Last wave of the wand for Harry Potter film series

LONDON: The final Harry Potter film has its world premiere in London on Thursday, an action-packed finale bringing the curtain down on a saga that has enthralled audiences worldwide.

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 2" will see the boy wizard take on the evil Lord Voldemort in an epic showdown.

Stars from the highly successful film series will walk down the red carpet in London for the premiere of the final movie, the second of two films based on the seventh and final Potter book by British author J. K. Rowling.

Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Potter, is taking time off from appearing in a Broadway musical to attend the premiere, along with Hermione Granger actress Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, who plays Ron Weasley.

The central trio of actors have made their fortunes but now face the challenge of throwing off their on-screen characters and forging careers outside the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The film will be released in British and US cinemas on July 15 and is the first Potter movie to hit the screens in a 3D version as well as the regular release.

The first Harry Potter film was released in 2001, four years after Rowling published her first book, and the seven films so far have earned 6.4 billion dollars (4.4 billion euros) globally.

Fans have waited eagerly since the release of "Part 1" in November last year for the concluding chapter.

"Part 2" covers the final third of the book and will be an action-packed adventure -- a marked contrast to "Part 1", a slow-paced scene-setter for the final, explosive battle between Potter and his allies and Voldemort's dark forces.

The movie is directed by David Yates, who has shot three of the previous seven films, including Part 1, which was made at the same time. Principal photography on both parts ended in June 2010.

When Rowling, then a struggling single mother, published her first Potter novel, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" in 1997, she set off a global craze for the fantasy world she created.

More than 400 million copies of the Potter books have been sold and they have been translated into 69 languages.

The films have likewise been adored the world over.

“It's been beyond my wildest dreams," said producer David Heyman.

"I could never have imagined when we embarked on the first film the level of response from audiences through the years."

The main Potter actors have all earned a fortune -- Radcliffe #42 million ($67.5 million, 46.5 million euros), Watson #22 million and Grint #20 million, according to The Sunday Times newspaper's rich list -- but have had varying degrees of success in moving on.

Radcliffe, 21, has taken critics and the public by surprise by singing and dancing in the 1950s musical "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" in New York, but he concedes that the Potter films have marked him forever.

"I know I'll never see a frame of these films that I don't connect immediately to a memory of a place or a time or a person," he said.

"Even now I can't fully express how important it's been to me, but I can say it was a great time and it's something I will never be able to recreate."

As for Rowling, she laid down her pen -- and Harry's magic wand -- when she finished the seventh book in 2007. But the author has yet to let go of her creation.

Last month she unveiled an interactive website featuring new material about Potter's world, and announced that his adventures would be sold as e-books for the first time.

Her fortune is estimated at #530 million, according to The Sunday Times rich list.

