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| September 17, 2008 | Wednesday | Ramazan 16, 1429 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (06:00 GMT)
 ‘Hitchhiker's Guide’ series to ride again Wednesday, 17 Sep, LONDON: Children's author Eoin Colfer is to write a sixth novel in the ‘Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy’ series, seven years after the death of its creator Douglas Adams, Penguin said on Wednesday. The Irish writer, best known for his Artemis Fowl fairy stories, has the blessing of Adams's widow, Jane Belson, to continue the bestselling science fiction saga. Called ‘And Another Thing...’ the new novel will be published in October 2009. Colfer said he was a big fan of the original books, which started as a BBC radio serial. ‘For years I have been finishing this incredible story in my head and now I have the opportunity to do it in the real world,’ he said in a statement. ‘It is a gift from the gods. So, thank you Thor and Odin.’ The satirical books tell the story of a hapless Englishman called Arthur Dent who travels the universe after the Earth is demolished to make way for a hyperspace bypass. The saga centres on the search for the answer to ‘life, the universe and everything’, which after a long wait turns out to be 42. (Posted @ 22:06 PST)  Indian PM worries about home-grown militant threat Wednesday, 17 Sep, NEW DELHI: India has long faced attacks from Pakistan-based militant outfits, but the involvement of home-grown Islamist groups is now adding a “new dimension” to the problem, Prime Minister Manhoman Singh said on Wednesday. Singh's comment is an explicit, high-level acknowledgement home-grown groups were now carrying out bombings in India, which has traditionally blamed Pakistan for violent attacks on its soil. In recent months New Delhi has become more cautious about making allegations against Pakistan, and, instead has spoken of the complicity of home-grown Islamists in recent attacks, including a weekend bombing in New Delhi that killed 22 people. “The role of Pakistan-based terrorist groups cannot be minimised but the involvement of local elements in recent blasts adds a new dimension to the terrorist threat,” Singh told a meeting of governors of Indian states. (Posted @ 21:42 PST) Tribesmen warn US against incursions in FATA Wednesday, 17 Sep, WANA: A jirga of the Ahmedzai Wazir tribe have warned of severe consequences if US forces attack the Pakistani tribal belt. The jirga, consisting over 4000 tribesmen was held at Rustam Adda in Wana. While addressing the jirga, a tribal elder said, ‘The eight million tribal people of Fata are ever ready to offer any sacrifice for safeguarding their motherland against foreign forces.’ Another elder added, ‘We will fight along side our brave army against foreign aggression and will not even hesitate to lay down our lives.’ The jirga proclaimed that the tribesmen are soldiers of Pakistan who will defend every inch of their motherland at any cost. (Posted @ 21:38 PST) SNGPL and SSGCL seek rate hike Wednesday, 17 Sep, ISLAMABAD: The two gas utilities – SNGPL and SSGCL - have sought an increase of about Rs6-8 per Million British Thermal Unit (MMBTU) in gas rates immediately to meet revenue shortfalls they faced in financial year 2007-08. Informed sources told Dawn that Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) has requested Rs5.97 per MMBTU increase in tariff while Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) wants to have Rs7.84 per MMBTU rise in its tariff. The increase has been demanded on the basis of final audited accounts of the financial year ending June 30, 2008. These sources said the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) had earlier allowed increase in prescribed prices of SNGPL and SSGCL on the basis of projected revenue requirements for the last year. However, on the basis of final audited accounts both the utilities reached the conclusion that they would require further raise in prescribed prices to meet overall revenue target to ensure guaranteed rate of return. (Posted @ 21:10 PST) Suspected US missiles hit Pakistani village Wednesday, 17 Sep, PESHAWAR: A suspected US missile attack by drone aircraft on Wednesday hit a village in the Pakistani tribal region of South Waziristan where a militant camp was located, Pakistani intelligence officials said. The missiles targeted Baghar, a village in the mountains 55km west of Wana, the main town in the region, they said. Baghar is close to Angor Adda, the