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Friday, March 20, 2009

US Navy sub and vessel collide near Iran

The US Navy reported Friday that one of its submarines collided with a US amphibious vessel Thursday night in the Strait of Hormuz, which separates Oman from Iran. Over a dozen sailors were injured, with no reported fatalities.A US Navy submarine and a US amphibious vessel collided in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday slightly injuring 15 sailors and creating a fuel spill of around 25,000 gallons, the US Navy said. "The collision between USS Hartford (SSN 768) and USS New Orleans (LPD 18) occurred at approximately 1:00 am local time (2030 GMT on Thursday)," the Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet said.  "Fifteen sailors aboard the Hartford were slightly injured and returned to duty. No personnel aboard New Orleans were injured," it added.  The New Orleans' fuel tank ruptured, causing the spill of diesel fuel. Both ships are operating under their own power, and the overall damage to both vessels is being evaluated, the statement added. The Strait of Hormuz, less than 100 kilometres (60 miles) at its widest point, separates Oman from Iran and is the gateway into the oil-rich Gulf. An estimated 40 percent of the world's crude oil passes through the strait on the way to market. Both the submarine and the ship are on regularly scheduled deployments to the US Navy Central Command area of responsibility, the navy said. Ships from the Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, patrol a 7.5 million square mile (19.4 million square kilometre) area of eastern Africa, the Middle East and Southwest Asia.

'Taliban rockets' hit Pakistan town

Ten civilians have been killed and at least 38 others injured by rockets fired into the main town in Pakistan's tribal Khyber area. Rashid Khan, a local government official, said suspected Taliban fighters fired three rockets near the town of Landi Kotal, just west of the Afghan border, late on Thursday. He said one of the rockets, aimed likely at the security forces' base, hit the town's commercial area where 10 civilians were killed and 38 others injured. A timber yard and 20 nearby shops were set ablaze. Khan said troops were searching the area on Friday to track and capture the attackers. The Khyber region is on the route for lorries carrying supplies for foreign troops in Afghanistan. Fighters have staged regular attacks in the area in recent months, targeting Nato supply depots. Hundreds of vehicles and containers have been torched. US and Nato officials say the attacks have little impact on their operations in Afghanistan, but have acknowledged they are investigating alternative ways to deliver supplies.

US officials question Zardari’s long-term prospects: WSJ

CIA Director Leon Panaetta will meet the Pakistani President, PM as well as army and intelligence chiefs in an assessment mission ‘in guiding the Obama administration in fashioning a new Pakistan policy.’—AP/File
CIA Director Leon Panaetta will meet the Pakistani President,
 PM as well as army and intelligence chiefs in 
an assessment mission ‘in guiding the Obama administration 
in fashioning a new Pakistan policy.’
NEW YORK Senior Obama administration officials have begun to question the ‘long term prospects of President Asif Ali Zardari, who was left significantly weakened in the aftermath of recent political upheaval in Pakistan,’ the Wall Street Journal says in an exclusive report Friday.The WSJ observed that the visit of the new CIA Director Leon Panaetta was an assessment mission ‘in guiding the Obama administration in fashioning a new Pakistan policy.’ The Obama administration made clear in the recent Pakistani standoff that it intends to take an aggressive role in stemming political turmoil. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Richard Holbrooke, Washington's special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, both called Mr. Zardari and warned him that international aid to Islamabad could be jeopardized if the conflict wasn't resolved peacefully, according to US officials. Mr. Gilani said this week he had invited Mr. Sharif, a former prime minister, to rejoin the ruling coalition, and Mr. Sharif is widely expected to make a bid for the premiership over the next year. Mr. Gilani is also seen to be in a strengthened position. But analysts aren't counting out Mr. Zardari, who still leads the country's largest political party. However, the newspaper said ‘the officials say they are nervous about what they see beyond Mr. Zardari. He has quietly supported US missile strikes against militants in Pakistan, and it isn't clear whether the new power centers in the country will be as cooperative.’

