Pakistan army faces militancy problem: Daily

Islamabad, Aug 17: The Pakistan Army appears to have a militancy problem that is “hidden from the public because investigations and court martials are often carried out in secret”, a leading Pakistani paper said on Friday, a day after the audacious attack on the key Kamra airbase.

Heavily armed gunmen had stormed the Kamra airbase in Punjab province on Thursday morning. An intense gunfight broke out between the militants and security personnel in Attock, a district that is considered to be one of the areas where Pakistan stores its nuclear arsenal. Nine militants and one soldier were killed.

An editorial in the Dawn on Friday said the attack had raised disturbing questions.

“That only one security personnel was killed as opposed to nine dead militants is only a small consolation: the first and foremost question is, how were militants able to yet again infiltrate a high-security armed services’ base and engage security forces inside for many hours?” it asked.

The editorial warned that the possibility of insider help to the militants in the assault on Kamra was also very high.  It added that with some kind of military operation in North Waziristan against at least the Pakistan-centric militants is in the offing, the possibility of pre-emptive strikes by the militants is high.

“Had the warning of a blowback only been made at the policy level without it filtering down to the security forces likely to be in the cross-hairs of the militants?The security apparatus should be able to repulse attacks on at least critical sites with more efficiency, particularly with both the circumstantial and direct forewarning appearing to have been available,” it added.

On the army’s screening procedures, the daily asked: “How robust and effective is the surveillance and vetting of the armed forces’ personnel to prevent an incident before it happens? Clearly, as recent history suggests, not robust or effective enough - but what will it take for a more serious and sustained effort?”

The editorial ended its slew of questions, by asking: “When will the State, both the army and the political government, drive home the message to the Pakistani public that the war is real, it is against a radicalised fringe of Pakistan and that unless the war is fought with total commitment and purpose, the state and society itself will spiral towards irreversible disaster?”

It stressed that the ones shouting ‘this isn’t our war’ - “many on the political right - need to be countered, firmly and unequivocally. Delay that battle any longer and the already manifold complications will grow yet more complicated”. (IANS)

US keeps Russia on 'national threat' list

Moscow, Aug 17: US President Barack Obama has extended a legal act that lists Russia, among 16 other States, as a national threat, and allows for the freezing and confiscation of assets in the US.

Russia, alongside Syria, Iran, North Korea, Belarus and other states, has been subjected to International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) since 2000 due to its ability to export weapons-grade uranium.

IEEPA is a federal law authorising the US president to regulate commerce after declaring a national emergency in response to any unusual and extraordinary threat to the US that stems from a foreign source.

It authorizes the President to block transactions and freeze assets to deal with the threat. In the event of an actual attack on the US, the president can also confiscate property connected with a country, group, or person that aided in the attack.

Some analysts believe IEEPA could become a US trump card in the situation around Syria.  (RIA Novosti)

Assange granted asylum for fear of US

Moscow, Aug 17: Ecuador has granted political asylum to Julian Assange over concerns that the WikiLeaks’ founder could be transferred to the US and face death penalty after extradition to Sweden, said the Ecuadorian ambassador to Russia on Friday. “We cannot anticipate the US expectations but we do not rule out even the death penalty,” Ambassador Patricio Alberto Chavez Zavala said. “Assange has been persecuted for a crime that has yet to be proven,” he said. “In appealing to our state, he provided the information as to why he needs political asylum.” He said Assange will not stay at the Ecuadorian embassy in London forever, adding that it was waiting for permission from the British authorities for Assange’s safe travel to the airport. “I believe that Britain is a very wise and experienced country and I’m absolutely sure that we will be able eventually to find an acceptable solution,” he said. Assange has been holed up in Ecuador’s embassy in London for two months as he fights extradition to Sweden on sex crime charges. He has denied the charges.  A day after the British authorities threatened to strip the embassy of diplomatic immunity, allowing them to enter its grounds and arrest Assange, he was granted asylum on Thursday by Ecuador. (IANS/RIA Novosti)

Anti-Assad protesters attack Russian embassy in London

London, Aug 17: Opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad pelted the Russian embassy in London with stones overnight, causing significant damage to the building, the embassy said in a statement on Friday. “On the night of August 16-17, the consulate department of the Russian Embassy in London was attacked by a large group of people who were chanting slogans against the Syrian government and throwing stones at the building hosting the diplomatic mission,” it said.  The building had several window glasses shattered and suffered “significant material damage”, it said. None among the embassy employees was, however, hurt. Russian diplomats expressed regret over the conduct of London police who they said had arrived at the scene but “failed to take proper measures to neutralise the unsanctioned demonstration which was under way and detain the attackers”. (IANS/RIA Novosti)

Pussy Riot members found guilty in Moscow

Moscow, Aug 17: Three members of Russian girl punk band Pussy Riot were found guilty of hooliganism by a Moscow district court on Friday. They performed a “punk prayer” calling on the Virgin Mary to “drive Putin out” and were arrested shortly after their performance. They say they were protesting against the Orthodox Church’s support for Putin ahead of the March 4 presidential elections, in which he won a third term in the Kremlin. Judge Marina Syrova said Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (22) Maria Alyokhina (24) and Yekaterina Samutsevich (30) were guilty and would not be acquitted. The judge said the action was carefully planned by an organized group. (IANS/RIA Novosti)

Israel preparing to attack Iran

London, Aug 17: Israel is preparing for a ground attack on Iran before Christmas, after conducting commando dry runs in the Iraq desert, a media report said.

