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McCain''s improved performance won''t tilt scales: CBS

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:26:00 -0400

Republican nominee John McCain needed the headlines and his third debate with Democratic rival Barack Obama saw him more energetic, focused and, at times, emotional.

But his performance on Wednesday is unlikely to change the underlying trajectory of the 2008 presidential race.

With Barack Obama by all accounts holding a solid lead and less than three weeks to go, McCain came out aggressive from the very beginning.

McCain took what many in his own campaign reportedly thought to be a risk by directly raising the issue of Obama’s association with William Ayers, challenging him to describe the fullness of their relationship.

He emotionally described how hurt he was by assertions by Rep. John Lewis about some crowd behavior at McCain’s campaign rallies, then turned around and accused Obama of disparaging his supporters. He jumped in at awkward moments, rolled his eyes and demonstrated near-contempt at Obama’s answers.

And he pointedly sought to distance himself from President Bush, both on issues and seemingly personally. As if taking offense to the continued comparison, McCain curtly told his opponent, “Senator Obama, I am not President Bush. If you wanted to run against President Bush, you should have run four years ago.”

What McCain did not manage to do was ruffle the ever-calm, cool and collected Obama.

Democrat Obama was on the defensive at several points, especially on taxes, but he continues to do a masterful job of talking directly about and to the middle class.

Polls show overwhelmingly that voters trust Obama more on the economy than McCain and he used that as a wedge to keep it that way.

The Illinois Senator was clearly prepared for the William Ayers issue and McCain’s attempts to link his campaign to ACORN, the group which has spurred a flood of voter registration controversies.

And while he engaged McCain on who’s responsible for the negative tone of the campaign, his heart didn’t seem to be into a prolonged exchange. Obama wanted a quiet, low-key affair and for his part, he pulled it off.

The campaign now moves into its most intense phase, if such a thing is even possible in a campaign that has redefined the concept. With just 20 days to go, there’s no longer any room for error, adjustment or new approaches.

Americans have seen these two candidates at three of these debates now and they’ve seen a striking contrast - McCain has been at turns uplifting and irritated, if not flat-out angry, while Obama remains steady and level, almost too cool at times.

Those traits were clearly on display last night in New York, reports CBS. (ANI)

High school social skills help people earn more than better grades

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:26:00 -0400

A new study from University of Illinois has found that high school students with good social skills are likely to earn more than their counterparts with similar test scores but fewer social skills.

The researchers found that social skills as conscientiousness, cooperativeness, and motivation were as important as test scores for success in the workplace.

"It''s important to note that good schools do more than teach reading, writing, and math,” said Christy Lleras, a University of Illinois assistant professor of human and community development.

“They socialize students and provide the kinds of learning opportunities that help them to become good citizens and to be successful in the labour market.

"Unless we address the differences in school climates and curriculum that foster good work habits and other social skills, we''re doing a huge disservice to low-income kids who may be entering the labour market right after high school, especially in our increasingly service-oriented economy," she added.

During the study, the team analysed data of 11,000 tenth graders for 10 years, who were a part of National Educational Longitudinal Study.

They tracked their scores on standard achievement tests, teacher appraisals of such qualities as the students'' work habits, their ability to relate well to peers, and their participation in extracurricular activities, a proxy for the ability to interact well with both students and adults.

The teachers'' assessments were then compared with the students'' self-reported educational attainments and earnings 10 years after high-school graduation.

They found that high-school social skills predict better earnings than test scores.

"You could argue that the reason these behaviours matter is that kids who display them are more likely to obtain a college degree and in turn have higher earnings. Certainly that is part of it, but even after if controlled for educational attainment, there were still significant effects," she said.

Participation in sports and school organizations also had strong effects on a student''s future educational and occupational success.

"For African American and Hispanic students only, participation in fine arts led to significantly better earnings compared to whites. This suggests that different activities teach kids different kinds of skills and learned behaviours," she said.

"My findings show that the most successful students are those who have not only high achievement test scores but also the kinds of social skills and behaviours that are highly rewarded by employers in the workplace," she added. (ANI)

Four killed in Sindh district jail riot

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:25:00 -0400

At least four inmates have been killed and a dozen injured during a riot in a prison in Sindh''''s Malir District.

The BBC quoted officials as saying that prison guards had to open fire to prevent prisoners from escaping through a gate.

A majority of the prisoners have complained of harsh treatment and overcrowding in the jail.

