The Typing of The Dead Free Download Full Version

The Typing of the Dead certainly looks dated, but it’s also surprisingly fun.

The Typing of the Dead is an offbeat first person puzzle action game for the PC that lets you fight hordes of gruesome zombies by quickly typing out words that appear onscreen.

This unusual game actually has a history: It originally debuted on Sega’s Dreamcast console in 2000 and was itself a modified version of Sega’s previously released light-gun arcade game, The House of the Dead 2.

The Typing of the Dead certainly looks dated, considering its age and the number of times it’s been ported onto different platforms, but it’s also surprisingly fun.

What other game lets you type zombies to death?

The Typing of the Dead’s “story,” such as it is, concerns a mad scientist’s attempt to create an army of zombies, led by a superzombie “emperor,” to rule the world. Only your character a special agent armed with a Dreamcast console and keyboard can stop him.

That’s all you need to know about The Typing of the Dead’s story, because once you start playing, you’ll be too busy frantically typing away at zombies to care about anything else. Every time an enemy appears onscreen, it’s accompanied by a word or phrase that you must type in quickly and accurately to defeat it.

This might not sound too interesting, but things can get very exciting when three or four angry zombies each bearing a long, challenging phrase suddenly leap out at you from all sides.

As with most light-gun games, The Typing of the Dead is played “on rails”that is, you can’t actually move your character or choose where to go next; the game determines that. However, depending on how quickly you defeat your enemies, you may be able to rescue innocent bystanders, uncover bonus items, and choose alternate paths through a level, though you’ll always finish each level by fighting a powerful boss monster.

These boss monsters will actually challenge you in a few interesting ways. For instance, one will force you to figure out and type in the correct answer to a simple question, while another will come barreling at you with a giant chainsaw and will strike you if you can’t type out a full sentence in time.

You can play through the game’s six stages either in arcade mode or in an alternate, original mode, which lets you unlock a few handy options, like starting new games with extra lives or with more “continues.” The game also features several other modes that let you square off against each of the boss monsters or sharpen your skills by testing your typing speed and accuracy, and you can unlock new modes as you complete each test.

The Typing of the Dead uses pretty much all the same monsters and levels from The House of the Dead 2, and unfortunately, it shows. The same graphics, environments, and special effects that may have seemed like the state of the art for an arcade game a few years ago now look flat, blocky, and pixelated by today’s standards.

The Typing of the Dead runs at a fixed (and unimpressive) resolution of 640×480, which doesn’t do much to keep many of the game’s textures from looking blurry. And, in keeping with its horror theme, the game isn’t especially colorful: Most of the levels you’ll fight through are drab, broken-down buildings and sewers.

However, the game itself runs briskly, even on low-end to mid-range machines, with absolutely no slowdown, and the zombies (and the heroes who fight them) are animated well and look about as good as they can, considering how blocky the game’s 3D models sometimes seem.

1. System: Pentium III 733 MHz
2. RAM: 128 MB
3. Size: 99 MB
4. Video Memory: 16 MB
5. OS: Windows 98, XP, 2000, ME, Vista, 7 and Windows 8

Typing Master Pro 7.0 Full Version Free Download

Your Personal Typing Tutor : Meet Typing Master Pro, the personal touch typing tutor that adapts to your unique needs. The program provides customized exercises and helpful feedback to guide you step by step to professional keyboarding. As a result your typing speed will increase significantly saving you a lot of valuable work time.

Adjusts to Your Progress : At every stage training is adjusted to your personal progress. Weak spots are pinpointed and rapidly eliminated with additional exercises. Thanks to this personal approach you can put your new skills into action after only 3 to 5 hours of training.
Accelerate your typing speed : With TypingMaster a novice keyboard user can learn to type many times faster. Clumsy typing will no longer interrupt the flow of your thoughts.

Get rid of typos : Get rid of those annoying typing errors and increase the quality of your texts.

Save valuable work time : Learning to touch type will help save dozens of working hours each year as you type faster and do not need to correct errors constantly.

Focus on your text and ideas  : With fluent keyboarding skills you can put your brain power into expressing your thoughts instead of finding the right keys.

Improve your ergonomics  : Natural, efficient finger movements and no need to look at the keyboard results in less stress in fingers, arms and neck.

Be confident with computers  : Improved typing skills will help take full advantage of your computer as you become more confident with the keyboard.

1. Disable Network adapters/Internet connection
2. install the programm ( wait until finish installation )
3. Launch TypingMaster Pro, and enter license
4. Close the program and go to my computer C:/Program Files/TypingMaster
5. Right Click on file “tmaster8.net” and go to properties and apply attribute “Read Only”
6. Then you can enable network adapters / internet connection

Macs and iPads to get TouchID?

Apple could be preparing to introduce its TouchID technology into the rest of its product range, according to a newly published patent.

In the patent, the company describes adding the biometric technology to its tablets, computers and “beyond”. The patent was discovered by Patently Apple.

So far, only Apple’s iPhone 5s features the technology. TouchID allows users to unlock their smartphone and authorise purchases on the App Store using their fingerprints.

Earlier this week, a picture was published that hinted Apple may be considering introducing TouchID to the iPad 5 and iPad Mini 2. They are set to be officially unveiled on Tuesday October 22nd.

The technology is just one of a range of new features rumoured to be making their way to Apple’s next generation tablets.

Apple has already confirmed that it will be holding an event next Tuesday.

It hasn’t confirmed what will be shown off, but it is widely expected that it will be the iPad 5and iPad Mini 2 alongside a range of new Macs, a release date for OS X Mavericks and a launch date for the Mac Pro.

It isn’t a stretch of the imagination for Apple to introduce the technology to its other products, including its iPads, MacBooks and even the much rumoured iWatch.

Ten treated in France after kitten dies of rabies

PARIS: Ten people would be preventatively treated for rabies after coming into contact with a kitten that died of the disease, which is potentially deadly to humans, French authorities said Friday The kitten of about two-months-old was adopted on October 25 from the streets of Argenteuil, about 15 kilometres northwest of Paris.

But three days later, it died and its owners contacted a vet who decided to test it for the disease, local government official Gilles Prieto said.

"The kitten was displaying aggressive behaviour. It bit and scratched its owners," he said.

The kitten was confirmed to have rabies, which France says has been officially eradicated from its territory since 2001. The strain of virus found had apparently stemmed from Morocco.

"Five people who were in contact with the kitten have been identified" and given preventive treatment, the health and agriculture ministries said in a joint statement.

Another five people were on Friday found to have come into contact with the kitten and were also set to receive preventative treatment.

To avoid any contamination a public information unit has been set up and an epidemiological probe has been launched to track any other people who may have come into contact with the sick animal.

Authorities are now trying to determine how the kitten got to Argenteuil. No other cases of animals showing similar symptoms have been reported.

"The most likely theory is that it was brought back with a family coming from Morocco a few weeks ago," said Prieto.

If this was true the risk of an epidemic is limited as cats tend to stick to a radius of one kilometre, he added.

The last case of rabies originating from within French territory was in December 1998 when a sick fox was found. Since then, cases have been sporadic and strains of the virus originating from elsewhere.

