W O R L D

We will not mediate on Kashmir, says USA
Washington, July 2
As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton prepares to visit New Delhi later this month, the US says it is not looking for any "mediation" role on the Kashmir issue and wants India and Pakistan to address the matter in a way that eases their tensions.

• ‘India important on international stage’

Cabinet may be reshuffled, says Gilani
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani also hinted at a reshuffle in his 95-member cabinet some time soon. Talking to reporters here after the cabinet meeting, Gilani said that a reassessment of performance of ministers during the past 15 months has been undertaken.

MJ’s Neverland memorial cancelled
Los Angeles, July 2
The much awaited public viewing of 'King of Pop' Michael Jackson at his fantasy themed abode Neverland has been cancelled. The Jackson family released a statement last night saying that neither the memorial service nor the burial will be held in Neverland ranch.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown accompanied by MP Keith Vaz after garlanding the newly installed statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Leicester in UK on Thursday. — PTI

Case settled against ‘Dr Death’ for $200,000
Washington, July 2
Patel, nicknamed 'Dr Death', have agreed to an out of court settlement for $200,000. According to the lawsuit filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court by the parents, Patel, who is facing the charges of maslaughter and negligence in Australia for the death of 17 patients , had perforated the boy's bowel while attempting to place a feeding tube inside of him on February 5, 1999, The Oregonian newspaper reported.

Saddam had no links with Osama: FBI
Washington, July 2
The former Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein, who was arrested by the Iraqi forces in December 2003, told the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in a series of interviews that he had no links with the Al-Qaida leader, Osama bin Laden.

We will not mediate on Kashmir, says USA

‘India important on international stage’ Washington: The Obama administration believes that India is an important and significant actor on the international stage and it would like New Delhi to play a greater role at the regional and global level. “We believe India is an important and significant actor on the international stage,” National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer said. The National Security Council is the inter-agency coordination body of the White House. It is headed by gen (rt) James Jones, who was recently in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. In the coming months there would be more frequent interaction between Jones and his Indian counterpart M K Narayanan, said Hammer who was also in India along with Jones. — PTI

Washington, July 2
As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton prepares to visit New Delhi later this month, the US says it is not looking for any "mediation" role on the Kashmir issue and wants India and Pakistan to address the matter in a way that eases their tensions.

Ahead of the visit, the Obama Administration also sent another signal of its intention to develop its strategic partnership with New Delhi announcing that the White House has carved out a separate India Desk at its National Security Council (NSC).India is only the second country after Russia to be handled separately by a Senior Director at the National Security Council in a bid to put focus on Indo-US ties, NSC spokesman Mike Hammer told PTI. He said this is "unusual".

On Indo-Pak issues, Hammer said, "The United States is not looking for mediation role, but rather we want India and Pakistan to be able to address these issues in a way that eases tensions, because we think it is really in benefit of both countries and also for promoting regional stability." "On Kashmir, as I stated previously, we are not looking for mediation role," he asserted and added that that it is for India and Pakistan to address on their own.

Hammer said it is in US' interest in seeing that the meetings that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had with Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari in Russia continue in the sense that it is important for both countries to engage in a dialogue and to try to ease tensions. Singh is due to meet Pakistan premier Yusuf Gilani in Egypt on the sidelines of the NAM summit possibly on July 15.

About Clinton's visit to India, State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said she does plan to visit India sometime in the second half of July but did not have any details right now. — PTI

Cabinet may be reshuffled, says Gilani
Afzal Khan writes from Islamabad

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani also hinted at a reshuffle in his 95-member cabinet some time soon.

Talking to reporters here after the cabinet meeting, Gilani said that a reassessment of performance of ministers during the past 15 months has been undertaken. On the basis of this scrutiny the cabinet would be reshaped.

"Now the right man would be assigned the right job," he said. Close aides said at least six ministers would be axed while many would see a portfolio change.

Gilani expanded cabinet last year after PML-N pulled out of it. He now presides over the largest ever cabinet in country's history with 95 ministers and junior ministers while several other unelected nominees enjoy the status and privileges of a minister. There is also an army of parliamentary secretaries and chairmen of standing committees, who enjoy special privileges and perks.

A recent survey found that almost half of the federal ministries have hardly any work to do but they were created and still maintained as independent entities at the cost of taxpayers’ money.

The federal government today maintains all-time-high number of federal ministries and divisions i.e. 44 ministries and 46 divisions, but almost half of them rarely see file work of the type for which such federal entities are created.

According to a study, more than 20 federal ministries/ divisions hardly have any workload at all. Many mini ministries created to adjust favourites find their tables generally free from files and other official papers.

Details show that the ministries/divisions such as culture, youth affairs, human rights, inter-provincial coordination, livestock and dairy development, minorities, narcotics control, social welfare and special education, overseas pakistanis, postalservice, investment, population, sports, statistic, tourism, textile industry and women development have just one joint secretary each and one or two deputy secretaries.

MJ’s Neverland memorial cancelled

Los Angeles, July 2
The much awaited public viewing of 'King of Pop' Michael Jackson at his fantasy themed abode Neverland has been cancelled.

The Jackson family released a statement last night saying that neither the memorial service nor the burial will be held in Neverland ranch. "Contrary to previous news reports, the Jackson family is officially stating that there will be no public or private viewing at Neverland," said the statement. It added that the family was planning a public memorial service for the pop icon but did not divulge information regarding the venue for the same.

"Plans are underway regarding a public memorial for Michael Jackson, and we will announce those plans shortly," said the statement.

Colony Capital, the investment company that purchased Neverland in May 2008, said through a spokesperson that it tried to get an exemption for burial, but "couldn't get it in time."

As for reports that Jackson's body is being held at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills, William Martin, communications director for the funeral home, won't confirm or deny if Jackson will be buried there. — PTI

Case settled against ‘Dr Death’ for $200,000

Washington, July 2
Patel, nicknamed 'Dr Death', have agreed to an out of court settlement for $200,000.

According to the lawsuit filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court by the parents, Patel, who is facing the charges of maslaughter and negligence in Australia for the death of 17 patients, had perforated the boy's bowel while attempting to place a feeding tube inside of him on February 5, 1999, The Oregonian newspaper reported.

He opened the boy up again the next day and found the perforation. The boy died a painful death by septic shock eight days later, the newspaper reported.Before going to Australia Patel was working for Kaiser Permanente in Portland. He performed the surgeries on the boy at another hospital-OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital.The boy's Parents didn't file suit against Patel for seven years as they didn't learn the reason for their son's death until April 15, 2005, when The Oregonian published the first of a series of articles about growing concern over Patel's work.

The suit claimed that Kaiser, Patel and OHSU misled the McClellans by saying their son had developed a post-operative infection of unknown origin and originally sought $ 1.55 million in their suit against all three.

Ana Maria and Matthew McClellan signed a confidentiality agreement that prevents them to discuss the settlement with others. — PTI

Saddam had no links with Osama: FBI

Washington, July 2
The former Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein, who was arrested by the Iraqi forces in December 2003, told the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in a series of interviews that he had no links with the Al-Qaida leader, Osama bin Laden.

In his interviews to the FBI, before he was hanged to death, Hussein said he falsely allowed the world to believe that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction just because he did not want to appear weak against its neighbour and rival Iran.

The declassified accounts of Hussein's interviews with FBI were released and posted by the National Security Archive in its website yesterday as a result of the Freedom of Information Act.

Besides denying any links with Osama, Hussein cited North Korea as his most likely ally in a crunch. — PTI