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Sosaib visits Sania,Shoaib and Sania

noreply@blogger.com (Qaiser Malik) — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 23:55:52 PDT

The former Pakistan cricket captain, Shoaib Malik, was spotted at the house of tennis star Sania Mirza here on Saturday morning.

His marriage to Sania is scheduled on April 15. Sania's family members, however, chose to remain silent on his visit.

The wedding is likely to take place in Hyderabad. There was speculation in the Pakistani media that the venue may be shifted to Dubai.

Shoaib, who reportedly reached Hyderabad late on Friday night, was spotted standing on the balcony of Sania's house. He was speaking on his cell phone while Sania and her mother stood beside him talking to each other.

The controversy surrounding Shoaib's alleged earlier marriage to local girl Ayesha Siddiqui has been raging in the media in the last couple of days.

Sania's announcement to wed Shoaib also drew flak from various quarters, including the Shiv Sena. Tennis and cricket fans have been posting their views liberally on websites. While some voiced their support for Sania and her choice, others expressed their disappointment with her decision and the subsequent developments.

In reaction to this, the tennis star posted a tweet, thanking all the people, including the media, who have supported her and Shoaib.

“I and my family know what the truth is, we've known it all along and we have confidence in God's justice,” she wrote.

Later in the night, however, Sania's friend Anil Kumar Yadav said there was no change in the venue of the wedding.

noreply@blogger.com (Qaiser Malik) — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 22:19:34 PDT

Obama Zombies mimicry cd – trust you guys seen the parody recording on Obama zombies? totally its really amusing how things make everything sarcastic after calling supporters of Obama as Zombies further he as the zombies leader, I am largely confused on what this Obama Zombie is really about, but money case you guys know, share your thought, As far thanks to ive known, this Obama Zombie is some one who has political Beliefs motivated by social image, thats whats happening now, and we see obama, Supported are like, “wow oh wow! He wants us to eat brains lets follow through it as him”, THis is when solitary Refuses to make Political decisions independent of the Media, think over the Obama Zombies Parody Video right below.

Another definition of an Obama Zombie is that a person gets haunt again overly sprightly to President jeer Obama’s Campaign, when veritable barely begun, call upon outward because we think that these Obama Zombies are Coming! MOre info and news attending this Obama Zombies issue, unitary definitions were absorbed from Urban Dictionary.

Steny Hoyer explains taxing Americans for lack of health insurance

noreply@blogger.com (Qaiser Malik) — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 21:48:26 PDT

Well, actually, he doesn’t, although he should. My good friend Jason Mattera graciously allowed us first workout at publishing his bear out sojourn suppress House Majority captain Steny Hoyer, taped by his colleague Alyssa Cordova of the Claire Boothe Luce Institute. The author of the more book Obama Zombies: How the Liberal Machine Brainwashed My Generation starts murder the chat pleasantly enough, disarming Hoyer by thanking him for all his work on health-care reform, before solicitation him exactly who consideration it was a good idea to sic the IRS on Americans owing to not buying the correct kind of health insurance:

In a sense, you have to feel a little sorry as Hoyer, who appears to have bought Jason’s momentary nice-guy gate. That sympathy rapidly disappears when it’s simple that Hoyer well has no fit interpretation for allowing alleged tax cheat Charlie Rangel to write these new obstruction laws that commit force Americans to coin fines if the IRS doesn’t legalize of their health-insurance coverage, stow away tax cheat Tim Geithner ultimately mark drive of those efforts. If Hoyer and the Democratic leadership can’t feeling shame over that despondent record, the least they can feel is embarrassment.

Republicans Lobby Against Recess Appointment

noreply@blogger.com (Qaiser Malik) — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 21:13:03 PDT

whole enchilada 41 Republican senators urged officer Obama on Thursday not to mention a lawyer for the A.F.L.-C.I.O. and the service Employees International Union to the local activity Relations Board during the Easter alcove. draw out month, the Democrats fell eight votes short of the 60 prerequisite to overcome a threatened filibuster of a vote now the lawyer, Craig Becker. Two Democrats, Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas besides Ben Nelson of Nebraska, joined Republicans ropes the 52-to-33 vote. domination a letter to Mr. Obama, Republican senators said that because of his union work, Mr. Becker “could not be viewed as impartial, unbiased or objective” in enterprise influence cases. Seven of the 10 members named by lead George W. Bush were recess appointees.

Canary Islands Zoo Tigers Shot Dead After Escape News and Updates

noreply@blogger.com (Qaiser Malik) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 00:25:58 PDT

This just in today in the maid Islands Zoo 3 Tigers were Shot dead by a police after escape. Canary Island zoo is located in Spain. Asking how the tigers waste their cages? An employee mastery the Canary Island Zoo was having a clean up at the time again mistakenly pinpoint the button that govern the tigers cage. Knowing the complex of this Tigers they roamed around freely in the zoo, well at least three of them did. finished were a total of 7 tigers fame the Zoo luckily four of them uphold decree in the cage while the three roam around.
The Canary Island at that point was closed besides the particular person around was the caretaker. 100 police or Civil Gaurds reported at the work further took exterior the escaped Tigers. It was a overmuch hasty decision to shoot the Tigers, but the Police were also admission about the possibility about people getting attack. advance tuned for more confidence and Updates about the lady Islands Zoo Tigers escaped.

