White House: Matter of time before Assad falls

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama’s chief of staff says it’s only a matter of time before the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad collapses.

Jacob Lew says the U.S. and its allies have brought “serious financial pressure” on Syria and that Assad’s government is “feeling it.”

While the violence continues as rebels try to topple Assad, Lew says the transition “from tyranny to democracy is very hard.” Lew says the Syrian people “have to handle this in a way that works in Syria.”

Lew tells “Fox News Sunday” that “the brutality of the Assad regime is unacceptable and has to end.” He says the U.S. is pursuing “all avenues that we can” and that “there is no question that this regime will come to an end. The only question is when.” AGENCIES

Injudicious of Zardari to take CJ name in Naudero speech: Aitezaz

TrendPK.com
ISLAMABAD: Former Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Aitezaz Ahsan Thursday said the proceedings began on court’s contempt notice to Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani.

Talking to media amidst crowd after the contempt hearing by seven-member bench hearing the NRO Implementation case, he said the matter relates not only to implementation; instead, it is of criminal nature.

It is yet to ascertain whether the PM Gilani attempted contempt or not, the former SCBA president noted adding the PM believed that President enjoyed immunity as enshrined in the Constitution.

He asserted, “Giving sentence to the PM is not an ordinary thing, as according to me, looking into the Article-248 of the Constitution is not needed,” adding the matter will have to be looked from some other prospective, as this criminal case is of singular nature.

Ahsan said the sentence under the criminal case is six month term in jail as well as ineligibility. Aitezaz reiterated his standpoint that the President enjoys complete immunity in criminal cases under Article-248-2.

The president, he added, enjoys complete immunity under Vienna Convention too, noting, ‘If I say there is no harm if the letter is written, does not relate to contempt of court.’

What will happen if the Swiss officials do not take action in response to the letter? Aitzaz queried adding the apex court’s ruling will be implemented as time comes.

Addressing those who are using the apex court’s shoulder, Ahsan urged to bring impeachment against the president. Ahsan added there is special jurisdiction for hearing against the Prime Minister.

I believe it is due to the denial of the Chief Justice Chaudhry that brought about democracy in the country, he asserted adding the government has its basis in that denial of March 9, 2007.

President should not have taken the name the Chief Justice Chaudhry in his Naudero speech, he maintained adding, ‘I neither quit the party; nor do I deem it fit to quit or change parties.’

“I stand by what I say. I try to act upon what Constitution states. Despite the fact that I took neither ministry nor diplomacy, I oppose the party’s policy openly.”

“I acknowledge the right of those who speak against me. I raised slogans for the restoration of judiciary and was sentenced into jail on this count,” he added. TrendPK

PCB clears Shoaib Malik

The PCB committee meeting held under the chair of PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt.

According to PCB spokesman, the matter of Shoaib Malik which was initiated suo moto by the committee with regard to certain deposits in his overseas accounts has been under consideration since December last year. Various meetings of the committee were held and a number of personal hearings were also provided to Shoaib Malik.

Shoaib Malik was directed to provide complete information supported with relevant documents regarding the source of the said deposits which he did provide. The committee reviewed all the material in detail and also verified the veracity of the said information from relevant authorities.

The committee reviewed all the information, provided by Shoaib Malik and cleared Malik all the charges.

Kim Kardashian and the Case of her Lookalike Melissa Molinaro

Kim Kardashian has a bone to pick and it all has to do with her lookalike Melissa Molinaro. It all started when Melissa Molinaro became the face of Old Navy’s latest advert campaign.

Kardashian is now suing Old Navy for an estimated $15 – $20 million, she is suing the retail giant alleging that model Melissa Molinaro’s work for Old Navy is damaging to her public image. Kardashian is claiming the ad was an

“unauthorized use of Kardashian’s name, likeness, identity and persona.”

And perhaps another reason why Kim Kardashian has become so hot and bothered about Molinaro is that not only does she bear an uncanny resemblance to Kim, Molinaro is currently dating Kim’s ex-boyfriend, Reggie Bush.

Molinaro can’t exactly help that she happens to look remarkably like Kim Kardashian, her latest response to the matter has been via Twitter, she wrote;

“We’re still talking about this?! It’s JULY this aired in February…some people have too much time on there sic hands,”

Although to be clear Kim has not actually mentioned Molinaro in the suit.

ICC Ruled Out India-England Fixture At Eden Garden

After examining the venues for the world cup match ICC has ruled out the chances of ODI match between India and England at Eden Garden that is schedule to play on 27th February. The match will be played at different venue. According to reports the decision of canceling the venue was made after the inspections of grounds and it was observed that the ground will not be ready before the match.

It is a big embracement for BCCI. So far there is no alternative venue has been named for this. The Cricket Association of Bengal called an emergency meeting to discuss the matter but so far they are not in a position to decide about the matter.

This is very unfortunate for the Eden Gardens and if they will not able to get the chance to make it right then it would be difficult for them to control the situation. Kolkatta is also not clear about the situation of three world cup matches that they were schedule to host. They get deadline for 25th February to complete all construction works but they were not able to complete them and resultantly their chances to host the match is in difficulties. Tour operator Shetty said that they are working to find the new venues for the world cup matches.

Report on 19th Amendment Bill presented in NA

trendpk.com: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Tuesday congratulated the nation and political leadership on successful training launch of Medium Range Ballistic Missile Hatf-V (Ghauri) and report of Constitutional Committee on 19th Amendment.

