W O R L D

Afghan poll run-off on November 7
Kabul, October 20
The election commission of Afghanistan today ordered a November 7 run-off in the disputed presidential election after a fraud investigation dropped incumbent Hamid Karzai’s votes below 50 per cent of the total.

STAR GLARE Hollywood actress Julia Roberts gestures as she walks towards the sets of her film ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. — AP/PTI

Zardari condemns suicide bombing in Iran
President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday called up his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and strongly condemned Sunday’s suicide attack in Sistan, Iran, and assured him of full cooperation in pursuing the leaders of militant organisation Jundallah believed to be operating in Iran, with its headquarters in Pakistan.

China jittery over Indo-US relations, says scholar
Washington, October 20
The deepening of strategic relationship between India and the US has unnerved China, an eminent American scholar said, arguing that Beijing’s four-decade-old policy of dealing with New Delhi on their own terms has gone haywire.

US rejects Pak allegations on India
Washington, October 20
The Obama administration has rejected Pakistan’s allegations that the developmental efforts by India in Afghanistan are a security threat to it, saying a stable and more prosperous Afghanistan will only contribute to regional stability.

Shipping firm negotiating with pirates for crew release
Kuala Lumpur, October 20
The shipping company, whose vessel with two Indians onboard was hijacked last week by Somali pirates, has said, it was negotiating with the hijackers for the safe release of the crew. Indian High Commissioner to Singapore T C A Raghavan said Pacific International, the shipping company, told him that it was negotiating with the hijackers.

US Pentagon scientist arrested on spying charge
Washington, October 20
A scientist who worked for the US Defense Department, a White House space counsel and other agencies has been arrested on espionage charges.

Afghan poll run-off on November 7

Kabul, October 20
The election commission of Afghanistan today ordered a November 7 run-off in the disputed presidential election after a fraud investigation dropped incumbent Hamid Karzai’s votes below 50 per cent of the total.

Karzai accepted the finding and agreed to the second round of voting.

The announcement came two months after the first round of voting and following weeks of political uncertainty at a time when Taliban strength was growing.

President Barack Obama welcomed Karzai’s willingness to run in a new election against his main rival Abdullah Abdullah, saying his decision “established an important precedent for Afghanistan’s new democracy”. The Afghan leader announced his agreement at a press conference alongside US Sen John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and head of the UN in Afghanistan Kai Eide, a clear sign of the intense international pressure that preceded the announcement.

“I hope the international community, the Afghan government and all others concerned will take every possible measure to provide security to the people so that when they vote that vote is not called a fraud,” Karzai said.

Shortly before the press conference, chairman of the Independent Election Commission Azizullah Lodin said the commission that organised the August 20 vote did not want to “leave the people of Afghanistan in uncertainty” any longer.

“The commission has agreed to go for a second round and saying that nobody got more than 50 per cent,” Lodin said. Afghan electoral law says a run-off is needed if no candidate gets above that percentage.

Lodin said all materials are ready for the November 7 run-off.

Kerry said the agreement on a second round had transformed the crisis into a “moment of great opportunity”, praising Karzai for “genuine leadership in the decision he has made today”. The decision to accept the fraud findings and move to a run-off showed that Afghanistan “recommits to the democratic process”. He complimented Karzai for his “openness to finding ways of resolving differences”. “The international community is 100 per cent committed to help in carrying out this election,” Kerry said. — AP

Zardari condemns suicide bombing in Iran
Afzal Khan writes from Islamabad

President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday called up his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and strongly condemned Sunday’s suicide attack in Sistan, Iran, and assured him of full cooperation in pursuing the leaders of militant organisation Jundallah believed to be operating in Iran, with its headquarters in Pakistan.

President Zardari said the incident was “gruesome and barbaric” and bore the “signature of a cowardly enemy on the run”. Iranian officials had summoned Pakistani envoy in Theran and lodged strong protest that the Jundallah had their base inside Pakistan.