border village that was raided by US commandos on Sept. 3, and where another helicopter-borne raid was aborted on Monday after Pakistani troops and villagers opened fire. A Pakistani military spokesman said there had been explosions in the area, but could not confirm the cause. According to Dawn News, six people have been killed and seven injured in the attack. (Posted @ 21:00 PST) Chaudhry Nisar new Leader of Opposition in NA Wednesday, 17 Sep, ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has been named the new leader of opposition in the National Assembly. He replaces former chief minister Punjab Chaudhry Parvaiz Elahi. A notification issued by the speaker’s secretariat here on Wednesday said: “On acceptance of the resignation of Chaudhry Parvaiz Elahi, who remained leader of the opposition, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan of the PML-N has been appointed the new leader of opposition in the National Assembly from September 17." Mr Elahi was appointed leader of opposition by Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza soon after the first session of the National Assembly in May. Chaudhry Parvaiz Elahi, who is also the PML-Q Punjab president, is believed to have reached a deal with the PPP to dislodge the PML-N government in Punjab. His son Chaudhry Moonis Elahi might become a senior minister under the agreement. (Posted @ 20:40 PST) FBR Chief vows improvements Wednesday, 17 Sep, KARACHI: Chairman Federal Board of Revenue, Ahmed Waqar has vowed that the FBR will strive to facilitate the tax payers. He was speaking in a meeting with members of Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry during his visit to the Chamber. This was his first visit to KCCI after assuming the office as FBR Chief. The President KCCI in his welcome address invited the attention of Chairman FBR towards some issues of the most pressing nature affecting trade and industry. The issues identified include mandatory e-filing of monthly sales tax-cum-federal excise returns to extend the scope of electronic filing slowly and gradually in phases and also that e-filing be made optional. Some members of KCCI raised queries regarding anomalies in Regulatory Duty and other tax matters, in reply Chairman FBR advised to submit their problems for consideration of concerned quarters in FBR. (Posted @ 20:04 PST) Asfandyar elected chairman foreign affairs committee Wednesday, 17 Sep, ISLAMABAD: Awami National Party chief Asfandyar Wali Khan has been elected unopposed as Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs in the National Assembly. Talking to reporters after his election, the ANP chief declared that he would make sure that the country’s foreign policy was framed by the parliament after discussions. He urged all political parties to join hands and face together the dangers that were knocking at Pakistan’s western borders and the situation in tribal areas. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani congratulated the ANP leader. In a message, Gilani hoped that Asfandyar would work for the betterment of the country’s relations with the global community. Asfandyar Wali replaces Dr Farooq Sattar of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, who remained chairman foreign affairs committee in the previous assembly under Pervez Musharraf's rule. (Posted @ 19:32 PST) Raisani promotes development in Balochistan Wednesday, 17 Sep, Quetta: The Balochistan Chief Minister, Nawab Aslam Raisani, has assured that his government will provide all possible security to local and foreign oil companies for the exploration of oil and gas in Balochistan. He stressed its importance for the development of the province. He said this while presiding over a high level meeting in Tangna Pusht area of district Bolan on Tuesday evening. The meeting reviewed the proposed PPL project of gas exploration and different aspects of security arrangements in the area. It was also revealed that PPL and some foreign companies would start digging wells at various points next month. The Chief Minister urged upon the concerned authorities to ensure extending all help and cooperation to the companies in connection with security and administrative arrangements. (Posted @ 19:10 PST) Financial turmoil leaves Hollywood vulnerable Wednesday, 17 Sep, NEW YORK: The film-finance world may not feel an immediate pinch from the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by Lehman Bros. and the planned sale of Merrill Lynch by Bank of America -- but