Priest sex scandal shocks Poland

Warsaw;A priest in Poland, found guilty of having sex with a disabled 19-year-old girl who was entrusted in his care, has been sentenced to four years in prison.
This is the first time a priest has been caught and sentenced in Poland, though there have been few incidents in the past where priests were asked to resign.
Bialystok's District Court found that between July 2010 and February 2011 the priest had sexual intercourse with her as many as eight times, a media report said.
The incident came to light when the girl became pregnant last year and.reported the matter to the police. The girl gave birth to a baby a few months ago but the name of the father of the child has not been mentioned anywhere on the documents, reports said. 
Due to the extremely sensitive nature of the case,investigations have released very few details and the case was heard in camera.
The conduct of the priest has shocked the Polish clergy and the public at large. 
The Polish clergy has been at the forefront in moral guidance of the Catholic nation in Eastern Europe. During communist rule and in democratic times since 1990s under then leadership of Pope John Paul II, a Polish national, the church has set up the moral agenda for the nation.
Now like the other western countries, Polish clergy too has come under a scanner.
"Time has come that the church as a whole should change its policy of not allowing priests and nuns to have their own family...why should only Catholic priests and nuns suffer the agony of abstention. It is unnatural and disturbing for a human to pretend for moral justification when the need of his or her body demands sexual gratification," said Janusz K., a leading Polish psychiatrist.

Priest sex scandal shocks Poland

Warsaw;A priest in Poland, found guilty of having sex with a disabled 19-year-old girl who was entrusted in his care, has been sentenced to four years in prison.
This is the first time a priest has been caught and sentenced in Poland, though there have been few incidents in the past where priests were asked to resign.
Bialystok's District Court found that between July 2010 and February 2011 the priest had sexual intercourse with her as many as eight times, a media report said.
The incident came to light when the girl became pregnant last year and.reported the matter to the police. The girl gave birth to a baby a few months ago but the name of the father of the child has not been mentioned anywhere on the documents, reports said. 
Due to the extremely sensitive nature of the case,investigations have released very few details and the case was heard in camera.
The conduct of the priest has shocked the Polish clergy and the public at large. 
The Polish clergy has been at the forefront in moral guidance of the Catholic nation in Eastern Europe. During communist rule and in democratic times since 1990s under then leadership of Pope John Paul II, a Polish national, the church has set up the moral agenda for the nation.
Now like the other western countries, Polish clergy too has come under a scanner.
"Time has come that the church as a whole should change its policy of not allowing priests and nuns to have their own family...why should only Catholic priests and nuns suffer the agony of abstention. It is unnatural and disturbing for a human to pretend for moral justification when the need of his or her body demands sexual gratification," said Janusz K., a leading Polish psychiatrist.

Green signal from ISRO for rly's Internet in train proposal

New Delhi, Surfing the Internet in trains without using data card seems to be a distinct possibility now as the Railways have got the much-awaited clearance from space agency ISRO for using the satellite for the purpose.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has given the clearance for using the frequency from KU band for using the satellite for Internet, said a senior Railway Ministry official, adding it will be for the first time that Internet will be operational in moving trains through satellite.
Though Railways had proposed two years back to provide Internet in trains, the project could not take off due to the absence of ISRO clearance.
"ISRO's clearance for using frequency from satellite for Internet is mandatory. Now that we have got the clearance, work on the project will commence soon," said the official.
As per the proposal, three rakes of Howrah Rajdhani will be uplinked with satellite for facilitating Internet in coaches on a pilot basis.
Since it is a pilot project the Internet service will not be charged from the passengers, said the official.
Railways have sanctioned Rs 6.30 crore for providing Internet facility in Howrah Rajdhani. The work will be executed by a Mumbai-based company.
Now custom-made antenna will be installed on the locomotives of the train and coaches will be linked through Wi-Fi connectivity, he said.
According to the procedure to be followed, passenger will get a password in his mobile phone after dialling a number given by the TTE. The passenger can make the Internet operational with the use of the password.
If the pilot project becomes successful then other trains will also be linked with satellite for Internet purpose.

