down and the owners will be taken to task.

Police spokesman Atunaisa Sokomuri this afternoon said police is ensuring security at the Coke games at the stadium in Suva. “We are glad to note that so far they have been no incidents at the game but police will maintain it’s presence at the National Stadium to deal with any situation if it arises.”

It was a sad day for 12-year-old Adi Sainimili Teilai as she walked up to receive her mother’s nursing degree during the Fiji National University graduation today. Teilai’s mother Savaira Teilai passed away last November and her only daughter represented her during the graduation. Speaking to FijiLive, Teilai’s grandmother Litiana Tale said even though her daughter was not there to receive her degree she would have been proud looking down at Sainimili. “Even though she was sick she continued to study and always told me that we would best remember her by always looking at what she achieved,” said Tale. An emotional Tale said her daughter had suffered for a very long time but she always believed that she would be healed. “She kept telling us that she would leave us one day but we didn’t know that it would be before she received her degree,” she said. A total of 1134 students graduated today from FNU’s six colleges, college of agriculture, college of fisheries and forestry, college of business, hospitality and tourism studies, college of engineering science and technology, college of humanities and education, college of medicine, nursing and health science.

Murder charge Asians need interpreter: Court High Court judge Justice Salesi Temo this morning ordered an interpreter to be provided to the six Asian nationals who allegedly murdered another Asian national outside a nightclub in Suva earlier this month. The six - Yang Xiu Qi, Hu Jian Zhan, Bill Hao, Liu Chuan Wei, Veng Seong Tam and Dai Jian appeared in the High Court at Suva this morning and were remanded.

Four of the six Asian nationals were represented in court today. Filimoni Vosarogo is representing Wei and Jian whilst Akuila Naco is representing Bill and Tam. Vosarogo indicated to the court that they would file for bail at the next court sitting on May 4. State lawyer Pita Bulimainavalu informed court that they would file information on disclosures which had been served and would be submitting further disclosures later. Vosarogo informed the court they would repose to

motion affidavits and highlighted that language is an issue. He said they will need an interpreter at the next court sitting. Justice Temo said the court would have to search the State resources and enquired how the defence was interpreting to them. Vosarogo informed the court that they had the services of relatives and close friends and that two of the six accused did not understand English. Justice Temo said that it is very important for the six

accused to understand the proceedings and adjourned the matter for one week for the Chief Registrar to find an interpreter who can translate Mandarin and Cantonese. He said the two accused who are not represented had a right to a counsel. Vosarogo then enquired on the issue of bail for the four with representation. Justice Temo replied that there was no need to rush as the papers need to be in order to proceed to bail hearing.

GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) Wales beat South Africa 17-5 for the first time in the sevens rugby world series to join New Zealand, Fiji and England as the only unbeaten teams in the Glasgow Sevens after the first day Saturday.

South Africa had won the 27 previous matches against Wales, but this time the latter scored the first two tries to Rhys Shellard and Ifan

Evans, conceded a last-minute try at the end of the half to Jamba Ulengo, scored the only try of the second half through Tom Grabham, and hung on. That secured first place in Pool D after earlier wins over host Scotland and Russia, and set up a quarterfinal on Sunday with Australia, winner of the previous leg in Tokyo. The other quarterfinals at Scotstoun Stadium are: England vs.

defending champion South Africa, Fiji vs. Samoa, New Zealand vs.

Argentina. Series leader New Zealand won Pool B after coming from behind to edge Samoa 22-21.

Samoa led 14-10 at the break but New Zealand went ahead 29 seconds into the second half with a try to Bryce Heem then the decisive score in the 10th minute from Salesi Piutau, who ran into a half-gap with

Child Sexual Abuse Cases Nearly Double In Fiji

SUVA – Sexual abuse cases against children are on the increase with records jumping from 292 in 2008 to 542 cases in 2009.

The findings were released in a publication launched recently on Children in Fiji by UNICEF. Although a decline in overall child abuse cases was reported by the Fiji Bureau of Statistics, the Social Welfare Department also recorded an increase in sexual abuse against children ranging from birth to 18 years of age. The bureau has recorded cases reported to the department ranging from physical abuse, sexual, emotional, neglect, abandonment and those who had been lost. “Most of the reported cases relate to neglect and sexual and physical abuse,

respectively,” the report said.

Permanent secretary for the Ministry of National Planning, Strategic Planning and Statistics Pita Wise said it was unclear whether this was a true increase or the result of better awareness and the strengthening of local detection systems. He said Fiji had made promising strides in the areas of child protection in terms of legislation. “Our Department of Social Welfare is exemplary in the region and many of Fiji’s existing laws and policies comply with international conventions,” Wise said. The Fiji Bureau however, reported that surveys revealed 15 per cent of adult respondents in urban areas indicate there were no services available for badly hurt children.

NZ, Fiji, England, Wales unbeaten in Glasgow 7s a set-up pass from Tomasi Cama.

Samoa scored its third converted try in the last moments. Joeli Lutumailagi and captain Setefano Cakau each scored a pair of tries as Fiji walloped Argentina 47-7, conceding only two tries in three Pool C matches. England won Pool A coming from 14-5 down to beat Australia 19-14. Tom Mitchell scored a converted try in the last minute of the

first half for England to trail by two.

Then England attacked from behind its own posts for the only try of the second spell. Mitchell kicked the ball from out of his in-goal, Mat Turner toed it into Australia's half, and after a ruck, Chris Cracknell passed with his heavily wrapped right arm to the left wing, where an unmarked James Rodwell scooted in behind the posts with three minutes to go.

FIJI NEWS Fiji Military Government Promises Elections by 2014 Pacific leaders Tuesday said they were encouraged by moves taken by the military-led government in Fiji to return the island nation to a parliamentary democracy with elections by September 2014. New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully released a statement from the Pacific Islands Forum Ministerial Contact Group (MCG), which concluded a two-day visit to Fiji Tuesday, after meeting politicians, and civil society and union representatives. The statement said the ministers gained a sense that Fiji was a country in transition, moving to put in place processes required for elections, which would take place by September 2014.

The ministers had also received assurances that the elections would be free and fair and no parliamentary seats would be reserved for the military. The international community would closely watch the public consultation process leading to the establishment of a new constitution, it said. If the process included freedom of association, freedom of speech and freedom for media, then ministers would consider recommending steps to allow Fiji to participate in some forum meetings.

McCully represents the forum chair New Zealand. The MCG comprised ministers from New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Fiji has been subject to Pacific-wide sanctions after a military-led coup in 2006.

Fiji’s Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama met with Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh this week to explore and strengthen bilateral trade relations.

A government statement said Dr Singh also congratulated Bainimarama on the “bold, imaginative steps” taken since 2006, and wished Fiji well in the formulation of a new constitution and elections in 2014. Bainimarama, who is also the vice chairman of International Sugar Council, took part in the opening ceremony of the ISO's 41st meeting at the Ashoka Hotel in New Delhi,

Man alleged to have defrauded 4 of $27,750

The prosecution will call 30 witnesses in the case against a man who allegedly defrauded a total of $27,750 from four different people.

Rajneel Singh pleaded not guilty to four counts of obtaining financial advantage by deception at the Suva Magistrates Court yesterday. The court heard that these alleged offences took place between the period 2010 and 2011. Director of Public Prosecution lawyer Jayneeta Prasad informed the court full disclosures had been served and they would be presenting 30 witnesses. Chief Magistrate Usaia Ratuvili ordered Singh to get his lawyer for the next court sitting because he was not present in the past few sittings.

May 2012

India. In his meeting with the Indian Minister for Agriculture, Sharad Pawar, Bainimarama also welcomed opportunities to explore areas of the sugar and rice industries as well as horticulture practices in Fiji. Bainimarama and Pawar agreed to continue discussions on possible flood mitigation and prevention strategies. He also visited ten Fijian women who are training to become solar engineers in India.

The trainees are from Cakaudrove, Macuata, Bua, Ba and will be training for six months at Barefoot College, Jaipur.

Veena Malik: From Fiji with love Sultry siren Veena Malik, who is in the exotic Fiji Islands these days for work, shares details on her life. The actor talks about her days in one of the most beautiful islands in the world, the shooting experience of Supermodel and how she wishes the best for Mohammad Asif, who got released from London jail on May 3.

“It’s the first time I’m here and the experience is great. People of Fiji are warm, nice and down-to-earth. I even found this same personality trait in the Attorney General of Fiji, whom I recently met,” said Veena Malik in a telephonic interview to The Express Tribune.

Malik disclosed that she plans to stay in Fiji for another week to shoot the remaining scenes of the film. “Most of the shoot has been done but we are here till May 10 and after that, the team will be leaving for Mumbai. The director [Navin] has a unique way of doing stuff and his technical team is amazing.” About working with her exflame Ashmit Patel again, she says, “He is like any other colleague for me. It’s going well.”

FIJI NEWS OPR unchanged at 0.5 per cent: RBF The Reserve Bank of Fiji agreed to maintain the accommodative monetary policy stance aimed at supporting economic growth by keeping the Overnight Policy Rate (OPR) unchanged at 0.5 per cent.

In a statement RBF said this follows after its monthly Board meeting on Thursday this week. In announcing the Board decision, the Governor of the Reserve Bank and chairman of the Board, Barry Whiteside said a moderate growth outlook for the international economy is now in place. Whiteside said

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FIJI NEWS PM discusses trade relations with India

Malik says that she has to fly back to India as soon as possible because her projects: Tamil remake of The Dirty Picture and Bollywood comedy-thriller Rajni ki Lag Gai are slated to begin

shooting in the month of May. Apart from her reel ventures, the actor is also gearing up for the first look of Mumbai 125km, a promotional shoot of Daal Mein Kuch Kala Hai and her cameo appearance for a song in Zindagi 50/50.

Her debut in the Tamil film industry, The Dirty Picture, is a remake of Ekta Kapoor’s movie of the same name and Malik will play the role played by actor Vidya Balan in the Hindi version. Malik, who is ecstatic to be offered this role says, “I always wanted to work in a Tamil film. I believe Tamil films are very strong as far as the script goes and technical work is concerned. I hate doing same old boy meets girl movies and I won’t be accepting any roles like these anymore.” Her main concern, however, is that her role requires her to gain a few pounds but she is not really fond of eating heavy meals. “I have to put on weight for the film and I am not a foodie at all. I have never had three complete meals in my life but now I will have to.” When inquired if she’d have problem delivering dialogues in

Veena Malik meets Fiji Attorney General….

Attorney General of Fiji Aiyaz Sayed Khiayum visited Pakistani actor Veena Malik during her shoot in the country. Calling it a profound moment, Malik insisted that the meeting was a great experience. “It was good knowing about Fiji from him [Khiayum],” the Express Tribune quoted her as saying. Describing Malik as a glamorous actor, Khiayum asserted that he has seen the actress’ performances and thinks that she portrays herself nicely.

it is following upward revisions to global growth by the International Monetary Fund earlier this month.

He said the outturn is largely underpinned by the better-than expected performance of the US economy and the resolution of the Greek debt crisis in the first quarter of this year. However, he said significant downside risks to global growth prospects remain for 2012, particularly with a mild recession envisaged for Europe and modest growth in emerging market economies

Fiji inches towards elections A DELEGATION including Foreign Minister Bob Carr has said Fiji's military regime is making "positive progress". The Pacific delegation, including Mr Carr and his New Zealand counterpart Murray McCully, yesterday reported that the regime was making "positive progress" towards holding elections in 2014. Mr Carr and Mr McCully, two of the harshest critics of Fiji's military dictatorship, travelled to Suva as part of a Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) delegation. The regime, which seized power in a 2006 coup, reneged on a promise to hold elections in 2009 but the PIF group said there were signs it intended to honour its promise to hold a ballot in 2014. "Ministers said they were encouraged by the steps taken by Fiji on election planning, as well as by information provided about Fiji's intentions," they said in a statement. "These gave Ministers a sense that Fiji was a country in transition,

moving to put in place processes required for elections." Fiji was suspended from the 16-nation PIF in 2009 after military strongman Commodore Frank Bainimarama tore up the constitution and introduced emergency measures which muzzled the media and banned public meetings. Earlier this year, Commodore Bainimarama unveiled plans to create a new constitution ahead of a vote in 2014 and repealed the emergency laws, although he also strengthened decrees giving the police and military sweeping powers.

After meeting government officials, opposition groups, trade unions and nongovernment organisations, the PIF delegation said it would report back to Forum leaders "on the positive progress Fiji has made".

