Posts Tagged ‘Drama’

Israeli ex-intel chief slams PM’s Iran stance

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In this May 15, 2005 file photo, Yuval Diskin arrives for a meeting at the President’s residence in Jerusalem. -AP Photo

JERUSALEM: The former head of Israel’s Shin Bet security agency has accused the country’s political leaders of exaggerating the effectiveness of a possible military strike against Iran, in a striking indication of Israel’s turmoil over how to deal with the Iranian nuclear program.

Yuval Diskin said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who have been saber-rattling for months, have their judgment clouded by ”messianic feelings” and should not be trusted to lead policy on Iran. Diskin, who headed Shin Bet until last year, said a strike might actually accelerate the Iranian program.

Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. Israel, like the West, believes that Tehran is developing weapons technology, but there is intense debate over whether international economic sanctions accompanying the current round of negotiations might prevent Iran from developing a bomb, or whether at some point a military strike should be launched.

Diskin’s comments deepened the sense that a rift is growing between the hawkish Netanyahu government and the security establishment over the question of a strike.

In Israel, security figures carry clout well into retirement. Although they frequently pursue political careers, Diskin had been seen as relatively apolitical, perhaps lending his words even greater weight.

”I don’t have faith in the current leadership of Israel to lead us to an event of this magnitude, of war with Iran,” Diskin said at a public meeting Friday, video of which was posted on the Internet the next day and quickly became the lead news item in Israel.

”I do not believe in a leadership that makes decisions based on Messianic feelings,” he continued. ”I have seen them up close. They are not messiahs, these two, and they are not the people that I personally trust to lead Israel into an event.”

Diskin said it was possible that ”one of the results of an Israel attack on Iran could be a dramatic acceleration of the Iran program … They will have legitimacy to do it more quickly and in a shorter timeframe.”

Spokesmen for Netanyahu and Barak both refused comment on the issue.

Further complicating the picture is the widely held belief that Israel’s threats are actually a bluff of historic proportion and that indeed they have been effective in compelling the world to boycott Iranian oil and isolate its central bank.

From that perspective, criticism such as Diskin’s, based on a literal approach, could be presented as simplistic and damaging.

Israeli security officials have taken issue with the political leadership on several issues: whether sanctions will make a strike unnecessary, whether a strike will be militarily effective, and whether Israel should strike unilaterally if it cannot gain American approval.

Diskin’s speech came days after the country’s current top military commander, Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, also seemed to disagree with the country’s leadership on the likelihood that Iran will pursue a nuclear weapon.

Gantz told The Associated Press this week that Iran is seeking to develop its ”military nuclear capability,” but that the Islamic Republic would ultimately bow to international pressure and decide against building a weapon. The key to that pressure, he said, were sanctions and the threat of a military strike.

One of the first criticisms voiced by a security figure came last summer from Israel’s recently retired spy chief Meir Dagan.

He called a military strike against Iran’s nuclear program ”stupid.” Dagan, who headed the Mossad spy agency, said an effective attack on Iran would be difficult because Iranian nuclear facilities are scattered and mobile, and warned it could trigger war.

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Via DAWN.com

US found Zia ‘most patriotic liar’ on nukes, reveal declassified memos

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Photo of former Pakistani military ruler Mohammed Zia ul-Haq. “Either he (Zia) really does not know or is the most superb and patriotic liar I have ever met,” US diplomat Vernon Walters wrote to the State Department, as revealed in secret US diplomatic memos declassified Thursday.—File Photo

WASHINGTON: US officials concluded in the 1980s that Pakistan was lying about its nuclear program but muted criticism due to Islamabad’s support against the Soviets in Afghanistan, declassified documents showed.

The memos released Thursday reveal some of the behind-the-scenes drama between the United States and Pakistan during Ronald Reagan’s presidency, foreshadowing current-day debates in the uneasy war partnership.

The documents included an account of a secret mission in June 1982 by a US envoy who confronted Pakistani military ruler Mohammed Zia ul-Haq with a letter from Reagan and said the United States had “incontrovertible” proof that Pakistan was seeking nuclear weapons.

The emissary, veteran US diplomat and translator Vernon Walters, said that Zia was “extraordinarily courteous, relaxed” and explained that he had no knowledge of nuclear weapons development but would check with his subordinates.

“Either he really does not know or is the most superb and patriotic liar I have ever met,” Walters wrote to the State Department.

The documents, some obtained after requests under the US Freedom of Information Act, were released to the ,National Security Archive at George Washington University,, which made them available to AFP in advance.

Pakistan tested an atomic bomb in 1998, days after tests by neighbouring India. The United States banned assistance to Pakistan in 1990 – soon after the Soviets left Afghanistan – after concluding that it was developing nuclear weapons.

But Reagan exempted Pakistan from a law requiring sanctions, named after then senator Larry Pressler, even though the memos said that officials knew that the country was moving toward nuclear weapons.

The documents showed that the Reagan administration was genuinely concerned about Pakistan’s nuclear program, fearing it would trigger instability, and repeatedly warned Zia that Congress could cut off assistance.

“There is overwhelming evidence that Zia has been breaking his assurances to us. We are absolutely confident that our intelligence is genuine and accurate,” then secretary of state George Shultz wrote in a November 1982 memo to Reagan.

But Shultz recalled the “essential role” played by Zia in Afghanistan, where US and Pakistani agents funneled weapons to Islamic guerrillas who successfully fought a Soviet invasion.

“A rupture of our relationship would call into question a central tenet of this administration’s foreign policy – strong support for our friends,” Shultz wrote, calling the Afghan effort “the most visible evidence of the US commitment to counter Soviet military thrusts worldwide.” The memos said that as far back as 1982, US intelligence detected that Pakistani agents were seeking suspicious items from countries including Belgium, Finland, Japan, Sweden and Turkey.

Years later, such efforts were discovered to be the work of scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, the father of Pakistan’s nuclear bomb. He is also accused of running a vast international black market of nuclear goods.

One secret assessment said that Pakistan was already believed to have enough for one nuclear weapon by October 1985 with assistance from China.

