Pakistan's president told to give up powers

By CHRIS BRUMMITT Associated Press Writer © 2009 The Associated Press

Nov. 29, 2009, 10:40AM

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan's main opposition party Sunday demanded the president give up the sweeping powers he inherited from his predecessor, setting the stage for political turmoil just as the Obama administration wants the country to focus on fighting the Taliban.

President Asif Ali Zardari's grip on power is increasingly under threat from opposition lawmakers and elements within the powerful military who want him to resign or divest powers to the prime minister and take on a ceremonial role. Opinion polls show him to be desperately unpopular 15 months into a five-year term.

His presidency suffered another blow Saturday when an amnesty protecting him, several key allies and thousands of other officials from graft prosecution expired. While he enjoys immunity from prosecution as president, opponents could now go to the Supreme Court to challenge his eligibility for office.Adding to a sense of a government under siege, Taliban militants have unleashed a surge of suicide bombings in recent weeks in response to an army offensive into one of their strongholds close to the Afghan border, killing hundreds of people.The nuclear-armed country's Western backers had hoped Zardari and the civilian government he leads would usher in political stability after the chaos that marked the end of the nine-year tenure of his predecessor, military ruler Gen. Pervez Musharraf. Zardari took the presidency months after his wife, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, was killed in a suicide bombing at the end of 2007.A major factor in his unpopularity are the many presidential powers he took from Musharraf, who staged a 1999 military coup and resigned last year amid nationwide protests. Among the most important are the authority to fire an elected government and appoint top military chiefs.On Friday, Zardari transferred another Musharraf-era power — the command of the country's nuclear arsenal — to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. The move, which had no impact on nuclear security, was seen as an attempt to allay some of his critics within the military by giving up some authority.Shahbaz Sharif, the brother of main opposition leader Nawaz Sharif and chief minister of Pakistan's largest province, Punjab, said Zardari should act to now to transfer the other powers to the prime minister, noting that the president had already promised to do so."The nation would appreciate this act," Sharif told reporters Sunday.Late Sunday, Zardari said he would make an announcement "soon" on changes to the constitution needed to divest those powers, but the statement gave no specifics. He already promised at least twice give up some of his authority to the prime minister since taking office.He also took a swipe at his critics, saying the democratically elected government "was being subjected to a vicious campaign to tarnish its image by the remnants of dictatorship."The political upheaval comes as President Barack Obama's administration is expected to announce this week a new strategy for defeating the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan and on Pakistan's northwestern border. To have much hope of success, the U.S needs a stable Pakistani government committed to fighting militants blamed for attacks in both countries.Pakistan's original constitution envisages a parliamentary style of government in which a popularly elected prime minister is the chief executive and the president is a ceremonial head of state. But Musharraf, who was widely despised when he stood down, accumulated powers to stay in office.Shabaz Sharif did not repeat a remark by one opposition lawmaker on Saturday calling on Zardari to resign, neither did he call for anti-government street rallies, perhaps wary of pushing the country into chaos and paving the way for more military rule.Some analysts have said they believe opposition leader Nawaz Sharif — whom opinion polls show to be the most popular politician in the country by far — would prefer to wait for national elections that he is seen likely as winning than join any movement to push Zardari out. Such a drive would likely require the support of the army, which has had uneasy relations with Sharif in the past.That reluctance could help Zardari complete his term so long as he takes on a ceremonial role, analysts say, especially given that impeaching him looks all but impossible because the party he heads is the largest in parliament.Zardari, 54, has long been haunted by corruption allegations dating back to governments led by his late wife, Bhutto.He denies any wrongdoing. He spent several years in prison under previous administrations in connection with the allegations which he says were politically motivated.Since taking office, the president has found himself locked in a power struggle with the powerful military, which sees defense policy and relations with India and Afghanistan as its responsibility despite being nominally under civilian control.Military chiefs have objected to his friendly overtures toward India and his acceptance of a multibillion dollar U.S. aid bill that came with conditions they feared imposed controls over the army.

Associated Press writer Asif Shahzad contributed to this report.

7 critical after La. highway wreck that killed 5

By MARY FOSTER, Associated Press Writer
MaNEW ORLEANS – Four children ages 2 to 14 were among five people killed when a minivan packed with kids rolled on a Louisiana interstate, and seven others remained in critical condition, state police said sunday
None of the 13 children in the van was wearing a seatbelt, and all were thrown from the vehicle. The van didn't have enough seatbelts for everyone and probably couldn't have safely carried more than 10, police spokesman Russell Graham said.
"I just saw the vehicle flip about three or four times and kids flying everywhere," witness Tammy Hall told WAFB-TV. "It looked to be about 10 to 11 kids out of the car. And everyone started stopping, and we went to get her, and you could tell the driver was dead instantly."
Two other children and the GMC Safari's adult passenger were in stable condition. The surviving children ranged from less than a year old to 14, Louisiana State Police said in a news release.
Police identified the dead as the driver, 38-year-old Mona Hines; 2-year-old Ricky Hines Jr.; 12-year-old Lachante Floyd; 14-year-old Edward Barnes; and 14-year-old Ashley Hines.
Authorities have said the van blew a tire, clipped a delivery truck and rolled on Interstate 10 near Baton Rouge.
The driver of the truck managed to steer to the side of the road and was not injured.
Alcohol was not suspected as a factor in the crash.
Some people in the van were family members from Harvey, La., about 75 miles northeast of the crash site, Graham said. He did not know where the van was going.
"The Louisiana Legislature just passed a law making it mandatory to wear seatbelts in both the front and back seats," Graham said. "This is a good illustration of why they did."

