The latest eruption began in Vanity Fair, with a lengthy article by Todd Purdum examining the Alaska governor's past and future. The controversy migrated instantly to the web and the blogs--it was, in fact, made for the viral communication of today's politics--and became even more intense, nasty and personal. Jonathan Martin provided the fullest account for Politico.

There are several elements to this controversy. One is over Palin and her fitness as a possible presidential candidate in 2012. The pretext is her suitability to have been John McCain's vice presidential nominee, but the real issue is the sharp division within the Republican Party over where she goes from here.

Another element of the controversy is the future of the party itself. How much must the GOP adapt and change to assure its vitality as a healthy alternative to the Democrats? Palin is only a proxy in this larger debate that is consuming many Republican strategists and elected officials.

Finally there is the after-action war over John McCain's failed presidential campaign that still rages among a handful of GOP insiders. To those who were on the inside, there was virtually no way for McCain to defeat Obama in a year when George W. Bush's approval rating was below 30 percent, when more than eight in 10 Americans thought the country was off track. To those on the outside, McCain's defeat may have been likely, but their view was aided by mismanagement and poor strategy atop the campaign.

The criticism of Palin in Vanity Fair, and the strong reaction by Palin defenders, echoed the breakdown that occurred at the end of the campaign. Never has there been such a moment of internecine warfare just as a losing candidate is exiting the stage as there was in the days following Obama's victory last November.

For several days, the two camps fired at one another at the expense of both Palin and McCain. The charges and countercharges aimed at Palin were, to many Republicans, shocking and inexcusable, a messy end to a dispiriting campaign. Would that it would have ended there. Instead the Palin controversy has become a staple of the Republican story in the months since.

There's no surprise that Palin remains a controversial figure with the public at large. Her performance in the campaign created a wide gulf in public opinion between those who found her fresh and appealing and those who found her shallow and unready. What has been surprising is the degree to which she has divided Republicans--at least Republican strategists, insiders and talking heads--and how virulent their disagreements have become.

This was that foundation upon which the latest exchanges have taken place, with William Kristol of the Weekly Standard and Steve Schmidt, who was one of McCain's top advisers, carrying on a public argument over whether Schmidt had privately criticized Palin in the Vanity Fair piece and whose credibility should most be called into question.

The exchanges were vicious, if perhaps of interest to a small community of GOP insiders. But they continue to keep alive the debate over Palin. She is, in the estimation of many Republicans and even some Democrats, the most charismatic Republican in the country. But she also has generated a small cadre of detractors inside the party who question her capacity and her judgment, particularly as a possible 2012 candidate.

Beyond Palin, however, is the question of whither the GOP. Schmidt caused a stir earlier this spring when he publicly urged the party to rethink its position on gay marriage. He argued that in a nation that is both more diverse and more tolerant, Republicans must not appear to be rigid in their judgments of how people live their lives.

Other Republican strategists who don't necessarily agree with Schmidt on that particular question nonetheless see the GOP as a shrinking enclave. They see a party that has lost its footing among moderates and independents in need of a major overhaul. They worry that, given present demographic trends, the party must modernize, as the British Conservative Party has done, or risk a long-term period in exile.

Others within the GOP family believe that a combination of a return to first principles, the addition of some fresh faces who can attractively repackage a conservative agenda and a few stumbles by President Obama will help start the GOP comeback.

They remember what happened after Bill Clinton won the White House and how Republicans hunkered down, created a wall of resistance to Clinton's agenda (particularly health care) and successfully stoked the anti-government sentiment around the country. The result was the landslide of 1994 that drove Democrats from power in Congress.

Apple ignited the mobile software market and now others want to emulate its success, writes David Flynn.

There's no doubt the iPhone changed the way mobile phones are designed, sold and used. Yet Apple's stylish and seductively easy-to-use smartphone was the launch pad for something even more revolutionary: an online software store with programs to unleash the full potential of the modern mobile phone, making it a pocket computer.

Unlike the programs sold for desktops and laptops, these mobile phone applications or apps are small, fast, low-cost (if not free) and usually designed for a single task. And there are thousands: games, guides to restaurants and cafes, apps for travel and banking, news and weather, sports, hobbies and business tools.

There is, as the advertisements say, an app for just about everything and they're all on the App Store Apple's one-stop shop for browsing and downloading software for the iPhone.

Although almost none of the programs are written by Apple, the company provided the App Store as a kind of software supermarket in which an astounding number of the programs are free and most of those offered for sale cost less than $US5 ($6.20). The average price is $US2.65 and Apple takes a 30 per cent cut on all software sold through the store.

