Wednesday, March 30, 2011
امریکہ میں مسلم مخالف جذبات ختم کرنے پر زور
World cup semi-final: Gilani leaves for India
Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani left for India on Wednesday to
watch the Pakistan-India semi-final clash in Mohali.
Speaking to the media at the Chaklala base before departure, Gilani said
he is grateful to his Indian counterpart for the invitation to the match.
The premier said his visit will serve to improve relations between both
countries. Gilani appreciated the interior secretary level talks between
the two neighbours. He also said the morale of the Pakistan team is
very high and he is hopeful for a victory.
Updated from print edition (below)
Nerve-tingling excitement: All roads lead to Mohali
Pakistanis and Indians were on the edge of their seats on Tuesday ahead
of their teams' crucial World Cup encounter at Mohali and Prime Minister
Yousaf Raza Gilani's flight to India at the head of a 51-strong
delegation to watch the semi-final.
The premier will fly to India on Wednesday morning and join his Indian
counterpart Manmohan Singh in watching what promises to be a scorcher of
a clash between the two sides.
Life has come to a standstill in cities and towns across the country,
with educational institutions declaring a holiday in Sindh and Punjab
and government offices making special arrangements to view the match.
The excitement was palpable everywhere from Mohali to Lahore and from
Karachi to Gujrat.
The mood is upbeat, more so after the extraordinary bonhomie generated
by the agreement reached by the home secretaries on information sharing
– not just about the Mumbai attack but also in the future.
The Indian team was at the stadium today practicing while the Pakistan
team took over to familiarise itself with the grounds later at night.
The premier's delegation includes seven ministers, their spouses and
members of parliament drawn from several political parties, including
the opposition. A few relatives of the premier are accompanying him on
the trip such as Gilani's brother (and provincial legislator) Ahmed
Mujtaba and his wife, as well as his brother-in-law.
Gilani is not taking any top official of the Foreign Office with him,
indicating that the two sides will not raise any mutual issues during
their encounter at the Mohali cricket stadium. Minister of State for
Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar will assist the prime minister during
his talks with the Indian prime minister. The two prime ministers are
expected to have a conversation on all issues of mutual interest on the
sidelines of the match.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will reach the venue at 1:00pm.
Gilani and Singh will have a spot of lunch and will watch the match
together. The Indian premier is scheduled to fly back to New Delhi the
same night at around 11:00pm while Gilani will stay on and leave the
next morning. He will be bid goodbye by Governor Shivraj Patil and Chief
Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao will hold a press conference
during the match.
To prevent any harm from coming to the Indian or Pakistani team the Taj
Hotel, where the two teams are staying has been sequestered. Both ends
of the road to the hotel are closed.
Gilani will leave Chaklala airbase at 10am and reach Chandigarh airport
at 11.25am (Indian Standard Time), from where he will be taken to Mohali
cricket stadium.
Gilani will spend Wednesday night at the beautifully appointed and
scenic UT Guest House adjoining the Raj Bhavan and a lake (which is
where most of the Pakistani delegation has been housed). Giant TV
screens have been ordered by Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao at the UT
Guest House so that those members of the delegation who stay back can
watch the match in the guest house itself.
The official delegation comprises Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar and
Interior Minister Rehman Malik and their spouses, Information Minister
Firdous Ashiq Awan, Haji Umar Gorgage, minister for postal services,
Labour Minister Syed Khurshed Shah, Sports Minister Engineer
Shaukatullah, Minister of State for foreign affairs Hina Rabbani Khar
and her husband Feroz Gulzar, Senator Sughar Imam (PPP), MNA Afsandyar
Wali Khan of the Awami National Party, former minister Qamar Zaman
Kaira, Lt Gen R MNA Abdul Qadir Baloch (PML-N), Munir Khan Orakzai
(Fata), Laiq Mohammad Khan (PML), Sherry Rehman (PPP), Farooq Satar
(MQM), Mrs Naheed Rashid, sister of Farooq Satar, Khawaja Sohail Mansoor
(MQM), Riaz Hussain Pirzada, (PML), Kashmala Tariq (PML), Syed Ahmad
Mujtaba, MPA, Itrat Bano, (wife of Ahmed Mujtaba), Sharmila Farooqi,
Moinul Islam Bokhari, Nargis Moin, wife of Moin Bokhari, Mr and Mrs
Faisal Butt, Mr and Mrs Zahid Rafiq, Badar Zia and his son Attaur
Rehman, Kamran Kiyani and Safdar Kiyani, Mrs and Mrs Shahid Rafique ,
chief of protocol Ghalib Iqbal, principal secretary to PM Gilani,
Khushnood Lashari, press secretary Shabbir Anwar, military secretary
Nasir Dilawar, SSP Imran Mahmood and ADC to PM Shahzad Fatah. Only six
journalists PJ Mir, Rauf Klasra, Saleh Zafir, Nasim Zehra, Quatrina
Hussain and Asma Sherazi have been invited to join the VVIP flight to India.
