SC Summons Chief Secretaries in Reko Diq Case

Breaking News

ISLAMABAD, trendpk: The Supreme Court on Wedbesday summoned existing and former chief secretaries of Blaochistan in Reko Diq gold and copper mines case.

A four-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and comprising Justice Muhammad Sair Ali, Justice Ghulam Rabbani and Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday is hearing petitions against the leasing of the Reko Diq gold and copper mines in Balochistan.

The bench on Wednesday ordered the concerned parties to produce fundamental documents and the record of the contract before the court.

The bench on Tuesday accepted the miscellaneous application of 26 senators for becoming parties in the pending petitions against the leasing of the Reko Diq mines in Balochistan.

Senator Azam Khan Swati, along with Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidri, Dr Mohammad Ismail Buledi and others had pleaded to become party in the case.

Kings XI Punjab Got Interim Stay

The hearing of King Xi Punjab was set for 8th December and The Bombay High Court has granted Kings XI Punjab an interim stay. It was suspended from playing IPL by BCCI after they found some manipulation in the share holding patterns. The court also directed them to pay guarantee money to BCCI if the case goes against them and also pay the outstanding amounts to the players.

KPH Dream Cricket Pvt. Ltd is the right holding company of the franchise and high court has directed them to hold not less then 51% share of the franchise. $7.77 million is the outstanding amount that has to be given to the players.

If the first verdict went against them then they have to pay $3.5 million per year for a period of two years to BCCI. Previously BCCI had terminated the contract of King XI Punjab in October when they found them violating the rules of IPL. They have changed the ownership of the franchise twice in three years.

The case of the franchise was under arbitration but the arbitrator, Justice BN Srikrishna withdrawn himself as he had some interest in the franchise previously. After his pulling out the case was transferred to Mumbai High court and they get interim stay.

CSA Terminates Gibbs’ National Contract

South African cricket board has terminated the national contract of Opening batsman H Gibbs after he was found violating the contract. The contract is terminated by mutual consent. The due date of completion of the contract was April, 2011. He violated the contract as it was stipulated in the contract that no employee should talk about the employer.

The termination was made after he publishes his autobiography which resulted in sale of 15,000 copies in five days. Cricket board has asked legal team to look into the matter and find out the exact reality of the allegation he made in his book.

Gerald Majola, the CSA chief executive said that he has not read it and South African captain G Smith showed disappointment on this publication. There is an agreement between CSA and Gibbs so both parties are now bound not to comment on the issue.

According to information Gibbs will lose about R300,000 (US$ 42,857) from the cancellation of his contract. He was schedule to play n the Australian Big Bash and the New Zealand Twenty-Over competition.

CSA claimed the decision is by mutual consent but Gibbs’ lawyer, Peter Whelan said that it was not a result of mutual consent. He added that they are looking for contact from CSA lawyers to contact them.

Pakistan submits report on Haider

LAHORE: Pakistani officials submitted a report Monday into former wicket-keeper Zulqarnain Haider’s dramatic escape to London, abandoning his team ahead of a match with South Africa, the cricket board said.

The 24-year-old fled the team hotel in Dubai on the morning of the fifth and final one-day against South Africa on November 8, claiming he received death threats from unknown people to influence the results of matches.

After flying into London, Haider retired from international cricket and sought asylum in Britain.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) terminated his contract and formed a three-man committee, headed by team manager Intikhab Alam, to establish the facts surrounding Haider’s disappearance.

The committee finalised and submitted its report to the PCB, the PCB said, declining to make any further comment Monday.

Team security manager

Rajasthan Royals hearing adjourned Till Diwali vacation

Rajasthan Royals team is contesting the case in Mumbai high court and after both parties sought adjournment, the hearing of their case has been adjourned till 15th November. The main reason for adjournment is Dewali Holidays that will be from 1st November to 14th November.

RR has field an appeal against BCCI for terminating the contract and suspending RR from IPL. The appeal was filed on 25 October against the suspension and it was set for hearing on 29th. On the hearing on 29th it was decided to adjourn the case till 15th of next month. The decision of suspension came on 10th October and it was all against RR and it shakes the foundations of both Rajasthan Royals and IPL.

Before contesting the case it was declared by the RR team that they are contesting the case to save the interest of employees, players and fans.  BCCI charged RR team with three counts before terminating their contract. When they were suspended the team officials said that they don’t know the exact reason of suspension. When the reason came to their knowledge they decided to contest the case and so did they. Now the hearing will be conducted on 15th November. RR along with Kings XI Punjab was suspended on 10th October.