The US memos acknowledged that Pakistan was unlikely to comply with US pleas on its nuclear program in light of its concern over India, which has fought three full-fledged wars with Pakistan since independence in 1947.

The documents said that the United States was also urging “restraint” from India, which had strained relations with Washington during the 1980s.

Despite the criticism of its nuclear program, the United States resumed assistance to Pakistan to the tune of nearly $20 billion after it again offered support in Afghanistan following the September 11, 2001 attacks.

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Via DAWN.com

Economic consequences: Markets brush off verdict, expect PPP to survive

Economists and market analysts interviewed by The Express Tribune largely brushed off the verdict, saying that while they would be carefully monitoring the political developments over the coming days, they do not expect a major change in either the coming year’s budget deficit, nor the stability of the economy as a whole, nor even the country’s capital markets.

“People will only be worried if the political drama gets really messy,” said Imtiaz Gadar, an economist at KASB Securities, an investment bank.

Gadar believes that the overall outlook for the economy remains unchanged. “It is an election year, so we know that none of the economic reforms we need will actually happen. That expectation remains unchanged. We also expected the government would increase spending [in fiscal year 2013]. That expectation is also the same.”

Some economists actually have a favourable view of the higher government spending. Muzzammil Aslam, a macroeconomic analyst at JS Global Capital, argues that it would effectively act as a stimulus to a sluggish economy. He also brushes off concerns that it might increase inflation.

The expectations for the budget deficit itself for fiscal year 2013 – an election year – while high, are outlandish. “We estimate that the deficit will come to about 5.8% of the total size of the economy,” said Gadar.

“We do not anticipate the budget deficit ballooning beyond 5%,” said the more optimistic Aslam.

As for the day’s events itself, the country’s capital markets had somewhat mixed reactions, though there was no crash of the sort seen after former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s assassination. The bond market in Karachi was particularly indifferent, effectively yawning at today’s political drama. “There were no real changes in yields or volumes,” said one trader.

The stock market went through more of a see-saw, with very little trading taking place during the first half-hour after the Karachi Stock Exchange opened at 9:30 am. Then, at 10:07 am, when the verdict was first announced (or rather misinformation about the verdict came to be known), the market panicked. The KSE-100 index plunged 200 points (about 1.5%) over the next 90 minutes, before eventually rallying back into positive territory. Nonetheless, the market closed in negative territory, down 151 points, or about 1.1%.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 27^th, 2012.

Spanish jobless rate soars to record 24.4 percent

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People queue outside an unemployment office in Madrid Tuesday April 3, 2012. The number of people filing for unemployment benefits in Spain rose by nearly 39,000 last month to a little over 4.75 million. -AP Photo

MADRID: Spain announced Friday that its jobless rate surged to a record 24.4 percent at the end of March, pounding financial markets already reeling from a Spanish sovereign debt downgrade.

A total 5.64 million people searched in vain for work in the recession-bound, deficit-plagued economy, the National Statistic Institute said.

Already, Spain had the highest unemployment ratio in the industrialized world, as the slumping economy failed to absorb the millions of workers cast out of jobs when a property bubble imploded in 2008.

In a climate of recession, compounded by a renewed zeal for austerity to rein in the deficit and curb mushrooming debt, the jobs market deteriorated dramatically.

The unemployment rate soared to 24.44 percent of the potential workforce at the end of March from 22.85 percent three months earlier, the National Statistics Insitute report showed.

Some 365,900 jobs were destroyed in the first quarter of the year, pushing the unemployment rate to its highest level since records began in their existing format in 1996, it said.

Hours earlier, Standard and Poor’s downgraded Spain’s sovereign credit rating to BBB-plus and added a negative outlook, warning of recession this year and next, making it even harder to meet deficit-cutting targets.

At the same time, the government was increasingly likely to have to pump in funds to help banks, many of which are still burdened by non-performing loans extended during the property bubble, the agency said.

A credit rating downgrade tends to deepen concerns among investors who in turn demand higher returns. If borrowing costs become unsustainable for a state, it can be forced to seek a rescue.

The jobless surge combined with the debt downgrade sent the Madrid stock market’s leading IBEX-35 index down 100.50 points, or 1.43 percent, to 6,926.60 in morning trade.

Spain’s benchmark 10-year government bond weakened. The yield — or the rate investors demand in return for handing over their money — rose to 5.945 percent from the previous day’s close of 5.82 percent.

The Bank of Spain had warned this week of a worsening employment market when it concluded that the country had plunged back into recession at the end of last year.

Gross domestic product fell an estimated 0.4-percent in the first quarter of 2012 after a 0.3-percent decline in the last three months of 2011, the central bank said.

“In Spain today a cycle similar to Greece is starting to develop. The recession is so deep that when you take one step forward on austerity, it takes you two steps back,” said HSBC chief economist Stephen King.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s conservative government has nevertheless vowed to slash the deficit — the annual shortfall of income to spending — to 5.3 percent of economic output in 2012 and 3.0 percent in 2013.

The deficit hit 8.5 percent of output in 2011, shattering the target by 2.5 percentage points.

Many doubt the Spanish government can meet these new deficit goals, however, especially during the recession, which tends to lower income from taxes and to raise welfare costs.

“In our opinion, these targets are currently unlikely to be met given the economic and financial environment,” Standard & Poor’s said, forecasting instead a deficit of 6.2 percent of economic output for this year and 4.8 percent in 2013.

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Via DAWN.com

Ronaldo follows Messi in penalty flop

Bayern Munich’s goalkeeper Manuel Neuer (L) saves a penalty kick from Real Madrid’s Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo. -Photo by AFP

MADRID: In an incredible turn of events few could ever have predicted, the world’s two best players fluffed their lines at crucial moments this week to help send Spanish heavyweights Real Madrid and Barcelona crashing out of the Champions League.    

After World Player of the Year Lionel Messi smashed a penalty against the bar in Barca’s semi-final reverse to Chelsea on Tuesday, Real’s Cristiano Ronaldo had his saved by Manuel Neuer in Wednesday’s dramatic shootout that sent Bayern Munich through to next month’s final.

The Portuguese had netted from the spot early in the first half, his 25th successive penalty success, but when he stepped up to take a second after the tie at the Bernabeu ended 3-3 on aggregate Neuer dove to his right to palm the ball to safety.

