Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif saysthe U.S. drone attack on Nov. 1 that killed the Taliban chiefderailed his plan to hold peace talks with the Taliban militants.After the attack, new chief of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan Maulvi Fazalullah refused to hold talks with the governmentand threatened to launch revenge attacks.The Taliban threats have raised serious concerns over the possible backlash.Nawaz Sharif insisted his government still has a desire to resolve all issues with the Taliban through negotiations.The Legislative Council of Hong Kong has passed a non-binding bill on economic sanctions against the Philippines.At the same time, a revised bill on the temporary canceling of visa-free arrangements for Philippine passport holders was also passed.This is the latest Hong Kong response to the Philippines' refusal to apologize for the Hong Kong tourists who were hijacked and murdered three years ago.
