18 April 2013

Judges detention case: Musharraf arrives in IHC for pre-arrest bail

 SLAMABAD: Amid tight security, former military ruler Pervez Musharraf appeared in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday to get pre-arrest bail in Judges detention case, SAMAA reported.

Tight security measures were taken at the court on the occasion of former president’s appearance. He was escorted by body guards and security personnel.

Earlier‚ the court had granted interim bail to him and ordered to deposit security bond amounting to Rs. 500‚000 against the bail and appear in the next hearing. 

http://www.samaa.tv/newsdetail.aspx?ID=64821&CID=1

 Islamabad High Court rejects Musharraf's bail plea, orders arrest

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court on Thursday rejected former President General (retd) Pervez Musharraf bail plea in judges’ detention case and ordered his arrest, SAMAA reports.

Musharraf, however, left the court premises along with his personal security guards and avoided arrest.

The single-member bench comprising Justice Shaukat Siddiqui, while rejecting the plea for extension in bail, ordered the police to include anti-terrorism clauses in the charge sheet.

Eyewitnesses said that after the court’s orders the police did not try to arrest former military ruler and he left the court premises along with his protocol officers.

After the judgment, anti-Musharraf lawyers raised slogans against the ex-president.

However, Musharraf’s counsel said that they would not accept orders of the court.

Earlier, Musharraf arrived at IHC amid tight security measures that were taken at the court. 

http://www.samaa.tv/newsdetail.aspx?ID=64822&CID=1

PTI announces candidates for Karachi NA seats

KARACHI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has announced the names of its candidates to contest the general elections from Karachi constituencies for National Assembly, SAMAA reported Thursday.

According to the PTI spokesman, Subhan Ali Sahil will be fielded for National Assembly’s NA239 seat, Naaz Baloch for NA240, Zahid Hashmi for NA243, Khalid Maqsood Advocate for NA244 and Dr. Arif Alvi will contest for NA250 seat.

http://www.samaa.tv/newsdetail.aspx?ID=64813&CID=1

Candidates may withdraw nomination papers today

ISLAMABAD: Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has set today as the deadline for election candidates to withdraw their nomination papers as well as submit the certificates mentioning their party affiliation, SAMAA reported Thursday.

The phase for decisions on appeals by the election tribunals is over. Meantime, today is the last day for the electoral candidates to file certificate from their respective political parties showing their party affiliations.

The ECP will issue the finalized list of candidates on Friday.

The appellate tribunals have completed delivering verdicts on appeals and objections against the decisions of Returning Officers (ROs). The Election Commission says that appeals which are not decided by this deadline will automatically now stand dismissed under The Representation of Peoples Act.

According to the ECP’s spokesman, those who do not file party affiliation certificates by today (April 18), would be considered as independent candidates.

The commission will allocate electoral symbols on April 19 and will issue finalized list of candidates the same evening on Friday.   

http://www.samaa.tv/newsdetail.aspx?ID=64804&CID=1

60-70 dead, hundreds hurt in Texas plant explosion: media

CHICAGO: Some 60 to 70 people were killed and hundreds were injured by an explosion at a fertilizer plant outside Waco, Texas, local media reported, citing the local emergency manager.
The report could not be immediately verified by AFP, but KWTX television cited West Emergency Management Services Director George Smith as confirming the death toll.
The explosion comes as the United States was on edge as it pieces through deadly explosions that hit the Boston marathon on Monday, followed by letters, apparently poisoned with ricin, sent to President Barack Obama and a US senator.
Firefighters responding to the scene in West were also injured in a secondary blast, according to radio traffic by emergency managers being broadcast by CBS News.
"There has been an explosion on the fire scene, there are firefighters down at this time," a dispatcher said.
A man on the scene reported that "the restroom is severely damaged we have many people down."
Firefighters also said they were setting up a triage unit at an apartment building where people were trapped.
The explosion at the West Fertilizer plant occurred just before 8:00 pm (0100 GMT), Waco Assistant Fire Chief Don Yeager told.
The cause was not immediately known but he said it was a anhydrous ammonia explosion.
Fire departments from nearby jurisdictions rushed to the scene in the small town of West, north of Waco, where the blast was so powerful that it knocked down some nearby buildings, and set fire to others.
"An explosion has ignited adjacent structures to the plant," Yeager said.
The injured were being rushed to local hospitals.
Neighbors told local media that their windows were blown out by the force of the explosion.
http://www.geo.tv/GeoDetail.aspx?ID=97283