In 2008 a dog imported from Gambia was found to have rabies.

Only 10 countries and regions in the world are listed as rabies-free. Some 55,000 people die of the disease worldwide every year.

Symptoms in humans include seizures, partial paralysis, fever and brain inflammation, or encephalitis.

There is no known treatment to cure rabies once the infection has taken hold.

FBR to lay hands on ‘big fish’

ISLAMABAD: Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has decided to bring all the ‘big fish’ into the tax net by targeting members of the costly clubs and those owning luxury vehicles.

Sources said that one thousand notices would be sent every month to the targeted wealthy persons not paying taxes.

Following the shortfall in tax collection during three months of the new government, FBR has moved into action and started laying hands on the all those wealthy persons owning costly limousines, enjoying memberships of the elite clubs, other luxuries and yet not paying any tax whatsoever.

Sources said that FBR has already completed the necessary paperwork in this regard and would start sending one thousand notices every month.

FBR has also sought the help from the banks for preparing the list of all such persons evading taxes.

Earlier, the World Bank in its report had said that Pakistan tax collection could rise by Rs700 billion, if corruption and irregularities eliminated. (GNN) (Geo) (Yoogle)

Pakistan forex reserves up at $9.497 billion

KARACHI: Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves increased to $9.497 billion in the week ending October 25 as compared to $9.230 billion in the previous week, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said in a statement issued here.

A breakup is given below:

It is pertinent to note that the boost comes from a rise in workers remittances which jumped by 9 percent to $3.9 billion, during the first thee months of FY14, from $3.6 billion in the same period last year.

Sindh CNG stations closed for 24 hours

KARACHI: Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) stations across Sindh have been closed for the next 24 hours effective Saturday 8.00 A.M. to Sunday 8.00 A.M.

According to Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) load management plan, the CNG stations have been closed Saturday (today) at 8:00 A.M. across Sindh. The CNG retail pumps would reopen on Sunday 8:00 A.M. after 24 hours shut down. (GNN) (Geo) (Yoogle)

Apple's iPad Air takes flight

TOKYO: For one Japanese man, being at the front of a Tokyo queue as the new iPad debuted Friday was his way of saying "thank you" to Apple after a year that turned his life around. Takaaki Sasaki, who designed an app that became a hit in Japan, was one of hundreds who poured into Apple's flagship store in the glitzy Ginza district as the doors opened on the latest tablet offering from the sector's agenda-setter.

The launch had little of the razzmatazz of previous iPads or iPhones, with potential customers perhaps swayed by a critical reception that was largely positive but dominated by the theme that the iPad Air was no game-changer.

The worldwide rollout kicked off Down Under, with Apple in Australia saying there were queues outside its stores when the doors opened, with several hundred people reportedly lining up outside its flagship Sydney outlet.

At the sprawling, three-storey Apple shop in downtown Beijing the largest Apple store in Asia each customer was greeted with cheers and applause from around 25 employees in bright blue shirts, with another dozen workers standing ready to give a second round of applause at the cash registers downstairs.

In Singapore, Edmond Ong, a spokesman for retailer Epicentre, said sales were muted compared with last year's iPad launch.

"We are not too worried as we still see a steady stream of customers coming in to get the iPad this morning," he said.

The Air is jostling for buyers' attention against a burgeoning array of competitor tablets, even as the marketplace explodes.

Figures released Thursday showed worldwide tablet shipments rose by a third to 47.6 million units in the third quarter compared with the same period last year, while Apple's share of the market slid to 29.6 percent, its lowest ever, technology market research firm IDC said.

The new iPad Air is thinner than the version it replaces, weighs around 450 grammes (one pound), and is "screaming fast," Apple vice president Phil Schiller said at the unveiling in San Francisco on October 23.

Apple also showcased an upgraded Mini that will go on sale later this month with a retina display.

Both new models feature the Apple-designed A7 chip with 64-bit "desktop-class architecture", the company said.

Damon Darlin in the New York Times summed up the feelings of many reviewers, lauding the Air's lower weight, thinner profile and souped-up operating system.

But, he said: "I can't really tell you to replace your old iPad; the improvements on the new one are incremental, not revolutionary."

However, in Japan, home to some of Apple's most enthusiastic fans, the launch had its usual fanfare and tales of people queueing for days.

Kodai Taguchi, a 20-year-old university student, said he has more than a dozen Apple products after "queueing every time a new version is released".

"As soon as I held the box, I could already tell how light it is," he said. "I think I like this the most among all my Apples."

For queue leader Sasaki, the open-air vigil had all been worth it.

"So many miracles have happened to me this year thanks to my Apple products," he said.

Tears filled his eyes as he held his newly-purchased iPad Air, surrounded by a clutch of Japanese journalists.

Unemployed Sasaki, who travelled from northern Iwate, said after years of drifting, Apple had brought him a run of luck when he wrote a hit app.

The app a searchable version of Japan's constitution was voted the best in the App Store's business category and its sudden rise to prominence provided fodder for a book he authored in August.

"I wanted to show my gratitude to Apple by being first in line," he said.

Apple's iPad Air takes flight

TOKYO: For one Japanese man, being at the front of a Tokyo queue as the new iPad debuted Friday was his way of saying "thank you" to Apple after a year that turned his life around.

Takaaki Sasaki, who designed an app that became a hit in Japan, was one of hundreds who poured into Apple's flagship store in the glitzy Ginza district as the doors opened on the latest tablet offering from the sector's agenda-setter.

The launch had little of the razzmatazz of previous iPads or iPhones, with potential customers perhaps swayed by a critical reception that was largely positive but dominated by the theme that the iPad Air was no game-changer.

The worldwide rollout kicked off Down Under, with Apple in Australia saying there were queues outside its stores when the doors opened, with several hundred people reportedly lining up outside its flagship Sydney outlet.

At the sprawling, three-storey Apple shop in downtown Beijing the largest Apple store in Asia each customer was greeted with cheers and applause from around 25 employees in bright blue shirts, with another dozen workers standing ready to give a second round of applause at the cash registers downstairs.

In Singapore, Edmond Ong, a spokesman for retailer Epicentre, said sales were muted compared with last year's iPad launch.

"We are not too worried as we still see a steady stream of customers coming in to get the iPad this morning," he said.

The Air is jostling for buyers' attention against a burgeoning array of competitor tablets, even as the marketplace explodes.

Figures released Thursday showed worldwide tablet shipments rose by a third to 47.6 million units in the third quarter compared with the same period last year, while Apple's share of the market slid to 29.6 percent, its lowest ever, technology market research firm IDC said.

The new iPad Air is thinner than the version it replaces, weighs around 450 grammes (one pound), and is "screaming fast," Apple vice president Phil Schiller said at the unveiling in San Francisco on October 23.

Apple also showcased an upgraded Mini that will go on sale later this month with a retina display.

Both new models feature the Apple-designed A7 chip with 64-bit "desktop-class architecture", the company said.

Damon Darlin in the New York Times summed up the feelings of many reviewers, lauding the Air's lower weight, thinner profile and souped-up operating system.