Govt's gift: Half working day today
Prime Minister Gilani on Tuesday announced that today will be a half
working day in lieu of the Pakistan-India World Cup semi-final.
All federal government offices will close at 12 noon,a press release
issued from the PM House stated.
Gilani is visiting India today at the invitation of Manmohan Singh to
watch the match.
The SC has also made special arrangements. CJ Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry
has directed the court administration to install a big screen inside the
auditorium.
Meanwhile Sindh High Court CJ Mushir Alam said that courts in the
province will be closed today.
With additional reporting by Aditi Phadnis in Mohali and by Sumera Khan
in Islamabad.
WB approves $125m to support flood-affected households
Flood Emergency Cash Transfer Project, designed to support the
government's Citizen's Damage Compensation Program (CDCP) in providing
cash transfers to more than one million flood-affected households.
The project will also strengthen the management of the CDPC through
effective grievance redressal mechanisms and establishing control and
accountability measures to ensure efficient and transparent delivery of
the support.
"The 2010 floods were a disaster of historic proportions that affected
over 20 million people and created a massive recovery need," said Rachid
Benmessaoud, World Bank Country Director for Pakistan.     Â
Benmessaoud said that households faced with income shocks often adopt
coping strategies that are not beneficial over time, including reducing
assets and consumption, increasing borrowing, and taking children out of
school to work.
Therefore, the country director added, cash assistance to flood-affected
households is essential to mitigate the adverse effects of income shocks
besides addressing the issue of poverty and vulnerability.
Importantly, the project will also assist in developing necessary
capacities and systems to effectively handle the similar disasters in
the future.
Launched in September 2010, the CDCP provided around 1.4 million
families with cash grants of Rs20,000 to cover their immediate needs,
said WB press statement here Wednesday.
The next phase, supported by this project, will provide an additional
payment of Rs40,000 to around Rs1.1 million most affected households,
thereby reaching between 7.5 and 8.3 million people to rebuild their
lives, it said.
To meet the total financing requirements for the CDCP, the World Bank
has worked closely with other development partners, some of which (USAID
and Italy) have already committed funds.
"International evidence suggests that cash grants allow the recipients
the flexibility of choosing where to put their resources based on their
specific conditions and priorities," said Iftikhar Malik, Co-Project
Team Leader, adding "Beneficiaries are expected to use these additional
grants to not only cover basic consumption but to also recapitalize
assets as well as recover their livelihoods."
The World Bank is well placed to support the government of Pakistan in
extending and strengthening the CDCP due to its substantial
international and regional experience in protecting the affected and
vulnerable through post- disaster cash transfer programs.
In addition to this operation, the Bank has assisted the government in
its flood response through financing the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment
and making available US $300 million for fast-disbursing financing of
critical flood-related imports and US $20 million for highway
reconstruction.
The credit is from the International Development Association (IDA), the
World Bank's concessionary lending arm.
US $81 million of the credit carries a 0.75% service charge, 10 years of
grace period and a maturity of 35 years, the press statement said adding
the remaining US $44 million has the same terms plus a fixed interest
charge of 3.2%.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Pakistan Railways: Investing in train routes more lucrative, says GM
Khattak has stressed that investing in railways is a far more lucrative
option than sea routes and the business community should pour money into
the organisation.
Addressing members of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(KCCI) sub-committee on communications and transport on Friday, he
explained his point, saying that it costs $3,100 for a 40-feet container
to cover 6,400 km by train from Karachi to Istanbul in 10 days, compared
with $2,900 to cover 8,000 km in 35 days by sea and $5,200 to cover
6,400 km in 12 days by road for the same cargo and journey.
Khattak invited the business community to invest in PR under the "Open
Access Policy" through which private train operators would be allowed to
operate their trains on PR's infrastructure by paying a track access charge.
Giving an example, he said that for every $100 invested in three trains,
$21 would be returned to the businessmen in terms of annual revenue.
This way within five years businessmen can break even on their initial
investment and "enjoy the remaining years of contract or project life".
He revealed that only Rs1 billion has been granted so far from the Rs11
billion bailout package the government had announced for PR in 2010.
KCCI Vice President Junaid Esmail Makda, in his address, said that KCCI
and Pakistan Railways will sign an understanding to work jointly in
coming months. KCCI Senior Vice President Talat Mahmood welcomed the
idea of attracting private sector to invest in PR and termed it a great
opportunity.
Communication and Transport Sub-committee Chairman Liaquat Ali Shaikh
urged the government to eradicate corruption in PR, and then privatise
it, as losses borne by the government caused extra burden on the public.
