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Karachi: CNG stations to remain shut for 24 hours
Hillary to visit Pakistan this week
Pakistan, Sri Lanka set for UAE opener
US wants strong democracy in Pakistan
US army to fly 'kamikaze' drones
Oil prices drop after G20 fail to lift confidence
Dollar gains as hopes for Europe debt plan fade
West must keep Pakistan ties: NATO chief
Yemeni officials say 18 killed in clashes
Syria troops kill 21 in flashpoint Homs: right group
Ahmadinejad denies Iran plot against Saudi envoy
Hass back in action with Stockholm win
Kirilenko reaches 2nd round in Luxembourg Open
United hoping for win against little-known Otelul
Butt says he ignored fixing requests

Karachi: CNG stations to remain shut for 24 hours

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Vice Chairman of All Pakistan CNG Association Shabeer Salman, while talking to Dunya News, said that more than 500 CNG stations in Sindh will remain closed from 12:00 noon today till 12:00 on Wednesday. This decision was taken unanimously by Sui Sothern Gas Company and CNG associations. He said that closure of CNG stations will ensure saving of 90 million cubic feet gas. He said it is for the last time that CNG stations in Sindh will remain shut due to decrease in production of gas from Zum Zum Gas Field and threatened to move court if similar demanded was made again.

Hillary to visit Pakistan this week

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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will lead a very high-level delegation to Pakistan later this week to try one more time to set US-Pakistan relations back on track, before they go off the rails altogether. She ll be accompanied by CIA Director David Petraeus, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Martin Dempsey and several other administration officials. The US delegation will have meetings with President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, and Chief of Army Staff Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.

Pakistan, Sri Lanka set for UAE opener

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Passions are expected to run high when two subcontinental sides face off today at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, with Sri Lanka playing their first Test match in the UAE against Pakistan. Misbah-ul-Haq leads a Pakistan side that has fared reasonably well in the past year considering the spot-fixing scandals, a woefully incompetent cricket administration and the lack of international cricket at home. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, are led by Tillakaratne Dilshan, who is keen to halt an 11-match winless streak which includes two losses.

US wants strong democracy in Pakistan

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The US State Department spokesman, Mark Toner, said in his media briefing in Washington that United States wants to see a strong democracy emerge in Pakistan that works side by side with the military. “This will be in the benefit of the Pakistani people,” he said. He said that Pakistan is under enormous threats from extremist groups and needs to find constructive ways to address them. He said that Pakistan regime is capable of meeting these challenges and Washington is willing to play its part and work with Islamabad in addressing these challenges. On a question about Pakistan’s concerns on strategic agreement between India and Afghanistan he said: “We need good, solid, constructive relationship between all the countries in the region.”

US army to fly 'kamikaze' drones

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A miniature ‘kamikaze’ drone designed to quietly hover in the sky before dive-bombing and slamming into a human target will soon be part of the US Army s arsenal, officials say. Dubbed the ‘Switchblade,’ the robotic aircraft represents the latest attempt by the United States to refine how it takes out suspected militants. Weighing less than two kilos, the drone is small enough to fit into a soldier s backpack and is launched from a tube, with wings quickly folding out as it soars into the air, according to manufacturer AeroVironment. Powered by a small electric motor, the Switchblade transmits video in real time from overhead, allowing a soldier to identify an enemy, the company said in a press release last month. "Upon confirming the target using the live video feed, the operator then sends a command to the air vehicle to arm it and lock its trajectory onto the target," it said. The drone then flies into the "target," detonating a small explosive. The California-based firm also said the drone can be called off at the last moment, even after a kill mission has been ordered. That feature provides troops with "a level of control not available in other weapon systems," it said. The United States currently uses larger Predator and Reaper drones to hunt down suspected militants in Pakistan and elsewhere. The robotic planes fire powerful Hellfire missiles and drop heavy bombs that can cause civilian casualties and extensive damage, which has fueled popular anger with the United States in Pakistan. In the war in Afghanistan, US and coalition troops fighting the Taliban can call in artillery fire or air strikes from fighter jets and attack helicopters. But the heavy firepower has been blamed by Afghan leaders for claiming the lives of innocent civilians and strained US relations with Kabul. The Switchblade, however, is touted as a way to avoid killing bystanders. "Flying quietly at high speed the Switchblade delivers its onboard explosive payload with precision while minimizing collateral damage," the company said. The US Army in June approved a $4.9 million contract for AeroVironment to supply the new drones as soon as possible. Officials have not said how many Switchblade drones were ordered or when the robotic weapons would make into the hands of US forces. Human rights groups have raised concerns that the use of drones by the CIA has allowed the conduct of a secret assassination campaign abroad without public scrutiny and little oversight by lawmakers in Congress.