It said the regime had provided assurances elections would be free and fair, there would be no restrictions on media reporting and the constitutional process would be open to all. It also said the Fiji government had pledged the military would not seek to have special seats reserved for it in parliament under the new constitution. Mr McCully said the international community would be closely watching developments in Fiji as the new constitution is framed ahead of the elections. "The fact that there's been a strong commitment expressed to elections in 2014 is a lot more meaningful today than it might have been a few years ago," he told Radio New Zealand.

Tamil, Malik stated, “Initially, the plan is to have a workshop for 10 days and language is always a challenging skill for an actor but I will give it my very best shot. It will be challenging for me, but interesting too.”

The actor plans on launching her singing career by releasing two solos this summer. “My music career will certainly get a boost in the coming months. I plan to release two solo songs during the late summer season in Pakistan, the UK, India and UAE.” Malik, who says her motto is ‘to live and let live’ says that she wishes her ex-flame Mohammad Asif the very best in life and is happy that he has been released from jail. “I hope he has learnt his lessons in life. Firstly, never betray a girl and play with her feelings and secondly, not to fix matches and play with the entire nation’s emotions. I’m sure he punished himself more than anyone else could. I have good wishes for him and his future, but I wonder what will happen to his sports career.”

BRIEF NEWS Japan gives $5.7m for weather equipment

Japan has given Fiji $5.7 million to upgrade its weather forecasting equipment. The Ministry of Works, Transport and Public Utilities signed a memorandum of understanding with Japan for the project.

Red Cross seeks more flood relief help

Fiji Red Cross still needs donations or cash to help people in flood affected areas. Chief operating officer Christopher Ho said they need $1.5 million to restock their containers. Ho told FijiLive they have collected $1 million in cash donations from the public and different organisations. “Now we are working on our post-flood operation to assist the needy ones,” he said.

FIJI NEWS Prisons to get $11.4m remand centre

Fiji will have a new remand centre by the end of this year. The centre, which will house immigration detainees, is expected to cater for 200 inmates. The contract for the $11.6m project was signed recently by the Commissioner of Corrections Lieutenant Colonel Ifereimi Vasu and Western Builders Limited. Fiji Corrections Service spokeswoman Ana Tamani told FijiLive the remand centre, which is a first for the Fiji Corrections Service, is also expected to ease the age-old problem of overcrowding at correction centres.

8

INDIA NEWS

With China in range, India fires N-capable Agni-V

May 2012

India on Thursday conducted a successful test-fire of its indigenously developed nuclear capable Agni-V ballistic missile with a strike range of over 5,000 km from a test range off Odisha coast.

"The mission was successful. The missile hit the target in Indian Ocean in a perfect way," chief of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), VK Saraswat said.

The three stage, solid propellant missile was test-fired from a mobile launcher from launch complex-4 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Wheeler Island near here at about 8:05am, defence sources said, describing the successful trial as a milestone in India's missile programme.

After the maiden launch, the Agni-V witnessed a smooth and perfect vertical lift-off from the launcher and thorough analysis was done to assess its health parametres after retrieval of data from all a wide range of sophisticated communication network systems, they said.

The test-fire of the first of its kind missile, which was originally scheduled to be held on Wednesday, had to be postponed at the last moment due to bad weather marked by rains and heavy lightning for safety reasons, sources said. The successful trial of Agni-V, considered by many to be having the features of Inter-Continental

PM congratulates scientists on Agni-V launch Prime Minister Manmohan Singh congratulated the nation's defence scientists on Thursday for the successful launch of a new missile with a range of over 5,000 kilometres (3,100 miles). "Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh congratulates scientists of the DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) for the successful launch of Agni V," said a statement from his office. The Prime Minister called DRDO chief Dr VK Saraswat to personally congratulate him and his team for the successful test launch of Agni V, his office said.

"Today's launch represents another milestone in our quest for our security, preparedness and to explore the frontiers of science," he said.

"The nation stands together in honouring the scientific community who have done the country proud." He said the DRDO and other organisations have worked tirelessly in our endeavour to strengthen the defence and security of our country.

Ballistic Missile (ICBM), demonstrated giant strides taken by India in its integrated missile development programme. Only the United States, Russia, France and China possess the capability to operate an ICBM at present.

"The sleek missile, within a few seconds of its blast-off from the Island launch pad roared

Mumbai train mess kills two, commuters stranded

Two commuters were killed on Thursday when they fell off an overcrowded local train, an official said as the Central Railway's suburban services continued to be disrupted by signalling woes, leading to chaos in the city.

Fifteen people travelling in other packed trains were alsoinjured.

"Two passengers fell off the train between Bhandup and Nahur railway stations on the Central Railway line and are dead. Fifteen others also lost balance and fell off the crowded trains at various other stations," a Central Railway official told reporters in Mumbai.

"The injured have been sent to hospitals nearby. They were also given first aid at the railway stations," the official added.

He said that there was no violation found on the part of the Central Railway and that the deaths and injuries were caused due to overcrowding in the trains.

"Central Railway has also announced compensation for those injured and killed in the accident," the official said.

Millions of commuters have had a harrowing time the last two days after train services were curtailed following a fire in the main signal cabin at Kurla station.

Work on a fire-ravaged signal network has been taken up on a war-footing, an official said.

majestically into the sky leaving behind its a trajectory a trail of thin orange and white smoke before disappearing," said an eyewitness to the launch conducted amid light drizzling. The surface-to-surface Agni-V is capable of striking a target more than 5,000 km away. It is about 17 meter long and two metre wide with launch weight of

around 50 tonnes. The sophisticated missile can carry a nuclear warhead of more than one tonne. Preparation for Agni-V test had gathered momentum after India achieved successful results from the first development trial of Agni IV, which has a strike range of more than 3,500 km, from the same launch pad on November 15, 2011.

Chinese media slams India on AgniV, govt talks soft

The two countries should not let go of the hard earned momentum of cooperation but instead cherish it, the Chinese government said on Thursday in a guarded reaction to India test firing the nuclear-capable Agni-V missile that can reach deep inside China. "China and India are both emerging powers. We are not rivals but cooperative partners. We should cherish the hard-earned momentum of cooperation," Liu Weimin, foreign ministry spokesperson said when asked whether the missile launch could have security implications for China. China had taken note of reports about India's missile launch, Liu said, adding: "the two countries have a sound relationship. During the (recent) 4th Brics meeting the leadership of the two countries agreed on a consensus to further strengthen cooperation." The People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China has its own secretive ballistic missile programme and is reported to possess hundreds of nuclear warheads. Its missiles, reports say, have major Indian cities within target.

Beijing is also known to have aided the missile programmes of both Pakistan and North Korea. The spokesperson said the need of the hour was to "push forward the bilateral strategic and cooperative partnership." On the question whether the launch would impact regional stability, Liu said: "We hope Asian countries can contribute to regional stability and peace." Even though the government was cautious, it allowed the tightly state-controlled media to point out that China was much ahead of India as far as military strength was concerned. "India should not overestimate its strength.

Even if it has missiles that could reach most parts of China that does not mean it will gain anything from being arrogant during disputes with China. India should be clear that China's nuclear power is stronger and more reliable. For the foreseeable future, India would stand no chance in an overall arms race with China," the Global Times newspaper said.

FACTORY BUILDING COLLAPSE

Death toll rises to 19, likely to rise more as there is no sign of life

Death toll in the building collapse of an industrial unit in focal point area occurred on the night of April 15 on Thursday rose to 19. It is likely to rise more as joint rescue team of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Army on Thusday launched an intensive search of any live person under the debris, but found no sign of life except dead bodies. While one dead body was recovered in the evening and four more were spotted by the rescue team and were yet to be evacuated as these were trapped under the debris, Commandant of National Disaster Response Team, SK Verma told Hindustan Times adding that death toll has risen to 19 now. Deputy Commissioner Priyank Bharti also confirmed the death toll as 19 saying that some of the dead bodies were yet to recovered after clearing the debris from the area, where it were stuck. After rescuing a trapped worker late last night, rescue team maintained caution while removing debris and today morning when some call came that somebody from under the debris called that he is alive and trapped near the cutter machines number five. Accordingly rescue team changed their strategy of operation and created four vertical entrances up to the ground floors, where it was expected that somebody could have survived apart from creating as many as ten holes for ventilation of trapped persons. “Equipped search lights, wire cameras, loudspeakers and victim location detectors separate res-

cue teams of NDRF and Army entered up to the ground floors from created vertical entrances, and hours of search could not yield any result and there was no response from anywhere during search of entire ground floor”, Commandant Verma said.

Asked about the phone call regarding presence of live person under the debris, Commandant said that with the help of factory workers, the specific area, mentioned on the phone call was extensively searched, but nothing was found. “It may be a false call, but we cannot take any such information lightly and had no option to attempt to search any live persons and that is what we did”, Commandant Verma said admitting that during three hours search of any live person under the debris, the operation of clearance of heavy material was

kept stalled, so that chances of survival of any trapped person should be disturbed.

“During search operation, we found some dead bodies lying under the debris and now we will remove it from debris with due respect to the departed souls”, Commandant said. Finally at around 4pm, rescue teams jointly decided to accelerate the operation to remove debris and heavy cranes, JCBs and excavators were pressed into service. Even Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Tulsi Ram, himself entered under the debris in search of any live persons but could find only few dead bodies lying under the debris. In entire operation of the day, Commissioner of Police, Gaurav Yadav and Deputy Commissioner Priyank Bharti remained on the spot to coordinate rescue operation.

Tatra case: Ex-army men searched

The CBI on Wednesday searched three places in connection with its probe into the Tatra heavy duty trucks case. The premises belonged to two retired army officers and an employee of Ravi Rishi’s Vectra group. Rishi is an accused in the Tatra deal case.

Besides conducting searches, the agency questioned VRS Natrajan, the chairman and managing director of Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) and former BEML director of production V Mohan.

According to sources, investigators carried out searches at the residence of retired Brigadier PC Das at Vasant Kunj in south Delhi and retired Colonel Anil Dutta at Noida.

Later, Das was also examined in the agency headquarters. The CBI also searched the premises of Vectra executive Anil Mansaramani.

According to sources, investigators suspect that post-retirement, Das and Dutta used to liaison for Vectra in the army and were in touch with Mansaramani. Agency sources also clarified that so far there is nothing on record to show that these retired officials had any relation with Vectra during their service days. The agency is likely to question all of them in the next few days. On Natrajan’s questioning, an agency official clarified: “As of now, his status is that of a witness. He has not been called again on Thursday.”

127 feared dead in Pindi plane crash PAKISTAN NEWS

ISLAMABAD: Bhoja Airline's Islamabad-bound maiden flight # B4-213 carrying 125 people has crashed near the Chaklala airbase, Geo News reported.

The fateful Boeing 737 with 121 passengers and six crew members on board, which flew from Karachi at 5:00 PM was supposed to land in Islamabad at 6:50 PM, crashed just before touchdown. According to sources in Civil Aviation Authority, the flight was given clearance to land but it lost contact with the control tower at 6:40 PM. Rescuers say the plane's wreck was ablaze when they arrived at the site with mangled dead bodies, severed body parts, burnt luggage, and small parts of the fuselage strewn over all over the place in roughly one square kilometer area.Saifur Rehman, an official from the police rescue team said the plane came down in Hussain Abad village, about three kilometers (two miles) from the main Islamabad highway.

"Fire erupted after the crash.

The wreckage is on fire, the plane is completely destroyed. We have come with teams of firefighters and

May 2012

searchlights and more rescuers are coming," Rehman told Geo television. An expert said that it appeared as if a lightning bolt struck the aircraft as the electrical activity in the thunderclouds above was in full swing, which may have caused the crash.

Residents said they had seen a ball of fire in the sky when the plane crashed. Parts of the plane

smashed into electricity poles, blanketing the area in darkness, they added. Local residents have also volunteered for the rescue work.

"Owing to nightfall as well as a heavy overcast, it's pitch black out there, making rescue work extremely difficult", rescuers said.

Reportedly Bhoja Airlines had bought this 27.4 years old aircraft from Shaheen Airlines after it was

scrapped by the latter for its compromised flight-worthiness.

Ministry of Defence and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) have confirmed the reports of crash.

Inclement weather has been held responsible for the crash. Airplane's flight data recorder (Black Box) has been recovered as well. All hospitals in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi have been put on high alert after the crash.

Benazir Bhutto Airport, which was earlier closed for operations has been now been opened. In Karachi, hundreds of people are gathered outside the airport to inquire about relatives who had departed on the flight to Islamabad.

