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Musharraf faces call to resign

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) — The ruling party of Pakistan’s Pervez Musharraf admitted defeat in parliamentary elections Tuesday, and one senior opposition leader said it was now time for the president to step down.

Nawaz Sharif, who was ousted from power in Musharraf’s bloodless coup in 1999, was one of the winners from Monday’s election.

His Pakistan Muslim League-N party was coming second having won 66 seats, with only a few results still to be confirmed, according to the private GEO TV station.

Only the Pakistan People’s Party of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated in the run-up to the elections, won more national assembly seat — 87 so far.

The Musharraf-allied Pakistan Muslim League-Q won 38 seats in the preliminary results. Ten national assembly results were outstanding at 1930 GMT Tuesday.

Sharif said: Musharraf doesn’t understand this decision. He has closed his eyes. He has said before that he would go when the people want him to do so and now the people have given their verdict.

Sharif, like Bhutto, returned from exile late last year to compete in the elections.

The two big opposition parties — if they form a coalition and get the support of smaller groups and independent candidates — could gain the two-thirds majority in parliament needed to impeach Musharraf.

Thousands of ecstatic Pakistanis, waving placards and singing, took to the streets Tuesday as the results began trickling in. Celebrations as the results come in

All the King’s Men, Gone! blared the headline in the English-language The Daily Times. Heavyweights knocked out, proclaimed the newspaper, Dawn.

We concede and congratulate the people who have won the elections, Mushahid Syed Hussain, general secretary of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, told CNN.

As pressure increases on Musharraf to relinquish his tight grip on power, there is the risk of more turmoil in the nuclear-armed country, which has witnessed a surge in violent attacks — including Bhutto’s assassination in recent months.

The voting in the country’s first general elections in six years ended with no overt signs of tampering and relatively little violence. Twenty-three people were killed across the nation in vote-related incident, according to a tally by CNN.

National voter turnout for the parliamentary race exceeded expectations with 45.69 percent of the 81 million eligible voters casting ballots, the election commission told CNN.

I think it’s a very dramatic statement about what happens when people can vote, former U.S. presidential candidate John Kerry, who has been observing the elections, told CNN from Islamabad.

Musharraf has said that he will accept the outcome of the elections with grace and promises to work with the new government.

Whoever is the prime minister, I will work with that person in a reconciliatory mode, the former general, who seized power in a 1999 coup, told reporters. We should end the confrontationist politics. Let’s enter into a conciliatory politics.

The elections are crucial from an American standpoint. Washington has poured billions of dollars in aid toward Musharraf’s government, an ally in its battle against the al Qaeda terrorist network and the Islamic fundamentalist Taliban movement in neighboring Afghanistan.

The Bush administration’s priority for Pakistan is to deprive al Qaeda of the sanctuary it has established along the country’s rugged border with Afghanistan, and to reverse the momentum the Taliban has achieved in attacks on both sides of the border.

But given that many Pakistanis disapprove of the way Musharraf has carried out his end of the war on terror — and used it as a crutch to explain away many of his unpopular moves — analysts say it’s unlikely a new government will move as aggressively on counterterrorism issues as the U.S. would like.

For the average Pakistani, Musharraf’s unpopularity has to do with factors that are closer to home: shortage of essential food items, power cuts, and a skyrocketing inflation.
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‘Turok’ a typical shooter game — but with dinosaurs

While not as groundbreaking as the original late 1990s Turok: Dinosaur Hunter for the Nintendo 64, the new Turok 3-D shooter for the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3 delivers a fun - and at times, nail-biting - action experience for mature players.

Turok once again stars a futuristic American Indian soldier, Joseph Turok, who crash lands on a mysterious planet populated by vicious dinosaurs and a malicious military organization.

Along with help provided by his squad mates, who don’t trust our Mohawk-sporting hero to begin with, Turok must stay alive long enough to accomplish his mission and get off this dangerous world.

In Turok, which is played from a first-person perspective, you’ll face off against a handful of meat-eating beasts, such as Tyrannosaurus rex and velociraptors.