U.N. board votes to censure Iran

In a rare of show of global solidarity, nations demanded a halt now to enrichment work.
By Glenn Kessler and Joby Warrick
Washington Post
WASHINGTON - The resounding censure of Iran yesterday by the board of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, signals the start of a potentially more confrontational phase in the Obama administration's dealings with the Islamic republic, including the prospect of strengthened U.S.-led efforts to cut off Iran's economic links to the world.
Iran will face a "package of consequences" if it does not soon become a "willing partner" in talks on its nuclear ambitions, a senior U.S. official warned, speaking on condition of anonymity. "We hope Iran takes note of that clear message.
The 35-nation board approved, 25-3, a resolution rebuking Iran for its continued defiance of U.N. resolutions that demand a halt to uranium enrichment and other activities that U.S. officials think are aimed at developing nuclear weapons. The declaration is particularly critical of Iran's secret construction of a second enrichment plant inside mountain bunkers near the ancient city of Qom, southwest of Tehran.
The resolution, which was supported by China and Russia, two longtime skeptics of taking a hard line against Iran, said the government's failure to notify the IAEA of the project was a "breach of its obligation" under U.N. treaties.
The resolution will be referred to the U.N. Security Council, which has the authority to enact sanctions against the country. During the Bush administration, China and Russia worked to soften sanctions against Iran during negotiations in the Security Council.
Iranian officials called the IAEA resolution "a historic mistake" and threatened to curtail their cooperation with the agency. Tehran has said the nuclear program is intended only to produce electricity.
In devising additional means of pressuring Iran, U.S. officials are focused on making it difficult for Iranian companies to ship goods. They are thus targeting insurance and reinsurance companies that underwrite the risk of such transactions, especially businesses that help support Iran's military elite. Such measures would build on an approach initiated by the Bush administration and by three sets of existing U.N. sanctions against Iran.
"Nothing that we contemplate or that we would consider is aimed at causing greater harm for the Iranian people, who have suffered enough," the U.S. official said.
When President Obama took office, he said that he would seek to engage Iran - and that Tehran would have until the end of this year to demonstrate it would respond seriously.
Obama reached out in speeches and issued a video message to the Iranian people. He sent two private letters to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country's key decision-maker in matters of security and foreign policy, and joined with Russia and France in offering to help supply new fuel for an aging medical reactor in Tehran. But the missives have gone largely unanswered - apart from public scorn from Iranian leaders - and the reactor deal has not won government approval.
After months of effort, one of the few tangible achievements the administration can point to is the willingness of China and Russia to support yesterday's resolution.

Arroyo vows justice as massacre toll rises

Posted 32 minutes ago
Updated 12 minutes ago
Philippine President Gloria Arroyo has vowed to hunt down the perpetrators of a political massacre that left 57 people dead, as one of her allies was named the prime suspect.
Ms Arroyo faced increasing pressure to take decisive action as more bodies were pulled out of shallow graves and relatives of the victims reported horrifying details of the killings, including that two women shot dead were pregnant.
"This is a supreme act of inhumanity that is a blight on our nation," Ms Arroyo said in a statement as she declared Wednesday a national day of mourning.
"The perpetrators will not escape justice. The law will hunt them until they are caught. No citizen in our nation should ever have to fear for his or her life in the free expression of political will.
"Police earlier said the top suspect in the massacre was Andal Ampatuan Jnr, a member of Ms Arroyo's ruling coalition and the son of a powerful regional politician who has helped secure votes for the president in previous elections.
"According to the initial reports, those who were abducted and murdered at Saniag were initially stopped by a group led by the mayor of Datu Unsay," national police spokesman Chief Superintendent Leonardo Espina said.Ampatuan Jnr is the mayor of Datu Unsay in Maguindanao province, a lawless part of the southern Philippines where Muslim clans have long waged vicious campaigns against each other to grab power.

His father of the same name is the provincial governor who commands his own private army and is also a member of the ruling Lakas Kampi CMD coalition.Ms Arroyo attracted criticism by sending a special envoy, Jesus Dureza, to the Ampatuan camp on Tuesday to get the clan to pledge its cooperation in an investigation, rather than to arrest the son.Shot, dumped and buried
The massacre occurred after about 100 Ampatuan gunmen allegedly abducted a convoy of aides and relatives of a rival politician, Esmael Mangudadatu, plus a group of journalists.
The victims were abducted as they were travelling in a six-vehicle convoy to nominate Mr Mangudadatu as the opposition candidate for provincial governor in elections next year. He was not in the convoy.
They were shot at close range, some with their hands tied behind their backs, and dumped or buried in shallow graves on a remote farming road close to a town bearing the Ampatuan name.
Ampatuan Snr had been grooming his son to take over as governor of Maguindanao, and the victims' relatives have alleged the Ampatuans organised the murders so that Mr Mangudadatu would not run for governor.
Mr Mangudadatu said the body of his murdered wife had been horrifyingly mutilated and that his dead sister and aunt had both been pregnant.
"We can't call an animal because I have pets and they are tame. No, he is a monster. They are monsters," Mr Mangudadatu told reporters, referring to Ampatuan Jnr and his gunmen.
The death toll rose from 46 to 57 after 11 more bodies were pulled out of shallow graves on Wednesday, according to police.
The victims included at least 13 local journalists who had been intending to report on Mr Mangudadatu's governorship nomination.
The ruling coalition's candidate for next year's presidential election, ex-defence secretary Gilberto Teodoro, said the Arroyo administration must pursue the attackers, "whether they are political allies or not".
The Philippine Commission on Human Rights chairwoman, Leila De Lima, also called for immediate action by the president, describing Ampatuan Jnr as a "warlord".
- AFP

Barack Obama tours the Forbidden City, home of China's emperors

President takes a break from talks to explore 'a testament to the greatness of Chinese history'

Barack Obama is escorted around the Forbidden City in Beijing. Photograph: Andy Wong/AP

Wong/AP
Barack Obama took a break from bilateral discussions this afternoon to play tourist at the Forbidden City, one of China's best-loved historical sites.
The authorities closed off the former imperial palace in Beijing so the US president could spend almost an hour undisturbed in its maze of vermilion buildings and courtyards, explored by millions of visitors each year.
Dating back to the 15th century, the complex was home to 24 Chinese emperors who ruled for almost 500 years, between 1420 and 1911.
"It's a testament to the greatness of Chinese history," said Obama, who had put on a jumper and a brown sheepskin jacket to ward off the Beijing chill. Snow dotted roofs and there were patches of ice in the courtyards.
Obama said it was "a magnificent place to visit" and he wanted to return with his wife and daughters, adding that he would like to visit other parts of the country. This is his first trip to China.
Standing in the Hall of Supreme Harmony – where Ming and Qing dynasty emperors held their enthronements and weddings – he asked the museum curator, Zheng Xinmiao, to explain to him the characters on the board hanging in the middle of the hall, Chinese media reported.
Zheng explained that it read "Jian Ji Sui You", meaning "Emperors should make good rules". The principle seems equally applicable to presidents, although Obama may sometimes yearn for the kind of domestic power the Forbidden City's former occupants enjoyed.
The site, now known as the Palace Museum, is in the heart of the capital and covers approximately 150,000 square metres.
Obama is due to visit a stretch of the Great Wall near Beijing tomorrow, before flying out to South Korea for the last stretch of his four-nation tour of Asia.

