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Zardari graft: Govt submits draft of Swiss letter to SC
Lanka shuts down largest
war-time refugee camp
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Obama invokes Gandhi, says film no excuse for ‘attack’ on US
Avoid unauthorised intervention in internal affairs, says India
Hillary, Zardari discuss Indo-Pak trade ties, anti-US protests
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Zardari graft: Govt submits draft of Swiss letter to SC
Under intense pressure to re-open graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari, the Pakistan Government on Tuesday submitted before the Supreme Court the draft of a letter to be sent to Swiss authorities over the issue. The apex court, hearing a contempt case against Premier Raja Pervez Ashraf over reopening of graft cases against Zardari, adjourned the matter for a day after the government sought time to make changes to the draft. The government' s willingness to submit to Supreme Court' s direction for writing the requisites letter without any direct mention of President Asif Zardari's name opens the way to resolve a protracted standoff between the government and the apex court that has caused political and economic instability In the country for last over two years. As the hearing began on Tuesday, Law Minister Farooq Naek presented to the court the draft of the letter to be sent to Swiss authorities for revoking a previous letter sent in 2007 to close the graft cases against Zardari. After going through the draft letter, a five-judge bench headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa raised some technical objections. The judges called Naek into their chambers during a break to discuss the contents of the letter. When the bench re-assembled, it adjourned the hearing till Wednesday at Naek's request so that he could "address certain issues which have cropped up." The bench objected to an incomplete reference in the draft letter to the 2007 letter that had called for closing of the cases against Zardari. Justice Khosa said it would be better if the draft letter includes a complete reference to the letter written by former Attorney General Malik Qayyum in 2007. At the last hearing on September 18, Prime Minister Ashraf had told the court that his government would send a letter to Swiss authorities to revoke the official letter sent in 2007 for closing the graft cases. (With inputs from PTI) Under court scanner
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Lanka shuts down largest war-time refugee camp Colombo, September 25 With the resettlement of the last group of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in the Northern region's Mullaitivu district, the Menik Farm in Vavuniya would be closed today, a top military official said yesterday. "A total of 1,186 people from 361 families, the last of a group of more than 300,000 displaced during the war in the north, will leave the Vavuniya Manik Farm to their original places of residence in the Mullaitivu district," Security Forces Commander Boniface Perera, who is the Competent Authority for IDPs in the northern region told Daily Mirror. "There will be no more IDPs in the country from today." Welcoming the move, the UN's refugee agency said, "This is a milestone event towards ending a chapter of displacement in Sri Lanka some three years after the civil war which ended in May 2009." — PTI
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Obama invokes Gandhi, says film no excuse for ‘attack’ on US
United Nations, September 25 Obama took the stage at the UN General Assembly hall to address world leaders in what is his last international speech before the November 6 presidential elections. “The attacks on our civilians in Benghazi were attacks on America. There should be no doubt that we will be relentless in tracking down the killers and bringing them to justice,” said Obama, the second speaker of the general debate. He began his address by remembering the memory of Christopher Stevens, the American ambassador who “helped the Libyan people as they coped with violent conflict, cared for the wounded, and crafted a vision for a future in which the rights of all Libyans would be who respected.” He said over the last two weeks, “a crude and disgusting video” has sparked outrage throughout the Muslim world. “I have made it clear that the United States government had nothing to do with this video, and I believe its message must be rejected by all who respect our common humanity,” the president said. — PTI
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Avoid unauthorised intervention in internal affairs, says India
United Nations, September 25 “We believe in the peaceful handling of any conflict situation in accordance with legal principles by avoiding any unauthorized intervention in a State’s internal affairs,” India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Hardeep Singh Puri said. Puri, speaking at a UN high-level meeting on the ‘Rule of Law at the National and International levels’ during the 67th session of the General Assembly here, said peaceful settlement of disputes is the key factor in maintenance of international peace and security and in the promotion of rule of law. “We believe that the rule of law is essential for and central to all,” he said, adding the law making activity at the national level is exclusively the domain of the national legislature. — PTI
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Hillary, Zardari discuss Indo-Pak trade ties, anti-US protests
