US plans Middle East religious rights envoy

WASHINGTON: The US House of Representatives has voted to establish a US envoy to protect the rights of religious minorities in the Middle East and South Asia, amid rising concern over Egypt, Iraq and Pakistan.

While a marathon debate continued Friday on how to avoid US debt default, the House voted 402 to 20 to require President Barack Obama to set up the envoy post.

The Senate must follow suit, but senators from both parties have voiced support.

The envoy will be tasked with pressing minority rights in a broad region covering the Arab world, Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent. But the bill asks the envoy to prioritize Egypt, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Lawmakers voiced concern for the safety of Egypt’s Coptic Christians during the transition following the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak. At least two dozen people died in religion-related violence in Egypt in March and May.

Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey called the fate of Egypt’s ancient Christian community — which makes up 10 percent of the population — “the bellwether of the rights for religious minorities in the Middle East.”

“As the largest and one of the oldest minorities, they are suffering and their escalating agony portends suffering throughout the region,” Smith, a Republican and devout Catholic, said on the House floor.

Smith said he heard accounts that Coptic women and girls as young as 14 “are being systematically lured from their families or kidnapped off the street corners and forced to change their religion and forced to marry outside of their community.”

Lawmakers also voiced worries over the treatment of Christians in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Ahmadiyah Muslim minority in Pakistan, Bahais in Iran and Hindus in Bangladesh.

“In Afghanistan and Pakistan, countries where the United States has invested its treasure and the lives of countless brave American soldiers, persecution of Christians runs rampant,” said Representative Frank Wolf, a Republican from Virginia who sponsored the bill.He pointed to the case in Pakistan of Aasia Bibi, a Christian mother of five who was sentenced to death for allegedly insulting the Prophet Mohammad, and the assassination this year of two politicians who defended her.

All 20 lawmakers who voted against the bill were Republicans, mostly hawks against government spending. The legislation authorized $1 million a year for the envoy and staff through 2015.

Rain likely to hit Lahore today

LAHORE - Scattered thunderstorm and rain with isolated showers are likely to hit Lahore, Zhob, Kalat, Dera Ghazi Khan, Dera Ismail Khan, Sargodha and Bannu today (Tuesday). Thunderstorm and rain might hit Peshawar and Gilgit-Baltistan. A widespread thunderstorm with rain and isolated showers might hit Hazara, Malakand, Kohistan, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). Rain might also hit southern Sindh while hot and humid weather is expected in other parts of the country.
The humidity level was 81 percent on Monday morning in Lahore while it dropped to 52 percent in the evening. The maximum temperature reached 37 degrees Celsius whereas the minimum temperature was 26 degrees Celsius in the city. The maximum temperature in the country was recorded at Turbat, 46 degrees Celsius. The Met Office said that the weather remained hot and humid in most parts of the country but isolated rain, dust and thundershowers hit Malakand, Hazara, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala and AJK on Monday.

Dhoni pleased with display after Zaheer Khan injury

"A lot of things went wrong, but overall I am quite happy and hopefully the second Test will be more interesting than this."

At one point wicketkeeper Dhoni had to bowl, such were his limited options in the attack, but he did not believe that the laws should be changed so he could bring in another bowler in such circumstances.

"It's part of the strategy," he added. "If you are playing with four bowlers and something like this happens you have to accept what happens rather than crying about it.

"I don't think the law really needs to change. It was a courageous attempt by the bowlers still to put pressure on England. They did a really good job."

If Khan fails to be fit in time for the second Test India could bring in Sreesanth or Munaf Patel as a fast-bowling replacement.

India captain Mahendra Dhoni said he was relatively pleased with his team's first Test defeat by England after losing one of his key bowlers.

Zaheer Khan's hamstring injury meant the tourists were reduced to three bowlers for much of the match, while Sachin Tendulkar also had a fever.

Dhoni said his star batsman should be fit for the second Test at Trent Bridge on Friday but was not sure about Khan.

"Sachin should be fine but [on] Khan we are not 100% sure," he said.

"Let's hope for the best and see over the next couple of days, hopefully he will be fit."

England bowler Jimmy Anderson took five wickets on the final day to dismiss India for 261 in their second innings, thereby earning the hosts a 196-run victory.

Only VVS Laxman (56) and Suresh Raina (78) offered any real resistance, while Tendulkar was one of Anderson'svictims for a mere 12 runs.

"I am a bit disappointed, but over five days - the cricket we played - we got a lot out of it," Dhoni told BBC Test Match Special.

"In the first innings we lost Zaheer Khan so we were playing with three bowlers, two fast bowlers and one spinner.

"It was very difficult to manoeuvre our bowling attack and it put pressure on our fast bowlers. They had to bowl around 60 overs each which was very tough. Then Tendulkar had a viral fever.

"A lot of things went wrong, but overall I am quite happy and hopefully the second Test will be more interesting than this.""A lot of things went wrong, but overall I am quite happy and hopefully the second Test will be more interesting than this."

At one point wicketkeeper Dhoni had to bowl, such were his limited options in the attack, but he did not believe that the laws should be changed so he could bring in another bowler in such circumstances.

"It's part of the strategy," he added. "If you are playing with four bowlers and something like this happens you have to accept what happens rather than crying about it.

"I don't think the law really needs to change. It was a courageous attempt by the bowlers still to put pressure on England. They did a really good job."

If Khan fails to be fit in time for the second Test India could bring in Sreesanth or Munaf Patel as a fast-bowling replacement.

Major issues between old rivals India and Pakistan

The two South Asian nations have fought three wars since they became free nations in 1947, and remain deeply distrustful of each other. - Photo by ReutersNEW DELHI: India’s and Pakistan’s foreign ministers hold talks in New Delhi on Wednesday, the latest in a series of high-level meetings between the nuclear armed countries aimed at bringing peace to the world’s most dangerous region.

PML-N won’t attend govt's reception

LAHORE: Members of Pakistan Muslim League-N have decided not to attend the diner reception being hosted in the honour of parliamentarians by Pakistan People’ Party’s Chief Whip Khursheed Shah, Geo News reported.

The decision was made in protest of the President Asif Ali Zardari’s statement against PML-N Chief Nawaz Sharif during the former’s address in Naudero on the occasion of Ms Benazir Bhutto’s birth anniversary.

Syed Khursheed had invited the parliamentarians including those of PML-N to attend the dinner reception on the occasion of approval of the Federal Budget today. PML-N members had a plan to attend the reception but decided otherwise following the speech of President Zardari in Naudero.

Khusheed Shah had been informed about the PML-N’s decision

US money 'being funnelled to the Taliban'

Millions of pounds of American taxpayer funds were funnelled into supporting the Taliban by trucking companies paying protection money a US military study has reportedly found.

Half the main freight companies ferrying food, fuel and building materials to American troops were involved in a "criminal enterprise or support for the enemy" it suggests.

Details of the military-led investigation followed a separate report which found America had squandered £21 billion of taxpayers' money on private sector contracts during a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The investigation found trucking contracts were riddled with profiteering, money laundering and kickbacks to Afghan strongmen – often through a labyrinth of subcontractors.

The Nato allies spend vast sums ferrying materiel through deserts and mountains prone to attack by bandits and insurgents. America prefers to use Afghan hauliers and security firms to free up its own troops for fighting and to stimulate the Afghan economy.