Spider-Man musical stuck in a web of troubles

NEW YORK: The bugs apparently still need to be worked out on Broadway’s version of Spider-Man.
Producers of ”Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark” have been forced to delay by three weeks the official opening of the costly and complicated show, and it will only open its doors for previews after the busy Thanksgiving holiday.
”Shows like ours, that embrace the challenge of opening on Broadway without an out-of-town tryout, often need to adjust their schedules along the way,” lead producer Michael Cohl said in a statement released Friday, citing an ”unprecedented level of technical artistry.”
Originally scheduled to begin previews on Nov. 14 with an opening four days before Christmas, the show will now begin previews on Nov. 28 and finally open on Jan. 11, a less-than-ideal timetable for luring the crowds that descend on Broadway over the holidays.
”That’s usually a sign that there’s trouble in River City,” says Robert Westenberg, a Tony Award-nominated actor whose Broadway credits include ”Les Miserables,” ”Zorba” and the original 1987 run of ”Into the Woods,” which he recalls was delayed for several weeks while Stephen Sondheim tinkered with the musical before it finally opened. When it did, it ran for two years.
Westenberg, who now teaches theater at Drury University in Springfield, Missouri, says many reasons can delay a show’s opening, including weak stories or songs, unfinished costumes, not-ready-for-prime-time production values and unready stars.
”They have to do this cost-benefit analysis in terms of how many weeks is it going to take to hammer it into the kind of shape where it’s going to be critic-proof, and how many weeks can they afford to do that without anybody coming in to put money in the coffers,” he says. ”It’s a tough call.”
The reported $60 million musical is, by any measure, a huge undertaking. It will have a 41-member cast, 18 orchestra members and aerial stunts designed by a longtime Cirque du Soleil alum that will shoot actors up to 40 mph through the air and over the audience. Its promotional material promises ”a thrilling experience in ways never-before-dreamed-possible in live theater.”
The delay is just the latest blow for a musical that has been in the works for more than six years. Producers have come and gone, and so have cast members: Evan Rachel Wood and Alan Cumming were once cast as Mary-Jane and the Green Goblin. At one point, the musical was supposed to open in February 2010.
Besides timing troubles, two on-set accidents have injured actors, including one who had both his wrists broken when he practiced an aerial stunt. And inspectors from the New York State Department of Labor, which must approve all stunts that go over an audience, were unable to complete a recent safety review; producers said they were unprepared to show all the stunts in one day.
”I’m not surprised that ‘Spider-Man’ is delayed,” said a longtime theater producer not connected to the comic book musical, who asked that his name not be used so he would not damage his relations in the Broadway community. ”They are building a musical that costs three times as much as the biggest musical we’ve seen previously.”
Until now, ”Shrek the Musical,” which opened in 2008, is believed to be Broadway’s costliest show with a price tag reported to have been $25 million and it failed to make its investors money. By comparison, ”The Phantom of the Opera” cost about $12 million in 1988 _ around $22 million in today’s dollars _ and ”Wicked” cost $14 million to mount in 2003 and both are still chugging along on Broadway and are two of the most successful shows ever.
The Spider-Man musical will star relative unknowns _ Reeve Carney as Peter Parker, Jennifer Damiano as Mary Jane Watson and Patrick Page as the Green Goblin _ in the story by Glen Berger and Julie Taymor, who is also directing. The music is by U2′s Bono and The Edge, and features moody guitar-heavy arena rock, including the song ”Boy Falls From the Sky,” which U2 has been playing on tour.
During a set visit in early October, Taymor, who won a Tony Award for directing ”The Lion King,” was firmly in charge and the technical run-through seemed relaxed. Cohl said things were on track, both financially and in terms of schedule. He would not comment to The Associated Press on Friday.
Other shows this month have had complications. The opening of a musical based on Pedro Almodovar’s ”Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown,” which, like ”Spider-Man” originated on Broadway without benefit of a practice run elsewhere, was also delayed and opened to mostly negative reviews, citing an unfocused production. And the upcoming Broadway opening of ”The Merchant of Venice” has been delayed after actress Lily Rabe pulled out for several preview performances citing family reasons. – AP

