US official here on 3-day visit

KATHMANDU: U.S. Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Maria Otero arrived in Kathmandu on Saturday for a three-day visit.

During her visit, she will meet Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal, political leaders, senior government officials and civil society representatives, address a disaster risk reduction symposium and discuss human trafficking and refugee issues. “On Monday, Otero will address the Disaster Risk Reduction Symposium titled “Be Aware, Be Prepared: Implementing lessons learned from other earthquakes” at Hotel Yak and Yeti,” a US embassy release said.

Speaking with reporters upon her arrival in Kathmandu she congratulated the newly elected government in Nepal and offered to work closely with it.

The purpose of the event, hosted by the Government of Nepal in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy and the United Nations, is to raise awareness among key decision-makers about Nepal’s vulnerability to a catastrophic earthquake; demonstrate the commitment of the Government of Nepal and the international community to disaster risk reduction and review lessons learned from recent disasters to form policy and planning in Nepal.

Pakistani prosecutors accuse Musharraf

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani court issued an arrest warrant for ousted military leader Pervez Musharraf on Saturday over allegations he played a role in the 2007 assassination of an ex-prime minister and rival. It was a major setback for the onetime U.S. ally, who was plotting a political comeback from outside the country.

Musharraf, who has not been charged, described accusations that he had a hand in the attack on ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto as a smear campaign by a government led by her aggrieved husband.

The stunning allegation that Musharraf — a self-declared opponent of Islamic militancy — was linked to extremists accused in the attack was likely to keep him out of Pakistan, at least in the short term.

His possible arrest abroad did not appear imminent, but Pakistan's information minister, Firdous Ashiq, Awan said the government will contact Interpol about seeking Musharraf's detention if the court requests it.

Musharraf's spokesman said the former leader was in Dubai, with no plans to go to Pakistan. Speaking from London, where Musharraf has lived in self-imposed exile, Fawad Chaudri quoted him as saying that the accusations were "absurd and ridiculous."

Musharraf left Pakistan for Britain in 2008 after being forced out of the presidency he secured in a 1999 military coup. Though Musharraf does not have a large support base in Pakistan, he has vowed to return to lead a new political party.

Bhutto was killed Dec. 27, 2007, in a gun and suicide bomb attack after returning to Pakistan to campaign in elections Musharraf reluctantly allowed. Musharraf blamed the Pakistani Taliban for the attack, but government prosecutors now say he was part of the plot.

"A joint investigation team, in its report to the court, has found Musharraf guilty of being involved in the conspiracy" to kill Bhutto, said Zulfikar Ali Chaudhry, the lead prosecutor.

He said evidence that Musharraf was "completely involved" has come from the Pakistani Taliban, and that prosecutors are seeking a murder trial.

Chaudhry did not elaborate, but the new accusations and arrest warrant stem from a case against two security officials accused of not adequately protecting Bhutto.

Musharraf has always denied any role in Bhutto's death and scoffed at critics who said he did not do enough to protect her. The Pakistani Taliban also denied targeting Bhutto.

Musharraf's lawyer said his client was innocent but had no plans to contest the allegations in court, where he's been ordered to appear Feb. 19.

"This is just a drama. It is all politics," Mohammad Ali Saif said.

Musharraf has not been indicted. The court is conducting preliminary hearings about the accusations, and prosecutors say Musharraf will have an opportunity to defend himself.

A U.N. investigation into the assassination said Musharraf's government didn't do enough to ensure Bhutto's security and that a sloppy investigation may have erased or missed evidence. The U.N. was not tasked with finding out who was behind the killing.

After her death, Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party rode a wave of public sympathy to garner the most seats in 2008 elections. It then forced Musharraf to step down by threatening impeachment. He left for London, and has spent a good deal of time on the lecture circuit, including in the United States.

Analysts say Musharraf's plans of re-entering politics would be unlikely to succeed, but the arrest warrant gives a government accused of ineffectiveness the ability to show movement on the long-delayed investigation.

"They have not been able to find out who the real culprits are despite the fact that this has been going on for three years," said retired Pakistani Gen. Talat Masood.