Fight in Afghanistan to turn eastward: Petraeus

KABUL: The outgoing commander of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan said Monday that the focus of the war will shift in coming months from Taliban strongholds in the south to the eastern border with Pakistan where insurgents closest to al Qaeda and other militants hold sway.
On his last Fourth of July in uniform before becoming the new CIA director, General David Petraeus said that come fall, more special forces, intelligence, surveillance, air power will be concentrated in areas along Afghanistan’s rugged eastern border with Pakistan. There will be substantially more Afghan boots on the ground in the east and perhaps a small number of extra coalition forces too.
“There could be some small (coalition) forces that will move, but this is about shifting helicopters — lift and attack. It’s about shifting close-air support. It’s about shifting, above all, intelligence, surveillance and recognizance assets,” he said in interviews with The Associated Press and three other news outlets.
The US-led coalition has concentrated most of its troops and attention in Helmand and Kandahar provinces in southern Afghanistan. That’s where the majority of the more than 30,000 US reinforcements were deployed last year. They have made gains in clearing the territory and now are trying to hold it as the Afghan authorities and international donors rush in with plans for development and better governance.
However, the civilian effort in the south has lagged behind the progress on the battlefield and the fight continues.
According to an Associated Press tally, 26 of the 65 international troops, including Americans, who died in Afghanistan last month, were killed in Helmand where the coalition is now pushing north into other hotbeds of insurgents. Five others were killed in neighbouring Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban insurgency.
“The priority has been central Helmand province and Kandahar,” Petraeus said. “We have made significant progress there…it remains a tough fight because the enemy wants to come back and try to regain the momentum the Taliban had until we took it away sometime last fall.”
“We intend to hang on to those areas and solidify that progress and transition, increasingly, to a greater Afghan presence.”
That, he said, will allow the coalition to shift focus to the east, which is home to the Afghan Taliban and other groups such as the al-Qaeda affiliated Haqqani network and Lashkar-i-Taiba.
Petraeus spoke at the US-led coalition headquarters where troops, carrying paper plates of hotdogs, steak and lobster were celebrating the Fourth of July.
Earlier in the day he spoke at re-enlistment ceremonies for several hundred troops.
“You raised your right hand and said ‘Send me,’ and today you raised your right hand again and said ‘Send me again, if needed,’” he told the soldiers at the first stop at Kandahar Air Field.
The trip was one of the last of his command. Petraeus will be succeeded by US Marine Lt. Gen. John Allen at a ceremony scheduled for July 18.
Petraeus’ exit from Afghanistan comes as the United States begins a 15-month drawdown of some 33,000 troops by September 2012. He and other military officials had recommended that President Barack Obama adopt a longer timeline — one that would extend through next year’s fighting season. Petraeus was not in the mood to discuss the differing recommendations.
“I think it’s probably time to stop second-guessing the decision that only the president can make. Only he has the full range of issues, considerations that he has to deal with,” Petraeus said. “That decision has been made…it is our job to get on with it and do the absolute best we can.”
On Sunday, three US senators visiting Afghanistan criticized the pace of withdrawal and expressed concern that it may leave Nato with too few troops to deal a decisive blow to the insurgency. Senator John McCain, the ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the drawdown was too aggressive and amounted to an “unnecessary risk” and that there may not be enough forces to “finish the job” in the east.
Petraeus said that after the surge forces leave, 68,000 US troops will remain on the ground plus at least 30,000 to 40,000 non-US coalition forces. During the drawdown, he said there will be an increase of 70,000 Afghan police and soldiers.
While the Afghan security forces have made strides, there is still concern about their ability to protect and defend their homeland.
One measure will be how well they do when they take the lead for security later this month in provincial capitals of Lashkar Gah in southern Afghanistan, Herat in the west, Mazer-i-Sharif in the north and Mehterlam in the east. In addition, Afghan police and soldiers will take charge in all of Bamiyan and Panjshir provinces, which have seen little to no fighting, and all of Kabul province except for the restive Surobi district.
The strength of the Afghan security forces was tested last week when nine insurgents wearing suicide vests attacked Kabul’s Inter-Continental hotel, killing 20 people including the attackers. Residents of the capital noted that fire from a coalition helicopter helped end the hours-long siege, but Petraeus praised the Afghan response.
“Do you realise how quickly they cleared a massive hotel?” he asked. “These guys were all wearing suicide vests. They (the Afghan forces) took it down in a single night.”
On other issues, Petraeus said there was no question that US relations with Pakistan had become increasingly strained in recent months. Pakistani officials viewed the Navy SEAL raid that killed al Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in May as a violation of its sovereignty and were incensed that they didn’t get advance word of the operation. The US has repeatedly complained that Pakistan is not doing more to stamp out hideouts on its side of the border where militants plot attacks on Afghan and coalition forces in Afghanistan.
The US-Pakistan relationship is like a “roller coaster ride” at times, Petraeus said.
“I have repeatedly been very forthright in noting that there is no question that there needs to be more done. Pakistani leaders note this as well.” he said.
“What we need to do is figure out how to get back on with it — how to make our way together so that we can work together to combat extremists.”
As Petraeus joined troops to celebrate the United States’ 235th birthday, violence continued across Afghanistan.
A missing British soldier was confirmed dead Monday in an apparent insurgent attack in southern Afghanistan, hours after British Prime Minister David Cameron arrived in the country to hail improved security and announce plans for the withdrawal of hundreds of his nation’s troops.
The killing curtailed his plans for security talks with political leaders in the transition site of Lashkar Gah.
Britain’s defence ministry confirmed the soldier, who was reported missing in the early hours of Monday from a base in central Helmand, had been found shot dead following a huge search effort across the province.
Another Nato service member was killed Monday in a bomb attack in the east, bringing to 275 the number killed so far this year, including at least 197 Americans.
Also in the east, the Afghan Border Police arrested seven insurgents dressed as women in the Nazyan district of Nangarhar province, said Aminullah Amerkhail, the eastern region border chief. They were travelling from Pakistan and at least one was strapped with an explosive vest. The border police confiscated six AK-47 rifles. Five of them men were Pakistani and two were Afghans.

