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A U.S.-backed alliance of Lebanese factions successfully defended its parliamentary majority in an election on Sunday, defeating an alliance including the Iranian- and Syrian-backed Hezbollah.

Led by Sunni politician Saad al-Hariri, the anti-Syrian “March 14″ coalition won a majority in parliament, according to politicians in his alliance and the rival bloc. The new parliament convenes for the first time later this month.

According to Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing system, the parliament will elect a Shi’ite speaker. It is expected to extend the term of Hezbollah ally, Nabih Berri.

President Michel Suleiman, a Maronite Christian, will then consult lawmakers on their choice for the post of Sunni prime minister. He is obliged to go with the choice of the majority.

The prime minister-designate then holds consultations on the new government. Following are scenarios on how the new government may shape up:

HARIRI NOMINATED PM, REJECTS OPPOSITION VETO

Hariri, who has Saudi backing, is designated prime minister by a majority of legislators. Though not against the participation of Hezbollah and its allies in government, he refuses to meet their demand for effective veto power, setting the stage for political tension.

March 14’s refusal to yield to the opposition’s call for effective veto power in 2006 triggered a political crisis that last year pushed the country to the brink of civil war.

The U.S.-backed alliance finally agreed to the demand as part of a deal brokered by Arab mediators to end the worst civil strife since the 1975-90 war.

In an attempt to avoid a confrontation, Hariri might instead propose that President Suleiman be allowed to appoint a bloc of ministers with effective veto power, enhancing the head of state’s role in government. Hezbollah and its allies, including Christian politician Michel Aoun, may not agree.

The dispute could drag on and a resolution would likely require the intervention of regional states.

HARIRI DECLINES PM NOMINATION

Hariri declines the nomination for prime minister, avoiding a potential confrontation with Hezbollah and its allies over the issue of veto power. He nominates an alternative candidate.

The alternative to Hariri may also propose a wider role for the president in the new cabinet, expanding the number of ministers that he appoints so the head of state effectively holds the balance of power in government.

One compromise solution could be a three-way split of government posts between Hariri’s coalition, Hezbollah and its allies and the president.

PRESIDENT EMERGES MORE INFLUENTIAL

President Suleiman could emerge a winner from the election if negotiations over the new cabinet result in a greater say for him. Suleiman was elected head of state last year by parliament. He was seen as a candidate acceptable to both the rival sides at the time and supported by Saudi Arabia and Syria.
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LONDON: Pakistan leg-spinner Shahid Afridi destroyed the Netherlands’ Twenty20 World Cup dreams at Lord’s on Tuesday with four for 11 from his four overs in the final group B match.

The Netherlands, who needed to score at least 151 to advance to the Super Eight stage at the expense of their opponents, tumbled to 93 all out from 17.3 overs, losing by 82 runs.

They had needed to get to within 25 of Pakistan’s 175 for five to advance to the second round with England by virtue of their superior run rate after upsetting the tournament hosts last Friday.

The first six Pakistan batsmen all reached double figures with wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal, promoted to opener in a bid to accelerate the scoring rate, top-scoring with 41 from 30 balls with three sixes.

In reply, the Netherlands reached 42 for one before the Pakistan spinners, headed by Afridi, took control.

Afridi, whose faster delivery confounded all the Dutch batsmen, bowled Bas Zuiderent with his first ball.

He went on to record the fourth-best figures in all Twenty20 cricket while off-spinner Saeed Ajmal took three for 20 and Akmal finished with four stumpings.

The only blot on Pakistan’s day was their fallible fielding.

After the team had dropped four catches in their 48-run loss to England on Sunday, Shoaib Malik allowed a chance to slip through his fingertips in the gully and Salman Butt dropped a simple chance at short fine-leg.
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KAL KISSNE DEKHA:
All eyes were on producer Vashu Bhagnani’s KAL KISSNE DEKHA, the film that was to release on the coming Friday, as it is the much awaited launch vehicle of his handsome son Jackky Bhagnani and late Manmohan Desai’s grand daughter, Vaishali Desai. However, to show his solidarity with the producers/distributors, the large hearted producer number 1, Vashu Bhagnani, has gone ahead and postponed KAL KISSNE DEKHA to sometimes in June, though the time was just ripe for the film to take a good if not great start at the ticket window, especially after the heartening performance of 99.

DETECTIVE NANI:
As was expected and predicted, the team Mukherjee offering, DETECTIVE NANI, featuring Ava Mukherjee and Master Zain Khan (of CHAIN KULII KI MAIN KULII fame), got off to a very poor opening across India. The film obviously has nil chances at the ticket window.

SUNO NA… EK NANHI AWAAZ:
Another resounding flop is the Tara Sharma starrer, SUNO NA… EK NANHI AWAAZ. The film managed negligible collections across India and netted less than 5 lakhs during its opening week.