But, he said: "I can't really tell you to replace your old iPad; the improvements on the new one are incremental, not revolutionary."

However, in Japan, home to some of Apple's most enthusiastic fans, the launch had its usual fanfare and tales of people queueing for days.

Kodai Taguchi, a 20-year-old university student, said he has more than a dozen Apple products after "queueing every time a new version is released".

"As soon as I held the box, I could already tell how light it is," he said. "I think I like this the most among all my Apples."

For queue leader Sasaki, the open-air vigil had all been worth it.

"So many miracles have happened to me this year thanks to my Apple products," he said.

Tears filled his eyes as he held his newly-purchased iPad Air, surrounded by a clutch of Japanese journalists.

Unemployed Sasaki, who travelled from northern Iwate, said after years of drifting, Apple had brought him a run of luck when he wrote a hit app.

The app a searchable version of Japan's constitution was voted the best in the App Store's business category and its sudden rise to prominence provided fodder for a book he authored in August.

"I wanted to show my gratitude to Apple by being first in line," he said.

Yesterday’s drone attacks killed over 20

MIRANSHAH: More than twenty persons had died in yesterday’s drone attacks, according the reports received from local sources.

Sources said that the two predator U. S. drones on Friday had fired four missiles on the Tahreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Centre at Dande Darpa Khel in Miranshah, which resulted in the death of over 20 persons including the TTP chief Hakimullah Mehsud and two commanders.

The incident occurred when the members of TTP Shoora drawn from different parts of North and South Waziristan, Orakzai Agency, Kurram Agency and other areas had gathered to mull over the proposed TTP and government talks.

Sources further said that this morning also as many as eight U.S. drones were seen hovering over Dande Darpa Khel, Mir Ali, Razmak and other areas of Miranshah.

Interior Minister chairs high level meeting following Hakimullah’s killing

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan is chairing a high-level meeting here on Saturday in the wake of Pakistani Taliban chief Hamkimullah Mehsud being killed in a US drone strike.

The meeting is attended by Prime Minister’s Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, PM’s Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi, officials of security agencies, Foreign and Interior Secretaries.

The situation in the country following the killing of Hakimullah Mehsud and the process of holding talks with the Taliban are being discussed.

The TTP chief and his close aides were killed in a US drone strike in North Waziristan. A spokesman for TTP South Waziristan confirmed that Hakimullah had been killed.

The spokesman added that there had been no decision on Hakimullah’s successor and the Taliban shura was expected to announce one within 2-3 days.

PTI to table resolution to stop NATO supply: Imran Khan

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan announced that his party would table resolutions in the National, Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assemblies seeking to stop NATO supplies.

Speaking to reporters here on Saturday, the PTI chairman said the party would get the resolution passed unanimously in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly.“Even if we lose our provincial government, we will not let NATO supplies pass through Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” Khan said.

Khan added that as soon as talks with the Taliban were supposed to start, Hakimullah Mehsud was killed in a drone strike. Khan termed the drone attack an act to sabotage the dialogue process.

The PTI chairman called on the people of Pakistan to unite to save Pakistan. “This is a defining moment. Everyone knows who does not want peace in Pakistan.”

PTI distances itself from campaign against Geo and Jang Group

KARACHI: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) on Friday denied that any of its official social media wings posted defamatory material against the Jang-Geo Group on the web, saying that the so-called “whitepaper” appears a conspiracy by hidden hands to pitch the party against the country’s largest media group.

“It is a conspiracy to set the PTI against the Jang Group,” Shafqat Mahmood, a senior PTI leader and its MNA from Lahore, told The News. “Some third force, having nefarious designs, wants to exploit PTI’s name and spoil its relations with the Jang-Geo Group.”

The so-called “whitepaper” has been posted on various social media sites earlier on Friday allegedly by the PTICyberForce (PTICF).

The highly slanderous material echoed the groundless allegations that were recently made against the Jang-Geo management mainly by a private news channel and its anchorperson. A powerful stock broker, a senior journalist and a self-proclaimed spokesperson of Pakistani intelligence agencies remain the other three main actors in this organized propaganda campaign aimed at maligning the Jang-Geo Group and its management.

However, the PTICF too denied “writing or publishing” any whitepaper against the Group. “PTICyberForce’s name is being used by publishing an article. PTICyberForce strongly denies this act,” the PTICF said in one of its tweets. “PTICF did not write or publish any whitepaper against Geo or Jang.”

Asad Umar, another lawmaker, said that PTICF supports the party, but it should not be seen as any official wing of the PTI. “As far as I know, the PTICF has already said that it was not behind this propaganda campaign,” he said. “The agenda of using the PTI’s name is clear… someone wants to stoke friction between the PTI and the Jang Group.”

He said that PTI leaders plan to discuss the issue in detail on Saturday.

Successive civilian and military governments have a stained history of targeting and victimizing the country’s independent media through a series of overt and covert harsh measures. From outright closure of newspapers and television channels to scores of other arm-twisting measures were used to suppress press freedom.

The Jang Group remained the prime target of various kinds of victimization campaigns and paid the price of speaking the truth under various governments in the form of closure of its channels and attempts to stifle its revenue sources. But never before such an organized defamation campaign launched against any media group as faced by the Jang-Geo Group today.

This underlines the possibility of a deep-rooted conspiracy aimed at undermining the Jang-Geo Group, which has a long, proud tradition of fighting such pressures.

The Jang-Geo Management has already issued a detailed response to these groundless, biased and highly inflammatory allegations made by a particular television channel and another group’s newspapers.

The Jang Group also announced plans to go to the court of law against all the people involved in this smear propaganda drive and vows to bring them to justice.

As in the past, the Jang-Geo Group will continue to uphold its highest traditions of independent, fair, balanced and factual journalism, which makes it the number one media group of Pakistan. (GNN) (Thenews) (Yoogle)

Drone attack targeted dialogue process: Pervaiz Rasheed

ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Pervaiz Rasheed has said the government would not let the drone strikes kill the dialogue process.

Speaking to media persons here Saturday, the information minister said drones are used for killings, however, they would not let drones kill the dialogue process. This time around the drone attack targeted the dialogue process, he added.

To a question, Rasheed said Pakistan and the US have a different viewpoint on drone strikes.

He said a war could not be put to an end with the help of another war.

The information minister said blocking Nato supply line could not end the drone strikes. "Did drone strikes end when Nato supply was halted earlier?"

The information minister answered this question himself and said attacks of unmanned aircrafts were not halted even after Nato supply was stopped after the Salala attack. (GNN) (Geo) (Yoogle)

Taliban differ over appointment of new TTP chief: Sources

MIRANSHAH: A difference has surfaced in the ranks of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) over the appointment of new chief after Hakimullah Mehsud was killed in a US drone strike.According to reports, two separate meetings of the TTP were underway. The meeting of the Majlis-e-Shura (Central Advisory Committee) which is being held in North Waziristan has agreed on appointing Khan Said alias Sajna as the new chief. This meeting is being attended by Taliban leaders from Orakzai, Kurram Agency, Tank and Khyber Agency.