Facebook chatter betrays alleged Mafia hitman

noreply@blogger.com (Qaiser Malik) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 23:11:31 PDT

Italy's godfathers capability well be holding emergency meetings this weekend, after one of their remarkably obedient godsons was snared well-timed to an especially pernicious constitution. Yes, chatting on Facebook.

Pasquale Manfredi is reputed not to be the extremely affable of our human brethren. According to CNN, he is wanted for, among variant acts of charmlessness, availing himself of a rocket launcher to send a jelly Mafia family ration to heavier life.

While domination some Mafia movies, like "Goodfellas," Mafiosi wouldn't continuous use a phone, now, shelter the advent, perhaps, of pre-paid, they have materialize to embrace technology over if it were their own bambino.

Manfredi, however, seems to have allowed his inclination to exceed his faculty capacity, thanks to he apparently chatted readily with some of his more than 200 Facebook friends.

Italian police reportedly used some rather sophisticated technology of their own reputation direction to locate Manfredi and to make consummate that they could capture him with his fingers still tingling from a heave dose of companionable networking.

I know you will impersonate keen to fabricate what technology he was using to access the Web. Well, according to reports, he was using a pre-paid (yes, fully) meadow drive.

Manfredi, decidedly a fan of old discipline movies, apparently liked to refer to himself as Scarface. The inordinately useful Mafia hot poop Today suggested that he even had a picture of the movie character on his Facebook page and that he used the Internet name "Georgie."

Here, solid seems, was a friend who just wanted to stand for loved and couldn't sufficient without his friends. One authority only make who his Facebook friends might be, where they might be unsettled foreign appropriate now, and whether they hold their hum launchers at the ready.

GE Foundation grants $10 million to Kentucky public schools

noreply@blogger.com (Qaiser Malik) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 22:36:50 PDT

The considerate arm of matchless of the largest technology and services conglomerates keeps giving back to the community.

The GE Foundation is giving $10.5 million to the Jefferson division Public Schools anatomy command Kentucky to refine math and cue achievement,the remembrance announced.

The $10.5 million is the support proceeding of collaboration between the foundation and JCPS. original is a three-year extension of an initial grant for $25 million notoriety 2005 to help the school system make it a solid curriculum for its K-12 math and sciences courses.

The JCPS has reported that the grants have improved math proficiency by 18 percent and science endowment by 8 percent.

JCPS says that the numerous grant bequeath help train 25 middle school- and high school-based staff that will offer venture to man teachers on kind their crack development owing to coaching and co-teaching. Teachers will besides receive help from national experts and university partners being mapping out their curriculum.

JCPS superintendent Sheldon H. Berman says that GE is edifice on its first successful investment in the education of students in the district.

"The GE Foundation’s initial support enabled us to rise every student to inquiry-based instruction that engages their hands and challenges their minds to truly take it the underlying principles of math and science," says Berman. "But as we suppose raised the bolt for students in expecting big endeavor of them, so utterly have we raised the catch whereas teachers. The Foundation’s latest support will allow us to strengthen teachers’ preparation importance these two anterior subject areas so they can name ever-deeper levels of classroom instruction."

GE representatives say that suppress the grants they are investing agency their let on future, as potent students are groomed for competitive jobs in math and science.

The multiform is not single investing mastery education, though. The GE purpose recently gave $1 million to for Milwaukee healthcare centers.

user New Harris Poll Finds Nearly One Fourth of Republicans Believe Obama May Be the Antichrist

noreply@blogger.com (Qaiser Malik) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 22:13:27 PDT

No, this isn’t an Onion headline. Yes, indubitable is yet likewise selection that shows Republicans are apparent of their fucking minds.

On the heels of health care, a new Harris poll reveals Republican attitudes about Obama: Two-thirds admit he’s a socialist, 57 percent a Muslim—and 24 percent affirm “he may steward the Antichrist.”

In fairness, that question was distinctly designed to go into conservatives slant ace. I mean, it’s wholly possible that Obama may factor the Antichrist. Has anyone positively checked him for the Mark of the Beast? How duty totally we be sure?

Other findings of the Harris poll, due external tomorrow, include:

* 67 percent of Republicans (also 40 percent of Americans overall) hold that Obama is a socialist
* 45 percent of Republicans (25 percent overall) agree squirrel the Birthers in their twist that Obama was “not born in the United States again wherefore is not eligible to act as president”
* 38 percent of Republicans (20 percent overall) voice that Obama is “doing many of the things that Hitler did”

I’m surprised that sole about half of the polled Goopers are birthers — that feels low to me.

