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ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said that there is clear evidence of Indian involvement in Balochistan and that New Delhi should not be pointing fingers at Islamabad. The interior minister said that India must be prepared to come to the table and discuss their concerns. He added that Pakistan is well aware of the Indian involvement in Balochistan and if given the opportunity, they will present officials in New Delhi with concrete evidence. He was responding to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s statements, when the federal minister warned that India should not hurl accusations at Pakistan as it is fighting a war on terror and is also holding trials of the Mumbai attack suspects. He said that India should respect Pakistan’s judicial system. Condemning the twin bombings at the International Islamic University in Islamabad yesterday, the federal interior minister stressed that militants are now aiming to create panic in the country and that innocent civilians are being

SEOUL: The United States will never accept a nuclear-armed North Korea, Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned Wednesday, saying its atomic and missile programmes pose a "lethal and destabilising" threat. "There should be no mistaking that we do not today, nor will we ever, accept a North Korea with nuclear weapons," Gates told US and South Korean soldiers as he began a visit to Seoul. "The peril posed by the North Korean regime remains, and in many ways has become even more lethal and destabilising," he said in a speech.Gates said Washington would work with international partners to ensure the North abandons its nuclear weapons programme, and would bolster its regional allies against the threat from Pyongyang.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 LONDON: As a founding member of the rock band Queen, Brian May has played guitar on some of the most memorable music tracks of modern times, he's played legendary shows at some of the world's greatest venues. This event, however, is taking place inside a barn in the Oxfordshire village of Hinton Waldrist.Brian May, Co-Author, A Village Lost and Found said, "This isn't one of the biggest gigs I've ever played, but I have to say it's one of the more exciting ones."The reason is that this launch for his new book, 'A Village Lost and Found', marks the realization of a lifelong passion for 3D photography. It began with the discovery of what's called a stereoscopic card inside a box of Weetabix cereal when he was a child.He said, "So you get your little steroscope, you put your card in and suddenly the magic happens. Instead of two flat images you get a single stereoscopic 3D image, which you seem to be able to walk

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 NAIROBI: Up to 13 people have been confirmed dead in Kenya on Wednesday after a five-storey building under construction collapsed, trapping workers under piles of rubble on Monday in Kiambu town, 20 km northeast of the capital Nairobi.Kenya Red Cross and the National Youth Service personnel have been trying to clear the rubble with limited resources while onlookers crowd around the site."By 12:30, we had retrieved 13 bodies...that one I'm repeating so that you don't ask me another time, there are some people who have been reported missing; that is 14 people," said Paul Muchai, Assistant Director National Youth Service.The planned five-storey shopping complex caved in when construction workers were still inside. There has been no official confirmation on how many were inside when the building collapsed and the number of people trapped is also not clear.Chances of finding anymore survivors have dwindled since the last time rescuers communicat

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 SILVER SPRING: In a bold effort to end all forms of violence against women and girls around the world, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is co-sponsoring a petition that seeks 1 million signatures from 200 countries and territories, as part of a global initiative launched recently called enditnow, whose main goal is to stop oppressive practices aimed at the female gender. "This petition is an important first step in this campaign because it shows that people from around the world are taking a stand to say that violence against women is no longer acceptable in any of its forms," said Hearly Mayr, director for Public Awareness at ADRA International, and a petition organizer. The petition has found growing support internationally. Hundreds of people from more than 70 countries have already signed the written and online petition in the initial days of the enditnow campaign. Signatures will be presented to the United Nations to draw att

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait's highest court granted women the right to obtain a passport without their husband's approval, the case's lawyer said Wednesday, in the latest stride for women's rights in this small oil-rich emirate.Unlike with highly conservative neighbors like Saudi Arabia, women in Kuwait can vote, serve in parliament and drive — and now can obtain their own passports.In many countries in the region, women cannot travel or obtain a passport without the consent of their male guardian.Attorney Adel Qurban, whose case the court was ruling on, said the landmark decision "freed" Kuwaiti women from the 1962 law requiring their husband's signature to obtain a passport.His client, Fatima al-Baghli, is one of thousands of women who have been petitioning courts for this right.The court found the article in the decades-old law "unconstitutional" because it goes against the principle of equal rights for men and women."

