Press Trust of India
ISLAMABAD, 30 JULY: Polling started today in Pakistan’s National Assembly and four other provincial centres to elect a new president who will replace incumbent Asif Ali Zardari in September.
The polling started at 10.00 a.m. amidst strict security arrangements at the National Assembly, the four provincial assemblies and the Senate.
The voting will continue without any break till 3.00 p.m.
Mr Mamnoon Hussain, the India-born nominee of ruling PML-N, is likely to win the elections for the 12th President in the one-on-one contest with ex-judge Wajihuddin Ahmad of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf party.
The main opposition party in the National Assembly, the Pakistan Peoples Party, had withdrawn its candidate and announced a boycott of the election over reservations on the decision of the Supreme Court to reschedule the poll.
More than 1,000 federal and provincial lawmakers are eligible to vote as they are part of the electoral college comprising federal parliament and four provincial assemblies.
After the completion of the poll, the ballots will be counted today and informal results will be announced by the evening. The formal notification of the winning candidate will be issued by the election commission of Pakistan.
The office of the president is ceremonial in Pakistan but he is still the constitutional chief of the armed forces.
Though, he cannot order deployments. He also appoints the services chiefs at the recommendation of the prime minister.
Pakistan so far had 11 presidents, out of which five were military generals. Four of them illegally got powers through coups, whereas first president Major Sikandar Mirza was elected in 1956 after the first constitution was adopted.
 

Press Trust of India  
PESHAWAR, 30 JULY: In a brazen attack, heavily-armed Taliban terrorists, donning police uniforms, attacked a high-security prison in north-west Pakistan, freeing nearly 250 prisoners, many of them hard-core militants, and killing 14 people including six Shia inmates.
The gunmen launched their attack around midnight with a series of heavy explosions before firing rocket propelled grenades and machine guns, a senior police official said.
During the attack on Central Prison in Dera Ismail Khan of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering the restive South Waziristan agency, the militants killed six policemen, six Shia prisoners and two private security guards, he said. “Five more policemen and two civilian were injured in the attack,” said deputy commissioner Amir Khattak.
Commissioner of Dera Ismail Khan Mushtaq Jadoon said 243 prisoners have managed to escape and added that 14 have been re-arrested.
Six of them were re-arrested during the night operation while eight were picked up in the morning from different localities during search operation.
Curfew has been clamped in the areas where search operation was underway.
Meanwhile, new Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Shahidullah Shahid has accepted responsibility for the attack. Speaking to ‘Dawn’ daily, he said that around 100 militants took part in the attack including a number of suicide bombers among them.
He said the TTP has achieved their targets and their operation was successful.
The prison houses Taliban and militants from banned sectarian groups. According to the jail authorities, there are at least 5000 prisoners in the Central Jail Dera Ismail Khan which is near the bordering town of Tank adjacent to volatile South Waziristan Agency, the headquarter of the TTP and Al Qaida militants.  
“We lost two of our men in the fight,” Taliban spokesman said adding that the militants have achieved their targets and their operation was successful.
The attack came just hours before the country began voting for a new President.
Shaukat Yousafzai, spokesman for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government, said, “the army has been called in to counter the militant attack". However, Yousafzai said he has no information of the prisoners’ escape.
Advisor to Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa Chief Minister for Jail Malik Qasim said the militants under the guise of police uniform first blown up the main transmission, plunging the entire area in to darkness and then launched massive attack with rockets and hand grenade. Residents in Dera Ismail Khan heard over 20 explosions near the prison. A curfew was imposed in the city as a search operation continued to apprehend the escaped fugitives.
In April 2012, Taliban militants armed with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades battled their way into a prison in the city of Bannu in northwest Pakistan, freeing close to 400 prisoners, including at least 20 described by police as “very dangerous” insurgents.

