Chinook report ‘to clear pilots’

 By Tim Reid Political correspondent, BBC Scotland The Chinook helicopter crashed on the Mull of Kintyre on the west coast of Scotland in 1994 An official review into the Chinook helicopter crash in Scotland concludes the two dead pilots should not have been blamed, the BBC has learned.

Twenty-nine people died on the flight from Belfast to Inverness when it crashed on the Mull of Kintyre in 1994.

The independent report, chaired by retired judge Lord Philip, is expected to say that the pilots should not have been accused of gross negligence.

Lord Philip’s recommendations will go to the defence secretary.

In what was the RAF’s worst peacetime accident, the Chinook carrying 25 of Britain’s most senior intelligence experts and four crew crashed in thick fog, killing all on board.

Over nearly two decades, campaigners have sought to have Flt Lt Jonathan Tapper, from Norfolk, and Flt Lt Richard Cook, from Hampshire, cleared of blame, but successive defence secretaries have refused to overturn the findings of two RAF Air Marshals.

The two pilots were blamed for gross negligence but the conclusions have been disputed by campaigners ever since.

After a nine month inquiry, Lord Philip’s recommendations have now been submitted to Defence Secretary Liam Fox, who is due to make a statement to MPs next week on the findings.

Campaigners hope that the defence secretary will posthumously clear the pilots of blame.

Susan Phoenix, the widow of Royal Ulster Constabulary counter-terrorism expert Ian Phoenix, who died in the Chinook crash, said: “If it is true I am delighted.

“I am delighted the pilots have been cleared.

“However, I am disappointed the families were not told first.”

Flt Lt Cook, left, and Flt Lt Tapper were blamed for the crash

An MoD spokeswoman said it would be “inappropriate” to comment before Mr Fox made his announcement to parliament.

She said: “The defence secretary asked Lord Philip to conduct a review of the evidence considered by the Board of Inquiry into the Mull of Kintyre Chinook accident.

“An announcement on the report’s findings is due to be made to parliament shortly.”

The SNP’s defence spokesman Angus Robertson MP, who has campaigned to exonerate the two pilots, said he hoped the report would clear them of any blame.

He added: “It is a disgrace the way the families of Flight Lieutenants Jonathan Tapper and Richard Cook have been treated by successive administrations and it is time that the record was officially set straight.”

Jackass Star Ryan Dunn Dies in Car Accident “actual police report”

According to April Margera who called into Preston and Steve’s radio show this morning, one of the stars of MTV’s “Jackass” was killed in a car accident.

Ryan Dunn died when his Porsche flew over a guardrail on Route 322 in West Goshen, Pa. slammed into a tree and burst into flames around 2:30 Monday morning, Officer Geiger with the West Goshen police department told us.

Dunn was known primarily for his dangerous antics and practical jokes in the “Jackass” movies with his long-time friend Bam Margera. He is also a member of the CKY Crew with Margera.

Ryan Dunn was 34.

The actual Police report as some low life sites have reported that it was another hoax. I don’t think so the police would not be in on any sort of hoax as it would be a criminal offense.

UoP sexual harassment report

UoP sexual harassment issue being blown out of proportion
Peshawar, The metaphor of “making a mountain out of a molehill” proved exactly true when the issue of sexual harassment at the University of Peshawar (UoP) echoed in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and prompted the provincial government and the varsity administration to form two different committees to probe the issue and submit factual reports to the quarters concerned.

Both the committees failed to come up with concrete evidence to prove the issue raised by Nighat Yasmeen Orakzai, the Pakistan Muslim League-Q legislator in the assembly. The issue that hit the headlines and became a hot topic of discussion and was even highlighted in the foreign media carried little truth.

The two committees interrogated six out of the 650 teachers of the oldest and most prestigious seat of higher education in the province and among them only one was found guilty. The committee under Provincial Minister for Social Welfare Sitara Ayaz had to find facts about five professors who had been accused of sexually harassing students or colleagues.