Top military officials in Tel Aviv believe they have until the end of the year to strike at Iran’s nuclear programme.

The main target would be a heavily fortified uranium enrichment plant at Fordo, near the holy city of Qom.

Israeli leaders have reportedly made it clear they are ready to launch military action alone - if the US does not help.

Late October or early November have been identified by intelligence analysts as a likely time because of the US elections on November 6.

An “anonymous senior Israeli politician” -- believed to be Defence Minister Ehud Barak -- made it clear to The Sun that Israel had already decided to act alone. “We can’t wait to find out one morning that we relied on the Americans but were fooled because the Americans didn’t act. Israel is strong and Israel is responsible, and will do what it has to do,” the minister said. (IANS)

Israel is cancerous tumour: Ahmadinejad

Tehran, Aug 17: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Friday said Israel was an “insult to humanity” and compared the country to a “cancerous tumour” that must be stopped before it spreads. Ahmadinejad’s comments were made to worshippers at Tehran University to mark the last day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Iran’s Fars news agency reported. In Iran, the last Friday of Ramadan, known as Quds, is recognized as a day of protest against Israel in support of Palestinians. Israel considers Iran a threat. News of possible military strikes against Iran’s nuclear programme has recently emerged. Ahmadinejad said Quds was a day “of unity of all people to remove the Zionist cancerous tumour from society. Today we will oppose the Zionist entity and regime to protect human rights and defend human dignity”. (IANS/AKI)

What's your risk of developing kidney failure?

Toronto, Aug 17: New research has thrown up some startling insights about the likelihood of middle-aged adults developing kidney failure during their lifetime. About one in 40 men and one in 60 women of middle age will develop kidney failure if they live into their 90s, says a study. This translates into a 2.66 per cent risk of kidney failure for men and a 1.76 per cent risk for women. The risk is higher in people with reduced kidney function (men: 7.51 per cent and women: 3.21 per cent) compared with people with relatively preserved kidney function. Kidney failure is on the rise and currently afflicts two million people worldwide. It takes a significant toll on both individuals and the public as a whole, causing poor health in patients and generating considerable health care costs, the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology reports. Despite kidney failure’s impact, researchers don’t have a good estimate of people’s likelihood of developing it over their lifetime. Accordingly, from 1997 to 2008 Tanvir Chowdhury Turin and Brenda Hemmelgarn, from the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada and colleagues studied 2.89 million adult residents free of kidney failure at the start of the study. “Given the high morbidity (prevalence of disease) and cost associated with kidney failure, we wanted to quantify the burden of disease for kidney failure in an easily understandable index to communicate information for patients, health practitioners, and policy makers,” said Turin, according to a statement from Calgary university. The lifetime risk of kidney failure is consistently higher for men at all ages and kidney function levels, compared with women, the researchers said. (IANS)

'India heading for Mars, doesn't need British aid money'

London, Aug 17: India, which has announced it will send a space probe to Mars, is now a country with more technological prowess than Britain and the “best and most beautiful spoken English in the world” is now heard in India, the Telegraph said on Friday. In an article titled “India is heading for Mars: it doesn’t need British aid money to pay the bills”, columnist Theodore Dalrymple said foreign aid does not help any poor countries, “it just corrupts their governments”. The writer said he was “well placed to appreciate the absurdity of continued British aid to India”. Quoting former Indian finance minister Pranab Mukherjee - now the president - that India did not need British aid which was “peanuts” anyway, Dalrymple said though Mukherjee was right, his statement “was met by almost grovelling British requests to continue aid to India”. The writer said that in this “urgent desire to send aid to our former possession”, there was the “hangover of a colonial superiority complex”. The British believe that if they give India aid, “it must be because they need it and therefore that we are superior to them in some way”. Britain, however, failed to notice that an Indian company took over Land Rover and Jaguar, as the task was beyond Britain’s organizational powers. It was not British aid that caused India to develop, but the efforts of its own people. He, however, said India still has many problems, including corruption. He said India’s “young population thirsts for real education in a way than much of ours (Britain’s) does not”. He questioned India’s tally of medals at the 2012 London Olympics. “One manifestation of the underlying wisdom of India is its low tally of medals at the Olympic Games, only six - none gold - when it has a sixth of the world’s population. Its young people have more important things to do than put the shot or throw the javelin,” the writer said. (IANS)

