PAKISTAN situation

Fazlullah escapes to Afghanistan, vows revenge
ISLAMABAD, Nov 17: The head of the Taliban in Swat valley, Maulana Fazlullah, has said that he has escaped the army and is now in Afghanistan. Maulana Fazlullah told BBC Urdu that he had reached Afghanistan safely and will soon launch full-fledged punitive raids against the army in Swat.

ECC allows open sale of sugar at USC outlets for Rs.38 kg ISLAMABAD, Nov 17: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet here on Tuesday decided to provide additional sugar to the Utility Stores Corporation for augmenting sale of the commodity.

Main Taliban bases seized SARAROGHA : Forces have captured most of the main Taliban bases in their offensive in South Waziristan and will soon fan out into the rugged countryside to hunt for militants there, commanders said on Tuesday. Soldiers have advanced faster than expected in their month-long offensive, seizing main roads and Taliban bases but militant leaders have apparently melted away while their bombers have unleashed carnage in towns.

Muslims have right to pray but not to azaan, says Swiss president GENEVA: Swiss President Hans-Rudolf Merz on Tuesday told voters that the call of the Muslims� prayer leader would not sound in Switzerland, as he campaigned against a referendum motion seeking to ban the building of minarets. �Muslims should be able to practice their religion and have access to minarets in Switzerland too. But the call

PPPs CEC empowers PM to re-shuffle cabinet ISLAMABAD, Nov 17: The Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), with Co-Chairman of the PPP and President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari in the chair, authorized the Prime Minister to re-shuffle the federal cabinet to make it more responsive to challenges.

MQM to work with pro-democratic parties: Altaf KARACHI : Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain on Tuesday said his party will continue working with pro-democratic entities for further strengthening the country and bringing it out of crisis. Altaf Hussain was talking via telephone to the leaders of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q) (Likeminded) at Nine-Zero, headquarter of MQM.

New device improves heart failure survival ORLANDO, Nov 17: Doctors say that a new type of heart pump greatly improves survival of people with severe heart failure. It could become the first one of these devices to be widely used as a permanent treatment.

Zardari ready to abolish 58-2B ISLAMABAD, Nov 17: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said President Asif Ali Zardari is willing to shed the powers vested in him through 58-2B, Geo News reported Tuesday.

Benazir murder case: UN body approaches Musharraf
NEW YORK, Nov 17: The UN Commission for probe into Benazir Bhutto assassination case Tuesday met Former President Gen (rtd) Pervez Musharraf. According to sources, Gen (rtd) Musharraf opined in front of the Commission that he advised Benazir against homecoming on apprehensions regarding threats to her life in the country.

Pirates Attack Maersk Alabama Again

LONDON — As piracy intensifies in the Indian Ocean, seaborne raiders tried again on Wednesday to commandeer the Maersk Alabama, the first American-flag ship seized by pirates last April, the United States Navy said.

In a separate incident, the captain of a hijacked chemical tanker was reported to have died of gunshot wounds inflicted when pirates seized the MV Theresa with 28 North Korean crew members northwest of the Seychelles on Monday. The spate of attacks reflected the increasing boldness of pirates roaming far from their bases in Somalia to seize vessels and sailors to hold for ransom.

The United States Navy Central Command said four suspected pirates in a skiff came within 300 yards of the Maersk Alabama at 6.30 a.m. Wednesday about 600 miles off the northeast coast of Somalia as it headed for the Kenyan port of Mombasa.

But a security team on board the Maersk Alabama responded with small-arms fire, long-range acoustical devices painful to the human ear and evasive maneuvers to thwart the attack, the navy said in a statement.

“Due to Maersk Alabama following maritime industry’s best practices such as embarking security teams, the ship was able to prevent being successfully attacked by pirates,” said Vice Adm. Bill Gortney, the commander of the Central Command. “This is a great example of how merchant mariners can take pro-active action to prevent being attacked.”

