Tag: Plan

Japan defence plan wary of China’s military

TOKYO: Japan will identify North Korea as a threat and call China's military activities a concern in a review of its defence policy that will include plans to beef up its ability to cope with Beijing's rise, a newspaper reported on Monday.
The update of the National Defence Programme Guideline, the first since 2004, is expected this month as Japan confronts China's military build-up and North Korea's deadly shelling of a South Korean island. The review will be the first since

Karzai shelves plan to ban private security firms

KABUL: Afghanistan announced Monday that it would scrap plans to ban private security firms working across the country, announcing instead new restrictions on their operations.
All 52 licensed companies will now continue to provide security to the international forces, the Pentagon, the UN mission, aid and non-governmental organisations, embassies and Western media companies in Afghanistan.
"Their future operations will continue in accordance with the law and regulations in

CM announces plan to set up Sasta Bazaars

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has announced to set up model Sasta Bazaars in Lahore, Kasur, Sheikhupura, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Rawalpindi and Bahawalpur for providing quality meat, fruits, vegetables and daily use items to the people at one place.
He directed Secretary Industries to submit a final plan with regard to setting up model Sasta bazaars within one week and the work should be started on the project immediately. "This project will be

Awan’s plan to manage NAB fizzles out

ISLAMABAD: Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Babar Awan's maneuvers to mange the accountability courts through amendment in the NAB Ordinance, and acquire the NAB chairman's powers to transfer cases from one court to another, have failed, as the government decided to withdraw the controversial law after the Supreme Court objected to the procedure adopted in the exercise.
Attorney General Anwarul Haq had told the apex court on Thursday that the government had decided to

Commission finalises proposals on devolution plan

ISLAMABAD: The Implementation Commission Committee on Tuesday gave final touches to its recommendations on the devolution plan to be submitted to the federal cabinet for approval.
An informed source told Pakistan Today that the meeting finalised its proposals to resolve issues with the provinces vis-a-vis the devolution plan. The provinces, the source added, had raised concerns that the federation should allocate more funds prior to handing over five federal ministries to the

Ireland aid plan next week, contagion fears persist

BRUSSELS: A financial aid plan to help Ireland cope with its battered banks will be unveiled next week, EU sources said on Friday. However, experts warned that a rescue may not be enough to prevent contagion in the single currency bloc.
The rise in euro and investors demand to buy Irish and other peripheral euro zone debt instead of benchmark German bonds narrowed in a sign of optimism that an aid deal for Dublin will be sealed soon. However, a poll of participants at a

Business community slams gas curtailment plan

LAHORE: The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) was given a free hand by all the Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Punjab and industrial associations in an emergent meeting on Saturday.
They authorised the LCCI to take any extreme step if the government failed to form a uniform policy of gas curtailment for all provinces and was unable to fulfill this demand within a week. This was decided in a meeting of ten leading Chambers of Commerce and a large number of

Kashmiris plan new protests for Obama visit

SRINAGAR: Kashmiri leaders called on Saturday for fresh demonstrations to coincide with the upcomming visit of US President Barack Obama to India. The region has been hit by rolling protests since June 11 when a 17-year-old student was killed by a police teargas shell.
Since then, security forces have been accused of killing a total of 111 people, mostly teenagers and students. Obama arrives in India next Saturday on a three-day trip. Senior Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali

J-Block park commercialisation plan raises alarm

LAHORE
Continuing the fresh wave of unauthorised commercialisation in Model Town, a plan has been finalised for converting a public park measuring 55 kanals into a commercial plaza in sheer violation of the building by-laws mentioned in the Model Town Society's master plan, Pakistan Today has learnt.
The Model Town Society (MTS) has outlined the proposal to covert the park located in J-Block into a commercial plaza and decided to present the plan in the annual general

Hawkish Israeli minister drafts nuclear Iran plan

JERUSALEM
Hardline Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has commissioned a report on how to prepare for a nuclear-armed Iran as doubt mounts about the efficacy of preventive action, an Israeli source said on Monday.
Publicly, Israel has pledged to deny the Iranians the means to make a bomb but its previous, centrist govt also discreetly drew up "day after" contingency plans should Tehran's uranium enrichment pass the military threshold.
At the time, rightist

PPP’s plan to appoint loyalist as KP governor hits snags

ISLAMABAD
The move by Pakistan People's Party's (PPP) to replace Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani with a party loyalist has hit snags, whereas the Awami National Party (ANP) says that if this has to be done, the governor should be apolitical and a technocrat, suggesting former provincial chief secretary Azam Khan as best suited for the job.
ANP Senior Vice President Haji Adeel told Pakistan Today that his party was against appointing a politician as the

Tokyo hotel eyes record with new plan

$671,000 a night for the entire hotel!
Want an exclusive venue for your next party? The Mandarin Oriental Tokyo hotel may have the answer: use of the entire hotel, including nine restaurants and all spas and rooms - for a cool $671,000 a night.
The luxury hotel in central Tokyo began selling the plan a week ago as "something splashy" to commemorate its opening five years ago, said hotel spokeswoman Chie Hayakawa. It intends to apply for recognition from Guinness World

Pattinson, Stewart plan secret wedding

Hollywood stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart are reportedly planning a commitment ceremony to be performed by a voodoo priestess in December.
The couple, who has refused to confirm they are dating since meeting on the set of the 'Twilight Saga', reportedly want to show their commitment to each other at the unusual ceremony in December.
"Kristen is quite dark so she wants a ceremony performed by a New Orleans voodoo priestess," a source told.
"They've both had