Briefly World

US House panel moves to restrict aid to Pakistan

WASHINGTON: Putting Pakistan on notice,the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs has cleared a bill that would slap restrictions on the US aid to Islamabad for not doing enough in the war against terrorism. The Defence Authorisation Bill,passed on Wednesday,prohibits further security aid to Pakistan until the Secretary of State provides certification affirming various aspects of Pakistani cooperation in the war on terror.

Sydney Opera House photo on Qaeda site

Sydney: Police on Thursday cautioned Australians to be vigilant after al-Qaeda-linked online magazine Inspire published a picture of Sydneys Opera House,and expressed concern about its influence on the Islamic community. The picture was carried without any comment or reference point,and served as the cover of a section that included lessons on how to use an AK-47 rifle and how to make bombs.

2 UK citizens detained in Afghanistan

London: Forces captured two UK nationals from a warzone in Afghanistan,raising fears that Taliban and al-Qaeda are still drawing foreign recruits. The two were held by British troops in a combat area in Afghanistan and were believed to be fighting for the Taliban,Sun newspaper reported. The British Defence Ministry said,We can confirm that two individuals have been detained in Afghanistan.

Australian fined for beating dog to death

BRISBANE: An Australian man who beat his dog to death after she was crippled in a car accident has been fined 3,000 Australian dollars 3,200. A Brisbane court was told Kenneth Jenkins,57,bashed his golden retriever Gracies head with a chair leg and dumped her into his backyard pool. Jenkins pleaded guilty on Thursday.

Zardaris credit card statement obtained

London: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari was among individuals whose personal data was clandestinely obtained by private investigators at the behest of a newspaper owned by media baron Rupert Murdoch. Nick Davies,a journalist writing for The Guardian who has doggedly exposed the dubious news-gathering practices in the British press,in his book Flat Earth News mentions that Zardaris credit card statement was obtained by a private investigator for The Sunday Times,so that reporters could find out where he

had been staying and what he had been spending his money on.

Probe distracts from famine,hints cartoon

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NEW YORK: The idea that the phone hacking scandal is a distraction from far more important issues was expressed clearly in Murdochs Times of London,in the form an editorial cartoon. Headlined Priorities,it shows a starving Somali child holding his distended stomach and saying,Ive had a bellyful of phone-hacking.