Apps can be downloaded directly over the high-speed 3G mobile network or using Apple's iTunes software on a Windows or Mac computer, with the programs transferred to the iPhone the next time the phone is connected to that computer. By making it easy to find, download and buy programs for your mobile phone, the App Store ignited the mobile software market.

There are now more than 65,000 programs listed on the App Store and, in its first year, users of the iPhone (and the iPod Touch, which can run the same apps) downloaded a staggering 1.5 billion programs.

And in the same way that the iPhone has prompted other manufacturers to release touchscreen phones with elegant and finger-friendly interfaces, the major players in the mobile phone market are also seeking to emulate the barnstorming success of the App Store as a way to serve up mobile software.

Potentially, the biggest competition to the iPhone's App Store will come from Nokia, which dominates the world's mobile phone market with a share of 38.6 per cent more than double that of its nearest rival, Samsung (16.2 per cent). By way of comparison, Apple holds a 1.1 per cent share of the mobile market.

Nokia also leads in the more specialised smartphone segment with 41.2 per cent, ahead of the iconic BlackBerry (20 per cent) and Apple (10.8 per cent). Nokia's Ovi Store, which launched last month at store.ovi.com, leverages mobile technology such as GPS receivers and trends in social networking to make the app store even more practical.

"This is not just a place to find applications," says the executive vice-president of services and software for Nokia, Niklas Savander.

"It's a smart store. It suggests things you might like and adds social location dynamics to show you relevant applications. It shows you what your friends have bought. And it changes the inventory based on where you are." In addition to software, podcasts and video will be offered.

"The presidency of the EU condemns today's bomb attacks in Jakarta that have killed and injured so many innocent people," the Swedish government, current holder of the European Union's presidency, said in a statement.

"The EU conveys its deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims of these brutal acts. We stand in sympathy and in solidarity with the Indonesian government and the Indonesian people in this most difficult time," the statement added.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, en route to Asia for talks in India and Thailand, condemned what she called the "senseless" attacks, underlining that the threat of terrorism remains "very real".

"We condemn these senseless acts of violence and stand ready to provide assistance if the Indonesian government requests us to do so," she said. "The attacks reflect the viciousness of violent extremists, and remind us that the threat of terrorism remains very real," Clinton said.

In Paris, the French government said it condemned the double attack "in the strongest terms" and offered the victims' families and the Indonesian government its support and solidarity.

"France stands by the side of Indonesia, a major partner for our country in Asia, in its courageous fight against terrorism," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

France "offers its full support to the determined efforts of the Indonesian authorities to promote the stability of this great democracy," it said.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said the blasts, in which at least two of his countrymen were wounded, made him "sick to the stomach".

"Any attack anywhere is an attack on us all," Rudd told reporters. "Any terrorist attack on our friends Indonesia is an attack on our neighbors. Any terrorist attack is an act of cowardice. It is an act of murder. It is a barbaric act that violates the fundamental principles of human decency."

The federal ministry of environment planted mangrove saplings ‘Rhizophora Mucronata’ on the coastal island on ‘Khedewari’ along the shores of Keti Bandar in Thatta district.

The tree plantation drive was organised by the ministry in cooperation with the Sindh forest department and local people and in financial coordination with the National Bank of Pakistan.

The earlier record was set by India on June 12 and 13 when 447,874 saplings were planted in Assam. Before that Mexico had planted 3,48,393 saplings on Aug 29 and 30 last year.

The task was accomplished by over 300 local volunteers who were divided in groups of 20, each supervised by one forest manager and helped by other designated persons. Within the first hour, they planted 97,000 saplings.

Federal Minister for Environment Hamidullah Jan Afridi, provincial ministers Asghar Taqi and Sassui Palijo and Inspector General Forests Dr Mohammad Iqbal Siyal were present on the occasion.

MNA Marvi Memon and IUCN’s representative in Pakistan Tahir Qureshi acted as observers.

Adil Ahmed, the Adjudicator of Guinness Book of World Records, Pakistan, who had monitored and assessed the world records in India and Mexico, also visited the site.

He told newsmen that the process of enlistment in the Guinness Book would be carried out after a reassessment of plantation.

Ms Palijo and Ms Memon, who hail from Keti Bandar, told Dawn that the event was a healthy achievement. They said non-release of sweat water into Indus downstream Kotri for a couple of years had resulted in the diminishing of mangroves.