Blast targets FC in Turbat; five killed

QUETTA: A roadside bomb targeting a Frontier Corps (FC) convoy killed five FC personnel and wounded six in Balochistan’s Turbat area, officials said.
The attack occurred in the Mand Ballo area of the district.
“Unknown men had planted explosive material beside a road and detonated it with a remote control device when a convoy was passing through,” official sources told APP.
As a result of the explosion, five personnel were killed and six others sustained serious injuries, they maintained.
They said that the wounded personnel were given immediate medical aid in Turbat and later were referred to Quetta.
According to doctors, condition of two of the six injured personnel was very critical.
Official sources confirmed that a search operation has been launched in the area lying along the Pak-Iran border in Turbat district and some suspected individuals had been taken into custody.
Further investigation was underway.

Balochistan is the scene of a low-level insurgency by ethnic Baloch separatists who seek more autonomy for the province and a greater share of the wealth from its natural resources.

PPP government not afraid of any alliance: Firdous

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Tuesday said the Pakistan People’s Party had come to power through the mandate given by the masses and it was not afraid of any grand alliance.
Speaking to media representatives after addressing the opening session of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) media seminar here, she said that history was witness that in the past several alliances were created to block the way of the PPP but always the masses voted it back to power.
Citing the example of the recent Azad Kashmir elections, she said that the masses supported the policies of the government and the PPP was the party of the people.
Welcoming the reported meeting between senior Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) leaders and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leadership in London, she said that meetings of political leaders were a good omen for democracy as dialogue was an important component of democratic culture.
Talking about the July 5, 1977 overthrowing of democratic government she said that if the path of dialogue was followed at that time, the country would not have faced long dictatorial rule.
Answering a question about additional director general Zafar Qureshi of FIA, she said since the issue of National Investment Corporation Limited (NICL) was sub judice, she would not comment on the issue.
She said that the Shamsi airbase issue was the legacy of the previous dictatorial regime and the present government was trying to re-engage international allies keeping in view the national interests and guidelines given in the unanimous parliamentary resolution.
She said as the matter was related with the Ministry of Defence thus Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar was the better person to reply to such queries.

Twin suicide attacks kill 35 north of Baghdad

BAGHDAD: Twin suicide attacks ripped through the city of Taji north of Baghdad on Tuesday, killing at least 35 people, officials said, after Iraq suffered its deadliest month so far this year in June.
“Thirty-five people were killed and 28 wounded when a car bomb and an improvised bomb exploded simultaneously outside a government office where national identification cards are issued, and the provincial council offices,” the official said.
A police officer in Taji said that one suicide bomber in a car and a second with an explosives belt had caused the carnage.
“A car bomb exploded at the entrance of the identity-cards office, which is next to the provincial council building.”
“When people gathered, a suicide bomber in their midst exploded his belt,” he said.
He added that the mayor of Taji, security officials from the city and tribal leaders were in a meeting at the provincial council offices when the bombers struck. There was no immediate word on who the casualties were.

Karzai raises concerns with Pakistan over attacks

KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Tuesday that he had expressed “deep concerns” to his Pakistani counterpart about deadly rocket attacks launched across the Taliban-troubled border.
Around 200 Afghans protested in the capital on Saturday against the attacks which have fanned tensions between the neighbours at a time of flagging Western support for the long war with the Taliban.
Speaking at a press conference in Kabul alongside British Prime Minister David Cameron, the Afghan leader said he had raised the sensitive issue with Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari at a recent meeting.
“The shells and artillery fired from Pakistan territory to Afghanistan have led to the death and injury of a number of our citizens,” Karzai said.
“I have been very clear on the position of Afghanistan… We expressed the deep concerns of the people of Afghanistan and asked for an immediate stop to the shelling from Pakistani territory.” Karzai said Afghanistan would not retaliate.
Pakistan disputes the Afghan version of events and says it has not fired deliberately on its neighbour’s territory and says it is contending with Taliban attacks from Afghanistan.
The Pakistan army admits only that its security forces may have fired a few accidental rounds into Afghanistan while pursuing militants across the porous 2,400 kilometre (1,500 mile) border.
Pakistan said Monday that dozens of Taliban infiltrated from Afghanistan to attack a check post, killing one soldier.
There are Taliban strongholds on both sides of the border, but Afghan and US officials want Pakistan to do more to eradicate militant sanctuaries in its semi-autonomous tribal belt that is used to launch attacks in Afghanistan.
Cameron, appearing with Karzai, struck a diplomatic note over the issue and said Britain backed an improvement in Afghanistan-Pakistan relations.
“Now is the time for Pakistan and Afghanistan to sit and meet and talk on how we are to ensure what we need to do,” he told reporters.