Pakistan more corrupt than India, says international watchdog

17 Nov 2009, 1905 hrs IST, IANS
NEW DELHI: Pakistan, with a ranking of 139, is perceived to be more corrupt than India by global corruption watchdog Transparency International in its latest survey of 180 countries.
The 2009 Transparency International survey, released worldwide Tuesday, has ranked India 84th among the 180 countries assessed for integrity.
According to the findings of the independent organisation which tracks prevalence of corruption worldwide, Pakistan's integrity score stands at 2.4 on the scale of 0 (perceived as highly corrupt) to 10 (least corrupt).


India, which shares the 84th spot with El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama and Thailand, has an integrity score of 3.4.
Pakistan has, in fact, slipped a notch below on the integrity score from 2.5 in 2008. China, which was ranked a joint 72nd with India in 2007, has improved its corruption perception. It is ranked 79th and its integrity score is 3.6. The least corrupt country in the South Asian region is the fledgling democracy of Bhutan, which has scored a good 5.0 and is at 49th spot. New Zealand, Denmark, Singapore, Sweden and Switzerland occupy the top five places as the least corrupt nations of the world, while at the bottom of the table come Somalia and Afghanistan.

OGRA to decide POL prices

Updated at: 1437 PST, Monday, November 16, 2009

KARCHI: The government has empowered Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) to decide petroleum product prices in future.According to officials, the decision has been taken to transfer benefit of increase or decrease in prices directly to public in future according to set formula. In a letter sent to chairman OGRA by DG oil Sabir Hussain, OGRA will decide the prices which will be implemented from December 1 and no summary will be send to any ministry or prime minister in this connection. However, OGRA could send the summary to petroleum ministry to keep update information. The petroleum minister played a key role in the decision whereas some circles in petroleum ministry expressed reservations over the decision.

Single vaccine supplier no handicap, feds say, despite program hiccups

By Meagan Fitzpatrick, Canwest News Service

November 4, 2009 9:36 AM

OTTAWA — Canada is in a better position with one H1N1 vaccine manufacturer than other countries with multiple suppliers, federal officials said Tuesday, but the door could be open to other companies in the future to get a piece of the pandemic vaccine pie.

Canada's H1N1 vaccine is made exclusively by GlaxoSmithKline at its Ste-Foy, Que., factory and questions are being raised about how wise it is to rely on just one company to supply enough vaccine for the entire population.

Doubts about the 10-year contract that the federal government and the company signed in 2001 stem from the reduced supply of vaccine available to the provinces and territories this week. Two million doses were expected this week but GSK "overstated" how much would be shipped out, according to Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq and about 400,000 doses were sent instead.

Despite the long lines and health units having to adjust their immunization plans at the last minute to adjust for the shortfall, Aglukkaq said Canada is still rolling out its H1N1 vaccine better than any other country.

"The domestic supplier I think has worked very well in our favour," she told a news conference in Vancouver. "In Canada, we are doing better than any other country in producing vaccine on a per-capita basis with one company."

Chief Public Health Officer Dr. David Butler-Jones said, however, that moving forward it will be considered whether there is an "additional advantage" to having another supplier to help "hedge our bets."

"That's something that we will come back to, to think about after we deal with what we've got now," he said.

GlaxoSmithKline also produces most of Canada's seasonal flu vaccine and, as directed by the federal government, had to finish making it first before starting the H1N1 vaccine. Another complication that resulted in the reduced amount of vaccine for this week is that the factory has one production line and was asked to make two versions of the vaccine. Switching from the vaccine with an adjuvant — a booster compound that improves the immune system's response to the vaccine — to making one without for a period of time and then switching back to producing the adjuvanted vaccine caused a slowdown.

When the vaccine contract was up for grabs in 2001, pharmaceutical giant Sanofi Pasteur could not bid on it because it does not have a plant in Canada. It does, however, have a factory in Toronto that can bring in bulk vaccine from its American plant and package it.

Rob Van Exan, director of immunization policy for the company, recently told the House of Commons health committee that Canada should consider having a second pandemic vaccine supplier in order to maximize the security of its supply.

"It's not to say that GSK is doing a lousy job," Van Exan told Canwest News Service in an interview this week. "Our position is about risk and, in the future, minimizing that risk by having two suppliers."

Flu vaccines are different than other vaccines because a new one is made every year to match whatever flu virus is circulating in a given year. There is more room for something to go wrong because of the variability, said Van Exan and the risk, in his opinion, should be spread around.

The vaccine contract with GSK was among the questions raised by Liberal MPs during an emergency debate on Monday night and they kept up their attack on the government's handling of the pandemic again Tuesday during question period.

As the political bickering over H1N1 continued, the death toll rose again. Three more British Columbians have died, health officials there said Tuesday, bringing the province's total to 15. The Public Health Agency of Canada reported Tuesday morning that the national death toll is at 101.

Swine flu is continuing to ramp up and more Canadians are getting sick, particularly younger people, said Butler-Jones.

"While H1N1 can strike anyone this is a younger person's disease by and large," he said.

The Montreal Children's Hospital has seen such a spike in demand in its emergency room that it has had to close some outpatient clinics and its blood testing centre in order to redeploy staff.

In Saskatchewan, meanwhile, plans are underway to expand priority groups for immunization to include children up to Grade 6 starting later this week. So far the targeted groups have included children only up to age five.

It is up to regional health authorities to decide, but it is expected school-based clinics will be used to immunize children and consent forms have been prepared to send home to parents.

Alberta announced it will re-open its immunization clinics on Thursday for children between six months and five years old only, and for pregnant women on Friday. Clinics have been closed since Saturday after they were overwhelmed with people. The province was initially offering the shot to everyone instead of targeting people at high-risk like other provinces.

In Ontario, the swine flu has taken hold of the aboriginal community of Kashechewan where there are nine residents confirmed with H1N1 flu and more than 100 suspected cases. Health workers quickly used up 800 vaccines and are busy administering another 500 that were received over the weekend.

© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service

GOP victory Tuesday won't erase party's problems

By LIZ SIDOTI, AP National Political Writer Liz Sidoti, Ap National Political Writer – 39 mins ago
WASHINGTON – For Republicans, an election win of any size Tuesday would be a blessing. But victories in Virginia, New Jersey or elsewhere won't erase enormous obstacles the party faces heading into a 2010 midterm election year when control of Congress and statehouses from coast to coast will be up for grabs.
It's been a tough few years for the GOP. The party lost control of Congress in 2006 and then lost the White House in 2008 with three traditional Republican states — Indiana, North Carolina and Virginia — abandoning the party.
So even if political winds start blowing harder behind them and even if they can capitalize on Democratic missteps, Republicans still will have a long way to go over the next year because of their party's own fundamental problems — divisions over the path forward, the lack of a national leader and a shrinking base in a changing nation.
The GOP would overcome none of those hurdles should Republican Bob McDonnell win the Virginia governor's race, Chris Christie emerge victorious in the New Jersey governor's contest, or conservative Doug Hoffman triumph in a hotly contested special congressional election in upstate New York.
In fact, 2009 seems to have underscored what may be the biggest impediment for Republicans — the war within their base.
Not that the GOP would casually brush off even a small stack of victories on Tuesday.
One or more wins would give the Republicans a jolt, and a reason to rally in the coming months. Victories certainly would help with grass-roots fundraising and candidate recruiting. And they might just be enough to reinvigorate a party that controlled the White House and Congress through much of this decade, only to lose power in back-to-back national elections.
Viewed from the other side, a GOP sweep would be a setback for Democrats. It could be seen as a negative measure of President Barack Obama's standing and could signal trouble ahead as he seeks to get moderate Democratic lawmakers behind his legislative agenda and protect Democratic majorities in Congress next fall.
Still, with Democrats in control, the onus is on the GOP to get its act together. George W. Bush, the president many Republicans came to see as an election-day albatross, is gone, but the party troubles born under him linger.
Republican leaders in Washington certainly are mindful of the challenges.
"It's going to be a difficult road to walk, to work with relatively new entrants into the political system and to work with them to show them that, by and large, we are the party who represents their interests," House Republican leader John Boehner told CNN on Sunday, arguing that there's "a political rebellion" taking place in the country.
Others are more blunt.
"Right now there's no central Republican leader to turn to, and there's no central Republican message," conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh told Fox News on Sunday. "The Republican message is sort of muddied. What do they stand for? Right now it's opposition to Obama."
A debate is waging over whether that's enough — or whether the party has to be for something, anything really, to be able to claw its way back to the top. Similar hand-wringing happened in the GOP ahead of the 1994 midterms. Just weeks before those elections, Republicans came up with the Contract with America — and ended up taking control of Congress.
Heading into the 2010 elections, the GOP also faces a very real split between conservatives who want to focus on social issues — which tend to work best during peaceful, prosperous times — and the rest of the party, which generally wants a broader vision, particularly given recession.
Proof of a divide is in New York's 23rd Congressional District. Potential 2012 presidential hopefuls trying to solidify their conservative credentials, Sarah Palin and Tim Pawlenty, endorsed Hoffman, a conservative third-party upstart, over the GOP-chosen candidate, moderate Dierdre Scozzafava. Badly trailing in polls, she ended up dropping out and — in a slap at the GOP — endorsing Democrat Bill Owens.
There are similar tensions in Senate primaries in Florida, California and elsewhere, where conservatives are challenging establishment-backed candidates.
Adding to the party's woes: No one — or rather everyone — is speaking for the GOP.
Fiery talk show hosts like Limbaugh and Glenn Beck have become the angry white face of the party, filling a vacuum created by Bush's departure as the its standard-bearer and the lack of one single person to emerge as its next generation leader.
The 2008 presidential nominee, John McCain, has all but disappeared from the Republican power structure. His running mate, Palin, refuses to disappear — much to the delight of tabloids and to the chagrin of elder party statesmen. And one of the most unpopular politicians in recent times, former Vice President Dick Cheney, keeps popping up to attack Obama — a reminder of the country's and the party's problems under Bush.
What's more, the GOP's ranks are thinning: Only 32 percent of respondents called themselves Republicans in a recent AP-GfK survey compared with 43 percent who called themselves Democrats.
Also, the party's power center is limited to the South, the only region McCain dominated last fall; Obama won everywhere else — including emerging powerhouse regions like the West.
And demographic, cultural and, perhaps, economic changes in America tilt in the Democrats' favor. Consider that Hispanics, a part of the Democratic base, are the nation's fastest growing minority group. Consider that more states than ever are permitting same-sex unions; Maine will vote Tuesday on whether to allow gay marriage. Consider that the emerging new industry — so-called "green jobs" — is focused on the environment, a core Democratic issue.
Still, Republicans sense opportunity — at least in the short term.
The bloom is off the Obama rose, and the public is giving the Democratic-controlled Congress low ratings.
Economists say the recession is over but jobs aren't reappearing and unemployment is still expected to hit 10 percent. The war in Afghanistan continues, and the public is deeply divided over it. Obama's expansion of government and budget-busting spending isn't sitting well with most Americans. And independents are tilting away from Democrats.
All that raises this question: Can the GOP take advantage of such conditions — or are the problems the party faces too great? Stay tuned to 2010 for the answer.

WADA writes to ATP over Agassi drug admission

36 mins ago

LONDON – The World Anti-Doping Agency has asked tennis authorities to investigate Andre Agassi's admission that he took crystal meth in 1997.
WADA director general David Howman tells The Associated Press he sent a letter to the ATP on Monday but he would not elaborate on what he said. He says he wants to protect "clean athletes" and "make sure that these sorts of things don't recur."
Agassi wrote in his soon-to-be-released autobiography "Open" that he ingested crystal meth and then lied to the governing body of men's tennis to avoid a suspension after failing a doping test.

