DINA for the issue of November 30th, 2012

	Friday 30th November 2012 | Muharram 15, 1434
The DAWN Internet News Alert (DINA) is a free daily news service from Pakistan’s largest English language newspaper, the Daily DAWN.
Ban on mobile number portability lifted, restriction on Sim sale eased By Khawar Ghumman ISLAMABAD, Nov 29: Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf advised the people on Thursday to make necessary changes in lifestyle in the face of terror threats which the country was facing at the moment...	For suggestions and comments: Email: webmaster@dawn.com Website: http://dawn.com Fax: +92(21) 35693995 Karachi Stocks Up 101.53 Points: KARACHI, Nov 29: At the close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 16525.56, up 101.53 points. Forex Update : KARACHI, Nov 29: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at 97.6 to the US Dollar in the open market.
Mysterious object scares villagers By Qurban Ali Khushik DADU, Nov 29: Fear and bewilderment overtook some parts of Dadu district after some mysterious objects fell on a number of villages late on Wednesday night. The biggest fragment weighing 187 kilograms fell on a ground in Allah Jurio Lund village, 30 kilometres from Dadu. Other pieces fell on Pir Mashaikh, Shehak Rodnani and Khandhani villages...
Build Kalabagh Dam, LHC orders govt By Wajih Ahmad Sheikh LAHORE, Nov 29: The Lahore High Court came up with a surprise on Thursday and ordered the federal government to implement decisions of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) and build the much-politicised Kalabagh Dam. “The Constitution of Pakistan confers a pre-eminent position to the CCI to formulate and regulate policies for the federation in relation to a number of subjects, including water and power. A decision of the CCI has obligatory effect unless the same is modified by parliament at the instance of the federal government under Article 154(7) of the Constitution,” said a short order issued by LHC Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial after deciding a set of petitions seeking an order for the government to build the dam in the light of CCI’s recommendations...
Mullah Nazir injured, 8 militants killed in blast By Sailab Mehsud LADHA, Nov 29: Pro-government Taliban ‘commander’ Mullah Mohammad Nazir survived a suicide attack in which at least eight people were killed and 18 injured in Wana, the headquarters of South Waziristan tribal region, on Thursday. According to witnesses, the explosion took place when Mullah Nazir was going towards his car after attending a meeting of a ‘peace committee’ in his office in Rustam Bazaar...
Pakistan to remain aligned with Afghan Pashtuns By Baqir Sajjad Syed ISLAMABAD, Nov 29: As the endgame in Afghanistan draws near, strategists in Islamabad have decided in principle to remain closely aligned with the Afghan Pashtuns instead of seeking new allies. “Retaining ties with the Pashtuns is a crucial security imperative for us,” a senior Pakistani official claimed in a background interview with Dawn a day before Afghan Foreign Minister Dr Zalmai Rassoul is to travel to Islamabad for discussing various possibilities with his Pakistani interlocutors on furthering the political process in war-ravaged Afghanistan...
Structural problems sap Pak economy of vigour: IMF By Anwar Iqbal WASHINGTON, Nov 29: Deep seated structural problems and weak macroeconomic policies have continued to sap Pakistan’s economy of its vigour, says a report issued by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday. The report notes that Pakistan’s real GDP growth over the past four years has averaged only about 3 per cent annually, and is projected to be about 3¼ per cent in 2012-13. This is insufficient to achieve significant improvement in living standards and to absorb the rising labour force, the report warns...
Crisis deepens as CNG stations reject 17pc hike By Khaleeq Kiani ISLAMABAD, Nov 29: While Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf asked the petroleum ministry to resolve a dispute with owners of CNG stations to avert possible agitation, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) proposed an increase of over 17 per cent in the price of CNG on Thursday. An official told Dawn that Ogra had forwarded the new pricing formula determined after a series of public hearings and talks with CNG station owners for a policy advice before issuing a notification...
Malik claims PM did not scrap plan on Sims By Syed Irfan Raza ISLAMABAD, Nov 29: Interior Minister Rehman Malik, who had given the deadline of Dec 31 to cellphone service providers to block unregistered Sims, said on Thursday the prime minister had given an extension of three months to the cellular companies but had not scrapped the plan. He said the prime minister extended the deadline on the request made by representatives of the cellular companies...
