Pakistan Information & News

USA Congressional Democrats have opposed lifting the prohibitions on energy development on nearly all federal Outer Continental Shelf waters for more than a quarter century including waters along both the east and west coasts and with oil prices soaring and motorists paying $4 a gallon for gasoline political pressures have been growing for more domestic oil and gas production. The president believes Congress shouldn’t waste any more time White House press secretary Dana Perino told The Associated Press on Tuesday and he will explicitly call on Congress to pass legislation lifting the congressional ban on safe environmentally friendly offshore oil drilling Perino said. He wants to work with states to determine where offshore drilling should occur. Bush also will reiterate his call for development of oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska Perino said. McCain has opposed drilling in the refuge maintaining that the pristine areas in northeastern Alaska should be protected from energy development. On Monday McCain made lifting the federal ban on offshore oil and gas development a key part of his energy plan. The Arizona senator said states should be allowed to pursue energy exploration in waters near their coasts and receive some of the royalty revenue. Bush has made clear in recent weeks that the drilling moratorium in coastal waters should end to allow for more domestic oil production and help take the pressure off the price of gasoline. Democrats as well as some Republican senators from coastal states have opposed lifting the drilling prohibitions fearful that energy development could harm tourism and raise the risk of oil spills on beaches. Sen. Barack Obama the Democratic candidate for president opposes lifting the ban on offshore drilling and says that allowing exploration now wouldn’t affect gasoline prices for at least five years. Congress imposed the drilling moratorium in 1981 and has extended it each year since by prohibiting the Interior Department from spending money on offshore oil or gas leases in virtually all coastal waters outside the western Gulf of Mexico and in some areas off Alaska. President George H.W. Bush imposed a separate executive drilling ban in 1990 that was extended by President Clinton and then by the current president until 2012. Bush has been considering lifting the executive ban as a symbolic move to get Congress to take action but he decided against doing so for the time being, said an official who spoke on condition of anonymity because internal deliberations were involved and the House Appropriations Committee was scheduled to vote on legislation Wednesday that included a provision that would continue the drilling moratorium into late 2009.

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Fashion the power to transform an image and make a social statement. Fashion Awards Denim Designer of the Year winner and celebrity favorite J Brand has announced the debut of its latest line J Brand Blue Label. Featuring a new fit for the curvier woman the line was created to meet market demand for an alternative to the brands existing fit and blue Label is perfect for women with curves said Susie Crippen J Brand co founder and Creative Director. We have received a good deal of feedback from women who told us they loved our look and styles but wanted a fuller fit. We created Blue Label with a more generous cut around the leg, as well as a contoured waistband to hug the body’s natural curves. J Brand Blue Label has two predominant styles the Scarlett with a low rise fit and The Catherine with a mid rise fit both available in a cigarette leg and a boot leg. The cigarette leg is a 14 inch stovepipe which has J Brand’s signature look with more room around the thigh. J Brands boot leg with a subtle flare and has been a consistently requested style and finally there is a wide leg style for women who like a flowing jean. The Monroe is a mid rise style that fits looser from the hips to the thighs. The back darts and contoured waistband keep this wide leg polished without looking overdone. The Monroe is also available in organic cotton. Blue Label was truly born out of the spirit to meet customers needs said J Brand co founder Jeff Rudes. We are pleased to be able to provide women with this new curvy fit in the J Brand aesthetic. The line is scheduled to hit stores in Aug- with an early delivery in July exclusively for Bloomingdales.

