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Saturday, February 6, 2010

Four British legislators charged over expenses


British state prosecutors charged four legislators with false accounting over alleged abuses of the parliamentary expenses system. The charges are the latest twist in a scandal over politicians' expenses that have damaged Britain's ruling Labour and opposition Conservative parties in the run-up to a general election that must take place by June. In four cases, we have concluded that there is sufficient evidence to bring criminal charges and that it is in the public interest to charge the individuals concerned, said Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer in a statement. He named the four as Elliot Morley, David Chaytor and Jim Devine, who are Labour members of the lower House of Commons, and Paul White, known as Lord Hanningfield, a Conservative member of the upper House of Lords. Morley is a former environment minister. He faces two charges of dishonest claims for mortgage expenses. Chaytor faces three charges of dishonest claims, while Devine faces two charges for making claims based on false invoices. The BBC reported that the three had issued a joint statement denying the charges and vowing to "defend our position robustly". White faces six charges, centered on numerous claims for overnight expenses for staying in London when records show he was driven home and did not spend the night in London. He could not immediately be reached for comment. The four defendants are scheduled to appear in court on March 11. They face a maximum sentence of seven years in jail.

Kashmir day and Pak-India tensions


Pakistan is marking Kashmir day with countrywide demos to show solidarity with the people of Kashmir. Pakistan believes that there can be no lasting peace with India unless the core issue of Kashmir is settled. Just yesterday Pakistan’s Military Chief said the country’s army would remain focused on India. Despite international pressure on  Pakistan to deploy more forces on its Western Border to fight the Taliban the Pakistani army is still eyeball to eyeball with the Indians after India reactivated its forward operating airbases and deployed its forces on the border with Pakistan. That prompted Pakistan to go for a policy of a quid pro quo by sending her forces to take up defensive positions and reinforce her forward positions to thwart off any Indian attack. The Indian military Chief has recently talked about a Cold Start option, i.e. to strike first and mobilise later policy. However Pakistan’s military Chief General Kiyani said such take was dangerous and that any such option could lead to a spiral of events that would be difficult to control. The Indian talk interestingly came on the heels of a visit by the American defense secretary Robert Gates to India where he warned that India may not be able to show restraint if she was attacked again. Tensions over Kashmir remained a key sticking point between the two Nuclear armed nations. India recently signaled that it would restart talks at secretary level with Pakistan in what is seen party due to the American pressure on India but Pakistan’s foreign Ministry replied by saying that the Indians must outline the agenda for the talks.

Severe ice storm paralyses parts of USA

A severe Ice storm has hit several parts of United States of America. The states near the central Atlantic are experiencing heavy snow along with rain falls. Due to intense snow fall in Virginia most of the government offices are closed for four hours every day.

Iran: Uranium deal close


A final deal on sending some Iranian uranium abroad for enrichment is close, Iran's foreign minister has said. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Friday,  Manouchehr Mottaki said Iran sees good prospects for clinching such a deal.
"With regard to discussions with the different parties, I personally believe that we have created conducive ground for such an exchange in the not very distant future," Mottaki said. "Under the present conditions that we have reached, I think that we are approaching a final agreement that can be accepted by all parties." Mottaki said it should be up to Tehran to set the amounts to be exchanged, based on its needs. A deal could represent a major breakthrough in the long-running dispute over Iran's nuclear programme, but it was not clear whether Iran's conditions would be acceptable to the United States and others.

Karachi: Joint funeral prayers for 14 victims offered


A joint funeral prayer for 14 victims of the twin bombing was offered at RCD ground Malir. The funeral prayer lead by Molana Kosar Abbas. The funeral was attended by hundreds of people. The atmosphere was extremely somber. The person whose funerals were offered include Husnain, Anwar Abad, Hassan, Ali Babar, Ali, Taukeer, Shaid Ali, Ali Salman, Anjum, Kazim, Hassan, Munir Hassan and Muhmmad. All of these people were killed during the nursery blast. Two other funerals were offered last night. During the funeral special security measures were implemented and all the surrounding roads were sealed. Everyone was searched and Rangers encircled the area during the funeral.

Jinnah Hospital cctv fotage of bomb blast (05-02-2010)

Two Bombs Explode in Pakistan Hours Apart, Killing 25

Suspected Sunni militants bombed a bus carrying Shiite worshippers and two hours later attacked a hospital treating the victims, killing 25 people and wounded 100 on Friday in a strike on Pakistan's largest city. The blasts in the southern city of Karahi were the latest sign of the instability tearing at the nuclear-armed nation, which the United States regards as key to its hopes of defeating a related Taliban insurgency across the border in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani appealed for calm in the city, which is the country's commercial heart. It has a history of religious violence between Shiite and Sunni Muslims, and has been tense in recent weeks due to clashes between rival political parties that have left dozens dead. No group claimed responsibility, but Pakistan is home to many Al Qaeda-linked Sunni extremist groups with a history of attacking Shiites. In late December, extremists in the city detonated a bomb that killed 44 Shiites attending a procession to mark Ashura, the anniversary of the death of revered Shiite figure Imam Hussein, sparking the city's worst riots in recent years. Friday's blasts coincided with Arbaeen, the final day of the annual 40-day mourning period for Hussein.