Football: Pakistan sign off with a win
Football Confederation (AFC) Challenge Cup qualifier to sign off their
dismal campaign in Kuala Lumpur.
Pakistan's only win of the tournament was made possible through an early
lead when striker Arif Mehmood scored the opening goal in the 26th
minute. The domination continued in the second half as well and
following a few missed chances, Atif Bashir doubled the lead in the 66th
minute to seal Pakistan's first points.
"The team had earlier lost 3-0 to Turkmenistan and 3-1 to India. This
win doesn't really matter as it's just a consolation, Pakistan coach
Tariq Lutfi told The Express Tribune. I'm disappointed because we
could've won 4-0 if we hadn't missed the chances."
Pakistan, according to the coach, went into the tournament seeking an
upset win in the "group of death" given Turkmenistan were the AFC
Challenge Cup runners-up last year and India won the title in 2008.
Akhtar has lost interest in cricket: Khan
fast-bowler Shoaib Akhtar for the semi-final against India, a team
official has stated that the maverick paceman has lost interest in the
sport after announcing his retirement.
Khan, who was the captain when Pakistan clinched their lone World Cup in
1992, had said that Akhtar was the best man to lead the attack against
the arch-rivals in Mohali on March 30.
"He has lost interest after he announced his retirement, the official
told The Express Tribune. He barely takes part in the team's training
sessions and if Khan knew his situation, he would not have given such an
advice."
Akhtar, who has sat out four of seven matches, announced his retirement
after the match against New Zealand where the bowler was plundered for
28 by Ross Taylor off what was his last over in the innings. His
replacement, Wahab Riaz, has not impressed either but has been labelled
"much better" by the official.
"Riaz is a much better player currently. Akhtar's lack of interest does
not qualify him for the semi-final against India."
Akhtar has had a rather poor tournament with regards to wickets where,
after claiming two key wickets against Sri Lanka, the fast-bowler has
been fined on multiple occasions by the team management for
indiscipline. The match against New Zealand could well be his last
international game where Kamran Akmal missed two chances off his bowling.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Pakistan can’t handle Fukushima
If nothing else works, plans call for pouring thousands of tons of concrete and turning the reactors into permanent nuclear tombs.
On the positive side: the disaster management was excellent. Stoic and disciplined, the Japanese behaved wonderfully well. No looting, no panic, and no anti-government demonstrations followed the explosions. People helped each other, relief teams operated unobstructed, and rescuers had full radiation protection gear. Plant operators risked their lives by working in super-high radiation environments, and engineers showed their grasp of emergency reactor dynamics.
On the negative side: even elaborate earthquake-protection and tsunami-protection measures failed badly. Power sources for emergency cooling pumps were destroyed by the 30-foot high wall of water. In retrospect, storing thousands of spent-fuel rods on the reactor site turned out to be a terrible mistake.
Japan's near tragedy has reminded the world that situating reactors close to a city can be exceedingly dangerous – even more than storing nuclear bombs within it. While a nuclear reactor cannot explode like a bomb, after one year of operation even a rather small 200MW reactor contains more radioactive cesium, strontium, and iodine than the amounts produced in all the nuclear weapons tests ever conducted.
These devastatingly deadly materials could be released if the containment vessel of a reactor is somehow breached.
As the Japanese continue their struggle to bring Fukushima's reactors under control, they know they had false ly gambled that nuclear reactors could be safed against earthquakes. Still, there was some logic to this risk-taking: Japan's energy hungry economy gets about 30per cent of its electricity from its 55 nuclear reactors.
Pakistan has much less reason to risk Karachi, its largest city. The Karachi Nuclear Power Plant, (KANUPP) located by the seashore, produces little electricity. This Canadian supplied reactor has been in operation since December 1972, but according to IAEA statistics, has been unavailable for power production 70.4 per cent of the time. Even if it had operated as per design (120MW of electrical
power), it could supply only six-seven per cent of Karachi's total electrical power needs – barely enough for Golimar and Lyari.
Nevertheless KANUPP puts the Karachi's population at risk. Sabotage, terrorist attack, equipment failure, earthquake, or a tsunami could result in large scale radioactive release. As in the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, the instinctive reaction of the authorities would be to cover up the facts.
But with the breeze mostly directed towards Karachi, the population would surely have to be evacuated. The rich and the fortunate would succeed; the rest would not. Unlike the orderly and disciplined evacuation of post-tsunami Fukushima, all hell would break loose as millions would try to flee. Looters would strip everything bare, roads would be clogged, and vital services would collapse.
Japan's nuclear disaster should open our eyes. Japan is an advanced industrialised country with superior engineering knowledge and practices. It has a safety culture, Pakistan does not. Whether driving cars or running nuclear plants, Pakistanis are risktakers looking for shortcuts, choosing to put their faith in God rather than precautions.
