Posts Tagged ‘Women’

With Likeminded by PML-N’s side: Nawaz’s ‘grand alliance’ gathers steam

The general secretaries of both parties signed the agreement at Raiwind, according to which the PML-N will give 11% of national and provincial assembly seats to Likeminded candidates. The issue of party symbol – whether Likeminded candidates will contest elections using PML-N’s tiger – will be decided later.

Insiders added that both parties have also agreed to woo more Muslim League factions.

Earlier on Wednesday, Sindh National Front chief Mumtaz Bhutto had formally announced the merger of his party with the PML-N, giving the latter a major boost in Sindh’s electoral politics.

Seat-adjustment formula

Talking to the media after signing their agreement, Likeminded’s General Secretary Humayun Akhtar Khan and his counterpart from PML-N, Zafar Iqbal Jhagra, said, “The vote-bank of Muslim Leagues has been united to defeat the PPP in the upcoming elections.”

“According to the agreement made between the two parties today, 30 general seats in the National Assembly will be allotted to Likeminded in the upcoming elections,” Akhtar said.

He said the same percentage of general seats will allotted to Likeminded for all provinces, adding that allocation of reserved seats for women, minorities and the Senate will be based on other terms.

According to sources, however, Nawaz has agreed to allot 13, not 30, seats in the national and provincial assemblies to Likeminded candidates.

Strengthening the Leagues

The PML-N chief met with Likeminded’s Chairman Hamid Nasir Chattha for the first time after 1993 to devise a strategy on strengthening the Leagues.

Sources said Chattha has been tasked to convince PML-Q’s former and sitting ministers in the federal cabinet to defect to the PML-N. The PML-Likeminded is a breakaway faction of the PML-Q.

Sources added that Nawaz and Chattha agreed to form a grand alliance, led by the former, against the PPP-led coalition government.

Since the Chaudhrys of Gujrat, the PML-Q leaders, are least likely to join this alliance, sources said that Chattha has been tasked to continue his litigation against Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and seek his disqualification from the party post.

Chattha, while talking to The Express Tribune, confirmed that he would convince sitting PML-Q lawmakers and ministers to join the grand alliance. Only a politics of alliance would oust the PPP-led coalition government, he said.

Chattha added that formation of ticket-awarding parliamentary boards would be discussed later.

Apprehensions

Sources said that Chattha and his colleagues were not ready to rely on Nawaz over several issues.

Likeminded’s candidates are not sure if they would be awarded tickets to contest the election by Nawaz, if the party merges with the PML-N, sources said.

Nawaz had refused to award party tickets to many aspirants at the eleventh hour, they said, citing the case of Humayun Akhtar, who barely got a ticket in the 1996 elections, and his younger brother Haroon, who was denied a ticket in the 2012 Senate elections.

If the PML-N betrays Likeminded, they would announce an alliance with some other political party, sources added.

The group had entered into negotiations with PTI Chairman Imran Khan last year to discuss a possible alliance. The talks broke down though after Imran asked Likeminded leaders to join his party.

Likeminded’s Punjab chief resigns

Likeminded’s Ata Manika, in protest, has resigned from his party post as president of the Punjab chapter following the party’s alliance with the PML-N, Express News reported.

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani called him from London, assuring his utmost cooperation.

Talking to the media, Manika said that despite playing a pivotal role in forming Likeminded, the party leadership did not even consult him regarding the decision to form an alliance with the PML-N.

However, later in the night a Likeminded delegation managed to win back Manika who then lent his support to the agreement with PML-N.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 13^th, 2012.

Devil within

According to professor Dr Fateh M. Burfat of the department of sociology, University of Karachi, Pakistan’s absolute poverty level is increasing steadily, Currently more than 50 per cent of the people are living on or under two dollars per day. “Our population can be estimated to have a maximum of 20 per cent who possess all the comforts of life while the rest are barely surviving” he says.

The level of tolerance is also reducing. It is directly linked to this economic inequality. It is this gap, Dr Burfat believes, that is the key reason behind the increase of drug abuse, suicide bombing, street crime, child labour and violence against women.

“Thirty years ago, the poor were unaware of the comfort that the affluent class of Pakistan were enjoying. Now, because of the media, they can witness the boons of life on the other side of the divide. When people don’t have sufficient finances for a healthy diet, or vaccines for their children, it gives birth to countless psychological and sociological problems,” he explains.

