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Nepal's phones, internet services resume

     Kathmandu: Nepal is once again on the phone and Internet line. Telephone, STD and ISD, as well as Internet services, which had been cut off since a week ago in Nepal were resumed today. The decision to resume the services was taken by the security coordination committee during a meeting held at the Royal Nepalese Army headquarters on Monday. But the Wireless communication services like United telecom Ltd (UTL) and mobiles have not been resumed. They will be resumed only after a comprehensive evaluation of the current security situation. An official from an Internet Service Provider said, "'Over 30 Internet Service Providers attended the meeting and we have been directed to block some websites including the Maoists.'' said an official of an ISP. All the communication systems of the country were disabled on February 1, following the King's takeover.

Nepal rights group set to defy King (Go To Top)

     Kathmandu: Human rights groups in Nepal have announced plans to defy the rule of King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev. The human rights activists claimed that they could not remain silent and dared the King to "fill the jails". The leaders of 24 rights groups and professional bodies have said that they plan to bring their supporters onto the streets on Thursday outside a complex housing the prime minister's office and the parliament. But with communications difficult, it is not clear how many people would eventually join the protest. There have been no major public demonstrations in Nepal since King Gyanendra assumed power last Tuesday and ordered extra troops, police and armoured cars to patrol the streets. The Sher Bahadur Deuba government's failure to make progress in ending a Maoist rebellion that has resulted in the deaths of over 11,000 people was one of the reasons the King gave for his sudden move. "We are going to oppose the royal move, this dictatorial regime," said Krishna Pahadi, a leader of the Human Rights and Peace Society.

      Rights groups have termed the King's move as a military takeover and called on foreign governments which prop up the kingdom with aid and military help to force him to restore democracy. They want an immediate end to all foreign assistance for the poorly equipped Royal Nepal Army, locked in a battle with the Maoist rebels fighting for nine years to topple the monarchy. "The people have a problem with this king. He is not a god. He is a killer," said Usha Titikshu, a photo journalist and a rights activist. In Nepal, one of the world's poorest nations, the monarch is revered as a reincarnation of the Hindu god, Vishnu. Meanwhile, The Kathmandu Post quoted Culture and Aviation Minister Buddhiraj Bajracharya as saying the government would soon form a committee "that will hold a dialogue with the Maoists soon. Now they should come for dialogue without any condition." The Maoists have condemned the king's sudden assumption of power as "the last writhing of the feudal autocracy" and called for an indefinite blockade and traffic strike throughout Nepal from Feb. 13, the ninth anniversary of the start of their insurgency.

No English, No England, says Blair (Go To Top)

     London: Entering Britain will soon become increasingly difficult if Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labour Government has anything to do with the country's existing immigration laws. A rattled Blair has decided to confront a looming immigration crisis head-on after eight years of procrastination, saying that henceforth unskilled foreigners will have to prove that "they can speak English and pass a Britishness test on our laws and customs" before being allowed into the country to settle down, according to The Sun. He also said that only key professionals, that too those in short supply, would be allowed to settle down in Britain. Blair's curbs on non-EU workers were unveiled through Labour's five-year plan to control rising immigration. It includes an Aussie-style points system to "screen out" applicants who can contribute little to the British economy.

      The key proposals of Labour immigration blueprint are: 1) A points system based on skills, qualifications and ability to speak English in order to work or study here. 2) Only skilled workers will be allowed to stay, after passing a "Britishness" test. Low-skilled economic migrants would not meet the points threshold. 3) Cash bonds of up to 6,000 pounds paid by those from lands with a history of asylum abuse. Refunded on return to homeland. This would price out those with bogus claims. 4) Chain migration halted by axing settlement rights for immigrants' families. 5) Ending right of appeal for those seeking to enter Britain to work or study. 6) Fixed penalty fines of 2,000 pounds on bosses for each illegal worker they have in their employment. 7) Asylum seekers would only get temporary leave to stay. If the situation in their country is no better after five years, they get permanent status. Otherwise, they would be expected to return. 8) More detention of failed asylum-seekers with 300 new places and electronic tagging by 2007 and 9) Fingerprinting or iris-scanning of visa applicants from countries known for asylum abuse. Airlines to copy travel documents to avoid them being destroyed in mid-air.

      Labour's plans were unveiled after polls showed eight out of ten voters believe the immigration system is in chaos. Home Secretary Charles Clarke heralded the blueprint as a "simpler, clearer, more effective scheme". Reacting to the move, angry critics have accused Blair of bolting the door too late by allowing immigration to triple in the first place. The Shadow Home Secretary, David Davis, said: "This is the latest headline-grabbing initiative from a panic-stricken Government in the run-up to a general election. Davis called the immigration system "confused, weak and chaotic".

UK marriage visas seek to bust bogus marriages (Go To Top)

     Islamabad: The United Kingdom has made changes in its marriage rules to stop bogus marriages being used as a tactic to bypass immigration laws in the country. "Under changes to the UK Immigration Rules, all non-EU citizens, both visa and non-visa nationals, wishing to visit the UK as a destination for their wedding ceremony and who have arrangements in place for the marriage to be conducted within six months of the application must obtain a visa for marriage visit," the Dawn quoted a press release by the British High Commission in Pakistan. The rule would apply worldwide from 1st February. Seeing a substantial rise in the bogus marriages designed to circumvent immigration legislation, the government made it mandatory to carry a marriage visa.