‘Nawaz wants to become CIA, RAW agent’

LAHORE: PPP Parliamentary leader in the Punjab Assembly Zulfiqar Gondal has alleged that PML-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif has left the service of ISI and was now trying to become an agent of CIA and RAW by serving their objectives in the country.

Addressing a press conference at Lahore Press Club on Friday in connection with the new revelations of Wikileaks saying Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and MNA Khawaja Saad Rafiq called on US Consul in Lahore, Bryan D Hunt, in 2009 and reportedly said to him that deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry should be restored to vindicate the stance of PML-N but he should be removed after some time.

Gondal further alleged that the Sharif brothers would now collect donations from CIA and RAW on whose behest they were now attacking the ISI. Regarding the demand of Nawaz Sharif on presenting defence budget in parliament, Gondal said why Nawaz Sharif did not present it in parliament when he was the prime minister. He said the PPP had offered Nawaz Sharif to wait for the retirement of CJ Dogar which was due after two months, following which Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry would be restored. But he refused that, he added.

‘Nawaz wants to become CIA, RAW agent’

LAHORE: PPP Parliamentary leader in the Punjab Assembly Zulfiqar Gondal has alleged that PML-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif has left the service of ISI and was now trying to become an agent of CIA and RAW by serving their objectives in the country.

Addressing a press conference at Lahore Press Club on Friday in connection with the new revelations of Wikileaks saying Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and MNA Khawaja Saad Rafiq called on US Consul in Lahore, Bryan D Hunt, in 2009 and reportedly said to him that deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry should be restored to vindicate the stance of PML-N but he should be removed after some time.

Gondal further alleged that the Sharif brothers would now collect donations from CIA and RAW on whose behest they were now attacking the ISI. Regarding the demand of Nawaz Sharif on presenting defence budget in parliament, Gondal said why Nawaz Sharif did not present it in parliament when he was the prime minister. He said the PPP had offered Nawaz Sharif to wait for the retirement of CJ Dogar which was due after two months, following which Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry would be restored. But he refused that, he added.

Train hits vehicle in north India, 16 dead

NEW DELHI: At least 16 people, including 15 women, were killed in northern India on Sunday when their vehicle was hit by an express train at an unmanned railway crossing, police said.

The crowded jeep was crossing the tracks when it was hit in Madhubani district of the rural and impoverished state of Bihar.

The victims were travelling to the victory procession of a relative who had been elected as a village head, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

It quoted local police saying 12 people died at the scene, and four others while being taken to hospital. Four people were seriously injured.

Train hits vehicle in north India, 16 dead

NEW DELHI: At least 16 people, including 15 women, were killed in northern India on Sunday when their vehicle was hit by an express train at an unmanned railway crossing, police said.

The crowded jeep was crossing the tracks when it was hit in Madhubani district of the rural and impoverished state of Bihar.

The victims were travelling to the victory procession of a relative who had been elected as a village head, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

It quoted local police saying 12 people died at the scene, and four others while being taken to hospital. Four people were seriously injured.

Four French held by Libyan rebels freed: ministry

PARIS: Four French employees of a private security firm detained by Libyan rebels in Benghazi after an incident on May 11 when their boss was shot dead have been freed, the French foreign ministry said Saturday.

"They were taken to Egypt today and taken into the care of our consular authorities," a ministry statement said.

The rebels said Friday they would soon deport the four after arresting them on suspicion of spying for Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi.

The fifth Frenchman, ex-paratrooper Pierre Marziali, was "accidentally" shot dead by the rebels in a murky incident at a checkpoint.

Marziali was the founder of private security firm Secopex which had opened an office in Benghazi and his four companions were also working for the firm.

The rebels charged that the five were not private security contractors but were in Benghazi to sabotage the uprising against Kadhafi.

THE NEWS INTERNATIONAL 

Four French held by Libyan rebels freed: ministry

PARIS: Four French employees of a private security firm detained by Libyan rebels in Benghazi after an incident on May 11 when their boss was shot dead have been freed, the French foreign ministry said Saturday.