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Taliban Mohammad Farooq the government leader in the Arghandab district of Kandahar province said around Five hundred Taliban fighters moved into his district and took over several villages.  Arghandab lies just north of Kandahar city the Talibans former stronghold and a tribal leader from the region warned that the militants could use the cover from Arghandabs grape and pomegranate orchards to mount an attack on Kandahar itself. All of Arghandab is made of orchards. The militants can easily hide and easily fight said Haji Ikramullah Khan. It is quite close to Kandahar. During the Russian war the Russians didn’t even occupy Arghandab because when they fought here they suffered big casualties. The push into Arghandab comes three days after a sophisticated Taliban attack on Kandahar’s prison that freed hundreds of insurgent fighters being held there. NATO spokesman Mark Laity said NATO and Afghan military officials were redeploying troops to the region to meet any potential threats. It is fair to say that the jailbreak has put a lot of people militant into circulation who weren’t there before and so obviously you are going to respond to that potential threat he said 2 powerful anti Taliban leaders from Arghandab have died in the last year weakening the regions defenses. Mullah Naqib the district’s former leader died of a heart attack last year. Taliban fighters moved into Arghandab en masse last October 2 weeks after his death but left within days after hundreds of security forces were deployed there. A second leader police commander Abdul Hakim Jan died in a massive suicide bombing in Kandahar in February that killed more than hundred people. Elsewhere in Afghanistan Afghan and USA led coalition forces killed 35 militants in two skirmishes in the south the coalition said Monday. 20militants were killed in Zabul province after they attacked a combined patrol with rockets mortars and gunfire. The combined forces returned fire and called in airstrikes against the insurgents in the Sunday battle. Fifteen militants were killed in the Sangin area of Helmand province Saturday after a group of men in a treeline fired on Afghan and coalition troops. 2 hours of fighting ensued and military aircraft were again called in more than 1900 people have been killed in insurgent violence in Afghanistan this year according to Afghan and Western officials.

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USA Barack Obama al Gore announced his endorsement of  Monday and promised to help the Democrat achieve what eluded him the presidency. I present to you the next president of the United States Barack Obama! Gore said in a brief introduction of Obama at a Detroit fundraiser. He planned a later appearance with Obama at a 20,000-person rally at the Joe Louis Arena. In a letter to be E mailed to Obama supporters the former vice president and Nobel Prize winner wrote from now through Election Day I intend to do whatever I can to make sure he is elected president of the United States. In 2000 Gore won the popular vote but lost the disputed election to George W. Bush who captured Florida and its electoral votes after a divided Supreme Court ended the recount of ballots. Since then Gore has made combatting global warming his signature issue and has been recognized worldwide for his effort from an Academy Award to the Nobel prize. Gore is one of the most popular figures in the Democratic Party but he maintained a low profile in the primary campaign. It is the second time that Obama has rolled out a major endorsement in Michigan a state he did not campaign in during the primary because its election violated the party rules. Obama is counting on a win in Michigan in Nov.. but brought Gore and 2004 vice presidential nominee John Edwards to help validate him among Democrats in the state after skipping their primary. It means a lot obviously Obama said of Gores support as he greeted workers outside the General Motors Flint Engine South plant. He is somebody who is a visionary not just for the party but for the country. Gore also asked for donations to help fund Obamas effort the 1^st time he is asked members of his Web site AlGore.com to contribute to a political campaign over the past 18 months Barack Obama has united a movement. He knows change does not come from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue or Capitol Hill. It begins when people stand up and take action Gore wrote with the help of millions of supporters like you Barack Obama will bring the change we so desperately need in order to solve our countrys most pressing problems. Obama focused on his plan to improve the economy while in Michigan which has the nations highest unemployment rate. He told a crowd in flint which had a seasonally unadjusted April nemployment rate of 9.3 percent that they cannot fear globalization but must embrace it as a reality of the future. At critical moments of transition like this one success has also depended on national leadership that moved the country forward with confidence and a common purpose.