Kids don't want expensive pastime during holidays

London, Aug 17: British children are not keen on spending their holidays on expensive activities like riding roller-coasters or eating at fast-food stands. They are just happy climbing trees or playing hide and seek, says a study. According to an index compiled by Sainsbury’s, the top three activities in terms of pleasure versus cost were playing in the garden or park, water fights or building a den, the Daily Mail reported. Other simple pleasures such as having a water fight, playing in the park, feeding the ducks, berry picking and eating ice-cream also featured in the top 10. More expensive activities like trips to the zoo or theme parks were much lower on the list. Children aged five to 11 were asked to rank their favourite holiday activities based on how much fun it is, how happy it makes them feel and how special and memorable it is. The results were then tallied with their costs. (IANS)

Woman kills self over skin condition

London, Aug 17: A 31-year-old British woman, who was plagued by a skin condition that caused her face to redden, went into depression that caused her to jump to her death from a bridge. For several months, Vicky Norfolk suffered from rosacea, which looks like a rash. Despite support from her family, the woman descended into depression and resolved to take her own life. She jumped from the Humber Bridge in Hull in February last year. An inquest heard how a month before her suicide, Norfolk cycled to the bridge and climbed over the railing. Police officer Mark Osborn spotted her and persuaded her not to jump. She told him she was very sad and depressed and had decided to come to the bridge to commit suicide. The next month, Norfolk returned to the bridge but decided against jumping. However, a few days later, the policeman cycled over the bridge and saw Norfolk’s cycle in almost the same place as before. But this time she was not there. Her body was found 12 months later. Her 58-year-old mother Anne said her daughter had been a happy person but had become obsessed with her skin condition.  (IANS)

Briton gets world's first battery-powered heart pump

London, Aug 17: A 60-year-old Briton, who suffered heart failure but was too ill to survive a transplant, has become the world’s first to get a heart pump powered by portable batteries. Barry Wade has been allowed to leave hospital and live at home after tiny three-inch titanium heart pump -- HeartMate II -- was fitted in him, The Sun reported. The pump is charged by two portable batteries the patient carries in a shoulder bag. Heart pumps normally need power from the mains. But this is a new portable version, attached to the heart by tubes. It was developed in the US. Wade had the pump fitted at the University Hospital of South Manchester. “I have a new chance of life and I am looking forward to the birth of my new grandson next month. I feel privileged to pioneer this device,” said Wade, a resident of Macclesfield, Cheshire, and a father of four. (IANS)

Man jailed for beating dog to death

London, Aug 17: A 27-year-old Briton has been jailed for over four months after he hanged his six-month-old puppy by its collar and then beat it to death with a baseball bat because it had urinated on the carpet. Craig Curtis hung his Staffordshire bull terrier Bruno after the pup urinated. He then battered the dog, and put its lifeless body in his freezer before dumping it later in a nearby woodland in March this year. The Cambridge magistrates’ court heard that the dog’s body was found wrapped in blood-stained sheets. Curtis pleaded guilty to cruelty charges under the Animal Welfare Act. Initially believed to have been poisoned, due to the large amount of blood around its nose and mouth, a post-mortem examination revealed the dog suffered fractures to its skull and died after being struck around the head with a blunt instrument. (IANS)

Brothers reunited after 80 years

London, Aug 17: Two brothers in the US - aged 82 and 84 - who were separated when one was sent to an orphanage aged two have finally been reunited after 80 years. Ed Muir (84) travelled from his home in Naples, Florida to Fargo, North Dakota to see his 82-year-old brother, Kenneth Corcoran, after Corcoran’s family tracked him down using the internet. The boys were split up after their mother died in 1932 and their father feared he could not afford to raise them. Muir and another brother stayed at home in Chicago, while Corcoran and two more siblings were sent to an orphanage. The three siblings who were sent to the orphanage changed their names and were raised in different states. Corcoran grew up in North Dakota. The three other siblings - two brothers and a sister - have all since died. Both the brothers served in the military. Muir joined the Air Force in 1946, and later worked as an electrician until 1987, and moved to Naples, Florida in 1997. Corcoran also joined the navy as a young man, and later worked as a railroad lineman. Corcoran’s daughter, Pam Gregerson, spent nine years trying to track down her father’s siblings’ names, birth dates and hometowns. She only realized years into the search that Corcoran changed his surname to that of his mother’s maiden name. Gregerson’s teenage son Alex later found him on the internet. They spoke with Muir on the phone and booked plane tickets. (IANS)

Man held in Italy for beating wife for removing veil

Rome, Aug 17: An Egyptian Muslim man was held by the police for allegedly beating his Tunisian wife after she removed her veil in the torrid summer heat on the Italian island of Sicily. The 20-year-old pregnant woman was rushed to hospital in the Sicilian city of Agrigento. Witnesses described it as an “out-of-control violent reaction” by her 19-year-old husband after she removed her head scarf during a visit to her family in Porto Empedocle, a small maritime town near Agrigento. Unable to stop him, the witnesses called the police. Around three per cent of predominantly Catholic Italy’s 60 million people are Muslims. (IANS/AKI)