In one memorable scene about three hours into the game, all seemed clear so Turok climbed a ladder to reach the top of a lookout point when all of a sudden he was yanked to the ground by two raptors. Interestingly, this wasn’t a scripted event.

When the scene was played out again, Turok made it to the top alive, only to look down and see the dinosaurs chasing each other a dozen feet away from the base of the ladder.

Fun scenes like this are memorable, as are the bigger boss fights, but the core game play doesn’t deviate much from other 3-D shooters: you’ll be accomplishing missions, such as gaining entrance into a facility by taking down those who stand in your way.

As Turok you’ll have access to all kinds of weaponry, such as automatic rifles, shotguns, dual-wielding handguns, sniper rifles, grenades, rocket launchers, a combat knife and bow and arrow (the latter two are ideal for stealthier attacks).

Turok also offers a few context-sensitive moments, where you must press the correct button repeatedly, according to the on-screen icon. This might be to open heavy doors, preventing a dinosaur from eating you by opening its mouth wide enough to escape, or performing a quiet kill with your combat knife.

The developers at Propaganda Games did a good job creating a lush, green world in which to hide, explore and fight, while the dinosaurs move smoothly and enjoy high-resolution scaly textures.

Along with the single-player campaign, Turok also features a number of online-only maps for up to 16 players via Xbox Live or the PlayStation Network. Multiplayer game modes include traditional Deathmatch and Capture-the-Flag varieties, a mission-based war game (such as defend your base) and a fun co-op mode where players can form a squad and battle another team of human players.

Turok is a very good but not great game. Yes, it delivers some entertaining thrills, yet it doesn’t compare to the recent batch of extraordinary 3-D shooters on the market such as BioShock, The Orange Box, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare or Halo 3. As a result, it might be worth checking out the playable demo first, available as a download on both consoles, before deciding to drop $60 on this disc. E-mail to a friend

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A380 grounded with fuel pump problem

SINGAPORE (AP) — Singapore Airlines said Tuesday an A380 superjumbo flight was canceled due to a fuel pump defect, the first major technical glitch to ground the world’s largest passenger jet.

The carrier said the fuel pump problem was detected when the plane’s engine was started ahead of departure Monday night on a flight from Singapore to Sydney.

Airbus and our own engineers have dedicated teams to try to address these issues quickly, but last night’s fuel pump defect took much longer to fix, Singapore Airlines said in an e-mailed statement to The Associated Press.

The airline said it had to switch to using a Boeing 747-400, which seats fewer people than the Airbus jet, because a replacement of the fuel pump failed to solve the problem. The company’s second A380 could not be used as it was undergoing maintenance.
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Serbia steps up anti-Kosovo pressure

(CNN) — The United States recognized the Balkan territory of Kosovo as an independent and sovereign state Monday, promising the infant republic’s president that Washington will be your partner and your friend.

In response, Serbia ordered its ambassador to the United States to return home, the Serbian Embassy said. Serbian President Boris Tadic said Kosovo’s move sets a dangerous precedent for other nations with separatist provinces.

Tadic asked the U.N. Security Council to annul the declaration of independence.

Imagine you were in my place — the president of a country, which has been deprived of a territory against its will. How would you feel and how would you respond? he said.

I’m asking this question of you because if you cast a blind eye to this illegal act, who guarantees to you that parts of your countries will not declare independence in the same way?

In a letter released by the White House, Bush told Kosovo’s President Fatmir Sejdiu that he has agreed to establish diplomatic relations with the new country despite vehement objections from Serbia and its historical ally Russia.

I congratulate you and Kosovo’s citizens for having taken this important step in your democratic and national development, Bush wrote.

Meanwhile, Ivan Vujacic, Serbia’s ambassador to the United States, on Monday called the move a travesty of international law, saying he had unsuccessfully urged State Department officials to reconsider.

It actually amounted to (U.S. officials) saying, ‘This is a fait acompli, the situation will not be changed,’ he said.

European Union nations Monday were also starting to individually recognize Kosovo as the world’s newest nation — but had not agreed collectively on the way forward.

