The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Zimbabwe Prez re-elected for 7th term Results denounced by Opposition as ‘stolen’ and criticised by the West Harare, August 4 Robert Mugabe looked today to a seventh term as Zimbabwe's President after winning elections denounced by the Opposition as "stolen" and criticised by Western powers. Mugabe, 89, who has run the country since he helped end white rule in 1980, trounced his long-standing political rival, Morgan Tsvangirai, in Wednesday's election, Zimbabwean election officials said. By the time he completes his new tenure, he will have ruled the former British colony in southern Africa for 38 years. Official results showed Mugabe won 61 per cent of the presidential vote and his party got a super majority in Parliament that will allow it to change the Constitution. He routed Tsvangirai who trailed heavily with 34 per cent. But 61-year-old Tsvangirai, who has unsuccessfully tried to unseat Mugabe three times, condemned the vote as "fraudulent and stolen". The reaction in today press was divisive with state-controlled newspaper ‘The Herald’ proclaiming "President Mugabe romps to victory", while the independent Daily News said "It's a crisis". US Secretary of State John Kerry, meanwhile, described the election as "deeply flawed" and said the US "does not believe that the results ...today represent a credible expression of the will of the Zimbabwean people." British Foreign Secretary William Hague added his own "grave concerns" over the conduct of the vote in the former colony. Today, Australia called for Zimbabwe to go to the polls again. "Given our doubts about the results, Australia calls for a re-run of the elections based on a verified and agreed voters roll," Foreign Minister Bob Carr said in a statement. Tsvangirai vowed to challenge the result in court and said his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) would boycott government institutions. "We will not join the government," he said. "We will go to court." "The fraudulent and stolen election has plunged Zimbabwe into a constitutional, political and economic crisis." With gentler assessments from African observers who nonetheless noted flaws, President Jacob Zuma of powerful neighbour South Africa offered his "profound congratulations" to Mugabe today. "President Zuma urges all political parties in Zimbabwe to accept the outcome of the elections as election observers reported it to be an expression of the will of the people," a Foreign Ministry statement said. — AFP
	India, Iran vow to deepen ties as Rouhani takes charge Tehran, August 4 Iran's new President Hassan Rouhani today pledged to deepen ties with India, hours after he took the oath before a galaxy of world leaders, including Vice-President Hamid Ansari. Ansari, who was earlier India's Ambassador to Iran, called on Rouhani during which the two leaders discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral ties. Reflecting warm bilateral relations, Ansari flew into the Iranian capital by a special plane to represent India at the inauguration of the 64-year-old moderate cleric as Iran's seventh President. He was welcomed by Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Garchy. Ansari also met Ali Larijani, Speaker of the Majlis. India's representation was upgraded after earlier plans for External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid to attend were dropped. Soon after his victory in the June 14 Presidential polls, Rouhani had pledged to expand relations with India calling it his foreign policy priority. He visited India in 2002. India is Iran's second largest oil customer after China and purchases around $1 billion worth of Iranian crude oil every year. Rouhani was a surprise winner in the June 14 elections. The former nuclear negotiator, who has committed himself to greater international engagement for Iran which is battling sanctions over its nuclear programme, was administered the oath in the Parliament by Sadeq Larijani, the head of the country's judicial system. Rouhani was officially endorsed by the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei yesterday for a four-year term. After being sworn in, Rouhani told the Milli Majlis, "Iran is seeking peace and stability in the region. Iran has been a cornerstone for stability in this turbulent region." — PTI
	US army keen to learn from India’s counter-insurgency operations Washington, August 4 Impressed by the Indian Army’s successful counter-terrorism operations, the US Army Chief has proposed joint training between the armies of the two countries. Noting that there is much to learn between the militaries of the two countries, US Army Chief of Staff General Ray Odierno called for joint training to benefit from India's experiences in counter-insurgency in a tough environment and difficult terrain. "We would love to do some joint training in the mountainous environment, because what the Indian Army has learned over the years, we would love to share what we learned about counter-insurgency and compare experiences and see how we can learn from each other and how we can direct that to use in the future, so for me it is something that is important," Odierno told PTI in an interview. Odierno, 58, during a rare trip to India late last month, met his Indian counterpart General Bikram Singh besides holding meetings with Defence Minister A K Antony and visiting the Northern Command headquarters in Udhampur. Highly impressed by the Indian military's successful counter-insurgency operations, he said, the US would like to learn from the Indian experience as to how to fight terrorists in a tough environment and difficult terrain. When asked if the US would like to have joint exercises in Jammu and Kashmir where the terrain is difficult like that of Afghanistan, Odierno said he would like to look at that. Odierno said that this is something that the US may be interested in but still need to take a look at by sending people to train in these types of environments. — PTI
	US reviews threat to its embassies Washington, August 4 Top US officials have met to review the threat of a terrorist attack that led to the weekend closure of 21 US embassies and consulates in the Muslim world and a global travel warning to Americans. President Barack Obama was briefed following the session, the White House said. Obama's national security adviser, Susan Rice, led the meeting yesterday and then joined Lisa Monaco, Obama's assistant for homeland security and counterterrorism, in briefing the President, the White House said in a statement. "The President has received frequent briefings over the last week on all aspects of the potential threat and our preparedness measures," according to the statement. Among those at the meeting yesterday afternoon were the secretaries of state, defence and homeland security and the directors of the FBI, CIA and the National Security Agency, according to the White House. Also attending was Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In an interview on Friday with ABC News, Dempsey said officials had determined there was "a significant threat stream" and that the threat was more specific than previous ones. The "intent is to attack Western, not just US interests," he said. The global travel warning was the first such alert since an announcement before the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The warning comes less than a year since the deadly September attack on a US diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, and with the Obama administration and Congress determined to prevent any similar breach of an American embassy or consulate. The State Department’s warning urged US travellers to take extra precautions overseas. It cited potential dangers involved with public transportation systems and other prime sites for tourists, and noted that previous attacks have centered on subway and rail networks as well as airplanes and boats. Travellers were advised to sign up for State Department alerts and register with US consulates in the countries they visit. — AP
	Efforts to resolve Egypt crisis intensify Cairo, August 4 Intense efforts were under way today to try to resolve Egypt’s political crisis pitting supporters of ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi against the army-backed interim leaders. Army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met Islamist leaders overnight to try to mediate a solution with Mursi supporters who have staged two major sit-ins for more than a month demanding his reinstatement. Sisi "met with several representatives of the Islamist movements... and stressed that there are opportunities for a peaceful solution to the crisis provided all sides reject violence," army spokesperson Colonel Ahmed Aly said. Among those attending the talks with Sisi were influential Salafist clerics Sheikh Mohammed Hassan and Mohammed Abdel Salam, who just days ago was addressing pro-Mursi supporters from the stage at the Rabaa al-Adawiya sit-in. “The Islamists who met Sisi, while not members of the Muslim Brotherhood, have been supporting them at the Rabaa al-Adawiya sit-in. Hopefully, the Brotherhood will listen to what they have to say to find a way out of the crisis,” a source close to the talks said. Sisi's meetings come after days of diplomatic activity that saw visits by US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and an African Union delegation led by former Mali President Alpha Oumar Konare. — AFP
	Rain, floods kill 65 in Pak Afzal Khan in Islamabad Incessant rain, overflowing rivers and mullahs continue to wreak havoc across Pakistan. At least 65 persons have lost their lives during the past three days while hundreds have been rendered homeless. Flash floods in the north have damaged infrastructure, submerged villages and inundated cities and towns. South Punjab, Khyber Pakhtoonkhawa, parts of Balochistan and lowers Sindh are among the worst-affected areas. Rain has also affected life in cities like Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Hyderabad. At least five persons were killed in rain-related incidents across Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur and Jampur districts in southern Punjab on Sunday. Floods have affected around 1 lakh persons on the Punjab-Balochistan border, district officials said. At least 10 tourists were also reported missing in the tribal belt of Rajanpur, they said. Crops were damaged in around two lakh acres of farmland. Road links between towns and villages in southern Punjab have also been snapped. The army is helping the civil authorities in the affected areas.
	NC chief Koirala embarks on 5-day visit to India Kathmandu, August 4 Nepali Congress president Sushil Koirala today left for a five-day visit to India during which he will meet top leadership and discuss Nepal’s ongoing peace process and the Constituent Assembly elections. He is coming at the invitation of the Government of India. The Nepali Congress (NC) leader will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, BJP leader Sushma Swaraj among others, the party sources said. He will hold high-level meetings in New Delhi and discuss issues relating to Nepal’s ongoing peace process, the forthcoming Constituent Assembly elections and Constitution-making process. — PTI

