US Official Established Private Spy Network: Report

WASHINGTON — A US official identified as Michael Furlong organized a network of private contractors in Afghanistan and Pakistan with the purpose of finding and killing suspected Islamic militants, The New York Times reported Monday.

Citing unnamed military officials and businessmen in Afghanistan and the United States, the newspaper said Furlong, who works for the Defense Department, hired contractors from private security companies that employed former CIA and Special Forces members.

These people gathered intelligence on the whereabouts of suspected Islamic militants and the location of insurgent camps, the report said.

After that, the information was sent to military units and intelligence officials in Afghanistan and Pakistan for use in possible strikes, the paper said.

Some US officials said they were concerned that Furlong could be running an unofficial spy operation, adding they were not sure who condoned and supervised his work, The Times said.

The paper noted that it was generally considered illegal for the military to hire contractors to act as covert spies.

It was also possible that Furlong?s network might have been improperly financed by diverting money from a program designed to gather information about the region, The Times said.

US, BISP Fund Part to Kerry-Lugar Bill

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan News: At least one billion dollars pledged by the US in Tokyo Conference in Pakistan aid, are part of Kerry-Lugar Bill, said US Coordinator for Civilian Assistance Ambassador Robin Raphel signed the USAID’s financial assistance on Saturday.

In a special interview with Geo News, she said her country will extend assistance under Kerry-Lugar Bill in sectors including energy, water, education and health in collaboration with the government of Pakistan, and the NGOs.

She stressed the aid money would be spent preferably in terror-hit and backward areas, adding the fund money under Benazir Income Support Program would be a part to the same aid.

Robin said the US is taking stock of 19 projects relating energy, which were solicited by the government of Pakistan.

Earlier, Raphel said the $84 million assistance to BISP is included in the commitments made by the US in Tokyo during the Friends of Democratic Pakistan (FoDP) meeting.

Further dialogues between the US and Pakistan will continue for priority of the people of Pakistan particularly for the low-income group, she added.

US Nationals Bail Plea: Decision Reserved Till Tomorrow

SARGODHA : Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Tuesday has reserved its judgment on bail plea of the five US nationals till tomorrow on suspicion of plotting terror attacks in Pakistan and for their alleged connections with banned militants outfits.

According to the report, defence counsel submitted plea for bail of the arrested US nationals before the court. The court reserved its decision on the bail plea and adjourned hearing till March, 02.

The US embassy official Andre Hillary also attended the hearing in the court.

US Hikes Pak Aid to US $ 3.2 BLN

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama’s 2011 budget seeks more than three billion dollars for Pakistan in over 10 billion dollars development funds to stabilize “frontline states.”

Officials said the figure, a 7.5 percent increase over the request for fiscal year 2010, includes nearly five billion dollars for Afghanistan, nearly 3.2 billion dollars for Pakistan and more than 2.5 billion dollars for Iraq.

“Development assistance… is a strategic, economic and moral imperative, as central to advancing American interests and solving global problems as diplomacy and defense,” the State Department’s Jacob Lew told reporters.

“This assistance helps take insurgents off the battlefield in Afghanistan,” said Lew, the deputy secretary of state for management and resources.

The aid also “helps confront the conditions that give rise to violent extremism, and helps build more stable and prosperous partners to advance our common security and economic interests,” Lew said.

Lew said the “war-related spending” for the three countries is part of a requested 52.8-billion-dollar budget for the State Department and US Agency for International Development (USAID) for fiscal 2011, which begins in October.

Pakistan is key US ally in the war against terrorism, the aid will help the government to provide basic amenities to the people.

US Robert Gates Arrived In Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan News: United States Defence Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Pakistan at the completion of trip to India.

During his visit Robert Gates would meet with President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani, Minister for defence Ahmed Mukhtar and military leadership of the country.

During these meeting between US delegation and Civil and military leadership of Pakistan issues related to defence and military relations between two countries, security matters, situation in Afghanistan, Indo-Pakistan relations and current tension would be discussed.

