Curfew in Khawazakhela and Shangla

Updated at: 1401 PST, Saturday, October 31, 2009

SWAT: Unannounced curfew has been imposed in tehsil Khawazakhela and Shangla of Swat as search operation against militants is on in the area.According to sources, security forces launched search operation against militants in different areas of tehsil Khawazakhela and several suspects have been arrested so far. Unannounced curfew has been imposed in Khawazakhela and Shangla.On the other hand, forest in Babu area of Khawazakhela caught fire last night which is still continued. Fire fighters are trying to bring the fire under control.

Sanjay Dutt’s high-fat diet to knock out age

update 31 oct 2009

Sanjay Dutt’s high-fat diet to knock out age

Sanjay Dutt has been shooting with much younger Kangna Ranaut for "Knock Out" and if they look compatible in spite of the latter being half his age, it's all because of a special ketosis diet - a high-fat, low-carbohydrate food."Sanjay went on this special diet in June. It required him to take lots and lots of fatty food and no carbohydrates at all. In fact carbs would've been potentially lethal for this diet. In no time Sanjay started losing weight. And that too without having to give up his favourite food," a source close to Sanjay told IANS. The 50-year-old, who is looking trimmer, plays an assassin out to get his victim with a sniper rifle in Mani Shankar's "Knock Out". Indo-Asian News Service

Federal regulators close 9 banks, mostly in West

By TIM PARADIS and MARCY GORDON, AP Business Writers Tim Paradis And Marcy Gordon, Ap Business Writers – Sat Oct 31, 3:37 am ET

NEW YORK – Regulators have shut California National Bank of Los Angeles and eight smaller related banks as the weak economy continues to produce a stream of loan defaults.
The banks closed on Friday by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation were in California, Illinois, Texas and Arizona. They were divisions of privately held FBOP Corp., a bank holding company based in Oak Park., Ill.
U.S. Bank in Minneapolis, a division of US Bancorp, agreed to assume the deposits and most of the assets of the banks. The banks had combined assets of $19.4 billion and deposits of $15.4 billion at the end of September, the FDIC said.
The nine banks had 153 offices, which will reopen as U.S. Bank branches Saturday.
FBOP Corp., itself wasn't closed under the deal, grew from one bank with assets of $125 million in 1990. From 1990 to 2007 the company acquired 28 banks, according to its Web site.
The closing of nine banks in one day was the most the FDIC has shut since the financial crisis began taking down banks last year. The closings boost the number of failed U.S. banks this year to 115. In 1989, during the savings-and-loan crisis, the FDIC closed 534 banks, or about 10 a week.

California National Bank had 68 branches. About 100 FDIC employees arrived at the CalNational headquarters in downtown Los Angeles at around 6:15 p.m on Friday. They were seen fanning out into various offices around the building, a squat concrete structure that prominently displays the failed bank's name.
The FDIC simultaneously arrived at the bank's other branches, spokeswoman Roberta Valdez said. She said the FDIC would spend the weekend transferring the bank to U.S. Bank.
Besides California National Bank, the banks involved in the latest round were Bank USA, NA, in Phoenix; San Diego National Bank; Pacific National Bank in San Francisco; Park National Bank in Chicago; Community Bank of Lemont in Illinois; North Houston Bank, Madisonville State Bank, and Citizens National Bank in Teague, all in Texas.
Rick Hartnack, vice chairman of consumer banking for U.S. Bancorp, said the move complements its operations in California, Illinois and Arizona. The deal doubled the company's branches in California so that more than 20 percent of U.S. Bank's branch network will be in the state.
The company will have nearly 3,000 branches in two dozen states.
"California and Chicago turned out to be two of the most attractive markets in the country where we just didn't have the branch density that we wanted," he said.
US Bancorp in October reported a 4.7 percent increase in its third-quarter earnings and said it wasn't seen bad loans grow as fast as they had been earlier this year. The company's stock fell 99 cents, or 4.1 percent, to $23.22 as part of a broad slide in stocks Friday.

As the economy has soured, with unemployment rising, home prices tumbling and loan defaults soaring, bank failures have cascaded and sapped billions out of the deposit insurance fund. It has fallen into the red.
The FDIC expects Friday's closings will cost the fund $2.5 billion. The FDIC and U.S. Bank agreed to share losses on about $14.4 billion of the combined purchased assets of $18.2 billion.
Failures have been especially concentrated in California, Georgia and Illinois. While the pounding from losses on home mortgages may be nearing an end, delinquencies on commercial real estate loans remain a hot spot of potential trouble, regulators say. If the recession deepens, defaults on the high-risk loans could spike. Many regional banks, especially, hold large concentrations of these loans.
Also on Friday, agencies including the FDIC, the Federal Reserve and the Office of Thrift Supervision issued guidelines for banks modifying troubled commercial real estate loans. They emphasize the principle that modifying loans in a prudent manner is often in the best interest of both the bank and the creditworthy commercial borrower.
The 115 failures are the most in a year since 1992 at the height of the savings-and-loan crisis. They have cost the federal deposit insurance fund more than $25 billion so far this year, and hundreds more bank failures are expected to raise the cost to around $100 billion through 2013.
To replenish the fund, the FDIC wants the roughly 8,100 insured banks and savings institutions to pay in advance about $45 billion in premiums that would have been due over the next three years.
Depositors' money — insured up to $250,000 per account — is not at risk, with the FDIC backed by the government. The FDIC still has billions in loss reserves apart from the insurance fund. It can also tap a Treasury Department credit line of up to $500 billion — $100 billion of which does not require Treasury's approval.

The Obama administration recently proposed a plan to provide infusions of money to small banks at low interest rates, provided they agree to increase lending to small businesses. Banks and credit unions that serve low-income areas would get aid at even lower rates to help small businesses in the hardest-hit rural and urban areas. The aid would come from money still available in the $700 billion federal bailout fund, which went mostly to large banks.
The 115 bank failures this year compare with 25 last year and three in 2007.
Banks have been especially hurt by failed real estate loans. Banks that had lent to seemingly solid businesses are suffering losses as buildings sit vacant. As development projects collapse, builders are defaulting on their loans.
The number of banks on the FDIC's confidential "problem list" jumped to 416 at the end of June from 305 in the first quarter. That's the most since June 1994. About 13 percent of banks on the list generally end up failing, according to the FDIC.
___
Gordon reported from Washington. Thomas Watkins reported from Los Angeles.

4th typhoon in month lashes Philippines; 7 killed

By OLIVER TEVES, Associated Press Writer Oliver Teves, Associated Press Writer

MANILA, Philippines – The fourth typhoon to whip the Philippines in a month lashed the capital and nearby provinces Saturday, leaving fresh floods and new misery before blowing out of the country. At least seven people were killed and several were missing.
Typhoon Mirinae, with winds of 93 miles (150 kilometers) per hour and gusts of up to 115 mph (185 kph), slammed into Quezon province northeast of Manila around midnight Friday. It quickly swept westward out to sea south of the capital and weakened into a tropical storm Saturday afternoon.
"It is moving away toward the South China Sea," said chief government forecaster Nathaniel Cruz. "That part of our lives with (Mirinae) is over."
Mirinae appeared to be heading next toward Vietnam.
Philippine authorities evacuated more than 115,000 people in nine provinces east and south of Manila in the storm's path on main Luzon island, the National Disaster Coordinating Council reported.
Back-to-back storms in late September and early October killed more than 900 people, and a third storm then threatened the northern Philippines before veering toward Japan.
Initial reports Saturday from Mirinae indicated more flooding but relatively few deaths.

Police said six people, including a 12-year-old girl, drowned in a flash flood in Laguna province's Pagsanjan township, south of Manila. Four others were missing in floodwaters in other towns, regional police chief Perfecto Palad said.
A man drowned after being swept away by strong currents as he tried to cross a creek in Rizal province's Pililla township while carrying his 1-year-old child, who remains missing. A man and his son who were in a car on a bridge that collapsed in nearby Batangas province were also missing, said regional disaster officer Fred Bragas.
One river in Laguna overflowed, flooding most of lakeside Santa Cruz town and sending residents clambering onto roofs, said Mayor Ariel Magcalas.
"We cannot move, this is no joke," Magcalas said. "The water is high. We need help," he said in a public address via Radio DZBB.
The muddy floodwater receded as rains eased, but was still chest-high in some communities.
In Manila, residents hunkered down in their homes overnight as rains beat down on dark, deserted streets. Mirinae passed south of the sprawling city of 12 million.
Mirinae tracked the same route as Tropical Storm Ketsana, which in late September dumped the heaviest rains in 40 years in and around Manila. A week later, Typhoon Parma triggered massive landslides in Luzon's mountain region.
Nearly 95,000 people who fled during those two earlier storms were still housed in temporary shelters when Mirinae struck, the national disaster agency said.