While speaking in the National Assembly, he said it was a good omen that the Chairman of Constitutional Committee Mian Raza Rabbani had laid the unanimously passed report of the Committee on 19th Amendment. He said it would give a strong message to those people who used to term the parliament as rubber stamp and powerless parliament.

Those who proclaimed the Parliament a rubber stamp with no powers should know that the present parliament is independent. I have remained the member of the National Assembly in 1982, 1985, 1988, 1990, 1993 and 2008. I have never seen such an independent parliament.

The previous parliament did nothing except raising the slogans of go Musharraf go, he said.He recalled that the former President addressed the previous parliament for only one time during his nine-year tenure.

Congratulating the members of Constitutional Committee, the Prime Minister said that the unanimously passage of the report on 19th Amendment bill by them would be written in the history.

He said the 1973 Constitution was presented by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and the successive governments made a number of changes in it. It is not a unicameral system rather it is bicameral system. I am happy that not a single member opposed the bill.

While acknowledging the efforts of Raza Rabbani, the Prime Minister said, I appreciated the Chairman of the Committee for presenting the report in a short time. I also appreciate the political leadership for showing political maturity that has further dignified the parliament.

He praised the role of Supreme Court of Pakistan for referring the matter to the Parliament for review and reconsideration. I compliment the role of Supreme Court for referring the matter to the Parliament for a review. The judiciary has given the highest respect to the Parliament and the Parliament has reciprocated in the same manner.

We want to make the institutions stronger instead of individuals, he added.

APTMA demands two-day gas loadshedding to industries

All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) has threatened to stage protest if two-day gas loadshedding schedule is not applied.

In a press conference in Lahore, APTMA chairman Gohar Ijaz said that there was only 15 percent gas deficit in the country and it was very unfortunate to block the gas supply to Punjab industries. He demanded the government to take notice of the matter. He asked the government to solve the matter in seven days after consultations with APTMA, otherwise, several textile units would be closed and exports of billions of rupees would be disrupted.

US Expert Saw Hundreds of Centrifuges in North Korea

WASHINGTON: A U.S. nuclear scientist saw hundreds of centrifuges in North Korea this month, sources familiar with the matter said on Saturday, buttressing the case that Pyongyang has a uranium enrichment program giving it a second way to obtain fissile material for atomic bombs.

Washington has believed since 2002 that Pyongyang had such a program but the apparent sophistication of its effort could ignite fresh debate over how to deal with North Korea’s unpredictable leadership and whether to resume talks aimed at ending its nuclear ambitions.

North Korean officials told the expert, Siegfried Hecker of Stanford University, they had 2,000 centrifuges operating but the US team that visited the country was unable to verify that, said the sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“But it certainly looked like an operating facility (to the team),” one source said.

Another source said Hecker was “stunned” by how modern and sophisticated the uranium enrichment facility was at North Korea’s Yongbyon nuclear complex.

But Hecker was unable to spend enough time there to establish whether the plant was designed to produce only low-enriched uranium needed to make fuel for a power plant or the highly enriched uranium needed for bombs, he said.

The source said Hecker was told the facility was producing 3.5 percent enriched uranium, the level needed for a power plant. To produce bomb-grade fissile material, uranium must be enriched to more than 90 percent.

It was not immediately clear why North Korea showed Hecker the facility.

Separately, the U.S. State Department said Stephen Bosworth, an envoy responsible for policy toward North Korea, left on Saturday on a trip to South Korea, Japan and China for consultations on North Korean issues.

North Korea, which conducted nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009, is believed to have enough fissile material from its separate, plutonium-based nuclear program to make between six and 12 atomic bombs.

Even though it has exploded nuclear devices, Pyongyang has not shown it has a working nuclear bomb.

Still, its nuclear program is seen as a direct threat to U.S. allies Japan and South Korea as well as a proliferation risk given North Korea’s long history of selling missile technology abroad.

North Korea has said it wants to return to stalled aid-for-disarmament talks but Seoul and Washington have dismissed its pledges to denuclearize as insincere. The United States had demanded tangible but unspecified steps to show Pyongyang’s seriousness about abandoning its nuclear programs.

A third person familiar with the matter said confirmation of a uranium enrichment facility was likely to make any deal with North Korea more expensive should the talks resume.

Unknown men chop six people in Multan

Staff Report

MULTAN: Unknown men cut throats of six family members near Markaz-e-Abn-e-Qasim, Trend Pk reported Friday.

Three family members, Atif, 24, Tasleem, 20, and Gulshan Bibi died while three others are seriously injured.

Law enforcement agencies have cordoned off the area. Police have started an investigation into the matter. A case has been lodged against six people.

It is the result of family enmity, said police.

Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has taken the notice of the incident and directed the authorities to present report immediately.

JI to stage symbolic sit-in for missing persons

Staff Report

LAHORE: Jamat-e-Islami (JI) on Saturday unveiled a plan to hold a protest against the government’s failure to recover missing persons.

Addressing a press conference in Mansoora, JI chief Syed Munawar Hasan said that primarily a token sit-in will be staged in front of Parliament House on November 2 before a permanent sit-in, for which the date will be announced later.

He said that JI activists will stage demonstrations in the federal capital to push for recovery of missing persons.

The JI leader said that the Supreme Court had announced to summon representatives of intelligence agencies; since then the matter has not been heard. Trend Pk

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