Sitara Ayaz said the committee had almost finalised the report. She said the body was waiting for the input of the lawmaker who had raised the issue in the provincial assembly and as soon as her viewpoint is received, the committee would submit the report to the chief minister.

The minister said the committee failed to lay hand on any concrete evidence against any of the accused professors or other teachers of the university as nobody turned up to testify that he or she was a victim or had valid proofs about the involvement of those people in harassment.

All the allegations were based on anonymous letters and hearsay and no action can be taken on the basis of such invalid documents and statements, she said. “The accused professors too were summoned by the committee and they recorded their statements,” she added.

She said the committee also got letters from some female MPhil and PhD students, who disclosed their identity as well, refuting the reports about the alleged harassment. These students were of the opinion that since they were doing research work they have to remain with their respective supervisors for hours, but they have not felt anything wrong so far. And even if such situation arises at all, the students said they were mature enough to deal it properly. Sitara said these letters too were made part of the inquiry report that would be submitted to the chief minister.

The university administration had formed another committee to look into the alleged sexual harassment committed by a History Department lecturer Zahid Ali, who had already been suspended by the university on the same charge. The committee under Prof Dr Sara Safdar submitted its report to Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Azmat Hayat Khan, who would present it to the Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and chancellor of the university Masood Kausar in a meeting today (Friday).

This report found the lecturer guilty of sexual harassment. It noted that almost all the faculty members and students interviewed by the committee claimed the he was involved in such activities.

Some senior professors interviewed by this correspondent expressed strong reaction to the issue. They acknowledged there were problems with some faculty members due to which the issue was taken up in the provincial assembly and found space in the media.

One of the professors said the issue was not a new one. In the past, several senior faculty members and some officials in the university administration had been accused of similar practices and most of them later even married the women they were involved with. He pointed out some famous cases of such nature in the university. Unfortunately, he added that most of those faculty members were assigned key posts including the post of vice chancellors in different universities in the province. “This means that those at the helm of affairs themselves were patronising this thing,” he maintained.

He remarked that those responsible for making appointments against key positions should assess the character of the people being appointed as well as it brought a band name to the teaching profession.

Another senior professor said the issue should be dealt with seriously as this had alerted the parents to think hundred times before sending daughters to the university. He said this would also force the parents to make demands for more women universities in the province.

The professor said the issue should be probed by a judicial committee headed by a judge of the high court. “If anyone is found involved in this heinous practice, he should be awarded exemplary punishment. And if there is no truth in the allegation, those who have raised the issue should be sued in a court of law,” he stressed. The news

Russia to supply nuclear submarine to India: Report

Russia will deliver a nuclear submarine to India by the end of the year, Russia’s navy chief was quoted as saying on Friday by state news agency RIA. PHOTO: FILE

MOSCOW: Russia will deliver a nuclear submarine to India by the end of the year, Russia’s navy chief was quoted as saying on Friday by state news agency RIA.

India sees Russia as a strategic counterweight to China but New Delhi has been upset by repeated delays to major weapons orders from Moscow, including the Admiral Gorshkov heavy aircraft carrier.

The date for delivering the Nerpa submarine to India, Russia’s close economic and political partner since Soviet days, has repeatedly been put back.

“We shall definitely supply this vessel to the customer by the end of this year,” RIA quoted navy commander Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky as saying.

Vysotsky said a fully trained Indian navy crew was ready to receive the submarine, which some Russian media reported last year had already been handed over to India.

The Nerpa, an attack submarine codenamed “Akula” – or “Shark”, by NATO, is usually armed with torpedoes and cruise missiles. It can go down to depths of 600 metres (2000 ft) for about 100 days. It can carry 73 people.

Construction of the Nerpa began in 1991, the year the Soviet Union collapsed, but funding was frozen in the chaotic 1990s and the submarine was only launched and started sea trials in 2008, according to Russian media.

