A house in Pakistan near the border with Afghanistan destroyed by a drone missile in 2008. Eighteen people including Islamist militants were killed. Photograph: Reuters
US officials responsible for the secret CIA drone campaign against suspected terrorists in Pakistan may have committed war crimes and should stand trial, a report by a leading human rights group warns. Amnesty International has highlighted the case of a grandmother who was killed while she was picking vegetables and other incidents which could have broken international laws designed to protect civilians.
The report is issued in conjunction with an investigation by Human Rights Watch detailing missile attacks in Yemen which the group believes could contravene the laws of armed conflict, international human rights law and Barack Obama's own guidelines on drones.
The reports are being published while Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan's prime minister, is in Washington. Sharif has promised to tell Obama that the drone strikes – which have caused outrage in Pakistan – must end.
Getting to the bottom of individual strikes is exceptionally difficult in the restive areas bordering Afghanistan, where thousands of militants have settled. People are often terrified of speaking out, fearing retribution from both militants and the state, which is widely suspected of colluding with the CIA-led campaign.
There is also a risk of militants attempting to skew outside research by forcing interviewees into "providing false or inaccurate information", the report said.
But Amnesty mounted a major effort to investigate nine of the many attacks to have struck the region over the last 18 months, including one that killed 18 labourers in North Waziristan as they waited to eat dinner in an area of heavy Taliban influence in July 2012. All those interviewed by Amnesty strongly denied any of the men had been involved in militancy. Even if they were members of a banned group, that would not be enough to justify killing them, the report said.
"Amnesty International has serious concerns that this attack violated the prohibition of the arbitrary deprivation of life and may constitute war crimes or extrajudicial executions," the report said. It called for those responsible to stand trial.
The US has repeatedly claimed very few civilians have been killed by drones. It argues its campaign is conducted "consistent with all applicable domestic and international law".
The Amnesty report supports media accounts from October last year that a 68-year-old woman called Mamana Bibi was killed by a missile fired from a drone while she was picking okra outside her home in North Waziristan with her grandchildren nearby. A second strike minutes later injured family members tending her.
If true, the case is striking failure of a technology much vaunted for its accuracy. It is claimed the remote-controlled planes are able to observe their targets for hours or even days to verify them, and that the explosive force of the missiles is designed to limit collateral damage. As with other controversial drone strikes, the US has refused to acknowledge or explain what happened.
Amnesty said it accepts some US drone strikes may not violate the law, "but it is impossible to reach any firm assessment without a full disclosure of the facts surrounding individual attacks and their legal basis. The USA appears to be exploiting the lawless and remote nature of the region to evade accountability for its violations," it said.
In Yemen, another country where US drones are active, Human Rights Watch highlighted six incidents, two of which were a "clear violation of international humanitarian law". The remaining four may have broken the laws of armed conflict because the targets were illegitimate or because not enough was done to minimise civilian harm, the report said.
It also argued that some of the Yemen attacks breach the guidelines announced by Obama earlier this year in his first major speech on a programme that is officially top secret. For example, the pledge to kill suspects only when it is impossible to capture them appears to have been ignored on 17 April this year when an al-Qaida leader was blown up in a township in Dhamar province in central Yemen, Human Rights Watch said.
An attack on a truck driving 12 miles south of the capital Sana'a reportedly killed two al-Qaida suspects but also two civilians who had been hired by the other men. That means the attack could have been illegal because it "may have caused disproportionate harm to civilians".
The legal arguments over drones are extremely complex, with much controversy focusing on whether or not the places where they are used amount to war zones.
Amnesty said some of the strikes in Pakistan might be covered by that claim, but rejected a "global war doctrine" that allows the US to attack al-Qaida anywhere in the world.
"To accept such a policy would be to endorse state practices that fundamentally undermine crucial human rights protections that have been painstakingly developed over more than a century of international law-making," the report said.
US officials responsible for the secret CIA drone campaign against suspected terrorists in Pakistan may have committed war crimes and should stand trial, a report by a leading human rights group warns. Amnesty International has highlighted the case of a grandmother who was killed while she was picking vegetables and other incidents which could have broken international laws designed to protect civilians.
The report is issued in conjunction with an investigation by Human Rights Watch detailing missile attacks in Yemen which the group believes could contravene the laws of armed conflict, international human rights law and Barack Obama's own guidelines on drones.
The reports are being published while Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan's prime minister, is in Washington. Sharif has promised to tell Obama that the drone strikes – which have caused outrage in Pakistan – must end.
Getting to the bottom of individual strikes is exceptionally difficult in the restive areas bordering Afghanistan, where thousands of militants have settled. People are often terrified of speaking out, fearing retribution from both militants and the state, which is widely suspected of colluding with the CIA-led campaign.
There is also a risk of militants attempting to skew outside research by forcing interviewees into "providing false or inaccurate information", the report said.
But Amnesty mounted a major effort to investigate nine of the many attacks to have struck the region over the last 18 months, including one that killed 18 labourers in North Waziristan as they waited to eat dinner in an area of heavy Taliban influence in July 2012. All those interviewed by Amnesty strongly denied any of the men had been involved in militancy. Even if they were members of a banned group, that would not be enough to justify killing them, the report said.
"Amnesty International has serious concerns that this attack violated the prohibition of the arbitrary deprivation of life and may constitute war crimes or extrajudicial executions," the report said. It called for those responsible to stand trial.
The US has repeatedly claimed very few civilians have been killed by drones. It argues its campaign is conducted "consistent with all applicable domestic and international law".
The Amnesty report supports media accounts from October last year that a 68-year-old woman called Mamana Bibi was killed by a missile fired from a drone while she was picking okra outside her home in North Waziristan with her grandchildren nearby. A second strike minutes later injured family members tending her.
If true, the case is striking failure of a technology much vaunted for its accuracy. It is claimed the remote-controlled planes are able to observe their targets for hours or even days to verify them, and that the explosive force of the missiles is designed to limit collateral damage. As with other controversial drone strikes, the US has refused to acknowledge or explain what happened.
Amnesty said it accepts some US drone strikes may not violate the law, "but it is impossible to reach any firm assessment without a full disclosure of the facts surrounding individual attacks and their legal basis. The USA appears to be exploiting the lawless and remote nature of the region to evade accountability for its violations," it said.
In Yemen, another country where US drones are active, Human Rights Watch highlighted six incidents, two of which were a "clear violation of international humanitarian law". The remaining four may have broken the laws of armed conflict because the targets were illegitimate or because not enough was done to minimise civilian harm, the report said.
It also argued that some of the Yemen attacks breach the guidelines announced by Obama earlier this year in his first major speech on a programme that is officially top secret. For example, the pledge to kill suspects only when it is impossible to capture them appears to have been ignored on 17 April this year when an al-Qaida leader was blown up in a township in Dhamar province in central Yemen, Human Rights Watch said.
An attack on a truck driving 12 miles south of the capital Sana'a reportedly killed two al-Qaida suspects but also two civilians who had been hired by the other men. That means the attack could have been illegal because it "may have caused disproportionate harm to civilians".
The legal arguments over drones are extremely complex, with much controversy focusing on whether or not the places where they are used amount to war zones.
Amnesty said some of the strikes in Pakistan might be covered by that claim, but rejected a "global war doctrine" that allows the US to attack al-Qaida anywhere in the world.