99:
Checking out the performance of People Pictures’, 99, the first film in a long time to have had a universal release across the multiplexes and single screens, and it appealed to the audience and they patronized it, more so at the multiplexes. The Vinod Khanna, Kunal Khemu, Soha Ali Khan, Boman Irani and Cyrus Broacha starrer What also augurs well for the Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK directed film is the fact that Vashu Bhagnani’s KAL KISSNE DEKHA has been postponed and so many additional screens have been added, as compared to the first week, especially in Bombay-Thane.

DASHAVATAR:
The Kamal Haasan and Asin starrer, DASHAVTAR (dubbed), is finally out of the cinemas. Just for records, DASHAVTAR has ended its run in India, netting slightly less than 2 crores.

8X10 TASVEER:
Meanwhile Nagesh Kukunoor’s Akshay Kumar and Ayesha Takia starrer, 8X10 TASVEER, manages to complete 50-days at the cinemas, though achieving precisely nothing! 8X10 TASVEER is a trade disaster.

AA DEKHEN ZARA:
Let us now get the final stats of the Neil Nitin Mukesh and Bipasha Basu starrer, AA DEKHEN ZARA. The Jehangir Suri directed film netted another 5 lakhs and has netted around 5.90 crores in eight weeks from India. And that will be its final tally!
MUNDE U.K. DE:

Before we conclude, we leave you yet again (like the last few weeks!) with some interesting stats regarding regional cinema, this time about the Jimmy Shergill starrer, the Punjabi film MUNDE U.K. DE. The Manmohan Singh directed film has scored not only in India but also in the Overseas.

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PESHAWAR (Zafar Iqbal, Shehzad Mehmood): At least eleven people were killed while dozens of others injured in a powerful blast that rocked a posh hotel in Peshawar here Tuesday, reports ARY NEWS.

The blast, occurred at the entrance of a 5-star hotel situated at GT Road of Saddar, was as powerful as it completely destroyed the hotel’s main entrance and external structure, says the channel. Several vehicles parked outside the hotel were also destroyed in the blast.

AIG Peshawar said that eleven people have been killed in the blast while near 50 others were injured, including many foreigners.

Fire erupted at the ground floor of the building after the blast and was extinguished by the firefighters. Army troops along with the police and paramedics also arrived at the scene soon after the incident and cordoned off the area.

According to ARY NEWS, near 30 injured have been rushed to nearby Lady Reading Hospital where emergency has already been declared.

Many foreigners, including three citizens of Nigeria, were included in the injured, ARY NEWS footage from the blast site shows. It is noted here that the hotel was being used as the permanent residence vy United Nations’ various agencies’ staffers deputed in NWFP.
News reports claimed that few notables of Peshawar were also among injured.

Electricity of the area was interrupted following the blast and the created difficulties in relief activities. The hotel is located adjacent to NWFP Provincial Assembly and other important public offices.

Eyewitnesses told the ARY NEWS that the terrorists boarding in a car first targeted the security checkpost at the entrance of the hotel. At the same time, a Shehzore vehicle, filled with explosives, attempted to enter the hotel premises and on resistance by the security guards rammed with the outside wall.

Police also arrested a suspected person from the blast site.

According to preliminary investigations, near 550 kg of explosives were used in the blast, says the channel.

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PESHAWAR (Zafar Iqbal, Shehzad Mehmood): At least five people were killed while dozens of others were injured in a powerful blast that rocked a posh hotel in Peshawar here Tuesday, reports ARY NEWS.

The blast, occurred at the entrance of a 5-star hotel situated at GT Road of Saddar, was as powerful as it completely destroyed the hotel’s main entrance and external structure, says the channel. Several vehicles parked outside the hotel were also destroyed in the blast.

DCO Peshawar Sahibzada Anees said that five people have been killed in the blast while more than 40 others were injured.

Fire erupted at the ground floor of the building after the blast and was extinguished by the firefighters. Army troops along with the police and paramedics also arrived at the scene soon after the incident and cordoned off the area.

According to ARY NEWS, near 30 injured have been rushed to nearby Lady Reading Hospital where emergency has already been declared.

Many foreigners, including three citizens of Nigeria, were included in the injured, ARY NEWS footage from the blast site shows. It is noted here that the hotel was being used as the permanent residence vy United Nations’ various agencies’ staffers deputed in NWFP.
News reports claimed that few notables of Peshawar were also among injured.

Electricity of the area was interrupted following the blast and the created difficulties in relief activities. The hotel is located adjacent to NWFP Provincial Assembly and other important public offices.

Eyewitnesses told the ARY NEWS that the terrorists boarding in a car first targeted the security checkpost at the entrance of the hotel. At the same time, a Shehzore vehicle, filled with explosives, attempted to enter the hotel premises and on resistance by the security guards rammed with the outside wall.

Police also arrested a suspected person from the blast site.

Expect more to come…
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UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations has opened three new camps in Pakistan to house a continuing flow of families fleeing the fighting in north-west Pakistan, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Monday, but lack of funding is hampering the world body’s ability to assist displaced persons.

The Office said the newly-arrived displaced persons came from Lower Dir, Swat and Buner, in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), where the Pakistani army has been trying to flush out Taliban militants.

