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No MFN status to India: Pak
Four rebels killed in clash with Pak troops
Hizb chief Salahuddin appears in public
Seven killed in Seattle shooting
Clocks go forward in Europe
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Buck Owens dead
Miss Asia-Israel title for Indian
Pop a mint before you drive
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No MFN status to India: Pak
Islamabad, March 26 "Pakistan's stand on the MFN status to India and opening of the Attari-Wagha border on permanent basis for trade of all commodities is very clear and it is linked with progress on political issues, including Kashmir," Commerce Secretary Syed Asif Shah, who will be lead the Pakistan delegation at the talks, said. Asked whether Pakistan "gave MFN status to India" following the SAARC countries ratifying the regional free trade area, Mr Shah said bilateral trade with India would still continue through a "positive approach", but did not elaborate. The ratification of South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) by Pakistan and other SAARC countries does not mean that Pakistan has automatically granted MFN status to India. "We will respond in case if there is any query from any quarter about the issue," Mr Shah was quoted as saying by the media here today. Commerce Secretary S.M. Menon, who is leading a 15-member Indian delegation, arrived here last night to take part in the three-day talks. Pakistan continues to link the bilateral trade as well as the issue of providing transit facilities to Indian exports to Afghanistan and Central Asia to Kashmir issue, even though the bilateral trade has been on the increase touching a billion dollars this year. It also permitted duty free import of six essential items, including sugar, through Wagah to tide over shortages in domestic markets. Pakistan has been maintaining that the regional trade mechanism evolved under the SAFTA will make it much easier for it to step up trade with India even as the two countries made efforts to resolve Kashmir and other contentious issues through bilateral mechanism. Indian officials say that it is to be seen what comes out of the latest round of talks. Mr Shah said Pakistan wants level playing field for trade for which removal of non-tariff barriers by India was essential. "We still need to study the Indian tariff regime and Indian Government also needs to study our tariff regime." The two sides would also discuss opening of bank branches on reciprocal basis to facilitate their corporate sectors. India will also seek the liberalisation of visa procedure as the current procedure for extending tier visa is creating a lot of problems for the people of both countries. New Delhi will also seek facilitation of tea export from India to Pakistan. India will also offer to export its services in medical, construction and tourism sectors. Tomorrow's talks will held under the aegis of the Joint Working Group (JWG) set up two years ago to study Pakistan's complaints on Indian tariff regime and lack of level playing field for Pakistani goods.
— PTI |
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Four rebels killed in clash with Pak troops
Quetta, March 26 Another attacker was killed in a landmine explosion as he tried to escape on a motor cycle after the shootout near Sui, a tribal town southeast of Quetta, local government official Abdul Samad Lasi said. Two soldiers were injured in the gunbattle, he said. The roadside post was attacked before more than a thousand tribesmen were to travel along there to Dera Bugti, another town near Sui, Mr Lasi said. The former refugees were returning to their homeland in a government-sponsored programme aimed at restoring their lives in the ancestral region they left more than a decade ago because of tribal feuding. Hundreds of heavily armed troops accompanied by helicopter gunships were guarding the 1,500 persons on the journey from Kashmor, a town in the neighbouring southern Sindh province. On condition of anonymity, an army official in the convoy said in line with policy that helicopters opened fire at the armed men who attacked the military post. But he could not confirm any casualties among the attackers.
— AP |
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Hizb chief Salahuddin appears in public
Islamabad, March 26 Local channel Geo TV showed a brief footage of him addressing an international conference yesterday, organised by the Jamaate-Islami-party in Peshawar, capital of the NWFP. A report in the channel quoted him as saying that the USA was pressuring Pakistan to change its policy on Kashmir. The two-day conference which began yesterday is also being attended by Hamas leader Sheikh Muhammad Sayam and top leaders of Pakistan's Islamic alliance Muthahida Majlis Amal (MMA). This is the first time Salahuddin was shown appearing in public after media reports earlier this month said he was detained along with some associates after going on a hunger strike in the PoK accusing the government of softening its stance on Kashmir issue. The reported arrests came around the time when National Conference leader Omar Abdullah and other Kashmiri leaders attended an international conference organised here by the NGO Pugwash. Reports in the local media had later said Salhuddin and some UJC leaders wrote a protest letter to President Pervez Musharraf in which they opposed the softening of Kashmir policy by the government and threatened to "think otherwise" if the government did not change the policy. "The jehad organisations are under constant pressure after President Bush's visit to South Asia to dismantle their network and to cooperate with the government in order to make Kashmir solution a possibility," The Nation daily had quoted the UJC leaders as saying.