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The comments during her latest attempt to prod Israelis and Palestinians toward a final peace deal by the end of the year a goal she said is ambitious but still within reach after a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Rice said the U.S. remains committed to the target date. But she said Israeli plans to build thousands of homes in the West Bank and east Jerusalem raises questions about Israels motives and harms the atmosphere of good faith for talks. Last week Israel said it would build 1300 new apartments in east Jerusalem. It is important to have an atmosphere of trust and confidence Rice said. Unfortunately I do believe and the United States believes that the actions and the announcements that are taking place are indeed having a negative effect on the atmosphere for negotiations. Rice stressed that the United States won’t regard any settlements Israel build as permanent. We should be in a position of encouraging confidence not undermining it. No party should be taking steps at this point that could prejudice the outcome of the negotiation Rice said and the USA diplomat said she had made her point to each of several senior Israeli officials she saw Sunday and she said she would do the same later at a dinner with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. The Israeli leaders office declined to comment speaking to USA reporters in Jerusalem later in the day Rice said she had seen no change in Israels position on settlement activity on another issue of friction between the United States and its closest Mideast ally Rice said she sees no reason that Israel has not yet approved travel papers for Palestinian students from the Gaza Strip who won prestigious Fulbright scholarships for study in the USA 3 of the 7 scholarship winners have been held up because of unspecified security concerns and the students had been told by USA diplomats that they could not use their fellowships this year because Israel did not approve travel papers but Rice intervened. I consider it extremely important for these young people to be able to take up their fellowships Rice said. Rices agenda also includes a 3 way meeting with the chief Israeli and Palestinian negotiators and another joint meeting with Israel’s defense minister and the Palestinian prime minister set for Monday. She cautioned that she did not expect any blinding breakthroughs. Palestinian leaders repeatedly have said Israeli settlement construction was undermining public support for peace talks. We consider the settlements as the biggest obstacle to the political process Abbas told Sunday’s news conference. The Palestinians claim all of the West Bank as part of a future independent state with east Jerusalem as its capital. Israel captured both areas in the 1967 Mideast War. Today some 250,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements along with 180000 Israelis in east Jerusalem and under the U.S. backed road map peace plan Israel has pledged to halt all settlement activity but Olmert has said he would continue building in West Bank settlements that Israel expects to retain under a final peace agreement. He also says the freeze does not apply to east Jerusalem which Israel annexed after the 1967 war. The annexation has not been internationally recognized. Rice- however said the status of all disputed land must be resolved through negotiations and existing Israel settlements would not prejudice those talks. She said European leaders with whom she had just met similarly thought that settlement construction had hurt negotiations. Israel and the Palestinians resumed peace talks last November at a summit in Annapolis Md. At the time they pledged to try to reach a peace deal by the end of 2008 just before President Bush leaves office.

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Taliban walked out of government sponsored peace talks in the Mohmand Agency on Saturday citing an incident earlier this week in which a militant was killed in a clash with paramilitary forces and recalling the exchange of fire which took place near the Nahaqi checkpost a local Taliban leader accused the government of insincerity and said that under the circumstances it was very difficult for them to continue talks. Umar Khalid claimed the Taliban had released 2 government employees, but the latter had not reciprocated. Mediation between the Taliban and the government was initiated by tribal elders about a month ago and Malik Mohammad Ali a jirga member told Dawn that efforts were under way to resume the talks our Bajaur correspondent adds: the Tehrik I Taliban has claimed responsibility for the suicide attack on Nato forces on the Torkham Jalalabad highway in Afghanistan on Friday. A Taliban spokesman Maulvi Umar said Qari Suleman a youth from Bajaur had carried out the attack he said the Taliban would continue to target US and allied forces in Afghanistan and would avenge the deaths of tribesmen and paramilitary soldiers killed in Mohmand Agency a few days ago. Maulvi Umar said the Taliban would continue to negotiate with the government.

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At least 4 people were killed and another 40 injured Wednesday when a tornado struck a Boy Scout camp in western Iowa a state safety official said and Iowa Public Safety Commissioner Gene Meyer said the four were killed by a storm that slammed into the Little Sioux Scout Ranch near the Nebraska state line. Meyer said about 120 people including 93 campers were believed to be at the camp at the time of the storm and about 40 people were injured said Sheri Bauwens a nurse with the American Red Cross. Lloyd Roitstein president of the Boy Scouts of Mid America Council said the Scouts at the ranch were advanced Scouts between 13 and 18 years old and were there for a week of training and he said they were staying in tents and that the site is destroyed. All of the buildings are gone; most of the tents are gone most of the trees are destroyed Roitstein said. You have got 1800 acres of property that are destroyed right now. The ranch which has four cabin shelters in addition to camping space is about 45 miles north of Omaha Nebraska and 45 miles south of Sioux City Iowa Bauwens the Red Cross nurse said many of the injuries happened when a brick fireplace in one shelter was ripped apart by the storm. The shelter was one of four where scouts had run for cover and the National Weather Service was referring to the event as a tornado by late Wednesday. It said it received a report of a touchdown at 6:35 p.m. Officials at Burgess Memorial Hospital about 20 miles from the ranch said they had treated several patients injured by the storm Wednesday night and that injuries ranged from minor to serious. A spokesman for Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City said 2 children had arrived at the hospital by helicopter. These are traumatic injuries said spokesman Mike Krysl who said the regional trauma center is in disaster mode. The twister struck as Iowa like other Midwestern states was dealing with severe flooding along the upper Mississippi River. Heavy downpours hit the region over the weekend with more thunderstorms predicted for Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