"To accept such a policy would be to endorse state practices that fundamentally undermine crucial human rights protections that have been painstakingly developed over more than a century of international law-making," the report said.
RFS chief warns three major fires could join together, endangering entire Blue Mountains, as NSW premier calls a state of emergency to deal with more than 50 fires burning across the state
An aerial image shows a fire-fighting helicopter over a smoke cloud, after a devastating bushfire passed through at Yellow Rock in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, Australia. An aerial image shows a fire-fighting helicopter over a smoke cloud, after a devastating bushfire passed through at Yellow Rock in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, Australia. Photograph:
6.26pm AEST
Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione: all of the arsonists arrested so far have been "young people"
Today, there has been two arrests with regards to a significant fire which caused about 5,000 hectares of damage. There has been an 11-year-old male taken into custody, has been charged and put before a court, his bail refused by the court.
We currently have a 15-year-old male in our custody assisting us with similar enquiries, not yet charged but certainly at this stage the intention is he will be before the courts as soon as we can get him there.
It's very disturbing, all of the arrests we have made with regard to arson attacks since this current crisis have been young people.
6.10pm AEST
RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons says forecasted windy conditions will cause problems in the next 48 hours:
The weather forecast continues to firm up as being problematic over the next 48 hrs with a continuance of similar conditions to today, albeit with a marginal reduction in temperatures for tomorrow before we see those elevated wind strengths dominate much of the fire affected areas, but also more broadly right up through the Hunter, central ranges, metropolitan and Illawarra regions. We can expect to see most of those areas with widespread severe fire danger ratings.
5.59pm AEST
RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons has just given an update to the media.
He says the conditions are continuing to make things unpredictable, and "as the fire grounds continue to change, we continue to see flare-ups and erratic behaviour".
There is some good news with the previously mentioned Hall Road fire being downgraded.
He says there's a "developing amount of fire activity near the community of Bilpin and Berambing, and we're seeing spot fires and spot fire activity in that local area".
5.35pm AEST
The Wollondilly fire near Hall Road has been downgraded to 'watch and act' by the RFS, and Picton Road has been reopened.
5.04pm AEST
Police have confirmed the second arrest in relation to the Heatherbrae fire in a short statement:
A 15-year-old boy has been arrested over the large bushfire that started in Heatherbrae last week.
He’s currently at Raymond Terrace Police Station where he is expected to be charged.
An 11-year-old boy was charged over the fire earlier today.
No further details are available at this stage.
4.47pm AEST
Police have arrested a second boy over the Heatherbrae fire, according to the Newcastle Herald's police reporter Dan Proudman:
4.40pm AEST
Guardian Australia's political editor, Lenore Taylor, on the political debate around climate change policies and the bushfires:
According to a creeping conservative political correctness, it is allegedly improper to discuss the link between climate change and the increased risk of devastating bushfires like the ones still burning across New South Wales.
Columnists start by attacking suggestions such as those made in an article written for the Guardian by the Greens deputy leader, Adam Bandt, that by repealing the carbon tax, Tony Abbott is failing to protect the Australian people from climate change risk. Then they move quickly to the accusation that it amounts to politicising a disaster to discuss the connection between climate change and bushfire at all.
But report after report has pointed to climate change increasing the likelihood of conditions that pose the greatest risk for fire.
Read the full article here.
4.18pm AEST
Two fires likely to merge, "can't rule out" three
Fitzsimmons said they "can't rule out" that the three fires will join together, but at this stage it is likelier to be two of them — the large state mine fire at Lithgow and the Mt Victoria fire.
"North of Bells Line Of Road, the fire out of Lithgow heading towards Bilpin, will join the fire near Mt York and Mt Victoria," somewhere in the Grose Valley, he predicted, saying backburning efforts have had an impact.
4.14pm AEST
In his latest update on the bushfire crisis, RFS NSW Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons has warned residents of Wilton to take shelter as embers travel kilometres ahead of the fire front. Firefighters are tasked to assist people in the area.
“The fire is well and truly heading towards Wilton," he said.
He also said they were "acutely aware" of the natural gas plant near Wilton. Extra services have been tasked to protect it.
Fitzsimmons blamed weather for the Springwood/Faulconbridge flare up where "dozens of homes" have been lost along Grose Road. It's not entirely clear if the houses have gone in the last few hours or if they are part of earlier assessments.
Both of these fires were upgraded to emergency warnings again just this afternoon. “The last hour or so reminds us to remain vigilant," said Fitzsimmons. "The fire grounds remain dynamic and challenging to firefighters."
An aerial image shows a fire-fighting helicopter over a smoke cloud, after a devastating bushfire passed through at Yellow Rock in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, Australia. An aerial image shows a fire-fighting helicopter over a smoke cloud, after a devastating bushfire passed through at Yellow Rock in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, Australia. Photograph:
6.26pm AEST
Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione: all of the arsonists arrested so far have been "young people"
Today, there has been two arrests with regards to a significant fire which caused about 5,000 hectares of damage. There has been an 11-year-old male taken into custody, has been charged and put before a court, his bail refused by the court.
We currently have a 15-year-old male in our custody assisting us with similar enquiries, not yet charged but certainly at this stage the intention is he will be before the courts as soon as we can get him there.
It's very disturbing, all of the arrests we have made with regard to arson attacks since this current crisis have been young people.
6.10pm AEST
RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons says forecasted windy conditions will cause problems in the next 48 hours:
The weather forecast continues to firm up as being problematic over the next 48 hrs with a continuance of similar conditions to today, albeit with a marginal reduction in temperatures for tomorrow before we see those elevated wind strengths dominate much of the fire affected areas, but also more broadly right up through the Hunter, central ranges, metropolitan and Illawarra regions. We can expect to see most of those areas with widespread severe fire danger ratings.
5.59pm AEST
RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons has just given an update to the media.
He says the conditions are continuing to make things unpredictable, and "as the fire grounds continue to change, we continue to see flare-ups and erratic behaviour".
There is some good news with the previously mentioned Hall Road fire being downgraded.
He says there's a "developing amount of fire activity near the community of Bilpin and Berambing, and we're seeing spot fires and spot fire activity in that local area".
5.35pm AEST
The Wollondilly fire near Hall Road has been downgraded to 'watch and act' by the RFS, and Picton Road has been reopened.
5.04pm AEST
Police have confirmed the second arrest in relation to the Heatherbrae fire in a short statement:
A 15-year-old boy has been arrested over the large bushfire that started in Heatherbrae last week.
He’s currently at Raymond Terrace Police Station where he is expected to be charged.
An 11-year-old boy was charged over the fire earlier today.
No further details are available at this stage.
4.47pm AEST
Police have arrested a second boy over the Heatherbrae fire, according to the Newcastle Herald's police reporter Dan Proudman:
4.40pm AEST
Guardian Australia's political editor, Lenore Taylor, on the political debate around climate change policies and the bushfires:
According to a creeping conservative political correctness, it is allegedly improper to discuss the link between climate change and the increased risk of devastating bushfires like the ones still burning across New South Wales.
Columnists start by attacking suggestions such as those made in an article written for the Guardian by the Greens deputy leader, Adam Bandt, that by repealing the carbon tax, Tony Abbott is failing to protect the Australian people from climate change risk. Then they move quickly to the accusation that it amounts to politicising a disaster to discuss the connection between climate change and bushfire at all.