According to OCHA, Pakistani authorities have estimated that the number of persons displaced by the conflict exceeds 2.5 million, including 550,000 people who fled clashes in the area last year.

A UN appeal for $543 million to support the displaced persons, launched 22 May, is about 25 per cent funded, it said. Because of the shortfall, food supplies are secure only for June while drugs supplies will be depleted by the end of the month.

Funding is also urgently needed to cover health needs for the next six months, according to OCHA, with there being a shortage of hygiene kits and soap in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs).
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KARACHI: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani arrived here Tuesday on a special visit to the provincial metropolis, reports ARY NEWS.

The PM would chair a high-level meeting later today on law and order situation and recent row of target killing in Karachi, says the channel.
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BEIJING : At least 80 people are feared buried in a landslide at a southwestern Chinese iron ore mine, Chinese state media said.

According to state news agency Xinhua, millions of cubic metres of rock flooded a valley in the Jiwei Mountain area in Wulong county in Congqing municipality at around 1500 local time (0700gmt) on Friday (June 5), burying an iron ore plant and six houses.

Rescuers pulled seven injured people from the disaster site, Xinhua said on Friday.

According to state media, the trapped included quarry workers, residents and possibly passers-by.

Over 500 rescue workers are searching for the missing, state media added.

China’s mines are the deadliest in the world, due to lax safety standards and a rush to feed demand from a booming economy.

More than 3,000 people died in coal mine accidents in 2008 alone.

Last September a mudslide caused by the collapse of a mine waste reservoir in northern Shanxi province killed more than 250 people.
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BAGHDAD: A bomb tore through a minibus during morning rush hour Monday in a mainly Shiite area in Baghdad, killing at least nine people and wounding 24, Iraqi officials said.

The blast was a grim reminder of the major challenge facing Iraqi forces three weeks ahead of the June 30 deadline for U.S. troops to withdraw from urban areas.

The bomb was attached to the minibus in the southern area of Abu Dshir, a Shiite enclave in the mainly Sunni neighborhood of Dora, police said.

“A ball of fire rose into the sky. We saw a minibus thrown about five meters (yards) into the air, then come down in flames,” said Omar Abdul-Ghafar, a university student who was waiting with his friend for another bus.

The explosion left a crater at the entrance of the bus station where commuters were gathered to catch rides to different parts of the city.

An Associated Press photographer saw the charred hulk of the minibus and three other burned-out cars. Security forces sealed off the area while ambulances rushed the wounded to the hospital.

Police and hospital officials gave the death toll and said 24 people also were wounded. An Interior Ministry official said all those killed had been passengers on the bus while the wounded were bystanders waiting nearby.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to release the information.

Both districts have faced brutal sectarian bloodshed in past years but have seen a sharp decline in violence following a Sunni revolt against insurgent groups in Iraq and a Shiite militia cease-fire.

U.S.-Iraqi forces also increased their presence and cordoned areas off with concrete walls and checkpoints in the citywide push to quell the violence that pushed the country to the brink of civil war.

With the decline in violence, Iraqi authorities have taken down many of the concrete walls in a bid to restore a sense of normalcy in the capital.
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WASHINGTON: The White House has expressed confidence in getting Congressional approval for a $100 billion Afghanistan and Iraq wars spending bill also containing funds to assist Pakistan meet its “critical needs” in economic, humanitarian and security areas.

Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters Monday afternoon that the White House is working to get the congressional endorsement for the funding bill within four weeks before President Barack Obama attends G-8 Summit on July 8-10.

Besides, seeking around one billion in economic and security assistance for Pakistan, President Obama last week asked Congress for additional $200 million in humanitarian assistance to help Islamabad deal with humanitarian crisis following displacement of more than 3 million people from Malakand conflict region.

“I think the administration believes that we can work with Congress to ensure the necessary and important funding is there for our missions in Afghanistan and Iraq; that money and funding will be there for the important and critical needs of what is being done in Pakistan as well as the commitments that were made internationally relating to the IMF,” Gibbs said.

When endorsed by Congress, the U.S. humanitarian aid for Pakistani internally displaced persons will stand at around $330 million.

Both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate have already passed their respective versions of the bill, which would make available more than $500 million in economic development and $400 million in security assistance for Islamabad under the new Pakistan Counterinsurgency Capability Fund.

In addition, the administration will also get about a billion dollars for U.S. diplomatic missions and building embassy and consulates in Pakistan.

Originally, President Obama had asked Congress for $83.4 billion for the two wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as additional assistance for Pakistan and other countries.

Later, he added $ 5billion for International Monetary Fund to help it with credit lines for developing countries and another $4 billion to meet contingency needs for H1N1 swine flu.

“I think this is a process that is ongoing and we’re going to work with Congress to ensure that we get all of those priorities passed,” Gibbs replied when asked about the prospects of securing Congressional backing for the IMF portion.

Republicans are arguing against inclusion of the money for IMF in the war supplemental bill and Democrats postponed action on the bill last week.
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