Thursday, December 8, 2011

Kabul hits back at Pakistan over Kabul bombing

6:42 AM McGhori

KABUL: Afghanistan and Pakistan were locked in a war of words on Thursday over a shrine bombing that killed at least 55 people in Kabul and which the Afghan government blamed on a Pakistani terror group. Islamabad called for an end to the “blame game” after Kabul demanded action against the group, Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, whose purported claim of responsibility for Tuesday’s attack has not been confirmed independently. “It is high time to get out of the blame game as such and to move forward in the spirit of cooperation,” said foreign office spokesman Abdul Basit. “Publicly accusing Pakistan of unfounded events and things do create problems at some stage”, he told reporters. “We would like to have a relationship that is free of...
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Uranium sales open to India, not Pakistan: Australia

3:04 AM McGhori

SYDNEY: Australia’s Defence Minister Stephen Smith said India represented a “unique” case for uranium sales Thursday and denied that lifting its export ban to New Delhi opened the door to countries like Pakistan. The ruling centre-left Labor party voted to overturn its long-standing ban on uranium sales to India at its national policy summit last weekend despite the fact that it was still not a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Smith, on an official visit to India, said the decision had been “warmly welcomed” but rebuffed suggestions that Pakistan may want a similar arrangement. “The circumstances for India so far as export of uranium is concerned are, in my view, unique,” Smith told ABC television from India. “Pakistan...
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Former Illinois governor sentenced to 14 years

2:57 AM McGhori

CHICAGO: Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich on Wednesday was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for political corruption including attempting to sell the US Senate seat vacated by then President-elect Barack Obama. Blagojevich, who turns 55 on Saturday, must serve at least 85 per cent of the sentence or about 12 years before being released under the sentencing guidelines. He was also fined $20,000. He was convicted of seeking jobs and campaign contributions in exchange for state government action. Blagojevich, a Democrat who was ousted from office in 2009, had asked US District Judge James B. Zagel for mercy, saying he was “unbelievably sorry.” Zagel said before sentencing that he accepted Blagojevich’s apology,...
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