It is not just the responsibility of the government, but of all stakeholders to strive to cope with this and understand the gravity of the situation. Dr Burfat warns that if effective measures are not taken quickly then our nation could suffer great loss. “A country’s increasing economic inequality can cause it to disintegrate, just as it did to Russia,” he says.

Identifying another problem Dr Burfat explains that though Pakistan is high in giving charity and participating in philanthropic activities, yet there hasn’t been an impact in alleviating poverty or reducing this gap. He suggests that organised developmental charity would reap more positive and long term effects on the society. If Pakistan were to concentrate more on education and technical skills, this gap can be lessened. —R.K.

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Via DAWN.com

PPP will win next general election as well: Qaim Ali Shah

Chief Minister Sindh Qaim Ali Shah.—APP (File Photo)

SUKKUR: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah on Saturday said the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) will emerge as victorious in the next general election as well.

Addressing a public gathering organised by the PPP at Kammo Shaheed on the Sindh-Punjab border, Shah said that people had voted for the PPP in the last general elections and the party has come to power because of the struggle and sacrifices of Benazir Bhutto and the party workers.

He said the present government is the government of the poor masses and that it has served the people of the entire country without any discrimination.

The chief minister said that this gathering of more than one million warns Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif not to challenge the people of Sindh or of the country, as many more can be gathered and “head for Lahore.”

He was of the view that being a businessman, politics was not the field for Nawaz Sharif.

Shah said that Nawaz Sharif had taken the dictation from a dictator (Gen Pervez Musharraf) whereas the PPP runs the government in accordance with the wishes and aspirations of the masses. It has given employment to the jobless and empowered the women in the country.

The CM Sindh stated that November-December is not very far off and that Nawaz Sharif should have perseverance and work for the next general elections.

He also pointed out that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has seen many difficulties and yet he is steadfast and determined.

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Via DAWN.com

US lawmakers want Haqqani declared a terror group

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. — File Photo by Reuters

WASHINGTON: Lawmakers from both US parties are urging Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to designate the Haqqani network a foreign terrorist organisation.

A letter obtained by The Associated Press argues the Pakistan-based militant group ”continues to launch sensational and indiscriminate attacks against US interests in Afghanistan.”

It says the Haqqani network ”poses a continuing threat to innocent men, women and children in the region.”

The lawmakers are Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Rep. C.A. ”Dutch” Ruppersberger, both Democrats, and Sen. Saxby Chambliss and Rep. Mike Rogers, both Republicans.

The State Department says Clinton is reviewing whether the amorphous group meets the criteria for a terrorist organisation. In the meantime, many of its leaders have been individually designated as terrorists.

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Via DAWN.com

Five persons of a family killed in Khyber Agency

At least two women and three children of a family were killed and one person sustained injuries when a mortar shell hit their vehicle in Shalobar area of Khyber Agency on Friday.
According to security sources, a mortal shell fired from unspecified location hit a vehicle of a family which was moving toward Peshawar from the Agency. Dead bodies and the injured were shifted to Agency Headquarter …

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House panel backs $642 billion US defense bill

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The Republican-controlled House will vote on the spending blueprint next week, but is expected to get stiff resistance from the Democrat-controlled Senate. -File Photo

WASHINGTON: The House Armed Services Committee on Thursday overwhelmingly backed a $642 billion US defense bill that calls for construction of a missile defense site on the East Coast, restores aircraft and ships slated for early retirement and ignores the Pentagon’s cost-saving request for another round of domestic base closings.    

Despite the clamor for fiscal discipline, the committee crafted a military spending blueprint that’s $8 billion more than the level President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans agreed to last summer in the deficit-cutting law. The panel vote early Thursday morning was 56-5.

Rep. Howard ”Buck” McKeon, the Republican chairman of the committee, said in a statement that the legislation meets his goal of ”keeping faith with American’s men and women in uniform; restoring fiscal sanity to a defense budget that is inconsistent with the threats America faces and rebuilding a force after a decade of war.”

The Republican-controlled House is expected to vote on the spending blueprint next week, but the legislation will be significantly changed in the Democratic-controlled Senate, where lawmakers are sticking to the lower spending level.