Court summons PCB on Kaneria case

KARACHI: Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday summoned cricket authorities to explain why they have not cleared leg-spinner Danish Kaneria to play after he was released without charge in a spot-fixing case.

Kaneria and fellow Essex bowler Mervyn Westfield were arrested last year on charges of spot-fixing during a Pro40 match against Durham in 2009. Kaneria was later released without being charged but Westfield faces criminal proceedings.

Kaneria featured in Pakistan's Test series against England last year but has not been selected since for international matches because he has not been formally cleared by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

His lawyer Farogh Naseem told that the PCB has been summoned to appear in court on July 26, after the 30-year-old went to court last week in a bid to revive his international career.

"I have given every document to the PCB but they are not clearing me. I have committed no crime and that's why Essex police and my county have cleared me in that spot-fixing case," Kaneria had told.

"My priority is to play for Pakistan but I don't know for what crime I am being punished by the PCB. Every time they announce a squad and every time they give contracts to players, they say Kaneria is not cleared."

The wily leg-spinner has taken 261 wickets in 61 Tests, besides taking 15 in 18 one-day internationals.

The PCB was forced to form an integrity committee by the International Cricket Council after a separate spot-fixing case in England last year ended in lengthy bans for Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer.

Zafar Qureshi suspended again; notification issued

ISLAMABAD: Additional Director General FIA, Zafar Qureshi has been suspended once again and the notification to this effect has also been issued,

Only a few days back the Supreme Court had ordered reinstatement of ADG FIA Zafar Qureshi to investigate into the NICL corruption case.

According to sources, explanation had been called from Zafar Qureshi for issuing statements to the media.

It has also been learnt that the decision of suspending Zafar Qureshi once again was taken following a meeting of Pervez Elahi and Rehman Malik with the Prime Minister

Qaeda propaganda website shut down

LONDON: A website that served as Al-Qaeda’s main channel for spreading its ideology has been shut down by a Western intelligence agency.

The al-Shamukh forum was used by the group to issue official statements.

But the website is now completely crippled after its address was revoked and then its contents were deleted from the server that hosted it in Malaysia.

Last year al-Shamukh replaced an earlier forum, al-Faloja, which was also used to distribute propaganda and martyrdom videos. This week’s apparent attack leaves al-Qaeda without an official communications channel online.

The apparent sophistication of the attack on al-Shamukh prompted claims that hackers working for Western intelligence agencies were responsible. 

Shahbaz meets Dr Sattar in London

LONDON: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has held a meeting with Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) convener Dr. Farooq Sattar, Geo News reported Monday.

According to sources, both the leaders met here at the British parliament and both the leaders ate together.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the joint diplomatic meeting of CommonWealth.

Afrasyab Khattak, Rana Sanaullah and Khurram Dastagir were also present on the occasion. 

35 killed in Bolivia cold snap

LA PAZ: Freezing temperatures in Bolivia killed at least 35 people, and forecasts expect conditions to worsen in the coming days.

Fog and snow has descended on the Bolivian capital in a cold snap that has killed at least 35 people.

The poor area of El Alto, which sits at much higher elevation than the rest of La Paz at 4,000 metres above sea level (13,100 feet), has been the worst hit.

Authorities at the Fight Against Crime Special Forces said at least 33 people have died in El Alto's impoverished suburbs alone.

Residents in El Alto blame climate change for the harsh conditions, which buildings and heating systems in the area are not prepared for.

