| Terrorism
was Pak Govt's own creation for short-term
tactical gains, admits Zardari
Islamabad: Pakistan now seems to be feeling
the heat of the fire it had lighted years ago, with President Asif Ali Zardari
admitting that the menace of extremism and militancy were created by Islamabad
itself to attain some tactical goals. Addressing a gathering of retired federal
secretaries and senior bureaucrats here, Zardari asked the officials to admit
the reality. "Let us be truthful to ourselves and make a candid admission of the
realities. Militancy and extremism emerged on the national scene and challenged
the state not because the civil bureaucracy was weakened and demoralised, but
because they were deliberately created and nurtured as a policy to achieve some
short-term tactical objectives," The Daily Times quoted Zardari, as saying. Referring
to the political turmoil in the country, Zardari said Pakistan cannot afford political
brick batting at present, as the state is on the verge of collapse due to the
impending threat from the Taliban and other terror organizations. "We intend to
keep all the political forces together in a harmonious relationship as we cannot
afford political games and confrontational politics. We are at the brink and we
must realize that political games for personal gain can no longer be played,"
he said. Zardari also stressed on the need of dispersing power to different hands
for effective governance. "Too much power, when concentrated in one hand lasts
only for a short time. For power to be effectively used for long-lasting public
good it must be diffused and dispersed as widely as possible," he added. Sensex
falls below 14,000 level New
Delhi: The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) benchmark index dipped below 14,000
point mark during early trade on Wednesday, due to the heavy selling by funds
in heavy-weight stocks, and also weak global markets. The Sensex, which had gained
over 127 points on Tuesday, dipped by 309.93 points, or 2.18 per cent, to 13,860.52
in opening session, a level last seen on May 22. According to experts, these sentiments
were mainly dampened on weak trends on the global markets on concerns that the
world economic recovery may not be near as anticipated. The National Stock Exchange
(NSE) index Nifty also declined by 94.60 points, or 2.25 per cent, to 4,107.55.
Reliance Industries which fell by 1.81 per cent to Rs 1,821.75, Reliance communication
which fell by 2.64 per cent to Rs 257.75 and Reliance Infrastructure which fell
by 2.68 percent to Rs 1,125.20, Infosys Technologies by 0.59 per cent to Rs 1,728.90,
ICICI Bank by 2.78 per cent at Rs 675.65 and Tata Steel by 4.81 per cent to Rs
378.95, were among the major losers of early trade. Govt
constitutes Global Advisory Council New
Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has constituted a high level global advisory
committee consisting of Noble laureate Amartya Sen, steel tycoon L. N. Mittal
and Pepsico CEO Indra Nooyi, among others. Announcing the government's decision
in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs, Vyalar Ravi
said council would develop an "inclusive agenda" for engagement between the country
and the best Indian brains living abroad. The Prime Minister, will head the committee,
which will advice the government on the best way forward for a two-way engagement.
The GAC will consist of 23-members, including External Affairs Minister S M Krishna,
City group CEO Vikram Pandit, NRI entrepreneur Karan Bilimoria, economist Jagdish
Bhagwati, hi-tech Czar Sam Pitroda. The council will also consider ways and means
for accessing the skills and knowledge of Indian Diaspora for meeting the country's
development goals and facilitating investments by overseas Indians into the country,
Ravi said. Heavy
rain cripples normal life in Mumbai Mumbai:
Heavy rains in Mumbai crippled normal life on Wednesday. A number of low-lying
areas such as Dadar, Hindmata, Chembur, Parel and Sion have been inundated and
the situation is expected to worsen. According to sources air traffic at the Chatrapati
Shivaji International Airport was also affected by poor visibility this morning.
Visibility was restricted to 800 meters, sources said. Office-goers struggled
to reach work places, as Mumbai’s Western and Central Railways suburban services
were delayed, due to water logging of tracks in some stations. Services on the
main line of Central Railways commenced nearly half an hour late, while the Harbor
line was delayed by 15 minutes. Western Railways delayed its service due to the
submergence of tracks in Grant Road and Boriveli. Road traffic was hit on the
Eastern and Western highways of Mumbai with vehicles moving slowly due to poor
visibility and water logging. Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials
were said to be struggling hard to reach places affected by water logging.
