Secret Service officers reportedly posted at White House without proper clearance

Several newly hired Secret Service officers have been posted in sensitive locations, including the White House, without receiving the proper security clearances, according to a published report.

The Washington Post reported late Tuesday that Secret Service Director Joseph Clancy admitted to Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., that some of the new hires had not completed the required national security clearance process. Meadows, a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, told the paper he raised the issue after being informed by a whistleblower that newly hired officers had sat in on White House meetings where classified information was presented.

It was not immediately clear what information the uncleared officers may have had access to. 

Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary told the paper that the agency expected to issue all outstanding security clearances by Friday. Another Secret Service official told the paper that agency staff were dealing with an "administrative backlog" brought about by a higher-than-average rate of new hires.

The official said that between four and five dozen officers did not have the clearances when the issue was raised with Clancy by Meadows last week. Of those, the official said a little more than two dozen were posted at the White House. Spokesman Leary told the Post that only ten officers did not have clearances did not have the proper clearances.

The Post reports that the Secret Service began a push to recruit new officers after series of highly publicized security lapses at the White House. In the most notable incident Sept. 19, a man jumped the White House fence and made it inside the executive mansion before being apprehended.

Meadows told the Post that he found the rapid response by the Secret Service to his query "very puzzling" after the agency had apparently let the security issue slide for so long.

"Without the clearance, you could share information by mistake," the congressman said. "I trust everyone on my staff, but there are only a few with a top-secret clearance. They know the zero tolerance that any of us have for inappropriately sharing this information"

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South Korean President Park Geun-hye postpones US trip as MERS cases rise

South Korean President Park Geun-hye postpones US trip as MERS cases rise

South Korean President Park Geun-hye postponed a US visit on Wednesday to supervise the handling of an outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), as two more people died and 13 new cases were reported, lifting the total number of patients to 108. 

Park had been due to leave for the United States, her country's closest ally, on Sunday and meet President Barack Obama on Tuesday. Her office said the coming week would be a "watershed" for the country's response to the disease. 

The World Health Organization (WHO), which began work on Tuesday with South Korea to analyse the virus and review the response, has not recommended any curbs on travel or trade. 

MERS has also taken its toll on high street shopping, with department store sales falling 25 per cent in the first week of June compared with an average of the first two weeks of May, government data showed. Sales at discount stores fell 7.2 per cent, but online purchases rose 3.2 per cent. 

All subsequent infections, including the 13 announced on Wednesday, have been linked to health facilities, the ministry said. 

The number of people who may have been in contact with MERS patients and were now in quarantine rose to 3,439, while quarantine has been lifted for 641 people, the ministry said. 

Choi, also the finance minister, announced a 400 billion won ($357 million) financial package for business and regions affected by MERS .. 

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Senate Committee Approves Tax on Bank Transactions

A Senate committee backed on Tuesday the imposition of 0.6 per cent tax on all banking instruments of over Rs50,000 for non-filers of returns, while Finance Minister Ishaq Dar agreed to put in place a mechanism to finance through the Public Sector Development Programme schemes recommended by senators.

At a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue, the government also reported an agreement between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the centre to extend sales tax laws to the provincially administered tribal laws which are currently exempt from the levy.

The Chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue, Tariq Bajwa, told journalists that a law to track down benami land titles for tax purposes was ready and would be introduced after the budget session of parliament.

The committee led by Senator Salim H. Mandviwala of PPP began deliberations on federal budget 2015-16 for amendments and recommendations to the National Assembly regarding fiscal and development measures for next year.

Senators were opposed to the introduction of “super tax” at the rate of 3pc and 4pc on individuals including association of persons and companies having over Rs50 million annual income to finance a part of expenditures on raising of new security apparatus and settlement of temporary displaced persons (TDPs) of Waziristan. Some of them proposed to make this contribution voluntary or the income threshold be brought down to Rs20m with reduced tax rate.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, however, said the expected collection through super tax would be around Rs20-22 billion that would be applicable to 170 companies, eight AOPs and three individuals with annual income exceeding Rs50 million.

