PM Asks World to Pressure Pakistan Attackers 26/11

Washington: news update, Warning of “phenomenal consequences” if the advance of terrorists in Pakistan was not controlled, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has asked the world community to pressurise Islamabad to do much more to bring to book those responsible for the “horrible” 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
“We don’t want Pakistan to fail and emergence of democracy in Pakistan is something we welcome,” he said at the Council on Foreign Relations, a leading US think tank Monday. “But at the same time we have to recognise that there are forces at work in Pakistan that are with terrorists.”

“At least until now they were active only in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Now I think they hold direct on grip in several parts of mainland Pakistan.

“If that process is not controlled, it has I think phenomenal consequences for the security and stability of Pakistan as well as our own security,” he added.

Asked if he regretted not taking the military option in retaliation against the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, the prime minister said he resisted enormous pressure at that time “and I think the decision that I took was balanced and right decision”.

“As regards future, I hate to speculate and sincerely hope that that sort of eventuality does not arise,” Manmohan Singh said. “And that’s why I believe world community has an obligation to impress upon Pakistan that it must use all its influence to curb the power of terrorist groups.”

The prime minister said Pakistan had done something to control the activities of Taliban terrorist groups in FATA, but “it has not acted as it should have acted in bringing the terrorists elements who are using their territory to target our country”.

Nor has Pakistan used all its machinery to bring to book all those murderers and those who perpetrated the horrible crime in Mumbai, he said, urging the world community to pressurise Pakistan to bring to book all those who are responsible for it.

There was now impeccable evidence that the conspiracy was planned in Pakistan with the active connivance of people still roaming about freely in Pakistan, he said. “Therefore I respectfully respect the world community to use all its influence on powers that be in Pakistan to desist from this sort of behaviour.”

Manmohan Says Willing to Resolve Kashmir Dispute

WASHINGTON News Update: India has enduring civilizational links with Afghanistan. India will continue to assist Afghanistan in building its institutions and its human resources.
With these two sentences, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday threw down the gauntlet to Washington, Islamabad and perhaps even Beijing and other world capitals that India would not be budged from pursuing its interests in Afghanistan — primarily of preventing the country from turning toxic under Pakistan’s malignant influence and American uncertainty.

He said we are ready to settle all disputes with Pakistan including Jammu and Kashmir row.

“The road to peace on Afghanistan will be long and hard. But given the high stakes involved, the commitment of the international community must be sustained by firm resolve and unity of purpose.”

Singh told Washington’s top policy wonks gathered to hear him at the Center for Foreign Relations, amid a continuing review by President Obama about U.S options in Afghanistan.

The remarks were clearly meant for the US President and his principals who have been bashing heads for several weeks now over next steps in Afghanistan amid charges of dithering on the crucial issue. Singh’s advice ahead of his meeting with Obama on Tuesday — Stay the course; we are going to be there.

Singh offered similar advice in an earlier address to US and Indian business leaders that the international community needs to remain engaged in Afghanistan and any “premature talk of exit will only embolden the terrorists.”

On the eve of the first anniversary of the Mumbai carnage, Singh also told the elite gathering, many of them regional experts keen to see India talking to Pakistan, that “for that to happen Pakistan must make a break with the past, abjure terrorism and come to the table with good faith and sincerity.”

He said his government had invested heavily in normalizing relations with Pakistan and “we are ready to pick up the threads of the dialogue including on issues relating Jammu and Kashmir.”

“We should not harbour any illusions that a selective approach to terrorism , tackling it on one place while ignoring it in others, will work,” Singh added.

Clearly, the Prime Minister too has taken a tough stand in the past few days on Pakistan even as Islamabad as reverted to its maximalist position on Kashmir, falling back on the long-lapsed UN Security Council resolution on the subject. The Prime Minister’s conditional offer of talks followed remarks in a television interview over the weekend in which he despaired about who to talk to in shifty Islamabad, where the civilian dispensation seemed to be overwhelmed by the country’s military.

Even on the nuclear issue, a confident Singh indicated India would not be overawed or intimidated by the Obama administration’s non-proliferation initiatives, welcoming talks on fissile material cut off treaty and while steering clear of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Much of what he said before the policy gathering seemed preparatory to his meeting with the US President tomorrow, their first bilateral encounter.