Texas fertilizer plant explosion leaves injured: authorities 

WASHINGTON: A major explosion at a fertilizer plant outside the Texas town of Waco Wednesday left several people injured, and was so powerful it set fire to nearby buildings, authorities said.
The West Fertilizer facility had an anhydrous ammonia explosion, Waco Assistant Fire Chief Don Yeager told AFP by phone.
The cause was not immediately known. Fire departments from nearby jurisdictions rushed to the scene in the town of West, north of Waco, where the blast was so powerful it knocked down some nearby buildings, and set fire to others, Yeager said.
"An explosion has ignited adjacent structures to the plant," he said. The injured were being rushed to local hospitals, Yeager said, noting that he did not have any fatalities.
He could not immediately say how many people were hurt. The explosion comes as the United States, already on edge, pieces through deadly explosions that hit the Boston marathon on Monday, which were followed by letters, apparently poisoned with ricin, sent to a US senator and the US president.
April 19 will be the 20th anniversary of the Waco siege, a deadly confrontation between federal authorities and heavily armed locals there. After a 51-day standoff a gun battle broke out with US agents and the Branch Davidian compound burned. Dozens of people were killed in an incident that many far-right groups see as a symbol of egregious US government overreach.
http://www.geo.tv/GeoDetail.aspx?ID=97281

SSUET to have collaboration with Spanish Malaga University

By Zaki Ahmed Zaki

KARACHI, April 18 _ Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology and University of Malaga, Spain, Wednesday agreed in principle to have collaboration between the two for Masters and PhD programs besides exchange of students and faculty members in various disciplines of engineering.

The agreement reached at a meeting held between Chancellor SSUET, Engr Adil Usman and Dr Javier Poncela, a visiting Professor from the reputed Spanish Malaga University.

The meeting was attended, among others, by Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Jawaid Hasan Rizvi, Chairman Electronics Department, Prof Dr Bilal Alvi, Registrar Shah Mahmood H. Syed, Dr Makhdoomi, Dean of Engineering, Dr Najeeb Ahmed, Associate Dean Engineering, Director QUE, Prof. Zakaullah, Mohammed Shafiq, Chief Consultant, Yahya Waliullah, Director IT and Statistics and M. Aamir, Assistant Professor Electronics Engineering.

During discussion Dr Javier sought collaboration between the two universities with focus on research and development.

He said he has seen the facilities available at this university and he was of the opinion that such collaboration between the two institutions will be of mutual benefit, particularly for collaboration in PhD programs, exchange of students and faculties and possibilities of undertaking joint research programs.

In his remarks Chancellor SSUET Engr. Adil Usman said the university looks forward for this collaboration in higher engineering courses, Masters and PhD.

“We will evolve a system to get benefitted from the Malaga University” he stated.

Vice-Chancellor Dr Jawaid H. Rizvi said the university will welcome such collaboration as far as possible and would further discuss faculty exchange in particular as well as Masters and PhD programs.

Registrar Shah Mahmood H. Syed informed that SSUET has collaboration with many US and UK universities and would like to have the same relationship with Malaga as well.

He said the two sided should identify some concrete steps to achieve the objective and sign MoU for the purpose and to make the collaboration effective.

Later, the two sides went into another session to discuss and sort out technical details for the proposed collaboration.

On the occasion the Chancellor presented the SSUET’s traditional souvenir