Atrocities will end soon, PM assures
Balochistan
Across London, a drive to reveal Islam's progressive'
face
US journalist forced to quit over remarks against
Israel
Ten NATO soldiers killed in Afghanistan in single
day
Israel strikes again, kills divers off Gaza
UAE to screen for child molestation record
Women bloggers express themselves on Web
Bab Rizq creates 4,323 jobs in May
Iran's first women-only bank opens
Watchdog urges Kuwait to stop prosecuting
blogger
Nigerian conjoined twins separated in
Bangalore
HC appoints new lawyers for Kasab
Bomb attack leaves at least 15 injured in Istanbul:
Report
UN Security Council to meet again on Iran
India, Iran discuss underwater gas line bypassing
Pak
Iran aid ships to challenge Israel
We will safeguard human rights in Kashmir: Indian
PM
Gadkari attacks Manmohan, Sonia on Afzal Guru
issue
Indo-Pak FMs meet to focus on action against terror:
US
Israel govt defeats no-confidence bid over flotilla
raid
Suspension of Indo-Pak talks helped non-state actors:
Gilani
SC refuses to stay HC order on fresh CBI probe in Rizwanur
death
US military holds soldier in classified video
leak
Headley issue didn't hijack Strategic Dialogue with India:
US
Iran Kurds buried in secret location after execution:
Lawyer
US used cluster bombs, killed civilians in Yemen:
Amnesty
‘India, Pak Ties Must Be Strong’
Pak: Taliban Leaders Have Fled From AfPak
Pakistan court frees two French scribes
Israeli sea raid kills four Gaza
‘commandos’
Iran says no talks on nuclear issue if
sanctioned
India, Pak, US should address terrorism seriously:
Blake
Pak frees 20 militants in return for arms seized by
Taliban
Car bombs, gunmen kill 11 in Iraq
Lal Masjid commandos seek Supreme Court’s
intervention
Twelve Americans held in Yemen: State
Department
Israel denounces ‘incitement’ in wake of flotilla
fiasco
Afghan heroin killed millions, says Russia
Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey agree to enhance cooperation against
terror
Five killed in Kalat, Khuzdar violence
Security forces kill 12 terrorists in Orakzai
Agency
12 Afghan terror suspects held
Iran rounds up 25 Pakistani for trespassing
MIS Jeddah marks literary day
Distraught Saudi father disowns ‘stupid son’
Yemen says second Al-Qaeda suspect
surrenders
Compiled by Asit kumar
------
Ahmedis are brothers, flush out militants: Nawaz
Sharif
M Zulqernain
Jun 08th, 2010
Former premier and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif has created ripples in
Pakistan’s political and religious circles by saying that the members of the
minority Ahmedi sect are his brothers and sisters and that militants should be
flushed out wherever they are active.
Speaking a week after 95 Ahmedis were killed during terrorist attacks
on two mosques of the sect that has been declared “non-Muslim” under Pakistani
laws, Sharif said the Ahmedis too are citizens of the
country.
“Ahmedis are our brothers and sisters,” he
said.
His comments came in the wake of Ahmedi leaders expressing dismay
over the Punjab Government’s apathetic attitude towards protecting marginalised
sections of society. Sharif’s PML-N party heads the coalition Government in
Punjab.
Sharif further told reporters that militants have no religion or
boundaries.
“It is useless to identify them with one particular area. They must
be chased wherever they were hiding. The Government alone cannot fight
terrorism, rather nations fight such wars,” he said.
“The entire nation must stand up to the threat because it threatens
its existence,” Sharif said. Over the past few days, there have been repeated
calls for action against militants based in southern Punjab who were linked to
the attacks on the Ahmedi mosques.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said militants from southern
Punjab have joined hands with Taliban and Al Qaida to destabilise
Pakistan.
Sharif said action should be taken against the militants,
irrespective of where they came from.
“Wherever these militants came from, they played havoc with Lahore.
They should be caught and taken to task. Some of them were caught in Lahore and
they are giving good leads to their network," he said.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/261053/Ahmedis-are-brothers-flush-out-militants-Nawaz-Sharif.html
--------
Atrocities will end soon, Pak PM assures
Balochistan
Jun 8, 2010
QUETTA, June 7: Pak Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani assured the
people of Balochistan on Monday that the government would take concrete steps to
close for good the ‘chapter of atrocities’ committed in the province over the
past 63 years.