Obama Reaches Out to Iran, Looks for Engagement

WASHINGTON President Barack Obama told Iran's people and leaders that the United States wants to engage with their country and end decades of strained relationship, but not unless their officials stop making threats.Obama on Friday released a video message with Farsi subtitles that urged the two countries to resolve their long-standing differences. His video was timed to the festival of Nowruz, which means "new day." It marks the arrival of spring and is a major holiday in Iran. "So in this season of new beginnings I would like to speak clearly to Iran's leaders," Obama said in the video. "We have serious differences that have grown over time. My administration is now committed to diplomacy that addresses the full range of issues before us, and to pursuing constructive ties among the United States, Iran and the international community." Obama has signaled a willingness to speak directly with Iran about its nuclear program and hostility toward Israel, a key U.S. ally. At his inauguration last month, the president said his administration would reach out to rival states, declaring "we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist." It's been a rough start for Obama. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has criticized Obama as merely a continuation of President George W. Bush's policies toward Tehran's enemy, Israel. Khamenei has called Israel a "cancerous tumor" that is on the verge of collapse and has called for its destruction. In his message Friday, Obama had a warning for Tehran: "This process will not be advanced by threats. We seek instead engagement that is honest and grounded in mutual respect." Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said Iran would welcome talks with the U.S. -- but only if there was mutual respect. Iranian officials have said that means the U.S. needs to stop accusing Iran of seeking to build nuclear weapons and supporting terrorism, charges Tehran has denied. Obama and his foreign policy team are looking for opportunities to engage Iran and help reduce tensions between the two countries, which increased during Bush's time in office. "You, too, have a choice. The United States wants the Islamic Republic of Iran to take its rightful place in the community of nations," Obama said. "You have that right, but it comes with real responsibilities, and that place cannot be reached through terror or arms, but rather through peaceful actions that demonstrate the true greatness of the Iranian people and civilization."

UN: Gaza assault was 'inhumane'

The United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories has said Israel's military offensive on Gaza "would seem to constitute a war crime of the greatest magnitude under international law".Richard Falk called the 22-day bombardment a "massive assault on a densely populated urbanised setting", with the civilian population subjected to "an inhumane form of warfare that kills, maims and inflicts mental harm". His findings were written in a report submitted to the UN Human Rights Council on Thursday. Islamic and African countries backed by China, Cuba and Russia have a majority in the 47-member forum. Neither Israel nor US, its principal ally, are members. Falk said the Geneva Convention required forces at war to be able to distinguish between military targets and civilians. If that is not possible, then "launching the attacks is inherently unlawful". Israel launched its offensive on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip in December saying it aimed to stop rocket fire by Hamas into southern Israel. A ceasefire was declared on January 18 after the offensive left about 1,400 Palestinians dead, many of them women and children. Three Israeli civilians and 10 soldiers were killed during the offensive.

How did they triumph? By Ayesha Siddiqa

The greatest challenge is to find a balance between the streets of Pakistan, conscious of their power to bring about change, and the bureaucracy, conscious of being the final arbiter once again.
The greatest challenge is to find a balance between 
the streets of Pakistan, conscious of their power 
to bring about change, and the bureaucracy, conscious 
of being the final arbiter once again.

