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Thursday, June 30, 2011

More urgency needed on transition: Afghan official

More urgency needed on transition: Afghan official















KABUL: Afghanistan's government and its international backers need urgently to put Afghans in charge of security and governance by a 2014 deadline, one of the officials in charge of the protracted handover said on Thursday.

Ashraf Ghani, the former finance minister who is chairman of the security transition, dismissed fears that plans for a NATO-led coalition to bring troops home would echo the hasty Russian withdrawal in 1989 that started a slide to civil war. He also said most of the seven areas chosen to kick off the transition would be largely under Afghan control by the time of official handovers scheduled for late July. "We must introduce a sense of urgency both among the Afghan government ourselves, and the Afghan people and on the part of the international community," Ghani told a news conference at the end of a two-day transition conference. The conference was held just days after a brazen assault on Kabul's Intercontinental hotel, that lasted five hours, and ended with 12 dead. The Taliban said Afghan officials attending the transition meeting were among their targets.

NATO air power had to be called in to end the attack, which raised questions about the readiness of Afghan forces to fight the battle-hardened insurgency, but Ghani said the departure of foreign forces would not be a trigger for war. "One point must be very clear, this transition is not similar to the transition that was carried out at the time of Dr Najib, the last communist president and people should not be concerned about this," he said. The long-term framework for cooperation with the international community, the huge investment in the police, army and intelligence services, and their growing capacity, all gave him confidence they could secure the  country, Ghani said.

GOVERNANCE KEY

The meeting tackled security concerns and the thornier issues of government provision of services like education and healthcare. In many parts of the country these are funded and run in part by the foreign countries with troops fighting there, and the security transition is supposed to be matched by a parallel civilian transition to central government control.

The details of that change worry foreign observers because they are critical to Kabul's credibility, particularly in areas where the Taliban claims to provide key services like justice. The security transition has been thoroughly rehearsed, with many of the areas chosen for the first phase ones with few security concerns and a correspondingly low foreign military presence, like the anti-Taliban Bamiyan and Panjshir provinces. Other areas, like the city of Lashkar Gah in the insurgent stronghold of Helmand province, have had priority on the best trained and equipped of the new security forces. There the handover of checkpoints and other security infrastructure will go on for weeks before the ceremony, which officials say will likely be very low key. "The exact day (for the handover) is the last week of Saratan, although this is a formality," Ghani said, speaking through a translator, and referring to the Afghan month that ends on July 22 in the Western calendar.  (Source)

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US drone wounds top militants in Somalia: Report

US drone wounds top militants in Somalia: Report

Officials says militants were planning operations outside of Somalia. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

WASHINGTON: A US drone fired on two senior commanders of Somalia’s Shebab insurgency after they were found to have ties to al Qaeda, the Washington Post reported late Wednesday, citing US officials.
The strike last week is believed to have wounded the two leading militants and came amid increasing concern among US officials about growing ties between Shebab and the global terror network, the Post said.
“They (Shebab fighters) have become somewhat emboldened of late and, as a result, we have become more focused on inhibiting their activities,” it quoted an official as saying. “They were planning operations outside of Somalia.”
The Post said Somalia is now the sixth country in which the United States is reportedly using drone attacks to kill suspected militants, after Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Iraq and Yemen.
The US military could not immediately be reached for comment.
The official quoted by the Post said the two commanders had “direct ties” to Anwar al-Awlaqi, a charismatic American-born preacher believed to be hiding in his family’s native Yemen.
US aircraft and special forces have carried out covert attacks in the past in Somalia, but last week’s incident appeared to be the first drone strike, the Post said.
Last Thursday residents reported huge explosions near Kismayo, a southern port town controlled by Shebab, followed by the sound of aircraft.
A Shebab official in the area said his men had reported an aerial bombing raid on a Shebab base.
“The military aircraft of the enemy carried out an aerial bombardment on a base where some mujahedeen fighters were staying. Initial reports indicate several mujahedeen fighters including muhajirs (foreigners) died,” the official said, refusing to be named.
“We believe the aircraft belonged to the US,” he added. (Express Tribune)

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Obama honours Gates on last day as US defense chief

Obama honours Gates on last day as US defense chief

President Barack Obama presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to retiring Defense Secretary Robert Gates during an Armed Forces Farewell Tribute, Thursday, June 30, 2011, at the Pentagon. – Photo by AP