It would not be surprising if our nuclear plant operators overlook critical safety procedures. Little is known about operating procedures because everything nuclear is kept under wraps, ostensibly for reasons of national security. This also covers up for bad practices.
The shoulder-shrugging nonchalance of Pakistani authorities during the Japan disaster is particularly disturbing. Even as explosions tore through the nuclear complex, the "experts" flatly declared that a Fukushima could never hap
pen in Pakistan. This outlandish claim cost them nothing, of course, because officials and other high-ups in Pakistan have never paid the price for false statements. A real nuclear disaster in Pakistan would see PAEC, PNRA, and our "great scientists" – who provide endless vanilla-flavoured reassurances – running around like chickens with their heads cut off. They would be clueless in dealing with a situation that threatens the lives of millions.
The only thing they would know is how to run away fast.
It is time to down-size Pakistan's nuclear fission power production.
While remaining a perpetual danger, nuclear technology has not met any reasonable fraction of Pakistan's energy needs. After nearly half a century of investing in the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission – and the billions of dollars spent upon creating
its infrastructure – only two per cent of Pakistan's installed nuclear capacity is nuclear. The actual production is less than even this.
India has not done well either. Only six per cent of Indian electricity is nuclear.
Clearly, nuclear electricity is not cheap or easy.
Contrary to popular public perception, Pakistan's power reactors also make no contribution to Pakistan's bombmaking capacity – the fissile material for these is produced elsewhere. Therefore there are multiple reasons why the search for more fission power must be shelved. Until nuclear fusion power becomes available after some decades, Pakistan, like other countries, must rely on a mix of oil, gas, hydro, coal, solar, wind, and other renewables.
The author is a nuclear physicist and holds a PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Hajj scam: Court extends Kazmi’s remand by 5 days
LAHORE: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday extended the physical remand of Former Religious Affairs Minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi by five days.
The Federal Investigation Agency presented Kazmi in the court after the expiration of his 5-day physical remand.
Earlier, the FIA had requested for a 14-day remand, but the court had given them custody for only five days.
Kazmi will now appear in court on March 26, 2011.
Talking to the media outside the court, Kazmi appealed to his supporters to refrain from resorting to violence and asked them to stage peaceful demonstrations.
Updated from print edition (below)
Let Kazmi go: Religious groups rally in support
Activists from several religious organisations staged a protest demonstration against the arrest of former federal minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi on Sunday.
The protesters sported placards and banners and chanted slogans against the FIA and in favour of Kazmi. The protesters included activists of Jamaat Ahl-i-Sunnat, Sunni Tehrik (ST), Anjuman Tulba Islam and Tanzimul Saeed. ST leader Nawaz Kharal said that Kazis arrest without any proof of alleged corruption was more than a political vendetta. ST president Mujahid Abdul Rasool Naqashbandi said a court has released Raymond Davis accused of double murder but no court is able to provide relief to an innocent Kazmi. He said that the parties would stage protests all over the country and demanded that all cases against Kazmi be withdrawn.
Qari Faisal Naqashbandi said that the government was putting an end to the democratic process by arresting politicians. He said that the FIA could find nothing against Kazmi after investigating him for five months. Naqashbandi said that if the government didn't release the former minister, it would be responsible for the consequences.
Moderate quake rattles Islamabad, Lahore
There were no reports of casualties or financial losses from any area, but the earthquake spread panic and a large number of people came out of their houses following the tremors.
The jolts were felt in Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Mansehra, Peshawar, Sargodha, Murree, Gilgit and adjoining areas. Tremors were felt at 2:49 pm, chief meteorologist Mohammad Riaz told AFP.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department, the epicentre was in Hindu Kush region, 300 kilometres away from Peshawar. The depth was reported to be 192 kilometres.
The US Geological Survey confirmed the earthquake and magnitude, adding that it struck at a depth of 184.6 kilometres.
The 7.6-magnitude earthquake on October 8, 2005 killed more than 73,000 people and left about 3.5 million homeless, mainly in Kashmir and parts of KhyberPakhtunkhwa.
WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM AFP
Qaddafi ouster a US policy not mission goal: Obama
though the US policy on Libya is to see Muammar Qaddafi removed from
power the US administration would stick to the mandate of UN Resolution
1973 which is aimed at protecting civilians.
At a news conference in the Chilean capital Santiago, Obama said the
military objective in Libya is to guard civilians from attacks, not oust
Qaddafi from power.
Obama's remarks made echoed the State Department's position as
articulated by spokesman Mark Toner.
We're trying to convince Qaddafi and his regime, and his associates that
they need to step down from power, Toner said. That remains our ultimate
goal here.
Libyan state television reported new attacks on several sites, including
Qaddafi's bastions, in Tripoli by the crusader enemy.
In Misrata, government forces continued to storm the rebel-held city
near Tripoli killing at least 40 people. The fighting comes as Tripoli
accused both coalition forces and the rebels of breaking a ceasefire,
which it had announced late Sunday.
