QUITO: Fishermen have found a dozen bombs believed to be from World War Two buried on the Galapagos Islands, a local government official said on Tuesday.

The bombs were found on Bartolome Island, one of the Galapagos group located about 600 miles (966 km) off South America’s northwestern coast.

The islands are a province of Ecuador, which let the United States set up a military base on one, Baltra Island, during World War Two due to its strategic location southwest of the Panama Canal.

Luis Martinez, chief of operations for Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island, told Reuters that the bombs posed no danger to the public but that the Ecuadorean navy had been informed as a precaution.

“This military equipment that was found dates from the Second World War and was buried. It was not in sight of the beaches, nor close to them,” Martinez said.

He said the authorities were considering making a more thorough search of the area on Bartolome Island in case there were any other wartime explosives to unearth.

The volcanic Galapagos Islands are visited by thousands of tourists from all over the world every year thanks to their vast array of native species, many of which are endangered.

British naturalist Charles Darwin developed his evolution theory in the 19th century after studying the wildlife there.

MOSCOW: It is a typical Friday scene – worshippers kneeling in the rain outside Moscow’s biggest mosque, forced to use their shoes to anchor their prayer rugs to keep them from blowing away in the autumn winds.

The scramble for a place inside is a weekly headache for Muslims in the Russian capital, a city with one of the biggest percentage of Muslims in Europe but with only four mosques.

And their plea for more space to worship is stirring tension with Russia’s resurgent nationalists.

“When I can get here early, I can find a place inside. Otherwise I need to stay outside,” said Abdyl Ashim Ibraimov, 30, a regular at the Sobornaya mosque, Moscow’s largest.

Thousands of faithful descend upon the site each Friday for the Islamic day of prayer, but the green building topped with gold crescents – wedged between blocks of apartments and an immense stadium in central Moscow – can only hold up to 800 people.

Once full, worshippers filter into its nearby administrative offices, then the interior courtyard and finally spill onto neighbouring sidewalks.

“Friday prayers are very important. That’s why we come here, whether it’s raining or snowing,” said Ashur Ashurov, a silver-haired man in his sixties.

Estimates vary for the number of Muslims in Moscow, a vast city of 10.5 million. Russian officials put it at about 1.2 million but the Council of Muftis, the official Muslim organisation in Russia, says it is closer to two million.

With only four mosques, “there is a catastrophic shortage of place,” said the Sobornaya mosque’s imam, Ildar Khazrat Alyautdinov. “It is not enough to accommodate those who want to come and pray.” Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, hundreds of thousands of immigrants from ex-Soviet republics in mainly Muslim Central Asia have flocked to Moscow, swelling the capital’s already significant Muslim population.

“We are asking, and even demanding, that there be a mosque in every borough, ideally in every neighbourhood,” Alyautdinov said.

Efforts to meet these demands, however, have been stymied by objections from local residents influenced in part by the rise in Russian nationalism since the Soviet collapse.

According to Alyautdinov, a project to add a second building to enlarge the Sobornaya mosque site has been blocked by the absence of “one small signature from a bureaucrat” needed to finish the work.

And fierce protests from residents have thwarted other plans to build an enormous new mosque in the city’s southeast designed to hold up to 5,000 people.

Moscow officials had promised to hand over land in a park to build this new facility. Angry local residents, however, delivered a petition to authorities against the mosque’s construction while a group of anti-mosque activists went further, recently planting trees in the area set aside for the building.

“At the moment we can wander here with pets, have barbecues. But an imam could say: don’t roast pork here, don’t walk your dogs here,” said Mikhail Butrimov, a spokesman for the activists.

“There will be altercations” if the mosque is built, he warned.

Critics, including Sova, a Moscow-based NGO that monitors hate crimes, have linked the protests to xenophobic groups, singling out Butrimov whom they say has been put forward as a candidate in several elections by obscure nationalist parties and does not even live in the neighborhood of the proposed mosque.

Alexei Malashenko, an expert on Islam with the Moscow Carnegie Centre, a think-tank for nonpartisan research and analysis, said the root of the problem is a lack of tolerance among Moscow residents.

“Moscow is a cosmopolitan city… and the city with the biggest Muslim population in Europe. People need to get used to seeing mosques,” he said.

GUJRAT: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Saturday declared that Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had made a blunder in its first government in 1972 by nationalizing tens of thousands of schools and colleges in the country.

“Yes it was a wrong move, and we cannot move forward without admitting our mistake”, the prime minister said about the decision of the party’s founding leader late Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.

Gilani in his remarks also offered Mr Sharif all-out support for creating the right atmosphere for politics of reconciliation.

He was addressing a ceremony to mark the 68th death anniversary of Nawab Sir Fazal Ali, the founder of the Zamindar College Gujrat.

ABU DHABI: Paceman Lonwabo Tsotsobe and off-spinner Johan Botha took three wickets apiece to help South Africa beat Pakistan by six wickets in the first of two Twenty20 matches here on Tuesday.

Tsotsobe, with a career-best 3-16, and skipper Botha (3-31) led a spirited South African bowling to restrict Pakistan to a paltry 119 at the Abu Dhabi Stadium in a match whose income will go to flood victims in Pakistan.

Ingram hit two towering sixes and four boundaries during his 38-ball knock.

KARACHI: The country may not be performing well in several fields but it has moved up the corruption ladder, from the 42nd rung in 2009 to 34th this year.

According to Transparency International’s report for 2010, Pakistan is more corrupt today than it was last year.

The report released here on Tuesday by TI Pakistan’s chief Adil Gilani and in Berlin by its president Huguette Labelle said that on a list of 178 countries Pakistan fared worse than Bangladesh and India.

The perception of the most corrupt government was in 1996 when Pakistan had achieved the second position.

Mr Gilani claimed that billions of rupees were siphoned off through corruption which seriously affected the country’s progress.

The report showed that nearly three-fourth of the 178 countries had scored below five on a scale from 0 (perceived to be highly corrupt) to 10, indicating a serious corruption problem.

The country perceived to be most corrupt was Somalia with a score of 1.1, followed by Afghanistan and Myanmar with 1.4.

Denmark, Singapore and New Zealand were perceived to be the most honest countries with a score of 9.3.

Mr Gilani said that Bangladesh was perceived to be the most corrupt country in 2001, 2002 and 2003, but it took corrective measures and this year it was placed at number 39. Owing to decrease in corruption, Bangladesh’s GDP grew by five per cent, compared to Pakistan’s 2.4 per cent last year.

Mr Gilani said that over the past two years there had been unprecedented cases of corruption involving tens of billions of rupees in public sector organisations which should have been taken up by the National Accountability Bureau.

