Shahbaz laments hurdles in way of democracy

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, while addressing the closing ceremony of International Judicial Conference at Lahore, said that justice cannot provided without elimination of gap between rich and poor. He said that there is need of accountability of judges and bureaucrats just like politicians.

The chief minister said that institutions in India are stronger than Pakistan. He said that hurdles are created in way of smoothly run democracy and it is the main reason that people again prefer dictatorship.

Shahbaz Sharif blamed that former president Pervez Musharraf accepted foreign aid to massacre Pakistanis.

Nuclear scientist says bomb saved Pakistan

ISLAMABD: The father of Pakistan’s nuclear bomb has vigorously defended the program as sparing his country the fate of Iraq or Libya, amid signs that Islamabad is ramping up its weapons capacities.

Writing in Newsweek magazine, Abdul Qadeer Khan said that Pakistan’s nuclear weapons had prevented war with historic rival India, which he accused of pursuing a “massive program” due to ambitions of superpower status.

“Don’t overlook the fact that no nuclear-capable country has been subjected to aggression or occupied, or had its borders redrawn. Had Iraq and Libya been nuclear powers, they wouldn’t have been destroyed in the way we have seen recently,” Khan said.

Khan also argued that Bangladesh would not have won independence in 1971 if Pakistan had nuclear weapons. India supported Bangladesh’s independence, which came after a nine-month struggle that was harshly put down by Pakistani forces.

Many Pakistanis regard Khan as a hero for building the Islamic world’s first nuclear bomb. India and Pakistan carried out nuclear tests in 1998.

He admitted in 2004 that he ran a nuclear black-market selling secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea. But Khan later retracted his remarks and in 2009 was freed from house arrest, although he was asked to keep a low profile.

Western powers in March launched a military campaign against Libya over concerns of violence against civilians. Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi agreed in 2003 to end his nuclear program and tried to reconcile with the West.

Pakistan has been increasingly worried about its nuclear program after US forces on May 2 managed to enter the country covertly to kill the world’s most wanted man, Osama bin Laden, who was living in the garrison city of Abbottabad.

Khan lashed out at Pakistanis who contend that the country, which suffers grinding poverty and receives billions of dollars in US assistance each year, cannot afford its nuclear program.

“The propaganda about spending exorbitant sums on the nuclear program circulated by ignorant, often foreign-paid, Pakistanis has no substance,” he wrote.

But Khan also said that Pakistan’s “incompetent and ignorant rulers” never devoted enough resources to development, which he argued should have been easier due to the protection ensure by nuclear weapons.

While Khan said he was not familiar with the latest developments in Pakistan’s nuclear program, Newsweek published a commercial satellite image that appeared to show expedited construction at the country’s Khushab nuclear site.

The Institute for Science and International Security, which assessed the image, said it showed “significant progress” on a fourth reactor. A frame of a building was now visible, which did not appear in a picture taken in January.

The Washington-based think-tank said that plutonium from the new reactors would allow a “dramatic increase” in production, potentially allowing Pakistan to double its annual production of nuclear weapons.

Pakistan is the sole country blocking talks in the Conference of Disarmament that would lead to an international agreement banning production of new nuclear bomb-making material.

Pakistan said that Senator John Kerry, on a mission to Islamabad to ease tensions in the wake of bin Laden’s killing, assured Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani that the United States had no designs on taking over the country’s nuclear arsenal.

“He said that he can write this with his blood, that we have no interest in Pakistan’s nuclear assets,” Gilani’s office said in a statement.

But the statement quoted Kerry as hoping that Pakistan’s nuclear weapons would be “well-protected and secure” under a “proper command and control system.”

James Cameron and Simpson creator Matt Groening to speak at Lavasa Conference

World’s acclaimed filmmaker James Cameron who has directed path breaking movies like Avatar, Titanic and Terminator 2, and cult cartoon

character Simpson’s creator Matt Groening is all set to address The INK Conference, in association with TED, scheduled for Dec 9-12, 2010 at Lavasa Hill City

near Mumbai.

The INK Conference (INK stands for Innovation and Knowledge) is an annual conference that aims to fuel innovation and foster knowledge by bringing together

the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers from a range of disciplines such as art, architecture, design, entertainment, entrepreneurship, sports and

technology.

The theme of this year’s INK is ‘Untold Stories’, and along with James and Matt the line-up of INK speakers include innovator Arvind Gupta, ‘New Scientist’

journalist and author of ‘The Edge of Physics’ Anil Ananthaswamy, Super 30 founder Anand Kumar, Lego innovator John Henry Harris, academic and author

Jennifer Aaker of Stanford, internationally-renowned product designer Philippe Starck, to name a few.

Lakshmi Pratury, co-host of TEDIndia, who also hosted TEDIndia 2009 in Mysore with Chris Anderson, Curator of TED Conference, said, “INK is unique because it

is not your regular conference with keynote speakers and an agenda. Our conference transcends different disciplines and topics. In short, there is a method

to the madness. We’re ensuring a cross pollination of ideas, where our highly curated audience and speakers have an opportunity to mingle,”

TEDIndia 2009 was attended by close to 1000 attendees from 46 different countries and celebrated the first-ever TED in Asia. This conference brought together

accomplished artists, architects, technologists, business people, musicians, dancers, scientists, and social entrepreneurs along with 100 young TEDIndia

Fellows.

