Hallmarking of gold as quality assurance stuck in logjam

NEW DELHI – All that glitters is gold, or is it really so? A quality benchmark survey has revealed 15-20 percent adulteration in 22-carat gold jewellery, but the government’s scheme for mandatory hallmarking of gold ornaments as an assurance of quality is stuck in legal wrangles for a decade now.

A lawmakers panel which is …. Original source  : Hallmarking of gold as quality assurance stuck in logjam.

Men victims of sex discrimination in Hong Kong: Watchdog

HONG KONG – Hong Kong’s equal opportunities watchdog announced Sunday it would launch an investigation into sexism in the workplace – against men.

The six-month study would see if any measures were necessary to tackle job discrimination against men.
Equal Opportunities Commission chairman Lam Woon-kwong told radio station RTHK that certain professions such as in … Read more >>.

Saudi Arabia educating its women for jobs: Louise Khurshid

NEW DELHI – A gentle wind of change is blowing through the socio-economic and gender mosaic of Saudi Arabia as the orthodox Islamic kingdom opens up to women’s education and allows them to find their identity as professionals, says journalist-turned-politician Louise Khurshid.

Louise, the wife of union minister Salman Khurshid, was part of a six-member … Read more »».

Abolish manual scavenging by 2012-end, urges NAC

NEW DELHI – Expressing “deep distress” over the “shameful practice of manual scavenging” in the country, the National Advisory Council, headed by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Saturday asked the government to “fully abolish” it by the end of 2012.

It observed that despite the practice of employing scavengers being declared an offence, no one has … Read : Abolish manual scavenging by 2012-end, urges NAC.

Lawyers protest police atrocities in Uttar Pradesh

Hardoi (U.P), – A group of lawyers on Saturday took out a march in Uttar Pradesh’s Hardoi district to protest police atrocities.

On Friday, a group of lawyers were baton-charged by the police when they apparently tried to prevent bogus voting in … Original article on : Lawyers protest police atrocities in Uttar Pradesh.

Corruption case: Virbhadra Singh asked to appear in court

SHIMLA – A local court Saturday asked union Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh to be present in court Nov 27 in a corruption case registered against him by the state’s vigilance and anti-corruption bureau, officials said.

Special court judge B.L. Soni directed Virbhadra Singh and his wife Pratibha Singh, a former member of parliament (MP), …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Corruption case: Virbhadra Singh asked to appear in court.

US must probe torture allegations, says UN official

LONDON – The US government has a moral duty to investigate whether its officials were involved in torture or complicity in torture following the WikiLeaks revelations about Iraq, a top UN official said Saturday.

Manfred Nowak, the UN’s special rapporteur on torture, told the BBC that such a duty existed even if the alleged human … Original article on : US must probe torture allegations, says UN official.

‘Office of custodian of enemy property hotbed of corruption’

LUCKNOW – Accusing the Custodian of Enemy Properties of conniving with his tenants to deprive him of his properties worth Rs.30,000 crore, Amir Mohammad Khan, the raja of the erstwhile princely state of Mahmudabad, Saturday termed the office a “hotbed of corruption”.

Khan, who was threatened with the loss of his properties on account of … Original article on : ‘Office of custodian of enemy property hotbed of corruption’.

Compelling evidence of war crimes in Iraq: Wikileaks

WASHINGTON – Revealing another 400,000 classified US military documents, whistle-blower WikiLeaks has indicated “compelling evidence of war crimes” and a “systematic sectarian cleansing” that led to the mass killing of civilians in Iraq.

The Pentagon has denied the charges but the secret files related to America’s war in Iraq leaked Friday provide a new picture … Read more »»».