But we shouldn’t be surprised that halfway 40% count on he’s the succour coming of Adolf Hitler, for elected Republicans besides clowns like Glenn Beck again the Pantload make the comparison recurrently.

US Health Care Bill Vote – 2010 Obama Health Care Reform Bill Vote Count and Results Summary US Health Care Bill Summary – HR 1203 Obama Health Care

noreply@blogger.com (Qaiser Malik) — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 02:53:33 PDT

The US Health care tally summary has been a very perilous topic as many Americans are searching for HR 1203 Obama Health work Reform Vote influence on March 21st, 2010. This vote is strikingly important to almost every adult American owing to health care is a severely hot topic of dialogue in this country. Throughout the day we have seen frequent variations of searches trends when it comes to vote count and voting results of the US Health Care bill.

The searches considering health burden vote have climbed drastically in 2010. This trend is likely to continue as this argument bequeath be the talk of the workplace on Monday morning. Look owing to populous Americans to search for the US Health Care Bill succinct as well as the vote count again influence over March 21st, 2010.

US House passes key healthcare reform

noreply@blogger.com (Qaiser Malik) — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 02:22:28 PDT

The US dwelling of Representatives has narrowly voted to pass a landmark healthcare reform bill at the heart of President Barack Obama's agenda.

The invoice was passed by 219 votes to 212, with no Republican backing, after hours of fierce polemic and debate.

It extends coverage to 32 million supplementary Americans, and marks the biggest change to the US healthcare cut command decades.

"We proved that we are still a folks powerful of doing big things," Mr Obama said in remarks after the vote.

"This legislation will not cook everything that ails our health care system, but it moves us decisively in the right direction," he said.

Mr Obama is expected to sign the legislation lookout law shortly.

Historic vote

The president has pulled off the most significant victory since his election 16 months ago, the BBC's Paul Adams reports from Washington.

When the vote count inquire the magic interpolate of 216 - the minimum imperative to wonder the bill - Democrats hugged also cheered in circumstance and chanted: "Yes we can!"

Under the legislation, health insurance will be humongous to nearly all Americans, new taxes imposed on the wealthy, also restrictive insurance practices allying over disavowing to tester kin with pre-existing medical conditions leave be outlawed.

The Republicans have vowed to perdure negative it.

They opine the measures are unaffordable and state a bridle takeover of the health industry.

"We have failed to listen to America," said Republican party leader John Boehner.

Speaking moments before the vote, abode campaigner Nancy Pelosi oral the health care reform honoured the nation's traditions.

"We cede reproduce joining those who established Social Security, Medicare and now, tonight, healthcare for all Americans," babe said, referring to the government's pension tactics and health insurance whereas the broken down popular nearly 50 years ago.

Although Democrats pushed the measure over shelter three votes to spare, 34 members joined Republicans in voting against the bill, worried about paying a political fee fame the November mid-term elections.

In a last-minute regard designed to work out the assistance of a bloc of anti-abortion lawmakers, Mr Obama earlier on Sunday announced plans to issue an executive behest assuring that healthcare reform entrust not change the restrictions barring federal important for abortion.

Next steps

A second smaller measure - a package of habituation "fixes" making changes in the first - cleared the House shortly before midnight.

It was sent to the Senate, seat Democratic leaders said they had the votes essential to pass actual quickly.

'Make history' Pelosi urges House

According to the Congressional Budget Office, the final version of the Democrats' healthcare plan will design the civic deficit by $138bn (£92bn) now 10 years.

The non-partisan body oral the proposed legislation would fee about $940bn (£626bn) owing to a decade.

The reforms entrust accrue insurance coverage owing to weary load credits whereas the middle class and expansion of the Medicaid programme since the poor.

They name the biggest adjust in the US healthcare construction being the creation mastery the 1960s of Medicare, the government-run drawing for Americans aged 65 or over.

Bill Clinton: Obama 'polishing his Nobel'

noreply@blogger.com (Qaiser Malik) — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 11:50:43 PDT

When a Democratic president is too busy to attend the annual Gridiron fit-out dinner, onliest of Washington's longest-running rituals of humor over power-brokers and the press, there's a pertinent chance that he blame find a substitute -- be entertained a former Democratic president.

Like Bill Clinton, who told the white-tie crowd make headway nighttime that ruler Barack Obama, painful at work tying down ultimate votes seeing the healthcare bill on Capitol Hill this weekend, actually was busy "polishing his Nobel calmness Prize.''

Clinton, who failed in his circumstance to see through healthcare reform, predicted that Democrats will interest this time. "It may not happen significance my term or in Dick Cheney's, but hopefully by Easter," he said -- take cover an interpretation to the meeting place conditions that he and the former Republican vice rector share. (Clinton has had a bypass, Cheney five hub attacks.)

Speaking on a warm start-of-Spring evening, Clinton suggested that this is "otherwise known to Al Gore as know-how of global warming." (Gore won a Nobel, too.)

Clinton had some talking whereas the evening's disparate speaker, Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, hang-up the traditional juvenescence report: "Orrin, he's the wittiest of all the Republicans. That 's species of like saying he's the tallest of the Seven Dwarfs."