Press Trust of India
WASHINGTON, 30 JULY: US President Barack Obama had a private lunch with his former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the White House, raising speculation about her much-rumoured run in the 2016 presidential elections.
Though the lunch was initially scheduled in the private dining room right off the Oval Office, the two decided to dine together outside during a pleasant summertime afternoon yesterday.
“It is largely friendship that’s on the agenda for the lunch today. So it’s not a working lunch as much as it is an opportunity for the two who saw each other on a pretty frequent basis over the course of the last four years to get a chance to catch up,” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters.
It is Mr Obama who had invited Mrs Clinton for lunch; the first since February when she left her position as the Secretary of State, which she served successfully for four years in the first term of the Obama Administration.
“As you know, over the course of the last four years, and as much as been written about over the last four years how Secretary Clinton and the President have developed not just a strong working relationship but also a genuine friendship,” Mr Earnest said.
“The White House Chef today whipped up some grilled chicken, some pasta jambalaya, and some salad for them to enjoy during lunch,” he said when asked about the menu.
“The purpose of the lunch was chiefly social, but given that the President and Secretary Clinton worked on this pretty closely together over the course of the last four years, I’d be surprised if it didn’t come up,” he said when asked whether the Israel-Palestine peace talks came up during the meeting.
Mrs Clinton is today scheduled to hold breakfast with Vice President Joe Biden, who so far hasn’t ruled out running for presidency in 2016.
While Mrs Clinton has not announced her decision to run for the 2016 presidential polls, The New York Times reported some of her associates have been busy setting up what appears to be a political infrastructure should she decide to run again.
In recent polls, Mrs Clinton, 65, remains popular.
Last week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid suggested she would be a better president than her husband.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi in May said she prays Mrs Clinton will run.
Mrs Clinton currently is working on a memoir which is expected to be released next year. Recently she joined Twitter, and has more than 650,000 followers.
 

Press Trust of India
DARJEELING, 30 JULY: Normal life was disrupted for the second day today due to the 72-hour bandh called in the Darjeeling hills by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha to demand Gorkhaland.
All shops, markets, school, colleges, government offices, banks and post offices were closed with GJM supporters gathering at Chowkbazar in Darjeeling as also in the two other hill subdivisions of Kurseong and Kalimpong, reports said.
Among offices closed were the district magistrate’s, Prasar Bharati, and the Gorkha Territorial Administration, which runs the affairs of the hills.
There was no work at the 16 tea gardens and at the cinchona factory in the hills, the reports said.
GJM supporters, including GJM Nari Morcha supporters, were controlling the traditional entrance to Darjeeling town near the railway station.
There was no transport on the roads or on the National Highway 31A, the lifeline of Sikkim connected to West Bengal.
Official sources said that two more platoons of security forces were en route to the Darjeeling hills, where seven companies of the Rapid Action Force, five companies of the Riot Police and two companies of the India Reserve Battalion were stationed.
Among the foreign tourists trapped in the hills, one from Siberia and another from the UK said that they did not know about the strike and were facing problems.
Though accommodation was not a problem, it was difficult to procure food, they said.
Domestic tourists have already left the hills.
Yesterday, GJM chief Bimal Gurung had threatened that the three-day strike would be converted into an indefinite one to press for Gorkhaland in case statehood was conferred on Telengana.
He had also announced that he would quit as GTA chief in a day or two.
 

indo-asian news service
Kolkata, 29 July
Fantastic performance by Kolkata based Sayantan Das and Diptayan Ghosh enabled India to regain the gold medal at the World Youth Chess Olympiad, which concluded Monday at Chongqing, China. India thrashed Iran 3.5-0.5 in the final round of the team event to win gold, after having started the Olympiad as second seed, according to information received here.
This is India’s third gold in this prestigious team event. India had won the event previously at Singapore in 2007 and in Turkey 2008.
Sayantan and Diptayan, both students of Alkhine Chess Club, won gold in the fourth and silver in the third board respectively. Sayantan had a sparkling run to win the yellow metal by getting 7.5 points out of nine games in the ten-round event. Diptayan secured 8.5 points out of ten to win silver.
Two other Indian representatives Shardul Gagare (6/9) and Murali Karthikeyan (6.5/10) won bronze in the first and second board respectively. Sayantan also confirmed his IM title. He got his first IM norm in 2009 and the third and last one in Bhubaneswar GM meet this year. Final standings: 1. India 18; 2. Russia 17; 3-4. Turkey, Hungary 15 each.

Soldiers help rescue villagers, who were caught in flash floods, across the Tawi river. Four people along with two children were rescued by the Army and police. In Jammu on Monday. AFP

STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
Kolkata, 29 July
The Wolver Valley Cup is the feature in a card of seven races framed for tomorrow. In all 11 runners from Class IV are in the fray for this 1,400m contest.  Going by the weights allotted, two runners seem to have edge over others. Between Gallop To Glory and Ace Elegance the latter is fancied to score. For the best bet of the afternoon, Anassa in the concluding event appeals most. The Vijay Singh trained runner will be ridden by C Alford.
Selections: 2.15 p.m.: DECCAN PRINCESS 1, Haynestown 2, Ijlal 3. 2.45 p.m.: SHIVALIK SHAKTI 1, Azorian 2, Tough One 3. 3.15 p.m.: SELF DIRECTED 1, Greased Lightnin 1, Chhundu 3. 3.45 p.m.: ARDENT ‘N’ GRACEFUL 1, Gluteus Maximus 2, Divine Symphony 3.
 4.15 p.m.: ROYAL HONOUR 1, Poles Apart 2, Stupid Cupid 3. 4.45 p.m.: ACE ELEGANCE 1, Gallop To Glory 2, Dancing Dame 3. 5.15 p.m.: ANASSA 1, Iconic 2, Burst Of Stardust 3. Day&’s best: Anassa.

“Hidayat is a role model and a driving force in global badminton”

sns & agencies
New Delhi, 29 July
London Games silver medallist and IBL Icon player Saina Nehwal is delighted to be part of the same team as former Olympic champion and her childhood hero Taufiq Hidayat.
The 23-year-old Nehwal, who is preparing for the upcoming World Championship in China next month, said, “He (Taufiq) is a role model and a driving force in the game. I’m really happy to be part of Hyderabad Hotshots team and I was thrilled once he was also included.”
Saina, who bagged a price of USD 120,000 in the IBL auction, said she was looking forward to train with the legendary Indonesian.
“Getting to train and play along with him is going to be brilliant. It will be the best part about playing the league,” the world No.3 women’s player said.
The Indian shuttle star further added, “Fans would love to watch him on courts. I know Taufik Sir since I joined the game.
He is known for his wrist play, his back strokes are matchless and so nicely and accurately hit, and his net play and court coverage is unparalleled.
“I remember playing with him as a mixed double partner for an exhibition match in Syed Modi Memorial tournament in Lucknow in 2009. I have great memories of that match. I also have a smashing photograph with him, Prakash (Padukone) sir and Gopi (Pullela Gopichand) sir from an event held in Mumbai the same year.
“Now, our association for Hyderabad Hotshots will be for more than a fortnight.”
Commenting on the Indonesian’s famed charm and handsome looks, Saina, who has a hat-trick of Indonesia Open titles under her belt, said, “Taufiq sir is the king of badminton, handsome, talented and very humble. He is extremely energetic on the court and so charming that he makes badminton look easy and simple, though it’s not.
“It is the fastest game in the world and requires loads of energy to play. Taufiq sir is very simple and yet moody, if he is not interested in a game he will not play. I’m sure his presence will be a great morale booster to Hyderabad Hotshots.” More
Asked if she had any plans to take the Indonesian legend for sight-seeing, Saina replied, “It depends on the team management on how they will manage.
 It will be very hectic to play in six cities, travelling from one place to another in 18 days. So, there will hardly be any time left for sight-seeing.”
The USD 1-million Indian Badminton League is set to launch on August 14, 2013, with some high-voltage action expected between Krrish Delhi Smashers and Pune Pistons.
The 2013 IBL will feature six franchises and will run for 18 days.
Each franchise will host a two-day leg and the league will involve a total of 90 matches.

STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE 
Kolkata, 29 July
On the advice of Nobel Laureate Professor Amartya Sen, Presidency Mentor Group (PMG) recommended a two year&’s extension for Professor Malabika Sarkar, the present Vice-Chancellor of Presidency University. 
PMG submitted its fifth report to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee praising the leadership of Prof Sarkar. The mentor group feels Prof Sarkar must get an extension till 30 June 2015. This is because the university needs “continuity and stability” at least for this period when the first constitution of the university authority is not complete. Praising Prof Sarkar, the report reads: “She has both the academic vision and the fund-raising ability that are required of university leaders of today’s world … the talented young faculty … have full faith in her and want to see her at the helm. A high-power search committee has to be formed to conduct a national and international search for a distinguished successor for Presidency."
To cure the exodus of bright faculties in search of better pay package in Central institutes, PMG recommends: “If there are insurmountable fiscal, financial or legal obstacles to providing competitive salaries and benefits with the state university system, we would like the representatives of the state government to discuss ways to bring parity.” 
PMG has urged the state government to allow the university to supplement the total emoluments of the “exceptional” faculty from its own resources. It is the same financial constraints for which the search for professors is held up because the salary which PMG recommended for these professors (R 1.72 lakh per month) is more than the salary of V-Cs of state universities. “… Salary for these distinguished academic positions should be delinked from the grades and ranks of higher bureaucracy,” recommends PMG.

statesman news service 
Kolkata, 29 July
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) today deployed three pumps to remove accumulated water from the streets in some areas in Behala. 
There was waterlogging in Silpara, Pora Asvatthatala, Sarsuna, parts of Thakurpukur, Ultadanga, Manicktala and Belgachia following heavy shower that hit the city yesterday. Traffic along Diamond Harbour Road between Silpara and Pora Asvatthatala was affected during the morning peak hour as a stretch of the road had to be closed due to waterlogging. Accumulated water, however, receded fast. 
Residents of Sarsuna alleged they had requested the civic authorities several times to take measures to prevent waterlogging in the areas before monsoon. But the KMC did not take any action.
Markets were flooded and people had to wade through waist deep water to reach their place of work. Office goers using Diamond Harbour Road were caught in traffic jams as one side of the road had to be closed due to waterlogging.

statesman news service
Kolkata, 29 July
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will not accept any Property Information Forms (PIFs) from house owners of 18 wards where general revaluation (GR) will be held after 31 July.
The GR will be held in four wards each in north and south Kolkata and Behala and two wards each in Tollygunge, Jadavpur and Garden Reach.
The GR was stopped in September 2010 following instruction of the then Railway minister, Miss Mamata Banerjee, who did not want to put the burden of property tax on the owners in the city.
The result was disastrous and the civic body&’s revenue collection from property tax nose-dived.
To cope with the situation the state government allowed the KMC to introduce property tax waiver scheme which had helped it fetch around R 400 crore. But this was not enough to meet the ever-increasing expense and finally she gave nod to KMC&’s proposal to start the GR.
The KMC for the first time introduced the PIF whereby owners will have to give information about their property on the basis of which the GR would be conducted. There is a convention in the KMC that if there is no addition or alteration then in case of non-tenanted premises, the hike of  annual valuation is 10 per cent  every six years.
Senior KMC officials said that on an average only 35 per cent of property owners have submitted PIFs and this is far below its expectation.
The officials said in many areas particularly in Jadavpur and Behala where GR would be held  in wards 101, 107, 117, 124, 127 and 128 a few thousand buildings have come up after the KMC Act, 1980 came into force in 1984. Many of these apartment blocks have not been mutated in the name of the present owners and tax bills are issued in the name of the original owner which is very low.

blames security lapse; says ‘outside’ agencies involved 
press trust of india
Guwahati, 29 July
The anti-talk faction of the ULFA led by Paresh Baruah was behind the grenade blast at Paltan Bazar in the heart of the city that left 15 people injured, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said today.
He said the ULFA-I had carried out the blasts last night with help from outside agencies and directed officials to take necessary steps to prevent such incidents.
Mr Gogoi admitted that there must have been some security lapse “otherwise the blast would not have taken place”. “Outside agencies do not want development in Assam and as such are pressuring insurgent outfits active in the state to carry out such blasts…If there is development in Assam, the problem of unemployment will end and youth will not join any insurgent outfit. As a result, these outside forces will lose ground,” he told reporters at Mariani.
Referring to the AGP and BJP’s allegation of the state government having failed to check violence, the Chief Minister said that during NDA’s rule, 410 people had died in blasts in the state but in recent years only 52 people have died. “Moreover, it was during the AGP’s rule in the state that the dangerous secret killings had taken place,” Gogoi said.
Director General of Police, Mr Jayanta Narayan Choudhury told the media at the blast site here that ULFA-I top leader Drishti Rajkhowa was the mastermind behind the blast.
“We got intelligence inputs that Paresh Barua-led ULFA-I may carry out subversive activities in the run-up to Independence Day,” he said. With warnings of more such incidents, the government has put in place measures to prevent them while security has been tightened in vulnerable areas across the state. Checking, patrolling and intelligence gathering have been stepped up. Noting that the grenade thrown yesterday was of Chinese make, he said, “Chinese ones are easily available and their casings are made of plastic. Because of that the blast was less intense.”
A NIA team that carried out investigations at the blast site during the day too confirmed that it was a Chinese grenade. A Unified Command Structure meeting was held with the Chief Secretary, Four Corps commander, senior Paramilitary forces and police officers here today. Meanwhile, all the 15 injured in the blast admitted to Gauhati Medical College Hospital are stated to be stable.
Following the grenade blast, Kamrup (Metro) district administration, under which Guwahati city falls, has promulgated Section 144 Cr PC for safety. The blast at Paltan Bazar also left including three sports people from West Bengal injured.

statesman news service
New Delhi, 29 July
To give a boost to emergency care of accident victims, the Union minister for road transport and highways, Mr Oscar Fernandes, today launched a pilot project for cashless treatment of accident victims on the Gurgaon-Jaipur stretch of National Highway-8.
Mr Fernandes also flagged off six new advance life support ambulances, for urgently transporting accident victims to nearby hospitals. The ambulances have been supplied by the road transport ministry.
A crash investigation vehicle deployed by National Automotive Testing Research and Development Infrastructure Project (Natrip) for scientific investigation of serious accidents on this stretch, was also flagged off by the minister.
The National Ambulance Code developed by the ministry by utilising the expertise of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, with the active participation of the automobile industry, vehicle testing agencies and other stakeholders, was released on this occasion.
 Mr Fernandes said on the basis of the experience gained from this pilot project and the investigation by the team of IIT Delhi a more comprehensive scheme may be launched for the entire country in phases. 
Mr Vijay Chhibber, secretary, ministry of road transport & highways, brought out the unique features of the pilot project ~ a toll free number 1033 to report accidents; a 24×7 call centre to receive information about accidents and deploy the nearest ambulance by tracking through GPS devices. The category of first responder, which also includes two-wheeled ambulances, has been specially introduced for the first time in India to provide prompt medical care in congested by-lanes and high traffic areas. He announced that the ministry has already initiated action to make construction of ambulances as per provisions of the Code mandatory under Central Motor Vehicles Rules.
The chief ministers of Haryana and Rajasthan were also present.

New Delhi, 29 July: A delegation of the All India Coordination Committee of Midday Meal Workers (Citu), led by the Citu general secretary, Mr Tapan Sen, MP, today met the minister of state for HRD, Mr Jitin Prasada, and urged that the midday meal scheme should not be privatised in the wake of the recent tragedy in Bihar.
In a memorandum, the delegation said the scheme should not be handed over to NGOs or corporates.
Such changes would deprive children of freshly cooked food and employment to the most marginalised women in the society, they said.
Demanding implementation of the recent Indian Labour Conference recommendation to recognise midday meal workers as workers entitled to minimum wages, the delegation said they should be provided an honorarium of R 500 immediately as promised by the ministry in the ILC.
The minister assured the delegation that the remuneration will be increased immediately, the Citu said.

London, 29 July: A UK school has banned skirts for girls as young as nine citing concerns over shrinking hemlines and the pupils appearing very “unladylike”.
Girls from Walkwood Church of England Middle School in Redditch, Worcestershire, have been told to wear trousers from September amid concerns over shrinking hemlines. The school will also ban women pupils from donning blouses from 2014 to ensure boys and girls wear the same uniform, The Telegraph reported. But the move has been branded “crazy” by parents who wared that denying young girls the chance to wear skirts would leave them confused. One campaign group said 63 schools currently banned children from wearing skirts. Most are secondaries but at least one other middle school, teaching nine- to 13-year-olds have launched a similar crackdown.
David Doubtfire, the head teacher, said the ban was necessary because pupils were wearing increasingly shorter skirts. “Some of the older girls were beginning to wear extremely short skirts. It was becoming difficult, especially when it came to them sitting down in the school hall. It was very unladylike,” Mr Doubtfire was quoted as saying. “We would ask them to make their skirts longer, but they would just roll them up again when we turned away. It was getting complicated and this should make it cheaper for parents. Some of the blouses were expensive,” he said.  pti

Confidential order that lists investigative scribes as potential threats
Agence France-Presse
Wellington, 29 July
New Zealand&’s military was ordered today to rewrite a manual that warns that media poses as much of a threat to national security as extemist groups and foreign Intelligence services.
Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman said the language in the manual, which is used to train the military in security procedures, was “heavy-handed” and needed to be changed.
“My view is that the reference to investigative journalists should be removed from this order,” he said in a statement. “It is inappropriate and heavy-handed.”
The review comes after the Sunday Star-Times revealed that the manual, which was written in 2003, defined three “subversive” groups as a security risk ~ hostile Intelligence services, extreme organisations and investigative journalists. It warns about such groups seeking to bring the government into disrepute or “weaken the military, economic or political strength of a nation by undermining the morale, loyalty or reliability of its citizens”.
Opposition defence spokesman Phil Goff said it was “utterly wrong and intolerable” for the military’s top brass to display such paranoia about journalists, showing they did not understand the media’s role in a democratic society. “The defence force leadership has confused national security with a desire not to be embarrassed by what investigative journalists might discover about any shortcomings on their part,” he said. “That is reminiscent of the Nixon White House and has no place in our political system.”
The Sunday Star-Times also alleged that the military asked US Intelligence to monitor the phone calls of a New Zealand journalist who was in Afghanistan last year reporting on the activities of the elite SAS unit.
New Zealand’s acting defence force chief said today that there is no evidence the military unlawfully spied on a journalist in Afghanistan who was freelancing for US news organisation McClatchy. The acting defense force chief, Major General Tim Keating, said the military officers responsible for operations in Afghanistan have assured him that there had been no unlawful monitoring of Stephenson by New Zealand or foreign spy agencies.
Mr Goff said the situation raised further doubts about moves to expand the power of Intelligence services so they can spy on New Zealanders, particularly after it was revealed that Internet mogul Kim Dotcom was illegally snooped upon before his arrest in January last year.
The expanded powers, backed by Prime Minister John Key, are due to go to parliament this week and are expected to be passed by a narrow majority. “After the Kim Dotcom debacle and revelations about activities of spy agencies in the USA and the UK, a wide cross-section of New Zealanders have no confidence in our Intelligence agencies,” Mr Goff said.

Cambodian Opp: Cambodia’s Opposition on Monday rejected the claim of victory by the ruling party of strongman Prime Minister Hun Sen in weekend elections, alleging widespread irregularities. afp
Qantas evacuation: Passengers of a Qantas Airline aircraft, with 50 passengers, had to be evacuated and its pilots hospitalised on Monday after smoke was reported from its cockpit at Canberra Airport. pti
China knife attack: In fresh knife attack, three people were killed and five others hurt on Monday in China when a man went on a stabbing spree, raising nationwide concerns over such attacks by disgruntled people. pti
US drone attack: Seven suspected militants were killed and three others wounded when a US drone fired two missiles at a compound in Pakistan’s tribal region, triggering strong condemnation. pti
Pak President: Mr Mamnoon Hussain, the India-born nominee of ruling PML-N, is set to become the
12th President of Pakistan in the election tomorrow, succeeding incumbent Asif Ali Zardari. pti
Taiwan minister: Taiwan on Monday named a civilian, Andrew Yang, 58, to head the defence ministry that is struggling to attract recruits and facing protests over the death of a soldier while he was confined. ap
Afghan official: A Pakistani national of Afghan-origin working in the consulate of Afghanistan in Quetta has been missing since 25 July and Pakistani authorities are trying to locate him, officials said today.      pti
US copter crash: A helicopter crash on Saturday in a rugged, wooded area of Pennsylvania claimed the lives of five people, including one child, officials have said.  ap