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World Bank warns US of financial crisis
Fresh trouble for Musharraf; treason probe to be expedited
Iran rejects US demand to ship out N-stock
52 killed in Peru bus crash
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2 Indians charged in Oz phone app
sex-trap case
German firm set to supply sonar systems for Navy
Gaza ‘terror’ tunnel found in Israel
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World Bank warns US of financial crisis
"We are now five days away from a very dangerous moment," Kim said on Saturday referring to the looming October 17 deadline when the US Treasury says it would hit the country's $16.7 trillion borrowing limit and run out of cash to pay its bills. Urging US policymakers to quickly come to a resolution before they reach the debt ceiling deadline, he said "the closer we get to the deadline, the greater the impact will be for the developing world." "Inaction could result in interest rates rising, confidence falling, and growth slowing," he said at the close of the annual World Bank-International Monetary Fund annual meetings here. "If this comes to pass, it could be a disastrous event for the developing world, and that in turn will greatly hurt the developed economies as well," he said, urging "US policymakers to avert this potential crisis." Meanwhile, as the government shutdown headed into its 13th day, House Republicans said that their negotiations with Obama have stalled with the White House rejecting their latest proposal to raise the debt limit for a short term in return for talks on the budget. Obama has said he doesn't want to begin long-term budget negotiations with congressional Republicans until the debt limit is raised and the government is re-opened, something the House Republicans have not agreed to so far. After a House Republican Conference Saturday to mull the path forward, the 2012 Republican vice-presidential candidate the House Budget Committee chairman. Paul Ryan, said there was "no deal as far as we're concerned." The breakdown of talks dashed hopes of an early resolution of the crisis after two days of back and forth talks between the two sides amid signs of a thaw. Meanwhile, in the Senate, Republicans blocked on a 53-45 vote a Democratic proposal that aimed to lift the debt ceiling through the end of 2014 without any spending offsets. The White House condemned Republicans' rejection with press secretary Jay Carney saying, "It is unfortunate that the common sense, clean debt limit increase proposed by Senate Democrats was refused a yes or no vote today."
— IANS Shutdown debate moves to Senate Washington: A breakthrough on how to end the US shutdown remained elusive as negotiations to raise the debt limit and avert a catastrophic default have now shifted to the Senate after talks between House Republicans and the White House collapsed. The Senate will hold a rare Sunday session as politicians debate how to reopen the shuttered government and avoid a calamitous failure to pay the country's debt obligations. Democrats and Republicans in the Senate held direct talks for the first time in weeks on Saturday. — PTI
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Fresh trouble for Musharraf; treason probe to be expedited
Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan told newsmen here that Musharraf's name was on Exit Control List (ECL) and it would not be removed till the court delivers a contrary decision. Musharraf is currently seeking a bail in Lal Masjid operation case after being granted bail in three other cases and his lawyer has said he was cleared to leave the country. Assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, death of Baloch nationalist leader Nawab Akbar Bugti and detention of deposed Supreme Court judges were the other three major cases registered against the former military ruler. Media comments, however, criticized the government of preparing weak cases against Musharraf instead of holding him responsible for twice subverting the constitution and initiating treason cases which entail death sentence. Commenting on rejection by Islamabad High Court of a request to place Musharraf's name on ECL, the minister pointed out that the court had clarified that authority in this context rests with the interior ministry. Nisar quashed speculations that the former military dictator may be allowed to escape from the country under external pressure. Democracy to thrive: Sharif
Islamabad: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said the will of the Pakistani people will never be overruled again and democracy is the country's future, referring to a military coup that overthrew his government 14 years ago. On October 12, 1999, the then army chief General Pervez Musharraf overthrew Sharif's democratically elected government in a military coup. “We have an elected parliament, an independent judiciary and vibrant media to guard the freedom and liberties of the people of Pakistan as enshrined in the Constitution,” Sharif said. “Insha Allah (God willing) we the chosen representatives of people, will strive hard to strengthen democracy, and to establish rule of law," he said.
— PTI
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Iran rejects US demand to ship out N-stock
Dubai, October 13 Talks about Iran's nuclear programme, due to start in Geneva on Tuesday, will be the first since the election of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who has tried to improve relations with the West to pave a way for lifting economic sanctions. Rouhani's election in June to succeed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has raised hopes of a negotiated solution to a decade-old dispute over Iran's nuclear programme that could otherwise trigger a new war in the volatile Middle East. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi's comments on Sunday may disappoint Western officials, who want Iran to ship out uranium enriched to a fissile concentration of 20 percent, a short technical step away from weapons-grade material. However, Araqchi, who will join the talks in Switzerland, was less hardline about other areas of uranium enrichment, which Tehran says is for peaceful nuclear fuel purposes but the West fears may be aimed at developing nuclear weapons capability. "Of course we will negotiate regarding the form, amount, and various levels of (uranium) enrichment, but the shipping of materials out of the country is our red line," he said.
