W O R L D

Mush shifting articles to Aiwan-e-Sadr
Confident of an inevitable victory in the forthcoming elections, President Pervez Musharraf has started shifting main household articles to the imposing Aiwan-e-Sadr (President House) on Constitution Avenue in Islamabad from the Army House in the twin city capital.

Brit boy turned out for not speaking Punjabi
London, September 22
A British schoolboy has been turned away from his internship at an Asian firm here because he could not speak Punjabi, his mother has claimed.

Castro alive and well on TV
Havana, September 22
Fidel Castro appeared in his first television interview in more than three months, ending speculation that the ailing revolutionary had died or suffered a major relapse.

Ethnic Tamil relatives of injured civilians cry at the scene of a roadside bomb explosion that hit a bus in Trincomalee on Saturday. — Reuters

Mush shifting articles to Aiwan-e-Sadr
Afzal Khan writes from Islamabad

Confident of an inevitable victory in the forthcoming elections, President Pervez Musharraf has started shifting main household articles to the imposing Aiwan-e-Sadr (President House) on Constitution Avenue in Islamabad from the Army House in the twin city capital, where he has been residing since late 1998 after appointment as the Army chief.

The Army House is located close to the General Headquarters (GHQ) and offices of key 10 Corps of Rawalpindi which have always played a crucial role in various military coups in country's history. Musharraf preferred to stay amidst these power houses to keep direct control over them. Two years ago, it was decided to build new GHQ complex on 2400 acres in Islamabad at a cost of billions of rupees. The project has evoked strong criticism.

An English daily quoting sources in the presidency said the first consignment of the baggage was shifted in eight army trucks late on Wednesday night. All the routes of the trucks from Rawalpindi to Islamabad were blocked for ensuring “smooth and secret” shifting. It followed a statement submitted a day earlier by President’s chief counsel Sharifuddin Pirzada in the Supreme Court on behalf of Musharraf that if elected, the President would relinquish the army post soon after and before November 16.

The construction of Aiwan- e- Sadr was started in the 1960s under Ayub Khan but most presidents avoided staying there. Bhutto stayed in Rawalpindi's guest house. The building was completed in 1980s but Zia continued to stay in the Army House for the same apprehensions which have guided Musharraf's decision during the past eight years. Superstition also played a role as stories spread that the house was jinxed.

Brit boy turned out for not speaking Punjabi

London, September 22
A British schoolboy has been turned away from his internship at an Asian firm here because he could not speak Punjabi, his mother has claimed.

"When Ben Chaffer got there, the owner said they thought they were getting someone Asian. He said that 90 per cent of his customers were Asian or spoke Punjabi and they needed someone who would be able to liaise with them.

"But the specifications of the job just included things such as filing and a weekly clean. He didn't even ask Ben if he could speak Punjabi, which he can a bit -- enough to greet people," the Daily Mail reported today, quoting Ben's mother Helen Chaffer as saying.

Ben is now back in school while classmates continue their placements, according to his mother.

However, the owner of the firm which specialises in flights to Pakistan and India, Abdul Khan, has blamed a misunderstanding. "I told the boy I needed to ring the school as we have always had someone who was Asian in the past." Khan said that the placement was still on offer but Helen said: "Ben feels he wouldn't be welcome."

"When I asked him (Ben) what was wrong, he said 'They want an Asian'. I said to the owner 'I believe you have sent my son home because of his colour'. He laughed and said that he was expecting an Asian lad," she said. — PTI

Castro alive and well on TV

Havana, September 22
Fidel Castro appeared in his first television interview in more than three months, ending speculation that the ailing revolutionary had died or suffered a major relapse.

Castro (81) spoke slowly about world affairs, the Cold War and political history, but appeared a little changed from the last time when he was shown in a Cuban state television interview on June 5.

Dressed in what has become a customary red, blue and white athletic jacket, sitting in an armchair and showing his age through the grey in his beard and bags under his eyes, Castro answered questions about his essay published this week and attacked the USA, his long time ideological foe.

“Yesterday the euro was at 1.41 dollars. Oil, I think, about $ 84 a barrel,” Castro said at one point, indicating that he was up to date on current affairs and signalling that the interview was very recent.

He also showed a copy of a book by former US Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan, which was published this week.

Castro, who took power on the Caribbean island in 1959 revolution, handed over its control to his younger brother, Raul Castro, on July 31, 2006 after emergency intestinal surgery. Since then, he has not appeared in public. — Reuters