National Express Failure Fuels Crisis Fears

The collapse of Britain's most expensive rail franchise has triggered fears of major setbacks to transport expansion and upgrade plans.

series of rail projects may be put on hold or scrapped as a result of National Express handing its £1.4bn London-to-Scotland rail franchise back to the Government.

The firm's refusal to continue funding the loss-making East Coast Main Line beyond the next few months was described by Transport Secretary Lord Adonis as "regrettable and disappointing".

It is also a huge blow to the Department for Transport's finances, with the DfT expected to have to accept a far lower offer for the franchise when it is put out to tender.

Lord Adonis said operations would be taken over by the publicly-owned East Coast Main Line Company with "no disruption of services" but admitted that reduced income could force the Government to revise other plans.

There is doubt over whether the Government will be able to press ahead with plans to expand capacity on Thameslink and replace ageing intercity trains.

n addition, the electrification of the Great Western Main Line and Midland Mail Line may be put on hold.

But the Government has insisted its £16bn Crossrail project linking Heathrow Airport to Canary Wharf and Essex remains on track.

The doubts come as a leaked document revealed a potential £29bn transport budget shortfall.

The transport industry memo, seen by the Guardian newspaper, warned of "looming spending cuts" on road and rail plans which could lead to schemes being delayed, downsized or scrapped.

Lord Adonis said the Government planned to tender for a new East Coast franchise operator "from the end of 2010".

He also warned there might be grounds to terminate the two other National Express rail franchises - East Anglia and the London to Tilbury and Southend operation c2c

Tarin says will negotiate with IMF over power tariff

ISLAMABAD: Finance Advisor Shaukat Tarin said Pakistan will negotiate with IMF, World Bank and other organizations about increased power tariff.

Talking to Geo News here, Tarin said the country is facing shortfall of 3,000 to 4,000 MW. The government is aware of the miseries of people created by load-shedding. Efforts are underway to overcome the crisis. He said an effective policy would be chalked out for dues of oil companies and elimination of circular debts.

16-hour long load shedding in Lahore enrages people

LAHORE: The duration of unannounced load shedding has touched to 16-hours in some parts of Lahore, forcing people to remain outside their homes under open air all night long.

The most affected areas were Wapda Town, Behrin Town, Green Town, Town Ship, Kot Lakhpat, Kahna, Faisal Town, Model Town, Allama Iqbal Town and many more other areas.

The last night rainfall also multiplied peoples’ miseries as it had left atmosphere hot and close all night long so people had to pass their night outside homes under open atmosphere.

Power outages have also led to water shortages in many areas while people demanded government overpowering power crisis so that people may receive a sigh of relief, sources said.

3 militants, 3 volunteers killed in Upper Dir clash

SWAT: Three militants and three volunteers of national lashkar were killed during between militants and national lashkar in Upper Dir.

According to sources, clash happened between national lashkar and militants in Dogdaga area of Upper Dir. Three militants and three volunteers of national lashkar including district ameer Naeemullah were killed and four injured in the trade of fire.

National lashkar set ablaze three houses of militants including the house of Naeemullah. On the other hand, unknown gunmen shot dead two persons in tehsil Kabal of Swat.

According to Swat media center, curfew will be relaxed till 6 pm in Khawazkhela, Madeen, Dareeshkhela and Bedra. Curfew relaxation also announced in district Shangla till 6 pm whereas in district Lower Dir, curfew has been eased till 8:00 pm in tehsil Maidan and Adeenzai.

Punjab not to be divided: Zardariv

LAHORE: President Asif Ali Zardari, in a message to the Punjab Assembly (PA), has said he is against any kind of division of Punjab, and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) will not let any such conspiracy foster. Finance Minister Tanveer Ashraf Kaira read out the message of the president in the PA on Wednesday, saying for a few days the division of Punjab was in the air and an impression had developed that the PPP wanted it. He said the president, also the co-chairman of the PPP, in his message had clarified he was against any division of Punjab. Kaira said the president had also mentioned they wanted to move forward through amicable resolution of issues. The president also said each province would be given its constitutional rights. The MPAs from Southern and Northern Punjab have been demanding a division of Punjab on administrative grounds. They demanded that the province be divided into three parts to ensure that the people of Southern and Northern Punjab are not neglected. A few MPAs termed the demand for a divided Punjab a conspiracy against Pakistan and said it was not the right time to make such demands. staff report

UN opens inquiry into assassination of Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan

The CIA and the former president, Pervez Musharraf, blamed the leader of the Pakistani Taliban, Baitullah Mehsud, for masterminding the assassination.