Women, men and children were seen crying after finding the names of loved ones on the list of passengers displayed by the airline.

President Zardari has ordered to arrange a chartered plane to bring the relatives of the plane crash to Islambad. Torn fragments of the fuselage, including a large section bearing the airline's logo, could be seen in television footage.

Rescue crews combed through

Chaudhry led three-member bench said that three were old enough to make decisions themselves. It also asked the police to provide security to them. "In case of any harm faced by the girls, the police officials will be blamed for negligence.'' The SC had earlier sent Rinkle and Lata to a shelter home in Karachi for three weeks to decide without about their future without any pressure. Earlier, Rinkle had said she was neither kidnapped, nor converted or married forcibly but did everything of her free will. But her family had alleged she was abducted and forced to convert and marry.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan today said there was no change in its policy on the Siachen issue with India and that it had no plans to redeploy its troops from the glacier described as the world's highest and coldest battlefield. "There is no change as far as Pakistan's policy or position on Siachen is concerned," Foreign office spokesman Moazzam Khan told a weekly news briefing.

He was responding to questions about army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani's remarks yesterday that Pakistan and India should resolve all issues, including Siachen, to ensure "peaceful co-existence". "We are not thinking in terms of redeployment of our troops," Khan said.

The Pakistani side has made several proposals to resolve the military standoff on Siachen, including a proposal for "re-

deployment of forces", he said. "I said that the proposals that we have made regarding Siachen includes mutual redeployment of troops. "We are not thinking of (any unilateral redeployment of troops)," he added.

The dispute over Siachen, which dates back to 1984, has been in focus since an avalanche slammed into a high-altitude Pakistan Army camp on April 7, burying 127 soldiers and 11 civilians under dozens of feet of snow. After visiting the site of the avalanche yesterday, Kayani had said that there "should be a resolution of Siachen and other issues".

Khan said the Siachen issue was part of the ongoing dialogue between the two countries and is being discussed by the Defence Secretaries. The next meeting on the Siachen issue is scheduled to be held in Pakistan and both sides are work-

9

the charred wreckage of the plane as passengers' belongings -clothes, shoes, jewellery -- ripped from their luggage, lay strewn on the ground. Bhoja Air relaunched domestic operations with a fleet of five 737s in March, according to newspaper reports, when the airline was planning to start flights connecting Karachi, Sukkur, Multan, Lahore and Islamabad.

The Civil Aviation Authorities amid financial difficulties had grounded Bhoja in 2000, the reports said. The worst aviation tragedy on Pakistani soil came in July 2010 when an Airbus 321 passenger jet operated by the private airline Airblue crashed into hills overlooking Islamabad while coming in to land after a flight from Karachi.

All 152 people on board were killed in the accident, which occurred amid heavy rain and poor visibility. Another deadly civilian plane crash involving a Pakistani jet came to pass in 1992 when a PIA Airbus A300 crashed into a cloudcovered hillside on its approach to the Nepalese capital Kathmandu, killing 167 people.

ing to finalise a date. "It is in the mutual interest of Pakistan and India that we address all these issues in a meaningful and result-oriented manner. "In fact, I would like to refer to the meeting that President (Asif Ali) Zardari had with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (in New Delhi on April 8) and both leaders underlined the importance of finding pragmatic and practical solutions to all issues," Khan said.

The two sides would continue discussing all issues in order to "find some mutually acceptable solutions", he said.

Responding to a question about the test of the Agni-V ballistic missile by India, Khan said: "We were informed about this test in advance. This is as per the agreement that we have with India which was signed in May 2005 regarding the pre-notification of flight testing of ballistic missiles".

Hindu girls pick Muslim No change in stand on Siachen issue: Pakistan hubbies in Pak court

ISLAMABAD: Three Pakistani Hindu women, who had married Muslim men after 'converting' to Islam, opted to live with their husbands on Wednesday following the supreme court's decision they should be free to decide what they want to do and which religion to opt for.

The apex court was hearing a Pakistan Hindu Council's petition that alleged that the three - Faryal (Rinkle Kumari ), Hafsa Bibi (Dr Lata) and Haleema Bibi (Asha Kumari ) - were forced to convert to Islam. The three recorded their statements, saying they would prefer their husbands over their families. Earlier, chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad

8 killed in sectarian attack in Pakistan's Quetta ISLAMABAD: At least eight persons, including seven members of the minority Shia Hazara community and a policeman, were killed in three separate incidents of firing in Quetta city of southwest Pakistan on Saturday, officials said. The first incident occurred on Brewery Road, where gunmen riding a motorcycle ambushed a taxi carrying members of the Hazara community. Six persons were killed instantly.

The attackers managed to escape, police and witnesses said. In the second incident, gunmen fired at a group of people on Sabzal Road. A Hazara man was killed and another injured, police said. In yet another incident, a police constable was gunned down in Shalkot area on the outskirts of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province. Quetta has been rocked by several incidents of sectarian violence this week. Members of the Hazara community were the target in most of these incidents and over a dozen Shias have been killed.

Today's killings resulted in tension across Quetta and shops and commercial hubs were closed after the violence. At some places, members of the Hazara communi-

Taliban attack prison in Pakistan, free militants

Nearly 400 prisoners escaped from a jail in northwest Pakistan early on Sunday after it was attacked by Islamist militants armed with guns and rocket propelled grenades, a senior police official said.

Some of those who fled the jail in the town of Bannu, near unruly ethnic Pahstun tribal areas close to the Afghan border, were militants, an intelligence official said. Pakistan's al-Qaida-linked Taliban movement, which has close links to al-Qaida, said its fighters mounted the assault, which triggered clashes.

Several people were wounded. "We have freed hundreds of our comrades in Bannu in this attack. Several of our peo-

ple have reached their destinations, others are on their way," a Taliban spokesman said. The claim could not be immediately verified. If the al-Qaidalinked Taliban freed the prisoners, it could deal a psychological blow to Pakistani security forces following government assertions that security crackdowns have weakened the group. While the Taliban in neighbouring Afghanistan have staged several jailbreaks, such operations are rare in Pakistan, one of the most unstable countries in the world. Pakistan is seen as critical to US efforts to stabilise Afghanistan. Yet the South Asian nation faces its own major security challenges.

The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), or Taliban Movement of Pakistan, is seen as the biggest threat, staging suicide bombings and shootings in a drive to impose its harsh version of Islam in the nucleararmed country. Major suicide bombings have eased in recent months, but it is unclear whether that is due to military gains or a shift in Taliban tactics. A loose alliance of a dozen groups, the TTP began its battle against the state in 2007, after a bloody army raid on Islamabad's Red Mosque, which was controlled by its allies. Police and intelligence officials said only some of the prisoners who escaped were militants.

ty organised protests against the killings.

Several cars were torched outside the hospital where the bodies were taken.

Protestors burnt tyres to block roads and fired in the air at some places. The Hazara

Democratic Party called for a strike in Quetta. Additional policemen and Frontier Corps personnel were deployed to restore peace in the city. Deputy Inspector General of Police Qazi Wahid described

today's violence as incidents of "targeted sectarian killings". Law enforcement personnel cordoned off several areas and launched a search operation to trace the attackers.

Agni-V missile test makes a splash in Pakistani websites

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani websites prominently displayed the news of India successfully testing the Agni-V minutes after the long-range nuclear capable ballistic missile was launched. India Thursday test-fired the Agni-V missile that can accurately hit targets more than 5,000 km away. With this launch, India entered an exclusive club of nations that have this capability. The News International carried an agency story with the headline "India successfully tests Agni-V missile". An accompanying photograph was of an Agni missile that was showcased during a Republic Day parade in New Delhi.

Pakistan's leading daily Dawn ran an agency story "India tests long-range nuclear-capable missile: source". The story cited a defence source as saying that missile was capable of delivering a one-tonne nuclear warhead anywhere in China. The accompanying photograph was of the Agni-V blasting-off in India's Orissa state.

10

PACIFIC NEWS

May 2012

Combet predicts Asia-Pacific carbon trading pact

Climate Change Minister Greg Combet says Australia's carbon trading system could eventually be linked to those in China and other AsiaPacific countries in a system which would eliminate "competitive disadvantage" between the region's economies. Mr Combet is in Beijing to speak to officials about how Chinese carbon trading systems will work before heading to South Korea, where legislation is currently before parliament. China is preparing to run pilot carbon trading schemes in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Chongqing, Shenzhen, Hubei and Guangdong major cities with a combined population of 250 million people. The

Government's goal is to then introduce a national trading scheme by 2015.

Once China and South Korea start trading carbon Mr Combet says there can eventually be an integrated AsiaPacific system which could also include Australia, New Zealand, California and parts of Canada.

"Australia and New Zealand have got emissions trading schemes, California has got one, provinces in Canada are introducing emissions trading, Korea is introducing emissions trading. There are these pilot schemes being generated within China," he said. "In the Asia-Pacific region there is scope in the years to come for us to develop quite an integrated approach. "A com-

WWII Veteran remembers South Pacific, preps for Honor Flight

LAUREL, MS (WDAM) Douglas Saget was a Navy airman for three and a half years during World War II. He enlisted, was stationed in the South Pacific and given the role of aviation mechanic.

"I was supposed to be an aviation machinist, supposed to take care of the airplanes," said Saget, sitting in his Laurel home. "But overseas, when we first got over there, we didn't have anything to take care of them with. No tools no nothing."

Unofficially, Saget became a rear seat gunner - facing backwards in a two-seater plane and dispatched daily to guard Allied ships from the sky, scouting for enemy submarines. "It was boring most of the time, to go out there and circle around a ship for four is not very entertaining," said Saget with a laugh. If the day-to-day seemed mundane, Saget's squadron - composed of about 60 men - was credited with spotting and sinking two enemy submarines. The squadron

Nice Work If You Can Get It

If you're not a musical-theater fan, Nice Work If You Can Get It will probably confirm your worst fears about Broadway. The mugging. The wigs.

The wheezing one-liners. Directed and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall (Anything Goes) with a light-as-air book by Joe DiPietro (Memphis), the show uses a screwball love story between a Prohibitionera playboy (Matthew Broderick) and a bootlegger (South Pacific's Kelli O'Hara) as an excuse for a medley of classic George and Ira Gershwin tunes. It's as joyfully airheaded and kitschy as a drag show, which should make it a must-see for anyone with a more-is-more stance on sequins.

also lost two men when a plane malfunctioned and went down in the jungle. "Of course we hated to lose a plane and the men, that hurt pretty bad, but after a couple months or something, we got over it pretty good," said Saget. "They were 19-year-old men, and at 19 you do a lot of things," says Doug's son Don Saget. "But they did one great thing for us didn't they?"

"It was no park," says Doug. "I have some good memories and bad memories, but over time, it kind of faded away." For his service 67 years ago, Doug Saget will be recognized Tuesday with an invitation to ride on the Mississippi Gulf Coast Honor Flight. He will fly with his son Don and 94 other WWII veterans to Washington D.C. to tour the monuments and war memorials the nation's capitol is famous for.

"Just looking forward to the trip," said Don. "I think it's going to be a great honor for me to be around these kind of people.

mon carbon price could evolve from that, between our economies, which removes any issue of competitive disadvantage. "And this is why I'm putting effort into this particular issue in China and Korea at the moment." Apart from pilot trading schemes, China has various carbon reduction methods already in place. They include a Government commitment to reduce the whole country's carbon output per unit of GDP by 17 per cent before the end of 2015, and by a whopping 40 to 45 per cent by 2020. There are also plans afoot to directly charge - or tax - heavy polluting companies for their emissions, but the price per tonne of carbon dioxide has not yet been released.

All stones should be upturned at GSA

Nearly a year ago, General Services Administration Inspector General Brian Miller warned agency executives he had uncovered troubling information about misuse of taxpayers' money. Expensive trips not necessary for GSA business should be stopped, Miller warned. During the ensuing several months, a top GSA official spent 44 days traveling to Hawaii, the Napa Valley in California and South Pacific islands. The official, Jeffrey Neely, planned the 17-day trip to the South Pacific as a birthday celebration. His wife accompanied him, at government expense. Neely's abuses were part of a pattern of wrongdoing, Miller testified to Congress last week. The House of Representatives and the Senate began investigating the GSA after Miller's office issued a scathing report on a "conference" near Las Vegas. It cost taxpayers more than $800,000, much of that for unnecessary luxuries.

Some GSA employees actually posted videos on the Internet, bragging about getting away with waste.

