Saudi Embassy in Pakistan denies role in WikiLeaks claims

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: The Saudi Embassy in Islamabad said that Saudi Arabia has nothing to do with the revelations of WikiLeaks. However, it refused to verify or deny the claims.

Riyadh’s stance about Pakistan is very clear, says a statement released by the embassy today (Wednesday).

The statement said that no opinion can be expressed about WikiLeaks’ revelations as the Saudi government has no role in the claims.

According to WikiLeaks documents, Saudi King Abdullah termed President Asif Ali Zardari as the main obstacle for Pakistan’s progress. Trend Pk

PCB calls emergency meet over match-fixing row

Staff Report

LONDON: PCB officials, Pakistan envoy to UK and team management called an emergency meeting as British tabloid News of the World came out with another set of revelations that a fourth player is under ICC probe for spot-fixing.

The Pakistan camp preparing for Sunday’s T20 encounter with England in Cradiff was rocked by the statement which said that a fourth Pakistani player, not named for legal reasons, was also under investigation for spot-fixing.

Much to the team’s worry, NOTW in a statement said it will appear with transcripts, CCTV footage, text messages and photographs in a special 18-pages edition on Sunday that would confirm the involvement of Pakistani players match-rigging activities.

Furthermore, former Test opener Yasir Hameed’s confirmation that his teammates fixed “almost every game”, forced the officials to sweat in the cool

Geo’s blockage draws across the board condemnation

KARACHI: Various political leaders, media organizations and civil society activists have raised concerns over the blocking of Geo News transmission and setting ablaze Jang Group”s newspapers after the airing of shoe hurling news.

PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif in a statement said the action to pressurize the media was an attempt to weaken the democracy.

PML-Q leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Ilahi was of the views that blocking of Geo News transmission was a step to curtail the freedom of expression.

PTI head Imran Khan has also censured the blocking.

Various media organizations have supported the Jang Group in such trying times.

Power outages continue despite zero shortfall

LAHORE: The spell of power outages continued with no sign of letting up despite the power shortfall narrowed to zero as a result of downpours across the country, Geo News reported Tuesday.

According to Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO), the improved weather conditions equaled the power demand and supply at 13496 Megawatts without any shortfall with 670 MWs being supplied to Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC).

The spokesman said the total power production include 5420 MW poured from hydal, 2116 MW from thermal, 5906 MWs from IPPs and Rental accounts for 58 percent of the total volume of electricity.

The spokesman further told the load shedding is not being carried out overnight in both industrial and domestic sectors and new schedule would be issued if needed.

Despite this, the spate of tripping continued in nearly all small and large cities including Lahore. And, it is quite unpredictable when power would go and return. The people demanded to put an end to this unannounced tripping spree.

PA adopts pro media resolution

LAHORE: After receiving huge condemnation from all sections of the society for its anti media resolution Punjab Assembly today adopted a resolution in favour of media, Geo News reported Tuesday.

The motion was moved by Law Minister Rana Sanaullah. PML-Q MPA Amir Sultan Cheema pointed out about the lack of quorum, which was rejected.

Punjab Assembly Friday unanimously passed a resolution condemning the media of “irresponsibility that is damaging the democracy.”

Provinces agree to close CJ canal

ISLAMABAD: Water row erupted between the Punjab and Sindh by opening of Chashma-Jhelum Link Canal has been resolved in a meeting of the chief ministers of the two provinces and chaired by the Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, a Prime Minister House statement said Tuesday.

The July 6, 2010 order of Indus River System Authority (Irsa) for water regulation was agreed to be withdrawn by consensus and with immediate effect.

An urgent meeting of the authority has been convened on July 14, to review the regulations keeping in view the current water availability and provincial indents of various canal systems for subsequent necessary orders to regulate the water supplies.

The acting chairman of Indus River System Authority, Shafqat Masud, had asked the Water and Power Development Authority to open Chashma-Jhelum link canal and start releasing 10,000 cusecs through the canal despite opposition from members representing the federal and Sindh governments.

Punjab: Outlawed outfits under new names banned

LAHOREC: Punjab Home Department has banned the organizations which operating under new names in the province after being declared outlawed.

According to a statement issued by the Home Department, the government has banned 23 organizations whose 1690 office bearers’ names appear in the 4th Schedule.

The statement said Sipah-e-Sahaba has been operating under a new name Millat-e-Islamia Pakistan; Jaish-e-Muhammad under Khadam-ul-Islam and; Tehreek-e-Jafria Islami under a new name Tehreek-e-Pakistan.

It, however, clarified no such ban has been imposed on Jamat-ud-Dawa.

Obama denies govt botched oil spill response

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama Thursday rejected charges he was slow to respond to the Gulf of Mexico “tragedy” which he said was “fouling the Earth” and imposed a clampdown on the offshore oil industry.

Seeking to contain political blowback from the crisis, Obama held his first formal White House news conference in 10 months, admitting mistakes in the federal response but denying he was disengaged from the BP oil spill nightmare.

“Those who think that we were either slow on our response or lacked urgency don”t know the facts,” Obama said, more than a month after an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig triggered what he called a “disaster” and “catastrophe.”

“This notion that somehow, the federal government is sitting on the sidelines and for the last three or four or five weeks, we”ve just been letting BP make a whole bunch of decisions is simply not true.”

Obama said his government was in charge of every aspect of the mitigation effort, including BP”s effort to cap the gushing oil well, and had several times ordered the British energy giant to do more.

“My job is to get this fixed… and… in case you were wondering who”s responsible, I take responsibility,” Obama said, a day before his second trip to the Gulf of Mexico to oversee disaster relief efforts.

“It is my job to make sure that everything is done to shut this down.”

But despite assuming responsibility, Obama said it was legitimate to question whether BP was “being fully forthcoming about the extent of the damage” since the explosion on a BP-leased rig on April 20.

15 killed as express train derails in India: media

KOLKATA: Fifteen people were killed as an express train derailed in eastern India, the Press Trust of India news agency reported Friday.

The train derailed in the West Midnapore district of West Bengal state, media said, quoting railway sources. No other details were immediately available.

It appeared to be the worst loss of life on India”s enormous rail network since 22 people were killed last October, when a Delhi-bound express ploughed into the back of another passenger train near the Taj Mahal town of Agra.

The railway system — the main form of long-distance travel in India despite fierce competition from private airlines — runs 14,000 passenger and freight trains a day, carrying 18.5 million people.

Past accidents have left hundreds dead.

In 2002, 100 were killed and 150 hurt when a carriage plunged into a river in the northeastern state of Bihar, while in 1995 more than 300 died in a collision near Ferozabad, near Agra.

Maoist rebels have been responsible for several train derailments in eastern India.

”Suspected Maoists” triggered Indian train derailment: media

KOLKATA: An explosion by suspected Maoist rebels triggered a trail derailment in eastern India early Friday that killed at least 15 people, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

Another 50 people were injured when a Mumbai-bound express train derailed and hit a goods train on another track, after “suspected Maoists triggered a blast in West Midnapore district (in West Bengal state)”, media said.

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