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Zardari being unnecessarily targeted for his overture to India: Editorial

September 17, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Sep.17 (ANI): An editorial in one of the leading English dailies of Pakistan has highlighted that President Asif Ali Zardari is being unnecessarily targeted and criticized by certain quarters in the country even if he attempts to address the long pending issues with India in his bid to de-escalate tension between the two neighbour countries.

The Daily Times editorial said while Zardari is condemned for his overture to India, similar actions taken by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif goes unnoticed in the country.

“President Zardari is pilloried if he makes a friendly overture to India; a similar overture made by Mr Nawaz Sharif is either ignored or actually praised,” the editorial said.

It also brought to light how several retired army officials and bureaucrats have suddenly jumped out of their retirement to denounce Zardari’s every action.

“Retired generals and retired bureaucrats whose ‘stand-still’ strategy with India in the past has brought Pakistan to its present crisis point, have crept out of their retirement to express their shock at how President Zardari is harming Pakistan through his diplomacy with China, the United States and the European Union,” the editorial stated.

The editorial went on to add that Zardari is right in his part to woo the international community, especially China and the US.

“Pakistan needs a lot of placatory diplomacy, not hostile ‘action’, given its past failed strategies,” it concluded. (ANI)

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Man drinks daughter’s breast milk to cure his cancer

May 29, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, May 29 (ANI): Tim Browne, a cancer victim, is drinking his daughter’s breast milk every morning to keep the disease at bay.

Retired teacher Tim has been diagnosed with terminal colon and liver cancer.

After reading a research which showed that a protein in the milk can destroy cancer cells in children, Browne – who went through chemotherapy in vain -asked daughter Georgia to express milk for him.

Georgia has an eight-month-old son, reports The Sun.

Tim, 67, pours it on his breakfast cereal. He says it tastes “not unpleasant, but slightly pungent”.

Georgia said: “A man in America had prostate cancer and swore drinking breast milk every day reduced his tumours.”

Dr Lori Feldman-Winter, of Cooper University Hospital, New Jersey, confirmed: “There is promising research indicating the solution for treating and curing cancer might be in human milk.”(ANI)

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Eating meat does not increase breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women

May 29, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, May 29 (ANI): Consuming red or white meat does not raise the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women, says a new study.

The large study, conducted by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, has been published in the International Journal of Cancer.

A number of previous studies have found that eating red meat or meat cooked at high temperatures increases the risk of breast cancer. (High temperatures -caused by grilling, barbecuing or pan-frying – produce high amounts of heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in meat; HCAs and PAHs are mutagens (chemicals capable of causing mutations in DNA) that can cause breast tumors in laboratory animals.)

But a link between meat in the diet and breast cancer in women hasn’t been established.

“Previous epidemiologic studies in humans looking at the amount of meat in the diet and estimated intakes of HCAs and PAHs in relation to breast cancer risk have yielded inconsistent results,” says lead author Geoffrey C. Kabat, Ph.D., M.S., senior epidemiologist in the department of epidemiology and population health at Einstein.

To reach the conclusion, Kabat and his colleagues analyzed data on 120,755 postmenopausal women who participated in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study, a collaboration between the National Institutes of Health and American Association of Retired Persons. When the women enrolled in the study (between 1995 and 1996), they gave detailed information on what types of food they ate and how often they ate certain foods. In addition, they provided information on meat-preparation methods.

Over the next eight years, approximately three percent, or 3,818, of the women developed breast cancer. The researchers found no evidence that the amount of meat consumed, meat-cooking methods used, or meat-mutagen intake was associated with an increased risk for breast cancer.

Reported meat intake included steak, hamburger, chicken, pork, processed meat and meat cooked at high temperatures.

The study, “Meat intake and meat preparation in relation to risk of postmenopausal breast cancer in the NIH-AARP diet and health study,” also found that consumption of meat or meat cooked at high temperatures, through grilling and oven-broiling, did not increase breast cancer rates in subgroups including obese women, those who did not have children, who were consumers of alcohol, who were smokers, who used menopausal hormone therapy, who had low levels of physical activity, or had a low intake of fruits or vegetables.

Neither the current study nor earlier studies assessed the diets of younger women.

“So we haven’t ruled out the possibility that eating meat and exposure to meat mutagens at a younger age – particularly during adolescence when the breasts are developing – may increase one’s risk of breast cancer,” says Kabat. (ANI)

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‘Barack Obama loves tall women’

May 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, May 12 (ANI): It looks like U.S. president Barack Obama has en eye for tall women. Ace basketball star Lisa Leslie has revealed Obama’s first words to her when the two met at his Inauguration, which were “You know I love tall women, right?”