Russian investors soon to visit Karachi, Islamabad

KARACHI: A Russian investment delegation will soon visit Karachi and Islamabad to review and explore investment opportunities in Pakistan.
This was stated here by Chief Executive Officer of Russian National Investment Agency, Mr Oleg Gorbulin, during a meeting with the officials of Sindh Board of Investment (SBI).
According to a statement of SBI issued on Sunday, the meeting was held at the Board’s office on Saturday afternoon and was chaired by Advisor to Sindh Chief Minister on Investment, Zubair Motiwala.
The Russian delegates expressed its interest to explore opportunities of investment, particularly in Sindh, in various sectors including gas mining, agriculture, livestock, engineering, and medicine.
They also sought special block for Russian investors in the Exclusive Economic Zones set up by the government in various parts of the country which provide special incentives to the investors.
Advisor Motiwala said that the provincial government could send a representative of SBI on temporary basis to Russia to give guidelines to the Russian investors about the investment opportunities in Pakistan.
In addition, he said that the office of SBI in Karachi could also play a good role to liaison with the Russians businessmen.
On the occasion, a brief documentary was also shown to the Russian team about prospectus of investment in various sectors of economy.

Israel presses US on ‘credible’ military threat against Iran

NEW ORLEANS: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Vice President Joe Biden Sunday that only a “credible” threat of military action will ensure Iran does not obtain nuclear weapons, a senior Israeli official said.
Netanyahu met with Biden in New Orleans shortly after arriving there for a summit of Jewish organizations.
The senior official, who asked not to be named, quoted Netayahu as telling Biden: “The only way to ensure Iran does not obtain nuclear weapons is by creating a credible threat of military action against it if it does not halt its race to acquire a nuclear bomb.”
President Barack Obama’s administration, while not ruling out a military option against Iran, has so far stressed sanctions and diplomacy as its preferred course with dealing with Iran’s nuclear program.
Biden’s discussions with Netanyahu come as world powers are positioning for a resumption of talks with Iran about its nuclear program, which the West suspects is aimed at developing a nuclear weapons capability.
And it comes on the heels of US mid-term elections that left Obama in a weakened position with Republicans in control of the House of Representatives and the Democrats clinging to a slender majority in the Senate.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham set a tough tone on Iran on Saturday at a security conference in Ottawa when he said conservatives want “bold” action on Iran.
If Obama “decides to be tough with Iran beyond sanctions, I think he is going to feel a lot of Republican support for the idea that we cannot let Iran develop a nuclear weapon,” Graham told the Halifax International Security Forum.
“The last thing America wants is another military conflict, but the last thing the world needs is a nuclear-armed Iran. Containment is off the table.”
Mark Regev, Netanyahu’s spokesman, said the Israeli prime minister expressed support for continued sanctions on Iran in his talks with Biden but suggested that more pressure was needed.
“Sanctions are important. They are increasing pressure on Iran. But so far there has not been any change in the behavior of Iran and upgrading of international pressure is necessary,” he quoted Netanyahu as tell Biden.
The impasse over Iran’s nuclear program has already led to fresh UN and EU sanctions against Iran, which were followed by several other unilateral punitive measures by the United States and the EU.
Sanctions notably ban investments in oil, gas and petrochemicals while also targeting banks, insurance, financial transactions and shipping — which Tehran has brushed off as having no impact.
But Iran has said it is prepared to resume talks from November 10 and proposed that they be held in Turkey rather than in Vienna, the site proposed by the EU’s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.
The talks, which include Britain, China, France, Russia, Germany and the United States, have been deadlocked since October 2009 when the two sides met in Geneva.
The New York Times reported last month that the Obama administration and its European allies were preparing a new, more onerous offer for Iran than the one rejected by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last year.
The offer would require Iran to send more than 4,400 pounds of low-enriched uranium out of the country, an increase of more than two-thirds from the amount required under a deal struck in Vienna.