The movement for the restoration of the judiciary makes Pakistani civil society proud of its achievement. It is awesome how ordinary professionals struggled for two years to ensure that a civilian and military dictatorship did not obstruct the move for the independence of the judiciary. The symbolism of the chief justice’s refusal to bow to dictatorial pressure was enormous for a society in dire need of the strengthening of its institutions. However, no matter what the extent of joy, this is the time to reflect on some of the possible challenges that lie ahead of us. In any case, the game is not over as yet. At least at the time of writing it appears that the ruling party could be tempted to try once more to isolate Nawaz Sharif and not lift governor’s rule in time. It would be quite a feat to get the people to agitate once again now that the judiciary issue is resolved. Firstly, it is important to ensure that independence of the judiciary is truly institutionalised. Now, more than ever, will the chief justice have to work hard to ensure that he doesn’t give any semblance of bias and that efforts are truly put in to institutionalise the judiciary so that people don’t have to revert to the streets everyday. This means that he should now focus his attention on fine-tuning, streamlining and managing the judiciary and the legal profession, especially focusing on cleansing the lower courts and even the higher courts of alleged corruption and inefficiency. Affordable and timely justice is what the entire nation requires. Second, he has to struggle to keep himself from becoming controversial. The coming months will be quite crazy as all sorts of cases will find their way into the courtroom. In any case, it is now the chief justice’s responsibility to make sure that the judiciary doesn’t pose to become the recipe for all ills in the political system and the state. However, it must play a role to keep the government in check. Third, it is hoped that the energy invested in street power, which was instrumental in restoring the judiciary, now goes towards strengthening the political party system which continues to be weak. In the coming months and years, the political balance, as far as political parties go, will experience a change (provided the PML-N government is restored). While the PML will strengthen its position in Punjab and pick up strength in the other provinces through expanding its support base and building coalitions, the PPP will weaken considerably. Its chairman is under-age and the co-chair will be weakened further mainly because of the rift at the top. A possible scenario is loose control at the top without a major split because the other leaders do not have the privilege of a symbolic legacy as in the case of the Bhutto progeny. It will require a strong and visionary leader with excellent management skills to put the party together under an alternative leadership which the party lacks at the moment. While the current co-chair has taken a hit in Punjab, he has not done any better in his own province of Sindh either, because of controversial decisions and trying to launch his own set of cronies through replacing the old ones. Meanwhile, Tehrik-i-Insaf and the Jamaat-i-Islami will try to win some space. Yet, they might still not be able to provide an alternative. Under the circumstances, street power could emerge as an arbiter without the building of institutions. This is a slippery slope that we must avoid. Fourth, there is bound to be a strengthening of the bureaucratic establishment. While the streets played a major role, the army chief and external forces that were nervous at the instability in the country provided the final push. This is not to suggest that either the army or America had conspired to weaken the president. It means that the president played a flawed game, the kind that can even inadvertently strengthen the military’s position in the state’s power politics. The new president didn’t realise that he could not afford to engage on multiple fronts which saw rifts within his party, taking on the military through extra-institutional ventures, not strengthening existing institutions and challenging political opponents all at the same time. His strategy was to build an alternative security mechanism comprising the IB, FIA and a special anti-terror organisation, aimed at creating a balance of power internally as an institutional mechanism capable of delivering on the war on terror. Without strengthening existing organisations such as the defence ministry, the new structure was bound to make the army insecure about his intentions as did Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s Federal Security Force. Asif Zardari could still have managed had he not opened another front against his political rivals. Now, he has no one to blame but himself for creating a situation where the army has won a victory in terms of its overall image, posing yet again as a neutral arbiter. It would not be surprising to see the state bureaucracy demand its pound of flesh by clamping down on the powerful alternative institutional mechanism that President Zardari was building. Now even the MQM may not support him the way they did earlier. The ethnic party’s leader was keen to welcome the restoration despite the fact that the MQM had left no stone unturned on May 12, 2007 to oppose the lawyers’ movement. Eventually, the three players managing the change were the streets of Pakistan, the army and external pressure. Had he restored the chief justice after having got rid of Gen Musharraf, Asif Zardari would have earned a lot of political mileage. One wonders why he forgot so soon that people were pleasantly surprised at his initial moves after the PPP formed the government. (The media was patient with him until he started breaking his promises.) Had this restoration come at that time through an executive order, his popularity would have remained steady. This would have given him an opportunity to make many institutional changes to strengthen political institutions and build new ones. All the while when he thought he was the best man for the job of running this state and that he had more experience than any other politician, he didn’t realise his basic flaw of not understanding that democracies in transition are strange animals that must be handled carefully. The greatest challenge is to find the balance between the streets of Pakistan, conscious of their power to bring about change, and the state bureaucracy which is conscious of being the final arbiter once again.