APP adds: The task was accomplished five hours before sunset. It was expected that the number of saplings would exceed 600,000 by the end of the event.

The plantation was organised as part of a series of events planned by the ministry to mark the National Year of Environment.

In view of global significance of mangrove forests, particularly in the context of the tsunami of 2005, the event was planned in the mangrove areas on the coastal island, which are devoid of vegetation.

The head of WWF International and secretary general of International Ramsar Convention on Wetland have congratulated the ministry of environment for setting the world record in tree plantation.

They lauded the efforts of the environment minister who took national and international environment organisations on board and made the event a success.

An official said: ‘The ministry will look after the site for three years to ensure maximum survival of saplings.’

The tough three-day negotiations concluded here on Wednesday, with the World Bank Mission expressing concern over the government’s resolution to pass on the subsidies to the power consumers.

Currently, the government was providing Rs122 billion subsidy to the consumer on electricity.

The officials, who participated in the negotiations, told Dawn that the government had agreed to withdraw Rs55 billion in power subsidies during the current fiscal year.

However, the schedule for power tariff raise had not yet been finalised, the officials added.

The World Bank and the ADB teams finally agreed that subsidies worth Rs67 billion on electricity could be given during this fiscal year with Rs55 billion cushion provided by the IMF and that would be diverted from the development budget.

While, the government would provide 100 mmcfd gas for power generation that would be worth around Rs12 billion, sources said.

Adviser to the PM on Petroleum Dr Asim Hussain confirmed to Dawn that the new gas discoveries in the NWFP would be directed to the Pepco.

‘These new finds are expected to provide commercial production of 100 mmcfd gas,’ he said, adding that a summary would be presented to the ECC to seek approval for this allocation.

Responding to the World Bank concerns over continuing subsidies on electricity the Pakistan side maintained that tariff would be raised gradually linking it with the elimination of load-shedding.

The sources revealed that the tentative schedule for increasing electricity tariff would be five to seven per cent in the second quarter of 2009-10 followed by another 10 per cent in the third quarter.

The bureau has also circulated the request of the WPC to be offered NAM observer status since July 6.

The bureau recommended that the summit endorse the applications of Argentina and the WPC.

The NAM groups 118 member states, including 53 from Africa, 38 from Asia, 26 from Latin America and the Caribbean and one from Europe (Belarus).

It represents nearly two-thirds of the United Nations' members, particularly developing countries, and comprises 55 percent of the world population.

The movement now has 16 observer countries and nine observer organizations.

Argentina is the second largest country in South America and eighth in the world by land area and the largest among Spanish-speaking nations, though Mexico, Colombia and Spain are more populous.

It is currently classified as an upper-middle income country or as a secondary emerging market by the World Bank. Argentina is also one of the G-20 major economies.

The WPC was formed in 1949, replacing the permanent committee of the World Peace Congress, in order to promote peaceful coexistence and nuclear disarmament.

The WPC was especially active in the areas bordering U.S. military installations in Western Europe, believed to house nuclear weapons. It waged large campaigns against U.S.-led military operations, especially against the Vietnam war.

The WPC had its headquarters in Helsinki of Finland until the 1990s when the Council moved to Greece. In the past, the WPC awarded the International Peace Prize.

In May 2004, the council held its world congress in Athens attended by representatives of 100 peace groups from around the world. The 2008 world congress of the council was held in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas from April 8 to 13. The 2008 congress showed a greatly increased membership of WPC with more than 120 peace groups from 76 countries in attendance.

Now, for many in the autonomous region, another big step toward normality will come when the local government unblocks the Internet so they can go back online.

"No Internet in Xinjiang, no business for me," said Li Fenfa, an Urumqi resident who runs an online business selling dry fruit and who has seen no transactions for several days.

Online businesses have been among the hardest hit since authorities cut access to the Internet in most of the Xinjiang region following the July 5 riot that took the lives of almost 200 people.

Many online store owners have had to rely on friends in other parts of the country to post messages on their homepages telling potential buyers that business is on hold until after the Internet lockdown.

Professor Chen Lidan, a communications scholar at the Beijing-based Renmin University of China, said the government had blocked online access because that was the way instigators of the riots spread their messages and mobilized rioters.

Investigators believe overseas separatist groups used Internet tools including Tencent QQ and MSN, as well as social networking sites Twitter, Facebook and Xiaonei, to spread messages.

The Xinjiang government said it terminated Internet access to prevent the spread of the violence. Up to now, the only known public venue where the Internet could be found was the Hoi Tak Hotel, which was used as a base by reporters covering the riot's aftermath.