Let's not neglect traditional knowledge: Lecturer

Carbon trading on the way: A pollution haze shrouds the Chinese capital Beijing

A European Union-funded project is looking at ways that Pacific cultures and traditional knowledge can assist with climate change adaptation for Pacific countries as part of its initiatives. The project, titled 'Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA)' aims to foster co-operation and dialogue on climate change between the EU and poor developing countries most vulnerable to climate change. GCCA is being implemented by the Pacific Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development (PACE-SD) of the University of the South Pacific (USP) in the 15 Pacific-ACP countries including Timor Leste. Participants at a three-week GCCA workshop in Fiji were yesterday involved in discussions on the mitigating effects of traditional knowledge on climate change.

University of the South Pacific's senior lecturer at the School of Education Teweiariki Teaero, a participant at the workshop said traditional knowledge could no longer be neglected. "There is a whole idea that traditional knowledge

is no good, that in today's society to rely on traditional knowledge is backward," Mr Teaero said. He said however, that research had revealed that traditional knowledge had very important contributions to climate change adaptation. "For Fijians, you have different ways of forecasting the weather from the behaviour of animals, if you see crabs behaving a certain way on the beach then you understand that something is about to happen," he said."Fijians even have different ways of preserving food like using the salt found in Nadroga, so you can see that you have preservation methods for bad weather and this is where traditional knowledge is so important.

"Even in the past, Fijians knew of the threats of the environment and built their homes inland and on hills to avoid tsunamis," he said. Mr Teaero explained that by using the best traditional knowledge coupled with the best scientific knowledge, Pacific islanders could develop their resilience to climate change.

Board of Works, as a city councilman, as Blackford County's Veterans Affairs officer and even a stint as doorkeeper for Indiana's House of Representatives.

With all that has happened to him since the war, though, his memories of those scary times remain vivid, though he sometimes seems hesitant to revisit them.

Employed in ground attacks, he and Livengood routinely flew at 10 to 50 feet above the ground, the pilot firing his nose guns and Dolan spraying machine-gun fire from his turret, then dropping bombs rigged to parachutes that slowed their descent until the bomber could clear the blast area.

At those low altitudes they could be hit by everything the Japanese fired at them, even mortar rounds. "They'd throw up anything they could," Dolan recalled.

THIS month’s maritime standoff between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea isn’t the first time the region’s navies have gone toe-to-toe. But while past tensions revolved around resources under the ocean floor, this most recent event is part of a growing strategic rivalry pitting Chinese power against the United States and its East Asian allies. How Washington responds may determine the prospects for continued peace in the Pacific.

The latest crisis arose after the pocket-size Philippine Navy, with an old United States Coast Guard cutter as its new flagship, tried to apprehend Chinese fishermen it claimed were operating illegally near the Scarborough Shoal. China then sent two surveillance vessels — part of a recent effort to protect its claims in the East and South China Seas — to block the Philippine ship.

FREEDOM'S FACES: 'You figured, it can't be my time'

HARTFORD CITY -- Taking it from a shelf, Jim Dolan carried the plastic model airplane over and gently handed it to a visitor. "I was right there," he said, pointing to the gun turret near the rear of the fuselage.

Painted a drab green, the model was of a twin-engine Douglas A-20 G, an exact replica of the one in which Dolan flew 60 combat missions with the 312th Bomb Group over New Guinea and the Philippines in World War ll, most of them with pilot Donald Livengood at the controls. '"We were kids," continued Dolan, who is now 88. "I was 20.

He was 21." As he spoke, he was seated in the neatly kept Hartford City townhouse where he lives, not far from where he grew up and the high school from which he graduated in 1942, one of a class of 99. Five of his classmates, he noted, were killed in the

war. "We went from the Depression right to the Army and getting shot at," he said with the hint of a smile. "I think that was about the last time this country was together." A friendly, spirited man, the widower and father of three daughters came home from the war to pursue a career in the glass business, also serving on his hometown's

Muddy Waters

SPC: Non-Communicable Diseases in the Pacific

Suva, Fiji - “I do believe that if there is a problem there are bound to be solutions, as long as people recognise the ties that they have with one another as a world community.” This is the opinion of Dr Yvan Souarès, manager and medical epidemiologist of the Secretariat of the South Pacific’s (SPC) Health Protection Programme, which makes up a part of the Public Health Division. Dr Souarès has recently taken up this position, but has extensive experience of the region, having worked in Solomon Islands as Project manager for the European Union and then with SPC as an epidemiologist

1993 to 2002. He also has worked with Doctors Without Borders in Africa and the Middle East. In the past, the main concern of the Division was communicable diseases, but this has expanded into the area of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), and provides services in surveillance, operational research, control, and response to public health problems. Dr Souarès also believes that humans are “made for living in societies.

Therefore we need to organise our societies, we need to pre-empt some problems, and we need to propose some solutions. In doing so, we are losing a few battles, but we are

also winning some others, and so I am always optimistic.” The battles he refers to are those being fought in South Pacific countries against NCDs such as diabetes, and heart disease, cancer and chronic respiratory disease; diseases that, in September last year, Pacific Island Forum Leaders called a “human, social and economic crisis.” Later that same month, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a declaration that includes measures to prevent and control NCDs, which contribute to 36 million of the world’s 57 million deaths each year.

“We start by being involved in the surveil-

lance of the problem with partners, such as the Pacific Islands Health Officers Association and WHO, trying to find out innovative ways of assessing the depth and the dynamics of the problem. This helps us to better inform and assist the member country with drafting an action plan, for example, and if requested, we could also help in monitoring the impact.” This applies to other diseases as well, explained Dr Souares. “We try to pre-empt the problem.

For example, a mosquito-borne disease, where we would monitor some of the determinants of the disease, that is, the status of

the mosquitoes responsible for transmitting that disease, as well as monitoring the actual cases of that disease. “The aim, ultimately, is to try and be involved in a cross-sectional manner with some of our other partners in SPC. For example, in July, the Solomon Islands are hosting the 11th Festival of Pacific Arts. Our Programme has been involved in prompting the setting up of the public health surveillance system around what will be a mass gathering. “First, we have to assess what is needed to prevent problems, and so of course sectors like water are involved. Sanitation is involved.

HEALTH

L

ets face it, the sedentary lifestyle that is so common today, is an unnatural one.

Even till as less than 100 years ago, people were on the go much more than today and did not spend most of the day sitting in one place.

In fact studies have shown that the rise of sedentary workers is part of the problem that is causing the obesity epidemic.

While a lot has been written about how being couch potatoes has made our generation unhealthy, sluggish and fat, imagine the amount of hours we spend sitting on office chairs without moving?

Many people even eat lunch in front of the computer without getting up from their desks.

Research has found out that even small breaks of upto a minute or so makes a positive difference.

In America many businesses are coming to terms with the fact that it is much more beneficial to them to provide workers with healthier workplaces than pay for medical bills and that sick leave is counter-productive.

One study suggests that vertical, treadmill equipped workstations alone could allow obese workers to lose some 30 kilograms a year with just two hours of work day use. Despite the $4000+ price tag, some companies have offered them to each employee and even stock small conference rooms with them. There are less expensive options, however. A portable pedal machine (essentially a

Fitness tips for the sedentary worker

footstool sized set of pedals) is enough to significantly add exercise for study participants (some up to 13.5 miles cycled per day). All subjects reported that they'd continue using the device if their employers offered them the option. The devices in

question cost around $90-$100.

Compare that to the cost of a single sick day or a month's worth of insulin supplies.

In India however, this level of awareness does not seem to be creeping in anytime soon.

Therefore knowing that the situ-

May 2012

ation is so dire, it is imperative that we take it into our own hands to be active during the work day.

Here are some fitness tips for the Indian sedentary worker: Stay active throughout the day - Walk and talk with a

11

handsfree as much as possible, stand up maybe during meetings, or keep standing while working if you do not have much typing to do. Walk during your lunch break, take short breaks every half hour where you walk around for a minute and then get back to your desk.

The options are there, you just have to make up your mind and do it. Recovering from all that typing - Take a rubber band or hair scrunchie. Take the affected hand and touch all five finger tips together, forming a sort of point. Slip the band or scrunchy around all five fingers and draw them apart against the resistance of the band. It's like a reverse squeeze. Most people are far stronger gripping than they are going the opposite direction, so it's worthwhile. Do this casually whenever you have time - in between emails, at home while watching TV, even while driving, you can keep it up with the off hand.

Don't slump your shoulders If you're sitting, you may find it most comfortable for your monitor to be at or even slightly above eye level. This helps you look straight ahead without requiring downward head tilt, which often leads the rest of the upper thoracic into a slumping pattern - especially if you're not vigilant and you're prone to lapsing back into bad habits.

This simple habit change will go a long way in ensuring reduced back, neck and shoulder aches that are so common among the cubicle crowds.

LEGAL PAGE

Hayward mother pleads daughter to come back home 12

May 2012

HAYWARD - Distressed and grieved mother of Ms. Jennifer Singh, Ms. Nisha repeated her plea last week asking her daughter to come back home.

Ms. Jennifer left home the night she turned 18. She reportedly went to her school to pick her diploma but did not show up for it at the school. That night she did not come back home. No foul play was suspected but the family lodged a police report.They were told that since Jennifer was 18 years old she could not be compelled to return.

A protective mother, Ms. Nisha seems to be a little controlling fearing her kids might get mixed up with wrong crowd. According the siblings, Jennifer resented that and had made up her mind leave

home when she turned 18. It appears that Jennifer had done her homework very well and made up her mind to set herself free on

her 18th birthday. There was no report of violence or abusive behavior. A loving mother, Nisha was near tears when met by FIJI SUN on her invitation at her home.

But clearly she missed her daughter Jennifer and promised to do anything for her to come back home. She pleaded that Jennifer shouldat least her mother or her siblings to let them know how she was doing. “We are all willing to help her anyway she wants. She is welcome home any time. We love her”Jennifer’s younger brother confirmed. Jennifer is considered mentally quite strong and “stubborn.” When she left her about years ago, she was first seen working the Newark Ross and reportedly lived with a Hispanic family.

Vigyan stands his ground on $7 trillion mortgage fraud

It is most outrageous, unprofessional, vicious and libelous for Gandhi to say that Vigyan Pratap is like convicted Vincent who is reported to have swindled many in a multi-million dollar scam.If anything Vigyan was a victim to the fraud case.

He was swindled of more than 1.3 Million dollars.

Gandhi’s knowledge of criminal law is laughable. How can one equate a victim of crime with the perpetrator of the same crime? If you extend the Gandhinian theory then the rapist and raped victim will be equally guilty. What Gandhi is saying in the alleged fraud case, Vigyan (as a victim) is as culpable as Vincent the perpetrator. It doesn’t make sense. It is an illogical and a repugnant idea. Grouping Vigyan with Vincent (express or implied) opens a

libelous suit. One should seek counsel in a hurry. If I had an attorney girlfriend on the side, I would kiss her feet to give me cover.

Readers, please watch 60 Minutes and other top US news channel on this mortgage fraud the largest fraud in human history.

Criminal liability: onus on Nick Khelawan and Gandhi Naidu

Both Nick Khelawan and Gandhi Naidu have, either implicitly or explicitly, likened me and my guest speaker to someone who is a convicted fraud. To speak more extensively about what these two have done to damage and tarnish my reputation would be giving them too much mileage. Well the rule of law is “whoever alleges must prove.” The onus is on both to come out in public and prove their allegations. Let’s have a public forum where the two must come up with evidence to show that we are guilty of crime they allege.

Fiji grog banned in Canada border security to crack down on Fiji travelers CANADA – According to our source in Canada, the Fiji grog is banned for not meeting food and drug regulations. It is understood that Australia also banned the Fiji grog for health regulations.

Because of the ban many Fiji residents come to across to US and buy bulk orders for their consumption in Canada.

An anonymous caller told FIJI SUN that he has written to Homeland Security Department to crack down Fiji travelers at Canadian border for illegally transporting grog across to Canada. “I want the Fiji people to know how many of our relatives die each year from drinking grog. Many

heart diseases and diabetes are traced to grog drinking as there is a certain amount sugar in grog too,” the caller argued. Fiji Government banned grog drinking in the offices during working hours as people were wasting too much time around grog bowl and it affected work efficiency.

Redwood City Police are reportedly on record for having arrested Pacific Islanders for DUI. In recent years North American Muslim clerics issued edict pronouncing it as “Haraam” for its intoxicating effect. It is estimated that nine out of ten people of Fiji origin who end up in hospital for bypass are grog drinkers.

