Disputed land in Ayodhya Ram's birthplace, but split it: High Court Posted by naila , Thursday, September 30, 2010 at 1:22 PM, in Labels: Most Popular

The HC gave its stamp of judicial approval to the Hindu belief that Lord Ram was indeed born there. The court also ruled by a majority verdict that the disputed 120 feet by 90 feet plot land be divided into three equal parts among three petitioners ...link

NRO beneficiaries resign voluntarily; no threat to govt: Gilani Posted by naila , Sunday, September 26, 2010 at 10:01 AM, in Labels: Pakistan

Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has cancelled visits starting this month to Europe, the foreign ministry said, a move which could intensify media speculation that pressure is mounting for a change in government.

The government's perceived poor handling of summer floods has raised questions over political stability in Pakistan, a nuclear-armed country fighting homegrown Taliban insurgents which the U.S. regards as vital to efforts to stabilise Afghanistan.

"In view of his pre-occupations with the post-flood situation, the Prime Minister has decided not to go ahead with his scheduled visits to Paris and Brussels," said a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman in a statement.

"(The) Prime Minister's official visit to France is being re-scheduled."

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi will lead Pakistan's delegation to the Asia-Europe summit in Brussels next month, said the statement.

Pakistani leaders have said the government has done its best to help flood victims given its limited resources and have appealed for international aid to help with reconstruction.

The military has taken the lead in relief and rescue efforts, reinforcing the view that it's Pakistan's most decisive and efficient institution in times of crises.

Those dynamics have raised questions in the Pakistani media and elsewhere about the fate of the civilian government.

"No one knows if Gilani decided at the spur of the moment to cancel his visit, or he was advised not to travel abroad in the face of the urgency the government is facing because of the floods and the pressure for a change in government," said an article in Pakistan's The News on Saturday.

The newspaper has been outspoken against several Pakistani governments over the years.

Gilani's press secretary, Shabbir Anwar, said he had been scheduled to leave at the end of this month for Paris with a delegation of 40 other officials to meet French President Nicolas Sarkozy and then travel from there on Oct 1 to Brussels.

Instead Gilani decided to stay behind and the size of the delegation was reduced to save on expenses after the floods.

"This had nothing to do with politics," Anwar told Reuters.

The military, which has ruled Pakistan for more than half of its history, has held huge sway over security and foreign policy, even while civilian governments have been in power.

"Recent rumours of a pending military coup are fueled by politicised private media groups, which hope to undermine the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) led government of President Asif Ali Zardari," said Eurasia consultancy group.

Even though Pakistan has a history of military coups, analysts say one is unlikely now because the army would inherit the flood disaster, and a takoever could make Western donors hesitant to provide aid for reconstruction after floods.

It may, however, try to manipulate Pakistani politics from behind the scenes, Eurasia said.

PPP spokeswoman Fauzia Wahab said it had asked Gilani to meet other political parties to "counter these rumours" about a possible change in government.

"It's a war of nerves. Whenever our party is in power some factions (parties) gang up together and keep on conspiring against us," she said, adding that the military was not involved in the "campaign" because it could not afford to shift its focus away from the fight against Taliban insurgents.

Pakistani minister resigns after criticizing army Posted by naila , at 9:45 AM, in Labels: Pakistan

 Pakistan's federal minister for defense production resigned after being summoned by the prime minister to explain comments he made criticizing the army and accusing it of killing prominent politicians, officials said Sunday...LINK

NY judge gives 86 years in prison to Pakistani scientist who shot at US troops in Afghanistan Posted by naila , Thursday, September 23, 2010 at 2:15 PM, in Labels: Most Popular

Pakistani scientist convicted of trying to kill U.S. agents and military officers in Afghanistan was sentenced Thursday to 86 years in prison after she delivered a message of world peace and forgave the judge.

"I am a Muslim, but I love Americans too," Aafia Siddiqui said during one of several rambling statements delivered in a lilting voice at the behest of U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman.