Green signal from ISRO for rly's Internet in train proposal

New Delhi, Surfing the Internet in trains without using data card seems to be a distinct possibility now as the Railways have got the much-awaited clearance from space agency ISRO for using the satellite for the purpose.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has given the clearance for using the frequency from KU band for using the satellite for Internet, said a senior Railway Ministry official, adding it will be for the first time that Internet will be operational in moving trains through satellite.
Though Railways had proposed two years back to provide Internet in trains, the project could not take off due to the absence of ISRO clearance.
"ISRO's clearance for using frequency from satellite for Internet is mandatory. Now that we have got the clearance, work on the project will commence soon," said the official.
As per the proposal, three rakes of Howrah Rajdhani will be uplinked with satellite for facilitating Internet in coaches on a pilot basis.
Since it is a pilot project the Internet service will not be charged from the passengers, said the official.
Railways have sanctioned Rs 6.30 crore for providing Internet facility in Howrah Rajdhani. The work will be executed by a Mumbai-based company.
Now custom-made antenna will be installed on the locomotives of the train and coaches will be linked through Wi-Fi connectivity, he said.
According to the procedure to be followed, passenger will get a password in his mobile phone after dialling a number given by the TTE. The passenger can make the Internet operational with the use of the password.
If the pilot project becomes successful then other trains will also be linked with satellite for Internet purpose.

14-year-old girl calls helpline, foils marriage attempt

KolkataShe is 14 years old and a school dropout, but West Bengal resident Seema still mustered up the courage to stand up to her family and foiled an attempt to get her married by calling a helpline. 
The Class 7 dropout, who was to tie the nuptial knot Wednesday, called up the helpline number urging them to intervene and stop her marriage, police said Tuesday. The incident took place in Purulia district.
“The girl, a resident of Beldi village under Arsha police station called up Childline, and informed them that she was being married off. Subsequently we intervened and rescued the girl,” district police superintendent C. Sudhakar said.
While her father was remanded to 14 days’ judicial custody by a local court, the girl was sent to a government home.
“After we started the awareness campaign regarding child marriage in late 2008, at least 64 girls have resisted early marriage in the district, which is a great achievement,” said Prosenjit Kundu, assistant labour commissioner of the district. 

14-year-old girl calls helpline, foils marriage attempt

KolkataShe is 14 years old and a school dropout, but West Bengal resident Seema still mustered up the courage to stand up to her family and foiled an attempt to get her married by calling a helpline. 
The Class 7 dropout, who was to tie the nuptial knot Wednesday, called up the helpline number urging them to intervene and stop her marriage, police said Tuesday. The incident took place in Purulia district.
“The girl, a resident of Beldi village under Arsha police station called up Childline, and informed them that she was being married off. Subsequently we intervened and rescued the girl,” district police superintendent C. Sudhakar said.
While her father was remanded to 14 days’ judicial custody by a local court, the girl was sent to a government home.
“After we started the awareness campaign regarding child marriage in late 2008, at least 64 girls have resisted early marriage in the district, which is a great achievement,” said Prosenjit Kundu, assistant labour commissioner of the district. 

Al Qaeda's Europe attack plans found hidden in porn movie Hundreds of internal Al Qaeda documents embedded inside a pornographic movie on a memory disk have revealed plots of carrying out attacks in Europe similar to the November 2008 Mumbai attacks.
Terrorist training manuals in PDF format in German, English and Arabic were among the documents found, according to intelligence sources cited by CNN, which said it had obtained details of the documents.
The German newspaper Die Zeit was the first to report on the discovery of the documents by German cryptologists inside the memory disk found on a suspected Al Qaeda operative arrested in Berlin last year, it said.
Interrogators questioning a 22-year-old Austrian named Maqsood Lodin, who had recently returned from Pakistan via Budapest, Hungary, and then travelled overland to Germany were surprised to find a digital storage device and memory cards hidden in his underpants.
Buried inside them was a pornographic video called "Kick Ass"-and a file marked "Sexy Tanja."
Several weeks later, German investigators discovered encoded inside the actual video a treasure trove of intelligence - more than 100 Al Qaeda documents.
One document called "Future Works" appears to have been the product of discussions to find new targets and methods of attack, CNN said. German investigators believe it was written in 2009 -- and that it remains the template for Al Qaeda's plans.
A year after the document was written, European intelligence agencies were scrambling to investigate a Mumbai-style plot involving German and other European militants which sparked an unprecedented US State Department travel warning for Americans in Europe.
"I think it is plausible to think that the 'Future Works' document is part of that particular project," investigative journalist Yassin Musharbash, a reporter with the German newspaper Die Zeit, who was the first to report on the documents, was quoted as saying.
"The document delivers very clearly the notion that Al Qaeda knows it is being followed very closely," Musharbash told CNN.
While "Future Works" does not include dates or places, nor specific plans, it appears to be a brainstorming exercise to seize the initiative-and reinstate Al Qaeda on front pages around the world, it said.

