Esha Deol upset about not being in No Entry sequel?

Esha Deol

 

The much awaited sequel of super hit film 'No Entry' (released in 2005) is finally taking shape and the film's director Anees Bazmee has decided to start rolling some time mid this year.

Rumour has it that in the movie, titled No Entry Mein Entry, Esha Gupta will be playing the role of Salman Khan's wife, replacing Esha Deol. And the Deol gal, who played the docile wife to the superstar, appeared to be a bit upset that she won't be part of the film's sequel.

"They are taking all new girls ya," said Esha when asked if she will miss doing the film. But then, the director is keen on repeating Bipasha Basu, who played the sultry siren in the laugh riot. To which Esha replies, "Good for her." On his part, Anees Bazmee maintained, "Some would be new faces," he said.

Incidentally, Esha's not the only out who won't be seen in the sequel. Her co-stars from the first film, Lara Dutta and Celina Jaitly too are reportedly not in the reckoning for the sequel. Interestingly, all three of them are married. Wonder why the makers of the film feel that married actresses may not be suitable to play wives again, in No Entry Mein Entry.

Japanese whaling not for scientific purpose: World Court

 

AP In this Jan. 5, 2014 file photo released by Sea Shepherd Australia, three dead mink whales lie on the deck of the Japanese whaling vessel Nisshin Maru, in the Southern Ocean. The International Court of Justice on Monday said that Japan’s Antarctic whaling program is not for scientific purposes and ordered a temporary stay on the program. This follows a 2010 suit filed by Australia, which argues that Japan’s whaling is a cover for commercial hunts.

The International Court of Justice says that Japan’s Antarctic whaling program is not for scientific purposes and has ordered a temporary stay on the program.

Australia had sued Japan at the U.N. dispute-resolution court for resolving in hopes of ending whaling in the icy Southern Ocean.

Reading a judgment by the court’s 16—judge panel, Presiding Judge Peter Tomka of Slovakia said Japan has not justified the large number of minke whales it takes under its program, while failing to meet much smaller targets for fin and humpback whales.

The court ordered a halt to the issuing of whaling permits until the program has been revamped.

No differences with Nancy Powell: Obama administration

 

The Hindu Nancy Powell announced in a U.S. Mission Town Hall meeting in New Delhi on Monday night that she has submitted her resignation to President Barack Obama. File photo: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

U.S. Ambassador to India Nancy Powell’s resignation is not related to any tension or any recent situation, the Obama administration asserted on Tuesday refuting all such media reports in this regard.

“It is in no way related to any tension, any recent situations. There’s no big behind-the-scenes-story here,” State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf told reporters when asked about Ms. Powell’s announcement in New Delhi that she has sent her resignation to U.S. President Barack Obama.

“She announced on Monday night that she has submitted her resignation to President Obama, as has been planned for some time, and she will retire to her home in Delaware before the end of May,” Ms. Harf said.

“This is the end of a distinguished 37-year career — that has included postings as U.S. ambassador to Uganda, Ghana, Pakistan, Nepal and India, as well as service in a number of other locations. She deserves to retire. But I want to dispel any rumours out there that this is related in any way to anything besides her long-planned retirement,” Ms. Harf said. When asked if Powell’s resignation reflected any “realignment of diplomatic relations between India and the U.S. seven days before the elections”, Ms. Harf said there’s “no big secret” to timing here.

“All the rumours and speculation are, quite frankly, totally false. She is retiring, after 37 years — returning home to Delaware by the end of May. I don’t have further insight into why she chose now, but it’s not at all related to anything happening in the relationship. It doesn’t indicate any realignment of the relationship,” she said. “This is an incredibly key partnership that will continue under our team there and under whoever is named the next ambassador,” Ms. Harf said.

Ms. Powell announced in a U.S. Mission Town Hall meeting in New Delhi on Monday night that she has submitted her resignation to President Barack Obama. No decision has been made about Ms. Powell’s replacement.

“Let me see exactly when she’s heading back and who will be stepping in to fill in her shoes. Obviously, the relationship between the U.S. and India isn’t about one person — while incredibly important, it’s about the whole host of officials that engage, from Secretary (of State, John) Kerry and others at the White House and here on down,” she said.

“So the relationship is much broader than our ambassador, although she is wonderful and amazing, and, again, I think deserves a retirement after 37 years,” Ms. Harf said.

Manuel Valls named new French Prime Minister

President Francois Hollande named former Interior Minister Manuel Valls as France’s new Prime Minister on Monday, just 24 hours after his Socialists suffered heavy losses in nationwide municipal elections.

Mr. Valls, who is consistently voted France’s most popular Socialist in opinion polls and replaces Jean-Marc Ayrault, is considered part of the right-wing of the party.

In a pre-recorded televised speech, Mr. Hollande said it was time for a France to enter a “new phase” and pledged Mr. Valls would lead a “combative government.”

Mr. Valls is the Socialists’ hardliner on immigration and security and has held very controversial stances while serving as Interior Minister.

Maxwell released report to expose Nehru’s mistakes that forced war on China

Veteran Australian journalist Neville Maxwell has said he chose to make public the classified 1962 Sino-Indian war report to “rid Indian opinion of the delusion” that the war had been the result of “an unprovoked Chinese aggression” and to expose mistakes made by Jawaharlal Nehru that “forced the war on China.”

In his first comments following his decision to make public last month the still classified Henderson Brooks war report, the release of which was first reported by The Hindu and subsequently triggered wide debate on the legacy of the war, Mr. Maxwell told the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post that by doing so he had “deprive[d] the Government of India the excuse they’ve used to keep it secret, the false claim that it was to preserve national security”.

He said: “I hope to achieve what I have been trying to do for nearly 50 years! To rid Indian opinion of the induced delusion that in 1962 India was the victim of an unprovoked surprise Chinese aggression, to make people in India see that the truth was that it was mistakes by the Indian government, specifically Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, that forced the war on China.”

Mr. Maxwell said in the interview he had been trying “for years” to make the report public, including by making it available to several newspapers in India in 2012. The newspapers chose not to publish. His website has, however, been inaccessible in India after The Hindu reported that the war report had been made public. He said the website “collapsed under its own weight” and “not because of government censorship” as some Indian media reports suggested.

Mr. Maxwell repeated his long-held view that “all that talk about China’s ‘unprovoked aggression’ is utterly false, the truth is that India was the aggressor in 1962” — views he expressed in his 1970 book India’s China War.

Mr. Maxwell’s conclusions that China was all the while focussed on peaceful settlement and that India was to blame entirely for the war have, however, been questioned by other scholars, including John W. Garver.

Even in China, many scholars today see many factors, beyond Nehru’s mistaken “forward policy,” at play in China’s decision to launch an attack, from domestic turbulence in the wake of the 1958 Great Leap Forward famine to unrest in Tibet.

Japan lab says stem cell research falsified

 

AP RIKEN research institute president Ryoji Noyori, second from right, checks papers before he answers a reporter's question during a press conference in Tokyo on March 14, 2014.

A Japanese government-funded laboratory said on Tuesday it found that data in a widely heralded stem cell research paper was falsified, holding the lead researcher responsible for the fabrication.

The research results from the Riken Centre for Development Biology in Kobe, western Japan, were seen as a possible groundbreaking method for growing tissue to treat illnesses such as diabetes and Parkinson’s disease using a simple lab procedure.

Scientists at the institute said significant discrepancies in research published in January in scientific journal Nature stemmed from falsified data. They said researcher Haruko Obokata, the lead author of the paper in Nature, had manipulated or falsified images of DNA fragments used in the research.

“The manipulation was used to improve the appearance of the results,” said Shunsuke Ishii, the head of the committee set up to investigate allegations the research was fraudulent.

