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Pak needs more aid: US
‘Air France plane was flying too slowly’
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Hate Crime in Oz
Taliban blow up girls’ school
China concerned about Oz attacks
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Pak needs more aid: US
The United States will increase relief assistance to internally displaced persons (IDP) of Malakand division, US special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke has said while describing the earlier announcement of $110 million as inadequate.
“The US will not let the Pakistanis down at this critical hour of their fight against militancy,” Holbrooke was quoted by official APP news agency as saying in an interview. He noted that already President Barack Obama requested Congress for $200 million in relief aid for displaced people of Malakand. Holbrooke disclosed that the US would provide the much-needed helicopters to bolster Islamabad’s counterinsurgency measures in the mountainous northwest. It has also supplied the night vision equipment requested by the Pakistan army, he said. He said President Obama had personally taken interest in enabling a fast-track provision of helicopters to Pakistan. It is also expected to receive 17 helicopters shortly to bolster its counterinsurgency capability. “We want to see how much we can do to support Pakistan in this moment of extreme pressure,” he said. On relief assistance, Holbrooke said: “We have already contributed $110 million, more than any other country. But we think that is not enough. And we hope to learn about needs,”said the envoy, who will also visit the camps housing internally displaced persons. The US special envoy noted that the Muslim countries have this time lagged behind in providing relief assistance. He hinted that during his present trip, which also takes him to the Gulf states including Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, he would seek to mobilise international support for Pakistan in dealing with the humanitarian situation. Commenting on the Pakistani action against militants, the US diplomat said Islamabad “responded appropriately to the direct challenge to its authority.”
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‘Air France plane was flying too slowly’
Paris, June 4 The paper said the manufacturer of the doomed plane, Airbus, was set to issue a recommendation advising companies using the A330 aircraft of optimal speeds during poor weather conditions. Airbus declined to comment on the report and the French air accident investigation agency, which has to validate any such recommendations, known as an Aircraft Information Telex, was not immediately available for comment. The Air France A330-200 was en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris when it plunged into the Atlantic four hours into its flight. All 228 people on board died. The plane sent no mayday signals before crashing, only a stream of automatic messages over a three minute period after it entered a zone of stormy weather, showing a rapid succession of electrical faults followed by a loss of cabin pressure. It was not clear if slow air speed alone could trigger such a cataclysmic breakdown of aircraft systems, but any recommendations from Airbus about its A330s would fuel speculation over the causes of the crash. Experts have questioned whether extreme turbulence or decompression during stormy weather might have caused the disaster - the worst in Air France's 75-year history. Spanish newspaper El Mundo said a transatlantic airline pilot reported seeing a bright flash of white light at the same time the Air France flight disappeared. “Suddenly we saw in the distance a strong, intense flash of white light that took a downward, vertical trajectory and disappeared in six seconds,” the pilot of an Air Comet flight from Lima to Madrid told his company, the newspaper reported. A spokesman for Madrid-based airline Air Comet was not immediately available to confirm the El Mundo article. Asked about whether there could have been an explosion or bomb on the plane, an armed forces spokesman in Paris said they were not ruling anything out at the moment. — Reuters
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Hate Crime in Oz
Melbourne, June 4 NSW Premier Nathan Rees said he recognises the growing concern within the Indian community over the attacks and wants to tackle the issue before any violent incident takes place in his state. "I have lots of interaction with the Indian community in the NSW and in and around Sydney. I have regular meetings and contacts with Indian community leaders," he was quoted as saying by the media here. "They know, were there to be an issue, they have a direct line to my office. They haven't called. This is a pre-emptive measure. I don't want what's occurred in Victoria to happen in Sydney," he said. His remarks follow the spate of attacks on Indian students in the Victorian state's capital of Melbourne, where a massive rally was organised by the community on Sunday last against the growing assault cases. — PTI
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Taliban blow up girls’ school
Islamabad, June 4 The school at Badaber, 10 km south of Peshawar, was destroyed when militants set off six explosive devices. The police said at least 40 kg of explosives was used in the attack. No casualties were reported as the school was closed for the summer vacation. Taliban militants, who have described the education of girls as “un-Islamic”, have carried out a series of bomb attacks targeting girls’ schools in different part of the troubled North West Frontier Province. The militants have torched close to 200 schools including 120 girls’ institutions in the NWFP over the past one year. Police in Peshawar have put in place strict security measures at entry points to the provincial capital following reports of possible terrorist attacks targeting government installations and crowded areas like parks and markets.
— PTI
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China concerned about Oz attacks
Melbourne, June 4 In the wake a recent surge in violence on Indian students here, Chinese embassy counsellor Liu Jin said his government was actively intervening to ensure safety of their nationals. “There are over 1,30,000 Chinese students in Australia. They have on the whole had good study and living environment, but attacks on Chinese students also occurred in recent years,” said Liu. While he declined to list the number of attacks and where they had taken place, his statement raised worries in the education sector over the future of the 15.5 billion Australian dollars overseas student industry. Chinese students are one of the largest communities studying in Australia. “It is hoped that the Australian government will provide better protection to the international students from China and other countries and ensure their legitimate rights in Australia,” Liu said. — PTI
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The US will not let the Pakistanis down at this critical hour of their fight against militancy. We want to see how much we can do to support Pakistan at this moment
— Richard Holbrooke
Paris, June 4