Oil prices drop after G20 fail to lift confidence

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Oil prices ended lower Monday after the Group of 20 meeting in Paris on the weekend failed to solidify market confidence in the global growth picture and Europe s financial soundness. New York s main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in November, fell 42 cents from Friday s close to finish at $86.38 a barrel. Brent North Sea crude for delivery in December shed $2.06 to settle at $110.16 a barrel in London trade. Oil has tumbled about 24 percent since May on fears of a slowdown in the global economy. Investors focused on weak gasoline demand in the U.S. and budget problems in Greece. Prices had started to rise last week as European leaders appeared to be near a turning point. On Monday, German finance chief Wolfgang Schaeuble dampened expectations that they d hammer out a comprehensive solution at an upcoming summit. Meanwhile, U.S. factories produced more goods in September for the third month. The 0.4 percent increase in factory output was taken as a sign that the economy is still growing, albeit slowly. In other energy trading, heating oil lost 4.2 cents to finish at $3.0136 per gallon and gasoline futures lost 8.18 cents to end at $2.7429 per gallon. Natural gas lost 1.5 cents to finish the day at $3.688 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Dollar gains as hopes for Europe debt plan fade

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The euro had risen 4 percent against the dollar last week on hopes that a major plan to stem the crisis would be finalized soon. But German finance chief Wolfgang Schaeuble said Monday that European leaders will not have a "definitive solution" when they meet this weekend. He said that the leaders will likely adopt a five-point plan to address the debt crisis, but that more work would still need to be done. Currency investors had expected a comprehensive plan to be announced after an Oct. 23 European Union summit in Brussels. "These recent comments illustrate how much of a challenge it is to come up with a plan that all 17 eurozone nations find agreeable," said Kathy Lien, director of currency research at the online currency trading firm GFT. In late trading Monday, the euro fell to $1.3742 from $1.3875 late Friday. The British pound fell to $1.5753 from $1.5815. The dollar rose to 0.8990 Swiss franc from 0.8930 Swiss franc and to 1.0201 Canadian dollar from 1.0117 Canadian dollar. However, the dollar slipped to 76.82 Japanese yen from 77.22 Japanese yen.

West must keep Pakistan ties: NATO chief

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The west must continue to co-operate closely with Pakistan despite US claims that Pakistan’s intelligence agency is assisting insurgents fighting allied troops in Afghanistan, NATO’s secretary-general has said. Anders Fogh Rasmussen declined to say whether he agreed with claims by Admiral Mike Mullen, the US military’s recently-retired top officer, that Pakistan’s Inter-Service Intelligence directorate supported attacks on US and NATO facilities by Pakistan-based Haqqani militants. But he told the Financial Times that regardless of possible links, “I don’t think there are many alternatives” to working with the Pakistani military and government leadership to convince them to clamp down on the Haqqani operation. “Whatever might be the links between the Haqqani network and authorities in Pakistan, the bottom line remains the same,” Mr Rasmussen said in an interview. “Pakistan must deal with it and make sure terrorists don’t have safe havens in Pakistan, and we need a close partnership and a positive partnership with Pakistan.” US expectations of Pakistani forces moving against the Haqqani network based in North Waziristan are low. The Pakistani army insists that existing efforts to clear militants along the Afghan border have left it “too stretched” to launch new, and domestically unpopular, operations. The country’s civilian and military leaders say that the US has failed to understand the complexity of the alliances and threats in the tribal areas along the border. The Haqqani network is viewed by many analysts as a key proxy for Pakistan in its bid to retain control of territory in the Pashtun-belt of southern Afghanistan. Diplomats in Islamabad describe Pakistan’s tolerance of militant groups in the border region as “hedging” over the future of Afghanistan once US troops withdraw in 2014. “Pakistan cannot be sidelined from any settlement on Afghanistan,” Ahmed Mukhtar, Pakistan’s defence minister, told the FT. “Pakistan and Afghanistan must co-operate to stabilise the region, otherwise peace will remain a distant prospect. Nobody can ignore Pakistan’s centrality to a successful end to the Afghan campaign.” Mr Rasmussen denied that the new hardline stance taken by the Obama administration risked up-ending his push to continue close co-operation with Islamabad. He said he still considered Pakistan “a partner” in NATO’s Afghan campaign and believed Pakistan’s leadership could be incentivised to take a more aggressive stance towards the Haqqanis and affiliated extremist groups. “I don’t believe we have other ways to deal with this than continue to work with the Pakistanis and really make sure they understand we have a common interest,” he said.

