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Friday, June 12, 2009 , SRINAGAR: India is to phase out the controversial presence of large numbers of its troops in towns across the held Kashmir, Indian home minister announced Friday. The announcement comes amid sustained protests over last month's rape and murder of two local Muslim women by members of the Indian security forces.Home Minister P. Chidambaran told a news conference in Srinagar, where he has been conducting an urgent review of the security situation, that the army should carry out counter-insurgency operations "far away from towns and cities." "In the inhabited areas we believe maintaining law and order is the primary responsibility of the state police," he told reporters. He did not give a timetable for the redeployment of troops, but said: "It will take some time. That is the direction in which we have agreed to move and we will move."

Friday, June 12, 2009 WASHINGTON: The CIA believes Osama bin Laden is still in Pakistan, and the spy agency is hoping to close in on him as that country's military cracks down on the northwestern tribal area where he is thought to be hiding.CIA Director Leon Panetta told reporters after a speech in Congress on Thursday that finding bin Laden remains one of the CIA's top priorities. ``I guess one of our hopes is that as Pakistani military moves in, combined with our operations, we may have a better chance to get at him,'' Panetta said.The CIA has increased the number of officers and recruited agents, or locals who provide information, in Pakistan, Panetta said. ``We have a number of people who are on the ground in Pakistan who are helping us provide targets and who are helping us provide the information that we really need to go after al-Qaida,'' he said. In Islamabad, a spokesman for President Asif Ai Zardari rejected Panetta's claim and challenged the CIA t...

Friday, June 12, 2009 TEHRAN: Iran began voting on Friday for a new president after a fiery campaign, which has seen moderate ex-premier Mir Hossein Mousavi emerge as the main challenger to incumbent hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad."Polling started nationwide at 8:00 am (0330GMT). It is on schedule. It is going to last until 6:00 pm (1330 GMT)," the interior ministry, which is in charge of organising the election, said in a statement. Polls, however, may remain open until midnight depending on turnout among the 46-million-strong electorate. Results are expected within 24 hours after voting ends.The country's 10th presidential election since the 1979 revolution is a close two-horse race with passions running high after three weeks of mass rallies, stormy television debates and vicious mudslinging. While Ahmadinejad, 52, is battling for a second four-year term in office, Mousavi, 67, is seeking to make a comeback after two decades in the political wilderness. The election ca...

Friday, June 12, 2009 TEHRAN: Iran began voting on Friday to elect a new president in a tight race, which has pitched moderate former premier Mir Hossein Mousavi as the main challenger to incumbent hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Friday, June 12, 2009 WASHINGTON: The US envoy on North Korea voiced hope for a diplomatic solution with the communist state and predicted it would eventually return to the table despite an escalating nuclear showdown. Special envoy Stephen Bosworth said the United States was committed to diplomacy even as the UN Security Council moved to expand sanctions on impoverished North Korea over its nuclear test last month. Bosworth told a Senate hearing that the United States was using a variety of tools with North Korea, ranging from sanctions to diplomatic engagement -- "if North Korea shows seriousness of purpose." "The United States and our allies and partners in the region will need to take the necessary steps to assure our security in the face of this growing threat," Bosworth told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. But he added: "In the interest of all concerned, we very much hope that North Korea will choose the path of diplomacy rather than confrontatio...

Friday, June 12, 2009 WASHINGTON: American officials say they are seeing the first evidence that dozens of fighters with Al Qaeda, and a small handful of the terrorist group’s leaders, are moving to Somalia and Yemen from their principal haven in Pakistan’s tribal areas, US paper said in a report. In communications that are being watched carefully at the Pentagon, the White House and the Central Intelligence Agency, the terrorist groups in all three locations are now communicating more frequently, and apparently trying to coordinate their actions, the officials said. The shift of fighters is still small, perhaps a few dozen, and there is no evidence that the top leaders Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri are considering a move from their refuge in the Pakistani tribal areas, according to more than half a dozen senior administration, military and counterterrorism officials interviewed in recent days. Leon E. Panetta, the C.I.A. director, said in remarks here on Thursday that the Unit...

Friday, June 12, 2009 WASHINGTON: Violent unrest surged to new highs in Afghanistan in May and there are "tough months ahead" even as US reinforcements flow in, the commander of US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan warned Thursday. "The past week was the highest level of security incidents in Afghanistan's post-liberation history," General David Petraeus said in a speech here, referring to the Taliban's ouster from power in late 2001. Figures for incidents in Afghanistan for the first week of June were not immediately available.From January to May, insurgent attacks in Afghanistan were up by 59 percent from the same period a year earlier, NATO data show. "There is no question that the situation has deteriorated over the course of the past two years and that there are difficult times ahead," said Petraeus, who heads the US Central Command. "There are some tough months ahead," he added, saying that the levels of violence would rise in part ...

Friday, June 12, 2009 ROME: Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has lashed out at the United States by likening the 1986 U.S. Strikes on Libya to Osama bin Laden's terror attacks on the United States in 2001. He was speaking Thursday in Rome, where he is on a three-day official visit. In a speech to Italian lawmakers, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi urged the world to understand the reasons that motivate terrorists. He called for dialogue with terrorists, saying, "One must talk to the devil, if it brings about a solution."While condemning al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden, he implied there was little difference between bin Laden's terror attacks and the U.S. strike on Tripoli and Benghazi in 1986. He added that the West should not interfere in the governments chosen by other countries.The United States ordered airs strikes on Tripoli and Benghazi after an attack on a disco in Germany killed three people, including two U.S. servicemen. Gaddafi, who came to power following a 1969 c...