Pakistani soil not to be used by terrorists, says Zardari

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari Sunday reiterated that Pakistan will never allow a handful of terrorists and extremists to impose their extremist ideological agenda on the people through force and said that we will not let Pakistani soil to be used by the terrorists against any country.
He said that blame game will not serve the cause of the war against militancy and emphasized that the international community should also understand and appreciate our determination to fight militancy.
The President made these remarks while addressing the fourth national conference of SAFMA (South Asia Free Media Association) titled “Setting a National Agenda on Media, Democracy and Good Governance” here at the Aiwan-e-Sadr on Sunday night.The President said that Pakistan stands for peace in the region and the world and wanted early resumption of the composite dialogue process with India.
According to the prepared text of the speech, the President said “The democratic civil government went out of the way in our peace overtures towards India. It would have been most helpful if our initiatives had been welcomed and responded to in a positive manner. Mumbai attack has undermined efforts for peace. Pakistan is cooperating in unearthing and bringing to justice the perpetrators of militant acts.”
The President said that “we want to implement Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto’s vision of a peaceful South Asia through economic integration adding we are for strengthening SAARC and are ready to relax tariff and non-tariff barriers on a reciprocal basis”.
The President while appreciating the stand taken by SAFMA and Citizens for Democracy to oppose any undemocratic and unconstitutional change reiterated commitment of the PPP to a progressive, democratic and liberal Polity that empowers the working people and the poor of the country.
“Reconciliation is a cornerstone of the policy of the present government. We believe in reconciliation because the issues facing the country are so great and complex that no one party or institution can solve them.” The President said.
The President said that “we have seen the negative consequences of politics of confrontation”, adding that the nation can ill afford confrontational politics.
The setting up of coalition governments, both at the center and in the provinces, is a measure of our policy of reconciliation, the President said and added that “we therefore welcome when SAFMA also seeks national consensus on major national policy issues”.
The President mentioned the 18th Constitutional Amendment, the NFC Award, the Aghazi Huqooqi Balochistan, the holding of free and fair bye-elections in many constituencies and the political ownership to the fight against militancy as some of the dividends of the policy of reconciliation.
The President while welcoming SAFMA’s efforts to evolve a national consensus on the major challenges facing the country congratulated SAFMA for holding its 4th National Conference in Islamabad and also welcomed SAFMA proposal to hold 3rd Indo-Pak Parliamentary Conference in Islamabad in the near future.
The President said that the government is vigorously working to address the issue of poverty through Benazir Income support Program which is not merely a poverty alleviation program but also a women emancipation and empowerment program.
The President while referring to the history’s worst floods said that the watan card has proved to be a very successful instrument to rehabilitate the flood victims as everyone has appreciated it.
The President said, “I should also like to say that our well to do people will also have to come forward and make contributions through one time flood surcharge. We cannot go to the international community and ask for help without showing that we too are doing our best”.
The President while commenting on Pakistan’s fight against militancy said that from the very outset we faced the challenge of militancy but we came out in the open against militants and took them head on.
The undeclared policy of running with the hare and hunting with the hound was abandoned, the President said.
The President said that the PPP led democratic Government fully believes in freedom of the media and wholeheartedly welcomes constructive and positive criticism as it helps fine-tuning the policies of any government.
He said that free and fair media is essence of any democratic society and safeguards the sacred principles of democracy for which PPP has offered its blood throughout our history. He said that we have upheld the freedoms of the media and refused to be provoked.
The President noted the points rose by SAFMA’s conference on the need for a National Agenda for strengthening democracy and said that the government and the Party will respond to any constructive suggestion to strengthen economy, improve law and order, and enhance security to uphold democratic system. – APP

