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Top official among 23 dead in blast at Afghan wedding
Over 2 lakh told to evacuate in Japan deluge
A beekeeper tries to save a hive submerged by floodwaters in Kurume on Saturday. — AFP |
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Obama’s ad campaign bill: $100 m
US President Barack Obama leaves the White House in Washington on Saturday for a day of campaigning in Virginia ahead of the November presidential poll. — AFP
Bill making ISI accountable withdrawn from Pak Senate
Pakistan court to reopen graft cases against Sharif’s family
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Top official among 23 dead in blast at Afghan wedding
Kabul, July 14 Ahmad Khan Samangani, an ethnic Uzbek and anti-Soviet guerrilla leader in the 1980s who later became a member of parliament, was welcoming guests to his daughter's wedding when the explosion occurred in Aybak, the capital of Samangan province. President Hamid Karzai said 23 persons were killed and about 60, including government officials, were wounded in the attack, which he condemned and said was "carried out by the enemies of Afghanistan." He ordered a team from Kabul to fly to the northern province to investigate the bombing. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the blast. But in announcing their spring offensive on May 2, the Taliban said they would continue to target those who back the Karzai government and the US-led international military coalition. Karzai needs the minority groups, loosely known as the Northern Alliance, to back his efforts to reconcile with the Taliban. But minorities already worry that Karzai, a Pashtun, will make too many concessions to their Taliban enemies to achieve a peace deal to end the war. Whatever support for peace talks that Karzai has won from minority groups is likely to erode if militants continue to pick off their leaders one by one. It was the most recent in a month-long string of deadly attacks around the country. On June 22, heavily armed Taliban fighters attacked a lakeside hotel north of Kabul and killed 18 people during a 12-hour standoff with security forces. — AP
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Over 2 lakh told to evacuate in Japan deluge
Tokyo, July 14 The Japan Meteorological Agency warned of more landslides and floods on the main southern island of Kyushu as rainfall of up to 11 cm per hour was recorded early today. Evacuation orders had been issued to about 240,000 people in the north of Kyushu where more rivers burst their banks, public broadcaster NHK and Jiji Press news agency reported, compiling figures from various authorities. They were told to go to designated shelters such as schools and other public facilities, while more people were advised to leave their homes. Television footage showed torrents of muddy, debris-strewn water and flooded houses following what officials described as "unprecedented" downpours from a weather front on Thursday. Along the Yamakuni river in Oita prefecture, water was seen reaching the roof of a riverside drive-in restaurant. More than 75 centimetres of rain fell in 72 hours in the inland city of Aso, the meteorological agency said. The death toll remained at 20 overnight and seven missing, with 19 of the fatalities from landslides and house collapses in and near Aso.
— AFP
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Obama’s ad campaign bill: $100 m
Washington, July 14 The US President is chosen from state-by-state contests, rather than a nationwide popular vote. So battleground states which are neither reliably Republican nor Democratic are very important in tight elections, as this year's presidential vote is expected to be. Reflecting campaign strategy, more than one-fifth of the president's ad spending has been in Ohio, a state that looms as a must-win for Romney more so than for Obama. Florida ranks second and Virginia third, according to organizations that track media spending and other sources. About three-quarters of the President's advertising has been critical of Romney as Obama struggles to turn the election into a choice between himself and his rival, rather than a referendum on his own handling of the weak economy.
— AFP
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Bill making ISI accountable withdrawn from Pak Senate Islamabad, July 14 Farhatullah Babar, the spokesman of President Asif Ali Zardari, had submitted the bill to the upper house of Parliament last week. It is believed that the move had the backing of the presidency. The Bill was reportedly withdrawn because Babar did not get it approved by a special committee of the ruling Pakistan People's Party headed by Law Minister Farook H Naek. The Bill could be submitted for consideration in the next session of the Senate, media reports said. Sources said opposition from the powerful security establishment could also have contributed to Babar's decision to withdraw the Bill. The proposed ISI (Functions, Powers and Regulation) Act of 2012 said the spy agency should be answerable to Parliament and the Prime Minister.
— PTI
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Pakistan court to reopen graft cases against Sharif’s family
Pakistan's Nationality Accountability Bureau (NAB) has been requested to reopen alleged cases of money laundering against former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's family. Chairman NAB signed an application requesting the bureau to reopen three references against the Sharif brothers to contest quashment petitions, which was filed by the Sharifs in the Lahore High Court in October 2011.
The decision was taken on the recommendation of a special committee constituted by the Chairman NAB Admiral Fasih Bokhari (retd) under the supervision of NAB Prosecutor General Accountability (PGA. According a press release issued by NAB headquarters, the cases include 'Hudaibia Paper Mills, Assets beyond known sources of income and Ittefaq Foundry (willful loan default).' The proceedings on cases against Sharif brothers were adjourned by the Accountability Court in 2001 when they were in exile.
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Almost a quarter of a million people were ordered to leave their homes in southwest Japan today as heavy rain pounded the area for the third day, with 20 already dead, officials and reports said.
The Japan Meteorological Agency warned of more landslides and floods on the main southern island of Kyushu as rainfall of up to 11 cm per hour was recorded early today.
Washington, July 14
