Islamabad, Aug 20 (IANS) Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and a top US senator have warned that militants may exploit orphans and children of flood-affected people for their terror activities.
“We are giving them everything we’ve got. There is a possibility that some negative forces would exploit this situation. For example, militants can take orphaned babies and put them in terror training camps,” the president said at a joint press conference with US Senator John Kerry Thursday after visiting flood-affected areas of Multan and Jampur.
Zardari urged the international community to help Pakistan in its hour of need so that the affected families could be enabled to stand on their own feet and not to fall prey to terrorist organisations, Dawn News reported Friday.
“We need to address that, all of us, rapidly, to avoid their impatience boiling over or people exploiting that impatience,” he said.
He said the world must act swiftly to stop militants from exploiting the country’s devastating floods and to prevent social unrest.
“I am sending an SOS on that. All such catastrophes give strength to those forces which do not want a state structure,” he said.
Responding to the fears expressed by the president, Senator Kerry said: “None of us wants to see this crisis provide an opportunity or an excuse for people who want to exploit the misfortune of others for political or ideological purposes.
“It is important for all of us to work overtime to provide the assistance that is necessary… I know that President Obama is determined to do that,” Kerry said.
Replying to a question, Zardari said: “I am not the government, I am the governance. But I assure you that the funds will be distributed in a transparent manner.”
The president was of the view that some undemocratic forces were maligning the government with their false propaganda about possibilities of corruption in utilisation of funds.
“There have been allegations against the government but they are malicious and baseless as always, aimed only at weakening the democracy,” he said.
Washington, Aug.20 (ANI): Obama administration officials have reportedly persuaded Israel that it would take roughly a year, or perhaps longer, for Iran to complete a nuclear weapon, and that Tel Aviv need not be concerned or worried on this score.
Israeli intelligence officials have in the past argued that Iran could complete the race for a nuclear bomb sooner than later, but their American counterparts believe the timeline is longer, the New York Times reports.
“We think that they have roughly a year dash time. A year is a very long period of time,” said Gary Samore, President Obama’s top adviser on nuclear issues.
American officials said the United States believed international inspectors would detect an Iranian move toward breakout within weeks, leaving a considerable amount of time for the United States and Israel to consider military strikes.
The American assessments are based on intelligence collected over the past year, as well as reports from international inspectors.
They also said new intelligence information was being fed into a long-delayed National Intelligence Estimate on Iran’s nuclear program.
Now, American and Israeli officials believe breakout is unlikely anytime soon. (ANI)
Islamabad, Aug.20 (ANI): Echoing the international community’s fears regarding extremists taking advantage of the devastating floods, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has expressed concerns over militants adopting flood orphans to train them as terrorists of tomorrow.
Talking to reporters during a joint press conference along with US Senator John Kerry at the Chaklala Air Base after visiting flood-affected areas, Zardari urged the international community to pour funds to prevent ‘social unrest’ in the country.
“There is a possibility that the negative forces would exploit the situation. Like they would take the babies who have been made orphans and take them to their camps and train them as the terrorists of tomorrow,” The Daily Times quoted Zardari, as saying.
“I am sending an SOS on that,” he added.
Zardari said the government was trying its best to provide relief to thousands of people affected by the catastrophe, however, he also cautioned people over extremists taking advantage of the situation.
“We are giving them (victims) everything we’ve got. There is a possibility that some negative forces would exploit this situation,” he said.
Speaking during the press conference, Kerry said President Obama is committed to help Pakistan amidst the impending crisis and certainly does not want the negative forces to exploit the situation for their benefit.
“None of us wants to see this crisis provide an opportunity or an excuse for people who want to exploit the misfortune of others for political or ideological purposes. It is important for all of us to work over time to provide the assistance that is necessary… I know that President (Barack) Obama is determined to do that,” Kerry said. (ANI)
London, Aug 19 (IANS) Former British prime minister Gordon Brown is offering his services as a public speaker at a sum of $100,000 per lecture.
Brown has asked an agency to put his name forward for engagements in the Middle East and Asia, Fraser Nelson, editor of The Spectator was quoted as saying by the Independent.
Brown is also working on a book – “The Financial Crisis” – due to be published soon, and has expressed a desire to pursue charitable work and focus on development issues.