No injuries or damage were reported, the Navy said.

The Maersk Alabama was seized on April 8 and the ship’s captain, Richard Phillips, was held at gunpoint in a lifeboat until United States Navy snipers shot and killed three attackers.

On Tuesday, Somali pirates released 36 crew members and their Spanish fishing vessel on Tuesday, but Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero declined to comment on reports that a ransom of nearly $3.5 million had been paid for the Alakrana and its crew. “The government did what it had to do,” he said.

In the pirate stronghold of Xarardheere, Somalia, witnesses said that 80 luxury automobiles crowded the shore as friends and family members of pirates clamored to get a share of the ransom money being divided among the pirates. “I came here to get some money from my friend, who is receiving his share today,” said one resident, Mohamoud Elmi.

On Wednesday, Reuters quoted an unidentified pirate as saying the body captain of the hijacked Theresa was still on board as it headed towards Somalia under the attackers’ control. There was no immediate official confirmation of the report.

The Theresa, registered in the Virgin Islands and operated from Singapore, had been heading for the Kenyan port of Mombasa when it was hijacked about 200 miles northwest of the Seychelles, the European Union’s naval force said in a statement on its Web site.

In addition to 14 commercial vessels now under their control, pirates are holding a British couple, Paul and Rachel Chandler, snatched from their 38-foot sailboat off the Seychelles last month.

When it was hijacked in April, the 508-foot-long Alabama was en route to the Kenyan port of Mombasa and was carrying food and other agricultural materials for the World Food Program, a United Nations agency, and other clients, including the United States Agency for International Development.

It was on a regular rotation through the Indian Ocean from Salalah, a city in southwestern Oman, to Djibouti, and then on to Mombasa, according to the company’s headquarters in Denmark.

Built in Taiwan in 1998, the ship can carry more than 1,000 20-foot containers.

The attempt to seize it again showed just how much piracy has become a multimillion-dollar business in Somalia, a nation that has limped along since 1991 without a functioning central government, offering safe haven for an array of seaborne brigands while, on land, the country is torn by civil strife.

obama

Al Gore's Current TV Calls Sarah Palin a 'Gun-Ho' and a 'TWILF'

Days after announcing another huge layoff, Al Gore's Current TV referred to former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as a "Gun-Ho" and a "TWILF."

These disgraceful, sexually-charged epithets were part of an attack on prominent conservatives such as Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck, and came in the form of a cartoon ironically titled "The Stupid Virus":

When a lab-monkey declares that President Obama wasn't born in America, he becomes Patient Zero for a new brand of fear-based news virus - Fearus Ignoramus. We watch as the virus goes ear-borne, spreading from Rush Limbaugh to CNN to the mainstream-media to the general public. America devolves into panic, convinced its President is an illegal alien anti-Christ.

Five held for attack on scribes, news paper office

	Five persons were arrested today in connection with the attack on the local bureau office of a Malayalam daily and its two staffers during a CPI-M sponsored district hartal here on May 15
	The youths - K K Vaishakh, T Sreejesh, Joshnar Johnson, T Nikhil and M Babinesh - all said to be CPI-M loyalists,were arrested from Chalad and nearby Padannapalam locality in the town this morning, police said. Four youths, including the prime accused in the incident, were still at large, they said.
	The arrest comes in the wake of protests by scribes, led by district unit of Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) which recently submitted a memorandum to IGP Tomin J Thachankeri for the"undue delay" in arresting the culprits.
	The KUWJ members had also staged a march to the office of the District Superintendent of Police here on June 4 for the alleged laxity on the part of police in arresting the culprits three weeks after the incident.
	A group had vandalised the local bureau premises of'Mangalam'daily and beat up its reporter T K Joshi and photographer Krishnan Kanhirangad for keeping open the office on May 15 as the CPI-M had enforced a hartal in the Municipal limits to protest the murder of a party worker by suspected activists of Popular Front of India the previous day.