Flights at Manila's international airport were canceled and about 8,000 ferry passengers were stranded as the coast guard grounded all vessels.
Manila electric power distributor Meralco said the high winds had forced outages in many areas around the capital, but electricity was restored in most areas by Saturday afternoon.
In Rizal province's Taytay township, about 400 shanties — home to about 2,000 people who had been forced to flee their lakeside homes during Ketsana — were destroyed by strong winds, Mayor Joric Gacula said.
In the coastal town of Ternate in Cavite province, where the typhoon exited, a tornado destroyed 25 houses and injured one resident, Bragas said.
Ahead of the typhoon, millions of Filipinos had boarded buses heading to home provinces for this weekend's All Saints Day, when people visit cemeteries to pay respects to dead relatives in this devoutly Roman Catholic nation.
Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro expressed fear that floods and traffic congestion may trap visitors at graveyards, where people traditionally spend a day or even a night, but few heeded his call to scrap this year's commemorations.
In some provinces, floodwaters from Ketsana and Parma raged through cemeteries, breaking up tombs and sweeping away caskets and bodies.
___
Associated Press writer Hrvoje Hranjski contributed to this report.

Clinton continues push for Mideast peace

By ROBERT BURNS, AP National Security Writer Robert Burns, Ap National Security Writer

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is making a new push to get Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table, holding talks Saturday in this Persian Gulf city with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and later in Israel with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Clinton was to make a personal plea for the two sides to resume peace talks even as U.S. officials acknowledged they saw little prospect for an immediate breakthrough.
Over the course of the summer, President Barack Obama had hoped for a fast track to renewed peace negotiations, but Clinton reported to him on Oct. 22 that neither side had taken sufficient steps toward resuming the dialogue.
Clinton arrived in Abu Dhabi in the early hours Saturday after completing a three-day visit to Pakistan.
Obama held a three-way meeting with Netanyahu and Abbas in New York in September, hoping it would prod them to relaunch talks that broke off more than a year ago. But in her report to the president in October, Clinton indicated that while the Palestinians had strengthened security efforts and reforms of Palestinian institutions, more needed to be done to prevent terror and to stop those who carry out or encourage attacks on Israel.

On the Israeli side, Clinton has indicated that they have eased Palestinians' freedom of movement and expressed a willingness to curtail the building of Jewish settlements in the Palestinian areas. The Obama administration, however, is demanding an end to all new settlement construction, something which the Israelis have refused.
Clinton intends to consult with a range of Arab foreign ministers on the Israel-Palestinian stalemate when she attends an international conference in Morocco on Monday and Tuesday.
After her meeting with Abbas in Abu Dhabi, Clinton was headed for Jerusalem for talks that were expected to include not only Netanyahu but also his foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman.
Lieberman suggested recently the Israelis and Palestinians come up with a long-term interim arrangement that would ensure stability, while at the same time putting off a final deal.
He has recommended leaving the toughest issues — such as the status of disputed Jerusalem and a solution for Palestinian refugees who lost homes in the conflict — "to a much later stage."
Clinton also was expected to meet with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barack.
In an interview with the British Broadcasting Corp. before leaving Islamabad on Friday, Clinton downplayed the prospects for a quick breakthrough, while stating that former Sen. George Mitchell, the administration's special envoy on Mideast peace, was still pushing.

"We knew it would be a process," she said. "We knew that it would be challenging. I think the fact that I'm in the region, I'm able to meet Senator Mitchell and have these conversations, reinforces the seriousness with which we are approaching our desire to get the parties to begin a serious negotiation that can lead to a two-state solution."
The effort to get Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table has been further complicated by responses to international calls for an independent inquiry into Israel's fierce offensive against Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip last winter. A U.N. report by respected South African jurist Richard Goldstone, accused Israel and Palestinian militants of committing war crimes during the three-week operation.
The report, which was adopted by the U.N. Human Rights Council earlier this month, recommends war crimes proceedings if the sides do not conduct credible independent investigations into their actions.
Gaza's rulers, the Islamic militant group Hamas, dismissed Clinton's visit as "destined to fail."
Spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the U.S. could not effectively engage in peacemaking while ignoring Hamas, which came to power in Palestinian elections in 2006 and then seized power in Gaza in 2007. The Obama administration says it won't engage with Hamas until it drops its refusal to accept Israel's right to exist and meets other preconditions.

Kidnappers demand $2 million for Irish hostage

By OLIVER TEVES, Associated Press Writer Oliver Teves, Associated Press Writer –
MANILA, Philippines – Captors of a 79-year old Irish missionary kidnapped in the southern Philippines have released a video in which the priest says his abductors are demanding $2 million to release him.
The video was obtained by government negotiators and broadcast on GMA television network in Manila Saturday. It shows Rev. Michael Sinnott holding a copy of the Oct. 22 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper. That was 11 days after his abduction.
Sinnott appeals in a weak voice to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the Irish government, his fellow missionaries and friends "who may have pity ... to help so that I can get out of here as soon as possible."
Gunmen seized Sinnott in southern Pagadian city in Zamboanga del Sur province on Oct. 11 in the latest hostage crisis to grip this predominantly Roman Catholic nation.
It remains unclear who is holding Sinnott. The volatile south has grappled with decades of Muslim separatist unrest, and militants have conducted kidnappings in the past but have denied involvement in Sinnott's abduction.
Allan Molde, spokesman for the provincial Crisis Management Committee handling the hostage crisis, said the video was handed to a law enforcer on the committee by one of its operatives Saturday.
Molde said he recognized Sinnott on the video.
"He's well, he's OK, but you can see the sadness in his face," Molde said by telephone from Pagadian.
He said it appeared that Sinnott, who has grown some facial hair, was reading from something that was handed to him.
The GMA TV report says Sinnott identified the leader of the group that kidnapped him as Abu Jamdal, but Molde said he wasn't familiar with the person.
The video was taken outdoors, and a piece of tablecloth or bedsheet was placed behind Sinnott as a background. No other person was shown but one hand could be seen helping Sinnott hold up the newspaper.
Molde declined to comment specifically on the ransom demand, but said: "As you know, our government has invoked the non-ransom policy."
The GMA report said that in the video, Sinnott lamented that he could not take all the medicines he needed. The priest has previously undergone heart bypass surgery.
Molde said medicines have been sent through emissaries but he could not confirm that they had actually reached the missionary.
Molde said he had informed Sinnott's superior at the Missionary Society of St. Columban in the southern Philippines.

Iran lawmakers reject UN-drafted uranium plan

By ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Associated Press Writer Ali Akbar Dareini, Associated Press Writer

TEHRAN, Iran – Senior Iranian lawmakers rejected on Saturday a U.N.-backed plan to ship much of the country's uranium abroad for further enrichment, raising further doubts about the likelihood Tehran will finally approve the deal.
The UN-brokered plan requires Iran to send 1.2 tons (1,100 kilograms) of low-enriched uranium — around 70 percent of its stockpile — to Russia in one batch by the end of the year, easing concerns the material would be used for a bomb.
After further enrichment in Russia, France would convert the uranium into fuel rods that would be returned to Iran for use in a reactor in Tehran that produces medical isotopes.
Iran has indicated that it may agree to send only "part" of its stockpile in several shipments. Should the talks fail to help Iran obtain the fuel from abroad, Iran has threatened to enrich uranium to the higher level needed to power the research reactor itself domestically.
The Tehran reactor needs uranium enriched to about 20 percent, higher than the 3.5 percent-enriched uranium Iran is producing for a nuclear power plant it plans to build in southwestern Iran. Enriching uranium to even higher levels can produce weapons-grade materials.

"We are totally opposed to the proposal to send 3.5 percent enriched uranium in return for 20 percent enriched fuel," senior lawmaker Alaeddin Boroujerdi was quoted by the semiofficial ISNA news agency as saying.
Boroujerdi, who heads the parliament's National Security Committee, said the priority for Iran was to buy nuclear fuel and hold on to its own uranium. He also said there was no guarantee that Russia or France will keep to the deal and supply nuclear fuel to Iran if Tehran ships them its enriched uranium.
"The preferred option is to buy fuel ... there is no guarantee that they will give us fuel ... in return for enriched uranium. We can't trust the West," ISNA quoted Boroujerdi as saying.
Kazem Jalali, another senior lawmaker, said Iran wants nuclear fuel first before agreeing to ship its enriched uranium stocks to Russia and France even if it decides to strike a deal.
"They need to deliver nuclear fuel to Iran first ... the West is not trustworthy," the official IRNA news agency quoted him as saying.
Jalali said Iran needs fuel and putting conditions to deliver it for the research reactor is unacceptable.
"Countries possessing fuel are required, under international rules, to provide fuel for such reactors. Putting conditions is basically wrong," he said.
Jalali said these conditions for the fuel was teaching Iran new lessons.
"Western approach toward Iran's demand for fuel is only straightening Iran's resolve to continue its peaceful nuclear program," he added.