In Washington, the Pentagon said Western strikes had crippled Qaddafi's
military might, but signalled it would keep Libyan rebels at arm's
length as it seeks to avoid getting mired in a messy civil conflict.
According to the US president, Nato will be involved in helping to
coordinate the next phase of action in Libya. The US expects some kind
of transfer of command within days, not weeks, he said.
Libyan rebels, meanwhile, said they aimed to capture Tripoli and force
out Qaddafi.
They welcomed the international action but said they did not want
foreign ground forces to intervene in the war.
In Paris, an armed forces spokesman said that France had deployed around
20 military aircraft over Libya on Monday, but had not carried out any
air strikes by late afternoon on Monday.
France's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier should be in place and ready
to participate in the operation in Libya from Tuesday.
In Tehran, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused
Washington of seeking a strategic foothold in oilrich Libya. If the West
wanted to help Libyan civilians, he said, it would arm them rather than
bomb Qaddafi.
Washington will soon reduce its participation in the coalition operation
in Tripoli, Russia's Interfax news agency cited US Defence Secretary
Robert Gates as saying. Gates also said it would be a mistake for the
coalition to set for itself
the goal of killing Qaddafi. I think it's pretty clear to everybody that
Libya would be better off without Qaddafi. But that is a matter for the
Libyans themselves to decide, Gates told Interfax news agency.
In Cairo, the Arab League on Monday reaffirmed its support for the
West-led Operation Odyssey Dawn. Europe remained divided however despite
a UN appeal for unity.
Political solution needed: Khar
Pakistan on Monday voiced serious concern over the loss of precious
human lives in Libya following military strikes and the enforcement of a
no-fly zone by Western powers.
A peaceful political solution needs to be evolved by the Libyan people
themselves in the spirit of mutual accommodation and national
reconciliation, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar
said in a statement released on Monday. Khar cautioned that reports of
civilian casualtiesâ were extremely
distressing and could have far-reaching implications about
interpretation and implementation of humanitarian principles.
She called for restraint to be shown by all sides.
About the plight of Pakistani expatriate workers in Libya, she said: Our
embassy in Tripoli and the special task force in the ministry of foreign
affairs are working round-the-clock to ensure the safety of our
nationals, she added.
More than 5,000 Pakistani nationals have been evacuated so far from the
strife-hit country.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Sheen adds 12 more dates to his live tour
The outspoken actor announced his first two live performances last week on his Twitter account. Those shows in Detroit and Chicago sold out quickly.
Earlier this week, Sheen added an additional five dates. He tacked on a dozen more late Thursday, including stops in Toronto, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Denver, San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia.
Sheen has not revealed the content of the show, other than to call it "the REAL story."
Tickets for the latest dates go on sale Saturday.
‘American Idol’ final 11
Eleven sent
No save tonight
Have a seat
Mirwaiz stresses for peaceful resolution of Kashmir dispute
According to Kashmir Media Service, veteran Hurriat leader said that New Delhi should engage Pakistan and the true leadership of Kashmiris for resolving the six-decade old dispute without wasting further time.
“Kashmiris should be accepted as principal party in talks and promises made with them by Indian leadership should be fulfilled,” he said.
The APHC Chairman said that India could not befool the international community about the Kashmiris’ struggle for right to self-determination by linking it with terrorism. He said that India was involved in state terrorism in the occupied territory where human rights were being trampled and youngsters were being implicated in false cases.
The Mirwaiz said that the occupation authorities were ruining the career of students by putting them behind the bars without any justification. “These arrests cannot suppress our just movement for securing the right to self-determination,” he stated.
The APHC Chairman, who recently participated in different conferences and seminars in the US, UK and Geneva, said that voices for resolving the dispute were echoing in every nook and corner of the world.
“Today we don’t need to brief the world about the Kashmir dispute. They are aware that our struggle is indigenous,” he maintained.
He said that happenings in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, and Yemen would have an impact on Kashmir. “The people of Middle East are fighting for their rights and the Kashmiris are also seeking right to self-determination in accordance with the promises made by Indian leaders,” he said.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Asian shares resume losses
HONG KONG: Asian stocks resumed their downward track Thursday as Japan”s nuclear crisis cast a shadow over trade while the yen soared to a post-War high against the dollar. In a bid to soothe investor concerns, the Bank of Japan pumped another six trillion yen ($73 billion) into the short-term money market while the seven richest nations prepared to hold talks on the impact on the world economy.
A day after shares regained some of their huge losses of Monday and Tuesday, dealers were back in selling mood as they eyed events in Japan while the US warned citizens living within 50 miles (80 kilometres) of the crippled Japanese Fukushima nuclear plant to evacuate.
