 |
|
|
Pak, Afghanistan agree on fighting terrorism
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai meet delegates of a joint peace meeting in Kabul on Sunday. — AP/PTI photo
CJ sets up larger Bench
Musharraf one of Bush’s ‘most dangerous allies’
|
|
|
Prez met Bhutto for ‘safe exit’
Militants kill two ‘US spies’ in
Pakistan
US to curb illegal immigration
India will be 2nd largest world economy: High Commissioner Computer glitch leaves air passengers stranded
Fidel Castro turns 81 today
Talks
on Hostages Photo shoot: Queen asks lawyers to initiate action UK’s Brown-led Labour enjoys highest ratings
9 killed in Lanka violence
Taliban wants release of 10 militants
Taliban may release 2 hostages today
20 feared dead in Kenya landslides
|
|
Pak, Afghanistan agree on fighting terrorism
Kabul, August 12 President Musharraf addressed the closing session of the jirga aiming to bring the two often-feuding US allies closer. “The joint peace jirga strongly recognises the fact that terrorism is a common threat to both the countries and the war on terror should continue to be an integral part of the national policies and security strategies of both countries,” said a declaration agreed by the jirga delegates. “There is no other option for both countries other than peace and unity, trust and cooperation,” Musharraf told the jirga. “There is no justification for resorting to terrorism.” Afghan officials have frequently accused Pakistan of harbouring Taliban and Al-Qaida fighters to weaken its neighbour. Pakistan denied the charge, but Musharraf acknowledged militants were operating from Pakistani tribal areas largely outside government control along the Afghan border. “There is no doubt Afghan militants are supported from Pakistan soil. The problem that you have in your region is because support is provided from our side,” he said.
Both countries pledged not to allow any sanctuaries or training centres for militants on their soil.
— Reuters
|
|
Sharif brothers’ plea to return home
Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has constituted a larger Bench of four members to hear petitions by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and former Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif to permit them to return to Pakistan, as well as other cases next week. The Bench consists of CJ Mr Justice Javed Iqbal, Mr Justice Faqir Mohammad Khokhar and Mr Justice M. Javed Buttar. The petitions challenging the exile of the Sharif brothers were filed last month. At the last hearing on August 9, the Supreme Court had issued notice to the federal and provincial governments by August 16. The enlargement of the Bench is a legal requirement because a three-member Bench of the court had dismissed a similar petition two years ago when Shahbaz Sharif was flown back from Lahore airport to Jeddah when he made a botched attempt to enter Pakistan. The court did acknowledge that Sharif had a constitutional right to enter the country because the Constitution did not provide for any extradition. The court, however, observed that the petition should have gone to the high court instead of the apex body and dismissed it as unmaintainable. Only a Bench comprising more than three judges can overrule the previous judgment.
|
|
Musharraf one of Bush’s ‘most dangerous allies’
New York, August 12 While stating this, the daily in an editorial titled ‘High-Maintenance Musharraf’ was referring to the midnight call of US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice on Thursday to the General during which she apparently advised him against seizing new powers to suspend Parliament, hamstring courts, curb street demonstration and guarantee himself a new presidential term. Stating that after eight years of authoritarianism and broken promises, Musharraf has forfeited the support he once enjoyed among ordinary Pakistanis, educated professionals and even fellow military officers, the paper stressed that more than early-morning crisis management will be needed to keep “this very difficult situation from turning drastically worse.” Pointing out that the Pakistani military dictator has worked himself and his friends into a tight corner, the paper emphasised that the crisis may only have been postponed.
— PTI
|
|
Prez met Bhutto for ‘safe exit’
Islamabad, August 12 “The Abu Dhabi meeting was held on Musharraf’s asking. The President wants a safe exit and that is why he had sought mediation of various people to negotiate the same with Bhutto,” the Dawn reported today, quoting Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Abida Hussain as saying. According to her, Musharraf’s graph had nosedived within no time. “A few months ago no one believed that the President would get weaker so soon.” Stating that it was for Musharraf to prove in the Supreme Court that he was eligible to contest the presidential election in uniform, Hussain said, “In case, the apex court clears him, still he would become a titular head of state in the days ahead.”
— PTI
|
|
Militants kill two ‘US spies’ in
Pakistan
Miran Shah, August 12 The beheaded and limbless body of an Afghan national, identified as Habibur Rehman, was found in waste ground near Miran Shah, the main town in north Waziristan, a security official said. “The militants beheaded the man and also chopped off his legs and arms,” he said. A note placed near the body said people should know “this is the fate of those who spy for American forces,” he added. The US officials have said the region has become a safe heaven for Al-Qaida and Taliban fugitives. Rehman, believed to be in his 30s, had been living as a refugee in the Waziristan, having arrived from the eastern Afghan town of Zurmat. The note said he had “confessed” to receiving $ 200 a month for spying for the US forces across the border in Afghanistan. The body of another Afghan refugee was found near the bazaar of Datta Khel town, some 20 km west of Miran Shah, another official said. He said the man, identified as Mohammad Amir, was shot dead and a note placed near the body read: “He was an American spy.”
