Rochester_veteran's Blog – February 2009 Archive (6)

Forty-Year-Old Muslim Rapes, then Marries Thirteen-Year-Old Girl

‘Preacher’ Pujianto Cahyo Widiyanto (centre) sits with his 1st child bride (right) and his 12 years-old 2nd wife Lutfiana Ulfa 

Prosecutors say they are pursuing rape charges against a Malaysian who allegedly had sex with a 13-year-old and then married her.

Forty-year-old restaurant manager Riduan Masmud was charged with committing statutory rape in a parked car in Borneo in February, but his lawyer said this week he has since married the girl.

Rights activists have long criticized Malaysian laws that allow very young [...]

Hundreds of Afghan Interpreters to Settle in Britain

Hundreds of Afghan interpreters who served on the frontline with British forces in Afghanistan will be offered the chance of a new life in Britain after a government U-turn, it was revealed on Wednesday.

Prime Minister David Cameron had initially discouraged the interpreters from settling in Britain, saying “talented Afghans” should stay and rebuild their country.

But many of the interpreters say their lives are in danger from the Taliban due to their work with British forces in the restive southern Helmand [...]

Report: Iran is Expanding its Nuclear Activities

Iran is making significant progress in expanding its nuclear program, including in opening up a potential second route to developing the bomb, a new U.N. atomic agency report showed Wednesday.

The International Atomic Energy Agency’s latest quarterly update said Tehran had accelerated the installation of advanced uranium enrichment equipment at its central Natanz plant.

It also outlined further progress at a reactor under construction at Arak, also in central Iran, which Western countries fear could provide Iran with plutonium if the fuel [...]