Blogger jailed in Iran is dead, lawyer says

A young blogger arrested in Iran for allegedly insulting supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an Internet posting has died in prison, his attorney said Friday.Attorney Mohammad Ali Dadkhah said Omid Mir Sayafi, reported to be in his 20s, died in Evin prison, which is located in Tehran and known for its wing that holds political prisoners. Dadkhah said a fellow inmate, Dr. Hessam Firouzi, called him Wednesday night with the news -- and said he believed Sayafi would have lived if he received proper medical care. Dadkhah said Firouzi, an imprisoned human-rights activist, said that he carried a semi-conscious Sayafi to a prison doctor but that he didn't receive the care he needed. "It was Dr. Firouzi's opinion that if he would've received proper medical attention, he would not have died," Dadkhah said. He said Sayafi was buried on Thursday and that his calls to the prison asking for an explanation have not been returned. Dadkhah said Sayafi "sounded OK" at about 2 p.m. on Wednesday when he last spoke to him by telephone. He said the blogger asked for a book about Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, which begins Friday. The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, which advocates for activists in the country, quoted Firouzi on its Web site as saying Sayafi suffered from depression and had taken extra doses of medication on Wednesday. The group blamed Iran's government for unsafe conditions in its prisons.

China to make 'Little Mermaid' stand-in: official

A "modern" Chinese interpretation of the Little Mermaid will overlook Copenhagen's port while the iconic fairytale sculpture is in Shanghai for next year's World Expo, according to an official. The Chinese version will stand in while the Danish national treasure makes its controversial trip as the centrepiece of the country's pavilion, said Jing Ipland, the liaison officer for Denmark's Expo Secretariat. "The Little Mermaid has decided to come to Shanghai, but it might be disappointing for all the tourists to Denmark and to the Danish people," Ipland said. "So the idea came up that it would be good to have this exchange sculpture from China," she said, adding that the new-look statue would be an "extraordinary surprise." Copenhagen's city council last week approved sending the Danish sculpture to China from April to November 2010 in the face of vocal opposition, with prominent officials arguing the move could hurt tourism. A recent poll indicated 60 percent of Danes opposed allowing the statue, inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's 1837 fairytale, to leave the city. In Shanghai, the sculpture will be set in the centre of a large pool of water from the Copenhagen port to show it is clean enough for swimming, Danish officials have said. Ipland said several Chinese artists have submitted proposals but no decision had been made on the final design. She was coy about how the Chinese Little Mermaid might look. "It will be an extraordinary surprise to everyone," she said. "It will have new, modern ideas in it." Danish Crown Prince Frederik will visit Shanghai in May to unveil the Chinese design, she said.

Photo Allegedly Shows Putin in Disguise During Reagan Visit

A picture has emerged apparently showing Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in his former days as a KGB officer.The 20-year old photo depicts two world leaders – U.S. President Ronald Reagan and the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev — in Moscow. But, according to the man who took the photo, it also captures Putin disguised as a tourist. Pete Souza, now President Obama's official photographer, captured the moment when he worked for President Reagan during the political thaw that soon ended the Cold War. Reagan took a stroll around Red Square accompanied by the Russian leader, who then introduced him to a group of tourists. In an interview, Souza recounted being surprised at the "pointed" questions these supposed tourists asked the U.S. leader. They included searching inquiries on the state of human rights in the U.S.