The four-time Olympic gold medal winner, who is set to taste retirement, recalled her meeting with the President, who excels in the sport.

“He was just really nice to me, like ‘Oh my gosh, you know I love tall women.’ That’s really what he said,” the Politico quoted Leslie as saying in an interview with ESPN.

“The first lady, she was walking by, and he was like, ‘Now you know I love tall women, right?’” she added.

The 36-year-old further said she was promised a game of one-on-one at the White House and could not wait for the moment to come.

She continued: “I said, ‘I would love to play you one-on-one one day,’ and he was like, “I’ll tell you what: When I put the court up here at the White House, I’m going to invite you back out and we’re going to do that’.

“Retired or not…Whenever he says, ‘Lisa, it’s time to play,’ I will be there.” (ANI)

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ADAG officials given clean chit in key witness’ death in Ambani chopper case

May 3, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Mumbai, May. 1 (ANI): Three officials of the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, who were interrogated in connection with the death of Airworks technician Bharat Borge, have been given a clean chit by Railway Police.

These officials had met Borge at the Airworks hanger in Kalina a day before he was found dead on the railway tracks on Tuesday.

“We do not suspect the role of these officers in influencing Borge (or) leading to his death. They just casually met him and spoke to him,” said Prakash Sawant, assistant commissioner of police, Railway Police.

Borge was a key witness in Ambani chopper sabotage case. He was among the first persons to spot the open fuel cap of Ambani”s Bell-412 helicopter last Thursday and on inspection found pebbles and gravel inside, one day before Ambani was scheduled to fly to Navi Mumbai.

“In fact, the trio had appreciated Borge after they came to know that he was the person to have discovered pebbles and gravels in the fuel tank of helicopter,” Sawant said.

The ADAG officials who were given clean chit are security officer and former DGP, K K Kashyap, retired assistant commissioner of police Shailesh Kale and the company’s aviation security officer and Retired Wing Commander Sawla.

The Anil Ambani Group has alleged that business rivals may be behind an “attempt to murder” the industrialist by trying to sabotage his helicopter.

According to the sources, the letter recovered from Borge said some “Reliance” people came to see him and questioned him before his death.

“We have verified with the Reliance employees that they met Borge briefly after being introduced to him as the person who found the pebbles in the fuel tank region of the helicopter,” GRP Commissioner (Mumbai) A K Sharma said.

“There is no evidence so far to suggest any abetment to his death and even his phone records of the day when he died, show nothing suspicious,” Sharma added.

The police are also awaiting the report of the Forensic Science Laboratory on the viscera of Borge. The preliminary post-mortem report had indicated he died of multiple fractures and injuries sustained. (ANI)

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Meet Mike Tyson, the family guy

April 23, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New York, Apr 23 (ANI): Retired American boxer Mike Tyson has revealed at the premiere of the documentary “Tyson”, that he is no longer the man he once was and is more into his family.

The event, premiering the James Toback’s documentary, took place at Loews near Union Square, and an audience member asked Tyson if he’d let his kids see the movie, which contains some disturbing scenes.

“Of course I would. They’re here right now. I love them,” the New York Post quoted him as saying.

Present at the show were Christopher Walken, Nas, Ice-T and RNC Chairman Michael Steele, whose younger sister, Monica, was Tyson’s second wife. (ANI)

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Ex-servicemen stage protest for ‘One Rank-One Pension’

April 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Apr 12 (ANI): Retired personnel of Indian defence services on Sunday staged a massive protest rally here, to express their anguish over Central Government’s delay over their long-pending demand for ‘One Rank-One Pension’.

Ex-servicemen of varying ranks also returned their medals to the government.

Their demand ‘One Rank-One Pension’ stipulates that irrespective of the date on which the soldier retires, he should get the same pension.

The former defence personnel have cited that in absence of ‘One Rank-One Pension’, anomalies in the pension of two persons of same rank arise and also there are instances of hundreds of war veterans drawing lower amount of pension as compared to personnel who retired in the recent past.

“Government should have fulfilled our demands by now, but still these are not met. After trying whatever we can, we have been forced to put forth our demand in public. We want to show our unity to the country and secondly at the end of the rally we will give advice, to vote for what particular party,” said Lieutenant General Raj Kadyan, Indian Ex- servicemen Movement (IESM) Chairman.

