Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
US raids free child prostitutes
FBI officials in the US say they have rescued more than 50 children from prostitution rings.
Nearly 700 hundred people were arrested in 36 cities over three days, officials said, in an operation targeting a number of prostitution hotspots.
Most of those rescued were girls under 18 with the youngest just 10 years old. Dozens of pimps were also arrested.
The raid was part of a larger FBI operation which has so far recovered nearly 900 children from prostitution.
More than 1,500 FBI agents and police officers took part in the raids, which were based on intelligence provided by local police forces.
Nationwide effort
The FBI said that information provided by those arrested in such raids often uncovered organised prostitution rings and could lead to further rescues.
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Kevin Perkins, the Assistant Director of the FBI's Criminal Division, said that despite recent success, child prostitution remained "a significant problem" in the US.
Ernie Allen, president of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, welcomed the arrests of hundreds of people, including 60 pimps who had been forcing the children into prostitution to make money.
"Child trafficking for the purposes of prostitution is organised criminal activity using kids as commodities for sale or trade.
"These kids are victims. They lack the ability to walk away. This is 21st Century slavery," Mr Allen said
source: bbc.co.uk
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Foreigners advised to restrict movement
Interior Minister Rehman Malik has warned of new threats of terrorist attacks in Islamabad and other parts of the country in the near future.
“The federal government issued a security advisory to the provinces and all authorities concerned two weeks ago on the basis of an intelligence report,” he said during a recent visit to the office of World Food Programme where a suicide attack claimed the lives of five UN officials.
“A security alert has been issued about possible attacks by terrorists in Punjab, Sindh, Islamabad and Balochistan,” he said, adding that steps had been taken to foil their nefarious designs.
According to the sources, the foreign missions have alerted their citizens in view of a possible military operation in Waziristan and reaction from the Taliban.
Malaysia has advised its nationals to be more vigilant. “According to the Pakistani authorities, another large-scale suicide bombing may take place and, therefore, Malaysians are advised to be more vigilant and avoid going to potential target areas,” said an advisory issued by the Malaysian Foreign Ministry.
It said the Malaysian Foreign Ministry and Malaysian High Commissioner in Islamabad would continue to monitor the situation and issue reports accordingly.
Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari has said terrorist attacks will not shake Pakistan’s determination to take the fight against extremists and militants to the end.
During a meeting with Executive Director of the World Food Programme Ms Josette Sheeran at the President House, he said: “The people of Pakistan are shedding the blood to make the country, the region and the world safe and free from extremist elements.”
The president offered condolences over the loss of innocent lives in the suicide bombing at the WFP office and said that heinous attacks, especially on people who were working for eliminating poverty and hunger, were condemnable.
PCB issues show cause notice to Dr Shah
| KARACHI: International Cricket Council (ICC) has sent a written complaint to Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) against the statement of Dr Shah in which he had said that umpire Simon Toffel fixed the match with Indian lobby. PCB has issued a show cause notice to Dr Shah, the member of the governing body of the Board. According to PCB spokesman, since this statement may cause negative impact on PCB-ICC relations that’s why show cause notice has been issued to Dr Shah. |
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Obama delays signing K-L bill due to criticism
WASHINGTON: President Obama has delayed signing Kerry-Lugar bill due to reports of criticism on the bill in Pakistan, Geo news reported Wednesday.
According to sources, the decision came following reports in regard to reservations and questions raised by different sectors in Pakistan over the bill.
It is pertinent to mention that Kerry-Lugar bill will be debated in the national assembly today as PML-N Tuesday tabled the adjournment motion to debate on K-L bill in the Lower House which speaker Fehmida Mirza accepted for debate.