Addressing a press conference at the end of a day-long visit to
Quetta, the prime minister conceded that there was a trust gap between the
people of the province and Islamabad because of the atrocities committed by the
past regimes. “The government is aware of the problem and it believes in
practical steps.”
Balochistan Governor Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi, Chief Minister Nawab
Aslam Raisani and federal ministers Ayatullah Durrani and Mir Humayun Aziz Kurd
also attended the press conference.
Mr Gilani said the government had launched the
Aghaz-e-Haqooq-i-Balochistan to rebuild the confidence of Baloch people in the
federation. The package was supplemented by the incorporation of gas royalty,
NFC Award, 18th Amendment and provincial autonomy.
The prime minister said that under the package over 5,000 youths
would get government jobs soon. The process of written test and interviews has
been completed. He said that women would also get jobs under the package.
Mr Gilani said the Balochistan package was an initiative and not a
complete solution to problems of the province. He said that giving more shares
to the provinces in national resources would promote harmony.
Answering a question about provincial autonomy, the prime minister
said that the Inter-Provincial Coordination Committee headed by Senator Raza
Rabbani would meet soon to discuss the issue.
About implementation of the 18th Amendment, he said that it was the
responsibility of the institutions concerned and the government. “All
institutions should fulfil their responsibilities and we need justice from the
judiciary in this regard,” he said.
Mr Gilani said the government respected the judiciary and would
implement all its decisions, adding that the 18th Amendment contained a
comprehensive formula for sharing responsibilities which required the judiciary
to dispense justice and federal, provincial and district governments to make
pro-people policies.
He said the government wanted to strengthen institutions, and not
personalities. Good governance required all institutions to work within their
parameters.
Answering a question about missing people, the prime minister said he
had announced the formation of a judicial commission and requested the Supreme
Court chief justice to suggest names for it. A committee of the federal
government was also working on the issue and action will be taken on the basis
of reports of the commission and the committee.
He said there were some ambiguities in lists of missing people
provided by different people and asked the provincial government to provide
validated lists.
The law and order situation, Mr Gilani said, was a provincial issue
and the federal government did not want to interfere in affairs of provincial
governments. However, he said that a meeting of heads of law-enforcement
agencies would he held soon to evolve a joint strategy for the purpose.
The prime minister said that all possible help and assistance would
be provided to the people affected by the tropical cyclone in Balochistan and
Sindh.
NATIONALISTS: Responding to questions at the Command and Staff
College, the prime minister said he had personally contacted the people
concerned and they assured him that they would work for national interests. “We
have taken all stakeholders, even Baloch nationalists, on board to maintain
peace in the province.”
He said President Asif Ali Zardari had visited Quetta and apologised
to the Baloch people for atrocities committed by dictatorial governments.
Mr Gilani said the Parliamentary Committee on Balochistan was trying
to resolve all issues by political, economic and constitutional means.
He said that poverty, illiteracy and discrimination were the root
cause of terrorism, adding that the government was trying to bring about changes
at the grassroots level and the situation would gradually improve.
Mr Gilani said he was not against formation of new provinces, but the
issue would open a Pandora’s Box in the current situation. He said people who
wanted new provinces should adopt a legal course for the
purpose.
Source: Dawn, Pakistan
--------
Across London, a drive to reveal Islam's progressive'
face
Jun 8, 2010
LONDON: Advertisements targeting British misconceptions about Islam
are being launched across London.
Posters include a photograph of a female lawyer, who is wearing a
veil, next to the text, “I believe in women's rights. So did Muhammad.'' Another
shows a charity worker beside a headline which says: “I believe in social
justice. So did Muhammad.''
The campaign, which was launched on Monday by the Exploring Islam
Foundation, includes a website. The ads will be displayed in London Underground
stations and on the city's taxicabs.
Remona Aly, the foundation's campaign director, says she hopes the
campaign will help counteract “the often inaccurate and negative stereotypes of
the faith on our screens and in our newspapers.''
The Exploring Islam Foundation, which launched the campaign, is run
by British Muslim professionals which aims to challenge “damaging stereotypes
about Islam through the medium of creative resources.”
A YouGov poll conducted for the foundation last month found that 58%
associated Islam with extremism and 50% associated the religion with terrorism.
Asked if Muslims had a positive impact on British society, four in 10
Britons disagreed.
“We are very concerned about the way our faith is perceived by the
public,” said Aly. “We want to foster a greater understanding of what British
Muslims are about and our contribution to British society. We are proud of being
British and being Muslim.”