The scientists said three other co-authors of the papers had not falsified the data but were still “gravely responsible” for failing to fully verify the research findings. The discrepancies in the data showed up as anomalous lines in an image of DNA fragments.

Researchers in Boston and Japan conducted the experiments in using a simple procedure to turn ordinary cells from mice into stem cells by exposing cells from spleens of newborn mice to a more acidic environment than they are used to.

The researchers said cells from other tissue of newborn mice appeared to go through the same change, which could be triggered by exposing cells to any of a variety of stressful situations.

Scientists hope to harness stem cells to replace defective tissue in a wide variety of diseases. Making stem cells from a patient would eliminate the risk of transplant rejection.

The panel would not comment on whether the modified cells, dubbed STAP cells, exist. STAP is short for stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency cells.

“That was not my mission,” Mr. Ishii said.

Lavrov, Kerry agree to push constitutional reform in Ukraine

 

AP U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, shakes hands with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov before the start of their meeting at the Russian Ambassador's Residence to discuss Ukraine, in Paris on Sunday. Mr. Kerry travelled to Paris for a last minute meeting with Mr. Lavrov.

Russia and the United States have agreed to work for a diplomatic solution in the Ukraine crisis through an "inclusive constitutional reform," the two country’s top diplomats said after their meeting in Paris.

Emerging from four-hour talks at the Russian embassy in the French capital late on Sunday Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry summed up the essence of their agreement in remarkably identical statements even though they spoke at separate press encounters.

After stating that Russia and the U.S. differed on the causes of the crisis in Ukraine, Mr. Lavrov and Mr. Kerry said they had agreed on the importance of «finding a diplomatic solution» towards four priority goals:

- assure minority and language rights;

- disarm irregulars and provocateurs;

- launch an inclusive constitutional reform;

- hold free and fair elections.

The verbatim identical statements would suggest Mr. Lavrov and Mr. Kerry had put their agreement in writing.

While the constitutional reform came closer to the end of the announced list of priorities, it is clearly by far the most important part of the Russian-American agreement.

However, as often is the case with such agreements, the devil is in the detail.

Moscow and Washington seem to have different views on what should be the end result of the constitutional reform process. Mr. Lavrov stated in no uncertain terms that Ukraine should transform itself from a unitary state into a federation with broad autonomy rights for its regions.

Mr. Kerry, for his part, insisted that it is up to Ukrainians to decide "what kind of definitions work for them."

"It’s not up to us to make any decision or any agreement regarding federalisation," Mr Kerry said.

Mr. Lavrov, while agreeing that "nobody can impose any configuration on Ukrainians," made it clear that federalisation was the only way to prevent Ukraine from splitting along the east-west fault lines.

"The west, east and south profess rather opposite values. In order for Ukraine to function as a single state, all its regions without exception must strike compromise," Mr. Lavrov said.

The new Ukrainian government has angrily rejected federalization, saying it would amount to “complete capitulation of Ukraine, its dismemberment, and the destruction of Ukrainian statehood.”

The U.S. opposes the federal structure for Ukraine for the same reason as Kiev does – the reform would give Russian-speaking eastern and southern regions veto power over a possible decision by the central government to join NATO or the European Union.

It remains to be seen who gets the upper hand in the constitutional reform battle, but Russia has masterly played its hand at the Paris talks. Hours after Mr. Kerry voiced “strong concern” about “very large Russian force” near Ukraine’s borders that is “creating a climate of fear and intimidation” and sternly demanded from Mr Lavrov the “drawdown and redeployment” of the forces, Ukrainian media reported that Russia had begun pulling back its troops from the Ukrainian border.

This enables Mr. Kerry to claim diplomatic success, which could well be the main purpose of the Russian force buildup in the first place.

High Commissioner to UK decides to retire

LONDON: Pakistani High Commissioner to United Kingdom Wajid Shamsul Hassan has decided to retire. He would likely to hand over his charge to the Deputy High Commissioner in a week.

According to sources, Imran Mirza would be an acting Pakistani High Commissoner following the retirement of Wajid Shamsul Hassan.

Hassan offered his services as Pakistani High Commissioner to UK for six years.

US ambassador to India quits after rift

WASHINGTON: The US ambassador to India resigned Monday in the wake of a bitter rift between the usually friendly countries following a diplomat's arrest in New York.

The announcement by Nancy Powell, a veteran diplomat with extensive experience in South Asia, comes days before India heads into elections in which the Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi -- formerly a US pariah -- is forecast by polls to become prime minister.

Powell, in a brief statement, did not elaborate on her reasons but said that her decision was "planned for some time" and that she will retire by the end of May in the eastern US state of Delaware. She is in her late 60s.

Powell, who has been ambassador for less than two years, submitted her resignation to President Barack Obama and announced her decision at a meeting of staff in New Delhi, said the statement issued by the embassy.

She is leaving after the worst crisis between the United States and India since they started building a warmer relationship in the 1990s. India voiced outrage in December when one of its diplomats, Devyani Khobragade, was arrested and strip-searched in New York on charges of underpaying her servant.

US diplomats expressed regret over the diplomat's treatment but appeared to have been blind-sided by the decision taken by prosecutors. Khobragade returned to India under a deal, but prosecutors went ahead in March with a second indictment.

In February, Powell took the lead in US policy by meeting with Modi, the chief minister of the western state of Gujarat and candidate for prime minister of the right-leaning Bharatiya Janata Party.

The United States had earlier refused Modi a visa on human rights grounds over anti-Muslim riots in 2002 in which more than 1,000 people were killed. Critics accused Modi of turning a blind eye or worse to the violence, although investigations cleared him of personal blame.

Despite the controversy in Washington over Modi, most policymakers agreed that the United States needed to reach out to him due to the likelihood he will become prime minister.

Powell, who holds the prestigious title of career ambassador, served as a US diplomat for 37 years and was previously the top US envoy in Ghana, Nepal, Pakistan and Uganda.

Calls for action as world faces fork in climate road

PARIS: A stark warning by UN scientists of menacing climate change prompted demands Monday for urgent action to curb greenhouse-gas emissions even as a global pact remained elusive.

Scientists, politicians, envoys and green groups united in calls for faster, more drastic action to avoid the worst-case scenarios of conflict, drought and massive displacement highlighted in the expert report.

"The path of tomorrow is undoubtedly determined by our choices today," United Nations climate chief Christiana Figueres said after the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned of a "severe, pervasive and irreversible impact" if nothing is done.

"This report requires and requests that everyone accelerate and scale up efforts towards a low-carbon world and manage the risks of climate change in order to spare the planet and its people," she said.

Activist groups said governments now have all the proof they need that inaction will lead to disaster, as well as the scientific basis on which to plan an appropriate response.

Many voiced hope that the dire warning would give impetus to negotiations for a new, global pact on curbing carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels.

"The gap between the science and what governments are doing remains huge," said Sandeep Chamling Rai of green group WWF.

"Now it is up to people to hold their governments to account, to get them to act purposefully and immediately."

The Alliance of Small Island States said the new alert came as no surprise for nations already grappling with sea-level rise, droughts and record-breaking storms.

"We hope that it helps convince the international community, particularly those most responsible for climate change, to address the crisis with greater urgency and not at some abstract date in the future but immediately."

After a nearly 22-year effort under the auspices of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), negotiators are seeking to sign a new, global pact in Paris next year, to take effect in 2020.

The aim is to contain warming to 2.0 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-Industrial Revolution levels, though even this level would require adaptive measures for a changed climate.

Countries remain deeply divided on what the deal will look like, what it must contain, how binding its provisions should be and how they will be enforced.

- No denial, says US -

US Secretary of State John Kerry said the political system must "wake up" to the threat.