The AFP is reporting that the Majils-e-Shura are taking opinions from all shura members and senior commanders. "The decision may take more time because the shura members are constantly changing the meeting place," a Taliban commander told the foreign news agency.

Meanwhile, the second meeting being held in Nuristan has opposed the appointment of Khan Said alias Sajna. Sources add that the meeting in Nuristan is being attended by Taliban leaders from Malakand, Swat, Bajaur and Mohmand Agency.

Background

Hakimullah’s death is the third major setback suffered by the TTP in a short span of six months beginning with the death of TTP’s No.2 Waliur Rehman Mehsud in a drone attack in May 2013, followed by the September 2013 arrest of Latif Mehsud, who was made the deputy Ameer of the TTP only recently by Hakimullah while replacing Khan Said alias Sajna, a close adviser of Waliur Rehman.

Latif was arrested by the American troops from the Logar province of Afghanistan on October 5, 2013, where he had gone to hold talks with Afghan intelligence officials. Latif was elevated as the deputy Ameer of TTP after Hakimullah had developed serious differences with his No2 the 36-year-old Khan Said alias Sajna.

However, after Latif’s arrest, Hakimullah was quick to elevate commander Abdullah Bahar as his No2 who too is reported to have been killed in the US drone strike along with his boss.

With commander Latif having already been arrested and commander Abdullah killed, commander Khan Said alias Sajna has bright chances of succeeding Hakimullah as the TTP Ameer keeping in view his guerilla skills and the goodwill he still enjoys among the various Taliban factions. But he had to face tough resistance from Hakimullah’s loyalists.

Even though Hakimullah’s death is being described as a major blow to the TTP-government peace efforts, there are those in the establishment circles who believe that the peace efforts would speed up if commander Khan Said becomes the new Ameer of the TTP. In the wake of Waliur Rehman’s death in a US drone attack in Waziristan on May 29, 2013, Sajna was not only appointed Hakimullah’s No2, but he was also made the commander of South Waziristan chapter of the TTP, a position which was being held by Waliur Rehman till his death.

A resident of the Shobikhel area of South Waziristan, Khan Said alias Sajna was a close aide and a longtime personal assistant of Waliur Rehman. Like many other Taliban commanders, Sajna too has been involved in fighting against the US-led allied forces in Afghanistan.

But Hakimullah had replaced Said with Latif in August following rising differences with him over numerous issues, the most important being the matter of peace talks with the government and mishandling of the TTP coffers.

While Khan Said alias Sajna had a leaning for peace talks with the government just like Waliur Rehman, Hakimullah was under the influence of those who believe in bloodshed instead of peace.

Subsequently, Latif was not only made the deputy Ameer of TTP but was also appointed the commander of the terror outfit in Miramshah, the capital of North Waziristan which also headquarters the Hakimullah-led Taliban.

However, while refusing to relinquish his position as the deputy Ameer of the terror outfit, Sajna had stepped up his efforts to put together a parallel set-up of his own loyalists within the TTP in South Waziristan.

While Sajna maintained that the key slot of the TTP’s deputy Ameer should not have been given to a driver and that too without consultation, Hakimullah had justified his decision, saying he too had been the driver of TTP’s founding Ameer Baitullah Mehsud before being elevated as the TTP Ameer.

On the other hand, despite being removed by Hakimullah, Khan Said Sajna remained a part of the TTP. He not only strengthened his clout in the militant circles of South Waziristan but has also managed to garner the support of all the 12 Mehsud tribal chiefs of North Waziristan.

However, the selection of the new TTP Ameer would be an uphill task for the Taliban especially at a time when the TTP faces a leadership crisis because of the frequent deaths of its top commanders.

Taliban Chief Appointment Issue Video

No decision yet on new Taliban chief appointment: TTP S.Waziristan

WANA: Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) South Waziristan spokesman Maulana Azam Tariq has confirmed the killing of Hakimullah Mehsud in a US drone strike, Geo News reported Saturday.

Maulana Tariq said the decision to appoint new TTP chief has not yet been made. He said Majlis-e-Shura will choose the new chief within 2-3 days.

AFP Adds: The Pakistani Taliban's supreme ruling council met Saturday to choose a new leader after a US drone strike killed Hakimullah Mehsud.

The TTP's supreme shura, or decision-making council, met Saturday to decide who should now lead the network.

"The members of the supreme shura are taking opinions from all the shura members and senior commanders," a Taliban commander told AFP.

"The decision may take more time because the shura members are constantly changing the meeting place."

Militants in the tribal areas move around frequently to avoid the attentions of the US drones that hover in the sky almost continuously.

More than five names are under consideration to take over from Mehsud. They include Asmatullah Shaheen Bhittani, the head of the central shura and Khan Said, known by the alias Sajna, who became number two after Wali-ur-Rehman's death in May.

Also in the frame is Maulana Fazlullah, known sometimes as Mullah Radio, a radical cleric who led Taliban's hardline two-year rule in the Swat Valley which ended in a military operation in 2009.

TTP leadership meets in N.Waziristan to choose new chief

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) met Saturday to choose a new leader after their chief Hakimullah Mehsud was killed in a US drone strike, the day before, intelligence officials and militant commanders said. The Taliban's leadership committee gathered at an undisclosed location Saturday in the North Waziristan tribal area, the same region where a US drone strike killed the group's leader, Hakimullah Mehsud, on Friday, said the commanders and officials.

Drones were still flying over North Waziristan Saturday. Witnesses in the towns of Mir Ali and Miranshah reported that Mehsud's supporters were firing at them in anger.

Two candidates are Mullah Fazlullah, the Pakistani Taliban chief for Swat Valley, and Khan Sayed, the leader in the South Waziristan tribal area. The information came from three Pakistani intelligence officials and five Taliban commanders interviewed by phone.

Omar Khalid Khurasani, who heads the group's wing in the Mohmand tribal area, is also in the running, said two of the militant commanders. But he was not believed to be a strong candidate.

All the officials and the commanders spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to talk to media.

Mehsud was killed Friday in a village outside Miran Shah when multiple missiles slammed into a compound just after a vehicle carrying the militant commander arrived.

Four other suspected militants were killed including Mehsud's cousin, uncle and one of his guards. They identity of the fourth victim is not yet known.

Mehsud was on the US most-wanted terrorist lists with a $5 million bounty. He's believed to have been behind a deadly suicide attack at a CIA base in Afghanistan, a failed car bombing in New York's Times Square and brazen assaults in Pakistan that killed thousands of civilians and members of security forces.

His death will likely complicate efforts by the Pakistani government to negotiate a peace deal with the militants.

After the group's number two was killed in a drone strike in May, the Tehreek-e-Taliban as it is formally called, fiercely rejected any idea of peace talks and accused the government of cooperating with the US in the drone strikes.

In recent weeks the TTP appeared to soften its position but had still made multiple demands for preconditions to any negotiating, including the end of drone strikes in the tribal areas. (GNN) (AP) (Yoogle)

PML-N govt. is opposed to drone attacks: Sanaullah

LAHORE: Punjab Law Minister, Rana Sanaullah Saturday said that the PML-N government is opposed to drone attacks irrespective of the fact whosoever is killed in these strikes.