— Reuters
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52 killed in Peru bus crash
Lima, October 13 The accident occurred last night as the red-and-yellow cargo truck made its way back from a party in the provincial capital of Santa Teresa. It fell about 200 metres into the chasm. Rescuers equipped with little more than flashlights spent the night searching the ravine for survivors amid the twisted steel and large boulders. Authorities said bodies were found as far as 100 metres away from the impact site. There were no survivors. Authorities haven't determined the cause of the accident, and firefighter Capt. David Taboada told the AP that the truck was returning from a party celebrating Santa Teresa's founding.
— AP
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2 Indians charged in Oz phone app sex-trap case
Melbourne, October 13 Co-defendant Randhir Singh, 20, was charged with abduction, two acts of indecency without consent, two counts of sexual intercourse without consent and unlawfully detaining the woman. Now police are warning mobile phone users to take care with social networking applications after the incident, 'The Canberra Times reported. Detective Senior Constable Peter Maguire told the ACT Magistrates Court yesterday that the woman accepted a friend request on September 25 on Tango chat from a man who purported to be 24 years old through the mobile application. Detective Senior Constable Maguire said police were still investigating who wrote the messages but suspect they became sexual in nature after the woman agreed to meet the man at Kippax Fair shopping centre on September 26. When the woman arrived at Kippax she saw three Indian men in a car but did not go to greet them. One of the men, Randhir Singh, allegedly got out of the car and approached the woman inside the shopping centre. When she refused to go with him he allegedly told the woman he knew she was married and would show the messages to her husband. He is also alleged to have correctly identified the high school her child attended and made a threat about the child's safety and welfare. On the drive from Kippax to Belconnen she was allegedly sexually assaulted.
— PTI
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German firm set to supply sonar systems for Navy
Bremen (Germany), October 13 The Active Towed Away Sonars (ACTAS) are intended to be mounted on six Indian Navy warships. These low frequency sonars with active as well as passive operating system would help surface vessels locate enemy submarines, torpedoes and surface ships from a very long range and launch attacks, company officials said here. "The formalities are almost over and we should be signing a contract soon," the officials said refusing to be identified as the agreement is still being finalised. The company with over 100 years of experience in maritime technologies is expected to build more ACTAS systems later in India in partnership with Bharat Electronics under Transfer of Technology clause. ACTAS is designed to operate in deep as well as shallow waters and allows variable depth operations. While the country's western coast line is shallow, the sea off its eastern coast line is much deeper. The Navy has been exploring various possibilities to build up its capabilities which have suffered a setback due to the sinking of a Russian Kilo class submarine off the Mumbai coast in August. "The fitting of surface ships with these sonars will considerably augment the Anti-Submarine Warfare capability in these assets. As India's fleet of submarines is barely modest and it will take many years before their numbers see any increase, fitting warships with latest ASW is the next best thing to do," sources said. ACTAS is the biggest sonar on surface ship and its low frequency programme could detect enemy warships and submarines from a long range. Company sources said it has a special technological edge in detecting torpedoes and its "automatic torpedo warning" works continuously in the background and automatically generates alerts. Atlas is already engaged in upgrading over 64 SUT torpedoes, which can be used from all Western platforms, in a deal close to 60 million Euros. It is also in the process of modernising the four Shishumar class submarines, bought from another German firm HDW, and while two of them have already undergone the upgrade, two others are under the process. The Navy has presently 14 submarines and for all practical purposes not more than eight are in operation mode at one time. While 10 of them are Russian, others were supplied by HDW.
— PTI
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Gaza ‘terror’ tunnel found in Israel Jerusalem, October 13 “The discovery of the tunnel prevented attempts to harm Israeli civilians who live close to the border and military forces in the area," Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon said. — PTI
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30 dead, over 160 missing as boat sinks in Mali Colombian Guv held on murder charges
Migrants shot at on leaving Libya China braces for typhoon Nari Attacks across Iraq kill 36 
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Washington, October 13
The Pakistan government has directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to accelerate probe into treason case against former military ruler General Pervez Musharraf (retd) and present the report at the earliest.