longer term, there may be an ouch. ‘A financial market that's in a meltdown is not good for the industry in so many ways,’ is how film-finance attorney John Burke put it on Monday. Admittedly, the studios and startups that have made use of funds from institutions like Merrill Lynch have locked in money and interest rates for the near-term. Summit Entertainment and Marvel Studios, both of which have credit facilities with Merrill, for example, have their rates already set. But some companies could see their future clouded as the Merrill sale goes through. (Posted @ 19:10 PST) Security could still scupper India tour: Ponting Wednesday, 17 Sep, CANBERRA: Security concerns in the wake of a series of bomb attacks could still scupper the Australian cricket team’s upcoming tour of India, captain Ricky Ponting indicated on Wednesday. The team and officials will constantly monitor the situation with the assistance of the Australian government ahead of their scheduled departure this weekend, Ponting said. ‘Anything could happen tomorrow, things change very quickly in the world right at the moment,’ he told reporters in Canberra. ‘Cricket Australia will continue to be in touch and the government will continue to be in touch, and Cricket Australia will keep us players and the players’ association in the loop on a daily, if not hourly basis.’ Cricket Australia said Tuesday the tour would go ahead despite five coordinated bomb blasts which ripped through crowded markets across the Indian capital on Saturday evening, killing more than 20 people. (Posted @ 18:48 PST) Eight dead in militant attacks in Philippines Wednesday, 17 Sep, ILIGAN, Philippines: Militants attacked an army patrol in the restive southern Philippines, leaving seven soldiers and one militant dead, military officials said Wednesday. Members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) ambushed an army patrol in Calanugas town on Wednesday, sparking a firefight in which seven soldiers and one MILF fighter were slain, a military report said. A few hours later, MILF rebels attacked an army outpost in the same town, wounding five soldiers while suffering an undetermined number of casualties, said local commander, Colonel Rey Ardo. In other fighting on Wednesday, MILF guerrillas ambushed troops escorting labourers to a road project, leaving two soldiers wounded, said local commander, Colonel Dickson Hermoso. (Posted @ 18:44 PST) Pakistan, Sri Lanka to vie for T20 title in Canada Wednesday, 17 Sep, KARACHI: Pakistan will meet hosts Canada and Sri Lanka will play Zimbabwe in the opening round of an inaugural four-way Twenty20 tournament in Toronto, Pakistan-based organisers announced on Wednesday. The tournament, scheduled to run from October 10-13, will give the cricket-starved Pakistan team some much-needed playing time after the Champions Trophy was postponed over security fears here last month. ‘In a league format all four teams will play each other once and the top two teams will play the final,’ Nauman Nabi, chairman of the organising company Sports International Marketing, told AFP. (Posted @ 18:28 PST) Troops kill 12 militants in Bajaur Wednesday, 17 Sep, KHAR: At least 12 Al Qaeda linked militants were killed Wednesday when Pakistani fighter aircraft raided their hideouts in the northwestern Bajaur tribal region, a security official said. The operation in the region has left more than 800 people dead, mostly militants, and also displaced 260,000, officials said. ‘Fighter jets bombarded militant hideouts Wednesday morning killing 12 rebels and wounding 14 others,’ a security official told AFP. ‘Helicopter gunships also shelled bunkers dug up by militants in Rashakai, Zarmandi, Kossar and Banda areas,’ the official added. The casualty figure could not be independently verified. (Posted @ 18:12 PST) Greame Hick — the unfulfilled promise Wednesday, 17 Sep, LONDON: ‘Unfulfilled promise’ has often been a phrase used to describe Graeme Hick’s career so it may be cruelly apt if his final season before retirement is cut short by injury. It seems the Worcestershire faithful will miss the chance to say one last goodbye to their favourite adopted son after the Midlands county announced the 42-year-old Zimbabwe-born batsman was ‘highly unlikely’ to appear in their final two matches this season after the recurrence of an elbow injury. And the former England cricketer was missing from the team for the four-day County Championship match against Middlesex which started on Wednesday. A prolific performer