Friday, June 12, 2009 GENEVA: The World Health Organization raised the swine flu alert Thursday to its highest level, saying the H1N1 virus has spread to enough countries to be considered a global pandemic.Increasing the alert to Phase 6 does not mean that the disease is deadlier or more dangerous than before, just that it has spread to more countries, the WHO said."This is an important and challenging day for all of us," WHO Director General Margaret Chan said in a briefing with reporters. "We are moving into the early days of the first flu pandemic of the 21st century."The last previous pandemic occurred in 1968. As of Thursday, the virus had spread to 74 countries, the health agency said. There were 28,774 confirmed cases and 144 deaths. The United States had 13,217 cases and 27 deaths, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said June 5 in its weekly update. Cases have been reported in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The U.S. deat...

Friday, June 12, 2009 MADRID: Spain said on Thursday that the number of schools in the Madrid region hit by swine flu has reached 22, with 139 children infected, as the World Health Organisation in Geneva declared a pandemic. The children are among 488 people confirmed to have contracted the A(H1N1) virus throughout the country, the health ministry reported. Most of the children infected in Madrid are at the Isaac Albeniz secondary school in the suburban town of Leganes.Local authorities said on June 1 they believe the outbreak began with a girl at the school who apparently picked up the disease during a visit to the United States. Since then, other schools in the town and in the capital itself have confirmed cases of the disease. The total is up from 18 schools and 122 children reported by the ministry on Wednesday.Health Minister Trinidad Jimenez also appealed for "calm" after the WHO said the crisis has escalated into the world's first influenza pandemic in 40 years, i...

12/06/2009/Monday,LAHORE: The former Pakistani Cricket Board (PCB) Chief Selector Abdul Qadir Friday said if he had been completely authorized, he would have expelled Shoaib Malik from the national team.Addressing a press conference here, he said the PCB neglected the selectors while selecting the team, on which he resigned.The former leg spinner said he accepted the office of chief selector to serve the national cricket, adding he tabled several plans to the board; however, he was not allowed to work freely; thereupon, he preferred to give resignation.He said all the powers even regarding the selections have been given to coach and captain overlooking the selectors.Abdul Qadir said he spotted the clash between Younis Khan and Shoaib Malik during Abu Dhabi series; had he been authorized, he would have dropped down both the players.He said he is not willing to work with the PCB even if the board gives him ten million rupees.Lashing out at the PCB Governing Board member Shakeel Sheikh, ...

Friday, June 12, 2009 LONDON: British number one Andy Murray cruised into the quarterfinals of the Aegon Championships with a 6-4 6-4 win over Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.Top seed Murray took just over an hour to dispose of the world number 52 and will next play Mardy Fish after the American beat Feliciano Lopez 6-1 6-4. Andy Roddick beat Lleyton Hewitt 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-4) and now faces Ivo Karlovic in a repeat of the 2005 final. Sixth seed Blake battled to a 6-4 4-6 6-3 victory over fellow American Sam Querrey and will now play either Russia's Mikhail Youzhny or French third seed Gilles Simon. Former French Open champion Ferrero moved into the last eight with a 6-4 7-6 (7-4) victory over Belgian qualifier Xavier Malisse. Ferrero takes on Steve Darcis after the Belgian was handed a walk-over following Gael Monfils's withdrawal with a wrist injury on Wednesday.

Friday, June 12, 2009 LONDON: Pakistan would take on Sri Lanka in its first match of Super Eights stage of Twenty20 World Cup today at 6:30 PST from Trent Bridge, Nottingham. In another match of the day, defending champion India will face West Indies at 10:30 PST.Pakistan is in group ‘F’ of Super Eights along with Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Ireland.

Friday, June 12, 2009 LONDON: The stunning all-rounder of Pakistan cricket team Abdul Razzaq early on Friday departed to London from Lahore airport to participate in the ICC Twenty20 World Cup replacing unfit all-rounder Yasir Arafat, Geo news reported.Talking to media persons at Allama Iqbal airport before departure, Razzaq said, “I will make all-out efforts, giving hundred percent, to hand Pakistan World T20 cup”.His chances of inclusion in national team to play against Sri Lanka today are bleak, sources said.

Friday, June 12, 2009 NOTTINGHAM: South Africa unleashed their awesome bowling power to inflict a morale-sapping defeat on England by seven wickets in the World Twenty20 Super Eights on Thursday.Left-arm seamer Wayne Parnell grabbed three wickets as England were shot out for 111 after Paul Collingwood elected to take first strike in good batting conditions at Trent Bridge.The Proteas strolled their way towards surpassing the modest target, winning the game in the 19th over in front of a sell-out crowd of 18,000 to earn their first points in the second round.England claimed South African captain Graeme Smith in the fourth over, caught behind off Stuart Broad, before Jacques Kallis and Herschelle Gibbs dug in to put on 74 for the second wicket.Gibbs made run-a-ball 30 before he was bowled by off-spinner Graeme Smith, leaving Kallis to complete the formalities with 57 not out.Owais Shah was the lone Englishman to withstand the Proteas' onslaught with 38 off 33 balls after four of the...

Swine influenza (also swine flu, hog flu, and pig flu refers to influenza caused by any strain of the influenza virus in (swine). What is Influenza? The influenza virus is a contagious respiratory illness. It can cause mild to severe sickness and in rare instances can lead to death. While most healthy people recover from the flu without complications, some people, such as older people, young children and people with certain health conditions, are at high risk for serious complications from the flu. What is Swine Flu? Swine flu is caused by the influenza virus and there have been frequent outbreaks of swine flu amongst pigs, where the disease has resulted in a high rate of infection. Recently, a new strain of the H1N1 (swine flu) virus has developed that is much more easily transmissible between humans. Confirmed first in Mexico, swine flu is spreading rapidly around the world, with the World Health Organisation warning options are limited to contain the spread of the virus. There are...