06/26/12 ~ Mera Pak Watan

Dunya TV

Sindh govt sends 41 names for Civil Award
Cyprus ready to evacuate refugees from Syria
Iran should be part of Syria summit: Russia
New dinosaur species unveiled in Argentina
U.S. charges 24 people in massive cyber hacking sting
SC to hear NRO implementation case today
Committee formed to probe Dr Arslan case
Govt clarifies Surjeet, not Sarabjit to be released
US drone attack in NWA kills four people
FIFA flays killing of Ammani footballers
Spain and Portugal ready to play in Ukraine
IMF to help Egypt restart economic activity
Pranab quits ministry to contest presidential poll
45 days to media outlets to comply with new rules

Sindh govt sends 41 names for Civil Award

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Names of former PPP leader Fauzia Wahab (late) and PPP Secretary General Sindh Taj Hyder are included in the list. The list contains names of the people belonging to various professions and walks of life. The names of Fauzia Wahab and Dr Aftab Qureshi have been recommended for posthumous Sitara-i-Imtiaz while late TV artist Kamal Shah for Pride of Performance. After approval, the Federal Government will confer the Civil Awards for 2012 on August 14.

Cyprus ready to evacuate refugees from Syria

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Cyprus, which on July 1 will assume the rotating presidency of the European Union, is ready with its European partners to evacuate refugees from Syria, the foreign minister said. "We are only 100 kilometres (62 miles) from the shores of Syria and Lebanon. Anything that goes wrong there will affect us," Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis said in an interview with AFP. "We are now preparing with our partners of the EU for the possible evacuation (from Syria). We have a crisis management centre that we have strengthened." Kozakou-Marcoullis said her country was "concerned" about the situation in Syria where a brutal uprising since March 2011 has already killed more than 15,000 people, according to rights activists. "We have taken the position from the very beginning that we should try to avoid at all costs a military intervention. For us, military operation in Syria will mean an explosive situation in the region that will not be contained only to Syria." The Cypriot foreign minister recalled the role Cyprus played in evacuating 65,000 foreigners from Lebanon in 2006 during the Lebanon-Israel summer war that year. She said she reminded her European counterparts about the geographical location of Cyprus when it comes to such an eventuality. "We keep telling them, I keep telling them. In every Foreign Affairs Council (meeting) I keep reminding about the geographical proximity but also about the dangers and the threats," said Kozakou-Marcoullis. "If these potential refugees and asylum seekers do not come by boat and sea, they will come through the occupied areas and this is our biggest problem right now with asylum seekers." Since 1974 Turkey has occupied the northern third of Cyprus which is separated from the Republic of Cyprus by a "green line" monitored by the United Nations. The breakaway state, the self-proclaimed "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus," is recognised only by Ankara. "Imagine there is a major upheaval in the Middle East, definitely part of them will try to come this way," the minister said. "It happened with recent uprisings in North Africa, with Italy, with Malta, and this is why one of the inherited priorities of the presidency is the conclusion of this very important European common asylum system," she added. Kozakou-Marcoullis said northern EU countries should share the cost of receiving refugees driven from their homes by the Arab Spring uprisings with their southern counterparts, who are already bearing the brunt of the migration. She said Cyprus would not return Syrian refugees in the near term. "We have taken the decision recently not to send back to Syria any of the asylum seekers or illegal immigrants who are here until the situation is more clear. But there is a limit to what we can do. We are a small country," she said. The minister also discussed with AFP the issue of the island s partition, saying it will not be influenced by the fact that Cyprus will hold the six-month EU presidency. "Not only it has never been on the agenda and it is not up to us as the presidency to bring it on the agenda," she said. But relations with Turkey are regularly discussed at meetings of EU foreign ministers and heads of the governments, she added. "We have always wanted dialogue with Turkey. The problem is that Turkey has built a block, a concrete block, and not only they do not recognise us but they don t even want to talk to us. So there is a complete deadlock as far as any dialogue with Turkey itself is concerned." Ankara has decided to freeze contacts with the EU presidency while it is held by Cyprus.