"They were taken to Egypt today and taken into the care of our consular authorities," a ministry statement said.

The rebels said Friday they would soon deport the four after arresting them on suspicion of spying for Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi.

The fifth Frenchman, ex-paratrooper Pierre Marziali, was "accidentally" shot dead by the rebels in a murky incident at a checkpoint.

Marziali was the founder of private security firm Secopex which had opened an office in Benghazi and his four companions were also working for the firm.

The rebels charged that the five were not private security contractors but were in Benghazi to sabotage the uprising against Kadhafi.

THE NEWS INTERNATIONAL 

Fire erupts at ‘Geo News’ office

KARACHI: After hours of struggle, the fire that erupted in Geo’s head office building has been successfully doused while emergency services are still being carried out by the fire fighting squad of the local fire brigade.

Two staffers of Geo News who were affected by the fumes were rushed to Civil Hospital. The blaze gutted the main studio, central news room, control room, PCR, satellite department, server room while many other installations were also severely damaged.

According to Geo News administration, the fire broke out inside the studio of the famous program “Aaj Kamran Khan Ke Saath” in Jang building situated along I.I. Chundrigar Road at 2:10 PM. Geo’s staff jumped in and began the effort to overcome the blaze on their own.

As soon as the studio’s door was opened, the smoke trapped inside it quickly spread across the entire floor and the staff present there was immediately evacuated followed by the staff of accounts department, HR department, daily Jang Karachi, daily Awam Karachi, daily Jang London, Akhbar-e-Jehan and other sections.

As a result of the incident, transmission of Geo News had to be suspended while other activities were also affected.

Soon after receiving the report of the blaze, the fire tenders and snorkel from the nearby fire brigade reached the site of Geo building besides the staff of emergency and rescue services including Edhi Foundation Trust, Chhipa Welfare and other NGOs and started providing their services.

The fire-fighting work continued for hours under the supervision of City District Government’s EDO Municipal Services Masood Alam.

Geo News, after suspension of its transmission for 45 minutes, began airing moment-to-moment news updates for its viewers from its temporary set up.

Fire erupts at ‘Geo News’ office

KARACHI: After hours of struggle, the fire that erupted in Geo’s head office building has been successfully doused while emergency services are still being carried out by the fire fighting squad of the local fire brigade.

Two staffers of Geo News who were affected by the fumes were rushed to Civil Hospital. The blaze gutted the main studio, central news room, control room, PCR, satellite department, server room while many other installations were also severely damaged.

According to Geo News administration, the fire broke out inside the studio of the famous program “Aaj Kamran Khan Ke Saath” in Jang building situated along I.I. Chundrigar Road at 2:10 PM. Geo’s staff jumped in and began the effort to overcome the blaze on their own.

As soon as the studio’s door was opened, the smoke trapped inside it quickly spread across the entire floor and the staff present there was immediately evacuated followed by the staff of accounts department, HR department, daily Jang Karachi, daily Awam Karachi, daily Jang London, Akhbar-e-Jehan and other sections.

As a result of the incident, transmission of Geo News had to be suspended while other activities were also affected.

Soon after receiving the report of the blaze, the fire tenders and snorkel from the nearby fire brigade reached the site of Geo building besides the staff of emergency and rescue services including Edhi Foundation Trust, Chhipa Welfare and other NGOs and started providing their services.

The fire-fighting work continued for hours under the supervision of City District Government’s EDO Municipal Services Masood Alam.

Geo News, after suspension of its transmission for 45 minutes, began airing moment-to-moment news updates for its viewers from its temporary set up.

Facebook and Microsoft battle child porn

SAN FRANCISCO:  Facebook and Microsoft on Friday formally unveiled an alliance to ferret out child porn and those that share such images at the world’s leading online social network.

Facebook will use PhotoDNA technology developed by Microsoft and Dartmouth College computer science professor Hany Farid to search for matches to pictures in a National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) database.

“We think this is a game changer and we are thrilled to be a part of this partnership,” Facebook assistant general counsel Chris Sonderby said in broadcast streamed at the social network.

