Among the bills presented by Pakistan to the United States for its help in the so-called "war on terror" is one for the upkeep of its air defence radar.

A senior US lawmaker thinks such a claim is laughable. “The US government is being asked to reimburse Pakistan for non-incremental air defence radar maintenance when Al-Qaida is not even known to have an air force," said Howard Berman, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

The California Democrat pointed out that the purpose of US financial aid to Pakistan is to support the fight against extremists, "not to boost Pakistan’s conventional warfare capability.”

On Tuesday, a government accountability office (GAO) report found the US has given Pakistan nearly $6 billion for its efforts to combat the Taliban and Al-Qaida but has little evidence to show how this money was spent.

The report said the $5.56 billion in US aid was part of the so-called coalition support funds (CSF) given to Pakistan.

The department of defence pays out these funds to 27 coalition partners for costs incurred in direct support of US military operations. The GAO report noted Pakistan is the largest recipient of the CSF, receiving 81 per cent of the CSF reimbursements as of May 2008.

Berman said he was “shocked at the lack of oversight of billions of dollars that have been doled out in Pakistan in an effort to fight terrorism.”

The GAO report noted that following the attacks of September 11, 2001, the Congress quickly authorised emergency funding to prevent another attack, and "given the grave and immediate threat at the time," Congress recognised that ensuring accountability for these funds was secondary to protecting the nation from another attack.

It noted the Pentagon had concerns about the accuracy of Pakistan’s claims from the very first claim submitted in 2001.

“Based on the lack of supporting evidence in the Pakistani claims from January 2004 through June 2007 (the latest claims reimbursed by Defence), we found that neither defence nor we could determine if Pakistan had actually incurred most of the costs in their claims. Prior to 2004, it appears that there was even less evidence to support Pakistan’s claims,” it said.

“As a result, we conclude that defence cannot accurately determine how much of the $5.56 billion in costs reimbursed to Pakistan since 2001 were actually incurred.”

The GAO found that the Pentagon “did not consistently apply its existing CSF
oversight guidance.”

For example, “as of May 2008, defence paid over $2 billion in Pakistani reimbursement claims for military activities covering January 2004 through June 2007 without obtaining sufficient information that would enable a third party to recalculate these costs.”

The report also found that additional oversight controls were needed. “However, given the large amounts of funding provided to Pakistan, and indications that Pakistan will continue to receive such payments in the future, we believe that defence should ensure it follows its own guidance and consider what other guidance is needed,” it concluded.

United Nations, June 25
The head of the United Nations security has resigned after the department drew severe flak from an independent inquiry for security lapses which led to the December car bombing of its facilities in Algiers that killed 17 UN staff.

The step by the under-secretary-general for security and safety, Sir David Veness, came as Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced setting up of a group to examine whether any United Nations staff should be held individually accountable for the deadly terrorist attack by Al-Qaeda.

Ban told UN staff in a letter that he was establishing the follow-up group in response to a recommendation issued by the Independent Panel on Safety and Security of UN Personnel and Premises Worldwide, created in the wake of the Algiers bombings.

The panel's report also discusses the reasons for the UN facilities coming under attack by Islamic terrorists, stressing that its agenda is seen by the attackers as pro-western and anti-Muslim. — PTI

Sir Rushdie (61), who has written a number of acclaimed books, went into hiding in 1989, after the publication of his controversial book, ‘The Satanic Verses’.

The novel sparked widespread protests by Muslims and Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini issued a ‘fatwa’ against him, saying the book was a blasphemy against Islam and sentenced him to death.

He said: “I just think it’s a great moment for anyone to have 35-odd years of work recognised in this way.”

He said he chose not to have footage of himself accepting the award from the Queen for no other reason other than it was a “private moment”, BBC reported.

Ending over a month-long political deadlock, Nepal’s major seven political parties in the Constituent Assembly (CA) on Wednesday reached a 21-point understanding, including amending the interim constitution for the fifth time after its promulgation in January 15, 2007.

After holding a series of meeting, top-brass leaders of the seven-party alliance signed on the paper that directs the government to table a Bill to amend the interim constitution by arranging a constitutional provision to appoint the President, Vice-President, Prime Minister and Speaker/Chairman of the Constituent Assembly through a simple majority.

However, they have not reached any agreements regarding the issue of power sharing in the upcoming government.

Meanwhile, the seven political parties have been divided into three groups on whether to integrate the main opposition party in the security council or not and agreed to decide on it through the Constituent Assembly meeting.

The Maoist, the CPN-UML and the People’s Front Nepal opposed the idea floated by the Nepali Congress to integrate the main opposition in the security council, whereas the CPN-ML and the Nepal Sadbhavana Party (Aanandidevi) stood in favour of the Congress’s proposal.

But the Nepal Workers’ and the Peasants’ Party proposed to include representatives from all political parties. Likewise, the agreement also mentions to remove the constitutional provision, which directs to move ahead through consensus among the seven parties, while the amendment proposal also seeks a provision to allow the ministers at the CA meeting if they are not the CA members.

