Islamabad, September 30
Pakistani authorities blocked a vital supply route for NATO troops fighting in Afghanistan today after the killing of three soldiers in two NATO cross-border incursions, officials said.

Trucks and fuel tankers for foreign forces in Afghanistan were stopped at the Torkham border post in the Khyber tribal region near the city of Peshawar, hours after the raid. "Yes, the NATO supplies have been stopped. It has been done locally," a senior security official said.

Aircraft from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) initially crossed the border in the Kurram region briefly while targeting suspected insurgents who were firing on a coalition base from a position inside Afghanistan.

They were then fired on by people in Pakistan, and crossed the border again to target that group. "Operating in self-defence, the ISAF aircraft entered into Pakistani airspace killing several armed individuals," the statement said.

The statement did not say if ISAF thought those killed were border guards, and when asked for clarification, an ISAF spokeswoman said both sides were still investigating the incident. "This is the third incident of its kind during the past week," the Pakistani military said in a statement. Three soldiers were wounded, it said.

Pakistan is a crucial ally for the United States in its efforts to stabilise Afghanistan, but analysts say border incursions and disruptions in NATO supplies underline growing tensions in the relationship.

The US has already stepped up missile strikes by its pilotless drone aircraft on militant targets inside Pakistan. The bulk of non-lethal military supplies for NATO troops in Afghanistan moves through Pakistan. — Reuters

Held under the shadow of a dire economic and constitutional crisis, the ninth round of vote to elect a new prime minister in Nepal failed yet again with the lone contestant unable to get the required number of votes Thursday but still refusing to quit the race.

Former deputy PM Ram Chandra Poudel, the only contender after his rival Maoist chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda withdrew from the race, failed to win the 300 votes required to become the new premier of Nepal.

He could muster only 105 votes while two lawmakers voted against him and 61 withheld their vote. The chairman of parliament, Subas Chandra Nembang, said the 10th round of election would be held October 6.

Disinterest, pessimism and frustration marked the unprecedented ninth round of election with less than one-third of the current 599 lawmakers turning up to take part in the exercise.

However, Poudel’s party, the Nepali Congress (NC), the second largest in parliament after the Maoists, said it would not exit from the ring unless the Maoists fulfilled two major conditions.

The NC is demanding that the Maoists give a timetable to conclude the halted peace process and agree on the formation of a new government.

Though Poudel is not likely to get the required number of votes, the NC has still been refusing to withdraw, fearing a new alliance between the Maoists and the communists could then sweep the poll.

Nepal’s unique prime ministerial election system means the race could be run even with one contestant. Once it starts, it has to continue till the candidate gets 300 votes or quits.

(With inputs from IANS)

New York, September 30
In an unusual face-off, Indian and Pakistani diplomats engaged in heated exchanges in the UN General Assembly over Jammu and Kashmir.

The sharp exchanges of words started after deputy envoy of Pakistan to UN charged India with sponsoring terrorism in the neighbouring countries. This led to Indians attacking Islamabad for raising Kashmir to deflect attention from its internal problems, which needed to be addressed for the common good of Pakistanis, and thereby the entire region.

The Pakistan side appeared to have come with prepared remarks on many of these contentious issues, while Indians seemed to have taken off-guard initially and did not offer comments on specific allegations raised by the other side.

“The Indian government is well advised to take careful stock of its own polices and conduct that includes supporting terrorist elements in neighbouring countries which contributes to the problems facing South Asia,” said Amjad Hussain B Sial, deputy envoy of Pakistan to the UN.

“India is also the country, which conceived, created and nurtured the most lethal terrorist organisation, which introduced suicide bombings in our region. Still India has the nerves to give lectures on morality to others,” he said in an indirect reference to the LTTE.

These charges by Islamabad came hours after External Affairs Minister SM Krishna, at the UN yesterday, slammed Pakistan for sponsoring terrorism and militancy in Jammu and Kashmir and said it should not impart lessons to New Delhi on democracy and human rights.

Reacting sharply to Sial’s remarks, Manish Gupta, a diplomat in the Indian Mission to the UN, said: “Such unsolicited and untenable remarks will not and indeed, cannot divert attention from the multiple problems Pakistan needs to tackle for the common good of its people, and indeed of the entire region.”

“Pakistan should seriously concentrate on addressing the enormous challenges confronting it: terrorism, extremism and sectarianism, to name a few and the dismantling of the terrorist infrastructure that exists on territory under its control,” Gupta said.

The confrontation at the UN happened after more than a week of critical remarks and retaliations from both sides, which scuttled any possibility of an Indo-Pak bilateral on the sidelines of the opening session of the General Assembly.

While India and Pakistan have often exchanged barbs at the UN over the issue of Kashmir and terrorism, several observers noted that the language of this exchange was much stronger than what had been used in nearly a decade.