Singh showed the mildest sign of movement in New Delhi’s stand in the climate change talks saying India will not compromise the right of developing countries to develop and lift their populations out of property, but “we will do more if there is global support in terms of financial resources and technology transfer.”

Radiation Leak at the Nuclear Plant at Three Mile Island

WASHINGTON news update: A radiation leak at Three Mile Island, the site of the worst nuclear accident in US history, has sent home about 150 workers, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) reported Sunday.

“They had an airborne radiological contamination alarm,” NRC spokeswoman Diane Screnci told media. “They evaluated all the workers, a handful of workers — I don’t have a precise number — had contamination. They since have been decontaminated,” she said.

About 150 people work in the building where the leak occurred.

Screnci said what she called a “leak… happened at 4:00 pm Saturday (2100 GMT) and they resumed work in the contaminated building” near Middletown, Pennsylvania.

“There was no impact on public health safety and it does not appear to have an impact on the workers,” she said adding that “this kind of incident occurs once in a while.”

So far, “they don’t know the origin of the contamination,” Screnci said. “There were a lot of activities going on at the time and when the alarm sounded. The engineers are working to determine what the cause was.”

“It’s a minor incident,” she said stressing it was “under control.”

Three Mile Island suffered a major accident in 1979, with the core of a reactor partially melting down.

Since then no new nuclear power plants have been built in the United States.

Nuclear energy supplies 20 percent of power in the United States with 104 reactors, while 50 percent comes from coal burning plants.

The rest is from natural gas, oil and renewable sources such as hydroelectric power as well as solar and wind power.

India Does Not Change the Borders of Kashmir: Manmohan Singh

NEW DELHI News: Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has reiterated that there is no question of New Delhi considering a proposal to redraw the international boundary that separates Indian occupied Kashmir and Jammu Kashmir.

In an interview given to the Editor of Newsweek International, Fareed Zakaria, in CNN’s Global Public Square (GPS) program here ahead of his four-day trip to Washington, Dr. Singh said: “I have publicly stated that there will be no redrawing of public borders. Our two countries can work together to ensure that peace is maintained, that trade is made free and ensure that encouragement is given for people-to-people contact.

He further said, “Pakistan has not done enough with regard to pursuing the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks.”

He said, that almost a year after the attacks militants like Masood Azhar and Hafeez Saeed, and other terrorists continued to move around freely on Pakistan soil.

Presses, Manmohan Pakistan Amid U.S Visit

WASHINGTON: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday started a high-profile state visit to the United States with a call on President Barack Obama to stay committed on Afghanistan and pressure Pakistan.

The Indian premier arrived at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington to kick off the first full-fledged state visit of Obama’s presidency, which will culminate in a swank black-tie dinner at the White House on Tuesday.

While a host of issues are on the table, experts say Obama’s main intention was to demonstrate his commitment to the world’s largest democracy after an early focus on working with its neighbors China and Pakistan.

But Singh made clear he would not shy away from offering advice on the top foreign issue for Obama — Afghanistan. Obama is wrapping up weeks of deliberation on whether to reinforce the 68,000 US troops who will be in Afghanistan by year-end.

“It is very important that both the US and the global community stay engaged in Afghanistan,” Singh said in an interview with USA’s The Washington Post and Newsweek, warning of civil war if US forces withdrew.

Singh also called for the Obama administration to pressure Pakistan to rein in Islamic extremists, saying that India’s historic rival has not done enough against militants blamed for last year’s chilling assault on Mumbai.

“We have been the victims of Pakistan-aided, -abetted and-inspired terrorism for nearly 25 years. We would like the United States to use all its influence with Pakistan to desist from that path,” Singh said in the interview.

“Pakistan has nothing to fear from India. It’s a tragedy that Pakistan has come to the point of using terror as an instrument of state policy,” he said.

He doubted that Pakistan and the United States had the same objectives in Afghanistan, saying that Islamabad’s main interest was to maintain a grip on its northern neighbor.