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Burger King Outback Steakhouse and Taco Bell were among other restaurants voluntarily withdrawing tomatoes from their menus, following federal recommendations that consumers avoid red plum red Roma or round red tomatoes unless they were grown in certain states and countries. McDonalds Corp the world’s largest hamburger chain stopped serving sliced tomatoes on its sandwiches as a precaution until the source of the bacterial infection is known according to a statement Monday from spokeswoman Danya Proud and tomatoes in its salads because no problems have been linked to that variety she said the source of the tomatoes responsible for the illnesses in at least 16 states has not been pinpointed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that since mid-April 145 people infected with salmonella with the same genetic fingerprint have been identified. At least 23 people have been hospitalized and no deaths have been reported. In downtown Chicago travel agent Connie Semaitis 49 bought a cheeseburger and a drink at a McDonalds restaurant during lunch hour Monday. She said she was happy the chain was being cautious. I’d rather be safe than sorry Semaitis said. Cherry tomatoes grape tomatoes tomatoes sold with the vine still attached and homegrown tomatoes are likely not the source of the outbreak federal officials said. Also not associated with the outbreak are raw Roma red plum and round red tomatoes from Arkansas California Georgia Hawaii North Carolina South Carolina Tennessee Texas Belgium Canada Netherlands and Puerto Rico. Salmonella is a bacteria that lives in the intestinal tracts of humans and other animals. The bacteria are usually transmitted to humans by eating foods contaminated with animal feces and most infected people suffer fever diarrhea and abdominal cramps starting 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness tends to last four to seven days. The Food and Drug Administration warned consumers in New Mexico and Texas as early as June 3 about the outbreak. The agency expanded its warning during the weekend and chains began voluntarily removing many red plum red Roma or round red tomatoes from their shelves in response. The FDA is investigating the source of the outbreak agency spokeswoman Kimberly Rawlings said. We are working hard and fast on this one and hope to have something as quickly as possible Rawlings said Monday. Rawlings said the FDA’s traceback investigations typically look at similarities in illnesses reported to the CDC by state health officials. Investigators work backward to find the source of the contaminated product. FDA Commissioner Andrew C. von Eschenbach toured the agencys southwest regional research lab in Irvine Calif. on Monday where microbiologists worked to trace the source of the outbreak. The salmonella causing the outbreak is a very unusual type called salmonella saintpaul, said von. Eschenbach who added it was not more virulent than other types of salmonella. Tampa based OSI Restaurant Partners LLC which owns and operates eight brands including Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba’s and Bonefish Grill said it stopped serving all raw tomatoes other than grape tomatoes on Saturday evening. The company also instructed restaurants to discard salsa and other prepared foods containing raw tomatoes. Miami based Burger King Corp. said it had withdrawn raw round red tomatoes from most of its U.S. restaurants as well as locations in Canada and Puerto Rico and some other Caribbean islands. Some California restaurants continued using the tomatoes because they buy from growers in states the FDA has said are not involved in the outbreak Burger King said. Other restaurant operators that stopped serving most tomatoes Louisville Ky.based Yum Brands Inc  which owns Taco Bell, KFC Long John Silver’s and A&W All American Food Restaurants Orlando based Darden Restaurants which owns and operates 6 brands including Red Lobster and Olive Garden Denver based Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc and San Diego based Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp  which operates Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes restaurants in 15 states. Among retailers Wal Mart Stores Inc the largest grocery seller in the U.S is working with federal officials to ensure affected tomatoes are pulled from Wal Marts Neighborhood Markets and Sams Club warehouse stores nationwide spokeswoman Deisha Galberth said. Galberth said the Bentonville Ark. based company is modifying orders to its stores and putting an electronic block at its registers as an added safety measure to keep the recalled tomatoes from being purchased. Cincinnati based Kroger Co the nation’s largest traditional grocery chain said it Sunday pulled raw Roma tomatoes plum tomatoes and red round tomatoes from all its stores in 31 states per the FDA advisory. The company had early last week pulled the tomatoes from stores in Texas and New Mexico. Jacksonville Fla.based Winn Dixie Stores Inc which operates (521) stores in five southern states also stopped selling tomatoes involved in the FDA warning as did Lakeland Fla. based Publix Super Markets Inc. Publix offered refunds to customers who bought the tomatoes before they were removed from shelves or destroyed over the weekend. Monrovia Calif. based Trader Joe’s with more than 280 grocery stores in 23 states also stopped selling the tomatoes in question and offered refunds according to a statement from spokeswoman Alison Mochizuki. O’Hara Township Penn- based Giant Eagle which has 223 supermarkets in western Pennsylvania West Virginia, Ohio and Maryland, said it also removed the tomatoes from store shelves during the weekend as did Minneapolis based SuperValu Inc which operates Jewel Shaw’s Cub Foods Acme and some Albertson’s stores. California Tomato Farmers President Ed Beckman said that at this time of year almost all tomatoes sold in the United States come from either Mexico or Florida. Mexico supplies about one-third of all tomatoes consumed in the U.S. in the winter months and florida is the No. 1 producer with $600 million in sales annually. California is the second-largest producer with $400 million in sales annually.