Pakistan fine three cricketers on discipline violation

DUBAI: Pakistan team manager Intikhab Alam on Sunday revealed three cricketers were fined for disciplinary reasons, saying there remains no tolerance on the rules implemented in the new code of conduct.
Opener Shahzaib Hasan, spinner Abdul Rehman and wicket-keeper Zulqarnain Haider were fined 500 dirham (136 dollars) for breaking curfew timings during the ongoing one-day series against South Africa, played in the United Arab Emirates.
“We have reminded the players that there will be no tolerance on discipline and after these three players returned late to the team hotel by five minutes they have been fined and issued show-cause notices,” team manager Intikhab Alam told reporters.
Alam said the players have been told of severe consequences if they breach the code of conduct again, with double fines and other sanctions.
Pakistan introduced a new players’ code of conduct with stricter punishments last month, following problems of discipline and corruption which rocked their cricket recently.
Three Pakistani players Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer were suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC) last month after allegations of spot-fixing against them.
Alam said no disciplinary problem will be tolerated.
“All the players have been told about their responsibility and that Pakistan cricket is first and foremost, so we think that stricter steps will bring good results,” said Alam, also a former Pakistan captain. – APP

Nawaz will never regain power, says Musharraf

NEW YORK: Former president Pervez Musharraf has severely criticised PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif and said he (Nawaz) will never be able to regain power and take him to court.
The retired general who had deposed Mr Sharif in October 1999 told a gathering of Pakistanis on Saturday night that “Nawaz knows that neither will he regain power nor will he be able to try me in a court of law. Therefore, he takes resort to blowing this trumpet time and again.”
Gen (retd) Musharraf said he did not regret the action taken against Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Bugti and against Lal Mosque and stressed he would not apologise for the actions, adding he would do it all over again if forced by the situation.
Continuing his attacks on Mr Sharif, he said that while he raised the slogan of ‘Jaag Punjabi Jaag’ to secure votes in Punjab, he had remained silent over the killing of Punjabis in Balochistan.
Gen (retd) Musharraf accused Mr Sharif of giving refuge in Lahore to Talal Bugti whom he termed ‘lawbreaker’.
Supporters of PML-N gathered outside the hall raised slogans against Musharraf.

VC asks govt to accept captors’ demands

PESHAWAR: A video footage of the kidnapped Vice-Chancellor of Islamia College University, Prof Ajaml Khan, surfaced here on Sunday, with him appealing to the government to accept the demands of his captors by Nov 20.
“The government should accept mujahideen’s demands, which are of trivial nature, by Nov 20, failing which I may lose my life the following day,” he said.
Prof Khan was kidnapped on Sept 7 when he was going to his office from his residence.In his first video released last month he had requested the provincial government and leaders of the Awami National Party to get him released.
The fresh video, released to some private television channels, Prof Khan who has grown a beard, calls upon teachers and students of the university and sincere workers of the ANP to call upon the government for acceptance of his captors’ demands.
Prof Khan, who is related to ANP Chief Asfandyar Wali Khan, said he had been in custody all this time and he had earlier requested the government through a video to accept his captors’ demands, but his request fell on deaf ears.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said he neither knew who had released the video nor any group had put forward any demand to the government.
In a handout issued here, the minister said that Prof Khan was respected by the government and all possible efforts would be made to get him released.
“For the sake of humanity we have always strived to get every kidnapped person released and will continue to do so,” he said. – Bureau report
Lecturers association of KP has called for a strike and demanded a quick recovery of kidnapped Professor Ajmal. They have announced to keep all universities closed from Monday until VC is released.