US DN Intelligence Chief Calls On HUssain Haqqani

WASHINGTON : US Director National Intelligence Chief Denis Blair has called on Pakistan envoy to United States Hussain Haqqani here on Thursday morning, news reported.

According to sources, the issues pertaining to surge in suspected US drone strikes on Pakistan land.

Blair also held meetings with Pakistan-origin US citizens. More than 2-dozen US Pakistanis were present on the occasion.

Following the meetings, according to statement issued from US Department of Intelligence, Blair sought cooperation from the attendees, present on the occasion, for swift growth and improvement in the ties of two allies on war on terrorism.

It may be mentioned the meeting was a bid to increase the recruitment of Pakistan-origin US citizens in different departments of US intelligence agencies.

Those Pakistani citizens witnessed sittings belonged to different school of thoughts included traders, businessmen, students and Pakistan-based US government employees.

It is worth of mention that as many as 740 civilians have lost their lives in 80 US drone strikes in Pakistan since 2008.

US Rally Boosts Asian Markets

HONG KONG News: A strong rally on Wall Street spurred by positive economic data in the United States and China helped Asian markets power ahead on Tuesday.

Commodities stocks were the main gainers as crude oil pushed well past the 80 dollar mark on the back of upbeat sentiment over the global recovery as well as the onset of winter in the northern hemisphere.

Tokyo shares closed up 0.25 percent at 10,681.83, while Hong Kong finished 2.09 percent up at 22,279.58.

Singapore was up 0.89 percent at 2,920.28, an 18-month high.

“Overall sentiment is upbeat,” Tsuyoshi Kawata, senior strategist at Nikko Cordial Securities in Japan, told Dow Jones Newswires.

Shanghai closed 1.18 percent up on 3,282.18 and Sydney was 0.98 percent higher at 4,924.30, pushed by resources firms thanks to the rally in crude.

However Seoul bucked the trend, closing 0.33 percent lower on concerns about earnings prospects for local exporters as the South Korean won gained against the greenback.

Hours after the Tokyo market closed a Kyodo News report said that finance minister Hirohisa Fujii had offered to resign over health reasons but had been asked by Premier Yukio Hatoyama to stay on.

Questions have surrounded the 77-year-old Fujii since he was rushed to hospital last week with fatigue.

On Monday Wall Street jumped 1.50 percent on the first day of trade for the New Year as dealers welcomed December manufacturing data showing the strongest pace of activity by US industry since April 2006.

The Institute for Supply Management said its manufacturing index, also known as the purchasing managers index (PMI), climbed to 55.9 in December from 53.6 in November, for a fifth consecutive month of expansion. Any number above 50 indicates growth.

That followed news on Monday that two PMI surveys in China had shown strong growth.

“After the pace of global expansion in manufacturing activity cooled in November it has accelerated again in the final month of 2009, raising hopes that growth in 2010 will be much better than last year,” NAB Capital analysts wrote in a note.

“This has buoyed stock markets, pushed commodity prices higher and increased the likelihood that global economic growth will continue to exceed that in the US by a comfortable margin, weighing on the greenback.”

In London trade Tuesday, New York’s main futures contract, light sweet crude for delivery in February, was up 31 cents at 81.84 dollars a barrel in the afternoon. Brent crude gained 41 cents to 80.23 dollars.

Reports that Russia had cut fuel supplies to Belarus helped pushed up prices overnight, despite a denial from Minsk, dealers said.

The dollar fell back slightly as the positive economic outlook led investors to seek out riskier plays. In Asian trade the greenback fell to 91.79 yen, from 92.53 in New York late Monday.

In Hong Kong gold was at 1,127.50 US dollars an ounce, up from Monday’s close of 1,108.00 dollars.

In Japan, troubled Japan Airlines (JAL) was given a boost when 10,700 of its 16,000 workers agreed to a cut in their pensions, lifting a big burden on the carrier.

However, only about 3,000 of its 9,000 retirees accepted a cut, while the government warned the airline could still face bankruptcy.

JAL shares closed up 2.3 percent at 90 yen after a 31.3 percent surge on Monday following the government’s pledge to double a state-funded loan to the cash-strapped carrier.