Iran should be part of Syria summit: Russia

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Putin said on Tuesday that Iran should be invited to an international meeting on the Syria conflict in Geneva at the weekend. But the United States swiftly rejected the Russian proposal. "It is better to involve Iran in the settlement (of the Syrian crisis)," Putin told a news conference following talks with Jordan s King Abdullah II on the shores of the Dead Sea. "In any case it would complicate the process (if Iran is ignored)." Wrapping up a one-day visit to Jordan, on a Middle East tour that had already taken him to Israel and the West Bank, Putin said Iran s support is needed. "The more Syria s neighbours are involved in the settlement process the better. Ignoring these possibilities, these interests would be counterproductive, as diplomats say," he added. "It is better to secure its support," said Putin. The United States said, meanwhile, that it was increasingly likely to join the international meeting on the Syria crisis but rejected Russian calls for Iran to take part. "We are getting closer but we don t have any decisions yet," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters in Washington. But concerning Iran she added: "Given its support for the regime and its continued behavior vis-a-vis Syria, we just don t see it as able to make a helpful contribution right now." Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier told reporters in Jordan that Iran should be invited to Saturday s meeting in Geneva. "It should certainly be done," he said, adding that he would take part in the summit. If Iran is not invited "then all those who can really influence all the main Syrian sides will not be present," he said. UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, who wants to gather the major powers in Geneva in a final bid to get agreement on a political transition plan for Syria, has yet to officially announce the meeting. But Lavrov said he would still go, even if Iran is not invited. "I will go. But in that case we will simply be talking about how to further gather together all the participants who are necessary in order to use this chance because there is no guarantee it will be crowned with success," he added. "But this chance has to be used. For this to happen you need to gather all those who have real influence on the situation. Iran is no doubt one of them."  "One needs to agree to influence all Syrian sides so that they themselves sit down at the negotiating table and begin to get along and look for consensus solutions," he said. "Only they themselves can find agreement, and outside players can help them get together." It is not still clear if Britain, France and China -- the other three  permanent members of the UN Security Council along with Russia and the United States -- will attend the Geneva meeting. In Jordan, Putin opened a guesthouse for Christian pilgrims at Baptism site in the Jordan Valley, where many Christians believe Jesus was baptised. He arrived in Jordan from the West Bank, where he met Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas during a brief visit to Bethlehem, a day after talks in Israel with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres.

New dinosaur species unveiled in Argentina

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Scientists in Buenos Aires unveiled a new species of dinosaur related to the giant Tyrannosaurus, the smaller Velociraptor and modern day birds on Tuesday. Officials from the Argentine Museum of Natural Science dubbed the prehistoric creature, Bicentenaria argentina, to mark the 200-year anniversary of the museum and just over 200 years of Argentine independence. Paleontologist Fernando Novas displayed a skeleton of the beast made up of 130 original bones. Researchers say Bicentenaria likely measured between 2.5 and 3 metres (8 and 10 feet) long and was slim and agile. Novas said the carnivorous dinosaur represents a new line leading to the evolution of modern day birds and may have been partially or completely covered in feathers itself. "This new discovery at Argentina s bicentenary is of particular interest because it corresponds to a primitive representative of a line of carnivorous dinosaurs that got smaller in terms of their body. The Bicentenaria isn t one of the biggest dinosaurs, it is approximately 2.50 meters (8 feet) long, but it is part of a group that ends up with the origins of gigantic creatures like Tyrannosaurs and others that aren t so big like the Velociraptor and ultimately those feathered dinosaurs with long arms but that are actually quite small which are birds. This means that the Bicentenaria is a distant ancestor that at the end of the bridge leads to birds. So we are seeing the great great grandfather of birds," Novas said. The shape of its sharp curved teeth and its long claws suggest Bicentenaria hunted other smaller dinosaurs, the scientist said. The bones were discovered in Rio Negro in Argentina s Patagonia region and are thought to be approximately 90 million years old.