at county level, Hick’s tally of 136 first-class centuries puts him eighth on the all-time list and is unlikely to be exceeded by any current player. (Posted @ 17:52 PST) Fifteen killed in Iraq attacks Wednesday, 17 Sep, BAGHDAD: Bombs and shootings have killed at least 15 people in Iraq, police said Wednesday. Two car bombs exploded in quick succession near each other in western Baghdad on Wednesday, killing eight people and wounding 20, a police officer said, requesting anonymity. In another attack Wednesday in downtown Baghdad, a roadside bomb exploded at an intersection killing three people and wounding six, police said. Two traffic policemen were among the dead, they added. In an attack on Tuesday night, gunmen in the northern city of Kirkuk opened fire on a car, killing three civilians and injuring another, said Brig. Sarhad Qadir, the head of Kirkuk police. (Posted @ 17:38 PST) China toxic milk powder kills 3, thousands sick Wednesday, 17 Sep, BEIJING: China said on Wednesday a third infant had died after drinking contaminated milk and the number sick had leapt to many thousands, while an official said the health threat was concealed for at least a month. The number of children ill after drinking powdered milk laced with the compound melamine had risen nearly five-fold to 6,244, and those with ‘acute kidney failure’ had reached 158, Health Minister Chen Zhu told a news conference. The escalating scandal triggered a recall of exports, sacking of officials and detention of a sacked company executive. ‘China’s dairy industry has been pushed to the brink of outright crisis,’ said Li Zhiqi, a Beijing-based consultant who works with dairy companies. (Posted @ 17:06 PST) NY artist records public scorn on Wall Street Wednesday, 17 Sep, NEW YORK: When controversy looms on Wall Street, chances are that Geoffrey Raymond isn't far behind, magic markers in hand. The 54-year-old Brooklyn artist has become a regular sight lately on the scene of big Wall Street fiascos, where he gives the public a chance to vent by scrawling comments on his oversized portraits of powerful corporate executives. He spent Monday and Tuesday outside the Manhattan headquarters of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., urging passers-by to sign his latest work, a painting of the bankrupt investment bank's chief executive, Richard Fuld. Sign they did. Bystanders filled the canvas from edge to edge with comments about greed and comeuppance. 'Blood suckers,' read one. 'See you at the soup kitchen!!!' read another. (Posted @ 16:38 PST) Swat conflict takes toll on students Wednesday, 17 Sep, Mingora: A primary school teacher, who wished to remain anonymous, in a village near the town of Matta, in Swat, in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), was distraught when he saw the Government Girls' School of Gwalerai burned down last month. ‘When the caretaker asked the militants who had carried out the attack if he could retrieve the school records, he was warned that he would be thrown into the inferno as well,’ the teacher was quoted as saying by IRIN, the UN information unit in a report. Pro-Taliban militants have burnt shops and girls' schools, which they claim are spreading ‘vulgarity’, with the result that the lush Swat valley, about 150km northeast of Peshawar, with a population of 1.8 million, has seen extensive military operations by the Pakistan army. (Posted @ 16:28 PST) US to act on Afghan civilian deaths: Gates Wednesday, 17 Sep, KABUL: Under pressure over rising civilian deaths in Afghanistan, the US defence chief said on Wednesday that the US military needed to do more to prevent the killing of ordinary Afghans caught up in military operations. Anger has mounted in Afghanistan over a spike in civilian casualties in recent weeks and it has led to a rift between President Hamid Karzai's government and its Western backers. Speaking at the US Embassy in Kabul, Defence Secretary Robert Gates offered his condolences for the death of civilians in coalition air strikes and said the US needed to work harder. ‘While no military has ever done more to prevent civilian casualties, it is also clear that we have to work even harder,’ Gates said. (Posted @ 16:08 PST) Tidal surges hit Bangladesh, hundreds missing Wednesday, 17 Sep, DHAKA: Two children drowned, about 400 fishermen were missing and thousands of people were marooned after storm-whipped waves from the Bay of Bengal swept Bangladesh's vast coastline, officials said on Wednesday. Sea water