Maclaren recalls 1 million strollers

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Stroller maker Maclaren announced a recall on Monday that affects about 1 million umbrella strollers that can reportedly amputate or lacerate children's fingertips.

So far, the company said there have been 12 amputations across the country. This happens when children get their fingers stuck in between the stroller's side hinges while it is being opened or closed.

The South Norwalk, Conn.-based company announced the voluntary recall in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and advises customers to stop using the products manufactured in China sold since 1999 at stores including Babies R Us and Target.

Consumers can contact Maclaren at 877-688-2326 or visit www.maclaren.us/recall to receive a free repair kit.

Maclaren said the kit includes hinge covers designed to fit all Maclaren strollers.

The recall affects the following models: Volo, Triumph, Quest Sport, Quest Mod, Techno XT, TechnoXLR, Twin Triumph, Twin Techno, and Easy Traveller.

Maclaren Recalls One Million Strollers After Kids Lose Fingertips in Hinges

A major stroller recall is underway amid concerns that kids can get their fingertips cut off in the carriage hinge, New York’s Daily News reported.

Stroller maker Maclaren is expected to recall about 1 million umbrella strollers sold in the U.S. since 1999, according to the report. The move comes after 12 children reportedly had their fingertips amputated by the strollers.

"Parents should stop using these strollers right away," a source familiar with the recall told the newspaper.

Maclaren, which dubs itself as "a premier British parenting lifestyle company that produces the world's most safe, durable, innovative and stylish baby buggies and strollers," is planning to provide a free kit to cover the stroller's hinge mechanism, the newspaper reported.

The affected models include Volo, Triumph, Quest Sport, Quest Mod, Techno XT, Techno XLR, Twin Triumph, Twin Techno and Easy Traveller.

The voluntary recall is being conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

In a press release, the company said: "Safety is our first priority and through this voluntary effort we urge consumers to contact us immediately to obtain the kit which consists of hinge covers designed specifically to fit all Maclaren strollers."

PAKISTAN situation

• NRO buried for good: Gilani

PATTOKI: The prime minister said on Saturday that the National Reconciliation Ordinance was a relic of the past and stood buried forever.

• Suicde Bomb In Peshawar Market Kills 12

PESHAWAR: A suicide bomber apparently targeting an anti-Taliban mayor struck a crowded market Sunday in northwest Pakistan, killing the mayor and 11 other people and injuring dozens, police said.

• Security Forces Enter Into Makeen

Security Forces Enter Into Makeen: Security forces have entered into Hakimullah Mehsud’s stronghold Makeen during ongoing operation against militants in South Waziristan. According to sources, forces have successfully entered into Makeen area, a stronghold of Hakimullah Mehsud

• Gun-Attack On Army Brigadier In Islamabad ,Driver Injured

Gun-Attack On Army Brigadier In Islamabad ,Driver Injured: ISLAMABAD: Gunmen injured an army brigadier and his driver in Islamabad on Friday, as they opened fire on their vehicle, sources told DawnNews television.

• Punjab govt announces paddy crop prices

Lahore, Pakistan news :- The Punjab government announced the price of the paddy crop for this year Sunday. Basmatic Super..

• The great philosopher of Pakistan DR. ALLAMA IQBAL
  

Hazrat Allama Sir Dr. Muhammad Iqbal (Punjabi, Urdu: علامہ محمد اقبال; November 9, 1877 Sialkot – April 21, 1938 Lahore) was a Persian and Urdu poet, philosopher and politician ^[1] whose vision of an independent state for the Muslims of British India was to inspire the creation of Pakistan. He is commonly referred to as Allama Iqbal (علامہ اقبال‎, Allama meaning "Scholar").