The identity of the man on the left of the photo — complete with camera round his neck — was later revealed and "verified" to Souza as none other than Putin. The planting of KGB officers as bystanders was a common practice in Soviet times. During the tense stand-off of the Cold War, they would be used to challenge foreign leaders during visits to Russia. But, while acknowledging this practice, a Russian political analyst and author of books on Vladimir Putin dismissed Souza's claims as "nonsense." "Vladimir Putin was a major serving in Dresden and he wasn't important enough at that time to be brought to Moscow,"said Andrey Piontkovsky.

Eight killed as militants attack army base

The road to Afghanistan on teh outskirts of Landi Kotal.—AP/File
Pakistani paramilitary soldiers keep guard at 
a top post as trucks, bound for neighboring Afghanistan,
 wait for the road to open on the outskirt of Landi Kotal

LANDI KOTAL, Pakistan Suspected Taliban militants fired a rocket that killed eight people in a northwest Pakistan town Thursday, in an attack targeting security forces near a key supply route for international forces in Afghanistan, an official said.The militants fired three rockets near a base used by security forces in the town of Landi Kotal, about 10 kilometers west of the Afghan border, said Rashid Khan, an area government administrator. One of them hit the town's commercial area, killing at least eight people, injuring more than 30 and setting fire to a timber yard and a string of nearby shops, Khan said. The other two struck villages outside town, and it was not immediately known if there were casualties there. ‘The death toll could rise because we are still searching through the rubble in the dark,’ Khan said. Soon after the attack the security forces resorted to heavy firing and artillery shelling targeting suspected locations of the militants. The town lies in tribal region on a key road where militants have carried out a wave of attacks on trucks carrying supplies to US and Nato troops in Afghanistan. The security forces had launched an operation on Dec 28, 2008, in the agency which was extended to Landi Kotal in Jan last. A local militant Hazrat Ali, brother of a radical cleric Hazrat Nabi alias Tamanche Mullah, had accepted responsibility of the earlier attacks. He is also suspected of being involved in attacks on the container-trucks passing through the area while carrying goods for Nato forces in Afghanistan.

US House moves to tax AIG bonuses

The US House of Representatives has passed a bill that will impose a 90 per cent tax on bonuses paid to employees of companies that have received a government bailout.Thursday's move followed widespread public anger over a decision by insurance giant American International Group (AIG) to pay $165m in bonuses to financial executives after taking more than $170bn in taxpayer bailout money to keep the company afloat. Congress and Barack Obama's administration have scrambled to contain and even harness the fallout from the payout, with the House denouncing it as a "squandering of the people's money" and the US president saying the congressional bill "rightly reflects the outrage that so many feel over the lavish bonuses". Similar legislation has been introduced in the senate, with Obama signalling support for the move. "I look forward to receiving a final product that will serve as a strong signal to the executives who run these firms that such compensation will not be tolerated," the president said in a statement. The bill would impose a 90 per cent tax on bonuses given to employees - with family incomes above $250,000 – of companies that have received at least $5bn in government bailout money. It would apply to such bonuses issued since last December 31. In some cases, the bonuses may be taxed 100 per cent, leaving recipients with nothing. Charles Rangel, the Democratic chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, said he expected local and state governments to take the remaining 10 per cent of the bonuses.

Obama offers Iran 'new beginning'