Tariff increase withheld: Nepra questions legality of power purchase agreements By Our Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD, Nov 29: The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority questioned on Thursday the legality of various power purchase agreements which determined the final cost of electricity, and withheld a notification for a 4 paisa per unit increase in the tariff of Wapda’s distribution companies. At a public hearing for fuel-based monthly adjustment in tariff for Wapda consumers, Nepra members also questioned high transmission losses and said it would notify the tariff increase only when it was provided with power purchase agreements...
Cellphone firms withdraw petition against ban on late-night packages By Malik Asad ISLAMABAD, Nov 29: The Islamabad High Court dismissed on Thursday a petition against banning mobile chat services and late-night packages after petitioners withdrew their petition. The petitioners – Mobilink, Ufone, Telenor, Warid and Zong – through their counsel Ali Raza requested the court to allow them to withdraw their petition after the respondent Pakistan Telecommunication Authority submitted its reply along with some transcripts of communication it had intercepted during late-night conversation of consumers...
18th amendment poses challenges to good governance: WB By Our Reporter ISLAMABAD, Nov 29: A new World Bank policy paper says the 18th Amendment of the Constitution has failed to institutionalise constraints on barriers to mobility of goods and factors of production across the nation and instead opened up potential for such barriers by recognising the provincial authority to discriminate against non-residents. By delegating most regulatory functions to the provincial domain, the amendment has created potential for a ‘jungle of confusion’, exacting high transaction costs from citizens and businesses, says the paper titled “Making Federalism Work — the Eighteenth Constitutional Amendment”...
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DAWN Media Group, Haroon House, Karachi 74200, Pakistan	Copyright © 2012 Pakistan Herald Publications (Pvt.) Ltd.

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DINA for the issue of 29th November, 2012

	Thursday 29th November 2012 | Muharram 14, 1434
The DAWN Internet News Alert (DINA) is a free daily news service from Pakistan’s largest English language newspaper, the Daily DAWN.
Heavy ransom paid for doctor’s release By Saleem Shahid QUETTA, Nov 28: A renowned eye specialist, kidnapped 43 days ago, has been freed after payment of a heavy ransom...	For suggestions and comments: Email: webmaster@dawn.com Website: http://dawn.com Fax: +92(21) 35693995 Karachi Stocks Up 59.26 Points: KARACHI, Nov 28: At the close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 16424.03, up 59.26 points. Forex Update : KARACHI, Nov 28: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at 97.4 to the US Dollar in the open market.
Verification of voter list SC advises govt to seek army’s help in Karachi By Nasir Iqbal ISLAMABAD, Nov 28: The Supreme Court suggested on Wednesday that the army and Rangers should be used to re-launch the door-to-door voter verification campaign in Karachi. The court was of the opinion that the exercise would help identify and weed out unscrupulous and criminal elements responsible for the breakdown of law and order in the country’s largest city and ensure peaceful, free and fair elections...
Court seeks replies from sitting, ex-IB chiefs By Our Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD, Nov 28: The Supreme Court sought replies on Wednesday from the incumbent and former directors general of the Intelligence Bureau on withdrawal of huge amounts of money from IB’s accounts by the PPP governments to buy loyalty of politicians in Punjab and other provinces in 1988-1990 and 2008-09. A bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed had taken notice of a report which appeared in an English daily on March 14, alleging that Rs270 million had been withdrawn by the PPP government to dislodge the Punjab government in 2008-09...
New tax on CNG planned By Khaleeq Kiani ISLAMABAD, Nov 28: The government is considering to impose a new tax on compressed natural gas to reduce the price difference between CNG and petrol in order to phase out the use of the gas in private transport. “The government has planned to phase out CNG stations gradually as they are causing heavy loss to the national economy by wasting this valuable commodity (natural gas), instead of its use for industrialisation and investment and domestic use,” Prime Minister’s Adviser on Petroleum Dr Asim Hussain told the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Petroleum on Wednesday. The country does not have sufficient or surplus gas reserves to allow it to be burnt in private and luxury vehicles...