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama on Thursday honored outgoing Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ four decades of service, including the past 4 1/2 years in charge of the Pentagon, by surprising him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is the highest US honor a president can give a civilian.
”I can think of no better way to express the gratitude of the nation to Bob Gates than with a very special recognition,” Obama said as he asked Gates to step forward to receive the award.
An emotional Gates quipped that he ”should have known the president was getting pretty good at this covert ops stuff,” an apparent reference to last month’s secret raid in Pakistan that killed terrorist leader Osama bin Laden.
Gates said his tenure as defense secretary, a period in which he oversaw the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and recent US military involvement in Libya, ”has been the greatest honor and privilege of my life and for that I will always be grateful.” He thanked the two presidents he served in the post _ Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Obama. Gates’ last day is Thursday. At an outdoor ceremony at the Pentagon marking his retirement, Obama called Gates a humble American patriot, a man of common sense and decency, and one of the nation’s finest public servants. Obama also said he considers Gates a friend. Gates became defense secretary in December 2006 under Bush. He is being replaced by outgoing CIA Director Leon Panetta.

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7 more ministries go to provinces, notification issued

7 more ministries go to provinces, notification issued

 
Federal government has issued notification for devolution of 7 ministries to provinces from July 1.

The provinces will get Ministries of Women Development, Minority Affairs, Sports, Environment, Health, Food and Agriculture, and Labour and Manpower. The federal government will retain a number of employees of the devolving ministries. However, PMDC, Pakistan Nursing Council, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Homeopathic and Health Services Academy, Pharmacy Council have been placed under the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination. Jinnah Hospital, Karachi will go the Sindh government. The National Energy Conservation Centre will be placed under the Ministry of Water And Power while PARC will go to the Ministry of Science And Technology.The Pakistan Manpower Institute, the Pakistan Sports Board and the Pakistan Cricket Board will be given to the Inter-Provincial Division. The employees of abolished ministries will be adjusted in other ministries and divisions. Go To Source.

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Imran hints ‘conditional coalition’ with MQM

Imran hints ‘conditional coalition’ with MQM

Imran Khan said his party was the only political force in the country which was playing the role of real opposition, Mr Khan was confident to win the ‘match’ alone without any ‘match-fixing.’ – File Photo by AFP

KARACHI: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) or Pakistan Movement for Justice’s Chief Imran Khan on Thursday said that ‘conditional coalition’ with Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) is not completely ‘out of question,’ DawnNews reported.
Former cricket star said while talking to media at Karachi airport, that his party would consider joining hands with MQM only if they did not decide to join treasury benches once again. PTI chief further said his party was the only political force in the country which was playing the role of real opposition, Mr Khan was confident to win the ‘match’ alone without any ‘match-fixing.’ “Free and fair elections are not possible without impartial election commission and solution to all current problems of the public is free and fair elections,” added Imran Khan.

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MQM submits applications for opposition benches

MQM submits applications for opposition benches


Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain. MQM member Haider Abbas Rizvi said that no meeting has been scheduled between Altaf Hussain and President Asif Ali Zardari. – File Photo

ISLAMABAD: Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) member Haider Abbas Rizvi on Thursday said that no meeting has been scheduled between MQM leader Altaf Hussain and President Asif Ali Zardari, DawnNews reported. Speaking to the media in Islamabad, Rizvi said that along with other political parties, MQM will work together to strengthen the opposition. Rizvi said that MQM had submitted the applications for seats on the opposition benches and that the party’s decision to do so was final. (Dawn)

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Forty militants killed in Mohmand operation

Forty militants killed in Mohmand operation


Pakistani troops backed by jets and helicopter gunships have killed 40 militants in a restive tribal area bordering Afghanistan in the past three days. – File Photo

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani troops backed by jets and helicopter gunships have killed 40 militants in a restive tribal area bordering Afghanistan in the past three days, a military commander said Thursday.
Brigadier Aftab Ahmad told AFP by telephone that his forces had destroyed 17 militant hideouts in the Baizai region under his command in the lawless tribal area of Mohmand.
“Militants were regularly attacking our posts on the Afghanistan border at Shonkari and Mithai and also targeting goods vehicles going to Afghanistan,” he said.
Ghalanai is the main town in Mohmand, where Pakistan has recently stepped up raids on militant hideouts, as it faces American pressure to conduct a separate offensive against the Al-Qaeda-linked Haqqani network in North Waziristan.
“An operation was launched three days ago with the support of army aviation aircraft, helicopters and fighter jets. We killed at least 40 militants,” Ahmad said.
Maqsood Hussain, a government official in Baizai, confirmed the raids and casualties, but it was not immediately clear how the Pakistani officials reached the body count of 40.
Mohmand is one of seven districts in Pakistan’s semi-autonomous tribal belt, where Taliban and al-Qaeda-linked militants have carved out strongholds used to plot attacks on Pakistani, Afghan and Western targets.
(DAWN NEWS)