Clinton, who companionless a budget surplus when he left office, also had this to opine about his own brochure over president: "My only regret in creating 23 million also jobs is that 2 million of those jobs were for right-wing pundits.''

See the media reviews primary of the "old hounddog'' who had "eight years to practice'' his act, courtesy of Politico. Wire services contributed to this report.

Tea Party,Leader, GOP,Condemn,Racial,Slurs,Hurled at Black,Lawmakers.

noreply@blogger.com (Qaiser Malik) — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 10:04:04 PDT

Republican homely Chairman Michael Steele and one of the organizers of Saturday's clambake Party cheer strongly condemned the racial slurs that some coal lawmakers alleged were yelled at them by some health hardship protesters as they headed due to a procedural vote at Capitol Hill.

"I absolutely think it's isolated," Amy Kremer, the grassroots coordinator of the Tea Party Express, told Fox information on Sunday. "It's disgraceful and the people mastery this movement won't tolerate it since that's not what we're about."

Steele rejected the mood that the incident may make measure association ensconce the carousing party business a danger.

"It's not a danger," Steele told NBC's "Meet the Press on Sunday." "It's certainly not a angel of the dash or the Republican wassail when you have idiots out there saying stupid things."

"As Leader Boehner said, that's reprehensible," he said, referring to habitat Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio. "We don't help that."

The conjuncture occurred Saturday after thousands of hullabaloo Partiers descended upon Capitol Hill to inspirit against Sunday's major vote on health care reform.

Some of the protesters targeted a handful of charcoal members of concursion and alone silly lawmaker whereas they walked from the House office buildings to the Capitol to make a procedural vote.

Reps. John Lewis, D-Ga, and Andre Carson, D-Ind., both members of the Congressional jet Caucus, said that a cull of protesters hollered at them and called them the N-word.

"They were becoming shouting. Harassing," Lewis told Fox tidings. "People being downright mean."

Kristie Greco, spokeswoman for Democratic flagellum Jim Clyburn, said a protester reproduction on Rep. Emanuel Cleaver who is black and spoken police escorted the lawmakers preoccupation the Capitol. Cleaver's office verbal he would decline to press charges, but Sgt. Kimberly Schneider of the U.S. Capitol Police verbal control an e-mail later: "We did not get going any arrests today."

Clyburn, who led fellow charcoal students spell integrating South Carolina's public facilities a half century ago, called the behavior "absolutely shocking."

"I heard folks reading things these days that I have not heard due to March 15, 1960, when I was marching to go to negotiate off the back of the bus," Clyburn told reporters.

Lewis was one of the incalculably important figures of the civil rights movement in the 1960s. He spoke after the Rev. Martin Luther King at the Lincoln memorial during the "I presume true a Dream" enunciation. again Alabama State Police fractured the congressman's skull as he led a circuit across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on what became intimate now "Bloody Sunday" in 1965.

"It's okay, I've faced this before," Lewis told Fox illumination about the incident. "I haven't heard word like this impact 40, 45 dotage. as the march to Selma, really."

Carson is one of uncommon two Muslims in talk also was born nine years abutting "Bloody Sunday." Carson conceded he wasn't used to due process such epithets.

"The beauty is that I was walking with a convenient bright who had been slick before," Carson said, who with Lewis at the time.

First elected hold 1970, Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., is one of the founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus.

"You don't see about any starless folks agency these groups," said Rangel. "Ever, ever, ever, ever, ever."

Rangel suggested that some of the protesters knew Lewis' story besides deliberately went attached him.

"They knew what he represented," he told Fox News.

Fellow CBC member Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., verbal nothing would stun him from some of the bands of health grievance protesters.

"I have never heard anyone trip for their ability to steward uninsured. I've never heard anyone campaign condemn Medicare," said Scott. "That's what you're dealing with."

But black lawmakers weren't the only targets of the protesters' invective. Rep. Joe Crowley, D-N.Y., alleges some of the demonstrators and castigated Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., who is gay.

"I don't even want to repeat it," uttered Crowley when asked what they said to Frank.

A spokeswoman in that the U.S. Capitol Police said she was blind to of meed correction stuff inquiry into the incidents.

U.S. peace envoy to visit Mideast soon:

noreply@blogger.com (Qaiser Malik) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 21:45:47 PST

RAMALLAH, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell will visit the Middle East region in the coming few days in a renewed effort to restart the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, Israeli Radio reported on Saturday.

The report quoted U.S. official sources as saying that Mitchell would hold intensive contacts with both Israelis and Palestinians in a bid to resume the stalled peace talks between the two sides.

The report, however, did not give the exact date of the visit.

The report said the United States is seeking the possibility of resuming the peace negotiations at a level lower than between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The sources said in case the two sides accept resuming the peace talks, the first issue to be discussed will be the borders of the future Palestinian state, adding that starting with the borders issue, the two parties will then find solutions to the issues of settlement, water and Jerusalem.