Pakistan lost Hong Kong Sixes final to Australia

Australian captain David Warner plays a shot against Pakistan during the Cup Final cricket match at the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes 2010 on November 7, 2010. Australia won the match by 2 wickets. – Photo by AFP
Karachi: In spite of posting a huge total of 132-6, Pakistan lost to Australia when the later managed 50 runs off the last nine balls to end 135-4 in Hong Kong Sixes final in Hong Kong.
Ahmed Shehzad scored a brilliant 92-run knock coming off 28 balls. However, Australia conquered the target of 133 runs with impressive innings from their captain David Warner (35no), Glen Maxwell (34) and Ryan Carters (31no) to storm to an improbable victory.
Imran Nazir conceded 48 runs in the last over, which he did not even complete after bowling 12 wides and 9 no-balls. – PPI

ICC impressed with Pakistan’s corruption response

DUBAI: A Task team of cricket’s governing body on Sunday said it was impressed by the steps taken by Pakistan authorities to curb corruption and discipline problems to safeguard the integrity of the game.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) last month advised Pakistan to take strict steps to curb corruption and disciplinary problems, if they fail it could see the ICC punishing them.
Pakistan cricket has been rocked by allegations of spot-fixing, match-fixing and disciplinary problems, resulting in earning a bad name for the game at international level.Three Pakistani players Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer were provisionally suspended on charges of violating the ICC players’ code of conduct last month.
The suspension came over reports in the British newspaper News of the World, which claimed several Pakistani players including the suspended trio obeyed orders from an alleged bookmaker during Lord’s Test against England in August.
The Pakistan team was also accused of deliberately losing their Sydney Test in January this year.
The ICC also launched a separate inquiry after a tip off from another British tabloid The Sun, which claimed Pakistan’s scoring pattern in the Oval one-day match (played on September 17) was pre-arranged with book-makers.
The ICC, however, cleared Pakistan from the Oval one-day allegations after no evidence was found.
The Task team led by England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Giles Clarke held a tele-conference on Sunday, saying it was impressed with the steps taken by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
“The ICC’s Pakistan Task Team (PTT) met by teleconference on Sunday to receive an update on the progress being made by the PCB to ensure the integrity of cricket,” said an ICC release.
It further added: “The PTT were impressed by the progress reported by the PCB. These included: The development of an Anti-Corruption Code by the PCB, a proposed plan to regulate agents of Pakistani players and an enhanced and countrywide education programme.” On the directives of the ICC, PCB last month introduced a stricter code of conduct for all the national team players and implemented steps to educate the players on corruption and doping.
“The PCB has clearly recognized that it is imperative to protect the integrity of cricket and we are indeed impressed by the progress reported. They have shown a clear determination to tackle their challenges,” ICC chief executve Haroon Lorgat said.
“The ICC Task Team is mindful of those challenges and is committed to supporting the PCB.”Clarke also praised PCB’s efforts.
“The PCB chairman and his team must be congratulated for the speed with which they have adopted the recommendations of the ICC Board. Everyone is encouraged by the statements and actions of the PCB and we must hope that they continue,” said Clarke.PCB chairman Ijaz Butt reiterated his stance to purge Pakistan cricket.
“The PCB is determined to implement the recommendations provided by the ICC. We at the PCB, like the ICC, are committed to a zero-tolerance approach to any form of corruption,” Butt was quoted in the release. – AFP