Masood said that unless the evidence is particularly substantial, it will be difficult to get Musharraf back for a trial.

Britain does not have an extradition treaty with Pakistan, but the British government can decide to extradite suspects on a case-by-case basis.

Washington backed Musharraf for much of his military rule because he was, at least officially, a close ally in its fight against militants, including those who used Pakistan's soil as a hideout to prepare attacks in neighboring Afghanistan.

But many in Pakistan resented his alliance with the U.S., and his domestic missteps, including attempts to fire the chief justice of the Supreme Court, hurt his popularity, leading to mass protests that ultimately forced Musharraf to bend and allow fresh elections.

The new Pakistani president and head of the ruling People's Party is Asif Ali Zardari, Bhutto's widower. He also supports the U.S. and has backed offensives against militants on Pakistani territory.

6 dead, 37 injured in attack on Mexican nightclub

GUADALAJARA, MEXICO: Armed men opened fire and hurled a grenade into a crowded nightclub early Saturday, killing six people and wounding at least 37 in a western city whose former tranquility has been shattered by escalating battles among drug cartels.

The attack in Mexico's second-largest municipality took place just hours after a shootout between soldiers and presumed cartel gunmen left eight people, including an innocent driver, dead in the northeastern city of Monterrey. Monterrey is Mexico's third-largest city.

In the Guadalajara attack, assailants in a Jeep Cherokee and a taxi drove up to the Butter Club, located in a bar and restaurant district popular with young people, and sprayed it with bullets.

Some of the men then got out of the taxi and threw a grenade into the nightclub entrance, said a police official, who spoke to news media at the scene and left without giving his name. The gunmen fled after the pre-dawn attack, he said.

Three were killed at the scene and three more died later in hospitals, said Medical Services Director Yannick Nordin. A Venezuelan and a Colombian were among the dead.

In a press conference led by state Attorney General Tomas Coronado Olmos, authorities said the attack may have been the result of a fight between two groups hours earlier in the trendy disco. Some of the people left and returned to attack the others.

State authorities said they are studying surveillance video from inside the nightclub to help determine what happened.

While there have been isolated grenade attacks around the city, Saturday's was the first to be thrown into a crowd and cause so many injuries.

The U.S. Consulate in Guadalajara recently warned U.S. citizens not to drive at night in parts of the city after suspected drug-gang members burned vehicles and blocked streets.

Such alerts have become common for highways in some areas of northern and western Mexico, but not for Guadalajara, which is known more for its mariachi music and tequila than as a focal point of a drug war that has claimed nearly 35,000 lives since 2006.

But in recent months the picturesque colonial city has come to resemble embattled areas of northern Mexico — including the state of Nuevo Leon, where Monterrey is located.

Seven presumed cartel gunmen were shot dead by soldiers near Monterrey during a chase and shootout just after midnight Friday. A civilian was also killed when the gunmen crashed into his car as they tried to flee soldiers.

A soldier and a state police officer were wounded during the clash in the suburban city of San Nicolas, the military said in a news release.

Soldiers also freed a woman who is presumed to have been kidnapped and was traveling in one of the vehicles. Two other vehicles, carrying an unknown number of attackers, escaped, and there were no arrests, said a spokesman for the state public security office, who was not authorized to give his name.

Nuevo Leon has been hit by a wave of drug-fueled violence in recent years as the Gulf Cartel battles a gang of its former enforcers known as the Zetas.

The cartels have staged a bloody turf war over drug peddling points and smuggling routes to the U.S. border 125 miles (200 kilometers) to the north, and clashes with the military and police have become almost a daily occurrence in and around Monterrey.

In Guadalajara, the violence has heated up just in the past few months from cartels warring for turf. The city is key to western drug routes once controlled by former Sinaloa leader Ignacio "Nacho" Coronel, who was killed in a gunbattle with soldiers in July.

Egyptians Celebrate Mubarak Departure, Look to Future

Egyptians are cleaning up after celebrations that followed the resignation of Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's leader of nearly 30 years. The military, which assumed control of the country,  on Saturday said Mr. Mubarak's Cabinet will remain in place for now while Egypt transitions to a democratic system. The military also vowed to "remain committed to all regional and international" accords including peace treaties, confirming Egypt's landmark 1979 peace treaty with Israel would remain intact.

