Tag: Says

JUBA - Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir told southerners on a rare visit to Juba on Tuesday he would celebrate the result of Sunday's referendum on southern independence, "even if you choose secession."
"I personally will be sad if Sudan splits. But at the same time I will be happy if we have peace in Sudan between the two sides," Bashir said in a speech to senior southern officials at the start of his one-day visit.
"I am going to celebrate your decision, even if your

ALMATY - The United States on Tuesday condemned Kazakhstan's move to extend the rule of veteran leader Nursultan Nazarbayev to 2020, bypassing a 2012 election, and said this would be a blow to democracy.
"We believe a national referendum that would replace the presidential elections guaranteed by Kazakhstan's constitution would be a setback for democracy in Kazakhstan," the U.S. government said in a statement.
"We think that it is important that Kazakhstan's government and

DUBAI - Former president Pervez Musharraf on Monday said his party, the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML), was prepared for possible early elections, as the government scrambled to save its ruling coalition.
Musharraf said he will return to Pakistan before the next election. "We are ready to contest elections," Musharraf told reporters at his apartment in Dubai. "A little more time would be useful, as we are a new party. However, we will definitely try if the elections come

ISLAMABAD - Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Nisar Ali Khan on Monday categorically ruled out the possibility that his party would shoulder the falling government of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, who has lost majority in the House.
"Let me clarify the impression or ambiguity that the PML-N will come forward to save the government if it loses majority in the National Assembly and consequently collapses," Nisar told reporters outside the Parliament House.

MADRID - Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho said on Sunday that he will have to re-construct his team in the absence of injured Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain.
Higuain is out of action with a slipped disc in his back and Mourinho compared his absence to that of Brazilian playmaker Kaka, who has been out since the start of the season with a knee problem. "We were missing (Kaka) for six months and we built a team," Mourinho said at a press conference prior to Monday's trip to

BEIJING - Chinese scientists say they have developed nuclear fuel reprocessing technology that could effectively end uranium supply concerns, state media said, as Beijing strives for energy security.
The technology, developed by state-run China National Nuclear Corp in the remote northwestern province of Gansu, enables the country to re-use irradiated nuclear fuel, China Central Television said. "China's proven uranium sources will last only 50 to 70 years, but this now changes

Indian film star Kareena Kapoor has discovered the writer in herself. After having written an introduction to her dietician Rujuta Diwekar's earlier book that was a huge success; Kareena has continued to keep in touch with her writing skills.
The actress says, "I genuinely enjoy writing. What's more, I feel especially thrilled when I ask Saif to go through my draft and he suggests just a couple of minor changes. Then I know that I am on the right track."
Kareena is also

CAPE TOWN/JOHANNESBURG - Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said on Saturday that his team were ready to make history when they face South Africa in the series-deciding third and final Test starting at Newlands on Sunday. "The good thing with this side is that we know why we can win a series in South Africa," said Dhoni.
India were in the same situation four years ago when they came to Newlands with the series level at one-all - but Dhoni said the mood in the side was much more

JERUSALEM - Face-to-face negotiations are still the best path to peace with the Palestinians, an Israeli official said Saturday dismissing calls for a new peace plan as premature.
On Friday, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas called for the international community, spearheaded by the peacemaking Quartet of the United Nations, the United States, Russia and the European Union, to come up with a new approach.
"We demand that the Middle East Quartet and the various UN bodies,

BRUSSELS - Ninety four journalists died in Pakistan owing to violence this year, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said on Friday, adding that country was the most dangerous place for media workers in 2010.
The Brussels-based organisation said in a report that the journalists and media personnel remained prime targets of political extremists, gangsters and terrorists while three journalists died in different accidents in last 12 months.
The IFJ said that 15

LONDON - Manchester United's Darren Fletcher has insisted talk from title challengers Manchester City that the Premier League is the Red Devils to lose as nothing more than "kidology".
Appropriately enough, the comment was made by Manchester City assistant manager Brian Kidd, once deputy to United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who as a striker made his name at Old Trafford before also playing for City.
United, chasing a record-breaking 19th English title, head into the New Year

LONDON - Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson has apologised to the club's supporters after criticising them in an angry outburst following Wednesday's shock 1-0 defeat against struggling Wolves at Anfield. Hodgson was furious after sections of the Liverpool support showed their displeasure at his reign with a sarcastic chant of "Hodgson for England" before calling for Reds legend Kenny Dalglish to be installed as manager. The former Fulham boss,
who only replaced Rafael Benitez as

PERTH - Former world number one and two-time Grand Slam winner Lleyton Hewitt hopes a rigorous off-season fitness regime will arrest an alarming slide down the rankings.
The Australian has battled injuries in recent years and heads into the New Year ranked a lowly 54th in the world, having started 2010 at 22.
But the 29-year-old said he was in his best shape since 2005 and believes he can again climb the rankings.
Speaking Friday as he prepared to partner Alicia Molik

LAHORE - PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif on Thursday said his party would never support a corrupt government, warning that if the political mess persisted, the PML-N would launch another long march to free the country from the rule of illegal occupants and the establishment.
Addressing a workers' convention at the 104th foundation day of the Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz said it was ridiculous that those who enjoyed being partners with the corrupt government for three years were also

LONDON - Edin Dzeko's chances of joining Premier League title chasers Manchester City have been boosted with a ringing endorsement from City's manager Roberto Mancini. The 24-year-old Bosnia striker is one of the Bundesliga's most prolific scorers and City are reported to be in negotiations to sign him from VfL Wolfsburg once the transfer window opens on Saturday.
"We have the chance to win the league this year and the decisive factor could be Edin Dzeko," Italian Mancini told

LAHORE - Former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Nawaz Sharif held the army generals responsible for the fall of Dhaka, lamenting that no general was prosecuted, nor was anyone put to accountability.
"We did not learn any lesson from making of Bangladesh, as Justice Hamudur Rehman Commission held the generals responsible for the fall of Dhaka," he said, pointed out that about 33 years were wasted in martial law time period. It was martial law that led to the

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Thursday termed the unanimous passage of the 19th Amendment Bill from the Senate as a new year gift to the nation, which reflected maturity of all the political leadership of country.
Speaking in the House after it unanimously passed the landmark bill, the prime minister said that it had dispelled the impression as if the parliament was ineffective or a rubber-stamp one. "The upheaval task which the current parliament has