W O R L D

Cutting of NATO supplies
War against Taliban to continue, says US
Washington, November 29
The US has said that there would be no scale down in its military operations against Taliban-linked militants in Afghanistan, despite Pakistan cutting of supplies to NATO-led forces after the deadly border air strikes that killed 24 soldiers.

ENDLESS WAIT: NATO supply tankers parked near oil terminals in Karachi on Wednesday. — AFP

Top US General to probe NATO raid
Washington, November 29
The US has named a top air force General to head the investigations into the NATO air strike on Pakistani border posts and has invited Pakistan and Afghanistan to join the probe.

Iranian protesters storm UK embassy Tehran, November 29 Iranian protesters stormed the British embassy and another British diplomatic compound in Tehran today, dramatically raising tensions with the West in a confrontation over the Islamic republic's controversial nuclear programme. Iranian protesters break into the British Embassy in Tehran on Tuesday. — AFP

Egyptian voters shrug off tussle with military Cairo, November 29 Millions of enthusiastic Egyptians voted to elect their first post-Mubarak parliament, shrugging off the recent confrontation with the ruling military and logistic problems, in what was described as a surprisingly massive turnout by election authorities. A man casts his vote in Cairo. — Reuters

Nepal CA gets last lease of life
Kathmandu, November 29
Ending a political deadlock, Nepalese lawmakers today gave the fourth and final six-month extension to the Constituent Assembly (CA) for drafting the country’s new constitution under a peace agreement reached among the major political parties.

Stalin’s daughter, who defected to US, dies at 85
Chicago, November 29
Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin’s only daughter, Lana Peters, who had defected to the US while in India at the height of the Cold War, has died in obscurity at the age of 85.

Cutting of NATO supplies
War against Taliban to continue, says US

Washington, November 29
The US has said that there would be no scale down in its military operations against Taliban-linked militants in Afghanistan, despite Pakistan cutting of supplies to NATO-led forces after the deadly border air strikes that killed 24 soldiers.

“The war effort continues,” Pentagon Press Secretary George Little told reporters as US officials said that Shamsi air base in Pakistan was not critical to carrying out drone strikes.

Asked how long US and NATO forces could operate in Afghanistan without supplies coming in through Pakistan, Little said: “It’s important to focus on the war effort. Every one realises we have an enemy to engage in Afghanistan and the US military is prepared to carry on.”

His remarks are significant as nearly half the NATO forces supplies run through routes in Pakistan which have been closed by the Pakistan government after last weekend’s lethal air raid.

After the strike, Islamabad also ordered the US to vacate within 15 days the Shamsi air base in Balochistan, which is believed to be used for drone-operations against militants inside Pakistan.

The remote Shamsi air base is reportedly used as a drone hub by the CIA, but US officials said these operations will not be jeopardized if Islamabad goes ahead with expelling Americans from the key base.

The American official said that if Pakistan makes good its threat to close down the base, the move would be largely be symbolic as US forces were now using bases in Afghanistan to hit Taliban linked groups inside Pakistan.

“It’s not a make or break link for the remote control planes that have proved deadly against al-Qaeda and Taliban targets inside Pakistan,” US officials said.

US media reports quoting intelligence sources said there were no signs so far that Pakistan would stop US aircraft from flying over its air space and the announcement of closing down Shamsi air base appear to be to design to placate domestic audience. — PTI

Top US General to probe NATO raid

Washington, November 29
The US has named a top air force General to head the investigations into the NATO air strike on Pakistani border posts and has invited Pakistan and Afghanistan to join the probe.

Brigadier General Stephen Clark from US Central Command headquarters in Florida has been named to probe the last weekend’s incident which has triggered a fury in Pakistan.

Announcing the appointment of the high-level probe, US Central Command Commander General James Mattis said the Governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan would be invited to participate into the investigation.

