Jaden Smith wants freedom as birthday gift

Actor Will Smith’s son Jaden wants freedom from his parents on his birthday.

Jaden, who will turn 15 in July, might be doing films with his father but he wants his own place, reports thesun.co.uk. Will, 44, reveals, “He says, ‘Dad, I want to be emancipated’. I know if we do this, he can be an emancipated minor, because he really wants to have his own place, like ooh.”

“That’s the backlash. On the other side, if kids just want to have command of their lives, I understand,” adds Will. The father and son duo will be in upcoming sci-fi film After Earth.

Hollywood stars Will and Jada Pinkett Smith have two children — Jaden, 14, and 12-year-old Willow. Following in their parents’ footsteps, Jaden is an actor like his father and Willow is a singer like his mother.

The father and son have a close bond with each other and have also worked together on several occasions. In their new movie After Earth, Jaden’s character Kitai Raige has to prove he is as tough as his legendary father Cypher. “It’s very similar for Jaden and me — your father’s the biggest movie star in the world, and you’re struggling for your little piece of dignity in this extreme shadow,” he explained.

Earlier in an interview, Will said he and his wife don’t believe in punishing their kids. “We don’t do punishment. The way we deal with our kids is: they are responsible for their lives. Our concept is, as young as possible, give them as much control over their lives as possible. The concept of punishment in our experience has been a little too much of a negative quality.”

“We generally don’t believe in punishment. From the time Jaden was five or six we would sit him down, and all he has to do is be able to explain to us why whatever he did, was the right thing for his life,” Will explained.

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Manager changes but Rooney dilemma remains

LONDON: 

Alex Ferguson bowed out in triumph following his last Old Trafford match as Manchester United manager only to leave successor David Moyes with the familiar problem of what to do with striker Wayne Rooney.

No sooner had the Premier League champions defeated Swansea 2-1 on Sunday to bring down the curtain on Ferguson’s final home match after more than 26 years in charge of United, than the veteran manager revealed England international Rooney had submitted a transfer request.

Ferguson, who retires at the end of the season, dropped Rooney for the Swansea match and said the forward had not been in the right frame of mind to play.

“I don’t think Rooney was keen to play because he’s asked for a transfer and he wants to think it through in his mind,” Ferguson told Sky Sports. “I think that’s a good idea.

“We’re not going to let him go. I think maybe he’s a little bit frustrated that he’s been taken off once or twice in the last few weeks.”

Rooney last asked to leave United in 2010, when he accused the club of failing to match his ambitions, only to change his mind and sign a new five-year contract.

Ferguson, perhaps conscious of the Rooney problem that will confront Moyes, thanked supporters and urged them to back his successor.

“You’ve been the most fantastic experience of my life,” he said, as fans in the crowd of 75,572 fell silent to listen to the man who revived United following his arrival from Aberdeen in November 1986.

“My retirement doesn’t mean the end of my life with the club. I’ll be able to enjoy watching them, rather

than suffer with them. Your job now is to stand by our new manager.”

Everton manager Moyes will take over as manager on July 1, having signed a six-year contract, with Ferguson taking up a role as a director and ambassador.

Wenger prepares Arsenal for Wigan game

For Arsenal, failure to defeat Wigan Athletic today would leave their hopes of a 16th season in the Champions League in severe jeopardy; for Wigan Athletic, anything other than a win would quickly sour the taste of a memorable FA Cup final shock.

As end-of-season fixtures go, the clash at the Emirates could hardly have more importance to the two sides involved.

“Both teams will go for it, it’s a huge game for both of us,” Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger told reporters yesterday. “We are on a remarkable run and have been hugely consistent and our destiny is in our hands.”

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Nadal, Serena ready for French Open challenge

MADRID: 

Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams firmed up their credentials as French Open favourites by sweeping to victory in Madrid.

Nadal eased to his fifth title in just seven tournaments since returning from a seven-month injury layoff due to tendinitis in his left knee as he beat Stanislas Wawrinka 6-2, 6-4 in little over an hour to claim his third title in the Spanish capital.