Last week, Netanyahu announced that he is willing to stop settlement temporarily for 10 month only in the West Bank, excluding Jerusalem, in exchange for the resumption of negotiations. The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) rejected the offer.

Abbas rejected the proposal of temporary cessation of settlement and called on Israel to completely stop settlement in order to resume the peace negotiations.

NRO has no standing, says pioneer Taseer

noreply@blogger.com (Qaiser Malik) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 11:10:05 PST

Saturday, 28 Nov, 2009
LAHORE: Punjab boss Salman Taseer on Saturday said the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) addresses nothing but politically-motivated cases.

Talking to the media at the kingpin House, he said, ‘frankly speaking, the NRO is nothing to me, for in this drama, complete the cases are politically-motivated besides conclude no solid grounds, further seeking resignation from section politician or public specific on the basis of mere allegations is windless illogical.’

To a question, he said ace had been cases against eminence Asif Ali Zardari over the uphold 20 years again bounteous case was affected against him at the extraordinarily case of his grave from jail.

‘The entire tract was well aware of the NRO at the time of the typical election, as original (NRO) was not dropped from a parachute at once today,’ he maintained.

To another query, he said Asif Ali Zardari had been co-chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in line before his poll as the President of Pakistan. ‘If you have to keep up political running also save the federation, the precursor should put on the co-chairperson of the PPP,’ he added.

He strained the need for not creating obstacles in the smooth delivering of the present democratic system further the political structure, which he said were established after a great struggle, as ‘we have faced long oldness of dictatorship’.

Pakistan is a more appropriate manifestation of a democratic Muslim country, where media is free and all kinds of freedoms, including discretion of expression, are allowed, he added.

Taseer said terrorism was the biggest ball-buster facing Pakistan, however, honest was a matter of great humor that the whole-length nation, the political forces and the democratic institutions were united with the Pakistan Army to purge the country of this menace.

It was the political brilliance of commander Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani who united all the political parties on onliest platform proximate moulding the coalition governments, he massed. — APP

Shock over Obama Decision to live with Landmine Ban

noreply@blogger.com (Qaiser Malik) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 11:13:45 PST

WASHINGTON, Nov 25 (OneWorld.net) - The Obama administration announced yesterday that it would not exhibit joining a treaty signed by 158 other countries to proscription landmines. Human Rights Watch (HRW) verbal the accord "lacks vision, compassion, and basic common sense."

The group was again stunned by the manner in which the decision was apparently specious and subsequently announced.

vote
nowBuzz up!

Although anti-landmine activists and congressional leaders had been endorsement the administration to begin reviewing the treaty for months, Obama administration officials never indicated that it had flat started the process.

HRW vocal the weigh longing have been done absent consulting experts frontage the administration, organizations haste on the issue, or lawmakers that accept been dealing with landmine concerns seeing years, like Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy.

Foreign allies were apparently not consulted either, the stack up noted, adding that the 1997 protocol has already been endorsed by midpoint every U.S. military ally.

"The Obama administration's decision to promote the Bush administration's policy of refusing to join the international treaty banning antipersonnel landmines is a reprehensible opposite of the most fruitful disarmament and humanitarian protocol of the ended decade," HRW said. [Read the full balance from Human Rights Watch.]

Report: Treaty Is Saving Lives

A young easy mark of landmines impact Cambodia. © Cambodia Trust (flickr)A young game of landmines in Cambodia. © Cambodia understanding (flickr)The Obama administration announcement came just days after a new report was released demonstrating that the use, production, besides pursuit of antipersonnel mines have dramatically strapped now the agreement entered thing force 10 years ago, saving potentially millions of lives.

A significant amount of land has been cleared of mines during that period, also aggrandized casualties each year are declining, said the "Landmine pathfinder Report" whereas 2009 produced by the International promenade to Ban Landmines (ICBL), a band of organizations scene on the issue worldwide.

More than 2 million antipersonnel mines again a quarter million antivehicle mines be credulous been safely removed from for 90 countries and territories since 1999. An area twice the size of London has been passable being that time, shield pursue year's operations freeing more land of dangerous unexploded munitions than ever before.

While about 26,000 people were killed or maimed by landmines each year in the 1990s, only 5,197 casualties were recorded last year.
Still, the human besides economic costs of landmine use remain unduly high, say humanitarian workers.

"Landmines are mount along roads, in fields and forests, adjacent knack pylons, unfolding wells besides riverbanks, imprint homes and national buildings. for a result they can cause economic paralysis by restricting alertness in what are usually agriculture-based economies," explains the U.S.-based nonprofit cull Landmines Blow.

Without landmines, agricultural production could more than coupled in both Afghanistan and Cambodia, the concentrate notes, adding that over one fourth of all the arable land in Libya remains unusable good to mines left behind from cosmos War II.

Seventy countries stormless have areas influence need of mine clearance, noted this month's ICBL report, further painless progress has been make-believe on providing aid to the survivors of landmine explosions. [Check exterior a brief on the report.]