Some Web users have complained that their attempts to access Twitter and Facebook in other Chinese cities have also been unsuccessful. And Chinese portals, including Fanfou, which is similar to Twitter, have also been unavailable.

The government has not yet given a date when the services will be resumed.

"I believe most governments in the world will do something similar in times like these. But it is frustrating to know that I can't talk to my soccer club members after forum access was blocked," wrote John Ning, a self-proclaimed "Web freak" in Beijing.

Internet experts are now concerned that an extended "indistinctive Internet lockdown" may create new dilemmas for the government.

"The authorities probably think they are justified to cut off Internet on national security grounds, so they openly admitted it for the first time," said Hu Yong, a new media expert with the School of Journalism and Communication at Peking University.

But the lockdown has inevitably curtailed harmless Web activities, such as daily forums, information sharing and online shopping.

"Time after time, young Web users may grow doubts over the government's Internet policies, which will produce more profound impacts," Hu said.

China's young, whose daily lives often rotate around the Web, make up a large percentage of China's 300-million cyber population. They will "get discouraged" if they find their Internet space getting smaller, experts said while urging the government to use "wisdom of the masses" to deal with issues brought by new media.

"Blocking information should not be the first choice in an open society," said Yu Xiaofeng, director of non-traditional security and peaceful development studies at Zhejiang University. "The government should allow official and unofficial sources so that both the government and the public can seek truth through knowledge."

KARACHI (AFP) — Pakistan's cricket chief on Wednesday denied boycotting a meeting in India that handed the country's World Cup 2011 matches to co-hosts and called again for talks on winning back the fixtures.

The Central Organising Committee (COC) of the World Cup 2011 met in Mumbai on Tuesday and redistributed the 14 matches originally given to Pakistan. Eight went to India, four to Sri Lanka and two to Bangladesh.

Pakistan, which was stripped of its matches by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in April over security fears, was invited to the meeting as the fourth co-host but no Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) representative attended.

PCB chairman Ijaz Butt denied Pakistan had refused to go to the event.

"No, we did not boycott the meeting," Butt told AFP. "Since it is a legal matter we do not want to make comment on that, but I can tell you that we are still trying to solve the matter through talks."

Butt said he was due to meet ICC chairman David Morgan on July 27 or 28.

"We are definitely trying to solve the matter out of court and I am going to meet the ICC president soon," said Butt, who last month threatened to sue the ICC, the COC and the IDI (ICC Development International).

Pakistan initiated legal proceedings after the ICC decided to strip it of its World Cup 2011 matches following the attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore last March.

The attack, which left seven players and their assistant coach injured and eight people dead, ended any immediate chance of Pakistan's hosting international cricket, with teams already refusing to tour over security fears.

A civil court in Lahore has given a stay order until July 30 against the relocation of the World Cup secretariat to Mumbai.

In an effort to resolve the matter through talks, the PCB put legal proceedings on hold and met several times with the co-hosts and ICC.

But a summit in England last month failed to find a solution.

The ICC ruled out the possibility of matches being staged in the United Arab Emirates, where Pakistan has previously played "home" internationals.

The COC on Tuesday also decided that it definitely wanted to keep the World Cup secretariat in Mumbai, a decision criticised by PCB legal adviser Taffazul Rizvi.

"I would not like to comment on the merit of the decisions made Tuesday because it's a legal matter, but keeping the central office in Mumbai is tantamount to contempt of court and will be brought to the knowledge of the court," Rizvi told AFP.

Well before gas prices soared in 2008, Angela Bisig bought a scooter.

“When you get on one, you really feel in the world,” said Bisig, a Jefferson County District Court Judge who purchased a Vespa in 2002.

“People stopping (at red lights) will ask me about the bike at stoplights. When you’re in a car, you’re kind of anonymous. (On a scooter), people wave at you, people talk to you. I think it just makes the world friendlier.”

Scooters also are kind to the environment, said Christopher Amelung, who purchased his two-wheeled vehicle in May.

“I filled up the gas canister for $6, which would keep the scooter running for well over a month,” Amelung said. “It was nice to have something that was efficient. It didn’t waste anything. It wasn’t pumping out exhaust, and it wasn’t pumping cash out of my wallet.”

Fads fade. Thus far, scooter-mania has proven to be anything but. In fact, the vehicles are becoming commonplace, slowly but surely.