George Jones: new country music needs a new name

By CAITLIN KING, Associated Press Writer Caitlin King, Associated Press Writer – 1 min ago
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Country Music Hall of Famer George Jones isn't a big fan of where the genre has moved in recent years.
When asked about what he thought about music by today's top country stars, the 78-year-old said while they are good, "they've stolen our identity."
Jones made the comment during a recent interview when asked about music by artists like Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift.
"They had to use something that was established already, and that's traditional country music. So what they need to do really, I think, is find their own title, because they're definitely not traditional country music," he said.
"It's good to know that we still do traditional country music. Alan Jackson still does it, so does George Strait. We still have it, and there's quite a few of us that are going to hope that it comes back one of these days."
Still, his contemporaries haven't always stuck to traditional country, either. Fellow Hall of Fame member Johnny Cash was met with critical acclaim a few years ago by covering the Nine Inch Nails song "Hurt." Asked whether he'd ever branch out to a completely different genre of music, like heavy metal or rap, Jones laughed and said: "Rap? That's tacky."
"How can you call that music?" he added. "Now, I love music, too. I love all kinds. I really do. I've got Brook Benton. I like his singing. Ray Charles. I've got an open mind. But now, you can't call rap, talking stuff like that, music. No, no, no, you've got to have another name for that."
Jones recently put out a new CD, through Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, called "A Collection of My Best Recollection." It includes some of his most requested songs from throughout his career, including classics like "White Lightning" and "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair," as well as two previously unreleased ones.
"Only thing I would like to keep accomplishing is music for my fans and achieving some goals to keep them happy with what I record in the future," Jones said. "I've done just about everything else. The good Lord's been good to me ... I'm going to enjoy the rest of my life."

ElBaradei asks Iran for quick response on nukes

By MICHAEL ASTOR and GEORGE JAHN, Associated Press Writers Michael Astor And George Jahn, Associated Press Writers – 16 mins ago
UNITED NATIONS – The head of the U.N. nuclear agency urged Iran on Monday to clarify its response to a U.S.-backed proposal that would have Tehran ship most of its nuclear material abroad for processing.
Iranian officials sent mixed signals on the proposal that would have Tehran export 70 percent of its enriched uranium — enough to build a bomb — and having it returned as fuel for its research reactor, with the foreign minister saying Monday that option still exists and a senior diplomat suggesting the opposite.
The contrasting messages appear designed to keep the international community off balance on how far Iran is ready to go in accepting the original proposal.
Addressing the U.N. General Assembly, Mohamed ElBaradei said "a number of questions and allegations relevant to the nature" of Iran's program remained, and he called for confidence building measures on all sides.
"I therefore urge Iran to be as forthcoming as possible in responding soon to my recent proposal, based on the initiative of the U.S., Russia and France, which aimed to engage in a series of measures that could build confidence and trust," ElBaradei said in his final address before stepping down after 12 years as chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The U.S. and other powers are concerned Iran may be enriching uranium for use in nuclear weapons, while Tehran insists its program is strictly for research and energy production.
Iran's mixed messages also appeared geared toward pushing the plan's main backers into further talks, something those countries oppose as a delaying tactic.
In his address, ElBaradei also dismissed the growing calls for sanctions to dissuade Iran from its nuclear ambitions saying that they "too often hurt the most vulnerable and innocent."
He said the Security Council should instead focus on "conflict prevention and address the insecurities that lie behind many cases of proliferation such as mistrust and unresolved conflict."
Some experts say Iran has little reason to trust the West and for that reason may be in no hurry to cut a deal.
"Iran believes time is on their side for now," said Mustafa Alani, a regional analyst at the Gulf Research Center in Dubai.
The dispute allows Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his hard-line allies to claim the high ground as defenders of Iran's national dignity through its strides in nuclear technology. It also provides Ahmadinejad a chance to broaden support after June's disputed elections, because even his harshest opponents take pride in Iran's nuclear accomplishments.
In a posting on a government Web site, Ahmadinejad scolded the West for what he called a history of broken promises. Iran, he said, "looks at the talks with no trust."
On Monday, ElBaradei called for confidence building measures on all sides.
"The issue at stake remains that of mutual guarantees amongst the parties," ElBaradei said, adding "trust and confidence-building are an incremental process that requires focusing on the big picture and a willingness to take risks for peace."
While Iran insists it is interested only in enriching uranium for use in a future network of nuclear reactors, it has amassed more than 3,300 pounds (1.500 kilograms) of low-enriched uranium — more than enough to arm a nuclear warhead.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, who spoke to reporters in Kuala Lumpur, simply replied "No," when asked if his country had rejected the plan that would commit his country to ship out most of its enriched uranium.
Instead, he said Iran has three options to procure fuel for its reactor; to buy the fuel from other countries; to enrich the uranium domestically, or to accept the U.N.-brokered plan.
In contrast, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran's chief envoy to the IAEA, said Iran wanted to purchase ready-made uranium from abroad for the research reactor.
"We want to buy the fuel from any supplier," he told The Associated Press, fending off repeated questions on whether this meant the rejection of the export plan.
Soltanieh's comments were the most concrete statement yet by a government official of what the Iranian government wanted.
But the U.S. and its allies are unlikely to accept anything substantially less than the original plan, which aimed to delay Iran's ability of making nuclear weapons by at least a year by divesting Iran of most of its enriched uranium and returning it as research reactor fuel.
"We are waiting for Iran to accept formally the agreement," French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Monday. "We are waiting for this answer. If this answer is dilatory as it seems to be, we won't accept it."
If 70 percent of Iran's uranium is exported in one shipment — or at the most two shipments in quick succession — Tehran would need about a year to produce enough uranium to again have the stockpile it needs for one weapon.
It is relatively simple to turn fuel-grade uranium into weapons-grade material.
Ahmadinejad's government has also raised some red flags by indicating it will take decades before any Iranian nuclear network is in place, meaning Iran has no immediate use for the enriched uranium it has accumulated.
Associated Press writers Ellen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Deborah Seward in Paris, Brian Murphy in Dubai contributed to this report; Jahn reported from Vienna.

