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Step up cooperation to stem terrorism: Gilani tells Manmohan
Pak, UK looking for female terrorist
Lanka jets bomb rebel postions, 54 dead
PPP workers seek own govt in Punjab
Oath in Hindi sparks protests
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US will always speak up for human rights: Rice
Berlusconi ‘freed’
by Italy’s new law
Parents to face music if kids illegally download songs
Pakistan to curb militancy via talks
Di’s love interest denied job in Pak institute
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Step up cooperation to stem terrorism: Gilani tells Manmohan
Islamabad, July 24 Gilani telephoned Manmohan this morning to congratulate him on winning the crucial trust vote and said, “his success is the success of democracy and such democratic norms must be encouraged in the region for strengthening” the relations between the two countries. Noting that Pakistan attached “immense importance” to its relations with India, he said “the present state of unrest in the region demands more cooperation in the field of combating terrorism and extremism as both countries are victims of this menace.” His comments came in the wake of a war of words between the two countries over a suicide attack on the Indian Embassy in Kabul. Gilani further said, “a stable Afghanistan is in the safe interest of all countries of the region and all possible efforts must be made to bring peace and stability in Afghanistan”. Manmohan told Gilani that all “outstanding issues, including the issue of Kashmir between India and Pakistan, will be resolved amicably,” said a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office. The Indian premier also “assured his full support and cooperation in this regard", the statement
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Pak, UK looking for female terrorist
Lahore: Pakistani and British security agencies are looking for a suspected female terrorist, travelling with children, who may enter the United Kingdom from Pakistan.
British authorities had declared a “red alert” for the terrorist at Heathrow airport in London on Monday and Tuesday, while Pakistani security personnel checked a Britain-bound flight at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport following the reports, sources told the Daily Times newspaper. Security forces searched passengers on board Pakistan International Airlines flight PK-757, the newspaper quoted sources as saying. The aircraft was parked away from the airport building on the directions of security agencies. Security personnel searched especially women passengers, travelling with children. —
PTI
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Lanka jets bomb rebel postions, 54 dead
Colombo, July 24 The air raid on positions in the rebel-held districts of Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi came two days after the government dismissed a declaration by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) of a unilateral ceasefire from July 26 to August 4. “Air force fighter jets attacked LTTE leaders gathering east of Thunukkai in Kilinochchi in the afternoon and a recruit training centre north of Oddusuddan in Mullaitivu this morning,” said air force spokesman Wing Commander Janaka Nanayakkara. “Pilots confirmed the targets were successfully engaged.” The military said ground troops had captured a rebel-held area in the island’s northern district of Mullaitivu today. “Army troops captured an area 3 km south of Mallavi, killed 25 LTTE terrorists and captured some weapons,” said a spokesman at Media Centre for National security. He said the military had not suffered any casualties. The military said fighting yesterday in four northern districts had also killed 25 rebels and injured 21 Tiger rebels. They said four solders died while fighting and 10 were wounded. The fighting comes a week after the military’s claim it had dealt a “fatal blow” to the Tiger rebels, with the capture of the northwestern town of Vidattaltivu, the main base of the Tigers’ sea wing and their logistics hub for the region. — Reuters
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PPP workers seek own govt in Punjab
PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari on Thursday held discussions with the PPP Central Executive Committee (CEC) members and the members of the Executive Committee from Punjab amid strong voices from within the party to try and form its own government in Punjab.
Qasim Zia, former chief of provincial chapter of the party, is being tipped as a favourite for the post of the chief minister. A new coalition comprising the PPP, the pro-Musharraf Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q), some splinter groups and independents will be formed. The PPP is currently the major partner in the PML-N-led coalition of chief minister Shahbaz Sharif.