The jail houses over 2,500 inmates, which is double its original capacity. (ANI)

US drones kill six in South Waziristan

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:25:00 -0400

Suspected US drones have fired two missiles at a village in Ladha area of South Waziristan and allegedly killed six people, reports from Pakistan’s WANA region said on Thursday.

The News quoted sources as saying that the missiles struck a house in Sam village, and they added that the death toll could rise.

Ladha is said to be the stronghold of chief of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan Baitullah Mehsud.

The area has been targeted for the first time by US drones.

According to the BBC, the drones may have been targeting a group of Uzbek militants.

There have been a series of US drone attacks inside Pakistani territory along the border with Afghanistan in recent weeks.

Residents in South Waziristan claim that spy drones continue to circle over the area of the missile strike and there are fears that more attacks could take place in the near future.

Washington however claims that the drones are used against militant targets only, but reports say that intelligence failures often lead to civilian casualties. (ANI)

Pak turns to cash-rich China for help

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:24:00 -0400

Pakistan’s long-deteriorating financial situation has prompted it to approach cash rich China for help in shoring up its economy.

According to a Washington Post report, With the global financial crisis draining coffers in the United States and Europe, the key U.S. ally in the war on terrorism is seeking help from an old friend newly flush with cash: China.

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari is in Beijing on a four-day state visit, and he is likely to seek between four to six billion dollars from China to tied over his country’s economic crisis in the short term.

Pakistan''s bid for Chinese cash underscores the potential of Beijing''s 1.9 trillion dollars in foreign reserves, the largest in the world, to boost its global influence.

Islamabad is now seeking as much as three billion dollars in emergency assistance from China, as well as assistance from oil-rich Gulf countries including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, according to a senior Pakistani official.

Pakistan''s central bank governor, Shashad Akhtar, is in Washington this week to review a draft plan for overhauling the country''s finances with the International Monetary Fund, potentially paving the way for future aid.

U.S. military and intelligence officials fear that Pakistan''s increasingly precarious economy will compound an already unstable political situation and undermine military cooperation.

Both al-Qaeda and the Taliban leadership are located in the rugged, economically depressed region along Pakistan''s western border with Afghanistan.

The Bush administration and Congress have been shaping a long-term economic and military assistance package for Pakistan, but there is no indication the United States is able to step in with a short-term financial lifeline.

Pakistan is going to the Chinese now "because you go to the guys with the money," a senior International Monetary Fund official said. "And right now, the Chinese are the ones with the money."

Securing as much as $6 billion would buy the government the breathing room it needs, analysts say, to begin a desperately needed overhaul of its budget to sustain Pakistan''s battered economy in the longer term.

Pakistan''s financial problems go back at least a year, with current and past administrations borrowing from the central bank to sustain generous state subsidies on gasoline and diesel.

National reserves over the past year have fallen 67 percent to 8.3 billion dollars, leaving the country ill-prepared to deal with financial turbulence as more investors pulled out in recent weeks as the U.S. crisis spread globally.

That has fed two major fears. First, that Pakistan may not be able to secure the funds to avoid a debt default early next year. And second, that investor concern over its potential insolvency could grow into a panic in coming weeks, leading to a far broader capital pullout that could jeopardize the country''s financial system.

Unprecedented inflation, political instability and the growing threat from Islamist insurgents have all had sharply negative affects on investor confidence, said Sakib Sherani, chief economist at ABN Amro Bank Pakistan.

To curb losses, Pakistan in recent weeks has set new rules on stock trading aimed at preventing even sharper sell-offs of Pakistani companies.

China and Pakistan have a long history of economic cooperation, based partly on decades of weapons sales, and a lifeline now, particularly so small a sum, would not be seen as unusual.

A last option might be seeking a lifeline from the IMF. (ANI)

In Pak, lady cops carry knives to protect themselves from work-place sexual harassment!

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:24:00 -0400

An Islamabad woman constable was arrested at the main gates of the Parliament building last evening as she tried to enter into the building carrying a sharp edged knife.

The lady copy, who claimed to be a victim of sexual harassment, said it was her compulsion to carry the knife in order to protect herself from any further attempts by her male colleagues.

Sources said that during the investigations, the lady constable disclosed that she was carrying the knife simply because she was facing sexual harassment from her male colleagues. “This was the only weapon available to me to keep the aggressive male cops away from me,” The News quoted the lady constable as saying during interrogation.

But, name of none her male colleagues who attempted sexual harassment on her was not disclosed.