PhotoDNA has evaluated more than two billion digital pictures at Microsoft services, finding 1,000 matches on SkyDrive and 1,500 matches through Bing image indexing, according to Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit associate general counsel Bill Harmon.

“It is very efficient technology and will not slow down a network,” Farid said during the live-streamed presentation.

“It has scanned over two billion images without a single false positive.”

PhotoDNA will scan the hundreds of millions photos uploaded daily to Facebook, blocking pictures recognized as child porn and, hopefully, leading police to the sources, according to Sonderby.

If caches of such imagery are seized, new pictures will be “fingerprinted” and made part of the PhotoDNA net, according to NCMEC chief executive Ernie Allen.

“This is a problem that is global in nature,” Allen said. “We think with Facebook we will be able to identify perpetrators preying on kids all over the world.”

The California-based social networking service is reported to have more than 600 million members around the planet.

“Facebook is becoming a model for the entire Internet industry,” Allen said, who expressed hope that pressure would be put on other online services to employ the child-porn-detecting technology.

PhotoDNA will also be scouring Facebook uploads for pictures of children reported missing, since youths tend to stay connected with friends at the social network even if they are dodging family, according to police.

“Facebook joining us is just a fantastic step forward,” Harmon said in the webcast.

“We plan to keep deploying and hope more partners and make this really big and help children in a large way.”

Each month Facebook users share more than 30 billion pieces of content including pictures, news stories, blog posts, and Web links, according to Microsoft.

“Identifying graphic child pornography in a sea of content like that is a daunting task, but PhotoDNA is helping to find the proverbial needle in a haystack,” Harmon said in a blog post.(AFP)

Facebook and Microsoft battle child porn

SAN FRANCISCO:  Facebook and Microsoft on Friday formally unveiled an alliance to ferret out child porn and those that share such images at the world’s leading online social network.

Facebook will use PhotoDNA technology developed by Microsoft and Dartmouth College computer science professor Hany Farid to search for matches to pictures in a National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) database.

“We think this is a game changer and we are thrilled to be a part of this partnership,” Facebook assistant general counsel Chris Sonderby said in broadcast streamed at the social network.

PhotoDNA has evaluated more than two billion digital pictures at Microsoft services, finding 1,000 matches on SkyDrive and 1,500 matches through Bing image indexing, according to Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit associate general counsel Bill Harmon.

“It is very efficient technology and will not slow down a network,” Farid said during the live-streamed presentation.

“It has scanned over two billion images without a single false positive.”

PhotoDNA will scan the hundreds of millions photos uploaded daily to Facebook, blocking pictures recognized as child porn and, hopefully, leading police to the sources, according to Sonderby.

If caches of such imagery are seized, new pictures will be “fingerprinted” and made part of the PhotoDNA net, according to NCMEC chief executive Ernie Allen.

“This is a problem that is global in nature,” Allen said. “We think with Facebook we will be able to identify perpetrators preying on kids all over the world.”

The California-based social networking service is reported to have more than 600 million members around the planet.

“Facebook is becoming a model for the entire Internet industry,” Allen said, who expressed hope that pressure would be put on other online services to employ the child-porn-detecting technology.

PhotoDNA will also be scouring Facebook uploads for pictures of children reported missing, since youths tend to stay connected with friends at the social network even if they are dodging family, according to police.

“Facebook joining us is just a fantastic step forward,” Harmon said in the webcast.

“We plan to keep deploying and hope more partners and make this really big and help children in a large way.”

Each month Facebook users share more than 30 billion pieces of content including pictures, news stories, blog posts, and Web links, according to Microsoft.

“Identifying graphic child pornography in a sea of content like that is a daunting task, but PhotoDNA is helping to find the proverbial needle in a haystack,” Harmon said in a blog post.(AFP)

IMF new chief selection due June 30

WASHINGTON: The International Monetary Fund's selection process for a new managing director will kick off with nominations Monday, and the final decision expected by June 30, the institution said late Friday.