Twenty people died on the Nerpa after inhaling the toxic gas used as a fire suppressant when its fire extinguishing system switched on unexpectedly at sea trials in November 2008.

The accident was the deadliest to hit Russia’s navy since August 2000, when the Kursk nuclear submarine sank beneath the Barents Sea, killing all 118 sailors on board.

India agreed to buy the Gorshkov aircraft carrier and have it upgraded in 2004. But Moscow has repeatedly asked for more money and the latest price tag reported for the ship is $2.3 billion. It has still not been delivered to India.

Jackass Star Ryan Dunn Dies in Car Accident “actual police report”

According to April Margera who called into Preston and Steve’s radio show this morning, one of the stars of MTV’s “Jackass” was killed in a car accident.

Ryan Dunn died when his Porsche flew over a guardrail on Route 322 in West Goshen, Pa. slammed into a tree and burst into flames around 2:30 Monday morning, Officer Geiger with the West Goshen police department told us.

Dunn was known primarily for his dangerous antics and practical jokes in the “Jackass” movies with his long-time friend Bam Margera. He is also a member of the CKY Crew with Margera.

Ryan Dunn was 34.

The actual Police report as some low life sites have reported that it was another hoax. I don’t think so the police would not be in on any sort of hoax as it would be a criminal offense.

US drone wounds top militants in Somalia: Report

Officials says militants were planning operations outside of Somalia. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

WASHINGTON: A US drone fired on two senior commanders of Somalia’s Shebab insurgency after they were found to have ties to al Qaeda, the Washington Post reported late Wednesday, citing US officials.

The strike last week is believed to have wounded the two leading militants and came amid increasing concern among US officials about growing ties between Shebab and the global terror network, the Post said.

“They (Shebab fighters) have become somewhat emboldened of late and, as a result, we have become more focused on inhibiting their activities,” it quoted an official as saying. “They were planning operations outside of Somalia.”

The Post said Somalia is now the sixth country in which the United States is reportedly using drone attacks to kill suspected militants, after Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Iraq and Yemen.

The US military could not immediately be reached for comment.

The official quoted by the Post said the two commanders had “direct ties” to Anwar al-Awlaqi, a charismatic American-born preacher believed to be hiding in his family’s native Yemen.

US aircraft and special forces have carried out covert attacks in the past in Somalia, but last week’s incident appeared to be the first drone strike, the Post said.

Last Thursday residents reported huge explosions near Kismayo, a southern port town controlled by Shebab, followed by the sound of aircraft.

A Shebab official in the area said his men had reported an aerial bombing raid on a Shebab base.

“The military aircraft of the enemy carried out an aerial bombardment on a base where some mujahedeen fighters were staying. Initial reports indicate several mujahedeen fighters including muhajirs (foreigners) died,” the official said, refusing to be named.

“We believe the aircraft belonged to the US,” he added.

Naval base raid: Finally, report admits inside job in Mehran attack

Standing Committee on Defence told that evidence of “inside help” has been found in the PNS Mehran Base attack.

ISLAMABAD: 

It took more than a month after heavily-armed terrorists mounted a brazen attack on Pakistan’s biggest naval airbase in Karachi, but investigators have finally concluded that the attackers had support from within the Pakistan Navy.

The terrorists sneaked into Pakistan Navy’s airbase PNS Mehran on May 22, destroying two P3-C Orion surveillance aircraft and holding off military commandos for 15 hours before they were killed in a final predawn assault the next morning. At least 10 security personnel were killed in the attack.

According to a preliminary investigation report tabled before the National Assembly Standing Committee on Defence on Wednesday, some navy officials were in custody for questioning over their possible links with the attackers.

Senior officials briefed the committee about the investigations into the PNS Mehran attack – one of the most potent terrorist attacks on the country’s security installations.