Two US drone strikes kill 14 militants in Northwest

PESHAWAR: A pair of American drone strikes killed 14 suspected militants in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday, local intelligence officials said, in the latest attacks against al-Qaida and Taliban militants seeking sanctuary in the region.
The missiles struck an hour apart in the North Waziristan – the area that has seen the overwhelming majority of drone strikes over the last two months. The rugged region is home to hundreds of Pakistani and foreign militants, many belonging to or allied with al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
In the first strike, one American missile slammed into a house and another hit a vehicle in the town of Ghulam Khan just north of Miran Shah, the main town in North Waziristan, the two officials said. Nine insurgents were killed.
An hour later, another pair of missiles struck a vehicle in the nearby town of Datta Khel, killing five suspected militants, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to talk to the media. They said all five killed were foreigners.
Further details were not immediately available. The intelligence officials said agents on the ground were collecting more details.
North Waziristan, which is part of the Pakistan’s semiautonomous tribal belt, is home to the Haqqani network, a powerful insurgent group that US officials say is behind many of the attacks on US and Nato forces just across the border in Afghanistan. The group is believed to control the town hit by the first strike Sunday.
The region is too dangerous for outsiders to visit and independently confirm the attacks, and US officials do not acknowledge firing the missiles, much less discuss who they are targeting.
It is widely believed, however, that Pakistan’s army has given tacit approval to the strikes and the recent spike in attacks has not attracted a greater level of criticism.
Washington wants Islamabad to launch a military offensive in the region, but so far has had to rely on missile strikes to hamper militant operations. The pace of the attacks has picked up recently, with roughly 20 apiece in the past two months, double the preceding monthly tally.
Some locals allege that the suspected US drone strikes regularly kill innocents, while others say the missiles are accurate and most of the dead are militants or villagers knowingly harboring them.
The strikes are carried out by unmanned drones that fly over the region for hours and equipped with extremely high-powered video cameras. — AP

The Socialite Network: UK’s Queen joins Facebook

LONDON: Now it’s the socialite network – Britains Queen Elizabeth II has joined Facebook, launching a series of official pages offering the website’s 500 million users daily updates on her engagements, the royal household said Sunday.
The 84-year-old British monarch will be featured in videos, photos and news items on the site, which will be available from Monday, alongside other members of the country’s royal family, including Princes William and Harry.
Users will be able leave messages or comments for Buckingham Palace on the site and find details of royal events close to their homes.
However, because the pages will be corporate – and not a personal account – people won’t be able to request to become friends with the queen.
A royal official said the queen had personally approved the plan, but acknowledged she has not actually used the site herself.
“The decision went right up to the queen,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to discuss the plan ahead of its official launch. “If you are going to have an online presence in 2010, you just have to be on Facebook.”
The Facebook page is the queen’s latest social media venture – the royal family already have an account on the Flickr photography website, joined Twitter in 2009 and set up a video channel on YouTube in 2007.
Buckingham Palace set up its own website in 1997, which now allows people to apply for palace jobs online, track the royal family via Google Maps or read details in a section devoted to the queen’s prized corgi dogs.
Her Facebook site will include Britain’s court circular, the official daily record of the royal family’s engagements. It lists all royal diary appointments from the previous day and was created by George III in 1803, reportedly after he became frustrated at inaccurate newspaper reports. — AP

Foreign military deaths in Afghanistan in 2010 hit 626

KABUL: The deaths of three Nato soldiers – two on Sunday – in Afghanistan to fight the Taliban-led insurgency have taken the toll for this year to 626.
Nato’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said the soldiers, whose nationalities were not revealed, died following insurgent attacks in eastern Afghanistan.
One of the soldiers died on Saturday and two died on Sunday, ISAF said in separate statements.
The AFP toll is based on a tally kept by the independent icasualties.org website. The total number of foreign soldiers killed in Afghanistan since the war began in late 2001 is 2,196.
Last year, 521 foreign troops died in the war.
Nato and the United States have more than 150,000 troops in the country fighting the Taliban-led insurgency.
The insurgency is concentrated in the southern provinces of Kandahar and neighbouring Helmand, regarded by the Taliban as their territory and where most of the world’s opium is produced.
The Helmand governor’s office said that an improvised explosive device – the IEDs that have become the hallmark of Taliban violence – killed five civilians on Sunday morning.
The device exploded when a car in which 11 people were travelling near the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah hit it, the office said in a statement, and four children were wounded in the blast.
The United Nations said in a report early this year that most Afghan civilian casualties are caused by the Taliban. The perception among ordinary Afghans however is that the foreign military presence is behind the violence.
The Taliban have expanded their tactics in recent months to include political assassinations, which have been heavily felt in Kandahar, where the movement was formed.
The latest victim was a senior officer at Kandahar jail, who was gunned down by assailants on motorbikes while out shopping, the spokesman for the provincial administration, Zalmay Ayoubi, said.
On November 4, the deputy head of the provincial adult literacy department was killed by unidentified gunmen, police said.The wave of killings of government employees has made it almost impossible to fill civil service posts, creating a chasm in governance in Kandahar, residents have said.
One of the pivots of the counter-insurgency campaign currently underway in and around the city is following clearing operations – which push out the insurgents – with the establishment of civil services.
The bodies of five police officers who were seized last week by the Taliban in an attack on a remote district in Ghazni province have been found, an official said.
A spokesman for the governor of neighbouring Wardak province, Adam Khan Sirat, said the bodies had been found by security forces early Sunday.
The dead police officers were among a total of 19 who were kidnapped after insurgents stormed Khogyani district late last Sunday, seizing the local administration.
One was released and four were killed earlier, officials said. Nine were still unaccounted for.
Provincial governor Musa Khan Akbarzada said on Monday that the district had been retaken after a long and tough fight. — AFP

