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Politics

Sri Lankan FM slams ‘biased’ UN rights report

Sri Lanka’s foreign minister Sunday condemned a “preposterous” UN-commissioned report alleging war crimes in his country, revealing he stopped Canada raising it at a Commonwealth meeting.
Foreign Minister Gamini Peiris also confirmed Sri Lanka will host the next Commonwealth leaders’ meeting in 2013, saying that none of the 54-nation bloc raised the prospect of [...]

China envoy says Syria unrest ‘cannot continue’

China’s Middle East envoy Wu Sike cautioned Syria during a visit to Damascus of the dangers of a government crackdown on dissent that he said “cannot continue,” he told reporters in Cairo on Sunday.
Wu said that he “affirmed to senior officials in Syria of the danger of the situation and that it cannot [...]

Pakistan’s Khan offers to help US in Afghan pullout

Pakistan cricket hero turned politician Imran Khan told a huge rally Sunday that his party would help US troops pull out from Afghanistan and bring militancy in the country to an end.
Addressing a crowd of tens of thousands in the eastern city of Lahore he said his Tehreek-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice) party would like [...]

South Korea ruling party defeated in Seoul poll

South Korea’s conservative ruling party lost Seoul’s mayoral election Wednesday, results showed, in a severe setback for it before national polls next year.
Opposition-backed civic activist Park Won-Soon had 53.3 percent against his ruling Grand National Party (GNP) rival Na Kyung-Won’s 46.3 percent with 95.5 percent of the votes counted, the National Election Commission said.
With an [...]

UN bids to ease ‘terrible’ malnutrition in N.Korea

The UN humanitarian chief urged the world Monday to reduce “terrible levels” of malnutrition in North Korea, but also told Pyongyang to release more information to allay scepticism about its food needs.
Valerie Amos said her five-day visit to the North last week was prompted by concern that “six million people urgently need food [...]

Pakistan among Security Council newcomers

Pakistan Friday envoy played down fears of conflict with India and the United States on the UN Security Council as it was among four countries which won seats on the UN’s most powerful body.
Pakistan, Morocco, Guatemala and Togo all secured two-year seats on the council.
But a battle between Azerbaijan and Slovenia for a fifth [...]

Read More » No commentOctober 22, 2011

Indian Kashmir to relax emergency law

Tough emergency laws imposed in Indian Kashmir in 1990 that allow security forces to act with near-impunity are to be partially withdrawn, the region’s chief minister announced Friday.
It marks a significant step in the process of normalising the Indian part of Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region divided with Pakistan that has sparked two [...]

Read More » No commentOctober 22, 2011

US boosts pressure on Pakistan over terrorism

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Obama administration on Friday intensified pressure on Pakistan to do more to crack down on Islamist militants destabilizing Afghanistan. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton delivered a tough public message that extremists have been able to operate in and from Pakistan for too long.
For the second time in two days, [...]

Read More » No commentOctober 22, 2011

US demands Pakistan action ‘in days and weeks’

The United States called on Pakistan Friday to take action within “days and weeks” on dismantling Afghan militant havens and encouraging the Taliban into peace talks in order to end 10 years of war.
Crucially, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appeared to extract recognition from Pakistan that it could do more in clamping down [...]

Read More » No commentOctober 22, 2011

Rare moment of levity in US-Pakistan relationship

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Washington’s troubled relationship with Pakistan has triggered plenty of heartburn for U.S. officials, but rarely sidesplitting laughter.
That changed Friday when Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton erupted in amusement during a town hall meeting in Islamabad when a participant described the U.S. as Pakistan’s impossible to please mother-in-law.
“We all know that [...]

Read More » No commentOctober 22, 2011