But report after report has pointed to climate change increasing the likelihood of conditions that pose the greatest risk for fire.
Read the full article here.
4.18pm AEST
Two fires likely to merge, "can't rule out" three
Fitzsimmons said they "can't rule out" that the three fires will join together, but at this stage it is likelier to be two of them — the large state mine fire at Lithgow and the Mt Victoria fire.
"North of Bells Line Of Road, the fire out of Lithgow heading towards Bilpin, will join the fire near Mt York and Mt Victoria," somewhere in the Grose Valley, he predicted, saying backburning efforts have had an impact.
4.14pm AEST
In his latest update on the bushfire crisis, RFS NSW Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons has warned residents of Wilton to take shelter as embers travel kilometres ahead of the fire front. Firefighters are tasked to assist people in the area.
“The fire is well and truly heading towards Wilton," he said.
He also said they were "acutely aware" of the natural gas plant near Wilton. Extra services have been tasked to protect it.
Fitzsimmons blamed weather for the Springwood/Faulconbridge flare up where "dozens of homes" have been lost along Grose Road. It's not entirely clear if the houses have gone in the last few hours or if they are part of earlier assessments.
Both of these fires were upgraded to emergency warnings again just this afternoon. “The last hour or so reminds us to remain vigilant," said Fitzsimmons. "The fire grounds remain dynamic and challenging to firefighters."
Parents of missing children round the world call charity after seeing photo of blonde, blue-eyed girl found in Roma camp
The charity said it had been contacted by people in the USA, Canada, Australia, Scandinavia, South Africa and the UK. Photograph: www.hamogelo.gr/Rex
A Greek charity said yesterday that it was pursuing at least 10 "promising leads" – many from parents whose children had gone missing – following a worldwide appeal to help identify a blonde, blue-eyed girl found living in a Roma camp in the country.
Less than two days after launching the international campaign, the philanthropic organisation Smile of the Child announced that it had been bombarded with more than 10,000 calls and emails from around the world.
"Through our hotline we've been contacted by thousands of people in the US, Canada, Australia, Scandinavia, South Africa and the UK," Panaghiotis Partalis, the charity's international communications officer, told the Guardian.
"A lot of emails have come through from families whose own children went missing years ago. Based on pictures that we have also received, there are around 10 cases of children who bear a resemblance to the little girl and we are following them up to see if there is any link."
The girl, who is thought to be about four years old and answers to the name Maria, was discovered last Wednesday when Greek police raided a Roma settlement near Farsala in Larissa, 170 miles north of Athens, in search of weapons and drugs.
Officers were said to be taken aback when the pale-skinned child appeared in the home of a couple with 13 other offspring who were all dark-skinned. Unable to communicate in Greek, the girl could barely talk. What little she did say was conducted in the Roma dialect.
In a bid to unearth her identity, Partalis said the charity was also looking for specialists, including an anthropologist, who might be able to determine the child's origins and age.
"There is still mystery surrounding her age," he said. "We are looking for experts who can examine her teeth and other features to find out exactly how old she is and what her origin may be."
The charity has also compiled a "profile" of pictures of lookalike children. "We've put together a montage with Maria at the centre that we have passed to the police," he said. "There seems to be a lot of hope in the Swedish press that she is Scandinavian."
The girl is expected to be released from hospital on Monday, the same day the couple found raising her are due to appear in court on charges of abducting a minor. Police said it was likely they would be imprisoned pending trial. "The father already has a criminal record," said one officer in Thessaly, the region where the child was found.
DNA tests have proved conclusively that the little girl is not related to the couple – a 40-year-old woman and 39-year-old man.
Although the suspects have vehemently denied accusations of child smuggling, they have given a range of conflicting stories, telling investigators at first that the girl was found in a blanket at birth, before insisting her biological father was Canadian. Suspicions were further raised when the mother was discovered to have two identities and to have claimed to have given birth to six of her children in the same year. Costas Giannopoulos, who founded Smile of the Child after the death of his own son, said the discovery of the girl had not only shone a light on child trafficking in Greece, but revealed the parlous state of birth registrations with municipal authorities in the crisis-hit nation.
"There is a huge gap that allows anyone to claim a child as their own," he said.
On Friday, the parents of Madeleine McCann, the toddler who went missing in Portugal in 2007, said the case was a sign that children who had disappeared could still be found.
Authorities hope that the discovery of the girl will also help crack the mystery of Ben Needham, the Sheffield boy who went missing at the age of 21 months on the Aegean island of Kos 22 years ago. Ben's mother, Kerry Needham, told ITV: "My family and I are extremely delighted at the news that a four-year-old girl has been found in a gypsy camp in Larissa, Greece. We have always believed that Ben's abduction was gypsy-related and have a long ongoing inquiry in Larissa. We hope that the investigation into Ben's disappearance will now be looked at again."
A Greek charity said yesterday that it was pursuing at least 10 "promising leads" – many from parents whose children had gone missing – following a worldwide appeal to help identify a blonde, blue-eyed girl found living in a Roma camp in the country.
Less than two days after launching the international campaign, the philanthropic organisation Smile of the Child announced that it had been bombarded with more than 10,000 calls and emails from around the world.
"Through our hotline we've been contacted by thousands of people in the US, Canada, Australia, Scandinavia, South Africa and the UK," Panaghiotis Partalis, the charity's international communications officer, told the Guardian.
"A lot of emails have come through from families whose own children went missing years ago. Based on pictures that we have also received, there are around 10 cases of children who bear a resemblance to the little girl and we are following them up to see if there is any link."
The girl, who is thought to be about four years old and answers to the name Maria, was discovered last Wednesday when Greek police raided a Roma settlement near Farsala in Larissa, 170 miles north of Athens, in search of weapons and drugs.
Officers were said to be taken aback when the pale-skinned child appeared in the home of a couple with 13 other offspring who were all dark-skinned. Unable to communicate in Greek, the girl could barely talk. What little she did say was conducted in the Roma dialect.
In a bid to unearth her identity, Partalis said the charity was also looking for specialists, including an anthropologist, who might be able to determine the child's origins and age.
"There is still mystery surrounding her age," he said. "We are looking for experts who can examine her teeth and other features to find out exactly how old she is and what her origin may be."
The charity has also compiled a "profile" of pictures of lookalike children. "We've put together a montage with Maria at the centre that we have passed to the police," he said. "There seems to be a lot of hope in the Swedish press that she is Scandinavian."
The girl is expected to be released from hospital on Monday, the same day the couple found raising her are due to appear in court on charges of abducting a minor. Police said it was likely they would be imprisoned pending trial. "The father already has a criminal record," said one officer in Thessaly, the region where the child was found.
DNA tests have proved conclusively that the little girl is not related to the couple – a 40-year-old woman and 39-year-old man.
Although the suspects have vehemently denied accusations of child smuggling, they have given a range of conflicting stories, telling investigators at first that the girl was found in a blanket at birth, before insisting her biological father was Canadian. Suspicions were further raised when the mother was discovered to have two identities and to have claimed to have given birth to six of her children in the same year. Costas Giannopoulos, who founded Smile of the Child after the death of his own son, said the discovery of the girl had not only shone a light on child trafficking in Greece, but revealed the parlous state of birth registrations with municipal authorities in the crisis-hit nation.