Zardari referred to Pakistani intelligence reports that the Jundallah’s top leadership was not present in Pakistan but assured Ahmadinejad that Pakistan would extend help in locating and destroying the organisation.

Earlier Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had urged President Zardari to confront a Sunni militant group that Tehran says is behind the bombing on the RevolutionaryGuards.“Iran and Pakistan have a brotherly relationship but the presence of terrorist elements in Pakistan is not justifiable,” Ahmadinejad had said.

Iranian officials have accused Pakistan, Britain and the United States of aiding the group, alleged to be behind the bombing.

Hours after the attack, Ahmadinejad alleged the assault was plotted in Pakistan, which borders the restive province. “We have got inputs that some Pakistani agents had a hand in today’s terrorist incident and we consider it to be our right to demand the rendition of these criminals,” Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying.

China jittery over Indo-US relations, says scholar

Washington, October 20
The deepening of strategic relationship between India and the US has unnerved China, an eminent American scholar said, arguing that Beijing’s four-decade-old policy of dealing with New Delhi on their own terms has gone haywire.

Participating in a panel discussion on “China 2025” organised yesterday by the prestigious Council on Foreign Relations, Evan Feigenbaum, its Senior Fellow for East, Central and South Asia, said Beijing is increasingly becoming concerned about the growing Indo-US relationship.

“Since 1962, the Chinese strategists have basically decided that they can deal with India on their own terms. But when you introduce the United States into that equation, it introduces all kinds of uncertainties into Chinese planning,” he said.

Feigenbaum noted that for China, India has so far been a second, if not a third tier security priority.

Voicing a similar opinion another eminent scholar said in a unipolar Asia, where China is the dominant power, it is India, which to some extent balances the power of Beijing.

“Asia without active participation of the US is not multipolar, it is unipolar with China as the dominant power, possibly balanced to some extent by India,” Princeton University’s Professor of Politics and International Affairs, Aaron Friedberg said in the discussion. On the effect of Indo-US relationship on China, Feigenbaum said, “The US is still India’s number one trading partner. — PTI

US rejects Pak allegations on India

Washington, October 20
The Obama administration has rejected Pakistan’s allegations that the developmental efforts by India in Afghanistan are a security threat to it, saying a stable and more prosperous Afghanistan will only contribute to regional stability.

“I don’t see how helping Afghanistan develop its economy and its infrastructure could be seen as a security threat to any other country in the region,” said Ian Kelly, State Department spokesman.

“On the contrary, a stable and more prosperous Afghanistan is going to contribute to regional stability,” Kelly said when asked about Pakistan’s allegation that the massive developmental efforts currently being undertaken by India poses a security threat to it. India is one of the largest donors to Afghanistan post-Taliban. It is not only involved in some of the massive developmental projects currently being undertaken in Afghanistan, but also has contributed aides to the amount of more than $1.3 billion.. — PTI

Shipping firm negotiating with pirates for crew
release

Kuala Lumpur, October 20
The shipping company, whose vessel with two Indians onboard was hijacked last week by Somali pirates, has said, it was negotiating with the hijackers for the safe release of the crew. Indian High Commissioner to Singapore T C A Raghavan said Pacific International, the shipping company, told him that it was negotiating with the hijackers.

“The High Commission is in touch with the company. The company has also said that its officials would visit families of all the crew onboard and meet them,” Raghavan told PTI over phone from Singapore. He said the company also assured that it will do whatever it takes to ensure that the crew is safe and released. The ship MV Kota Wajar was hijacked by Somali pirates on October 15 in the Indian Ocean about 500 km north of the Seychelles island.

No reports were immediately available and calls to the International Maritime Bureau's International Piracy Centre here went unanswered since Saturday. Coalition forces, which are patrolling waters nearby, have sent an aircraft looking for the ship. — PTI

US Pentagon scientist arrested on spying charge

Washington, October 20
A scientist who worked for the US Defense Department, a White House space counsel and other agencies has been arrested on espionage charges.