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Federal Cabinet meets today
Pakistan, Turkey sign currency swap agreement
Karzai hosts dinner for Zardari
JI, PTI prepare to form alliance
China, Russia want Pakistan, India as SCOs full members
Cricketers call for renewed anti-corruption effort
Israel to construct 2,000 settlements in West Bank
Eight cylinders of uranium stolen in Romania
Kissinger urges US to negotiate with neighbours for Afghan solution
Lahore: Family dispute takes infants life
PM directs to expedite power projects
Greek PM under fire over referendum call on bailout
Omar Khadr asks to return to Canada from Gitmo
Guptill, Taylor help NZ to 275-3 at stumps
Lanka recall Tharanga for ODI against Pakistan

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The federal cabinet will approve the 25 percent increase in the pensions of widows of judges. Certain important issues including energy crisis, law and order situation, five-year extension of lease to Chinese company for exploration of gold and copper in Sandak area of Balochistan would be discussed during the meeting. The trade agreement with Indonesia will also come under discussion during the federal cabinet meeting. Moreover, the federal cabinet will be briefed about the Pak-India trade.

Pakistan, Turkey sign currency swap agreement

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President Asif Ali Zardari and Turkish President Abdullah Gul on Wednesday witnessed the signing of the currency swap agreement between the two countries.  President Zardari described it as quantum jump in promoting trade and business relations between the two countries and the opening of the door for similar agreements with several other countries in the region. Spokesperson to the President Farhatullah Babar said that the agreement was inked by the governors of the state banks of the two countries as the two Presidents and a number of federal ministers from both countries witnessed. He said that with the signing of the agreement the traders and businessmen of the two countries would be able to trade in their respective currencies obviating the need to look for dollars or other foreign currencies to do business. The agreement was signed within a day of the two Presidents agreeing on Monday on the sidelines of the sixth trilateral meeting of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Turkey that it should be finalized within a week, he said. Earlier, the two Presidents also decided to work closely for further reducing the train travel time from Ankara to Islamabad to eleven days from the previously envisaged 16 days and to hold an international conference in January 2012 on connectivity in Pakistan to attract international entrepreneurs for the project. They also agreed to enter into a joint venture for locomotive manufacture in Pakistan for the special cargo train service, Farhatullah Babar said.

Karzai hosts dinner for Zardari

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President Hamid Karzai hosted a dinner in honour of President Asif Zardari in Istanbul on Tuesday. The dinner was arranged after the Trilateral Summit concluded in which Afghan President received President Zardari warmly. The dinner reception was attended by other members of the delegation of both the countries who earlier participated in the Trilateral Summit hosted by Turkish President Abdullah Gul. At the dinner table both the presidents exchanged views on issues of mutual interest, regional situation and outcome of the sixth Trilateral Summit.

JI, PTI prepare to form alliance

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According to the sources, a meeting of Tehreek-e-Insaf and Jamaat-e-Islami leaders were held two days back in which national and international situation was discussed in detail. The preparation of working paper regarding PTI-JI alliance was also agreed during the meeting. The foundation of the alliance would be based on the agenda of freedom from the US pressure, defence of national interests, eradication of corruption from the country, implementation of court decisions and reforms in election. Both the parties also agreed to hold meetings in future. When contacted, Jamat-e-Islami chief Munawar Hassan verified the meeting and said that corruption has engulfed Pakistan and nobody is ready to lead the country in right direction.

China, Russia want Pakistan, India as SCOs full members

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The Russian Foreign Ministry stated this after the talks between Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Borodavkin and his Chinese counterpart Cheng Guoping. "The sides called for accelerated SCO enlargement in keeping with the decisions of the Council of the SCO Heads of State made in Astana in June," the Ministry said here in a statement yesterday, referring to the admission of India and Pakistan as members and Afghanistan as an observer, and granting of the status of dialogue partner to Turkey. "They coordinated the positions of the sides on further improvement of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s activities in the light of preparations for a meeting of the Council of Heads of Government in St. Petersburg on November 7 and the SCO summit in China in the summer of 2012," it said. They also "confirmed the readiness of Russia and China to interact effectively in ensuring security and stability in the SCO region, intensifying economic cooperation, primarily in the fields of transport, energy, science and technologies, in financing joint projects, and further facilitating humanitarian ties within the organisation," it stressed. No new admissions to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation were made at its summit in Astana (Kazakhstan) on June 14-15. The participants in the summit in Astana signed a memorandum on the obligations of the SCO Member States for acquiring the status of a SCO Member State. Last year, the SCO foreign ministers approved the draft regulation on new admissions. A number of countries, including India, Iran and Pakistan, have already stated their intention to join the SCO. However, the organisation has so far had no mechanism for new admissions. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, an inter-governmental mutual-security organisation, was founded in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. India, Pakistan, Mongolia and Iran have observer status in the SCO and Afghan participates in its meetings as a special guest.

