| US embassy staff barred in Peshawar Posted: 25 Jul 2011 12:07 AM PDT 
WASHINGTON: In an action that would further strain US-Pakistan relations after the killing of Osama bin Laden on its soil by American special forces in May, Islamabad has denied permission to the US embassy staff to enter Peshawar. Quoting US and international aid officials, the Washington Post Sunday said Pakistani authorities have repeatedly denied permission to US embassy employees to enter Peshawar to attend meetings or replace workers at the US Consulate in the city over the past 10 days. Most Pakistanis view the US consulate in Peshawar as a front for CIA operations. "The widely publicized episodes in Peshawar threaten to become another flash point in a frayed bilateral relationship that US officials had hoped was improving, after fatal shootings by a CIA contractor and the US commando raid that killed Osama bin Laden,'' the report said. After the killing of the al-Qaeda leader by US forces and the killing of two Pakistanis by CIA contractor Raymond davis in Lahore in January, Pakistan expelled more than 100 US army trainers. In retaliation, the Obama administration stopped $800 million in aid to the Pakistani military earlier this month. The Washington Post report quoted US officials as saying that their embassy notified Pakistani police that their employees were driving from Islamabad to Peshawar and should be escorted from the highway into the city. "On those (four) occasions, the employees were turned away at the (highway) tollbooth for lacking permits known as 'No Objection Certificates,' or NOCs, which are issued by the federal Interior Ministry but can also involve approvals from the military or intelligence agencies,'' the report said. According to US officials, their embassy staff never needed permits as they have an agreement that diplomats can travel between embassy and consular posts without permits as NOCs can take more than a week. But Pakistani officials have been quoted as saying the requirement for permits was never waived and applies to all foreigners. The refusal four times to the US embassy employees to enter Peshawar became a sort of media spectacle. "Each time US vehicles were turned away from tollbooths, television cameras were there," the report said. Cut up with the Pakistani action, a US official has been quoted as saying that "to us, this is not a constructive way to rebuild the relationship." |
| Deepika tips John to get over breakup Posted: 25 Jul 2011 12:07 AM PDT |
| 10 Common sex myths Posted: 25 Jul 2011 12:04 AM PDT 
Sex and desire have always been viewed to be a very important part of life, but it has emerged that most, in their pursuit for carnal satisfaction, ignore the safety and healthy bedroom rules. Dr. Barry Buffman, a Board Certified urologist and the director of the Los Angeles Boston Medical Group, has given ten top sex myths that are most common among men, reports Askmen.com. The first myth concerns the belief that a woman will not get pregnant if a guy ''pulls out'' before ejaculation. Men do not always know when ejaculatory fluid begins to seep out - and even ahead of a perceptible orgasm, pre- ejaculate (which includes sperm) is released and is enough to get a woman pregnant. The second myth concerns thinking about someone else during the act, which is a bad thing to do. A large part of the sexual experience starts with your brain, not your body, and sometimes your brain can wander. If you are committed to your lady, and your relationship is in a good place, it's okay to think about Angelina Jolie or Megan Fox every now and then. The third myth is the belief that premature ejaculation only affects young men. Some men do find that premature ejaculation begins at the onset of sexual maturity, but plenty of men also find it to be an issue later in life. In fact, premature ejaculation affects 30 per cent of men at sometime in their lives. Often, early ejaculation in men who are in their 30s or older is a co-symptom of erectile dysfunction or fatigue, poor cardiovascular conditioning, depression, anxiety, or neurological symptoms. The fourth myth is about the belief that oral sex is safer than vaginal sex. From teenagers to former President Bill Clinton, oral sex seems to have the stigma of a "free pass" as far as sexual relationships go. Yes, it does count as sex, and yes, you can get a sexually transmitted disease from oral sex. There is still an exchange of fluids, meaning that diseases can enter your body through sores or small cuts in your mouth and throat. The fifth myth is about how certain foods can be aphrodisiacs that will put one in the mood for some good loving. While oysters, dark chocolate, strawberries, and tiger penis might make one feel aroused, there is no scientific evidence to support the validity of aphrodisiacs. The sixth myth is on how size matters. As anyone with sexual experience knows, true sexual enthusiasm far outweighs any gifted parts. And contrary to another popular sex myth, the size of ones member has nothing to do with the size of ones hands or feet. The seventh myth is about how, if all else fails, Viagra and other similar oral medications can treat erectile dysfunction. Oral medications are only a temporary fix to a problem that may have other underlying health causes that should be addressed by a qualified physician. In addition, many men with health conditions, including hypertension and diabetes, cannot take oral prescriptions due to serious potential side effects or contraindications with other medications. For men who cannot use oral meds, there are a number of other options including urethral suppositories and ICP, an injection that produces an erection within minutes. The eight myth concerns the belief that after a