"Forgive everybody in my case, please," she added. "Also forgive Judge Berman."

During a three-hour hearing in federal court in Manhattan, Siddiqui claimed she had evidence Israel was behind the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks and warned more plots were in the works.

"I do not want any bloodshed. I do not want any misunderstanding. I really want to make peace and end the wars," she said.

Siddiqui rolled her eyes, shook her head and threw up her hand in frustration as her lawyers tried to convince the judge she deserved leniency because she was mentally ill.

"I'm not paranoid," she said at one point. "I don't agree with that."

She also tried to dispel rumors she was being tortured while in New York, and urged calm over her plight.

"Tell the Muslims, please don't get emotional," she said, addressing reporters in the audience. "I'm OK. ... I do not want any violence in my name."

News of the harsh sentence still touched off protests in Pakistan.

In the northwestern city of Peshawar, dozens of people took to the streets, burning tires and shouting "Down with America!" and slogans against Pakistani's president and prime minister. Some hit a portrait of U.S. President Barack Obama with their shoes.

"This sentence is a slap in the face of our rulers who have pledged and made promises to bring back Aafia," Siddiqui's sister Fauzia said at her home in the southern city of Karachi.

The Pakistani government, which helped bankroll Siddiqui's defense, was "disappointed at the sentence and sad that our efforts to get her back to Pakistan did not succeed," said foreign office spokesman Abdul Basit. "We are in touch with the U.S. administration to see what possible options are available. We are not giving up."

The sentence imposed on the mother of three capped a strange legal odyssey that began two summers ago, when the 38-year-old Siddiqui turned up in Afghanistan carrying notes referencing a "mass casualty attack" on New York City landmarks and a stash of sodium cyanide.

At trial earlier this year, jurors heard eyewitnesses describe how, after she was detained by Afghan police, Siddiqui grabbed a rifle and tried to shoot U.S. authorities who had gone to interrogate her. They said she yelled, "Death to Americans!" before she was injured in return fire and subdued.

At trial, Siddiqui testified in her own defense. Charges that she purposely shot at soldiers were "crazy," she said. "It's just ridiculous."

Prosecutors argued for a life sentence, saying Siddiqui's crimes were premeditated and intended to harm Americans.

"This was not some random act," Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher La Vigne. "On that day, she saw her chance and she took it."

The defense had asked the judge for a sentence closer to 12 years behind bars. Her lawyers argued in court papers that their client's outburst inside a cramped Afghan outpost was a spontaneous "freak out," born of mental illness, not militancy.

"All she wanted to do was get away because she was afraid," said defense attorney Dawn Cardi.

Calling Siddiqui an "enigma," Berman started the sentencing by outlining Siddiqui's history, noting that she was educated in the United States at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Brandeis University in the early 1990s.

Berman said she returned to her native Pakistan in 2003 and married a purported al-Qaida operative, a nephew to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the admitted mastermind of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Both are held at Guantanamo Bay.

He said it was not clear where she was from 2003 through 2008, though Siddiqui tried to clear that up when she spoke, saying she was held in a secret prison in Afghanistan for many years.

When the judge announced that he planned to sentence Siddiqui to 86 years in prison, someone in the courtroom shouted: "Shame! Shame! Shame on this court!" The judge warned the woman she would be removed if she made another outburst.

Just before she was sentenced, Siddiqui said she was at peace. Afterward, she insisted that her lawyers not appeal.

"It's useless, pointless," she said. "I appeal to God."

Akshay's special gift for Aishwarya in MasterChef Posted by naila , at 4:02 AM, in Labels: Entertainment

MUMBAI: Akshay Kumar who will be hosting and judging a cookery show, has reportedly published a cookbook. And guess what ! Who is the first reader of the book? It is the world beauty Aishwarya Bachchan.

Aishwarya is the co-star of Akshay in their upcoming films Action Replayy.