Krishna, in his address at the UN yesterday, said "Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral part of India, is the target of Pakistan-sponsored militancy and terrorism. Pakistan must fulfil its solemn commitment of not allowing territory under its control to be used for terrorism directed against India."

Referring to the minister's statement, Sial said "The Indian Minister of External Affairs has once again made the self-serving claim that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India. Nothing could be far from reality and truth." Sial also pointed out that 700,000 Indian security forces were deployed in Kashmir and described it as "the largest concentration of troops anywhere in the world." — PTI

Kabul, September 30
Opium output in Afghanistan, the world's biggest producer of the drug, has dropped by almost a half this year due to a crop disease but its value has soared, a UN report said today.

Afghanistan has produced an estimated 3,600 tonnes of opium this year, almost 50 per cent of the 2009 output, according to the UN's Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

But the value of the opium rose by 38 per cent to USD 604 million at the farm gate, its Afghanistan Opium Survey 2010 said.

The report, released in Kabul, put the value of opium output at five per cent of Afghanistan's gross domestic product (GDP) this year, and said this was more than six times the value of the country's wheat crop.

The report said the decline was caused by a disease that affected opium poppy fields in the major growing provinces, mainly Helmand and Kandahar, where the Taliban insurgency is concentrated.

"The major effect of the disease was visible in the yield, which dropped to 29.2 kilograms per hectare, a 48 per cent reduction from 2009," the report said. The report said the planted area remained the same at 1,23,000 hectares, with 96 per cent of production in southern and western provinces. — AFP

Washington, September 30 
Arguing that there is “mounting evidence” of repression of Iranian opposition, the US announced additional sanctions against top Iranian officials, members of the Revolutionary Guards Corps and others allegedly indulged in violation of human rights.

“These officials watch or under their command, Iranian citizens have been arbitrarily arrested, beaten, tortured, raped, blackmailed and killed. Yet the Iranian government has ignored repeated calls from the international community to end these abuses, to hold to account those responsible and respect the rights and fundamental freedoms of its citizens,” US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.

Iran has failed to meet its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Clinton said at a joint press conference with the Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. “The steady deterioration in human rights conditions in Iran has obliged the US to speak out time and time again. And today, we are announcing specific actions that correspond to our deep concern. The mounting evidence of repression against anyone who questions the Iranian government’s decisions or advocates for transparency or even attempts to defend political prisoners is very troubling,” she said.

This week, the Iranian authorities banned two reformist political parties and shut down two more newspapers. This follows a series of convictions and harsh sentences for a number of political prisoners. Two internationally recognised human rights defenders were sentenced to six-year prison terms.

“Human rights lawyers, bloggers, journalists and activists for women's rights have all been jailed and many have fallen ill due to mistreatment in prison,” she said. — PTI

BRIEFLY

Russia demands lifting of US blockade on Cuba
United Nations: Russia called the commercial, economic, and financial blockade by US against Cuba as clear "anachronism" and demanded it's removal, at the UN meeting. The claim was made by the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, when he spoke at the plenary of the General Assembly of the world organisation. He stated that all members of the international community must act in solidarity and on the basis of shared responsibility. — Prensa Latina

Australian singer Kylie Minogue and Italian designer Roberto Cavalli during the 40th anniversary of Roberto Cavalli’s brand, in Paris, on Wednesday. — AP/PTI

Earth-like planet ‘discovered’
Washington: Astronomers have discovered a planet, orbiting a star some 20 light years away, which they claim is the most Earth-like yet found and so very much likely to be habitable. A team, led by the University of California, spotted the planet, Gliese 581g, which appears to have an atmosphere, a gravity like Earth and could well be capable of life and may contain water as well. The new planet — a rocky world three times the size of Earth, lies in the star's "Goldilocks zone" — the region in space where conditions are neither too hot or too cold for liquid water to form oceans, lakes and rivers. — PTI

Musharraf warns of another coup
London: Pakistan may be on the brink of a military coup, the country’s former military ruler Parvez Musharraf has warned, amidst reports of the powerful army pressing for a shakeup in the nation’s civilian setup. Musharraf, who is striving to stage a political comeback, has also demanded that the military in Pakistan should be given a defined role in the constitution, but not given the power to overthrow governments. — PTI

NZ plane makes emergency landing
WELLINGTON: An Air New Zealand-owned aircraft made an emergency landing at the South Island town of Blenheim on Thursday after its nose wheel failed, the airline said. The Q300 aircraft, operated by Air NZ subsidiary Air Nelson, had 49 passengers and crew on board when it landed at 5.05pm (0405GMT), the airline said. It said there were no injuries and the aircraft, which had been diverted on a flight from Auckland to Nelson due to bad weather, was being inspected by engineers. — AFP