flooded at least three towns — Patuakhali, Jhalakathi and part of Cox's Bazar — forcing many residents to flee as others huddled in their homes braving strong wind and heavy rain. Weather officials said the sea surge was triggered by a depression in the northern Bay, likely to persist for a couple of days. They warned there could be more surge and flooding even though the depression was likely to cross India's Orissa coast by Wednesday evening. (Posted @ 16:04 PST) Palestinians more aid-dependent Wednesday, 17 Sep, RAMALLAH, West Bank: The Palestinians are becoming more dependent on foreign aid, mainly due to a sluggish economy stifled by continued Israeli restrictions on trade and movement, the World Bank said in a report published Wednesday. The bank prepared the report for a meeting of key donor country representatives during the UN General Assembly in New York this month. The report counters a key assumption of international policy — that the current massive aid to the Palestinians would stimulate their economy and make them increasingly less dependent on foreign money in the future. (Posted @ 15:22 PST) Cut in petrol prices, but... Wednesday, 17 Sep, THE domestic oil price adjustment announced by the Oil & Gas Regulatory Authority on Monday takes away a lot more in cash from consumers than it actually gives. On the one hand, the regulator has cut the petrol price by 5.8 per cent, and on the other, it has raised the prices of high speed diesel by 5.4 per cent, light diesel oil by 6.2 per cent and kerosene by six per cent. According to a report carried by this newspaper, the government stands to lose Rs75m a month on account of the reduced petrol prices. But, at the same time, it will rake in a hefty sum of Rs4bn to Rs4.5bn by raising the diesel and kerosene rates — the two products that form approximately 90 per cent or even more of the country’s total oil consumption. The government insists that it continues to provide the consumers a subsidy in the range of Rs9.42 to Rs10.93 per litre on diesel and kerosene. (Posted @ 15:18 PST) Mullen holds talk with Gilani, Kayani Wednesday, 17 Sep, WASHINGTON: Chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Admiral Michael Mullen, arrived in Pakistan on an unannounced visit on Tuesday to discuss operations underway on the Afghanistan frontier with Pakistan's leaders, the Pentagon said. Mullen met separately with army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani but made no comment to waiting reporters. It was not clear how long Mullen would be in Pakistan. The visit comes against a backdrop of tension between the two allies. Islamabad has vowed to defend itself against violations of its air space and incursions by US forces in Afghanistan, after a series of missile strikes blamed on US-led coalition forces left 38 people dead in Pakistan. (Posted @ 14:50 PST) Grenade attack hurts 12 in occupied Kashmir Wednesday, 17 Sep, SRINAGAR: At least 12 people were wounded on Wednesday after suspected militants threw a grenade into a crowded market in occupied Kashmir, police said. The grenade was aimed at a police jeep in the heart of Srinagar, they said. ‘The blast created panic in the busy area and people ran for cover in shops and buildings,’ said Latif Ahmed, a shopkeeper who witnessed the blast. (Posted @ 14:40 PST) Three strikes and he’s out? Wednesday, 17 Sep, Asif is batting on two strikes. Another swing and a miss, and he’s going home. The first strike was the bizarre, abortive handover of the ISI to Rehman Malik. The second was Kayani’s rebuke the day after Asif was sworn in as president. Ostensibly Kayani’s condemnation was of the Americans, but between the lines was the real target: Asif. Get your act together, the army chief was telling his supreme commander. Asif has stumbled badly on Afghanistan. The macho men who wanted to defy the American juggernaut on the warpath the day after 9/11 are still amongst us, still advising defiance. The day after 9/11 this was sheer foolishness. But it is no longer the day after 9/11. Seven years of the Americans in Afghanistan and reality has changed. Pick up any report on the West’s adventure in Afghanistan and you will find two things: one, US policy in Afghanistan has been a failure; two, US policy in Afghanistan will not succeed without Pakistan being on board. (Posted @ 14:04 PST) Wall Street shudders Wednesday, 17 Sep, The swaggering titans of Wall Street are being humbled. The financial world’s annus horribilis continues with the latest casualty