Cricketers call for renewed anti-corruption effort

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These statements came after Tuesday s conviction of Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif for fixing parts of a test match. The Marylebone Cricket Club s Mike Brearley was among those to warn that the successful prosecution of the case against former captain Butt and bowler Asif does not allow authorities to relax their guard against corruption. The MCC owns Lord s, the north London ground on which Asif and fellow bowler Mohammad Amir deliberately bowled no-balls in a betting scam. The third player in the case, Mohammad Amir, was only 18 at the time of the Lord s test and one of the hottest fast bowling prospects in world cricket. He admitted to conspiracy to cheat and conspiracy to accept corrupt payments before his teammates went on trial. Now 19, banned from the sport and facing a possible prison sentence, Amir s professional career could be over. The England and Wales Cricket Board declined to comment in detail upon the case but reiterated its policy of zero tolerance toward corruption. The International Cricket Council created its Anti-Corruption and Security Unit in response to previous corruption incidents. It confirmed that the Pakistan players would remain banned from all cricket.   The ICC takes no pleasure from the fact that these players stepped outside not only the laws of the game but also the criminal laws of the country in which they were participating," ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said in a statement. "In addition to constituting offenses under the ICC s Anti-Corruption Code, for which sporting sanctions have been imposed, such conduct has now been shown to constitute criminal behavior for which serious criminal sanctions can also be imposed." Widespread corruption is widely believed to have been stamped out, but isolated cases such as the Pakistan case still occur. "It leaves a cloud over Pakistan cricket," former England all-rounder Ian Botham said. "It s up to Pakistan and you ve got to address your own problems. You can t keep sweeping it under the carpet. You know it s there do something about it." That view was endorsed by former Indian Premier League chief Lalit Modi, who said on Twitter that fixing extended as far as umpires and administrators. Former England captain Michael Vaughan expressed his hope that players found guilty of fixing would be jailed.

Israel to construct 2,000 settlements in West Bank

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for the accelerated construction of some 2,000 housing units in areas in the West Bank and around Jerusalem, an official statement said on Tuesday. The statement came after Netanyahu called a special cabinet session to discuss the granting of full membership to the Palestinians by UNESCO, the UN cultural agency. A senior government official said after the meeting the cabinet had also decided to halt money transfers to the Palestinians Authority as a temporary measure until a final decision was made.

Eight cylinders of uranium stolen in Romania

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According to a press release, the commission for the control of nuclear activities (CNCAN) was informed on October 26 that eight 3.5-m long cylinders containing 73.5 kilos of uranium ore disappeared from the depot at Stei. “The ore extracted from Baita quarry has low radioactivity levels” and poses virtually no contamination risk for the environment, it added. “Even if the metal cylinders were broken or destroyed, the impact would be very limited” given the nature of the ore, the commission stressed. Local police said an investigation had been opened and several suspects would be interrogated soon. A local daily, Bihoreanul, said that the theft was discovered when several employees entered the depot in order to prepare the transfer of the uranium to a processing plant in Feldioara.