Ronaldo was also denied in the shootout playing for his former club Manchester United against Chelsea in the 2008 Champions League final, but his team prevailed when Edwin van der Sar blocked Nicolas Anelka’s tame effort.

This time around, the world’s most expensive player, for whom Real paid United around 94 million euros ($123.93 million) in 2009, could only look on in anguish as Neuer also stopped Kaka’s penalty, Sergio Ramos skied his shot over the bar and Bastian Schweinsteiger stepped up to send the Germans through.

“You have to miss one eventually,” Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho said in a television interview.

“After two hours of working to the limit and the penalties arrive it is not easy.”

UNIQUE PLAYERS

Ronaldo had scored all 13 of his penalty kicks in the Champions League and La Liga this season and his two goals during regulation time took his tally for the season to 56 in all competitions, seven behind Messi.

Ronaldo won the World Player award in 2008 before Argentine Messi claimed three straight gongs and the pair will likely head the list of candidates for next year’s award as well.

“I don’t want to be as radical as many people saying this one is the best and this one is not,” Mourinho said.

“We are talking about two unique players, Cristiano and Messi,” added the former Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan manager, whose bid to lead Real to a 10th European crown was ended in the semi-finals for a second consecutive year.

“For me it’s easy to say that this season Cristiano has been the best, but the best by some distance.

“He missed a penalty in the semi-finals of the Champions League, Messi too.

“I don’t know whether he missed or whether Neuer showed incredible skill to save it.”

Ronaldo now needs to pick himself up for Sunday’s La Liga clash at home to Sevilla, with Real seven points clear of Barca with four games left and closing in on a first domestic title in four years.

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Via DAWN.com

Real dethroned by Bayern after dramatic shootout

Cristiano Ronaldo gave Real an early lead of 2-0, but Arjen Robben of Bayern levelled to make the score 2-1 on the night and 3-3 on aggregate. Both sides held their defences till full-time, leading to a nerve-wrecking penalty shootout in which Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer stunningly denied both Ronaldo and Kaka. Bastian Schweinsteiger took one for Bayern, taking his team to the finals. – Photos by Agencies

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Reinventing the toilet, Bill Gates way

,,The abysmal state of sanitation stinks to high heaven in Pakistan. The economic losses resulting from poor water supply and sanitation in Pakistan equal $6 billion. Alarmed by the under spending on basic disease prevention in Pakistan, Rachid Benmessaoud of the World Bank noted that the “total amount of the losses caused by poor sanitation in Pakistan is 7 times higher than the national health budget.”

Realising that millions of lives are lost each year due to poor sanitation, water supply, and hygiene, ,The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has decided to challenge engineers and innovators to redesign the toilet to offer safe sanitation to billions who are forced to relieve themselves in open.

According to recent estimates more than 2.5 million lives could be saved globally if sanitation facilities were improved for the underserved populations. Because of inadequate sanitation facilities and lack of access to potable water, millions perish, whereas millions more fall ill and are crushed under the burden of disease. Despite recent progress, Pakistan continues to fall short of meeting the minimum global standards in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). The economic losses resulting from inadequate sanitation in Pakistan are almost 4 per cent of the GDP. In Nigeria, economic losses due to sanitation, counted as healthcare costs and premature deaths, equal 1.3 per cent of its GDP. Put together, Asian and African countries are estimated to lose 6 per cent of their GDP to health concerns resulting from inadequate sanitation and water supply.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) has set out to reduce by half the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water by 2015. The sanitation-focused MDG has not been met. ,Water Aid,, a UK based not-for-profit agency, reports that approximately 400,000 additional children’s lives could be saved if the 57 countries that have fallen behind in meeting the sanitation MDG by 2015 would strive to meet the MDG targets by 2015.

The return on investment (RoI) in water supply and sanitation projects is huge for the community and the economy. A study by the World Health Organisation revealed that every dollar invested in WASH returns on average $8 in economic benefits. Try estimating the RoI for holding on to Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal and conventional weapons that have consumed billions of dollars while millions of Pakistanis have no choice but to defecate in open.

I often wonder what kind of misguided priorities would result in a scenario where a nation can engineer sophisticated weapons but cannot provide potable water and decent sanitation facilities to one-half of its population. Pakistan is in fact not alone in this conundrum: India, with a much larger economy, faces similar stark contrasts.

An Indian colleague, Professor Dinesh Mohan, explains how scarce funds were misspent in the subcontinent, which has left the people without toilets and the armies flush with cash. According to Professor Mohan there are two types of sciences: the Brahmin science and the Shudra science. The Brahmin science is occupied with the cosmos and the celestial. Whereas, the Shudra science is concerned with sanitation, water supply, and food. Professor Mohan laments the fact that the scientists in the subcontinent overwhelmingly pursued the Brahmin science, which delivered missiles, satellites, and nuclear bombs. Whereas had they pursued the Shudra science, the people of subcontinent could at least have focused on achieving the absolute minimum standards of sanitation decency.

And while the educated elite in Pakistan pursued nuclear science and missile technology, the task of providing affordable and safe water supply and sanitation was left to the disenfranchised masses who have been motivated, over the years, by the teachings of Dr. Akhtar Hameed Khan, the ultimate development professional, and his intellectual protégées, such as Hafeez Arain and Nazir Ahmed Wattoo. From Orangi Pilot Project in Karachi to Hassanpura in Faisalabad, the successful, community-built water supply and sanitation projects are evident of the fact that the road to economic and social salvation in Pakistan will be paved by the masses and the state will only have a tangential role in the impending reforms in Pakistan.

Hasanpura, Faisalabad, is a shining example of a community-led water supply and sanitation scheme. Motivated by ,Anjuman Samaji Behbood,, a Faisalabad-based NGO led by Nazir Ahmad Wattoo, the community self-financed and constructed sanitation facilities at a fraction of the cost the municipal authorities had estimated for the project. Irteza Haider, a development professional working for the National Rural Support Program, reviewed Hasanpura scheme for Water Aid and wrote the following in his report:

“Since 1996, the community led sanitation project has led to the dramatic transformation of Hasanpura. That the streets, once filled with sewage and refuse, have been transformed into clean, safe environments where healthy children play and seniors relax is testimony to the success of improved sanitation in Hasanpura. The burden of disease has been reduced considerably; children are clean, healthy and happy. Parents are delighted that they do not have to pay huge medical bills or see their children suffer in pain.”