certain age, sex is no longer important. Sex is an important aspect of physical and emotional health and well being for adults of all ages, even those in their golden years. While some people believe that a decrease in libido is a natural part of aging, a loss of sexual desire can be related to a number of other factors including hormone deficiencies, depression, anxiety disorders, side effects of medication, changes to a relationship, communication barriers, or loss of a spouse or partner. The ninth myth is about men having more sexual urges than women do. Though many men would have you believe they're ready to go 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the truth is that men experience daily fluctuations in libido, as do women. A man's readiness to hop in the sack can be impacted by many of the same factors that impact a woman's level of desire, including diet, sleep, health, stress, medical conditions, self- confidence, and relationship disharmony. The tenth myth is that great sex will just happen naturally without any effort, the way it does in the movies. The human body doesn't come with an instruction manual. The "tricks of the trade" that pleased a former partner do not always translate with someone new. Good communication is the key to good sex, as is a willingness to be open to trying new techniques and positions to find out what each partner finds pleasurable. It can be a little awkward at first to over-communicate during sex, but think about the outcome: a partner who knows how to do it right every time. |
| Norway carnage suspect admits responsibility Posted: 24 Jul 2011 07:56 PM PDT 
The suspect in Norway's twin attacks that killed at least 92 people admitted responsibility and said the carnage was long planned as the nation mourned victims of its worst violence since World War II. Anders Behring Breivik, 32, was arrested for allegedly shooting at least 85 people dead at a youth Labour Party meeting on an island and killing seven more in a car bomb explosion which ripped through government buildings in Oslo. The suspect in Norway's twin attacks says he acted alone, police said Sunday, in a "cruel" but "necessary" slaughter planned over many months. "He admitted responsibility," Behring Breivik's lawyer Geir Lippestad told Norway's NRK television channel. While there was no official confirmation of the man's identity, he was widely named as Anders Behring Breivik by local media. "He explained that it was cruel but that he had to go through with these acts," Lippestad said, adding that the attacks were "apparently planned over a long period of time". A rambling 1,500-page tract apparently written by Behring Breivik said he has been preparing the "martyrdom operation" since at least autumn 2009. The Internet document — part diary, part bomb-making manual and part political rant in which he details his Islamophobia — explains how he set up front mining and farming businesses to prepare the attacks for which he was arrested on Friday. "The reasoning for this decision is to create a credible cover in case I am arrested in regards to the purchase and smuggling of explosives or components to explosives — fertiliser," the tract says. —AFP |
| Norway suspect's father in shock: Report Posted: 24 Jul 2011 07:54 PM PDT 
OSLO: The father of the young man suspected of single- handedly killing 93 people in Norway's worst post-war tragedy has told of his shock as he came across his son's picture on the Internet. Retired diplomat Jens Breivik described his son Anders Behring Breivik, who he said he has not seen since he was 15 or 16, as an "ordinary boy." "I was reading the news on the Internet and suddenly I saw his name and picture," Breivik senior told Norway's Verdens Gang newspaper. "I am in a state of shock, it's absolutely horrific to hear that," added Breivik, who is divorced from the suspect's mother and currently lives in the south of France. "We never lived together but we had some contact during his childhood," he said. "When he was younger, he was an ordinary boy but not very communicative. He was not interested in politics at the time." His wife Wanda spoke briefly outside the couple's villa in Cournanel near Limoux, southern France, on Sunday where dozens of journalists gathered outside the gates. "We've had a horrible night. I haven't slept. My husband left this morning for Spain," she said tearfully in what turned out to be a red herring. The public prosecutor in the nearby town of Carcassonne said later police had been deployed outside the house in which both Jens Breivik and his wife were currently staying for their safety. Questioned by AFP whether the police presence was part of the investigation or following a request by Norwegian authorities to question Jens Breivik prosecutor Antoine Leroy said police officers were meant to "avert any incident or disturbance, which is normal and legitimate". Wanda Breivik said she had never met her hudband's son, according to a Norwegian television reporter's translation. Anders Behring Breivik, 32, was arrested following the twin attacks which left 93 people dead on Friday and sent shockwaves through the usually peaceful country. The suspect confirmed having set the car bomb that killed seven in Oslo's government quarters and gone on a shooting spree during a Labour Party summer camp on a nearby island that claimed 86 lives. Behring Breivik, who described in a manifesto released on the Internet how he had planned the attacks over years, told police he acted alone in what would be one of the worst acts of violence by a single man in recent memory. The suspect mentions his father in the tract, who he says was a diplomat posted to London and Paris and who remarried after his birth, while his mother married a soldier who became his stepfather. He wrote that his biological father and his wife had asked for custody of the boy but were prevented by the Norwegian courts. "I had a good relationship with him and his new wife ... until I was 15. "I still have contact with (her) until this day but have not spoken to my father since he isolated himself when I was 15 (he wasn't very happy about my graffiti phase from 13-16...". In the manifesto he said his biological parents were both Labour Party supporters. Shocked residents of the quiet village of Cournanel, home to around 650 inhabitants, said they did not know Jens Breivik or his son. French police were now guarding the couple's villa, but locals said they had only recently moved to the house. |
