Afzal Khan in Islamabad
The special court conducting Pervez Musharraf’s treason trial on Thursday ordered that a medical board be constituted to review the former President’s health after he failed to appear before it on health grounds.

The court ordered this after a letter from Musharraf’s US-based doctor was presented before the court. The letter stated that the former President should be immediately sent abroad for medical treatment. The three-member Bench stated that the medical board of senior doctors from the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC) should inform the court on how serious Musharraf’s condition was, if he needed to undergo surgery and how long should he remain in hospital.

The medical board has been told to send its response to the court on January 24.

Dr Arjumand Hashmi, a US-based doctor who has treated Musharraf in the past, has recommended that the former military ruler should be immediately sent to his hospital in Texas, US, for treatment. He has expressed concern over the condition of his heart.

Hashmi made this recommendation in a letter to Musharraf’s lawyers. His assessment was based on the medical reports of the former President.

Anwar Mansoor, who is representing Musharraf in the treason case, presented this letter before the special court. The letter was written on January 9. Musharraf was ordered to appear before the special court in the treason case on Thursday. The former President faces treason charges under Article 6 for suspending, subverting and abrogating the Constitution, imposing Emergency in the country in November 2007 and detaining judges of the superior courts.

On January 2, the 70-year-old had to be rushed to the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology in Rawalpindi after his health deteriorated when he was being transported under heavy guard to the special court.

Washington, January 16
The US Air Force nuclear command has been rocked by the worst cheating scandal in a proficiency exam involving 34 officers at the inter-continental missile launch of the Global Strike Command, the Pentagon has said.

Said to be the largest incident of its kind, the Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said it emerged during an investigation into alleged illegal drug possession. The nuclear arsenal, however, remains secure, he said.

James said the officers range in rank from second lieutenants to captains in the cheating that occurred around last August and September.

"As part of that investigation, we discovered, just a couple of days ago, that 34 missile launch officers at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana were involved in the compromise of answers to a launch officer proficiency test," he said.

There are about 190 officers overseeing readiness of nuclear weapons systems in Montana. As such, the scandal has touched nearly 20 per cent of its force.

Describing this as "absolutely unacceptable" behaviour, and completely contrary to core values in the Air Force, James said he has great confidence in the security and the effectiveness of US' ICBM force.

"This was a failure of some of our airmen. It was not a failure of the nuclear mission," he said.

Before going public with the investigations, he briefed Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on allegations that several dozen ICBM officers cheated on their proficiency tests. Hagel had just returned from visiting ICBM officers in Wyoming.

"Hagel was deeply troubled to learn of these allegations, and he strongly supports the aggressive steps the Air Force is taking in response to them," Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby said.

"Having just returned from visiting with ICBM officers in Wyoming, Secretary Hagel understands the importance of their mission and the necessity that it be executed according to the highest standards of professionalism. He will be following the issue closely," Kirby said.

Air Force Chief of Staff General Mark A Welsh yesterday said the commander of Global Strike Command ordered a STRATCOM-validated proficiency test be administered to all missile crew members and all three of our missile wings.

The Air Force Global Strike Command commander also directed that each of US missile wings receive a limited nuclear surety inspection focused on operation crew procedures in the near future. — PTI

Beijing, January 16
India, China and Russia today held a trilateral meeting on Afghanistan's security situation against the backdrop of the US' plans to withdraw its troops from the war-ravaged country, raising fears of reemergence of Taliban and Al-Qaida-linked elements.

The trilateral meeting of the three major emerging countries in the region followed the first India-China dialogue on Afghanistan held here last year to discuss mutual concerns and ideas to address the problem.

Deputy National Security Advisor Nehchal Sandhu led the Indian delegation at the talks.

Like India, China too concerned over the reemergence of Al-Qaida and its likely impact on Muslim Uygur majority Xinjiang province, which borders Afghanistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

China is battling a major separatist movement led by the East Trukistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), an Al-Qaida affiliate group, in the province.

China, which looks to play a major role in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of US troops, has invested in mines as well as infrastructure development there.

China has held similar trilateral meeting with Pakistan and Russia last year exploring opportunities to coordinate their positions and discussed the cooperation under the aegis of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), in which both China and Russia are active members while India and Pakistan are observers. — PTI

Washington, January 16
Emphasising that America embraces people of "all faiths" and of "no faith", President Barack Obama today said that the country's religious diversity that includes Hinduism, Sikhism and Islam enriches its cultural fabric.

"America embraces people of all faiths and of no faith. We are Christians and Jews, Muslims and Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs, atheists and agnostics," Obama said in a proclamation to declare January 16 as the Religious Freedom Day.

"Our religious diversity enriches our cultural fabric and reminds us that what binds us as one is not the tenets of our faiths, the colours of our skin, or the origins of our names.

"What makes us American is our adherence to shared ideals — freedom, equality, justice, and our right as a people to set our own course," he said.

America proudly stands with people of every nation who seek to think, believe, and practice their faiths as they choose, he said.

"In the years to come, my administration will remain committed to promoting religious freedom, both at home and across the globe," Obama said. — PTI

Houston, January 16
A 57-year-old American woman, who goes by the name Teddy Bear Paradise, has been indicted by a US grand jury for threatening to kill President Barack Obama.

Denise O'Neal was arrested on December 26 on charges of writing a 15-page letter to the President threatening that she was going to travel to Washington DC to assassinate him.

According to the complaint filed in the case, on being interviewed by US Secret Service agents about the letter O'Neal said she intended to carry out her threat.

She was indicted by the jury yesterday and faces up to five years in prison and a $2,50,000 fine if convicted.

This is the second time O'Neal has been charged with threatening a sitting President. According to the complaint, O'Neal pleaded guilty to sending letters threatening to kill President George W Bush in 2008 and her probation officer in 2009 in North Carolina. —PTI 

United Nations, January 16
An Indian peacekeeping contingent in South Sudan came under fire as fighting erupted between local groups near a UN base in Malakal, requiring the soldiers to fire multiple rounds in order to protect civilians.

The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said a young teenager seeking shelter at the Malakal base was killed by bullets after gunfire entered the UN base there on January 14. The mission said dozens of civilians and a UN military officer suffered gunshot wounds inside the base and received medical attention at the mission's hospital. There were no immediate details of the names of those killed and injured.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s spokesperson Martin Nesirky said this was not an attack on the UN compound but after fighting erupted between different groups nearby, live rounds and gunfire was coming into the compound. The peacekeepers fired multiple rounds to deter anyone engaged in fighting from coming too close to the UN base in order to protect civilians.

“The bulk of the peacekeepers (at the base) are from an Indian contingent and multiple rounds were fired to deter those that were fighting each other outside from coming closer to the compound,” Nesirky added. — PTI

Singapore, January 16
Four Indian-origin men in Singapore were today handed down prison sentences of up to three years for dealing in contraband cigarettes worth 1.4 million Singapore dollars.

The Singapore Customs officers arrested the four men last Saturday with 14,999 cartons of contraband cigarettes.

They had evaded SGD 1.1 million of duty and goods and services tax on the cigarettes.

Mogan Ayawoo, 37, Kasidesan Ramansantiran, 26, and Manirajan Abimanan, 25, were seen moving the pallets from a 40-feet container into a warehouse unit, officials said.

The Customs officers then raided the unit and found the cigarettes concealed in specially constructed hollow spaces in the pallets. The officers had kept a watch on the container which arrived at the import scanning station last Friday. They also arrested ringleader Thiru Chelvam Krishnasamy, 33, later.

Singapore Customs said investigations showed Thiru had sought the assistance of the other three to move the contraband cigarettes into the unit. — PTI