Homeless people who can't bundle up against the cold and have only blankets to protect themselves from the freezing temperatures are those most at risk from hypothermia.

The health ministry also reported 40,000 new cases of respiratory illnesses per week since the cold snap started.

Temperatures have dived to minus five degrees Celsius (23 degrees Fahrenheit) in La Paz and the local weather services says the mercury will continue to drop in the coming days

Terrorism biggest challenge for Pakistan: Admiral Bashir

KARACHI: The 95th passing out parade for officers of the Pakistan Naval Academy took place on Monday, Geo News reported. Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Nauman Bashir was the chief guest.

While addressing the gathering of naval officers, he said that Pakistan is facing many challenges and terrorism is at the top of the list of challenges.

Ninety four officers including seven women were commissioned during the passing out parade and the Naval Chief said that the inclusion of women in the Pakistan Navy is a testament to their hard work and perseverance. 

Transformers 3 breaks box office record

LOS ANGELES: Transformers 3 is not only winning over audiences and breathing new life into 3D it’s also breaking box office records. Box Office Tracker Exhibitor Relations is showing that the third film Dark Of The Moon will bring in over $100million by the 4th of July making it the largest holiday box office on record.

3D Box office take has been on the slide over the last while with Green Lantern taking the hardest hit with less than 40% of its revenue coming from 3D ticket sales. Transformers 3D on the other hand has seen over 60% of its revenue come from 3D ticket sales.

Without question Transformers will become a billion dollar franchise in the next month if things keep up as they are at the box office

Aamir Khan's Delhi Belly in only two days more than 15 million kabzns

Mumbai:   Bollywood's Mr. Perfect 'Aamir Khan puthis hand in the project helps ensure its successand is the latest example of his home production'Delhi Belly, Aamir Khan Productions, the film, though made ​​in Amer Khan, instead his nephewImran Khan has done, but Aamir Khan's greatpublicity for the film release there as well at the box office thlkh making just two days, 15 million more than kabzns have. Aamir Khan's productioncompared the B Productions film 'Budha's your father, Amitabh Bachchan, Delhi belly, despite the presence of only 4 million compared to thebusiness can.

Pakistan 'kills 40 militants' in tribal belt

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani troops backed by jets and helicopter gunships have killed 40 militants in a restive tribal area bordering Afghanistan in the past three days, a military commander said on Thursday.

Brigadier Aftab Ahmad said that his forces had destroyed 17 militant hideouts in the Baizai region under his command in the lawless tribal area of Mohmand.

"Militants were regularly attacking our posts on the Afghanistan border at Shonkari and Mithai and also targeting goods vehicles going to Afghanistan," he said.

Ghalanai is the main town in Mohmand, where Pakistan has recently stepped up raids on militant hideouts, as it faces American pressure to conduct a separate offensive against the al-Qaida-linked Haqqani network in North Waziristan.

"An operation was launched three days ago with the support of army aviation aircraft, helicopters and fighter jets. We killed at least 40 militants," Ahmad said.

Maqsood Hussain, a government official in Baizai, confirmed the raids and casualties, but it was not immediately clear how the Pakistani officials reached the body count of 40.

Mohmand is one of seven districts in Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal belt, where Taliban and al-Qaida-linked militants have carved out strongholds used to plot attacks on Pakistani, Afghan and Western targets.

Washington has called the tribal belt the most dangerous place on Earth and the global headquarters of al-Qaida.

Pakistan has been under huge American pressure to do more to destroy militant sanctuaries since US Navy SEALs found and killed Osama bin Laden in the Pakistani military town of Abbottabad on May 2.

'Assassination of Pak minority affairs minister organised by Ilyas Kashmiri'

ISLAMABAD: The assassination of Pakistan's minority affairs minister Shahbaz Bhatti was organised by al-Qaida-linked militant commanderIlyas Kashmiri and the perpetrators of the crime are currently in Dubai, his brother Paul Bhatti has said.

"The investigations into the murder of my brother Shabhaz are finally on the right track: it is the work carried out by the Taliban and Islamic fanatics. Now we are waiting for the capture of the perpetrators of the crime, who are in Dubai," Paul said.

An inquiry commission set up by interior minister Rehman Malik had concluded following investigations that the murder was organized by al-Qaida's 313 Brigade, also known as the "ghost army" and led by militant commander Ilyas Kashmiri, he told Agenzia Fides, a Catholic news agency.