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 DUBAI: A Sudanese cargo plane with six people on board crashed at Sharjah Airport on Wednesday afternoon.The plane was taking off from the north runway, when it crashed to the ground two miles from the airport, Sheikh Khalid Al Qasimi, director of civil aviation, told Arabian Business.None of the six crew have been found. The accident happened at around 3.30pm.Al Qasimi added that a full investigation would be launched into the crash, but declined to comment further. The name of the airline involved was not disclosed.In 2004, an Iranian plane crashed near Sharjah airport killing at least 43 people.The Kish Airlines flight was coming in to land when reports it took a nosedive after asking for an emergency landing.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 LIPPE: A 41-year-old robbery suspect in Germany made efficient use of his time - while on his way to the police station to be questioned over one robbery; he stopped to rob another shop. 'It was a case of "just nipping out to do a bit of thieving before being interrogated for shoplifting",' police in the western region of Lippe said on Tuesday. The man's cunning plan was only uncovered when police investigating that morning's supermarket robbery in the town of Blomberg - for which they had detailed descriptions of two thieves and their getaway car - were surprised to find a man closely matching the description waiting in the reception of their police station. The man was there to be interrogated over a previous shoplifting incident. Outside, police said they found his accomplice sitting with the stolen goods in a car with the matching number plate. The man now faces a second set of charges.

, October 21, 2009 WEST BANK: Bodyguards subdued a Palestinian man Tuesday as he approached Middle East envoy Tony Blair, shouting "You are a terrorist." The former British prime minister was verbally assailed while visiting an ancient mosque during an official trip to the West Bank city of Hebron.The protester, carrying a bag, was backed into a corner by guards who tried to shut him up. "He is not welcome in the land of Palestine," the struggling man shouted.Blair, 56, is envoy for the "Quartet" of powers on the Middle East, comprising the European Union, the United States, Russia and the United Nations.He gave a tight-lipped smile and a pacifying wave in the general direction of the shouting man, and afterwards played down the incident as a "protest and that's fair enough," but not one that should be viewed as typical of local feelings.Most Palestinians and Israelis want the conflict "resolved in a peaceful way," he said. They und

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 SYDNEY: Premier Anna Bligh says the firefighters job in central Queensland is far from over.She says it is incredible no homes were lost from a large bushfire in Rockhampton yesterday.Firefighters saved about 100 homes in the suburb of Norman Gardens in Rockhampton's northern outskirts from the Mount Archer blaze. A house in nearby Lakes Creek was destroyed by the blaze on Saturday.Local MPs Robert Schwarten and Paul Hoolihan joined Ms Bligh on a tour of the affected suburbs this morning. Ms Bligh has thanked firefighters."When you see how close these fires have come to people's homes and you realise that in some 22,000 deployments of firefighting staff in 3,800 vegetation fires over the last four weeks - and there's only been two houses lost - then I think you can see the incredible effort our people are putting in on the ground," she said.People were out walking and returning to their normal routines today, but the hill behind Norman

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 MANILA: The Philippines prepared for the onslaught of a powerful typhoon Wednesday as it struggled to recover from the damage left by two deadly storms in the past month, officials said. The government weather station said Typhoon Lupit's advance had slowed, and that it was now likely to hit the country's north on Friday, a day later than forecast. Lupit will then cross the tip of the main island of Luzon before blowing out to the South China Sea over the weekend, it said. Rescue and relief units and supplies have already been positioned in parts of the northern Philippines, which are expected to bear the brunt of the typhoon.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 KABUL: President Hamid Karzai's chief political rival is agreeing to run in the Nov. 7 run-off election and says he'll be ready. Abdullah Abdullah told reporters Wednesday that he telephoned Karzai to thank him for agreeing to a second round ballot. It was Abdulllah's first public comment since Karzai bowed to U.S. and international pressure and accepted findings of a U.N.-backed panel that there had been massive fraud on his behalf in the Aug. 20 vote. Those findings showed Karzai failed to win the 50 percent required to avoid a run-off.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 SEOUL: Senior military officials from South Korea and the United States on Wednesday kicked off their annual security talks, which are expected to focus on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) issues and the alliance between the two nations, local media reported. The Military Committee Meeting (MCM), which brought South Korean Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Lee Sang-eui and his US counterpart, Adm. Michael Mullen together, came as a prelude to the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) due on Thursday in Seoul between the two nations' defence ministers. A senior South Korean defence official told local media on condition of anonymity that the two sides will share the latest assessment of the DPRK's military activities and discuss practical measures to strengthen their alliance to deal with the DPRK's threat. However, local media expected that the US side will likely urge Seoul to support its operations in war-torn Afghanistan