The scooter-owner market grew by 48 percent from 2007 to 2008, and experts predict a 58 percent growth in the market over the next two years.

“We got into this business after the $4 gas,” said Chris Lebrasseur, of Highland Motor Sport. “We decided that it was not just a trend. … We decided it was a lifestyle that we would see continue in the U.S. Now, only time will tell.”

Bisig purchased her scooter well before it was a popular, trendy choice and hasn’t regretted it. Mostly.

It didn’t take long for Her Honor to find that she was able to maneuver downtown easily.

“If you’re going to go anywhere on Bardstown Road or Frankfort Avenue, it’s so fun to take because of the parking issues,” Bisig said.

“You can just go forever on one. It’s good for urban living. … You can handle it. You can put it up on its kickstand. You don’t feel like you’re on something you can’t control.”

What you do feel, though, at least sometimes, she added, is vulnerable.

One lucky day, Bisig drove her Volvo to work instead of her Vespa. That morning, someone plowed into her car. Had she been on her scooter instead of in her car, the aftermath could have been catastrophic.

“It took me months to ride the Vespa to work again,” admitted Bisig, who wears a helmet and only rides locally, though her 150cc scooter would suffice on the highway. “When you’re out there on that scooter, you just feel more exposed. I try to look at people in intersections and make sure they see me before I go through.”

Matthew Landan, owner of Derby City Espresso, purchased his Genuine Buddy, a 50cc scooter, last April because of his “hatred of cars and their glaring inefficiency.”

“Why use 2,000 pounds of steel to move my 140 pounds?” he said. “Plus they’re fun, cheap … (and) girls like it.”

Scooters are here to stay, added Landan.

In an audio message released today Zawahiri warned Pakistanis that the US was striving to "break up this nuclear-capable country and transform it into tiny fragments, loyal to and dependent on the neo-crusaders".

"The only hope to save Pakistan from this disastrous fate is jihad," said Zawahiri who, along with Bin Laden, is believed to be sheltering in the tribal belt along the Afghan border. He called on Pakistanis to band together and form a "citadel of Islam" on the subcontinent.

The message echoes a widely believed conspiracy theory in Pakistan that Washington is orchestrating violent chaos so US troops can storm in and disable the country's nuclear arsenal, estimated to number between 60 and 100 warheads.

"Zawahiri has cleverly read the situation and hit a very sensitive point," said Amir Rana, a militancy analyst.

The message comes amid crumbling public support for al-Qaida. A poll conducted in May found that 82% of Pakistanis considered the group posed a "critical threat" to their country, up from 41% in late 2007.

Although the survey was commissioned by a US organisation, WorldPublicOpinion.org, most analysts agree that support for al-Qaida's brand of extremism is sliding in Pakistan.

Many Pakistanis once lauded Bin Laden as a Robin Hood-style figure who defied America. But growing numbers are repulsed by al-Qaida claims of responsibility for suicide bombings that have killed hundreds of people, such as attacks on the Marriott hotel and the Danish embassy in Islamabad last year.

Al-Qaida has also been hit by a swing in public opinion against their local allies and protectors, the Taliban, after a video was broadcast showing a young woman being flogged by a turbaned fighter, and an army operation in the Swat valley and surrounding districts that displaced more than 2 million people, some of whom have started to return home this week. Al-Qaida's room for manoeuvre in Pakistan has also been pinched by US drone attacks that have killed 10 senior militants, according to US officials. That success, however, has been mitigated by hundreds of civilian deaths and a Pakistani backlash.

Analysts agreed that Zawahiri had hit a sensitive spot by mentioning US designs on Pakistan's nuclear arsenal.

"It's a very subtle move," said Talat Masood, a retired army general and defence analyst. "They are saying, 'The Americans are coming after your nuclear weapons and we can protect them.'"

Such theories were "very pervasive and deep rooted" in Pakistani society and were often fuelled by rightwing commentators in the Urdu-language press and sections of the powerful security establishment, Masood said.

"I've heard senior people saying this, including retired diplomats and generals. It's a cause for concern, because it shows the low levels of trust [between Pakistan and America]," he said.

Rana said the statement would have a limited impact on public opinion, but would "raise the morale of militant groups fighting with the Taliban".

Members of a United Nations inquiry into the assassination of former Pakistani PM Benazir Bhutto have arrived in Pakistan.

Led by Chile's ambassador to the UN, Heraldo Munoz, the team includes a former Indonesian attorney general and a former senior Irish police officer.

The inquiry will last six months and investigate the "facts and circumstances" of Ms Bhutto's death.