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Devolution dilemma: Centre holds on to lucrative projects, Sindh will complain

Devolution dilemma: Centre holds on to lucrative projects, Sindh will complain

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah asks chief secretary to meet with secretaries from other provinces to raises issues concerning devolution. PHOTO: FILE
KARACHI:  Devolution plans are in their last stages yet it seems as if the federal government is holding on to all those institutions and projects where big money is involved.
Unhappy with the state of affairs, Sindh has decided to take up the issue at the next Council of Common Interests (CCI) meeting, which will be held under the prime minister’s supervision. This decision was made on Wednesday during a special cabinet meeting, presided over by Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Qaim Ali Shah at CM House.
The cabinet members were told that the federal government was unwilling to hand over all lucrative institutions and autonomous bodies. Only projects that are running in deficit are being transferred to the provinces, sources told The Express Tribune. “It is a violation of the 18th Amendment (to the Constitution) and the practice should be discouraged,” a cabinet member said.
After the meeting, Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said that the meeting was called to discuss the problems with devolution. A total of 19 departments have been handed over to the provinces in three phases, but a few institutions, such as the Employees Old-Age Benefits Institution and Workers Welfare Fund, have yet to be transferred, he said.
According to Memon, the Sindh government has some confusion over the devolution process so Shah directed the chief secretary to meet the secretaries of all the devolved departments and prepare a report. The secretary will submit the report to the CM, who will then take it up to the prime minister at the CCI meeting.
The federal government would bear the expenses of these departments till June 30, he added. Devolution is a big achievement and “we now have complete provincial autonomy”, said Memon. He said that the chief minister will announce a date when this achievement will be celebrated.
Explaining the process, the information minister said that during the first phase, the ministries of special initiatives, zakat and ushr, population welfare, youth affairs, and local government and rural development were devolved. In the second phase, the education, social welfare and special education, culture, tourism and livestock and dairy development ministries were devolved.
Recently, in the third and final phase, seven more ministries, including women development, minorities’ affairs, sports, environment, health, food and agriculture, and labour and manpower were handed over.
The provincial department takes the reins after June 30 so that is when the actual work starts.
No comments on MQM
Several reporters asked Memon about the recent row between the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) but his response was “no comment”. “This has not been discussed at the meeting and I cannot talk about it.”
Sources said that Shah quoted President Asif Ali Zardari’s message and said that, “no member will talk on this issue. Let the president come and decide”.
Are there any chances of the MQM rejoining the coalition? Memon replied that anything was possible in politics.
“We don’t want to create misunderstandings, but we want to resolve the issue for the sake of democracy, the law and order situation and the reconciliation policy started by our leader,” he said.
He added that they have not closed the doors and they believe in dialogue.
Dismissing rumours of former home minister Zulfiqar Mirza replacing the CM, he said that, “this is just a rumour”. “We have full confidence in the leadership of Qaim Ali Shah. Mirza has also refuted such reports.”
He said that there was no rigging in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections and if that was the case, the Nawaz League would not have won nine seats.

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Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Google+ challenges Facebook in social network battle

Google+ challenges Facebook in social network battle


Online search giant Google has launched a new social networking website in its latest attempt to take on Facebook, which now claims more than 500m users.
A screenshot of Google+

