Bussiness n World News

KARACHI: The outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Tuesday defended the attack on Malala Yousafzai, rejecting that she was an innocent girl and labeling her as a US spy. The central spokesman of TTP, Ahsanullah Ahsan, in a detailed statement issued to the media said Malala's date of birth is July 1997 which makes her 15 years four months old today. "Even if no sign of maturity becomes noticeable, this age of the girl marks the end of pre-maturity phase." The statement said: "In Islam and Pakhtun traditions there is absolutely no room for an attack on a woman of pure virtues. But in cases where a woman is seen as a clear sinner who stands in defiance of Shariah, such a woman is not only allowed to be attacked but there is an obligatory instruction for such an action." The TTP spokesman said, Malala Yousafzai was 'a spy who divulged secrets of Mujahidden and Taliban through BBC and in return received awards and rewards from the Zioni...

How many Malalas?     Dr Tariq Rahman Monday, October 15, 2012 From Print Edition After a long time, there is some sign of life among the country’s opinion-makers - and not just the liberals. Does it take an attack on an innocent girl to wake up our collective conscience? Or is even this an evanescent phenomenon? How many more Malalas will it take for our public to change its mind about the Taliban? I saw such a change in public opinion about the Taliban rule in Swat in 2008. Mullah Fazlullah was ruling the valley, and women were being flogged for the least suspicion of immorality. The government of Pakistan had given in and power had been conceded in the name of people’s demand for Shariah. But the Taliban started moving to Buner and the army felt threatened. Soon, media anchors had started talking about action against the militants. Within months the local people were brought to the plains of Mardan and Peshawar and the army moved in to...

Attack on Malala: 25 more held in Swat   October 14, 2012 - Updated 2025 PKT From Web Edition       New   0   0   0 SWAT: Police and security forces have captured 25 more suspects from different parts of Swat for involvement in the attack on Malala Yousafzai and two other girls, Geo News reported Sunday. The suspects were rounded up from Mingora, Sangota and Keel areas of Swat as well as from Malakand Agency. The suspects have been shifted to undisclosed location for investigation.

Malala shifted to Birmingham hospital   October 15, 2012 - Updated 2115 PKT From Web Edition BIRMINGHAM: Malala Yousafzai, the 14-year-old activist who was shot and injured by Taliban in Swat, arrived in Britain and was shifted to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham for specialist care on Monday.

No justice in US military tribunal: KSM October 16, 2012 - Updated 626 PKT From Web Edition GUANTANAMO BAY: Self-proclaimed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed said during a pre-trial hearing at Guantanamo that there was "no justice" in the US military tribunal. Mohammed is accused of orchestrating the hijacked airliner plot that killed 2,976 people on September 11, 2001, while his four co-defendants are charged with providing funding and other support for those who crashed the jets. All five face the death penalty if convicted, but their trial by military tribunal at the US naval base at Guantanamo, Cuba is not expected to start for at least another year. "I don't think there's any justice in this court," the 47-year-old Mohammed - wearing a white turban, his beard dyed with henna - said in Arabic on Monday when asked whether he understood his rights by Judge James Pohl. Pohl ruled on Monday tha...

Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernandez fired 700 police officers Sunday and forced the retirement of 31 military and police generals, two days after he promised in a state-of-the-nation speech to cleanse the government of corruption. While Fernandez, who was on a state visit to Cuba on Monday, didn't state a reason, the dismissals came as the government has announced that more than 535 members of the nation's 24,000-strong military have been forced out in the past six months due to their suspected involvement in the drug trade. Among the generals forced to retire was the former head of the nation's top anti-drug agency, the Dominican National Drug Control, known by its Spanish acronym DNCD. In his speech Friday, Fernandez said, "In the Dominican Republic -- listen well -- narcotrafficking will not pass." Despite the president's strong words, many Dominican citizens and outside analysts say narcotrafficking has already taken hold. "The situat...

(CNN) -- The United States has offered more than $900 million to help the Palestinian people, particularly those in Gaza, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced Monday. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attends Gaza donors conference in Egypt on Monday. ...