"There is a huge gap that allows anyone to claim a child as their own," he said.
On Friday, the parents of Madeleine McCann, the toddler who went missing in Portugal in 2007, said the case was a sign that children who had disappeared could still be found.
Authorities hope that the discovery of the girl will also help crack the mystery of Ben Needham, the Sheffield boy who went missing at the age of 21 months on the Aegean island of Kos 22 years ago. Ben's mother, Kerry Needham, told ITV: "My family and I are extremely delighted at the news that a four-year-old girl has been found in a gypsy camp in Larissa, Greece. We have always believed that Ben's abduction was gypsy-related and have a long ongoing inquiry in Larissa. We hope that the investigation into Ben's disappearance will now be looked at again."
French president's offer to allow deported teenage immigrant back into France to study without her family backfires
The teenager at the centre of the row, herself condemned the French president as 'having no heart' for suggesting she return without her family. Photograph: Rex Features
The French president, François Hollande, was widely criticised on Sunday for offering to allow a deported teenage immigrant back into France without her family.
Hollande waded into the row on Saturday when he offered Leonarda Dibrani, a 15-year-old of Roma origin who was ordered off a school bus and deported to Kosovo, the chance to return to France to finish her studies, but only if she did so alone.
The proposal drew angry condemnation, including from Leonarda, who said she would not return alone, exposing Hollande to fresh attacks on his leadership.
"What do 80% of the French think about this?" asked François Bayrou, who ran against Hollande in the first round of the 2012 presidential election, on the digital news channel iTele. "They think the state has totally lost its compass, deciding one thing and then deciding its exact opposite one minute later … Hollande's authority is significantly weakened here."
Leonarda's expulsion after her family failed to obtain political asylum has tested Hollande's ability to handle the issue of illegal migration, a source of increasing public frustration in France.
Students protested to demand the schoolgirl be allowed back, but opinion polls showed that most French did not want the family to return. Opponents from the centre-right UMP party accused Hollande of being so obsessed with satisfying his Socialist base that he had betrayed the will of the public. Even members of his own party appeared dissatisfied with the president's attempt at a compromise.
Minutes after Hollande's TV appearance, in which he said police had followed rules but lacked tact in doing so, the Socialist party leader, Harlem Désir, appeared on a different channel saying Leonarda's family should be let back into France.
"I am going to talk to the president and the government about this," he said, adding that he wanted "all the children of Leonarda's family to be able to finish their studies in France, accompanied by their mother".
The Dibrani family suffered a further crisis on Sunday when Leonarda's mother Dzemila Dibrani was beaten and briefly treated in hospital in Kosovo.
She and Leonarda's father Resat Dibrani were accosted by another Roma couple in downtown Mitrovica, and she sustained unspecified injuries when the Roma man inquired about the fate of a child from their past romance, a Kosovo official said on condition of anonymity. Both couples are being questioned by police.
A poll in the weekly JDD newspaper showed Hollande's approval rating had sunk to 23%, the lowest level in his presidency and beating record low popularity ratings set by his predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy.
But while Hollande wilts under grim economic data and attacks on his authority, his tough-talking interior minister, Manuel Valls, has become France's most popular minister.
A JDD poll published this month showed Valls had the support of 61% of the public, far ahead of any other minister. By emphasising a tough stance on Leonarda's family rather than the offer to allow her back, he appears to have come out of the affair unscathed.
"Nothing will make me deviate from my path," Valls told JDD in an interview published on Sunday. "The law must be applied and this family must not come back to France."
Valls has toughened his rhetoric against illegal migration and makeshift Roma camps as the far-right National Front party has surged in popularity ahead of municipal and European elections next year.
Leonarda, who was born in Italy, and her five brothers and sisters attended school in France, where they arrived in 2009. But an official report showed their attendance record was patchy and said the family's attempts to assimilate were disappointing.
Repeated requests for asylum by her father, Reshat, who is from Kosovo, were undermined by the fact that he lied about their nationality.
Leonarda, speaking in French from a house in the Kosovo city of Mitrovica, criticised Hollande as "having no heart" and said her family would return to France anyway.
The French president, François Hollande, was widely criticised on Sunday for offering to allow a deported teenage immigrant back into France without her family.
Hollande waded into the row on Saturday when he offered Leonarda Dibrani, a 15-year-old of Roma origin who was ordered off a school bus and deported to Kosovo, the chance to return to France to finish her studies, but only if she did so alone.
The proposal drew angry condemnation, including from Leonarda, who said she would not return alone, exposing Hollande to fresh attacks on his leadership.
"What do 80% of the French think about this?" asked François Bayrou, who ran against Hollande in the first round of the 2012 presidential election, on the digital news channel iTele. "They think the state has totally lost its compass, deciding one thing and then deciding its exact opposite one minute later … Hollande's authority is significantly weakened here."
Leonarda's expulsion after her family failed to obtain political asylum has tested Hollande's ability to handle the issue of illegal migration, a source of increasing public frustration in France.
Students protested to demand the schoolgirl be allowed back, but opinion polls showed that most French did not want the family to return. Opponents from the centre-right UMP party accused Hollande of being so obsessed with satisfying his Socialist base that he had betrayed the will of the public. Even members of his own party appeared dissatisfied with the president's attempt at a compromise.
Minutes after Hollande's TV appearance, in which he said police had followed rules but lacked tact in doing so, the Socialist party leader, Harlem Désir, appeared on a different channel saying Leonarda's family should be let back into France.
"I am going to talk to the president and the government about this," he said, adding that he wanted "all the children of Leonarda's family to be able to finish their studies in France, accompanied by their mother".
The Dibrani family suffered a further crisis on Sunday when Leonarda's mother Dzemila Dibrani was beaten and briefly treated in hospital in Kosovo.
She and Leonarda's father Resat Dibrani were accosted by another Roma couple in downtown Mitrovica, and she sustained unspecified injuries when the Roma man inquired about the fate of a child from their past romance, a Kosovo official said on condition of anonymity. Both couples are being questioned by police.
A poll in the weekly JDD newspaper showed Hollande's approval rating had sunk to 23%, the lowest level in his presidency and beating record low popularity ratings set by his predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy.
But while Hollande wilts under grim economic data and attacks on his authority, his tough-talking interior minister, Manuel Valls, has become France's most popular minister.
A JDD poll published this month showed Valls had the support of 61% of the public, far ahead of any other minister. By emphasising a tough stance on Leonarda's family rather than the offer to allow her back, he appears to have come out of the affair unscathed.
"Nothing will make me deviate from my path," Valls told JDD in an interview published on Sunday. "The law must be applied and this family must not come back to France."
Valls has toughened his rhetoric against illegal migration and makeshift Roma camps as the far-right National Front party has surged in popularity ahead of municipal and European elections next year.
Leonarda, who was born in Italy, and her five brothers and sisters attended school in France, where they arrived in 2009. But an official report showed their attendance record was patchy and said the family's attempts to assimilate were disappointing.
Repeated requests for asylum by her father, Reshat, who is from Kosovo, were undermined by the fact that he lied about their nationality.
Leonarda, speaking in French from a house in the Kosovo city of Mitrovica, criticised Hollande as "having no heart" and said her family would return to France anyway.
