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Pak-US relationship critical to win Afghan: Panetta
National Assembly session from Thursday
Canada formally withdraws from Kyoto Protocol
Canada bans burqa at citizenship swearing in
Obama heralds end of divisive Iraq war
Obama demands Iran return downed US drone
Iran says it's recovering data from US drone
School bus crash kills 15 students in China
US Senate panel agrees to freeze $700m aid to Pakistan
Afridi, Razzaq gear up with Australia stint
India can beat Australia, says Dhoni
Struggling Hughes gets Worcestershire boost
Chelsea beat Man City 2-1 in Premier League
PM congratulates parliamentarians on passage of pro-women
Parliamentary committee proposes to tax NATO supply

Pak-US relationship critical to win Afghan: Panetta

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Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta expressed confidence today that the United States and Pakistan can patch up their differences, emphasizing that "ultimately, we can t win the war in Afghanistan without being able to win in our relationship with Pakistan as well." The secretary said restoring the strained relationship with the United States critical to long-term progress in Afghanistan. "I think it is going to be important, as we are able to move and progress in our efforts in Afghanistan, that we continue to do outreach in Pakistan," he said. "It is essential to stability in that region that we not only achieve a peaceful resolution with regards to Afghanistan, but that we are able to develop a more stable relationship with Pakistan as well," he said. "If that region is ever going to find peace, it is going to happen not only by achieving stability in Afghanistan, but also by achieving some degree of stability in Pakistan as well." The U.S. relationship with Pakistan has been "difficult and complicated," Panetta conceded. "But it is an important relationship, and it is one we have to continue to work at." The secretary noted that Pakistan has provided important cooperation to the United States. "At the same time, we have had some serious difficulties with regards to some of the operations that involve groups in the FATA (federally administered tribal areas) and groups along the border," he said. Strain between the two countries increased after the May 2 raid that took down Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, and intensified after a Nov. 26 engagement near Pakistan s border with Afghanistan that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.

National Assembly session from Thursday

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The Acting President has summoned the National Assembly Session in exercise of powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of Pakistan. This session will be the 37th session of the 4th Parliamentary year of the incumbent National Assembly.

Canada formally withdraws from Kyoto Protocol

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Canada became the first country to formally withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol, saying the pact on cutting carbon emissions was preventing the world from effectively tackling climate change. "We are invoking Canada s legal right to formally withdraw from Kyoto," Environment Minister Peter Kent said following a marathon UN climate conference in South Africa, at which nations agreed to a new roadmap for worldwide action. The landmark pact reached in 1997 is the only global treaty that sets down targeted curbs in global emissions. But those curbs apply only to rich countries, excluding the United States, which has refused to ratify the accord. "Kyoto is not the path forward for a global solution to climate change," Kent said. "If anything, it s an impediment. "We believe that a new agreement with legally binding commitments for all major emitters that allows us as a country to continue to generate jobs and economic growth represents the path forward." Canada agreed under the Kyoto Protocol to reduce CO2 emissions to 6.0 percent below 1990 levels by 2012, but its emissions of the gases blamed for damaging Earth s fragile climate system have instead increased sharply. Saying the targets agreed to by a previous Liberal administration were unattainable, Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper s government last year unveiled its own measures aimed at curbing emissions, in line with US efforts.

Canada bans burqa at citizenship swearing in

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New Canadian citizens must remove any face coverings, such as the Islamic niqab or burqa, while they take the oath of citizenship, the country s immigration minister said Monday. Jason Kenney said most Canadians find the practice of reciting the oath behind a veil disturbing and said new Canadians should take it in view of their fellow citizens. He said he has received complaints from lawmakers and citizenship judges who say it s difficult to ensure that individuals whose faces are covered are actually reciting the oath. The Conservative minister called the issue a matter of deep principle that goes to the heart of Canada s identity and the country s values of openness and equality. He said women who feel obliged to have their faces covered in public often come from a cultural milieu that treats women as property rather than equal human beings. "I do think that most Canadians find that disquieting to say the least," Kenney said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "Most Muslim Canadian women I know find the practice of face covering in our society disturbing, indicative of an approach to women that is not consistent with our democratic values," Kenney added. Kenney said his government would not go further by drafting laws to ban women from wearing veils that cover their faces in public. France became the first country to enact a law designed to forbid face-covering veils such as the niqab or burqa anywhere in public. Violators risk fines or being ordered to take citizenship classes. "We shouldn t have the state using its power to dictate what people choose to wear in their private lives, but when there are important points of intersection with the state in obtaining state services I think it s entirely reasonable for people to show who they are," Kenney said.