SUN: M: SUN: M: SUN:

M: SUN: M: SUN: M: SUN: M:

How do you know that?

Because we called her number and a Hispanic lady answered and told me.

Did you ask for her address.

She did not give.

Did you check at the ROSS. But no one knows in which department she works and no one would tell us.

How about her school friends?

A few Punjabi girls but no one knows Jennifer’s whereabouts..

Do you think she has a Hispanic boyfriend?

I am not sure.

Do you think she is safe?

I believe so. If she was in

SUN: M: SUN: BR.

trouble, she would have definitely called us.

Did she ever speak with after she left.

Only once. After that we lost contact.

How about Facebook, any clues there?

She was there. Looks like she blocked it.

Ms. Nisha and her siblings are genuinely interested in Jennifer’s safe return home and aspires to reunite with her and help her in goals for higher education and meaningful career. Ms. Jennifer is welcome to call the Fiji Sun at 510677-4488 nor email at fijisun@gmail.com so we can help reunite the family or extend her any help she needs.

Eden Medical Center Fiji employees slander fellow Muslim worker

CHABOT VALLEY RD - A Sacramentobased realtor’s wife who works at the Eden Medical Center, here, last week used slangs used back home “as beefeaters and “male circumcision” to demean a Muslim co-worker.

The employee insinuated the derogatory and deeming statements to another fellow worker Mrs. Lal who conveyed the offending remarks t

the Muslim co-worker addressed as” Mussali” Mrs. Lal thought it was funny and conveyed the remarks to the fellow Muslim co-worker who took it seriouslyas it offended her dignity and constituted harassment on job. A job-related complaint has been filed. The Eden Medical Center should act in a hurry to remedy the situation lest it sprawls into a legal issue.

FIJI BAR (FABA) TO BE LAUNCHED SOON

Fiji American Bar Association is under planning at present under AIM banner and will be launched soon.

It will have two categories of membership: Attorneys, who are licensed to practice in US Professional Associates

Paralegals, law clerks, legal assistants and legal analysts with more than 4 years of experience and law students.

(Criminals not allowed).

All inquiries to be addressed at:

aim.edu@gmx.com

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BOLLYWOOD

May 2012

Poonam Pandey

Sambhavna Seth

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he Bhojpuri item girl set the TRPs soaring with her high-voltage drama on the reality shows - "Bigg Boss" and "Desi Girl". In "Bigg Boss", she got involved in an argument with television actress Shweta Tiwari's exhusband Raja Chaudhary, while in "Desi Girl" she locked horns with Kashmira Shah.

he 19-year-old aspiring model created a frenzy last year after offering to go nude in the green room before Team India if they won the Cricket World Cup. Thoug h she didn't bare all after the win, she did post a topless picture of hers after India defeat ed Sri Lanka during the Tri-Series at Hobart in February. It made her the most sought after person on the internet & landed her a place in the adventure reality show "Khatron Ke Khiladi 4".

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Rakhi Sawant

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Veena Malik

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he Pakistani actress has been talked about for all her linkups with Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Asif and Bollywood actor Ashmit Patel and her alleged nude photo shoot for FHM magazine. In fact, religious fundamentalists were so upset with her nude pictures that they issued a fatwa against her. Once the ed media attenhype around died down, she hogg the sets of her tion when she went missing from etres". upcoming film "Mumbai 125 Kilom

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Akshay, Katrina pair up again!

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fter the success of Namastey London, Welcome and Singh Is Kinng, Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif are all set to create the silver screen magic again with AR Murugadoss's next, reports Mumbai Mirror. Akshay Kumar apparently recommended Kat with whom he has delivered numerous hits. The tabloid has reported that Murugadoss has asked Kat to play the female lead in his upcoming project. “Katrina and Akshay have done six films together. They share a very good rapport and have a sizzling onscreen chemistry.

Murugadoss was only too happy to take Akshay's suggestion about casting Kat in the female lead for his film,� a source told the tabloid. The film is scheduled to go on floors in November 2012. Akki and Kat have worked together in films like Hum Ko Deewana Kar Gaye, Namastey London, Welcome, Singh Is Kinng, De Dana Dan and Tees Maar Khan.

he is tagged as drama queen by many. Item girl Rakhi Sawant has always made headlines either for making sarcastic remarks on actresses like Katrina Kaif or Malaika Arora Khan or her kissing episode with singer Mika or for her fight with her ex-boyfriend Abhishek Awasthi. It helped her become so popular that she appeared on Karan Johar's chat show and bagged item numbers in big banner movies.

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Paoli Dam

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engali actress Paoli Dam was nobody before she appeared in the poster of "Hate Story" where she shows a tattooed bare back with a strategically placed gun. It was followed by an uncensored clip of "Hate Story", showing Paoli delivering sexua lly explicit and abusive dialogues, going viral on the net. Ever since, she has been hoggin g the limelight for her uninhibited views on nudity and boldness in front of the camera.

Last year she got negative publicity for her bold scene in Bengali film "Chatrak".

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Top Controversial

Pooja Misrra

his VJ grabbed eyeballs for being aggressive and loudmouthed in the fifth season of the reality show "Bigg Boss". After being evicted from it, she accused host Salman Khan of being biased.

She was even embroiled in a war of words with her "Bigg Boss" house inmate Pooja Bedi.

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Babes of Bollywood

Saif-Kareena

Nupur Mehta

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to marry in Jan 2013

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he most eagerly awaited Bollywood event in recent times has surely been the big Pataudi-Kapoor wedding.

The question had never been 'will they or won't they' but rather 'When will Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan tie the knot?' And though both the actors have remained tight lipped, speculations have refused to die down.

While many predicted a 2012 wedding, soon after the release of Agent Vinod, Mumbai Mirror has learnt that the couple will finally get married early next year. A source close to the couple told Mirror, "Saif and Kareena have decided to tie the knot early next year. It would either be January 2013 or early February. The venue & the functions are to be finalised." In fact, the couple has

decided to hold the wedding as soon as they finish shooting for their current projects. Kareena, who starts work on Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film with Ranveer Singh on July 21, will get free by the end of this year. The details of the grand shaadi will be worked out then. Earlier this year, Saif had said, "Marriage is a question that I won't answer until I am done with the release of Agent Vinod." It seems, he is still not in the mood to talk. He chose not to revert when asked. Kareena too was evasive. Guess a big announcement is on its way!

Earlier this year, Saif had said, "Marriage is a question that I won't answer until I am done with the release of Agent Vinod."

he had a blink-and-you'll-miss-it role in Sunny Deol- starrer "Jo Bole So Nihal".

But the aspiring actress got her 15 seconds of fame after her name cropped up in match-fixing allegations stemming from the India-Pakistan World Cup match last year.

The actress added fuel to fire after admitt ing she was dating Sri Lankan cricketer Tillakaratne Dilshan. Post her confession, she has been splashed on TV news channels and chat shows.

BOLLYWOOD

‘Hate Story’

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SEXUALITY

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beginning that it`s a woman centric film. I am not insecure about the fact that it is Paoli`s film because she is an extremely talented actress. I was confident that I have a pretty good role," he added.

Gulshan said he prepared a lot to play a suave business tycoon in the film as he had to learn a completely new mannerism. "I got a call from Vivek Agnihotri (director) and went to meet him. He gave me the narration and I really liked the role. As my character is completely different from what I have done before, I had to prepare a lot to play a businessman. "I had to bring in a certain mannerism which Vivek was very particular about. It was tough for

Manisha to play key role in

`Bhoot` sequel

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ollywood actress Manisha Koirala, last seen in National Award-winning film `I Am`, will essay a prominent role in Ram Gopal Varma`s sequel to his 2003 horror film `Bhoot`. "Manisha has said yes for the movie. It will be a sequel to `Bhoot`. Manisha is playing one role in the movie, but it is a very prominent role," Varma told reporters. The sequel is said to be called "BHHOOoo.!". While "Bhoot" narrated the story of a couple in a haunted apartment, Varma says the sequel is about a six-year-old child. "The sequel to `Bhoot` has a different storyline. The film basically revolves around a six-year-old girl. (But) I can`t talk much about the film now," he said. The shooting of the film has already started with a young girl named Allayna. Southern actress Madhushalini is also a part of the cast, but the lead male actor for the film is yet to be finalised. The sequel will be shot using 3D technology.

It is slated to release by August end. The original "Bhoot" featured Ajay Devgn and Urmila Matondkar.

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Sunny living long cherished dream with

is a lot more beyond

ate Story has already created much curiosity ahead of its release as the first erotic thriller in Bollywood, but actor Gulshan Devaiah, who plays the antagonist opposite Paoli Dam, says the film mainly deals with various complexities in a relationship. Gulshan said the revenge drama, produced by Vikram Bhatt, should not be mistaken as erotica because sexuality is just used as a tool in the film. "`Hate story` is lot more than just sexuality. It is merely a tool that the female lead (played by Paoli) uses.

Sexuality is the spark that ignites the fire. There are three different characters in the film and it revolves around their complex relationships," Gulshan said. "This film is Paoli`s and it`s her journey and quest for love. I play a grey character Siddharth Dhanrajgir, who is extremely ambitious. The problem is that he is an egoist and has the attitude that he will not lose at any cost. He`s so aggressive that he can go to any extent to achieve what he wants," he added. Directed

by Vivek Agnihotri and also starring Nikhil Dwivedi in a prominent role, the film releases this Friday.

The 33-year-old actor, who has acted in three films after starting his career with Rohan Sippy`s "Dum Maaro Dum", admitted he has no problem with Paoli hogging the limelight because he knew that the film is a woman-centric one.

"I figured out what exactly my part in the film is. I knew from the

May 2012

me because the character doesn`t deliver much dialogues but his expressions are prominent," said the actor, who was seen in negative roles in ‘Shaitan’ and ‘That Girl in Yellow Boots’. Unlike others, Gulshan, who has played greyshaded roles in all his previous films, said he doesn`t fear about getting typecast and rather enjoys it. "I don`t think that I am sticking to the image. All my grey characters are different in itself. I enjoy performing them because they give me immense scope to prove my acting mettle," he said. Gulshan will be seen next in debut director Vasanth Bala`s ‘Haalahal’.

unny Leone seems to be on cloud nine after landing her first Bollywood film, ‘Jism 2’. The adult film actress has admitted that she is finally living her long cherished dream. “I am beyond excited. It’s something that I could never imagine, thinking it would never happen and it’s happening. I am living in a dream right now, it’s amazing,” Leone said.

Meanwhile Leone also revealed that the audience should not get deceived by the poster of the movie as the movie had a lot of substance.“This is something that I have been wanting for such a long time and I never thought it would ever happen and when Bhatt sir came to the house and told me about Pooja and the movie and what it’s about, it’s not what you think it’s about, it’s a very complex story that moves at a very fast pace and it’s something that will keep you on the edge of your seat thinking what’s going to happen next and different situations that happen between the character that I am playing. What’s right and what’s wrong, how I want to live my life and how I don’t want to,” she added.

ISLAND DETAILING

For all your detailing needs Call us first!

Phone 650-458-1389

Email: reggiekhelawan.rk@gmail.com

PO Box 56491, Hayward, CA 94544

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WORLD SPORTS

May 2012

T20 league won't be a copy of IPL: Ashraf

Pakistan Cricket Board was keen on attracting investment from the Indian market for its planned Twenty20 league but it would not be "an exact model" of the IPL, its chief Zaka Ashraf said. Asked if the PCB's proposed league would be a copy of the highly successful Indian Premier League, Ashraf said, "This is a wrong impression.

We are working on delivering a innovative and exciting PPL but it would not be on the exact model of the IPL." Ashraf said that Indian broadcasting company Nimbus was one of the several companies who are interested in becoming a part of Pakistan's Twenty20 league.

Super five for Viru keeps up Daredevils' grand run

They say, in T20 cricket, every ball counts. Well, some more than others, anyway. The fifth ball of the 10th over of Rajasthan Royals’ innings turned the tide of the match and eventually paved the way for a 137-run target that Delhi Daredevils knocked off with six wickets in hand and plenty to spare at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here on Tuesday. At that juncture, the Royals were 87/1, Rahul Dravid was getting the job done at one end, Shane Watson was looking to break free at the other, having bludgeoned one off left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem high and mighty in the previous over. The Royals were primed to post a competitive total on a batting beauty.

