W O R L D

Pak to take action if Osama sighted
Commenting on references to Pakistan by the two US presidential hopefuls in their debate in Tennessee on Tuesday, Pakistan reiterated that it will take action on its own if Osama bin Laden is sighted within its border.

Scientists create human stem cells from semen
London, October 9
Scientists have created human stem cells from male semen, a breakthrough they claim could end the ethical dilemma over creating the same from embryos.

2 IITs among world’s top 200 universities
London, October 9
Two of the reputed Indian Institutes of Technology have been ranked among the top 200 Universities of the world in a list dominated by American educational institutions.

B'desh, Myanmar agree to start work on road link
Bangladesh and Myanmar have agreed to start the construction of the proposed road, which would lead to better connectivity between the two neighbours and is expected to eventually link the former to China.

Pak to take action if Osama sighted
Afzal Khan writes from Islamabad

Commenting on references to Pakistan by the two US presidential hopefuls in their debate in Tennessee on Tuesday, Pakistan reiterated that it will take action on its own if Osama bin Laden is sighted within its border.

“If we have any knowledge of Osama’s location within our borders it goes without saying that, we will take action ourselves”, information minister Sherry Rehman said. She asked Pakistan’s allies to share intelligence over any high-value targets.

“We will pursue them on the ground. However, we will not allow anyone to challenge our sovereignty and no country should violate Pakistan’s territorial integrity,” she said.

Though media reports highlighted Democratic candidate Barack Obama’s statement with headlines that the US forces will launch strikes inside Pakistan, officials here said. Obama’s remarks have been twisted by a section of Pakistani media as did his Republican rival John McCain even though he made it conditional to Pakistani response.

While Barack Obama said the US should only take action inside Pakistan “if” the government there was “unable or unwilling” to do so, Republican Senator John McCain was more conciliatory, recommending that the US use soft language with Pakistan but carry a big stick.

Obama was at pains to establish that contrary to McCain’s charge, he had never threatened to invade Pakistan. He said, “I want to be very clear about what I said. Nobody called for the invasion of Pakistan. Senator McCain continues to repeat this.”

Both candidates favoured working with Pakistan in the hunt for the Al-Qaida and other groups allegedly operating out of Pakistan’s Tribal Areas into Afghanistan. They were both equally determined as to how they would deal with Osama Bin Laden. McCain opted for “working and co-ordinating our efforts together, not threatening to attack them, but working with them, and where necessary use force, but talk softly, but carry a big stick”.

He accused Obama of threatening to invade Pakistan, a charge the Democratic contender denied, stressing that he had only recommended that the US go at it alone if Pakistan was unable or unwilling to move despite actionable intelligence. McCain warned that any precipitate action against Pakistan would create adverse public opinion.

McCain couched his position in more amenable terms, saying, “Now, our relations with Pakistan are critical, because the border areas are being used as safe havens by the Taliban and the Al-Qaida and we have to get their support.” And by working and co-ordinating our efforts together, not threatening to attack them, but working with them, and where necessary use force, but talk softly, but carry a big stick.”

Obama said, “It’s so important for us to end the war in Iraq to be able to get more troops into Afghanistan, put more pressure on the Afghan government to do what it needs to do, eliminate some of the drug trafficking that’s funding terrorism. But I do believe that we have to change our policies with Pakistan. We can’t mollycoddle, as we did, a dictator, give him billions of dollars and then he’s making peace treaties with the Taliban.

Army briefs Parliament about operations

Top Pakistani leadership including members of Parliament and others received a rare briefing from the Pakistan military in an in-camera sitting on the current war on terror and country's strained ties with the United States on Wednesday.

The joint sitting was held amid unprecedented stringent security presenting the spectacle of a city under siege with the deployment of thousands of paramilitary troops.

The briefing was led by Lt. Gen. Shuja Pasha, director-general of military operations, who has been designated as new chief of the ISI. The session was convened by President Asif Zardari to take Parliament into confidence on the ongoing military operations in Swat and tribal areas, the alleged foreign intervention and the rules of engagement with the US forces in the anti-terror operations in tribal areas against backdrop of its threats to intrude in the Pakistani territory to target Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants. Amid demands for a review of the entire policy, Zardari apparently tried to forge a national consensus on the issue.

