|
|
|
|
|
Prez Obama unites hope with realism in pitch for re-election
67 killed, 731 injured in China quakes
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
US designates Haqqanis as terrorists New York, September 7 The US today designated Pakistan-based dreaded Haqqani network as a terrorist group, a move that could degrade the organisation's ability to execute violent attacks and pressurise Islamabad to act militarily against the outfit. The move could further damage the already frail bilateral ties between the US and Pakistan.
Pak blasphemy case: Christian girl granted bail
Harry back in Afghanistan
Christian girl granted bail
|
|
Prez Obama unites hope with realism in pitch for re-election
US President Barack Obama on Thursday accepted the Democratic Party's nomination for a second term in office telling Americans that when they pick up the ballot to vote in November they will "face the clearest choice of any time in a generation." "On every issue, the choice you face won't be just between two candidates or two parties. It will be a choice between two different paths for America. A choice between two fundamentally different visions for the future," Obama said in his address at the final day of the Democratic Party's national convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. "Over the next few years, big decisions will be made in Washington, on jobs and the economy; taxes and deficits; energy and education; war and peace - decisions that will have a huge impact on our lives and our children's lives for decades to come," he added. Four years earlier, Obama took office with a promise of hope and change. On Thursday night, he told his audience that the change he promised would not come overnight. "I won't pretend the path I'm offering is quick or easy; I never have," he said. "You didn't elect me to tell you what you wanted to hear. You elected me to tell you the truth. And the truth is, it will take more than a few years for us to solve challenges that have built up over decades." Obama delivered punchy one-liners, including when he pointed out that what had changed in the past four years, is, "I'm no longer just a candidate. I'm the President." Obama drew a stark distinction between himself and his Republican Party challenger, Mitt Romney. Unlike most other Democratic presidents, Obama receives high marks from Americans for his handling of national security and foreign policy. He sought to use that to his advantage in his acceptance speech. "My opponent and his running mate are new to foreign policy, but from all that we've seen and heard, they want to take us back to an era of blustering and blundering that cost America so dearly," Obama said. "After all, you don't call Russia our number one enemy - and not Al-Qaida - unless you're still stuck in a Cold War time warp. You might not be ready for diplomacy with Beijing if you can't visit the Olympics without insulting our closest ally." The comment on the Olympics was in reference to Romney's remarks while in London in July questioning Britain's preparedness for the Games. "My opponent said it was 'tragic' to end the war in Iraq, and he won't tell us how he'll end the war in Afghanistan. I have, and I will," Obama said. John Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat who was his party's presidential nominee in 2004, touched on a similar theme when he reprised the President's national security record. "Ask Osama bin Laden if he is better off now than he was four years ago," Kerry said to applause. Vice-President Joe Biden took a swipe at Romney's position on outsourcing noting that he had promised to take a jobs tour. "Well, with his support for outsourcing, it's going to have to be a foreign trip," Biden said. Romney's camp responded sharply to Obama's speech. "Tonight President Obama laid out the choice in this election, making the case for more of the same policies that haven't worked for the past four years," the Republican campaign said in a statement after the speech. "He offered more promises, but he hasn't kept the promises he made four years ago."
|
||
|
67 killed, 731 injured in China quakes Beijing, September 7 The 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit the border area of Yiliang county in Yunnan province and Weining county in the neighbouring Guizhou province at 11:19 am local time, according to China Earthquake Networks Centre (CENC). The epicentre of the quake was traced at Luozehe town, about 33 km away from the city centre of Zhaotong. Its depth was about 14 km. The death toll may rise further as rescuers are yet to reach some of the quake-hit villages blocked off by landslides and falling rocks, officials with Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province said. Power and communications were cut-off in the worst-hit areas. It was followed by more than 60 tremors, with four above 4.0 on the Richter scale. The quake has disrupted the lives of over 700,000 people in Yiliang and Daguan counties as well as Zhaoyang District, which are all under the administration of Zhaotong, the city's civil affairs bureau reported. — PTI
|
||
|
US designates Haqqanis as terrorists New York, September 7 US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton formally designated the militant network as terrorist organisation in a report to the Congress today. Announcing the decision, Hillary said, "I have sent a report to Congress saying that the Haqqani Network meets the statutory criteria of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) for designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO)." "Based on that assessment, I notified Congress of my intent to designate the Haqqani Network as an FTO under the INA. I also intend to designate the organisation as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity." She and other administration officials "had already discussed the issue with their counterparts in Pakistan, and the administration's special envoy, Marc Grossman, is expected to formally inform Pakistan's leaders on Friday," the New York Times said in a report. State Department officials would also begin notifying senior lawmakers. Hillary said the consequences of these designations include a prohibition against knowingly providing material support or resources to, or engaging in other transactions with, the Haqqani Network, and the freezing of all property and interests in property of the organisation that are in the US. "We also continue our robust campaign of diplomatic, military, and intelligence pressure on the network, demonstrating the United States' resolve to degrade the organisation's ability to execute violent attacks," Clinton said. — PTI
|
||
|
Pak blasphemy case: Christian girl granted bail Islamabad, September 7 Judge Muhammad Azam Khan of the Additional District and Sessions Court ordered the release of Rimsha Masih against two bail bonds of Rs 5 lakh each. "I accept her bail application," Khan said in a packed courtroom. The order came following a two-and-a-half-hour hearing on Rimsha's bail petition, which was marked by noisy arguments between lawyers of both sides. A large number of activists of civil society groups, including the NGO Avaaz, gathered at the court to express solidarity with Rimsha. The case, which prompted concern from the West and the Vatican, also focussed attention once again on Pakistan's harsh blasphemy law, under which a person can be punished with life in prison or death. The lawyer of the man who had accused Rimsha of burning pages of the Quran said her counsel had not submitted key documents in court. On the other hand, the police officer investigating the case told the judge that several witnesses had testified before a magistrate that she was falsely implicated due to evidence planted by Khalid Chishti, the imam of the mosque in the low-income Mehria Jaffar neighbourhood of Islamabad. Chishti was arrested last week after a man testified that he had seen the cleric stuffing pages of the Quran in a bag belonging to Rimsha. The bag originally contained only some other papers and ashes. — PTI
|
||
|
Harry back in Afghanistan
London, September 7 Harry, known as Captain Wales in the British military, arrived at Camp Bastion in Helmand province, four-year after he had to cut short his previous deployment in the troubled nation. In 2008, Harry had to leave Afghanistan after a news blackout surrounding his deployment was broken. Harry will be working as part of the Joint Aviation Group which provides helicopter support to the ISAF and Afghan forces operating throughout Regional Command (South West). — PTI
|
|
Christian girl granted bail
Islamabad, September 7 Judge Muhammad Azam Khan of the Additional District and Sessions Court ordered the release of Rimsha Masih against two bail bonds of Rs 5 lakh each. "I accept her bail application," Khan said in a packed courtroom. The order came following a two-and-a-half-hour hearing on Rimsha's bail petition, which was marked by noisy arguments between lawyers of both sides. A large number of activists of civil society groups, including the NGO Avaaz, gathered at the court to express solidarity with Rimsha. The case, which prompted concern from the West and the Vatican, also focussed attention once again on Pakistan's harsh blasphemy law, under which a person can be punished with life in prison or death. The lawyer of the man who had accused Rimsha of burning pages of the Quran said her counsel had not submitted key documents in court. — PTI
|
||
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
Islamabad, September 7