The lawmaker said France has reneged on previous agreements and that Tehran doesn't trust Paris.
He said Iran holds a 10 percent share in a Eurodif nuclear plant in France purchased more then three decades earlier but is not allowed to get a gram of the uranium it produces as an example that Iran can't trust the West.
Tehran says it has paid for 50 tons of UF-6 gas, which can be turned into enriched uranium, in Eurodif's plant but has not been allowed to use it.
"Iran is a shareholder in Eurodif but doesn't enjoy its rights. This shows the French are not reliable," Jalali said.
Areva, the state-run French nuclear company, has described Iran as a "sleeping partner" in Eurodif.
The U.S. and its allies have been pushing the U.N.-backed agreement as a way to ease their concerns that Iran is using its nuclear program as a way to covertly develop weapons capability.

Clinton arrives UAE

Updated at: 0703 PST, Saturday, October 31, 2009

ABU DHABI: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived late Friday in the United Arab Emirates where she is due to meet Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas ahead of travelling to Israel, media said.Clinton, who flew in to Abu Dhabi from Pakistan, is hoping to revive the moribund peace negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis. Her visit follows a mission to the region by US Middle East envoy George Mitchell. She is due to meet Abbas on Saturday in the Gulf state and later in the day will head to Jerusalem where she is due to hold talks on Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Clinton last week gave President Barack Obama a downbeat report on the US administration's frustrated efforts to forge Middle East peace.Obama has made the issue a cornerstone of his foreign policy, and cajoled Netanyahu and Abbas into joining him at a summit last month in New York.The US president has been trying to get Netanyahu's hawkish government to agree to a complete freeze on settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and to convince Arab states to make conciliatory gestures towards Israel.On Monday, Clinton will meet Arab foreign ministers in Morocco.

At least 9 survivors in Amazon plane crash

Updated at: 0808 PST, Saturday, October 31, 2009
BRASILIA: Indigenous tribesmen deep in the world's largest rainforest have found at least nine survivors after a Brazilian military transport plane crash-landed in a river in the Amazon, the air force said Friday. One person on the flight that went down on Thursday in far northwestern Brazil was found trapped in the plane and is presumed dead, while another went searching for help and is missing, the air force said. Members of the Matis, a tiny tribe of some 300 people first contacted by modern Brazilian officials in the 1970s, discovered the plane and its crew and passengers "in the middle of the Amazon jungle" between the Matis village of Aurelio and another tribe's village, the air force said in a statement. The C-98 Caravan, a single-propeller Cessna transport plane, lost radio contact Thursday 58 minutes into its flight from Cruzeiro do Sul, in northwestern Acre state, to the Amazonas town of Tabatinga, where the borders of Brazil, Colombia and Peru come together. The plane apparently crash-landed on the Itui river, a small tributary of the Amazon near the Peruvian border, and it was the pluck of the pilot that saved the lives of his passengers, according to a survivor. "We are happy to be alive," he told local indigenous health official Jose Francisco Correa de Araujo, according to news website. "The engine of the plane stopped, and we panicked, but the pilot managed to land the aircraft on the river."

Muslim doctor denied Hijab in US

Updated at: 0856 PST, Saturday, October 31, 2009

DALLAS: A Muslim doctor interviewing for a job at a suburban Dallas medical clinic says officials there told her she couldn’t wear her hijab (headscarf) in the workplace.Dr. Hena Zaki of Plano, Texas, said Friday that she was shocked when CareNow officials told her that a no-hat policy extended to her hijab.The 29-year-old doctor wants an apology and a change in CareNow’s policy.However, CareNow President Tim Miller says he sees nothing wrong with the policy and feels no need to apologize. In a statement, his company says it does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion or national origin in employment decisions.The Council on American-Islamic Relations calls CareNow’s policy “a blatant violation” of federal law.

Musharraf could be quizzed over Aafia’ issue: Senator Talha

Updated at: 1509 PST, Saturday, October 31, 2009

ISLAMABAD: The chairman of Senate’s standing committee for interior Senator Talha Mahmood said former President Pervez Musharraf and former interior minister could be quizzed over Dr. Aafia Siddiqui issue if needed.The standing committee meeting chaired by Senator Talha Mahmood held here. The officials of interior and foreign ministries briefed the meeting about measures taken for the release of Dr. Aadia Siddiqui. The committee has informed that legal and medical aid is being provided to Dr. Aafia. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had raised the issue during US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s current visit to Pakistan. The officials of foreign ministry having a view that it is useless to bring the issue in International Court of Justice as US and Afghanistan not recognized International court.Dr. Aafia’ sister Dr. Fouzia informed the committee that her mother had informed the then IG Sindh Asad Ashraf Malik when Dr. Aafia gone missing in 2003. However she was told that FIR for missing persons could not be registered. Later, chairman standing committee has summoned former IG Sindh in next meeting.

3 Afghans arrested on Sindh-Punjab border

Updated at: 1516 PST, Saturday, October 31, 2009
UBARO: Three Afghanis have been arrested from a passenger bus in Ubaro area near Sindh-Punjab border Saturday. According to Police sources, these Afghanis have been locked-up at Kammon Shaheed Police Chowki. A case under Foreign Act will be filed against the arrested Afghanis and they will be sent jail after their remand is obtained from a Civil Judge Court, the sources added. Crackdown against illegal Afghan immigrants will continue, DPO, Ghotki, Ghazi Salahuddin stressed.

Mumbai attack conspiracy case hearing adjourned

Updated at: 1544 PST, Saturday, October 31, 2009

RAWALPINDI: The special anti terror court has adjourned the hearing of Mumbai attack conspiracy case till November 7.Special court Judge Akram Awan hears the case in Adyala jail. The lawyers of accused have submitted a request for providing the copy of Ajmal Qasab’s confession and charges framed against the accused.

Pak Standard Time to be readjusted on Sat night

Updated at: 1548 PST, Saturday, October 31, 2009
Karachi: Pakistan Standard Time would be readjusted on November 1st after six and a half months with striking of 11 and 12 twice by clocks on Saturday night.The government had decided to advance clocks by one hour on April 15th to take maximum benefit of daylight to conserve electricity, which is now being reversed on November 1st. It was decision of Federal Cabinet to advance clocks by one hour every year with advent of summer to overcome energy crisis and use maximum daylight. Pakistan experimented to advance one hour time in 2002 on first Sunday in April at 00:00 to first Sunday in October at 00:00.The government started to implement this again from June 1st, 2008 to August 31st, 2008 to overcome power shortfall.

India-Australia third ODI today

Updated at: 1028 PST, Saturday, October 31, 2009

NEW DELHI: India will take on Australia in the third match of the one-day series at Firoz Shah Kotla stadium in Delhi today. India is in a positive frame of mind after the last win whereas the Aussies are dented by the loss of Bret Lee and James Hope. Geo Super will telecast the match live.After winning the second one-day match against Australia in a dominant manner. Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni will count on his own form as well as the loss of key players by the Aussies to win this match as well. Ace fast bowler Bret Lee and wicket keeper James Hope will not be playing for their team due to injuries. During a press conference, a confident looking Dhoni said that Australian team was on the back-foot because of the injuries, while India has gained momentum. He however maintained that they could not be considered as a weak side as they had the ability to bounce back out of any situation. The pitch at the Firoz Shah Kotla will also decide as to how the match takes shape as it has been recently re-laid. During the Champions League, the pitch behaved poorly and the ball kept low and slow, the new track is expected to have some life and offer chances to the bowlers.

Masses deprived of sugar at Rs.40/ kg despite court orders

Updated at: 1247 PST, Saturday, October 31, 2009

KARACHI: Supreme Court has directed the provincial governments to ensure availability of sugar at Rs.40/ kg to the masses but sugar is either not available at shops or available at the rate more then Rs.50/ kg. According to apex court order, provincial governments should monitor the distribution of the sugar to common man at the rate of Rs.40/ kg.The Chairman of Pakistan Sugar Mills Association Askandar Khan told Geo News that 70 percent of sugar has been used by industrial consumer while 30 percent consumed by domestic consumers. He said on the directives of Supreme Court, sugar is available at the rate of Rs.40/kg to domestic consumers.According to market sources, sugar is on sale at Rs.65 per kg to 70 per kg. In Quetta, sugar is available at Rs. 50 to 56 per kg. In some areas of Punjab, sugar is on sale more then Rs.100/kg whereas there is no sugar in Lahore. In NWFP, Rs.90/kg is the rate of sugar. In urban areas Islamabad, sugar is available at Rs. 40/kg and Rs.40/kg in outskirts.