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: Britain will now formally recognize Kosovo as an independent sovereign state.

France said it would recognize Kosovo, and is in the process of confirming that in writing. Germany indicated its support would come.

But other EU nations including Greece, Spain and Romania have signaled that they would not follow suit amid concerns about the precedent that such a move would set.

Spain — where militants wanting a separate Basque nation have carried out a 30-year campaign of violence — said it did not consider Kosovo’s independence to be lawful.

Two pro-Russian separatist provinces in Georgia — South Ossetia and Abkhazia — were looking to use Kosovo’s move to help them declare their own independence.

But the U.S. and EU say that Kosovo’s move is not the precursor for a wave of declarations of independence.

Rice said: We congratulate the people of Kosovo on this historic occasion. President Bush has responded affirmatively to a request from Kosovo to establish diplomatic relations between our two countries.

The unusual combination of factors found in the Kosovo situation — including the context of Yugoslavia’s breakup, the history of ethnic cleansing and crimes against civilians in Kosovo, and the extended period of U.N. administration — are not found elsewhere and therefore make Kosovo a special case. Kosovo cannot be seen as a precedent for any other situation in the world today.

Facing severe economic problems and high unemployment, Kosovo is banking on the support of Western powers including the United States and key EU nations. Fireworks, parties but a long road ahead

But while independence is broadly favored by the West, U.N. Security Council members Russia and China have expressed outright opposition and grave concern over Kosovo’s unilateral decision.

Serbia insists it will not respond with violence to Kosovo’s sovereignty claim, although it refuses to recognize the move.

In the Serb-dominated northern Kosovo town of Mitrovica, scores of Kosovo Serbs took to the streets waving Serbian flags in a demonstration against independence.

In Beijing Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao expressed grave concern over Kosovo’s move for independence. Russia was also standing with its traditional ally, Serbia.

The Security Council is meeting Monday to discuss Kosovo and Serbian president Boris Tadic is expected to emphasize his country’s opposition to Kosovo’s breakaway. Watch how U.N. is divided over Kosovo’s future

Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said his country will never accept the establishment of a false country on its territory.

Fireworks lit the skies and crowds filled the streets of Kosovo’s capital Sunday after the territory’s parliament declared independence from Serbia.

But Serbs consider the territory the cradle of their civilization, and protesters clashed with police outside the U.S. Embassy in the Serbian capital, Belgrade, as the declaration was issued. Flag burned in Serb region of Kosovo

Kosovo’s Prime Minister Hashim Thaci opened Monday his first cabinet meeting since the parliament declared independence saying: My full respect goes to you here and especially to our people that they celebrated in such a dignified manner.

The province has been under U.N. administration and patrolled by NATO troops since a 1999 bombing campaign that halted a Serb-led campaign against Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian majority.

About 100,000 Serbs still live in Kosovo, making up about 5 percent of the population. Sejdiu pledged to create a nation where all citizens of all ethnicities feel appreciated.

Nicholas Burns, the undersecretary of state for political affairs, said international recognition offers a much greater chance for peace and for stability than the status quo.

Burns said the United States plans to provide $334 million in assistance for the new government this year, on top of $77 million in 2007. In addition, about 1,600 U.S. troops will remain with the 17,000-strong KFOR peacekeeping mission that has been deployed there since the end of the 1999 conflict.
found here.

Serbia steps up anti-Kosovo pressure

(CNN) — The United States recognized the Balkan territory of Kosovo as an independent and sovereign state Monday, promising the infant republic’s president that Washington will be your partner and your friend.

In response, Serbia ordered its ambassador to the United States to return home, the Serbian Embassy said. Serbian President Boris Tadic said Kosovo’s move sets a dangerous precedent for other nations with separatist provinces.

Tadic asked the U.N. Security Council to annul the declaration of independence.

Imagine you were in my place — the president of a country, which has been deprived of a territory against its will. How would you feel and how would you respond? he said.

I’m asking this question of you because if you cast a blind eye to this illegal act, who guarantees to you that parts of your countries will not declare independence in the same way?