Over hours of sometimes testy debate, the committee backed construction of a missile defense site on the East Coast, rejecting Pentagon arguments that the facility is unnecessary and Democratic complaints that the nearly $5 billion project amounts to wasteful spending in a time of tight budgets.

Republicans insisted that the site is necessary in the event that Iran or North Korea develops an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of attacking the East Coast.

Democrats countered that throwing billions of dollars at a missile defense system plagued by failures made no sense, especially when the threat from the two nations is highly uncertain and many in Washington are demanding fiscal discipline.

This ”would be spending up to $5 billion in the next three years on a missile defense system that doesn’t work,” said Rep. John Garamendi, a Democrat who offered an amendment to eliminate the project from the Republican-backed bill.

The chief proponent of constructing the site, Rep. Michael Turner, a Republican, said, ”We need to proceed with missile defense whether this president wants to or not.”

On a largely party-line vote, the panel rejected Garamendi’s effort, 33-28. Since the mid-1980s, the Pentagon has spent nearly $150 billion on missile defense programs and envisions another $44 billion over the next five years. But it is not looking to construct a facility on the East Coast.

Gen. Charles Jacoby, the head of US Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, told Congress earlier this year, ”Today’s threats do not require an East Coast missile field, and we do not have plans to do so.”
The progress of Iranian and North Korean programs remains unclear. The United States and its allies accuse Iran of using its nuclear program to develop atomic weapons. Iran insists it is producing nuclear energy.

North Korea suffered a failed rocket launch last month when its Unha-3 rocket broke apart, raising questions about the immediate threat to the United States from a North Korean long-range missile.

Lt. Gen. Patrick J. O’Reilly, the head of the US missile defense program, told Congress recently that North Korea lacks the testing for a capable system and has made little progress in its spaceflight program.

Nevertheless, the committee envisions construction of the site by the end of 2015, with the Pentagon deciding on a possible location. The bill includes $100 million to study three potential sites.

The committee rejected the Pentagon’s call to mothball 18 Air Force Global Hawk drones, and it restored four Navy cruisers slated for early retirement in next year’s budget.

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Via DAWN.com

Beverly Hills Hotel marks 100 years of swank

In this April 25, 2012 photo, the entrance to the Beverly Hills Hotel is seen in Beverly Hills, Calif. The Beverly Hills Hotel is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. – AP Photo

BEVERLY HILLS, California: Stand on the Beverly Hills Hotel’s red carpet, leading into its chandeliered lobby, and you can’t help but visualize a century’s worth of celebrities, royalty, politicians, musicians and actors who have stayed there, from Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor to Madonna, Reese Witherspoon and Katy Perry.

The luxury hotel on Sunset Boulevard marks 100 years since it opened May 12, 1912, two years before the city of Beverly Hills itself was built around it. It remains one of the swankiest destinations in Southern California, home to Oscar and Grammy parties and star-filled lunches.

Its breezy, old Hollywood air comes from an incomparable list of superstar guests that has ranged over the decades from Charlie Chaplin, Cary Grant and Clark Gable, to John Lennon and Jack Nicholson, to the androgynously elegant Marlene Dietrich, who convinced the hotel’s Polo Lounge restaurant to change its “no slacks for women” dress code in the 1940s.

In his new book “The Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows — The First 100 Years,” Robert S. Anderson, the hotel’s official historian and great-grandson of its founder, tells the hotel’s story, from its beginnings amid acres of bean fields, to the present day, when celebs such as director Sofia Coppola think nothing of stopping by the coffee shop for a bite with friends.

Anderson’s great-grandmother Margaret Anderson — who managed a hotel on the site of what’s now the Hollywood & Highland Center, where the Academy Awards are held — built the Beverly Hills Hotel for $500,000 with architect Elmer Grey.

In this undated image released by Beverly Hills Collection, a historic view of The Beverly Hills Hotel is seen. The Beverly Hills Hotel is celebrating its 100th Anniversary in May. – AP Photo

“Elmer Grey designed the hotel in such a way so that every room got sunlight in one point of the day or another,” said Robert S. Anderson during lunch in late April in the Polo Lounge, beneath its green-and-white striped patio ceiling. “An acre of land was set aside for the guests to grow vegetables and flowers while staying here, so they would feel at home. That acre of land now is probably worth $25 million.”

