ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s president Asif Ali Zardari said on Saturday that Pakistan was battling for its "sovereignty" a day after scores of people were killed amid an escalating offensive against the Taliban.
Zardari said Pakistan would fight "until the end," as US defence officials in Washington confirmed that Islamabad plans to step up its offensive against militants in the country's troubled northwest.
"We are fighting a war for our sovereignty," Zardari said in a television address. "We will continue this war until the end, and we will win it at any cost.
"The Taliban are the enemies of innocent people. They want to terrorise the people and to take control of the country's institutions."
Zardari's pledge came after suicide bombings targeting Friday prayers at two mosques killed at least six people, including a prominent Muslim cleric, and wounded more than 100.
The bombings confirmed fears that Taliban militants are avenging an offensive against them in the northwest, where the military said Friday 39 insurgents and 10 soldiers had been killed in fresh fighting.
Religious scholar Sarfraz Naeemi, who had spoken out against Taliban suicide bombings, was among two people killed in one of the mosque attacks, in the eastern city of Lahore, police said.
Lahore police chief Pervez Rathore said a suicide bomber had entered the room where Naeemi was sitting with others after Friday prayers, and blew himself up.
Naeemi had issued a fatwa (edict) against suicide bombings carried out by Taliban militants.
In the other attack, four people died and at least 105 were wounded when an explosives-filled car ploughed into a mosque in the northwestern garrison town of Nowshera, police said.
The roof of the mosque caved in after the blast and a number of people were trapped under the rubble, police official Imran Kishwar said, adding that the death toll could rise.
A spokesman for militant leader Baitullah Mehsud's Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the mosque attacks, and Tuesday's bombing of Peshawar's Pearl Continental hotel that killed nine people.
"Anyone who will oppose us to please the Americans will face the same fate," Maulvi Omar said by telephone from an undisclosed location.
In Washington, senior defence officials, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity, said Islamabad planned to step up its offensive against Taliban forces in the northwest tribal area of South Waziristan.
Confirming rumours so far denied by the Pakistani army, one of the officials said that, in addition to the major offensive in the northwest Swat valley, Pakistan is planning "a separate campaign in South Waziristan."
The region is a stronghold for the TTP, Pakistan's umbrella Taliban organisation, as well as for Al-Qaeda and other extremist groups.
The TTP will be the primary target for the increased operations, the defence official said, but the United States hopes the offensive will also put pressure on Al-Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban, who were driven out of Afghanistan and into the region after the 2001 US-led invasion.
These groups are clearly interconnected, the official said, so "an offensive certainly can play an important role," noting that the strategy is to "have pressure on both sides of the border."
A 90,000-strong US and international coalition is fighting the Afghan Taliban and other insurgents on the Afghanistan side.
A second US defence official told reporters the Pakistani army has been redeploying forces to areas surrounding South Waziristan: "We think the initial phase of the operation has already begun," the official said.
Ban on defence firms will delay artillery upgrade: Army Chief
New Delhi:Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor said today that the Defence Ministry’s ban on dealing with Singapore Technologies (ST), which is being investigated by the CBI in connection with the corruption charges against former Ordnance chief Sudipta Ghosh, will delay Indian plans to acquire light howitzers for the artillery.
“Till the time the CBI is able to carry out detailed investigation,” said Kapoor, “there will be a delay. To that extent, it will affect the acquisition of ultra light howitzers.” He was speaking on the sidelines of a defence function in the capital.
Interestingly, the Singapore-based firm is the only vendor offering its “Pegasus” gun to the Army for its requirement of ultra-light howitzers needed for deployment in mountainous regions. With the only other contender, BAE systems, backing out of the contract, the ST gun was the only one available that met the Army’s requirements.
ST was banned after its name figured along with six other firms in the CBI inquiry against former Director General of Ordnance Factory Board Sudipta Ghosh. The defence ministry has put all dealings with the seven firms on hold till the CBI completes its probe.
This is the second major blow for the Army’s artillery modernization plans after South African giant Denel was blacklisted in 2005 for allegedly paying kickbacks in a deal for anti-material rifles for the Army. General Kapoor also said today that the much-awaited comparative trials between the indigenous Arjun tanks and the Russian origin T 90 mainstay tanks of the Army will take place in October.