Source: Haider, Irteza (2008). Development of community- based sanitation infrastructure in Hasanpura, Faisalabad. Water Aid, UK.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is soliciting interests in developing new toilet designs that could be introduced in remote parts of the world inhabited by the very poor who lack access to running water or sewerage pipes. Successful applicants will receive funding to design, prototype, and test “entirely stand alone, self-contained, practical sanitation modules which intake bodily wastes and swiftly dispose of them without any incoming water piping, outgoing sewer piping or electric or gas utilities.” If interested, submit your letter of intent by May 10, 2012.

When it comes to public health, Pakistan indeed has a choice. Its establishment can continue ignoring the dire needs of millions of poor and force them into misery and disease, or it can invest in sanitation to meet the MDG for 2015. Should it choose to invest in sanitation and not bombs, experts believe that 13,000 additional children’s lives could be saved by 2015 in Pakistan.

Murtaza Haider, Ph.D. is the Associate Dean of research and graduate programs at the Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University in Toronto. He can be reached by email at murtaza.haider@ryerson.ca

The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.

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Global famine if Pakistan, India unleash nukes: study

CHICAGO – More than a billion people around the world would face starvation if India and Pakistan unleash nuclear weapons — even if that war is regionally limited, a study released Tuesday warned.
That’s because the deadly and polluting weapons would cause major worldwide climate disruption that would dramatically drive down food production in China, the United States and other …

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Global famine if India, Pakistan unleash nukes: study

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The International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War said that a nuclear war between India and Pakistan would "bring an end to modern civilization as we know it". -File Photo

CHICAGO: More than a billion people around the world would face starvation if India and Pakistan unleash nuclear weapons, even if that war is regionally limited, a study released Tuesday warned.

That’s because the deadly and polluting weapons would cause major worldwide climate disruption that would dramatically drive down food production in China, the United States and other countries.

“The grim prospect of nuclear famine requires a fundamental change in our thinking about nuclear weapons,” said study author Dr. Ira Helfand of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War.

“The new evidence that even the relatively small nuclear arsenals of countries such as India and Pakistan could cause long lasting, global damage to the Earth’s ecosystems and threaten hundreds of millions of already malnourished people demands that action be taken,” Helfand said in a statement.

“The needless and preventable deaths of one billion people over a decade would be a disaster unprecedented in human history. It would not cause the extinction of the human race, but it would bring an end to modern civilization as we know it.”

The study, set to be published in the peer-reviewed journal Climate Change, was released at the World Summit of Nobel Laureates in Chicago.

It found that corn production in the United States would decline by an average of 10 per cent for an entire decade and soybean production would drop by about 10 per cent, with the most severe decline occurring five years after the nuclear war.

It also determined that rice production in China would drop by an average of 21 per cent for the first four years and 10 per cent for the next six years.

The resulting increase in food prices and agricultural shortfalls would almost certainly lead to panic and hoarding on an international scale,    further reducing access to food.

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Hudson trial showcases violent Chicago ‘hood

This undated file photo provided April 6, 2012 by the Cook County Sheriff’s Department shows William Balfour who is charged in the murders of the mother, brother and nephew of Oscar winner and singer Jennifer Hudson. On Monday, April 23, 2012, opening statements begin in Balfour’s trial. The use of Twitter is creating tension between reporters and judges who fear tweeting could threaten a defendant’s right to a fair trial and that issue has been highlighted by the Chicago court’s decision to ban anyone from tweeting at Balfour’s trial. – AP Photo

The house is like many others nearby. Blinded by boards over windows after witnessing the worst kind of violence, the white two-story house, its paint chipped and its front steps crumbling, sits vacant behind a rusty iron fence that separates an overgrown yard from the cracked sidewalk.

About the only difference between it and thousands of boarded-up buildings in Chicago’s most notorious neighborhood is that Oscar-winning actress and singer Jennifer Hudson grew up here  and her mother, brother and nephew died here, allegedly gunned down by Hudson’s brother-in-law, a known gang member. That and the shrine of teddy bears, candles and flowers was bigger than others that sprout up on these blocks when life ends violently.

When the trial of William Balfour begins Monday in the 2008 killings, it will be an all-too-familiar story of death and violence in Englewood on the city’s South Side.

At a time when cities across the country have seen the number of homicides fall, sometimes dramatically, Chicago’s jumped by a whopping 60 per cent the first three months of the year, and Englewood’s violence was a big reason why. The 15 slayings there in 2012 are nearly double the number reported during the same period a year ago.

Last year, not only did the number jump to 60 from 40 the previous year, but the total number of homicides reported in this roughly 20-by-20 block community was more than half as many reported for the entire city of Washington, DC and a little less than a third of Houston’s total for the year.

This April 17, 2012, photo shows the former home of Jennifer Hudson and her family boarded up in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago. About the only difference between it and thousands of boarded-up buildings in Chicago’s most notorious neighborhood is that Oscar-winning actress and singer Jennifer Hudson grew up here _ and her mother, brother and nephew died here, allegedly shot and killed by Hudson’s brother-in-law, a known gang member. When the trial of William Balfour begins Monday, April 23 for the 2008 killings, it will be an all-too-familiar story of death and violence in Englewood on the city’s South Side. – AP Photo

“It happens here all the time,” said Jean Carter-Hill, a community activist whose group helps children and families. “I can’t even run to all these funerals, it’s just too many, looking at all these dead people in caskets all the time.”

In Chicago, Englewood has become synonymous with street crime. Since he took office last May, Mayor Rahm Emanuel has used the word “Englewood” as almost shorthand for gangs, guns and the dangers facing the city’s children. But the deteriorating neighborhood has presented him with one of his biggest challenges, becoming a focus for his promise to deploy more police officers to the street while cracking down on Englewood’s gangs.