Yemeni officials say 18 killed in clashes

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Yemeni officials say 18 people have been killed and at least 30 wounded in clashes between regime forces and its rivals. The officials said eight followers of a tribal leader who defected to the opposition in March were killed early Monday in clashes with forces loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. They said four civilians were killed in the fighting along with two government troops. Three people were also killed when mortars exploded in a protest encampment in central Sanaa. Also, a man was killed in the city of Taiz, when pro-government gunmen fired on protesters. At least 30 were wounded across Sanaa and in Taiz. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters.

Syria troops kill 21 in flashpoint Homs: right group

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Syrian troops killed 21 people during search operations in the flashpoint central city of Homs on Monday, a human rights group said. "Twenty-one people, some civilians and others police officers, were killed in Homs on Monday during operations by the army and the security services in several neighbourhoods of the city," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Troops shot dead two other civilians, one in Idlib province in the northwest and the other a 13-year-old boy in Hama, a protest centre north of Homs, the Britain-based watchdog said. Seven soldiers were also killed in clashes with gunmen suspected of being army defectors in Homs province, the Observatory reported earlier. It added that 20 soldiers fled into nearby orchards after those exchanges.

Ahmadinejad denies Iran plot against Saudi envoy

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President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has denied allegations that Iranian government agents were involved in a plot to assassinate Saudi Arabia ambassador to Washington. Ahmadinejad says the United States is accusing Iran of involvement in a "terror plot" to divert attention from its economic problems and to strengthen sanctions against Tehran. Ahmadinejad made the comments in an interview with Al-Jazeera satellite TV channel on Monday. Two men, including a member of the Iranian special foreign actions unit known as the Quds Force, have been charged in New York federal court with conspiring to kill the Saudi diplomat, Adel al-Jubeir. The alleged plot raised tensions between Mideast s Sunni power, Saudi Arabia and Iran, the Shiite powerhouse.

Hass back in action with Stockholm win

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Veteran Tommy Haas returned to the courts for the first time since the US Open and beat Somdev Devvarman of India 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 to reach the second round of the Stockholm Open on Monday. The 33-year-old two-time semi-finalist at the Kungligahallen from 2004 and 2007 missed more than a year of play from February, 2010, until last May as he recovered from hip surgery. The comeback for the number 290 has been limited, with Haas winning only five matches this season prior to his Stockholm success. He was joined as an opening-day winner by compatriot Philipp Petzschner, who beat Lukasz Kubot of Poland 6-2, 7-5. Haas, who struck 37 winners in the contest which lasted for nearly 90 minutes, fired seven aces and committed 20 unforced errors, said he was pleased to be tested by Johannesburg finalist Devvarman, the number 84. Haas will await the winner from a match between South African fifth seed Kevin Anderson and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain. Haas is playing in Stockholm for the sixth time, with his last appearance a 2009 loss in the second round to Jarkko Niemimen. Frenchman Gael Monfils, given the all-clear by doctors in Paris to play after a recent knee scan, arrived in the Swedish capital on Monday night, with the top seed given a bye into the second round before meeting either Estonian qualifier Jurgen Zopp or Australian wild card Bernard Tomic. Argentine Juan Martin del Potro is seeded second as the South American begins the autumn indoor season after skipping the just-concluded Asian swing dominated by Andy Murray. Del Potro, who has a full indoor schedule lined up before the December 2-4 Davis Cup final in Seville against Spain, made his only Stockholm appearance in 2007, retiring in the first round against current tournament director Thomas Johansson.