"Nimbus made a presentation regarding the league earlier this month. There are a few other companies in the picture as well," he said. Meanwhile, two more companies -- Ten Sports and one based in United Kingdom -- made presentations to the Board on the league proposed to start this year. Sources said of the two presentations, the Board officials were not very impressed with the one by the UK based company. "We have had several presentations and many people are promising to deliver a lot but we have to ensure the model we follow is viable for us financially and secondly it allows us to tap the interna-

tional market," one PCB official who declined to be named told PTI. Ashraf made it clear that while the Board wanted the participation of foreign players in its Twenty20 league, the franchises would have to purchase them under a set financial model. He also said that the planned Twenty20 league may not be named the Pakistan Premier League. "We are not going to call it Pakistan Premier League as some people have been suggesting for quite some time now. We are still in the process of finalising a name that is good enough for what we hope will be an innovative and exciting league," he said.

Will pick ODIs if I have to choose one format : Dhoni CHENNAI: India skipper MS Dhoni insisted that his Testretirement comment made in Australia earlier this year was 'blown out of proportion', and that if he had to choose one format to play he would opt for One-day cricket. Dhoni said his retirement plans depend on how his body feels late next year. "By the end of 2013, I will have to see where my body stands. If am not fit enough, I will make way for a youngster, who can play 50-60 games before the big tour-

nament. "If my body forces me to carry on in only one format, I would choose the 50-over format," he said. He added: "By 2014, if I think I may not be in good shape to play the 2015 World Cup, I will give up both formats to make way for a replacement, who needs to settle down," Dhoni told a conference here on Tuesday, while announcing the initiative to sponsor the gear for 10 kids. "I remember when I had started playing, I had found it a very expensive sport.

We've still not reached must-win situation in IPL 5: Rahul Dravid

JAIPUR : His side might have suffered four defeats on the trot but Rajasthan Royals captain Rahul Dravid is in no mood to press the panic button yet, saying they have still not reached 'must-win' situation in the ongoing Indian Premier League. Rajasthan lost to Delhi Daredevils by six wickets on home turf on Tuesday to drop to the sixth position in the standings with eight points from 10 games. But with six matches still left, Dravid said all is not lost for the Jaipur outfit and a win will get their campaign back on track. "We have six games left and I don't think we have reached must-win situation. First we want to win one and get back to our winning momentum which we have lost for a while.

We are looking one match at a time. A win will put us back on the road," the Rajasthan skipper said at the post-match press conference.

"In the previous edition 16 points were enough to reach the play offs but who knows a few rain curtailed matches could change the whole scenario. I don't look at the table but we wish to win every game," Dravid added. Dravid feels despite having a strong line-up, Rajasthan did not bat well in the middle overs against Delhi. "It was a combination of good bowling (by Delhi Daredevils) and bad batting (by Rajasthan). We were going well at one

Sania-Rodionova in quarters of Estoril Open ESTORIL (PORTUGAL): Sania Mirza and her partner Anastasia Rodionova overcame a late resistance from Eleni Daniiliidou and Andreja Klepac to progress to the quarterfinals of the Estoril Open on Monday.

The second seeded IndoAustralia pair got the better of their unseeded rivals 6-2 6-7(5) 10-5 in the opening round of the USD 220,000 clay court event. It took Sania and Rodionova one hour and 27 minutes to down the GreekSlovakian combination. After dropping serve in the 11th game of the second set, Sania and Rodionova broke back immediately to push the issue to a tie-breaker but could not stop their rivals from drawing parity in the match. However, they did better in the match tie-breaker to seal the match.

Sania and Rodionova will now take on the winner of the other first round match between the pairs of Lara

Arruabarrena-Vecino/ Anabel Medina Garrigues and Lindsay LeeWaters/Megan Moulton-Levy.

Rodionova had beaten Sania in the 2010 Commonwealth Games women's singles final.

event, to be held in London from May 2 to 6. "In the test event we are playing three of the four top teams in the world and it should serve as good preparation for the Olympics.

But we need to play top teams consistently if we want to improve our world ranking," Nobbs told PTI in an interview before leaving for London this afternoon.

With a fit squad at his disposal, the Australian is hoping to create a few upsets in the tournament. But he is also realistic about India's chances in the event. "After the Olympic qualifiers, we had a three

weeks training programme where we worked on our speed and strength. The good thing is that there are no injury concerns in the team," said Nobbs, who guided India to this year's London Olympics after missing out on the 2008 Beijing edition.

"I am looking at the test event as another step for us to improve. It will provide us with an opportunity to test our skills. "We will try and look to win a few games, and if possible, the tournament. But at this point of time, probably we are not good enough to beat these teams on a consistent basis," admitted Nobbs, who has

infused fresh life into the Indian hockey set-up with his straight-forward approach.

Unlike normal green astroturfs and white balls, hockey in this year's London Olympics will be played in blue and pink pitches with yellow balls at the Hockey Centre in the Riverbank Arena, the main venue for the event.

Nobbs said India would be playing on such a surface for the first time in the test event, unlike some other Olympic participating teams. "Other teams have been playing quite frequently on blue pitches, but we will be playing on the blue pitch for the

stage but suddenly 4-5 wickets fell and there after we could not recover," said Dravid, who played a fine 57-run knock and together with Ajinkya Rahane (42) put up a 71-run opening stand.

Asked whether Rahane's reverse sweep against Pawan Negi that led to the batsman's dismissal started the slide for Rajasthan, Dravid refused to play the blame game. "No, I would not like to blame anyone. You have to be positive and take few chances too. We were well placed at that moment but lost few quick wickets. We were looking for 170180 score which could have been competitive. But we did not bat well," he said.

Dravid also heaped praise on young Delhi left-arm spinner Pawan Negi, who restricted Rajasthan to the modest total with impressive figures of four for 18 from his four overs. "The youngster really bowled well. He stuck to his discipline and line but there were poor shots too. We were trying to increase the pace of the innings," he said. "We have a strong batting order and it could not have been better. We had gambled by going in with a strong batting line-up to post a 180 plus total but it did not work." Asked whether Australian import Shane Watson was fit and had recovered from jet lag, the Rajasthan skipper said, "He had participated in practice session and was bowling well.

Sharapova beats Azarenka to win Stuttgart WTA title

Second-ranked Maria Sharapova made short work of World No.1 Victoria Azarenka 6-1, 6-4 to win the Stuttgart WTA title for her first crown of the year.

Sharapova lost the finals of the Australian Open and Indian Wells this year to Azarenka, and the Russian had never beaten her rival from Belarus in four previous encounters in a final.

"I am really pleased to win such a tough tournament, against such tough opponents. Victoria could not perform at her best because of her injury," Sharapova was quoted as saying by Xinhua after Sunday's victory. Azarenka, who fell to 29-2 this year but will keep the No.1 spot, had her right wrist taped after the first set. "I am disappointed to lose, but still I had a good week," she said.

India need to play top teams consistently: Michael Nobbs

NEW DELHI: Erstwhile champions India need to play top-ranked teams on a consistent basis if they wish to return among the creme de la creme of world hockey, feels chief coach Michael Nobbs. Nobbs said that the upcoming four-nation test event for the London Olympics, will provide the eight-time champions India a first hand knowledge about their present status.

India will lock horns against hosts Great Britain, world champion and Beijing Olympics bronze medallist Australia and reigning Olympic champions Germany in the test

first time. I have been told that the blue pitch at Hockey Centre has some different characteristics. So, it will be a good experience for us," he said. Asked about promising striker Yuvraj Walmiki's injury, Nobbs said, "He (Walmiki) has just started training, but we will not race him. His injury is such that if it is not taken care of properly it can damage his career." Yuvraj suffered a hamstring injury during the Olympic qualifiers in New Delhi earlier this year, which also forced him to sit out of the London-bound team for the test event.

PEOPLE PROFILE

Why did Sarkozy lose the French presidential election?

By Tony Cross Nicolas Sarkozy on Sunday failed to win reelection as president of France. He was defeated by François Hollande, who is only the second Socialist to hold the post since direct election started in 1958. Since 1958 only Giscard d'Estaing has failed to win a second term, apart from Georges Pompidou who he died in office.

Sarkozy, whose popularity slumped while he was in office, staged a determined comeback campaign, reducing Hollande’s lead over him in the polls. But he lost when it counted – on polling day.

All about 2012 election Hollande steps into the historical shoes of François Mitterrand, the first Socialist to be elected by popular suffrage, who was first elected in 1981 and reelected in 1988. It started so well for Sarkozy. He was elected with 53.06 per cent of the votes. Much of the media supported his promise to “modernise” France’s economy and institutions and the message had gone down will with much of the public. His bid for far-right votes paid off well in 2007, too, with the Front National’s Jean-Marie Le Pen receiving just 10.44 per cent in the first round. Sarkozy could also boast that he hadn’t backed down faced with trade union and left-wing opposition to some of his favourite projects, most notably raising the retirement age.

So what went wrong?

Bling: The French dislike ostentation so much that they’ve named it twice – the English “bling” has become “bling-bling” and Sarkozy has become known as “le président bling-bling”. A victory dinner at the swish Champs Elysées restaurant Le Fouquet’s attended by dozens of captains of industry and media movers and shakers set the tone. Then there was the holiday on the yacht of advertising and media boss Vincent Bolloré, not to mention the wage rise for the presidency, the 55,000-euro watch and the ex-supermodel wife. Sarkozy argued that, like a wealth-creating entrepreneur, he deserved to be well remunerated for working hard. Many less well-off people saw such flashiness as a slap in the face as their incomes suffered or they lost their jobs and some middle-class voters found it just plain vulgar.

FRENCH BURKA BAN Private life: Apart from a few strict Catholics nobody in the pays de l’amour cared that the president had been divorced, even if it did weaken his critique of the legacy of the 60s. But when his break-up with his second wife, Cécilia, was played out in front of the gossip magazines, his first reception at the Elysée presidential palace became part of his campaign to persuade her to stay and he married a former supermodel-turned-singer a year after she finally left, many French people began to ask if this was politics or showbiz. By the time their daughter, Giulia, was born, the Bruni-Sarkozys had toned it down a bit and the family played little role in the 2012 election campaign.

Temper, temper!: When he was interior minister from 2002 to 2004, Sarkozy cultivated a blunt-speaking, tough-acting persona. But when he became president it became clear that this attribute was accompanied by a thin skin and a short temper. Telling a member of the public to “Clear off, loser!” or arguing with a farmer who compared her lifestyle unfavourably with his own, along with several brusque exchanges with journalists, struck many French people as lacking the gravitas required of a president.

Vendettas: Sarkozy’s many enemies accuse him of personal vindictiveness against anyone who crosses him. Former star news reader Patrick Poivre d’Avour believes he was sidelined after telling the president that he had behaved like a thrilled little boy at one of his first international summits. A number of

civil servants believe they were sent to the boondocks for infractions such as failing to keep anti-Sarkozy protests off the television. Former Paris-Match director Alain Genestar says he was driven out of his job because the magazine published an account of Cécilia’s affair with advertising boss Richard Attias.

And then there are his sworn enemy former prime minister Dominique de Villepin, who quit the Sarkozy-dominated UMP to form his own party and the family of former president Jacques Chirac, who regard Sarkozy as a traitor.

Dossier - The Bettencourt scandal Scandals: A few sex scandals involving UMP ministers and mayors have done Sarkozy no real harm, especially given that the Socialists had Dominique Strauss-Kahn. But allegations that the country’s richest woman, Liliane Bettencourt, already embroiled with a muchpublicised row with her daughter, illegally financed his election campaign led to the resignation of labour minister EricWoerth, a legal inquiry and accusations that the secret services spied on journalists looking into the scandal. Claims that the regime of deposed Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi also chipped in followed, hotly denied by Sarkozy.

Relations with the media: With a number of media barons in the “Le Fouquets gang”, Sarkozy has been accused of exercising undue influence on the media. In 2010 muckraking paper Le Canard enchaîné accused him of ordering intelligence agents to snoop on reporters and Le Monde later complained of some of its reporters being spied on. Many of France’s habitually partisan newspapers fell out of love with the president as his mandate continued and the feeling was mutual, ending with reporters being manhandled at Sarkozy rallies in the last weekend of the presidential campaign.

Dossier: Eurozone in crisis Race to the right: Difficult to say if it has helped or hindered his reelection but Sarkozy has made no secret of flirting with far-right voters. The law against face-covering garments, charges that votes for foreigners would lead to halal meat in school canteens and numerous statements by Sarkozy and his allies have led to accusations of racism and especially Islamophobia. Economic crisis: None of the above was probably decisive. But the economic crisis was. The president who had promised an American-style freemarket France prospering in a globalised world has presided over the closure of factories and other businesses, a rise in unemployment and a population that feels that its economic security is on the edge. The crisis is global, with a particularly sharp edge in the eurozone, and Sarkozy argued that not only was it not his fault but also that he was the man to tackle it. But the millions of voters who backed the Front National’s Marine Le Pen didn’t believe him, nor did those who voted for the left.

