Grudging support for new cluster munitions treaty

0 Comments read Nuclear Disarmament
Photo Credit: © Neena Bhandari

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 20.02.2008 (IPS): Six-year-old Umarvek Pulodov was playing in the dining room of his home in Shul village, Tajikistan, when a cluster bomb pierced through the roof, instantly killing his brother, cousin and another relative and severely injuring him, his sister and two younger brothers.

“I lost my right eye and the bomblet tore a huge chunk of flesh from my hand and back. I can still recall that fateful day of Feb. 23, 1992, when in a fraction of a second our entire lives were changed forever,” Umarvek told IPS on the phone from New Zealand’s capital, Wellington.

More than 500 delegates from 120 countries are attending a conference in Wellington to draft an international treaty banning cluster bombs.

Continue reading →

Australia says ‘sorry’ to Aboriginals for `Stolen Generations’

0 Comments read Indigenous

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 13.02.2008 (IANS): In a symbolic yet significant act to undo the wrongs of the past, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd Wednesday offered an unconditional apology to indigenous Australians for the wrongs committed by the state in the past.

Amidst tears and cheers in the Federal Parliament in Canberra, Rudd said the long awaited “sorry” three times to members of the `Stolen Generations’ comprising tens and thousands of children who were forcibly removed from their families between 1900 and 1970 under the Government Assimilation Policies to “breed out” their Aborigine blood and supposedly give them a better life.

Continue reading →

New Zealand is latest destination for Indian tourists

0 Comments read Travel

By Neena Bhandari

Auckland (New Zealand), 10.02.2008 (IANS): An increasing number of Indian tourists are visiting New Zealand, known as the land of the long white cloud. In 2006-2007, as many as 20,946 Indians spent an average of 13.8 days in New Zealand, showing a growth of 8.3 percent over the previous year.

Most visitors are choosing to stay in 4- or 5-star hotels, luxury lodges and boutique accommodation on an average spending NZ$3,425 (Rs.105,782), excluding airfare, per person per trip – higher than the average of NZ$3,115 (Rs.96,304) spent by tourists from other countries. Continue reading →