After studying in Cambridge, Munich and Heidelberg, Iqbal established a law practice, but concentrated primarily on writing scholarly works on politics, economics, history, philosophy and religion. He is best known for his poetic works, including Asrar-e-Khudi—which brought a knighthood— Rumuz-e-Bekhudi, and the Bang-e-Dara, with its enduring patriotic song Tarana-e-Hind. In India, he is widely regarded for the patriotic song, Saare Jahan Se Achcha. In Afghanistan and Iran, where he is known as Iqbāl-e Lāhorī (اقبال لاہوری‎ Iqbal of Lahore), he is highly regarded for his Persian works.

132nd birth anniversary of poet-philosopher Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal will be celebrated on Monday. Various organisations have organised functions to mark the day. On the occasion, President Asif Ali Zardari has urged the people to resolve on...

G.O.P. Tries Tactic to Derail Bill

House Republicans are making one last effort to derail the Democrats’ health care legislation. The chamber is packed, with staff members lining the inside walls.
The House Debate
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Prescriptions will be following the floor debate over health care legislation in the House of Representatives throughout Saturday. Previous posts:
* Obama’s Pitch
* Abortion Debate Flares Again
* Pelosi Is Confident
* Rangel, Boehner Tangle
* Hoisting Babies
* Lawmakers Join Protest
* House Clears One Hurdle
* Obama Rallies Undecideds
* Objections Fly
* Abortion Fight Erupts
* Lead Players
* Read the House Bill | The Stupak Amendment
* Reader Discussion of the House Bill
* CSPAN: Selected Speeches
The Republican whip, Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia, has said the magic words: “I have a motion to recommit at the desk.”
The speaker pro tempore, Representative David R. Obey, Democrat of Wisconsin, has just confirmed that Mr. Cantor opposes the legislation, which is prerequisite for seeking to recommit a bill.
“Any physician in America will tell you that the simplest way to reduce health care costs is to enact real medical liability reform,” Mr. Cantor said.
A motion to recommit essentially seeks to block a vote on a bill by sending it back for changes. But its real purpose is to stall, if not kill, a measure. Motions to recommit are often politically devious, carefully designed to bait members of the majority to vote in favor of it.
Often a vote against a motion to recommit can be construed in ways that would benefit political opponents.
House Republicans are describing their motion as seeking limits to medical malpractice lawsuits and as protecting elderly Americans from cuts in Medicare spending.
Although they may later be accused of supporting trial lawyers by blocking medical malpractice reform and of voting against senior citizens by supporting spending cuts in Medicare, the Democrats are unlikely to take the bait.
A vote is imminent.
But already Democrats are hitting back. Representative Bruce L. Braley, Democrat of Iowa, is accusing the Republicans of not standing up for patients’ rights.

Belgrade News

The Belgrade News has pulled its outdoor distribution racks from Belgrade’s three Town Pump convenience stores, Managing Editor Andy Malby said.

The reason? Town Pump recently signed a contract for management of freedistribution publications that renders circulation at their stores cost-prohibitive, he said.

Under the terms of the contract with The Mini Nickel, a unit of publishing giant Lee Enterprises, all free-distribution publications, including community newspapers, must pay a monthly fee to circulate their products on Town Pump property.

According to Malby, the News decided to circulate elsewhere rather than pay the fee.

“Like every other business in an economy like this, we have to watch every penny,” he said.

The three Belgrade Town Pump stores have been “key drop points” for the Belgrade News, he said. Customers and even local Town Pump staff have asked why the racks are no longer there.

”We are working with Town Pump and hope they will amend their contract with Lee to make an exception for local community newspapers,” Malby said. “The term ‘newspaper’ is clearly defined in state law. We are not in the same league as adbased publications that carry no news and which, ultimately, the management contract is designed to control.”

Until the situation is ironed out, the News has increased circulation at other drop points in Belgrade and is in the process of placing racks at new distribution points.



Paper to showcase acts of charity, valor



Today marked the launch of a new feature segment in the Belgrade News titled “Hope in Hard Times,” designed to showcase “good news” — the good works of local citizens and groups in spite of economic difficulties.