He claimed that the government lacked the political will to fight corruption because of which the Supreme Court had to take suo motu action against organisations like the National Insurance Corporation, Pakistan Steel and rental power plants.

He said a delay in setting up an independent accountability commission by parliament might aggravate the situation.

He said that the direct impact of increased corruption was witnessed in the shape of up to 120 per cent rise in food prices within a year -- sugar from Rs54 a kg to Rs80, pulses from Rs50 a kg to Rs110, eggs from Rs35 a dozen to Rs60, etc.

Mr Gilani said the perception of corruption had caused a drop in foreign direct investment to $2.21 billion during 2009-10 from $371 billion the previous year. The foreign debt increased from $40 billion in 1999 to $46 billion in 2008 and $53 billion this year.

He said that an across-the-board application of the rule of law, merit-based appointments and easy access to justice were the only solutions to the problem of corruption which was responsible for poverty, inflation, terrorism, illiteracy, lack of electricity and hoarding of essential food commodities.

He said the Supreme Court in its order in the NIC case had considered violation of public procurement rules as a criminal act and a federal crime and this would help reduce corruption.

The TI’s president Huguette Labelle said in a message that the results again showed that corruption was a global problem that must be addressed through global policy reforms.

She said that it was commendable that the Group of 20 in pursuing financial reforms had made strong commitments to transparency and integrity ahead of its November summit in Seoul, but the process must be accelerated.

She urged the G20 to mandate greater government oversight and public transparency in all measures they took to reduce systematic risks and opportunities for corruption and fraud in the public as well as in the private sector.

Comparing the level of corruption perception in the region, the report said that Pakistan held the position of the second most corrupt country in 1996 and now it had improved to be placed at the 34th number, while India had improved from 9th to 91st position and Bangladesh from 4th to 43rd position during the period.

LONDON: The sister-in-law of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has converted to Islam following a visit to Iran, claiming she is a “proud member” of the Muslim community.
Lauren Booth has given up alcohol and pork, prays five times a day and has not ruled out wearing a burqa in the future, she told The Mail on Sunday newspaper.
The 43-year-old journalist and reality television contestant underwent the religious conversion on her return to Britain following a visit to the holy Iranian city of Qom six weeks ago.
She said that when she was in Iran, “I sat down and felt this shot of spiritual morphine, just absolute bliss and joy.”Speaking to the newspaper after a multi-faith Global Peace and Unity Event in London on Saturday, Booth said: “What I wanted to share with you today is that I am Lauren Booth and I am a Muslim.
“I always felt that the Ummah (Muslim community) is a very loving, peaceful place and I am proud to be a member of it.”Booth, who works for the English language Iranian news channel Press TV, has frequently criticised her brother-in-law, accusing the former leader of being biased towards Israel and the United States in his role as Middle East peace envoy.
She wrote a scathing open letter in last month's far-left newspaper Morning Star.
“Personally I've never understood this fear of 'political Islam',” she wrote. “It seems to me that religious people should always be educated on world events rather than kept in ignorance. Like, say, Midwest Christian Zionists in the US.”After attending a rally in Iran to mourn Palestinian deaths in cities including Rafah and Nablus, Booth wrote: “Do you recognise these place names, Tony?
“As Middle East envoy, you really should. Israel has massacred children in all of these cities. Didn't you know?”She was refused entry to Israel and Egypt after travelling from Cyprus to Gaza on an activist ship which was protesting the blockade of Palestinian territory.
Religious enlightenment is not unknown in the family with brother-in-law Tony converting to Catholicism in December 2007.Booth is the half-sister of Blair's wife Cherie, who is a human rights lawyer.

ABU DHABI: Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi hoped his beleaguered side is focused enough to counter a spirited South African team in the back-to-back Twenty20 matches starting here on Tuesday.
Pakistan's recent tour to England was rocked by spot-fixing allegations which prompted a Scotland Yard investigation and the suspension of three of their players by the International Cricket Council.
Test captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer were charged for violating various code of conduct during the Lord's Test against England in August, a controversy which Afridi said is a thing of the past.
“My players are professional and have put all the controversy behind them,” Afridi said at the launching ceremony of the series in which Pakistan will also play five one-day internationals and two Tests.
The series is Pakistan's home series shifted to United Arab Emirates over security fears.
Afridi said the team has ample talent to counter the South Africans.
“We know we are without two of our best bowlers in Aamer and Asif,” said Afridi of the two suspended bowlers. “But we still have ample talent to counter South Africa who are a very good side in the shorter form of the game.”
South African captain Johan Botha agreed Pakistan will miss the talent of Asif and Aamer.
“You always miss quality players and surely Pakistan will miss the two (suspended) bowlers, but we too have injury problems in the team and when such things happen other players step in,” said Botha.
Allrounder Jacques Kallis and fast bowlers Morne Morkel and Dale Styen were still recovering from various injuries and may not be able to play the first Twenty 20.
Botha hoped at least two of the three players will be available for the second Twenty 20, also to be played here on Wednesday.
“Playing Pakistan is always a great challenege and they knocked us out in two major Twenty20 matches,” said Botha of Pakistan's wins over South Africa in the second and third World Twenty20 in 2009 and 2010 respectively.
The two sides play the first two one-day in Abu Dhabi before the last three limited over matches in Dubai.
Dubai will also stage the first Test, while the second will be played in Abu Dhabi.
Squads:Pakistan (from): Shahid Afridi (capt), Imran Farhat, Mohammad Hafeez, Shahzaib Hasan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Abdul Razzaq, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Wahab Riaz, Abdur Rehman, Shoaib Akhtar, Tanvir Ahmed, Zulqarnain Haider
South Africa (from): Johan Botha (capt), Loots Bosman, AB de Villiers, Jean-Paul Duminy, Colin Ingram, Jacques Kallis, David Miller, Graeme Smith, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Rusty Theron, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

A bomb planted on a motorcycle exploded at the gate of the famous Baba Farid Shakar Ganj sufi shrine in central Pakistan’s Pakpattan district during morning prayers Monday, killing at least five people, officials said.
The blast at the shrine in Punjab province was the latest in a string of attacks targeting Sufi shrines in Pakistan.
The dead from Monday's blast included at least one woman, said Maher Aslam Hayat, a senior government official in Pakpattan. At least 13 others were wounded in the explosion, he said.
The bombing significantly damaged a row of shops outside the shrine, said Hayat. But the shrine itself, which is dedicated to a 12th century Sufi saint, was largely undamaged, he said.
Local TV footage showed the twisted and charred body of the motorcycle on which the bomb was planted. It also showed large piles of broken wood and chunks of concrete from the shops damaged by the blast.
After the attack, religious scholar Mufti Muneebur Rehman, criticised the government for not doing enough to protect the population.
''Our rulers are too busy serving foreign masters and have not prioritised protecting the people and sacred places from terrorists,'' said Rehman.
Earlier this month, two suspected suicide bombers attacked a Sufi shrine in Karachi, killing at least eight people and wounding 65 others.
A suicide attack in July killed 47 people at the nation's most revered Sufi shrine, Data Darbar in Lahore. That attack infuriated many Pakistanis, who saw it as an unjustified assault on peaceful civilians.

