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  • Minister says ‘technical fault’ caused helicopter crash

    He said initial investigation reports suggested that the incident occurred due to technical fault.

    Six people including two foreign ambassadors were killed when a Pakistan Army helicopter attempted a crash landing here in Gilgit.

    The Ambassadors of Norway and Philippines and the wives of Indonesian and Malaysian envoys were killed in the deadly incident along with the two pilots of the helicopter.

     

    Mourning call

    Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has declared one-day mourning over the Naltar helicopter crash.

    On his directions, aircraft and helicopters have been placed to evacuate injured diplomats.

  • New York cab driver gets life in U.S. prison over Pakistan ‘honor killings’

    Mohammad Choudhry, 62, will spend the rest of his life behind bars for conspiring in two deaths carried out nearly 8,000 miles (13,000 kilometers) away from his Brooklyn home in 2013, US prosecutors said.

    Choudhry was convicted by an American jury of conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country, making threats and immigration fraud following a nine-day trial last summer.

    US prosecutors say Choudhry’s American daughter, Amina Ajmal, was sent to Pakistan and held against her will for more than three years on her father’s orders and forced into an arranged marriage.

    When she escaped and fled home to the United States — with help from the State Department — with the man she loved, Shujat Abbas, her father was furious.

    Choudhry and his relatives in Pakistan subjected the Abbas family — who lived in Gujrat, Punjab province — to repeated threats.

    On January 26, 2013 Choudhry’s brother and other relatives fired gunshots repeatedly at the Abbas parents’ car.

    Choudhry then telephoned Abbas’s father, threatening to kill his entire family unless his daughter returned home.

    “If our daughter will not come back to the home, we will kill all five of you. Otherwise, we will find your son and we’ll kill him,” US prosecutors quoted him as saying.

    “This time we shoot on your car. It was threatening, but next time we will shoot in the chest of all five of you.”

    Just days after Choudhry made similar threats to his daughter, Abbas’s father and 21-year-old sister were shot dead.

    Witnesses said Choudhry’s brother and other relatives had stood over the victims, holding guns and desecrating the bodies.

    The remaining members of the Abbas family then fled to America.

    Choudhry was sentenced by Judge William Kuntz in the US federal court in Brooklyn.

    “There is absolutely no honor in killing innocent victims whose only fault was helping a young woman find freedom in the United States,” said Raymond Parmer of Homeland Security Investigations. -AFP

  • Naltar tragedy: Crisis management cell set up at FO

    The contact number of crisis management cell is 051-90569161.

    At least six people including two foreign ambassadors were killed when a Pakistan Army helicopter attempted a crash landing here. Ambassadors of the Netherlands and Poland have sustained injuries.

    Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has expressed his grief over the losses of life in Pakistan Army’s MI-17 helicopter crash in Naltar Valley.

    According to Foreign Office spokesperson, Heads of Diplomatic Mission of more than 30 countries and their family members as well as some Pakistani dignitaries were flown to Gilgit by a C-130 aircraft on Friday morning.

    The spokesperson said such excursion trips are regularly organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in consultation with the Diplomatic Corps.

  • Indian court suspends Salman Khan’s jail term

    The actor was on Wednesday found guilty at a sessions court of culpable homicide and other charges for driving his vehicle into a group of homeless men sleeping rough in suburban Mumbai in 2002.

    He was convicted of all charges, including driving while under the influence of alcohol and without a licence, and was sentenced to five years in prison but released on bail for two days.

    On Friday, lawyers for 49-year-old Khan argued at the city’s High Court that their client’s conviction should be overturned.

    Judge Abhay Thipsay ruled the sentence would be suspended until an appeal was heard, expected to be in July, and set new bail terms for the film icon.

    “The defence has raised pertinent points about the evidence presented by the prosecution, which need consideration,” the judge said.

    “Also, the points based on which the culpable homicide conviction was passed need examination,” he added.

    “It is not a case where the applicant is likely to abscond and both parties have no objection to hearing an appeal in a fast manner so the sentence is suspended until an appeal is disposed.”

    Fresh bail 

    The judge told a packed courtroom the multi-millionaire, who was not present at Friday’s hearing, must post bail of 30,000 rupees ($468).

    Khan’s lawyer Amit Desai said: “The prosecution has not established beyond doubt that it was my client who was driving that night.”

    Bollywood stars reacted with delight to the announcement.