Stigma part of breast cancer's grip on poor

By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard, Ap Medical Writer – 27 mins ago
WASHINGTON – Nurses were training women in rural Mexico to examine their breasts for cancer when one raised her hand to object. If she lost her breast, Harvard public health specialist Felicia Knaul recalls the woman saying, "My man would leave me" — and with him, the family's income.
International cancer specialists meet this week to plan an assault on a troubling increase of breast cancer in developing countries, where nearly two-thirds of women aren't diagnosed until it has spread through their bodies.
Adding to the problem, some worrisome data suggests that breast cancer seems to strike women, on average, about 10 years younger in poor countries than it does in the U.S. No one knows why.
"Today in most developing countries you see a huge bulge of young, premenopausal women with breast cancer," says Knaul, who heads Harvard's Global Equity Initiative and was herself diagnosed at age 41 while living in Mexico.
"We should help them to know what they have and to fight for their treatment."
But from Mexico to Malawi, stigma like Knaul witnessed a few weeks ago may prove as big a barrier as poverty.
"One of the trainers said, 'If he'd leave you for that, he's not worth having,'" says Knaul. But she acknowledged that will be a hard message for some women's economic realities.
"It's not a trivial consideration," agrees Dr. Lawrence Shulman of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, who is part of a team working to begin cancer care in parts of Africa where "the women are often seen as really either vessels for producing children or as sex slaves."
But some success in treating HIV and tuberculosis in those areas has him "hopeful we can make a difference. I don't think it's a pipe dream."
Tuesday, Knaul and Shulman bring together international task force of health specialists and prominent charities to begin planning a two-pronged approach.
First, train midwives and other rural health providers to perform regular breast exams, using the power of touch in places where mammography machines simply are too expensive. That won't catch the very smallest tumors, but specialists agree it could improve diagnosis dramatically in some areas.
Second, the task force will start negotiating lower prices for generic chemotherapy for poor countries, following the same model that has helped transform AIDS care in parts of Africa.
You don't need in-country cancer specialists to administer that chemo, says Shulman — just a network of oncologists who can provide help or instruction to local health officials by e-mail or phone, as he has advised colleagues in Malawi.
Breast cancer long has been considered a cancer mostly of wealthier countries. Indeed, about 192,000 new cases are expected in the U.S. this year, where long-term survival is high thanks in part to good screening.
The true prevalence in most developing countries is unknown, because of poor diagnosis and bad record-keeping. But new Harvard research estimates they'll be home to 55 percent of the world's 450,000 expected breast cancer deaths this year.
The report predicts the poorest countries will experience a 36 percent jump in breast cancer by 2020.
One problem: In wealthy countries, earlier diagnosis can lead to breast-saving surgery instead of breast removal. Even countries like Rwanda and Malawi have clinics that perform mastectomies if patients can travel to the capitals, Shulman says. But few have radiation equipment, making breast-conserving surgery there not an option yet. (He is hunting a radiation unit for Rwanda but says that's in the very earliest stages of planning.)
Mexico is a mixed situation, with radiation, other treatments and diagnostic mammography available in some places. That's how Knaul — whose husband is a former health minister of Mexico — was diagnosed, early enough that mastectomy and chemotherapy give her good odds.
But she fumes that while Mexico's poor and rural women often get Pap smears to check for cervical cancer, "no one even suggests they check your breasts" at the same visit. She founded an advocacy group — Cancer de Mama — to help, noting that Mexico's insurance program for the poor covers breast cancer care but they must get diagnosed first.
EDITOR's NOTE — Lauran Neergaard covers health and medical issues for The Associated Press in Washington.

Battle over face veil brewing in Egypt

By Mariam Karouny Mariam Karouny – Mon Nov 2, 8:33 am ET

CAIRO (Reuters) – Rokaya Mohamed, an elementary school teacher, would rather die than take off her face veil, or niqab, thrusting her to the forefront of a battle by government-backed clerics to limit Islamism in Egypt.

Egypt's state-run religious establishment wants teachers like Mohamed to remove their veils in front of female students, sparking a backlash by Islamists who say women should be able to choose to cover their faces in line with their Islamic faith.

"I have put on the niqab because it is a Sunna (a tradition of the Muslim prophet Muhammad). It is something that brings me closer to religion and closer to the wives of the Prophet who used to wear it," she said."I know what makes God and his prophet love me, and no sheikh is going to convince me otherwise. I would rather die than take it off, even inside class," she added.

Egypt, the birthplace of al Qaeda's second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahri, fought a low-level Islamist insurgency in the 1990s, has faced sporadic militant attacks targeting tourists since then, and is keen to quell Islamist opposition ahead of parliamentary elections next year and a 2011 presidential vote.

The spread of the niqab, associated with the strictest interpretations of Islam, is a potent reminder to the government of the political threat posed by any Islamist resurgence emanating from the Gulf, where many young Egyptians go to work.

Controversy over the niqab flared last month after the state-appointed head of Egypt's al-Azhar mosque asked a young student to remove her face veil during a visit to her school.

Grand Sheikh of al-Azhar Mohamed Sayed Tantawi later issued a religious edict or fatwa barring women and girls from wearing the niqab in all-girl Azhari schools, saying there was no reason for girls to cover their faces amongst themselves.

An Azhari research center later backed the ruling, saying the face veil should be removed when a girl is in an all-female class with women teachers, in all-female exam rooms, and in all-female dormitories.

Egyptian state-run media have also called for women to show their faces, citing the "damaging" effects of niqab on society.

GULF INFLUENCE

While a majority of Egyptian women and girls consider it an Islamic religious obligation to cover their hair and neck with a scarf, few Muslim scholars say the full face veil is mandatory.

Yet growing numbers of Egyptian women are abandoning the simple headscarf in favor of the niqab, analysts say, reflecting the growing sway of strict Saudi-based Wahhabi ideology on an already conservative and Islamized society.

"It increased mainly because of the major influence from the Gulf. This habit is not from the heart of Egyptian society. It is imported from the Gulf," political analyst Hala Mustafa said.

"(Extremism) has been increasing in Egyptian society for the past 30 years and therefore Egyptians are accepting more extremism and becoming more closed off," she said.

Egypt, unlike other Muslim states Saudi Arabia and Iran, does not require women to cover their heads with a scarf. But the millions of Egyptians who have lived or worked in Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia are believed to be a source for the spread of Wahhabi ideology.

Just 30 years ago, women attended Egypt's flagship Cairo University wearing miniskirts and sleeveless tops. They strolled along the beaches of Alexandria in skimpy swimsuits at a time when society was seemingly more liberal and tolerant.

Analysts say the headscarf, or hijab, was seen as a status indicator and was prevalent among lower-income classes. Women from upper and middle classes rarely veiled at a young age and those who did usually followed fashionable interpretations of hijab. The niqab was uncommon at that time.

NIQAB MORE PREVALENT

But the niqab has become more prevalent. Women in flowing black robes are a common sight strolling through Egypt's fanciest shopping malls and five-star hotels, as well as in shanties.

Analysts say challenging the stricter interpretations of Islam could be a long journey that requires, in particular, introducing reforms on an educational system that has allowed women in niqab to teach small children.

"These decisions have to be accompanied with ideological procedures and requires challenging the ideology so there will be moderate ideology," Mustafa said.

Egyptian courts have a history of ruling in favor of women wearing niqab inside universities. In 2007, a court ruled that the American University in Cairo, seen as a bastion of Western liberal education in Egypt, was wrong to bar a female scholar who wears niqab from using its facilities. The court cited personal and religious freedom as grounds for its ruling.