Obama heralds end of divisive Iraq war

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President Barack Obama heralded the end of the divisive Iraq war Monday, and warned Iraq s neighbours that the United States would remain a major player in the region even as it brings its troops home. "Our strong presence in the Middle East endures," Obama said. "And the United States will never waver in the defense of our allies, our partners and our interests." Speaking after a morning of meetings with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Obama said other nations must not interfere with Iraq s sovereignty. While he stopped short of mentioning any countries by name, US officials are closely watching how neighbouring Iran may seek to influence Baghdad after US troops withdraw. Early signs of how Iraq may orient itself could come from how it handles troubles in Syria, where the United Nations says 4,000 people have been killed in a government crackdown on protesters. While Obama has called for Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down, Iraq has been more circumspect, with al-Maliki warning of civil war if Assad falls and abstaining from Arab League votes suspending Syria s membership and imposing sanctions. Those positions align Iraq more closely with Iran, a key Syrian ally. Obama said he and al-Maliki were both deeply concerned by the Syrian government s assault on its own people. And Obama said he was confident that the Iraqi leader s approach to dealing with Syria was based on his own nation s interests. "Even if there are tactical disagreements I have no doubt those decisions are made based on what s best for Iraq, not considerations of what Iran would like to see," Obama said. Al-Maliki s trip to Washington came as the last American troops were preparing to leave Iraq ahead of a Dec. 31 deadline. Just 6,000 US forces remain, down from a high of 170,000 at the war s peak in 2007.

Obama demands Iran return downed US drone

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President Barack Obama said Monday the United States has asked Iran to return a US drone that Tehran says it brought down while the aircraft was flying over its territory. "We ve asked for it back. We ll see how the Iranians respond," Obama said at a news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. It was the first open confirmation by the Obama administration that the drone was in Iranian hands. "With respect to the drone inside of Iran, I m not going to comment on intelligence matters that are classified," he said. The bat-winged RQ-170 Sentinel, designed to evade radar for surveillance flights, was on a CIA mission when it went missing, according to US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The episode has handed Iran a propaganda coup and Iranian state television has shown images of a robotic aircraft that experts say resembles the Sentinel. Iran has vowed to reverse engineer the drone but has given contradictory accounts of how the aircraft went down on December 4. Tehran initially said it shot down the drone but later claimed the military managed to hack into the plane s flight controls.

Iran says it's recovering data from US drone

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Iranian experts are in the final stages of recovering data from the US surveillance drone captured by the country s armed forces, state TV reported Monday. Tehran has flaunted the capture of the RQ-170 Sentinel, a top-secret aircraft with stealth technology, as a victory for Iran and a defeat for the United States in a complicated intelligence and technological battle. President Barack Obama said Monday that the US was pressing Iran to return the aircraft, which US officials say malfunctioned and was not brought down by Iran. But a senior commander of Iran s Revolutionary Guard said on Sunday that the country would not send it back, adding that "no one returns the symbol of aggression." Iranian lawmaker Parviz Sorouri, a member of the parliament s national security and foreign policy committee, said Monday the extracted information will be used to file a lawsuit against the United States for what he called the "invasion" by the unmanned aircraft. Sorouri also claimed that Iran has the capability to reproduce the drone through reverse engineering, but he did not elaborate.

