Hangu drone strike has placed KP residents in danger: Imran

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman, Imran Khan condemned the US drone strike in Hangu and said it had put the lives of residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in danger.
During a news conference here on Thursday, Imran Khan said the PTI would hold a protest against NATO supply lines and drones on Saturday. Khan urged the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to join the protest which will be held on Ring Road in Peshawar.
Imran called on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to end his dual policy of telling the US one thing and the Pakistani people another.
The PTI chairman informed the media that an emergency meeting of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet was being called in which the provincial government’s decision would be sought for the stoppage of Nato supplies.
Earlier on Thursday, six people were killed when a drone fired three missiles at a seminary in Hangu. The drone strike was the first in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Foreign Office spokesman, Aizaz Chaudrhy condemned the strike and reiterated that drone attacks were against Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Five killed, dozens injured in Quetta blast

QUETTA: At least five people including a policeman and a child were killed in a blast that occurred in Quetta Thursday morning, Geo News reported.
According to police, a powerful blast occurred near Sarki Road today morning that killed five people including a cop and a child while 25 others were injured. Hospital sources said six of those injured were in critical condition.
Several cars and motorcycles were damaged in the blast while a Frontier Corps vehicle was completely destroyed. Nearby buildings were also damaged due to the impact.
The bomb disposal squad said that an IED time device was attached to a motorcycle that went off with a blast.
Law enforcement agencies reached the site immediately after the blast. SSP Operation Muhammad Jaffar said approximately 7-8 kilograms of explosives having ball bearing and bolts were used in the blast.
According to sources, gun shots were also heard after the blast. The dead bodies were shifted to the hospital for medico-legal formalities.
Security forces cordoned off the area and initiated investigation.
It may be mentioned that two persons lost their lives and nine others sustained injuries in a blast that occurred on Wednesday night in Quetta.

Sanaullah claims 28 culprits of Rawalpindi tragedy identified

RAWALPINDI: Punjab Law Minister, Rana Sanaullah told the reporters on Thursday that twenty-eight perpetrators involved in the clashes that erupted in Rawalpindi during Ashura and left eleven persons dead have been identified through CCTV footage, Geo News reported.
While talking to the media men here today, Rana Sanaullah said investigation of the Rawalpindi tragedy is in progress and 28 culprits who were involved in the clashes have been identified via video.
He said that the perpetrators who were directly involved in spreading violence will be brought to justice at any cost.
It is pertinent to mention that violent clashes between two groups erupted on Friday (November 15) that left 11 people dead and over 40 injured as the worshipers massed to mourn the seventh century martyrdom of Imam Hussain (RA), followed by the imposition of curfew in the area.
The clashes erupted when a mourners’ procession was on its way through Fawara Chowk in the garrison city.
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Million-dollar gold stash found in aircraft toilet

KOLKATA: Cleaners working on a commercial plane in eastern India have found 24 gold bars worth more than $1 million stuffed into a toilet compartment, officials said Wednesday. India, which rivals China as the world’s biggest gold consumer, has witnessed a spike in smuggling after import duties were hiked three times this year to try to dampen demand for the precious metal.
The plane belonging to Jet Airways was being cleaned at Kolkata airport on Tuesday after a trip from the eastern city of Patna. It had previously been flying on international routes.
"The cleaning staff of the airport were going though their routine duties and found two bags in the toilets of the plane," director of the airport B.P. Mishra told.
The one-kilogram gold bars "have not been claimed by anyone. No arrest has been made as yet".
Senior customs official R.S. Meena estimated the value of the haul at about 70 million rupees, or $1.1 million.

Three more dengue fever patients die in Punjab

LAHORE: Three more dengue virus fever patients have died in Punjab, raising the death toll to 18 in the province, Geo News reported.
Punjab Health Department on Wednesday said, three patients hailing from Rawalpindi have died of dengue fever.

'Dead' baby wakes at China funeral parlour

A death certificate was issued before the baby was sent to a funeral parlour in Hefei.