    “This very good news for all who are working with him. The law will obviously take its own course,” leading filmmaker Anees Bazmee told NDTV.

    But many ordinary citizens on social media complained that justice was being compromised.

    “Law is not equal for all. Looks like we have a separate judicial system for rich and powerful,” tweeted one.

    Khan’s trial, which has gripped Indian media, began in earnest last year after a series of court hearings and lengthy legal hold-ups.

    During the proceedings, Khan’s defence team had argued the actor’s driver was to blame for the September 2002 hit-and-run, which killed labourer Nurulah Mahbob Sharif and injured several others in the suburb of Bandra West.

    They claimed the actor had been drinking water and had climbed out of the car through the driver’s side after the accident as the passenger side door had been damaged.

    But Judge D.W. Deshpande on Wednesday rejected the claim after survivors of the crash testified that Khan was driving the vehicle when it ploughed at speed into the men sleeping on the street near a bakery.

    One of the sleeping labourers injured in the accident said in his statement that “Salman was so drunk he fell”.

    The body-building actor is no stranger to controversy and spent more than a week behind bars for killing an endangered Indian gazelle in 1998.

    He has starred in more than 100 films and television shows since his first hit “Maine Pyar Kiya” (I Fell in Love) in the 1980s.

    Khan had become the second big-name Bollywood actor to be sentenced to jail in the last two years. Sanjay Dutt, the star of a series of gangster movies, is behind bars over possession of weapons linked to several bombings in Mumbai in 1993.

    The High Court is to reconvene again on June 15 to set a date for the appeal hearing. – AFP

  • All change in British parliament after election upsets

    High-profile lawmakers from Labour and the Liberal Democrats — the biggest losers of the election won by the Conservatives — are also on their way out.

    Here are some of the most significant changes:

    Newcomers:

    – Mhairi Black, Scottish National Party

    Britain’s youngest MP since 1667, the 20-year-old Glasgow University politics student is the embodiment of an unprecedented nationalist surge in Scotland.

    The no-nonsense blonde won with a majority of over 5,000 in Thursday’s election to topple Douglas Alexander, the Labour Party’s 47-year-old foreign affairs spokesman and campaign chief.

    – Boris Johnson, Conservative Party

    The ebullient mayor of London, 50-year-old Johnson was elected to the safe seat Conservative of Uxbridge and South Ruislip in west London and is seen as a potential future prime minister one day.

    Known for his ruffled hair, his genuine star power marks him out in the Conservative Party. He became one of Britain’s most popular politicians by cultivating an image of a jolly, bumbling toff.

    – Naz Shah, Labour Party

    Shah, a 41-year-old disability rights campaigner who beat out her colourful left-wing rival nicknamed “Gorgeous George” Galloway in Bradford West, has an incredible life story of her own.

    She was brought up in poverty, taken to Pakistan to escape domestic abuse and then forcibly married.

    Shah’s mother ended up killing her abusive partner and going to jail after long suffering in silence.

    Outgoing:

    – Ed Balls, Labour Party

    The most shocking result of the night saw party heavyweight Balls, 48, lose his Morley and Outwood seat to the Tories by 422 seats.

    A veteran of the governments of former prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, Balls has served as shadow chancellor for four years, and was expected to become finance minister had Labour won power.

    – Jim Murphy, Labour Party

    The head of the Scottish Labour Party, the 47-year-old Murphy was one of the biggest victories for the nationalists on a night of stunning upsets.

    Murphy conducted a street campaign against independence ahead of the referendum on September 18 in which the “No” vote won by 55 percent to 45 percent in favour of breaking away.

    – Vince Cable, Liberal Democrats

    A former deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats and business secretary in the outgoing cabinet, Cable looked visibly shaken as the result was announced.

    The 71-year-old’s defeat may well spell the end of his political career.

    – Danny Alexander, Liberal Democrats

    A Treasury secretary in Cameron’s government, the 42-year-old Alexander also lost to a Scottish Nationalist Party candidate in one of the biggest upsets north of the border.

    – Simon Hughes, Liberal Democrats

    The Liberal Democrat rout claimed the 32-year Commons career of Hughes, 63, one of the party’s most senior figures, as he lost his Bermondsey and Old Southwark seat to Labour.

    Confirmed:

    – David Cameron, Conservative Party

    The prime minister was expected to comfortably hold onto his Witney seat, but defied pre-election expectations to keep hold of the top job at a canter.