Jokes:
In October 2002, a British organisation called Laughlab announced the conclusion of a year-long international study to discover the funniest joke in the world. They found that the British, Irish, New Zealanders and Austalians prefer a play on words; that the French, Belgians and Danes have a taste for the surreal and Freudian; that Americans and Canadians enjoy jokes showing one group's superiority over another; and that Germans have the broadest sense of humour because they find almost anything funny.
Maltese PM Joseph Muscat says European waters close to Africa are turning into a cemetery, after another boat laden with migrants capsized.
Mr Muscat said Malta felt "abandoned" by the rest of Europe and insisted that the EU had to take action.
Malta and Italy launched a rescue operation after a boat capsized on Friday, leaving up to 50 people dead.
It happened 120km (70 miles) off Lampedusa, the Italian island where at least 300 migrants drowned last week.
The loss of life has renewed the debate within EU member states on migration rules.
In the latest incident, the vessel carrying more than 200 migrants is believed to have encountered difficulties in Maltese waters just before sunset on Friday.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
Joseph Muscat
Rules need to change, whether they are tighter or looser is not the issue, the fact is that this thing is broken and it needs to be fixed”
Maltese PM Joseph Muscat
The migrants used a satellite phone to raise the alarm but the boat capsized when passengers crowded to one side as they tried to get the attention of a passing aircraft, the Maltese navy said.
Earlier on Friday, at least 500 other migrants travelling in separate boats were rescued in coastguard operations near the Italian island of Sicily.
Also on Friday, a separate boat accident off the Egyptian port of Alexandria claimed the lives of at least 12 migrants.
Egyptian security officials said 116 people, mostly Palestinians and Syrians, were pulled from the water.
Mr Muscat said prompt action between Malta and Italy had saved lives, but he complained that "from the European side we have heard only talk, empty talk really".
"Right now politicians are thinking about tightening or loosening migration rules. In our case our main concern is these people at sea," he said.
"We feel abandoned by Europe. I don't know how many more people need to die at sea before something gets done. We will make sure our voice is heard during the next European Council. Rules need to change, whether they are tighter or looser is not the issue, the fact is that this thing is broken and it needs to be fixed."
"Helicopters rescued 120 people"
Mr Muscat added: "As things stand we are building a cemetery within our Mediterranean Sea."
After last week's tragedy off Lampedusa the European Commission called for the EU to launch Mediterranean-wide search and rescue patrols to intercept migrant boats.
The EU's Frontex border agency, set up in 2004, has seen its budget cut from 118m euros (£100m; $160m) in 2011 to 85m euros in 2013.
map
Italy has previously appealed to EU states for help in coping with the thousands of illegal migrants who wash up on its shores every year.
The BBC's Matthew Price, in Lampedusa, says European leaders face a quandary as they struggle to balance political pressures to restrict migrant numbers with the need to assist those desperate enough to risk such a perilous journey.
Lampedusa, 290km (180 miles) off the North African coast, is a key destination for migrant vessels bound for Europe.
Tens of thousands attempt the perilous crossing to Lampedusa, Sicily and other Italian islands each year.
The latest rescue operation swung into action after the Maltese air force spotted the boat and alerted Italian naval vessels still in the area after last Thursday's disaster.
Helicopters were used to lift many to safety but nightfall hampered the rescue operation.
Children among dead
The nationalities of the migrants were not immediately known. At least 33 people were confirmed dead, with one reports estimating the death toll at 50.
Mr Muscat's office said 147 survivors had been picked up by a Maltese patrol boat and were being taken to Malta. Another 56 had been saved by Italian crews.
The prime minister said the dead included three small children.
Cecilia Malmstrom, the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, praised the swift Italian and Maltese rescue effort, which she said had helped reduce the potential death toll.
She said in a statement that she was following the operation with "sadness and anxiety".
"These new horrible events are happening while we still have the shocking images of the tragedy in Lampedusa in our minds," she added.
Mr Muscat said Malta felt "abandoned" by the rest of Europe and insisted that the EU had to take action.
Malta and Italy launched a rescue operation after a boat capsized on Friday, leaving up to 50 people dead.
It happened 120km (70 miles) off Lampedusa, the Italian island where at least 300 migrants drowned last week.
The loss of life has renewed the debate within EU member states on migration rules.
In the latest incident, the vessel carrying more than 200 migrants is believed to have encountered difficulties in Maltese waters just before sunset on Friday.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
Joseph Muscat
Rules need to change, whether they are tighter or looser is not the issue, the fact is that this thing is broken and it needs to be fixed”
Maltese PM Joseph Muscat
The migrants used a satellite phone to raise the alarm but the boat capsized when passengers crowded to one side as they tried to get the attention of a passing aircraft, the Maltese navy said.
Earlier on Friday, at least 500 other migrants travelling in separate boats were rescued in coastguard operations near the Italian island of Sicily.
Also on Friday, a separate boat accident off the Egyptian port of Alexandria claimed the lives of at least 12 migrants.
Egyptian security officials said 116 people, mostly Palestinians and Syrians, were pulled from the water.
Mr Muscat said prompt action between Malta and Italy had saved lives, but he complained that "from the European side we have heard only talk, empty talk really".
"Right now politicians are thinking about tightening or loosening migration rules. In our case our main concern is these people at sea," he said.
"We feel abandoned by Europe. I don't know how many more people need to die at sea before something gets done. We will make sure our voice is heard during the next European Council. Rules need to change, whether they are tighter or looser is not the issue, the fact is that this thing is broken and it needs to be fixed."
"Helicopters rescued 120 people"
Mr Muscat added: "As things stand we are building a cemetery within our Mediterranean Sea."
After last week's tragedy off Lampedusa the European Commission called for the EU to launch Mediterranean-wide search and rescue patrols to intercept migrant boats.
The EU's Frontex border agency, set up in 2004, has seen its budget cut from 118m euros (£100m; $160m) in 2011 to 85m euros in 2013.
map
Italy has previously appealed to EU states for help in coping with the thousands of illegal migrants who wash up on its shores every year.
The BBC's Matthew Price, in Lampedusa, says European leaders face a quandary as they struggle to balance political pressures to restrict migrant numbers with the need to assist those desperate enough to risk such a perilous journey.
Lampedusa, 290km (180 miles) off the North African coast, is a key destination for migrant vessels bound for Europe.
Tens of thousands attempt the perilous crossing to Lampedusa, Sicily and other Italian islands each year.
The latest rescue operation swung into action after the Maltese air force spotted the boat and alerted Italian naval vessels still in the area after last Thursday's disaster.
Helicopters were used to lift many to safety but nightfall hampered the rescue operation.
Children among dead
The nationalities of the migrants were not immediately known. At least 33 people were confirmed dead, with one reports estimating the death toll at 50.
Mr Muscat's office said 147 survivors had been picked up by a Maltese patrol boat and were being taken to Malta. Another 56 had been saved by Italian crews.
The prime minister said the dead included three small children.
Cecilia Malmstrom, the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, praised the swift Italian and Maltese rescue effort, which she said had helped reduce the potential death toll.
She said in a statement that she was following the operation with "sadness and anxiety".
"These new horrible events are happening while we still have the shocking images of the tragedy in Lampedusa in our minds," she added.