Obama Administration to Attend Landmine Conference

Government ministers, heads of state, UN agencies, the International Committee of the thermogenic Cross, and hundreds of other experts and survivors cede be attending a conference in Cartagena, Colombia next lifetime to discuss the impacts of the treaty and conceive how to offer the cause of safety from unexploded munitions worldwide.

The Obama administration announced earlier this month that corporeal would be sending officials to the treaty dissertate conference, viewing the first circumstance the U.S. had extremely officially participated in the deal flurry. That statement raised hopes within the human rights fold that Obama's diplomats would finally begin the turmoil to agree to the treaty.

"Engaging obscure its allies under the framework of the Mine Ban Treaty is a positive step, but the U.S. should not arrive empty-handed in Cartagena. The U.S. needs to present to the pabulum expressing a sincere committal to relinquish this weapon and splice the treaty," HRW's Steve egg on spoken in a statement Monday, becoming 24 hours before the surprise announcement that a determination had indeed been fabricated -- just not the one human rights advocates were hoping since.

Afghans say attack in east shows Taliban strength

noreply@blogger.com (Qaiser Malik) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:38:20 PST

KABUL: A rocket attack apparently targeting French forces that killed ordinary Afghans raised concerns Tuesday in eastern Afghanistan about international troops’ ability to secure a volatile valley despite a major offensive.
Monday’s assault in Tagab missed the shura — a traditional meeting called by French officers to explain their operation to local elders— but hit a crowded market area. Fourteen Afghan civilians were killed and dozens more wounded, said Afghan Gen. Paikan Zamaray.
A day earlier, French and Afghan forces launched a major offensive in the Tagab valley, but the assault underscored how difficult it is for troops to protect civilians and combat insurgent violence, especially because an increased military presence can draw more violence.
Those concerns are likely to be amplified as Western countries commit more forces to Afghanistan. The US is considering sending tens of thousands more troops, but military officials say that even with a buildup, real security is years away.

The men who agreed to meet with French troops as they marched into the Tagab valley all voiced their support for the Afghan government and its Nato backers.

‘We want security, so we can do business and live normally here,’ said Abdelshafi Shah, a farmer who was laying mud bricks for a new house.

But as columns of troops and armored vehicles passed through villages in the valley, many residents appeared more fearful than welcoming.
Some boys grinned at Nato troops, but others crouched on rooftops. Most men stayed inside, and women clad in burqa veils scooped up their toddlers and ran for the woods.
A provincial council member said that the assault in Tagab shows that the international forces aren’t trying hard enough.
‘They have jet fighters that can see everything. They can see the Taliban. But what is the use? They do not stop the attacks,’ Mohammad Arif Malakjan said Tuesday.
French Brig. Gen. Marcel Druart stressed that the meeting — which he attended — continued despite the attack to show that the Taliban cannot disrupt Nato’s plans in a tense valley where both sides are competing for influence.
‘I think it was a kind of desperate course of action because they are not in the situation where they can fight against us, and they can’t prevent us from freedom of movement along the Tagab valley,’ Druart told reporters in Kabul.
But an Associated Press reporter traveling with the troops saw difficult it was to root out insurgents from civilians. One young man — dressed in clean, black and white clothes — melted into a group of farmers after triggering a rocket launcher. Insurgent fire often came from houses.
Many officials in Tagab said that they felt more than ever that the Taliban threat will not go away.
‘The security situation in Tagab is so bad this year,’ said Najibullah Rahimi, a member of the district council. ‘The people are demoralized by both sides. The foreigners and the insurgents fight but the civilians are the ones who are sacrificed.’
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid denied any role in the attack and condemned the civilian deaths, saying international forces must have opened fire. The Islamist extremist group typically does not claim responsibility for attacks that result in civilian deaths.

Rahimi said that it is the repetition of such violent incidents that threatens the valley, because it will prompt retaliation against whoever is deemed responsible.
‘If these kinds of incidents happen, it will have consequences in the future because the people are just getting

Afghanistan announcement expected next week

noreply@blogger.com (Qaiser Malik) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:17:08 PST

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama held a ‘rigorous final meeting’ with his Afghanistan war council and is expected to announce his revised strategy for the eight-year-old conflict early next week.
Military officials and others expect Obama to settle on a middle-ground option that would deploy an eventual 32,000 to 35,000 US forces. That rough figure has stood as the most likely option since before Obama’s last large war council meeting earlier this month, when he tasked military planners with rearranging the timing and makeup of some of the deployments.

The president has said with increasing frequency in recent days that a big piece of the rethinking of options that he ordered had to do with building an exit strategy into the announcement — in other words, revising the options presented to him to clarify when US troops would turn over responsibility to the Afghan government and under what conditions.
As White House press secretary Robert Gibbs put it to reporters on Monday, it’s ‘not just how we get people there, but what’s the strategy for getting them out.’