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Kathmandu, July 24 During the swearing-in ceremony yesterday, 61-year-old Jha wore ‘dhoti kurta’ instead of the traditional Nepali dress ‘Daura Surwal’ and took the oath in Hindi. Angered by his taking of oath in Hindi, people burnt his effigy in Dhangadi in the country’s west and organised protests in Kathmandu and Bharatpur yesterday. Protesters also burnt tyres, witnesses said. College students today also protested in Kathmandu and burnt his effigy. Unlike Jha, Nepal’s first President Ram Baran Yadav, who is also an Indian-origin Madhesi leader, took the oath of office in the Nepali language. He also wore the traditional Nepali dress during the swearing-in ceremony at Sheetal Niwas yesterday. — PTI
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Anwar Ibrahim Case
Singapore, July 24 ''We are always going to speak up on human rights cases, political cases, but again we do so in a spirit of respect for Malaysia,'' Rice said. Rice later met Malaysian foreign minister Rais Yatim on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific security forum in Singapore. Anwar, a former deputy premier, faces an allegation that he engaged in a homosexual act with a former aide that could derail his political plans. He has not been charged with sodomy - a crime punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment in Malaysia - but the claim mirrors events in 1998, when his political ambitions were halted by a jail term for sodomy and corruption. Yesterday, Malaysian home (interior) minister Syed Hamid Albar met foreign diplomats in Kuala Lumpur and warned them against meddling in Malaysia's affairs. But Rice said she did not see US comments on the case as meddling. ''The US doesn't recognise this very firm barrier, that there are certain things that are simply internal affairs when a case of this kind comes up. But we are going to continue to work with Malaysia.'' She reiterated the US view that transparency and rule of law must be followed in Anwar's case. ''Part of the comfort level or the confidence that states need to bring to the international system is that their judicial systems are indeed responsive to rule of law, transparent and fair. Even-handed application of the rule of law is very important,'' she added. New York-based Human Rights Watch has said the allegation against Anwar ''lacked credibility'', while Anwar says he is the victim of a high-level conspiracy to thwart the opposition. Anwar is leading a loose alliance of three opposition parties to try to seize power from the government by mid-September. His attempt to oust the government comes at a time when the ruling National Front coalition, in power since independence from Britain in 1957, suffered its worst electoral setback in a March general election. — Reuters
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Berlusconi ‘freed’
by Italy’s new law
Rome, July 24 ''Now on Saturdays I can work calmly and won't have to meet with my attorneys,'' he joked in comments carried by Italian media today. Signed into law by President Giorgio Napolitano yesterday, the law suspends criminal cases against the prime minister, president and the heads of both chambers of parliament while they are in office. It was a victory for the conservative leader, who says politically motivated prosecutors have been out to get him since he entered politics 14 years ago. But critics say the law is designed to free him from legal headaches. Berlusconi is charged in Milan with paying British lawyer David Mills $600,000 in 1997 from alleged ''secret funds'' held by his Mediaset SpA - Italy's largest private broadcaster - to withhold incriminating details of his business dealings. Both men deny any wrongdoing. Berlusconi could opt to renounce the immunity and fight the charges in court. Berlusconi has counted 2,500 hearings, 587 visits by the police and 174 million euros in legal fees during his political career. He has won all the cases against him, either by acquittal or because time ran out under Italy's statute of limitations. —
Reuters
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Parents to face music if kids illegally download songs
London, July 24 Breach of copyright, by copying music or films via the Internet, is a civil offence in the UK. The measures, the first of their kind in the world, also provides that households that ignore warnings will be blacklisted and put under online surveillance. "This is something of a step into the unknown for Internet providers, music industries and ministers. But we can’t go on without it, no business can survive after losing as much revenue as the music industry has," Fergal Sharkey, the chief executive of British Music Rights, the body that represents musicians, was quoted as saying by The Times newspaper. The British daily said Baroness Vadera, who brokered the pact between Internet service providers and Ofcom will today announce the new measures to combat Internet piracy. It is planed that service providers will first send warning letters to such households, telling them that they are being monitored. The second stage focuses on sanctions. Ministers have asked Ofcom, the telecom body, to lead negotiations between service providers and the film and music industries on ways to deal with blatant offenders. The government plans to introduce legislation in case they fail to have an agreement. It has been estimated that illegal downloads will cost the British music industry alone £1 billion over the next five years. A survey by the University of Hertfordshire showed that iPods or digital music players owned by teenagers contained 842 illegally copied songs each on average. — PTI
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Pakistan to curb militancy via talks
Information minister Sherry Rehman has said the new government is committed to resolving the issue of militancy in the tribal areas with dialogue, but it would not allow anyone to challenge the writ of the state, Sherry said the government desires to settle problems through negotiations and peaceful means, but the writ of the government would be established at all costs. Talking to a TV channel, the minister said the militants who surrender before the authorities would be rehabilitated and brought into the mainstream. The government would take all decisions of national importance after consulting the coalition partners, Sherry said. The coalition meeting on Wednesday agreed to discuss the formation of a national policy to get public support for Pakistan's battle against extremism and militancy, she said. Pakistan would not allow anyone to use its soil for carrying out terrorist activities in other country, she said, adding that Pakistan would also not allow any foreign force to operate or attack inside its territory. Sherry said parliament would be the ultimate body to decide about national issues.
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Di’s love interest denied job in Pak institute
Islamabad, July 24 Khan, a heart surgeon, was looking for a job in the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences after his return from London, but his moves were allegedly punctured by the powers-that-be. Following media reports that he was denied a job at the institute though his competence could not be questioned, PPP leader and health minister Sherry Rehman has ordered a probe into the matter, The News reported today. Health secretary Khushnood Lashari confirmed Khan had applied for a job but he was not appointed. He said Khan did "not meet the relevant criteria required for the execution of the project". Khan met Diana at Royal Brompton Hospital when she visited a friend recovering from a heart surgery. The two pursued a discreet two-year affair that finished a few months before her death in a car crash in 1997. —
PTI
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Now, UAE tourist visa for all Dolly hits South Texas Dhaka, Yangon to resolve disputes 
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