23

Karen Armstrong

May 2012

K

aren Armstrong has been a prolific writer and almost all her works are for enlightening mankind and bringing them together. In my opinion, her Magnum opus is her biography of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace be on him, Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet.

A chapter in the book titled, Muhammad the Enemy, can bring the Christians and the Muslims together by promoting insight into some of the limitations of the past. To share one quote from the book: "If we could view Muhammad as we do any other important historical figure we would surely consider him to be one of the greatest geniuses the world has known." For a more detailed excerpt from her book.

The Muslim Times nominates her for Nobel Prize for Literature, for this year. However, we do not have formal authority to nominate anyone for Nobel Prize, but, the hope is that it can draw attention of the appropriate individuals and institutions. Given the geometrically increasing readership of the Muslim Times and its portfolio, we will be nominating one or two most deserving candidates for the Nobel Prize for Peace and Literature every year. Please endorse our this year's nomination, by commenting in the Muslim Times.

Best Regards Zia H Shah MD Chief Editor: Alislam-eGazette Chair of Religion and Science for the Muslim Sunrise Chief Editor: The Muslim Times (An International News Blog)

AT&T to pay Muslim woman $5M in harassment case 24

May 2012

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A former Kansas City woman who converted to Islam in 2005 said she was harassed for years at AT&T, and that the abuse boiled over in 2008 when her boss snatched her head scarf and exposed her hair.

A Jackson County jury on Thursday awarded Susann Bashir $5 million in punitive damages in her discrimination lawsuit, along with $120,000 in lost wages and other actual damages.

The Kansas City Star (http://bit.ly/JKWbqR ) reported Saturday the award appears to be the largest jury verdict for a workplace discrimination case in Missouri history.

Bashir said in court documents that her work environment became hostile immediately after she converted, with her co-workers making harassing comments about her religion and referring to her hijab as "that thing on her head."

"I was shocked. I thought, 'What is going on?'" she told the newspaper. "Nobody ever cared what I wore before. Nobody ever cared what religion I was before."

Bashir worked at AT&T's office in Kansas City for 10 years as a fiber optics network builder before being

fired from her $70,000-a-year job.

She claimed she endured religious discrimination nearly every day of the final three years she worked there, including being asked if she was going to blow up the building and being called a "towelhead" and a terrorist.

AT&T said Friday it disagrees with the verdict and plans to appeal.

Despite the jury's award, Bashir stands to receive much less than $5 million because Missouri law caps such awards at five times the actual damage amount, plus attorney fees. Amy Coopman, Bashir's lawyer, said attorney fees will be determined later by the judge.

The previous largest such verdict came in 2009, when Mohamed Alhalabi, an Arab-American Muslim, was awarded $811,949 in St. Louis County Circuit Court in a case against the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

That same year, a Jonesboro, Ark., jury ordered AT&T to pay $1.3 million to two former employees fired for attending a Jehovah's Witnesses convention.

Bashir said she called an employee help line in March 2005 and asked the company to provide sensitivity training for her co-work-

ers. "It was a worthless call," she said. "Nothing ever changed."

The harassment continued and in March 2008, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission launched an investigation after she filed a complaint.

She said that made some workers angry and led to the final encounter with her boss. Bashir said she became so stressed out that she couldn't return to work. She asked that her boss be removed or that she be transferred, but neither happened. She was fired after not returning to work for nine months.

"By firing me, they stole my ability to work at a job I liked," Bashir said. She said the incident was hard on her mentally and physically and tore her family apart. She is going through a divorce, and in October she and her daughter moved to Anchorage, Alaska, where she works as an apartment manager.

"I have mixed feelings," Bashir said. "I'm happy not to be reporting to that management structure. But it's hard in this economy to find a job with that level of compensation.

I didn't want to lose my job, because I felt I was doing good work."

PAKISTAN POST

A friend of Shahbaz Bhatti weeps as he looks at the of the former minorities minister after he was attacked in Islamabad in March, 2011. A court in Rawalpindi disposed of the murder case of Bhatti, for lack of evidence against the suspect

Shahbaz Bhatti murder case disposed of, suspect acquitted

RAWALPINDI: A man booked for being allegedly involved in the murder of former minorities minister Shahbaz Bhatti, was acquitted by an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Saturday. In the ATC-II hearing held by Special Judge Rana Masood in Rawalpindi, acquitted Zia-ur-Rehman and disposed of the case after an SHO of the I-9 Police Station in

Islamabad said that no evidence was found against Rehman.

Zulfiqar Maloka, defence counsel, withdrew his bail plea after the court gave its decision.

Rehman was arrested in Dubai on Feb 13, 2012 for his alleged involvement in the murder of Shahbaz Bhatti, who was assassinated outside his residence on March 1, 2011

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It's not just that you've had a few knocks that matters, it's that you're more sensitive to them. You should now be on the mend, although there still seem to be one or two surprises in store. Be careful about how you pursue professional ambitions, for there are banana skins in view

This is very much a time to broaden your horizons, realising that certain people who you have ignored have things to offer which you should now take up. In the past, you have been too ready to turn down help. There's no point in struggling on alone if you don't get where you want!

Think about your dream home.

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Where would you like to live? And who with? These are the sort of questions which can be answered now, even if putting them into practice is a different matter! Financial questions can be answered later.

TAURUS

April-21 to May-20

LEO

July-24 to August-23

SCORPIO

October-23 to November-22

AQUARIES

January-21 to February-19

You really should consider keeping certain facts private. There is no reason why other people should know exactly what you're up to and, even less, for you to tell them. Raise your mystical interests a notch, for you need to understand not only what is happening - but why

Take a break from profound moral questions and turn your attention to travel plans. It might be a spiritual voyage which matters most, though, so keep an open mind.

Also, realise that someone close who is chasing an educational qualification needs your support.

Relationships need to be worked at. This is less a time for passion, more one to realise that the best way to get on with friends is to join in their activities and show an interest in their hobbies. You might have to put your own desires to one side for a while, but that's a noble thing to do It's a good day for dialogue, which means that everyone attending interviews or important meetings should do well. You will have to rely more on your grasp of the facts and your ability to express yourself, and less on style, image or appearance.

25

May 2012

Bearing in mind that this is essentially a sociable day, even at work you should make teamwork your priority. One thing you must be clear about is that if you want your plans to succeed you will have to convince other people that you are in the right

GEMINI

May-21 to June-21

VIRGO

August-24 to September-23

SAGITTARIUS

November-23 to December-22

PISCES

February-20 to March-20

The focus still seems to be on financial affairs, not necessarily because of what is happening now, but because of what is due to take place some way down the line.

There does seem to be scope for you to make a number of wise investments. You may still rely on your innate charm, but only just Romantic passions could flare, but oh so briefly. If it's adventure of the heart you're after, you will therefore have to move quickly to seize the moment. At work, bide your time just a little longer. And, at home, throw out all that clutter and dump some of that emotional baggage

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May 2012

I’m ready to deliver for Suva: Maikali

Simione Makali is keen to make his tournament debut for Suva when they take on Nadi in their first round Vodafone Fiji FACT match tomorrow. Maikali who took up the sport at a tender age while growing up in Waidradra, Navua said he wants to prove his worth for Suva. “With the current set of players in the team I’m confident of delivering a promising result for Suva in this tournament,” he told FijiLive. He said Suva coach, Gurjit Singh, has done his part and the onus is now on the players to step up. “He (Gurjit) has done his part. What happens heron is up to us. We have to do our part and that is to carry out his instructions to the best of our abilities.

Draw with Ba good enough for us: Navua Navua soccer president Gopal Naidu says a draw against Ba in their opening Vodafone Fiji FACT game tomorrow would be good enough for them. “A draw against Ba will be a big boost to my players,” Naidu said. “Most of our key players have moved on to other districts so we have had to start from scratch.” Top choice goalie Sheik Moshin will mark his return in the starting line-up after serving a match suspension after copping double yellow cards in Navua's last two national league outings.

“Players are well motivated after the Nadroga win and I’m positive with help of the experience players we have left, everything will go as planned.” The Navua versus Ba match will kick-off at 2pm at the Churchill Park.

Toma to play for flood-affected Nadi fans Nadi tall timber Ratu Varesa Toma is eager to win the Vodafone Fiji FACT crown for his home district this year. The younger of the Toma siblings is proud to be back in the colours of the Jetsetters. “I am comfortable to be back with my own district and where I started my football career,” Toma said.

Toma who played a pivotal role in Rewa’s winning form last season is under pressure to perform with Nadi fans expecting him to step up like he did for the Delta Tigers.

“Definitely there’s a lot of pressure on me. “As a team we all really want to win this tournament for the

Nadi supporters who were affected in the recent floods.” A 32-year-old Yako villager began his football in 1996. His last win Nadi was in 2000 when the Jetsetters won the Inter District Championship beating

Rewa in the final at Govind Park. On tomorrow’s game against Suva at 12.30pm at Churchill Park, Toma said: “We have not played any game against Suva this season. So we really don’t know what style and strategic Suva will come up with. “It will be a huge task for us to deliver tomorrow. We are hoping for the best to start the tournament with a win.” He appeals to Nadi supporters to turn out in numbers at Churchill Park tomorrow. “Your support will inspire the team to win,” he tells Nadi fans. Nadi last won the Fiji FACT in 1996, 4-0 against Lautoka at Prince Charles Park.

Samoa swim team ‘enjoying’ at Suva meet highlights from the meet:

Seven swimmers from Samoa-based Tanifa O Le Vai club are among participants at the Fiji Swimming National Age Group Championship currently being held at the National Aquatic Centre in Suva. Team coach Suzie Schuster said, “We’re thankful to Fiji Swimming for allowing us to compete in the competition. The swimmers are enjoying the high level competition by the Fiji swimmers.” The Samoa team is using this competition as a build up for the Oceania Swimming Championships which will be held in New Caledonia at the end of this month.

Meanwhile, the Fiji Swimming National Age Group Championships got off to a good start in Suva this morning with approximately 130 swimmers competing in 13 events in the preliminaries.

Of these, approximately 90 swimmers have qualified for the finals.

While opening the meet, chief guest, David Eyre, Connect General Manager, saidHis company and the TFL Group is privileged to be part of any initiative that develops capacity. Eyre made special mention to the clubs from Nadi.

“Nadi Clubs have endured some hardships over the last 6 weeks. Just being here today makes you all winners and without your participation it would not be a Long Course Nationals”.

Two clubs from Nadi – Baraccuda and Mako travelled from Nadi this morning to arrive in time for the opening formalities. Baraccuda swimmers looked good in the water which indicates they have been training hard. Impressive times were recorded by Channel Marley (Tritons), Selena Truscott (Baraccuda) and Syliva Naisori (Race) in the Girls 12 & Under 400m freestyle. Rosemarie Rova and Kaiya Soro (Baraccuda) and Tahitiyana Taukei (Stingray) were among swimmers in the Girls 10 & Under 50m Breastroke who qualified for the finals. Rosemary Rova, Kaiya Soro and Debrorah (Race) will also compete in the finals in the 50m Backstroke for their age group. Sylvia Naisoro (Race), Selena Truscott (Baraccuda) and Liana Vuniwaqa (Mako) were among swimmers in the Girls 11-2 50m Breastroke who qualified for the finals. Sylvia Naisoro, Chanel Marley and Selena Prescot (Baraccuda) will also compete in the finals in the 50m Backstroke. Sylvia Naisoro, Selena Truscott and Leilani Patterson (Stingray) have also qualified for the 300m Breastroke.

Samuel Yalimaiwai (Tritons), Rhys Cheer (Baraccuda) and Issac Rabua (Race) are amoung swimmers in the Boys 10&Under 50m Breastroke who qualified for the finals. Similarly in the Boys 11-12 50m Breastroke, Colin Volavola (Race), Ravi Lemeki (Stingray) and Temafa Yalimaiwai (Tritons) will compete in the finals with 4 other swimmers. Herbet Rabua (Race), Wilisoni Malani (Race) and Viasi Samisoni (Mako) are the top three swimmers in the Boys 13-14 50m Breastroke to contest the finals this afternoon. Herbert Rabua, Viasi Samisoni and Brandon Schuster (Samoa) have also qualified for the 200m Breakstroke final. In the Boys 11-12 50m Backstroke, Jitoko Ledua (Race), Temafa Yalimaiwai (Tritons) and Colin Volavola (Race) recorded the fastest times to qualify for the finals along with 5 other swimmers.