PORT-AU-PRINCE: A sudden cholera epidemic has killed more than 208 people, officials said Saturday as Haiti scrambled to contain a wider outbreak 10 months after an earthquake devastated the Caribbean nation. A few days after the first cases appeared in the north, the outbreak looked to be moving closer to the capital, Port-au-Prince, which is heavily populated by homeless residents in tent cities where sanitation is poor. "We have recorded more than 208 dead," said Gabriel Thimote, the health ministry's director general. Of those 194 occurred in the Artibonite department in northern Haiti and 14 in central Haiti closer to the capital. Around 3,000 people have been admitted to hospitals and health centers which were struggling to cope with overwhelming rush of sick patients as Haiti grapples with its first cholera outbreak in over a century. More than 50 inmates at a prison in the center of the country have been infected with cholera, and three inmates have died, officials said. "The situation is under control. The population should not give in to panic, but people must take hygienic measures seriously," said Jocelyne Pierre-Louis, a physician with the health ministry. President Rene Preval and Health Minister Alex Larsen toured regions affected by the epidemic on Saturday, as authorities vowed they were working to provide clean water to residents. On Friday, the health ministry asked the United Nations operations in Haiti to take charge of distributing medication that is being sent by international donors. The Canadian government has offered to set up a military hospital in Haiti and the United States has pledged to set up large tents to treat patients on the ground.

PAKISTAN (LAHORE): At least seven people were killed in two different incidents of firing here on late Saturday.According to police sources, the first incident took place near Harbans Pora Lal Bridge when two groups opened fire at each other, killing three persons on the spot. It was an old family dispute which led to shootout, police said while those killed were identified as Ashraf, Murtaza and Sarfaraz.Another man Shahid Khan suffered minor injuries who was immediately rushed to Services Hospital for medical attainment.Meanwhile in another incident of firing, three youths were killed when a drunken visitor Azam opened aerial fire in celebrations amid a wedding party in Township area.Killed youths were Hassan, Shahzad and Osama, police confirmed.

The NHK Trophy is held in Nagoya, central Japan and is the first event of the six-stage ISU figure skating Grand Prix series. Here is a look at the skating event.

PARIS: The International Cricket Council said Friday that Pakistan’s fast bowler Mohammad Asif had withdrawn his challenge to the provisional suspension handed down last month for alleged match-fixing.

Teammates Salman Butt and Mohammad Amir have appealed against their own provisional suspensions and their hearings are still set for Dubai on 30 and 31 October.

“Mohammad Asif confirmed earlier today that he has withdrawn his challenge to the provisional suspension imposed on him on 2 September 2010 pending determination of the charges brought against him under the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Code,” the ICC said.

“Arrangements are now being made for the challenges being made by Salman Butt and Mohammad Amir against their provisional suspensions,” an ICC statement read, the organisation adding it would not make any further comment for the time being.

The trio were charged with offences under the ICC’s anti-corruption code after test captain Butt and fast bowlers Amir and Asif were all named in a News of the World report alleging they were involved in a “spot-fixing” scam by bowling deliberate no-balls in a summer Test match with England in exchange for cash.

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat had warned that the sport had to take a tough stand to preserve cricket’s integrity, noting that such offences “carry serious penalties up to a life ban.”

The News of the World claimed that Amir and Asif had bowled no-balls on request during the fourth Test at the Brit Oval, with Butt orchestrating the alleged fix.

Scotland Yard was called in and the trio had their mobile phones confiscated by police investigators.

Further allegations dogged the subsequent one-day series between England and Pakistan.

The panel set to hear the remaining appeals is to be chaired by the head of the ICC’s Code of Conduct Commission Michael Beloff QC.

Owing to their suspensions, the trio had been left out of Pakistan’s upcoming tour of the United Arab Emirates, where they will meet South Africa.

HERAT: Three suicide bombers wearing police uniforms and burqas on Saturday attacked the United Nations office in the western Afghan city of Herat, senior police and UN officials said.

There were no casualties among UN workers, Delawar Shah Delawar, deputy police chief of Herat province, told AFP after the raid, which was claimed by the Taliban.

“One of the suicide attackers drove his explosives-packed vehicle into the rear gate of the compound. The two other attackers tried to enter the building after the blast but they were killed by guards and policemen,” he said.

“At this stage we are searching the compound to make sure there are no attackers hiding inside the building,” he said, adding: “The attack did not cause any casualties to security forces or UN workers.”

UN officials in Kabul and Herat confirmed the attack and that there were no deaths or injuries among UN staff, who had taken refuge in a safe bunker.

The United Nations has been seen as a specific target of the Taliban since last October, when a Kabul guesthouse was attacked and 12 people, including six UN employees, were killed.

The latest attack began at 12:30 pm, an AFP reporter on the scene said, adding that explosions and small arms fire was heard from inside the compound, which is about eight kilometres from Herat city centre.

The remains of the vehicle lay by the destroyed gate, with body parts — possibly those of the attackers — strewn around it, the reporter said.

Henri Burgard, public information officer with the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in Herat, said the attackers were on foot.

“There have been either rockets or mortars fired at us and then some small arms fire,” he said, speaking from a nearby guesthouse.

Interior ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary confirmed an attack and said the area had been cordoned off by police.

Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi, speaking by telephone from an undisclosed location, said the group was behind the raid.

“We carried out the attack on the UNAMA office in Herat. The attack is still ongoing and so far 12 UNAMA guards and workers have been killed,” he said.

Herat, Afghanistan's second biggest city, is near the border with Iran. It has until recently been relatively peaceful though the security situation has been deteriorating.

Residents say that the road to the airport is controlled after dark by criminal gangs who kidnap for ransom. Some districts of the city, notably those dominated by ethnic Pashtuns, are controlled by Taliban insurgents, they say.

In January, the US consulate under construction in Herat came under rocket fire. There were no casualties.

The Taliban said earlier this year that all foreigners — including troops, diplomats and aid workers — and Afghans working for them were considered legitimate targets in their war against the Kabul government.