US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama have met Pakistani schoolgirl campaigner Malala Yousafzai in the Oval Office.
The Obamas thanked Malala, 16, who was shot in the head last year by the Taliban, for her "inspiring and passionate work" for girls' education.
The Obama's 15-year-old daughter Malia also attended the meeting.
The White House said the US celebrated Malala's courage and determination to promote girls' right to attend school.
"As the First Lady has said, 'Investing in girls' education is the very best thing we can do, not just for our daughters and granddaughters, but for their families, their communities, and their countries'," the White House said in a statement.
On Thursday, Malala was awarded the EU's Sakharov human rights prize. Although she had been tipped for the Nobel Peace Prize, on Friday that went to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the body overseeing the destruction of Syria's chemical arsenal.
A native of Pakistan's mountainous Swat Valley, Malala rose to prominence in 2009 after writing an anonymous blog for the BBC Urdu service about her life under Taliban rule and the lack of education for girls.
Her name became internationally known after the Pakistan army pushed the Taliban out of the area in 2009.
The Taliban's Islamist doctrine puts harsh restrictions on women's rights and one of the militants shot her last year as she was riding in a bus with school friends.
After the attack, she was flown to the UK for medical treatment and now lives in Birmingham, where she is going to school.
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the body overseeing the destruction of Syria's chemical arsenal, has won the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Nobel Committee said it was in honour of the OPCW's "extensive work to eliminate chemical weapons".
The OPCW, based in The Hague, was established to enforce the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention.
OPCW director general Ahmet Uzumcu said the award was a "great honour" and would spur them on in their work.
He said the recent deployments of chemical weapons in Syria were a "tragic reminder that there remains much work to be done".
The OPCW recently sent inspectors to carry out the dismantling of Syria's stockpile of chemical weapons.
It is the first time OPCW inspectors have worked in an active war zone.
The watchdog picks up a gold medal and 8m Swedish kronor ($1.25m; £780,000) as winner of the most coveted of the Nobel honours.
Continue reading the main story
Analysis
image of Paul Adams Paul Adams BBC World Affairs Correspondent
The OPCW has been working to rid the world of chemical weapons for the past 16 years. For the most part, this task has been laborious and unheralded.
A staff of about 500, working from its headquarters at The Hague, is charged with making sure that the 189 signatories to the Chemical Weapons Convention are abiding by its terms.
But it is only in recent weeks, following the use of chemical weapons in Syria, that the OPCW has become a household name.
It is facing its biggest challenge ever - to verify and destroy Syria's entire chemical weapons programme by the middle of next year. The Nobel committee clearly feels it needs all the support it can get.
It is not uncommon for organisations to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. It has happened 24 times since 1901. Non-proliferation has been an occasional theme, with campaigners for nuclear disarmament and against land mines among those recognised.
'Vindication'
Announcing the award in Oslo, Norwegian Nobel Committee chairman Thorbjorn Jagland said they wanted to recognise the OPCW's "extensive work".
Norwegian Nobel Committee chairman Thorbjorn Jagland announces the win
"The conventions and the work of the OPCW have defined the use of chemical weapons as a taboo under international law," he said.
"Recent events in Syria, where chemical weapons have again been put to use, have underlined the need to enhance the efforts to do away with such weapons."
The 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention has contributed to the destruction of nearly 80% of the world's chemical weapons stockpile.
The OPCW is made up of 189 member states and the principal role of its 500-strong staff is to monitor and destroy all existing chemical weapons.
It draws on a network of some of the best laboratories and scientists in the world to help them in their work, the BBC's science correspondent Pallab Ghosh says.
The OPCW has been in the headlines recently for sending its inspectors into the middle of Syria's civil war to supervise the dismantling of the country's chemical arsenal and facilities - the first time it has ever worked in the midst of conflict.
Syria is expected to sign the treaty in the coming days.
French President Francois Hollande said the Nobel prize was a "vindication" of the international efforts in Syria and pledged continued support for the OPCW's work there and elsewhere.
Notable omission
There were a record 259 nominees for this year's Peace Prize, but the list remains a secret.
Pakistani schoolgirl campaigner Malala Yousafzai and gynaecologist Denis Mukwege of the Democratic Republic of Congo had been tipped as favourites to take the award.
Continue reading the main story
OPCW
Born out of the Chemical Weapons Convention signed by nations in 1993
Convention entered into force in 1997, allowing OPCW to start its work
Within 10 years, inspectors had destroyed 25,000 tonnes of weapons
By 2013, about 80% of world's declared stockpile had been destroyed
Thousands of tonnes remain in the possession of the US and Russia
Profile: Chemical weapons watchdog OPCW
Others who had been listed as contenders were Chelsea Manning (formerly Bradley Manning), the US soldier convicted of giving classified documents to WikiLeaks and Maggie Gobran, an Egyptian computer scientist who abandoned her academic career to become a Coptic Christian nun and founded the charity Stephen's Children.
But an hour before Friday's announcement, NRK reported the award would go to the OPCW.
The European Union won the prize in 2012 in recognition of its contribution to peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe.
Previous Nobel Peace Prize laureates include anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela, US President Barack Obama, the Dalai Lama and Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The Nobel Committee has in the past publicly regretted never awarding the prize to Mahatma Gandhi, the pacifist leader of the Indian nationalist movement against British rule, even though he was nominated five times.
पुरा भिडियो हेर्न त्यो माथि बक्सको बिचमा क्लिक गर्नुहोस
Jokes:
A: I'm in a big trouble!B: Why is that?
A: I saw a mouse in my house!
B: Oh, well, all you need to do is use a trap.
A: I don't have one.
B: Well then, buy one.
A: Can't afford one.
B: I can give you mine if you want.
A: That sounds good.
B: All you need to do is just use some cheese in order to make the mouse come to the trap.
A: I don't have any cheese.
B: Okay then, take a piece of bread and put a bit of oil in it and put it in the trap.
A: I don't have oil.
B: Well, then put only a small piece of bread.
A: I don't have bread.
B: Then what is the mouse doing at your house?!
पुरा भिडियो हेर्न त्यो माथि बक्सको बिचमा क्लिक गर्नुहोस
1. A Scotsman who was driving home one night, ran into a car driven by an Englishman. The Scotsman got out of the car to apologize and offered the Englishman a drink from a bottle of whisky. The Englishman was glad to have a drink.
"Go on," said the Scot, "have another drink."
The Englishman drank gratefully. "But don't you want one, too?" he asked the Scotsman.
"Perhaps," replied the Scotsman, "after the police have gone."
2. A man was pulled over for driving too fast, even though he thought he was driving just fine.
Officer: You were speeding.
Man: No, I wasn't.
Officer: Yes, you were. I'm giving you a ticket.
Man: But I wasn't speeding.
Officer: Tell that to the judge! (The officer gives man the ticket.)
Man: Would I get another ticket if I called you a jerk?
Officer: Yes, you would.
Man: What if I just thought that you were?
Officer: I can't give you a ticket for what you think.
Man: Fine, I think you're a jerk!