Elsewhere, Wellington stocks ended 1.18 percent stronger at a 15-month high of 3,268.19, while Manila added 0.78 percent to 3,028.46 and Kuala Lumpur rose 0.98 percent to 1,288.24. Jakarta added 1.16 percent to 2,605.27 and Taipei closed flat at 8,211.40.

In Bangkok, the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) composite index also ended flat at 732.11 points.

Indian shares closed up 0.73 percent, their third straight day of gains led by metal and commodity stocks.

The 30-share benchmark Sensex closed up 127.51 points at 17,686.24, a 21-month-high, with India’s largest aluminium producer Hindalco up 7.39 percent or 12.05 rupees to 175.2.

US Missile Strikes Killed 17

MIR ALI News Updates: Two suspected US missile strikes, one using multiple drones, killed 17 people in a tribal region along the Afghan border Thursday, local intelligence officials said.

The officials said the second, bloodier attack involved five drones and 10 missiles an unusually intense bombardment that suggested the Americans were homing in on a major target.

The missiles rained on North Waziristan, considered a safe haven for many militants including groups determined to push the US and Nato out of Afghanistan. The strikes in North Waziristan are especially sensitive because they risk angering Afghan-focused militant groups who have agreed to be neutral as Islamabad cracks down on Taliban fighters who have threatened the Pakistani state.

Officials said in the first strike, two missiles hit a car carrying two suspected insurgents in Dosali village. Later Thursday, the 10 missiles fired by five drones killed 15 people in two compounds in the Ambarshaga area. At least seven of the dead were foreigners, the officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to media. The Pakistani intelligence officials on Thursday confirmed that the two strikes hit territory controlled by Hafiz Gul Bahadur, a warlord whose fighters focus on pushing out Western troops in Afghanistan.

Increase in U.S. Troops in Afghanistan Could Spread to the Extremists in Pakistan: PM Gilani

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan News Update: Prime Minister, Yusuf Raza Gilani has said that the increase in US force in Afghanistan might lead to the spill over of militants in Pakistan and make the situation worse confounded and, therefore, the western countries should evolve a joint strategy against the Taliban on Pak-Afghan borders.

In an interview with German Press Agency ahead of his first visit of Germany as the prime minister, Gilani stressed that Obama Administration would have to formulate Pak-Afghan strategy in consultation with Pakistan.

Responding to a question he said, ‘We have highlighted our concerns about possible increase in US forces in Afghanistan,’ said Gilani. ‘Our fear is that if they increase troops … the militants might spill over to Pakistan.’

The prime minister said that Pakistan was taking an all out action against the terrorists, which was being recognized also, however, more co-operation of the world community was required.

Prime Minister, Yusuf Raza Gilani will proceed on a four-day visit to Germany on November 30 according to the schedule.

Bruni First Lady of France to Act for Woody Allen

PARIS, News Update: France’s first lady, singing ex-supermodel Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, has agreed to star in US auteur Woody Allen’s next movie, she told a television interviewer.
“He suggested I appear in his next film. I don’t know what the role would be, but I said yes,” the 41-year-old Italian-born singer-songwriter told the main evening entertainment show on the Canal+ network.

“I go into everything blindly, or I’d never do anything at all,” she added, apparently referring to her showbiz career rather than to her sudden marriage last year to President Nicolas Sarkozy.

“I’m not an actress at all. Perhaps I’ll be completely hopeless but I can’t miss an opportunity like this one. When I’m a grandmother I’d like to be able to say I made a film with Woody Allen,” she gushed.

“Woody Allen kindly asked me not to do a film with anyone else before him. If anything concrete ever comes of it, it’ll be a great experience for me.”

New York filmmaker Allen visited the French first couple in June this year during a trip to Paris to promote his last movie “Whatever Works”.

Asked whom he would like to cast in his next film, he said: “Without question, Carla Bruni! I’m sure she would be wonderful. She has charisma, and she performs, so she’s not a stranger to an audience.”

Next Page »