Al Qaeda's Europe attack plans found hidden in porn movie Hundreds of internal Al Qaeda documents embedded inside a pornographic movie on a memory disk have revealed plots of carrying out attacks in Europe similar to the November 2008 Mumbai attacks.
Terrorist training manuals in PDF format in German, English and Arabic were among the documents found, according to intelligence sources cited by CNN, which said it had obtained details of the documents.
The German newspaper Die Zeit was the first to report on the discovery of the documents by German cryptologists inside the memory disk found on a suspected Al Qaeda operative arrested in Berlin last year, it said.
Interrogators questioning a 22-year-old Austrian named Maqsood Lodin, who had recently returned from Pakistan via Budapest, Hungary, and then travelled overland to Germany were surprised to find a digital storage device and memory cards hidden in his underpants.
Buried inside them was a pornographic video called "Kick Ass"-and a file marked "Sexy Tanja."
Several weeks later, German investigators discovered encoded inside the actual video a treasure trove of intelligence - more than 100 Al Qaeda documents.
One document called "Future Works" appears to have been the product of discussions to find new targets and methods of attack, CNN said. German investigators believe it was written in 2009 -- and that it remains the template for Al Qaeda's plans.
A year after the document was written, European intelligence agencies were scrambling to investigate a Mumbai-style plot involving German and other European militants which sparked an unprecedented US State Department travel warning for Americans in Europe.
"I think it is plausible to think that the 'Future Works' document is part of that particular project," investigative journalist Yassin Musharbash, a reporter with the German newspaper Die Zeit, who was the first to report on the documents, was quoted as saying.
"The document delivers very clearly the notion that Al Qaeda knows it is being followed very closely," Musharbash told CNN.
While "Future Works" does not include dates or places, nor specific plans, it appears to be a brainstorming exercise to seize the initiative-and reinstate Al Qaeda on front pages around the world, it said.

Assam ferry tragedy: 270 still missing, rescue operations on

Only 80 people could be rescued during the search and rescue operations, on since the accident in Dhubri district Monday evening, and most of the other estimated 350 passengers remained missing till Tuesday evening, the official said.
"Some bodies were fished out till late Monday night by rescuers but it is difficult to estimate the toll as some relatives of the deceased have taken the bodies home for burial," said a district administration official, adding that only 17 bodies were sent for post-mortem.
"It's almost 24 hours after the tragedy now and there is hardly any chance that anyone is alive. Some of the survivors also told us that most of the passengers of the ferry were women and children," said the official.
Another official said: "We are yet to ascertain the exact number of passengers on the ferry. As per our information, about 240 passengers bought tickets but there were passengers without tickets too." 
Abdul Aziz, a survivor, said there were over 300 passengers on the ferry.
A Border Security Force (BSF) official, overseeing the rescue operations, said it was possible that the bodies may have floated downstream.
"We have been continuing with the rescue operation since last evening. However, there is a strong undercurrent in the river and the bodies might have been washed away," said S. Kumar.
"We are going to continue the rescue and search operation till evening and then we would have to call it off," he said.
BSF water wing's deputy commandant Rajesh Bhandoria told IANS that the search was on, though so far unsuccessful. "Till 5 p.m. Tuesday, we were not able to find even a single body,"  he said.
All border outposts (BOPs) of BSF's 22 and 162 Battalions along the Brahmaputra have been alerted to look for survivors and search for dead bodies.
Apart from this, BSF has also established contact with the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) at Dhaka and also with its sector commander at Rangpur and battalion commander at Kurigram
"We have also requested to sensitize their riverine BOPs for carrying out search for  survivors and look for the dead bodies and make immediate arrangements to hand over the same to BSF," said a BSF spokesperson in Delhi.
Apart from the 20 deep water divers of the BSF, the district administration had also used the services of helicopters to step up the search and rescue operation from Tuesday morning.
Two senior cabinet ministers, Chandan Brahma and Nazrul Islam, rushed to the Fakirganj area on Tuesday morning to take stock of the situation.
"We have already ordered an inquiry into the whole incident to find out as to what is the exact cause of the tragedy -- whether it is the overloading of passengers or the weather," said Brahma.
He also assured the local people of improving the communication infrastructure to Fakirganj.
"We have already arranged for technically sophisticated motor launches to ply between Dhubri and Fakirganj and the new motor launches will arrive by next week," he said and added that the government had already sanctioned a bridge over the Brahmaputra river to connect Jaleswar and Dhubri.  "The construction of the bridge will start soon," he added. 
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is a Rajya Sabha MP from Assam, expressed his shock over the tragedy and announced compensation of Rs.2 lakh each for the next of kin of the ceased.