Google+ allows individuals to share photos, messages and comments but also integrates the company's maps and images into the service.
It also aims to help users easily organise contacts within groups.
But some analysts say Google has simply reproduced features of Facebook while adding a video chat function.
Google, which handles roughly two out of every three internet searches in the US, has taken several stabs at Facebook in recent years.
But its previous efforts ended in failure, with both Google Wave and Google Buzz proving unpopular with users.
New functions
The company is now boasting that four features in Google+ could help make the company a permanent player in social networking:
allowing users to share different forms of content with targeted clusters of friends
  • Hangouts - live multi-user video conferencing that permits friends to drop in and out of live group conversations
  • Huddle - group instant messaging
  • Sparks - a feature that connects individuals on the network to others with common interests.
The current version of Google+ has only been released to a small number of users, but the company has said it soon hopes to make the social network available to the millions of individuals that use its services each day.
"Online sharing needs a serious re-think, so it's time we got started," Vic Gundotra, senior vice president of engineering at Google, said in apress release.
"Other social networking tools make selective sharing within small groups difficult," she added, taking what appears to be a jab at Facebook's recent grouping function.
But some analysts have said Google could have a difficult time converting Facebook devotees to their new social network.
"People have their social circles on Facebook - asking them to create another social circle is challenging," Debra Aho Williamson, principal analyst with research firm eMarketer, told the Associated Press news agency.
"The whole idea of a Google social network... they've been throwing stuff against the wall for several years and so forth nothing has stuck," she added.
In April, Google reached an out-of-court settlement with a US policy group over its rollout out Google Buzz, a previous social effort.
The legal action claimed Google deceived users and violated its own privacy policy by automatically enrolling all Gmail users in its Buzz social network without seeking prior permission.

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International Updates

NATO-Afghan raid ends hotel assault; 19 dead
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 2:46:51 PM
KABUL: NATO helicopters fired rockets before dawn Wednesday at Taliban gunmen who stormed one of Afghanistan's premier hotels, ending a brazen, nearly five-hour assault that left 19 people dead — including all eight attackers. The strike against the Inte...
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Protesting youths tear-gassed in Egypt
Updated on: Wednesday, June 29, 2011 11:35:28 AM
CAIRO: Police fired teargas in Cairo's central Tahrir Square overnight Wednesday at several hundred mainly Egyptian youths, some of whom threw stones and demanded that trials of former senior ....
Asia looks to "friend" Lagarde to honor IMF pledges
Updated on: Wednesday, June 29, 2011 11:21:00 AM

SINGAPORE: Asia's fast-rising economies set their sights on securing key IMF appointments under newly named chief Chistine Lagarde on Wednesday, hopeful she would be the one to ....
Triumph motorbikes to enter India in 2012
Updated on: Wednesday, June 29, 2011 11:04:56 AM

NEW DEHLI: Iconic British motorcycle maker Triumph said Tuesday it planned to enter India in 2012 to tap growing demand for bikes in the country, which is the fastest growing two-....
Floods rampage along the Missouri, Souris rivers
Updated on: Wednesday, June 29, 2011 10:28:38 AM
OMAHA: Missouri River floodwaters lapped at a nuclear power plant north of Omaha, Nebraska, on Tuesday and have cracked more defenses downstream after weeks of sustained pressure on levees run....
U.S. sees "progress" after Syria activists meet
Updated on: Wednesday, June 29, 2011 9:58:32 AM

WASHINGTON: The United States said on Tuesday that Syria's move to allow activists to meet to discuss political change was a positive step but that the government needed to do m....
Six killed in Afgan hotel attack; Taliban claim responsibility
Updated on: Wednesday, June 29, 2011 8:06:05 AM
KABUL: A luxury hotel, the Intercontinental Hotel, in the downtown of Afghan capital city Kabul was attacked from Tuesday night to Wednesday morning, leaving at least six attackers killed and ....
N.Zealand flights cancelled due to volcanic ash
Updated on: Wednesday, June 29, 2011 7:58:21 AM
WELLINGTON: Air travel in New Zealand was disrupted Wednesday when Australian carriers Qantas and Jetstar cancelled a range of South Island flights due to the ash cloud from Chile's Puyehue vo....
Greece austerity protests turn violent
Updated on: Wednesday, June 29, 2011 4:03:03 AM
ATHENS: Police have fired tear gas in running battles with stone-throwing youths in Athens on Tuesday, where a 48-hour general strike is being held against a parliamentary vote on tough auster....
France’s Lagarde first woman IMF chief
Updated on: Wednesday, June 29, 2011 2:24:35 AM
WASHINGTON: France’s Christine Lagarde was named Tuesday as the first-ever female chief of the IMF, faced with an immediate crisis as violent Greek protests rocked the stability of the e....
Top Kabul hotel under attack: police chief
Updated on: Wednesday, June 29, 2011 1:08:30 AM
KABUL: One of Kabul's leading hotels which is popular with foreigners and government officials is under attack by gunmen, the head of police criminal investigations in Kabul told AFP Tuesday.<....                                                 

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Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Ten killed in Kabul hotel attack

Ten killed in Kabul hotel attack

Ten killed in Kabul hotel attack
















 KABUL: Suicide bombers attacked a major hotel frequented by Westerners in Afghanistan's capital of Kabul late on Tuesday killing at least 10 people, Afghan television reported.