— AFP
|
|
US to curb illegal immigration
Washington, August 12 Two cabinet secretaries; homeland security’s Michael Chertoff and commerce’s Carlos Gutierrez, announced a series of steps aimed at coming to terms with the problem. The Bush Administration announced that it would study measures to reform the programmes related to high- skilled workers but made no commitment , or discussed what the administration was contemplating. “The economic security of our nation is also essential. We do not have the workers our economy needs to keep growing each year. The demographics simply are not on our side. While Congress has not passed a new temporary worker programme, we do have existing programmes on the books that help workers and industries like agriculture, landscaping, hospitality, and lodging,” Gutierrez said. “During the legislative process, we heard from many people involved, especially farmers and small-business owners, that these programmes could be made easier to use, while protecting the rights of the workers. That’s why the department of labour will be reviewing ways to make the H-2A agricultural seasonal worker programme more workable, while protecting the rights of workers,” he added. — PTI
|
|
India will be 2nd largest world economy: High Commissioner
London, August 12 Addressing a function organised to celebrate the 60th anniversary of India’s Independence at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan here last night, Sharma spoke about the rapid strides the country was making in varied fields and said “by mid-century, India will be the second largest economy in the world.” According to economists, for over a century the US has been the largest economy in the world. Major shifts have, however, taken place in the last two decades and during the last 30 years the weight of the world economy has shifted from the US and the rich countries of Europe to China and India. World Bank managing director Graeme Wheeler, who was in India recently, noted the country’s tremendous progress in recent years and emphasised the need for sustaining the growth in high-value sectors along with strides in the fields of health care and education. Lauding achievements of NRIs here, Sharma said “the NRIs have shown that they are prepared to live by the standard of excellence in developed countries.”
— PTI
|
|
|
Computer glitch leaves air passengers stranded
Los Angeles, August 12 The passengers were stranded in four airport terminals and in 24 planes starting at about 1:30 pm yesterday. The system contains the names of arriving passengers and law enforcement data about them, including arrest warrants, said Los Angeles world airports spokesman Paul Haney. “That system allows our officers to make decisions on who we can allow to enter the US,” said Mike Fleming, a customs and border protection spokesman. “You just don’t know by looking at them.” Some of the computers were functioning again by 9:15 pm, and the authorities had begun slowly processing the huge backlog of passengers in order of their arrival. The cause of the shutdown was not known, and there was no estimate on when the system would be repaired, Fleming said. Customs officials were working to divert incoming flights to airports in Ontario, California, and Las Vegas, he added.
— AP
|
|
|
Havana, August 12 Castro has been out of sight for a year, but not out of mind, thanks to regular newspaper columns dispatched from a secret medical facility. He spends his time “meditating in depth on the vital problems that threaten our species today”, Castro wrote recently, calling US capitalism a threat to human survival. The bearded revolutionary, who once toyed with the idea of abolishing money in a classless society, was forced to hand over power to his brother Raul last year after undergoing emergency intestinal surgery. His illness is secret and his life private. Even his age is debatable. Some say Castro is a year younger than his birth certificate because the document was altered to get the bright boy into school earlier. Officially, Castro is recovering from a life-threatening health crisis, but Cuba’s Communist authorities no longer say he will return to office. His niece Mariela Castro recently indicated that his health might not be improving and the fate of Cuban Socialism depends on her father, Raul, and younger leaders. — Reuters
|
|
|
Afghan government bans media
Kabul, August 12 Marajudin Pathan, the governor of Ghazni province where the hostages were kidnapped on July 19, said, "(The ban is in place) because the Taliban will take advantage and show off and we don't want to give them that chance. This is a terrorist group." In an extraordinary scene that hasn't happened in years in Afghanistan, print journalists and camera crew crowded around two top Taliban leaders, Mullah Qari Bashir and Mullah Nasrullah, who addressed an impromptu news conference outside the Afghan Red Crescent office on Saturday. They had travelled to the city of Ghazni after being assured safe passage. On the second day of hostage talks, they told reporters they thought the negotiations were going well and that they expected that the hostages would be released soon. — AP
|
|
|
Photo shoot: Queen asks lawyers to initiate action London, August 12 Following the Queen’s instructions, her solicitors have written to RDF Media Group -- the film company which produced the documentary for the BBC -- warning that the programme makers have put themselves in breach of contract by their actions, The Sunday Telegraph reported. Last month, the BBC released footage from ‘A Year With The Queen’ which suggested that the Queen had halted a session with celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz. It faced a storm of criticism when it emerged this was untrue. The BBC had apologised to the Queen after admitting that the trailer had been manipulated. The Palace wants the makers of the documentary to scrap it. The Queen’s lawyers have pored over contracts drawn up between the three parties - Buckingham Palace, the BBC and RDF - before filming began. “There are now serious doubts whether this programme will ever see the light of day,” a source was quoted as saying. However, the Queen has told her lawyers and her press office not to discuss the dispute until the BBC completes an internal investigation into what went wrong. “The Queen feels very let down,” the source said.