Apart from that, the Assam government has also an announced ex-gratia payment of Rs.1.5 lakh each to the next of kin of the victims. The kin will also get another amount of Rs.50,000 each from the Mukhya Mantrir Jibanjyoti Bima Achoni, a life insurance scheme of the state government that covers anyone in the age group of 3-80 years.
The state government had also announced that all the seriously injured passengers of the ferry will be given Rs.50,000 each besides making arrangements for free treatment to all the victims.
All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief Badaruddin Ajmal has also announced that the party will give financial assistance of Rs.2 crore to all the victims of the tragedy. All the 18 legislators of the AIUDF has also agreed to contribute their one month's salary for the overall help of the victims of the tragedy.

Assam ferry tragedy: 270 still missing, rescue operations on

Only 80 people could be rescued during the search and rescue operations, on since the accident in Dhubri district Monday evening, and most of the other estimated 350 passengers remained missing till Tuesday evening, the official said.
"Some bodies were fished out till late Monday night by rescuers but it is difficult to estimate the toll as some relatives of the deceased have taken the bodies home for burial," said a district administration official, adding that only 17 bodies were sent for post-mortem.
"It's almost 24 hours after the tragedy now and there is hardly any chance that anyone is alive. Some of the survivors also told us that most of the passengers of the ferry were women and children," said the official.
Another official said: "We are yet to ascertain the exact number of passengers on the ferry. As per our information, about 240 passengers bought tickets but there were passengers without tickets too." 
Abdul Aziz, a survivor, said there were over 300 passengers on the ferry.
A Border Security Force (BSF) official, overseeing the rescue operations, said it was possible that the bodies may have floated downstream.
"We have been continuing with the rescue operation since last evening. However, there is a strong undercurrent in the river and the bodies might have been washed away," said S. Kumar.
"We are going to continue the rescue and search operation till evening and then we would have to call it off," he said.
BSF water wing's deputy commandant Rajesh Bhandoria told IANS that the search was on, though so far unsuccessful. "Till 5 p.m. Tuesday, we were not able to find even a single body,"  he said.
All border outposts (BOPs) of BSF's 22 and 162 Battalions along the Brahmaputra have been alerted to look for survivors and search for dead bodies.
Apart from this, BSF has also established contact with the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) at Dhaka and also with its sector commander at Rangpur and battalion commander at Kurigram
"We have also requested to sensitize their riverine BOPs for carrying out search for  survivors and look for the dead bodies and make immediate arrangements to hand over the same to BSF," said a BSF spokesperson in Delhi.
Apart from the 20 deep water divers of the BSF, the district administration had also used the services of helicopters to step up the search and rescue operation from Tuesday morning.
Two senior cabinet ministers, Chandan Brahma and Nazrul Islam, rushed to the Fakirganj area on Tuesday morning to take stock of the situation.
"We have already ordered an inquiry into the whole incident to find out as to what is the exact cause of the tragedy -- whether it is the overloading of passengers or the weather," said Brahma.
He also assured the local people of improving the communication infrastructure to Fakirganj.
"We have already arranged for technically sophisticated motor launches to ply between Dhubri and Fakirganj and the new motor launches will arrive by next week," he said and added that the government had already sanctioned a bridge over the Brahmaputra river to connect Jaleswar and Dhubri.  "The construction of the bridge will start soon," he added. 
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is a Rajya Sabha MP from Assam, expressed his shock over the tragedy and announced compensation of Rs.2 lakh each for the next of kin of the ceased.

Apart from that, the Assam government has also an announced ex-gratia payment of Rs.1.5 lakh each to the next of kin of the victims. The kin will also get another amount of Rs.50,000 each from the Mukhya Mantrir Jibanjyoti Bima Achoni, a life insurance scheme of the state government that covers anyone in the age group of 3-80 years.
The state government had also announced that all the seriously injured passengers of the ferry will be given Rs.50,000 each besides making arrangements for free treatment to all the victims.
All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief Badaruddin Ajmal has also announced that the party will give financial assistance of Rs.2 crore to all the victims of the tragedy. All the 18 legislators of the AIUDF has also agreed to contribute their one month's salary for the overall help of the victims of the tragedy.