Mehsud, a close ally of al-Qaeda who is facing an offensive by the Pakistani army and the constant threat of an air strike by a US drone, has denied playing any part in the killing. However, he has admitted responsibility for a series of bombings against opponents.

The three-member inquiry team will arrive in Pakistan later this month. It is headed by Chile's ambassador to the UN, Heraldo Munoz, and includes a former Indonesian attorney general and a former senior Irish police officer.

The inquiry will last six months and investigate the "facts and circumstances" of Bhutto's death.

Pakistan's 62-year history is pitted by a long line of unsolved political murders.

After Bhutto had narrowly escaped a massive bombing on the day of her return to Pakistan from self-imposed exile in October 2007, she accused what she called "enemies" and "rogue elements" in Mr Musharraf's administration.

Her son, Bilawal Bhutto, who is a student at Oxford University, recently blamed Mr Musharraf, a former military ruler, over his mother's death.

He said that the killer of his mother had only pulled the trigger, but the gun "had been loaded by the dictator".

Mr Musharraf, a retired president and head of the Pakistan army who has left the country due to fears for his own security, strenuously denies any responsibility.

The UN inquiry cannot instigate criminal proceedings, but will apportion blame if it chooses to do so.

A Pakistani investigation into Bhutto's death concluded that a lone attacker fired shots at her before detonating explosives, but said that bullets were not the cause of death.

The PPP has claimed that the security provided to Bhutto was inadequate and called for a wider inquiry.

"We want to know who was behind this, who had conspired it, who has financed it. And we think this was a big international conspiracy," said Rehman Malik, the head of Pakistan's interior ministry, who was in charge of Bhutto's security at the time of her assassination.

"Obviously, there might be some actors within Pakistan or within the region, but we want really to expose the whole conspiracy, because we think that this was a kind of a beginning of an attempt to Balkanise Pakistan," he added.

Police: Bomb kills 2 officers in NW Pakistan

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A roadside bomb exploded in Pakistan's northwest Thursday, killing two police officers in the latest attack on the country's security forces as they try to eliminate Taliban insurgents nesting near the border with Afghanistan.

The blast came as the Pakistani military wages a major offensive in the nearby Swat Valley, readies another in the South Waziristan tribal region, and engages Taliban fighters in other spots of the troubled region.

Security forces killed 28 militants late Wednesday in Khyber tribal region, according a statement from the paramilitary Frontier Corps. Some local tribes also have launched militias to take on the insurgents — fighting that has left dozens dead in recent days.

The U.S. believes security in Pakistan is vital to defeating the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan and has applauded Pakistani efforts to confront the militants. But Thursday's bomb was another sign that Pakistani militants won't give up despite the rising pressure.

The bomb detonated on a road in Peshawar's outskirts, hitting a police vehicle, senior police official Ghayoor Afridi said. At least five officers were wounded. No group has claimed responsibility, but Taliban militants have carried out numerous such attacks.

Keeping Khyber militant-free is considered especially important for American interests: the region is home to the Khyber Pass, the major land transit route for fuel and other supplies headed to U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan.

The Frontier Corps statement gave few details of the fighting there, and did not say if any Pakistani troops died. The information is nearly impossible to confirm independently because of restrictions on journalists and the dangerous nature of the region.

Pakistan's military is pursuing operations against the Taliban with greater public support than in the past.

A poll released Wednesday said that 81 percent of Pakistanis believe the activities of the Taliban and other Muslim extremists were a "critical threat" to the country, up from the 34 percent polled on the same question in September 2007.