Capitalising on the demands voiced by the former uniformed personnel of defence forces, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has come forth to support their demand and in its election manifesto. The party has promised to implement the ‘One Rank-One Pension’ for ex-servicemen.

“We have promised in our manifesto that this pension will be tax free and the money that will be collected in the bank and the interest will have no income tax on it,” said V. K. Malhotra, senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader.

The movement has now intensified since the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission did not address the issue of ‘One Rank-One Pension’. (ANI)

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Ex-IPS man who fought rioters now in BJP

April 2, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Retired IPS officer A I Saiyed, who had a brush with the rioting mobs in the 2002 post-Godhra violence in Ahmedabad, has joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

A day after joining the party, reportedly on the invitation of the BJP Gujarat president, Purshottam Rupala, Saiyed said, “I have received over two dozen phone calls greeting me for the bold initiative I have taken.” But why the BJP, that too at this juncture? He said the party is better than the Congress to join hands “at this juncture”.

“People are happy at this development and even met me personally. But their names cannot be revealed now,” he said when asked about the reaction from his community, adding, he would rope in more members from the community.

A 1978-batch IPS officer, Saiyed retired as an Additional Director General of Police and currently lives in the Muslim-dominated ghetto of Ahmedabad city- Juhapura. A native of north Gujarat, Saiyed said he joined the BJP as he was impressed by Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s administrative acumen.

When Saiyed was the Joint Director of the Gujarat Police Academy in 2002, during the riots, a mob of around 1,000 people had stopped his official car and tried to attack him after spotting his nameplate on his uniform. He remembers that his driver, a Hindu, had raced the car away to safety.

Saiyed said the incident has no bearing on his joining the BJP, and that he is willing to do any work that would be given to him in the coming days of election campaign, including canvassing for Patan BJP candidate Bhavsinh Rathore among local Muslims.

“I have done so much for all communities during my service that my presence itself in the area will be good enough for the people to vote for our candidate,” said Saiyed, who feels the dual policies of Muslim leaders pushed him to the BJP. Talking of ideology? “The Congress has an ideology, but only on paper,” he said

What will he gain from joining the BJP and what was his expectation, especially when the top BJP leaders openly tell Muslims that they could join the party at their own risk and peril without expecting anything? Saiyed responded to this saying he was not expecting any favours. “Expecting things like a party position or ticket is not my nature,” said Saiyed, whose entry to the BJP was cleared at all the levels after a prolonged process.

Welcoming this, BJP’s minority cell convener Sajjad Heera said it was a sign of the party gaining acceptance among “good Muslims” and this would improve the party’s image among the community members soon.

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Trying Musharraf on charges of sedition “wishful thinking”: Pak legal experts

March 29, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Karachi, Mar.27 (ANI): While a volley of treason cases are being filed in Pakistan against the former President General Pervez Musharraf, legal experts in the country believe that the autocratic ruler may never be tested.

Legal experts have termed the idea of initiating sedition cases against Musharraf as ‘wishful’ thinking.

Addressing a seminar titled Constitutional Reforms: Back to 1973 or a New Consensus here, retired Justice Wajihuddin Ahmed said Pakistan has a history where none of the military dictators or army officers were held accountable for their wrong-doings under any circumstances.

Ahmed said the physical trial of Musharraf was impossible until an honest and an upright system was put into place.

Retired Justice Syed Rasheed Rizvi also charged both the democratic as well as the military set-up of the country for denying proper functioning of democracy.

“The PPP’s proposed 18th Amendment didn’t incorporate the principle of the autonomy for provinces and it was no different from the approach of the military establishment,” The Nation quoted Rizvi, as saying.

He asked for an immediate restoration of 1973 Constitution, so as to facilitate the proper functioning of democracy in Pakistan.

Addressing the seminar, Syed Iqbal Haider pointed towards the need for a secular constitution to thwart rising extremism and overall development.

“Unless the country moved towards a secular constitution permitting no place for extremism, there was no possibility of social, political and economic development in Pakistan,” Haider said. (ANI)

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Advani promises one-rank one-pension for ex-defence personnel

March 16, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Mar 16 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L K Advani, on Monday acknowledged the need of implementation of one-rank one-pension for ex-defence servicemen.

“Armed forces are a category apart. And therefore this question of one rank, one pension has to be properly dealt with and justly endorsed,” said Advani.

Addressing a gathering in New Delhi while releasing “Guarding India’s Integrity”, an autobiography of Lt-Gen (Retd) S K Sinha, Advani said that he wants his party to incorporate this demand in it’s agenda for governance.