In a letter released by the White House, Bush told Kosovo’s President Fatmir Sejdiu that he has agreed to establish diplomatic relations with the new country despite vehement objections from Serbia and its historical ally Russia.

I congratulate you and Kosovo’s citizens for having taken this important step in your democratic and national development, Bush wrote.

Meanwhile, Ivan Vujacic, Serbia’s ambassador to the United States, on Monday called the move a travesty of international law, saying he had unsuccessfully urged State Department officials to reconsider.

It actually amounted to (U.S. officials) saying, ‘This is a fait acompli, the situation will not be changed,’ he said.

European Union nations Monday were also starting to individually recognize Kosovo as the world’s newest nation — but had not agreed collectively on the way forward.

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: Britain will now formally recognize Kosovo as an independent sovereign state.

France said it would recognize Kosovo, and is in the process of confirming that in writing. Germany indicated its support would come.

But other EU nations including Greece, Spain and Romania have signaled that they would not follow suit amid concerns about the precedent that such a move would set.

Spain — where militants wanting a separate Basque nation have carried out a 30-year campaign of violence — said it did not consider Kosovo’s independence to be lawful.

Two pro-Russian separatist provinces in Georgia — South Ossetia and Abkhazia — were looking to use Kosovo’s move to help them declare their own independence.

But the U.S. and EU say that Kosovo’s move is not the precursor for a wave of declarations of independence.

Rice said: We congratulate the people of Kosovo on this historic occasion. President Bush has responded affirmatively to a request from Kosovo to establish diplomatic relations between our two countries.

The unusual combination of factors found in the Kosovo situation — including the context of Yugoslavia’s breakup, the history of ethnic cleansing and crimes against civilians in Kosovo, and the extended period of U.N. administration — are not found elsewhere and therefore make Kosovo a special case. Kosovo cannot be seen as a precedent for any other situation in the world today.

Facing severe economic problems and high unemployment, Kosovo is banking on the support of Western powers including the United States and key EU nations. Fireworks, parties but a long road ahead

But while independence is broadly favored by the West, U.N. Security Council members Russia and China have expressed outright opposition and grave concern over Kosovo’s unilateral decision.

Serbia insists it will not respond with violence to Kosovo’s sovereignty claim, although it refuses to recognize the move.

In the Serb-dominated northern Kosovo town of Mitrovica, scores of Kosovo Serbs took to the streets waving Serbian flags in a demonstration against independence.

In Beijing Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao expressed grave concern over Kosovo’s move for independence. Russia was also standing with its traditional ally, Serbia.

The Security Council is meeting Monday to discuss Kosovo and Serbian president Boris Tadic is expected to emphasize his country’s opposition to Kosovo’s breakaway. Watch how U.N. is divided over Kosovo’s future

Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said his country will never accept the establishment of a false country on its territory.

Fireworks lit the skies and crowds filled the streets of Kosovo’s capital Sunday after the territory’s parliament declared independence from Serbia.

But Serbs consider the territory the cradle of their civilization, and protesters clashed with police outside the U.S. Embassy in the Serbian capital, Belgrade, as the declaration was issued. Flag burned in Serb region of Kosovo

Kosovo’s Prime Minister Hashim Thaci opened Monday his first cabinet meeting since the parliament declared independence saying: My full respect goes to you here and especially to our people that they celebrated in such a dignified manner.

The province has been under U.N. administration and patrolled by NATO troops since a 1999 bombing campaign that halted a Serb-led campaign against Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian majority.

About 100,000 Serbs still live in Kosovo, making up about 5 percent of the population. Sejdiu pledged to create a nation where all citizens of all ethnicities feel appreciated.

Nicholas Burns, the undersecretary of state for political affairs, said international recognition offers a much greater chance for peace and for stability than the status quo.

Burns said the United States plans to provide $334 million in assistance for the new government this year, on top of $77 million in 2007. In addition, about 1,600 U.S. troops will remain with the 17,000-strong KFOR peacekeeping mission that has been deployed there since the end of the 1999 conflict.
found here.