Canada has best reputation in the world: study

Canada has the best reputation in the world, says a study measuring public perceptions of 50 countries around the world, released on Tuesday.
The Reputation Institute study measures the trust, esteem, admiration and good feelings the public holds towards 50 countries, as well as perceptions of peoples' quality of life, safety and attention to the environment.
Results from 42,000 respondents worldwide ranked Sweden next, followed by Australia, Switzerland and New Zealand, the reputation management firm said.
The countries scored high for their steady democracies, high economic output per capita, focus on active lifestyles, well developed political systems and perceived neutrality to international political upheavals.
Being perceived as a safe country was the main driver of a country's reputation.
Pakistan, Iran and Iraq were ranked lowest in the 50-country study, while the United States and China were ranked in the middle and lower tiers.
Violence-stricken Mexico plunged from 24th place in 2009 to 35th place this year. The reputations of Greece, Ireland and Spain also dropped while Germany climbed five spots to number 11.

Saudi woman sentenced to 10 lashes for driving car, as religious establishment toughens stance

CAIRO - A Saudi woman was sentenced Tuesday to be lashed 10 times with a whip for defying the kingdom's prohibition on female drivers, the first time a legal punishment has been handed down for a violation of the longtime ban in the ultraconservative Muslim nation.
Normally, police just stop female drivers, question them and let them go after they sign a pledge not to drive again. But dozens of women have continued to take to the roads since June in a campaign to break the taboo.
Making Tuesday's sentence all the more upsetting to activists is that it came just two days after King Abdullah promised to protect women's rights and decreed that women would be allowed to participate in municipal elections in 2015. Abdullah also promised to appoint women to a currently all-male advisory body known as the Shura Council.
The mixed signals highlight the challenge for Abdullah, known as a reformer, in pushing gently for change without antagonizing the powerful clergy and a conservative segment of the population.
Abdullah said he had the backing of the official clerical council. But activists saw Tuesday's sentencing as a retaliation of sorts from the hard-line Saudi religious establishment that controls the courts and oversees the intrusive religious police.
"Our king doesn't deserve that," said Sohila Zein el-Abydeen, a prominent female member of the governmental National Society for Human Rights. She burst into tears in a phone interview and said, "The verdict is shocking to me, but we were expecting this kind of reaction."
The driver, Shaima Jastaina, in her 30s, was found guilty of driving without permission, activist Samar Badawi said. The punishment is usually carried out within a month. It was not possible to reach Jastaina, but Badawi, in touch with Jastaina's family, said she appealed the verdict.
Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that bans women — both Saudi and foreign — from driving. The prohibition forces families to hire live-in drivers, and those who cannot afford the $300 to $400 a month for a driver must rely on male relatives to drive them to work, school, shopping or the doctor.
There are no written laws that restrict women from driving. Rather, the ban is rooted in conservative traditions and religious views that hold giving freedom of movement to women would make them vulnerable to sins.
Activists say the religious justification is irrelevant.
"How come women get flogged for driving while the maximum penalty for a traffic violation is a fine, not lashes?" Zein el-Abydeen said. "Even the Prophet (Muhammad's) wives were riding camels and horses because these were the only means of transportation."
Since June, dozens of women have led a campaign to try to break the taboo and impose a new status quo. The campaign's founder, Manal al-Sherif, who posted a video of herself driving on Facebook, was detained for more than 10 days. She was released after signing a pledge not to drive or speak to media.
Since then, women have been appearing in the streets driving their cars once or twice a week.
Until Tuesday, none had been sentenced by the courts. But recently, several women have been summoned for questioning by the prosecutor general and referred to trial.
One of them, housewife Najalaa al-Harriri, drove only two times, not out of defiance, but out of need, she says.
"I don't have a driver. I needed to drop my son off at school and pick up my daughter from work," she said over the phone from the western port city of Jeddah.
"The day the king gave his speech, I was sitting at the prosecutor's office and was asked why I needed to drive, how many times I drove and where," she said. She is to stand trial in a month.
After the king's announcement about voting rights for women, Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti Abdel Aziz Al Sheik blessed the move and said, "It's for women's good."
Al-Harriri, who is one of the founders of a women's rights campaign called "My Right My Dignity," said, "It is strange that I was questioned at a time the mufti himself blessed the king's move."
Asked if the sentencing will stop women from driving, Maha al-Qahtani, another female activist, said, "This is our right, whether they like it or not."