Obama pushes India to talk to Pakistan

MUMBAI: President Barack Obama called on India on Sunday to bolster peace efforts with Pakistan, a country that he said was not acting quickly enough to deal with militancy within its borders.
Obama faces a diplomatic tightrope in fostering ties with India as its economic and geopolitical importance grows while at the same time helping Pakistan with billions of dollars in aid and promoting wider peace in Afghanistan.
“My hope is that over time, trust develops between the two countries, that dialogue begins, perhaps on less controversial issues, building up to more controversial issues,” Obama told a meeting of students at a college in Mumbai.
“There are more Pakistanis who’ve been killed by terrorists inside Pakistan than probably anywhere else,” Obama said.
India blames Pakistan for fostering militants and says elements withing the Pakistan state were behind the Mumbai attacks in 2008, when Pakistan-based gunmen killed 166 people in a 60-hour rampage through India’s financial hub.
The attack inflamed tension between the nuclear foes, who have been to war three times since independence from Britain in 1947. India immediately broke off peace talks with Pakistan, although there have been some largely fruitless top level meetings in the last year.
While Obama’s visit is mainly about boosting trade with India, the issue of regional stability in South Asia dominated a meeting on Sunday that Obama held with students at a college in Mumbai.
On Saturday, Obama announced the United States would relax export controls over sensitive technology, a demand of India’s that will help deepen U.S. ties with the emerging global power and its trillion dollar economy.
The White House also announced Obama would support India’s membership of four global non-proliferation organizations.
Obama is scheduled later on Sunday to fly to New Delhi for a tour of a Mughal-era tomb and dinner with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Obama will also visit Indonesia, South Korea and Japan on an Asian tour that will see Washington push to prevent countries unilaterally devaluing currencies to protect their exports, a top theme at the Group of 20 heads of state meet in Seoul next week.

Ten militants killed in Orakzai air strikes

KALAYA: Ten militants were killed and five others injured when helicopter gunships pounded their hideouts in various areas of Lower Orakzai tribal region on Saturday.

Official sources said that military helicopters targeted militant positions in Andar Mella, Malokhel and Saidkhel villages after nine people, security personnel among them, were kidnapped.

Sources said that those kidnapped were going from Bezotkhel to Kohat on Friday when militants stopped their vehicles in Saidkhel area and forcibly took them away.

Three hideous were destroyed in the shelling.

The political administration called a meeting of the elders of Bezotkhel, Perozkhel and Istrikhel tribes and asked them to take action against militants who were attacking security forces’ convoys and government installations in the area.

The elders were told to inform the security forces about the movement of militants in their areas.

Fear, mourning behind Karachi shutdown

KARACHI: The city was completely shut down on Saturday apparently because of widespread fear blended with mourning as the body of Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader Dr Imran Farooq was flown in from London and was later buried in Federal B Area amid a few incidents of arson and shooting.