"It's an attack on the Intercontinental Hotel. There are several gunmen shooting," said Kabul criminal investigations chief Mohammad Zahir, adding that "a number" of police had been wounded. An AFP reporter close to the scene reported hearing at least one explosion and heavy gunfire. He said the hotel was now in darkness after power in the area had apparently been cut. There was a heavy police presence at the scene and traffic was being diverted, the reporter added. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said several fighters from the Islamist group had attacked the hotel, where Afghan and Western officials were supposedly holding security talks. Mujahid, who spoke to Reuters by telephone from an undisclosed location, said heavy casualties had been inflicted. SOURCE

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Gen. Kayani attends Tripartite Commission’s meeting in Kabul

Gen. Kayani attends Tripartite Commission’s meeting in Kabul
























RAWALPINDI: The Tripartite Commission comprising senior military representatives from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Coalition Forces in Afghanistan, held a meeting in Kabul.

According to an Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) press release, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan, General Sher Mahammed Karimi, Chief of the Afghan General Staff and General David H. Petreaus, Commander International Security Assistance Force, Afghanistan headed the respective delegations. The meeting reviewed the current security situation along the Pak-Afghan Border. Measures to improve effectiveness of ongoing operations in the respective areas also came under discussion. Steps for better coordination and enhanced cooperation to avoid misunderstandings as regard to the border security were also discussed. Forum reiterated the resolve and commitment to restore peace and stability in the area. The commission is a recurring event, and this meeting was the 34th since the inaugural session conducted in Islamabad in 2003.SAMAA

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Greece debts: General strike held amid cuts debate

Greece debts: General strike held amid cuts debate



    A 48-hour general strike has begun in Greece, as parliament prepares for a key vote on tough austerity measures.
    Large crowds of protesters are gathering on the streets, with public transport in Athens grinding to a halt.
    On Monday, Prime Minister George Papandreou said only his 28bn-euro (£25bn) austerity programme would get Greece back on its feet.
    If the government loses, the EU and IMF could withhold 12bn euros of loans and Greece could run out of money in weeks.
    French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said French banks are ready to offer new 30-year loans to Greece when its current debts fall due.
    He said other European countries whose banks had lent money to Greece were considering the same model to help prevent a default. But the UK denied it was pressing banks to "take a haircut".
    'Massacre' More than 5,000 police officers are due to be deployed in the centre of Athens on Tuesday morning, when tens of thousands of striking workers are expected to march towards parliament.

    What went wrong in Greece?


    An old drachma note and a euro note
    Greece's economic reforms, which led to it abandoning the drachma as its currency in favour of the euro in 2002, made it easier for the country to borrow money.
    BACK 1 of 7 NEXT
    The general strike is disrupting or halting most public services, with doctors, ambulance drivers, journalists and even state-funded actors taking part.
    Airports were to be shut for hours at a time, with air traffic controllers walking out between 0800 and 1200 (0500-0900 GMT) and 1800 and 2200 (1500-1900 GMT). Athens international airport displayed a number of flights being cancelled from 0730.
    Trains, buses and ferries are also stopping operation.
    In Athens, the metro will be the only form of public transport which will work "so as to allow Athenians to join the planned protests in the capital", metro drivers said.
    The unions are angry that the government's austerity programme will impose taxes on those earning the minimum wage, following months of other cuts which have seen unemployment rise to more than 16%.
    "These measures are a massacre for workers' rights. It will truly be hell for the working man. The strike must bring everything to a standstill," Thanassis Pafilis, a Greek Communist Party MP, told the Associated Press.