BEIJING (AFP) - A Chinese baby boy who had been declared dead was saved from being cremated alive when he started crying at a funeral parlour, media reported Thursday.
The parents of the critically-ill boy, who was less than one month old, had agreed to end his medical treatment at Anhui Provincial Children s Hospital in eastern China, hospital sources told Xinhua state news agency.
A death certificate was issued before the baby was sent to a funeral parlour in Hefei, the provincial capital -- only for staff there to be alerted by crying on Wednesday.
It was unclear how long he had been at the funeral parlour, or when his cremation had been due.
The baby was immediately sent back to the hospital, several news outlets including the Beijing News reported on Thursday.
"Because the baby still had life signs, we continued to give him transfusion to maintain his life for humanitarian reasons," a hospital staff member told Xinhua.
The baby was born with a "congenital respiratory system malformation", the report added.
The baby was receiving treatment at the hospital late Wednesday, reports said.
A doctor was suspended, a nursing worker laid off and an investigation launched into the incident, the hospital said, according to Xinhua.

Krrish 3 breaks record of Chennai Express

 

The superhero film, which opened on November 1, 2013, has collected Rs 228.23 crores in 15 days.

MUMBAI (Web Desk) - After three years at the top of the biggest moneyspinners list, Aamir Khan s 3 Idiots found itself dislodged by Shah Rukh s Chennai Express which in turn has just been toppled by Hrithik Roshan s Krrish 3.
The superhero film, which opened on November 1, 2013, has collected Rs 228.23 crores in 15 days, making it the top earning Bollywood film in India. Chennai Express made Rs 226.70 cr and 3 Idiots, Rs 202.57 cr.
Krrish 3 director Rakesh Roshan told news agency IANS: "This Friday s collections were Rs 2.44 crore, which brings the total 15-day collection to Rs 228.23 crore. So yes, it looks like Krrish 3 has broken all records."
Krrish 3 s bumper earnings were certainly helped by its unchallenged two week run in cinemas. However, trade analyst Taran Adarsh said: "The large number of screens and the ticket rates have definitely helped Krrish 3 to undertake its record-breaking journey.
But eventually everything boils down to the quality of the content. If the script is solid, there s no stopping a film. Also, it must be kept in mind that if a film is to be a universal hit, it must cater to a universal audience."
Krrish 3 also stars Priyanka Chopra, Kangana Ranaut and Vivek Oberoi. However, Aamir may return to reclaim his record at the end of this year with the much-awaited Dhoom: 3.
It seems that 2013 is the year for box office records to be shattered.
 

Five killed in Quetta roadside blast

 

The bomb was planted in a motorbike on Sarki Road.

QUETTA (Web Desk) - At least five people were killed and 20 others injured when a bomb exploded in Pakistan s southwest city of Quetta on Thursday morning.
The incident took place at about 9:20 a.m. local time when a bomb fixed on a motorbike went off at a market on Sirki Road in Satellite Town of Quetta, Dunya News reported.
Two policemen and a child were among those killed and two victims remained in critical condition.
Reports said a vehicle belonging to the paramilitary force and at least eight other vehicles and some buildings near the market were also damaged.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

US drone attack kills six in Hangu

 

It was one of the first drone attacks to occur outside Pakistan's tribal region.


PARACHINAR (AP) - A suspected U.S. drone carried out a rare missile strike in northwest Pakistan outside the country s remote tribal region Thursday, killing at least six people.
The missiles hit an Islamic seminary Muktaba Darul uloom in Hangu district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said police officer Fareedullah and intelligence officials. The intelligence officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to journalists.
It was one of the first drone attacks to occur outside Pakistan s tribal region along the Afghan border and could increase tension between Islamabad and Washington.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province is considered a "settled area" of Pakistan, meaning it is generally more populated and developed than the tribal region.
It was also the first drone attack since the U.S. killed former Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud in a Nov. 1 strike in the North Waziristan tribal area. Pakistani officials were outraged by the attack because they said it came a day before they planned to invite Mehsud to hold peace talks.
Police have arrived at the scene of the seminary that was struck Thursday in the Tall area of Hangu, said Fareedullah, who goes by only one name. The six were badly burned, he said.
Another police officer, Zia Khan, said three students and two teachers were killed in the attack. They were all Afghans, he said.
Hangu police chief Iftikhar Ahmad said two of the dead, Mufti Hameedullah and Mufti Ahmad Jan, were members of the Afghan Haqqani network, one of the most feared militant groups battling U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
The covert CIA drone program in Pakistan has been a constant source of tension between Islamabad and Washington.
Pakistani officials regularly denounce the strikes in public as a violation of the country s sovereignty. But the government is known to have supported at least some of the attacks in the past.

Ecuador's Correa says will resign if Chevron proves interference

 

Equador's higher court had fined Chevron over Amazon pollution.