    As a bonus, 48-year-old Cameron saw his UKIP nemesis Nigel Farage fail in his bid to become an MP, relieving a source of pressure on the right wing of his party.

    – Nick Clegg, Liberal Democrats

    Despite having his majority slashed, the Liberal Democrat party leader, 48, managed to cling onto his Sheffield seat.

    But that’s where the good news ended for Clegg, who was expected to resign after his party was reduced to rubble across Britain.

    – Ed Miliband, Labour Party

    Like Clegg, 45-year-old Miliband retained his seat but was expected to step down from his role as party leader after its cataclasmic performance.

    – Douglas Carswell, UK Independence Party

    The former Conservative MP will be UKIP’s only presence in the Commons after party leader Farage failed in his bid to become an MP.

    The 44-year-old is now odds on to take over the helm with Farage expected to resign following his defeat. -AFP

  • Virginia man robs bank, posts heist videos online: reports

    The suspect, Dominyk Antonio Alfonseca, 23, of Norfolk, walked into TowneBank in Virginia Beach around 1:40 p.m. EDT on Monday and handed the teller a note asking for the money, police said in a statement.

    Alfonseca left the bank and immediately posted on Instagram two videos of the teller loading bills into a bag, and one photo of his robbery note, according to the Virginian-Pilot newspaper.

    Alfonseca was arrested 22 minutes later. Police would not discuss details and said the investigation was ongoing.

    He was charged with one felony count of robbery, according to court records.

    Alfonseca told the newspaper he was innocent because he did not demand or steal the money, but asked for it politely and said “please.”

    His next court appearance is June 12.

  • Ericsson moves to take a bigger bite out of Apple for patent violations

    “Apple continues to profit from Ericsson’s technology without having a valid license in place,” Kasim Alfalahi, Ericsson’s chief intellectual property officer, said in a statement.

    Ericsson’s latest moves follow the filing of lawsuits against Apple in February in the United States after efforts to reach an agreement to renew licenses failed.

    While Ericsson no longer makes mobile phones, it remains a leading manufacturer of equipment for mobile networks, and has more than 35,000 technology patents and 100 patent-licensing agreements worldwide.

    The Swedish company said in February the patents concern the technology in older and current-generation mobile systems, as well as for features like live streaming of television shows and accessing apps on phones.

    Apple filed a legal complaint in January against Ericsson, claiming the patents were not up to industry standards and that the Swedish group had asked for excessive royalties for them in its licencing renewal offer. (AFP)

  • Nike backs Obama on trade with pledge to create 10,000 U.S. jobs

    In an announcement that coincided with a visit by Obama to Nike’s Oregon headquarters, the company said footwear tariff relief within the proposed 12-nation Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement would allow it to speed up investment in “advanced footwear manufacturing” in the United States.

    Obama is pressing the U.S. Congress to pass Trade Promotion Authority, which would enable him to negotiate international trade deals without the threat of changes by lawmakers.

    If TPA is passed and the TPP deal is sealed, Nike said, it would accelerate its U.S. investments and spur as many as 10,000 domestic manufacturing and engineering jobs, thousands of construction jobs, and up to 40,000 jobs elsewhere in its supply chain over 10 years.

    Nike has 26,000 employees in the United States and more than 1 million workers in 700 contract factories worldwide that manufacture its shoes. Its top-end soccer and baseball shoes retail for more than $300.

    “We believe agreements that encourage free and fair trade allow Nike to do what we do best: innovate, expand our businesses and drive economic growth,” said Nike Chief Executive Officer Mark Parker in a media release distributed by the White House.

    The company did not say in the media release what it would pay those workers or where the U.S. jobs would be located.

    Obama is scheduled to visit Nike’s headquarters later on Friday. The trip was designed to help sell the free-trade agreement to skeptical Democrats, who say it will put more American workers out of jobs and cut their wages while enriching companies.

    An administration official said Nike approached the White House about the issue, which led to the trip. White House aides have been coy all week about why they chose Nike, which suffered for years from a tarnished image for using Asian sweatshops to make its products.

    Imports accounted for as much as 98 percent of the U.S. market for apparel, although that number has fallen slightly, according to the American Apparel & Footwear Association. (Reuters)

  • Conservatives win majority to form new UK government

    Widespread predictions of a close contest with the centre-left Labour opposition proved to be wrong, as Cameron won 331 out of 650 parliamentary seats and a new term as head of a majority centre-right Conservative government.