Making its famous guests feel at home, and giving them privacy, have always been part of the hotel’s mission, beginning with silent film-era stars such as Chaplin and Buster Keaton, who shot movies at the hotel. The 1920s Hollywood power couple Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks met at the hotel, then renovated a palatial house above the property. Liz Taylor honeymooned in the hotel’s lavish bungalows with six of her husbands, including Richard Burton. Bungalow Five was one of their favorite hangouts.

Reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes not only lived in the bungalows on and off for 30 years, but starting in 1942, he parked his Cadillac in front of the hotel for so long that plants started growing out of it. He also had hotel staff leave late-night meals, including roast beef sandwiches, in a nearby tree. Monroe stayed in bungalows 20 and 21 in 1960 while reportedly having an affair with her “Let’s Make Love” co-star Yves Montand.

In this image released by Beverly Hills Collection, actress Marilyn Monroe is seen at The Beverly Hills Hotel. The Beverly Hills Hotel is celebrating its 100th Anniversary in May. – AP Photo

Lennon and Yoko Ono stayed in bed for a week in another bungalow. “She was well-behaved, and he wasn’t,” said Anderson, laughing. “Lennon would sing loud, Irish songs. One night Prince was up here singing to some girl in a suite upstairs, in the ’80s. People yelled to him, ‘Knock it off!’”

The hotel remains a place where celebrities can let down their hair, attracting the East Coast elite as well as Hollywood locals. But paparazzi, beware. “Stars felt safe here, as they do today,” said Anderson. “For example, even getting through the front door. If you’re wielding a heavy-duty camera, they ask you what the hell you’re doing.”

Four stories high, surrounded by acres of gardens and flowers, the hotel evokes a lush Mediterranean fantasy island, decorated with banana leaves, palm fronds and fuchsia azaleas. In the 1940s, African-American architect Paul Williams designed the hotel’s looping handwritten script logo and redesigned the Polo Lounge, which had previously been called El Jardin. Williams also designed the more casual Fountain Coffee Room below the lobby, which still has a curved dark counter and green banana leaf wallpaper. The hotel was nicknamed the “Pink Palace” after being painted a salmon hue in 1948 to reflect light shades of the sunset.

Some things have changed, of course. Gone are stables for guests’ horses; the school, movie theater, billiard room and bowling alley that were once downstairs; and fox hunts that were staged in nearby barren hills. There have also been financial ups and downs. The Great Depression forced the hotel to close in 1933 and reopen 10 months later under the ownership of Bank of America before being sold again later, according to Anderson’s book. The hotel was bought by the Brunei Investment Agency in 1987 and is now part of the agency’s Dorchester Collection of luxury hotel properties.

In 1992, the hotel closed for a $100 million restoration, reopening in 1995. Today it has more than 200 rooms and suites, including 23 private bungalows big enough to accommodate staffs and families. Five bungalows date to 1915, while new presidential bungalows unveiled last year include outdoor rain showers. Rooms, decorated with peachy marble bathroom floors and green granite countertops, now run upwards of $500 a night. Cocktails at the Polo Lounge, 15 cents in 1944, now start at $17. But spotting A-listers at the hotel remains a regular occurrence, whether in the Polo Lounge, the Cabana Cafe, Bar Nineteen12 overlooking the hotel’s citrus garden, or down a winding staircase to the enormous art deco Crystal Ballroom.

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In this 1938 image released by Beverly Hills Collection, pool at The Beverly Hills Hotel is seen upon completion. The Beverly Hills Hotel is celebrating its 100th Anniversary in May. – AP Photo

A celebration of the centennial is planned for June 15-17 to benefit the Motion Picture Television Fund, with a filmmaker panel, an evening party hosted by director Brett Ratner and a Polo Lounge brunch hosted by Warren Beatty and DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg.

Regular folks who want a taste of the anniversary can try drinks from “These Walls Are Talking” cocktail menus featuring drinks such as “100 Year Sidecar,” ”The Rat Pack” and “The Norma Jean.”

In a new film timed to the anniversary celebration, directed by Chuck Workman, Michael Douglas mused about the hotel’s nostalgic appeal to both celebs and those without Hollywood ties.