QUITO (AFP) - Ecuador s President Rafael Correa has promised to resign if Chevron proves his government interfered in a trial over Amazon pollution that resulted in a record fine against the US oil giant.
"Let Chevron prove that the government interfered in the judgment and I will resign my post," Correa said Tuesday at a news conference in Guayaquil.
Last week, the country s highest court confirmed the 2011 verdict against Chevron by a regional court, which the oil giant challenged. The high court s only concession was to cut the fine by half to $9.5 billion.
"The legal case is closed. The courts have spoken. We have never been mixed up in this case," Correa said.
Faced with Chevron s refusal to pay the fine, the Ecuadoran president has launched a campaign for an international boycott of the company.
The environmental damage to the Amazon forest dates back to when the US oil company Texaco operated in Ecuador between 1964 and 1990, before it was acquired by Chevron.
Sued by a class of 30,000 members of communities in the affected region, Chevron blamed state-owned Petroecuador for the pollution.
It took the case to a court in New York and the permanent court of arbitration in the Hague, accusing the Ecuadoran courts of corruption and the authorities in Quito of interfering.
Even at half the original amount, the fine against Chevron is one of the biggest in environmental law, surpassing the $4.5 billion levied against ExxonMobil for the 1989 Alaska oil spill.

Musharraf decides to challenge special court formation

 

Earlier, PM approved formation of special court to initiate Musharraf's trial in the case.

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Former President Pervez Musharraf has decided to file an application in the Supreme Court challenging the formation of the special court to conduct trial against him. According to sources, the petition would be filed soon after a notification over the formation of judge bench is issued.
Earlier, the names of three judges including a female judge were approved by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for the special court.
The names of the judges, along with their profile, were sent to Law Secretary Barrister Zafarullah Khan by the SC registrar with a suggestion to select any three of them as members of the special court.
About the head of the special court, the government was suggested to select the most senior one in the list.
The apex court sent the names of Justice Syeda Tahira Safdar of the Balochistan High Court, Justice Noorul Haq N. Qureshi of the Islamabad High Court, Justice Mohammad Yawar Ali of the Lahore High Court, Justice Yahya Afridi of the Peshawar High Court and Justice Faisal Arab of the Sindh High Court.
PM Nawaz approved the names of Justice Faisal Arab (SHC), Justice Tahira Safdar (BHC) and Justice Yawar Ali (LHC). According to the notification issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, Justice Faisal Arab will preside over the special court as he is the most senior of the three judges. The special court will hear the case in Islamabad.
 

Warner rips into Broad, Pietersen ahead of Tests

 

Warner has also taken a pot shot at England batsman Kevin Pietersen and his ego.

BRISBANE, Australia, Nov 20, 2013 (AFP) - Australia batsman David Warner has spiced up the war of words before Thursday's opening Ashes Test by telling England fast bowler Stuart Broad to "stop having a sook".
Warner, who has earned a bad boy reputation for punching England batsman Joe Root in a nightclub and engaging in a Twitter war with journalists, has also taken a pot shot at England batsman Kevin Pietersen and his ego.
Broad has gained notoriety in Australia after he refused to walk after being caught off a thick edge during the last series in England, and has been a constant talking point in the lead-up to the Gabba Test.
He reacted angrily on Twitter on Monday to accusations he took offence to some choice words from members at the Sydney Cricket Ground last week during a tour match.
Broad strongly denied two spectators were ejected at the request of the England team, but Warner said he needed to lighten up.
"He's already complaining and having a sook (sulk)," Warner told reporters Wednesday, using an Australian term for someone who is acting like a cry-baby.
"He can expect a lot. If you have a good laugh and enjoy it, people get behind you.
"That's what happened with me in England."
Warner was given a roasting by England supporters and gave it back to them in Manchester during the July-August series, his first match since being suspended for punching Root in a Birmingham nightclub.
Warner was also forthright when asked for his take on Pietersen ahead of his 100th Test match at the Gabba.
"He's already talking his garbage, but that's how he is," Warner said. "He lets his ego take over and he thrives on that.
"We're here to spoil it (Pietersen's 100th Test) and I reckon we will."
England captain Alastair Cook gave his support to Broad, saying he liked his feisty style.
"He's a very combative character, he's an in-your-face type of cricketer. I like that about him," Cook said Wednesday.
"Anytime you set him a challenge he has stood up and delivered.
"He's done that a number of times for an England team. He's got the ability to change games very quickly. He's had a good preparation, he looks in fine fettle with the ball and he's raring to go."