Senate committee’s hearing marks new phase in civil-military relations By Baqir Sajjad Syed ISLAMABAD, Nov 28: The Senate defence committee’s public hearing on civil-military relations was marked on Wednesday by a new phase in the discourse on the thorny issue, widely believed to be at the root of most of the problems, raising more intriguing questions on the way forward for fixing the imbalance. But it was clear that there was no illusion about quick-fix solutions. The over three-hour discussion was attended by 26 people, including seven parliamentarians. Three key presentations by former defence secretary Salim Abbas Jilani, former corps commander of Rawalpindi Lt Gen (retd) Salim Haider and analyst Hassan Askari Rizvi ended with an assortment of ideas to deal with the issue ranging from change in the military’s mindset to politicians putting their act right for regaining the confidence of the masses...
Some ministers oppose move to set up NACTA: Cabinet approves bill on counter-terrorism body By Khawar Ghumman ISLAMABAD, Nov 28: After about three years of foot-dragging, the federal cabinet finally approved on Wednesday the draft of National Counter-Terrorism Authority Bill 2012. The authority, set up through an executive order during the latter part of 2009, remained ineffective in the absence of mandatory legal cover...
13 drown as vehicle falls into canal By Our Correspondent SHIKARPUR, Nov 28: Thirteen people, among them two children, drowned on Wednesday evening when a passenger vehicle fell into the Khirthar Canal after its tie rod broke. According to Shikarpur Deputy Commissioner Azhar Hussain Shah, six bodies had been retrieved and 15 passengers rescued from the canal...
Disgruntled Baloch youths offered government jobs By Our Staff Correspondent QUETTA, Nov 28: A high-level meeting presided over by Balochistan Governor Zulfiqar Magsi here on Wednesday offered jobs to the disgruntled Baloch youths if they came down from mountains and stopped armed movement against the state. The meeting of the Apex Committee reviewed the law and order situation and took decisions aimed at improving security in the province...
Hazara man shot dead QUETTA, Nov 28: A man belonging to the Hazara Shia community was shot dead here on Wednesday, police sources said. The man, whose name could not be ascertained, was standing on Circular Road when gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire at him and escaped. He received multiple injuries and died...
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DAWN Media Group, Haroon House, Karachi 74200, Pakistan	Copyright © 2012 Pakistan Herald Publications (Pvt.) Ltd.

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DINA for the issue of November 28th, 2012

	Wednesday 28th November 2012 | Muharram 13, 1434
The DAWN Internet News Alert (DINA) is a free daily news service from Pakistan’s largest English language newspaper, the Daily DAWN.
US special envoy Grossman steps down By Anwar Iqbal WASHINGTON, Nov 27: US Special Envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan Marc Grossman is stepping down as of Dec 14, diplomatic sources told Dawn...	For suggestions and comments: Email: webmaster@dawn.com Website: http://dawn.com Fax: +92(21) 35693995 Karachi Stocks Up 94.29 Points: KARACHI, Nov 27: At the close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 16,364.77, up 94.29 points. Forex Update : KARACHI, Nov 27: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at 97 to the US Dollar in the open market.
PAC gears up to examine SC accounts By Khawar Ghumman ISLAMABAD, Nov 27: After seeking advice from independent jurists and the law division, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the National Assembly decided on Tuesday to put the Supreme Court registrar on notice and insist on his personal appearance before the committee. “The committee, through a unanimous vote and on the basis of legal opinion it has sought from the law ministry and constitutional experts, has decided to take up administrative expenditures of the superior courts. Therefore, it has asked the SC registrar to appear before the committee,” PAC Chairman Nadeem Afzal Gondal said while presiding over a meeting of the committee in the Parliament House...
Kaira against move to disqualify Nawaz By Zulqernain Tahir LAHORE, Nov 27: Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira has indicated having a soft corner for Mian Nawaz Sharif, saying that those harbouring the idea of keeping the PML-N chief out of the political process are living in a fool’s paradise. Mr Kaira made the politically significant remark on Tuesday with reference to the Asghar Khan case in which Mr Sharif is accused of having received Rs3.5 million from the ISI during the 1990 elections. Some PPP leaders, including Punjab Governor Sardar Latif Khosa, have called for disqualification of the Sharif brothers for allegedly using the money to stop the PPP from winning the elections and coming to power in 1990...