ISLAMABAD (PAKISTAN): Following the International Cricket Council’s stern 30-day warning, Pakistan’s cricket authorities have formed an anti-corruption committee, reports in the local media said on Friday.
Keeping in line with the instructions given by the ICC, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has formed a seven-member team which will monitor cricketers and officials linked with the board.
PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt will head the committee, which will have authority to take immediate action against any player or official found guilty of corruption, a private television channels reported.
The seven-member committee also includes PCB's Chief Operating Officer Wasim Bari and General Manager Cricket Operations Zakir Khan.
Earlier this month, cricket’s governing body issued a warning to the PCB to improve its governance and implement a series of measures within 30 days.
Three Pakistani Test cricketers were suspended by the ICC last month, after British tabloid reports alleged them of spot-fixing.
In an ICC hearing scheduled for October 30 and 31, Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif will face an ICC panel regarding their suspension.

WASHINGTON: Pakistan called Friday for President Barack Obama to intervene in its longstanding dispute with India over the Himalayan region of Kashmir, the cause of two of the three wars the nuclear-armed rivals have fought.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi made the unusually blunt appeal for Obama to seek a resolution of the dispute when he visits India next month, saying he should ''redeem the pledge'' he made as a candidate.
The conflict over Kashmir has been the main source of friction between India and Pakistan.
Pakkistan has frequently sought outside intervention to resolve it but India vehemently opposes such involvement and the United States has traditionally stayed above the fray.
Qureshi, speaking next to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at the closing day of three days of US-Pakistan talks, said Obama must get involved because a crackdown against suspected militants in Indian-administered Kashmir threatens the entire region.
''It is in the US strategic interest to work for peace, stability and resolution of the disputes in South Asia,'' he said. ''The starting point in this quest is justice for the Kashmiri people.''
''President Obama has always understood the importance of a Kashmir solution,'' Qureshi said. ''His coming visit to the region is the time to begin to redeem the pledge that he made earlier.''
As a presidential candidate in 2008, Obama suggested that the US should encourage India and Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir dispute so Pakistan could better focus on fighting extremists on its own territory and in Afghanistan.
Although he did not advocate direct mediation, his comments were met with disdain in India.
The violence in the region has killed at least 111 people, mostly teenage boys and young men in their 20s. Indian authorities have imposed off-and-on curfews in an attempt to halt the unrest.
Quershi expressed astonishment that the US and other major powers had said little about India's response to the protests.
''People of conscience have protested the use of force against the defenseless people of Kashmir, in particular the targeting of the Kashmiri youth,'' he said.
''But the Kashmiri mothers are baffled by the deafening silence of the world's leadership. History has proved that the force of arms cannot suppress the legitimate aspirations of the Kashmiri people.''

WASHINGTON: The United States on Friday pledged two billion dollars in military aid to Pakistan and hailed its efforts to battle extremists, seeking to bolster an uneasy alliance with the frontline nation.

The military package, keenly sought by Pakistan's leaders, marks the latest twist in the two nations' crisis-prone relationship but risks causing unease in India just two weeks before a visit to New Delhi by President Barack Obama.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the administration would ask Congress to approve two billion dollars in military aid from 2012 to 2016 as part of the United States' “enduring commitment to help Pakistan plan for its defense needs.”

“The United States has no stronger partner when it comes to counter-terrorism efforts against the extremists who threaten us both than Pakistan,” Clinton said at high-level, three-day talks between the two nations.

The military package would be in addition to 7.5 billion dollars which Congress last year committed over five years in civilian aid, including building schools and roads, in a bid to dent the allure of extremists.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who is accompanied by the army chief to the strategic dialogue in Washington, denounced criticism of his country's efforts against extremism.

“There are still tongue-in-cheek comments, even in this capital, about Pakistan's heart not really being in this fight. I do not know what greater evidence to offer than the blood of our people,” Qureshi said, sitting next to Clinton.

“We are determined to win this fight,” Qureshi said.

Clinton said that Americans “recognize and appreciate the sacrifice and service” of Pakistan's military.

“These groups threaten the security first and foremost of the people of Pakistan, of neighbors, of the United States and indeed the world,” Clinton said.

But a White House report to Congress this month faulted Pakistan for not working against Afghanistan's Taliban, in what experts say is an attempt by Islamabad to preserve influence in its neighbor if and when US troops leave.

Obama plans to pay his first presidential visit to India next month in an effort to show his personal commitment to broadening the relationship between the world's two largest democracies.

CALGARY: Canada has created history by electing its first Muslim mayor. Naheed Nenshi, a Harvard-educated Ismaili Muslim, defeated two white candidates to become the mayor of Calgary Monday night. A Conservative (right-wing) stronghold in Canada, Calgary is also the hometown of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Interestingly, the 38-year-old Nenshi defeated one of the candidates supported by the prime minister. A jubilant Nenshi told his supporters after his victory, 'Today, Calgary is a different place than it was yesterday. It's a better place. 'And not because of me, but because of you. All of you. I want to thank all of the other candidates in this election for making politics in Calgary exciting again. I want to thank you all.'' A business professor and smart talker, Nenshi baffled energize his youth support base Obama-style by using new social media to usher what he called 'Purple Revolution.' The prime minister's office congratulated the first non-white mayor of any major Canadian city. 'The Prime Minister congratulates Mr Nenshi on his victory in yesterday's municipal elections,'' a message from the Prime Minister's Office said. 'This is a very good development for Canada that someone from any minority community has become mayor of a major city in this country,'' said former Canadian health minister Ujjal Dosanjh who himself created history in February 2000 by becoming Canada's first non-white premier in British Columbia province. Ismaili Muslims, most of whom came here from Uganda and Tanzania in the 1970s, are one of the most progressive immigrant communities in Canada. Nenshi's victory is not the first 'first' to the credit of the community in this country. In 1997, Rahim Jaffer also created history when he was elected as Canada's first Muslim MP from Edmonton at the age of 25. Mobina Jaffer, another Ismaili, became Canada's first Muslim senator when she was appointed to the country's Upper House in 2001.