Ordinary Egyptians on the streets of Cairo have conflicting feelings regarding the niqab. Some say it should be banned on security grounds because it can be used by criminals to disguise themselves and escape police searches.

Others hail it as the right way to fulfill religious duties or as the best way to protect women from sexual harassment, although a recent study showed veiling had little effect on harassment rates in Egypt.

"When a man cannot see a woman, then what is he going to harass her for? Nothing," said Abu Donya, a taxi driver, whose views are shared by many Egyptians. "So imagine if all women wear niqab, things would be better," he said.

(Editing by Dominic Evans)

KSE-100 Index plunges to 8,872 level

Updated at: 2051 PST, Monday, November 02, 2009

KARACHI: Heavy selling at the local equity market Monday pushed the benchmark KSE-100 Index to 8,872 level, showing a steep slide of 287 points.The stock prices appeared volatile as the Index moved both sides of fence in the backdrop of political parties’ differences on NRO and report of bomb blast in Rawalpindi. Observing caution, the investors opted for off loading their holdings which led the Index to plunge below 9,000 points to the current level.The trade volume was recorded at 150 million shares today.Jehangir Siddiqui Company was today’s volume leader, easing Rs1.75 to close at Rs33.35.KSE-30 Index took a nose-dive of 347 points to finish the day at 9,315.

Harper's Bazaar India November 2009 : Suzanne Roshan

Hrithik Roshan's wife Suzanne is on the November 2009 cover of Harper's Bazaar India...the cover is not yet available, but some of the photo shoot is...dunno which pic will be chosen for the cover. Yet another DISAPPOINTING cover choice. I like the 4th pic and according to the poster in pinkvilla, she's wearing a 1,399-carat diamond necklace designed by L'Wren Scott. Nicole Kidman wore it to the 2008 Oscars.However, rest of the pics are just kinda blah.

Quote:

Suzanne adds life to Hrithik

Suzanne adds life to HrithikTo all those who think that Suzanne Roshan is just another star wife, I say, mates, think again! She isn't. In fact, Suzanne packs quite a punch in her delicate frame. Having spent a day with her during Harper's Bazaar's cover shoot for the November issue, I must confess she holds her own despite all that her critics want to say. I got the first hint of this from film maker Farah Khan—who revealed that Suzanne is an extremely strong yet unassuming woman and that she actually is Hrithik's huge source of strength.Hrithik confessed the same at Farah's chat show, Tere Mere Beach Mein. Suzanne, for one has never been under Hrithik's shadow. And a glimpse of that was all too apparent, when the alleged stories of Hrithik and Barbara started doing the rounds. Assuming that there was an iota of truth in those stories, still there were no reports about fights between Hrithik and Suzanne. There were no reports of melodrama either. The only thing that was reported was that Suzanne had left Hrithik's home with her kids and that Hrithik had been caught off guard.Of course, the couple denied the news and I personally believe that Barbara-Hrithik stories were largely fabricated, but all of this, actually helped bring forth Suzanne minus the Roshan surname. She came across as someone who could completely insulate herself from relentless media glare—No sob pictures, no body language faux pas and certainly no confessions on the sly.Suzanne kept attending public events, during this time, with Hrithik by her side and despite her easy accessibility at the events, no one in the media could ask her THE question about Barbara Mori. And as I interviewed her the other day, during Harper's Bazaar's cover shoot, I could see that Suzanne says what she wants to and no matter what you do, she won't budge and give you anything that we in our world call sensational!Suzanne did not say anything at all about her personal life with Hrithik—about Hrithik the father, the son, the husband and the brother. I liked her for creating that boundary and for just saying that "Hrithik is a lovely human being". She spoke at length on that front though.But what immediately struck me, was one sentence she spoke. I asked her, what does Suzanne add to Hrithik and she said, " Suzanne adds life to Hrithik and to everyone around her". I don't think, there has been any star wife lately, barring Gauri Khan, who has the guts to say something like that. But Suzanne did.And as I saw her-- clicking her own pictures in between the shots, during Harper's shoot, to show them to her kids and Hrithik; exclaiming that "Hrithik is going to say WOW" if he sees her like this right now; jumping with joy over her shoot pictures, clicked by the photographer Prasad Naik; sharing her excitement with her staff, inviting them to see the pictures in the preview monitor; I knew what Hrithik could have fallen for in Suzanne. Hrithik fell for the girl that abounds in Suzanne—the one with twinkling eyes looking at the world around with excitement. Suzanne is right, she adds life to Hrithik and to all those around her. Needless to say then, she is Harper's Cover Girl for November! Get a copy of the issue and relish Suzanne Roshan.

by pinkvilla/indiatoday

Afghanistan shuts schools over swine flu

Updated at: 1956 PST, Sunday, November 01, 2009
KABUL: Afghanistan on Sunday ordered the closure of all schools for three weeks after recording its first death from swine flu, the country's health minister said."In order to safeguard the health of all Afghans... all public and private schools will be shut for three weeks" from Monday, Farouq Wardak said in a statement. The move comes after an engineer from Kabul last week became the first Afghan to die of the (A)H1N1 virus. There are about 7.5 million students and teachers in Afghanistan, the statement said.

Global stocks decline as weak US data spurs recovery hopes

Updated at: 1537 PST, Sunday, November 01, 2009

NEW YORK: Global stocks slumped and crude oil fell on weekend after reports showed US consumers cut spending in September while sentiment turned lower this month, fanning scepticism about an economic recovery. The US dollar rebounded after steep losses on Thursday, when data that showed the US economy grew in the third quarter fuelled a global stock rally that helped gains on Friday in Asia. But Friday’s data gave a mixed picture as factory activity in the US Midwest expanded for the first time in more than a year. The result was a renewed safety bid that helped lift government debt prices on both sides of the Atlantic. Gold prices slipped below $1,040 per ounce in Europe before paring losses as the dollar extended gains against a basket of currencies; while oil prices fell 3 percent to below $78 a barrel as the bearish data dented investors’ confidence. “There is some weakness after Thursday’s exuberance over GDP data in light of today’s report on the stressed consumer,” said John Kilduff, co-chief investment officer and partner at hedge fund Round Earth Capital.