Alliance with PML-Q triggers rift in Sunni Ittehad By Muhammad Saleem and Khalid Hasnain FAISALABAD / LAHORE, Nov 27: An election alliance between the Pakistan Muslim League-Q and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) announced at a press conference by SIC chief Sahibzada Fazal Kareem in Faisalabad on Tuesday in the presence of PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Deputy Prime Minister Pervaiz Elahi has triggered a fissure in the SIC. A few hours after the press conference, some parties in the Sunni Ittehad dissociated themselves from the decision taken by Sahibzada Fazal Kareem, suspended his chairmanship and appointed Jamaat Ahl-i-Sunnat (Swad-i-Azam) chief Pir Syed Mahfooz Mushhadi as officiating chairman...
HRW urges courts not to muzzle media with contempt powers By Ikram Junaidi ISLAMABAD, Nov 27: An international human rights organisation based in the US has voiced its concern over use of “contempt of court powers” by the judges in Pakistan to stop criticism of judiciary in the media. “Pakistani judges should cease using their contempt of court powers to prevent the media from airing programming critical of the judiciary,” says a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report issued on Tuesday...
Political parties outnumber election symbols By Iftikhar A. Khan ISLAMABAD, Nov 27: As a result of a big increase in the number of political parties, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has fallen short of election symbols as the registered parties have outnumbered the available symbols. The number of registered parties reached 216 on Tuesday with the addition of another 19. This coincided with the receipt of a communication by the ECP about approval by the president of its summary on election symbols...
Arafat’s remains exhumed RAMALLAH, Nov 27: The remains of iconic Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat were exhumed on Tuesday, eight years after his death, with experts set to test for evidence he was poisoned by polonium. Shortly after the grave was briefly opened for forensic experts to take samples, an official warned that if there was evidence that Arafat was poisoned, the Palestinian leadership would petition the International Criminal Court to open an investigation. The exhumation process began before dawn and was carried out in secrecy, with the grave carefully shielded from the public eye...
Armed forces’ needs being met despite crunch: minister By Our Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD, Nov 27: With armed forces having almost gone public about how much under-resourced they were, Defence Minister Naveed Qamar said on Tuesday that the government was doing all it could to meet their requirements despite the financial crunch. “We have been giving them what we could give,” Mr Qamar said while talking to Dawn...
NAB will serve notice on Turkish firm for $120m By Syed Irfan Raza ISLAMABAD, Nov 27: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) will serve a fresh notice on a ship-mounted Turkish power plant Karkey within a couple of days for recovering $120 million as directed by the Supreme Court. “We will serve a fresh notice on Karkey in two days,” NAB’s spokesman Zafar Iqbal told Dawn on Tuesday...
TTP owns up bid to kill TV anchor PESHAWAR, Nov 27: Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility on Tuesday for planting a bomb under the car of Hamid Mir, a television anchor, and warned him of a second assassination bid. Mr Mir was criticised by the Taliban last month in the wake of the shooting of teenage activist Malala Yousufzai...
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DAWN Media Group, Haroon House, Karachi 74200, Pakistan	Copyright © 2012 Pakistan Herald Publications (Pvt.) Ltd.

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DINA for the issue of November 27th, 2012

	Tuesday 27th November 2012 | Muharram 12, 1434
The DAWN Internet News Alert (DINA) is a free daily news service from Pakistan’s largest English language newspaper, the Daily DAWN.
Appointment of judges: Minister given go-ahead to file reference By Khawar Ghumman ISLAMABAD, Nov 26: After resolving the Swiss letter issue, Law Minister Farooq H. Naek is working now on questions relating to the appointment of superior courts judges which the government intends to put before the Supreme Court in the form of a presidential reference...	For suggestions and comments: Email: webmaster@dawn.com Website: http://dawn.com Fax: +92(21) 35693995 Karachi Stocks Up 25.98 Points: KARACHI, Nov 26: At the close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 16263.57, up 25.98 points. Forex Update : KARACHI, Nov 26: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at 97.1 to the US Dollar in the open market.
