W O R L D

Vital to distinguish between Qaida & Taliban: Gilani
Islamabad, June 10
Pakistan and the US have resolved to ensure that the Al-Qaida is "dismantled, disrupted and defeated", though Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani wants a distinction to be made between the Taliban and the Al-Qaida.

Yousuf Raza Gilani

Panetta says terror havens in Pakistan must be uprooted
Washington, June 10
Leon Panetta, the man to take over as America’s next Defence Secretary, has said the war against terrorism in Afghanistan can only be won if the terrorist-safe heavens are uprooted inside Pakistan.

Canada allows 10-year multiple entry visa to Indians
Toronto, June 10
To boost Indo-Canada trade relations, Toronto has announced a new visa regime that will allow Indians 10-year multiple entry visa to the country.

Warplanes strike militants in Yemen

Sanaa (Yemen), June 10 Government warplanes and artillery struck Islamic militants who seized a town in southern Yemen, where extremists suspected of links to Al-Qaida have begun operating openly, training with weapons and controlling roads, emboldened by the country’s political turmoil. Supporters of Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh ride a van on way to attend a rally in Sanaa on Friday. Loyalists celebrated after reports of his return to Yemen. — Reuters

MF Hussain laid to rest in UK
London, June 10
The body of India's most acclaimed painter MF Hussain was today laid to rest according to Muslim religious rites at Brookwood cemetery in the UK, honouring his last wishes. Hussain (95) died of lung congestion at the Royal Brompton hospital yesterday.

MF Hussain

Vital to distinguish between Qaida & Taliban: Gilani

Islamabad, June 10
Pakistan and the US have resolved to ensure that the Al-Qaida is "dismantled, disrupted and defeated", though Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani wants a distinction to be made between the Taliban and the Al-Qaida.

The matter figured in a telephonic conversation late last night between Gilani and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, an official statement said.

The two leaders held extensive discussions on the Pakistan-US relations after Clinton called the PM.

“Both the leaders expressed determination that the Al-Qaida had to be dismantled, disrupted and defeated, for which both countries should work together,” the statement said.

Gilani said it is “imperative to make a distinction between the Taliban and the Al-Qaida, which would help to overcome the threat”.

Gilani and Clinton also expressed satisfaction over the establishment of a Joint Task Force between the intelligence agencies of the two countries to facilitate information-sharing and coordination.

Clinton said the CIA chief will shortly visit Pakistan and “hold talks for cooperation in relevant fields”.

This was Clinton's second telephonic conversation with Gilani since June 6 and she “appreciated Pakistan's commitment to eradicate terrorism” and assured the country of complete US support, the statement said.

Clinton further said that US Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Thomas Nides, who is in-charge of foreign economic assistance, will visit Pakistan during June 14-15 to hold detailed discussions on economic matters.

Nides will call on President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani and meet Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh. — PTI

Panetta says terror havens in Pakistan must be uprooted

Washington, June 10
Leon Panetta, the man to take over as America’s next Defence Secretary, has said the war against terrorism in Afghanistan can only be won if the terrorist-safe heavens are uprooted inside Pakistan.

“We can only win in Afghanistan if we can win in Pakistan by reducing those safe havens. The two go hand in hand,” Panetta told US lawmakers at his confirmation hearing.

Acknowledging that there is a level of distrust between the US and Pakistan, the CIA chief said, “We have to continually work at that. We have to work at developing a relationship of trust with the Pakistanis. I do not know that we are totally there yet.”

“But there are a number of areas where, frankly, we do not have that level of trust or communication capability. It is in the interests of both countries to have a trusting relationship, because terrorism is an enemy not just for the United States, it is an enemy for Pakistan,” he said.

The CIA Director reiterated that at this point of time, there was no intelligence to indicate that the top Pakistani leadership has had information about Osama bin Laden.

“But I do believe that Pakistanis are conducting several investigations at different levels to try to investigate what took place and it is important to see what the results of those investigations are,” he said.

Panetta said, “There is no question that the death of Osama bin Laden has impacted on Al-Qaida.”

“He was the spiritual leader of Al-Qaida, but they still remain dangerous. One of the concerns is that we do have to pay attention to these nodes that are developing where Al-Qaida has moved some of its operations, places like Yemen, Somalia, North Africa,” he said. — PTI

Canada allows 10-year multiple entry visa to Indians

Toronto, June 10
To boost Indo-Canada trade relations, Toronto has announced a new visa regime that will allow Indians 10-year multiple entry visa to the country.

Canadian Minister of International Trade Edward Fast announced this today at a meeting with delegates of the Indian government and business community at the two-day mini Parvasi Bharatiya Divas Canada 2011 convention that began here today.

Fast said the new visa process would be available to Indians who traveled to Canada frequently.

“After an initial visa screening, applicants can get a visa that allow them to visit Canada often as long as their passports are valid up to ten years,” Fast said.

Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur, who is leading the Indian delegation said both countries were committed to strengthen trade relations.

“The Indo-Canadian community is a microcosm of the people of Indian origin living abroad,” she said.