Nelson wrote on a blog that a source of the former prime minister said Brown has approached a speaking agency to represent him.
“It appears he is also trying to build up a large nest egg of his own: in the world of public speaking, with six-figure fees,” Nelson wrote.
Anyone wanting to hire the former prime minister would have to provide five-star hotel accommodation, a first-class and three business-class seats on a plane, Nelson said.
A spokesman for Brown, however, said he was, at the moment, focussed on his book.
“Gordon has, of course, invitations to speak from around the world and a range of institutions. But he is focused on his constituency work and completing his book on the financial crisis,” the spokesman said.
By Awais Saleem
Islamabad, Aug 19 (IANS) US Senator John Kerry Thursday announced an aid of $200 million from the US for Pakistan, and warned that fundamentalist elements could utilise the opportunity if the world did not step forward to help the flood-ravaged people.
Kerry, with Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari by his side, was addressing a press conference in Islamabad Thursday evening after a visit to the flood-affected areas in Sindh and Punjab earlier in the day.
Lamenting the loss of life and infrastructure in one of the worst natural disasters in the country, Kerry said the world was slowly but gradually coming to realise the devastation caused by the floods. He promised all possible help for the rehabilitation of the displaced people.
Kerry, an architect of the Kerry-Lugar bill for easing financial burden on Pakistan, said that the US was aware of the challenges confronting the country like terrorism, energy crisis and the recent floods.
Kerry said that US President Barack Obama was himself keenly monitoring the situation in Pakistan.
Zardari, speaking on the occasion, thanked the visiting US senator and said that the nation will emerge stronger from this hour of crisis. He promised that all displaced people will be provided shelter and the problems will be overcome with help pouring in from all over the world.
(Awais Saleem can be contacted at great_wall165@yahoo.co.uk)
New Delhi, Aug 19 (IANS) A crucial cabinet meeting Thursday that was to discuss, among other issues, the amendments suggested by a parliamentary panel on the contentious civil nuclear liability bill has been postponed to Friday.
The meeting has been deferred to Friday, said the Prime Minister’s Office.
The cabinet meeting, to be chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, is expected to approve recommendations of the parliamentary standing committee science and technology on the nuclear liability bill.
The 31-member committee, which examined the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill, 2010 for over nine weeks, tabled its report in both houses of parliament Wednesday.
The panel has made a slew of proposals, that include tripling the accident compensation cap to Rs.1,500 crore ($322 million) and also sought to make suppliers of atomic equipment accountable if it is found defective or if an accident results from gross negligence.
It also recommended that while the government may increase the compensation cap, it should not decrease it under any circumstances. It also recommended doubling the period for victims’ claims to 20 years.
After the cabinet’s approval, the proposed legislation is expected to be passed during the ongoing monsoon session of parliament that is likely to conclude Aug 31.
The government is keen to get the legislation through before US President Barack Obama visits India in November as it is a prerequisite for beginning atomic trade following the 2008 India-US civil nuclear deal.
A section of the opposition has accused the ruling Congress and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of striking a deal to get the legislation through parliament.
London, Aug 19(ANI): Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is reportedly aiming to secure bookings worth 64,000 pounds for speaking engagements in the Middle East and Asia.
Anyone wishing to hire the 59-year-old will also have to pay for five-star hotel accommodation, a first-class seat plus three in business class for members of his entourage.
According to reports, Brown’s wife Sarah will also present awards at the events for an additional 12,800 pounds.
A spokesman for the former Prime Minister refused to deny the claims.
“Gordon is focused on his constituency work and completing his book on the financial crisis,” The Sun quoted the spokesman, as saying.
The 64,000 pounds fee is far less than that commanded by former Prime Ministers Tony Blair and John Major.
Blair was reportedly paid 180,000 pounds for a half-hour speech in the Philippines. He has also accumulated private wealth of over 20 million pounds since leaving office in June 2007. (ANI)
Washington, Aug 19(ANI): A new survey has found that nearly one in five Americans incorrectly believe that President Barack Obama is a Muslim.
Obama’s religion, like his place of birth, has been the subject of Internet-spread rumours and falsehoods since before he began his presidential campaign.