Malik offers amnesty to banned groups By Syed Irfan Raza ISLAMABAD, Nov 26: Interior Minister Rehman Malik said on Monday that the government was ready to give a general amnesty for all proscribed organisations, including Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, if they renounced terrorism. “If proscribed organisations agree to cooperate with the government and give up terrorism, they will be removed from the list of banned organisations,” the interior minister said at a press conference here on Sunday...
Turkish power plant must pay $120m: SC By Nasir Iqbal ISLAMABAD, Nov 26: The Supreme Court settled a repayment dispute on Monday, directing the National Accountability Bureau to recover $120 million from a 232MW barge-mounted Turkish rental power plant. NAB Director General (Operations) Shahbaz Bhatti informed a three-judge bench that $120m was outstanding against the plant, Karkey Karadeniz Elektrik Uretin AS Turkey. But NAB Prosecutor General K.K. Agha said that the final decision had to be taken by the bureau’s chairman...
CNG stations closed as talks fail By Khaleeq Kiani ISLAMABAD, Nov 26: Amid a deadlock on the issue of CNG prices, owners of CNG stations announced on Monday closure of their outlets, saying they could no more bear losses and subsist on loans. At a meeting chaired by Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) chairman Saeed Ahmed Khan and attended by representatives of the ministries of petroleum and finance, a delegation of the association of owners of CNG stations presented a three-point pricing formula, seeking reduction in taxes and withdrawal of cross-subsidy being paid by the CNG sector...
Death toll from killer ‘cough syrup’ rises to 16 By Asif Chaudhry LAHORE, Nov 26: Sixteen people have died after drinking a toxic cough syrup here over the past three days. The first death was reported on Saturday and the toll rose to 16 when six people died in Mayo Hospital on Monday. It was the second major drug-related ‘tragedy’ in Lahore over the past year. Earlier, reaction to a heart drug had claimed the lives of more than 150 cardiac patients and affected the health of thousands of others. A report on the scam is yet to be made public...
Militants threaten peace committees’ supporters By Ibrahim Shinwari LANDI KOTAL, Nov 26: Proscribed militant organisation Lashkar-i-Islam have asked residents of Bara to dissociate themselves from pro-government peace committees and threatened attacks against those ignoring the warning. The LI men distributed threatening leaflets among people and pasted posters in the area over the past two days...
‘Malala ahead of Obama among world thinkers’ By Our Correspondent WASHINGTON, Nov 26: Malala Yousufzai is number six on US magazine Foreign Policy’s list of 100 top global thinkers in 2012. She is ahead of US President Barack Obama who is number seven. The other three Pakistanis on the list are former Pakistani ambassador to the US, Hussain Haqqani, his wife Farahnaz Ispahani and blogger Sana Saleem...
Family of four among seven killed by van fire By Our Staff Reporter LAHORE, Nov 26: Seven passengers, among them four of the same family, were killed and four others injured when a fire broke out in a moving van reportedly due to gas leakage near Manga Mandi on Monday. The van was coming to Lahore from Sahiwal when the incident took place in the vicinity of Shamkey Bhattian area on Multan Road, a spokesman for the National Highways and Motorways Police said...
Senior TV anchor escapes attempt on life Bureau Report ISLAMABAD, Nov 26: Hamid Mir, the television anchor and journalist, escaped an attempt on his life on Monday as police defused a bomb placed under his car in Islamabad. The Taliban had criticised Hamid Mir last month after the shooting of Malala Yousufzai, the teenage activist from Swat. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the device was found stuck under the front passenger seat of his car, police said...
Ex-judges restrained from releasing detailed verdicts By Malik Asad ISLAMABAD, Nov 26: The Islamabad High Court restrained on Monday two former additional judges from releasing detailed judgments on short orders they had pronounced before the expiry of their term in office. In letters addressed to former Justices Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui and Noorul Haq N. Qureshi, IHC Registrar Niaz Mohammad Khan referred to a judgment reported by the Supreme Court Monthly Review of 1997 titled ‘the state versus Asif Adil’ and informed them that “no short order/detailed reasons for the short order (if written) can be issued, written or signed after your honours have ceased to be additional judges of this court”...