Talking to newsmen in Lahore‚ he said the latest drone attack took place at a time when the government was going to initiate dialogue process with the Taliban.

Rana Sanaullah said the government desires that the talks with Taliban should continue unhindered‚ as it accords topmost priority to establish peace in the country.

He said the Punjab government has made strict security arrangements on the occasion of Muharram-ul-Haram and hoped no untoward incident would take place.

Briefing about the meeting on Dengue situation held in Chief Minister House, Punjab law minister said that 1019 Dengue patients and six deaths were reported during the current season. (GNN) (Geo) (Yoogle)

Security put on high alert in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: Security has been put on high alert in Peshawar after killing of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Hakimullah Mehsud in drone strike. According to police, deployment of security personnel has been increased at US Consulate, crowded and other sensitive place in the city.
Military police besides FC have also been deployed at US Consulate. Scanning at the check-posts in the Cantt area has also been strictly followed, while police were on high alert at entry and exit points of the city.

TTP chief Hakimullah Mehsud killing

The head of the Pakistani Taliban was killed by a U.S. drone strike on Friday. Hakimullah Mehsud, who was believed to be in his mid-30s and was one of Pakistan's most wanted men, has been reported dead several times before.

But late on Friday, several intelligence, army and militant sources across Pakistan confirmed he had been killed in the drone strike in the lawless North Waziristan region.

"We can confirm Hakimullah Mehsud was killed in the drone strike," said one senior security official.

Mehsud took over the Pakistani Taliban in August 2009 after a drone strike killed the previous leader, his mentor.

His bodyguard and driver were also among the dead, they said. "Among the dead, who are in large numbers, are Hakimullah's personal bodyguard Tariq Mehsud and his driver Abdullah Mehsud, two of his closest people," said one intelligence source, adding at least 25 people were killed in the strike.

The U.S. offered $5 million for Mehsud's capture after he appeared in a farewell video with the Jordanian suicide bomber who killed seven CIA employees at a base in Afghanistan in 2009. (GNN) (Geo) (Yoogle)

Every person enjoys basic rights in Islamic society

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has stated that Islam emphasizes on better treatment with prisoners.

Addressing a seminar on ‘Poor Conditions of Prisoners in Pakistan’, the Chief Justice said ‘every person enjoys basic rights in Islamic society’.

CJ Iftikhar Chaudhry said it was responsibility of the judges to focus on the condition of inmates. He regretted that not a single government had made efforts to improve the condition of people in the jails.

He said Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance, adding that Islamic viewpoint over the better behavior with inmates is very clear.

The CJP stressed on the measures to make prisoners active and better citizen in the society. He said the judiciary was fulfilling its responsibilities to provide justice.

He further said that the rights of prisoners were internationally recognized. They should not be abused or tortured and must be allowed contact with their families, he added.

The chief justice further said November 03 has great importance in the restoration of judiciary in the country. (GNN) (Geo)

Angry tribesmen open fire on low flying US drone

MIRANSHAH: Tribesmen opened fire on a US drone over troubled tribal belt Saturday where Tahreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)commander Hakimullah Mehsud was killed by a drone strike a day earlier,residents and officials said. Mehsud, who had a $5 million US government bounty on him, died along with four others on Friday when a US drone fired two missiles at a vehicle in a compound in the village of Dandey Darpakhel, five kilometres (three miles)north of Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan.

His death came as a major blow to the militant network and cast doubt over proposed peace talks, with fears of reprisals.

Local residents told AFP that dozens of tribesmen and militants had opened fire on a US drone which was flying low in the same area where the Taliban chief was killed.

"Tribesmen and militants were firing with light and heavy guns for an

hour," Tariq Khan, a shopkeeper in Miranshah told AFP. A security official in Miranshah confirmed the firing.

The official and residents said Mehsud was buried late Friday along with the four others killed -- his bodyguard, driver, uncle and a commander,

according to a senior Taliban source.

The usually busy Miranshah bazaar opened on Saturday but shoppers stayed at home. "Local people are scared. The death of Hakimullah Mehsud has created uncertainty. Everyone is talking about Taliban revenge," Khan said.

Nisar Khan Dawar, a grocery store owner in the same bazaar said he had not received a single customer on Saturday.

North Waziristan is one of seven semi-autonomous tribal regions along the Afghan border, which Washington considers to be a major hub of Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants plotting attacks on the West and in Afghanistan.

Mehsud's death represents a success for the CIA's drone programme targeting suspected militants at a time when it is under intense scrutiny over civilian casualties.

It is the second significant blow to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)in a month, following the capture of another senior commander by US forces in Afghanistan.

Security expert Rahimullah Yusufzai told AFP it was unclear whether the TTP has anyone in its ranks capable of filling the gap left by the charismatic Mehsud.

"His death will weaken the movement. Although they will soon appoint a new chief it is to be seen how effective the new person will be in controlling things," Yusufzai said.

After a bloody six-year TTP insurgency which has left thousands of

soldiers, police and civilians dead, the government has been edging towards talks with the militants.

Mehsud's death came just a day after the government said the "process of

dialogue" with the Taliban had started but no formal talks had taken place. The militants said they had had no contact from the government.

Saifullah Khan Mehsud of Islamabad's FATA Research Center, an expert on

Pakistan's tribal belt, said the killing of the Taliban commander would disrupt the peace process in the short term but could ultimately prove beneficial.

"Of course for the time being there will be perhaps... a call for an end to the dialogue process, but in the long run a divisive figure like Hakimullah Mehsud not being there will make the environment more conducive for peace negotiations."

Mehsud took control of the TTP after a bitter fight for the leadership

following the death of founder Baitullah Mehsud in a drone strike in August 2009. Hakimullah Mehsud was widely reported to have been killed in 2010 but later resurfaced.

Seen as a hardliner, he oversaw some of the TTP's most high-profile attacks including the attempt to kill schoolgirl education activist Malala Yousafzai in October last year.

The United States charged him with terrorism after seven Americans were

killed in a suicide attack at a CIA base in Afghanistan in December, the

deadliest attack on the agency since 1983.

Since 2004, the United States has carried out hundreds of missile attacks from unmanned aircraft targeting suspected Taliban and Al-Qaeda linked militants in the tribal areas.

The number and identity of casualties is hard to determine as the tribal

areas are off limits to foreign journalists and aid organisations, but the London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism estimates deaths at between 2,500 and 3,700.

The Pakistani government officially condemns drone strikes as a violation of its sovereignty and last week Sharif urged US President Barack Obama to halt the programme during a meeting in Washington.

Despite their deep unpopularity in Pakistan, the US sees them as a vital

tool in the fight against militants in the lawless tribal areas.

As well as Hakimullah and Baitullah Mehsud, TTP number two Waliur Rehman

and Al-Qaeda deputy leader Abu Yahya al-Libi were also killed in drone attacks in Pakistan.

Hakimullah Mehsud laid to rest

MIRANSHAH: Tahreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader Hakimullah Mehsud and his close aides killed by US drone strikes, were buried in North Waziristan Agency (NWA).