Kissinger urges US to negotiate with neighbours for Afghan solution

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Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said Tuesday that the United States should negotiate first with Afghanistan s neighbors before sitting down with the Taliban over how to end the decade-long war. In a thinly-veiled critique of White House policy, the elder statesman also said Washington had severely curtailed its ability to reach a settlement in Afghanistan due to unnecessarily telegraphing the departure of US troops. "I have no objection in principle to negotiating with the Taliban," Kissinger told an audience at a panel discussion at the Woodrow Wilson International Center, a think-tank in Washington. "But for the purpose of ending the war, it s the wrong sequence of events. The first negotiation in my view ought to be with surrounding countries," including Pakistan, India and Iran, nations seeking greater influence in Afghanistan as the United States orchestrates its exit. "If there is a negotiation with the Taliban, it should be in the framework of a multilateral regional negotiation," Kissinger said, adding that "extrication from a war like this is extremely difficult." With NATO combat troops due to leave Afghanistan in 2014, the need to find a settlement in the insurgency-plagued country has become ever more urgent. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton earlier this month admitted that the United States had met the Haqqani network, a Taliban faction singled out as America s most potent enemy in eastern Afghanistan. Kissinger s comments came one day before an international conference in Istanbul with the theme "security and cooperation in the heart of Asia." Twenty countries and organizations are expected to attend. Clinton had planned to participate but canceled her visit due to the death of her mother. US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman is expected to replace her at the event. Kissinger insisted that US leverage would evaporate if it pulls its troops out ahead of a settlement. "If you negotiate while your forces are withdrawing, you re not in a great negotiating position," he said. But he said the "fundamental political objective" of the Afghanistan war was essentially not achievable within the time frame that Americans have come to accept for US military intervention overseas. In US wars in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, Kissinger said, "we selected objectives beyond the capacity of the American domestic consensus to support over the period required to implement them." In Afghanistan, a US withdrawal likely would have a greater effect on Afghanistan s neighbors than on the United States itself, Kissinger said. He called on the region s nations to take a greater role in reaching an Afghan solution, saying regional powers have a shared interest in preventing Al-Qaeda from regaining a foothold in Afghanistan. Kissinger, the top US diplomat from 1973 until 1977, recalled his extensive experience with Vietnam to draw parallels with the situation faced by US President Barack Obama in exiting Afghanistan. "When I was negotiating, there was one haunting question that my adversary put before me at the beginning of the process, which was  What makes you believe you will be more successful with constantly declining forces than you have been with the forces from which you are starting your withdrawal?   "There was no good answer," Kissinger said.

Lahore: Family dispute takes infants life

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According to details, Saira and her husband Abbas quarreled at some domestic issue in Lyton Road area of Lahore which led them to physical fight. During the scuffle, their 6 month old daughter Fatima died after falling through the upper story of the house. Saira left the house immediately after the incident but returned later with her mother. Abbas alleged his wife of murdering the daughter while Saira blamed that her sister-in-law killed her daughter. On the other hand, an eye witness of the incident said that Saira herself threw and killed the minor girl. Meanwhile, police arrived at the scene and took hold of dead body of the infant and arrested parents of Fatima and other family members. According to initial police investigation, it seems that minor died accidently and further action will be taken according to law after recording statements of all the detained persons.

PM directs to expedite power projects

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Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani on Tuesday expressing concern over delay in the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project, directed the Ministry of Water and Power and WAPDA to work out financial plan in consultation with Finance Ministry to expedite the project. Chairing a high-level meeting to review progress on mega power projects, the Prime Minister issued directive to remove bottlenecks in the country’s mega hydel power projects and asked the energy committee headed by the Finance Minister to meet fortnightly. The Prime Minister also asked the Energy Committee to prepare a two-year work plan for the power projects.He observed that mismanagement must be checked to improve the efficiency of these projects as they were the lifeline of national economy. He added that it was the strong resolve of the government to complete the projects already in pipeline so that their benefits could start reaching the people as soon as possible.  He said keeping in view the escalating cost of thermal power projects, the only viable way is to start hydel power projects that would provide relief to the public at large.  The Prime Minister directed that Minister for Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan Affairs be included in the energy committee in order to increase the level of coordination for the hydel projects in AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Greek PM under fire over referendum call on bailout