US military trains Georgian troops for Afghanistan mission

Updated at: 1327 PST, Saturday, October 31, 2009

TBILISI: Georgian forces on Monday launched a joint training exercise with the US military ahead of the deployment of hundreds of Georgian troops next spring in Afghanistan, the defence ministry said. US military cooperation with pro-Western Georgia has strained ties between the United States and Russia, which last year fought a five-day war with Georgia. “The exercises are aimed at training Georgian servicemen to be deployed within the framework of the ISAF (International Security Assistance Force),” Georgian defence ministry spokeswoman Salome Makharadze told AFP. “The exercises will last for two weeks and involve a total of 840 servicemen, 420 Georgians and the same number of Americans,” she added. She said the 420 Georgian troops will leave for Afghanistan next spring and serve under US command. A company of Georgian servicemen is also to be sent to Afghanistan next month to serve under French command, Makharadze said. She could not specify how many Georgian troops would take part, but a company typically consists of 100-200 servicemen. The US embassy said in a statement that the exercise, called Immediate Response, “is specifically designed to enhance Georgia’s ability to conduct joint counter-insurgency operations in Afghanistan together with US forces.” Moscow has accused Washington of meddling in the region and of rearming Georgia. More than 100,000 foreign troops, most of them Americans, are stationed in Afghanistan, fighting an increasingly bloody insurgency being waged by the Taliban and its allies. About 2,000 Georgian troops were deployed with US forces in Iraq from August 2003 but were rushed back to Georgia in August last year for the war with Russia over the breakaway region of South Ossetia.

Seven security men die in Khyber blast

Updated at: 1259 PST, Saturday, October 31, 2009

KHYBER AGENCY: At least seven security men embraced martyrdom in an explosion of a powerful bomb which went off in Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency, Geo news reported on Saturday.According to sources, the security forces kicked off rescue efforts shortly after the explosion was reported, meanwhile, some wounded security personnel are being shifted to hospital for medical attainment, sources added.No claim of responsibility has come to surface as yet, sources added.

Snow lets up in West, Plains; South gets drenched

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – While residents in some Western and Plains states were digging out Friday after an early blast of snow, heavy rain and strong winds that toppled trees, power lines and church steeples lashed parts of the South, leaving one person dead.
The rain was forecast to let up Friday, but the National Weather Service cautioned that the ground was so saturated that even a modest amount of additional rain could cause flash flooding from the western Gulf Coast to the mid-Mississippi Valley.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency after storms caused flooded roads, power outages and wind damage in the northwestern part of the state. A 20-year-old driver was killed Thursday when his car ran under a toppled tree near Shreveport, authorities said.
Meanwhile, the snowstorm that walloped Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas earlier in the week tapered off, but some roads across the region remained treacherous.
Gusty winds and blowing snow kept nearly all major highways in southeast Wyoming shut down. U.S. Highway 20 at the north end of the Nebraska Panhandle reopened into Wyoming. Interstate 80 remained closed west of North Platte to the Wyoming state line.
In northern Colorado, northbound Interstate 25 from Wellington to the Wyoming state line remained shut down, while highways in eastern Colorado and western Kansas, including Interstates 70 and 76, reopened.
The storm, which began Tuesday, had spread 3 feet of snow and left much higher drifts across parts of northern Utah, Wyoming and Colorado.
About 15 inches fell in the Deadwood, S.D., area, causing officials to shut down Mount Rushmore National Memorial. It reopened Friday morning.
Winter weather advisories remained in effect Friday for southeast Wyoming and western Nebraska.
Meanwhile, flood warnings stretch from the western Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes, with flash flood warnings in effect for eastern Arkansas, western Tennesseee, western Kentucky and southeast Missouri.
Several tornadoes touched down in Louisiana and Arkansas on Thursday. A steeple blew off a church in Shreveport, La., hitting a car. The 57-year-old driver had to be pulled out by rescuers and suffered broken bones, authorities said.
Caddo Parish Sheriff's spokeswoman Cindy Chadwick said a sheriff's substation south of Shreveport flooded with about 8 inches of water Friday. Electrical equipment and personnel were moved to a nearby church. Chadwick said deputies used boats to rescue people from a subdivision with flooded roads.
Heavy rain across Arkansas also stranded an unknown number of people in their homes, while strong winds damaged buildings and knocked over trees and utility lines.
In Harrison, Lori Hudson blamed a change in drainage patterns for an ankle-high flood in her home.
"I've got a river running through my house," Hudson said.
In Pine Bluff, part of the roof of a Walmart store blew off during storms Thursday night. Among the damage at the First Assembly of God Church, the steeple was bent over by the strong winds.
"The steeple almost looked like a witch's hat," Pine Bluff police spokesman Lt. Bob Rawlinson said.

Swine flu kids' deaths jump to 114

By MIKE STOBBE, AP Medical Writer Mike Stobbe, Ap Medical Writer – 9 mins ago
ATLANTA – Swine flu has caused at least 19 more children's deaths — the largest one-week increase since the pandemic started in April, health officials said Friday.
At least 114 children have died from swine flu complications since the spring, up from 95 reported a week earlier, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Meanwhile, the government has decided to release the last of its stockpile of liquid Tamiflu for children because of reported shortages of the swine flu treatment. Enough to treat some 234,000 children is being released.
"We didn't see a reason to keep it in reserve when we have so much illness in children now," CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden said at a news conference.
The government sent some of the stockpile to states in the spring and more earlier this month. To replenish the supply, the government has ordered more from Tamiflu's manufacturer, Switzerland-based Roche Holdings, he added. But that medicine is not expected to come in until early next year.
Pharmacies are able to convert adult Tamiflu capsules — which are in good supply — to pediatric doses, he added.
The 19 new deaths in children under 18 represent lab-confirmed cases reported in the week ending Oct. 23. The CDC also received three other reports of children dying from flu. Those are also believed to be swine flu fatalities but those cases didn't undergo full lab-testing to confirm that.
The increase probably reflects the rise in illnesses that have been seen in many parts of the country this month, and the numbers are expected to get worse, Frieden said.
In the past two months, health officials have seen more reports of flu hospitalizations in non-elderly people than they normally do in entire six-month flu seasons he added.
Swine flu is more widespread now than it's ever been, with 48 states now reporting widespread flu activity. The only states without widespread flu are Hawaii and South Carolina.
Except for children, CDC officials do not keep an exact count of all U.S. swine flu deaths, but say the number has surpassed 1,000. They don't have a tally of all swine flu illnesses, either, but say many millions have been at least mildly sickened by the virus since it was first identified in April.
Each year 50 to 100 American children die from complications of seasonal flu, which tends to hit the elderly the hardest. Seasonal flu kills an estimated 36,000 Americans annually.
The swine flu vaccination program that began Oct. 5 is picking up, Frieden said Friday. Initially there were only a trickle of doses, frustrating worried people cross the country. But manufacturers have been releasing more doses, and now nearly 27 million doses are available for shipment, up from 16 million a week ago.
According to preliminary information, about half of those vaccinated so far are children and half are non-elderly adults. A very small percentage are elderly. That's appropriate, because many elderly people seem to have some immunity to the virus and so are not considered a priority group for the limited vaccine doses.
The government determined the high-risk groups include children and young people through age 24, people caring for infants under 6 months, pregnant women and health care workers.
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On the Net:
CDC swine flu update: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_on_he_me/storytext/us_med_swine_flu/33915652/SIG=117030i4j/*http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/update.htm

Obama lifts ban on US entry for those with HIV

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Associated Press Writer Darlene Superville, Associated Press Writer –
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama said Friday the U.S. will overturn a 22-year-old travel and immigration ban against people with HIV early next year. The order will be finalized on Monday, Obama said, completing a process begun during the Bush administration.
The U.S. has been among a dozen countries that bar entry to travelers with visas or anyone seeking a green card based on their HIV status.
"If we want to be the global leader in combatting HIV/AIDS, we need to act like it," Obama said at the White House before signing a bill to extend the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program. Begun in 1990, the program provides medical care, medication and support services to about half a million people, most of them low-income.
The bill is named for an Indiana teenager who contracted AIDS through a blood transfusion at age 13. White went on to fight AIDS-related discrimination against him and others like him and help educate the country about the disease. He died in April 1990 at the age of 18.
His mother, Jeanne White-Ginder, attended the signing ceremony, as did several members of Congress and HIV/AIDS activists.
In 1987, at a time of widespread fear and ignorance about HIV, the Department of Health and Human Services added the disease to the list of communicable diseases that disqualified a person from entering the U.S.
The department tried in 1991 to reverse its decision but was opposed by Congress, which went the other way two years later and made HIV infection the only medical condition explicitly listed under immigration law as grounds for inadmissibility to the U.S.
The law effectively has kept out thousands of students, tourists and refugees and has complicated the adoption of children with HIV. No major international AIDS conference has been held in the U.S. since 1993, because HIV-positive activists and researchers cannot enter the country.
Obama said that by lifting the ban, the U.S. will take a step toward ending the stigma against people with HIV/AIDS, something he said has stopped people from getting tested and has helped spread the disease. More than 1 million people live with HIV/AIDS in the U.S., and more than 56,000 new infections are reported every year.
Obama noted his own effort several years ago to help combat the stigma. During a visit to Kenya, his father's native country, Obama and first lady Michelle Obama publicly took an HIV/AIDS test.
The 11 other countries that ban HIV-positive travelers and immigrants are: Armenia, Brunei, Iraq, Libya, Moldova, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Sudan, according to the advocacy group Immigration Equality.
Several such groups welcomed Obama's announcement.
Rachel B. Tiven, executive director of Immigration Equality, said the ban pointlessly has barred people from the U.S. and separated families with no benefit to public health.
"Now, those families can be reunited, and the United States can put its mouth where its money is: ending the stigma that perpetuates HIV transmission, supporting science and welcoming those who seek to build a life in this country," said Tiven, whose organization works for fairness in immigration for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and HIV-positive people.
(This version CORRECTS that ban is 22 years old.)