“I’ve been going to the Beverly Hills Hotel for over half of its life. You feel timeless,” said the actor. “There’s a thoughtfulness that makes you feel like you’re coming home. It could be 50 years ago, except of course for the cell phones.

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Via DAWN.com

Brad Pitt new face of Chanel No.5 perfume

In this March 3, 2012 file photo, actor Brad Pitt arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of the play “8″ in Los Angeles. Chanel announced Wednesday, May 9, that Pitt will star in an upcoming ad campaign for its signature women’s scent. Previously the French-based house had used other famous names as its models, including Catherine Deneuve, Nicole Kidman and Audrey Tautou. – AP Photo

Actor Brad Pitt is to be the new face of Chanel No.5 perfume, one of the most famous fragrances in the world, the French fashion house said on Wednesday.    

“Chanel has selected world renowned actor Brad Pitt to be the face of the upcoming advertising campaign for Chanel No.5,” Chanel said in a brief statement on its Twitter account.

Chanel gave no details but the deal is thought to mark the first time that the iconic perfume for women will be marketed by a man.

Pitt, 48, the star of movies like “Moneyball” and “Ocean’s Eleven,” joins the likes of Nicole Kidman and Catherine Deneuve who have represented the fragrance.

Chanel No. 5 was the first perfume launched by legendary French designer Coco Chanel in 1922. It became associated with Marilyn Monroe after the actress famously said the fragrance was all she wore to bed.

Pitt, regarded as one of the hottest celebrities in the world, proposed marriage in April to his long-time partner Angelina Jolie.

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LHC issues notice to PML-N MPA Shumaila Rana

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The Lahore High Court. – File Photo

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday issued notice for June 26 to PML-N MPA Shumaila Rana on petitions challenging her election as member of the Punjab Assembly.

Justice Umar Ata Bandial issued notice on two identical petitions filed by Adeeba Ashraf and Aysha Ahsan. Earlier, the petitioners’ counsels arguing before the court submitted that Shumaila Rana was elected as a member provincial assembly in 2008 on seat reserved for women but later, she resigned from her seat due to involvement in a criminal case.

He said the provincial election commission and deputy secretary election on April 24, 2012 issuing a notification declared her a returned candidate despite the fact that she resigned from her seat.

He contended that no election had been held for reserved seats, therefore, the notification was illegal and unlawful. He pleaded the court to set aside notification declaring Shumaila Rana as a returned candidate.

Meanwhile, Justice Umar Ata Bandial also dismissed a petition filed by Shumaila Rana for restoration of her seat in Punjab Assembly, after being withdrawn.

Shumaila Rana said PML-N leaders had pressurised her to resign which was accepted by the Speaker Punjab Assembly against rules and regulations.

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North Korea to make Paralympic debut in London

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A view of Pyongyang’s tram station at night. — Photo by Wong Kang Wei for Dawn.com

SEOUL: North Korea will make its debut in the Olympics for the disabled when it takes part in this summer’s Paralympics in London, a pro-Pyongyang newspaper said Wednesday.

Chosun Sinbo, a Japan-based paper which reflects Pyongyang’s thinking, said the North was stepping up preparations for the Paralympics which will take place from August 29 to September 9, two weeks after the Olympics close.

Athletes and coaches left for Beijing on May 3 to take part in joint training with Chinese counterparts until early next month, the newspaper said on its website.

The North will field disabled athletes in various sports including table tennis, swimming and athletics, it said.

North Korea joined the International Paralympics Committee in March this year, said an official of South Korea’s Korea Sports Association for the Disabled.

The North said in January it would compete in at least seven events in the main Olympics — women’s football, weightlifting, the marathon, wrestling, table tennis, archery and shooting.

A sports official said at the time it could also send contestants in sports such as boxing, judo and diving.

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Via DAWN.com

Resolution on new provinces sails through Punjab Assembly

A view of the Punjab Assembly in session.—File Photo

LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly has unanimously approved resolutions in favour of reinstating Bahawalpur province and the formation of a separate province in southern Punjab, DawnNews reported.

Both resolutions were tabled by Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) leader and Punjab Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rana Sanaullah during Wednesday’s session of the provincial assembly, which started with a delay of over two hours.