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PM George Papandreou has thrown the nation s euro membership into jeopardy with a shock call for a referendum. Caught unawares by his high-risk gamble, the leaders of France and Germany summoned Papandreou to crisis talks in Cannes on Wednesday to push for a quick implementation of Greece s new bailout deal ahead of a summit of the G20 major world economies. The euro and global stocks were pummeled on financial markets after the Greek move threw into question the survival of crucial efforts to contain the euro zone s sovereign debt crisis. Six senior members of Greece s ruling PASOK socialists, angered by his decision to call a plebiscite on the 130 billion euro rescue package agreed only last week, said Papandreou should make way for "a politically legitimate" administration. A leading PASOK lawmaker quit the party, narrowing Papandreou s already slim parliamentary majority, and two others said Greece needed a government of national unity followed by snap elections, which the opposition also demanded. Euro zone leaders thrashed out Greece s second financial rescue since last year, in return for yet more austerity, in the hope that it would ease uncertainty surrounding the future of the 17-nation single currency. Instead, financial markets suffered another bout of turmoil on Tuesday due to the new political uncertainty and the risk that austerity-weary Greeks could reject the bailout. Opinion polls show most voters think it is a bad deal. The euro fell nearly three cents against the dollar and the risk premium on Italian bonds over safe-haven German Bunds hit a euro lifetime high, raising Rome s borrowing costs to levels that proved unsustainable for Ireland and Portugal. "The referendum is a bad idea with a bad timing. The post-summit rally is over," said Lionel Jardin, head of institutional sales at Assya Capital, in Paris. European bank shares dived on fears of a disorderly Greek default and the Athens Stock Exchange suffered its biggest daily drop since October 2008, with the general index shedding 7.7 percent. European politicians expressed incredulity and dismay at Papandreou s announcement on Monday evening that took everyone by surprise, including his own finance minister. "Announcing something like this only days after the summit without consulting other euro zone members is irresponsible," Slovak Finance Minister Ivan Miklos told Reuters. Ireland s European affairs minister, Lucinda Creighton, whose own country is struggling through an EU/IMF bailout programme, said last week s European summit was meant to have dealt with the uncertainty in the euro zone. "And this grenade is thrown in just a few short days later," Creighton said. "Legitimately there is going to be a lot of annoyance about it."

Omar Khadr asks to return to Canada from Gitmo

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"He is still in Guantanamo," attorney John Norris told AFP. "But we have submitted an application (for his repatriation to Canada) and we understand that the process is underway." A US military tribunal sentenced Khadr to 40 years in prison in October 2010 after he pleaded guilty to throwing a grenade that killed a US sergeant in Afghanistan in 2002. He was only 15 at the time. But a plea deal meant his actual sentence was only eight years -- including a provision that he could seek a transfer to Canada after an initial year at Guantanamo. That year ended on Monday. "We ve reached that milestone," said Norris. Washington must first give its approval for the transfer, and then Ottawa would consider the request. Both gave tacit approval as part of the plea deal, but did not commit themselves to when they would make that decision. "We re hopeful that will happen very soon," Norris said. Canadian legal scholars suggested Ottawa might seek assurances from Khadr that he will not launch any further legal challenges in a bid to seek earlier release, before agreeing to his transfer to a Canadian prison. Mike Patton, spokesman for Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, said the case would be reviewed "solely on its merits," like any other international prisoner transfer. "I m not aware of any objections" to Khadr s repatriation, he added, but noted that a decision could take up to 18 months. "We don t have any inside information, but nobody has identified any obstacles to us," said Norris. "The bureaucracy may need some time to move. We re hopeful it will move quickly in this case." Khadr hired Norris and Brydie Bethell to represent him after firing Canadian civil rights lawyers Dennis Edney and Nathan Whitling in August, signaling a possible change in legal strategy. Edney and Whitling had worked on Khadr s case pro bono for nearly eight years, even paying for their own transportation to Guantanamo. It was on their advice that he agreed to plead guilty to the charges in order to leave Guantanamo sooner. Born in Toronto in 1986 to a family of militants, Khadr was a beardless teenager when he was captured while severely wounded in Afghanistan. Today, at 25, he is a tall man with a heavy beard and a scarred face.