Shells fired by Iran land in Chagai By Saleem Shahid QUETTA, Nov 26: Iranian border forces have fired mortar shells which landed and exploded near a border area in Chagai district. “Twelve to 15 mortar shells exploded between the border pillar No 12 and 15 between the night of Sunday and Monday,” Balochistan Home Secretary Akbar Hussian Durrani told to Dawn. However, no casualty was reported as the area is a desert along with Pak-Iran border...
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DAWN Media Group, Haroon House, Karachi 74200, Pakistan	Copyright © 2012 Pakistan Herald Publications (Pvt.) Ltd.

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DINA for the issue of November 25, 2012

	Sunday 25th November 2012 | Muharram 10, 1434
The DAWN Internet News Alert (DINA) is a free daily news service from Pakistan’s largest English language newspaper, the Daily DAWN.
Almost 600,000 taxpayers missing from tax net By Mubarak Zeb Khan ISLAMABAD, Nov 24: The bad news about Pakistan’s weak tax system never stops coming. The latest revelation emanating from the Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR) is that nearly 600,000 taxpayers have ‘mysteriously disappeared’ from the tax net in the past one year.	For suggestions and comments: Email: webmaster@dawn.com Website: http://dawn.com Fax: +92(21) 35693995
Cowasjee is no more By Shazia Hasan KARACHI, Nov 24: Ardeshir Cowasjee, a Dawn columnist, philanthropist and shipping tycoon, died at a hospital here on Saturday afternoon. He was 86. Mr Cowasjee, who was in frail health after suffering a femur fracture in August, was admitted to the National Medical Centre due to pneumonia some 10 days ago. He was in the intensive care unit when he breathed his last.
No shutdown in many KP areas: Malik warns phone firms of stern action By Kalbe Ali ISLAMABAD, Nov 24: Despite specific instructions from the interior ministry that mobile phone networks be shut down for up to 14 hours on Saturday and Sunday because of security concerns related to Muharram, the service remained open in Peshawar and some other towns in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday. Although the province has borne the brunt of the terror spectre stalking the country, the service remained shut for only three hours in its capital – from 3pm to 6pm.
Seven mourners die in D.I. Khan blast By Muhammad Irfan Mughal DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Nov 24: Seven people, three children among them, were killed and 27 others injured when a bomb exploded during a Muharram procession in Bannu Chungi area of the city on Saturday. Police sources said the bomb, laced with ball-bearings, was concealed in a garbage dump near a mosque along the procession route.
Govt working on bill to bar judges with dual nationality By Amir Wasim ISLAMABAD, Nov 24: After the parliamentarians, armed forces personnel and civil servants, judges may now have to face the dual nationality bar. Dawn has learnt that a draft 24th Constitution (Amendment) Bill is being prepared by the Law Ministry which aims to bar the judges from possessing dual nationality and the same will be presented during the next session of Senate along with the 22nd and 23rd Constitution (Amendment) Bills.
Judges defy Morsi decree, call for nationwide strike CAIRO, Nov 24: Defiant Egyptian judges hit back at President Mohamed Morsi on Saturday, demanding he reverse a decree giving himself sweeping powers that put him beyond judicial oversight and calling for a nationwide strike. Egypt’s Judges Club, a body that represents judges from across the country, called for “the suspension of work in all courts and prosecution administrations,” after several hours of emergency talks in response to what they called Mr Morsi’s “ferocious attack on Egyptian justice”.
15 killed in bus crash near Karak By Nasir Iqbal Khattak KARAK, Nov 24: Fifteen people, two women and a girl among them, were killed and 25 others injured when a bus rammed into a truck on the Indus Highway here on Saturday. The bus with at least 50 passengers on board was going from Karachi to Peshawar when it collided with the truck near Speena Banda, a dangerous mountainous portion of the Indus Highway.
Turgut Ozal was poisoned? ISTANBUL, Nov 24: An autopsy of the exhumed remains of Turkish president Turgut Ozal, who died in office in 1993, revealed the presence of four poisons, the pro-government daily Today’s Zaman reported on Saturday. Pathologists discovered the presence of the insecticide DDT at 10 times the level considered normal, as well as traces of the heavy metal cadmium and both polonium and americium, two radioactive substances, the paper said, quoting the Forensic Medicine Council.