The investigation team has also been directed to include input and participation from NATO-led ISAF in Afghanistan. Clark has been asked to provide an initial report by December 23. The ISAF sent an initial assessment team over the weekend to the border to look into the incident. — PTI

Pakistan to skip Bonn meet

Lahore: Pakistan on Tuesday decided to boycott the upcoming crucial Bonn Conference on Afghanistan to protest a cross-border NATO air strike, ratcheting up tensions between Islamabad and Washington. The decision to stay away from the important conference to be held in the German city on December 5 was taken at a special meeting of the cabinet. — TNS

Lodges protest with UN

United Nations: Pakistan has formally communicated to the TN its protest and condemnation of the NATO airstrike. Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN Abdullah Hussain Haroon has written a letter to UN Secretary-General informing him of the attack “on Pakistan’s border posts (that) resulted in the martyrdom of 24 soldiers of the Pakistani army.” — TNS

Iranian protesters storm UK embassy

Tehran, November 29
Iranian protesters stormed the British embassy and another British diplomatic compound in Tehran today, dramatically raising tensions with the West in a confrontation over the Islamic republic's controversial nuclear programme.

More than 20 protesters clambered over the walls of the embassy in the centre of the capital, ransacking offices, smashing windows and tearing down the British flag before Iranian police entered and stopped them, an AFP journalist at the scene reported.

In the second British diplomatic compound, in Tehran's north, between 100 and 300 protesters burst in and occupied the property, which houses schools and residences, according to Iranian media.

The situation there was not immediately clear. The state news agency IRNA said the protesters had foreigners there in their control-that they were described as "protecting." An official in the British embassy told AFP all British diplomatic staff were safe and accounted for.

The British Foreign Office expressed outrage at the incursion into its embassy, saying it was "utterly unacceptable and we condemn it".

Earlier, the crowd had chanted "Death to Britain" and demanded the British ambassador leave the country immediately in reaction to fresh sanctions London unveiled last week against Iran's entire financial sector. — AFP

Egyptian voters shrug off tussle with military

Cairo, November 29
Millions of enthusiastic Egyptians voted to elect their first post-Mubarak parliament, shrugging off the recent confrontation with the ruling military and logistic problems, in what was described as a surprisingly massive turnout by election authorities.

Days after a violent face-off between pro-democracy activists and the Armed Forces cast a cloud over the country’s first free and fair elections, voters turned up peacefully and in large numbers, hoping to bring about the desired change through the ballot.

Serpentine queues could be seen outside polling booths on the second and final day of voting in the capital Cairo, and in other cities like Assiut and Alexandria, in some cases people flocking the stations just after sunrise.

The build-up to the election was marred by violence that claimed 40 lives. Just a day before the two-day polling began yesterday, thousands of people had gathered at the Tahrir Square to press the Army to cede power immediately to a civilian government. — AFP

Nepal CA gets last lease of life

Kathmandu, November 29
Ending a political deadlock, Nepalese lawmakers today gave the fourth and final six-month extension to the Constituent Assembly (CA) for drafting the country’s new constitution under a peace agreement reached among the major political parties.

Under the final extension in tenure, the 601-member assembly now would have to come up with the new draft, according to Nepali Congress leader Gopal Man Shrestha. With the endorsement of the fourth round of CA extension, the political deadlock has ended for the time being.

The previous extension of the assembly is due to expire on Wednesday and the country’s Supreme Court has ruled that assembly will get no further lease of life.

The Constituent Assembly formed in May, 2008, for the term of two years had been extended three times after political parties failed to conclude the peace process and write the constitution within the stipulated time frame. — PTI

Stalin’s daughter, who defected to US, dies at 85

Chicago, November 29
Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin’s only daughter, Lana Peters, who had defected to the US while in India at the height of the Cold War, has died in obscurity at the age of 85.

Born Svetlana Alliluyeva, a name she changed later, Peters had denounced communism and moved to the United States in the late 1960s. She died from colon cancer on November 22 in Wisconsin.

Her defection in 1967 caused an international furore and was partly motivated by the poor treatment by Soviet authorities of Indian communist Brijesh Singh, with whom she had a relationship.

She left the Soviet Union in 1966 for India, where she planned to leave the ashes of Brijesh Singh who had died in the USSR.

Instead of returning to her country, she walked unannounced into the US embassy in New Delhi and asked for political asylum, shocking many. After a brief stay in Switzerland, she flew to the US.

Upon her arrival in New York City in 1967, the then 41-year-old said, “I have come here to seek the self-expression that has been denied to me for so long in Russia.” — PTI