    At the scene

    The first protesters are arriving on Syntagma Square in central Athens - there are some communists, some of the big unions. Traditionally their protests have been peaceful.
    The key thing for them today is numbers. They've actually got to get hundreds of thousands of people out onto the streets to demonstrate in a sense what the polls are saying - that the majority of Greek people don't want to support the latest austerity measures.
    One of the differences between last year and this year is the sheer frustration, the pent-up resentment about the fact that there is a second round of austerity.
    Some protesters have said they will encircle the parliament building to prevent MPs from entering. The austerity package and implementation law must be passed in separate votes on Wednesday and Thursday.
    Polls suggest that between 70% and 80% of Greek people oppose the austerity plan.
    If the measures are passed, the next instalment of Greece's 110bn-euro bail-out will be released by the European Union and International Monetary Fund.
    European officials will also start to finalise the details of a second bail-out - worth an estimated 120bn euros - designed to help Greece pay its debts until the end of 2014.
    The BBC's Chris Morris in Athens says defeat for the government this week would send ripples of anxiety right across the eurozone, with Greece facing the prospect next month of becoming the first member state to default on its debts.
    'Flawed' plans As the debate in parliament on the austerity measures began, the prime minister warned a defeat would mean the national "coffers" would be empty within days and urged MPs to do their "patriotic duty".
    "Our vote is the only chance for the country to get back on its feet."

    Greece: Crucial dates

    • June 29: Greek parliament to vote on a new austerity package
    • July 3: Eurozone deadline. EU will sign off latest bail-out payment to Greece - 12bn euros - if austerity package has passed
    • July 15: Default deadline: Without the 12bn euros it needs to make debt repayments, Greece will default
    Mr Papandreou added: "I call on Europe, for its part, to give Greece the time and the terms it needs to really pay off its debt, without strangling growth, and without strangling its citizens."
    The new Finance Minister, Evangelos Venizelos, acknowledged that the cuts were "unfair" but said they were absolutely necessary.
    He urged parties to work with the governing Panhellenic Socialist Movement (Pasok) because it would help build "greater national strength".
    But the main opposition leader, Antonis Samaras of the New Democracy party, said the thinking behind the austerity package was flawed and that tax rates should be lowered rather than raised in order to stimulate the economy.
    The outcome of the debate is uncertain. Mr Papandreou faces opposition from within Pasok, with two MPs saying they may oppose the bill.
    The party has a slim majority, with 155 seats out of 300 in parliament.
    Countries most exposed to Greek debt

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    Alex Jones: 'ICC is a kangaroo court'

    Alex Jones: 'ICC is a kangaroo court'

    ______
    ________
    The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued a warrant for Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and a handful of associates.
     This isn’t the first time the ICC has come after figureheads, but with Gaddafi a sitting head of state, what implications does Colonel Gaddafi face?

    None if he comes to America, says radio host Alex Jones. The United States is one of the nations that doesn’t make up the ICC, who relies on its member states to make arrests. According to Jones, the US is aware that the ICC is just a joke.

    “Certain elements of the United States realize the ICC is basically a global government court of the larger private sector banks that are dominating our society,” says Jones. “The ICC saying that they want to try Gaddafi for crimes against humanity, that would be like having Hitler over the Nuremberg trials,” he says.
    While the US is not condemning the ICC’s warrants, this international super power is taking a back seat to helping on the hunt for Gaddafi. While isolationism is the far from any practice the States has preached as of late, why are they sitting this one out?

    “This is kind of a joke,” says Jones. “The way they carry out trials is a joke. A total and complete kangaroo court,” is what he says of the ICC.
    Jones says the US doesn’t need the ICC, adding that “our common law is the best in the world.” Joining the member states that aid the ICC would just be “political grandstanding,” he says. SOURCE

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    Attique barred from attending OIC summit

    Attique barred from attending OIC summit

     
    PM receives message from FO not to attend the summit.
    Prime Minister Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Sardar Attique has been stopped at the Islamabad airport before his departure for the OIC summit in Kazakhstan.  The AJK Prime Minister said that he has received a message from the Foreign Ministry stating that he does not need to travel to the summit.  Sardar Attique added that it was essential for him to take part in the summit because he was specially invited by the OIC Secretary General and would be representing the Kashmiri people.  (SAMAA)

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    PPP asks MQM to reconsider decision

    PPP asks MQM to reconsider decision

    Presidential Spokeman Farhatullah Babar said no meeting between the President and Muttahida chief Altaf Hussain was scheduled during Zardari’s stay in London — File Photo