being the 158-year-old investment bank, Lehman Brothers, which filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday. Enormous, American-esque sums are involved: in its bankruptcy filing Lehman listed bank debt of $613bn, bond debt of $155bn and assets worth $639bn. (Pakistan’s GDP is approximately $160bn). Lehman’s failure was not the only bit of bad news on Monday: the American International Group, one of the world’s largest insurers, had its credit rating downgraded and is in desperate need of a $75bn credit line. It may be only a matter of days before AIG collapses next. (Posted @ 13:48 PST) Same border, different foe Nearly three decades ago, when Gen Ziaul Haq sought to dramatise the situation on the border with Afghanistan, he dragged Zbigniew Brzezinski to the vicinity of the Khyber Pass and made quite a song and dance, using as his theme that favourite Cold War catchcry, ‘the Russians are coming’. A few months earlier, the Soviet Union had made its last big mistake in the international arena by sending military contingents into Afghanistan in order to prop up an untenable pro-Moscow regime in Kabul. (Posted @ 13:11 PST) Pakistani rupee hits record low, row with US weighs KARACHI: The Pakistani rupee weakened to a record low on Wednesday due to import payments, weak economic fundamentals and concern over tensions between Pakistan and the United States resulting from US military action against militant targets on Pakistani territory. It traded at a record low of 77.55 in early trade, compared with a previous low of 77.45 struck on Sept. 3. (Posted @ 13:10 PST) Israeli party Kadima begins voting on new leader JERUSALEM: Members of Israel’s ruling party began voting on Wednesday for a new leader to replace Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who has promised to resign following a corruption investigation in which he faces indictment. But whether Tzipi Livni or fellow cabinet minister Shaul Mofaz secures the support of a majority of the 74,000 members of the centrist Kadima party, Olmert may stay on as caretaker premier for weeks or months – and Israel’s fractious coalition politics could yet mean an early parliamentary election. (Posted @ 13:10 PST) India deploys more fighter jets in Kashmir NEW DELHI: India has deployed its top fighter jets in occupied Kashmir bordering Pakistan, officials and a report said Wednesday. At least six Soviet-built Sukhoi-30MKI jets, capable of carrying nuclear weapons, have been deployed at Avantipura air force base near Kashmir's largest city Srinagar. The base is equipped with crash-prone MiG-21 jets, which India first imported from the Soviet Union in the 1960s. (Posted @ 13:07 PST) Explosion near US embassy in Yemen SANAA: An explosion struck near the US embassy in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Wednesday, two witnesses told AFP. There was no immediate word on any casualties. (Posted @ 12:45 PST) Russian forces kill 10 militants in Dagestan –Tass MOSCOW: Russia's security services killed at least 10 militants overnight in the turbulent North Caucasus region of Dagestan, Russian news agencies reported on Wednesday. Russian forces are fighting a rebel movement in Dagestan based mainly around militant Islam which analysts say could spread into other regions of Russia's north Caucasus. (Posted @ 12:42 PST) Four coalition soldiers killed in Afghan blast KABUL: Four US-led coalition soldiers and an Afghan national were killed in a bomb explosion in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, the force said. ‘Four coalition service members and one Afghan national were killed in an IED (improvised explosive device) strike in eastern Afghanistan this morning,’ it said in a statement. (Posted @ 12:25 PST) Senate body for setting up wildlife dept in Balochistan ISLAMABAD: The Sub-Committee of the Senate Standing Committee on Environment on Monday called upon the government to initiate urgent measures for protecting wildlife particularly the migratory wildlife and take tangible steps to prevent habitat destruction throughout the country. The senate body, which met at the Parliament House with Senator Bibi Yasmeen Shah in the chair, expressed surprise that there was no separate wildlife department in Balochistan and suggested that a department be set up. It also recommended special allocation in the PSDP for setting up special wildlife fund for Balochistan. (Posted @ 12:15 PST) Romancing the Taliban Pakhtunkhwa is in flames. Suddenly, we are at the epicentre of a