Saturday was a day of cleaning at Tahrir Square and throughout Central Cairo even as celebrations were going on.  Groups of people went to the streets and to the square with brooms and dustpans in hand to help clear up the filth and debris that built up during the 18 days of demonstrations. 

Some wore banners on their clothing that said “yesterday I was a demonstrator, today I am building Egypt.”

24-year-old architect Rania Tamoum says it was important for her to show she wants to be a part of the rebuilding process.  “It's our country. It's our responsibility, so we have to clean it,” she said.

Tamoum joined thousands of others in celebrating Hosni Mubarak's resignation.   She said she has not thought about a blueprint for the future, since her only goal while demonstrating was to see Mr. Mubarak go.

“Actually, I cannot say what clearly I want.  I can say that I want a better Egypt. I really want a new government.  We don't want any of the icons or the symbols of the old government,” said Tamoum.

The mood was jovial Saturday, even as celebrations were winding down.  A group of men sang an Islamic song, as they walked off the square. Some people began taking down the tents where they have been camping out, and preparing to go home.  Some are staying.

Abdel Hamed Taha, an imam, said Mr. Mubarak's departure was only the beginning of the changes he wants to see.  He will remain on the square.

He says he is at the square to follow up on what he says was the victory of the revolution.  He said demonstrators have achieved only one of the demands, and he wants a dialogue with the army.

The transition is now in the hands of the military, which has promised to hand over power to an elected civilian government. The demonstrators demanded  free and transparent elections in which all groups - including the banned Islamist Muslim Brotherhood can participate.  They also want a lifting of emergency laws, and a re-writing of the constitution.

A spokesman for Egypt's supreme council of the armed forces on Saturday said it has asked the existing Cabinet to stay in a caretaker capacity. He also said Egypt will respect its existing international agreements that include a peace treaty with Israel.

Over the past few days, the army has emerged as heroic in the eyes of many Egyptians for not cracking down on the demonstrators.  On Saturday, tanks stayed in their positions throughout central Cairo. People took pictures with soldiers, and children handed them flowers.

Now, Egyptians are counting on the military to take the country to the next step, and deliver on the promises of a change for the better.

Egypt Begins 1st Working Day Since Mubarak's Ouster

CAIRO: Egypt is beginning its first working day since a popular uprising forced authoritarian president Hosni Mubarak to step down Friday and hand power to the military. 

Shops and businesses were expected to reopen Sunday as many Egyptians try to return to normal following two days of celebrations of Mr. Mubarak's ouster and 18 days of anti-government protests that preceded it.

Celebrations in central Cairo continued throughout Saturday and into the early hours of Sunday, with Egyptians filling Tahrir Square and surrounding streets, where they danced to loud music and enjoyed a performance by a live band.

Many Cairo residents also spent Saturday cleaning up the square, while pro-democracy protesters largely retained the tent city they had set up to accommodate huge anti-Mubarak rallies during the uprising.

A coalition of youth groups that organized the protests kept up the pressure for a transition to democracy by issuing a list of demands to Egypt's new military rulers.  The coalition called for the dissolution of the ruling party-dominated parliament and the lifting of a deeply unpopular emergency law installed by Mr. Mubarak when he took office in 1981.

The Egyptian military's Supreme Council said Saturday it remains committed to a transition in which a civilian authority will build a "democratic nation."  It also said a reshuffled Cabinet appointed by Mr. Mubarak after the protests erupted on January 25 will remain in place until a new government is formed.

The military also vowed to "remain committed" to all of Egypt's regional and international treaties and other agreements, a pledge welcomed by Israel, which had been concerned about the fate of its 1979 peace treaty with Cairo.  That agreement was the first between an Arab nation and the Jewish state.

U.S. President Barack Obama also welcomed the military's pledges Saturday, during telephone conversations with his counterparts in Britain, Jordan and Turkey.

The White House says Mr. Obama expressed a belief that democracy will "bring more - not less - stability" to the region.  It says he also pledged to provide "necessary and requested" financial support and other assistance to Egypt as it moves toward free and fair elections.

Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman announced Mr. Mubarak's resignation Friday evening in a brief televised statement, an abrupt end to the president's nearly 30 years in power.  Mr. Mubarak flew out of Cairo earlier Friday to his Red Sea holiday retreat at Sharm el-Sheikh, as the nationwide protests against his rule reached their peak.

Egyptians Celebrate Revolution, Get Back to Work

On the streets of Egypt, people are doing three things: celebrating their revolution, memorializing those who died in it and getting down to the nitty-gritty work of building their country’s future.

For the past three weeks, Farah El Moataz’s frantic father wouldn’t let her out of the house. He said a revolution was no place for a 15-year-old girl.

"In the beginning I kept begging him to go, but he kept telling me no, it’s dangerous," said Farah. "I kept telling him, at school they keep saying, you have to say your opinion. Today, finally he told me yes you can go downstairs, go to Tahrir Square. Finally I’m here."

But Farah didn’t bring a camera to capture the moment, and she didn’t even come with friends. She rode the bus down here alone - with a only a broom, to sweep the streets where her country’s protesters held vigil for 18 days. "Because it’s my country. I want it to be the best country in the world," he said.

Families stroll downtown Cairo waving Egyptian flags. Parents balance infants on the side of idling army tanks and snap photos for posterity. 18-year-old Doaa Sabry says Egypt’s youth is ready to take on the world.

"We inspired everyone in this revolution, and we want to do something that will inspire every human being in this world, because we can do it," said Doaa.

Amin Abu Hashem describes his feeling of empowerment. "They feel a sense of hope. It’s gushing from everyone here, like we can do anything now. Everyone has this feeling of a new Egypt - making it a better tomorrow for everyone," said Amin.

But underneath the euphoria, there seems to be a sense of responsibility.  More than 115,000 people have signed onto a Facebook group called "Egypt’s Rebuilding Campaign."

Farah El Moataz picked up her broom, but others don’t know where to start.  Cairo resident Karen Kamel says that after 30 years of authoritarian rule, the idea of freedom can be a bit overwhelming.

"We’ve been used to that for 30 years and maybe people prefer stability rather than something new. I think every person is afraid of change and something very new, but I think it’s in the hands of the people to make a better Egypt," said Kamel.

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Much remains undecided - who will lead Egypt long-term? What constitutional changes are coming?

There’s also the question of what will become of Tahrir Square, where dozens of unarmed protesters died in clashes with security agents before President Hosni Mubarak resigned. Fafette Mazloum says she wants to see a memorial built in the square.

"It’s for the people. It’s going to be a place where people can come and remember what happened here, how Egyptians were able to bring about a revolution peacefully. This is a symbol for the rest of the world, that things don’t need to be violent," said Fafette.

 The future holds many big questions for Egyptians, who are just returning to normal life after 18 days of uncertainty. For now, perhaps it’s easier to pick up a broom and start sweeping.

We wont’ join govt without Home Ministry: Maoist Secy

KATHMANDU:  UCPN (Maoist) General Secretary CP Gajurel clarified on Friday that his party will not join the CPN-UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal-led government unless the letter and spirit implementation of the seven-point agreement signed before the government formation is guaranteed. He added that his party is not in a position to be a part of the government without the Home Ministry.

Speaking at the Reporter's Club in the Capital today, the Maoist leader revealed that there was a deal to allocate 15 ministries including the Home to the Maoists on the basis of proportional representation.

"The current government was formed on the basis of the seven-point pact, but the grounds of the agreement will collapse if it is not implemented in letter and spirit,” said Gajurel. "Then we will decide whether to keep our support to the government intact or withdraw."

Saying that serious doubts have surfaced after the UML Standing Committee meeting nominated its candidate for Home Ministry against the seven-point agreement, Maoists General Secretary Gajurel added that the problem created by the UML should be solved by the party itself.

However, he made it clear that his party is not in favour of immediately toppling the government formed with its backing.

"We are not in favour of toppling the government formed after a long effort," said the Maoist leader. "We should not strive to overthrow the government now as our country was defamed in both national and international arenas in the absence of legitimate government."