— PTI |
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Seven killed in Seattle shooting
Seattle, March 26 William Lowe, (59), who lives across the street, said he heard six shots fired shortly after his alarm went off at 7 am local time yesterday. He looked through the peephole of his door to see people scattering from the home, some with faces painted and hair dyed — “part of their party culture”, according to the Seattle police spokesman Rich Pruitt. One man staggered out and sat down, Lowe said, and another man came out carrying a shotgun across his chest. When the officer told him to put the weapon down, he put the barrel in his mouth and fired. Officers found five persons dead in various rooms. Three persons were taken to a hospital; one died. Officers transported a number of witnesses to a precinct to interview them. “It’s one of the largest crime scenes the city has ever had,” said Seattle police chief Gil
Kerlikowske. The suspect had more than one gun, Pruitt said. He said he did not know if drugs or alcohol were a factor. Lowe said people were coming and going from the house at all hours, often in elaborate makeup. “This was a destination point.”
— AP |
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New comet could be source of Earth’s water
Honolulu, March 26 Two astronomers at the University of Hawaii found traces of water in an asteroid-like object floating in the solar system near Jupiter. It was a rare discovery in an area so close to the Sun and, until now, believed to be orbited only by dry asteroids. Professor David Jewitt and graduate student Henry Hsieh, believe that a collision dug a hole into the three asteroids, exposing their liquid interior. “We think that the water has been buried below the surface of asteroids,” Hsieh told the AP. Jewitt and Hsieh spotted the objects last November using the 8-metre Gemini North telescope atop Mauna Kea volcano on the Big Island. Their study will appear in Thursday’s edition of ‘Science Express’.
— AP |
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Clocks go forward in Europe
Paris, March 26 |
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Buck Owens dead
San Francisco, March 26 Owens died of heart failure at his home near Bakersfield, a California city he helped put on the country-music map, his keyboard player Jim Shaw said. Owens and his Buckaroos performed hits including “I’ve Got a Tiger by the Tail” and “Act Naturally”, which was covered by the Beatles. Owens was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1996. —
Reuters |
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Miss Asia-Israel title for Indian
Tel Aviv, March 26 “I am proud of my country of origin and it has always been my dream to be there and meet some of my relatives whom I have so far only talked to”, Dataokar told PTI. Her parents immigrated from Mumbai 20 years ago and she was born in Israel. “We are an Indian family in every sense - dress, food, cultural practices - all of it has been very nicely preserved,” she said. She is also a leading member of the ‘Namaste Israel’ dance group, which has become popular recently and have regularly performed in cultural programmes organised to celebrate India’s Independence day.
— PTI |
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Pop a mint before you drive
Washington, March 26 According to the results of a recent study led by Wheeling Jesuit University undergraduate student Will Esgro both cinnamon and peppermint enhance performance, and alertness, decrease fatigue and frustration. The student, who worked with Dr. Bryan
Raudenbush, Director of Undergraduate Research and associate professor of psychology at Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling, WV, will present the study, Effects Of Odor Administration On Driving Performance, Safety, Alertness, And Fatigue, during the University's Seventh Annual Student Research and Scholarship Symposium, April 4, 2006. Because of his work, Will may create more alert and conscientious commutes for drivers and minimize fatigue associated with prolonged driving, thereby reducing the number of highway accidents and fatalities," Newswise quoted Dr.
Raudenbush, as saying. The study builds on Dr. Raudenbush's past research, which indicated the scent of peppermint and cinnamon enhance motivation, decrease fatigue, and serve as central nervous system stimulants. "Given these results, it is reasonable to expect that the presentation of peppermint or cinnamon odor while driving may produce a more alert and conscientious driver, and minimize the fatigue associated with prolonged driving," says Dr.
Raudenbush. "In general, prolonged driving led to increased anger, fatigue, and physical demand, and decreased vigor. However, fatigue ratings were decreased in the cinnamon condition. Both cinnamon and peppermint administration led to increased ratings of alertness in comparison to the no-odor control condition over the course of the driving scenario.
— ANI |
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San Francisco, March 26