The session, which was presided over by speaker Rana Mohammad Iqbal, kicked off as new assembly members — the Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) Usman Bhatti, and the PML-N’s returned candidate on a reserved seat for women, Shumaila Rana — took their oaths.

However, Ms Rana’s oath-taking was followed by shouts of “Shame! Shame!” from PPP lawmakers, matched by chants of “Go Zardari Go!” and “Go Gilani Go!” by PML-N legislators, seemingly turning the House into a fish-market as the war of slogans ensued.

PML-N member Shumaila Rana was forced to resign in August 2009 after allegations of misuse of credit cards against her. Ms Rana was arrested for allegedly stealing two credit cards of a fellow lawmaker and then going on a shopping spree.

However, the allegations were later found to be baseless. Ms Rana had won a seat reserved for women in the provincial assembly on a PML-N ticket in 2008.

The Election Commission had declared her a returned candidate earlier last month after receiving a fresh priority list from the PML-N.

Wednesday’s session was subsequently adjourned by the speaker for an indefinite period.

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Via DAWN.com

Villagers rally against police ‘cruelty’

HAFIZABAD – Scores of villagers of Walgan Sakian (Sukheki) took out a rally in protest against the highhandedness of Sukheki Police on the abetment of influential landlords Shoaib Nawaz Bhatti and Shahid Nawaz Bhatti.
Led by Shabbir Ahmed, Allah Ditta and scores of women paraded from Sukheki Press Club to police Station on Sargodha Road. They burnt tyres and blocked the road for more than two …

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QMF striving to empower Thal women

NOOR PUR THAL – The Quaid-e-Millat Foundation (QMF) has launched a programme in collaboration with the USAID to raise socio-economic condition of the women living in far-flung rural areas of Thal.
QMF Chairman Malik Gulzar Hussain Jara said this while addressing a certificates distribution ceremony here the other day. The ceremony was held at USAID Computer Training Centre. District Programme …

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China’s Pakistani coach excited about team’s future

Khan said the women’s team has shown progress and the upcoming T-20 tournament would be a turning point. -Photo by AP

KARACHI: China’s coach Rashid Khan on Tuesday expressed high hopes for his women’s team at this year’s Asia Cup Twenty20, saying that they were outperforming the men.

The 52-year-old former Pakistan paceman has spent five years coaching China since the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and International Cricket Council marked the country as one of the biggest new markets for the game.

Khan said the women’s Twenty20 tournament in October in Guangzhou, southern China, would be a turning point.

The Chinese women’s team “has shown more progress than their men’s team and I pin my hopes on the Asia Cup Twenty20 event… as the turning point where my team will create upsets,” Khan told AFP while on holiday in Pakistan.

Besides the hosts, formidable teams from Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand will participate in the event.

Khan said the pool of women players in China was increasing.

“Chinese women are athletic and are showing interest in cricket. At present we have a pool of 150 players and with the introduction of the game in schools and colleges more and more women will come,” said Khan.

China finished fourth in the Asian Games in Guangzhou in 2010 before finishing runners-up in the ACC women’s Trophy the same year, losing to Hong Kong in the final.

China’s under-19 women’s team finished fifth out of nine teams in the ACC under-19 event held in Kuwait in February and Khan said these performances were encouraging.

He welcomed support from the Chinese authorities and said the ACC’s decision to send Chinese players on coaching courses had honed their talent.

“Without the ACC’s support the progress of Chinese cricket would not be possible and the recent initiative to send Chinese players to England and various other countries have helped groom them a great deal,” said Khan.

Top Chinese women players Huang Zhou, Zhou Haijie and Yu Miao will train in England and Khan hoped they would mature as a result.

Khan said his men’s team will feature in the ACC Trophy Challenge in Thailand in December, where they have a good chance against low-ranked teams like Bahrain, Iran, Myanmar, Qatar, Singapore and Thailand. – AFP

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North Waziristan clashes ‘killed 19, injured 71’ in two days

Among the dead were 12 Pakistani soldiers, three of whom were captured and beheaded, a local intelligence official told AFP.—File Photo

MIRANSHAH: Clashes between troops and militants in North Waziristan killed 19 soldiers and civilians, and wounded nearly 100 others, officials said Tuesday.

Violence flared Sunday when gunmen armed with rockets attacked a military convoy near Miranshah, the main town in the tribal district on the Afghan border.