“The mayor says very publicly that a murder in Englewood is a murder in the city of Chicago (and) just because it happened there it is not OK,” said Police Supt. Garry McCarthy, in an interview with The Associated Press. “People feel abandoned in those neighborhoods and we are saying you are not abandoned.”

Residents say they’ve seen police commanders and anti-gang initiatives come and go over the years, and the neighborhood just gets more violent and the criminals more brazen. Just as in years past when public housing residents slept in their bathtubs to protect them from the bullets that pierced their walls, residents say the fear of gun battles has pushed some of them deep into their homes and away from their windows where they could be hit by stray bullets.

This photo shows the courtroom where William Balfour, the man accused of killing Jennifer Hudson’s family will be tried, Monday, April 16, 2012, in Chicago. The Trial will begin next week in the Cook County Criminal Courts Building. The use of Twitter is creating tension between reporters and judges who fear tweeting could threaten a defendant’s right to a fair trial and that issue has been highlighted by the Chicago court’s decision to ban anyone from tweeting at Balfour’s trial. – AP Photo

“People don’t give a damn, they just shoot you across the street, they come into your house and shoot you,” said 80-year-old Homer Wright, who made headlines this month after shooting a teenager who allegedly broke into his tavern, where he’d taken to sleeping to prevent break-ins. The authorities dropped charges against Wright but confiscated the handgun he owned illegally for self-protection.

There are a host of reasons for Englewood’s downward spiral. But they mostly boil down to an exodus of families from an area that was predominantly single-family homes, resulting in an explosion in the number of abandoned buildings, and an influx of gang members.

Home to 100,000 residents in 1960, Englewood’s population has dwindled. It had dropped to about 40,000 in 2000 and to 30,000 just 10 years later. Part of the reason, Carter-Hill and others say, is that families moved out to safer places and others lost their homes when they lost jobs during the recession.

In an Oct. 28, 2008 file photo, Jeffery Wilder passes a makeshift memorial outside the Chicago home of Darnell Donerson, who along with her son, Jason Hudson, were found shot to death inside the home on Friday, Oct. 24. On Monday, Donerson’s grandson, Julian King, was found shot to death in an SUV on the city’s West Side. Donerson is the mother of singer and Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson. On Monday, April 23, 2012, opening statements begin in the trial of William Balfour, charged in the murder of Hudson’s mother, brother and nephew. – AP Photo

According to the police department, there are more than 4,100 abandoned buildings in Englewood, nearly 600 of them vacated in just the last 15 months. One study found more vacant homes in Englewood and the community to the immediate west than anywhere in Chicago.

It all has created an atmosphere ripe for a category of people nobody wanted to see: Gang members who left the city’s torn-down public housing high rises and found the abandoned houses magnets for crime.

“We’ve seen gangs come in, run cords from the house next door for electrical service and make it look like a regular house and they’re using it as a gang house,” said Leo Schmitz, commander of Englewood’s police district.

Moore said the Hudson family still owns their now-empty house, but they’ve apparently stopped trying to remodel it after vandals broke in at least twice to steal construction materials. He sees Hudson’s sister come by once in a while, but hasn’t seen Jennifer Hudson, who even after she became famous came by to talk with people and even jump rope with kids outside.

But he does see gangbangers on the street all day, every day.

In this Sept. 27, 2011 file photo, singer and Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson speaks in Chicago. On Monday, April 23, 2012, the Chicago trial begins for William Balfour, the man accused of murdering Hudson’s mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew in 2008. The use of Twitter is creating tension between reporters and judges who fear tweeting could threaten a defendant’s right to a fair trial. The issue has been highlighted by the Chicago court’s decision to ban anyone from tweeting at Balfour’s trial. – AP Photo

Among those, authorities say, was Balfour, the suspect in the Hudson family slayings. While prosecutors say the killings had a domestic motive, tied to his deteriorating marriage to the singer’s sister, his life story is a familiar one in Englewood.

A high school drop-out, Balfour was a member of the Gangster Disciples and had a long rap sheet for drug offenses, stealing cars and ultimately a seven-year stint in prison for attempted murder and vehicular manslaughter. A little more than two years after his release, he was behind bars again, charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of Hudson’s mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew.

McCarthy said the Englewood gangs are more rigid and territorial than the gangs he saw when he was a ranking member of the police department in New York and chief in Newark, N.J. That means a rival gang member on a street where the drug trade is controlled by another gang can mean only one thing: Likely gunfire.

In response, Schmitz said he has ordered intelligence about gangs distributed to all police officers, not just the anti-gang squad. And he’s ordered officers out of their cars and walking the community more than ever before  a practice Carter-Hill said is necessary to build trust where there has long been suspicion of police.

Antie Moore, who lives a few doors down from the Hudson house, said he thinks things have gotten worse since the national media arrived to interview people after the killings. A city clean-up crew came a few days ago, but Moore suspects it had more to do with news crews’ return ahead of the trial than anything else.

“They only cleaned up the alley behind (the Hudson house) and a little bit of the lot next to it,” he said. Then, he said, “They left.”

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A year later: Remembering Moin

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Moin Akhtar. — Dawn File Photo

Moin Akhtar was a man of many voices and talents. In the annals of Pakistani comedy, there was no one like him and it’s unlikely that there will be again.

Whether it was his stand-up act, hosting a show or the litany of impersonations he did, Moin carved himself a place in the hearts of Pakistanis for generations to come.

Moin started his career from TV a show in 1966 and it wasn’t long before he became the dynamic and versatile performer that millions know and miss today.

Starring in roles including Roozi, Dollar Man, 47, Half Plate, Family-93, Eid Train, Bandar Road Se Kemari, and Fifty/Fity Moin single handedly brought a brand of comedy to Pakistani audience that had not been seen before.

Later with Anwar Maqsood as his scribe, the writer-comedian duo developed a professional chemistry along the same lines as John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

It was a true marriage of two geniuses and with Bushra Ansari joining ranks, their decades long friendship gave rise to a golden age of Pakistani comedy.

Moin performed on various TV shows with Anwar Maqsood, including Loose Talk, Studio Dhai and others.