FIJI SPORTS Fiji-NZ go head to head for Series title

The battle is on to be crowned HSBC Sevens World Series champions and just six points separate the top two sides. Reigning Series champions New Zealand sit at the top of the table on 128 points after the first seven rounds of the season, with perennial rivals Fiji on 122 ahead of the Emirates Airline Glasgow Sevens. While New Zealand have once again been the most consistent side across the entire season, the Fijians’ return to their flamboyant style of yesteryear has brought the fans to the edge of their seats, and even to their feet. Who will be crowned champion in London on 13 May? We take a closer look at these two magnificent Sevens teams.

Tailevu win derby as Lautoka stay top Lautoka beat Suva in a come from behind 30-23 win at Churchill Park today, and remain top of the Digicel Cup standings, while Tailevu picked up a bonus point in their 29-6 win over Northland at Gatward Park. Lautoka and Tailevu are level with 17 points each - the former ahead on points difference. Reigning champion Nadroga overcome a slow start to oust Rewa 36-17 and picked up a bonus point in the process to jump

to third in the standings with 15 points. Nadroga and Tailevu remain the unbeaten teams in the Digicel Cup this season.

Elsewhere, Naitasiri showed their experience, not breaking a sweat to fend off Tavua 35-5 at Garvey Park, Vatukoula thumped Macuata 24-7 at Theodore Park and Ovalau hand Nadi their third loss in a row at Churchill Park – Ovalau coming away with a 27-12 win.

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28

LEGAL PAGE

Australian government frame-up of Julian Moti collapses as court throws out charges

May 2012

By Patrick O’Connor 17 December 2009 In an important victory for democratic rights, former Solomon Islands’ attorney general Julian Moti has succeeded in halting the Australian government’s attempt to frame him on statutory rape charges. The Queensland Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday in favour of Moti’s application for a permanent stay of proceedings, on the grounds that his prosecution amounted to an abuse of judicial process. The ruling marks an end to Canberra’s five-year political vendetta, aimed at destroying Moti’s professional standing as a constitutional lawyer in the Solomon Islands and wider Pacific region because he was regarded as a threat to the operations of Australian imperialism.

Queensland Supreme Court Justice Debra Mullins approved the permanent stay of proceedings after ruling that the staggering amounts of money paid to the so-called victim and her family by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) brought “the administration of justice into disrepute”.

Moti was accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl in Vanuatu in 1997; the charges had been dismissed by that country’s court system in 1998-1999 after a magistrate found there was no case to be answered, given the absence of evidence and the glaring contradictions in the alleged victim’s statements. The AFP revived the allegations in late 2004, on the basis of Australia’s extra-territorial child sex tourism laws, after the Australian High Commissioner to Solomon Islands at the time, Patrick Cole, demanded an investigation be opened to assist his efforts to prevent Moti’s pending appointment as Solomon Islands attorney general. The alleged victim was not the complainant in the case—the AFP only located her and took a statement in 2006. From this point onwards, however, she and her family began receiving staggering amounts of money from the police. On numerous occasions they threatened to withdraw their cooperation unless the payments were further increased.

While the Commonwealth has still not provided a full account of the precise total sums handed over from 2006 to 2009, the Queensland Supreme Court received documents indicating an amount of at least $150,000. This covered the family’s various living expenses, including rental, medical, childcare, education, and transport costs, as well as for their domestic servant, restaurant visits, and business ventures.

The AFP’s payments, Justice Mullins concluded, “raises questions about the integrity of the administration of the Australian justice system”. She declared: “The conduct of the AFP in taking over the financial support of those witnesses who live in Vanuatu is an affront to the public conscience.”

Justice Mullins said that while the court had to take into account the seriousness of the child sex allegations and the public interest in allowing a trial, “the balancing of the various policy considerations favours the applicant over the prosecution”, because “the seriousness of the abuse of process would not be acknowledged appropriately by any other order”. The court heard that the minimum wage in Vanuatu was just $240 a month, or $2,880 a year. Justice Mullins said there was “no justification” for the AFP’s claim that its payments were “subsistence” living expenses. She noted instead that “the AFP has assumed the role of providing full financial support to sustain the lifestyle and activities of the complainant’s family in Vanuatu”. The judge continued that she found it “surprising” that “it was difficult to ascertain from the documents that were produced [provided by the AFP and prosecutors] the exact quantum of the payments made to the witnesses and that there is limited material on how the expense items included in the witness payments to the complainant’s family in Vanuatu were originally calculated”.

In his first statement to the media since the verdict, Julian Moti told the World Socialist Web Site: “I was cleared by the courts in Vanuatu in 1999. That decision still stands. The AFP’s attempt to dredge up these unfounded allegations through massive witness bribery has been recognised as an outrageous abuse of process. The question not fully answered by the court is why the AFP resorted to these scandalous tactics. The answer, I would suggest, on the basis of all the material which the Commonwealth possesses but has not disclosed, lies in the political motive behind my prosecution. This was instigated by the Australian High Commission and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for vigorous pursuit by the AFP in service of Australia’s geo-strategic political objectives.

I have asked my lawyers to refer the AFP’s conduct to the Commonwealth Ombudsman, the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity, and the Commonwealth Auditor General. I await the investigation of this matter.”

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Moti praised the WSWS for its coverage.

“Your site was the only media outlet to fulfil its professional and ethical obligations,” he said. “If the mainstream media had done so, my case would not have gone as far as it did—with the accompanying expense, inconvenience, and suffering—as what is now finally being brought to light would have been more widely exposed much earlier.”

While the Australian legal fraternity and various civil libertarian organisations remained silent throughout the government’s protracted campaign against Moti, they found their voice in the wake of the Queensland Supreme Court decision.

Australian Council for Civil Liberties President Terry O’Gorman told the Sydney Morning Herald that the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity (ACLEI) ought to investigate the AFP. “The payment of money, particularly this quantum of money, is extremely concerning,” he said.

“What the ACLEI have to look at is whether this is a one-off—or are payments being made more frequently, and courts or the defence are not being told of it?” Barrister Greg Barnes, from the Australian Lawyers Alliance, compared the Moti affair with the 2007 “terrorist” witch-hunt of Dr Mohamed Haneef. “The link with Haneef is a valid one because you’ve got police hell-bent on securing a conviction and you’ve got the DPP rubber-stamping their actions,” Barnes said. The former head of the National Crime Authority, Peter Faris QC, told the ABC that the AFP’s witness payments “smack of a bribe” and added that he could not see any legally proper basis for the charges to have been brought against Moti in the first place.

“It wasn’t a criminal offence that occurred in Australia. It was investigated in Vanuatu, he was charged and the charges were dismissed... It’s a very strange process and one has to ask, was there a political element? But remember we’ve had a Labor government for what, now, two years? They still pursued this. I would have thought that any sensible Labor attorney-general would have reviewed it and pulled the plug. It’s a shocking waste of money, time, and effort.”

The media, which played a critical role in the Moti witch-hunt, has generally responded to the court decision by attempting to portray the question of the AFP’s massive payments to the so-called witnesses as a legal technicality, and by emphasising the judge’s rejection of the other grounds listed by Moti’s counsel for a permanent stay of proceedings. The Melbourne Age today published an especially foul editorial. It admitted

KOYA MEMORIAL NIGHT

that the AFP “has some explaining to do” for its “baffling” conduct. However—despite no journalist from the Age or any other Fairfax Media outlet being present at any of the hearings—the editorial goes on to label Moti a “tough customer” who had “demonstrated contempt for the criminal justice system in jumping bail”. This was a reference to October 2006, when Moti accepted an offer of political asylum from the Solomon Islands after he had been unlawfully arrested in Papua New Guinea at the instigation of the AFP. Contrary to the Age’s slander, the “contempt for the criminal justice system” was on the side of the Australian authorities, whose carefully prepared provocation had no basis in either Australian, Papua New Guinean, or international law.

The political calculations behind the Moti affair

Justice Debra Mullins’ 30-page judgement was marked by a series of glaring contradictions and inconsistencies. While recognising that she had little choice but to junk Moti’s attempted prosecution, given the circumstances of the case, she rejected the central tenet of Moti’s permanent stay application—that the abuse of process was politically motivated. Mullins acknowledged that the AFP investigation began not because a complaint was received from the alleged victim, but because of the political calculations of Australia’s High Commissioner in Solomon Islands, Patrick Cole. In an October 2004 memo, Cole wrote to Canberra that Moti had an “anti-Australian and anti-RAMSI perspective”, and that his appointment as attorney general would “likely be a very difficult proposition for us in steering SI [Solomon Islands] and bilateral matters (especially RAMSI issues, including questions of legal amnesties and pardons) through government and the Cabinet”. In an extraordinary finding, however, Justice Mullins declared: “There is no evidence of any impropriety associated with the AFP’s approach to the investigation of the conduct of the applicant [i.e., Moti] that is the subject of the charges. This makes the motivation for the original referral of the allegations against the applicant to the AFP irrelevant to the continuation of the prosecution.” Thus, on the one hand the judge decided that a grievous abuse of judicial process had occurred because the AFP’s witness payments were an “affront to the public conscience”, but on the other hand, she claimed that there was “no evidence of any impropriety associated with the AFP’s approach”!

This night dedicated to the memory of the late Hon. S M KOYA is slated for early next year.

Everyone is welcome share their thoughts, comments and memories. If you stories and pictures etc., you want to share you are most wel come do so. The man who fulfilled the journey crafted by one of the most learned and seasoned politicians of Fiji the late Hon. Mr. A D Patel. THE KOYA MEMORIAL NIGHT will be dedicated to celebrate the memories of tails of former leader of opposition the Late Hon. S M KOYA

Justice Mullins appeared to be attempting to erect a Chinese wall between the AFP’s conduct during the initial investigation into the Vanuatu allegations (carried out between early 2005 and July-August 2006) and the AFP’s subsequent actions after arrest warrants for Moti were issued and the CDPP prepared its prosecution brief. In similar manner, she presented an absolute demarcation between Patrick Cole’s political agenda and the AFP investigation, declaring the former to be entirely irrelevant to the latter. Both manoeuvres are absurd. Justice Mullins did not attempt to answer the obvious question that arises from her narrative—why, if there were no political calculations involved, did the AFP and CDPP act in the manner they did? Why did they make such unprecedented and extraordinary payments to so-called witnesses? The only conceivable reason was because they had no genuine evidence—the case had been discharged a decade earlier in Vanuatu, and the alleged victim had already admitted issuing false testimony. Without the payments, the case would have folded.

Contrary to Justice Mullins’ ruling, there was an essential and unbroken continuity between Cole’s political concerns in late 2004, the AFP’s initiation of a criminal investigation, and the AFP and CDPP’s conduct from mid-2006 onwards. All of them were motivated by the same agenda: to remove Moti, a known opponent of Australian operations in the region, from the legal and political scene in the South Pacific, amid mounting great power rivalries and serious concerns for the stability of the Australian government’s flagship intervention project, the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI). The attack on Moti is entirely inexplicable apart from this context.

First deployed in July 2003, RAMSI involved Australian police and officials effectively taking control of the Solomons’ state apparatus as part of an open-ended de facto occupation. Moti opposed RAMSI’s dubious legal underpinnings, and from mid-2006 onwards was targetted as part of Canberra’s provocative regime change campaign against the elected government of Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare. While the bourgeois nationalist Sogavare government was regarded as being oriented to rival powers in Asia, the Australian government feared that Moti’s legal expertise could be used to strip RAMSI personnel of their immunity from Solomons’ law, thereby threatening the operation’s collapse.

To be continued in next issue

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KIDS PAGE

May 2012

KID’S ENJOYING...

Young Robin Paul ambitious to be a marine biologist

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oung and bold Robin Paul son of Moon Indian Cuisine owner approached the editor direct the other day when he finished interviewing CHAND sisters and asked, “ You never write anything about me.” “What is it you are interested in, what do want to become in life?” asked the editor. Robin reflected and said he likes the Monterey Aquarium and liked what one of the guest speakers said about the marine life. Since them I am interested in it and I would like to be a marine biologist.

ZAIEN CUTS CAKE AT 60

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PHOTO GALLERY

May 2012

RECEPTION OF RON RESHMA

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