She was killed in December 2007 as she left a party rally in Rawalpindi.

'Gather material'

The inquiry commission begins its work in Pakistan on Thursday.

The visiting team will be supported by staff based in Pakistan.

"The staff, working under direction of the commissioners, will gather information, collate relevant material and conduct interviews," a UN statement released on Thursday said.

During the visit, the commissioners are scheduled to meet Ms Bhutto's widower, Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari, and other senior officials.

The commission is scheduled to submit its report to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in six months.

British detectives conclude a lone attacker fired the shots

The report will be shared with the Pakistani government and the UN Security Council, reports say.

The UN says the panel will inquire into the facts and circumstances of the assassination, but stresses that any criminal investigation is Pakistan's responsibility.

Apart from Mr Munoz, the other members of the probe team are Marzuki Darusman, the former Indonesian attorney-general, and Peter Fitzgerald, who headed an early inquiry into the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri.

Earlier this month, Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik told the BBC his government thought the UN investigation was necessary to find out who was behind the attack.

Mr Malik said he believed the assassination was "a big international conspiracy".

"Obviously, there might be some actors within Pakistan or within the region, but we want really to expose the whole conspiracy, because we think that this was a kind of a beginning of an attempt to Balkanise Pakistan."

Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, accused by the last government here of being behind the assassination, is the target of a military offensive and his militant network has hit back with retaliatory suicide attacks.

The Taliban commander has denied having anything to do with Ms Bhutto's killing.

'Rogue elements'

Her assassination left questions unresolved for many people here, but especially her own party, which is now in government.

After she had narrowly escaped a double suicide bombing on the day of her return to Pakistan from self-imposed exile in October 2007, she accused what she called "enemies" and "rogue elements" in the government led by President Pervez Musharraf and in the intelligence agencies of plotting to kill her.

Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf blamed al-Qaeda-linked militants for the attack and refused to seek a UN investigation.

He invited police from London's Scotland Yard to assist in the inquiry into her death.

In their report, the British detectives said they believed she died due to a severe head injury sustained as a consequence of a bomb blast.

The Pakistani investigation into her death concluded that a lone attacker fired shots at Ms Bhutto before detonating explosives, but said that bullets were not the cause of death.

Wider enquiry

Ms Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) rejected both these versions, claiming adequate security had not been provided for Ms Bhutto, and called for a wider inquiry by the UN to establish the identity and motives of the assassins.

A PPP-led coalition defeated Mr Musharraf's allies in general elections last year.

Ms Bhutto, twice prime minister of Pakistan, lived in self-imposed exile after Mr Musharraf assumed power in 1999.

Mr Musharraf had refused to seek an UN probe

In October 2007, she returned to Pakistan to campaign for the PPP in parliamentary and provincial elections - the first to be held since President Musharraf resigned as head of the army and became a civilian leader.

Shortly after her return, she survived bomb attacks on her convoy in Karachi that killed more than 100 people.

But Ms Bhutto continued to campaign and was assassinated on 27 December at a PPP rally in Rawalpindi.

She was standing upright in her armoured vehicle, with her head exposed above the open roof escape hatch, waving to the crowd when an attacker opened fire.

Seconds later, a bomb was set off at the scene which left some 20 other people dead.

The leaders of India and Pakistan are to meet Thursday in a major thawing of relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbours that could help Islamabad put greater emphasis on the Islamic extremists on its western border who threaten international forces in Afghanistan.

The move, which analysts believe comes under U.S. pressure, is timed just ahead of the arrival of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in India. Optimists hope that the meeting between Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, and his Indian counterpart, Manmohan Singh, on the sidelines of a conference of developing nations in Egypt, could result in an agreement to begin to talk again, or at least a deal to work toward the resumption of dialogue.

The meeting itself is a big step forward, but given India's continuing concerns about terrorism emanating from Pakistan, it will be difficult for the get-together to immediately progress to addressing the substance of the countries' quarrels.

Relations between India and Pakistan collapsed after militants from Pakistan attacked Mumbai landmarks in November of last year, killing 166 people. A four-year “composite dialogue” between the two countries, aimed at resolving disputes and normalizing ties, was abruptly ended.

Pakistani officials, however, dampened expectations Wednesday.

“I think much more work needs to be done,” Salman Bashir, Pakistan's top bureaucrat in the Foreign Ministry, told reporters in Egypt.

The West believes that an easing of tensions on Pakistan's eastern border with India would allow Islamabad to concentrate on the lawless tribal territory used by the Taliban and al-Qaeda on its western border with Afghanistan.