Though the traders, who had already announced that they would keep major commercial houses and business centres closed on the burial day of Dr Farooq, shops inside thickly populated residential areas also remained shut throughout the day.

Almost the same situation was witnessed on roads where life remained paralysed after a late-night announcement by the transporters’ body to keep the vehicles off the roads.

Life in the city, which started witnessing incidents of firing and arson on Thursday evening, came virtually to a halt with no sign of regular business and social activity across the metropolis. Even beggars were nowhere to be seen, so complete was the shutdown.

“The decision to keep the vehicles off the roads was taken after deliberations with members of our organisation,” said Irshad Bukhari, president of the Karachi Transport Ittehad.

“A few incidents on Thursday evening further discouraged transporters from operating their vehicles and even today (Saturday) we have reports of attacks on public transport in a few areas.”

Mr Bukhari’s findings matched with the data collected by the central fire station that recorded at least three incidents of arson in different parts of the city, where armed men intercepted the vehicles before setting them on fire.

A motorcycle was also set on fire in Khawaja Ajmer Nagri after a brief exchange of fire between workers of two political parties.

Though the area police claimed to have controlled the situation, the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital received two injured from the affected part that included an MQM worker identified as Imran, said to be in his early 20s.

“In Pak Colony, a rickshaw was set on fire and in Saeedabad a minibus (JE-9285) met the same fate,” said an official at the central fire station.

In North Nazimabad two young men associated with the MQM received bullet wounds in firing, but people behind the incident remained untraced. Though the victims blamed the Rangers for the firing, the police said they were still investigating the incident.

“Two MQM workers — Shahzad and Imran, in his mid-30s and residents of Orangi Town — received a single bullet wound each in firing near the Five-Star traffic intersection, within the remit of the Shahrah-i-Noor Jehan police station,” said SP Malik Zafar Iqbal of North Nazimabad Town.

“They accused the Rangers of firing, but we didn’t have any such reports. Initial findings suggested that the two youngsters collided with a bus that led to an exchange of hot words and then firing from an unknown side. Both have been shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for treatment.”

Major business centres and markets remained closed following the announcement made by the traders’ association a couple of days ago. They referred to their decision both as a sign of mourning and security measures.

“We even kept the businesses closed on the very next day when Dr Farooq was murdered in London,” said Siddiq Memon of the Karachi Traders Action Committee.

“Security has always been an issue in this city for the traders and we prefer protection of life and property of our members to business.”

However, he said, the traders were likely to operate on Sunday to make up for the losses to some extent and meet business commitments which could not materialise on Saturday.

Pakistan beat India in HK Sixes

HONG KONG: Pakistan, led by Shoaib Malik, on Saturday swept to a 22-run victory over arch-rivals India in preliminary round match on opening day of US$150,000 Hong Kong Cricket Sixes tournament.

Pakistan grabbed early high ground after rain forced organisers into making huge changes to the format of popular tournament at the Kowloon Cricket Club on Saturday which saw more than three-quarters of the programme cancelled due to rain.

“It’s always good to start with a win,” said Pakistan skipper Malik. “For a first game, it was a good performance from the guys and I’m pretty pleased.”

Poor weather resulted in a switch to four overs per innings from five and with organisers keeping options open if winners of each group meet in Cup final on Sunday or if top two teams move into a cross-over semi-finals.

All eight teams got a run on first day with Sri Lanka, Hong Kong and South Africa joining Pakistan as winners.

Sri Lanka knocked off 77 runs needed for victory over New Zealand.

Hosts Hong Kong hammered England. Chasing 61, Hong Kong romped home to five-wicket win.

South Africa chased down Australia’s 73-run total for loss of three wickets, scrambling through for a single on final ball of match to earn win.

“If rain stays away, we will play remaining eight pool games on Sunday, with top two going into Cup semi- finals. But if there are any more interruptions, we have to go straight into Cup final with winners of each pool progressing,” said tournament director Adam Davies.—Agencies