Defiant girl revisits scene of Kabul massacre KABUL, Nov 24: In a brave gesture of defiance against suicide bombers, Afghanistan’s “girl-in-green” on Saturday revisited the scene of an Ashura massacre last year that made her image world famous. Tarana Akbari, now 13, was pictured screaming in horror among piles of bodies moments after a suicide bomber killed 80 people at a shrine in Kabul.
New city within Dubai planned DUBAI, Nov 24: Dubai, famed for its mega-projects before it was hit by the global financial crisis, on Saturday announced a plan to open the world’s biggest mall and a park larger than London’s Hyde Park. The ruler of the Gulf desert city state, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, announced the plan for a “new city within Dubai,” according to an official statement, naming it after himself.
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DAWN Media Group, Haroon House, Karachi 74200, Pakistan	Copyright © 2012 Pakistan Herald Publications (Pvt.) Ltd.

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Dina for the Issue of November 24, 2012

	Saturday 24 November 2012 | Muharram 9, 1434
The DAWN Internet News Alert (DINA) is a free daily news service from Pakistan’s largest English language newspaper, the Daily DAWN.
President discusses security issues with Kayani, Raja By Khawar Ghumman ISLAMABAD, Nov 23: Such is the level of security scare gripping the country during Muharram that President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday met Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf to take stock of internal security threats...	For suggestions and comments: Email: webmaster@dawn.com Website: http://dawn.com Fax: +92(21) 35693995 Karachi Stocks Up 30.85 points: KARACHI, Nov 23: At the close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 16264.04, up 30.85 points. Forex Update : KARACHI, Nov 23: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at 97 to the US Dollar in the open market.
‘Suicide bomber’ killed in shootout By Ghulam Mursalin Marwat LAKKI MARWAT, Nov 23: A tragedy was averted when police killed a would-be suicide bomber before he could reach his target here on Friday. District Police Officer Mohammad Idrees said the assailant who appeared to be in his teens opened fire at a police checkpost near Mohallah Syedaan and ran into an alley.
Two tribal elders killed By Ibrahim Shinwari ILANDI KOTAL, Nov 23: Two tribal elders were killed in the remote Tirah valley of Khyber Agency on Friday. Yarman Khan and Waris, of the Kamarkhel tribe, died when an explosive device planted in the Sheengarh area near Takhtaki village went off.
Muharram security: suspension of cellphones in 50 cities By Iftikhar A. Khan ISLAMABAD, Nov 23: After a series of suicide bombings and attacks in which explosive devices were said to have been detonated by mobile phones, the government decided on Friday to suspend the cellphone network for varying periods in about 50 cities across the country on Saturday and Sunday, the 9th and 10th of Muharram, to provide security to mourners. The cellphone network was blocked in Karachi and Quetta for up to 11 hours on Friday. After its restoration at about midnight, the service will again be blocked at 6 in the morning on Saturday.
Announcement THE offices of Dawn will remain closed on Saturday (Nov 24) and Sunday on account of Muharram. Arrangements have, however, been made to bring out the newspaper on Sunday. There will be no newspaper on Monday.
Protests in Cairo against Morsi ‘coup’ CAIRO, Nov 23: Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi’s decision to assume sweeping powers caused fury among his opponents and prompted violent clashes in central Cairo and other cities on Friday. Police fired tear gas near Cairo’s Tahrir Square, heart of the 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak, where thousands demanded Mr Morsi quit and accused him of launching a “coup”. There were violent protests in Alexandria, Port Said and Suez.
Judges’ appointment: Govt preparing reference, SC told By Nasir Iqbal ISLAMABAD, Nov 23: In what analysts here see as a smart move, the government informed the Supreme Court on Friday that President Asif Ali Zardari intended to invoke the court’s advisory jurisdiction through a reference to settle once and for all issues relating to appointment of superior court judges. The information was conveyed by Attorney General Irfan Qadir through a written statement he submitted to a four-judge bench comprising Justice Khilji Arif Hussain, Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry and Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan which had taken up a petition of Advocate Nadeem Ahmed seeking issuance of a notification about six months’ extension for Justice Noorul Haq N. Qureshi and permanent appointment of Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui of the Islamabad High Court.
