UK's Prince Philip undergoes heart surgery

LONDON: The Duke of Edinburgh, the 90-year-old husband of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, underwent successful heart surgery Friday for a blocked coronary artery, Buckingham Palace said.

The duke underwent an "invasive procedure of coronary stenting" after being taken to hospital with chest pains, the palace confirmed.

"Following tests at Papworth Cardiothoracic Hospital in Cambridge this evening the Duke of Edinburgh was found to have a blocked coronary artery which caused his chest pain," the palace said in a short statement.

"This was treated successfully by the minimally invasive procedure of coronary stenting," it added. "Prince Philip will remain in hospital under observation for a short period."

In the procedure, a tube-like device called a stent is inserted into the blocked artery to open it up and help restore a healthy blood flow.

The duke, also known as Prince Philip, was taken by helicopter to Papworth Hospital from Sandringham House in Norfolk, southeast England, where the Royal Family was enjoying a Christmas celebration, British media reported.

The royals were spending their traditional Christmas holiday at the Queen's 60-acre (24-hectare) residence, where the Duchess of Cambridge is spending her first Christmas as a member of the royal family.

The prince, who is Britain's longest-serving consort, is well-known for his tireless spirit and outspoken views.

However, he has recently suffered occasional bouts of poor health and pulled out of a trip to Italy in October nursing a cold.

The duke received a front-page apology from the Evening Standard newspaper in 2008 after it incorrectly reported he had prostate cancer.

A chest infection hospitalised him the same year, but he went on to make a full recovery.

Margaret Holder, a royal commentator, told the BBC: "It's obviously very worrying for the queen and the rest of the royal family who are gathering at Sandringham for Christmas."

Philip was born into the Greek royal family in 1921 but was exiled from Greece, along with his family, when he was a child.

After studying in Britain and Germany, Philip joined the British Royal Navy in 1939 and served with the Mediterranean and Pacific fleets during World War II.

It was during his time in the navy that he began correspondence with Princess Elizabeth, who ascended to the British throne in 1952.

The pair became engaged in 1947 and married later that year at London's Westminster Abbey.

The queen and the duke announced earlier this week they were to "travel as widely as possible throughout the United Kingdom" next year to celebrate Elizabeth's diamond jubilee.

The prince is a staunch supporter of the armed forces and also lends his name to an award scheme aimed at helping young people.

He also maintains a kee interest in science, technology, industry and the environment, as well as sports from cricket and polo to equestrianism and flying.

In addition, he has served as a patron of a number of organisations, including the World Wide Fund for Nature, and as chancellor of the universities of Cambridge and Edinburgh.

In Britain and the Commonwealth, his name is most synonymous with the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme, which was set up in 1956 and aims at developing the confidence and skills of young people aged 15 to 25.

Prince Philip's off-the-cuff remarks have often landed in him in hot water, although Britons tend to view his politically incorrect comments with a sense of humour.

Papworth hospital describes itself as Britain's largest specialist cardiothoracic hospital and treats more than 22,800 inpatient and day cases and 53,400 outpatients each year from across the country.(AFP)

We respect Pakistan’s sovereignty: US

WASHINGTON: US State Department has said that America respects Pakistan’s sovereignty evident form US Central Command’s (CENTCOM) quick steps to launch a probe into Mohmand tragedy for the very reason, Geo News reported.

Spokesman Mark Toner in State Department’s daily briefing said that US CENTCOM had tasked a team with an in-depth investigation into the Nato’s friendly fire, which martyred more than a dozen Pakistani troops deployed at an outstation next to Afghan border.

“US wants to make sure no such incident comes to pass in the future”, Toner said.

When asked why US was shy of offering an apology for this fatal tactical error, he said the truth was still out there, adding that was why Pakistan had been invited on board a US probe into the tragedy. 

Commenting on Pakistan’s decision of a quick retaliation to such hostility in the days to come, he said the probe underway also aimed at ascertaining the implications of this strategy-shift by Pakistan. However, it was a Defence Department matter and only they could give a better answer to it, Toner added.

To another question, he said, in order to rule out any misunderstanding that could lead to any unforeseeable estrangement, we were in tight loop with our Pakistani counterparts since the Mohmand tragedy. 

Expense on Ajmal Kasab could be Rs50 crore

(Batkhela.tk) MUMBAI: According to Indian media, the state government might have spent three times the amount it claims to have incurred on gunman Ajmal Kasab. On Monday, the home department led by senior NCP leader R R Patil had submitted that the state government had spent Rs 16 crore on Kasab till date.

But a day later, if top police brass and bureaucrats associated with the case are to be believed, it transpires that a whopping Rs 48.75 crore has been expended on the jailed terrorist who is the main accused in the deadly terror attack on Mumbai on November 26, 2008.

"From our estimates, the state government must have spent a minimum of Rs 50 crore to keep the terrorist alive,'' a senior official told.

Iran blasts new sanctions as 'reprehensible, ineffective'

(Batkhela.tk) TEHRAN: Iran on Tuesday blasted new sanctions against the Islamic republic announced by the United States, Britain and Canada as "reprehensible and ineffective."

Foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast made the comments a day after Washington, London and Ottawa said they were levelling additional sanctions on Iran's financial sector because of a report by the UN atomic energy watchdog strongly suggesting Tehran was researching nuclear weapons.

"These actions show the hostility of these countries towards our people. They are reprehensible and ineffective," Mehmanparast said during his regular weekly media briefing.

He said US and British sanctions previously imposed on Iran had likewise proved ineffective.

The new ones amounted to little more than "propaganda and psychological warfare," he said.

"Everybody knows our trade with Britain and the United States is at its lowest point. These past years we have decided for various reasons to reduce exchanges with those two countries to a minimum, so as to increase them with other countries," Mehmanparast said. (AFP)

Indian Army not happy with Omar

 (batkhela-movies)SRINAGAR: Talks between the government of Indian Occupied Kashmir and Indian Army over controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) have collapsed.

The Indian Army is against the removal of the Act and insisted it must stay. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is strongly pitching for removal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) "in areas where the Army has not operated for years". 

At the Unified Headquarters meeting called to review the overall security scenario and attended by top Army commanders, heads of various security forces and intelligence agencies, the CM said AFSPA had to be partially withdrawn from the state. 

Omar is facing stiff resistance from the army for removing the Act from some parts.

"What is the problem in removing AFSPA from those areas where the Army has not worked for years? When did they (Army) work in Srinagar or Budgam the last time?" he asked.

89,000 illegal pilgrims returned

(BATKHELA-MOVIES)JEDDAH: The Passport Department has sent back 89,000 people who were traveling to Makkah without Haj permit, majority of them were locals, while others belonged to different countries including Pakistan.

The passport officials also arrested 1,600 overstayed and those who violated residence regulations or attempting to sneak in with forged permits, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.

There are 16 passport checkpoints around Makkah and four in Madinah region.

In a related development, the police prevented the entry of 4,158 vehicles and sent them back because the passengers did not carry Haj permits until Thursday evening, a statement of the Makkah police said in Mina.

Saudi department has banned passenger vehicles with less than 25 seats from entering into Makkah, anyone violating will be slapped a penalty of 1500 to 5000 Riyals besides confiscation of the vehicle. 

India welcomes Pak decision to grant MFN status: Singh

(BATKHELA-MOVIES)CANNES: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday welcomed Pakistan’s decision to grant India ‘Most Favoured Nation’ (MFN) status. 

Singh said Pakistan should have granted India MFN status years earlier and that he had advised this 17 years ago. 

Earlier on Friday the Foreign Office clarified that Pakistan had not backtracked on granting Indian ‘MFN’ status. 

Haqqani network may be linked to Kabul suicide attack: officials

(BATKHELA-MOVIES) KABUL: The Haqqani network, which Washington has blamed for a series of attacks in Afghanistan, may have been involved in a weekend bombing in Kabul that was the deadliest ground attack against Western troops in 10 years of war, officials said on Monday.

The suicide bombing on Saturday, which killed 13 foreigners, came just days before Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai and senior officials from its neighbors and its Western backers, including US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, were due to meet in Istanbul to discuss regional security.

The involvement of the Haqqani group, believed by Washington to be based in the mountains of North Waziristan on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, would make the already tough task of bringing Afghanistan and its neighbors together even more difficult.

"We don't have any information indicating a direct Haqqani link yet, but it's very possible it is Haqqani-related," a Western diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Officials said that while evidence of Haqqani involvement was by no means conclusive, the style of the attack and some of the equipment used in it raised that possibility. (REUTERS)

US halts payments to UNESCO over Palestinian membership

(BATKHELA-MOVIES)WASHINGTON: The United States said Monday it is stopping financial contributions to UNESCO after the Palestinians were admitted to the organization as a full member.

"We were to have made a 60 million dollar payment to UNESCO in November and we will not be making that payment," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters.

Nuland said the Palestinian admission "triggers longstanding (US) legislative restrictions which will compel the United States to refrain from making contributions to UNESCO."

The United States provides about 22 percent of the UNESCO annual budget.

The November payment amounts to a tranche of what US officials say is a total annual US contribution of $80 million (57 million euros) to the UN organization. (AFP)

China launches unmanned spacecraft

[batkhela-movies]BEIJING: China said it successfully launched an unmanned spacecraft on Tuesday, taking its next step towards the goal of building its first space station by 2020.

The Shenzhou VIII blasted off from the Gobi desert in China's northwest, the state Xinhua news agency said, separating from its carrier rocket, a modified Long March-2F, about 200 kilometres above the earth.

It is due to join with the Tiangong-1 or "Heavenly Palace", possibly within days, in what would be the country's first space docking with a module that is already orbiting the earth.

The experimental docking is part of China's preparation for building its first space station by 2020, where astronauts can live for several months, as they do on NASA's International Space Station or the former Russian Mir.

If it is a success, China will launch another two space craft next year to conduct more docking experiments.

At least one will be manned, and two female astronauts are among those being trained for the mission, according to Xinhua. If they are chosen, they will be the first women China has sent into space.

China began its manned spaceflight programme in 1990 after buying Russian technology and in 2003 became the third country to send humans into space, after the former Soviet Union and the United States.

China sees its ambitious space programme as a symbol of its burgeoning global stature.