“India, as a result of pressure by the Americans, is hopefully seeing the logic of not stiff-arming us, which only plays into the hands of those who went [to Mumbai] to kill,” said Zafar Hilaly, a retired Pakistan diplomat. “There has to be an announcement that dialogue will be resumed or it will be a failure.”

But the dark shadow of the Mumbai attacks hangs over Indo-Pakistan relations, with New Delhi accusing Pakistan of failing to seriously go after the planners of the attack and the wider “terrorist infrastructure” on its soil.

The attacks brought the two countries to the verge of war. Pakistan subsequently launched two separate prosecutions of members of the extremist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, accused of being behind the assault. In a crackdown that went further than Pakistan had before, it also seized land, bank accounts and facilities belonging to the group, but it has not satisfied India.

“The infrastructure of terrorism must be dismantled and there should be no safe haven for terrorists because they do not represent any cause, group or religion,” Mr. Singh said in his speech yesterday to the 118-member Non-Aligned Movement meeting in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. “Terrorists and those who aid and abet them must be brought to justice.”

Progress in the court cases in Pakistan now holds the key to unfreezing Islamabad-New Delhi ties. Those prosecutions, however, have been characterized by legal bungling and opaqueness.

“It boils down to the question of Lashkar. There is no confidence that Pakistan is willing to act against them,” said Suba Chandran, deputy director of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, an independent think tank in Delhi. “[Pakistan] can't have a pistol to our head and say ‘you better talk to us.'”

India aspires to be a global power and a price for that status is settling its disputes with its neighbours, Mr. Chandran said. The core of the hostilities between India and Pakistan, which have been to war three times, is a dispute over control of Jammu and Kashmir, a picturesque region set in the Himalaya mountains. New Delhi believes that Lashkar-e-Taiba was a creation of the Pakistani military as a way of pressuring it over Kashmir. Pakistan says it has turned its back on jihadist groups that it previously tolerated.

“We believe durable peace in South Asia is achievable. It will be facilitated by the resolution of all standing disputes, including Jammu and Kashmir,” Pakistan's Mr. Gilani told the summit in Egypt. “The peace dividend for 1.5 billion people in the region would be enormous.”

Under Pakistan's previous regime, led by military ruler Pervez Musharraf, backchannel diplomacy with India had led to detailed draft agreements on most big disputes, including Kashmir, but New Delhi had hesitated to sign off on them before Mr. Musharraf lost power last year. It is widely feared that another major terrorist attack in India, carried out by militants based in Pakistan, is inevitable, which would sink the chances of peace.

1. How was the experience in Sarkaar Ki Duniya?
It was a life time experience for me.

2. What did you do first when you came out of SKD?
I called at home and spoke to my mom. She was crying when I spoke to her.They told me that they use to cry when they see me crying on the show but they also enjoyed my activities on the show.

3. Would you like to go back again in SKD?
One time experience is more than enough. After coming out and recovering the physical stress, it is easy to say that I loved this and that but honestly it was very hard for a girl like me whose had a very luxurious life.

4. What you did not like about Sarkaar Ki Duniya?
It’s a bit too harsh. There are other reality shows where contestants have to only pass their time in the house with doing simple task but SKD is the game of survival. Besides tasks we faced other hardships. There was no food, at times we use to live on water. Also there was no bathroom with fresh water in it.

5. Did you follow the show before getting into SKD?
I did follow SKD for a week before entering. My mom was apprehensive of me going in but I convinced her to let me take this experience.

6. How long it took you to adapt in SKD?
Initially I found every thing dirty. I cried a lot when chickens were attacking me and also I was disgusted of dirty water. But I adapted there pretty soon but I would not say that got use to it, nobody can get use to dirt.

7. Did you feel like Celeb among the commoners?
I didn’t get any extra perks from production for being a celebrity. They were equally tough towards me. I agree that contestants were nice to me because I was a celeb.

8.What did you discover about yourself in SKD?
I discovered that I’m braver than I thought I would be. I always believed that I am a little princess who cannot step out of the house without my brother or my mother beside for protecting me all the time. In SKD for the first time I was away from my family and learnt that I am a tough girl.

9. Which was the most memorable day in SKD?
We had gone for the boat ride - a Kashti made by the contestants themselves. Weather was very pleasant that day and we spent the entire day on it. I also enjoyed the day when I was awarded to go to 5 star Hotel. I stole the food and smuggled it into Sarkar Ki Duniya for the other contestants. Then I realized that they have almost become my family. I knew that they would expect me to get something for them and when they thanked me it was a great feeling.