BRIEFLY

Dhoti-clad Indian stopped from travelling in Dubai Metro
Dubai: A 67-year-old Indian visitor was stopped from entering the Dubai Metro, apparently for wearing a traditional Indian dress — dhoti. According to the victim's daughter Madhumati, a policeman stopped them near the punching gates of the Etisalat Metro Station last Saturday and told her father that this dress was not allowed and he could not go on the Metro wearing it. — PTI

Virtual sale: Copies of ‘Newsweek’ magazine in Washington DC. This once-influential US publication, with a print circulation of 3 million, is being sold to the all-digital news publisher IBT Media. But like other print publications, it struggled to cope with digital news and saw its revenue steadily decline. AFP file photo

US support for Oak Creek victims welcomed
Washington: The Sikh community in the US has welcomed the announcement of the Obama administration to provide financial help for those affected by the Oak Creek gurdwara shooting. They also appreciated the decision by the US to initiate a mechanism for tracking of the hate crimes in the US. On Friday, US Attorney General Eric Holder announced a grant of $5,12,000 to the Wisconsin state government to pay for mental health and trauma services for those affected by the shootings, including relatives of victims, witnesses and first responders. — PTI

Prince William takes fatherhood break
London: Prince William took some time off his newly-acquired fatherhood for a charity polo match, his first official engagement since his son George was born last month. The Duke of Cambridge teamed up with brother Prince Harry for the match on Saturday in Berkshire, south-east England, and scored the winning goal for his team. — PTI

Cosmic graveyard of comets discovered
Washington: A cosmic graveyard of comets has been discovered by astronomers in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Researchers, led by Ignacio Ferrin from the University of Anitoquia describe how some of these objects, inactive for millions of years, have returned to life leading them to name the group the 'Lazarus comets'. — PTI

Dinosaur nests with eggshells found
New York: Researchers have discovered rare dinosaur eggshells left abandoned by huge meat-eating animals that roamed a vast floodplain about 150 million years ago in Portugal. Many of the eggshells, which belonged to two Jurassic-Era theropods, or a group of carnivorous dinosaurs, once harboured embryos of Torvosaurus, the largest predator of its day. — PTI