He said the FBR had done a series of exercise and the reduction in income threshold would have affected thousands of people but negligible increase in tax collection and hence rejected due to higher political nuisance. The minister said current situation was very extraordinary because around Rs45bn would be required for security enhancement and around Rs55bn for the resettlement of TDPs.

He rejected call for seeking voluntary contributions, saying his previous experience with voluntary contribution for income support programme was disappointing because only a couple of people came forward with contributions.

The committee agreed to go ahead with 0.3pc tax on all banking transactions for tax filers and 0.6pc for non-filers over Rs50,000 per transaction but recommended that a policy message should go out in the shape of facilitation that tax filers were better off paying taxes and filing returns so that non-filers come into the tax net. Besides cash withdrawals, these tax rates would be applicable on demand draft, pay orders, SDRs, CDRs, STDR, call deposit receipt and RTCs.

The minister did not agree with a senator that electricity rates had been increased to reduce subsidy, saying tariff differential subsidy had been limited to small consumers worked out on the basis of tariff approved by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra). He said the government had provided about Rs2.6 trillion in power sector subsidies over the last six years.

Senators criticised the government for blocking disbursement of PSDP funds in first 11 months of the year and then releasing in the last month of the fiscal year, which they said resulted in misuse of funds. Secretary finance Waqar Masood Khan, however, explained that it was because of proportionate revenue collection that usually maximise in the last month.

Senator Fateh Mohammad Hasani from Balochistan recommended that like members of the national and provincial assemblies, senators should also be given at least Rs200m every year for development schemes. Other senators supported the demand.

Mr Dar said the practice of providing funds even to the MNAs had been blocked following a 2012 decision of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, put restriction on supplementary grants, re-appropriation of funds and discretionary funds for development even at the disposal of the prime minister.

Mr Dar said he himself challenged the decision because no government around the world could function without re-appropriation of funds or supplementary grants and nobody could deprive any government from this right to have control over funds.

He said the court had accepted his plea regarding supplementary grants and re-appropriation and conceded to have committed oversight. However, he said the case was still before the court that had not allowed discretionary funds to parliamentarians.

He assured the senators that he would work out some constitutional and legal means to spend development funds on the recommendations of the parliamentarians, irrespective whether they were members of the Senate or National Assembly.

The meeting was informed that a meeting attended by the prime minister and governor and chief minister of KP had decided to extend sales tax laws to provincially administered tribal areas of KP and a summary had been moved for its implementation at the earliest.

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S.Korea govt says ready to counter economic impact of MERS

The South Korean government on Monday said it is ready to take swift measures to counter the negative effects on its economy from an outbreak of a deadly respiratory disease, suggesting that worried policymakers may soon deliver monetary and fiscal stimulus.

President Park Geun-hye said the negative economic effects from the outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) should not be overlooked, while Finance Minister Choi vowed to take steps to offset any hit to growth.

"The effect from MERS on private consumption cannot be overlooked as spending and tourism are quickly shrinking," Park said on Monday during a visit to the MERS response headquarters.

"We can say that the virus has been driven out completely only once the economic effects are minimised."

Her comments mirrored concerns expressed by Choi earlier in the day.

"I am concerned over the negative influence the recent MERS outbreak could have on the local economy, including private consumption and investment sentiment," the finance minister said.

"We will aggressively respond to mitigate the effect of MERS on the economy, including allocating necessary budgeting at the right time."

Backing the government's stance, Gyeonggi Province - where most of the infections are concentrated - announced on Monday it would provide 84.1 billion won ($74.94 million) worth of funding for small-to-medium sized businesses in the area.

The health ministry reported 23 new infections on Monday, bringing the total to 87 and making South Korea the second-most infected country in the world after Saudi Arabia. Six deaths have been reported.

The outbreak has prompted analysts to wager on another rate cut as early as at this week's Bank of Korea policy review, with some predicting more support from the government in the form of stimulus worth billions of dollars.