Readers are asked to contact the newspaper with stories of good works or acts of valor committed by individuals, organizations, churches or others whose aim is to help those less fortunate.

The effort is explained in Editor Andy Malby’s “Hubbub of the Valley” column on page A8 of today’s paper. The first installment of “Hope in Hard Times” appears on page A1 today.

Readers and others are encouraged to contact Malby at 388-5101 ext. 12 or by e-mail at editor@belgrade-news.com if they have reports that might be appropriate for the ongoing feature.

EFE Dow Jones News Goes Live: Local Market Veterans Appointed To Lead Editorial Team - EFE Dow Jones News Combines Two Of The World’s Leading News Org

Dow Jones & Company, a News Corporation company (NYSE: NWS, NWS.A; ASX: NWS, NWSLV), and Spain’s Agencia EFE today launched the new EFE Dow Jones News service, a joint Spanish-language news service for financial professionals, corporations, media, institutions and private investors in Spain.

EFE Dow Jones News is a real-time newswire service that offers Spanish-language local news, in-depth analysis, commentary and an unmatched level of coverage on small- and mid-cap companies. It is produced by a team of specialist financial news reporters based in Madrid, supported by a team of more than 5000 global and regional reporters from Dow Jones and EFE. The service will combine the best of EFE’s vast network of bureaus delivering coverage on Spain and Spanish organisations, with global news and analysis provided by Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal. EFE Dow Jones will provide global, round-the-clock coverage of economic events as they happen, directly in Spanish.

EFE Dow Jones also announced today that Daniel de la Puente has been appointed news editor of the new joint service. Based in Madrid, de la Puente joins EFE Dow Jones from Spanish energy utility Unión Fenosa. Also joining the new EFE Dow Jones News service from EFE is Jaime Jiménez, who was appointed assistant news editor and is based in Madrid.

“This new service combines our strengths in local, regional and global reporting to provide the Spanish financial community with a new degree of exclusive, insightful and authoritative business news,” said Clare Hart, executive vice president, Dow Jones & Company, and president, Dow Jones Enterprise Media Group. “We’re committed to strategically expanding our editorial presence in the world’s most important financial centres by increasing our coverage of local markets in local languages. Bringing these two powerful news organizations together allows us to better provide our Spanish-language customers with the information they need to make profitable decisions, faster.”

“The new EFE Dow Jones News is one of the first services to provide worldwide and real-time economic and financial news in Spanish.” said the president of EFE, Álex Grijelmo. “We are all very excited by today’s launch and have worked very hard over previous months to ensure that we appointed the strongest possible team. Both Daniel and Jaime bring with them extensive knowledge of the local market and considerable depth and breadth of experience that will enhance the service we offer.”

Steve Harvey Morning Show

Los Angeles, Nov 4 (THAINDIAN NEWS) Steve Harvey Morning show is a nationally syndicated radio program which is presented by the radio personality Steve Harvey. The 1957 born comedian is also an American actor, entertainer, and an eminent radio personality as well. He is a multi talented fellow and is probably well known as the star of the WB sitcom The Steve Harvey Show, and as one of the four amazing comedians who were a part of the Spike Lee film The Original Kings of Comedy.

Steve Harvey is the host of his self-titled morning radio show, The Steve Harvey Morning Show, which was originally syndicated under Radio One, Inc. Broadcasting company, for the period September 2000 to May 2005.

Recently Steve Harvey showed up for a live broadcast of his ‘Steve Harvey Morning Show’ on 6th October at the Kmart in Greenbelt, Md, where he promoted the “National Layaway Week”.

Harvey is father to his twin daughters, Karli and Brandi, who were born in 1982 and also has a son, Broderick Jr. who was born 1991, from his first marriage.

He has another son, Wynton with his ex-wife Mary Lee Harvey. They broke up after 17 years of togetherness and a decade long marriage.