“I can only say that my colleagues who are preparing the (BJP) manifesto and agenda for governance…I want that they should take a pledge to resolve this issue also,” he said.

Advani expressed regret over the return of medals by some retired defence personnel in protest of government’s failure to implement their demand.

“Many delegations of ex-servicemen have called on me in recent months and I am convinced of the justness of this demand. We are fully committed to implementing the ‘One Rank One Pension’ policy if we win the people’s mandate in the forthcoming parliamentary elections,” he said.

Former soldiers under the Indian Ex-servicemen Movement have been demanding that the defense personnel should get the same pension, irrespective of the date on which the soldier retires. The pension rises time to time with wage revision.

Retired soldiers of varying ranks had returned 7,500 medals won in combat and for distinguished service on March 14 in pursuit of their demand. (ANI)

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Gazza says he died three times in rehab

March 16, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Mar 16 (ANI): Retired English footballer Paul Gascoigne a.k.a. Gazza has revealed that he ‘died’ three times in rehab before being revived by medics.

Gascoigne, 41, was admitted for alcohol abuse to the Sporting Chance clinic founded by his former England teammate Tony Adams, and during his stay there, his heart stopped beating thrice and each time the doctors had to resuscitate him.

“My heart failed a few times and three times they revived me,” the Sun quoted him as telling Sky News.

Gazza, who is now four months sober and beating the depression, admitted to having knocked back four bottles of whisky a day before moving on to 30 cans of Special Brew lager.He was sectioned three times under the Mental Health Act last year, after playing his Nintendo Wii 24 hours a day for six weeks and drinking bottle after bottle of white wine and gin. (ANI)

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Hayden compares Hughes to Langer

March 8, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Brisbane, Mar.8 (ANI): Retired Australian Test opener Matthew Hayden has hailed his replacement, Phillip Hughes.

Australian cricket was celebrating Hughes’s maiden ton (115) on the opening day of the second Test against South Africa at Kingsmead.

At 20 and 97 days, Hughes is the youngest Australian to hit a Test century since Doug Walters cracked 155 on debut against England in 1965 when he was 19.

Hayden dubbed Hughes (170cm) the new (equally diminutive) Justin Langer, detecting eerily similar hallmarks.

Langer and Hayden forged Australia’s most prolific opening partnership – compiling, as a pair, 5655 runs in 113 innings at an average of 51.41.

“(Hughes has Langer’s) posture and height. ‘Alfie’ (Langer) and I actually spoke to him at the Allan Border Medal night. He’s a respectful young man,” Fox Sports quoted Hayden, as saying.

“I haven’t seen a lot of Phil as a batsman but, like Alfie, he seems to have that mental toughness, and mental strength is the key in Test cricket. To do what he’s done against probably the most formidable opponent Australia has struck in the last decade, on their home turf, it’s phenomenal. He’s just taken to Test cricket like a duck to water,” said Hayden. (ANI)

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TN violence: CJI gets interim report

March 5, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

In the latest development in the Madras High Court violence, Justice Sri Krishna submitted his interim report on violence to the Chief Justice of India on Thursday.

The Supreme Court will examine the report on Friday and pass orders for action on those involved in the violence.

The apex court had appointed Justice Sri Krishna, a retired judge of the SC, to probe what had led to police-lawyer clash at Madras High Court on February 19. Large number of lawyers, a judge and some policemen were injured in the clash. A police station in the high court campus was also burnt.

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Pak Army run SCO denies hand behind Mumbai attack

March 4, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Mar.3 (ANI): The Pakistan government controlled Special Communication Organisation (SCO) has denied involvement in the Mumbai terror attacks.

A statement issued by SCO said that it has no connection with the Mumbai incident, and termed reports about its officials being involved in providing telecom support to the Mumbai attackers as ‘baseless and unfounded’.

The SCO is run by the Pak Army .It is operated and managed by serving and retired army officials.

Earlier, media reports suggested that Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Saadat Ulah, an employee of SCO, was involved in providing communication and telecom support to the 26/11 perpetrators.

“The reports in media have tried to implicate SCO in the Mumbai Attacks on mere assumption that all the 4500 public IP addresses are used by SCO and therefore employees of SCO might be involved in the Mumbai terrorist attacks,” the SCO stated.

“SCO is an internet service provider and if at all one of its IP addresses has been misused by one of its subscribers for VoIP communication it does not mean that SCO is involved in it,” The Dawn quoted a SCO statement, as saying.

