Clinton, journalists return to US after pardon

LOS ANGELES: Former President Bill Clinton and two American journalists flew back to the United States on Wednesday for what was expected to be an emotional reunion with family and friends after the reporters spent the last four months detained in North Korea.

Euna Lee and Laura Ling were granted a pardon by North Korea following rare talks between Clinton and the reclusive leader Kim Jong Il. They had been sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for entering the country illegally.

The women, dressed in short-sleeved shirts and jeans, appeared healthy as they climbed the steps to the plane and shook hands with Clinton before getting into the jet. Clinton waved, put his hand over his heart and then saluted.

North Korean officials waved as the plane took off. Clinton spokesman Matt McKenna said the flight was bound for Los Angeles, where the journalists will be reunited with their families.

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton hailed their release.

'I spoke to my husband on the airplane and everything went well,' she told reporters in Nairobi, Kenya. 'They are extremely excited to be reunited soon when they touch down in California. It was just a good day to be able to see this happen.'

Ling's father, Doug, told reporters outside his home in Carmichael, California, that his daughter's release was one of the best days of his life. He said he would travel to the Burbank airport to meet his daughter's plane early Wednesday, and planned to bring American flags, yellow ribbons and banners to welcome her home. 'I'm going to go down there and see my little girl,' he said.

Ling, a 32-year-old California native, is the younger sister of Lisa Ling, a correspondent for CNN as well as 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' and 'National Geographic Explorer.' Lee, a South Korean-born U.S. citizen, is the mother of a 4-year-old.

Their expected arrival was a jubilant conclusion to a more than four-month ordeal for the women, who were arrested near the North Korean-Chinese border in March while on a reporting trip for Current TV, the media venture founded by former Vice President Al Gore.

Gore was expected to be at the Burbank airport to greet the women, who were sentenced in June for illegal entry and engaging in 'hostile acts.'

Hillary Clinton had urged North Korea last month to grant them amnesty, saying they were remorseful and their families anguished.

The release also amounted to a successful diplomatic foray for the former president, who traveled as an unofficial envoy, with approval and coordination from the administration. He was uniquely positioned for it as the only recent president who had considered visiting North Korea while in office, and one who had sent his secretary of state, Madeleine Albright.

But the backchannel genesis of the mission was not immediately clear, whether Obama called on him, North Korea asked for him or his wife suggested him.

His landmark visit to Pyongyang to free the Americans was a coup that came at a time of heightened tensions over North Korea's nuclear program. -AP

China’s nuclear program chief under investigation

BEIJING: The head of China’s nuclear power program is under investigation for alleged corruption, state media reported Wednesday.

Kang Rixin, general manager of China National Nuclear Corporation, is suspected of involvement in ‘grave violations of discipline,’ according to a statement from the Communist Party’s Central Committee on Wednesday, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

The term is a standard party reference for graft and abuse of power, although the statement gave no further details about the allegations.

Kang, a member of the elite Communist Party’s Central Committee, has been the general manager and party secretary at the state-owned CNNC since 2003.

The powerful corporation is comprised of more than 100 subsidiary companies and institutes, according to Xinhua.

As the main investor and the biggest owner of nuclear power plants across the country, it performs research and development as well as construction in areas such as nuclear electricity production, nuclear fuels and nuclear technology application, according to its Web site.

Government plans announced in recent years call for nuclear plants to supply four per cent of China’s power needs by 2020, up from about two per cent currently.

China plans to build five nuclear power stations this year to reduce the country’s reliance on coal and oil. It currently has six nuclear power plants, all located on the east coast.Beijing is also promoting solar, wind and other renewable energy, but is expected to continue to rely heavily on coal and oil. — AP

Baitullah’s wife killed in South Waziristan drone strike

PESHAWAR: The wife of Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud was one of three killed on Wednesday in a missile strike by a suspected US drone in South Waziristan region on the Afghan border, a relative said.

‘I confirm that the female that was killed in the strike was the wife of Baitullah Mehsud,’ the relative told Reuters by telephone.

The missile had struck the house of Baitullah Mehsud’s father-in-law

An intelligence official told Reuters two militants were killed in the attack.

Mehsud’s whereabouts were not known at the time. The relative who spoke to Reuters did not want to be identified.

Justice Faqeer Muhammad, Justice Javed Buttar resign

ISLAMABAD: Two Supreme Court judges Justice Faqeer Muhammad and Justice Javed Buttar have tendered their resignations.

The case of the above judges, who took oath under Provisional Constitution Order (PCO), was to be referred to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC).

List of 25 banned organizations issued

ISLAMABAD: Government has banned 25 religious as well as welfare organizations across the country.

Ministry of Interior has issued a new list of the banned organizations.

The list includes names of Jamat-ud-Da’wa, Al-Akhtar Trust, Al-Rasheed Trust, Tehreek-e-Islami, Jaish-e-Muhammad, Lashkar Jhangvi, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, Islamic Students Movement, Khair-un-Nisa International Trust, Islami Tehreek-e-Pakistan, Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariat Muahammadi, Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, Lashkar-e-Islam, Balochistan Liberation Army, Jamiat-un-Nisar, Khadam Islam and Millat-e-Islamia Pakistan.

Sunni Tehreek has been put in the watch list.

The new list was presented before the National Assembly in writing.

Jet fuel supply suspended at Karachi airport

KARACHI: Karachi airport is suffering from shortage of JP-1 fuel leading to suspension of fuel supply to the planes.The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has issued notices to the international airlines about the fuel shortage.Pakistan State Oil (PSO) has said the supply of JP-1 fuel will resume from National Refinery in a day or two.PSO will stop export of jet fuel to ensure its supply to the domestic airliners.