conflict — and there exists a feeling of total helplessness. Suffering is writ large on the handsome faces of ordinary folk at the mercy of raging gunfire, bombs and explosions for no fault of theirs — except for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Such is the pitiless hand of fate. (Posted @ 12:07 PST) Thai parliament elects Thaksin relative as PM BANGKOK: Thailand's parliament elected a brother-in-law of ousted leader Thaksin Shinawatra as prime minister on Wednesday, ensuring continued tension with protesters who accuse the new government of being his puppet. Somchai Wongsawat, a 61-year-old bureaucrat married to Thaksin's sister, won a clear majority of parliamentary votes as the six-party ruling coalition held firm. (Posted @ 11:54 PST) 7 killed in Mexico Independence Day attack MORELIA: Assailants threw two grenades into a huge crowd of Independence Day revellers, killing seven and injuring more than 100 in a brazen attack that will escalate the war between Mexico's army and drug gangs. The military fragmentation grenades shattered a family friendly gathering of thousands in the cobblestone streets not far from where President Felipe Calderon grew up. He urged Mexicans not to be afraid and met with Michoacan Governor Leonel Godoy, promising to find those responsible and redouble security efforts in the violent state. However, in a country increasingly terrified and outraged by both drug violence and common crime, the attack drove home a tragic message: No place is safe. (Posted @ 11:51 PST) Medical students plight: senators for sending mission to Cuba ISLAMABAD: A Senate body on Tuesday recommended sending a fact finding mission to Cuba to oversee the condition of Pakistani medical students there. The Senate Standing Committee on Education, which met here under the chairpersonship of Senator Razina Alam Khan to consider the plight of the medical students in Cuba, said the mission should include at least one senator as its member. The committee unanimously proposed Dr Kausar Firdous as representative of the Senate in the delegation. It recommended that Pakistani students studying in Cuba be provided return tickets at least twice during the duration of the course so they could meet their family and their monthly stipends be increased from 50 to 100 euros immediately, besides initiating other measures for their welfare like uninterrupted internet and telephone connections and better transport facilities. The Senate body also directed the Higher Education Commission to take the PMDC on board on the issue. It observed that concerns of the parents must be addressed and allayed. (Posted @ 11:26 PST) Akbar Bugti’s widow seeks certificate for land transfer HYDERABAD, Sept 16: The Hyderabad circuit bench of the Sindh High Court has issued notices to the EDO of revenue and mukhtiarkar of Sanghar to appear in court on Sept 24 over a petition filed by the widow of Baloch nationalist leader Nawab Akbar Bugti, seeking issuance of clearance certificate. The petitioner Ms Gaman Khatoon who was represented by Shafi Kashmiri advocate said that the land had been in her possession and there had been no dispute over its propriety. (Posted @ 10:14 PST) US govt rescues AIG with $85 billion package NEW YORK: Capping an extraordinary day in financial markets, U.S. authorities pieced together an emergency $85 billion rescue of insurance company American International Group Inc to stave off a bankruptcy that could have thrown world markets into deeper turmoil. AIG's rescue calls for the US.Federal Reserve to lend up to $85 billion to AIG for two years in exchange for a 79.9 percent equity stake. It comes just two days after US authorities refused to bail out investment bank Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc, forcing it into bankruptcy court despite pleas from Wall Street's chiefs. (Posted @ 09:37 PST) Pakistan won’t accept attacks on territory: Altaf LONDON: Muttahida Quami Movement chief Altaf Hussain has said Pakistan would not accept any attack on its territory whether carried out by friends or otherwise. Altaf Husain made the statement while talking to journalists outside a central London hotel after an extended meeting with President Asif Ali Zardari Wednesday afternoon. (Posted @ 08:34 PST) Arctic ice melts to second-lowest level WASHINGTON: Arctic sea ice melted to its second-lowest level this summer, rising slightly from 2007's record but still showing a downward trend that is a key symptom of climate change, U.S. scientists