"Denial of the science is malpractice," he said in a statement. "There are those who say we can't afford to act. But waiting is truly unaffordable. The costs of inaction are catastrophic."

The IPCC warned that untamed greenhouse gas emissions may cost trillions of dollars in damage to property and ecosystems, and in bills for shoring up climate defences.

For Bjorn Lomborg of the Copenhagen Consensus Centre think-tank, "the best solution is to dramatically ramp up funding for research and development of effective green technology."

Today's renewable technology, such as solar and wind energy, required subsidies of at least $100 billion (73 billion euros) per year to become viable.

"Innovation can help us developing technologies to provide green energy more cheaply than fossil fuels, and then everyone will adopt them," said Lomborg.

In the run-up to the conclusion of this year's global climate negotiations in Lima, Peru, in December, UN chief Ban Ki-moon will host heads of state and government in New York on September 23 "to mobilise action and ambition on climate change".

European Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard said the world should oppose "hitting the snooze button" on the issue.

"Europe is preparing an ambitious reduction target for 2030 to be adopted later this year. I appeal to all major emitters to do the same thing," she said in a statement.

Tom Mitchell, a climate expert at Britain's Overseas Development Institute (ODI), cautioned against hopes the Paris meeting will be the definitive solution.

"The real challenge is in what happens after 2015," he said in a phone interview with AFP in Tokyo.

"If countries say they are going to reduce emissions, what is the architecture for holding countries to account, and ensuring that they are contributing their fair share in the first place?"

Surgery is best for managing diabetes in heavy people

WASHINGTON: When it comes to managing type 2 diabetes in overweight people, stomach-shrinking surgeries are still more effective than trying to shed pounds with pills and lifestyle changes, researchers said Monday.

Three years into a US study that compares various approaches -- gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy and simply trying medical counseling, diet, exercise and weight loss medications -- the findings show that the two surgical procedures are still superior at reducing blood sugar and weight.

Researchers said their findings could provide a way to help the some 23 million American adults who have type 2 diabetes, most of whom are overweight or obese.

Fewer than half of adults with diabetes are able to get their blood sugar under control with medication, experts say.

The latest results from the largest randomized controlled trial of its kind were published in the New England Journal of Medicine and discussed at the American College of Cardiology annual meeting.

"Bariatric surgery was more effective than medical therapy in achieving glycemic control with weight loss as the primary determinant of this outcome," said study author Sangeeta Kashyap, associate professor medicine at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine.

"We concluded that bariatric surgery should be considered as a treatment option for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in patients who are moderately and severely overweight."

- More weight lost by surgery -

The research included 150 overweight people with uncontrolled diabetes that had persisted for at least eight years when they began the study, despite taking three or more medications.

They were randomly assigned to undergo one of the two surgeries plus counseling, or simply expert therapy in health changes without surgery.

After three years, just five percent of patients who did not have surgery had achieved the desired level of glycemic control, defined as a three-month average blood glucose level of six percent or lower.

That target is slightly more aggressive than the American Diabetes Association recommendation of seven percent.

The surgery groups did much better, with 37.5 percent of gastric bypass and 24.5 percent of sleeve gastrectomy patients meeting the mark, after starting at an average blood sugar level of 9.2 percent.

Weight loss was five to six times greater in patients who had one of the surgeries.

The gastric bypass group lost on average a quarter of their body weight while the sleeve gastrectomy patients shed 21 percent. Those on medical therapy alone lost four percent.

- Quality of life -

Meanwhile, people who did not undergo surgery reported no improvements in quality of life, according to eight measures including body pain, general health, energy and fatigue.

Gastric bypass patients reported five improvements and sleeve patients reported two. There were no major complications among those who underwent the surgeries.

Gastric bypass involves reducing the stomach to below three percent of its natural volume, then connecting a new gastric pouch that bypasses the stomach and goes straight to the intestine.

In sleeve gastrectomy, part of the patient's stomach is removed to reduce its volume by about 75 percent.

Gastric bypass outperformed the sleeve gastrectomy in the study, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Cleveland Clinic and Ethicon, a division of pharmaceutical giant Johnson and Johnson which sells surgical products for weight loss.

Amit Khera, associate professor at the University of Texas Southwest Medical Center, who was not involved in the study, described the research as "important" because it addresses the longer-term benefits from surgery versus counseling and weight loss attempts alone.

"In the surgical arm, it does seem to be quite durable," he told reporters.

"Normalizing blood sugar seems to be retained at three years. That is a really important observation."

On the other hand, people who did not have surgery showed early improvements in their blood sugar, dropping close to the target of 7.5 in the first year.

But that group was back up to 8.4 percent in year three.

The study, called the Surgical Treatment and Medications Potentially Eradicate Diabetes Efficiently (STAMPEDE) trial, is designed to follow its patients for a total of five years.

 

Oil prices dip

SINGAPORE: Oil prices dipped in Asian trade Tuesday as reports of a partial withdrawal of Russian troops along the Ukrainian border raised hopes of an easing in the worst East-West standoff since the Cold War.

New York´s West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for May delivery dropped 24 cents to $101.34 a barrel in mid-morning Asian trade and Brent North Sea crude for May shed 13 cents to $107.63.

POL prices reduced on PM orders

ISLAMABAD: Petroleum prices have been reduced on the directives of prime minister, said spokesman for the Prime Minister on Monday.

Prices of petrol, High Octane , High Speed Diesel, Kerosene Oil and Light Speed Diesel have been reduced by Rs 1.72, Rs4.66, Rs2.90, Rs5.61 and Rs5.16 respectively.

The spokesman said that the prime minister’s decision was aimed at passing on the benefit of decline in dollar prices to the people.

Rumors have it Musharraf going abroad

ISLAMABAD: The federal capital is rife with speculation about a special plane landing at the Noor Khan Airbase to take former military ruler General (retd) Pervez Musharraf out of the country.

The speculations about the landing of business aircraft started swirling hours after the Special Court disposed of two petitions filed by the accused seeking permission for traveling abroad.

The court ruled that the former military strongman was put on the Exit Control List (ECL) by the government and it had no authority to remove the travel restriction.

The court further said that the government which banned the accused from traveling abroad was authorized to remove his name from the ECL.

Our correspondent says the plane seems to be an air ambulance and has been parked away from lights at the airbase.

Sources in Dubai told Geo News that security arrangements have been made at the residence of Pervez Musharraf.

Musharraf who ruled the county from 1999 to 2008 is being treated for his heart disease at a medical facility run by the Pakistan Army. The former SSG commando in his applications had prayed the court to allow him to travel abroad for his treatment as well as to visit his ailing mother.

Political analysts are of the view that the Special Court had thrown the ball in the government’s court.

Two explosions in Karachi hurt 4

KARACHI: Two explosions took place in a seminary and a mosque located in Gulshan e Iqbal and Gulshan e Hadeed respectively, injuring at least four people including children.

According to police, the first incident took place in Gulshan e Iqbal block 6 where bomb went off near NIPA Chowrangi that left one person injured.

Police said that the militants tried to enter the seminary, however, the guard succeeded to stop them after which militants left the bomb outside the seminary and managed to flee.

Police and Rangers personnel put the security cordon following the incident. Bomb Disposal Squad said that 1 kilogram explosive material was used in the blast.

In Gulshan e Hadeed, a planted bomb exploded outside the Mosque, leaving two children wounded.

PPP, MQM forming alliance to thwart peace talks: Taliban sources

KARACHI: Taliban sources have claimed that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) in Sindh are engaged in making alliance in a bid to thwart peace talks.

The Taliban sources said that during their one-month ceasefire Sindh government continued to arrest Taliban activists and tortured them in prison.