WWE Survivor Series 2009 Live Stream

WWE Survivor Series 2009 Live Stream: WWE Survivor Series 2009 Watch live as the event will include a list of great fighters exciting time, death-defying, adrenaline-packed games that will surely blow you away. Old feuds are rekindled, the enemies they face, form new alliances and new champions will be appointed, all in the name of supreme entertainment. You will receive nothing less. And it’s only a few days, on 22 November 2009 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC
John Cena may be getting more than they expected when the combination of the tag team Shawn Micheals and Triple H DX engages him in a Triple Threat for the WWE Championship. And he has good reason to be afraid. Triple H and Michaels are virtually unbeatable as a team and put them together in a match where Cena must defend his title against the worst nightmare may be the champion. Is there no escape, or was the hard-as-nails fighter has a little more tricks up his sleeve?

The Undertaker will be The Big Show and Chris Jericho in another Triple Threat match belt heavyweight championship at stake. Will the veteran champion to hold on to your belt, or remove the new challenges?

Batista and Rey Mysterio will face off in a singles match to settle once and for all the question of who is the best man. Who is he? Who will fall? We will know soon. Three out of five against five Eliminations match will also be offered in the series. The first match is composed of Kori Kingston as a leader, and composed of Alvin Burke, Jr., Mark Henry, R-Truth, and Christian, will vie for the team Orton Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase, CM Punk, and William Regal.


The second match will be team of John Morrison (John Morrison, Matt Hardy, Evan Bourne, Shelton Benjamin, and Finlay) team Miz’z Battle (The Miz, Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Dolph Ziggler, and Jack Swagger) in another round of deletions. The last game of the series will be Team Mickie (Mickie James, Eve Torres, Kelly Kelly, Melina, and Gail Kim) against the team of Michelle (Michelle McCool, Jillian Hall, Beth Phoenix, Layla, and Alicia Fox). These ladies sure will make a beautiful ringside battle of fire in a dominant position within the ring.

Nothing can be better than WWE Survivor Series 2009 Watch free live this Sunday night, but of course this can not be the case. (WWE is all about money). Children are difficult, the parties are rough, and the girls are sure to be hot.
Source: apakistannews.com

Philadelphia Marathon 2009

Philadelphia Marathon 2009: latest news about, The Philadelphia Marathon got underway Sunday morning with great weather for runners. This is only the 16th running of what is also known as the Philadelphia Independence Marathon. Runners started off at 21st Street and the Ben Franklin Parkway, and will make their way down to Old City in this 26.2 mile race.

About 20,000 runners are participating in the 26.2-mile Philadelphia Marathon 2009 that kicked off at 7a.m EST. An additional 8,000 runners are registered for the half-marathon and more than 2,000 will run the 8K.

Spectators are encouraged to find a location to watch the marathon early. Race routes will close at 6a.m. and will re-open after 4p.m. The follow street closures will be in effect:

· Eakins Oval/Parkway Art Museum to 22nd
· Ben Franklin Parkway 22nd St to 16th St.
· Arch Street 16th Street to 4th Street
· 4th Street Arch Street to Race Street
· Race Street 4th Street to Columbus Blvd
· Columbus Blvd. (S/B lanes) Vine to Washington Ave.
· S/B I-95 at Washington Avenue
· Washington Ave. Columbus to Front Street
· Front Street Washington to South Street
· West on South Street to 6th Street
· 6th Street to Chestnut Street
· West on Chestnut Street to 34th Street
· North on 34th Street across Girard Ave on Lansdown Drive
· Lansdowne Drive to Old Lansdowne Drive
· Old Lansdowne Drive to Sweetbrier Loop, to Black Road
· East on Black Road to MLK Drive
· North on MLK Drive to Montgomery, then to Eakins Oval
· North on Kelly Drive to Sedgley Drive
· East on Sedgley Drive to Lemon Hill Drive
· West on Lemon Hill Drive to Kelly Drive
· North on Kelly Drive to Ridge Ave
· Main Street Ridge Ave to Green Lane

Some of the traffic throughout the marathon will be pulled through the gaps in the race by police who are on hand to help, but expect delays if you are driving in the historical city.