Having also won on the clay in Sao Paulo, Acapulco and Barcelona this season, the 11-time Grand Slam champion looks well set for a strong French Open campaign at Roland Garros.

“It’s true these last matches I have been able to reach that goal, that line, that place where I want to be playing, the kind of play that I’m aiming for,” said Nadal.

However, the world number five still refused to accept that he is the clear favourite for Roland Garros, which starts in two weeks, and insisted his mind is solely set on retaining his title in Rome this week.

“Next week, I will be in Rome and I will be thinking about Rome. I won’t be thinking Roland Garros.”

Meanwhile, Williams has a second title at Roland Garros firmly in her sights as she claimed a title on the red clay for the first time since that triumph 11 years ago with a 6-1, 6-4 win over world number two Maria Sharapova.

“This court definitely plays more like Roland Garros, so I think that’s a plus,” said Williams who has now 50 career titles. “It’s a little slower than it was last year and plays more like a true clay court so I think it’s great preparation.”

And the 15-time Grand Slam champion is determined to make up for the disappointment of losing in the first round in Paris last year.

“It is the ultimate challenge. Whether I reach it, I don’t know. I’m not going to put that pressure on myself.”

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Indian trade, industry bodies look to Nawaz for India's MFN status

Trade and industry bodies in India were upbeat at the result of the Pakistan elections.

The bodies estimated that Nawaz Sharif’s return to power could see bilateral trade, which was $2.34 billion in the financial year 2012-13, increase 10-fold, while India would be able to tap investment potential of over $50 billion in Pakistan.

Arvind Pradhan, Director General, Indian Merchants’ Chamber said, “There is a strong possibility of doubling the trade from the current level of around $2 billion in a short span of time. With the coming of Nawaz Sharif, we strongly feel that MFN status will be accorded to India. However, that is not the only   goal, as non-tariff barriers from both sides must be reduced to increase the flow of trade,” he said.

CS Deshpande, Director (research), World Trade Centre, Mumbai warned that two way trade and investment cannot progress significantly unless Pakistan grants India MFN status.

“We welcome the change in the government in Pakistan. We believe that a substantial rise in trade and investment can boost the prosperity and peace in both countries but the onus clearly lies with Pakistan in strengthening the economic dialogue with India,” he said.

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Pakistan builds parts for Turkey drones

ISLAMABAD: 

Pakistan, which has for much of the past decade has sought to acquire unmanned aerial vehicles (UCAV), a platform used by the US in Pakistan despite numerous protests by the government, has started export of drone parts.

On Monday, officials at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), Kamra handed over the first batch of parts created for the Turkish UAV (ANKA) to the Turkish Aerospace Industry (TAI) in a ceremony held during the International Defence Exhibition and Fair (IDEF) at Istanbul, Turkey.

After the signing ceremony, President and CEO of TAI Muharrem Dortkasli expressed his satisfaction on the skill and knowledge possessed by PAC, Kamra for undertaking such assignments.

Dortkasli expressed that many more collaborations would be undertaken in the future as well.

Pakistan has been seeking access to drones and has experimented in indigenously constructing drones.

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UN chief hails Pakistani polls as major democratic step

UNITED NATIONS: 

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon congratulated the government and people of Pakistan on the successful conduction of national and provincial elections, hailing the polls, for which millions of voters turned out, as a major democratic step.   

“This is the first ever transition from one civilian government to another and a significant step forward for democracy in the country”, the secretary-general said of the 11 May elections, in a statement issued by his spokesperson.

By exercising their constitutional right to vote, the people of Pakistan have reaffirmed their desire for and commitment to a democratic Pakistan and their respect for the constitution of the country, the secretary-general said.

Noting the significant turnout for the elections, especially the youth and first-time voters, the UN chief also noted the increase in the participation of women, but regretted that they were deterred from voting in some parts of the country.

He applauded the courage and determination of political parties and election workers to engage in the electoral process despite the challenging security situation ahead of the polls.

Ban further commended the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for successfully organising the polls, and reaffirmed the commitment of the United Nations to continue to support and assist the ECP.