According to the commission's report, the 313 Brigade commissioned a Taliban commander from Punjab province, Asmatullah Mawaia, to eliminate Shahbaz.

The plan was then executed by elements of the Tehrik-e-Islami extremist group along with a faction of the Ghazi Force, Paul said.

The interior minister had "announced an international arrest warrant" for the perpetrators, said Paul, currently special advisor to the Prime Minister for religious minorities.

Shahbaz was gunned down near his residence in the heart of Islamabad on March 2 as he was driving to work.

He was the second senior leader of the ruling Pakistan People's Party to be assassinated for opposing the controversial blasphemy law. 

US rejects demands to vacate Pakistan drone base

WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD: The United States is rejecting demands from Pakistani officials that American personnel abandon a military base used by the CIA to stage drone strikes against suspected militants, US officials told Reuters.

US personnel have not left the remote Pakistani military installation known as Shamsi Air Base and there is no plan for them to do so, said a US official familiar with the matter, who asked for anonymity to discuss sensitive material.

"That base is neither vacated nor being vacated," the official said. The information was confirmed by a second US official.

The US declaration that drone operations in Pakistanwill continue unabated is the latest twist in a fraught relationship between security authorities in Washington and Islamabad, which has been under increasing strain for months.

Regarding the Shamsi base in particular, Pakistani officials have frequently suggested it is being shuttered, comments that may be aimed at quieting domestic opposition to US military operations using Pakistani soil.

Earlier this week, Pakistani defense minister Ahmed Mukhtar told the Financial Times that Pakistan had already stopped US drone operations there.

On Thursday, Mukhtar told Reuters: "When they (US forces) will not operate from there, no drone attacks will be carried out."

He said Islamabad had been pressuring the US to vacate the base even before the May 2 commando raid in which US Navy SEAL commandos killed Osama bin Laden. After the raid, Mukhtar said, "We told them again."

A senior Pakistani military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, added that when US forces first launched counter-terrorism operations in Afghanistan, Pakistan "provided Americans two bases in Jacobabad and Shamsi. Jacobabad base has been vacated for long time ago, but Shamsi is still with them."

"They are vacating it," the official insisted. "Shamsi base was for logistic purpose. They also used it for drones for some time but no drones have been flown from there."

Different stories 

The official said no base in Pakistan was presently used by the Americans for drone operations. But he did not give a precise date for when drones supposedly stopped operating from Shamsi.

The US officials disputed that account. If anything, the Obama administration is moving to a counter-terrorism strategy based more on drone strikes and other covert operations than on deploying large numbers of troops.

On Wednesday, John Brennan, president Barack Obama's top counter-terrorism advisor, promised that in the tribal regions along the Afghan/Pakistan border, the U.S. would continue to "deliver precise and overwhelming force against al-Qaida."

"And when necessary, as the President has said repeatedly, if we have information about the whereabouts of al- Qaida, we will do what is required to protect the United States -- as we did with bin Laden," Brennan said in a speech.

Pakistani officials have faced fierce criticism for tacitly allowing the CIA to conduct drone operations on Pakistani soil. Allegations that civilian bystanders have been killed in drone attacks have only compounded the political problems facing Pakistani authorities.

Brennan rejected suggestions that U.S. drone attacks had caused numerous civilian casualties, claiming that the US had been "exceptionally precise and surgical" in its operations. "Not a single collateral death" had been caused by US counter-terrorism operations over the last year, he said.

US officials have said that since the United States in July 2008 greatly increased the rate of drone-borne missile strikes against suspected militants along the Afghan/Pakistan border, the number of civilian deaths caused by such attacks has totaled under 40. Some Pakistani officials and human rights activists have claimed the death toll is much higher. 