Gabria kicks off Heritage Walk

Amritsar, September 27
Tourism Minister Hira Singh Gabria inaugurated the Heritage Walk in the holy city today. Now, tourists from across the globe will be able to get a feel of the old world charm of the city which was established by the fourth Sikh master, Guru Ramdas, in 1574. Gabria said the Heritage Walk featured heritage buildings of all religions.
The two-hour walk, which showcases 14 heritage buildings, will start at 8 am everyday from the Town Hall and conclude at the Golden Temple.
The nearly 2.5 km walk will take the visitors to a guided tour criss-crossing a maze of narrow roads.
The Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board (PHTPB) got the project prepared by nationally acclaimed expert Debashish Nayak. The walk covers the Saragarhi Gurdwara, Quila Ahluwalia, Chowk Jallebiyan Wala, Akhara Sangalwala, Akhara Chitta, the Darshani Deori, Baba Bohar, Thakurdwara Dariana Mal, Chaurasti Attari chowk, Taksal, Radha Krishan Mandir and Akhara Brahm Buta.
Principal Secretary, tourism, Geetika Kalha said the Heritage Walk would be free of cost for the first month. Subsequently, domestic tourists would have to pay Rs 25 per person and foreign tourists would have to shell out Rs 75 per person. Another walk showing all the sarovars (holy ponds) inside the walled city would start in December. A train connecting all the five Takhts would be started in December too.
Addressing a Press conference, Gabria said the state was ranked 14th in the country in the number of tourist arrivals. He said 60 Sulabh complexes were being constructed in the major cities of the state.
Amritsar MP Navjot Singh Sidhu, Mayor Shwait Malik, DC Rajat Aggarwal, MC Commissioner Dharampal Gupta, SAD leaders Gurpartap Singh Tikka, Upkar Singh Sandhu and Bawa Singh Gumanpura were present at the conference.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

• The 2.5 km two-hour walk showcases 14 heritage buildings
• It will daily begin at 8 am from the Town Hall and conclude at the Golden Temple
• The project prepared by nationally acclaimed expert Debashish Nayak
• Heritage Walk to be free for the first month. Subsequently, domestic tourists to pay Rs 25 per person and foreign tourists Rs 75 per person

Fight against terror cannot be selective: Krishna

New York, September 27
Asserting that there cannot be a “selective approach” in the fight against terrorism, India today hoped that Pakistan will be “serious” in dismantling terror camps on its soil and live up to its pronouncements.
“I am sure they (Pakistan) will realise and they have, by now they should have (realised) that terrorism cannot be fought selectively,” External Affairs Minister SM Krishna said after meeting his Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar at a reception hosted by her here.
“It has to be fought across the board” as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has stressed repeatedly, Krishna told reporters here.
Krishna recalled that Khar had mentioned during her visit to New Delhi in July this year that her country too was a victim of terrorism.
Replying to a question that the US too is talking in the same voice as India on the terror network in Pakistan, Krishna said terrorism has to be fought across the board and not in a selective manner.
Krishna said India has brought to Pakistan’s attention and notice through dossiers on the terror threat that emanates from its soil. He said Pakistan had assured India that its territory “is not going to be used for any hostile activities” against India.
“I hope Pakistan gets serious about dismantling all the terror training camps which are existing in the country....We expect that Pakistan will live up to their pronouncements.”
When asked what Khar, one of the youngest foreign ministers Pakistan has ever seen, will bring to the bilateral dialogue with India, Krishna said he found she has responded positively to exchanges between people, academia, teachers, students and sportsmen.

Bristol adopts Raja Ram Mohan Roy

Bristol, September 27
This quintessential English city was the unlikely final resting place of renowned Indian social reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy, and 178 years after his death it has officially adopted the activist as one of its own. On Sunday, the Lord Mayor of Bristol, Geoffrey Gollop, unveiled a new painting at the Arnos Vale Cemetery depicting 40 famous Bristolians, which included Roy.
So, the town that has consistently cherished the memory of Roy, now calls him "an adopted Bristolian". The cemetery is the final resting place of Roy, who died here on September 27, 1833.
This year, the Arnos Vale Trust organised a series of events to commemorate his death anniversary. In the literature for the events, he was described as the "international social reformer, and adopted Bristolian". Bristol's eagerness to perverse and cherish Roy's memory “despite reservations expressed by some residents” is evident from the many landmarks in the city.

Mayawati may announce creation of 3 new districts

Lucknow, September 27
Chief Minister Mayawati is likely to announce carving out of 73rd, 74th and 75th districts of Uttar Pradesh tomorrow when she commences the second state-wide inspection of development projects starting from western Uttar Pradesh.
Announcements declaring Shamli in Muzaffarnagar, Hapur in Meerut and Sambhal in Moradabad to be made into independent districts are likely to be made when Mayawati addresses public meetings tomorrow.