Torture provided no key evidence in hunt for OBL: US senate report

WASHINGTON: Water-boarding and other harsh interrogation techniques provided no key evidence in the hunt for Osama bin Laden, a new senate report into the use of torture by the CIA in the years after the September 11 attacks is expected to claim.

If confirmed, the finding in the 6,200-page senate report will directly challenge assertion by former members of the George W. Bush administration that the CIA’s so-called “enhanced interrogation” techniques were an essential tool in prosecuting the war on terror.

Congressional aides familiar with the still-secret report told the Associated Press that a review of some 6 million classified documents had led them to conclude there was no benefit derived from treatment that the United Nations and rights groups say amounted to torture.

The US senate’s powerful intelligence committee is due to hold a vote on Thursday on whether to release a 400-page summary of the report, setting in motion a declassification process that could take several months before documents are made public.

The findings of the report have already caused a bitter and public rift between Dianne Feinstein, the Committee’s democrat chair, and the CIA whom she has openly accused of trying to frustrate the publication of the report since its findings were approved in December 2012.

Most fundamental among its findings is expected to be that the treatment meted out to Al Qa’eda suspects in sites such as Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan, the Guantánamo Bay detention centre and “black jails” around the world did not ultimately yield critical intelligence.

The successful assassination of bin Laden was seized on by former Bush administration figures and top CIA officials as vindication of the “enhanced interrogation techniques” they authorised after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

That narrative was strengthened in the popular imagination by Kathryn Bigelow’s controversial film Zero Dark Thirty, a dramatic reconstruction of how bin Laden’s whereabouts were pieced together that was accused by civil rights groups of wrongly depicting torture as effective.

Among the key points of contention in the report was the treatment of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the man accused of masterminding the September 11 attacks who was waterboarded 183 times.

Intelligence officials have cited that Mohammed had confirmed that he knew an important al-Qaida courier with the nom de guerre Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti who helped lead CIA investigators to the compound in Abbottabad where bin Laden was killed.

However the Senate report concludes such information wasn’t critical and was obtained not when Mohammed was being water-boarded, but under standard interrogation months later, the unnamed aides told the Associated Press.

The CIA also has pointed to the value of information provided by senior al-Qaida operative Abu Faraj al-Libi, who was captured in 2005 and held at a secret prison run by the agency.

In previous accounts, U.S. officials have described how al-Libi made up a name for a trusted courier and denied knowing al-Kuwaiti. Al-Libi was so adamant and unbelievable in his denial that the CIA took it as confirmation he and Mohammed were protecting the courier.

The Senate report concludes evidence gathered from al-Libi wasn't significant either, aides said.

Essentially, they argue, Mohammed, al-Libi and others subjected to harsh treatment confirmed only what investigators already knew about the courier. And when they denied the courier's significance or provided misleading information, investigators would only have considered that significant if they already presumed the courier's importance.

The aides did not address information provided by yet another al-Qaida operative: Hassan Ghul, captured in Iraq in 2004. Intelligence officials have described Ghul as the true linchpin of the bin Laden investigation after he identified al-Kuwaiti as a critical courier.

In a 2012 news release, Ms Feinstein, the head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Sen. Carl Levin, both Democrats, acknowledged an unidentified “third detainee” had provided relevant information on the courier.

But they said he did so the day before he was subjected to harsh CIA interrogation. “This information will be detailed in the Intelligence committee's report,” the senators said at the time.

In any case, it still took the CIA years to learn al-Kuwaiti's real identity: Sheikh Abu Ahmed, a Pakistani man born in Kuwait. How the U.S. learned of Ahmed's name is still unclear.

Without providing full details, aides said the Senate report illustrates the importance of the National Security Agency's efforts overseas.
Intelligence officials have previously described how in the years when the CIA couldn't find where bin Laden's courier was, NSA eavesdroppers came up with nothing until 2010 - when Ahmed had a telephone conversation with someone monitored by U.S. intelligence.

At that point, U.S. intelligence was able to follow Ahmed to bin Laden's hideout.

 

Musharraf treason trial a ‘milestone’: ICJ

ISLAMABAD: The indictment of General Pervez Musharraf on charges of treason marks a milestone for Pakistan’s judiciary, which must ensure his trial fully complies with international standards, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) said in a briefing paper released on Monday.

“General Musharraf’s treason trial is unprecedented in Pakistan’s political and legal history,” said Sam Zarifi, ICJ’s Asia Director. “This is an opportunity for Pakistan’s judiciary to demonstrate that no one is above the law and that everyone accused of an offence has the right to a trial that is, and is seen to be, impartial, independent and expeditious.”

In its briefing paper, the ICJ highlights the legal framework and political context of the high treason trial against Pakistan’s former president and Army General, Pervez Musharraf, in a Question and Answer format.

“This trial marks the first time a senior Pakistani military figure could be held to account for trampling on the rule of law and human rights in the country,” Zarifi said. “General Musharraf should be facing a proper trial for the many human rights violations that took place during his rule and under his command. But this case is at least a start.”

There are also serious allegations that widespread gross violations of human rights, including enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and torture, were carried out by the security forces while General Musharraf was the head of State and the military, yet no case has been instituted in relation to these gross violations of human rights thus far. “Every effort must be taken to ensure that General Musharraf’s rights as an accused are protected and that the trial complies with Pakistani and international fair trial standards. If convicted of high treason he should be sentenced to life imprisonment, rather than the death penalty.”

Scrap the ‘anti-women’ CII, demands Sindh

Karachi: The lawmakers of Sindh have unanimously demanded doing away with the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), a constitutional advisory body formed during military ruler Gen Ziaul Haq’s era, for its recent “regressive” and “anti-women” recommendations.

During the provincial legislature’s proceedings on Monday, Pakistan Muslim League- Functional MPA Mehtab Akbar Rashdi moved a resolution demanding that the federal government dissolve the CII as the advisory body’s recommendations showed utter disregard for women rights and complicated matters instead of finding solutions to problems.

The CII, which is responsible for giving legal advice on Islamic issues, recently drew flak from various quarters for declaring laws prohibiting underage marriage and the Women’s Protection Act of 2006 un-Islamic. It had also decreed seeking consent from the first wife for a second marriage un-Islamic and DNA tests unacceptable as primary evidence in rape cases.

Setting their political differences aside, all political parties in the House supported the resolution.The parliamentary leaders of the Pakistan People’s Party, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf delivered speeches to express their parties’ commitment towards women’s rights and resentment for the CII’s recommendations.

Two killed as train attacked in Bolan

QUETTA: Two passengers of the Akbar Bugti Express were killed and 10 others were injured when unidentified armed men attacked the train in the Bolan district of Balochistan on Monday.

The Quetta-bound train, which was on its way from Lahore, was attacked in the Panir area of Bolan, some 95 kms from the provincial capital, by unidentified armed men with automatic weapons.

The attackers also fired two rockets which hit the bogies of the train, said officials of the Pakistan Railways. Reports suggested that the assailants had taken up positions in the Panir area near the Mach Tehsil, when they attacked the train at around 3:45pm. The attackers fired two rockets and used other modern weapons.

The Frontier Corps (FC) and Railways Police personnel retaliated. However, the attack was so sudden and intense that 12 passengers of the train sustained multiple injuries.

Railways officials told The News that two passengers, Muhammad Ali, a resident of Mach, and Muhammad Nadeem, who belongs to Bahawalpur, sustained multiple injuries when rockets hit the train and breathed their last on the spot.

The 10 injured were shifted to hospital in Mach for treatment where the condition of some of them is stated to be precarious. The officials said that on being informed, an additional force of FC and police reached the spot and cordoned off the area to trace out the attackers. Later, the train reached Quetta. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Agencies add: Unknown armed men also gunned down the driver of a container on the National Highway near the New Bus stop area in Naseerabad. The Afghanistan bound container from Karachi was on its way when two armed men on a motorbike opened fire on it. The container driver, Zar Bodin, died on the spot.Meanwhile, a boy was killed in an incident of firing in the Nawan Killi area by unknown persons. The deceased was identified as Manzoor.

