Celebrity World Blog

MIRANSHAH: Hundreds of tribesmen on Friday rallied to demand an end to US drone attacks, which they said were killing innocent people in the Tribal Areas, witnesses said.
More than 2,000 protesters staged the demonstration in Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan, shouting slogans against the United States and its Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), responsible for the missile attacks.
Shop owners, students and other residents shouted anti-American slogans, and called for US Defence Secretary Robert Gates and the former CIA station chief in Islamabad to be brought to justice. “They should be arrested and punished by the courts in America,” said Abdul Khan, a student leader.
The United States does not confirm drone attacks, but its military and the CIA operating in Afghanistan are the only forces that deploy the unmanned aircraft in the region. In 2010, the campaign doubled missile attacks in the Tribal Areas with around 100 drone strikes killing more than 650 people, according to a tally.
Addressing on Friday’s rally, a member of a local political committee, Sarfraz Khan, denounced the drone attacks for killing innocent people, including women and children, and said that if it did not stop he would launch a long march to Islamabad in protest. Washington says wiping out the militant threat in tribal belt is crucial to win the war against Taliban in Afghanistan and defeating al Qaeda.
Read More: The us news Tribesmen rally against US drone strikes

(RTTNews) - Chinese President Hu Jintao has told visiting U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates that Beijing successfully conducted the first test-flight of its J-20 stealth fighter.
Gates told reporters that during his meeting with Hu on Tuesday afternoon in the capital, the Chinese leader confirmed having tested the most modern war plane.
The 18-minute flight from the Aircraft Design Institute near the south-western city of Chengdu early Tuesday afternoon was cheered by hundreds of spectators, Chinese online media reported.
Responding to Gates' query, Hu said timing of the "pre-planned test" was a coincidence and that it had "absolutely nothing to do with" his visit.
The stealth fighter "formed part of China's normal military modernization," according to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei.
Read More : Chinese President Tells US Defense Chief It Tested Stealth Fighter

KARACHI: Pakistan is expected to launch mango exports to the United States in 2011 season after first shipments of the fruit were made to Europe last year.
People associated with the mango industry gathered at a conference on Tuesday to celebrate a successful 2010 mango season, which was labeled the best year in the history of the country’s mango exports.
With annual production exceeding 1.5 million tons and demand growing around the world, the mango industry has a big potential for growth, says a press release.
Over the past year, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) helped local producers ship mangoes by sea to major fruit and vegetable importers and supermarkets in Europe. USAID also supported introduction of an internationally recognised quality certification, trained mango farmers in modern techniques, helped upgrade infrastructure and assisted in creating links with international buyers.
Read more: Pakistan to export mangoes to the US

United States has released US $633 million dollars Coalition Support Funds (CSF) to Pakistan. The United States has paid US$ 8.760 billion to Pakistan for the war against terrorism, the US Embassy in Islamabad said. According to sources US$ 1.270 billion of the CSF are still payable to Pakistan. US $633 million CSF tranche has been paid for January to June period. The payment will help Pakistan to meet its budgetary and military needs.
Read More : US releases $633m Coalition Support Fund tranche to Pak

 King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has repeatedly urged the United States to attack Iran to destroy its nuclear programme, according to leaked US diplomatic cables that describe how other Arab allies have secretly agitated for military action against Tehran.

The revelations, in secret memos from US embassies across the Middle East, expose behind-the-scenes pressures in the scramble to contain the Islamic Republic, which the US, Arab states and Israel suspect is close to acquiring nuclear weapons. Bombing Iranian nuclear facilities has hitherto been viewed as a desperate last resort that could ignite a far wider war.

The Saudi king was recorded as having "frequently exhorted the US to attack Iran to put an end to its nuclear weapons programme", one cable stated. "He told you [Americans] to cut off the head of the snake," the Saudi ambassador to Washington, Adel al-Jubeir said, according to a report on Abdullah's meeting with the US general David Petraeus in April 2008.

The cables also highlight Israel's anxiety to preserve its regional nuclear monopoly, its readiness to go it alone against Iran – and its unstinting attempts to influence American policy. The defence minister, Ehud Barak, estimated in June 2009 that there was a window of "between six and 18 months from now in which stopping Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons might still be viable". After that, Barak said, "any military solution would result in unacceptable collateral damage."

The leaked US cables also reveal that:

• Officials in Jordan and Bahrain have openly called for Iran's nuclear programme to be stopped by any means, including military.

• Leaders in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt referred to Iran as "evil", an "existential threat" and a power that "is going to take us to war".

• Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, warned in February that if diplomatic efforts failed, "we risk nuclear proliferation in the Middle East, war prompted by an Israeli strike, or both".

• Major General Amos Yadlin, Israeli's military intelligence chief, warned last year: "Israel is not in a position to underestimate Iran and be surprised like the US was on 11 September 2001."
Read More: Saudi Arabia urges US attack on Iran to stop nuclear programme

LONDON -- U.S. allies around the world have been briefed by American diplomats about an expected release of classified U.S. files by the WikiLeaks website that is likely to cause international embarrassment and could damage some nations' relations with the United States.

The release of hundreds of thousands of State Department cables is expected this weekend, although WikiLeaks has not been specific about the timing. The cables are thought to include private, candid assessments of foreign leaders and governments and could erode trust in the U.S. as a diplomatic partner.

In Britain, Prime Minister David Cameron's spokesman, Steve Field, said Friday that the government had been told of "the likely content of these leaks" by U.S. Ambassador Louis Susman. Field declined to say what Britain had been warned to expect.

"I don't want to speculate about precisely what is going to be leaked before it is leaked," Field said.

In Washington, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said U.S. diplomats were continuing the process of warning governments around the world about what might be in the documents. Many fear the cables will embarrass the United States and its allies, and reveal sensitive details of how the U.S. conducts relations with other countries.

"We are all bracing for what may be coming and condemn WikiLeaks for the release of classified material," he said. "It will place lives and interests at risk. It is irresponsible."

The Obama administration on Friday warned that the WikiLeaks release would endanger "lives and interests."

Italy's foreign minister, Franco Frattini, said he spoke Friday with the U.S. State Department, which told him that there would be documents regarding Italy in the leak, "but the content can't be anticipated."
Read More: US briefs allies about next WikiLeaks release

MIR ALI: Pakistani intelligence officials said a suspected US missile strike killed four alleged militants in the country’s northwest.

It’s the latest in a barrage of attacks by unmanned drones on the stronghold of Taliban fighters targeting American and Nato forces in Afghanistan.

The officials said a pair of missiles hit a moving vehicle in Pir Kali village in North Waziristan. The area is home to a mix of Afghan and Pakistani Taliban.

The two Pakistani officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

The US has ramped up its officially unacknowledged drone attacks in Pakistan’s lawless border region, launching more than 100 missile strikes this year.
Read More: US drone strike kills four in North Waziristan