According to the Philadelphia Marathon website, the course is fast and crowds will be out in full force. The Philadelphia Marathon 2009 is sure to be a great day with weather cooperating and runners being cheered on by what already looks like record crowds.
Source: huliq.com

Raleigh Christmas Parade, Raleigh Christmas Parade 2009

Raleigh Christmas Parade, Raleigh Christmas Parade 2009: The exited event 65th annual Raleigh Christmas Parade for 2009 has been announced. Raleigh Christmas Parade will be held on 21st November and WARL-TV is among the main sponsors. So don’t miss the thrill and excitement of this lively and sparking event.

This annual Raleigh Christmas Parade the largest parade between Atlanta and Washington D.C. an unforgettable event of the year. It is expected that over 60,000 people will attend this parade, not including those who will be viewing this amazing parade on their TV sets.

Bill Leslie, famous WRAL-TV morning news personality will be the host of the parade. Bill Leslie, Valonda Calloway, Lynda Loveland with Mark Roberts serving as street-side journalist and correspondent. Now this parade will feature a large number of bands, fantastic floats, marchers, over -sized balloons, tlers, entertainers and many other events with an exceptional surprise that will be exposed at the end of the parade!

Live TV coverage will begin at 10 A.M. for the valuable audience staying at home. The parade route will start at the corner of Hillsborough and it will end at St. Mary’s Street. Other sponsors for the parade are Time Warner Cable, WakeMed, and Crabtree Valley Mall.

http://www.grma.org/

Karzai, A “Worthy Partner”: Top U.S. Democrat

WASHINGTON: Calling Afghan President Hamid Karzai an “unworthy partner,” a key Democratic leader warned Friday that Congress cannot fund an expanded military mission without a reliable ally in Kabul.

Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House of Representatives, said moreover she did not think there was political support for sending more US troops to Afghanistan, as President Barack Obama is contemplating.

“How can we ask the American people to pay a big price in lives and limbs, and also in dollars, if we don’t have a connection to a reliable partner?” said in an interview with National Public Radio.

“So, you know, the whole thing is let’s not just talk about troops. Let’s talk about what is the strategy and what are the resources that are needed in that regard?”

Her comments reflected the deep discomfort among Obama’s Democrats over calls by US military commanders for a major buildup in troops to stem a growing Taliban insurgency.

The White House said a decision on whether to send more troops would not come until after the Thanksgiving holiday on November 26.

Currently, there are some 68,000 US troops in Afghanistan, but the options under consideration are reported to range to up to more than 40,000 additional troops.

Pelosi and other Democrats opposed a similar surge in US troops to Iraq two years ago, arguing at the time that more troops were needed in Afghanistan, the main front against Al-Qaeda.

Pelosi acknowleged that since then the conflict in Afghanistan has become more pervasive, reaching parts of the country that before were relatively free of violence.

“That says one of two things: Either we need many more troops so that we — this doesn’t continue to happen, which I don’t think there’s any support for. Or we need to reevaluate what our approach has been for the past eight years,” she said.

“But we see also, over the course of that time, the president of Afghanistan has proven to be an unworthy partner,” she said, referring to Karzai, who was sworn in this week to a second five year term.

“We cannot fund a mission where we don’t have a reliable partner and where whatever civilian investments we want to make — which are so necessary — will be diverted for a corrupt purpose,” she said.

TTP Leader Mullah Omer In Karachi, Claims US Paper

WASHINGTON: Mullah Mohammed Omar, the leader of the Afghan Taliban, has found refuge from potential US attacks in the teeming Pakistani port city of Karachi, a US paper reported citing three current and former US intelligence officials.

The US intelligence sources earlier claimed that Mullah Omar had been residing in Quetta, where the Afghan Taliban shura – or council – had moved from Kandahar after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.

A US newspaper citing two senior U.S. intelligence officials and one former senior CIA officer claimed that Mullah Omar traveled to Karachi last month after the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. He inaugurated a new senior leadership council in Karachi, the officials said.

The officials, two of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the topic, the paper said.

Bruce Riedel, a CIA veteran and analyst on al Qaeda and the Taliban, also claimed that Mullah Omar had been spotted in Karachi recently.

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