"I am very pleased to announce that the Fund's Executive Board has adopted a procedure that allows the selection of the next managing director to take place in an open, merit-based, and transparent manner," A. Shakour Shaalan, dean of the IMF executive board, said in a statement.

The position was opened in extraordinary circumstances this week after the former head Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigned in the wake of a sex scandal.

An individual "may be nominated for the position of Managing Director by a Fund Governor or an Executive Director during a nomination period which shall commence on May 23, 2011 and will close on June 10, 2011," said the IMF.

The board's aim "is to select the managing director by consensus with the objective of completing the selection process by June 30, 2011."

French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde emerged Friday as Europe's choice to lead the IMF, getting a boost when a Turkish favorite ruled out his candidacy for the powerful job.

Even as leaders in emerging economies clamored for one of their own to take a job monopolized by Europeans since 1946, analysts called Lagarde the odds-on favorite to replace Strauss-Kahn after he stepped down to face sexual assault charges in New York.

Lagarde is "practically a shoo-in" as the European Union's candidate to succeed Strauss-Kahn, an EU source said.

IMF new chief selection due June 30

WASHINGTON: The International Monetary Fund's selection process for a new managing director will kick off with nominations Monday, and the final decision expected by June 30, the institution said late Friday.

"I am very pleased to announce that the Fund's Executive Board has adopted a procedure that allows the selection of the next managing director to take place in an open, merit-based, and transparent manner," A. Shakour Shaalan, dean of the IMF executive board, said in a statement.

The position was opened in extraordinary circumstances this week after the former head Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigned in the wake of a sex scandal.

An individual "may be nominated for the position of Managing Director by a Fund Governor or an Executive Director during a nomination period which shall commence on May 23, 2011 and will close on June 10, 2011," said the IMF.

The board's aim "is to select the managing director by consensus with the objective of completing the selection process by June 30, 2011."

French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde emerged Friday as Europe's choice to lead the IMF, getting a boost when a Turkish favorite ruled out his candidacy for the powerful job.

Even as leaders in emerging economies clamored for one of their own to take a job monopolized by Europeans since 1946, analysts called Lagarde the odds-on favorite to replace Strauss-Kahn after he stepped down to face sexual assault charges in New York.

Lagarde is "practically a shoo-in" as the European Union's candidate to succeed Strauss-Kahn, an EU source said.

NATO hits 8 Kadhafi ships; Tripoli calls Obama 'delusional'

TRIPOLI:  NATO warplanes hit eight vessels of Moamer Kadhafi's navy, the alliance said Friday as US President Barack Obama answered constitutional questions regarding the length of the Libyan conflict.

Also Friday, the United States said it delivered 120,000 Halal meals to Libyan rebels as part of US plans to provide $25 million in non-lethal aid to forces fighting Kadhafi's regime.

Meanwhile, authorities in Tripoli slammed Obama as "delusional" for earlier suggesting that the veteran Libyan leader's departure is inevitable.

They also strongly denied reports that Kadhafi's wife and daughter had fled to Tunisia and that Oil Minister Shukri Ghanem had defected.

NATO said it carried out "precision air strikes" in the ports of Tripoli, Al-Khums and Sirte, striking eight vessels.

"Given the escalating use of naval assets, NATO had no choice but to take decisive action to protect the civilian population of Libya and NATO forces at sea," said Rear Admiral Russell Harding, deputy head of the NATO-led air war.

Explosions were heard in the Libyan capital early Friday, hours after the air strikes targeted the city's port, with a ship still ablaze from the raid.

Harding insisted that all of the targets hit were military but government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim accused NATO of seeking to scare international shipping firms into steering clear of government-held ports.

"Whatever the ship that has been hit, it is clearly a message sent by NATO to the international maritime companies not to send any more vessels to Libya," Ibrahim told reporters.

British aircraft targeted Al-Khums, the nearest naval base under the control of Kadhafi forces to the rebel-held city of Misrata, British defence staff spokesman Major General John Lorimer said.

