Police raids were on in Netai village near this Maoist hub in West Bengal Saturday a day after seven people were shot dead and 12 wounded allegedly by Marxist-backed assailants. Groups of villagers were seen huddled together, mourning the deaths, while anxiety was writ large on the faces of those whose family members lay critically [...]
Posts Tagged ‘tense’
Curfew continues in Meghalaya areas, situation tense
January 4th, 2011 |
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With the situation still tense along the Meghalaya-Assam border following ethnic violence in the area, the authorities Tuesday decided against relaxing the curfew imposed there. Curfew was imposed in Mendipathar and its adjoining areas of East Garo Hills district Monday night after an ethnic clash between the Garo and Rabha tribal groups. More than 30 [...]
Bar and bench in tense row
October 4th, 2010 |
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LAHORE – Judicial crisis in Punjab turned graver yet on Monday, when more judges and judicial officers jumped into counter-protest against the lawyers.
A large number of civil and additional judges tendered resignation as a counter-protest against the lawyers who were taking out rallies to protest against police torture upon lawyers and pressing for the transfer of District and Sessions Judge Lahore Zawar Ahmad Sheikh.
The judicial officers also expressed solidarity with Zawar Sheikh and complained against the insulting attitude of the lawyers. A day earlier too, around 100 civil judges had resigned, vowing not to return to courts until their prestige was restored to them. They alleged that some top lawyers wanted their favourites to fill in certain posts in judiciary and for that very reason they did not want an honest man like Zawar Sheikh in the District and Sessions seat.
Later reports tell that around 1,300 judicial officers, mostly civil judges, in other parts of the province also tendered their resignations to the respective D&SJs for expressing solidarity with Justice Zawar Sh but Lahore High Court Chief Justice Khawaja Muhammad Sharif rejected resignations of the judicial officers asking them to continue performing their duties in the interest of the poor litigants and others.
He also advised the judicial officers to serve the masses without any greed and fear.
Meanwhile the lawyers throughout Punjab completely observed black day on the call of the Pakistan Bar Council. In Khyber PK and Balochistan too, lawyers went on boycott of the courts, while in Punjab not only boycott was observed, but rallies were also taken out and protest meeting held. In Multan, a clash took place between the lawyers and the police when the former broke open main gate of the court premises and came out to protest against violence on their community in Lahore.
They pelted stones at the police and set the effigies of IG Punjab and Secretary Home on fire. At some places of Sargodha, Gujranwala, judges sat in courtrooms without hearing cases for some time, but late reports said, these judicial officers have also tendered their resignations. In Faisalabad, lawyers took out a rally from District Courts up to Clock Tower Square.
In City, heavy police contingents were deployed around the court premises and other sensitive points in the city, yet the lawyers took out rally on the Mall in violation of the section 144 Cr PC. The city rally was led by Vice Chairman Pakistan Bar Council Kazim Khan, Vice Chairman Punjab Bar Council Mumtaz Mustafa, former President SCBA Ali Ahmad Kurd, LHCBA Secretary Babar Murtaza, Secretary SCBA Raja Zulqurnain and Lahore Bar office bearers and others. Police was seen sitting in the Nasir Bagh, giving free hand to the lawyers to stage their protest.
Meanwhile, the Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah held a press conference in which he imputed the Federal law Minister Babar Awan as responsible for the crisis.
In Sindh, lawyers held a meeting at Karachi Bar and gave three days deadline to authorities to address grievance of the lawyers failing which they vowed to join the protest.
Lawyers in their protest rallies chanted slogans against Lahore High Court Chief Justice Khwaja Muhammad Sharif and demanded him to quit the office.
General House of the Peshawar High Court Bar Association and Balochistan High Court Bar Association passed condemnation resolution against thrashing of Lahore lawyers and held boycott of the courts.
The Chief Justice Khwaja Muhammad Sharif held a meeting with his senior judges, Registrar and others to discuss the situation.
Meanwhile, senior lawyers and former judges have also showed their concern on the situation.