According to a new Pew Research Center survey, 18 per cent of the Americans now say that Obama is a Muslim, which is up from 11 per cent in March 2009.
It also found that the number of people who now correctly identify Obama as a Christian has dropped to 34 percent, down from 48 per cent in 2009.
The survey was completed in early August, before Obama’s recent comments that appeared favouring the proposed construction of a mosque near the site of the former World Trade Center, the Center said.
Meanwhile, White House officials have expressed dismay over the poll results, blaming it on “misinformation campaigns” by the President’s opponents.
“While the president has been diligent and personally committed to his own Christian faith, there’s certainly folks who are intent on spreading falsehoods about the president and his values and beliefs,” The Washington Post quoted Joshua DuBois, Director of the President’s Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, as saying. (ANI)
Washington, Aug.19 (ANI): The devastating floods in Pakistan , which have been stamped as the country’s worst in the last 80 years, has hit the Obama administration’s strategy concerning the ‘problem country’ hard, American officials have said.
The United States has had to face a tough situation dealing with a weak democratic government and a powerful military in Pakistan, and the deluge, which has inundated almost one-fifth part of the country, has raised fears that the Taliban and other extremist organisations would make gains by stepping in to provide emergency meals and shelter to the victims.
“It certainly has security implications,” The New York Times quoted a senior American official, who spoke on conditions of anonymity, as saying.
“An army that is consumed by flood relief is not conducting counterinsurgency operations,” he added.
President Obama’s Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke has already expressed concerns over the implications that the catastrophe has had over the strategic relationship with Islamabad.
“We’re obviously not oblivious to the political and strategic implications of this catastrophe, but right now, we are fully focused on the emergency relief effort and trying to get a good assessment of the needs,” Holbrooke said.
“Worse may be yet to come,” he said while pointing towards the fact that several weeks remain in the monsoon season.
Bruce Riedel, the former CIA official who played an important role in formulating the White House’ initial policy for Pakistan and Afghanistan, also warned that the floods are likely to tilt the balance in favour of extremists in Pakistan, rather than the government, which has, so far, failed to win the hearts of countrymen.
“If the flood proves to tilt the balance of power in Pakistan, it’s more likely to tilt toward the militants than toward the government,” Riedel said. (ANI)
Washington, Aug 19 (IANS) As many as one in five Americans think wrongly that President Barack Obama is a Muslim, indicating a significant increase in the number of such people since his inauguration in January 2009.
At the same time, the number of people who now correctly identify Obama as a Christian has dropped to 34 percent, down from nearly half when he took office, according to new Pew Research Centre survey.
Among those who say Obama is a Muslim, 60 percent say they learned about his religion from the media, suggesting that their opinions are fuelled by misinformation, says the poll.
The poll was conducted before he expressed support for the Muslims’ right to construct an Islamic cultural centre and mosque near the 9/11 terror attack site in New York.
While some suggest such a perception could pose serious political danger for the White House as the debate over his remarks continues, others say the shifting attitudes about the president’s religious beliefs could also be the result of a public growing less enamoured of him and increasingly attracted to labels they perceive as negative.
In the Pew poll, 41 percent disapprove of Obama’s job performance, compared with 26 percent disapproval in its March 2009 poll.
More than a third of conservative Republicans now say Obama is a Muslim, nearly double the percentage saying so early last year. Independents, too, are now more apt to see the president as a Muslim: Among independents, 18 percent say he is a Muslim, up eight percentage points.
Obama was born to a Kenyan father and an American father and was brought up by his maternl grandparents in Hawaii because his father, who was also called Barack, left for Africa when Obama was just two. He has said in his autobiography that his grandfather, Hussein Onyango Obama, was a Muslim.
Expressing dismay over the poll results, White House faith adviser Joshua DuBois blamed “misinformation campaigns” by the president’s opponents.
“While the president has been diligent and personally committed to his own Christian faith, there’s certainly folks who are intent on spreading falsehoods about the president and his values and beliefs,” he said.
The president’s Christian faith plays an “important part” in his daily life, DuBois said pointing to six speeches on faith that obama has given in which he talked about his beliefs. But Dubois said coverage of Obama’s Christianity has been scant compared with news about the economic crisis, legislative battles and other issues.