India is providing scholarships to Nepalese in engineering, medicine, agriculture, pharmacology, veterinary sciences, computer application, business administration, music and fine arts, etc. Helping hands of India Government are always ready for students. This time too, India Government has announced for several scholarship schemes for Students from Nepal. There are several scholarship fields that student can achieve. With the aid of Indian Government, Students must be much more serious in studies and students must utilize their creativity and hard labor in studies.According to Indian embassy latest report, Around 1500 scholarships/seats are provided every year by GOI though the Embassy of India, Kathmandu to Nepali nationals for undergoing various courses at the Ph.D/Masters, Bachelors and Plus-two levels in India as well as Nepal.
Currently,
70 Scholarships are given for studying BE/B.Tech in top engineering colleges in India; 50 scholarships to undertake undergraduate courses such as BBA/Others; 5 scholarships for undertaking Music/Fine Arts courses; and 3 seats for MBBS.
60 Scholarships for undertaking post graduate courses in disciplines like MBA/MCA and other PG level courses.
The Golden Jubilee scholarship scheme was implemented for the first time in 2002-03 under which 100 scholarships are awarded to Nepalese students studying in MBBS, BE/B.Tech and other undergraduate courses in Nepal.
Under the Mahatma Gandhi Scholarship Scheme, initiated in 2003-04, 1000 scholarships are being provided every year to students of Class-XI and XII studying in Nepal.
The Dr. Homi J. Bhaba Scheme launched in 2004-05, provided 20 scholarships to Nepalese students for studying ME/M.Tech in India.
Under a new scheme, implemented in 2005-06, 10 Nepali students are provided scholarships for studying in a reputed public school in India.
Under another scheme launched in 2005-06, 3 students are sent to India for undergraduate and post-graduate studies in Ayurveda, Unani and Homeopathy, and 10 for B. Pharma.
We can conlcude that Indian Embassy is helping Nepali Students in MBBS, BE, BSc Ag, BPharm, MSc Ag, Silver Jubilee Scheme for Postgraduate Studies, Dr. Homi J Bhabha Scholarships, ITEC, AYUSH, TCS Colombo Plan, Mahatma Gandhi Scholarships.
The following are the references for Scholarships in India. Students will get scholarships in India in several fields.
detail scholarship notice from Indian Embassy
Latest Update on Indian Embassy Scholarships
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BALI, Indonesia: US secretary of state John Kerry is defending the capture by American forces of a terrorism suspect in Libya. He says complaints from the Libyan government that the operation was a kidnapping are unfounded.
Speaking on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific economic conference in Indonesia on Monday, Kerry said the weekend seizure in Tripoli of the suspected al-Qaida operative complied with US law. He said the suspect was a "legal and appropriate target" for the US military and will face justice in a court of law. Kerry added it was important not to "sympathize" with wanted terrorists.
The suspect is accused of involvement in the 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya, which killed more than 220 people.
Speaking on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific economic conference in Indonesia on Monday, Kerry said the weekend seizure in Tripoli of the suspected al-Qaida operative complied with US law. He said the suspect was a "legal and appropriate target" for the US military and will face justice in a court of law. Kerry added it was important not to "sympathize" with wanted terrorists.
The suspect is accused of involvement in the 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya, which killed more than 220 people.
Tibet is a most unusual and beautiful place. The majority of its land rests above 4000 meters (13,000 feet) and is surrounded bymapTibet Map tibet mountain ranges on three sides. The awe-inspiring Himalayas are the highest in the world, as is the never-ending Tibetan plateau. It is a place for the rugged adventurer as well as the spiritual wanderer Tibet is a land held back in time, housing many secrets. Nomads remain much the same as they did one hundred years ago. Roaming the plateau from winter and summer camps the nomads still mainly subsist from their yak herds. Then, there are the monasteries, which are striving to find a place in a country that's suddenly facing the 21st century.
The Tibetan people and their religion have been inseparable. Even in their earliest myths one finds references to Tibetan religious beliefs. Originally, the Bon religion dominated Tibet. After the introduction of Buddhist statues and later, Sanskrit documents from India, Buddhism crept increasingly into Tibetan culture. Tibetan Buddhism is the culmination of some early Bon beliefs, Indian Buddhist texts and several great lamas. Buddhism and politics had been interwoven since King Songsten Gampo married a Chinese and a Nepali princess, who were both intergral in the emergence of Buddhism. It was the Fifth Dalai Lama who actually built the Potala Palace as the government seat and religious center. A theocracy had prevailed until 1951. Tibet (Tibet Autonomous Region) is situated in the southwest of China bordering the internal provinces of Xinjiang, Qinghai, Sichuan and Yunnan. Externally it is bordered by India, Burma, Bhutan, Sikkim and Nepal. It covers a vast area of 120 sq km. (29,652 acres), standing the second after Xinjiang in China. But it only owns the thinnest population of 2.6 million, more than 90% of which are the Tibetans themselves; other nationalities like Han, Hui, Mongol also found in the two biggest cities of Lhasa, Shigatse and other cities and towns. At the average altitude of over 4,000 m. (13,123 ft.), this region boasts of many huge mountains like Mt. Nyainqentanglha, Karakoram Mountains, Gangdise and Himalayas.
The peculiar landscape gives rise to the cold and dry plateau climate in almost all of Tibet except some regions in the south and east like Nyingchi. Despite the adverse conditions, the year-round snow-clad highest mountains still exert a strong pull to mountaineers, adventurers and sightseers near and afar. Tibet is also magically endowed with many other natural wonders like the twin group of sacred mountain and holy lake - Mt. Kailash and Lake Manasarova, the Heavenly Lake Namtso among others. It is also the cradle of many large rivers such as China's Yangtze River, Yellow River, Yarlong Tsangpo River and India's Indus and Ganges. Most geographical features are on a grand scale and one necessarily feels small and insignificant as one stands before the spectacular canyons, valleys, glaciers, and basins and so on in Tibet. Tibet is actually a land of natural treasures. A number of natural reserves within the region are the home to many rare and valuable wild animals and plants like lesser pandas, yaks, cranes and virgin cypress, spruces and snowdrops among others. The land also produces large amounts of minerals, water energy, wind energy, terrestrial heat and solar energy. Yangpachen is just the first research center for terrestrial heat in China.
I think I speak for all of the male writers here at kantepur news when I say that we have no trouble finding dates. For example, I’m so attractive that I have to beat women off with a stick. Or, was it that the last woman I asked out beat me with a stick? Sorry, my memory is a little fuzzy these days. Probably from being hit in the head with sticks. But for our loyal readers who lack my powerful pheromones, we present seven tips for attracting girls in Japan, as originally compiled by Niconico News.
1. Help her out
Women like a man who will help them in pinch. In order to show this side of your personality, you can carry their bags for them, or help them reach things in high places. The women surveyed were also impressed when men drove off (or squashed) any bugs that showed up to spoil the mood, proving that the responsibility of insect-killing falling to men is a cultural phenomenon that transcends national borders.
1. Help her out
Women like a man who will help them in pinch. In order to show this side of your personality, you can carry their bags for them, or help them reach things in high places. The women surveyed were also impressed when men drove off (or squashed) any bugs that showed up to spoil the mood, proving that the responsibility of insect-killing falling to men is a cultural phenomenon that transcends national borders.
2. When you’re out with a girl, remember, ladies first
Open doors for her, and when waiting in line, let her go ahead of you. Oh, how very gentlemanly of you!