With more than 86 million people reportedly registered to vote, Pakistanis were set to select from among 5,000 candidates for the National Assembly and nearly 11,700 vying for the Provincial Assemblies.

A statement issued by the secretary-general’s spokesperson on May 9 noted his concern about the series of attacks targeting politicians, political rallies, and election officials prior to general elections.

He also acknowledged the efforts being made by the Government of Pakistan to ensure the safety and security of candidates, party workers, election officials, observers and voters on the day of the elections.

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Hundreds of Bangladesh textile plants shut indefinitely

DHAKA: 

Hundreds of factories which form the hub of Bangladesh’s garment industry are to close indefinitely after worker unrest sparked by the death of more than 1,127 colleagues, employees announced Monday.

As the search for bodies from last month’s collapse of a factory complex wrapped up, the textile industry’s main trade body said all operations at the nearby Ashulia industrial zone were being suspended until further notice.

Shahidullah Azim, of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said the decision to shut down all the factories at Ashulia, on the outskirts of Dhaka, was made “to ensure the security of our factories”.

Local police chief Badrul Alam said that workers in 80 per cent of the factories had walked out earlier in the day to demand an increase in salaries as well as the execution of the owner of the collapsed Rana Plaza complex in the town of Savar.

Most of Bangladesh’s top garment factories are based at Ashulia and there has been “virtually no work” there since the April 24 Rana Plaza tragedy, Azim said.

Tensions in Ashulia had been further inflamed by the discovery of a dead female garment worker on Sunday. Police said they suspect that the death was a suicide sparked by a “love affair”.

Ashulia is home to around 500 factories which make clothing for a string of major Western retailers including Walmart, H&M, Tesco and Carrefour.

News of the indefinite closure represents yet another body blow to the industry which has pleaded with Western retailers not to pull out of Bangladesh and promised to come up with a credible safety framework.

The collapse of the nine-storey Rana Plaza, which housed five separate garment factories, was the worst industrial disaster in Bangladeshi history and the latest in a long line of deadly tragedies to blight the textile industry.

A fire at a garment factory in Dhaka last November killed 111 workers and a blaze at another plant killed eight people last week.

Bangladesh’s army announced Monday that it was wrapping up its search for bodies at Savar, saying it now believed a total of 1,127 people were killed.

The army general in charge of the marathon recovery effort said that he was now handing over operational control to civilian administrators and expected his troops to be back in their barracks by Tuesday afternoon.

“The army’s recovery operation is almost over,” Brigadier General Siddiqul Alam told AFP.

“We’re in the process of handing over the site to the district administration and we’ll leave for our cantonment by 2:00pm tomorrow.

“We don’t think there are any more bodies in the rubble.”

Many of the three million employed in the industry earn a basic 40 dollars a month, a wage condemned as “slave labour” by Pope Francis.

Muhammad Yunus, the Bangladeshi micro-loan pioneer who won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, on Monday urged manufacturers and Western retailers to ensure that garment workers are paid a living wage.

“We don’t want to make Bangladesh a country of slaves. We want to make it a country of modern women. We want to make sure that they get rightful salaries from the world. It’s in our hands,” he said in Dhaka.

Bangladesh is the world’s second-largest apparel maker and the $20 billion industry accounted for up to 80 percent of annual exports last year.

Some activists have said that wages are kept low as trade unions have been hamstrung by government restrictions.

However the Bangladeshi government on Monday approved changes in the labour laws that would make it easier for trade unions to organise themselves.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s cabinet “approved some amendments to the labour laws that removed the barriers,” cabinet secretary Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told AFP.

Authorities also said they had filed criminal cases against at least 177 garment factories after they failed to ensure safety measures.

The government’s chief factory inspector Habibul Islam told AFP that his department filed cases against 161 garment factories in the Dhaka region and 16 against plants based in the city of Chittagong.

“We first issued notices against them to fix their safety related problems at their plants. Then we filed cases against them under the country’s labour laws after they failed to respond to the our notices,” Islam said.

The factory owners face a maximum three months in jail if they’re found guilty, he said.

Many of the criminal notices predate the Rana Plaza disaster and previous government crackdowns have resulted in few actual prosecutions.

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