New York, September 25 Zardari brought up the issue of the anti-Islam movie with Clinton and the two leaders “spent quite a bit of time talking about the violence throughout the region,” that has resulted in the aftermath of the movie, a State Department official told reporters after the meeting yesterday. Clinton reiterated that those who provoke violence cannot be tolerated and it undermines the sovereignty of states. Over 20 persons were killed across Pakistan in violent protests against the film deemed offensive to Islam. The Pakistani side also stressed that there was “zero tolerance” for both violence and extremism. Zardari was accompanied by Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar. The two leaders also discussed the “growing trade relationship between Pakistan and India even as noted in the recent visit... (and) discussion of the Commerce Secretaries (of the two countries),” the official added. Last week, Indian Commerce Secretary SR Rao was in Islamabad for the 7th round of talks on Commercial and Economic Co-Operation with his Pakistani counterpart Munir Qureshi. The two countries signed three agreements for cooperation in customs matters, redressal of trade grievances and conforming to quality standards to further normalise economic relations between the two countries. The two leaders also talked about continued counter-terrorism cooperation, including efforts by the US to squeeze the Haqqani Network, which was recently designated as a foreign terrorist organisation. — PTI
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China gets first aircraft carrier amid tensions with Japan Beijing, September 25 The 60,000-tonne carrier, a former Soviet ship brought from Ukraine and is named 'Liaoning', after a Chinese province liberated from Japanese occupation in 1945, in what can be seen as another symbolic warning to Tokyo. China's ties with Japan have plunged over an escalating diplomatic row over disputed islands in the East China Sea, and the country remains embroiled in a number of disputes with countries like the Philippines and Vietnam in the resource-rich South China Sea. The 300-metre carrier would raise the overall operational strength of the Chinese navy and help China to effectively protect national sovereignty, security and development interests, the defence ministry said in a statement. The carrier is capable of accommodating 33 fixed wing aircraft. China says it is an experimental carrier and plans to construct three more. According to earlier reports China will be deploying J-15 fighters, stated to be a home made variant of Russia's Su-33 to operate from the carrier. The carrier, formerly known as the Soviet ship Varyag, underwent about seven years of refitting efforts to install engines, weapons, as well as a year-long sea trial.
— PTI
Japan, Taiwan fire water cannons
near Tokyo-controlled islands
Tokyo: Coastguard vessels from Japan and Taiwan duelled water cannons on Tuesday after dozens of Taiwanese boats escorted by patrol ships sailed into waters around Tokyo-controlled islands. Japanese coastguard ships sprayed water at the fishing vessels, footage on national broadcaster NHK showed, with the Taiwanese patrol boats directing their own high-pressure hoses at the Japanese ships.
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TV presenter praises UK deputy PM Clegg’s ‘attractive’ wife
London: Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg was clearly flustered and later blushed when he was told on live television by an admiring presenter that he had a "very attractive wife", and congratulated him for his "long lasting wedding". Clegg, who was in Brighton with his Spanish wife for the annual conference of his party, Liberal Democrats, was on air discussing his party's policies on Sky News, when presenter Eamonn Holmes concluded by congratulating Clegg on his 12th wedding anniversary. — PTI 13 killed in Karachi violence Karachi: A fresh bout of target killings hit Pakistan's biggest city again, leaving 13 persons, including four brothers dead over the last 24 hours. The four brothers who were said to be workers of a religious party, Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat, were gunned down in their car at a roundabout in the New Karachi area. — PTI
This helmet sends SOS after crash! London: The brainchild of an India-born chef for top cyclists, a new 'life saver' bike helmet that connects with your phone and alerts emergency services in case of an accident is set to hit the markets soon. The potentially life saving smartphone app, which can detect a crash and then alert the emergency services, has been designed for bike riders. — PTI
Satyajit Ray’s statue unveilled in Oz Melbourne: A statue of Indian cinema legend Satyajit Ray was unveiled in the Australian city of Melbourne honouring him for his outstanding contribution to the field of cinema. The statue was unveiled by award-winning Australian film director Paul Cox in the presence of Indian Consul General SK Behera on Monday at the Australia India Institute building. — PTI
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Under intense pressure to re-open graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari, the Pakistan Government on Tuesday submitted before the Supreme Court the draft of a letter to be sent to Swiss authorities over the issue.
Sri Lanka today shut down Menik Farm, one of the largest refugee camps in the world which once housed 300,000 Tamils displaced.
President Barack Obama today invoked the words of Mahatma Gandhi in his address to the UN General Assembly here as he remembered US envoy to Libya who was killed in violent protests that erupted in the aftermath of an anti-Islam film, saying the “crude and disgusting” video was no excuse for an “attack on America”.
The improving trade ties between Pakistan and India, terrorism and violent anti-US protests were among a host of issues that President Asif Ali Zardari discussed with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton when they met here on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session.