Fluent in several of the regions languages, Moin’s versatility had no bounds. His performance in the drama “Rozy,” an Urdu adaptation of the Dustin Hoffman classic, “Tootsie”, is one of the seminal characters in Pakistani television history.

In a talk-show namely Loose Talk, which began in 2005 he appeared as a different character in each and every of more than 400 episodes.

But there was more to Moin than his ability to lampoon politicians or his uncanny impersonations of public figures. Above all, those who know him, always spoke of his incredible generosity and grace as a human being.

Despite his fame, Moin never lost the sense of where he came from and where he belonged. He appreciated the small things in life and never missed an opportunity to help those he could.

His loss a year ago left a void in the heart of the country that is unlikely to be filled. But he’s left behind a body of work that is as timeless as the spirit which he embodied.

A true national treasure, Moin left us far too soon, but he left us with a gift that keeps on giving — Laughter.

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American film to take center stage at Cannes

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A file picture taken on May 11th, 2005 shows a general view of the Festival palace prior to the opening ceremony. The 65th edition of the festival will held from May 16 to 27, 2012. -AFP Photo

PARIS: American movies are taking center stage at the Cannes Film Festival, with a fistful of US films and stars including Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain in the 2012 line up announced Thursday.

Among some of the most anticipated titles of the year is an adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s Beat classic ”On the Road.” It’s one of 20 films battling for the May 16-27 festival’s coveted top prize, the Palme d’Or.

Announcing the slate at Paris’ Intercontinental Hotel, Cannes artistic director Thierry Fremaux said, ”American cinema is back in force.”

A total of 54 features representing 26 countries, from the US to Syria, Iran and Brazil, were chosen from a record-breaking 1,779 films submitted to organizers of the French Riviera festival. There’s a possibility for a few late additions in the coming weeks.

”The Artist” star Berenice Bejo will host the opening and closing ceremonies, with Italian filmmaker Nanni Moretti chairing the festival’s judging panel.

Walter Salles’ ”On the Road,” tells the story of the years Kerouac spent traveling the United States in the 1940s with his friend Neal Cassady and several other figures who would go on to fame in their own right.

Staring Sam Riley and ”Twilight”’s Kristen Stewart, it also features a performance from Kirsten Dunst, who won Cannes’ best actress award last year for her role in ”Melancholia.”

Other US-slanted highlights include Andrew Dominik’s ”Killing Them Softly” starring Brad Pitt as a mob enforcer, and ”The Paperboy,” a drama with Zac Efron and Nicole Kidman by Lee Daniels, director of ”Precious.”

”Lawless,” by John Hillcoat, director of ”The Road,” stars Chastain and Tom Hardy in a tale of Depression-era bootleggers.

For Canadian director David Cronenberg, whose film ”Cosmopolis” is among those in competition, the festival will be something of a family affair. His son Brandon’s debut feature, ”Antiviral” is in the festival’s secondary competition, Un Certain Regard.

Screenings are expected to be packed to see if Cronenberg junior has the cinematic prowess of his veteran father, who came to fame with visceral films such as ”Videodrome” and ”Naked Lunch.”

”Cosmopolis,” based on the Don DeLillo novel, features Stewart’s ”Twilight” co-star Robert Pattison.

For the young at heart, the 3-D animation ”Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted” will also premiere at the festival, marking Cannes’ continuing friendship with Hollywood’s DreamWorks studios. The film features the vocal talents of Ben Stiller and Sacha Baron Cohen of ”Borat” fame.

It is not the only 3-D offering included in the festival. For those with more nocturnal proclivities, Cannes will get out its garlic and wooden stakes for a midnight screening of Dario Argento’s highly awaited ”Dracula” in 3-D.

Several Cannes winners are back this year, including Austria’s Michael Haneke, with ”Amour,” Britain’s Ken Loach, with ”The Angels’ Share,” and Romania’s Cristian Mungiu, with ”Beyond the Hills.”

Joining them will be living legend Alain Resnais, who, at nearly 90, will present the aptly titled ”Vous N’Avez Encore Rien Vu” or ”You Haven’t Seen Anything Yet.” It’s an adaptation of Jean Anouilh’s ”Eurydice” starring Cannes veteran Mathieu Amalric.

The festival will also feature a homage to Brazilian cinema, with screenings of films by directors such as Carlos Diegues and octogenarian legend Nelson Pereira dos Santos.

The out-of-competition lineup includes an offering from American cinema veteran Philip Kaufman called ”Hemingway & Gellhorn.”

Starring Nicole Kidman and Clive Owen, the film tells the story of one of American’s most famous literary couples: writer Ernest Hemingway and Martha Gellhorn, his war correspondent wife of five years. Gellhorn, who reported from the Spanish Civil War, was Hemingway’s inspiration for his novel on the same theme, ”For Whom the Bell Tolls.”

The festival is to close on a bittersweet note with a tribute to French film director Claude Miller, who died two weeks ago.

Organizers are screening ”Therese D.,” a film he completed shortly before his death. Based on a period novel by Francois Mauriac, the film stars Audrey Tautou as a 1920s woman trapped in a failing marriage in Paris. The movie will play on May 27 after the festival’s awards ceremony.

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Bollywood uses comedy to break fertility taboos

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Indian Bollywood actor John Abraham posing for a photograph during The Hindustan Times Brunch event in Mumbai.—AFP Photo

MUMBAI: A romantic comedy that opens at Indian cinemas this week tackles taboos about sperm donation and infertility, in the latest Bollywood film to experiment with traditionally off-limits content.

“Vicky Donor”, which is released on Friday, tells the story of the unemployed and lazy Vicky, who is persuaded by a doctor to donate his sperm to make a living — a job he then tries to keep quiet from his new girlfriend.

The film retains the singing and dancing so beloved of Indian audiences and will be “fun to watch”, according to producer John Abraham. But while the style may be familiar, the content is definitely new.

“Indian audiences have never seen this kind of film,” Abraham said at the launch in Mumbai.

He has expressed hopes that the movie will spread awareness among childless couples about sperm donation, which has largely been an alien concept in conservative Indian society.

“It is high time we openly talk about this issue,” said actor Ayushmann Khurrana, who stars as Vicky.