‘Blackwater’ Clinches Part of $10b Deal With US State Dept

A notorious private military company ‘Blackwater’ has won yet another government security contract, despite its long and continuing trail of legal problems, an Arab TV reported on Saturday.
Bidding under a new name, Xe Services won a share this week of a $10 billion State Department deal to provide protective services for American embassies abroad. Two months ago a Xe affiliate, US Training Center, won a $100 million security contract from the CIA. But at least it used its own name for that.
In its latest score, Xe employed a new business vehicle, International Development Solutions, a blandly named cut-out, in the description of Danger Rooms Spencer Ackerman, who first reported the deal on Friday. No one who looks at the official announcement of the contract award would have any idea that firm is connected to Blackwater, Ackerman wrote. But the State Department confirmed that US Training Center, which it described as part of International Development Solutions (IDS), won the contract in a joint venture with Kaseman, a McLean, Va., security services firm, whose board is stocked with top former State Department and CIA officials.Kasemans board of directors includes Henry A. Crumpton, a former coordinator for counterterrorism at the State Department, and Kara L. Bue, a former deputy assistant secretary of state for regional stability who had previously served as special assistant to Deputy Secretary of State Richard L. Armitage during the George W. Bush administration. Other board members include former NSA and CIA director Michael V. Hayden; Donald M. Kerr, a longtime former CIA official who also served as principal deputy to the director of national intelligence; and former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), who sat on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. A number of top former military officials also serve on the board, including retired Marine Corps general and U.S Central Command chief Anthony Zinni, and retired Navy Adm. Stephen F. Loftus, a former chief financial officer at the powerhouse D.C. firm Carlyle Management Group. On Tuesday, Sept. 28, the day before the State Department deal was announced, Kaseman added Herbert J. Lanese, a former president of security giant DynCorp, to its board. DynCorp is one of the eight firms sharing in the new security contract.Spokesmen for Kaseman declined to answer questions about its partnership with Xe and what role, if any, it played in securing the State Department contract. For its part, the State Department said, This joint venture was determined by the Departments source selection authority to be eligible for award.In August Xe, which is up for sale, negotiated a $42 million fine with the federal government related to illegal weapons exports to Afghanistan, as well as to other accusations. In addition, former Blackwater executives have been targeted in a half dozen civil suits and prosecutions, including one against five former Blackwater guards in connection with the death of 17 Iraqis during a Baghdad shootout in September 2007. Two company-affiliated guards are also being prosecuted on murder charges stemming from a 2009 shooting in Afghanistan. In the meantime, two former Blackwater employees have filed a suit alleging that the firm’s founder, Erik Prince, and his companies defrauded the departments of State and Homeland Security. Xe has denied wrongdoing.

‘Blackwater’ clinches part of $10b deal with US State Dept

A notorious private military company ‘Blackwater’ has won yet another government security contract, despite its long and continuing trail of legal problems, an Arab TV reported on Saturday.
Bidding under a new name, Xe Services won a share this week of a $10 billion State Department deal to provide protective services for American embassies abroad. Two months ago a Xe affiliate, US Training Center, won a $100 million security contract from the CIA. But at least it used its own name for that.
In its latest score, Xe employed a new business vehicle, International Development Solutions, a blandly named cut-out, in the description of Danger Rooms Spencer Ackerman, who first reported the deal on Friday. No one who looks at the official announcement of the contract award would have any idea that firm is connected to Blackwater, Ackerman wrote. But the State Department confirmed that US Training Center, which it described as part of International Development Solutions (IDS), won the contract in a joint venture with Kaseman, a McLean, Va., security services firm, whose board is stocked with top former State Department and CIA officials.Kasemans board of directors includes Henry A. Crumpton, a former coordinator for counterterrorism at the State Department, and Kara L. Bue, a former deputy assistant secretary of state for regional stability who had previously served as special assistant to Deputy Secretary of State Richard L. Armitage during the George W. Bush administration. Other board members include former NSA and CIA director Michael V. Hayden; Donald M. Kerr, a longtime former CIA official who also served as principal deputy to the director of national intelligence; and former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), who sat on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. A number of top former military officials also serve on the board, including retired Marine Corps general and U.S Central Command chief Anthony Zinni, and retired Navy Adm. Stephen F. Loftus, a former chief financial officer at the powerhouse D.C. firm Carlyle Management Group. On Tuesday, Sept. 28, the day before the State Department deal was announced, Kaseman added Herbert J. Lanese, a former president of security giant DynCorp, to its board. DynCorp is one of the eight firms sharing in the new security contract.Spokesmen for Kaseman declined to answer questions about its partnership with Xe and what role, if any, it played in securing the State Department contract. For its part, the State Department said, This joint venture was determined by the Departments source selection authority to be eligible for award.In August Xe, which is up for sale, negotiated a $42 million fine with the federal government related to illegal weapons exports to Afghanistan, as well as to other accusations. In addition, former Blackwater executives have been targeted in a half dozen civil suits and prosecutions, including one against five former Blackwater guards in connection with the death of 17 Iraqis during a Baghdad shootout in September 2007. Two company-affiliated guards are also being prosecuted on murder charges stemming from a 2009 shooting in Afghanistan. In the meantime, two former Blackwater employees have filed a suit alleging that the firm’s founder, Erik Prince, and his companies defrauded the departments of State and Homeland Security. Xe has denied wrongdoing.