MQM against joining bid to topple govt

ISLAMABAD: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has reacted positively to Pakistan Muslim League-N chief Nawaz Sharif’s statement welcoming it into an ‘opposition alliance’, but has said it is not ready to join any move to topple the government.
“We recognise PML-N’s mandate and will definitely cooperate with the party on the opposition benches in parliament, but we do not believe in plans to topple governments to achieve certain political goals,” MQM spokesman Wasay Jalil said while commenting on Mr Sharif’s indirect offer to the party to join an anti-government alliance.
Talking to Dawn on Sunday, Mr Jalil said the MQM had not received any formal offer from the PML-N, adding that the media would be informed about the party’s decision whenever such an offer was received.
He said the PML-N was the largest opposition party and the MQM was ready to work under it on the opposition benches.
The PML-N chief, talking to reporters after presiding over a party meeting in Lahore on Saturday, had expressed readiness to join hands with the MQM while “welcoming” it into what he called a grand political alliance “to rid the nation of the present government”.
Mr Jalil categorically stated that there had been no thinking in the MQM that the government should be removed before completing its term. However, he said, the party would continue to play its role of a ‘constructive’ opposition party.
The MQM spokesman said his party had always criticised wrong steps and policies of the government even when it was part of the ruling coalition. And now when the MQM is in the opposition it will continue to do the same with the support of other opposition parties.
When his attention was drawn to his party’s bitter relations with the PML-N in the past, he said MQM had nothing personal against anyone.
He, however, said the PML-N owed an answer to the nation as well as the MQM about its role during an army operation carried out in 1992 when Mr Sharif was the prime minister.
Mr Sharif’s statement came a day before the departure of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif for London on a week-long visit amid speculations that he might meet MQM chief Altaf Hussain. A PML-N spokesman, however, said no such meeting was scheduled in London.
Meanwhile, official sources said Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had handed over the additional charge of the Ministry of Ports and Shipping, earlier held by MQM’s Babar Ghouri, to Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Dr Asim Hussain, indicating that this time the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has little hope of MQM returning to the government.
The MQM, which announced quitting the PPP-led coalition governments at the centre and in Sindh last week in protest against its alleged role in the postponement of elections on the two seats of the AJK Legislative Assembly in Karachi, has already submitted an application to the National Assembly speaker and the Senate chairman for allocation of seats on opposition benches.

200 injured at rally against Italian high-speed rail link

CHIOMONTE, Italy: Around two hundred people, mainly police officers, were injured as officers clashed with masked protesters at a rally against a high-speed rail link in northern Italy Sunday, police said.
Clashes between protesters and police left at least 188 officers and about a dozen demonstrators’ hurt, said officials, after a small group stormed a tunnel which was part of the work site at Chiomonte, west of Turin.
Scuffles between protesters and a heavy police presence continued throughout the day, with a steady exchange of tear gas, stones and molotov cocktails.
Police arrested at least five people and Italy’s President Giorgio Napolitano condemned the violence.
Police blamed the trouble on hundreds of masked leftist “black block” extremists from Italy and neighbouring countries.
Protest organisers said tens of thousands of demonstrators had gathered peacefully from surrounding regions to stop the construction of the planned tunnel in the Susa valley.
But a small band broke away from the main group of protestors to enter the gated work site guarded by hundreds of police, who put the number of demonstrators at about 6,000.
The project, agreed by Italy and France in 2001, would slice three hours off the current seven-hour train journey between Paris and Milan. But the development has provoked fierce opposition, not least among 23 local mayors.
In a statement, President Napolitano condemned what he said was the work of groups “trained in illegal violence.” He was joined by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and figures across the political spectrum.
Police were out in force on Sunday as authorities had expected more trouble from radical groups within the protest movement after similar clashes last week.
Twenty-five policemen and four protestors were slightly injured on June 27 when a demonstration at the same spot turned violent and police responded with tear gas.
Before Sunday’s events, the leader of the “No Tav” (No to the high-speed train) movement, Alberto Perino, said demonstrators would have “bare hands and clean hands, against those whose hands are neither bare nor clean”.
Work on the main 58-kilometre (36-mile) tunnel, of which 12 kilometres are in Italy, is scheduled to begin in 2013 and due to go into service around 2023.