School bus crash kills 15 students in China

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Chinese state media say a school bus belonging to a primary school has overturned, killing at least 15 students, despite a recent government pledge to improve school safety after an earlier crash of a school van. The official Xinhua News Agency did not give the ages of the victims in the crash Monday evening. It said the bus was carrying 29 students when it overturned in Xuzhou city in Jiangsu province in eastern China. It said 11 others were hurt. Last month, 19 students and two adults were killed when a nine-seat private school van packed with 62 children and two adults crashed head-on with a truck in northwest Gansu province.

US Senate panel agrees to freeze $700m aid to Pakistan

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The leaders of a US House-Senate negotiating panel said on Monday they had agreed to freeze $700 million in US aid to Pakistan until it provides some assurances of assistance in the fight against improvised explosive devices in the region. The explosive devices are among militants  most effective weapons against US and coalition troops in Afghanistan. Many are made using ammonium nitrate, a common fertilizer shipped across the border from Pakistan. The freeze on US aid was agreed as part of a defense bill that is expected to be passed this week.

Afridi, Razzaq gear up with Australia stint

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Pakistan all-rounders Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq expressed hope Monday that their Twenty20 stint in Australia would stand them in good stead to beat England next month. Thirty-one-year-old Razzaq missed Pakistan s one-day series against Bangladesh due to a shoulder injury sustained against Sri Lanka last month, but said he is fit again and hopes to play a part against England. "My injury was not serious and I am now fully fit," Razzaq said before his departure. "I am very keen to play against England and do my part in the team s win over England." Pakistan play England in three Tests, four one-day and three Twenty20 internationals in the United Arab Emirates in January. Both Razzaq and Afridi will play for Melbourne Star in the Big Bash Twenty20 league in Australia starting from December 16. Razzaq said England will be tough to beat. "They (England) are the number one team in Tests so it will be tough to beat them, but our team is doing well and is on a roll under Misbah-ul Haq as captain so we will try our best to beat them," said Razzaq. Razzaq said he has cricket left in him. "I can still play my part for the team in both Tests and one-day, so if I am given the opportunity then I will do my best," said Razzaq, who has so far played 46 Tests, 265 one-day and 26 Twenty20 for Pakistan. Afridi, who performed well in the team s 4-1 one-day win over Sri Lanka and 3-0 sweep against Bangladesh, said England pose a real threat. "It will be a fantastic series against England," said Afridi. "I don t play Tests anymore but having watched England s progress towards world number one I am sure they will be a real test for Pakistan team." "As for one-day cricket, we have a better team than England," said Afridi, who has so far played 333 one-day and 45 Twenty20 internationals.

India can beat Australia, says Dhoni

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India can beat Michael Clarke s struggling team and win their first Test series in Australia if they play to their potential, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said Monday. "The team is looking good and can beat Australia," Dhoni told reporters in Chennai ahead of the squad s departure for four Tests and a triangular one-day series also featuring Sri Lanka. "I will focus on our strengths and weaknesses and hope for results on the field. We are more concerned about where we need to work on and not worry about what kind of opposition we are playing." Dhoni s comments came on the day when Clarke s Australians lost the second Test by seven runs against New Zealand in Hobart, their first loss against the Kiwis at home in 26 years. The defeat was also Australia s third in eight Tests under Clarke s captaincy. India will be playing their first away Test series since losing all four matches in England in July-August that cost Dhoni s men their number one Test ranking. India open the three-month tour on December 15, with two practice matches in Canberra ahead of the first Test starting at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 26. The remaining Tests will be played in Sydney, Perth and Adelaide. The Tests will be followed by two Twenty20 internationals, before Sri Lanka join in for a one-day tri-series from February 5.

Struggling Hughes gets Worcestershire boost

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After Australia opener Phil Hughes s ability was again called into question following another Test failure against New Zealand, Worcestershire announced they had signed him for the 2012 English county season. Hughes fell early on the fourth day of the second Test in Hobart on Monday as Australia collapsed to 233 all out, handing the Kiwis a dramatic seven-run win. The 23-year-old left-hander was again found out outside off-stump and was caught in the slips for 20 off seamer Chris Martin s bowling for the fourth straight innings. His poor form -- Hughes scored 41 in four innings against New Zealand -- will intensify pressure on his spot ahead of the Test series with India, which starts at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Boxing Day. But Worcestershire hope Hughes, a prolific scorer with county rivals Middlesex two years ago, can carry on from where he left off when he returns to English domestic cricket. Although the county season starts in April, Hughes is not due at New Road until the first week of June but Worcestershire then expect him to stay until the campaign finishes in September.