Manmohan
Singh meets Brown on G-8 sidelines Top L'Aquila
(Italy): The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, today met his British counterpart
Gordon Brown on the sidelines of the G-8-G-5 summit. Sources said the two leaders
discussed issues of bilateral and multilateral importance, besides areas where
they could cooperate mutually, including terrorism. They confirmed that both leaders
discussed the current global economic meltdown. L'Aquila was hit by a major earthquake
in April this year. Nearly 300 people died and over 1,500 were injured. Another
60,000 were left homeless. Singh is expected to meet German Chancellor Angela
Merkel on Thursday, Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso and Angolan President Jose
Eduardo Dos Santos on Friday. An informal meeting with US President Barack Obama
is also scheduled. Doctors’
strike hits medical service in Mumbai Top Mumbai:
The indefinite strike by more than 4000 resident doctors in Mumbai, who stopped
working from 8 pm on Tuesday, had an adverse affect on the routine patient service
in the city on Wednesday. The resident doctors had called for an indefinite strike
in Mumbai demanding an increase in their monthly stipends. “We have just called
this strike for pay hike. All over India under Central Residency Scheme we have
equal rights, same exams and our status is equal. Our admission is equivalent
and our responsibility is the same all over India. Then why is there discrimination
in pay of the doctors in Maharashtra,” said Ankush Kolhe, General Secretary of
the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD). However, it proved to
be a nightmare for relatives and patients who had to run from pillar to post to
get treatment, who were being refused admission even at the causality “He is my
relative and has come from a village just fifteen days back he had fallen from
the terrace and since there was no treatment available in the village he was referred
to Mumbai,” said Javed Ansari. “I have got him here to get him admitted but now
we have come to know of the doctors’ strike and I even went to the causality ward
even they have refused to admit him,” he added. Resident doctors in all states
are covered by the central residency scheme. For instance in the national capital
resident doctors get around Rs. 40,000 per month for an eight-hour shift, while
the resident doctors working in Mumbai draw around Rs.13,000 per month for 24-hour
shift. Bal
Thackeray's condition stable after angioplasty Top Mumbai:
Doctors attending on Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray have said his condition
is stable. Samuel Mathew, a doctor who performed Thackeray's angioplasty last
evening, said: "He was admitted with unstable Angioma. Angiogram showed critical
block in one of the arteries. Bypass was already performed but that bypass was
not perfectly working well. So decision was made to go ahead and open the blockade.
The artery was fully opened. We are satisfied with his progress and he is doing
very well." Thackeray's son, Uddhav Thackeray, has reached the hospital after
arriving from the United States. Party leaders were also present and prayed for
his good health. "I am confident that Bal Sahib would be fine and there is no
need of worry," said Manohar Joshi, a senior leader of the party. Thackeray was
admitted to the Lilavati Hospital on Monday for a routine health check-up. Thackeray
was hospitalized last month after he complained of breathlessness. Michael
Jackson's burial not confirmed Top Washington:
While Michael Jackson’s memorial service was a star-studded public event, it is
still not clear where his body was taken for burial after it left the Staples
Center in Los Angeles. According to police in Los Angeles, the hearse carrying
Jackson's golden casket was to be taken to a cemetery. However, it could not be
found if the cemetery would be Forest Lawn Memorial Park, as was originally expected.
A copy of Jackson's death certificate, dated Tuesday, has named Forest Lawn for
temporary use. The Jackson family held a private service at Forest Lawn before
the casket was taken to the Staples Center, but Los Angeles Officer April Harding
has revealed that the ‘Thriller’ singer’s body will not be returning there. In
the certificate, “deferred" has been typed in the space for the "cause of death",
as authorities are still waiting for the results of additional forensic tests
before reaching their conclusion. According to Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter,
Jackson's brain, or at least a part of it, was still being held by investigators,
and would be returned to the family for interment only after neuropathology tests
were completed. "As soon as we are done with the brain, we will return it. There
is a whole series of tests that will be done," Fox News quoted Winter as saying.
Winter said that families sometimes delay burying a loved one until after the
brain has been returned, but the Jackson family has still not disclosed their
intentions. "The last I heard, they are not burying the body yet," said Winter.
Meanwhile, cops and coroner's officials continue to probe the cause of Jackson’s
death. Jackson’s
daughter Paris pays tearful tribute at memorial service Top London:
Late King of Pop Michael Jackson’s daughter Paris, made her first public statement
as she paid tribute to the superstar by calling him "the best father I could imagine"
at his memorial service in Los Angeles. The emotional tribute by the 11-year-old
girl, who Jackson shielded from public view during his life, capped a sombre,
spiritual ceremony that celebrated the superstar’s work through his life. Jackson,
who died last month aged 50, once said that his own funeral would be the "greatest
show on earth". The memorial marked various personal messages by Jackson’s famous
friends, but it was his daughter, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, who had for
the first time addressed almost one billion people watching around the world.
"Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father I could imagine," the Telegraph
quoted Paris as saying. Dissolving into tears and turning to lean on her aunt
Janet, she added: "I just want to say I love him so much." It was the first time
the world had heard one of Jackson''s children speak, as the star always tried
his best to keep their appearances secret, even having them wear masks or shawls
around their faces in public. Paris, 11, sang along on stage with an all-star
cast to Jackson''s songs "We Are The World" and "Heal the world". She then took
the microphone herself, as she gazed out at the crowd and at the 15,000 pounds
bronze and 14-carat gold plated coffin holding her father''s body in front of
the stage. During the service, the little girl sat in the front row with her brothers
Prince Michael, 12, and Prince Michael II, seven, who is known as Blanket. |