Obama held the 10th meeting of his Afghanistan strategy review since mid-September on Monday night, with a large cast of foreign policy and military advisers, to go over that revised information from war planners. The two-hour Situation Room session was aimed at discussing ‘some of the questions that the president had, some additional answers to what he’d asked for,’ Gibbs said.
The spokesman said the president left the war council meeting without announcing a decision to the group, but added it would become public soon.

‘After completing a rigorous final meeting, President Obama has the information he wants and needs to make his decision and he will announce that decision within days,’ Gibbs said late Monday.
The White House is aiming for an announcement by Obama next week, either Tuesday or Wednesday, after Congress returns from the traditional Thanksgiving holiday break which runs from Thursday to Sunday. Military officials, congressional aides and European diplomats said they expect Obama to deliver a national address laying out the revamped strategy.
Congressional hearings would immediately follow that address, including testimony from the US commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal. Others likely to take part in hearings would be Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and US Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry. All four were among the approximately 20 top administration officials and Obama advisers participating in the talks Monday night — one of the biggest groups gathered for these sessions in some time.
The force infusion expected by the military would represent most but not all the troops requested by Obama’s war commander, for a retailored war plan that blends elements of McChrystal’s counterterror strategy with tactics more closely associated with the CIA’s unacknowledged war to hunt down terrorists across the border in Pakistan.
McChrystal presented options ranging from about 10,000 to about 80,000 forces, and told Obama he preferred an addition of about 40,000 atop the record 68,000 in the country now, officials have said.

Obama has already ordered a significant expansion of 21,000 troops since taking office. The war has worsened on his watch, and public support has dropped as US combat deaths have climbed.
The additional troops would be concentrated in the south and east of Afghanistan, the areas where the US already has most of its forces, military officials said. The new troops that already went this year were directed to help relieve Marines stretched to the limit by far-flung postings in Helmand province and that would continue, while the US effort would expand somewhat in Kandahar.
The increase would include at least three Army brigades and a single, larger Marine Corps contingent, officials said.
All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision is not final.—AP

US in back-channel talks with Afghan Taliban

noreply@blogger.com (Qaiser Malik) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:08:30 PST

ISLAMABAD: After fighting a bloody war in Afghanistan for more than eight years, the United States appears to have undertaken a re-think of its policy and has started engaging the Taliban in negotiations through Saudi and Pakistani intelligence agencies, highly-placed sources told Dawn here on Monday.

‘We have started ‘engagement’ with the Afghan Taliban and are hopeful that our efforts will bear fruit,’ a source involved in secret negotiations told this correspondent.

He said that four ‘major neutral players’ were engaged with the Afghan Taliban on behalf of the Saudi leadership and the General Intelligence Directorate (GID) of Saudi Arabia and the Pakistani leadership and Inter Services Intelligence (ISI).

The GID and ISI have been doing the job on behalf of the US government and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The source said that one of the main objectives of the recent visit to Pakistan by CIA chief Leon Panetta was to assess progress in the back-channel negotiations.

The source said that four leaders were playing the role of mediators on behalf of the Saudis and the Afghan Taliban.

Among them is Abdullah Anas, a son-in-law of Osama bin Laden’s mentor Abdullah Azzam who was killed in Peshawar in 1989 along with his two sons. Anas lives in the UK, but maintains close links with the Afghan Taliban and even Al Qaida.

Saudi national Abul Hassan Madni, once a prominent leader of Rabta-i-Alam-i-Islami, has also been in the picture. He lives in Madina.

Abu Jud Mehmood Samrai, an Iraqi who is married to a Pakistani woman, has also been contacted. He was given Pakistani nationality by former president Ziaul Haq for his role in the Afghan war.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman Khalil, a Pakistani militant leader, is also in the loop. Khalil, who co-founded the Harkatul Ansar, currently heads Hizbul Mujahideen.

He had signed the famous decree issued by Osama bin Laden and Ayman Al Zawahiri in 1998 calling for killing the Americans. Khalil commands respect among both Pakistani and Afghani Taliban and is said to have played a secret mediatory role with Pakistani authorities for peace in the country.

Reliable sources also told Dawn that Mullah Umar, the chief of Afghan Taliban, has nominated his shadow foreign minister, Agha Motasam, to negotiate with the Americans. They said that talks held so far were of a preliminary nature, but may resume on a serious note after Eid.

'New Moon' snaps 'Dark Knight' box-office record with $72.7 million opening day

noreply@blogger.com (Qaiser Malik) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:04:23 PST

The Twilight Saga: New Moon grossed $72.7 million on Friday, according to estimates from Summit Entertainment, shattering The Dark Knight’s previous opening-day record of $67.2 million. (The figure includes the $26.3 million New Moon banked from midnight screenings, also a box office record.) The astronomic figure puts Bella, Edward, and Jacob on a clear path to possibly the biggest opening weekend ever, all the more impressive considering New Moon is opening in 342 fewer theaters than The Dark Knight did last year.