On the eve of the Nowruz holiday in Iran, US President Barack Obama issued an unprecedented videotaped message to America's longtime diplomatic foe, offering Iran an “engagement that is honest and grounded in mutual respect”.President Barack Obama issued an unprecedented videotaped appeal to Iran on Friday offering a "new beginning" of diplomatic engagement to turn the page on decades of U.S. policy toward America's longtime foe. "My administration is now committed to diplomacy that addresses the full range of issues before us, and to pursuing constructive ties," Obama said in a message released to select broadcast outlets in the Middle East timed for the Nowruz holiday celebration in Iran. Obama went further than he has since taking office on Jan. 20 in extending an olive branch to Tehran, which has been locked in disputes with Washington over Iran's nuclear ambitions and its support for militant Islamic groups. The Obama administration -- in a major shift from former President George W. Bush's isolation policy toward Iran, which he once branded part of an "axis of evil" -- has expressed an openness to direct diplomatic contacts with Iran. Reaching out to Tehran, Obama said: "This process will not be advanced by threats. We seek instead engagement that is honest and grounded in mutual respect." He said the United States wanted Iran to take its "rightful place in the community of nations" but insisted that Tehran would have to do its part to achieve reconciliation. "You have that right -- but it comes with real responsibilities, and that place cannot be reached through terror or arms, but rather through peaceful actions that demonstrate the true greatness of the Iranian people and civilization," Obama said. "And the measure of that greatness is not the capacity to destroy, it is your demonstrated ability to build and create," he added, alluding to Iran's contested nuclear program and its missile development efforts. To stress the seriousness of Obama's overture, the White House distributed the videotape to broadcasters with Farsi subtitles and posted it on the White House website to coincide with Iranian observance of the ancient festival of Nowruz, celebrating the arrival of spring.

Tonga quake triggers tsunami

An earthquake off the coast of Tonga has triggered a tsunami in the South Pacific, capable of causing severe damage to the area.The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said on Thursday that sea level readings confirmed that a tsunami was generated. "This tsunami may have been destructive along coastlines of the region near the earthquake epicenter," the centre said. A tsunami warning was in effect for Tonga, Niue, Kermadec Island, American Samoa, Samoa, Wallis-Futuna and Fiji. The centre said the tsunami might be felt as far away as Hawaii but was not expected to cause any damage there. The 7.9 magnitude earthquake was registered 209 km southeast of Nuku'alofa, the capital of Tonga. The quake occurred at 18:18GMT at a depth of 10 km, the US Geological Survey reported. Tonga, a 170-island archipelago about halfway between Australia and Tahiti, is part of the Pacific "Ring of Fire" - an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones stretching from Chile in South America through Alaska and down through Vanuatu to Tonga. An undersea volcano has been erupting for days near Tonga, shooting smoke, steam and ash hundreds of metres into the sky, without posing any danger to islanders. Residents of Tonga said the steam and ash column first appeared on Monday morning, after a series of sharp earthquakes were felt in the capital.A major 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck off the Tonga islands region, seismologists said Friday, issuing a tsunami warning for Tonga, Samoa and Fiji. The quake, which hit at 6.17 am (1817 GMT), was centred 210 kilometres (130 miles) south-southeast of Nuku'Alofa, Tonga and 480 km east-southeast of Ndoi Island, Fiji. It struck at a depth of 10 km, the USGS said. A Tsunami warning was issued for Tonga, Niue, Kermadec Islands, American Samoa, Samoa and Fiji.

Tsunami 2004 - 04 - 4 different videos

Tsunami Indonesia

Tsunami Warning Issued After 7.9 Magnitude Quake Hits South Pacific

A tsunami warning has been issued after a 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck in the South Pacific Thursday, 130 miles from Tonga and 300 miles from Fiji, the U.S. Geological Survey reported."It is not known that a tsunami was generated," Reuters quotes the U.S National Weather Service's Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. "An earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami." The quake reportedly had a depth of of 6.2 miles.

Breaking News

Tsunami warning issued after major earthquake hits off Tonga

Scientists Rush to Erupting Pacific Undersea Volcano

NUKU'ALOFA, Tonga Scientists sailed Thursday to inspect an undersea volcano that has been erupting for days near Tonga — shooting smoke, steam and ash thousands of feet (meters) into the sky above the South Pacific ocean.Authorities said Thursday the eruption does not pose any danger to islanders at this stage, and there have been no reports of fish or other animals being affected. Spectacular columns are spewing out of the sea about 6 miles (10 kilometers) from the southwest coast off the main island of Tongatapu — an area where up to 36 undersea volcanoes are clustered, geologists said. Trade winds continued to blow gas and steam away from the island Thursday.