U.S. charges 24 people in massive cyber hacking sting

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U.S. law enforcement officials on Tuesday said 24 suspected hackers had been arrested on four continents in a sting operation targeting online financial fraud involving stolen credit card and bank information. The two-year investigation, in which FBI agents posed as hackers on Internet forums, prevented more than $205 million in losses on over 411,000 compromised consumer credit and debit cards, U.S. authorities in New York said. Eleven people were arrested in the United States, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Manhattan U.S. Attorney s office said. The thirteen others were arrested in countries spanning from Britain to Japan, the authorities said. Two people were arrested in the New York area, the authorities said, and appeared in Manhattan federal court later on Tuesday. One of the men, Mir Islam, known online as "JoshTheGod," was charged with trafficking in 50,000 stolen credit card numbers. Authorities said Islam had admitted to helping emerging hacker group UgNazi, which said it had launched a cyber attack against the microblogging platform Twitter last week. A lawyer for Islam did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the charges. Joshua Hicks, also known as "OxideDox," was charged with one count of access device fraud in a criminal complaint unsealed on Tuesday. The 24 people arrested were all men and ranged from 18 to 25-years old. Some face up to 40-years or more in prison if convicted on conspiracy to commit wire fraud charges and access device fraud charges. The FBI operation centered around a "carding forum" that the agency had secretly created in June 2010, and was in charge of running unbeknownst to its participants, authorities said. The forum, called "Carder Profit," was essentially an online market for registered users to exchange stolen account numbers. It was shut down in May.

SC to hear NRO implementation case today

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A three-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Justice Nasirul Mulk and comprising Justice Asif Saeed Khosa and Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed will hear the case. On March 8, the court had directed former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to write a letter to Swiss authorities for reopening of graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari. On March 21, Gilani submitted his reply, stating that he could not write to Swiss government as the president enjoys immunity. The court disqualified ex-prime minister in court contempt case on June 19.

Committee formed to probe Dr Arslan case

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A committee has been constituted to probe the allegations against Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry’s son Dr Arslan Iftikhar leveled by real estate tycoon Malik Riaz. According to sources, the committee includes SP Faisal Bashir, ASP Mustansar and FIA officials.

Govt clarifies Surjeet, not Sarabjit to be released

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Presidential Spokesman said that authorities had taken steps for the release of another Indian prisoner named Surjeet Singh who has been jailed for three decades. Presidential Spokesman Senator Farhatullah Babar, in a statement given to an Indian media outlet, has clarified that the prisoner, whose death sentence was converted to life imprisonment, was actually “Surjit Singh” and not “Sarabjit Singh.” “I think there is some confusion. First, it is not a case of pardon. More importantly, it is not Sarabjit. It is Surjit Singh, son of Sucha Singh. His death sentence was commuted in 1989 by then president Ghulam Ishaq Khan on the advice of then premier Benazir Bhutto,” said Babar. “Keeping him in jail any longer will be illegal confinement,” he added. Any references to President Zardari in the entire matter were “out of context,” the presidential spokesman said. Surjit Singh, currently being held in Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore, has been in Pakistani captivity for over 30 years. He was captured near the border with India on charges of spying during the era of military ruler General Ziaul Haq.

US drone attack in NWA kills four people

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Security officials said that the unmanned aircraft fired two missiles on the compound in the Shawal area, some 50 kilometres southwest of Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan tribal district, near the Afghan border, an area considered as a hub of Taliban activity.

FIFA flays killing of Ammani footballers

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"I am appalled by the attacks in Hilla which took the innocent lives of nine young members of our football family," Jordan s Prince Ali, half brother of King Abdullah II, said in a statement. A car bomb exploded Monday near a football field in Hilla, 95 kilometres (60 miles) south of Baghdad, killing nine local football players and wounding 32 other people, medical and security officials in Hilla said. The prince said "the Iraqi football family has faced many challenges in recent years in rebuilding football in Iraq and giving Iraqi youth hope for a peaceful future." "We in Jordan and West Asia are always ready to assist our Iraqi brothers in any way possible," Ali added. While violence in Iraq has declined dramatically since its peak in 2006-2007, attacks remain common. A total of 132 Iraqis were killed in violence in May, according to official figures.