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 :: Moscow's Mayor Yir Luzhkov, plans to stop the skies over Russia's capital city from snowing this winter. Luzhkov plans to use the Russian Air Force to spray liquid nitrogen, silver or cement particles into the sky, forcing snow-filled clouds to lose precipitation before settling over Moscow, according to media reports. The mayor says that the plan will help the city's suburbs by producing more moisture in the areas surrounding the city, allowing for a bigger harvest. The plan will also save the metropolis money because, according to Luzhkov, the city will save the $12 million it pays every year on snow removal. The plan itself would cost about $6 million.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 SYDNEY: Australia on Wednesday flagged moves to bring military operations in Afghanistan to a quick end, despite US and NATO calls for more troops to shore up the campaign against a resurgent Taliban militia.Defence Minister John Faulkner said Australia was studying how to complete the mission in the "shortest time-frame possible". Australia has about 1,550 troops in Afghanistan with no date set for their withdrawal."I've certainly asked the Australian Defence Force for any recommendations they have about ensuring we do complete that important role and responsibility both effectively, but in the shortest time-frame possible," he told media.Faulkner admitted Australia's move would affect the push by General Stanley McChrystal, the top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, for an Iraq-style troop "surge" against the increasingly powerful Taliban militia."I've been discussing these issues with the chief of the Defe

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 NEW DELHI: An express train ploughed into the back of another in northern India early Wednesday, killing up to 15 people and leaving up to 50 trapped in the wreckage, television channels reported. The local channel, quoting a local senior superintendent of police, said 15 bodies had been pulled from the site of the crash on tracks outside the town of Mathura, 150 kilometers (93 miles) south of New Delhi. Vijay Kumar, another senior police official in the nearby town of Agra, home to the Taj Mahal, told the channel that the crash happened at 5:30 am local time (0000 GMT), but declined to give figures for dead or injured. He said the Goa Express had run into the back of a stationary train outside Mathura station. Rescuers were using mechanical cutters to cut through the bars on the windows of the badly crushed last carriage of the stationary train to reach people feared trapped inside. The news channel put the death toll at 10-12, with 40-50 feared trapped.

Updated at: 0737 PST, Wednesday, October 21, 2009 WASHINGTON: The US Congress on Tuesday gave President Barack Obama the green light to bring Guantanamo Bay detainees to US soil for trial, in a boost to his efforts to close the notorious facility. The legislation, part of a 42.7-billion-dollar bill to fund the US Department of Homeland Security in 2010, cleared the Senate 79-19 after sailing through the House of Representatives last week. Obama vowed on his second day in office to shutter the facility, a magnet for global criticism of US tactics in the "war on terrorism," by January 22, though White House aides say they face an uphill fight to keep that promise. Of the roughly 220 people still held at the controversial prison camp, which then-president George W. Bush opened in January 2002, about 80 are waiting to be released and a further 60 are expected to be prosecuted. The legislation forbids the release of detainees at the US naval base in Cuba onto US soil -- including

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council on Tuesday condemned a suicide attack in Iran at the weekend targeting top commanders of the elite Revolutionary Guards."The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the deadly terrorist attack that occurred in the border city of Pishin in Iran on 18 October 2009, causing at least 57 deaths and 150 injuries," said Le Luong Minh, ambassador for Vietnam, which holds the rotating presidency of the council this month. Iranian officials have blamed Sunday's attack on Sunni militant rebel leader Abdolmalek Rigi, whose Jundallah (Soldiers of God) group has for years been waging war against Iran's Shiite rulers. Iran turned up the heat on Pakistan on Tuesday, saying the Jundallah rebels are based on its territory.