Blanton to start World Series Game 4 for Phillies

18 mins ago
PHILADELPHIA – Joe Blanton was picked to start Game 4 of the World Series for the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies. Manager Charlie Manuel said Friday he will go with Blanton against the New York Yankees rather than ace Cliff Lee on short rest. Lee, who has never pitched on three days' rest, is slated to start Game 5.
"I don't think he's ready for it on three days' rest," Manuel said. "I think you're taking a chance on really pushing him."
The World Series was tied 1-all as it shifted to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Saturday night. Manuel said if the Series goes seven games, Lee could be available for the finale.
"That would be on his bullpen day, and he might be able to pitch," the manager said.
Manuel also could have turned to left-hander J.A. Happ in Game 4, but the rookie will stay in the bullpen.
"I think Blanton fits for us because I think we want to keep Happ right now in the bullpen, especially kind of in the middle where he could do some innings," Manuel said. "And also, Joe pitched last year in the World Series, and he's got a little bit more experience."
Blanton started Game 4 against Tampa Bay last year and combined with four relievers on a five-hitter in a 10-2 win that gave the Phillies a 3-1 Series lead. Blanton homered off Edwin Jackson in that one, the first Series home run by a pitcher since Oakland's Ken Holtzman in 1974.
Blanton was 12-8 with a 4.05 ERA this season. He got a no-decision in his only postseason start, allowing three earned runs over six innings in Game 4 of the NL championship series against the Dodgers. He made two relief appearances against Colorado in the first round.
The right-hander is 0-3 with an 8.18 ERA in four career starts against the Yankees. He has allowed 22 hits, including five homers, and 12 walks in 22 innings.
Eric Hinske, 4 for 18 (.222) with two doubles and two homers against Blanton, could play right field for New York in Game 4 over slumping Nick Swisher (1 for 3 against Blanton).
Mark Teixeira is 9 for 27 with three homers off Blanton, and Alex Rodriguez is 4 for 7 with two homers.

Fraud surrounds women voters in Afghan election

By HEIDI VOGT, Associated Press Writer Heidi Vogt, Associated Press Writer –

KABUL – One man cast 35 votes for female relatives. Others lugged in sacks full of voting cards they said were from women. And in a village of just 250 people, 200 women supposedly voted in three hours.
In Afghanistan's recent presidential election in August, one of the ripest areas for fraud was women's voting. And the same is likely to be true again in the Nov. 7 runoff between President Hamid Karzai and former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah.
The stakes are high. The Obama administration, which pushed Karzai to accept the runoff vote, is hoping it will restore legitimacy to a government that has been undermined by blatant ballot-box stuffing and Karzai's long delay in accepting fraud rulings that forced the runoff.
Yet the problems of fraud related to women's voting cannot be changed in a few weeks. There's widespread acceptance of proxy voting by male relatives. Many women are reluctant to vote given threats of violence and polling centers swarming with men. And those who do cast ballots are usually uneducated and therefore more easily manipulated.
It's unclear how large an impact fraud involving women voters had on the results because Afghan election officials have not released the list of women's polling stations. But many observers have said that women's polling stations were more problematic than men's.
In August, men showed up with fistfuls of female voter cards and poll workers allowed them to cast multiple ballots without argument, according to a U.N. report. In some cases, men dragged in sacks full of cards supposedly for female relatives, Afghan monitors said.
Empty women's polling stations also provided reams of blank ballots to unscrupulous local officials.
"It allowed for women's votes to be manipulated. Block voting, proxy voting, or there were just no women at the polling stations and those ballots were used for fraudulent votes," said Theresa Delangis, part of a team working on election issues with the U.N. women's fund.
Afghanistan is no safer now than two months ago and there still aren't enough female poll workers. Election officials say they have plans to recruit more women, but the strategy does not appear any different from the one that failed this summer.
Afghanistan is still a deeply conservative Muslim society where a man might never see the face of his best friend's wife. Yet more than 3,500 of the country's female polling stations were staffed by men because they couldn't find enough women to fill the jobs, according to the Afghan Independent Election Commission.
Faced with male staff, many women just didn't show up to vote. Momina Yari, an election commissioner who has campaigned for better access for women at polling stations, said even if a woman wanted to vote, her family often wouldn't let her.
In cases where women staffers were available, the women's polling centers were often in the back of a building, meaning female voters had to walk past large groups of men to cast their ballots, Yari said.
Election officials say Taliban threats made it hard to attract female poll workers, and there also weren't enough women with the needed skills. The typical Afghan woman is illiterate, a handicap that makes it difficult for them to dependably staff a polling center, said Sharif Nasry, part of a team of gender specialists working with the election commission. On top of that, women's activists said Afghan officials didn't try hard enough to recruit women.
Because of the lack of staffing and insecurity in the south and east, at least 650 women's polling stations failed to open countrywide, according to Afghanistan's main independent monitoring group, the Free and Fair Elections Foundation of Afghanistan. In central Uruzgan province alone, only six out of 36 women's polling stations opened.
It created a situation in which women were actually slightly less represented in 2009 than in the last presidential vote in 2004, when Afghans had only recently emerged from the Taliban regime that banned women from most jobs and forced them to wear an all-covering burqa whenever leaving the house. Women accounted for 39 percent of the votes in August, down from 40 percent five years ago, and most observers say this year's tally was probably inflated by fraudulent ballots.
No major changes have been implemented for the runoff because the election commission's gender unit is still working on a report with proposals, Nasry said.
Afghan monitors have a host of issues they want addressed.
Besides the problems with workers and polling stations, the head of the Afghan monitoring group said they want some way to deal with the problems inherent in burqa voting. Women were often able to vote twice because their ink-stained fingers were hidden under burqas and workers were reluctant to check under the covering, said Nader Nadery, the group's head.
Since women can choose not to have a photo on their voting card, it was also easy for underage or unregistered women to vote with another's card, he said.
Nasry, of the election commission, said poll workers now will ask a woman's name when she comes to vote to make sure that she is using her own voting card, but he offered no other concrete proposals.
One plan involves cutting female staff down to three from five and eliminating female body searchers, said Zia Amarkhil, director of field operations for the election commission. Men will still be searched, he said, but the plan raises questions about whether security will be compromised or if it will enable more multiple voting by people who are not closely inspected.
The number of voting locations is actually set to increase in the runoff from the first-round vote. The election commission announced Thursday that it will open 6,322 voting sites, well above the 6,167 sites that opened in the first round. The decision flouts a U.N. recommendation that only 5,817 open in order to lessen the chance that closed or near-empty stations will be used for ballot-box stuffing — a major problem in the first round.
The election commission has said that security forces can assure the safety of the larger number of sites, but has not said how it plans to find the extra staff.

OSHA fines BP a record $87M for Texas refinery fix

By SAM HANANEL, Associated Press Writer Sam Hananel, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Friday imposed a record $87 million fine against oil giant BP PLC for failing to correct safety hazards after a 2005 explosion killed 15 workers at its Texas City refinery.
The fine — the largest in OSHA's history — comes after a 6-month inspection revealed hundreds of violations of a 2005 settlement agreement to repair hazards at the refinery.
BP officials formally contested the fine, saying they believed the company had fully complied with the settlement agreement.
OSHA said the company also committed hundreds of new violations at the nation's third largest refinery by failing to follow industry controls on pressure relief safety systems and other precautions.
Labor Secretary Hilda Solis said BP failed to live up to the terms of its commitment to protect employees. If the problems are not addressed, Solis said it "could lead to another catastrophe."
"An $87 million fine won't restore those lives, but we can't let this happen again," Solis said. "Workplace safety is more than a slogan. It's the law."
The deadly explosion at BP's Texas City refinery, about 40 miles southeast of Houston, also injured more than 170 people.
In a statement, the company said most of the alleged violations relate to an ongoing disagreement between OSHA and BP that is already pending before the Occupational Health and Safety Review Commission, a body that is independent of OSHA.