Chelsea beat Man City 2-1 in Premier League

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Frank Lampard condemned Manchester City to its first Premier League defeat of the season by converting a late penalty to give Chelsea a 2-1 victory at Stamford Bridge on Monday. The England midfielder came off the bench to smash home an unstoppable spot kick in the 82nd minute after City defender Joleon Lescott blocked a shot by Daniel Sturridge with his hand. The visitors were at that stage down to 10 men following the 58th-minute sending-off of left back Gael Clichy for two yellow cards and couldn t recover, leaving them two points clear of Manchester United at the top of standings. City had taken the lead after just two minutes through Italy striker Mario Balotelli s eighth goal of the season, before Raul Meireles equalized in the 34th minute of an enthralling game played in a biting wind. Chelsea s third straight victory lifted the team above Tottenham to third, seven points behind City, and blows the title race wide open. City had been unbeaten in 17 consecutive league matches dating back to last season s 2-1 defeat at Everton in May and will look back on Clichy s deserved red card as the turning point. Having already dispatched Manchester United 6-1 and Tottenham 5-1 on its travels this season, City s commanding start to the match suggested another title contender was going to be on the end of a hammering by Roberto Mancini s free-scoring team. Barely 105 seconds had been played when Balotelli just about onside despite Chelsea s protestations ran onto Sergio Aguero s through-ball, rounded goalkeeper Petr Cech with ease and slotted into an empty net. Chelsea s high defensive line, which has been the subject of much focus this season, was again found out.

PM congratulates parliamentarians on passage of pro-women

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Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani congratulated the women parliamentarians in particular and members of the parliament in general on enactment of “Prevention of Anti-Women Practices Bill 2008” by the Senate on Monday. The legislation would go a long way in empowering the women and giving them their rightful place in the society. The Prime Minister said the dream of Shaheed Mohtrama Benazir Bhutto, who was a great upholder of women rights and launched a campaign for their empowerment, came true today. She espoused the cause of women rights at all forums both within the country and at the international fora whenever there was an opportunity, the Prime Minister said. The Prime Minister said the PPP manifesto stands for the women rights because their equal rights have been guaranteed in the 1973 Constitution given by Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The Prime Minister said no nation could tread on the trajectory of progress, prosperity and social development without ensuring the participation of women in the national development process. The Prime Minister said he always considered the womenfolk as his constituency and was extremely happy that the Parliament passed the bill during his tenure of premiership. The Prime Minister said the present democratic government had allocated 10 percent quota for women in the government jobs with a view to bring them at par with men to play their role in the socio-economic development of the country. The Prime Minister said as a result of the government policies, the women were holding important positions in all walks of life including the armed forces.

Parliamentary committee proposes to tax NATO supply

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According to BBC, Pakistan is considering charging millions of dollars in annual taxes on NATO trucks and fuel tankers. The vehicles pass through Pakistan on their way to Afghanistan. The charges might include taxes on fuel in addition to port and storage fees, they said. The supply route is a lifeline for Nato troops but Pakistan closed it last month after 24 of its soldiers were killed in a Nato air strike. Parliamentary Committee has proposed to impose tax on per litre oil supply for the United States and NATO forces because there is more than twenty rupees tax on per litre of diesel in Pakistan. Pakistan will earn millions of rupees by imposing tax on oil and other facilities meant for NATO troops stationed in Afghanistan. The BBC has claimed that the delivery of goods to NATO from Chaman and Torkham continued on verbal understanding. Senior officials of the Pakistan Ministry of Defence informed BBC that no tax was imposed on NATO supply in the past while FC provided free security services security to the NATO convoys.

PoliticusUSA

Cricket - Sports

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

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