"As well as hitting two corvettes in the harbour, the Royal Air Force Tornados successfully targeted a facility in the dockyard constructing fast inflatable boats, which Libyan forces have used several times in their efforts to mine Misrata and attack vessels in the area," Lorimer said.

"The destruction last night of the facility and a significant stockpile of the boats will reduce the regime's ability to sustain such tactics," he added.

NATO has increased the pressure on Kadhafi by hitting several command and control centres in Tripoli in recent days.

"This has limited Kadhafi's ability to give orders to his forces. It has also constrained his freedom of movement; effectively he's gone into hiding," NATO's Wing Commander Mike Bracken said in Brussels.

In Tripoli, the government spokesman described as "delusional" Obama's prediction in a speech Thursday that the veteran Libyan leader's departure is inevitable.

"Obama is still delusional -- he believes the lies that his own government and own media spread around the world," Ibrahim said.

"It's not Obama who decides whether Moamer Kadhafi leaves Libya or not. It's the Libyan people who decide their future."

NATO hits 8 Kadhafi ships; Tripoli calls Obama 'delusional'

TRIPOLI:  NATO warplanes hit eight vessels of Moamer Kadhafi's navy, the alliance said Friday as US President Barack Obama answered constitutional questions regarding the length of the Libyan conflict.

Also Friday, the United States said it delivered 120,000 Halal meals to Libyan rebels as part of US plans to provide $25 million in non-lethal aid to forces fighting Kadhafi's regime.

Meanwhile, authorities in Tripoli slammed Obama as "delusional" for earlier suggesting that the veteran Libyan leader's departure is inevitable.

They also strongly denied reports that Kadhafi's wife and daughter had fled to Tunisia and that Oil Minister Shukri Ghanem had defected.

NATO said it carried out "precision air strikes" in the ports of Tripoli, Al-Khums and Sirte, striking eight vessels.

"Given the escalating use of naval assets, NATO had no choice but to take decisive action to protect the civilian population of Libya and NATO forces at sea," said Rear Admiral Russell Harding, deputy head of the NATO-led air war.

Explosions were heard in the Libyan capital early Friday, hours after the air strikes targeted the city's port, with a ship still ablaze from the raid.

Harding insisted that all of the targets hit were military but government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim accused NATO of seeking to scare international shipping firms into steering clear of government-held ports.

"Whatever the ship that has been hit, it is clearly a message sent by NATO to the international maritime companies not to send any more vessels to Libya," Ibrahim told reporters.

British aircraft targeted Al-Khums, the nearest naval base under the control of Kadhafi forces to the rebel-held city of Misrata, British defence staff spokesman Major General John Lorimer said.

"As well as hitting two corvettes in the harbour, the Royal Air Force Tornados successfully targeted a facility in the dockyard constructing fast inflatable boats, which Libyan forces have used several times in their efforts to mine Misrata and attack vessels in the area," Lorimer said.

"The destruction last night of the facility and a significant stockpile of the boats will reduce the regime's ability to sustain such tactics," he added.

NATO has increased the pressure on Kadhafi by hitting several command and control centres in Tripoli in recent days.

"This has limited Kadhafi's ability to give orders to his forces. It has also constrained his freedom of movement; effectively he's gone into hiding," NATO's Wing Commander Mike Bracken said in Brussels.

In Tripoli, the government spokesman described as "delusional" Obama's prediction in a speech Thursday that the veteran Libyan leader's departure is inevitable.

"Obama is still delusional -- he believes the lies that his own government and own media spread around the world," Ibrahim said.

"It's not Obama who decides whether Moamer Kadhafi leaves Libya or not. It's the Libyan people who decide their future."

'Macho Man' Randy Savage dies in car accident

'Macho Man' Randy Savage dies in car accident

Diddy Temporarily Changes His Name to 'Swag'

When Diddy feels like celebrating, he goes all out.

On Friday, the rapper and Bad Boy Records empresario announced that he would be marking the end of his bout with the flu with a very special announcement: He shall hereby go by the name "Swag." At least for the next week, that is.