"We are disappointed that OSHA took this action in advance of the full consideration of the Review Commission," said Keith Casey, BP's manager of the Texas City refinery. "While we strongly disagree with their conclusions, we will continue to work with the agency to resolve our differences."
The largest prior OSHA fine was $21 million, also leveled against BP in connection with the refinery explosion.
In the latest case, OSHA officials found 270 violations totaling $56.7 million in penalties for BP's failure to take corrective action as required by terms of the 2005 settlement agreement with OSHA. Agency inspectors also identified 439 new willful violations totaling $30.7 million in penalties for failure to repair pressure release safety devices.
OSHA officials said the 2005 explosion was caused by defective pressure relief systems. The explosion occurred after a piece of equipment called a blowdown drum overfilled with highly flammable liquid hydrocarbons. Alarms and gauges that were supposed to warn of the overfilled equipment did not work properly.
Jordan Barab, acting assistant secretary of labor for OSHA, said the agency found "some serious systemic safety problems within the corporation" and at the Texas refinery.
"The fact that there are so many still outstanding life-threatening problems at this plant indicates that they still have a systemic safety problem in this refinery," Barab said.
But BP's Casey called efforts to improve safety performance at the refinery "among the most strenuous and comprehensive that the refining industry has ever seen."
Since the 2005 accident, four additional people have died at the Texas refinery, including one employee and three contractors.

Eva Rowe, whose parents, James and Linda Rowe, were killed in the blast as they worked at the refinery, praised OSHA for "standing up to BP."
"I hope this sends a strong message to the industry that this behavior will not be tolerated," Rowe said. "I hope that this will still lead to criminal prosecution and conviction of the BP officials that were responsible."
Brent Coon, an attorney for several blast victims, said Friday that noncompliance with the OSHA agreement would mean BP is not meeting the terms of a highly criticized federal plea agreement between the oil giant and the Justice Department that settled criminal charges in the explosion. The plea deal was approved in March by a federal judge in Houston.
Under the deal, a BP subsidiary pleaded guilty to a violation of the Clean Air Act — a felony — and BP was sentenced to three years probation and fined $50 million.
Coon said he planned to ask the Justice Department to revoke BP's probation and the plea deal and proceed with criminal prosecution in the case.
A Justice Department spokesperson did not immediately return an e-mail seeking comment.
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Associated Press writers Jane Wardell in London and Juan A. Lozano in contributed to this report.

Secret to happy married life

Updated at: 2321 PST, Friday, October 30, 2009

LONDON: According to researchers from Bath University, choosing a wife who is younger and smarter, ideally there the woman should be 5-years younger, is the secret to a happy and long lasting marriage.The study published in the European Journal of Operational Research was conducted on approximately 1,500-couples, either married or in a serious relationship, finding men and women choose partners 'on the basis of love, physical attraction, similarity of taste, beliefs and attitudes, and shared values'.BBC News reports, following 1,000 of the couples 5-years after they were married, researchers found when women were older than the men, the likelihood of divorce was three times higher than if they were of the same age.Married couples comprising of one partner who had been previously divorced, seemed to be at greater risk of breaking up, than if both of them had been through divorces.There is greater likelihood of long lasting marital bliss, if the man is older than the woman, as too if the woman is better educated than her significant half.Dr Emmanuel Fragniere, study leader and colleagues believe it is wise to take into account objective factors like age, education and cultural origin when choosing a partner, as it would definitely help reduce divorce rates.If, this current research is to be believed, then pop star Beyonce Knowles, 28, and her husband, rap star Jay-Z, 11-years older at 39 are destined for marital bliss, as she is also better educated than him.On the other hand, the fact that Michael Douglas, 65, is considerably older than wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, 40, including being previously divorced means they could have trouble in their marriage.

Narendra Modi tests positive for swine flu

Updated at: 1150 PST, Friday, October 30, 2009
AHMEDABAD: Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi has been diagnosed with swine flu, according to doctors at the government hospital in Ahmedabad. The Gujarat Chief Minister has tested positive for the H1N1 influenza virus. Modi has been administered a dose of Tamiflu.

Huge Snow storm smack Colorado, USA

Updated at: 1656 PST, Friday, October 30, 2009

DENVER: Parts of Utah, Wyoming and Colorado are covered in 3 feet of snow as an autumn snowstorm slowly makes its way into Nebraska and Kansas.The system shuttered schools, caused dozens of traffic accidents and canceled about 200 flights.The weather service is warning of near-zero visibility on roads in eastern Colorado. And huge stretches of interstates in Wyoming were shut down.A winter storm warning is in effect for portions of Nebraska, with forecasters predicting up to 9 inches of snow. A foot has already fallen in the town of Rushville.In Arkansas, meanwhile, storms have unleashed at least two tornadoes and have prompted flash flooding warnings.There have been reports of damage from the twisters, but no one was hurt. Forecasters expect up to 7 inches of rain in central and southern parts of the state.

Clinton faces Pakistani anger at Predator attacks

Updated at: 2235 PST, Friday, October 30, 2009
ISLAMABAD: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton came face-to-face Friday with Pakistani anger over U.S. aerial drone attacks in tribal areas along the Afghan border, a strategy that U.S. officials say has succeeded in killing key terrorist leaders.In a series of public appearances on the final day of a three-day visit marked by blunt talk, Clinton refused to discuss the subject, which involves highly classified CIA operations. She would say only that "there is a war going on," and the Obama administration is committed to helping Pakistan defeat the insurgents and terrorists who threaten the stability of a nuclear-armed nation.Clinton said she could not comment on "any particular tactic or technology" used in the war against extremist groups in the area.The use of Predator drone aircraft, armed with guided missiles, is credited by U.S. officials with eliminating a growing number of senior terrorist group leaders this year who had used the tribal lands of Pakistan as a haven beyond the reach of U.S. ground forces in Afghanistan.During an interview broadcast live in Pakistan with several prominent female TV anchors, before a predominantly female audience of several hundred, one member of the audience said the Predator attacks amount to "executions without trial" for those killed.Another asked Clinton how she would define terrorism."Is it the killing of people in drone attacks?" she asked. That woman then asked if Clinton considers drone attacks and bombings like the one that killed more than 100 civilians in the city of Peshawar earlier this week to both be acts of terrorism."No, I do not," Clinton replied.Earlier, in a give-and-take with about a dozen residents of the tribal region, one man alluded obliquely to the drone attacks, saying he had heard that in the United States, aircraft are not allowed to take off after 11 p.m., to avoid irritating the population."That is the sort of peace we want for our people," he said through an interpreter.The same man told Clinton that the Obama administration should rely more on wisdom and less on firepower to achieve its aims in Pakistan."Your presence in the region is not good for peace," he said, referring to the U.S. military, "because it gives rise to frustration and irritation among the people of this region." At another point he told Clinton, "Please forgive me, but I would like to say we've been fighting your war."A similar point was made by Sana Bucha of Geo TV during the live broadcast interview."It is not our war," she told Clinton. "It is your war." She drew a burst of applause when she added, "You had one 9/11. We are having daily 9/11s in Pakistan."Capturing a feeling that Clinton heard expressed numerous times during her visit, one woman in the audience said, "The whole world thinks we are terrorists." The woman said she was from the South Waziristan area where the Pakistani army is engaged in pitched battles with Taliban and affiliated extremist elements — and where U.S. drones have struck with deadly effect many times.The Pakistani army said Friday its forces had killed 14 militants in 24 hours and were closing in on a prominent insurgent stronghold as its offensive in the remote region continued.Clinton's main message on Friday was that the U.S. wants to be a partner with Pakistan, not just on the military front but also on trade, education, energy and other sectors. She stressed, however, that Pakistan needs to do its part in demonstrating a real commitment to democracy.Clinton also was asked about her remark on Thursday that she found it hard to believe that Pakistani officials don't know where leaders of terrorist groups are hiding in Pakistan. On Friday she took a bit of the edge off that comment, saying, "I don't know if anyone knows, but we in the United States would very much like to see the end of the al-Qaida leadership, and our best information is that they are somewhere in Pakistan." In an interview broadcast Friday on ABC's "Good Morning America," Clinton was asked about the bluntness of her remarks. "Trust is a two-way street. There is trust deficit," she said. "It will not be sufficient to achieve the level of security that Pakistanis deserve if we don't go after those who are still threatening not only Pakistan, but Afghanistan, and the rest of the world. And we wanted to put that on the table. And I think it was important that we did." Asked if she thought Pakistan was harboring terrorists, Clinton replied, "I don't think they are. ... But I think it would be a missed opportunity and a lack of recognition of the full extent of the threat, if they did not realize that any safe haven anywhere for terrorists threatens them, threatens us, and has to be addressed." Later Clinton was to fly to Abu Dhabi in the Persian Gulf for a meeting Saturday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Nisar raps Fazl for unduly supporting Zardari

Updated at: 2256 PST, Friday, October 30, 2009

ISLAMABAD: Opposition leader in the National Assembly and Central leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan Friday said if the rulers are intent on turning the Parliament House into arena over National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), then horse and hippodrome are both at hand.Talking to media representatives at Parliament House, he said Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) would put up stiff resistance on the NRO, adding nobody needs to provide any push to dismantle the government, if PML-N withdraws a little, then the government would disintegrate.Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said he does not believe in any minus-1 or minus-5 formula.Denouncing the NRO, he termed it a slur on the Parliament, as heinous crimes like abduction, dacoity and corruption were condoned with a single stroke of the pen under this black and notorious law, adding the government may get it passed; but it would be a disgrace to the House.He demanded the names of the NRO beneficiaries be presented in the House.If President Asif Ali Zardari proves him to be a national president and develops a habit of keeping the promises, then he would have a meeting with him, he said.Lashing out at Maulana Fazlur Rehman, he said Maulana kept on holding halal (Lawful), the haram (Forbidden) of the former President Gen (rtd) Pervez Musharraf by yesterday and now he is busy with proving the haram of President Asif Ali Zardari as halal.