Sources said that besides Hakimullah Mehsud, his uncle, driver and other aides fell were killed in US drone attacks were also buried at different places in the North Waziristan Agency (NWA).

According to the sources, TTP's Markazi Majlis-e-Shoora (Central Advisory Committee) would appoint their new chief. Umar Khalid, Maulana Fazlullah and Khan Said alias Sajna are under consideration for the top slot. (GNN) (Geo)

Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud killed in US drone strike: Security sources Video

Moderate quake shakes Chitral, Shangla

CHITRAL: A 4.8-magnitude earthquake struck district Chitral and Shangla on Saturday.

The epicentre of the quake was border area of Afghanistan Tajikistan at the depth of 200 kilometers.

No loss of life and property has been reported. (GNN) (Geo)

TTP likely to announce their new chief in two days

PESHAWAR: The banned Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) would likely to announce their new chief in one or two days as the leader of the insurgent's group Hakeemullah Mehsud was killed in a US drone strike in Miranshah.

According to the sources, the TTP's Markazi Majlis e Shura (Central Advisory Committee) would appoint their new chief.

Names of Umar Khalid, Maulana Fazlullah and Khan Said alias Sajna are under consideration, the sources said.

Umar Khalid is Ameer of TTP in Mohmand Agency, Mullah Fazlullah in Malakand while Khan Said alias Sajna is chief of the Taliban in South Waziristan.

The government has not yet confirmed the death of Hakimullah Mehsud, however, it has stopped the delegation from visiting North Waziristan to hold peace talks following the reports of TTP chief's death.

Mexican Congress passes watered-down tax reform

MEXICO CITY : Mexico's Congress on Thursday passed a package of measures aimed at bolstering the country's weak tax revenues, but only after watering down a plan that is expected to have a moderate impact at best. The bill, which includes higher taxes on the rich as well as levies on junk food and stock market gains, is a central plank of an economic program spanning energy to telecoms that aims to ramp up growth in Latin America's No. 2 economy.
Facing a Thursday deadline, the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) pushed the package through with the help of leftist lawmakers, making final tweaks in the Senate to pare back a planned income tax increase.

The lower house then gave final approval to the bill that President Enrique Pena Nieto is now expected to sign into law.

Mexico has the lowest tax revenue in the 34-nation Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), restricting its ability to spend on health, infrastructure and social programs needed to boost living standards and growth.

Before the bill was presented last month, senior PRI officials said it would seek to raise the tax take by 4 percent of gross domestic product. Yet even before the Senate changed the bill, the government was admitting it was likely to bring in added revenues of barely 2.7 percent of GDP by 2018.

"The (reform) was reduced to a simple tax code focused on more, bigger taxes for those who have always paid," said Alfredo Coutino, Latin America director for Moody's Analytics.

The government stepped back from bolder reform after the economy suffered a shock contraction in the second quarter, and sidestepped the unpopular option of levying sales tax on food and medicine, which could have substantially improved revenues.

Lawmakers in the conservative National Action Party (PAN) condemned the bill as a menace to Mexico's stumbling economy and this week walked out of the Senate in protest when their attempts to change the plan were ignored by the PRI.

The political spats over the tax plan have heightened tensions between the parties just as the government seeks to push major reforms of the oil industry and the telecoms market.

The PRI lacks a majority in Congress and is banking on PAN help to pass the energy reform, which aims to lure investment to the state-controlled sector and reverse sliding oil output.

The leftist Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), which gave the PRI enough votes to pass the fiscal reform, opposes breaking the grip of state oil monopoly Pemex on the industry.

TOP RATES

This month the PRI, supported by the PRD, modified the fiscal reform to lift top income tax rates, placing more of the burden onto the wealthiest in Mexico, who include telecoms mogul Carlos Slim. Slim began 2013 as the world's richest man.

The top income tax rate stands at 30 percent. The reform sets out a sliding scale of higher rates capped at 35 percent for those earning more than 3 million pesos ($233,000) a year.

On Thursday PRD and PRI lawmakers rolled back a plan to apply a 31 percent income tax rate on people earning between 500,000 pesos and 750,000 pesos. They will now stay at 30 percent and a 32 percent rate kicks in above 750,000 pesos.

Lawmakers also increased the percentage of workers' benefits that companies can deduct from their total tax bill. Separately, the Senate voted to raise a levy on high-calorie foods including chocolate from 5 percent to 8 percent.

The bill had already been scaled back this month when the lower house threw out plans to apply sales tax to rents, mortgages, property transactions and school fees.

Tweaks to the tax bill in the lower house in mid-October also created a shortfall in the budget plan for next year.

Lawmakers then raised the government's oil revenue estimate and made other changes to close the gap.

Those new estimates were confirmed by Congress late on Thursday along with a 2014 budget deficit forecast of 1.5 percent of GDP as lawmakers passed the budget revenue plan for next year. The full budget must be passed by mid-November.

OIL REFORM

PRI lawmakers concede in private that the tax reform leaves Mexico with plenty of work to do if it wants to generate more public funds to help tackle chronic social problems. Nearly half of Mexico lives in poverty.

Mexico's total tax take, a big chunk of which comes from Pemex, was less than 19 percent of GDP in 2010, compared with nearly 26 percent for Turkey, around 31 percent in Greece and 36 percent in Germany, OECD data shows.

After the tax bill, the focus will turn to Pena Nieto's efforts to reform the oil industry, which aims to bring in private capital from oil majors with profit-sharing contracts.

The PAN argues Pena Nieto's model does not go far enough to attract investment, and lawmakers in the party have pledged to pressure the PRI into providing greater incentives to oil companies, such as production-sharing contracts.

That could put the president under attack from leftists who accuse the government of wanting to sell out Mexico's oil wealth to foreigners, and could spark large protests.

The government hopes the energy reform will spur major investment and boost economic growth. Analysts say that could help the country's international credit rating.

Mexico is just one rung short of A territory on the scales of two ratings agencies, Fitch and Moody's. Among the major Latin American economies, only Chile is rated in the A category. Standard & Poor's has Mexico two notches below A. (GNN) (Reuters) (Yoogle)

(Additional reporting by Alexandra Alper; Writing by Dave Graham; Editing by Simon Gardner, Xavier Briand and Lisa Shumaker)

Russian PM wants cheaper credit to stimulate economy

MOSCOW : Russia must boost the flow of credit to businesses to promote an investment-led recovery but will not throw fiscal caution to the wind to overcome the drag on the economy from weak exports, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said. In an interview with Reuters, the former president said he saw no contradiction between fiscal consolidation and economic development, and said the government would press on with privatization at the right price.

The priority, he said, was boosting growth which he said was too low at an expected level of less than 2 percent this year after averaging around 7 percent for much of the decade before the global crisis of 2008-09.

"What are we planning to do? A series of measures of course, but there is no magic formula to boost growth. In any case, if there is, we do not know what it is," Medvedev said in an interview late on Thursday.

"Our Chinese partners probably know it, but we don't," he added, reflecting on China's stronger economic growth of the last several years.

Medvedev, 48, said a vital first step to steer the $2 trillion economy away from recession was to ensure affordable credit flows into the economy.