BEIJING, China (CNN) -- When China's legislature opens its annual session this week, the focus will be on jobs, the economy and social stability. Delegates have begun to gather for China's annual meeting of its National People's Congress. Every year, over 3,000 delegates to the National People's Congress meet in Beijing to review draft laws and vote on government budget and policies. Delegates come from central and local governments, the military and police, including ethnic minority representatives, who typically show up in their traditional costumes. In the past, the NPC has been dismissed as...

Climate protesters demonstrating against Donald Trump's plans for a sports resort broke into a Scottish airport Tuesday, setting up a small golf course and scaling the roof of a terminal building. Climate protesters broke into Aberdeen Airport in the early hours of Tuesda...

Gas demand goes up 10 pc annually Updated at: 0725 PST, Tuesday, March 03, 2009 KARACHI: Demand for gasoline consumption is going up by 10 percent annually here in Pakistan; experts said adding it is necessary to find new oil and gas reservoirs to meet the rising demand. In a report on energy in Pakistan, it is stated that country’s daily gas demand was 4731 mmcfd while locally we produce 4528 mmcfd. Pakistan remain short of 203 mmcfd gas daily while mere 17 percent of the total population have access to gas in country.

US offers new $30 bln bailout package to troubled AIG Updated at: 0121 PST, Tuesday, March 03, 2009 WASHINGTON: The US government Monday unveiled a fresh rescue plan worth 30 billion dollars to help AIG stave off collapse as the ailing insurer revealed the biggest loss in American corporate history. The revamped bailout came as American International Group announced a quarterly loss of 61.7 billion dollars -- the biggest ever for a US firm in one quarter -- pushing up its net loss for 2008 to 99.3 billion dollars. The government, which had already pumped some 150 billion dollars into AIG, said the restructured aid package sought to avert a potentially catastrophic collapse of what had been the world's biggest insurer. Officials said a failure at AIG could send new shockwaves through an economy already ravaged by recession. "Given the systemic risk AIG continues to pose and the fragility of markets today, the potential cost to the economy and the taxpayer of government ina...

Oil prices recover in Asian trade Updated at: 1313 PST, Tuesday, March 03, 2009 SINGAPORE: Oil prices recovered slightly in Asian trade Tuesday after falling earlier on fresh financial turmoil, analysts said. New York's main futures contract, light sweet crude for April delivery, gained 25 cents to 40.40 dollars a barrel in afternoon trade. Brent North Sea crude for April was up 17 cents to 42.38 dollars per barrel. Oil prices had risen last week in anticipation of increasing demand for motor fuel and indications of output cuts by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), traders said.

‘There will be no recession in UAE’, says Al Mansouri Updated at: 0127 PST, Tuesday, March 03, 2009 ABU DHABI: The global slowdown could prompt adjustments in Abu Dhabi’s economic plans for the next five years, but it will not cause any modification of the emirate’s plan to diversify and expand its economy in the long run, a government official says. “The principles and priorities for the 2030 plan have not changed,” said Mohammed Abdullah, the undersecretary of the Abu Dhabi Department of Planning and Economy, referring to the long-term blueprint for the emirate. The Minister of Economy, Sultan al Mansouri, speaking on the sidelines of the forum, agreed. “I don’t think there will be recession in the UAE,” he said, according to foreign media report. “At present, we see stability for at least nine months.” “The Federal Government has provided liquidity to banks to help the private sector, but unfortunately the private sector still lacks a lot,” said Abdullah al Mansouri, the chairman...

Updated at: 0403 PST, Tuesday, March 03, 2009 GENEVA Twenty-six journalists have been killed on assignment since the start of this year, a sharp rise on the same period last year, an international journalists defence group said Monday. The Press Emblem Campaign, a non-governmental organisation seeking better protection for journalists in conflict areas, said the toll compared with 16 deaths recorded in January and February 2008. "The killing of journalists is clearly linked with situations of internal conflict," said the group's secretary general Blaise Lempen in a statement. The toll included four killed in the Gaza Strip and four in Pakistan. Two deaths were reported each in Iraq, Mexico, Nepal, Russia, Somalia, Sri Lanka and Venezuela, while the other deaths occurred in Colombia, Kenya, Madagascar and Philippines. The Press Emblem Campaign - which recorded a total of 81 deaths among journalists worldwide in 2008 - called upon the UN Human Rights Council to tackle wha...