Speaker National Assembly Dr. Fahmida Mirza, who presided over the joint sitting, took the oath of secrecy from all participants. The session is likely to be extended to three or four days during which top leaders of various parties will also speak. There will be extensive question answer segments of the session.

Apart from members of both the houses, the Senate and the National Assembly, the speaker had invited leading political figures including PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Imran Khan, Ataullah Mengal, Mahmud Khan Achakzai, provincial governors and chief ministers.

Scientists create human stem cells from semen

London, October 9
Scientists have created human stem cells from male semen, a breakthrough they claim could end the ethical dilemma over creating the same from embryos.

Until recently, it was thought that the best source of stem cells was actually a human embryo. Now, a team in Germany has developed a new method which can do away with the need to create and destroy embryos.

And, according to the scientists, the discovery could eventually be used to grow 'spare part' tissue to treat a host of diseases including diabetes, Parkinson's and heart disease, the 'Daily Mail' reported.

In their study, the scientists have shown that stem cells derived from a male's reproductive organs are as useful as those taken from embryos, but can be made without any of the ethical worries.

"The advantage these cells have in comparison to embryonic stem cells is that there is no ethical problem with these cells and that they are natural," lead researcher Thomas Skutella said.

Dr Skutella and colleagues, who carried out the study at Centre for Regenerative Biology and Medicine in Tuebingen, have published their findings in the latest edition of the 'Nature' journal.

However, the benefits will only come to men. Scientists have yet to find an equivalent source of stem cells for women. Last year, researchers found a way of turning adult skin cells into stem cells. Now, they have a second source and Dr Skutella believes that a female equivalent could be found in women's eggs someday. — PTI

2 IITs among world’s top 200 universities

London, October 9
Two of the reputed Indian Institutes of Technology have been ranked among the top 200 Universities of the world in a list dominated by American educational institutions.

IIT Delhi and IIT Mumbai, which found a place among the elite institutions have been ranked 154 and 174 respectively by the Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings.

America’s Harvard University tops the list followed by Yale University also from the US, while the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford, UK were placed third and fourth respectively.

Over a third of the top 100 institutes are based in the US, even as nine Asian institutions have been included within the top 50, including three based in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Seoul National University are the two new entrants into the list this year. — PTI

B'desh, Myanmar agree to start work on road link
Ashfaq Wares Khan writes from Dhaka

Bangladesh and Myanmar have agreed to start the construction of the proposed road, which would lead to better connectivity between the two neighbours and is expected to eventually link the former to China.

The two countries also mulled a gas pipeline, showing signs of warmer ties between Bangladesh and Myanmar’s reclusive military junta during a visit by senior Vice-General Maung Aye to Dhaka on Wednesday.

This is the first high-profile visit by a member of the Myanmar junta in decades with Bangladesh looking to boost the trade and the transport links with Southeast Asia.

Aye, the second highest-ranking officer in the junta, met Bangladesh’s interim chief Fakhruddin Ahmed where they discussed an extension to the road link, a gas pipeline and repatriation of Rohingya refugees.

Bangladesh has long sought Myanmar’s support to establish transport links with China through Myanmar as part of the UN-backed Asian Highway route. Currently, the main Asian Highway Network route has both of Bangladesh’s entry and exit points in India that has irked Dhaka’s security establishment.

Local officials say they have already started preparing for a survey to construct a 120-km road required to link China and Myanmar. The road would be connected to a 23-km road connecting Myanmar with Bangladesh’s southeast border.

Qantas to compensate passengers

Sydney, October 9
Qantas Airways said today it will financially compensate all passengers who were on board a plane that made a terrifying plunge this week, tossing people around the cabin and injuring dozens.

Every passenger will receive an airfare refund and a travel voucher equal to the cost of a flight between Australia and London, a Qantas spokesman said.

The airline also planned to help pay medical expenses for injured passengers, said the spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity because of company policy.

More than 40 persons were taken to hospitals, with 14 seriously injured after the A330-300 briefly plunged nose-first during a Tuesday flight from Singapore to the western Australian city of Perth. — AP