Guptill, Taylor help NZ to 275-3 at stumps

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On the first day of the one-off test against Zimbabwe on Tuesday, Guptill hit 11 fours and two sixes in his second test century, sharing partnerships of 75 with Kane Williamson (49) and 132 with Taylor before he fell to part-time bowler Hamilton Masakadza toward the end of the final session. Taylor stroked nine fours as the Black Caps took control on a placid pitch ideal for batting at Queens Sports Club. Kyle Jarvis took 1-53 off and removed Brendon McCullum for Zimbabwe s initial breakthrough before Guptill, Williamson and Taylor put the tourists in a strong early position. Masakadza had 1-13 and Ray Price ran out Williamson one short of his half-century, but Zimbabwe s attack labored on a track which offered little help and set New Zealand on course for an imposing first-innings score in its quest for a first test win since beating Bangladesh at home in February 2010. The Black Caps have lost their last three series against Pakistan, India and Australia without wining a match. Guptill anchored New Zealand s effort in the southern city of Bulawayo, facing 236 balls and nearly batting through the opening day. He punished the home bowlers whenever they gave him width, but fell eight overs from stumps when he misdirected a short ball straight to Tatenda Taibu at mid-wicket. "It was nice spending some time in the middle and to get some runs," said Guptill. "The wicket was playing well, although a few balls kept low. I was disappointed to get out to a long-hop but still happy I got 100. Anything above 500 is a good lead." Taylor and BJ Watling (16 not out) added just 28 more runs as the New Zealanders saw out the day, although both survived late chances. Taylor was dropped on 68 and Watling was put down in the slips by Price off Jarvis. "It would have been nice to end the day having them five down. That would have made it a good day for us," said Zimbabwe bowling coach Heath Streak. "The wicket is flat ... Tomorrow is going to be a much tougher day for us as New Zealand will come out playing positive." New Zealand was missing allrounder Jesse Ryder and seamer Kyle Mills through injury, and handed debuts to Dean Brownlie and allrounder Doug Bracewell in their place. Former skipper Daniel Vettori was back in the team for the first time since the World Cup, alongside wicketkeeper Reece Young, offspinner Jeetan Patel and seamer Chris Martin, who also came into the test team after New Zealand s victories in the Twenty20 and one-day series. McCullum sought to be aggressive up front, hitting two early fours in his 14 from 27 balls before he edged onto his stumps trying a pull shot off Jarvis to leave New Zealand on 40-1 in the 11th over. Guptill and Williamson rebuilt the innings, with Williamson stroking six boundaries before his strange run out where he failed to react quick enough to a return from bowler Price to debutant wicketkeeper Regis Chakabva when seemingly in no danger. Guptill and Taylor restored the momentum, and Guptill moved to 99 with a powerful six over long-off, then passed 100 next ball with a pull to square-leg. Having been relatively untroubled, the right-hander slipped up two overs later by hitting another pull straight to Taibu. But Masakadza s break was one of few high points for Zimbabwe s bowlers, as Njabulo Ncube had 0-50 on his debut and failed to put the batsmen under any prolonged pressure alongside spinner Price (0-75) and seamer Chris Mpofu (0-68). Zimbabwe was also missing two important players for its third test since returning to the five-day format this year after a six-year absence. Left-arm seamer Brian Vitori and allrounder Elton Chigumbura were out injured, while Chakabva kept wicket in place of regular  keeper Taibu who could not stand behind the stumps because of a finger injury. Allrounder Malcolm Waller was selected for his test debut for the home team alongside Chakabva and Ncube but had little chance to make an impact, taking 0-8 off three overs.

Lanka recall Tharanga for ODI against Pakistan

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Selectors led by former skipper Duleep Mendis made seven changes from the Test squad that is currently playing against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates. Batsmen Tharanga Paranavitana and Lahiru Thirimanne, and left-arm spinner Rangana Herath were left out of the one-day squad ahead of the five-match series that begins on November 11 in Dubai. They have included off-spinners Suraj Randiv, Jeevan Mendis and Seekkuge Prasanna, while Dimuth Karunaratne, who played two one-dayers on the tour of England in July, also earned a one-day recall. Malinga returns to the bowling attack together with Fernando, Dhammika Prasad and Suranga Lakmal. Fernando has not played since the tour of England in July. Prasad did not feature in the ODIs against the visiting Australians. All-rounder Kosala Kulasekara, who replaced the injured Shaminda Eranga in the Test squad, retained his place in the one-day side. But Nuwan Kulasekara and Chamara Silva, who featured in the Australian series, were not included. Selectors also overlooked spinner Ajantha Mendis, who last played in the one-day series against Australia in Colombo. He picked up a back injury during the Test series and was not selected for the Test against Pakistan. Sri Lanka lost the first of its three Tests against Pakistan. The one-day series will be followed by a Twenty20 match in Abu Dhabi on November 25. Squad: Tillakaratne Dilshan (captain), Upul Tharanga, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Jeevan Mendis, Kosala Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal, Dhammika Prasad, Seekkuge Prasanna, Dimuth Karunaratne, Dilhara Fernando, Suraj Randiv

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Tuesday 1 November 2011

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