said on Tuesday. The ice slipped to its minimum extent for 2008 on Sept. 12, when it covered 1.74 million square miles (4.52 million square km), and now appears to be growing as the Arctic starts its seasonal cooldown, the National Snow and Ice Data Center said. (Posted @ 05:49 PST) US ground force option may be limited in Pakistan WASHINGTON: The Bush administration is unlikely to use commando raids as a common tactic against militant safe havens in Pakistan due to the high-stake risks to U.S. policy in the region according to Reuters. Bush approved a U.S. commando assault in Pakistan's South Waziristan on Sept. 3, without Islamabad's permission, as part of a presidential order on clandestine and covert operations, officials and sources familiar with the matter said. (Posted @ 05:29 PST) Many more U.S. troops needed in Afghan war KABUL: NATO's top commander in Afghanistan said on Tuesday he would need thousands more U.S. troops on top of planned reinforcements as Defense Secretary Robert Gates flew in for an update on the war. U.S. Army Gen. David McKiernan, the head of the NATO-led force in Afghanistan, said he needed three brigades plus support units - possibly around 15,000 troops - in addition to other forces scheduled to arrive in the coming months. (Posted @ 04:48 PST) Mass-mailed 'anti-Islam' DVD angers US Muslims MIAMI: The mass mailing of a controversial DVD 'Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West' has sparked anger among South Florida Muslims who say it maligns their faith and fuels hysteria ahead of the fast-approaching US presidential vote. The hour-long video began turning up in mailboxes last week as a direct mailing, and also as an advertising insert in dozens of newspapers, including The Miami Herald and the South-Florida Sun-Sentinel. (Posted @ 04:40 PST) Clipping PAF's wings WASHINGTON: U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday sharply questioned a Bush administration plan to reallocate more than $250 million in military aid to Pakistan to help it pay for F-16 fighter aircraft upgrades designed to go after militants' sanctuaries near the Afghan border. 'Do we have flying al-Qaeda?,' asked Rep. Gary Ackerman, chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia. (Posted @ 04:33 PST) Scientists exhume British diplomat to study flu LONDON: Scientists have exhumed the body of a British diplomat who died of Spanish flu to discover clues that might help fight a possible future global influenza outbreak. The BBC said Tuesday that it had filmed virologist John Oxford exhuming Sir Mark Sykes, who died of flu in 1919. Oxford's team took some tissue samples before reburying the body in its grave in East Yorkshire in northeast England last week. (Posted @ 04:32 PST) Border forces given green light to 'open fire ISLAMABAD: The military has ordered its forces to open fire if U.S. troops launch another air or ground raid across the Afghan border, an army spokesman told Dawn on Tuesday. The military told field commanders to prevent any similar raids, after U.S. helicopters ferried troops into a militant stronghold in the South Waziristan tribal region, Army spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas was quoted as saying by The Associated Press (AP). (Posted @ 03:52 PST) 1,400 Afghan civilians killed in 2008 violence KABUL: The UN said Tuesday that 1,445 Afghan civilians have died so far this year in attacks by insurgents, the US and NATO, a 40 percent increase over 2007. 800 of the civilian deaths, or 55 percent, were caused by Taliban and other insurgents, the UN said. US, NATO and Afghan troops killed 577 civilians, or 40 percent, including 395 deaths caused by air strikes. The rest died in crossfire or by old mine explosions. (Posted @ 02:36 PST) Pakistani senators cleared to meet Siddiqui WASHINGTON: The US State Department informed the Pakistan Embassy on Tuesday that a six-member delegation of Pakistani senators can meet Aafia Siddiqui at her prison in New York. 'They have accepted our request and now we are arranging the meeting,' said the embassy’s spokesman Nadeem Kiani. (Posted @ 01:44 PST) Karachi Stocks down 7.54 points: KARACHI, Sep 17: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 9216.23, down 7.54 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 13:30 PST) Forex update: KARACHI, Sep 17: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 77.4 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 13:30 PST)
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