3. Protect her
Of course, unless you’ve got some pretty unique taste in date locations, you’re unlikely to run across any super villains or war zones. But even mundane dates offer the opportunity to protect her from the elements by holding an umbrella for her so she doesn’t get wet or offering her the shady seat at an outdoor café on a sunny day. When walking in the rain, staying on the side of the sidewalk closest to the street will keep her from getting splashed by passing cars, plus allow you to use yourself as a human shield should one jump onto the curb.
4. Be sexy
Among other things, the women surveyed said they found guys sexy when they were smoking, taking off their neckties, and unbuttoning their shirts. Apparently, nothing drives them wild like a lung cancer patient prepping for surgery.
5. Act like a caring older brother
The women surveyed said that from a young age they liked being treated like they were cute and having someone watching over them, such as an older brother taking care of his kid sister. Of course, it’s important for the man to at least maintain the appearance of chasteness in this.
6. Be attentive to those around you
Of course, being a helpful person isn’t limited to taking care of your date. Many Japanese men like a woman who is sensitive to the needs of those around her, and Japanese women appreciate this same quality in a guy. If you’re riding an elevator, ask the other passengers which floor they’re headed to and hit the button for them. If you’re at a restaurant for diner that serves family-style, ask everyone else what they’d like to eat before you charge ahead and ask the waiter for the cured ham, mixed sausage plate, and ginger pork. And if you’re out for drinks and spot someone in the group who needs a refill, offer to get one for them when you put in your next order.
7. Show some skin
If you’ve got confidence in your bod, you can score some points by showing it off. On a hot day, strip down to a tank top. Likewise, if your outer layers get wet from the rain, you can peel them off and walk around in your undershirt. In less formal situations, such as barbeques, a sudden shift to complete nakedness from the waist up can really excite the girls. That said, the survey revealed no instances where it’s OK to suddenly remove your pants in the middle of a date.
By now, our more socially-astute readers have probably noticed that some of this advice, particularly “act like her older sibling” and “spontaneously get naked,” seem to carry a huge risk of getting you shot down, if not reported to the police. Our friends at Esuteru picked up on this too, and gave this important qualifier to all of their advice:
Open doors for her, and when waiting in line, let her go ahead of you. Oh, how very gentlemanly of you!
3. Protect her
Of course, unless you’ve got some pretty unique taste in date locations, you’re unlikely to run across any super villains or war zones. But even mundane dates offer the opportunity to protect her from the elements by holding an umbrella for her so she doesn’t get wet or offering her the shady seat at an outdoor café on a sunny day. When walking in the rain, staying on the side of the sidewalk closest to the street will keep her from getting splashed by passing cars, plus allow you to use yourself as a human shield should one jump onto the curb.
4. Be sexy
Among other things, the women surveyed said they found guys sexy when they were smoking, taking off their neckties, and unbuttoning their shirts. Apparently, nothing drives them wild like a lung cancer patient prepping for surgery.
5. Act like a caring older brother
The women surveyed said that from a young age they liked being treated like they were cute and having someone watching over them, such as an older brother taking care of his kid sister. Of course, it’s important for the man to at least maintain the appearance of chasteness in this.
6. Be attentive to those around you
Of course, being a helpful person isn’t limited to taking care of your date. Many Japanese men like a woman who is sensitive to the needs of those around her, and Japanese women appreciate this same quality in a guy. If you’re riding an elevator, ask the other passengers which floor they’re headed to and hit the button for them. If you’re at a restaurant for diner that serves family-style, ask everyone else what they’d like to eat before you charge ahead and ask the waiter for the cured ham, mixed sausage plate, and ginger pork. And if you’re out for drinks and spot someone in the group who needs a refill, offer to get one for them when you put in your next order.
7. Show some skin
If you’ve got confidence in your bod, you can score some points by showing it off. On a hot day, strip down to a tank top. Likewise, if your outer layers get wet from the rain, you can peel them off and walk around in your undershirt. In less formal situations, such as barbeques, a sudden shift to complete nakedness from the waist up can really excite the girls. That said, the survey revealed no instances where it’s OK to suddenly remove your pants in the middle of a date.
By now, our more socially-astute readers have probably noticed that some of this advice, particularly “act like her older sibling” and “spontaneously get naked,” seem to carry a huge risk of getting you shot down, if not reported to the police. Our friends at Esuteru picked up on this too, and gave this important qualifier to all of their advice:
As the summer heat wears on, people are mostly dealing with it well. There’s kakigori, ice cream, and giant chunks of ice to help you get through the hot months. And, just think! Autumn weather is only a few weeks away! We hope!
But one grade-school girl in Chiba Prefecture finally reached her snapping point and…set her family’s house on fire?
Aside from the mother who suffered light injuries from smoke inhalation, it seems that no one was injured. The girl was taken into custody by the police after admitting to starting the fire and has been questioned regarding her motives. According to officials, the grade-school student said, “I was irritated because of the heat. And I was sick of living with my mother.”
On August 12, it seems that a sixth-grade girl took a lighter and set fire to one of the traditional sliding doors in her family’s one-story, wooden house. As you might imagine, the 645.8 square foot building burst into flames and was burned almost entirely to the ground. The blaze took approximately one hour to extinguish.
In addition to the sixth-grade girl and her 45-year-old mother, her 13-year-old elder sister and mother’s ex-husband were also residing in the house. Last year, police reported the mother to child protective services for child-neglect for not preparing food. The girl is currently in the custody of child protective services.
Japanese Twitter users reacted strongly to the news.
She was irritated from the heat and thus started a fire?? What a thing to do for a sixth-grade girl.
Scary!Both this girl and the heat!
For an elementary school student, especially a little girl, to start such a fire…and her mother is my age. Such a shock.
Setting your own house of fire? What the hell?
Sixth-grade girl sets fire to her own house because she’s irritated from the heat. What has our country come to?
We’re very happy to hear that everyone made it out of the house safely and we sincerely hope that the girl will soon be in a better situation.
But one grade-school girl in Chiba Prefecture finally reached her snapping point and…set her family’s house on fire?
Aside from the mother who suffered light injuries from smoke inhalation, it seems that no one was injured. The girl was taken into custody by the police after admitting to starting the fire and has been questioned regarding her motives. According to officials, the grade-school student said, “I was irritated because of the heat. And I was sick of living with my mother.”
On August 12, it seems that a sixth-grade girl took a lighter and set fire to one of the traditional sliding doors in her family’s one-story, wooden house. As you might imagine, the 645.8 square foot building burst into flames and was burned almost entirely to the ground. The blaze took approximately one hour to extinguish.
In addition to the sixth-grade girl and her 45-year-old mother, her 13-year-old elder sister and mother’s ex-husband were also residing in the house. Last year, police reported the mother to child protective services for child-neglect for not preparing food. The girl is currently in the custody of child protective services.
Japanese Twitter users reacted strongly to the news.
She was irritated from the heat and thus started a fire?? What a thing to do for a sixth-grade girl.
Scary!Both this girl and the heat!
For an elementary school student, especially a little girl, to start such a fire…and her mother is my age. Such a shock.
Setting your own house of fire? What the hell?
Sixth-grade girl sets fire to her own house because she’s irritated from the heat. What has our country come to?
We’re very happy to hear that everyone made it out of the house safely and we sincerely hope that the girl will soon be in a better situation.