This position sits uneasily with that of new central bank chief Elvira Nabiullina, who has said that cheaper credit might not help the economy and could be counter-productive.

The central bank has held its main interest rate of 5.5 percent steady for more than a year despite pressure to reduce it but the costs of borrowing, even for large companies, is usually around 9 or 10 percent.

Russia's government has approved steps to make credit more accessible, easing regulations on securitization to make loans available to small business, and improving financing for the small business lending programs of state development bank VEB.

"A series of decisions have been taken and I hope that in the near future they will be implemented to improve credit conditions for Russian business," he said.

"It is very important now that Russian companies, Russian business, receive normal credits at a normal rate - that is the first thing that must be done."

The central bank has started medium-term refinancing operations, loans to banks for up to a year at a narrow spread to the central bank rate. This is designed to make it easier for banks to lend money on to support investment projects at more affordable rates.

INNOVATION

Medvedev, whose four-year presidency until 2012 was squeezed between his ally Vladimir Putin's second and third terms, underlined that broader reforms were also needed to reduce Russia's heavy dependence on oil and gas exports.

The premier, who often carries an iPad and is a lover of modern gadgets, said he wanted to encourage innovation in Russian industry two decades after the Soviet Union broke up.

"This is a very ambitious task and at the same time a very difficult one," he said after attending Moscow's annual International Forum on Innovative Development, calling for more investment in innovative projects.

This applied to large and small companies alike in Russia, a country of more than 140 million dominated by vast state enterprises, particularly those developing natural resources.

Other problems dragging down Russia's economy, the world's eighth largest, include a poor investment climate caused by issues such as a weak rule of law, corruption, capital flight and concerns in some Western countries about what they see as attempts by Putin to stifle the opposition.

Investors are also worried by a lack of credibility on inflation - forecast by the government to be 6 percent this year - which means cheaper credit alone may not be sufficient to get the economy moving.

Medvedev made clear that Russia would not, however, follow the example of many Western countries by trying to boost the economy through an injection of cash, or fiscal stimulus.

"I think there is no dilemma here: without fiscal consolidation and maintaining the conditions for macroeconomic stability, there is no long-term development," he said.

"You can, of course, fire away for a short time but fully fledged sustainable development is possible only with fiscal consolidation. a stable financial environment: control of inflation, control of unemployment, control of the size of the domestic and external debt."

He underlined that Russia must live within its means and not allow a large budget deficit, a pledge in line with promises made by the Group of 20 developed and developing countries, which has been led by Russia this year.

SELL AT GOOD PRICE

Medvedev dismissed concerns over the slow pace of the government's much-delayed privatization program, which was supposed to raise $13 billion but will fall far short of that.

"This (privatization) is an important theme for our country, given its (Soviet) past," he said, adding it was needed to bring money into state coffers.

"Therefore we must sell at a good price. but this does not mean we must wait for five, 10 or 15 years for some fantastic sale conditions. No, we have to choose the optimal moment. So we are continuing this policy."

Medvedev became prime minister in a job swap with his ally Putin in May 2012. There has been speculation that he could eventually be made a scapegoat for Russia's economic problems but did not address this in the interview.

He did, however, see progress in dealing with corruption long the scourge of Russia's economy and a deterrent for foreign investors and Russian businessmen who showed their concern by sending a net $54.1 billion abroad in 2012. Foreign direct investment in 2012 was just $18.6 billion.

Medvedev said Russia was making progress in reducing bureaucratic barriers to business, citing a World Bank survey this week that praised the country for cutting red tape in matters such as construction permits, registering property and access to electricity.

"I think there is movement (on corruption) but it is probably too soon to talk about some kind of strong, radical successes," he said. (GNN) (Reuters) (Yoogle)

(Writing by Timothy Heritage, editing by Jason Bush and Elizabeth Piper)

Syria military base blasts said to be Israeli strike

Syrian rebels and a U.S. official cited by CNN said on Thursday Israel had mounted a new attack on a Syrian military base but the Israeli government declined to confirm any strike. CNN quoted an unidentified U.S. administration official on Thursday as saying Israeli warplanes struck a Syrian base near the port of Latakia, targeting missiles that Israel thought might be transferred to its Lebanese militia enemy Hezbollah.

One Syrian opposition source, a defector from air force intelligence with contacts in the Latakia region, said Israel struck a strategic missile battery near a village called Ain Shikak where President Bashar al-Assad's forces kept long-range Russian missiles that are among their most powerful weapons.

"We're not commenting on these reports," an Israeli Defense Ministry spokesman said. The government has not commented publicly on at least three attacks on Syria earlier this year.

One Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he thought that Israel had indeed carried out such a strike. He stressed that he was not entirely certain, however.

Israel has repeatedly warned that it is prepared to use force to prevent advanced weapons, notably from Iran, reaching Hezbollah, which hit northern Israel with hundreds of rockets during a month-long war in 2006.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which collates reports from opposition activists, said late on Wednesday that there had been an explosion at an air defense base near Jableh, on the Mediterranean coast south of Latakia.

The Lebanese military said six Israeli jets had flown over Lebanese territory on Wednesday. Israeli aerial incursions over Lebanon are frequent, but such high numbers have in the past sometimes been an indication of military strikes against Syria.

Former Syrian intelligence agent Afaq Ahmad, a defector now in exile in France, told Reuters that contacts of his inside Syria, including in Latakia province, told him Russian made ballistic missiles had been kept at the site that was attacked.

Noting Syria's failure to retaliate after previous Israeli action, Ahmad said: "Israel knows Assad has lost the ability to respond. So it has been engaging in unannounced attacks on the weapons that could pose the most threat in the hands of Assad or if they are transferred to Hezbollah."

Israel struck Syrian targets near Damascus in January and twice in May and was suspected of being behind the destruction of a naval installation near Latakia in July.

The Israeli government says Iran, the main sponsor of both Assad and Hezbollah, is arming the Lebanese group. Israel, which sees Iran as bent on destroying the Jewish state, has threatened to use force against an Iranian nuclear program which Tehran denies is intended to produce atomic weapons. (GNN) (Reuters) (Yoogle)

(Reporting by Khaled Oweis in Amman, Dan Williams and Crispian Balmer in Jerusalem and Dominic Evans in Beirut; Writing by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Andrew Roche)

Russia's PM says U.S. hurt by evidence of "cynical" spying

MOSCOW : The United States faces a tough task undoing the damage inflicted by allegations it has spied on leaders of allied countries, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said. Reports that the U.S. National Security Agency tapped German Chancellor Angela Merkel's cellphone and conducted widespread electronic snooping in nations such as France, Italy, Spain and elsewhere have sparked anger among American allies.

"It's not very pleasant when you are spied on ... so the leaders are angry. I understand them," Medvedev told Reuters in an interview on Thursday.

Medvedev suggested such spying was not unusual, but he added that "it is assumed that it is not done in such an absolutely cynical way".

"Can the situation be calmed? I think it's possible. But to be honest, no assurances will help here," he said. "What can you say in this situation? 'Sorry, we won't do it anymore' or 'We will not try to listen in on you'? Nobody will believe it."