It has also arranged a provision to appoint and dismiss the Prime Minister through a simple majority of the assembly.

The amendment proposal that was supposed to be tabled on Wednesday could not be tabled as the top leaders of the alliance delayed in reaching the final agreement.

Similarly, the political parties have agreed to resolve the reintegration process of the Maoist combatants into the Nepal Army within six month.

Likewise, the CPN-Maoist has agreed to scrap its youth wing, the Young Communist League, and return all properties illegally seized from the people in course of the Maoist insurgency within 15 days.

A three-member Bench of the Supreme Court today stayed the byelection on the vacant National Assembly seat NA-123, but refused an immediate suspension of the Lahore High Court ruling disqualifying former premier Nawaz Sharif from contesting the byelection.

The court adjourned the hearing of a host of petitions questioning the validity of the court ruling.

The election was due on June 26 and would remain on hold until the resolution of the dispute on Sharif’s eligibility.

The Bench headed by Justice Musa Laghari comprised Justice Zawwar Hussain Jaffery and Justice Farrukh Saeed.

The petitions were filed by the Federation of Pakistan, the proposer and seconder of Nawaz Sharif and others.

Sharif refused to appeal or appear before the court saying he did not recognise 60 judges after President Pervez Musharraf imposed emergency and promulgated the Provisional Constitution Order (PCO) requiring the judges to take oath of allegiance
to him.

A full Bench of the Lahore High Court in a summary ex parte verdict in the absence of Nawaz Sharif yesterday ruled that Nawaz Sharif was ineligible to contest the byelection for being a convict in a case for allegedly ordering the hijacking of Gen Musharraf’s plane on October 12, 1999, that had led to coup by Gen Musharraf’s loyalist generals.

The court verdict has plunged the country into a fresh political crisis and brought the ruling coalition under severe strain.

Sharif’s PML-N, which is PPP’s major partner in the coalition, staged demonstrations in major cities today, while traders’ organisations announced a complete shut down of all business on Saturday.

In an apparent bid to rescue the coalition, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani condemned the verdict and had declared yesterday that the government would file a review petition in the Supreme Court seeking the suspension of the ruling.

Deputy Attorney-General Raja Abdul Rehman argued in the court that the high court Bench had no jurisdiction to hear the case.

Judges repeatedly asked questions regarding the absence of aggrieved party Nawaz Sharif in the hearing.

The presiding judge remarked that the case could have been disposed of the case within two minutes if Nawaz Sharif had personally participated in the proceedings.

Eminent lawyer Akram Shaikh, who represented Sharif’s proposer in the case, said Sharif had a right to say he did not recognise courts formed by President Musharraf.

Renowned nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan has warned that if President Musharraf failed to lift the restrictions on his house arrest, he would be forced to make more disclosures about the president.

Talking to private media channels, Dr Khan said the President had promised to lift the ban on his movement but he had still not fulfilled his promise.

He threatened that if Musharraf failed to lift these restrictions, he would be forced to make important disclosures.

He said two months back he had submitted a (restricted) list of his friends, he wanted access to, but now he wanted to meet anyone according to his own will.

He also refuted the statement of a government counsel during the hearing of his appeal in the High Court regarding his house arrest as a sheer web of lies since no restrictions over him had been lifted yet.

While vowing not to hold any meeting with IAEA team, he expressed his resolve not to accept any deal for the removal of restrictions on him.

Pakistan and India held third round of counter-terrorism talks here yesterday ahead of foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi's important trip to New Delhi beginning on June 27.

While both sides avoided the media, a brief statement issued by Pakistan Foreign Office said the governments of Pakistan and India shared fresh information on incidents of terrorism in both countries during the third meeting of the Joint Anti-Terrorism Mechanism (JATM).

"Both sides shared fresh information on terrorist incidents," Foreign Office (FO) spokesman Muhammad Sadiq told reporters after the meeting, but would not share the details of the information the two sides provided to each other.

He said officials and experts of the two countries had also decided to continue working with each other to help identify counter-terrorism measures and pre-empt incidents of terrorism.

Sadiq said the two governments had decided to help and assist each other probe terrorism in each other's country and nab the perpetrators.

Both sides also requested each other to provide information to assist in the investigations and prevent violence.

"They agreed to continue to work together to identify counter-terrorism measures, assist in investigations through exchange of specific information and to prevent violence and terrorist acts," he added.

Both countries had also reviewed the follow-up steps taken on the information shared during previous meetings of the JATM.

Commenting on the issues discussed during the meeting, diplomatic sources said each side had tried to address the concerns of the other in a positive manner.

They also said both sides had decided not to disclose the 'details' of the meeting to the media, saying it could hinder the process of sharing sensitive information concerning terrorists.

Following this decision, Indian diplomats cancelled a planned close-door briefing to Indian journalists, while the Pakistani spokesman said the details of the meeting could not be shared with the media. However, he informed reporters that the next JATM meeting would be held in New Delhi.