— PTI
|
|
|
UK’s Brown-led Labour enjoys highest ratings
London, August 12 The latest ‘YouGov’ poll published by Sunday Times said Brown, often criticised by the media as dour and charmless, has pushed the Labour into a 10-point lead over the main opposition Conservatives. The poll puts the Labour on 42 per cent with the Conservatives at 32 per cent and the Liberal Democrats on 14 per cent. If this pattern of voting was to be repeated at a general election, Brown would add roughly 100 to the 66-seat majority at the 2005 election, the poll said, adding this shows that Brown’s honeymoon as PM is continuing while opposition leader David Cameron’s woes are increasing. Brown’s personal rating is even stronger than his party’s -- 65 per cent of people say he is doing well and only 17 per cent believe he is doing badly. Brown may have gained popularity from the way he approached his first summit with the US President George W Bush, with an overwhelming (73 per cent to 1 per cent) number of respondents thinking that the PM is less close to the Bush than Tony Blair.
— PTI
|
|
|
9 killed in Lanka violence
Colombo, August 12 The suspected LTTE rebels set off a powerful landmine at Kovilkandy in Jaffna today, killing a soldier and wounding 17 while troops were on a routine patrol, military officials said. The attack came after the Tigers gunned down a civilian in Jaffna town, the defence ministry said. It said five Tiger rebels were also shot dead by the security forces while the guerrillas were laying mines in the Weli Oya region. In the same area, the guerrillas fired mortars at a village killing a civilian and injuring four others, including a two-year-old child, the ministry said. Another civilian was gunned down in the eastern Ampara region overnight.
— PTI
|
|
Taliban wants release of 10 militants
Islamabad, August 12 The elder, who held talks with the militants in South Waziristan Agency bordering Afghanistan to persuade them to release the 15 personnel of the Frontier Corps (FC), said the ultras had handed over to the authorities a list of 10 prisoners who were arrested on charges of militancy. However, he did not disclose the names of the prisoners, Dawn reported. The political administration had given three days to the Mehsud tribesmen, whose pro-Taliban militants reportedly kidnapped the personnel, failing which the tribe would be fined Rs 5 lakh per day under the territorial responsibility clause of the Frontier Crimes Regulation. None of the militant groups had claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. Sararogha and its surrounding areas of the agency are considered to be a stronghold of the slain Taliban militant commander Abdullah Mehsud who was killed recently during an encounter in the
Zhob district of Balochistan. — PTI
|
|
|
Taliban may release 2 hostages today Ghazni, August 12 "The Taliban have promised us that they will release two of the female hostages tomorrow (Monday)," said Pattan. Pattan was speaking after an earlier Taliban pledge to release the two women today failed to materialise by nightfall as a third round of talks to release all 21 hostages ended with no announcements. The hardline Islamic militia could not be reached for confirmation. The militants had seized 23 aid workers July 19 as they were travelling on a key road in
Ghazni. They have killed two and threatened to murder more if their demand for Taliban fighters’ release from jail is not met. The governor said two Taliban negotiators held a third round of talks with a South Korean delegation in Ghazni. "We are not aware of the details since we are only providing security for talks and are not involved directly," Pattan said. Earlier, the government banned journalists from the site of negotiations. Taliban commander Abdullah Jan said earlier today the two women, both reportedly ill, would be released within hours.
— AFP
|
|
|
20 feared dead in Kenya landslides
Nairobi, August 12 “The chances of a survivor emerging is basically nil. We are expecting the number of missing to become the death toll,” Mwangi told Reuters. Mwangi said between 16 and 20 persons were buried and rescue workers were trying to dig them out carefully. The first mudslide struck sleeping villagers before dawn yesterday and a second swept away others attempting to rescue them. Mudslides in western Kenya’s Kakamega district are almost unheard of, Mwangi said.
— Reuters
|
|
5 US soldiers killed
Baghdad, August 12 The four soldiers were killed and four others were wounded yesterday in a blast that struck south of the capital during combat operations, the military said.
— AP
|
||
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Kabul, August 12
Videos