Spain and Portugal ready to play in Ukraine

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The Spanish foreign minister said officials from Madrid, Lisbon and other European capitals have boycotted matches held in Ukraine, which is co-hosting the tournament with Poland, over the jailing of former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko. She is awaiting trial on tax evasion charges she claims are politically motivated. Portugal did not immediately comment on whether it would send representatives to the final held on Sunday in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. Spain and Portugal play each other in Wednesday s semi-final, and the winner will play either Germany or Italy for the title. "The (Spanish) prime minister was at the first game and will be at the last," Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo said in comments quoted in Spanish media on Monday. Spain s opening Euro 2012 game against Italy was played in Gdansk, Poland. "The Portuguese have told us they will also be there," Garcia-Margallo said, adding jokingly, "which means they will go with us and they ll be very welcome". The Spanish prime minister s office did not respond to requests for comment on Monday or Tuesday. The Portuguese Foreign Ministry could not be reached for comment on Tuesday. Foreign Minister Paulo Portas said before the tournament started that "the event is mostly a sporting one - it should not, in our view, be contaminated by politics".

IMF to help Egypt restart economic activity

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"The election of a new president is an important step forward in Egypt s transition," a spokesman for the global crisis lender said in a statement. "Egypt faces significant immediate economic challenges, especially the need to restart growth and address the fiscal and external imbalances. The IMF stands ready to support Egypt in dealing with these challenges and looks forward to working closely with the authorities." The statement came as Mohamed Morsi was poised to become Egypt s first civilian president after being declared winner of the national election on Sunday. Since late last year the IMF has been discussing with the country s interim leadership a possible $3.2 billion loan with Cairo to help it bridge fiscal shortfalls while restructuring the economy and financial system. But a permanent government needed to be in place to firm up the loan program, and the IMF stressed in April that it needed "a broad buy-in" from various constituencies in the country to the program, which will require significant structural reforms. President-elect Morsi was on Tuesday drawing up a battle plan to confront Egypt s economic and security crises, moving first to select a government of technocrats, according to an aide.

Pranab quits ministry to contest presidential poll

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Mukherjee handed his resignation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ahead of filing papers to contest the presidential post. Although largely a ceremonial role, the position gains importance in the event of a Parliament with no clear majority, when the president gets to decide which parties can form a government. India is due to hold its next parliamentary elections in 2014. Mukherjee also has the support of two major regional parties. His rival is Purno A. Sangma, a former speaker of the lower house of Parliament. Sangma is backed by the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party. Mukherjee, 77, was the main troubleshooter for the government in managing its fractious coalition partners. He told reporters that he was "ready to embark on a new journey." A governing Congress party veteran, Mukherjee has been a lawmaker since 1969. He held numerous Cabinet positions including defense, external affairs and commerce before being appointed finance minister in January 2009. The Congress party did not immediately indicate who will replace Mukherjee as finance minister at a time of rising inflation, slowing growth and the declining value of the rupee. India s economic growth of 5.3 percent in the last quarter was the slowest in nine years. The president is chosen by an electoral college composed of lawmakers from state assemblies and the federal Parliament. The election is scheduled for July 19. The winner will succeed President Pratibha Devisingh Patil, India s first female president, whose five-year term ends July 24.

45 days to media outlets to comply with new rules

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Otherwise, they will face "legal procedures." "The ministry calls on the officials of these institutions to (work with) the Communications and Media Commission during a period of 45 days from the date of issuing this statement," the interior ministry said in a statement. "The ministry is eager for these institutions to continue their work legally and in full freedom," it said, adding that after the 45 days, "legal procedures will be applied, according to what the commission orders." Salem Mashkur, a member of the board of trustees of the CMC, the independent authority charged with regulating media organisations in Iraq, said on Monday that it had decided to restrict 39 media outlets including the BBC and Voice of America over problems with licences. "The interior ministry requested a list of names of unlicensed channels from us and began to limit their travel only, and did not carry out raids or closures or confiscation of equipment, as is our right," Mashkur said, adding that the aim was to "help them and the organisation of the work, only." The Journalism Freedoms Observatory (JFO), an Iraqi media rights organisation, meanwhile, said the CMC had in fact recommended banning 44 news outlets, and called for the move, which it said violated the constitution, to be reversed. Iraq regularly ranks near the bottom of global press freedom rankings. It was placed 152nd out of 179 countries in media rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders  2011-2012 World Press Freedom Index, down 22 from the year before.

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