India's economy suffers sharp slowdown

Official data has revealed India's slowest economic growth in nearly six years. The 5.3 percent expansion in the three months to December is down from 8.9 percent a year earlierIndia's economy grew at its slowest pace in nearly six years in the third quarter as the Asian giant started to feel the full brunt of the deepening global downturn, official data showed Friday. The worse-than-expected 5.3 percent expansion in the three months to December, down from 8.9 percent a year earlier, spurred expectations the central bank will cut interest rate further to boost the flagging economy. India's government has long said it needs double-digit growth if it is to drag hundreds of millions of its people out of grinding poverty. The latest data provided grim reading for the Congress-led government, which must face general elections by May, and has been eager to spur the economy ahead of the polls. "The massive slowdown in growth... has now dismissed speculation India is more resilient in this global turmoil because its economy is more domestically oriented, said Sherman Chan, an economist at Moody's Economy.com. Growth in Asia's third-largest economy was sharply lower than the 7.6 percent expansion recorded in the second quarter and came in below analysts' forecasts of 6.1 percent. Agricultural production, which accounts for nearly 20 percent of gross domestic product and provides a living for two-thirds of Indians, contracted by 2.2 percent compared with 6.9 percent growth in the year-ago period. Manufacturing activity shrank by 0.2 percent, down from growth of 8.6 percent a year earlier amid flagging domestic and export demand. Construction growth slowed to 6.7 percent, from 9.0 percent a year earlier. The government has predicted the economy, which grew by nine percent last year, will expand 7.1 percent this financial year to March, but economists said the latest data meant that it would miss the target.  "It's not going to pan out, it's going to be more like 6.5 percent (growth)," said D.K. Joshi, principal economist at Crisil ratings agency.

Afghanistan head to World Cup

Afghanistan cricket coach Kabir Khan is confident the grit of his team from a war-torn nation would see them through in the World Cup qualifying tournament in South Africa starting on April 1."After having seen years of hardship and war at home these players are a resilient lot," Khan said from Peshawar ahead of the team's departure for Kabul, from where they will fly to South Africa. "They realise how important it is for their country and their countrymen if they do well in South Africa and make the World Cup," the former Pakistan Test paceman said. Violence has surged in recent years in Afghanistan since the Taliban, ousted in a US-led invasion in 2001, regrouped in 2005 to try to drive out the foreign troops and to topple the Western-backed government of President Hamid Karzai. The tough living conditions in the Muslim country have left little room for sporting activities but the cricket team have captured the imagination of Afghanistan by winning three International Cricket Council (ICC) world division league tournaments to qualify for next month's event. The top four sides from the 12-team tournament will play in the 2011 World Cup to be staged jointly by Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The top six will earn one-day international status until 2013. "These players have been playing together for a while now and have a good understanding and bonding," said Khan. "To them, playing the World Cup is more then just about cricket."Over the years, war and violence in their own country have forced many Afghanis to find refuge in neighbouring Pakistan where cricket remains a passion. Khan said interaction with Pakistanis in the North West Frontier Province bordering Afghanistan has helped Afghan cricketers develop a love for the sport.

Annecy is France's candidate to host 2018 Winter Olympics

Annecy was chosen, on a first round of voting by the French National Olympic Committee, to be the country's candidate to host the 2018 Winter Olympics. The Alpine town won over rivals Nice, Grenoble and Pelvoux.The lakeside town of Annecy has been named as France's candidate city to host the 2018 Winter Olympics, the French national Olympic committee announced on Wednesday. Annecy, in the French Alps not far from the Swiss border, was named ahead of rival bids from Grenoble, Nice and Pelvoux-les-Ecrins. The host city for the 2018 Winter Olympics will be announced in July 2011 in Durban.

Breaking News

A magnitude 7.9 earthquake strikes near Tonga in the Pacific Ocean,
 U.S. Geological Survey reports.