| US turns heat on ISI, says it spies on Pakistani- Americans Posted: 24 Jul 2011 07:52 PM PDT 
Jul 24, 2011, 11.41pm IST TNN [ Chidanand Rajghatta ] WASHINGTON: In further signs that ties between the United States and Pakistan continue to deteriorate, American interlocutors have now accused Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI of spying on the Pakistani diaspora in America and intimidating them. The latest salvo, aired through leaks in the New York Times on Sunday, comes on the heels of the FBI's arrest of Kashmiri activist Syed Ghulam Nabi Fai on charges that he illegally funnelled money from the Pakistani ISI into the US to influence American policy makers. Unnamed US officials have released the name of yet another ISI operative, who, working under diplomatic cover in New York, allegedly spied on Pakistani dissidents in America, in what some analysts suggest may be payback for Pakistanis outing CIA operatives and harassing CIA assets in Pakistan. The FBI affidavit in the Fai case also named several ISI operatives, including high-level Pakistani spook Maj Gen Mumtaz Ahmed Bajwa, who the US says handled overseas Kashmiri militants groups in the ISI's security directorate. The public outing of ISI operatives now is in stark contrast to the Headley- Rana case where the Justice Department held back from naming Pakistani spooks. The official, identified as Mohammed Tasleem, an attaché in the Pakistani consulate in New York, went so far as to pose as an FBI agent to extract information from Pakistani immigrants and threatened them if they opposed the Pakistani military's. Tasleem was spirited out of US in a "quiet resolution" of the matter after the then CIA Director Leon Panetta had a "tense conversation" with the ISI chief Ahmed Shuja Pasha on the matter, NYT said. But in a sign that Washington may have also tried to keep a lid on the spat between law- enforcement foot soldiers of the two countries, the report said the State Department and CIA counseled against FBI arresting Fai and his associate in the Kashmir-ISI case in the past, fearing that such a move would aggravate the already frayed ties between US and Pakistan. US policy with regards to Pakistan is difficult to discern as this moment. Publicly, officials maintain both sides are working through a "difficult" and "complicated" relationship. But lower down, or perhaps privately, officials from both sides are going eye-ball-to- eyeball, in the process aggravating the already frayed ties. It now appears the gloves -- and all bets -- are off. After Pakistan's aggressive moves in twice outing CIA station chiefs in Islamabad and playing hardball in the Raymond Davis case, Washington seems intent in showing that two can play the game. The US has now turned the heat on ISI, with the focus on its operations in America including its divisive ties with the Pakistani diaspora. Some analysts see the timing of Fai's arrest, including the fingering of ISI, as significant, coming as it does on the heels of the arrest of a Pakistani doctor, Shakil Afridi, who assisted the US operation in Abbottabad (targeting Osama bin Laden). Washington is said to be pressing Pakistan to release him. "So what you have inside of Pakistan is the arrest of a Pakistani national for assisting US efforts. And now here in Washington, you have the arrest of an American citizen of Pakistani origin for his assistance [on] Pakistani efforts. The similarities here are striking, and it...leads to questions in Pakistan as to whether this arrest and this case are being brought intentionally at this time to send a message to Islamabad," says Daniel Markey, a former state department officials who is now a senior fellow at the Council for Foreign Relations. The US move also comes amid growing fears in the Pakistani community of more arrests in the Fai case. The FBI affidavit in the case cites a dozen unnamed "straw donors" who contributed money to Fai's Kashmir American Council in the US and were reimbursed by the Pakistani government in Pakistan in a typical hawala operation. Many donors are said to be Pakistani- American physicians and businessmen. At the same time, the latest leaks about ISI shenanigans in US also suggests Washington is concerned about Islamabad targeting Pakistani-Americans who are critical of the militarization of Pakistan and its slide into chaos. There was further panic in the community over the weekend after Canada arrested what it called a Pakistani "war criminal" near Toronto. Canadian authorities said they apprehended Arshad Mohammed, 42, just days after Ottawa released a list of 30 "war criminals" sought in Canada, ostensibly to offset the impression that the country is being used as a liberal safe haven by overseas terrorists and criminals. Most men on the list come from failed or failing states such as Somalia, Sudan, Afghanistan etc, including two from Pakistan. Canadian officials did not identify the war crimes Arshad Mohammed is charged with. |
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