“India and Canada will soon sign the Social Security Agreement, conclude a bilateral Investment Protection Agreement, negotiate a revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement and complete an ambitious Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement,” she said, adding both nations aim at a bilateral trade target of $15 billion in five years.

Both countries were in talks for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement that would yield significant economic benefit and lower tariff on a large number of products for both the countries.

Indian High Commissioner S M Gavai said the new 10-year multiple entry visa would help meet the longstanding demand of Indians businesses and others who would like to come Canada frequently.

“2011 is a special year for India-Canada relations. It was in November 2009 in New Delhi that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that 2011 would be celebrated as Year of India in Canada,” Gavai said. — PTI

Warplanes strike militants in Yemen

Sanaa (Yemen), June 10
Government warplanes and artillery struck Islamic militants who seized a town in southern Yemen, where extremists suspected of links to Al-Qaida have begun operating openly, training with weapons and controlling roads, emboldened by the country’s political turmoil.

The US fears that the impoverished country’s power vacuum will give even freer rein to Al-Qaida’s branch in Yemen - already the terror network’s most active franchise.

Yemen’s crisis has deepened further since Saleh was critically wounded in a June 3 attack on his compound and flown to neighbouring Saudi Arabia for urgent medical treatment.

US officials say the 69-year-old Saleh suffered burns over 40 per cent of his body. Yemeni troops have struggled to retake the areas in the south.

Today, warplanes hit militant positions north of Jaar, witnesses and security officials said. They said there were casualties but the number was not known. The night before, troops shelled other militant positions near the town with artillery, killing at least six militants, according to medical officials. — AP

‘Plot to oust Blair as PM during London blasts’

London, June 10
In a sordid tale of political intrigue, secret documents reveal that a group close to former chancellor Gordon Brown plotted to oust Tony Blair as the Prime Minister in 2005 at a time when the government was grappling with the London tube blasts.

The rivalry between Blair and Brown was an open secret, but this is the first time the intensity of their tussle for power has emerged on record.

The revelations are particularly damaging because the intrigues continued even as efforts were on to deal with the London blasts.

The Daily Telegraph obtained over 30 memos belonging to Ed Balls, who was the education secretary then and one of Brown’s closest advisers.

It ran the story under the headline “Revealed: Ed Balls and the 'brutal' plot to topple Blair”.

Blair stepped down as PM and Brown took over in June 2007. Publishing the secret memos today, the newspaper also names current Labour leader Ed Miliband and shadow Foreign Secretary Douglas Alexander as being involved in “Project Volvo”, which was supposedly an attempt by his allies to re-brand Brown in his bid to take over as the Prime Minister.

The documents reportedly disappeared from Ball’s Department for Education during the 2010 general election. The cabinet office is looking into whether there were any “breaches of document security within the government”. The documents disclose details of secret meetings, opinion polls on Blair's policies and attempts to re-brand Brown’s image. They also show Brown’s supporters met on 21 July, 2005, the day of attempted terrorist attacks on London.

In one document, Brown asks Blair to agree to certain commitments, including: “I will make it clear at the 2006 conference it was my last; call for an immediate leadership election to be resolved by December.”

“I accept that decisions about the party’s future beyond 2007 and all public spending decisions after 2007 -08 are for you [Mr Brown] to resolve.” Another handwritten note from Brown appears to be a political wish list, including the phrases “control of party appointments” and “public expression of sharing power + management of transition”.

In February 2006, in response to Brown’s handover requests, Blair wrote to his chancellor: “The division at the top is killing us.” — PTI

MF Hussain laid to rest in UK

London, June 10
The body of India's most acclaimed painter MF Hussain was today laid to rest according to Muslim religious rites at Brookwood cemetery in the UK, honouring his last wishes. Hussain (95) died of lung congestion at the Royal Brompton hospital yesterday.

Earlier, the Namaza-e-janaza was performed at Idara-e-Jaaferiya, a funeral Parlour at Tooting, to facilitate public to pay homage to the renowned painter.

His four sons, Shafad, Shamshad, Mustafa and Owais, and two daughters, Aqeela and Raisa, were also present at the burial ground.

Over 50 persons were present to pay respect to the artist, including Lord Ghulam Noon, leading NRI and chairman of Noon Products.

Indian High Commissioner Nalin Suri, leading NRI industrialist Lakshmi Mittal, vice-chairman of the Hinduja Group GP Hinduja, leading hotelier and chairman of the Bhartiya Bidya Bhawan, UK, Joginder Sangar and Minister Coordination in the Indian High Commission Asif Ibrahim were present on the occasion.

Hussain had expressed a wish to be buried wherever he breathed his last.

The burial was delayed for an hour because the coffin was too big and a new grave had to be dug. Hussain also wanted to be buried under the shade of a tree, family sources said.

India's biggest grosser as a painter with his works fetching astronomical sums in auctions in London and New York, Hussain turned away from India in 2006 following a series of legal cases and death threats over his depiction of Hindu goddesses in nude.

He accepted Qatar citizenship in 2010 after surrendering his Indian passport.

Hussain started his career as a painter of Bollywood posters in the 1920s and later went on to achieve iconic status. — PTI