Tehran dismisses Mullen’s allegations Updated at: 0412 PST, Tuesday, March 03, 2009 TEHRAN: Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi on Monday dismissed claims about Iran’s nuclear program by a U.S. military official, insisting that “atomic bomb has no place in Iran’s defense approach.” U.S. Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told media on Sunday that he believed Iran had enough fissile nuclear material for an atomic bomb. "All these statements regarding the production of a nuclear bomb are very baseless," Qashqavi told a regular news briefing. The spokesman said anyone who has the most rudimentary knowledge of nuclear technology understands that Iran’s nuclear activities are intended for civilian uses. "It is baseless from a technical point of view and has propaganda connotations," he explained. He said Iran is a signatory to Non-Proliferation Treaty and all its nuclear activities are monitored by the IAEA cameras and that...

Iran will not agree to talks on nuke program: Hillary Updated at: 0410 PST, Tuesday, March 03, 2009 CAIRO: Even as the Obama administration pledges to engage Iran over its nuclear program, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is telling key Arab leaders that she’s “doubtful” Tehran will actually respond. Clinton met Monday with her counterpart from the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on the sidelines of an international aid conference for the Palestinian territories. According to a senior U.S. official, Sheikh Abdullah raised his concerns with Clinton that the U.S. could reach some agreement with Iran on key strategic issues without Washington consulting its Arab allies. Clinton, however, assured the Emirati royal that this wouldn’t be the case. “Our eyes are wide open” when it comes to Iran, Clinton told Sheikh Abdullah, the U.S. official said. She added that the U.S. “was doubtful Iran would respond” to calls for an international dialogue, despite repeated...

Clinton arrives Jerusalem Updated at: 0625 PST, Tuesday, March 03, 2009 JERUSALEM: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets Israeli leaders on her first official Middle East visit on Tuesday aiming to focus on hobbled peace talks while her hosts hope to switch attention to Iran. Clinton arrived in key ally Israel from Egypt, where she told a conference on Gaza reconstruction that rebuilding the Palestinian enclave after Israel's deadly war could not be separated from the Middle East peace process. "Our response to today's crisis in Gaza cannot be separated from our broader efforts to achieve a comprehensive peace," she said in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh at a conference attended by delegates from more than 70 countries and organisations. "By providing humanitarian assistance to Gaza, we also aim to foster conditions in which a Palestinian state can be fully realised," she said. Clinton later told a news conference she was troubled by continu...

NATO secretary general terms Swat deal as Pakistan’s internal issue Updated at: 1228 PST, Tuesday, March 03, 2009 BRUSSELS: NATO Secretary General Jaap De Hoop has said that the Swat peace deal is Pakistan’s internal matter. Talking to media in Brussels, Hoop said NATO forces had no intention to enter Pakistani borders. He said Pakistani routes for NATO supplies still carried importance despite the start of NATO supply to Afghanistan through Russia. Hoop said cultivation of opium and smuggling were becoming major reasons for terrorism in Afghanistan.

Updated at: 1744 PST, Tuesday, March 03, 2009 ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has advised President Asif Ali Zardari to withdraw the mobile courts ordinance promulgated on Monday. Speaking at the National Assembly session here, Prime Minister said that the ordinance should not have been promulgated. “Now I advise President Zardari under article 89 of the constitution to withdraw the ordinance,” he said, adding that it has violated the sanctity of the assembly.

Updated at: 1315 PST, Monday, March 02, 2009 KARACHI: Karachi Port Trust (KPT)’s cement export terminal constructed at the cost of $12 million went into operation here today. Addressing the inaugural ceremony, Federal Minister for shipping and ports, Babar Khan Ghori said that Pakistan could now export more cement due to the construction of this terminal, as this terminal has the capacity of handling 10 to 12 thousand tons of cement per day. Babar Ghori directed Ports and Shipping DG to work out a plan for the reduction in port charges. Earlier, Lucky Cement CEO, Muhammad Ali Taba said that KPT should cut down its charges because in India and other countries port charges per ton amount to $1, while in Pakistan it comes to $4/5 and this was the reason cement exports facing set back.