Maqam reveals NRO stipulated 5-year term for Musharraf

Updated at: 2253 PST, Friday, October 30, 2009

ISLAMABAD: Former state minister and Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q) president in NWFP Engineer Ameer Maqam Friday revealed that it was decided in a deal entered with Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) under the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) that former President Gen (rtd) Pervez Musharraf would remain president for the next five years and Benazir Bhutto would be the premier of the country.Talking to Geo News, he said under the NRO deal, Musharraf will ascend to the presidency as the civilian president for the next five years and Benazir Bhutto was decided to become the Prime Minister.Responding a question, Maqam said he made the reservations over the NRO known to the president, saying, ‘NRO would be your most grossest blunder.’The PML-Q leader said the NRO was passed by overruling the proceedings in National Assembly’s Standing Committee; however, its apprehensions were not addressed and removed.

Bears continue to grip local share market

Updated at: 1916 PST, Friday, October 30, 2009

KARACHI: The local equities market remained in the grips of bears on Friday too with the benchmark KSE-100 Index further losing 17 points to peg at 9,151.The share market began its activities in upbeat mode and at one stage the major Index was also witnessed at 9256 level. However, later selling in energy scrips led the to close in the red zone.The market turnover was registered at 170 million shares. TRG Pakistan was today’s star performer in terms of volume which gained paisas 14 to close at Rs2.59.KSE-30 Index eased 30 points to finish the day at 9,653.

Iran rejects deal to ship out uranium

Updated at: 1110 PST, Friday, October 30, 2009

WASHINGTON: Iran told the United Nations nuclear watchdog on Thursday that it would not accept a plan its negotiators agreed to last week to send its stockpile of uranium out of the country, according to diplomats in Europe and American officials briefed on Iran’s response.The apparent rejection of the deal could unwind President Obama’s effort to buy time to resolve the nuclear standoff.The European and American officials said that Iranian officials had refused to go along with the central feature of the draft agreement reached on Oct. 21 in Vienna: a provision that would have required the country to send about three-quarters of its current known stockpile of low-enriched uranium to Russia to be processed and returned for use in a reactor in Tehran used to make medical isotopes.

Drone attacks creating hatred, FATA leaders tell Hillary

Updated at: 1532 PST, Friday, October 30, 2009

ISLAMABAD: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with members of National Assembly from FATA.During a meeting, tribal leaders made it clear that use of power is not the solution of problems and drone attacks creating hatred in FATA. The delegation has assured US secretary of state that tribal are not terrorists.Clinton said US will continue its cooperation with Pakistan in war against terror. She said Pakistan-US ties are not restricted to war and security issues as US wants long term and durable relationship with Pakistan. Hillary Clinton also attended a cultural show in Pakistan National Council under strict security. Later, she met with delegations of intellectuals, civil society and women and discussed development in social sector.

Committee approves 5 clauses of NRO with majority

Updated at: 1737 PST, Friday, October 30, 2009

ISLAMABAD: The standing committee of National Assembly has granted approval to the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) with majority, however, it rejected its two clauses relating to arrest of MNAs. The opposition members staged walk out in protest of NRO’s approval.The NA standing committee on law and justice met under the chairmanship of Begum Nasim Akhtar Chaudhry here on Friday.The meeting came to a decision through voting after reviewing in detail each of the seven clauses of NRO.Prior to the voting, committee member Amir Muqam demanded that details of people benefiting from NRO be provided so that it is known whether only political cases were dropped or there were other cases relating to homicide.On refusal to provide these details, the members of Pakistan Muslim League staged protest.Later, the committee approved five clauses of NRO with majority. It rejected clauses number 4 and 5 which were relating to seeking approval from the NA’s relevant committee in connection with arrest of MNAs.The committee amended NRO’s clause number 7 by removing the words ‘Public Office Holder’ from it and added words of getting the cases dismissed by courts.The opposition members walked out during the final phase of NRO’s approval.Later, the committee member, Zahid Hamid told media that during clause-wise voting, 7 votes came in favor while 6 were against the approval.MQM members and Riaz Futyana did not participated in the voting.

Jackson's 'This Is It' draws $20.1M worldwide

LOS ANGELES – The King of Pop is No. 1 again.
"Michael Jackson's This Is It" has landed on top of the domestic box office with $7.4 million in its first day and $12.7 million overseas.
That gives the film documenting Jackson's rehearsals for his planned concert tour a worldwide total of $20.1 million.
Distributor Sony said the $7.4 million domestic haul is the best ever for a movie on a Wednesday in October. "This Is It" was easily the No. 1 film domestically, coming in ahead of the $1.5 million gross for "Paranormal Activity," last weekend's top box-office earner.
Jackson died June 25, just before he was to begin a marathon run of comeback concerts in London. "This Is It" was built around more than 100 hours of behind-the-scenes footage shot between March and June as Jackson and his backup performers developed the numbers intended for his elaborate stage shows.
Sony said it expected strong results for the film this Friday and Sunday, though Saturday may leave a hole in the overall box office, falling on Halloween, when audiences typically are preoccupied with parties and trick-or-treating.
In a single day, "This Is It" climbed into the ranks of top-grossing music documentaries, just behind the $8.6 million domestic haul of "U2: Rattle and Hum."
By this weekend, "This Is It" is likely to shoot past such films as "Madonna: Truth or Dare" ($15 million) and "Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience" ($19.2 million) to become the No. 2 draw all-time on the music-documentary chart.
The No. 1 music documentary is "Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert," which had a $31.1 million opening weekend last year and took in $65.3 million over its entire theatrical run.
Among the totals from other countries, "This Is It" brought in $1.9 million in Great Britain, $1.4 million France, $1.2 million in Japan and $1.1 million in Germany.
The film debuted in 99 countries Wednesday and expands to 10 more Thursday.
The film features Jackson doing all his biggest hits, including "Billie Jean," "Beat It," "Thriller," "Human Nature" and "Smooth Criminal."

Could `Michael Jackson's This Is It' win an Oscar?

By SANDY COHEN, AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen, Ap Entertainment Writer – 9 mins ago

LOS ANGELES – "Michael Jackson's This Is It" comes too late in the year to be considered for a 2009 documentary Oscar, but the film about the late King of Pop's preparations for a series of comeback concerts could qualify for other Hollywood honors this year, including the Academy Award for best picture.
The film, which opened around the globe Tuesday and Wednesday has already earned rousing praise from fans and critics, who say it restores Jackson's reputation as a world-class entertainer. It already tops the box office with $20.1 million worldwide after just one full day in theaters.
Director Kenny Ortega, a longtime Jackson collaborator who was overseeing his London concert comeback, crafted the nearly two-hour film from more than 100 hours of footage recorded during rehearsals for the London shows, which were to have begun in July. Jackson died June 25 at age 50.
"What we did here was focus on telling a good story and creating a film for the fans really enabling them to understand what Michael Jackson had dreamed for them," Ortega said Wednesday.
He added it was his hope "the audience for this film will grow and that as many people come to see it as possible because I think that it's a wonderful story about a brilliant man. ... Awards, Oscars, that's all great wishful thinking."
It may be more than wishful, said Steven Gaydos, executive editor of the Hollywood trade paper Variety and a self-described cynic. With the Academy Awards best-picture slate expanded to 10 films this year rather than the traditional five, "This Is It" could find itself among the contenders, he said.
To qualify, the film must complete a seven-day run in Los Angeles County and filmmakers would need to "submit the proper paperwork," said Leslie Unger, spokeswoman for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which puts on the Oscars. The movie could also be considered in other categories, she said, including sound and film editing.
Sony, which paid $60 million for the global film rights, plans to keep "This Is It" in theaters for just over two weeks. The studio has not said whether it plans to submit the film in any of the Oscar categories.
Ortega, a veteran director, producer and choreographer who counts TV's "High School Musical" among his credits, could also find himself in contention for a best-director nod, Gaydos said.
"He did a masterful job putting this whole thing together," he said. "It was so powerful and interesting, so creative and well-done, I think he should be considered... Kenny just won over all these critics like me with Michael Jackson that anything interesting could go on with this guy."
The film can't be considered for a Golden Globe. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which puts on the annual ceremony, doesn't permit feature documentaries to enter, said spokesman Michael Russell.