Ethnic faultlines complicate post-2014 scenario By Cyril Almeida & Hasan Khan MAZAR-I-SHARIF: The serenity of the historic Blue Mosque at the centre of northern Afghanistan’s largest city, where worshippers stream in from early morning to pray, appears to have spread across the city that was once an ethnic cauldron. After the Soviet withdrawal, Tajik, Uzbek and Hazara militias vied for control of Mazar, but Rashid Dostum, an Uzbek warlord, managed to establish his writ until 1997, when the Taliban advanced on the city.
Success depends on Pakistan’s commitment: US By Anwar Iqbal WASHINGTON, Nov 23: The US success in Afghanistan depends on having a Pakistan that is willing to confront terrorists, says US Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta. In a related report, a US think-tank urges the Obama administration to scale back its relationship with Pakistan in its second term, while maintaining a long-term tie with the country.
India-China territorial row spills into passports BEIJING, Nov 23: A fresh row has broken out between India and China over territorial claims in the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh and the Aksai Chin area in eastern Kashmir. In new passports, China’s maps show the two areas as Chinese territory.
Conditions at Australia’s refugee camp appalling: Amnesty SYDNEY, Nov 23: The camp set up by Australia to house asylum-seekers on the Pacific island of Nauru was “appalling” and likely in breach of its obligations to refugees, rights group Amnesty said on Friday. Australia began sending asylum-seekers to Nauru in September as part of a new policy of processing boatpeople offshore to deter others from making the risky sea journey Down Under which has claimed hundreds of lives.
Minister Mahar quit or was sacked? By Our Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD, Nov 23: Minister for Privatisation Ghous Bux Khan Mahar of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q was shown the door on Friday by Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf for reasons not announced. The minister, however, said he himself had resigned from the ministry on Oct 31 in protest against the controversial Sindh’s local government act of 2012.
12 migrants hurt in Greece protest THESSALONIKI (Greece), Nov 23: Twelve undocumented migrants and four policemen were injured on Friday in a violent protest that broke out inside a detention centre in Komotini, northern Greece, local police said. Scores of migrants protesting against their open-ended detention threw stones and broken masonry at the police, who fired back tear gas, the police said.
Taliban: bombers, spies forced French retreat KABUL, Nov 23: A network of informers, exploitation of popular dissent and the ability to strike at vulnerable moments helped hasten the end of France’s combat mission in Afghanistan, according to an Afghan Taliban `commander’. French troops rolled out of Kapisa province a couple of days ago, ending one of the largest Nato combat missions in Afghanistan two years early, 10 months to the day since Afghan soldier Abdul Sabor shot dead five French colleagues.
No indictment for Sarkozy BORDEAUX, Nov 23: Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has escaped indictment but will continue to be investigated over allegations that his 2007 election campaign was financed with funds secured illegally from the country’s richest woman. After more than 12 hours of interrogation, a panel of three examining magistrates decided late on Thursday to treat Mr Sarkozy as a witness under caution rather than formally charging him.
Nigeria to host D-8 trade talks ISLAMABAD, Nov 23: Nigeria will host trade talks among the Developing Eight (D-8) in February as part of efforts to increase business within member states and Africa, Nigeria’s trade and investment minister said. “I will be hosting the trade and industry ministers from the D-8 countries sometime around February next year to come up with a strategic plan on how we can increase trade within the D-8,” Olusegun Aganga told reporters.
Proceedings to impeach Lankan chief justice begin By Frances Bulathsinghala COLOMBO, Nov 23: The impeachment proceedings of the Sri Lankan Chief Justice, Shirani Bandaranayake, began in parliament on Friday, despite a `request’ by the Supreme Court to suspend the process until it had given its determination on the constitutional procedure for impeachment of judges. Friday’s proceedings could not be reported as they were held in camera, but the media was informed that the next sitting of the parliamentary committee would be held on Dec 4.
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