“We tell in the film that sperm donor identity is always kept a secret and also that donors have to go through many tests before getting selected. This film is informative and entertaining at the same time.”

Trade analysts say the film is part of a wider trend in Hindi-speaking cinema, with censors relaxing their rules in a bid to keep up with the times.

Friday also sees the release of “Hate Story”, an erotic thriller that has generated a stir with a raunchy trailer on YouTube. One of the film’s stars, Nikhil Dwivedi, has described the film as an Indian “Basic Instinct”.

“Bollywood is experimenting with newer and newer subject matter,” Komal Nahta, editor of the trade journal Film Information, told AFP.

“Until four or five years back only the ‘masala’ films were being made,” he said, using the term for the typical Indian commercial melodrama that combines music and comedy with romance and action.

Actor and producer Aamir Khan was one of the first to turn to more serious matters with “Taare Zameen Par” (Like Stars on Earth) in 2007, a film about a dyslexic boy that was a critically acclaimed box office hit.

Khan pushed the boundaries further last year with screwball comedy “Delhi Belly”, a film that outraged conservative critics for its toilet humour and profanity-peppered dialogue, which surprisingly passed the censor board uncut.

It sparked protests at cinemas and even a court case on charges of obscenity and insulting religion, but the movie ran to full houses and became a cult hit for its reflection of young people in modern, urban India.

Some of the latest risk-takers in Bollywood are keeping a light-hearted touch. “Ab Hoga Dharna Unlimited”, released last week, focuses on the issue of hunger striking in protest for justice.

The practice is a common but controversial one in India, popularised by Mahatma Gandhi and last year propelling anti-corruption campaigner Anna Hazare into the media spotlight, but the film takes a comedic approach.

“I don’t want to bore people by making a serious documentary,” said director Navin Batra.

“Everybody has seen these agitations on TV, so I don’t think anyone would be interested in watching the same thing in theatres as well,” he was quoted as saying in the daily Hindustan Times.

Caste quotas, honour killings and sexual harassment are also among the taboo-breaking topics that films have tackled in recent years.

Bollywood analyst Nahta said a “more discerning” audience as well as changes to cinemas themselves are driving increasingly bold content, which is largely tried out in lower-budget films.

He said the growth in India’s multiplexes meant you “don’t need 1,000 people to make a full house”.

Relaxing social mores, particularly among India’s westernised youth, are one motivating factor behind the new wave of production, with increasingly risque themes and scenes on both the big and small screens.

Last month, popular television series “Bade Achhe Lagte Hain” (We Like Him Very Much) featured an unprecedented love-making scene that lasted about 15 minutes and sent social media abuzz with excitement — but it seems not all of India was ready for it.

“The channel was promoting the steamy episode for a while but an actual lip to lip wasn’t really expected,” explained the Hindustan Times. “People watching the episode with families were a bit scandalised.”

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Wigan pull off shocking win over Arsenal

Wigan Athletic’s Jordi Gomez (2nd L) celebrates with teammate James McArthur (L) after scoring against Arsenal. -Photo by Reuters

LONDON: Wigan Athletic pulled off a shock 2-1 win at third-placed Arsenal on Monday to continue their dramatic late bid to escape the Premier League relegation zone.

Roberto Martinez’s side scored twice in the first eight minutes and although Arsenal struck back quickly at the Emirates Stadium, Wigan hung on to claim a victory that moved them five points clear of relegation with four matches left in the season.

Arsenal stayed third, five points ahead of their north London neighbours Tottenham Hotspur and fifth-placed Newcastle United.

“I am so so satisfied because this wasn’t an accident,” Martinez told Sky Sports. “The manner in which we coped physically and tactically makes me very very proud.

“It was a well deserved three points and to say that speaks volumes about the performance of my players.”

Wigan, who beat league leaders Manchester United 1-0 last week, took the lead when striker Franco di Santo scored a classic counter-attacking goal after seven minutes and they immediately doubled the advantage through Jordi Gomez.

Arsenal, who had won nine of their last 10 league matches, were shell-shocked but they regrouped quickly and defender Thomas Vermaelen powered home a header after 21 minutes from Tomas Rosicky’s whipped cross.

The hosts continued to dominate possession and Wigan goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi made several fine saves to keep his team in front at halftime.

Wigan defended bravely in the second half as Arsenal’s frustration mounted and the visitors’ man-of-the-match striker Victor Moses wasted a good chance to add a third goal after breaking clear of the home defence.

“We should have been ahead at halftime but in the second half we did not create a lot because we were not patient enough,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said.

“In the second half we lost our cohesion, we were doing too much individually, the passing wasn’t quick enough to be dangerous. We had too many strikers, we were exposed a bit but we weren’t sharp enough.”

Wigan climbed three points ahead of 17th-placed Queens Park Rangers and five clear of Bolton Wanderers who occupy the last relegation spot but have two games in hand on their rivals.

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FAFEN report : Loud rhetoric on resetting ties with US sputters in parliament

ISLAMABAD: Despite the drama and accusations, legislators seem reluctant to deliberate over ties with the US.

The joint session of the parliament from March 20-April 12 saw only one-fourth of the session time being spent on debating the recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) formed to review relations with the United States.

A report published by Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN), which is a network of 42 NGOs working to foster democratic accountability in Pakistan, states that 94% of the parliamentarians stayed away from the debate.

Only 28 out of the 445 legislators in the National Assembly and Senate debated the PCNS report for 338 minutes. This constituted only 25% of the total session time of 22 hours and 22 minutes.

Four per cent of the National Assembly members and 13% of the Senators spoke on the ties with US that have become increasingly frail in the wake of the Nato attack on Salala check post which killed 24 Pakistani soldiers last November.

The PCNS was constituted after the incident to shape up a new foreign policy. However, despite the accusations, parliamentarians were reluctant to share their thoughts on the floor of the House.

With only one-fourth of the session time being consumed for actually discussing the PCNS report, the rest of the time was taken up to discuss target killings in Karachi and Balochistan, sectarian violence in Gilgit-Baltistan, increase in prices of petroleum products and power outages along with a string of other issues.