The exclusion zone given by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) was wider than the 20 kilometres ordered by Japan and rang alarm bells with investors.
Tokyo slipped 2.37 percent in the afternoon, but was slightly up from earlier trade when it sunk more than four percent. The index, and especially exporters, was helped by an easing of the yen to 78.94 against the dollar after it surged to 76.52 in earlier trade, its highest since the end of World War Two.
The euro traded at 109.89 yen, compared with 112.89 in late Asian trade on Wednesday.
Dealers said the yen”s sharp rise might be at least partly due to Japanese companies repatriating funds to pay for reconstruction.
Finance chiefs from the G7 rich nations were set to hold telephone talks on the crisis on Friday Tokyo time, as market talk grew that Tokyo might be preparing measures to rein in the soaring yen.
“There is intensifying market speculation the Bank of Japan will soon intervene to cap support of the yen,” said NAB Capital analyst David de Garis.
Hong Kong fell 1.79 percent by the break, Sydney lost 0.10 percent and Seoul slid 0.66 percent. Shanghai was 0.51 percent off, with nuclear energy firms hit by news that China”s government had suspended approval of new projects in response to the Japan crisis.
Regional shares had rebounded on Wednesday after heavy selling on Monday and Tuesday caused by the deepening atomic crisis in Japan following Friday”s record earthquake and resulting tsunami. (AFP)
Oil down in Asia on Japan worries
SINGAPORE: World oil prices dipped in Asian trade Thursday as worries over Japan”s nuclear crisis outweighed unrest in the Middle East, analysts said. New York”s main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in April, lost 37 cents to $97.61 per barrel while Brent North Sea crude for May was down 53 cents to $110.07.
“Uncertainties about radiation causes risk aversion among investors so we”re seeing crude falling,” said Victor Shum, senior principal for Purvin and Gertz international energy consultants in Singapore.
“The equities market in Japan is also falling as a result of the nuclear crisis, which appears to be worsening. Japanese shares dipped more than four percent in early trade Thursday as the yen hit its highest level against the dollar since World War II and workers at the quake-stricken nuclear plant scrambled to avoid an atomic catastrophe.
On Thursday, Japanese military helicopters dumped water from huge buckets onto the stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant in a bid to douse fuel rods, television images showed.
Traders fear the disaster could affect crude consumption in Japan, the world”s third largest economy and the third largest oil-consuming country.
Oil traders were also monitoring the spread of unrest in the Middle East. (AFP)
Raymond Davis saga: US ambassador thanks victims’ families

FAISALABAD: US Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter has thanked the families of the victims for pardoning Raymond Davis.
In a written statement posted on the website of the US embassy in Islamabad he said that he was grateful for the generosity of the families.
He also expressed sorrow and regret for the incident and the suffering it had caused and confirmed that the Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the incident.
The US ambassador expressed respect for Pakistan and its People and thanked them for their commitment to building a relationship between the two countries.
Munter also reaffirmed commitment of the American people to work with Pakistan in a way that would benefit both countries.
Protests begin against Davis acquittal
Protests have started in Lahore, Faisalabad and Toba Tek Singh against the acquittal of Raymond Davis on Wednesday.
Scores of people in Faisalabad burned tires and chanted slogans against Davis claiming that the US had lots of pressure on the government for the release of Davis.
Similar protests were taken out at Ghanta Chowk and in Toba Tek Singh where religious parties demonstrated against the acquittal on the Jhang-Shorkot Road. Protests were also witnessed around the Lahore Press Club.
Earlier today, Davis, the accused in the double-murder case in Lahore has been released, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah confirmed. The Punjab government claims it played no part in the release of Davis.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Defamation charges: Mirza files privilege motion against Jang Group
KARACHI:
Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Ali Mirza submitted a privilege motion against the English and Urdu dailies of Jang Group, The News and Daily Jang for publishing a news story titled âMirza to be shown the door in 12 daysâ.
In his resolution, Mirza said that âThe report gives credit to the delay in my removal to my wife, Dr Fehmida Mirza, who is the speaker of the national assembly and has repeatedly said that my immediate removal would be insulting for our family.â
He said that the report has defamed him and his family and breached his privilege as a member of the assembly. âI hold the publisher of the newspapers and the editor of the news desk accountable for this breach of my privilege and request that they be summoned to the Standing Committee of the Sindh Assembly on Rules and Privileges to disclose the sources,â he maintained.
In a very emotional speech, Mirza said that Jang Group had started a campaign against him after he refused to give incentives to the publisher.
âHe sent me a request through a reporter of his group asking if I could help him in the allotment of a plot worth Rs200 million, but I refused. Later, the anchors and reporters of his television channel and newspapers launched a campaign against me,â he said.
He said that the owner of Jang Group evaded taxes, and was using different tactics to blackmail the government. During Mirzaâs speech, members of the PPP thumped their desks chanting âshame, shameâ.