Nawaz, Nisar discuss peace talks, Musharraf affairs

 

 

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had an important and extensive meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif here at the Prime Minister’s House on Monday.
The minister had to skip the National Assembly session for the meeting, and it is understood that the two leaders have evolved a strategy to deal with the upcoming developments with regard to dialogue with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the former military ruler General (retd) Pervez Musharraf.

The leaders had discussions pertaining to the next round of dialogue with Taliban in the wake of so-called ceasefire expiry from today (Tuesday). It was a scheduled meeting, and the Prime Minister’s Special Secretary Fawad Hasan Fawad was also took part in the discussions. Fawad is also an important member of the government committee that ventured direct talks with Talban in North Waziristan last month.

Well placed sources of the Prime Minister’s House told The News here on Monday evening that Chaudhry Nisar Ali had a scheduled meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The primary subject of the meeting was to chalk out a strategy regarding talks with Taliban, but Pervez Musharraf case also came under discussion as part of the current issue. The sources indicated that the prime minister is determined to follow the verdicts of the judiciary in the case of Musharraf. It is unlikely that the government would grant him permission to leave the country without obtaining certain assurances, the sources said. It is expected that Prime Minister Nawaz will take the matter in the federal cabinet if the government will have to consider any relaxation for the retired General.

Meanwhile, the government is ascertaining the health condition of Pervez Musharraf’s ailing mother through diplomatic channels. The report is likely to reach Islamabad in the wee hours of Tuesday. It will also help in reaching conclusion for the government, the sources said.

A meeting between the civil and military leadership will be held in two days here in Islamabad where the issue of talks with Taliban would be discussed. Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif will also attend the meeting. The meeting would be concentrating exclusively on the dialogue with Taliban, the sources said.

TTP divided over ceasefire extension

 

PESHAWAR: The members of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are said to be divided over an extension in the one-month ceasefire that expired on Monday, Taliban sources said.
“There are differences among various factions of the TTP on an extension in the ceasefire it had announced on March 1. Some of the factions are in favour of extending it as long as the peace talks are under way with the government. Others want to resume the attacks and seek revenge for the crackdown on Taliban militants and torture on their prisoners in Sindh province,” a senior leader and Shura member of the TTP told this correspondent from an undisclosed location on Monday.

Pleading anonymity, he said members of the Shura had been holding meetings for the past few days to build a consensus on an extension in the ceasefire but they could not reach a conclusion.

He said the Shura members were divided on the issue and a similar division could be found in the regional factions of the TTP in the tribal areas as well as in the settled districts.

“There is a reason why we are opposing an extension in the ceasefire. The day the government began the peace talks with us, we lost 66 people in fake encounters. Similarly, a day before the first direct meeting of the government and Taliban members in Bilandkhel village, the government shifted 80 of our prisoners from the Karachi Central Jail to Khairpur, Sukkur and Hyderabad prisons. The aim was to annoy the Taliban and sabotage the peace talks,” the Taliban leader claimed.

He felt that by shifting their prisoners to prisons in the interior of Sindh, the government wanted to make it difficult for their relatives and family members to meet them and learn about their condition in jails. He claimed it would also affect the trial of the prisoners in jails.

“We know that the PPP and MQM had been opposing the peace talks but we would like to know if the federal government is supporting the policy of the Sindh government of torturing the Taliban prisoners and shifting them to jails in the interior of Sindh. The federal government will have to explain or it will be difficult for the Taliban to unanimously build a consensus on an extension in the ceasefire,” the TTP leader explained.

Another senior member of the TTP said discussions were in progress about an extension in the ceasefire but no conclusion had yet been reached.He said majority of the Shura members were satisfied with the sincerity of the Nawaz Sharif government in holding the talks. However, he added that the government had no control over certain quarters who were opposed to the peace process. He said they were in touch with the government negotiation committee and would soon announce their future strategy.

Ogra to deliberate on granting LNG imports licence today

ISLAMABAD: All the members of Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) are set to put their heads together here in Islamabad today (Tuesday) with Saeed Ahmad Khan in the chair to decide if the application of Elengy Terminal Pakistan Limited (ETPL) of Engro Company seeking licence for carrying out LNG import activities and LNG terminal construction should be returned as it is incomplete, irregular and void.

The authority would also decide as to whether the interveners should also be provided with complete application or not.Ogra Chairman Saeed Khan confirmed to The News that the authority will assemble today (Tuesday) and examine the LNG project for which a working paper is being made.

“We will decide the fate of the licence keeping in view provisions of Ogra Ordinance and LNG policy,” member oil and vice chairman of Ogra told The News.The regulator has already held a public hearing in Karachi on March 25 wherein 6 interveners came up with their reservation about the site of the proposed LNG terminals.

The Ogra also visited the site of the proposed LNG terminal at Port Qasim in Karchi. The working paper to be pitched before all the members of the Ogra, available with The News, unveils that the authority will ponder over some vital points like the proposed LNG terminal is well within the danger zone of 2000m. Asked is proposed terminal in line with master plan of Port Qasim Authority?, the PQA replied in a letters in the negative.

The authority will assess, as per the working paper, as to why it was essential to have separate LNG zone and why has not Ministry of Defence insisted on it?

The authority will also deliberate on the development according to which ETPL was directed by PQA to shift their project to LNG zone and is PQA now changing its stance? Ogra members will also discuss as to whether the fresh studies are required for the site which should be in LNG zone.

The PQA has not yet cleared the proposed site and will certainly not issue unconditional NoC given so many deficiencies with the applicant.The working paper also discloses that hydraulic and traffic studies are required before the issue of PQA NoC and they have not been provided to Ogra by the applicant. Environment concerns have yet to be addressed by the applicant.

The paper also says that the proposed Elengy site would need extremely large volumes of dredging which shall disturb the seabed geography and shall give rise to variable currents emerging with totally silting patterns. This may result in reduction of designed existing depths at FAP terminal leading to server commercial and financial losses.

The working paper that OGRA will deliberate also mentions that the transition of LNG vessels in PQA will render the channel suspended for other commercial traffic and port users.

EVTL CEO Imranul haq when contacted responded in detail saying that there is no requirement of 2000 meters distance that has been dubbed danger zone as in Argentina port, various terminals including LNG terminals have been established at a distance of 200 to 300 meters.

Haq said that no doubt the master plan of PQA does not include the LNG terminal in it. He, however, further said that FAP terminal was also not included in the master plan. In case of any untoward incident, there are three levels of security embedded in the security apparatus and even in case of any worst scenario, the explosion will take place in burning basin only that will not affect the terminal and others.

Haq said that master plans keep on changing keeping in view the requirements. Asked as to whether Ministry of Defence has given Elengy a green signal for LNG terminal at Port Qasim, he said that Elengy cannot approach the ministry directly as it is the duty of Port Qasim administration. However, he mentioned that in a meeting of the task force on LNG, representatives of the Ministry of Defense had indicated that it has no objection and when the application comes to the ministry, it will issue the NoC to Elengy for LNG project.

About hydraulic and traffic study, he said that it is not the duty of Elengy, rather it is duty of Port Qasim Authority. He, however, said that there is no need of hydraulic study as it is done for new port, but for Elengy, there is already a jetty which will be used. So Elengy needs not conduct the study, he said. About the traffic study, he said that the traffic of ships has reduced over the year and in Port Qasim about 35-42 LNG vessel will enter in one year. He also said that the port needs to enhance its capacity to handle the traffic in channel.