The PCNS report was completely ignored in three sittings. In the eighth sitting it was discussed for only 15 minutes by a PPP legislator.

Though the opposition parties, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) rejected the first draft of the PCNS recommendations, their legislators were conspicuous by their absence during the debate.  Three PML-N Senators and two MNAs took part in the debate. The party has 104 legislators in the two houses of the parliament.

One parliamentarian each from Awami National Party (ANP), JUI-F, Mutthida Majlis-e-Amal Party (MMAP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) took part in the debate. Similarly, 32 Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) legislators in the two houses and 12 Independents in the Senate stayed away from the debate on the report.

Though 11 legislators of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) shared their thoughts on the report, they only make up seven per cent of the treasury benches in the parliament.

Now that the parliament has unanimously approved the new recommendations, the reactions and statements of other parties have begun to pour in.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 16^th, 2012.

Social activist goes on hunger strike against enhanced military spending

Akhtar condemned the impact that disproportionate military spending has on Pakistan, calling it the root cause of economic disparity.  “The government is left empty handed after debt servicing and military spending, which is estimated at Rs800 billion. This takes a toll on everything— health, education, development, everything.”

The military spending is expected to go up by 10% in the upcoming budget.

Speaking to supporters at his hunger-strike camp near Super Market in F-6, Akhtar expressed sorrow over the Giyari Siachen incident but blamed policymakers for deploying army personnel in the inhospitable region in the first place.

“More people have been killed by weather than bullets at Siachen,” said Akhtar, adding that it was completely insane to station troops at a place that acted as a natural border.

He said the army could cut spending dramatically juts by withdrawing troops from Siachen. “Don’t worry, no one is going to come running across from Siachen,” said the social activist.

Increasing military expenditure has been draining the exchequer for decades, leaving no room for social-sector spending. Hundreds of millions of people face shortages of everything—edibles energy, employment and security.

Akhtar said the people of Pakistan, the fourth-largest importer of heavy military equipment, have lost all hope, resulting in rising levels of frustration, crime and terrorism. “Pakistan is becoming a bad place to live,” he added.

He said that the size of Pakistan’s military was thrice its requirements, and has turned the country into a beggar.

“Pakistan will continue to face turmoil and remain dependent on donors as long as ‘someone’s assumed national security priorities’ keep pushing human security to the backseat,” said Akhtar.

Akhtar’s hunger strike will run till Tuesday, the Global Day of Action against Military Spending. At the end of the strike, he will take out a rally.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 15^th, 2012.

Titanic sinking marked 100 years on

Dean John Mann, second from left, and Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, center, walk behind a lone bagpiper to Belfast City Hall following a Titanic Commemoration service at St. Ann’s Cathedral Belfast, Northern Ireland, Saturday, April 14, 2012. – AP

HALIFAX, Canada: Church bells pierced the night here early Sunday to mark the 100th anniversary of the tragic sinking of the iconic passenger liner Titanic, which is remembered in ceremonies across the world, with descendants of the victims leading the tributes.

Events marking the disaster started in Halifax, the Canadian port city from where ships sailed to retrieve bodies from the icy Atlantic waters and where 150 of Titanic’s 1,514 victims are buried.

The centenary, however, turned out to be a global event with artists, scientists and museums engaged in commemorations in Britain, Canada, Northern Ireland and the United States.

Late Saturday, participants in the memorial ceremonies gathered at the Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax and marched in a procession downtown.

Marchers carried battery-powered candles and followed a horse-drawn carriage bearing a casket, stopping at some Titanic landmarks.

Warren Ervine, a geological engineer whose uncle Albert at the age of 18 was the youngest member of the Titanic crew, was among the participants.

“My father was always very sad,” Ervine recalled. “Like people coming back from the war, they did not want to talk about it. I did not even know he (uncle Albert) was a crew member until 10 years ago. I looked for him on the passenger list.”

The procession ended at City Hall for memorial performances, with more than 20 local musicians and a Canadian Forces band participating.

Nova Scotia’s Rhapsody Quintet played a selection of pieces reminiscent of music performed aboard the ship by the Titanic orchestra a century ago
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And just after midnight, at 12:27 am, Halifax fell silent to observe a moment of silence to mark the time when the last wireless telegraph message from the Titanic was received in Nova Scotia.

Afterward, bells rang from four churches where the ceremonies for the dead were held in 1912. The sky was lit up by distress flares fired into the air.

Meanwhile at sea, two cruise ships with more than 1,700 passengers on board – the MS Balmoral from Southampton and the Azamara Journey from New York City
- approached each other at the site where the Titanic went down to witness a partial reenactment.

The Azamara Journey’s captain announced a collision and a commemorative distress call.

“Have struck iceberg … We require immediate assistance,” read the message. “Have struck iceberg and sinking … We are putting women off in boats.”

Passengers then threw wreaths into the sea where the drama unfolded about 800 kilometers (500 miles) southeast of Halifax 100 years ago.

The Titanic was built in the Northern Irish capital Belfast, and was sailing from the English port of Southampton on its maiden voyage toward New York when tragedy struck.

Some participants in the memorial events – many of them history buffs or descendants of passengers of the doomed voyage – came with personal stories about how the Titanic touched their lives.

Wendy Burkhart, a British Columbia resident who crossed the continent to attend the ceremonies in Halifax, told of how her ancestors narrowly missed a catastrophic trip on the ship.

“My great-great-grandparents, my grandmother and her sister were booked to travel on the Titanic,” she said.

“Their destination was Canada, where they wanted to start a new life. But then there was a family argument and it was decided to leave in the fall, rather than … spring.”

On a more personal note, Buckhart said James Cameron’s 1997 movie about the tragedy was a trigger for her marriage to college sweetheart Jerry Evans, who reminded her of the movie’s star Leonardo DiCaprio.

“I was struck by his resemblance to Jerry when we were younger,” she said.

“Right there, I vowed to some day get back together with him,” she said.

Titanic 100 Society executive director Ken Pinto told The Chronicle Herald that memorial events held over the weekend would cement Halifax and Canada’s place in Titanic’s fabled story.

He said the ceremonies were “an honorable marking of the tragic event.”

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