WASHINGTON: Pakistan on Wednesday praised US President Barack Obama for saying he would visit the country next year, calling it a sign of commitment between the troubled war partners.
Obama, meeting with a senior Pakistani delegation, said he would not visit when he travels to neighboring India next month. But he committed to visiting Pakistan in 2011 and invited Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari to Washington.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, speaking afterward at the Brookings Institution think-tank, called his meeting with Obama “very satisfying.”
“The fact that he has agreed to visit Pakistan next year, the fact that he has decided to invite the president of Pakistan to the United States of America, that is the level of engagement that is taking place,” Qureshi said.
The United States has played a delicate balancing act, seeking to show Pakistan it seeks a relationship beyond cooperation on Afghanistan while also trying to broaden its ties with India, the world’s largest democracy.
But Qureshi acknowledged “obviously there are concerns” that remain between Pakistan and the United States.
In a recent report to Congress, the White House said bluntly that, though it had made sacrifices in the US anti-terror campaign, Pakistan could do more to crack down on extremist safe-havens in lawless tribal areas.
Pakistan this month temporarily shut down its main land crossing for war supplies into Afghanistan, outraged after a Nato helicopter killed Pakistani troops along the border.
“Fighting terrorism remains a strategic and moral imperative for us,” Qureshi said, insisting that “our nation has suffered the most” from extremism and was committed to international cooperation.”
But Qureshi warned: “Actions are required that reinforce and not undercut such counter-terrorism cooperation.”

HANOI: Flooding in central Vietnam has killed 41 people and left survivors destitute, officials said Tuesday, as relatives of at least 15 missing bus passengers watched rescuers scour a river for their loved ones. The heavy rains that began late last week have washed over three provinces: Nghe An, Quang Binh, and Ha Tinh. In Ha Tinh police said a bus had disappeared in the flood waters on the main north-south highway on Monday. State television said hundreds of soldiers using boats and metal detectors had been mobilised to search for the bus passengers. "This morning we used army engineers and their special boats, for detecting bombs and mines, to try to locate the bus that was swept away by the water. But it has been in vain until now," Lieutenant General Pham Quoc Cuong said on state television. Police and local residents also joined the search, which was hampered by strong currents, Tran Van Long, deputy head of Nghi Xuan district police, told media. "We think the bus carried between 33 and 37 people. Eighteen people have been rescued," Long said. "We haven't been able to locate the bus as the water has been so strong."He said about 50 relatives of the missing were at the scene beside the swollen Lam River, near Vinh city, where rain had stopped and the waters were gradually receding.

WASHINGTON: The United States said Tuesday it was in talks with Pakistan about new military assistance as part of a partnership against extremism, in a step sure to trigger unease in India.
The United States and Pakistan on Wednesday open their latest “strategic dialogue,” an initiative by President Barack Obama's administration to show Pakistan's skeptical public it is ready to take up its concerns.
Frank Ruggiero, the US deputy special representative on Pakistan and Afghanistan, said the Pentagon and the Pakistani military have been talking about a framework for security assistance.
“We specifically worked with the Pakistanis over the summer to identify what would be the types of military equipment and so on,” Ruggiero told reporters.
“That will be a topic of discussion at the strategic dialogue.” The US Congress last year approved a five-year, 7.5 billion-dollar package for Pakistan aimed at building schools, infrastructure and democratic institutions in hopes of denting the appeal of extremists.
Pakistan's powerful military initially voiced misgivings, saying the aid came with too many conditions.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in March promised to work on a “multi-year security assistance package.”
Ruggiero said the United States considered its ties with India and Pakistan to be “distinct bilateral relationships.”
“The United States committed to a strategic dialogue with the government of Pakistan, a strategic partnership, and we also have a strategic relationship with the government of India,” he said.

KARACHI: Former president of Pakistan, Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari at 70 years of age, passed away in Rawalpindi on early hours of Wednesday.

Leghari had been a cardiac patient and was treated for the same in CMH Rawalpindi. He belonged to Dera Ghazi Khan District of North Punjab.

Leghari was elected eighth President of Pakistan in 1993. He dismissed Benazir Bhutto’s government on allegations of corruption, lawlessness and extra-judicial-killings by using article 58-2B of the constitution on November 19, 1996.

Leghari formed his own political party “Millat,” which he later in 2002 merged in PML-Q.

WASHINGTON: The United States acknowledged Monday that a wife of a key figure in the 2008 Mumbai attacks raised concerns about him months before the plot was carried out, but said the information was not specific.US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley added that the information about David Coleman Headley was forwarded to US government agencies and to the Indian authorities before the attacks that killed 166 people in November 2008.Crowley, asked about a report Saturday in The New York Times, said US officials had two meetings with one of "Headley's spouses in late 2007 and early 2008."She provided "some information. We followed up on that information and provided it to relevant agencies across the US government," he said."Did we share information with our security partners, including India, prior to the Mumbai attacks? The answer is yes," Crowley added."At the same time, the information was not specific," he said.If the US government had had specific information, it "would have absolutely provided it to the Indian government beforehand," he said."The fact is that while we had information and concerns, it did not detail a time or place of the attack," Crowley added.When asked why Headley was not arrested after the meetings, Crowley replied: "I can't answer that question."A senior US official said Headley's wife gave the information to the US embassy in Pakistan in December 2007, and that US officials asked for and obtained a second and last meeting with her in January 2008."She expressed concern about individuals that her husband was hanging around with," the senior US official told reporters on the condition of anonymity."She did say that she had concerns that they were involved in a terrorist plot. She had no details about who he was associated with or what they might be contemplating," the official added.Headley, the son of a former Pakistani diplomat and a white American woman, is being held in the United States.He confessed to plotting the Mumbai attacks and in exchange for pleading guilty, US prosecutors agreed he would not face extradition to India or the death penalty.The Washington Post reported Friday that another wife of Headley warned FBI agents in August 2005 that her husband had undergone intensive training with Lashkar-e-Taiba and was in contact with extremists.

KARACHI (PAKISTAN): At least eleven more people have been targeted killed here in metropolis amid incidents of violence within last 12 hours, taking the three-day death tally to 48. Meanwhile, police and rangers have claimed arresting more than 80 suspected miscreants who were allegedly involved in target killings, rampaging, torching vehicles, and triggering riots in city.At least 12 people have been killed within last 12 hours while today’s latest killings came to notice in Landhi and Orangi Towns where 2 people have been gunned down.Two dead bodies of youths, who were kidnapped earlier and later shot dead, were found from Eid Gah locality on Monday night, police said.Another dead body, having marks of brutal torture, was found near Moti Mahal in Gulshan-e-Iqbal locality.Two more persons, including a security guard, were gunned down in Liaquatabad town. Four unidentified men were shot and killed in Site Area, Baldia Town, Methadar and Gulshan-e-Iqbal areas.Heavy police and rangers contingents are in positioned in the affected areas.Meanwhile, those arrested under various charges have been moved to unidentified locations for investigation, police sources said.

LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has begun working on implementation of the directives issued by the International Cricket council (ICC).The ICC had given 30 days to the PCB for improving its matters and the PCB’s high officials are discussing the ICC orders for their implementation.Initially, chief operating officer Wasim Bari, director National Cricket Academy Intikhab Alam and other officials have done paperwork for forming the anti-corruption and security unit at the meeting held here at the National Cricket Academy on Friday and it will be finalized after getting approval from PCB chairman Ijaz Butt .Besides, it has been decided to compile a guideline book for players’ moral building.The PCB is compiling all these steps keeping in view the code of conduct of the ICC anti-corruption and security unit and these will be made effective immediately also in domestic matches.

LONDON: A toddler's life has been saved after a nurse spotted she had cancer by looking at a photo on Facebook.Nicola Sharp was browsing through friend Michele Freeman's profile when she saw a photograph of Michele's two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Grace.The flash photograph showed Grace with a white pupil in her left eye instead of the 'red eye' tint most people would have - a sign of eye cancer.Nicola, 42, who has worked in paediatrics for more than 20 years, immediately contacted Michele and Grace was later diagnosed with retinoblastoma. She was found to have two tumours and lost all sight in her left eye.Medics told Michele if the cancer had spread it could have been fatal.Grace now has to travel to Birmingham every four weeks for specialist laser treatment and will have to monitor the condition for the rest of her life.Michele, 37, said: 'There is no doubt in my mind that Nicola saved Grace's life. There were no signs that Grace had any problems with her eyes and we never would have known without her.'There is very little awareness of this condition and only around 50 people in the UK are diagnosed with it each year. 'Without Nicola, we don't think we would have discovered there was anything wrong with Grace until she had a routine eye test at school, when things could have been much worse.'Nicola, who lives in Middleton, is the team leader for school nursing services for NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale.She said: 'I was just looking at the photos when I noticed something odd. 'Normally, you get a red eye tint in photos, but where the eye comes out white it can mean something is wrong. We were praying it was nothing serious, but unfortunately it was.'Retinoblastoma only affects young children and the most common symptom is that the pupil tends to reflect light as white, like a cat's eye. When diagnosed early, it is very treatable and can be cured.Michele, of Mount Street, Heywood, added: 'I really want to give a massive thank you to Nicola and to all my family and friends who have been so supportive over the past four weeks. It has been horrible and without them I couldn't have coped.'Michele, who works for Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, and Nicola know each other through visits to Birch Farm on Doctor Fold Lane, where Michele and Nicola's daughter Francesca have horse stables.

KARACHI(PAKISTAN): The toll from the fresh spate of violence that erupted in the metropolis Saturday, has mounted to 24 people and over 50 others are injured; while, unidentified armed men forced shops in different areas to close.Meanwhile, five vehicles including a staff van of a private television channel have been reportedly torched in different areas during the violence-ravaged incidents.The violence spread in several parts of the city after unidentified attackers opened fire and injured a man named Zafar in PS-94 constituency of Orangi Town where by-election is underway since 8am. In another firing incident at Katti Pahari area where armed men opened indiscriminate firing on a passenger bus, killing a youth identified as Tausif and injuring two others.A man identified as Akbar was shot dead and two others sustained injuries when unknown armed motorcyclists opened fire at Abul Hasan Ispahani Road.In yet another firing incident in Garden area 3 men were killed.In similar such incidents at Kamran Chowrangi, Ayub Goth, Banaras one man each was shot dead while two men were injured in Ranchor Line.According to hospital sources, more than four dozens men were injured in firing incidents.Most of the areas are still blanketed with tension while police claimed to have apprehended four miscreants in Orangi Town and they have been moved to unidentified location for investigation.Hospital and police sources confirmed killing of 21 persons and the number of injured persons.

BRUSSELS: Pakistan said on Friday it was willing to assist talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban, and Nato confirmed its forces had helped ensure a senior Taliban commander reached Kabul.
Nato and US officials have said they are ready to do more to help Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s reconciliation efforts with the Taliban, but Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the talks must be led by Afghanistan itself.
“We are there to facilitate. Because we want to see a stable, peaceful Afghanistan. It's in Pakistan's interest to have stability and peace in Afghanistan,” Qureshi said in Brussels before talks on Pakistan's economic development.
A senior Pakistani official familiar with the contacts between the Afghan government and the Taliban said they had been made possible by the lifting of US opposition. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said this week Washington would do whatever it takes to put peace talks on track.
“I don't know whether these contacts will succeed or not but the process has been set into motion,” the Pakistani official said. “It's just the beginning and this in itself is a success because earlier there has been (US) opposition.”
Pakistan's backing for talks is important. Although it is officially an ally in Nato's campaign against militancy in Afghanistan, it has been accused of playing a double game by covertly supporting militants fighting there.
Islamabad was the main backer of the Taliban when it was in power in Afghanistan, and has been concerned by the influence its nuclear-armed rival India has on the Kabul government.
NATO FACILITATES PASSAGE
US General David Petraeus, who commands US and Nato troops in Afghanistan, said in London that Nato-led forces had helped ensure a senior Taliban commander was able to reach Kabul to hold talks with the Afghan government.
Petraeus, commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), said several senior Taliban leaders had been in touch with the Afghan government and other countries involved in Afghanistan. He described the talks as preliminary.
“In certain respects we do facilitate that,” he said.
He added that “it would not be the easiest of tasks for a senior Taliban commander to enter Afghanistan and make his way to Kabul if ISAF were not ... aware of it and therefore allows it to take place.”
US State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said the US involvement had to do with “movement of people to meeting locations.”
Asked if the US was transporting Taliban to the meetings, he said: “My understanding is that facilitation involves logistics. I cannot tell you whether security forces are actually assisting in the transportation or just coordinating the transportation so that people can move to these meeting locations.”
Such comments point to a bigger Western role than previously acknowledged as Kabul seeks a political resolution to the war.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said he was sure Pakistan would want to play a positive role in ending the conflict and all nations in the region should add their support.
“It's very much in their interests to do so of course because it will help to bring peace to their border areas,” he told reporters in Brussels.
Richard Holbrooke, the US envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, said in Brussels he was gratified Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani had offered Islamabad's help, and Pakistan and other countries had a security interest in events in Afghanistan.
BLOODIEST PHASE OF CONFLICT
Almost 50 senior officials in the international contact group on Afghanistan are due to meet in Rome on Monday to discuss progress towards transferring responsibility for security and development to the Afghan government.
Holbrooke and Petraeus are expected at the talks which will be attended for the first time by a representative from Iran.
US and Nato leaders caution, however, that reconciliation is a complex process that may not happen quickly.
The conflict is in its bloodiest phase since US-led forces overthrew the Taliban in 2001, and more than 2,000 foreign troops have been killed since the fighting started, more than half of them in the last two years.
This has fed disillusionment with the war among Western nations contributing to the 150,000-strong Nato-led force.
Afghan and US officials say a peace deal is still only a distant possibility, although the prospect is drawing increased attention before the United States starts withdrawing its nearly 100,000 troops from Afghanistan next July.
US and Nato officials say any reconciliation with the Taliban would require individuals to lay down their arms, cut links with terrorist groups and respect the Afghan constitution.
The Taliban have rejected such conditions and say they will not negotiate unless Nato troops leave Afghanistan.