Ortega said an Oscar nod would be a fitting recognition of Jackson's last work.
"He deserves one," he said. "Come on people."
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Associated Press writer Marcela Isaza in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

Verizon's iPhone challenger goes on sale Nov. 6

By BARBARA ORTUTAY, AP Technology Writer -

NEW YORK -
Verizon Wireless' answer to the iPhone the Droid will go on sale for $200 next week as the company taps into the growing appetite for smart phones that go far beyond making calls.
The Droid could help Verizon retain its status as the nation's largest wireless carrier and contribute to a turnaround of its manufacturer, Motorola Inc., which hasn't produced a hit since the wildly popular Razr phone in 2005.
The new device also could give a boost to Google Inc., which used the Droid to unveil new mapping software that could challenge standalone navigational devices, sending GPS gadget maker Garmin Ltd.'s stock plunging after Wednesday's announcement.
Although the Droid won't be first challenger for the iPhone, which is available in the U.S. only to subscribers of AT&T Inc., Verizon has thrown its largest marketing campaign ever behind the new device with television commercials and other ads. Verizon has been pointing out the features Apple Inc.'s iPhone lacks, such as a physical keyboard and the ability to run several applications at once.
Verizon is targeting 15- to 35-year-olds who are highly engaged with their gadgets for social networking, blogging and other online tasks. Social networking is integrated throughout the device. That means you can sync Facebook friends into your contacts and share photos on Picasa without having to go through separate applications.
"Apple revolutionized the industry," and the smart phone industry needed time to collect itself and figure out its next move, John Stratton, Verizon's chief marketing officer, said at a launch event in New York. With the Droid, Verizon and Motorola are hoping to shatter any perception that the iPhone is the end-all of mobile devices.
Verizon, the Droid's exclusive U.S. distributor, will start selling the phone Nov. 6 for $199.99 after a rebate, with a two-year contract. The price is comparable to the iPhone's basic model.
With the Droid, Verizon is tapping into the frustrations some users have with the iPhone. Users have complained of dropped calls, while many software developers hate Apple's requirement that it approve all applications running on it ahead of time. The Droid runs on Google's Android operating system, an open platform that any developer can customize.
The Droid is a sturdy, angular device, with a standard, "QWERTY" keyboard that slides out, though you can also pop up a virtual on-screen keyboard with tactile feedback so it bumps back a little when you tap out the keys.
It has a five-megapixel camera — better than the iPhone — and a tiny flash, along with voice-activated search that brings up your contacts and location-based Google search results. Say "pizza" and nearby pizza restaurants will pop up.
The Droid's display is slightly larger than the iPhone's, and its claimed talk time on a single battery charge is a bit longer — 6.4 hours, compared with the iPhone's five hours.
The Droid is heavier and thicker than the iPhone. Because it incorporates the slide-out keyboard, it lacks the iPhone's all-in-one sleekness. The corners aren't as softly rounded, and even Stratton noted its target market may skew a little masculine. It's the Rolling Stones to the iPhone's Beatles. And, of course, no iTunes.
Google is also throwing its weight behind the Droid, which is the first smart phone to run Android 2.0, the latest version of the system.
The Internet search leader released a mapping application that calls out turn-by-turn directions while providing a variety of visual guides, including satellite imagery and high-resolution photos of the streets being traveled in places where they are available. Destinations can be found through voice commands or simply typing in an address.
The free application, called Google Maps Navigation, will only work on devices running on Android 2.0 — an exclusive distinction for now. But Google plans to make it compatible with other systems and devices, including the iPhone and the BlackBerry from Research in Motion Ltd.
Shares in Garmin, based in the Cayman Islands with headquarters in Olathe, Kan., fell $6.19, or 16 percent, to close Wednesday at $31.59. Apple, which is based in Cupertino, Calif., lost $4.97, or 2.5 percent, to $192.40, while Dallas-based AT&T gained 48 cents, or 1.9 percent, to $26.08.
Verizon Communications Inc., which owns a majority stake in Verizon Wireless in a joint venture with Vodafone Group PLC, gained 75 cents, or 2.6 percent, to $29.95. Shares in Google, which is based in Mountain View, Calif., were down $7.99 to $540.30, while Motorola, based in Schaumburg, Ill., gained 6 cents to $7.96.
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Associated Press Writer Michael Liedtke in Mountain View, Calif., contributed to this story.

Internet turns 40 with birthday party

By by Glenn Chapman - Thu Oct 29, 2009 2:19PM EDT
LOS ANGELES (AFP) -
Technology stars, pundits, and entrepreneurs joined the Internet's father on Thursday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of his culture-changing child.
"It's the 40th year since the infant Internet first spoke," said University of California, Los Angeles, professor Leonard Kleinrock, who headed the team that first linked computers online in 1969.
Kleinrock led an anniversary event that blended reminiscence of the Internet's past with debate about its future.
"There is going to be an ongoing controversy about where we have been and where we are going," said Arianna Huffington, co-founder of the popular news and blog website that bears her name.
"It is not just about the Internet; it is about our times. We are going to need desperately to tap into the better angels of our nature and make our lives not just about ourselves but about our communities and our world."
Huffington was on hand to discuss the power the Internet gives to grass roots organizers on a panel with Kleinrock and Social Brain Foundation director Isaac Mao.
"The Internet is a democratizing element; everyone has an equivalent voice," Kleinrock said. "There is no way back at this point. We can't turn it off. The Internet Age is here."
Leonard Kleinrock never imagined Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube that day 40 years ago when his team gave birth to what is now taken for granted as the Internet.
"The net is penetrating every aspect of our lives," Kleinrock said to a room of about 200 people and an equal number watching online.
"As a teenager the Internet is behaving badly, the dark side has emerged. The question is when it grows into a young adult will it get over this period of misbehaving?"
Kleinrock referred to spam emails, online scams and malicious software spread by crooks as an unexpected dark side of the Internet.
On October 29, 1969 Kleinrock led a team that got a computer at UCLA to "talk" to one at a research institute.
Kleinrock was driven by a certainty that computers were destined to speak to each other and that the resulting network should be as simple to use as telephones.
A key to getting computers to exchange data was breaking digitized information into packets fired between on-demand with no wasting of time, according to Kleinrock.
Engineers began typing "LOG" to log into the distant computer, which crashed after getting the "O."
"So, the first message was 'Lo' as in 'Lo and behold'," Kleinrock recounted. "We couldn't have a better, more succinct first message."
Kleinrock's team logged in on the second try, sending digital data packets between computers on the ARPANET. Computers at two other US universities were added to the network by the end of that year.
Funding came from the US Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) established in 1958 in response to the launch of a Sputnik space flight by what was then the Soviet Union.
US leaders were in a technology race with Cold War rival Russia.
The National Science Foundation added a series of super computers to the network in the late 1980s, opening the online community to more scientists.
The Internet caught the public's attention in the form of email systems in workplaces and ignited a "dot-com" industry boom that went bust at the turn of the century.
Kleinrock, 75, sees the Internet spreading into everything.
"The next step is to move it into the real world," Kleinrock said. "The Internet will be present everywhere. I will walk into a room and it will know I am there. It will talk back to me."

Ariz. court rules records law covers 'metadata'

By PAUL DAVENPORT, Associated Press Writer - Thu Oct 29, 2009 1:19PM EDT
PHOENIX -
Hidden data embedded in electronic public records must be disclosed under Arizona's public records law, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday in a case that attracted interest from media and government organizations.
The Supreme Court's unanimous decision overturned lower courts' rulings and is one of the first decisions by a state appellate court on whether a public records law applies to so-called "metadata" — data about data.
Metadata can show how and when a document was created or revised and by whom. The information isn't visible when a document is printed on paper nor does it appear on screen in normal settings.
"It would be illogical, and contrary to the policy of openness underlying the public records law, to conclude that public entities can withhold information embedded in an electronic document, such as the date of creation, while they would be required to produce the same information if it were written manually on a paper public records," Justice Scott Bales wrote.
A Washington state appellate court ruled last year that metadata in e-mail received by a city's deputy mayor was a public record under Washington's public records law.
Unlike Arizona's public records law, the Washington law specifically says the data is subject to disclosure. That case is pending before the Washington Supreme Court.
The Arizona ruling came in a case involving a demoted Phoenix police officer's request for data embedded in notes written by a supervisor. The officer got a printed copy of the records but said he wanted the metadata to see whether the supervisor backdated the notes to before the officer's demotion.
Upholding a trial judge, the midlevel state Court of Appeals in January ruled 2-1 that metadata doesn't constitute a public record subject to disclosure requirements.
When the officer appealed, the League of Arizona Cities and Towns filed a brief citing burdens of complying with requests for metadata and urging the justices to uphold the lower courts' rulings. The Associated Press and other media organizations filed briefs asking the court to rule that the public records law applies to metadata.
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The case is Lake vs. City of Phoenix, CV-09-0036-PR.
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On the Net:
Arizona Supreme Court: http://www.supreme.state.az.us