    ISLAMABAD: Although the People’s Party faces no threat to its governments at the centre and in Sindh, it has asked the Muttahida Qaumi Movement to ‘reconsider’ its decision of quitting the ruling coalition.
    On the other hand, the MQM, which has been a part of governments at the centre and in the province for over a decade, has claimed that “this time we are determined to stick to our decision”.
    “For the time being, the party’s doors are closed for the PPP,” said Wasay Jalil, an MQM spokesman and member of the party’s coordination committee. A spokesman for PPP co-chairman and President Asif Ali Zardari told Dawn that the presidency had not received the resignations of Sindh Governor Ishratul Ibad or the Muttahida’s ministers. Mr Zardari is currently in London on a private visit.
    Farhatullah Babar, who was scheduled to reach London by Tuesday morning, said the PPP would continue to pursue the policy of reconciliation in the interest of political stability and would “urge the governor to reconsider his decision to resign”.
    Mr Babar said the issues facing the country and, particularly Sindh, were “too many” and “complex”. He called for strengthening the ongoing policy of reconciliation with all political forces.
    The spokesman expressed the hope that the Sindh governor would reconsider the decision.
    In reply to a query, Mr Babar said no meeting between the President and Muttahida chief Altaf Hussain was scheduled during Mr Zardari’s stay in London. However, Mr Babar did not rule out the possibility of a meeting between the two leaders in the wake of the recent development.
    He said the president would be staying in London till July 2 and that he would only be able to confirm any such meeting only after reaching there.
    Wasay Jalil, a spokesman for MQM, said the party’s decision was “final as it has been taken after a thorough review of the situation and after consultations within the party”.
    THE PRESIDENT’S SISTER: Zahid Mehmood, the MQM’s coordinator for Punjab, held PPP MNA Faryal Talpur, the sister of President Asif Zardari, responsible for the crisis, alleging that she had been supporting a particular candidate for the AJK polls and it was because of her insistence that the PPP even sacrificed its alliance with the MQM. He said the MQM felt that the PPP’s attitude had become “dictatorial after it won the support of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q as it no more required the MQM’s support for getting the budget passed in the National Assembly”.
    Mr Mehmood said Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah was a figurehead as the government was being run by people like Faryal Talpur, Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, Agha Siraj Durrani and Nadir Magsi.
    A love-and-hate game between the two parties has continued since the formation the coalition government in 2008, with the MQM coming out of the federal cabinet and even the federal government once and threatening several times to walk out of the Sindh coalition.
    This time, however, the chances of a patch-up, according to some political experts, seem to be slim because the MQM is not ready to trust even Interior Minister Rehman Malik, who had always played a role of a mediator between the two parties in the past due to his personal relations with MQM chief Altaf Hussain.
    INTERESTING TIMES
    The country has been facing political turmoil since the day the then Sindh home minister, Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, made a controversial speech in Karachi on Dec 13 last year, and also after the sacking of Religious Affairs Minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi and JUI-F’s minister Azam Swati over the Haj scam the following day.
    Angered by the sacking of Mr Swati, the JUI-F announced parting of ways with the PPP-led coalition government and decided to sit on the opposition benches.
    On the same day, the MQM gave a 10-day ultimatum to the PPP asking it to explain Dr Mirza’s remarks blaming the MQM for target killings in Karachi. On the expiry of the deadline the MQM quit the federal cabinet and its two ministers submitted their resignations to President Zardari.
    Later the MQM decided to sit on the opposition benches when the government raised oil prices.
    However, when the government withdrew the increase in oil prices and the prime minister visited the MQM’s headquarters in Karachi in January, the party announced that it would again sit on treasury benches, but categorically refused to join the federal cabinet.
    At that time, the MQM had stated that although the main concern for the party was the law and order situation in Karachi, the government’s decision to raise oil prices had just provided the party an opportunity to quit the ruling coalition.
    The 25-member MQM rejoined the federal government last month when it was left with no other option due to an intelligent move by PPP to lure the PML-Q into the cabinet and sidelining of Dr Zulfiqar Mirza by President Zardari.
    The recent AJK elections finally ended the marriage of inconvenience between the two parties.
    The numerical strength of the political parties shows that the PPP now enjoys a comfortable majority both in the National and Sindh assemblies. Even without the MQM, the PPP, which has 128 MNAs, enjoys the support of some 200 MNAs in the 342-member lower house – thanks to the PML-Q’s decision to join the ruling coalition.
    The MQM’s decision is not expected to affect the PPP’s government in Sindh as the party enjoys a comfortable majority in the Sindh Assembly with more than 100 MPAs sitting on the treasury benches in the 168-member house.
    The composition is very interesting as representatives of all political parties, whether sitting on treasury or opposition benches, are members of the provincial cabinet.
    The opposition leader in the Sindh Assembly, Madad Ali Khan, is from the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F), whereas two members of the party are ministers and two others are advisers to the chief minister. (DAWN)

