Islamabad, March 1
US Ambassador to Pakistan was "called" to the foreign office in the wake of Vice President Dick Cheney's reported remarks that he had delivered a "tough" message to President Pervez Musharraf to crack down on the Al Qaida and Taliban.

Cheney, during his surprise visit here three days ago, reportedly told the journalists at the American Embassy about the "tough message" said to have been conveyed to Musharraf and the leadership of the ruling PML and the MMA over regrouping of Taliban and Al Qaida in Pakistan.

Khan, in a brief chat with the media after attending a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly at Parliament House here yesterday, had sounded cautious and avoided using the word "summoned" to describe Crocker's visit to the foreign office.

He had initially refused to answer the question pertaining to Cheney's reported remarks, but on insistence from the journalists, he said:"In normal circumstances, we also call our friends, and yes we have called the US envoy," local daily 'Dawn' reported.

Khan had also dispelled the impression that USA would block financial aid to Pakistan in case a strong action was not taken to prevent the Taliban and Al Qaeda from regrouping.

He said the meeting with the US envoy was a normal one as the foreign office occasionally invited guests. He said he had now invited the ambassadors of the OIC member-countries on Pakistan's West-Asian initiative.

"Pakistan will not allow any country to interfere in its internal affairs," he said. — PTI 

London, March 1
Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden is alive and is in touch with Taliban leaders in Afghanistan, a senior Taliban commander has said.

Mullah Dadullah said it was not possible to meet the Al-Qaida leader, who is believed to be hiding near the Afghan border in northwest Pakistan.

“It is hard for anyone to meet Bin Laden himself now, but we know he is still alive. He’s not yet martyred. Such information would be easy to get—his comrades stand shoulder to shoulder with us. They keep us informed,” Dadullah told Britain’s Channel 4 News.

“Only his comrades see him. We exchange messages with each other to share plans,” he said adding, “We are in touch with his colleagues and we fight together”.

Dadullah also warned that British troops in Afghanistan face a fierce onslaguht from his fighters and said thousands of his recruits are ready to become suicide bombers. — PTI

New York, March 1
US historian and Pulitzer Prize winner Arthur Schlesinger Jr died of a heart attack in Manhattan last night, the New York Times reported today. He was 89.

The paper quoted Schlesinger's son, Stephen, as saying he died in a hospital after being stricken in a restaurant while dining out with his family.

Schlesinger, who twice won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, was an insider of the Kennedy White House and an acclaimed social historian who examined the legacies of Franklin D.Roosevelt, Andrew Jackson, John F.Kennedy, and Robert Kennedy.

He chronicled the Kennedy administration in ''A Thousand Days: John F.Kennedy in the White House,'' for which he won both the Pulitzer and a National Book Award in 1966.

In his more than 20 books, Schlesinger explored the American culture and politics, and helped define US liberalism during the Cold War. — Reuters 

New York, March 1
New York city has symbolically banned use of the word nigger, the latest step in a campaign that hopes to expunge the most vile of racial slurs from hip hop music and television.

The city council had unanimously declared yesterday a moratorium that carries no penalty but aims to stop youth from casually using the word, considered by most Americans to be the most offensive in English language.

The New York city measure follows similar resolutions this month by the New York state assembly and state senate. The supporters of the ban are taking their campaign to the recording academy, asking it not to nominate musicians for Grammy awards if they have used the word in their lyrics. — Reuters

Silicon Valley, March 1
A gay woman, who claims she was both the daughter and "wife" of one of the daughters of IBM founder Thomas J Watson Jr, is fighting for a share of his fortune.

According to court records, Patricia Spado was the domestic partner of IBM heiress Olive Watson for more than 10 years, till 1992 when the couple split, an online publication 'Information Week' reported today.

Before the breakup, in 1991, Watson had legally adopted Spado in order to circumvent anti-gay marriage state laws and to ensure that she would be financially secure.

A letter from Spado's lawyer, sent to the trustees, explained that the couple had sought the adoption "so that Patricia would become Olive's issue for the purpose of the Watson family inheritance and trusts."

When they split, Spado(43) had received approximately $500,000 from Watson(44). Still, she had sent a letter to the trustees in January, 2005, advising them she was Watson's legally adopted granddaughter and wanted a share of his trusts.

However, the elder Watson's 18 grandchildren are contesting Spado's claim to a share in the family trust worth millions of dollars, arguing that Thomas Watson had earmarked the trust fund for children born to his children. — PTI