The joint anti-terror panel was formed by India and Pakistan in 2006 after train bombings in Mumbai killed 186 persons in July of that year.

The panel was meant to remove mutual suspicion over each other's involvement in incidents of terrorism and insurgencies raging in border areas.

Although the talks were meant to take place on a quarterly basis, this was only the third meeting of the "anti-terrorism mechanism" since Pakistani and Indian leaders agreed to establish it in September 2006.

The quality of exchanges, however, was only likely to improve once more trust was established between the two countries under the new democratic dispensation.

Vienna, June 25
Iran will withdraw assets from the European Union in response to the tightening of sanctions imposed over its nuclear programme, deputy foreign minister Mahdi Safari said in an interview published on Wednesday.

"We are going to withdraw the money and invest elsewhere," Mahdi was quoted as saying by Austrian daily Die Presse.

"If you withdraw more than $100 billion then this will bring about a scarcity of money and have an impact on the world economy."

The 27-nation EU agreed new punitive measures on Monday targeting businesses and individuals that West says are linked to Iran's nuclear and ballistic programmes.

Iran has also been slapped with three rounds of UN’s Security Council sanctions over its nuclear programme, which the West fears is secretly designed to build an atom bomb. Tehran says the programme is aimed purely at civil power generation.

An Iranian monthly reported earlier in June that the Islamic Republic had withdrawn $75 billion in assets from Europe to prevent their being blocked under new sanctions. But Iran's economy minister on Sunday played down the report as yet not serious.

The new EU measures include a freeze on the assets of Iran's largest bank, Bank Melli, and visa bans on senior officials such as revolutionary guards head Mohammad Ali Jafari, defence minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar and atomic energy chief Gholamreza Aghazadeh.

Mahdi told Die Presse that Europeans would lose out as a result of the newly imposed measures. — Reuters

London, June 25
The British government has scrapped a controversial proposal to introduce financial bonds for people visiting their relatives in Britain, following a strong campaign by the ethnic Indian community in Britain.

The proposal, which was criticised as too harsh, would have hit South Asians hardest as they are the largest ethnic group in Britain with near and extended families still in their countries of origin.

Earlier this year, the South Asian community led by Indians in Britain launched a major write-in campaign to protest the proposal.

The government said today visitors would be allowed to stay for a maximum of six months and that while there would be no financial bonds for family visitors, those who broke the rules would face civil penalties.

Under a new system, British citizens or those who are permanent residents in Britain will have to become “licensed sponsors” before relatives can be allowed to visit.

"Sponsors will have a duty to ensure that their visitors comply with the terms of their visa and that they leave before the visa ends. If sponsors fail in their duties, they face a ban on bringing anyone else into the UK, or in more extreme cases, fines of up to 5,000 pounds or imprisonment," the government said.

The government also introduced a new low-cost three-month group visa for tourists that is likely to be tested in India before implementation worldwide. — IANS

New York, June 25
More than 20 Indian-Americans have figured in the list of best doctors published by a New York weekly magazine.

The list of 1,434 physicians was itself picked from a broader list of a guidebook, titled “Top Doctors: New York Metro Area”, published by Castle Connolly Medical, a research and information company.

The company each year publishes a list of physicians, whom it considers the top 10 per cent of doctors in the region, comprising the city and its neighbourhoods.

Dr Chittaranjan Ranawat, who once conducted a knee surgery on former Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, figured prominently in the list.

Among other things, the list emerged following a peer nominating process, which was based not only on the qualifications of doctors, but also on reputation and skills in dealing with the patients. — UNI

BRIEFLY

Cuba unveils lung cancer vaccine
HAVANA: Cuban scientists have unveiled a therapeutic lung cancer vaccine that, they say, is the first in the world and extends the lives of victims by up to five months. Gisela Gonzalez, at the Havana Molecular Immunology Centre, where the unveiling was held on Tuesday, said that research on the Cimavax EGF vaccine began in 1992, with the first clinical test in 1995. It is the first registered vaccine in the world designed to battle lung cancer, said Gonzalez, who heads the medical team that developed the compound. — AFP

Gallows for drug dealers
BEIJING: Chinese courts sentenced five people to death for drug dealing and executed another three in a mass sentencing aimed at drawing public attention to the issue of rising drug abuse, state media reported on Wednesday. The courts in four Chinese cities handed down verdicts in 20 drug trafficking cases earlier this week to mark International Day against drug abuse and illicit trafficking, which falls on Thursday, Xinhua news agency said. — PTI

WHO checklist for surgeries
NEW YORK: The World Health Organisation has launched a new safety checklist for operation theatres around the world to prevent surgical errors and improve patient safety. Developed under the leadership of Atul Gawande, surgeon and professor at Harvard University, the WHO surgical safety checklist identifies three phases of an operation before the use of anaesthesia, before the beginning of the operation and before the patient leaves the operating theatre. The first edition of the checklist was released on Tuesday. — PTI