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    MQM ministers send resignations to President Zardari

    MQM ministers send resignations to President Zardari


    MQM Ministers Dr Farooq Sattar and Babar Ghauri – APP (File Photo)

    KARACHI: MQM Ministers Dr Farooq Sattar, Babar Ghauri and Dr Nadeem sent their resignations to President Zardari on Tuesday, DawnNews reported.
    The MQM on Monday decided to part ways with the Pakistan People’s Party and sit on opposition benches in the National Assembly, Senate and Sindh Assembly in protest against the postponement of election on two Karachi seats of the Azad Jamu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly. (DAWN)

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    One dead, 22 hurt in Lyari grenade attack

    One dead, 22 hurt in Lyari grenade attack



















    KARACHI: One man was killed and 22 others wounded when unidentified men riding a motorcycle hurled hand grenade at them in Chakiwara area of Karachi on Monday. The injured men were rushed to Civil and Lyari General Hospitals. Chaotic scenes were seen at the time of the attack. Law enforcement agencies reached the scene of the attack and started investigation. Residents of Lyari called for measures to stop such incidents. SOURCE..

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    Updates

    Shahzad Commission directs PTA to produce telephonic record
    Updated on: Monday, June 27, 2011 9:46:58 PM
    Staff Report

    ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has been directed to secure and present the telephonic record of slain Journalist Saleem Shahzad.

    ....
    Power outages continue across Pakistan
    Updated on: Monday, June 27, 2011 9:45:25 PM
    Staff Report
    LAHORE/ISLAMABAD/KARACHI: The unscheduled load shedding continues across the country, crossing power cut hours up to 12 hours in cities and 16 hours in rural areas, SAMAA lea....
    Abbottabad commission to meet on July 5
    Updated on: Monday, June 27, 2011 7:28:08 PM
    Staff Report
    ABBOTTABAD: The first meeting of high-level judicial commission, formed to investigate the unilateral US raid in Abbottabad on May 2, will take place on July 5.
    Se....
    Pakistan tells Britain to withdraw military trainers
    Updated on: Monday, June 27, 2011 6:38:55 PM
    ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has asked Britain to withdraw a team of military trainers, citing security concerns in the wake of the killing of Osama bin Laden by elite American forces, officials said M....
    PPP rejects MQM’s allegations
    Updated on: Monday, June 27, 2011 5:48:12 PM
    Staff Report

    KARACHI: Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon on Monday termed as “unfounded and baseless” the allegations leveled by MQM against the PPP.

    ....
    Ishratul Ebad resigns as Governor of Sindh
    Updated on: Monday, June 27, 2011 5:32:23 PM
    Staff Report
    KARACHI: MQM leader Dr. Farooq Sattar announced on Monday that Dr. Ishratul Ebad would step down as Governor of Sindh.
    The decision came after MQM announced its de....
    Missile attacks kill 13 in Waziristan
    Updated on: Monday, June 27, 2011 5:19:08 PM
    Staff Report
    WAZIRISTAN: At least 13 persons have been killed in missile attacks, SAMAA reported Monday.

    Two missiles were fired on a suspected vehicle in village Kond Ghalay P....
    MQM quits PPP-led ruling coalition
    Updated on: Monday, June 27, 2011 5:11:14 PM
    Staff Report
    KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on Monday announced its decision to pull out of PPP-led ruling coalition in centre and Sindh.

    The decision was anno....
    Border shelling overshadows U.S.-Pakistan-Afghanistan talks
    Updated on: Monday, June 27, 2011 3:52:52 PM
    ISLAMABAD/KABUL: Fighting across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border will overshadow talks when the two countries meet along with the United States on Tuesda....
    MQM decides to sever ties with PPP-led government
    Updated on: Monday, June 27, 2011 3:52:28 PM
    Staff Report
    KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) again Monday decided to move away from federal government led by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

    MQM recently came at ....

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