Updated at: 0311 PST, Wednesday, October 21, 2009 WASHINGTON: The Supreme Court Tuesday agreed to hear a plea for freedom from Chinese Muslim Uighurs held in Guantanamo Bay despite being cleared of all charges, who argue they should be released in the United States. The drawn-out case comes after a federal judge last year ordered that the men should be released onto US soil where families from the large Uighur community are willing to host them.But that decision was overturned on appeal, pushing their lawyers to turn to the Supreme Court in a bid to free the 13 men, who hail from the Uighur Muslim minority in China's remote Xinjiang region. The men, who have been held on the US military base in Cuba for more than seven years, were among 22 Uighurs living in a self-contained camp in Afghanistan when the US-led invasion of the country began in October 2001. Amid US administration fears that they face persecution if returned to China, five were freed in 2006 and sent to Albania, and

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 VIENNA: Nuclear talks between Iran and world powers here are "making progress," albeit "slower than expected" but a deal was "possible", UN watchdog chief Mohamed El-Baradei said Tuesday."We spent the whole day today in bilateral and trilateral consultations," ElBaradei told reporters after around an hour of talks. "We still hope to be able to reach an agreement. It's a complex process," he said. "There are technical aspects, many technical issues that we have to hammer out. It is of course a question of confidence buiding, of guarantees. "I think and I believe that we are making progress. It is maybe slower than I expected but we are moving forward and we are going to meet tomorrow at 10:00 am."

Tuesday, October 20, 2009 TEHRAN: Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki Tuesday stepped up pressure on Islamabad, saying the group accused of launching a deadly suicide attack in the country is based in Pakistan.Mottaki said members of the group regularly violate the Iran-Pakistan border and launch attacks inside the Islamic republic."They cross into Iran illegally. They are based in Pakistan," Mottaki said without naming the group, as he ramped up pressure on Iran's friendly neighbour."The hands of those behind the crimes in southeast Iran must be cut," he added.A suicide bomber on Sunday blew himself up at a meeting between commanders of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards and local tribesmen in the town of Pisheen in Iran's restive Sistan-Baluchestan province, bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan.Seven Guards commanders and dozens of other people were killed in the attack which Iranian officials allege was carried out by the shadowy Jundallah gro

Tuesday, October 20, 2009 KABUL: Afghanistan will hold a second round of its presidential election on November 7 after incumbent Hamid Karzai failed to win a clear majority in the fraud-tainted contest, officials said Tuesday."The election has gone to a second round. On November 7 it will be re-held," Noor Mohammad Noor, spokesman for the Independent Election Commission told the media.Exactly two months on from polls that Karzai had been expected to win easily, the Independent Election Commission (IEC) confirmed that he had fallen short of the 50 percent needed to avoid a run-off against his main challenger Abdullah Abdullah. "This is not the right time to discuss investigations, this is the time to move forward to stability and national unity," Karzai said. The announcement came a day after an inquiry by a UN-backed watchdog confirmed staggering levels of fraud in the August 20 vote, declaring more than one million ballots suspect -- a quarter of the total cast. An

Tuesday, October 20, 2009 MEXICO CITY: Hundreds of clowns from across Latin America gathered in Mexico City on Monday for the 14th International Clown Convention. The convention brought together clowns, from Mexico, Central America and the United States, for four days of workshops, classes, competitions and performances. Many of the clowns are professionals who make their living entertaining. One clown said he thought the job was an excellent career choice. "It's a very respectable job, a great job that can touch everybody from the very young one to the old," he said. Clown Tomas Morales said that they hoped to start a clown school and were planning to raise money to get the project started.

October 20, 2009 JAKARTA: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was sworn in as Indonesia's president today after winning an historic second five-year term. The former General and servant of a dictator swore on the Koran to uphold the constitution during a ceremony in the national assembly in Jakarta, the capital that was watched throughout the vast archipelago of 234 million people. "By Allah I swear I will adhere to the constitution as faithfully as possible, and will commit myself to the country and the people," the 60-year-old President said.Yudhoyono's election win in July, with promises of economic growth and political reform, confirmed the remarkable political stability which has developed in Indonesia under his leadship, eleven years after the fall of the longstanding dictator, Suharto. He defeated Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) leader Megawati Sukarnoputri, the former president, and the Golkar Party's Jusuf Kalla to become the first Indonesian leader to be re-el