    The victory in Thursday’s election was focused on England, however.

    North of the border, the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP) won a historic landslide, just seven months after losing a referendum on breaking away from the rest of the United Kingdom.

    In another dramatic result, the leaders of Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the anti-EU UK Independence Party (UKIP) all stepped down over their parties’ electoral drubbing.

    Following his own re-election in Witney, near Oxford, Cameron travelled to Buckingham Palace in London, where he was reconfirmed as prime minister by Queen Elizabeth II, the head of state.

    – Top ministers stay put –

    Ending five years of coalition government with the centrist Liberal Democrats, he announced to reporters outside 10 Downing Street: “I will now form a Conservative majority government.”

    Hours later he signalled continuity by reappointing the same finance, foreign, defence and interior ministers from his outgoing cabinet — George Osborne, Philip Hammond, Michael Fallon and Theresa May respectively.

    Cameron also named Chancellor of the Exchequer Osborne, seen as a potential future party leader, as “first secretary of state” — an honorific title that effectively makes him his number two.

    The election victory is an endorsement of the Conservatives’ austerity programme and is likely to see a continuation of cuts to public spending as they seek to reduce a budget deficit of nearly £90 billion (120 billion euros, $140 billion).

    The pound rallied and stocks rose as investors welcomed a clear result and a government seen by the markets as more “business-friendly” than the Labour alternative.

    US President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel telephoned Cameron to congratulate him on what they both called an “impressive” victory.

    But the election exposed deep political divisions and Cameron avoided triumphalism in his victory speech, promising to “bring our country together”.

    He said he would deliver on manifesto pledges for the benefit of everyone in Britain, including an in-or-out referendum on the country’s EU membership by the end of 2017.

     – Political map redrawn – 

    Cameron paid tribute to Labour leader Ed Miliband and his former deputy prime minister, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg, both of whom stepped down Friday after dismal results.

    He also acknowledged the SNP’s surge, promising to give Scotland “the strongest devolved government anywhere in the world, with important powers over taxation”.

    Scotland voted to reject independence in a referendum last September, partly after Cameron promised it new powers.

    But the left-wing SNP came close to a clean sweep in Thursday’s election, winning 56 out of the 59 Scottish seats, up from just six in 2010.

    “It is an extraordinary statement of intent from the people of Scotland. The Scottish lion has roared,” former SNP leader Alex Salmond said, as he was elected to the seat of Gordon.

    Most of the SNP’s gains were at Labour’s expense — in Paisley and Renfrewshire South, 20-year-old student Mhairi Black defeated Labour’s campaign chief, Douglas Alexander, to become the new parliament’s youngest MP.

    Overall, Labour lost 26 seats to finish on 232, a poor showing for which Miliband said he took “absolute and total responsibility”, before standing down as party leader.

    It was also a terrible night for the centrist Liberal Democrats, who lost 49 of their 57 seats as voters punished them for entering into government with Cameron after the previous election.

    Clegg was re-elected but shortly afterwards resigned the party leadership, saying: “The results have been immeasurably more crushing than I could ever have feared.”

    Nigel Farage stepped down as UKIP leader after failing to win his seat. His anti-EU, anti-mass immigration party came third in the share of the vote with 12.6 percent but won only one seat.

     – EU membership in question – 

    The election raises questions over Britain’s future in the EU, with Cameron confirming: “We will deliver that in-out referendum on our future in Europe.”

    He has previously said he would campaign to stay in the bloc, provided he can secure changes to Britain’s terms of membership, notably on freedom of movement — although this has so far been met with resistance in EU capitals.

    European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, whose nomination Cameron opposed, sent his congratulations saying he was ready “to strike a fair deal for the United Kingdom in the EU”.

    AFP

  • Pakistani Taliban claim downing helicopter, say PM was target

    “The helicopter was shot down by an anti-aircraft missile, killing pilots and many foreign ambassadors,” an Urdu-language statement emailed by their main spokesman Muhammad Khorasani said.

    It was not immediately possible to verify the claim, but the Gilgit-Baltistan region in Pakistan’s north where the chopper came down is not known as a stronghold for the militant organisation.

    An earlier statement by Sharif’s office had said his plane was en route to the Gilgit area at the time of the attack but turned back to Islamabad after news of the crash broke. (AFP)