10. What do you have to say about Sarkaar?

He commands lot of respect. In spite of knowing him, I could not take liberty of talking to him and acting smart with him. We were all participants and if he asked us to dig a hole or jump into shit pool we did that. Our patience was put to test in the show where we were in the world ruled by Sarkaar whom we were suppose to obey.

11. Did you make friends in SKD?
I stayed with strangers in SKD and they are very different people. I had tough time adjusting with them as at times they use to behave weirdly. I won’t count myself among them. Yes there were few nice people with whom I use to hang around because they respected me and I respected them. After coming out I have nothing. -Sampurn Media

Several organisations came together in India’s national capital last week to celebrate the broadcast of 200th episode of Ek Duniya Ek Awaaz, a radio programme initiated by OneWorld South Asia. The programme aims to ‘voice the voiceless’ and educate communities on issues of social relevance.

New Delhi: Braving a hot sultry afternoon, about a hundred people from the grassroots communities gathered at Dilli Haat, a craft bazaar located in the heart of the Indian capital, to celebrate the 200th episode of radio series Ek Duniya Ek Awaaz.

It was not only a day of celebration for OneWorld South Asia (OWSA) but also for its several partners – community-based organisations (CBOs) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), which have been an integral part of the series.

Volunteers shared their experiences about training, production and listeners’ club meetings. The programme on nomadic tribes, violence against women, New Year celebrations with HIV+ people and mentor mothers were especially highlighted by the partners.

The volunteers felt that this voice-based platform helped them address the vital concerns of their communities and raised issues related to development of the oppressed and marginalised sections, including children, youth, dalits, HIV-infected people, sex workers, transgenders and gays.

The community members representing different organisations, who had undergone training in producing radio programmes, received certificates from Dr. R. Sreedher, Director of Commonwealth Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA).

Felicitating the volunteers, Dr. Sreedher expressed hope that these trained people would now work in different community radio stations.

A listeners' group was also organised at the event. The group listened to the 200th broadcast together, discussed the journey covered thus far and expressed its support for future programmes.

In the past, many such listener groups had been organised during previous broadcasts, which vastly helped in converting passive listeners into active participants.

Launched in 2005 and broadcast every week on a popular national channel, the programme aims to voice the voiceless and educate grassroots communities on issues of social relevance such as minority rights, child labour, gender equality, health and hygiene, culture and communal harmony, environment and governance, etc.

In August 2008, OWSA initiated a nine-month long intensive capacity building programme for six NGOs in Delhi – JAGORI, a women’s organisation; NIRMAN, working for unorganised workers; UDAYAN CARE, working for children and youth; NACDOR, working for dalit rights; Bachpan Bachao Aandolan, a group that works for the elimination of child labour; and CHELSEA, working with HIV-infected people, gays and lesbians, sex workers and transgender communities.

The programme incorporated capacity building workshops for CBOs in the use of audio tools for social and economic empowerment, and for networking and content sharing.

Three-member teams from these organisations were trained in scripting, recording people's voices and opinions, interviewing experts and anchoring. They produced programmes on issues they grappled with on a day-to-day basis - echoing the voices of people on the ground, educating wider public on issues such as rights of people in police custody, masculinity, Bal Panchayat and rights of construction workers.

OWSA also closely supports the production of radio programmes that are broadcast through Ek Duniya Ek Awaaz. The initiative has generated a lot of enthusiasm, as these teams toil to consolidate and articulate their concerns on the issues closest to their hearts.

As NGOs set up listeners’ clubs in various parts of Delhi, Ek Duniya Ek Awaaz has been able to carve a niche for itself in the poorest localities of the city, and has come to be known as a programme that highlights the voices of the poor for progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Spurred by the reach of Ek Duniya Ek Awaaz, other partners have also now begun to use the medium of radio.

On August 16, 2008, Chetna, an organisation that works on child rights, supported by OWSA and PLAN, broadcast their first episode of Baat Nanhe Dilon Ki. All 26 episodes have been a big hit with the audience that comprised both adults and children.

k Duniya Ek Awaaz has empowered people at the grassroots in moving away from being passive listeners to active producers of information.

Through this initiative, participants develop an insight into developmental issues, and simultaneously grasp all aspects of radio production and programming.

They also learn to disseminate the recorded stories through listeners’ clubs and make communities listen to the programmes and debate on relevant issues.