Confirming that the lady’s arrest, SSP (Security) Islamabad Dr Naeem Khan said the woman was a lady police constable who was stopped at the entry gate by security guards of the National Assembly secretariat. (ANI)

Pak, Afghan, US top commanders discuss prevailing situation along Pak-Afghan border

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:24:00 -0400

Top military commanders from Pakistan, Afghanistan and NATO met here last evening for their first three-way talks since the US forces infuriated Pakistan last month with an attack on a border village.

The commanders also discussed the prevailing condition in the tribal areas along the Pakistan-Afghan border.

Pakistan Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, his Afghan counterpart Gen Bismullah Khan, and the commander of Afghanistan’s NATO force, General David McKiernan, attended the talks, reported The News.

Cooperation between the military in Pakistan and Afghan and Western forces in Afghanistan is seen as vital as militant violence intensifies on both sides of the Afghan border. But, the US’ impatience has grown over what it sees as Pakistan’s “failure” to eliminate the militant threat in remote sanctuaries on its side of the frontier.

The military commanders held a meeting of the Tripartite Commission at the GHQ in Rawalpindi to review security along the border, the paper quoted Pakistan military sources as saying.

“While the forum expressed satisfaction at the current level of cooperation, it also discussed steps for better coordination and enhanced cooperation to avoid misunderstandings,” the Pakistan Army said in the statement. (ANI)

Pak govt says it’s not aware of any US-Musharraf secret deal on war-on-terror

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:23:00 -0400

The Pakistan government has reportedly expressed its complete ignorance about any secret agreement between former president Pervez Musharraf and the US on cooperation in the war against terror.

The country’s Information Minister Sherry Rehman said this last evening during the policy briefing in the closed-door meeting of Parliament reserved for a question-answer session.

Replying to MPs’ questions, Sherry Rehman said that the government was “not aware of any secret deal between Pervez Musharraf and the Bush administration”.

PML-N Senator Zafar Iqbal Jhagra had the Pakistan Government asked about the secret agreement between Pervez Musharraf and the US regarding Pakistan’s cooperation in the war against terror.

According to sources, on the occasion, the government faced severe criticism for allegedly pursuing Musharraf’s policies and was asked to reshape them according to the will of the people. The minister also did not agree with the view that the government was pursuing Musharraf’s policies, saying the present government consulted parliament unlike the previous regime, which was run by one man.

In total around 46 questions were asked, out of which 41 were answered by Sherry Rehman. PM Gilani himself answered the questions of Senator S M Zafar and three other MPs. (ANI)

NWFP Guv rules out civil war in FATA due to tribal lashkars’ fight against Pak Taliban

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:12:00 -0400

NWFP Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani has reportedly ruled out the possibility of any civil war breaking out in FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) due to tribal lashkars fighting against Pakistan’s unit of the Taliban – Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Praising the tribal lashkars raised for combating the Taliban, he said it was tribal tradition to protect people’s life and property.

“Dealing with miscreants by forming local lashkars has been a part of the tribal traditions,” the Daily Times quoted him as telling to the media.

Lauding the media’s role in the war on terror, he urged extra care to avoid inadvertent glorification of terrorists and their commanders. The media should expose the Taliban’s nefarious designs so that the people could extend greater support to the government in its bid to curb terrorism and extremism, he added.

He further said that the government was effectively engaged in correcting the previous governments’ mistakes and handling the affairs with a national approach, by taking public representatives into confidence.

The Governor also said that the authorities strongly believed in resolving all national issues through dialogue but would never compromise on national interests or bow to pressure from the Taliban. (ANI)

Saudi beheaded for murder of an Indian man

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:10:00 -0400

A Saudi was beheaded by the sword on Thursday for murdering an Indian man

Fatin bin Fallaj al-Shibani al-Otaybi was found guilty of stabbing the victim to death and stealing his belongings, the Interior Ministry here said in a statement carried by SPA state news agency.

This brings to 78 the number of people executed by the Saudi Arabian Government this year.

On Tuesday, Amnesty International charged that poor migrants were bearing the brunt of a surge in executions in the ultra-conservative kingdom.

The human rights watchdog complained that authorities in Riyadh continue to execute people at an average of more than two a week.

Last year, a record 153 people were executed in Saudi Arabia, a country that strictly applies the Sharia, or Islamic law.

This figure compared with 37 in 2006 and the previous record of 113 in 2000.

Rape, murder, apostasy, armed robbery and drug trafficking, all carry the death penalty in the ultra-conservative country.

Executions are usually carried out in public. (ANI)