Diddy made his announcement in a two-minute clip posted to YouTube, telling viewers, "So I've decided that I'm going to change my name for a week in honor of my comeback."

Of course some people reacted negatively to Swag (née Diddy)'s announcement—this isn't the first time he's pulled this or anything. Diddy took to Twitter to defend himself, writing, "Some of yall are to serious! Lighten up! (sic)" (ZIMBIO)

Diddy Temporarily Changes His Name to 'Swag'

When Diddy feels like celebrating, he goes all out.

On Friday, the rapper and Bad Boy Records empresario announced that he would be marking the end of his bout with the flu with a very special announcement: He shall hereby go by the name "Swag." At least for the next week, that is.

Diddy made his announcement in a two-minute clip posted to YouTube, telling viewers, "So I've decided that I'm going to change my name for a week in honor of my comeback."

Of course some people reacted negatively to Swag (née Diddy)'s announcement—this isn't the first time he's pulled this or anything. Diddy took to Twitter to defend himself, writing, "Some of yall are to serious! Lighten up! (sic)" (ZIMBIO)

PML-Q, Like-Minded row intensifies

ISLAMABAD: The internal wrangling within the PML-Q and its another faction Like-Minded group further intensified as on Wednesday President PML-Like Minded Salim Saifullah came out with warning to Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain that he would be shown the exit door if he did not stop giving warnings to senators who refused to toe his line in the upper house of the parliament.

“The disqualification clause did not apply on speaking against the party policy and if Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain will not change his behaviour our eleven senators who might be fourteen would submit application to the Chairman of Senate to oust his parliamentary leader,” he said while addressing the press conference here Wednesday.

Senator Salim Saifullah said that Shujaat Hussain took a personal decision to join the coalition government without taking the Central Executive Committee of the party into confidence. Salim Saifullah declared Shujaat Hussain as a controversial president of PML-Q and the petition is being pending in the Lahore High Court regarding his election as the president of the PML-Q. “No one can change the view of the party through force of threats,” he said.

Justifying the support to Ishaq Dar as an opposition leader in the Senate, Senator Salim Saifullah said the only purpose was to create a viable and strong opposition in the upper house of the parliament.

Saifullah described the support of Islamabad to the visit of John Kerry as an ‘insult’ to the resolution of joint sitting of Parliament in which it was clearly mentioned that if drone attacks were carried out then the supply line of Nato would be cut off. He said when John Kerry was in Islamabad then the drone attack was carried out. He stressed the need to take a hard stance before the United States.

THE NEWS INTERNATION PK

PML-Q, Like-Minded row intensifies

ISLAMABAD: The internal wrangling within the PML-Q and its another faction Like-Minded group further intensified as on Wednesday President PML-Like Minded Salim Saifullah came out with warning to Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain that he would be shown the exit door if he did not stop giving warnings to senators who refused to toe his line in the upper house of the parliament.

“The disqualification clause did not apply on speaking against the party policy and if Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain will not change his behaviour our eleven senators who might be fourteen would submit application to the Chairman of Senate to oust his parliamentary leader,” he said while addressing the press conference here Wednesday.

Senator Salim Saifullah said that Shujaat Hussain took a personal decision to join the coalition government without taking the Central Executive Committee of the party into confidence. Salim Saifullah declared Shujaat Hussain as a controversial president of PML-Q and the petition is being pending in the Lahore High Court regarding his election as the president of the PML-Q. “No one can change the view of the party through force of threats,” he said.

Justifying the support to Ishaq Dar as an opposition leader in the Senate, Senator Salim Saifullah said the only purpose was to create a viable and strong opposition in the upper house of the parliament.

Saifullah described the support of Islamabad to the visit of John Kerry as an ‘insult’ to the resolution of joint sitting of Parliament in which it was clearly mentioned that if drone attacks were carried out then the supply line of Nato would be cut off. He said when John Kerry was in Islamabad then the drone attack was carried out. He stressed the need to take a hard stance before the United States.

THE NEWS INTERNATION PK