‘Blackwater’ clinches part of $10b deal with US State Dept

A notorious private military company ‘Blackwater’ has won yet another government security contract, despite its long and continuing trail of legal problems, an Arab TV reported on Saturday.
Bidding under a new name, Xe Services won a share this week of a $10 billion State Department deal to provide protective services for American embassies abroad. Two months ago a Xe affiliate, US Training Center, won a $100 million security contract from the CIA. But at least it used its own name for that.
In its latest score, Xe employed a new business vehicle, International Development Solutions, a blandly named cut-out, in the description of Danger Rooms Spencer Ackerman, who first reported the deal on Friday. No one who looks at the official announcement of the contract award would have any idea that firm is connected to Blackwater, Ackerman wrote. But the State Department confirmed that US Training Center, which it described as part of International Development Solutions (IDS), won the contract in a joint venture with Kaseman, a McLean, Va., security services firm, whose board is stocked with top former State Department and CIA officials.Kasemans board of directors includes Henry A. Crumpton, a former coordinator for counterterrorism at the State Department, and Kara L. Bue, a former deputy assistant secretary of state for regional stability who had previously served as special assistant to Deputy Secretary of State Richard L. Armitage during the George W. Bush administration. Other board members include former NSA and CIA director Michael V. Hayden; Donald M. Kerr, a longtime former CIA official who also served as principal deputy to the director of national intelligence; and former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), who sat on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. A number of top former military officials also serve on the board, including retired Marine Corps general and U.S Central Command chief Anthony Zinni, and retired Navy Adm. Stephen F. Loftus, a former chief financial officer at the powerhouse D.C. firm Carlyle Management Group. On Tuesday, Sept. 28, the day before the State Department deal was announced, Kaseman added Herbert J. Lanese, a former president of security giant DynCorp, to its board. DynCorp is one of the eight firms sharing in the new security contract.Spokesmen for Kaseman declined to answer questions about its partnership with Xe and what role, if any, it played in securing the State Department contract. For its part, the State Department said, This joint venture was determined by the Departments source selection authority to be eligible for award.In August Xe, which is up for sale, negotiated a $42 million fine with the federal government related to illegal weapons exports to Afghanistan, as well as to other accusations. In addition, former Blackwater executives have been targeted in a half dozen civil suits and prosecutions, including one against five former Blackwater guards in connection with the death of 17 Iraqis during a Baghdad shootout in September 2007. Two company-affiliated guards are also being prosecuted on murder charges stemming from a 2009 shooting in Afghanistan. In the meantime, two former Blackwater employees have filed a suit alleging that the firm’s founder, Erik Prince, and his companies defrauded the departments of State and Homeland Security. Xe has denied wrongdoing.

LPG price increased by Rs. 10.50 per kg

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: The price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has been raised by Rs. 30 per kg., SAMAA reported on Friday.

The local public producing company, OGDCL, has increased LPG price from Rs. 52,759 per ton to Rs. 63,278 per ton; consequently the price of LPG is now Rs. 10.50 per kg.

After this recent increase, the price of domestic cylinder has gone up to Rs. 124, while the commercial cylinder will now cost Rs.480 per cylinder.

The Liquefied Petroleum Gas Association has rejected this price increase and called for a nation wide strike on September 20 to protest against this LPG price hike.

The chairman of LPG Association, Irfan Khokhar, has said that globally, only $55 dollars have been added to the contract price of LPG; to match this global raise, the price increase should not go beyond Rs. 5 per kg. SAMAA

Maradona set to leave Argentina post

BUNNIES IRIS: Diego Maradona has left his post as Argentina boss after a unanimous vote from the Argentine Football Association.

Maradona had been offered a new four-year contract but said he would only continue on condition that his backroom staff remained. He met with AFA president Julio Grondona on Monday, but the differences between the parties could not be resolved.

Grondona revealed details of the talks to the board on Tuesday and AFA spokesman Ernesto Cherquis Bialo has now confirmed Maradona”s deal will not be renewed.

“There was a big chasm that made it impossible to find an agreement,” he said. “We will not renew the contract. For the match against Spain, scheduled for September 7, we may already have the new coach.”

A statement on the AFA website added: “The president of the Argentinean Football Association, Julio Grondona, made the members of the executive committee aware of the conversation with Diego Maradona, setting out the points which had come out from the meeting.

“The executive committee unanimously resolved not to renew the contract with Mr Diego Maradona as coach of the Argentina national football team.”

Maradona faced heavy criticism during his time in charge of the national side, with the team struggling during qualification for this summer”s World Cup before exiting at the quarter-final stage with a 4-0 defeat to Germany.

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