Akshay in association with Star Plus new show MaterChef India, has helped compile a book on almost all the Indian dishes. The book contains all his favourite recipes from the contestants who participated in the cookery show. It also comprises of his famous Khiladi special sizzlers, as reported by a channel on television.

Aishwarya was seen on the show MasterChef India as a celebrity guest. Akshay presented her with the cook book as an exclusive gift. Now probably the Bachchan bahu will be serving delicious Indian dishes to the Bachchan pariwar.

In Action Replayy, both the actors will be seen in a retro look. The film is based on a 1994 play with the same name. The film is slated to hit the screen on November 5.

Pakistan prepare for Asian Games Posted by naila , at 3:20 AM, in Labels: Sports »

By Our Sports Reporter “I had been invited, to attend the camp but I politely turned down the offer.” -File Photo KARACHI: Former Pakistan football team captain Mohammad Essa, while reacting to a news item, has clarified that he has not been “dropped” .LINK

China denies ban on rare earths exports to Japan Posted by naila , at 3:16 AM, in Labels: WORLD

China stepped up its maritime dispute with Japan today as it halted high-level exchanges over the extended detention of a Chinese fishing boat captain.

State broadcaster CCTV said Beijing had suspended ministerial and provincial-level contacts, including talks on increasing flights, and postponed a meeting on coal.

The row began more than a week ago, when a trawler collided with two Japanese coastguard ships near uninhabited islands in the East China Sea that are claimed by both countries. The two countries have a long history of tensions over territory, resources and other issues.

But after several years of improving relations and increasing trade, they have more to lose if ties are damaged, meaning they will be wary of letting the spat get out of hand.

A foreign ministry statement read out on television said Japan's refusal to release the captain had "already caused serious damage to Sino-Japanese bilateral contacts". Earlier, in a statement on the Chinese foreign ministry website, spokesman Ma Zhaoxu warned: "If Japan insists on making one mistake after another, the Chinese side will take strong countermeasures, and all the consequences should be borne by the Japanese side."

Xinhua news agency added that Chinese vice foreign minister Wang Guangya had expressed "strong indignation" and made "solemn representations" to the Japanese ambassador, Uichiro Niwa, who has been summoned repeatedly since the row began.

"Regarding individual issues, what is needed is to respond calmly without becoming emotional," Noriyuki Shikata, a spokesman for the Japanese prime minister's office, told Reuters.

Takeshi Matsunaga, assistant press secretary for Japan's foreign ministry, said the unilateral steps China had taken were "regrettable".

The court in Okinawa, Japan, said Zhan Qixiong could be held for another 10 days for further questioning. Authorities have released the other 14 crew members. He was arrested on 8 September and under Japanese law prosecutors can hold him for up to 20 days while deciding whether to charge him.

Japan has accused the captain of deliberately striking a patrol ship as it tried to intercept his vessel, and obstructing officers. But China has said the detention is illegal and has repeatedly demanded the authorities free him.

The dispute led to small-scale anti-Japanese protests in China yesterday, the anniversary of 1931's Mukden incident, which led to occupation by Japan.

But a huge police presence protected the Japanese embassy in Beijing and buildings in Shanghai and Shenzhen, and Japan's new foreign minister, Seiji Maehara, praised China's "considerable efforts to restrain them".

Maehara, who is thought to be more hawkish on China than his predecessor, repeated Tokyo's call for Beijing to handle matters calmly, stressing it was being dealt with according to Japanese law.

But he added that the isles – known as the Diaoyu islands in China and Senkaku islands in Japan – were an "integral part of Japanese territory".

"Territorial issues do not exist in this region," Maehara told broadcaster NHK.

The Nikkei business daily reported earlier today that Japan may start drilling near a gas field in another disputed part of the East China Sea if China does so.

Japanese officials said on Friday that China had moved drilling equipment to the area, having scrapped scheduled talks over joint exploration in the wake of the trawler incident. Although known reserves appear to be relatively modest, it is thought that there may be more to be found..