Pakistan routs Russia 5-0 in hockey WC round

Updated at: 1930 PST, Sunday, November 01, 2009 LILLE: Pakistan clinched second consecutive win by defeating Russia 5-0 in second match in Hockey World Cup Qualifying round, Geo News reported Sunday.Pakistan put up brilliant show from the very commencement of the match played in France’s city of Lille. In the first half, Pakistan got the better of Russia 3-0.In the second half, Pakistan scored two more goals and established for them an overriding victory.Pakistan’s Rehan Butt, Shakeel Abbasi, Sohail Abbas, Muhammed Imran and Abdul Haseem Khan hit goals. It should be mentioned that Pakistan defeated Italy also 5-0 in the first match.Pakistan is scheduled to play its third match against France.

WB for implementation of tax reforms through ordinance

Updated at: 2205 PST, Sunday, November 01, 2009 ISLAMABAD: The World Bank has advised the government to bypass the parliament and implement taxation reforms through a presidential ordinance, according to a report submitted to the Federal Board of Revenue.The report of the WB review mission, which has a mandate to review the progress made by the FBR in implementation of its recommendations for tax reforms, said that going to the parliament could result in 'undesired consequences'.The report said: 'The GoP (government of Pakistan) has some options to follow in order to modify the set of legal instruments that will harmonise procedures and responsibilities and allow the integration of functions irrespective of tax types. One option is to again submit the ordinance for the president’s signature on the next recess of parliament. 'This is a relatively fast journey in the administrative (executive) branch that within four months will require parliament’s ratification.'The report further said: 'Second option may be to send the package of legal reforms to parliament or include them as part of the budget submission for the next fiscal year. This will significantly delay the implementation of the harmonise procedure, but more importantly may be subject to changes in parliament that might bring undesired consequences.'The report also said that the creation of Inland Revenue Services (IRS) in the FBR by the Establishment Division was in accordance with the term of the July agreement between Pakistan and the World Bank at Istanbul. The Customs and Excise Group (CEG) officers in FBR had challenged the creation of IRS in the FBR by the Establishment Division in the Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High Court. The CEG group officers argue that the creation of a new occupational group in FBR is illegal and would affect their constitutional rights. The case is under the consideration of a court of law, but the WB suggested FBR to continue with the process of 'occupational service integration'. The WB’s acting spokeswoman Mariam Altaf said the review mission report was for the use of the government, and not a public document. She refused to comment on the report. According to official sources, the government is working on the draft of an ordinance, 'Harmonisation of Income Tax, Sales Tax and Federal Excise Duty Ordinance'.Official sources told Dawn that fresh amendments in the Finance Bill trough the Ordinance proposed empowering the FBR chief to issue notifications and appointments for the creation of an inland revenue service. Under the new ordinance, all officers of income tax, sales tax and federal excise departments would be called as officers of the 'inland revenue service'. The Directors of Large Taxpayers Units and Regional Taxpayers Units will be renamed as chief commissioner of LTAs and RTUs.

Waziristan affectees being registered at six points

Updated at: 1952 PST, Sunday, November 01, 2009

ISLAMABAD: Chairman Special Support Group Lt General Nadeem Sunday said the people displaced during Waziristan operation are being registered.Addressing a press conference here, he said Waziristan displaced people are being registered at six points, adding Rs2.68 billion have been doled out to the 30,000 affected families.He added as many as 7200 families have received these cards.The SSG head said the cash money is being distributed through cash cards as well, adding it was decided to give money in cash in lieu of food. The 95 percent people of South Waziristan Agency (SWA) have left their areas, he said adding Pakistan Army gave out 405 tonnes ration to Waziristan affectees.The SSG chief said hospitals have been established in DI Khan and Tank.

Op Rah-e-Nijat: 9 militants taken out, 2 soldiers martyred

Updated at: 2035 PST, Sunday, November 01, 2009

WANA: Nine terrorists have been killed and 2 apprehended while 2 security men embraced Shahadt during the ongoing operation Rah-e-Nijat in South Wazrisitan Agency.According to ISPR, on Jandola – Sararogha Axis, security forces have surrounded Sararogha from three directions and operation is progressing smoothly. Security forces have completed sanitization of Zariwam and consolidation of positions around Point-1435, Point-1342, Point 1389 and Point 1290.On Shakai - Kaniguram Axis, Search and clearance operation of Kanigurm has commenced and fifty percent of the town has been cleared. Areas along the road up to Biga north of Kanigram and North West of Badar Algad up to Kaniguram have been cleared. Terrorists fired with small arms and rockets at security forces check post. Resultantly 1 soldier was injured and 4 terrorists were killed near Asman Manza.Khazar Manzor Ziarat south of Asman Manza has been secured.Security forces apprehended 1 terrorist and recovered 1 machine gun alongwith 2 spare magazines near Asman Manza.During clearance operation at Karama the stronghold of Uzbeks, security forces recovered and destroyed two caches of mines, explosives, ammunition along with 1 medical operation theater equipped with Russian equipment and 1 ammunition and explosive laden vehicle.Security forces apprehended 1 terrorist from Karwan Narai.Two soldiers embraced shahadat and 1 was injured while 5 terrorists were killed during exchange of fire at Patok Narai. On Razmak- Makeen Axis, security forces have surrounded Makeen from three directions and cleared Litta Sar area. Consolidation is in process. During last 24 hours security forces have recovered huge quantity of arms and ammunition during search and clearance operations along all three axes. These weapons include 3 x 14.5 mm guns with 1200 rounds, 3 x 12.7 mm along with 60 ammunition boxes and 1455 rounds, 2 Light Machine Guns and 2 Light Machine Guns mounted Vehicles, 8 Rifles 303 and 4 (mark-4) rifles, 16 Rockets of RPG-7 with 59 rockets, 4 x 7mm rifles, 1 SMG with 6 magazines and 500 rounds, 5 Walki talkie sets, 10 Communication sets, 6 Jammers, 1 Telescope and 2 binoculars, 1 Communication System (PATCOM Antenna), 12 HE Grenades and 24 arges grenades, 11 Fire extinguisher vehicles and 2 blasting machines, 5 Anti tank mines, 4 Heavy mortars with ammunition, 1 missile launcher and 3 missiles from Nawaz Kot during operation, 25 x 82 mm bombs, 1 SPG-9 grenade launcher along with 50 rockets, 15 Passports, In operation Rah-e-Rast in Swat – Malakand, 2 terrorists voluntarily surrendered to security forces at Bishbanr and Shadhand Banda.Security forces conducted search operation at Durshkhela and apprehended 7 suspects.