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Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Shutdown in India's Punjab over anti-Sikh riots


A 12-hour shutdown to mark the 25th anniversary of 1984 anti-Sikh riots disrupted normal life in Amritsar and Ludhiana districts of India's northern Punjab state on Tuesday. Activists of various radical Sikh organizations blocked train and road transport in Amritsar city to enforce the shutdown called to protest the inaction against the accused of 1984 riots that killed nearly 3,000 people. Markets and business establishments remained closed and roads wore a deserted look. Anti-Sikh riots were sparked after the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, 25 years ago.

US allowed Al Qaeda to enter Fata: Hillary



US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has conceded that the United States was also responsible for allowing Al Qaeda to enter Pakistan. Clearly, Al Qaeda left Afghanistan. And we let them out, she told Greta Van Susteren of FOX News. You know, we should have taken them out when we had the chance back in 2001 and 2002 and they escaped. And they escaped into Pakistan. Asked if the US was also responsible for Al Qaeda’s presence in Fata, Secretary Clinton acknowledged that if the US had done a better job in Afghanistan, Al Qaeda would not have slipped into Pakistan. If we had done a better job going into Afghanistan and capture the people who had attacked us or killed them you know, we would be in a different position,’ she said. Asked about the extent to which the developing US military strategy in Afghanistan bleeds into Pakistan, Mrs Clinton said: Absolutely. I mean when we first did our review upon taking office, we concluded that you had to look at Afghanistan and Pakistan together and in light of the war on terror that we had to wage. To win the war against terrorists, she said, the US needed to build strong partnerships with both Afghanistan and Pakistan. The stronger partnership we have with Pakistan, the stronger their efforts to root out terrorists in their own country, the better the situation is across the border in Afghanistan. The top US diplomat said she was impressed with the way the Pakistani military was confronting militants in South Waziristan.

US 'committed to settlement freeze'




Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, has said that Washington remains committed to complete freeze in Israeli settlement construction in the occupied West Bank. Her comments on Tuesday came just days after she praised an Israeli proposal for a moratorium which would halt the building of new settlements, but leaving many under construction unaffected. "I think, as you know, President [Barack] Obama clearly said he wanted to see an end to settlement activity," Clinton told in Morocco. "That had never been requested prior to any negotiation entered into by any representative of either the Palestinians or the Israelis." On Sunday, Clinton had called the Israeli plans "unprecedented" and said that Washington's demand for a full settlement freeze was not a precondition for talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Republicans 'win' US state races



Republican candidates have defeated Democratic rivals in the race for govenor in two US states, prompting buoyant opponents of Barack Obama to describe the wins as a blow to the president. According to media projections, Republican Bob McDonnell has trounced Creigh Deeds in the state of Virginia, while in the traditionally Democratic eastern state of New Jersey, Chris Christie defeated the incumbent, Jon Corzine in a closely fought race. In New York, Michael Bloomberg, the city's independent mayor, won a third term in office, defeating Bill Thompson, the Democratic city comptroller, local media said. Bloomberg was ahead 50 to 47 per cent, with 91 per cent of the votes counted. Described by the Forbes magazine as the richest man in New York, Bloomberg is estimated to have spent almost $90m on his re-election bid, while Thompson spent $7m.