Free Republic

India's state-run carrier Air India has dismissed 10 women flight attendants who were grounded last year for being overweight, a report said Monday. The sackings came after the cabin crew were warned about meeting minimum physical fitness standards and given sufficient time to lose weight, the Press Trust of India news agency reported quoting airline sources. The flight attendants were also offered alternative ground assignments which they refused, the report said.

South Africa in succession crisis as President Mbeki sacks deputy By Christopher Munnion in Johannesburg (Filed: 15/06/2005) President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa provoked a full-blown succession crisis yesterday by sacking his deputy over links to a corruption scandal. Mr Mbeki announced that he was dismissing Jacob Zuma, the man he had groomed to be the country's leader after he steps down in 2009, "in the best interests of our young democratic system". Mr Zuma's enforced departure followed last week's sentencing of a financial adviser and business partner, Schabir Shaik, to 15 years in prison. Sacked deputy Jacob Zuma: ‘...

In the LaMusga move-away case, the California Supreme Court is currently debating how to best preserve the bonds between children and their parents after a divorce. By contrast, Senate President Pro Tem John Burton (D-San Francisco) is trying to slip a bill through the legislature to make it easier for custodial parents to sever these bonds by slipping out of town. Burton's recently introduced Senate Bill 1367 will harm California children of divorce by limiting the ability of courts to determine children's best interests when considering custodial parent move-aways. The bill instructs courts that a custodial parent's request to change...

US sacks police chief and sends more troops to restore calm in oil town By Patrick Cockburn in Baghdad 07 October 2003 US forces have sacked the police chief in the northern Iraqi town of Baiji and sent in troops to restore calm. Soldiers were guarding the office of the mayor and the local police headquarters, which were gutted by fire after protests. Bradley fighting vehicles and several tanks were also stationed in the town. Over the weekend, about 300 US-appointed Iraqi police fled the town for an American base near by. They rejected orders from US officers to return...

Al-Jazeera TV sacks chief after row over spy papers By Kim Sengupta 28 May 2003 The satellite television company al-Jazeera announced yesterday that it had sacked its chief executive, who was named in documents procured by a British newspaper in Baghdad and which appeared to link him with Saddam Hussein's intelligence services. The papers appeared to carry the letterhead of the intelligence services and alleged contacts between agents and three members of al-Jazeera staff. Another document, headed "Presidency of the Republic, Mukhabarat Service", purport-ed to show contact between the Iraqis and Mohammed Jassem al-Ali. However, there was no evidence that...

Pakistani court sacks Pearl killing case judge By Afzal Nadeem in Karachi 20 April 2002 A court in Pakistan removed the judge yesterday who was to hear the case against the Islamic militant alleged to have planned the kidnap and murder of the American journalist Daniel Pearl. Three days before opening statements were due to be heard, the lawyer for Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh requested the removal of Judge Arshad Noor Khan because the judge heard Mr Saeed admit his role in the crime at a court appearance on 14 February. The comments were not made under oath and are...