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An ailing, 81-year-old Fidel Castro resigned as Cuba’s president Tuesday after nearly a half-century in power, saying he will not accept a new term when parliament meets Sunday.

The end of Castro’s rule — the longest in the world for a head of government — frees his 76-year-old brother Raul to implement reforms he has hinted at since taking over as acting president when Fidel Castro fell ill in July 2006. President Bush said he hopes the resignation signals the beginning of a democratic transition.

In the pre-dawn hours, most Cubans were unaware of Castro’s message, and Havana’s streets were quiet. It wasn’t until 5 a.m., several hours after Castro’s message was posted on the internet, that official radio began reading the missive to early risers.

By sunrise, most people headed to work in Havana seemed to have heard the news, which they appeared to accept without obvious signs of emotion. There were no tears or smiles as Cubans went about their usual business.

“He will continue to be my commander in chief, he will continue to be my president,” said Miriam, a 50-year-old boat worker waiting for the bus to Havana port. “But I’m not sad because he isn’t leaving, and after 49 years he is finally resting a bit.”

Castro temporarily ceded his powers to his brother on July 31, 2006, when he announced that he had undergone intestinal surgery. Since then, the elder Castro has not been seen in public, appearing only sporadically in official photographs and videotapes and publishing dense essays about mostly international themes as his younger brother has consolidated his rule.

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Barack Obama hit back at rival Hillary Clinton on Saturday before a Wisconsin showdown next Tuesday in their Democratic presidential battle, as Clinton headed to the state for the first time.

Obama, a first-term Illinois senator, has beaten Clinton in the last eight state contests to gain the upper hand in their duel to become the Democratic presidential nominee in November’s election.

Obama has spent four days in Wisconsin since his last round of victories last Tuesday, while Clinton has focused on March 4 votes in Ohio and Texas hoping victories there will rejuvenate her flagging campaign.

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Christian Brando, the troubled eldest son of the late famed actor Marlon Brando, has died from pneumonia at a Los Angeles hospital, an attorney said Saturday. He was 49.

Brando died Saturday morning at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, said David Seeley, an attorney representing Marlon Brando’s estate. Seeley said Brando was taken to the hospital on Jan. 11.

“This is a sad and difficult time for the family,” Seeley said.

Born on May 11, 1958, Brando was a high school dropout and never had much of a career. He had small roles in a handful of movies, including 1968’s “I Love You, Alice B. Toklas!” but he was better known    for his brushes with the law.

He spent five years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter in 1990 for killing his sister’s boyfriend, Dag Drollet, at the Brando family’s hilltop estate.

Brando said he accidentally shot Drollet as they struggled for a gun during an argument over whether Drollet, 26, had beaten Brando’s pregnant half-sister, Cheyenne.

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ABC News’ Teddy Davis Reports: For the second presidential debate in a row, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., came under fire for an Aug. 1 speech in which he said he would go after high-value Al Qaeda targets in Pakistan if the country’s president was not willing to act.

Watch the video HERE.

“You can think big but remember you shouldn’t always say everything you think when you’re running for president because it could have consequences across the world and we don’t need that right now,” said Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.

Clinton’s criticism of Obama, which was echoed at Tuesday’s Democratic forum by Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., and added to by Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., came two days after the Illinois Democrat was hammered for his policy towards Pakistan by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney at a GOP debate sponsored by ABC News.

Obama, who had the bulk of the Chicago crowd with him during the tense exchange, fired back at Clinton and Dodd by contrasting his early opposition to the Iraq war with the pro-war votes cast by his Democratic rivals in 2002.

Read full story at ABC News

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