LAHORE (PAKISTAN0): Former Pakistan Test captain Salman Butt said Saturday he was eager to return to cricket and had not stopped practice despite his suspension on allegations of spot-fixing.

Industry tracker SearchIgnite said on Tuesday that Google has tightened its powerful grip on US internet advertising revenue but a Bing-Yahoo! alliance is fielding a viable challenge.Google's share of spending on pay-per-click (PPC) advertising at online search services grew to 80 percent in the third quarter of this year while Bing claimed 6.4 percent and Yahoo!'s portion slipped to 13.4 percent.Microsoft search engine Bing and Yahoo! have been testing making money from search advertising as part of an alliance arranged to join forces against market king Google.Google chief executive Eric Schmidt last month said that Microsoft's Bing search engine was the Mountain View, California-based company's main threat."Absolutely, our competitor is Bing," Schmidt said in a Wall Street Journal interview video posted online. "Bing is a well-run, highly competitive search engine."Yahoo! and Microsoft forged a Web search and advertising partnership a year ago that set the stage for a joint offensive against Google.Under the agreement, Yahoo! will use Microsoft's search engine on its own sites while providing the exclusive global sales force for premium advertisers.Microsoft has begun handling all Yahoo! online searches in Canada and the United States and will eventually power Internet searches at Yahoo! websites worldwide.

DHAKA: Shakib Al Hasan put in a superb all-round performance on Thursday as Bangladesh enjoyed one of their biggest days in one-day cricket, beating New Zealand by nine runs in the thrilling fourth match to gain an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-game series.
Bangladesh had earlier clinched one-day series against minnows Zimbabwe and a depleted West Indies, but it was their first series victory against a big team, thanks to skipper Shakib.
Shakib, 23, was key to Bangladesh’s victory before a sizeable crowd at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, hitting a 113-ball 106 for his fifth one-day hundred to help his side post 241.
New Zealand were bowled out for 232 in the last over, with middle-order batsman Kane Williamson posing a major threat to Bangladesh’s total with a fighting 108 for his maiden one-day hundred.
“I think we have played great cricket throughout the series. We have shown great character,” said Shakib, named man of the match.
“Williamson batted well. I think I batted sensibly and didn’t take too many risks. But I do need to work on my bowling as I haven’t bowled as well as I would have liked.”
Williamson, 20, also became the youngest New Zealand player to hit a one-day hundred. He cracked two sixes and six fours in his 132-ball knock.
Batting with a runner because of cramp in the later part of his innings, Williamson added 70 for the sixth wicket with Grant Elliott (22) and 53 for the eighth with Nathan McCullum (33).
New Zealand suffered a setback when McCullum was run out in the 49th over.
They needed 16 to win in the last over, but could manage only six as Williamson
was the last man out, caught in the deep off seamer Shaiful Islam.
Shakib used his spinners well, and himself was the most successful bowler, taking three wickets for 54 runs with his left-arm spin.
He pressed his slow bowlers early into the attack, and the move instantly clicked as left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak dismissed opener Bradley-John Watling (six) in his second over.
Spinners Mohammad Mahmudullah and Suhrawadi Shuvo got a wicket apiece.
“Bangladesh have played better cricket than us and deserved the victory,” said New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori.
“They (Bangladesh) have shown us how to play in these conditions. Kane’s hundred is the positive to take out from this game. We should have adapted quicker than we have. We must restore some pride in the last game.”
Shakib earlier put on 53 for the fourth wicket with Imrul Kayes (37), 51 for the next with Mushfiqur Rahim (13) and 68 for the sixth with Mahmudullah (37) after paceman Kyle Mills had rocked the hosts with a double strike.
Mills removed opener Shahriar Nafees and Junaid Siddique in his opening three overs to reduce Bangladesh to 44-3, but Shakib steadied the innings with a responsible knock on a slow track.
Shakib hit the match’s first six, hoisting Mills over long-on. He completed his century in the 41st over, flicking left-arm spinner Vettori for his 11th boundary.
He fell in the 43rd over, giving a return catch to Vettori after hitting one six and 11 fours.
Debutant seamer Hamish Bennett finished 3-44, while Vettori, Daryl Tuffey and Mills each took two wickets.

NEW DELHI: The curtain fell on the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi on Thursday evening with a closing ceremony that celebrated the end of 11 days of sport with a mix of relief and jubilation. In the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, a two-and-a-half hour show of traditional dance, Bollywood music and huge fireworks gave the finishing sparkle to an event that survived rocky preparations and daily operational hiccups. With many Indians pointing out that pessimistic international expectations had been proved wrong, the organisers said their decision to hold the Games in fast-developing India was a major gamble that had paid off.Unfinished athletes’ accommodation, security fears, big-name withdrawals and poor ticket sales were among a myriad of difficulties that got the Games off to an uncertain start. But the occasion closed on a high after Indian athletes performed beyond all expectations to finish second in the overall medals table, sneaking ahead of England with a badminton gold late on Thursday. Attendances at most venues improved dramatically, no terror attack materialised, and glitches over transport, and a stomach bug among swimmers were all overcome. Britain’s Prince Edward officially closed the Games in the presence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Suresh Kalmadi, the chairman of the organising committee who bore much of the criticism about the Games. “A month ago questions were being asked whether the Games would be held at all,” admitted Kalmadi whose speech was greeted by boos by the crowd. Instead the event had shown “India’s ability to stand up and show the world what we can achieve, despite being faced with adversity,” he said. “All this has made what has turned out to be the largest, the most watched and the most enjoyable Games ever.” The closing ceremony featured hundreds of dancers brandishing fighting sticks, military bands and children forming the Indian flag before the athletes arrived in a cheerful parade that set the evening’s informal tone. Glasgow marked the start of its role as Commonwealth Games host for 2014 with a lone bagpiper who was soon joined by 352 kilted dancers and an inflatable model of the elusive Loch Ness monster. The Scottish city is likely to focus on solving Delhi’s struggle to attract many world-class stars — and it may also balk at matching the bill of the Delhi extravaganza, which is thought to have cost up to six billion dollars.

Hafiz Abdullah was killed in the police station.