Six more bodies found in Air France jet crash: Brazil
Recife (Brazil), June 13: Six more bodies were recovered from the Atlantic Ocean where an Air France jet crashed, Brazilian officials has said, as the race to find the black boxes and gather key evidence from human remains and debris gained urgency.
On the coast, investigators examined corpses and received the first wreckage: two plane seats, oxygen masks, water bottles, and several structural pieces, some no bigger than a man's hand.
Almost two weeks after the crash, Brazil's military said the search is becoming increasingly difficult and a tentative June 25 date for halting efforts has been set. Beginning Monday, officials will meet every two days to evaluate when to stop the search, depending on whether they are still finding bodies or debris.
The black boxes - whose emergency locator beacons begin to fade after 30 days - along with debris and bodies from the jet, all contain crucial clues as to how and why Air France Flight 447 went down en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris.
Navy Vice Adm Edison Lawrence said the Brazilians "have information" that a French ship has found six more bodies - which would bring the total found to 50. It was not clear when these bodies were recovered, Lawrence said he thought it was either Thursday or yesterday.
Opposition disputes Ahmadinejad's claim to Iran presidency
Tehran:Hard-line incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was heading for a surprise landslide with nearly 80 per cent of votes counted in Iran's stormy presidential elections, the Interior Ministry said Saturday. But his pro-reform rival countered that he was the clear victor and accused authorities of fraud.
The dispute sharply boosted tensions, raising the possibility of a standoff after an intense month long race between the combative president and his main challenger, Mir Hossein Mousavi, who is backed by a growing youth-oriented movement. A large turnout at the polls had boosted victory hopes for Mousavi supporters.
At a press conference around midnight, Mousavi declared himself “definitely the winner'' based on “all indications from all over Iran.'' He accused the Islamic ruling establishment of “manipulating the people's vote'' to keep Ahmadinejad in power and suggested the reformist camp would stand up to challenge the results.
“It is our duty to defend people's votes. There is no turning back,'' Mousavi said, alleging widespread irregularities.
Before dawn Saturday, Tehran's streets were deserted, but there were worries of protests by Mousavi supporters if he is declared the loser. Bringing any showdown into the streets would certainly face a swift backlash from security forces. The political chief of the powerful Revolutionary Guard cautioned Wednesday it would crush any “revolution'' against the Islamic regime by Mousavi's “green movement.''
The Interior Ministry banned all rallies until after the formal announcement of results Saturday. A series of cyber-strikes - blackouts of text messaging, blocks on pro-Mousavi Web sites and widespread Internet disruptions - also raised worries that authorities were prepared to exert further pressures on the communications lifelines of the rejuvenated reformist movement.
Five quarantined for swine flu symptoms in Chennai
Chennai:A family of five, including a six-month-old infant, was quarantined at the airport in Chennai for suspected swine flu symptoms after they arrived from the US in the early hours on Saturday.
Airport officials said, Muralitharan (44), wife Sarika (35) and their three daughters, aged five and three and the baby were found to be suffering from cough, cold and fever, after they were examined by a special medical team stationed at the airport.
The doctors quarantined them immediately and sent them to the Communicable Diseases Hospital at Tondiarpet in Chennai for further medical attention, officials said.
The Coimbatore-based Muralitharan and his family had arrived at Chennai by a Lufthansa flight around 2.30 am.
Indian Business News|Business News
US protectionism: Infy hires Americans
BANGALORE: Infosys Technologies Ltd, India’s second-largest provider of software services, plans to boost hiring in the US if a proposal to restrict the country’s work visas becomes law, said B G Srinivas, a company executive.
The recruitment would be in addition to existing projects, Srinivas said in an interview from London, where the senior vice president heads the company’s operations in Europe and manufacturing-services unit worldwide. Bangalore-based Infosys has budgeted 1,000 new US employees by the end of 2010.
“We have already started the hiring engine, but we haven’t hired yet,” Srinivas said in the telephone interview. “All actions have been taken, including locations where this hiring will happen, what kind of profiles -- those plans are in place and we can execute at any time.”
Infosys, whose clients include General Electric Co and General Motors Corp, has about 10 per cent of its 104,900 employees in the US, mainly Indians on H-1B foreign work visas. The proposal by Senators Dick Durbin of the Democratic Party and Republican Charles Grassley would require the company to replace half of them with Americans. They submitted the bill in April as the US battles its highest unemployment rate since 1983.
“The first signs of protectionism are there,” Krishnakumar Natarajan, the chief executive officer of Infosys’s smaller rival MindTree Ltd, said in an interview this week in Bangalore. “The sentiment is clearly, ‘Hey, when there are job losses here, why should they go outside?’”
A possible US law limiting foreign visas comes as Armonk, New York-based International Business Machines Corp, the world’s largest provider of computer services, adds staff in India and challenges Infosys, larger rival Tata Consultancy Services Ltd and their peers in their home market.
Infosys has risen 57 per cent in Mumbai trading this year, compared with a 62 per cent gain at Tata Consultancy. The benchmark Bombay Sensitive Index has advanced 62 per cent.
The Durbin-Grassley bill “obviously is a concern if it gets implemented in full and with no time lag,” Srinivas said. “Over a period of two years, we can easily manage.”
1.3 mn may lose jobs in 2009-10: UNCTAD
New Delhi:About 1.3 million people are likely to lose jobs in the export units in the current financial year due to recession in the developed countries, an UNCTAD study said.
However, the net job loss in the export sector is estimated to be 7.48 lakh since some sectors like plantation may witness a positive growth.
The study said, during 2009-10, India's total exports are likely to dip by 2.2 per cent.
"Petroleum products will experience the maximum decline in export growth followed by gems and jewellery, ores and minerals and textiles and its products," it said.
However, the situation will improve in the next fiscal, when new jobs would be created in the sector, which employs about 50 million people.
"In 2010-11, about 5.22 million jobs could be created. "No job losses are expected as all sectors are expected to experience positive export growth," it said.
In 2008-09, about 1.16 million people lost their jobs due to negative export growth in sectors such as textiles.
With external shipments contracting for the sixth month in a row, the country's exports aggregated USD 168.70 billion in 2008-09, managing a paltry growth rate of 3.4 per cent.
Competition is catching up with India: Premji
Bangalore:IT major Wipro's chief Azim Premji cautioned the industry that competition globally is hotting up and warned the sector against falling into a mind trap of 'India Advantage'.
"We have talked a lot about India advantage. That makes me extremely worried. It's a huge amount of thumping on the back (by Indian IT industry)," Premji at the fifth India Innovation Summit 2009, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry.
He said BPO (business process outsourcing) exports from the Philippines this year would be "pretty close" to that of India's. Five years ago, BPO exports from the Philippines were probably 10 per cent of what India exported.
That shows that competition is universal and "we just cannot take success for granted", he said.
The growth of India's IT exports has come down to 12-14 per cent in 2008-09 from a compounded annual growth rate of 30 per cent-plus till the previous year. If one went by guidance of leading companies and less-leading ones, growth is going to be a huge challenge in 2009-10.
Echoing Premji, Infosys CEO S Gopalakrishnan said: "We have to be always on our toes. We cannot be complacent about the lead we have, we cannot be complacent about competition".
Indian Cricket News|Indian Sports News|T20 World Cup News
London:Let down by their much-vaunted top order, defending champions India flunked their first Super Eight test and sunk to a seven-wicket defeat against the West Indies in the Twenty20 World Cup.
Dwayne Bravo scalped four Indian wickets with the ball and then returned to hit an unbeaten 36-ball 66, studded with three sixes, to seal the match.
Earlier, Mahendra Singh Dhoni's decision to bat first boomeranged as the Indian top order crumbled and it required Yuvraj Singh's (67) 43-ball blitzkrieg and Yusuf Pathan's (31) cameo to reach a competitive 153 for seven.
Bravo (4/38) and Fidel Edwards (3/24) shared seven wickets between them while laying bare India's frailty against short-pitch bowling.
India play England in their next Super Eight match here on Sunday.
Leading West Indies' chase, Chris Gayle (22) hit Zaheer Khan for two fours in the first over but had to exercise some caution when Irfan Pathan claimed the scoreless Andrew Fletcher with his second delivery.
Harbhajan Singh began with a maiden over to further straitjacket Gayle and the left-hander decided to go after Yusuf Pathan, only to manage a top edge and Zaheer positioned him perfectly under the skier at short fine leg.
While Gayle featured prominently in India's scheme of things, few spared a thought about Bravo. But in the end, it was Bravo who hurt India most, adding 58 runs with Lendl Simmons (44) and then completing the formality in Shivnarine Chanderpaul's (18 not out) company.
Earlier, Yuvraj celebrated the news of his elevation as vice-captain with an electrifying innings to turn an utterly miserable Indian innings into a respectable score.
Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by 19 runs in Super 8 Match
London:Sri Lanka relied on a clinical bowling display to script a comfortable 19-run victory over Pakistan in their first Super Eight match of the Twenty20 World Cup.
After putting up a competitive 150 for seven largely bult around Tilakaratne Dilshan's 46, the islanders stopped Pakistan at 131 for nine to garner full points from the encounter at the historic Lord's.
Except for a 66-run run pertnership for the fourth wicket between captain captain Younis Khan, who top-scored with a 37-ball 50, and his deputy Misbah-ul Haq, Pakistan were never really in the run chase of 151.
They had a fumbling start with their opener Salman Butt out in the third ball and were in back foot losing two wickets in the sixth over before Younis and Misbah revived the innings.
But, once Younis was out in the 17th over wickets fell in a heap at the death and the last edition's runners-up side only tried to narrow down the margin of defeat.
For Sri Lanka, fast bowler Lasith Malinga was the wrecker in chief with a fine spell of 3 for 17 from his four overs.
Muttiah Muralitharan returned with 2/28 from his four overs while Angelo Mathew and Nuwan Kulasekara took a wicket apiece.
Earlier, electing to bat, Sri Lanka opening pair of Sanath Jayasuriya and Tillakaratne Dilshan took the opposition bowlers to the cleaners by sharing an 81-run stand from nine overs before slow bowlers Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal brought Pakistan back into the match.
Sri Lanka were threatening to post a huge total by scoring 86 for one at the half-way mark and 120 for four at the end of the 15th over largely due to the contributions of Jayasuriya (26 off 24 balls) and top scorer Dilshan (46 off 39 balls).
Ruthless South Africa enjoying Twenty20: Smith
NOTTINGHAM, England: South African captain Graeme Smith is ready for the challenges ahead in the World Twenty20 after a crushing seven-wicket win over hosts England.
The Proteas unleashed their firepower to bowl out England for a paltry 111 before coasting home in the 19th over in their first Super Eights match at Trent Bridge on Thursday.
Smith said he can't wait to face the West Indies at the Oval in London on Saturday before the final second round game against defending champions India at Trent Bridge next Tuesday.
"We are pretty excited about the prospect of playing the West Indies and the next challenge will be India," he said.
"We played with the same intensity that we have been doing in the past and our plan was to squeeze England.
"Twenty20 is a very unpredictable game, but we are well prepared. We are ready for it."
Smith said his team had a simple plan to overcome the fast and furious nature of the shortest version of the game.
"We try to keep the essentials correct and try our best all the time," he said. "It is important to enjoy our cricket, enjoy our success."
Smith praised young left-arm seamer Wayne Parnell, who picked up three wickets to wreck England's batting before Jacques Kallis hit a half-century to guide the Proteas home.
"We performed well with the ball and everyone in the field played their role well with intensity," he said.
"Parnell has been superb. He's just come in, he's very young and he's handled everything really well. He bowled with pace and control. The crowd was against us but he handled the situation very well."
Kallis, who also chipped in with two wickets, said he has been concentrating on improving his bowling.
"I've worked on it for the last two or three years. I discovered lots of variations in the IPL (Indian Premier League)," said the veteran all-rounder who played for the Bangalore Royal Challengers.
"We knew if someone stayed at the wicket and we got a run a ball, we'd be okay. I think this was a 140-wicket so our bowlers did really well to restrict them."
Owais Shah was the lone Englishman to withstand the Proteas' onslaught with 38 off 33 balls after four of the top seven batsmen managed only four runs between them.
All the six bowlers used by Smith were among the wickets, with Kallis and Roelof van der Merwe supporting Parnell with two scalps each.
Albie Morkel bowled the first maiden over of the tournament that also included the wicket of Kevin Pietersen, but was not called upon to bowl a second over as the others took care of the England batsmen.
South Africa have been in awesome form in the tournament so far, crushing minnows Scotland by 130 runs before defending their modest 128/7 against New Zealand by one run.
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