The snooping scandal is a result of disclosures of U.S. secrets made to media organizations by Edward Snowden, a former National Security Agency contractor who fled the United States and has been living in asylum in Russia since August.

Spy scandals strained relations between Russia and the United States during Medvedev's 2008-2012 presidency and have continued to do so since Vladimir Putin returned to the Kremlin last year.

Former KGB spy Putin said Russia would shelter Snowden only if he stopped harming the United States, but the president ignored U.S. pleas to send the American home to face espionage charges.

The decision to grant Snowden asylum seemed to underscore Putin's accusations that the United States preaches to the world about rights and freedoms it does not uphold at home.

A German lawmaker said he met Snowden in Moscow on Thursday and that the former NSA contractor was willing to come to assist investigations into alleged U.S. surveillance of Merkel. (GNN) (Reuters) (Yoogle)

(Reporting by Stephen Adler and Timothy Heritage; Writing by Steve Gutterman, editing by Elizabeth Piper)

Russian PM plays down talk of gas wars, warns Ukraine on EU

MOSCOW : Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said he saw no reason for Moscow to cut gas supplies to Ukraine over an unpaid bill for now, playing down talk of an imminent "gas war" that might disrupt gas flows to Europe. In an interview with Reuters, he denied Russia's demands for payment had anything to do with opposition to Ukraine signing agreements with the European Union this month which would mark a historic shift away from former imperial master Moscow.

But the 48-year-old former president said the "special relationship" between the two former Soviet republics would change if Ukraine moved closer to Europe and that Kiev should no longer come to Moscow seeking loans.

Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom said on Tuesday that Ukraine, which is dependent on supplies of Russian gas, had failed to settle a $882 million bill for August deliveries and demanded it be paid urgently.

Medvedev said they had yet to pay.

"We understand that they have economic difficulties, but they still have to pay, especially after we gave them loans and financed transit," Medvedev said in the interview on Thursday, adding the transit fees cost billions of dollars.

"It's the law - you have to pay for delivered goods. It's normal practice around the world. Let them pay."

Medvedev said Russia could resort to a system of advance payments if Ukraine did not respond to its demands.

As it nears a payment crunch to service its debt over the next 18 months, Ukraine has asked for leniency from Russian creditors, including trying to extend the term of a $2 billion loan from Russia's Gazprombank by five years. Just last month, Putin said Russia would lend $750 million to Ukraine.

LET EUROPE PAY

Medvedev said if Ukraine signed the agreement with the European Union at a summit on November 28-29, Brussels could then foot the bill, denying Russian pressure over the unpaid bill was connected to Kiev's choice of closer ties with the West.

"This is the sovereign choice of Ukraine, but let's hope they don't kick themselves when they see that they will not receive those dividends, those benefits which they counted on, and lose the advantages that exist because of what we have now. a special relationship with them, an exclusive relationship," he said.

Asked whether there would be a reduction in gas supplies to Ukraine, he replied: "No. In this sense I think that for now everything is okay. I don't expect any complications."

Harsh language used by Gazprom in the gas dispute has raised concerns of a new "gas war" over prices between the neighbors, similar to those in the winters of 2006 and 2009 which caused supplies to be disrupted to Ukraine and the rest of Europe.

Ukraine's energy minister acknowledged on Wednesday the country may have fallen behind in payments for monthly supplies of Russian gas but said he expected the matter to be settled with Moscow very soon.

Ukraine, which must meet conditions including releasing former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko from prison for the EU agreements, may have a safety net provided by the International Monetary Fund if Russia cuts it ties.

Russia fears Ukraine could be moving out of its sphere of influence and it will stymie President Vladimir Putin's dream of a Moscow-led customs union to replace, at least in part, ties broken with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Russia has put pressure on its neighbor, by tightening customs rules and banning some imports.

Medvedev said it was simple choice between forming a trade pact with the 28-nation bloc or the customs union with Russia and two other former Soviet republics, Belarus and Kazakhstan.

"It's their position, and it has to be respected, but they have to understand that relations with us will be different," he said.

"They constantly turn to us for credits, for example. In the end, if they have such advanced relations with Brussels. let them get credits from Brussels." (GNN) (Reuters) (Yoogle)

(Writing by Timothy Heritage, editing by Elizabeth Piper)

Child dies, as he jumps 30 floors on teacher's order in China

CHENGDU: A 10-year-old Chinese boy jumped 30 floors to his death after failing to write a self-criticism letter demanded by his teacher, state media reported today. The fifth-grade primary school student had been ordered to write a 1,000-character apology by his teacher for talking in class, China National Radio (CNR) reported on its website, citing a neighbour.

The educator allegedly told him to jump out of a building after he failed to complete the task, the report quoted relatives and the neighbour as saying.

"Teacher, I can't do it," was found written in one of his textbooks, CNR said. "I flinched several times when I tried to jump from the building."

The child smashed into a parked car beneath the flat where his family live, the West China City News reported.

His furious relatives posted a banner outside the school in the southwestern city of Chengdu reading: "The teacher forced our kid to jump off the building," pictures showed today.

"The police investigation is still under way," an official of Jinjiang district, where the incident happened, told AFP, declining to comment further.

Strict discipline is an essential part of China's education system and culture, and tradition demands deference to authority, putting children under pressure to obey instructions.

The boy's school said today on its verified account on Sina Weibo, a Chinese equivalent of Twitter, that the child and some of his classmates had been ordered to write reviews of their behaviour after they disturbed a speaking competition. He died "by accident", it said.

US makes experimental vaccine against childhood virus

WASHINGTON: US-funded scientists said Thursday they have devised an experimental vaccine against a common childhood illness called respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

There is currently no vaccine on the market for RSV, which is the world's second-leading killer of babies aged one month to one year, after malaria.

RSV causes inflammation in the small airways of the lungs and is the most common cause of pneumonia in babies and of hospitalization of children under five.

"Many common diseases of childhood are now vaccine-preventable, but a vaccine against RSV infection has eluded us for decades," said Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.


"This work marks a major step forward," he said, citing promising animal studies that showed a wide-ranging protective effect.

Planning is under way for human trials of the vaccine.

The research on the vaccine and its structure-based design is described in the journal Science.

India announce team for 2-Test series against WI

Mumbai: For the upcoming last two Test matches of the little master Sachin Tendulkar against the West Indies squad, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the names of the fifteen players on Wednesday.

As a shock, the BCCI's selection committee has opted out-of-form pacer Ishant Sharma over experienced bowler Zaheer Khan for the two Tests.

All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and batsman Suresh Raina have been shown the door as Jadeja is struggling from a shoulder injury while, Raina is replaced by the in-form batsman Shikhar Dhawan.

The spin department will be handled by Ravichandran Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha and Amit Mishra as Harbhajan Singh was dropped despite performing good at the domestic level.

The first of the two Test matches will be played from November 6-10 at Kolkata while, the second one is scheduled from November 14-18 at Mumbai.

The list of the fifteen players - Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Capt), Sachin Tendulkar, Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, R Ashwin, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Pragyan Ojha, Amit Mishra, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma.