INTERNATIONAL
| UN blasts Iran’s human rights violations |
| UNITED NATIONS - A UN panel on Friday blasted Iran for “serious, ongoing and recurring” human rights violations, including violence against protesters after the disputed June presidential elections. |
| Five million Europeans vaccinated against swine flu |
| LONDON - The European Medicines Agency announced Friday that five million people in the European Union have been vaccinated against swine flu, after it conducted a fresh round of tests. |
| Russia’s Gorbachev considers political comeback |
| MOSCOW — Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev criticized Kremlin policies Friday and toyed with the ambitious idea of attempting a political comeback. |
| US Must Share New Afghan Strategy |
| ISLAMABAD — Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that the United States must fully share the contours of its road map towards Afghanistan and ensure incorporation of Pakistan’s input in it. |
| Mandela, Machel named heroes of children’s rights |
| STOCKHOLM — Human rights advocate Nelson Mandela and his wife have won a global award for helping to promote children’s rights over the past 10 years, the prize foundation said Friday. |
| Gilani to Quit if Wife Found to be NRO Beneficiary |
| ISLAMABAD — Dismissing allegation that his wife had benefited from the infamous National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) to get her name cleared in loan default cases, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has offered to step down if the charge is proved. |
| Muttahida Welcome to Launch Political Activities in Punjab, Says Shahbaz |
| KARACHI — Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), at odds with Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) for a long time, wants to mend fences with the party by offering it all-out assistance to work actively in Punjab. |
| India Doing Well, but Progress on Child Issues Too Slow: Unicef |
| NEW DELHI — Progress on child issues is slow even though India has accomplished a great deal in ensuring the rights of children almost two decades after it ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), Unicef India representative Karin Holshof said on Friday. |
| Bent on Going for Haj, Ex-gangster Under Police Watch ‘Vanishes’ |
| AHMEDABAD — A notorious ex-gangster who was bent on flying to holy city of Makkah for the Haj pilgrimage despite a strict police vigil has played the vanishing trick and left the gun-toting cops huffing and puffing at the city airport. |
| Govt Offensive Against Maoists Troubles European Aid Body |
| NEW DELHI — India’s plans to launch a major offensive against Maoist rebels in the country’s heartlands could jeopardise much-needed humanitarian operations in the impoverished area, the European Commission has warned. |
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