The briefing was confidential, but some participants speaking on the condition of anonymity confirmed that the navy officials admitted that  the terrorists received help from people working at the airbase.

The report indicates that some people had conducted reconnaissance of the base before the attack. It also points out that closed-circuit TV cameras installed at the base were not working, making it easier for the attackers to slip through.

However, navy officials would not comment on the report. Briefing reporters after the meeting, Dr Azhra Fazal Pechuhu, head of the defence committee, said that the naval authorities had completed their internal investigations into the PNS Mehran attack.

“According to investigations, four terrorists were involved in the attack,” she said, adding that the mastermind would be brought to book after the completion of the probe.

She said the investigators were now looking into the external aspects of the probe where they would also try to ascertain if there was any foreign hand involved.

The May 22 attack on the well-guarded base raised questions about the ability of the security forces to protect their key installations from terrorist raids. And security analysts said it wasn’t possible for terrorists to launch such an attack without inside help.

Despite the briefing, committee members from the PML-N expressed dissatisfaction over the findings of the report. “What we have been told is nothing new as lots of information has already appeared in the media,” said an opposition member, who requested not to be named.

Airblue Crash: Defence Ministry refuses to submit report to NA committee

Defence Minister Chaudhary Ahmed Mukhtar said that the government had given a four-page detail of defence expenditures instead of a one- liner.

ISLAMABAD: The Defence Ministry refused to submit the inquiry report into the Air Blue crash accident to the National Assembly’s (NA) Standing Committee on Human Rights, on Wednesday.

Ministry officials briefed the standing committee about the investigations’ progress and admitted that they have all facts and figures regarding the accident but are not authorized to forward information to the committee, citing some legal issues which will be resolved soon, after which the report will be forwarded to Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani and made public afterwards.

The NA Committee, however, expressed its reservations on the non- payment of compensation to the crash affectees and directed it to be paid within four months.

Meanwhile, earlier in the day, Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar had said that officials know the reason behind the Air Blue crash in 2010, but details could not be made public at this time.

Speaking during a press briefing, Mukhtar also said that some important details regarding the attack on the PNS Mehran base had been uncovered, but these too could not be made public at this time.

These details have however been shared with the national assembly standing committee on defence in private.

Relations with the US

The Defence Minister said that Pakistan is reviewing its relations with the US on the war on terror.

During a meeting of the national assembly standing committee on defence, Mukhtar said Pakistan is spending its own money in the war on terror as the coalition support funds are halted.

He further said that losses continue to mount for Pakistan, in human and financial terms.

The defence minister denied any knowledge of the whereabouts of Mullah Omar and said that after the Bin Laden raid, even if he were here, he would have fled Pakistan.

Pakistan was expecting $500 million (Rs43 billion) in the last tranche of the Coalition Support Fund (CSF), which was set up by the US Congress after the 9/11 attacks to reimburse allies for costs in supporting the US-led war on militancy. On April 25, Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh had announced after a visit to the US that the Obama administration was “firmly committed” to releasing at least $500 to $600 million by June 30.

A finance ministry official said that the US Congress is yet to clear the transaction.

US bases in Pakistan

Mukhtar said that Pakistan told the United States to leave Shamsi air base reportedly used as a hub for covert CIA drone attacks.

“We have told them (US officials) to leave the air base,” national news agency APP quoted Mukhtar as telling a group of journalists in his office.

The air strip is 900 kilometres southwest of the capital Islamabad in Baluchistan province.

A US embassy spokeswoman told AFP there were no US military personnel at the Shamsi base.

CNN reported in April that US military personnel had left the base, said to be a key hub for American drone operations, in the fallout over public killings by a CIA contractor in Lahore and his subsequent detention.

Reports said operations at the base, which Washington has not publicly acknowledged, were conducted with tacit Pakistani military consent.

Mukhtar also denied the presence of American troops at Ghazi base in Tarbela, stating that it is being operated by Pakistan.