Commenting on the situation, Justice retired Wajih uddin said that the issue should be resolved through discussion because some elements could take advantage of the dispute.
AK Dogar said civil judgeÂ’s resignation marks a protest but the issue should be patched up as soon as possible.
Justice Saeed Uz Zaman Siddiqui said the dispute should be resolved but if we accepted the lawyers demand it would set a new trend.
Israel-Lebanon border tense
August 5th, 2010 |
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Israel’s border with Lebanon is tense but quiet, a day after a deadly clash raised fears of a new round of conflict. The United Nations peacekeeping force in south Lebanon has backed Israel’s version of events following the most serious border clash in four years on Tuesday.
Past imperfect, present tense
March 5th, 2010 |
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Congress reconsiders America’s official position on the Armenian genocide
TWO questions faced an American congressional panel on Thursday March 5th as it considered the mass killings of Armenians during and after the first world war by forces of the Ottoman Empire. First, was it genocide? The historical debate is as hot, and unsettled, as ever. Armenians continue to insist that it was the first genocide of the twentieth century, while Turks call the killings merely part of the chaos of the break-up of empire.
But the second question on the minds of congressmen in the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives was more urgent. What is more important, fidelity to history or concern for the present? The vote took place as warming relations between Turkey and Armenia have cooled again and those between Turkey and America are under increasing strain over Iran, Israel and other affairs in the region. Turkish diplomats and politicians gave warning before the vote that the consequences would be felt across the range of issues of shared concern to the two countries. In the end the panel narrowly decided against pragmatism and chose to set straight the historical records. A resolution recognising the killings as genocide was sent to the House by a vote of 23 to 22. …
Ukraine begins tense presidential run-off
February 7th, 2010 |
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Ukrainians are voting in a presidential election run-off, after a bruising campaign and warnings of mass street protests and demonstrations. PM Yulia Tymoshenko and opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych are competing for the top job after President Viktor Yushchenko lost out in the first round.
Karachi tense as mourners bury bomb victims
February 6th, 2010 |
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Pakistan’s commercial capital Karachi was tense on Saturday a day after two bombs killed 25 people, raising further questions about the effectiveness of security crackdowns on al Qaeda-linked militants. Most shops in the sprawling city of 18 million people were closed and public
Racial violence calmed in Italy but town remains tense
January 10th, 2010 |
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Order is restored but tensions remain in Rosarno, the scene of Italy’s worst racial unrest for years. Police reinforcements sent from around the country have ensured that African immigrants involved in violent clashes with local residents since Thursday have been calmly evacuated.
Britain-China ties tense after execution
December 30th, 2009 |
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Britain called in China’s ambassador to vent its fury at the “unacceptable” execution of a mentally ill Briton, as the affair triggered a sharp chill between London and Beijing. Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was “appalled and disappointed” that China ignored repeated appeals to show
Tense Times for Web Phone Apps Google Voice, Skype
October 4th, 2009 |
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The Google Voice Web calling application and Skype VOIP service are being threatened. The Federal Communications Commission is looking at Google Voice as a potential network neutrality disruption. Meanwhile, courts are looking at whether Skype’s intellectual property is being abused by Skype owner eBay, Skype and investors attempting to buy the bulk of Skype. These are tense times indeed for our beloved Web phone applications.
– News Analysis: What is happening to two of our favorite Web phone applications? They’re being threatened, but in markedly different ways.
First, Google Voice, the Web calling management application. Google Voice gives users a phone number that can forward calls to any other number they want, inclu…
K. Mitrovica settlement “quiet but tense”
August 26th, 2009 |
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EULEX police are preventing contact between Serbs and ethnic Albanians in Kosovska Mitrovica’s BrÄ‘ani settlement. This will be done until an agreement is reached regarding the restoration of homes there, reports from the ethnically divided Kosovo town said on Wednesday.
Flashpoint Kosovska Mitrovica neighborhood tense again
August 7th, 2009 |
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Tensions are running high once again in the Brđane settlement of northern Kosovska Mitrovica, reports said on Friday. Serbs and ethnic Albanians have gathered at the same location in order to build houses.