Category: Other
Workers Unite
MONTEVIDEO, October 26, 2013 (AFP) – Unions representing domestic workers met here Saturday to urge countries to ratify a year-old international convention that sets minimal labor standards for domestic workers.So far only 10 countries have ratified the International Convention on Domestic Workers, which went into effect a year ago in September. But Myrtle Witbooi, president […]
Maldives reschedules presidential vote for November
MALÉ, October 21, 2013 (AFP) – Maldives officials on Monday rescheduled the country’s presidential election, two days after police blocked the last attempt to hold a vote saying it was illegal.“Dear all, 1st round of the Presidential elections to be held on Nov 9th and 2nd round on Nov 16th,” the independent Elections Commission chief […]
” fears
COLOMBO, October 20, 2013 (AFP) – The Maldives embraced multi-party democracy in 2008 hoping to emerge a modern nation. Five years on, there are fears the honeymoon islands are becoming a “banana republic” ready to implode. The political crisis came to a head Saturday when police blocked elections designed to restore stability after the first […]
Maldives ex-leader demands fresh vote under caretaker
MALÉ, October 20, 2013 (AFP) – Maldivian opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed Sunday demanded fresh elections under a caretaker president, a day after police forced the postponement of a vote he was expected to win.Nasheed, a former president, told reporters in the capital island Male that the outgoing President Mohamed Waheed should step down immediately and […]
Maldives vote to go ahead despite court case
MALÉ, October 19, 2013 (AFP) – Presidential elections in the Maldives will go ahead on Saturday despite an 11th-hour court challenge by two candidates aimed at delaying the poll, the elections chief announced.Outgoing president Mohamed Waheed, who replaced Nasheed but is not running in the fresh polls, has promised a smooth transition of power. He […]
Maldives polls in doubt: election chief
MALÉ, October 18, 2013 (AFP) – The Maldives’ electoral commission warned Friday that this weekend’s presidential polls could be scrapped at the last minute as two of the candidates have still to endorse the voting roll.Just hours before polling stations were due to open, commission chairman Fuwad Thowfeek said former president Mohamed Nasheed was the […]
India police arrest crew of US ship over arms: reports
NEW DELHI, October 18, 2013 (AFP) – Indian police Friday arrested and questioned 33 people aboard a ship operated by a US anti-piracy firm for carrying guns and ammunition in Indian waters without proper permits, reports said.India’s coastguard stopped and detained the ship off the Indian coast on October 12 after discovering the cache of […]
Skull discovery suggests 1.8mn year old evidence against nationalism
WASHINGTON, October 18, 2013 (AFP) – A stunningly well-preserved skull from 1.8 million years ago offers new evidence that early man was a single species with a vast array of different looks, researchers said Thursday.With a tiny brain about a third the size of a modern human’s, protruding brows and jutting jaws like an ape, […]
Maldives heads backs to the polls amid controversy
MALÉ, October 17, 2013 (AFP) – The Maldives returns to the polls on Saturday for another presidential election after a top court annulled last month’s results, deepening concern about political stability in the young democracy.Election officials were working overtime to ready the luxury tourist destination for Saturday, after the Supreme Court last week scrapped the […]
Thousands homeless after killer Indian cyclone
GOPALPUR, October 13, 2013 (AFP) – Tens of thousands of people who fled India’s strongest cyclone in 14 years returned to discover their homes and livelihoods destroyed Monday, as a massive relief operation kicked into gear.One million people were forced to seek refuge in shelters and government buildings after the terrifying cyclone struck eastern India […]
Killer cyclone wreaks havoc along Indian coast
BHUBANESWAR, October 12, 2013 (AFP) – A cyclone left a trail of death and destruction Sunday after winds packing speeds of up to 200 kilometres an hour ripped through a vast swathe of India’s impoverished east coast.As emergency teams began assessing the damage from the country’s worst cyclone in 14 years, a massive relief effort […]
Maldivian president ends re-election bid
MALÉ, October 12, 2013 (AFP) – Maldivian President Mohamed Waheed has withdrawn his candidature for fresh elections which were ordered by the Supreme Court after a previous round of voting was annulled, an official said Saturday.However, a Commonwealth probe said the transfer of power was constitutional. A new president must be in office in the […]