The finance minister, however, did not raise the possibility of a supplementary budget to support Asia's fourth-largest economy, which is already tottering amid a collapse in exports and slow consumption.

Earlier on Monday, the ruling Saenuri Party head Kim Moo-sung warned the outbreak could drive the economy into a bigger trough than the one triggered by a maritime disaster last year that killed hundreds of people and dented consumption.

"Over the weekend, tours and events were cancelled and places like markets, theatres and restaurants were empty," said Kim.

"If this continues, private consumption which was on the brink of rebounding could take a direct hit and we could face bigger difficulties than we experienced after the Sewol sinking."

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Seven soldiers killed in North Waziristan gun battle

Seven soldiers embraced martyrdom after a gun battle late on Sunday night in North Waziristan, along the border with the Afghan border.

At least 19 militants, including five commanders were also killed during the exchange of fire.

“19 terrorists were killed, including 5 of their commanders, in an intense exchange of fire with security forces last night in an uncleared pocket along the North Waziristan-Afghan border,” Inter Services Public Relations said in a statement.

“When being chased and cordoned, one militant exploded himself killing seven soldiers.”

North Waziristan has largely been purged of terrorists, yet targeted air strikes and sporadic clashes continue in the area which was once the stronghold of homegrown militants and their foreign cohorts.

North Waziristan has been off limits for media persons since the military launched a massive operation in the region, codenamed Zarb-e-Azb, in mid-July, last year. Hundreds of thousands of tribesmen displaced by the operation have started returning to their homes in areas declared safe by the military.

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War of words: PTI should focus on reforming KP, says Zaeem Qadri

War of words: PTI should focus on reforming KP, says Zaeem Qadri

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan is only issuing statements. His practical performance is zero, MPA Syed Zaeem Hussain Qadri said on Sunday.

“All government institutions in the Punjab are being run much more efficiently than any other province. Khan never lets go of an opportunity to level baseless allegations against the Punjab government. He should adopt a more mature attitude and learn to speak the truth,” Qadri said.

He said that the Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government had put the economy back on the right track. “Practical measures have been promised in the budget to provide relief to the poor. Instead of criticising others, Khan should reform the police department in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. He should pay attention to improving his own government’s performance rather than issuing statements against others,” he said.

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US drone kills 9 in Pak-Afghan Border Area

US drone kills 9 in Pak-Afghan Border Area

There were conflicting reports whether the drone strike took place in Pakistani or Afghan territory.

Tribal sources said the drone fired two missiles and struck a house in the border village of Khawaja Qadar in the Dattakhel Tehsil of Pakistan’s North Waziristan tribal region. The sources said that six men and three women were killed in the drone attack.

The villagers in this remote border area said the bodies had already been pulled out of the rubble and shifted to an unknown location for burial by the time they reached the site of the drone hit.

Though local residents claimed those killed in the missile strikes were locals, there was no independent confirmation about the identity of the slain persons.

However, security officials in North Waziristan said the drone hit a house inside Afghanistan.

Pleading anonymity, security officials also claimed that nine people, including six men and three women, were killed in the attack.

“Through intercepts, we learnt that Taliban fighters in their internal communication said that nine people had become flowers, meaning they had died, and four others were injured when the drone struck a house in the Khawaja Qadar area of Afghanistan. There is some confusion about the location of the area but it is probably located inside Afghanistan,” a Pakistani security official said.

A government official insisted that the drone strike took place in the forested and mountainous Shawal Valley of North Waziristan, adding that the drone hit a compound of Pakistani Taliban commonly known as the Punjabi Taliban.

“Most of the militant groups had shifted to the mountainous areas such as Shawal Valley after the military launched an operation against them in the summer last year. Some of them are having their families and it is possible the drone killed women as well,” the government official said on condition of anonymity.

Due to a lack of proper communication system and displacement of local population following the military operation launched by the Pakistani security forces against the militants, it is difficult to independently verify such reports.

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