US, Pakistani military officials meet for first time since fatal airstrikes

Senior US and Pakistani military officials have met in Islamabad in what many see as an unprecedented escalation in diplomatic efforts between the two nations. The meeting follows sideline talks between US President Barack Obama and Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani at the Seoul nuclear summit on Tuesday and comes ahead of a high profile visit to Pakistan by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. But how likely are these measures to ease current tensions? titleist 910d2

Wednesday’s meeting between the United States and Pakistan’s top military brass is the highest level military meeting since 24 Pakistani soldiers were killed by NATO forces last November.

In the interim the countries have exchanged a number of thinly veiled criticisms of each other during the most tense period of their diplomatic alliance.titleist 910D3

On Tuesday US President Barack Obama met with Pakistan’s Prime Minister on the side lines of a nuclear summit in Seoul for the he most prominent talks since the killing of Osama bin Laden.Ping G20

Afterwards the President expressed his most candid views to date on the troubled US-Pakistan alliance.

Obama said, “There have been times – I think we should be frank – over the last several months where those relations have had periods of strains, but I welcome the fact that the parliament of Pakistan is reviewing, after some extensive study, the nature of this relationship, I think it’s important for us to get it right, I think it’s important for us to have candid dialogue, to work through these issues in a constructive fashion and a transparent fashion, and my expectation is that as a result of the review that’s taking place in Pakistan, as well as the work that we’re doing on the American side that we can achieve the kind of balanced approach that respects Pakistan’s sovereignty but also respects our concerns.”TaylorMade Drivers

In spite of this Pakistan’s parliament is pressing ahead with a review of recommendations from its national security committee on future ties with Washington.Taylormade r11 Driver

They include a end to U.S. drone attacks in the tribal regions of Pakistan and the possible reopening of supply routes to NATO troops in Afghanistan.

Adding momentum to this latest upsurge in American diplomatic efforts is the proposed visit by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the coming weeks.

An escalation of activity which implies, analysts say, a final push ahead of elections in both countries in the coming months.TaylorMade RocketBallz Driver

Political analyst Imitiza Gul said, “I think elections in both countries basically is making their respective positions harder or making it very difficult for the leadership in both countries to re-position themselves and redefine the terms of engagement. However given the current situation I think both countries should be able to find a middle way at some stage and after the pakistani parliament is through the recommendations that have come from various sources as far as the resetting of the relationship with the US is concerned.”TaylorMade R11S Driver

Reporter: “The unprecedented level of interaction between top civil and military leaders reveals the depth of concern over diplomatic relations between the United States and Pakistan.”

With the strain showing in what is an election year for both sides potentially, little choice remains but to push forward with these tricky negotiations.

Pacific island nations need to build resilience against shocks: IMF deputy chief

WASHINGTON, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Pacific island nations face challenges and they need to build buffer against external shocks, said Zhu Min, Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday. taylormade drivers

"Those countries are obviously very diversified, they are very different in terms of cultures and economic structures. But they are facing common challenges," Zhu said at a high-level conference hosted jointly by the IMF and the government of Samoa on regional economic and development issues.taylormade irons

The senior official noted that the Pacific countries have very narrow base for production and export, and very limited space for diversification.callaway drivers

In order to build resilience to external shocks, Zhu said the first priority is to "try to build fiscal buffer in good years, particularly when growth is strong."

Zhu insisted that it is also important for Pacific countries to safeguard the socially and economically vulnerable, saying that they need to build more social safety net and provide service flows for all the people, particularly for the vulnerable in the downturn.

Zhu expressed high hope for the conference. "We very much expected to see very fruitful conversation with them to exchange views. We bring our knowledge, our forecast for the global financial situation to them, and they also bring their local knowledge for us to understand their situations better," he said.

Policymakers from 10 Pacific island nations, representatives from regional development partners, international organizations, academia, and the private sector attended the conference.

Bahrain shuts down embassy in Damascus

MANAMA, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Bahrain's Foreign Ministry on Thursday evening announced the shut-down of its embassy in Damascus in what could be seen as part of the Gulf state's pressure against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.ping drivers

"Bahrain has decided to shut down its embassy in Damascus and withdraw all its diplomatic staff due to the worsening security condition", the ministry announced.

In a statement, the ministry called upon Bahraini citizens in Syria to leave the unrest-torn country immediately.ping irons

It also urged Bahrainis to contact the Kingdom's embassy in Amman, capital of Jordan, for emergency.callaway irons

However, it is still not clear whether the Syrian ambassador to Bahrain has been called back in turn.

In February, Bahraini lawmakers called for the expulsion of the Syrian ambassador for the country's alleged crackdown against anti- government protesters

Iran ready to help Zimbabwe promote defense strength: minister

TEHRAN, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi said Sunday that Iran is ready to help Zimbabwe promote its defense strength, the state IRIB TV website reported on Sunday.scotty cameron putter

Vahidi made the remarks during his first round of talks with the Defense Minister of Zimbabwe Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa in Tehran, said the report.TaylorMade R11S Irons

The Iranian minister also expressed hope that Zimbabwe would restore its economic strength.