Among the dead were 12 Pakistani soldiers, three of whom were captured and beheaded, a local intelligence official told AFP.

“Seven civilians, including two children and three women, were killed and 71 others were injured during two days of violence,” the official added.

At least 20 soldiers were also wounded, he said.

On Monday, helicopter gun-ships attacked a three-storey building housing weapons shops in Miranshah’s main bazaar, causing a huge fire, witnesses said.

Two other intelligence officials in the area confirmed the death toll of 19.

Officials on Monday had put the overall death toll at 15.

Intelligence officials also said 17 militants were killed in the clashes.

An AFP reporter saw the bodies of 12 militants.

Calm has since returned, after local tribal elders interceded between the political administration and militants, officials said.

Shops and the main bazaar in Miranshah re-opened on Tuesday, an AFP reporter said.

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Via DAWN.com

DG Khan by-elections: PML-Q bags PP 245

However, the Election Commission of Pakistan withheld results for PP 243. Witnesses claimed that Rangers and police were bystanders in the polls marred by open display of firearms and use of strong arm tactics for rigging in this parched and arid district where feudal lords dictate the law.

According to the Election Commission of Pakistan, Khosa secured 25,518 votes and Leghari got 24,584 votes according to the ballot count on 75 out of 122 polling stations.

The rival candidate in PP 243, Imtiaz Leghari of Leghari group, got 19,205 votes and in PP 245 Mirza Talpur of PML -N baged 11,784 votes. Ballot count was still going on till the filling of this report.

With the wheat harvest season in full swing, low voter turnout was not surprising, but there was 100% vote casting at polling stations where influential people held sway.

Witnesses said the polling was not transparent in the localities of Zai, Basti Kalairi, Kot Habit, and Samina.

The presiding officer in Basti Kalairi has made a written complaint against the supporters of PML-N.

According to the presiding officer, the supporters of PML-N snatched five copies of ballot papers comprising 500 votes and filled the ballot boxes themselves. The PML-N workers made sure that all the registered women voters use their right of franchise although only thirteen had come in person to cast the ballot, the official said.

In Basti Ranjheywala, Ladan, and Koocha Wadani PML-N supporters took ballot papers from the presiding officer at the polling station and stuffed the boxes, witnesses said.

PML-N MNA Khosa was strongly opposing his elder brother Hassamud Din Khan Khosa in the by election on PP 243. On other hand, rival independent candidate Imtiaz Leghari of Leghari group alleged that PML-N won the slot on gunpoint. He further claimed that at the Zai polling station, his polling agent was kept outside forcibly by the supporters of the PML-N.

The local correspondent of Daily Express and Express News Ameer Baksh Khosa was roughed up by PML-N workers, who also snatched the mobile phone, camera, and election identity card of Khosa and tore his clothes.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 8^th, 2012.

Afghan president raps Nato, US over civilian deaths

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Afghan President Hamid Karzai. — File Photo by AP

KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai summoned the Nato commander and the US ambassador on Monday to express concern about civilian deaths in recent operations, his office said in a statement.

Karzai warned that if Afghan lives were not protected the Strategic Partnership Agreement he signed with US President Barack Obama last week would lose its meaning, the statement said.

Tens of civilians, including women and children, had been killed in Nato bombardments in four provinces since Saturday, the statement charged.

“The Afghan president this evening summoned Nato Commander General John Allen and US Ambassador Ryan Crocker for an emergency meeting at the Presidential Palace,” the statement said.

He “expressed his concerns about the civilian casualties incurred by our people in four provinces” — Logar and Helmand in the south, Kapisa in the east and Badghis in the northwest.

The president said civilian casualties always hurt Afghan-American relations, adding that Afghanistan had signed the strategic pact with the US to prevent such incidents and safeguard the lives of Afghans.

“If the lives of Afghans are not protected, the strategic partnership will lose its meaning,” the statement quoted the president as saying.

Civilian casualties have always been a sensitive issue in the US-led war against a Taliban insurgency and have often been the cause of tense relations between Kabul and Washington.

The number of civilians killed has risen steadily each year for the past five years, reaching a record of 3,021 in 2011, the great majority caused by militants, according to UN statistics.

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Via DAWN.com