Operation launched in central Kurram

PARACHINAR, July 3: A military offensive has been launched against militants in central tehsil of Kurram Agency and families have started fleeing the conflict zone, sources said.
A senior official in Peshawar confirmed that a ‘full-fledged operation’ had been launched in the valley on Sunday.
Two weeks ago, the government had notified 80 square kilometres of the area in central Kurram as conflict zone.
“I have no specific details, but operation has started in the mountainous area,” the official said.
Central Kurram is adjacent to Tora Bora, reportedly the stronghold of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. Militants having lost their positions in Waziristan and other parts of Fata and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have set up their sanctuaries in Central Kurram.
The sources said that troops had been dropped from helicopters in Manato and Zaimukhet and army and paramilitary forces, backed by air force, were conducting a joint operation in the area.
They said that thousands of troops were taking part in the operation.
The military offensive has triggered displacement as large numbers of families have started moving to lower part of the tehsil where a relief camp has been set up at Durrani area.
The Fata Disaster Management Authority has set up two registration centres where 500 displaced families have enrolled
themselves so far.
According to official estimates, over 4,000 families are likely to flee their homes because of the military operation.

Bomb kills 20 in northern Nigeria: military source

KANO: A bomb blast at a police beer garden killed at least 20 people Sunday in the troubled northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri, a military source and a witness said.

"The bomb was planted at the middle of the 'mammy market' and at least 20 people have been killed and several others seriously injured from the explosion," said an army officer who prefered not to be named.

The so-called mammy market beer gardens are open air pubs and eateries found around police or military barracks and are open to both security personnel and civilians.

Commander of a special military crack unit deployed a week ago to curb the unrest in the area, Brigadier-General Jack Okechukwu Nwaogbo confirmed the attack, but was unable to immediately give details of casualties.

"There has been a bomb explosion at a market belonging to the police in Wulari area of the city. I'm right now at the scene," Nwaogbo told AFP on the phone from Maiduguri.

It was just the latest in a series of attacks in the troubled region.

An attack on a civilian beer garden in the same city last Sunday, left at least 25 dead

Ali Zafar hottest new face in India

LAHORE: Hero of Bollywood film "Tere Bin Laden", Ali Zafar has become the hottest new face in India for the year 2010.

According to the details, a poll seeking hottest new face in India was conducted by daily newspaper Times of India. Almost 3 lakhs and 43 thousand people participated in the poll.

Ali Zafar gained popularity in India after the success of his debut movie Tere Bin Laden.

According to the poll results, another debutant Ranveer Singh who played as a leading character in the film "Band Baja Baraat" stood second.

Shahbaz invites MQM, others to form grand alliance

LONDON: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif Sunday said all political parties including Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) were invited to be a part of a grand opposition alliance, Geo News reported.

In his interaction with media men at Heathrow airport in London, Shahbaz Sharif said that N-League was ready to engage in dialogue with other parties without any condition.

“Pakistan is going through its worst phase and there is need for all the parties including MQM to put their heads together,” he argued.

He said all the parties including MQM were invited to form a grand opposition and that there was no condition for the parties to come to the negotiation table. It is time to protect the existence of Pakistan which requires practical steps, he added.

Shahbaz Sharif said the purpose of his London tour was to enhance the trade cooperation.

On the occasion, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah welcomed MQM's joining the opposition.

He said the importance of joint opposition cannot be denied.

Rana said there had been massive rigging in the elections of Azad Kashmir and demanded reelection for the region.

'Disengaging Pak post 26/11 an error'

NEW DELHI: The Indian government has admitted that its policy of not engaging with Pakistan - post 26/11 - may have been wrong. Outgoing Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said this in a TV programme.

Nirupama Rao said: "I think you have to look at policy making in a dynamic way. I don't think you are making a policy in a laboratory. You take into account the surrounding environment, you take into account a success approach or not. Did that approach yield too many dividence? Well you have to make assessment of that. I think the decision to re-engage with Pakistan and to talk about the issues that divide us, that created a gulf between us, that reduce the trust deficit as the two Prime Ministers said. I think it is a very realistic approach in dealing problems with Pakistan".

 

Anil Kapoor's missing from Mission Impossible 4 trailers

MUMBAI: Anil Kapoor's much-discussed role in Mission: Impossible 4 – Ghost Protocol has turned out to be a damp squib for the actor's fans when the first trailers of the Tom Cruise-starrer were leaked online. 

Anil is missing from the video which has Cruise and other characters. The buzz is that none of the frames in the trailer have even a glimpse of the actor and the actor has a two-minute scene in the film itself. If that is the truth then it would be very sad for this to happen to an actor of Anil's calibre after making a Hollywood debut in Slumdog Millionaire.