Warning the owner of Jang Group, Mirza said, âIf he does not stop publishing fabricated stories against me and other party leaders, than I will disclose the secrets of the publisher from the time he was studying at Saint Patrickâs School,â he said.
He further said, âThere are reports that I am an incompetent minister, but I want to clarify here that I would prefer to work as a worker of the party and will step down in a second, if asked to do so. I donât belong to the Makhdooms of Multan who stick to their portfolios,â
he said.
Monday, March 14, 2011
10 Best Intelligence Agencies in the World
10. ASIS – Australia
| Formed | 13 May 1952 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia |
| Annual budget | $162.5m AUD (2007) |
| Minister responsible | The Hon. Stephen Smith MP, Minister for Foreign Affairs |
| Agency executive | Nick Warner, Director-General |
9. RAW – India
| Formed | 21 September 1968 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | New Delhi, India |
| Agency executive | K. C. Verma, Secretary (R) |
| Parent agency | Prime Minister’s Office, GoI |
8. DGSE – France
| Formed | April 2, 1982 |
|---|---|
| Preceding agency | External Documentation and Counter-Espionage Service |
| Minister responsible | Hervé Morin, Minister of Defence |
|---|---|
| Agency executive | Erard Corbin de Mangoux, Director |
7. FSB – Russia
| Formed | 3 April, 1995 |
|---|---|
| Employees | 350,000 |
| Headquarters | Lubyanka Square |
| Preceding agency | KGB |
6. BND – Germany
| Formed | 1 April 1956 |
|---|---|
| Employees | 6,050 |
| Agency executive | Gehlen Organization |
| Parent agency | Central Intelligence Group |
5. MSS – China
| Jurisdiction | People’s Republic of China |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Beijing |
| Agency executive | Geng Huichang, Minister of State Security |
| Parent agency | State Council |
4. CIA – America
| Formed | September 18, 1947 |
|---|---|
| Employees | 20,000 |
| Agency executive | Leon Panetta, Director |
| Parent agency | Central Intelligence Group |
3. M1-6 – United Kingdom
| Formed | 1909 as the Secret Service Bureau |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | Government of the United Kingdom |
| Headquarters | Vauxhall Cross, London |
| Minister responsible | The Rt Hon. William Hague MP, Foreign Secretary |
| Agency executive | Sir John Sawers KCMG, Director General |
| Parent agency | Foreign and Commonwealth Office |
2. Mossad – Israel
| Formed | December 13, 1949 as the Central Institute for Coordination |
|---|---|
| Employees | 1,200 (est) |
| Agency executive | Meir Dagan, Director |
| Parent agency | Office of the Prime Minister |
1. ISI – Pakistan
| Formed | 1948 |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | Government of Pakistan |
| Headquarters | Islamabad, Pakistan |
| Agency executive | Lieutenant General Ahmad Shuja Pasha, PA Director General |
With the lengthiest track record of success, the best know Intelligence so far on the scale of records is ISI. The Inter-Services Intelligence was created as an independent unit in 1948 in order to strengthen the performance of Pakistan’s Military Intelligence during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. Its success in achieving its goal without leading to a full scale invasion of Pakistan by the Soviets is a feat unmatched by any other through out the intelligence world. KGB, The best of its time, failed to counter ISI and protect Soviet interests in Central Asia. This GOLD MEDAL makes it rank higher than Mossad. It has had 0 double agents or Defectors through out its history, considering that in light of the whole war campaign it carried out from money earned by selling drugs bought from the very people it was bleeding, The Soviets. It has protected its Nuclear Weapons since formed and it has foiled Indian attempts to attain ultimate supremacy in the South-Asian theatres through internal destabilization of India. It is above All laws in its host country Pakistan ‘A State, with in a State’. Its policies are made ‘outside’ of all other institutions with the exception of The Army. Its personnel have never been caught on camera. Its is believed to have the highest number of agents worldwide, close to 10,000. The most striking thing is that its one of the least funded Intelligence agency out of the top 10 and still the strongest. Mending fences: Malik meets Altaf Hussain
In the London meeting, the MQM side comprised members of the Coordination Committee which included Muhammad Anwar, Tariq Mir, Anees Qaim Khani and Qasim Ali Raza. They apprised the interior minister of their party’s reservations.
Malik assured Altaf Hussain of conveying the details of the briefing to the president “as soon as he landed in Pakistan”. He said that the MQM was a “logical ally” of the government and it has proved itself to be a reliable companion during testing times.
During the meeting which lasted well over three hours, Rehman Malik gave a briefing over the domestic situation, the situation in Balochistan, the assassination of Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer and minorities affairs minister Shahbaz Bhatti, party sources said.
Rehman Malik is also reported to have told Altaf Hussain that the government was devising a “scientific strategy” to curb kidnapping for ransom and extortion in Sindh, especially Karachi.