PM Gilani leaves for two day tour of Tajikistan

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani left for a two day tour of Tajikistan on Wednesday.

The Prime Minister will attend a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) conference in Dushanbe. All SCO member country heads will attend the conference and Gilani will represent Pakistan.

Before his departure to Tajikistan, Gilani said while talking to media at the airport that Pakistan will try to get a permanent membership of SCO and would discuss the enhancement of economical and security cooperation with China and Russia.

He added that during his visit, Pakistan Steel Mills’ expansion plan will also be discussed with the Prime Minister of Russia. Trend Pk

UN speakers urge Pakistan to free up arms talks

UNITED NATIONS: Heaping pressure on Pakistan, a high-level UN meeting called on Friday for talks to start immediately on a treaty to ban production of fissile material used as fuel for nuclear weapons.

But Pakistan has insisted it will continue to block such talks, arguing that a ban would put it at a permanent disadvantage to its nuclear rival India. The dispute has led to deadlock at the 65-nation Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.

At the U.N. meeting of some 70 states to discuss the paralysis at the conference, speakers avoided openly naming Pakistan, but several referred to “one country” that was causing the problem.

In a closing summary of the views expressed, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said there was “broad agreement on the need to immediately start negotiations on a … treaty banning the production of fissile material.”

Continued

Rare North Korea meeting on Sept 28, eye on succession

SEOUL: North Korea’s ruling party will hold its biggest meeting in decades on September 28 to pick a new leadership, state media reported on Tuesday, and likely anoint an heir to the dynasty as Kim Jong-il’s health deteriorates.

Kim, who is believed to have suffered a stroke in 2008, has reportedly accelerated succession plans, and analysts say his youngest son, Kim Jong-un, is likely to be given an official title at the Workers’ Party conference.

The North’s KCNA news agency said the conference would be held in Pyongyang “for electing its supreme leadership body,” but provided no further details of the agenda.

The meeting had been slated to start in early September. The report made no mention of the delay.

South Korea said it appeared the meeting was held up by “internal problems,” probably related to flooding. Media reports have also speculated

No let-up in Kashmir violence; 6 injured

Another six people injured in the fresh wave of violence and protest defying the curfew in Indian Held Kashmir on Tuesday.
The Indian forces resorted to baton charge and fired shelling at the Kashmiri youths who were trying to take out a procession in Baramulla. As a result, 6 people got injured. Angry protesters assailed an Indian Forces camp while air service has been suspended with the local channels went off air in the state. National Conference has convened an emergency meeting while the Indian PM Manmohan Singh summoned an All Parties Conference in view of the worsening law and order situation. mos>]

Ironman Wisconsin 2010

Sunday will see more than 2,500 athletes in Madison, Wisconsin, to run the ninth Wisconsin Ironman. We do not see defending champion Raynard Tissink and Amy Marsh, who assumes in the field of training for the Ironman race next world championships in Kuna in the next month, but this is not a problem because this race is always a big race on each side of the professional age grouper.

As always, this race also marked the first Ironman World Championship qualifying race in the following year. What is new is this year’s race is the first event in the Ironman World Championship new series of the playoffs, which offers advantages in the first opportunity to earn valuable points in the search for Kuna qualifying slot in 2011.
Update the list of pros and not race race on Sunday. Sold and race in the period from Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center in downtown Madison and starts with early morning swim in Lake Monona.

The features of this race in the ramp and parking the famous “snail” that athletes use to up and down for access to the area in transition on the balcony of Monona, totally unique in the sense that the changing rooms and tents, but not the conference rooms in the building.

Has attracted a series of new qualifying slot for the race next year’s championship a powerful group of professionals to Madison. The field at this time is 49 in total with 34 men and 15 women. On the side of women, including former champions Ironman Wisconsin Hillary Biscay (2008) and Jenna Crawford (2007) and Mike Twelsiek (2007) on the side of men with a variety of timers for the first race. We will have to see who can conquer the hills during a presentation with the approach of these hard to win.

KP holds donor conference for flood aid

ISLAMABAD: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) donor conference was held in Islamabad on Friday to brief the international community about the devastation caused by the worst floods in the history of Pakistan.

Aid worth Rs. 200 billion was asked for to compensate losses.

Envoys from Muslim countries, the European Union, United States, China and other countries attended the conference. Representatives of the British High Commission, Islamic Development, World Bank and USAID were also present.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti briefed on flood destruction in the province.

“A flood commission has been set up for the rehabilitation of flood victims. We need more international aid at the earliest because the militants can take advantage of the delay in reconstruction and rehabilitation of flood devastation,” said KP CM Hoti.

Ameer Hoti

COAS tenure extension challenged in PHC

PESHAWAR: The extension in service awarded to Chief of Army Staff Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has been challenged in Peshawar High Court (PHC).

Shahid Orakzai filed a writ petition against the extension of COAS tenure in PHC. The petitioner has adopted a stance that the in the wake of passage of the 18th amendment bill, the Prime Minister cannot hold direct consultation with the President.

The petition further said that under Article-243 of the Constitution, the Prime Minister is not competent to grant extension in service to the Army Chief on the basis of performance.

Shahid Orakzai prayed to the court to take notice of violation of the Constitution and called for the President to review the decision of extending Gen Kayani’s service as COAS.

Next Page »