Major General Muhammad Khalid Rao, who is believed to be currently working with the Pakistan army, is the head of the organization, while another army official, Brigadier Riaz Hussein Shah is SCO’s deputy director general. (ANI)

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Sharif’s disqualification may ignite political crisis in Pakistan: legal experts

February 26, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Feb.26 (ANI): Legal experts have warned that the Supreme Court’s order to ban the Sharif’s -Nawaz and Shahbaz from contesting elections,will precipitate a major political crisis in Pakistan.

But they also said that the ruling was as per law.

“The courts in the country were independent and the SC verdict that disqualified the Sharif brothers was in accordance with the law,” The Daily Times quoted Barrister Ahmad Raza Qasuri, as saying.

Qasuri expressed his lament over court verdict being viewed as a ‘biased’ one.

Senior lawyers Khalid Ranjha and SM Zafar also that the verdict could create a difficult political situation in the country

Former Law Minister Wasi Zafar feared the decision might ignite a political crisis in Pakistan.

Retired justice Tariq Mehmood said the apex court’s verdict was in accordance with law, but it should have taken into consideration the consequences. (ANI)

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Retired Pak Air Marshal fears army intervention in country

January 16, 2009 By Rajesh Leave a Comment

Lahore, Jan 16 (ANI): Retired Air Marshal and Tehreek-e-Istaqlal chief, Asghar Khan anticipates military intervention soon than later, as the present Pakistan Government has failed miserably during its nearly yearlong rule.

Addressing the general house of the Lahore High Court Bar Association on Thursday, Khan said the present situation in the country is of serious concern, as performance of the rulers is almost nil.

The Nation quoted him as saying that the need of hour is fresh election within three months under the auspices of a national government to be immediately formed.

He warned that military intervention might become unavoidable if the same situation prevails.

Commenting on President Zardari’s statement that he knew the killers of Benazir Bhutto, Asghar Khan said if that is the case why was Zardari not getting the matter investigated and having the killers arrested.

He said that as Air Chief he always kept his institution out of power on the civil side, and added that the army learns lessons from the past, and repels acceptance of unconstitutional orders of the rulers.

On the lawyers’ movement, he said, it was aimed at saving the country.

He supported the lawyers demand for the restoration of deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and others, but added that the rulers did not appear to favour such a move. (ANI)

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Oz farmer discovers man-shaped spud!

January 9, 2009 By Rajiv Gupta Leave a Comment

Melbourne, Jan 9 (ANI): An Australian farmer was left stunned when he unearthed a man-shaped spud.

Retired orcharding consultant and farmer Ernie Crouch, 73, was digging spuds when he discovered the potato with two arms, two legs, a body, head and small nose.

Sprouts stick out the top of spud’s head.

Crouch was amazed to see that the potato emerged intact after being lifted from the ground by his tractor.

“He did have whiskers but they broke off,” the Mercury.com au quoted Crouch, as saying.

The spud is a Glenvale and the farmer has yet to decide whether the potato will end up as chips or used as seed. (ANI)

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Gary Lineker clings to lover Danielle Bux on Dubai beach holiday

January 8, 2009 By Rajiv Gupta Leave a Comment

London, Jan 8 (ANI): Retired English football striker Gary Lineker was spotted clinging to his lover Danielle Bux during their visit to a Dubai beach.

Lineker, 48, was seen spending most of the day cosying up to 29-year-old bikini-clad Bux.

The besotted former footie was even seen taking pictures of her as she sat reading on a beach chair.

“It’s no wonder Lineker couldn’t keep his hands off her, she is a real beauty,” the Sun quoted a tourist as saying. (ANI)

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Haydos’s career in balance as selectors meet

January 7, 2009 By Rajiv Gupta Leave a Comment

Sydney, Jan.7 (ANI): Australia’s cricket selectors are likely to give opening batsman Mathew Hayden a tap on the shoulder, saying that probably his stint in international cricket is over after over 15 years of yeoman service.

The Daily Telegraph says that Hayden is tipped to be axed from Australia”s one-day and Twenty20 squads today, and this could be the final straw.

Though the struggling batting veteran has given no clear signal about his retirment plans, his former batting partner Michael Slater believes he has had a horror summer of just 149 runs at 16.55 from five Tests, and that it was time to celebrate his glorious 103-Test career.