Six joint commissions in different aspects have been set up between Tehran and Harare, he said, adding that such moves prove that the two nations enjoy amicable relations in all areas.TaylorMade R11s Driver

For his part, the Zimbabwean minister praised achievements made by the Islamic republic and called for promotion of all-out cooperation between the two countries.TaylorMade R11 Driver

Mnangagwa arrived in Tehran late Saturday for bilateral talks at the official invitation of his Iranian counterpart.

Reviewing avenues to bolster bilateral defense cooperation between Tehran and Harare will be the top priority of the talks, the official IRNA news agency reported on Sunday.TaylorMade RocketBallz Driver

The talks between the Zimbabwean minister and Iranian officials will also focus on the latest international and regional developments as well as issues of mutual interests.

Iran's Deputy Defense Minister Majid Bokaei said Saturday that Iran plans to sell more arms to " friendly" and neighboring countries in the new Iranian calendar year starting on March 20.

China highlights human rights in criminal procedure law revision

BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The draft amendment to China's Criminal Procedure Law was submitted to the ongoing national legislative session Thursday for third reading, incorporating the principle of respecting and safeguarding human rights.

When explaining the necessity to amend the law to a plenary meeting during the annual session of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC), Wang Zhaoguo, vice chairman of the NPC Standing Committee said that amending the law is to strengthen punishment of crimes and protection of the people.TaylorMade RocketBallz Driver

It is also necessary to revise the law to strengthen and make innovations in social administration and maintain social harmony and stability, and deepen judicial system reform, Wang added.TaylorMade R11 Driver

The draft amendment to Criminal Procedure Law was submitted to the NPC Standing Committee for first reading in August 2011 and for second reading in December 2011.TaylorMade R11s Driver

China's current Criminal Procedure Law was enacted in 1979 and amended in 1996.TaylorMade R11S Irons

Adding the article of protecting human rights to the Criminal Procedure Law will help judicial organs observe and implement this constitutional principle in criminal proceedings, Wang said.scotty cameron putter

Libya's eastern region declared autonomous

TRIPOLI, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Tribal and political leaders in eastern Libya declared Cyrenaica an autonomous region during a ceremony held in the city of Benghazi on Tuesday.

The leaders also appointed a council to manage regional affairs. Ahmed Zubair al-Senussi was elected as chairman of the council at the ceremony attended by 3,000 delegates.

Cyrenaica, known as Barca in Arabic, stretches from the central coastal city of Sirte, where slain ruler Muammar Gaddafi was born, to the Egyptian border. The tribal leaders plan to name Benghazi, the cradle of the protests leading to Gaddafi's fall, as the autonomous area's capital.

Also, under their plan, the region will have its own legislatures, courts and police force, while the power of foreign policy making will be left to the central government in Tripoli.titleist 910d2

The tribal leaders' declaration was made despite the interim central rulers' strong rejection and their promise to decentralize the government across the country.titleist 910D3

Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters have reportedly taken to the streets in Benghazi and Tripoli, showing their support for the National Transitional Council (NTC), who have been ruling Libya since the ouster of Gaddafi.Ping G20

Political changes in Cyrenaica can immensely impact the NTC's rule as the eastern region has most of Libya's oil wealth and Benghazi is home to the country's biggest state oil companyTaylormade r11 Driver.

Federalism, which the tribal leaders refer their political demand to be, was the way Libya was governed in the mid-20th century. Cyrenaica was one of the three regions where power was devolved, the other two being Fezzan and Tripolitania.TaylorMade R11S Driver

However, Libya's administration was drastically centralized under Gaddafi, who came to power through a military coup in 1969. Since the end of Gaddafi's 42-year rule, some regional leaders have been calling for a return to federalism.TaylorMade Drivers

The NTC has earlier voiced their support for a decentralized political system, but not federalism.TaylorMade RocketBallz Driver

Republic of Congo arsenal blast toll hits 200: presidency

BRAZZAVILLE, March 4 (Xinhua) -- The death toll of an arms depot explosions in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo has topped 200 as of Sunday evening, according to the Central African country's presidential office. Hospital sources reported around 200 victims in the blasts, an official of the presidency said amid speculation of heavier casualties. But an official with a local morgue who declined to be named said a total of 136 bodies had so far been counted. At least three powerful blasts rocked the city at 8 a.m. local time (0700 GMT), destroying an arms depot between the districts of Mpila and Talangai, panicking the passersby who were running to their safety after the explosions.TaylorMade R11s Drivers Xinhua correspondent saw at the blast scene that the dead were being carried away on stretchers and the wounded were lying on their back, waiting to be rescued. Heavy smokes were seen rising from the munitions depot which the blasts hit. Many buildings near the depot, which had already been cordoned off, had been leveled after the spate of explosions. Cars at the scene were seen destroyed.Ping G20 The window glass panels of Xinhua's local bureau were shattered by the blasts and the huge sound was even heard across the Congo River in Kinshasa. Cries could be heard in a hospital in downtown Brazzaville, where the wounded were rushed to. Doctors could only tend to the seriously injured due to the lack of medics.titleist 910D3 Driver

Chinese stocks open lower Thursday

BEIJING, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese stocks opened lower Thursday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index down 0.4 percent, or 9.7 points, to open at 2,418.79. The Shenzhen Component Index opened at 10,011.12, down 43.73 points, or 0.43 percent.TaylorMade R11s fairway woods