Lahore : Dictator’s filth, political garbage must be removed: CM
BEIJING: US envoy says assured North Korea aid will go where needed
BEIJING: A US envoy said on Thursday he was confident proposed food aid to North Korea would flow to those who really need it, but stopped short of announcing a final deal, part of a nascent agreement to restart nuclear
Pakistan : Osama lived in a divided house?
RAWALPINDI: Osama bin Laden spent his last weeks in a house divided, amid wives riven by suspicions. On the top floor, sharing his bedroom,
Japan: ‘Ghosts’ stalk Japan’s tsunami city
A tsunami-devastated area in Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture, is seen in these images taken March 15, 2011 (top) and March 4, 2012, in this combination photo released by Kyodo on March 7, 2012.—Reuters
ISHINOMAKI: A year after whole neighbourhoods full of people were killed by the Japanese tsunami, rumours of ghosts swirl in Ishinomaki as the city struggles to come to terms with the awful tragedy.
One reconstruction project appears stalled because of fears the undead spirits of those who perished last March will bring bad luck.
“I heard people working to repair the store became sick because of ghosts,”Satoshi Abe, 64, said, gesturing to a half-repaired supermarket.
“People died everywhere, here and there. The city is full of such stories,”he said.
In some parts of this once vibrant fishing port, signs of life are returning —houses are being rebuilt, businesses are re-opening and children are back at school.
But with around a fifth of the 19,000 who died across the northeast having lost their lives in this small city alone, few think it can ever be normal again.
Shinichi Sasaki said the memory of March 11, 2011 never leaves and it is this persistent memory that creates the “ghosts”.
“That day keeps coming back to your mind,” he said.
“If you know someone who was killed, and the death was so sudden, you may feel that person is still there. I don’t believe in ghosts but I can understand why the town is rife with rumours.”
One taxi driver, who did not want to give his name, told AFP of his unwillingness to stop in parts of the city that were all but wiped out by the enormous waves, because he worries that his customer will be a spirit.
A woman who lives in the city said she had heard stories of queues of people who can be seen rushing towards the hills as they try again and again to escape the waves, an endless replay of their last, fruitless minutes.
Counsellors and academics say a widespread belief in ghosts is fairly normal in the aftermath of a major tragedy and forms a part of the healing process in a society.
Cultural anthropologist Takeo Funabiki said it was only “natural” that stories of the supernatural abounded following such an event.
“Human beings find it very difficult to accept death, whether they are inclined by nature to superstition or are very scientifically minded,” he told AFP.
“A sudden or abnormal death, anything other than someone dying in bed of old age, is particularly difficult for people to comprehend.
“When there are things that many people find difficult to accept, they can find expression in the form of rumours or rituals for the dead, amongst other things.
“The point is that it takes the shape of something that you can share with other people in your society,” he said.
For some of those who lost loved ones, the traditions that usually accompany death in Japan have served their purpose.
Shinto priests have been called upon to console the souls of the dead and ease their passage into the next world before they purify the places where their bodies were found.
At the Buddhist festival of Obon in midsummer, offerings were made at altars as those left behind readied to welcome back the spirits of lost loved ones they believed would return to this world to visit for a few days.
But other people have struggled to make sense of their loss.
Koji Ikeda, a therapist and lecturer at the Academy of Counsellors Japan, said “survivors have various complex emotions — fear, anxiety, sorrow or desire for the return of deceased people”.
“It is possible that a whole lot of emotions that people cannot fully cope with lead to ‘projections’ of spirits” he said.
“Pent-up emotions need to be expressed in order for people to be able to adapt to the new reality and move forward with their grief.”
While few in the city will talk openly of actually having seen a ghost, many are prepared to accept spirits could stalk the deserted streets.
Yuko Sugimoto says she is not particularly superstitious and has not seen any ghosts. But still she has no doubt they could be there among the shadows.
“Many people who were leading normal lives died suddenly,” she said. “I’m sure they must find that difficult to accept.
“It would be strange if you didn’t hear anything about any of them.”
Pakistan: Former bank chief claims being forced in Mehrangate
ISLAMABAD: After remaining silent for two decades, former chief of Mehran Bank Younis Habib came out with startling
Mushraf: Pakistan goes Interpol for Red Part Observe against Musharraf
Islamabad, March 01:Pakistani government bodies have sent a official ask for to Interpol to concern a Red Part Observe for former army leader Pervez Musharraf, currently existing outside the nation in self-exile.
NATO Is Providing A Missile Defense Cooperation With India
Islamabad: Pak test-fires Hatf-II ballistic missile
Islamabad, Goal 05:Pakistan has analyze shot a rocket that has a variety of 180 km, a press review said on Wednesday.
Pak test-fires Hatf-II ballistic missile
Pakistan efficiently examined exterior to exterior Hatf-II ballistic rocket that has a variety of somewhere around 180 km,
Iran may be cleaning up nuclear work: Iran
According to The Associated Press, The assertions from the diplomats could add to the growing international pressure on Iran over its nuclear program, which Tehran insists is for peaceful purposes.
Two of the diplomats said the crews at the Parchin military site may be trying to erase evidence of tests of a small experimental neutron device used to set off a nuclear explosion. A third diplomat could not confirm that but said any attempt to trigger a so-called neutron initiator could only be in the context of trying to develop nuclear arms.
The diplomats said they suspect attempts at sanitization because some of the vehicles at the scene appeared to be trucks and other equipment suited to carting off potentially contaminated soil from the site. (AP)
Pakistan Railway drivers observe wheel-jam strike: Lahore, Pakistan
According to sources, the trains were stopped by the administration early morning while announcements were made for refunding of tickets. Passengers at Cantt Station, Karachi were facing problems due to delay in train service.
The All Pakistan Train Drivers' Association announced the strike to protest against the government's refusal to accept their demands.
The association's president said no practical step have been taken to raise their pay scale, and to give insurance coverage against accidents.
Asghar Khan Case Hearing Underway (pakistan)
A three-member bench of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Tariq Parvez is hearing the case.
Former ISI chief Asad Durrani and Younus Habib, former chief of Mehran Bank appeared before the court today while Commander Shahbaz represented the Defence Ministery.
The SC on February 29 had issued notices upon former ISI chief, secretary ministry of defence, Advocate on Record Abdul Ghafoor who represented the ministry at that time and Younus Habib for March 8.
The CJ said some of the documents went missing from the record have been retrieved. The bench had directed its Registrar office to made available statements of Aslam Baig, Asad Durrani and Naseerullah Babar former interior minister, which were recorded in chamber at that time.
According to petition moved by Asghar Khan, Asad Durrani in his affidavit, submitted before the apex court during initial hearing by the Supreme Court, the former DG ISI had admitted to have disbursed money to Mian Nawaz Sharif (Rs3.5 million), Lt General Rafaqat who was head of President Ghulam Ishaq Khan's election cell (Rs5.6 million), late Mir Afzal Khan (Rs10 million), late ex-PM Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi (Rs5 million), late Jam Sadiq Ali (Rs5 million), late ex-PM Mohammed Khan Junejo (Rs2.5 million), late Pir Pagaro (Rs2 million), ex-Governor Sindh Yusuf Haroon (Rs5 million), Jamaat-e-Islami (Rs5 million), journalists Altaf Hussain Qureshi and Mustafa Sadiq (Rs0.5 million); Arbab Ghulam Aftab (Rs0.3 million); Liaquat Baloch (Rs1.5 million) and others.
However, most of these individuals and political parties have, however,denied receiving any money from the ISI.
PM Gilani to write letter (Supreme Court of Pakistan)
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