The first miner to be rescued was Florencio Avalos
The first nine of 33 miners trapped underground for more than two months in northern Chile have been winched to the surface amid scenes of jubilation. Florencio Avalos was first to be freed, at 0010 local time (0310 GMT).
He was greeted by family and hugged by President Sebastian Pinera. Also to emerge were the only non-Chilean, Bolivian national Carlos Mamani, and the youngest and oldest miners.
In an address at the mine, Mr Pinera declared the rescue a miracle.
The operation has run smoothly so far. Health Minister Jaime Manalich said that if working conditions stayed the same, the rescue should be completed in one-and-a-half days, half a day quicker than predicted.Thumbs-up
The rescue operation began shortly after 2315 local time (0215 GMT) with a technical expert, Manuel Gonzalez, being lowered down the 624m (2,047ft) rescue shaft.
Mr Gonzalez was supposed to return to the surface and report on the condition of the shaft, and then repeat the journey, before handing over to a paramedic.

TEHRAN: Eighteen people were killed in a fire at an ammunitions store in a Revolutionary Guards base in Iran, the Fars news agency quoted a commander of the elite force as saying Wednesday in the latest toll. "In yesterday's explosion at one of the Guards' bases in Lorestan (in western Iran), 18 people were killed and 14 wounded," commander Yadollah Bouali said. He said some of the casualties in Tuesday's blast were workers at the base but did not specify whether they included members of Guards. On Tuesday, Bouali said the explosion hit when fire spread to the munitions store at the base near the provincial capital Khorramabad.

LONDON: The International Cricket Council ruled Wednesday there was no evidence of corruption in the third one-day international between Pakistan and England last month.
A statement from the ICC concluded there was “no compelling evidence to suspect individual players or support staff” following an investigation into scoring patterns of the match at the Oval on September 17.

“The investigation is now complete but if new and corroborating evidence comes to light then clearly the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit will re-open the matter,” the statement said.
The investigation was separate from allegations of corruption levelled against Pakistan during the scandal-tainted Test series with England, which led to three players being suspended indefinitely.
The ICC last month announced it was probing an investigation into a “certain scoring pattern” that emerged during Pakistan’s win over England at the Oval, later confirming England’s players were not involved in the probe.
It followed a report by The Sun newspaper, which claimed to have been made aware of details of Pakistan’s innings before the match had got under way.
The paper tipped off cricket authorities, who then watched as the scoring patterns in two suspect overs emerged as predicted, The Sun report said. The overall result of the match was not believed to be fixed, the report added.
According to The Sun, the allegations emerged after the paper was notified of calls between a Dubai-based match-fixer and a New Delhi bookmaker.

NEW YORK: Eight sticks of military-grade explosives were found Monday at the New York City Marble Cemetery in the East Village of Manhattan, the police commissioner said.The explosives were dug up in May or June 2009 by a groundskeeper and laid aside, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly told reporters. A volunteer cleaning inside the cemetery found the bag on Sunday. Monday, he called police, Kelly said.The explosives were not set up or wired to detonate.Each stick is about one and a quarter pounds, said Kelly, who identified the powerful explosive as C-4. "Inside a building, obviously it could have caused an awful lot of damage," he said.Kelly added the material would be taken to a police firing range by members of a bomb squad.

ISLAMABAD: A day before the hearing of the NRO implementation case in the Supreme Court tomorrow (Wednesday), the PPP government has now decided to move a new petition before the judges to straightaway challenge the implementation process of the NRO judgment of December 16, 2009.The new petition, probably to be filed today (Tuesday), is a bid to ease the mounting pressure on Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to write a letter to the Swiss authorities against President Asif Ali Zardari.President Zardari is said to have issued fresh instructions to legal aides in this regard late Monday night after he was briefed about the Supreme Court’s unexpected decision of not allowing the government to bring a new lawyer in place of Kamal Azfar after he was notified as the prime minister’s adviser on disaster management.After hearing arguments of his legal team, President Zardari is said to have given a go-ahead to his team to file a new petition in the Supreme Court and challenge the process of implementation of the NRO, which threatens the foundation of the PPP government after judges decided to show zero tolerance on the decision not to reopen the Swiss cases against the president.A source said the real importance of this new development can be judged from the fact that the new review petition might be filed by the PPP government legal team most probably today (Tuesday) — a day before the Supreme Court takes up the NRO implementation case on Wednesday.The source said the government legal team would also file another petition challenging the decision of the Supreme Court to disallow it to bring a new lawyer to defend its review petition.The new petition is likely to argue why it is important for the government to bring a new legal team to defend the NRO in its review petition and what are those circumstances, which led to the removal of Kamal Azfar. A long list of arguments has been prepared by the legal team of President Zardari to justify the transfer of Kamal Azfar from the NRO review petition case.Another source said there was a strong possibility that one of the new members of new legal team may shock even the Supreme Court judges if a final decision is taken by the government by Tuesday to ask him to appear before the court to defend all cases against his ‘friend’ Asif Ali Zardari.The sources said a top government team remained busy in giving final touches to the new petition challenging the implementation of the NRO judgment to justify as to why the government was not ready to write a letter to the Swiss authorities in line with the earlier direction of the court. The sources said like the judges, now this time the PPP government too had decided to apply a zero tolerance towards the Swiss cases and subsequently use all the available legal and constitutional options to stop the SC from putting pressure on the executive to take steps against the president of Pakistan.The sources said the PPP government has made up its mind that it will be preferable to go down fighting instead of being seen as dictated by the court and then made to go home or collapse under the burden of the NRO judgment and its implementation. The sources said there was a realisation within the ruling elite that the superior courts would not give them any breathing space, despite the fact the government showed some positive gestures in the past to make the SC judges believe that it was seriously trying to implement the judgment wherever it was possible for the executive. “PM Gilani was not ready to hand over his own president to Swiss authorities as he feared that if he wrote any letter to Swiss authorities, then it would amount to withdrawing the immunity and he would face charges of violation of Article 6, which is punishable with death penalty,” the sources added.The sources said now the government was once again under pressure because it will be asked the same old question as had the prime minister directed the Law Ministry to write a much disputed letter to the Swiss authorities or not? But the sources said the like the past nine months, this time too, the PPP government does not have any ‘news’ to share with the judges tomorrow (Wednesday).The sources said in this background, it had been decided to immediately challenge the process of implementation of the NRO and the Supreme Court would be asked to form a larger bench to hear the review petition challenging the implementation of the NRO verdict.

KARACHI (PAKISTAN) : The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday reserved its judgment in a petition seeking to initiate a high treason trial against former president Pervez Musharraf for two days. The court will reveal its verdict on Thursday.