Peshawar, August 26
A blast hit a rally promoting autonomy for Pakistan’s gas-rich Baluchistan province today, wounding more than 20 people, while in Peshawar shots were fired at the US 
consulate staff.

Violent incidents have been increasing in nuclear-armed Pakistan in recent weeks, while its ruling politicians have been distracted by infighting.

US ally Pervez Musharraf’s resignation as president under threat of impeachment last week was followed by bickering in the ruling coalition and the departure of one of its main parties. Allies and analysts fear the squabbling could keep the government from dealing effectively with economic problems and violent Islamist militants, especially in northwestern areas on the Afghan border where militants have sanctuaries.

In another incident in Peshawar, near the border, gunmen fired four shots at a US consulate vehicle carrying three staff members. However, there were no injuries, police said.

Peshawar is the capital of Pakistan’s violence-plagued North West Frontier Province and the United States has a heavily-guarded consulate there.

“Gunmen in a Land Cruiser opened fire at the car but no one was hurt,” said city police official Raziq Khan.

“There were no injuries and minimal damage was caused to the vehicle,” US embassy spokesman Lou Fintor said. He declined to say who was in the vehicle but police said one passenger was the consulate’s principal officer.

US diplomatic staff usually travel in armoured vehicles but Fintor said he did not know if the vehicle attacked on Tuesday was armoured. — Reuters 

Denver, August 26
It was a family affair for the Obamas last night - Michelle delivered the keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention, Barack appeared via satellite video, and their youngest daughter, Sasha, stole the show in the end.

After the aspiring first lady delivered a moving address in which she called her daughters “the centre of my world,” she brought the girls from the side of the stage into the spotlight, while Stevie Wonder’s “Isn't She Lovely?” played in the background. Barack Obama, speaking live from the campaign trail in Kansas City, joined 
the three.

“How about Michelle Obama?” Obama boomed to the cheering crowd. “Now you know why I asked her out so many times, even though she said no. You want a persistent President,” The New York Post quoted Obama as saying.

During their exchange, his younger daughter, seven-year-old Sasha, suddenly called out to her father, delighting the audience. “Hi, Daddy!” she said.

When Obama asked her how she thought her mom did, she said, “I think she did good.” Barack replied, “I think she did, too.” The little girl repeatedly reached for her mother’s microphone during her parents’ conversation, and before the video was shut off, she shouted, “I love you, Daddy.”

During her speech, Michelle Obama painted herself as a representative of American values, while seeking to assure voters that her husband shares the same despite his “funny name”.

PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari, former chief justice Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui and PML-Q secretary-general Mushahid Hussain Sayed, along with thirty other candidates, filed nomination papers for the presidential elections today.

Zardari is official nominee of the PPP, Justice Siddiqui is backed by Nawaz Sharif faction of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) and Mushahid represents the pro-Musharraf Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q).

Papers were received in Islamabad by Chief Election Commissioner Qazi Mohammad Farooq, while in provincial headquarters then chief justices of high courts acted as returning officers to receive the same. While polling will be held on September 6, scrutiny of papers would be conducted till August 28. Candidates can withdraw papers till August 30 after which a final list of candidates would be announced the same day.

Federal law minister Farooq Naek submitted the papers of Asif Zardari in the presence of PPP leaders and ministers. Zardari’s sister Faryal Talpur also submitted her papers as cover candidate for her brother. A larger number of Peoples’ Party workers and women gathered outside the Election Commission, chanting slogans in favour of Asif Zardari.

PML-N submitted nominations for Justice Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui. Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Iqbal Zafar Jaghra, Javed Hashmi and other party leaders were present on the occasion.

PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, opposition leader in National Assembly Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, and other party leaders accompanied Mushahid to the commission.

The PML-Q named Mushahid Hussain Sayed, former information minister in the Nawaz Sharif government, as its presidential candidate.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday adjourned hearing of the disqualification case against Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif for September 9. The three-member bench, comprising Justice Moosa Khan Leghari, Justice Zawwar Hussain Jaffery and Justice Sheikh Hakim Ali, heard the plea against the Lahore High Court's decision of June 24, in which it disqualified Nawaz Sharif from contesting the elections. Shahbaz Sharif was conditionally permitted to hold office of chief executive of the Punjab province.

The court’s verdict caused a lot of political suspicions that ex-president Gen. Musharraf was seeking to oust his enemies from electoral politics through handpicked judges. Both brothers refused to file any petition or be represented in the courts comprising judges who took oath of allegiance to Musharraf under the Provisional Constitution Order (PCO) he promulgated on November 3 last year after imposing emergency.

To dispel the common perception that the move against Sharifs had his blessings because of his insistence on retaining the PCO judges and virtually blocking the deposed judges led by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari directed that the state would file the review petition against the court verdict. The presiding Judge Justice Leghari surprised lawyers by declaring in the very first hearing that the case could be disposed off within ten minutes if the Sharifs themselves appear before the court.

The case was adjourned on the request of deputy attorney General Iftikhar Hussain Shah who sought some time to study the case. The federal government had maintained in the petition that the high court bench, which disqualified Nawaz Sharif, had no jurisdiction to take up the case. 

BRIEFLY

9 Indians perish in fire
DUBAI: At least 10 persons, including nine Indian workers, were killed in a fire that broke out at labour accommodation near the new Naif Souq in Deira. The bodies of nine Indians and one Bangladeshi were extricated from the site of the accident, even as rescue operations were in full swing. Survivors were still being pulled out of the charred debris, Khaleej Times quoted eyewitnesses as saying. — UNI

BEIJING
4 killed in China blast: Four persons were killed, 44 injured and 17 others missing when an explosion ripped through a major chemical plant in south China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on Tuesday, local officials said. People living within 3 km of the plant were evacuated after the explosion, the rescue headquarters said. The explosions persisted until almost 1.00 pm and the fire spread over 10,000 sq m, Xinhua news agency said. The cause of the blast has not yet been established. — PTI

JAKARTA
Quake hits Indonesia: A powerful 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck at sea off the Indonesian island of Java on Tuesday, triggering a tsunami warning which was lifted after an hour, meteorological officials said. There were no immediate reports of damage from the quake, which struck 125 km northwest of Ujungkulon in West Java at 10:07 am, the officials added. “The quake was felt in Kota Agung in Lampung province,” meteorology office chief Suharjono said. — AFP

LONDON
Nuns to walk the ramp: Nuns will get a chance to flaunt their beauty in a worldwide contest that attempts to entice young people back to the church by demolishing stereotype that they are old and dour. “Being ugly is not a requirement for becoming a nun. External beauty is gift from God, and we mustn’t hide it,” Rungi, who came up with the novel idea, was quoted as saying by the Mail online 
on Tuesday. The beauty contest, which would run online at first, is open only 
to nuns. — PTI

EDINBURGH
Ex-Bond autobiography: Movie star, Bond icon, philanthropist, proud Scot, political activist Sean Connery now can also call himself an author. Connery, who shot to international fame as Ian Fleming’s fictional spy James Bond, unveiled his new autobiography, ‘Being a Scot’ in his hometown of Edinburgh on Tuesday on his 78th birthday. — AP

UNITED NATIONS
Darfur killing alarms UN: The UN has expressed grave concern over reports that 27 persons were killed and several injured when Sudanese forces allegedly attacked the Kalma camp in South Darfur. A Sudanese army spokesman said the soldiers had entered the camp in search of weapons and were fired upon first. The joint UN-African Union Peacekeeping Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) has sent the police and military patrols to confirm the details of the incident. — PTI