 

POL prices reduced on PM’s order

ISLAMABAD: The government has announced a reduction in the prices of petroleum products from midnight Monday.

According to a spokesman of the Prime Minister’s House, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday directed reduction in POL prices immediately.As a result, the price of petrol has been reduced by Rs1.72 per litre and its new price will be Rs108.31 per litre.

Meanwhile, the price of kerosene has been reduced by Rs5.71 per litre, high octane Rs4.66 per litre, light diesel Rs5.6 per litre and high speed diesel has been reduced by Rs2.90 per litre. The revised price takes effect from midnight.

It may be mentioned here that the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) had recommended a decrease in the petroleum prices last week.Ogra had also forwarded a summary to the government recommending a decrease in the prices of petroleum products.

Earlier, Finance Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar met the prime minister on Saturday and apprised him of the economic situation of the country. During the meeting, the finance minister told the prime minister that since the dollar exchange rate against Pak Rupee was hovering around Rs98, therefore, imports would receive positive impetus.Keeping in view these factors, the prime minister directed to pass on the benefits of currency stabilisation to the common man.

Who can be the possible abettors in Musharraf’s crime?

 

ISLAMABAD: Four retired federal secretaries and many others can be involved in the Musharraf high treason case by the defence team for implementing the dictator’s November 3, 2007 unconstitutional order and are therefore vulnerable.
The FIA inquiry report into the matter did not find any abettor but talked of “implementers”.As Musharraf’s trial finally takes off after his indictment, which removed many hurdles and hiccups, Musharraf’s defence team will now focus on who did what on November 3, 2007 to complicate the case.

According to sources, though the FIA inquiry report into General Pervez Musharraf’s case under Article 6 of the Constitution did not find any abettor or corroborator on the civilian side, it did say that the then secretary to the president, cabinet secretary, interior secretary, law secretary and others were among the implementers of the unconstitutional order.

Regarding the military side, the FIA team investigating the matter was never allowed to enter the GHQ. The report established one fact that nothing was found from the Presidency, the Prime Minister’s Office, cabinet secretariat, the law ministry and other government offices to establish that they were involved in the preparation of the November 3 order, which was the basis for the abrogation of the Constitution and the unconstitutional and illegal removal of dozens of judges.

On the civilian side, all government officials interviewed as yet by the FIA team have revealed that they were not involved in the preparation of the order but had received it for implementation. The unconstitutional PCO was notified by the secretary cabinet, who was conveyed the said order through the-then secretary to the prime minister.

The-then secretary law and the-then interior secretary got the PCO implemented through the official machinery. Musharraf’s defence team is expected to get the “implementers” involved. However, it is yet to be seen if the VVIP accused would allow his legal team to get the record of the GHQ scanned with the hope that it might help to save his skin.

In his unconstitutional Proclamation of Emergency Order, Musharraf had stated that the situation had been reviewed in meetings with the prime minister, governors of all the four provinces, and with chairman joint chiefs of staff committee, chiefs of the armed forces, vice chief of the army staff and corps commanders of the Pakistan Army, and emergency was proclaimed in pursuance of the deliberations and decisions of the said meetings.....”

Musharraf’s claim about his “consultation” with the civilian government has not been proved from any official record with the civilians. The FIA team wanted to see who in the GHQ and from amongst the-then military commanders had been consulted in preparation of the said order but it could not be done.

The Supreme Court, in its July 31, 2009 judgment, had found Musharraf making a wrong statement in his Proclamation of Emergency Order. The SC had ruled, “The statement made in Proclamation of Emergency that the situation had been reviewed in meetings with the prime minister, governors of all the four provinces, and with chairman, joint chiefs of staff committee, chiefs of the armed forces, vice chief of army staff and corps commanders of the Pakistan Army, and emergency was proclaimed in pursuance of the deliberations and decisions of the said meetings, was incorrect. The Proclamation of Emergency emanated from his person, which was apparent from the words ‘I, General Pervez Musharraf......’ used in it.”

According to the SC ruling, the actions of General Parvez Musharraf dated November 3, 2007 were the result of his apprehensions regarding the decision of Wajihuddin Ahmed’s case and his resultant disqualification to contest the election of president. Therefore, it could not be said that the said actions were taken for the welfare of the people. Clearly, the same were taken by him in his own interest and for illegal and unlawful personal gain of manoeuvring another term in office of president, therefore, the same were mala fide as well.

Govt ready to bring Musharraf’s mother back: NA told

 

ISLAMABAD: All political parties in the National Assembly, except the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, on Monday backed the special court for indicting the former dictator General (retd) Pervez Musharraf in the high treason case and rejecting his plea to go abroad for treatment. They described it as a golden day in the democratic history of the country and proof of the supremacy of law.
Seasoned parliamentarian Mehmood Khan Achackzai was more vocal in hailing the decision of the special court saying symbolic punishment would suffice even if Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif personally forgives him. “If anyone wants to pardon him, then punishment should come first,” he said while speaking on a point of order.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif assured the National Assembly that the government would fully implement the decision of the judiciary in this regard.But, at the same time, he offered that the government was ready to bring Pervez Musharraf’s ailing mother to Pakistan from the UAE. “We can bring Musharraf’s mother back to Pakistan by an air ambulance. We will have to pay a heavy price if we start showing leniency to criminals,” he said.

Khawaja Asif said this was a defining moment in the history of the country as the judiciary had given a historic decision by charging a person who had abrogated the Constitution. “It has been proved that there will only be the supremacy of law in the country,” he said and added that after today’s decision, they had achieved another milestone in democracy.

The defence minister was of the opinion that those who voted in favour of the emergency rule would also be taken to task. “The judiciary has turned our dream into a reality on the rule of law,” he added.

He said that there was no pressure on the government in this matter.He said Pervez Musharraf dragged the country into a war that cost the lives of 50,000 Pakistanis. He also handed over his countrymen to the United States and surrendered the sovereignty of the country. “Now we have taken initiatives to end that war, which is costing us billions of dollars every year.”

The minister claimed the government and the military were on the same page in respect of all national issues and all institutions would forge ahead in unison for progress and peace in the country.

He endorsed Mahmood Khan Achakzai’s view that if the Constitution was abrogated again, the country would suffer an irreparable loss.Khawaja Asif said equality before the law was the basic ingredient of the rule of law and nobody could be treated discriminately before the law.

He said it was unfortunate that even those people managed to get elected to parliament who had supported the dictators. “But, today there is an independent judiciary in the country, peaceful transfer of power from one government to the other has taken place and the provinces have been given autonomy through the 18th Amendment.”

He said over the past decade, the thinking of the army had also changed and it had not intervened in politics.Khawaja Asif said today citizens of the country were mature and they would not tolerate any hindrance in the path of democracy and those who had abrogated the Constitution would be held accountable.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pervez Rashid said the government had followed the path of supremacy of the Constitution, democracy, free media and an independent judiciary. He said the government was ready to provide all facilities for the treatment of Pervez Musharraf’s mother and was ready to provide an air ambulance to bring her to Pakistan for treatment.

He said the chief minister Punjab had constituted a committee headed by Inspector General Police, Punjab, to investigate the issue of threat to chairman Pakistan People’s Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

About the attack on journalist Raza Roomi in Lahore, the minister said that the government was taking all-out measures for the protection of journalists and those involved in this attack will not be spared at any cost.

Earlier, speaking on the issue, seasoned parliamentarian Mehmood Khan Achakzai said that the decision of the court should be backed by parliament and even if the prime minister wanted to pardon anyone, then the punishment should come first. “The time has come that every organ of the state must submit before parliament.”