“The selectors” hands will be shown by what they do with the one-day squad. If he is to be dropped it is the cycle of the game. He”s had a fabulous career and I think there”s a lot to celebrate. If there is a change to be made, let”s make it, if that”s the way they feel. All I”m sensing from him is that he wants to keep playing. I don”t think the selectors and Ricky are ready to let him go,” the paper quoted Slater, as saying.

Bowled for 39, Hayden gave a couple of bat waves to the cheering crowd but there was no grand flourish to suggest he may never be seen again.

Wife Kellie looked near tears as she stood and applauded – perhaps an indication she knew something the rest of the cricket world was waiting to hear.

Mike Hussey last night declared he would be stunned if Hayden retired and claimed he did not sense anything different in the SCG dressing room.

“He (Hayden) hasn”t said anything to us. From what I see from inside the camp he is still very hungry to score runs. I”m not seeing any signs that he wants to call it a day. Today he was pretty calm, he put his gear down and he didn”t say too much,” said Hussey.

Former Australian great Doug Walters claiming the opener should get his wish to play on to a swan song Ashes campaign.

“We do need some experienced players to continue on for a little while, particularly for the Ashes tour, and I would like to see him still be there,” Walters said.

“I”d like to see Matty go out on his own will, not go out on the selectors” axing block.
“Matty knows better than I do when his time will be up. If it is up, I say congratulations. If it”s not, I wish him every success,” Walters added.

However, Walters also endorsed boom 20-year-old NSW batsman Phillip Hughes as Hayden”s potential replacement.

“Phillip Hughes is a young guy, keen and got a big future ahead of him. He would be my first choice,” Walters said.

Pace bowling great Glenn McGrath claimed Australia needed Hayden to play on for his aura in a time of transitional change, while Shane Warne also backed him to bat on.
Former Test wicketkeeper Ian Healy believes national selectors want Hayden for the Ashes. But he also wonders how much gas Hayden had left in the tank.

Slater feels that Hughes, at 20, is in the same position as players such as Hayden, Justin Langer, Damien Marytn, Ricky Ponting and himself, who were all given chances in their early 20s. (ANI)

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Obama picks former Clinton aide to head CIA

January 5, 2009 By Rajiv Gupta 1 Comment

Washington – President-elect Barack Obama has chosen former congressman and White House chief of staff Leon Panetta to head the Central Intelligence Agency, the New York Times reported online Monday.

If confirmed by the Senate, Panetta would take over an agency responsible for tracking down al-Qaeda leadership, and also one that has experienced turmoil during the administration of President George W Bush.

Panetta, 70, is widely respected in Washington as a bipartisan operative, but he does not have a deep background in the field of intelligence. He served as a member of the Iraq Study Group, which made recommendations in 2006 for revising policy in Iraq.

Panetta was former president Bill Clinton’s chief of staff in 1994 and was credited with turning around a rocky start during the first two years of the Clinton White House. He served as a congressman from California from 1977 to 1993.

Obama has said he wants to bring changes to the CIA and other US intelligence agencies to make them more efficient. The CIA rank-and- file has been skeptical to embrace CIA directors perceived as outsiders.

The CIA has been criticized for its failure to predict the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, providing faulty intelligence on Saddam Hussein’s weapons’ programmes, and for using questionable methods or possibly torture during interrogations of suspects in the war on terrorism.

The Obama transition team has not announced plans to publicly nominate Panetta as CIA director. The Obama team has also not confirmed media reports that retired Navy admiral Dennis Blair has been chosen to oversee all US intelligences agencies, including the CIA.

Blair, 61, served as chief of US Pacific Command from 1999 to 2002 before retiring and holding positions on company boards and heading a Pentagon-funded think tank. Pacific Command manages all US military operations in the Asia-Pacific region.

If confirmed by the Senate, Blair will become the director of national intelligence, coordinating the espionage and information gathering activities of the nation’s 16 intelligence organizations.

In addition to the CIA, those include the Defence Intelligence Agency and the super secret National Security Agency, as well as outfits in the Army, Navy, Air Force, State Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Blair would also be responsible for providing the president with daily intelligence briefings, usually the first order of business for a president every morning.

Naming the chiefs of the intelligences agencies would bring Obama another step closer to filling his senior national security postings. He nominated Senator Hillary Clinton as secretary of state on December 1 and announced that Defence Secretary Robert Gates had agreed to stay in the post. Retired Marine general James Jones will become his national security adviser.

The director of national intelligence, or DNI, was created in 2004 after a commission investigating the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks found the espionage community failed to communicate effectively throughout the various bureaucracies. (dpa)

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