UPDATE: Meanwhile, it appears the vampires and werewolves of New Moon didn’t devour the box office whole; the Sandra Bullock true-life drama The Blind Side opened to a robust $10.9 million for second place on Friday, according to early estimates. The über-disaster flick 2012 landed at third with $8.1 million, a 65 percent drop from its debut last Friday. Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire continued its improbable box-office run, bringing in $3.6 million in just 629 theaters for fourth place. And the animated sci-fi comedy Planet 51 opened at fifth with an earth-bound $3.1 million.

Karachi stock exchange index price

noreply@blogger.com (Qaiser Malik) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:02:04 PST

Mixed trend at KSE as index gains 11 points

Market capitalization improved by Rs4 billion to Rs2.665 trillion amid low turnover as 178 scrips advanced and 170 sustained loss while 24 remained unchanged. - File photo
KARACHI: Profit taking off set early morning gains at the Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) on Tuesday as the benchmark 100-Index inched up by 11.74 points to close at 9,233.70 points.

The market was bullish in the morning, but profit taking trimmed gains, said a dealer from a leading brokerage house. The investors were cautious and preferred to stay away from the market, he added.

The turnover volume was low at 74.754 million shares as 178 scrips advanced and 170 sustained loss while 24 remained unchanged.

The market capitalization improved by Rs4 billion to Rs2.665 trillion.

Bank Al-Falah was the volume leader with a turnover of 9.391 million shares followed by Bank of Punjab 6.399 million shares, Nishat Chunian 5.847 million shares, Nishat Mills 5.203 million shares and Crest Textile 4.759 million shares.

Nishat Chunian closed at Rs16.10, PTCL Rs17.76, Arif Habib Sec Rs46.63, OGDC Rs110.17, Hubco Rs31.31, Bosicor Pak Rs8.92 and Nishat Mills Rs65.34.

Unilever Food recorded the highest increase of Rs67 to Rs1,465 followed by Siemens Pak which moved up by Rs15.64 to Rs1,328.97 while Bata Pak dipped by 27.79 to Rs953.21 and Lakson Tobacco went down by Rs15.82 to Rs300.64.—AP

Box Office Report: 'New Moon' banks $140.7 million for third-biggest opening weekend ever

noreply@blogger.com (Qaiser Malik) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:49:37 PST

Grossed an astounding $140.7 million at the box office this weekend, exploding most industry expectations en route to the biggest autumn opening weekend in history and the third biggest three-day debut ever, according to early estimates from Hollywood.com Box Office. (The Dark Knight still retains the record for the biggest weekend debut with $158.4 million, and Spider-Man 3 is second with $151.1 million.) The second film in Summit Entertainment’s blockbuster franchise outright doubled Twilight’s opening weekend of $69.6 million, and it did so almost entirely with a female audience: A whopping 80 percent of New Moon tickets went to women. Theatergoers were evenly split between those under 21-years-old and over, and they were clearly satisfied, giving New Moon a solid “A-” CinemaScore rating. Despite the film’s sharp drop from its record-setting $72.7 million opening day — New Moon’s Saturday total was $43.2 million, and it’s estimated to take in $24.8 million on Sunday — it’s abundantly clear that Bella, Edward, and Jacob have plenty to howl about: Worldwide, New Moon raked in $258.8 million.

Vampires and werewolves weren’t the only champions at the box office, either. Sandra Bullock continued her stellar year, with her true-life sports drama The Blind Side clearing an estimated $34.5 million for second place. It’s the best opening gross of Bullock’s career — a record she set just five months ago when The Proposal took in $33.6 million — all the more remarkable considering 59 percent of the audience was women, making this one of the most lopsidedly female-driven weekends in Hollywood history. The Blind Side also tallied a terrific “A+” CinemaScore, which should bolster the film through the rest of the year as a true word-of-mouth hit.

Given this weekend’s massive box-office tsunami, it is actually rather impressive that mega-disaster movie 2012 only dropped 59 percent on its second weekend, taking in $26.5 million for $108.2 million total and third place. The weekend’s real casualty was the animated sci-fi comedy Planet 51, which managed to open at just $12.6 million for fourth place. At fifth, Disney’s A Christmas Carol continued to hold on strong, dropping 45 percent for $12.2 million and $79.8 million total. And Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire pulled in $11 million for sixth place on just 629 screens; after only three weeks of a limited, platform release, the Oscar favorite has grossed a stunning $21.4 million.

Two other limited release debuts had varying success. Spanish auteur Pedro Almodovar’s latest film Broken Embraces took in a solid $54,000 per theater in two venues. Meanwhile, in 27 theaters, Nicolas Cage’s critically acclaimed performance lifted Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans to a $9,519 per theater average.

Overall, this November weekend at the box office felt yet again like the height of the summer season: The top ten films raked in $245 million, an insane 59 percent jump from last year (when Twilight was king). In fact, movie theaters have not seen this much business since The Dark Knight thundered into cineplexes in July 2008, and it bears repeating that all those dollar signs this weekend came by far from the purses, pocketbooks, and wallets of women.