Kirilenko reaches 2nd round in Luxembourg Open

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Seventh-seeded Maria Kirilenko of Russia advanced to the second round of the Luxembourg Open on Monday when Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain retired with an injury when trailing 7-6 (5), 3-6, 3-0. Kirilenko will now meet Iveta Benesova for a place in the quarterfinals after the Czech player rallied to beat Pauline Parmentier of France, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. In other first-round action, Tamira Paszek of Austria defeated Ekaterina Makarova of Russia 6-2, 6-2, and Spain s Anabel Medina Garrigues swept past local wild card Anne Kremer 6-0, 6-0.

United hoping for win against little-known Otelul

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Manchester United will be without England center back Rio Ferdinand when it takes on little-known Romanian team Otelul Galati in the Champions League on Tuesday. United is looking for its first win in this season s competition, against a side manager Alex Ferguson admitted he had "never heard of" before. Even in Romania, not much more is known about the "Steelworkers" other than that Otelul s captain volunteered for a 30 percent pay cut last year. With United in desperate need of a win to kickstart its campaign after two straight draws in Group C, Ferguson could recall captain Nemanja Vidic, who has recovered from a calf injury, as well as Wayne Rooney, Portugal winger Nani and Mexico striker Javier Hernandez, after all three started on the bench at the weekend. Ferguson left Rooney out of his lineup for Saturday s 1-1 draw at Liverpool because the striker was "devastated" that he had been given a three-match ban by UEFA for a sending-off on England duty, ruling him out of the group stage of the 2012 European Championship. Ferguson said that Rooney was "full of energy and enthusiasm and he ll be playing today," at a press conference in Bucharest. Ferdinand, who played the full 90 minutes against Liverpool, has been rested and is not in the 23-man squad. "We need to win both games (against Otelul) and hopefully we ll do that," Ferguson said. "And we ll hope for one of two things from the other teams (Basel and Benfica) either they both draw or one wins both games. We don t want them to win a game each as the group would then be very tight."

Butt says he ignored fixing requests

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Former Pakistan Test captain Salman Butt told a court in London on Monday that he had ignored requests by his agent to fix cricket matches against England. At his trial with fast bowler Mohammad Asif, Butt, 27, said he did not fulfil his duty to inform the cricketing authorities of an alleged corrupt approach by his British-based agent Mazhar Majeed. But he insisted that he had rejected the agent s suggestions to deliberately lose wickets at last year s Twenty20 World Cup and score no runs in an over in a Test against England last summer. "Never in my whole life have I intended to do anything like that, play a match in a certain way. I always do what is required to the best of my ability," he told Southwark Crown Court. Butt said that the agent rang him late at night on the eve of the final day of the Oval Test in August 2010, in a conversation that was recorded by an undercover journalist for the now-defunct News of the World newspaper. The cricketer said Majeed had asked him, referring to a maiden over in which no runs are scored: "You know the maiden that we re doing for the first over? You know the third over you face, do one more maiden". Butt said he replied to Majeed: "Bro, just leave it, OK." He told the court: "I intended to say,  that s enough, I ve heard enough of that conversation ." When the agent again allegedly called Butt the following morning making a similar request the cricketer replied using the Urdu and Punjabi term "theek hai", meaning "OK". Butt told the jury this meant he was trying to end the conversation quickly. "I was trying to get rid of the conversation, not to offend anyone... I was absolutely not interested in what he was talking about," he said. Butt and Asif have both pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, and conspiracy to cheat at gambling. Majeed and young Pakistan bowler Mohammad Aamer have also been charged with the same offences as Butt and Asif but are not standing trial alongside them.

PoliticusUSA

Cricket - Sports

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

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