He said the Pakistan Army was our own army and everyone loved it. He urged some TV anchors to avoid making a joke of parliament and politicians.Later, PPP parliamentarian Abdul Sattar Bachani proposed that the there should be an amendment in the Constitution according to which anyone who supports a dictator should be disqualified forever.

Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafiq said it was a golden day in the history of Pakistan. He accused some anchors and parties of supporting Musharraf who had thrown out an elected government, dissolved parliament, subverted the Constitution twice, assassinated Bugti and pushed the country into war.

He said Turkey had experienced such a day when the generals were made accountable and now Pakistan had adopted the same path.Speaking on the issue, MQM legislator Asif Hussaini said the trial should be started from 1971 and all those who had subverted the Constitution should also be tried for treason.Parliamentary Leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami Shaibzada Tariqullah also welcomed Musharraf’s indictment in the treason case.

Musharraf indicted, pleads not guilty

 

ISLAMABAD: The Special Court on Monday indicted the former military dictator, General Pervez Musharraf, on five counts of high treason, a charge that potentially carries death penalty. The development marks the first time that an acting or former army chief has been indicted for treason.
Paramilitary Rangers and the police took up positions inside the courtroom to ensure foolproof security for the judges and the accused.A three-member bench of the court, led by Justice Faisal Arab, resumed the hearing of the high treason case. The two other judges were Justice Tahira Safdar and Justice Yawar Ali.

The court summoned Musharraf to the rostrum where Justice Tahira Safdar read out the charge-sheet.The first charge was that Musharraf abrogated the Constitution by slapping emergency on November, 3, 2007 and trampled fundamental human rights. The accused denied the charge and pleaded not guilty.

Justice Tahira Safdar read out the second charge: “You introduced illegal amendments to the Constitution between November 20, 2007 and December 14, 2007 which was an unconstitutional act.” Musharraf denied the charge, standing straight as a ramrod.

The third charge was that he issued the PCO illegally, forced the superior court judges to take oath under it and removed those who did not take oath. The accused refused to accept the charge.

The fourth charge was that the accused removed those judges who did not take oath under the PCO and put them under house arrest. The fifth charge related to the imposition of the November 3, 2007 emergency and holding the Constitution in abeyance.

Musharraf repeated his remarks: “I plead not guilty.” After having been charge-sheeted, Musharraf said he wanted to explain who was a traitor. Justice Faisal Arab asked him who was a traitor in his eyes.

“I honour this court and the prosecution. I strongly believe in the law; I don’t have ego problems. I have appeared in the court 16 times this year in Karachi, Islamabad and Rawalpindi,” said the 70-year-old former president.

“I am being called a traitor. I have been chief of army staff for nine years and I have served this army for 45 years. I have fought two wars. Is that ‘treason’?“I am not a traitor. For me traitors are those who loot public money and empty the treasury,” he added, in a veiled reference to civilian politicians long accused of feathering their own nests while in power.

The former president said in his view a traitor sells the secrets of his country, puts the country’s defence at stake and lays down arms before the enemy.“I took no such step and I defended the country in the three different wars of 1965, 1971 and Kargil. I never took bribes nor did anyone dare to offer bribes to me. Seventeen billion dollars were left in the national exchequer when I left the government but I don’t know how this amount plunged to three or four billion dollars.

“During my stint, foreign loans stood at 37 billion dollars but now they have swollen to above 70 billion dollars. The national kitty was plundered badly.“I put the country on the 70 billion dollars. The national kitty was plundered badly.”

“I put the country on the path of progress after 1999 when the country was being called a failed and a defaulted state. Is this the way to reward someone for being loyal to the country and for loving the country?”

He further said: “I gave all to the country and took nothing. I contained inflation. The national economy was fortified. During my tenure the rate of development remained higher in Balochistan than in other provinces.”

Akram Sheikh said: “I pray for the recovery of Pervez Musharraf’ health. No one has called him a traitor nor has anyone leveled charges of corruption or looting of national exchequer against him. The case of abrogation of the Constitution stands against him. However, it is up to Pervez Musharraf to provide evidence against the persons who have been named by him with reference to November 3, 2007 step. We will bring them on record and include them in investigation if evidences are provided, but as per official documents no evidence has been found against anyone except Pervez Musharraf. There is only one point before the court and that is the abrogation of the Constitution.”

Opposing the petition filed by Musharraf seeking his removal form the ECL, Akram Sheikh said the SC had ruled in its previous decision that they will have to approach the court under whose orders his name had been placed on the ECL. This court is not entitled to delete the name of Musharraf from the ECL; therefore, this petition be struck down.”

Justice Faisal Arab inquired if the federal government had no authority to put Musharraf’s name off the ECL. Akram Sheikh replied that he will have to give an application directly to the government or the Ministry of Interior.

Sheikh said Musharraf’s main defence rested on the claim that he acted on the advice of the then Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and the cabinet to suspend the Constitution.

“He has taken the defence that he did not take these steps independently. On this I have submitted before the court that it is now for him to prove that he has done this on the advice of the prime minister and the cabinet,” ,” Sheikh added.

After the proceedings were over, Sheikh who has often been part of testy exchanges between the prosecution and defense, walked up to Musharraf, greeted him warmly and the two chatted briefly as dozens of security personnel, lawyers and journalists looked on.

Farogh Nasim said the courts had disposed of the previous matter pertaining to the ECL and now the SC wields power to give orders for the removal of his client’s name from the ECL.

Barrister Farogh Naseem requested the court to let Musharraf go to the US for treatment. He also requested the court to allow the accused to visit his ailing mother abroad.

“His mother is dying, for God´s sake,” said Naseem. “He will come back. He wants to face the trial. He wants his name to be cleared.”

Meanwhile, Musharraf’s legal team has decided to boycott the court proceedings and refused to recognise the court arguing that the court stood dissolved after Justice Faisal Arab’s refusal to further hear the case during the previous hearing.

The legal counsel said Justice Faisal Arab had decided to dissociate himself from the hearing but later in a written order he decided not to disassociate himself from the bench. They said Justice Faisal Arab’s remarks against Anwar Mansoor were unnecessary and against the facts.

Musharraf’s lawyer Ahmad Raza Kasuri told the media that defence lawyers would not appear in court as the case was of political nature.

The court exempted Musharraf from personal appearance, saying that it could not restrict one’s free movement until the accused was arrested. Later, the court adjourned the hearing till April 4.

Barrister Farogh Naseem submitted his power of attorney to represent Musharraf in the case.Tight security: Three different routes were set up by the capital police before Musharraf’s departure from the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC).

A police squad and commandos had reached the AFIC early in the morning. Three thousand police and Rangers personnel were deployed on the routes. The police squad was headed by Superintendent Police Islamabad Mustanser Feroz.

Entry to Red Zone of the federal capital was closed from all directions. However, reports said the judges who were coming to the Special Court reached the court 10-15 minutes late due to restrictions. On receipt of information, senior officials of Islamabad police removed the hurdles.

Meanwhile, about one dozen supporters of the former president who managed to reach near the venue of the hearing raised slogans in support of their leader and against the government. Police and rangers however persuaded them to leave the area.

Tom Cruise to return in ‘Top Gun’ sequel?

 

Tom Cruise will reportedly star in the sequel to the hit movie 'Top Gun' in which he had played the lead.

Hollywood star Tom Cruise will reportedly star in the sequel to the hit movie ‘Top Gun’ in which he had played the lead.

The producer of the original film, Jerry Bruckheimer has said that he is working on a sequel to the classic 1986 fighter pilot movie and Cruise, 51, will reprise his role as Maverick, reported Huffington Post.

“We’ve been trying to get that movie made for 30 years, and I think we’re getting closer and closer. Don Simpson and I tried to develop something, we didn’t succeed. Tom Cruise took over, and he tried to develop something, and he didn’t succeed. Now we’re back at it,” Jerry said.