Altaf Hussain lauded Malik for his role as a mediator and said that he personally respected him. Hussein also hoped that Malik would be able to use his skills in addressing MQM’s reservations.
Altaf Hussain also expressed his gratitude to Malik for calling upon him despite knowing that he was observing his father’s death anniversary. On the occasion, the meeting also offered prayers for Altaf Hussain’s father Nazeer Hussain.
In a related development, according to a statement issued Sunday, the MQM Rabita Committee urged the president and the prime minister to take notice of the murder of two of MQM’s activists in two days by the terrorists and end official patronage of the terrorists of the gang war.
Accusing a terrorist gang of holding the entire city hostage at gunpoint, the committee members said that insecurity was “so pervasive that no one, including traders, businessmen or shopkeepers, were immune from extortionists”.
On Sunday, an MQM activist was gunned down in Block 3 of Gulistan-e-Jauhar. The incident occurred near Kamran Chorangi where the victim identified was Umair Ali, 25. Station Head Officer Asif Jalhrani confirmed that the victim was an MQM worker.The body was later shifted to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for legal formalities.
Japanese Stocks Plunge as Investors Worry
The Nikkei 225 index was down 6.2 percent not long after the midday break in Tokyo, accelerating the morning’s slide after an explosion rocked one of the earthquake-stricken nuclear plants in the north-east of the country.
The broader Topix, or Tokyo Stock Price index, was down 6.8 percent.
Industrial, manufacturing and financial stocks were particularly hurt, amid huge uncertainty over the extent of the damage and continuing aftershocks as well as the systematic rolling blackouts that began Monday and their effect on production.
With many car factories closed on Monday, Mitsubishi Motors plummeted 9.1 percent, Nissan was down 8.5 percent and Toyota fell 7.3 percent.
Sony slumped 7.7 percent, Canon dropped 5.8 percent and Panasonic was down 6.9 percent. Toshiba plummeted 16.3 percent and Hitachi by 15.2 percent.
The country’s main banks also slumped badly, with Mizuho Financial Group down 9.6 percent. Mitsubishi UFJ Group slumped 6.7 and SMFG 5.9 percent.
Construction companies, by contrast, soared on expectations of the massive reconstruction that will be needed in the quake-stricken areas. Hazama Corp. and Kumagai Gumi, for example, jumped more than 40 percent, while many others in the sectors saw gains of well over 10 percent.
The country’s central bank, meanwhile, offered to pump a record 15 trillion yen, or $183.8 billion, of extra liquidity into the banking system in a bid to help stabilize markets, Reuters reported.
The Bank of Japan holds its monetary policy meeting later Monday. With interest rates in Japan already near zero, it cannot lower rates further to help support the economy, though it could announce additional asset purchase steps, credit programs and lending facilities, economists said.
The policy meeting, which normally is held over two days, has been shortened to one day because of the quake.
“Humanitarian issues aside, preliminary estimates of the economic impact of the disaster remain perhaps surprisingly low, on the order of tens of billions of U.S. dollars rather than hundreds of billions. By comparison, recall the U.S. Congress set aside $750 billion of TARP funds to prevent financial sector turmoil there in early 2009,” economists at DBS in Singapore said in a note on Monday. “Much of the damage will plainly come in the form of lost property and infrastructure, with insurance companies and re-insurance companies shouldering most of the burden. Government borrowing is sure to rise.”
The costs of rebuilding and cleanup will put additional pressure on government finances in a country that is already highly indebted, further tying the hands of policy makers who have been struggling to revive an economy bogged down by deflation. The quake struck just as the economy was starting to register growth again, and has raised fears that the tentative recovery will at least be delayed.
The Japanese yen, meanwhile, was volatile on Monday, first strengthening against the dollar and then weakening after the Bank of Japan injected liquidity into the money markets. The yen last traded at 82.06 yen, compared to 81.84 in New York late Friday.
Despite its slump Monday, the Japanese currency remained stronger than it had been before the quake struck on Friday, as Japanese repatriated overseas investments to help pay for rebuilding.
And analysts said the yen could well rise even more, adding to the pain felt by Japanese exporters, as a strong yen makes Japanese goods more expensive overseas, which could hurt the export-dependent economy as a whole.
“The strong yen bias could be enhanced by the negative effect on the Japanese economy, reduced tolerance for risk and the repatriation of funds in the wake of the earthquake,” strategists at Nomura said in a note Monday.
Elsewhere in the region, the reaction was relatively muted. The Kospi in South Korea fell 0.7 percent, the Taiex in Taiwan dropped 1.1 percent, and the key index in Australia was down 0.9 percent. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index sagged 0.4 percent, while the Straits Times index in Singapore slipped 0.5 percent.


