Jerry, 70, also said that it was the director of the original movie, Tony Scott, who came up with the storyline of the sequel before he passed away in 2012.

“The concept is, basically, are the pilots obsolete because of drones. Cruise is going to show them that they’re not obsolete. They’re here to stay,” he added.

Amitabh Bachchan, Katrina Kaif invited for cultural conference in Lahore

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Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan and actress Katrina Kaif have been invited for the annual Literary and Cultural Conference to be held in Lahore, organisers said.

According to a report in Dawn newspaper, Amitabh Bachchan, 71, and Katrina Kaif are among the many foreign dignitaries, who may attend the event organised by the Lahore Arts Council.

The organisers are hopeful that both Bachchan and Kaif will attend the proceedings in Lahore.

“We have sent invitations to 12 personalities from India, mostly writers, including two prominent faces from Bollywood-Amitabh Bachchan and Katrina Kaif. Hopefully they will attend the conference,” Zulfiqar Ali Zulfi, Programmes Deputy Director, said.

Other personalities who have been sent invitations include Gulzar, Javed Akhtar, Shabana Azmi and Shamim Hanfi.

This year, the conference is themed around nostalgia, and the title is ‘Beetay Huway Din Yaad Atay Hain’.

Renowned people from all fields have been invited to speak at the conference, which will be held from May 24-26 at the Alhamra Art Centre, The Mall.

Abhishek Sinha wins ‘Boogie Woogie’

 

 

Amitabh Bachchan gave away the trophy to Abhishek Sinha.

Eleven-year-old Abhishek Sinha won the dance reality show ‘Boogie Woogie’ here today.

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who had come to promote his upcoming film ‘Bhootnath Returns’ gave away the trophy to Abhishek Sinha.

Abhishek, who is from Jamshedpur, was awarded with the prize money of Rs 10 lakh and in addition to this he got Rs one lakh sponsored by Horlicks.

The show had started in early December last year with 16 children from across the country. Apart from Abhishek, Aryan Patra, Sachin Sharma, Priyanka Tapaddar and Mohd Mumtaz were the finalists.

The top five contestants paid a tribute to Big B by performing a medley of his hit songs. Later, even Bachchan joined them on stage and performed his signature steps.

Actors Varun Dhawan, Ileana D’Cruz, Nargis Fakhri, Jaccky Bhagnani, Shreyas Talpade, along with Anu Malik, too came for the finale.

Aishwarya Rai, Big B, Kajol at Rajinikanth’s ‘Kochadiiyaan’ first look launch

Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan launched the first look of Tamil superstar and friend Rajinikanth’s much awaited film ‘Kochadaiiyaan’ in Mumbai on Sunday (March 30).

In Pics: Aishwarya Rai, Amitabh Bachchan launch Rajinikanth’s ‘Kochadaiiyaan’

Amitabh Bachchan was joined by his wife Jaya Bachchan and daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Aishwarya, who has worked with Rajinikanth in blockbuster ‘Robot’, was also seen with her mother Brinda Rai at the event. However, film’s lead actress Deepika Padukone did a no show at the event.

Big B has earlier tweeted, “Launching first look of dear family friend, colleague and admirer of Rajnikanth, tonight, of his film Kochdiiyaan’.

Bollywood actress Kajol, actors Anupam Kher and Kunnal Roy Kapur along with filmmaker Subhash Ghai were among the attendees.

Earlier, Shah Rukh Khan had launched the music for the film in Chennai, where he was accompanied by the film’s lead actress Deepika Padukone and other celebs.

The film’s director and Rajinikanth’s daughter Soundarya initially wanted Amitabh Bachchan to the launch the film’s music however due to other commitments Big B could not make it.

  

Meanwhile, Amitabh Bachchan is busy promoting his upcoming film ‘Bhoothnath Returns’ and is also shooting for the television serial.

Romee Khan to perform in India

HOUSTON: Texan of Pakistani dissent and local musical talent Romee Khan will be performing at numbers of music concerts in India.

The first concert is planned to be on 7th of June in Ahmaabad after which several cities will host Romee Khan for his magical performance.

Romee Khan started his music career at a young age of nine years.

His music album recently released with a song "Tou yeh janey na" has attained special fame after which the famous music promoter Kirishina Singh contacted him and invited him to perform in India.

They signed contract for the series of performance in India. Talking to Jang/ Geo representative, Romee Khan expressed his gratitude for the honor bestowed in him and the opportunity to perform in front of Indian audience.

He said that you can see the modernism and eastern color very dominant in his music and this is why his music is getting so popular in youth. He said that his father Mr. Sharif Uddin and his mother will go along with him to India for his first concert in Ahmadabad.

Karzai phones Kerry, levels allegations against Pakistan

KABUL: In a phone call with US Secretary of State John Kerry, Hamid Karzai accused Pakistan of being behind a recent series of attacks and of blocking his government from striking a peace deal with the Taliban, the Afghan president's office said Sunday.

Karzai routinely makes such accusations against Islamabad, but his tone in recent days has been particularly pointed and direct. They come after three attacks in five days in the capital Kabul, the latest coming on Saturday when assailants fired machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades at the country's electoral commission ahead of next week's general election.

Karzai leveled allegation that the attacks were complex in nature and stage-managed by "foreign intelligence agencies," a reference to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence.

US officials confirmed the phone call took place but declined to comment on the conversation.

 

Test accurately rules out heart attacks in the ER

 

WASHINGTON: A simple test appears very good at ruling out heart attacks in people who go to emergency rooms with chest pain, a big public health issue and a huge worry for patients.

A large study in Sweden found that the blood test plus the usual electrocardiogram of the heartbeat were 99 percent accurate at showing which patients could safely be sent home rather than be admitted for observation and more diagnostics.

Of nearly 9,000 patients judged low risk by the blood test and with normal electrocardiograms, only 15 went on to suffer a heart attack in the next month, and not a single one died.

"We believe that with this strategy, 20 to 25 percent of admissions to hospitals for chest pain may be avoided," said Dr. Nadia Bandstein of the Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm.

She helped lead the study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and presented Sunday at the cardiology college's annual conference in Washington.

Chest pain sends more than 15 million people to emergency rooms in the United States and Europe each year, and it usually turns out to be due to anxiety, indigestion or other less-serious things than a heart attack. Yet doctors don't want to miss one - about 2 percent of patients having heart attacks are mistakenly sent home.

People may feel reassured by being admitted to a hospital so doctors can keep an eye on them, but that raises the risk of picking up an infection and having expensive care they'll have to pay a share of, plus unnecessary tests.

The study included nearly 15,000 people who went to the Karolinska University hospital with chest pains over two years. About 8,900 had low scores on a faster, more sensitive blood test for troponin, a substance that's a sign of heart damage. The test has been available in Europe, Asia and Canada for about three years, but it is not yet available in the United States.

The patients were 47 years old on average and 4 percent had a previous heart attack. About 21 percent of them wound up being admitted.

Researchers later looked back to see how the blood test and electrocardiogram would have predicted how they fared over the next month.

They figured that in order to find one heart attack in patients like this, 594 would have to be admitted - a huge waste of resources.

A test like this would be "enormously useful," and the study's results are "almost too good to be true," said Dr. Judd Hollander, an emergency medicine specialist at the University of Pennsylvania.

He believes the test should be available in the U.S. and that the amount of evidence that regulators are requiring to approve it is too high.

Dr. Allan Jaffe, a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic, said the problem is not what the test rules out, but what it might falsely rule in. It's so sensitive that it can pick up troponin from heart failure and other problems and cause unnecessary tests for that.

"I think the strategy long-term will be proven," but more studies underway now in the U.S. are needed to show that, he said.