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/Across-London-a-drive-to-reveal-Islams-progressive-face/articleshow/6021459.cms
--------
US journalist forced to quit over remarks against
Israel
Jun 8, 2010
WASHINGTON, June 7: Legendary White House correspondent Helen Thomas’
long career came to a sad end on Monday in the firestorm over her anti-Semitic
remarks.
The 89-year-old Ms Thomas announced she was retiring as a columnist
from Hearst News Service after being denounced for saying Jews should “get the
hell out of Palestine and go back to Germany, Poland and … America and
everywhere else”.
The final shove out the door came after a denunciation from White
House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, who called her statements “offensive and
reprehensible”.
Mr Gibbs added that her remarks “do not reflect certainly the opinion
of most of the people here and certainly not of the
administration”.
Source: Dawn, Pakistan
--------
Ten NATO soldiers killed in Afghanistan in single
day
Jun 8, 2010
KABUL: NATO announced late on Monday the deaths of seven more
alliance soldiers in Afghanistan, bringing the toll for the day to 10.
"Today 10 ISAF soldiers were killed in Afghanistan," a spokesman for
the International Security Assistance Force said.
Five of the soldiers died after an improvised explosive device (IED)
detonated in eastern Afghanistan, one died as a result of gunfire also in the
east and another was killed by an IED in the south, it said in a statement.
Earlier the military announced that three NATO soldiers, including at
least one American, were killed in separate shooting and bomb attacks in the
south, where much of Afghanistan's unrest is taking place.
NATO, US and Afghan troops are preparing their biggest offensive yet
against the Taliban in the southern province of Kandahar, with total foreign
troop numbers in the country set to peak at 150,000 by
August.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Ten-NATO-soldiers-killed-in-Afghanistan-in-single-day/articleshow/6022261.cms
--------
Israel strikes again, kills divers off Gaza
Jun 08 2010
Jerusalem: Israeli naval forces shot and killed four men wearing wet
suits in the waters off the coast of Gaza on Monday, and a militant group said
they were members of its marine unit training for a
mission.
The attack was the latest escalation in tensions over the
three-year-old blockade of Gaza. It came a week after Israel raided a Gaza-bound
flotilla carrying humanitarian aid. Israeli soldiers killed nine activists in a
clash on one of the flotilla boats, bringing fierce international
condemnation.
US Vice-President Joe Biden said on Monday the US is closely
consulting with Egypt and other allies to find new ways to “address the
humanitarian, economic, security, and political aspects of the situation in
Gaza”.
Full report at
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/israel-strikes-again-kills-divers-off-gaza/630801/
--------
UAE to screen for child molestation record
Jun 07 2010
Dubai : In order to ensure that those arriving in the country do not
have a child molestation record, authorities in UAE have ordered new security
checking mechanisms.
The new procedures have been ordered by the Higher Committee for
Child Protection of the Ministry of Interior following a study it
conducted.
The committee emphasised in the study that the new procedures must
include ways of making sure that those entering the country do not have a child
molestation record.
The study also looked into developing methods of monitoring the use
of ID cards by parents and documenting the records of internet in universities,
schools and cyber shops.
Five specialised committees were formed for child protection over a
detailed and specific strategy that will achieve its goals of protecting
children against abuse and assault, especially through the internet, UAE's
official news agency Wam said.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/uae-to-screen-for-child-molestation-record/630504/
--------
Women bloggers express themselves on Web
By RIMA AL-MUKHTAR
Jun 8, 2010
JEDDAH: As Internet usage in the Kingdom increases, so is the number
of women who use it to express themselves in ways they would never do in public,
not even in front of their closest friends.
Around 500 female Saudi bloggers responded to an online Arab News
survey about their ages, the topics they write about and why they blog. Sixty
percent of respondents, all of whom are between 17 and 30, use blogs as personal
diaries, while 30 percent comment on social issues and 10 percent write about
fashion.
The vast majority (93 percent) said they blog to remain anonymous and
fear someone may recognize them through their writings.
There are at present hundreds of Saudi bloggers who write either in
English or Arabic and include both men and women. Blogging became a trend in the
Kingdom around five years ago with the growth in Internet use and it seems
people blog to express their thoughts and tell their personal stories. “I’ve
made a lot of friends through blogging. It feels like I’ve known them for a long
time having read about them every day,” said one blogger.
Full report at
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article62476.ece
--------
Bab Rizq creates 4,323 jobs in May
Jun 8, 2010
JEDDAH: Bab Rizq Jameel (BRJ), an initiative of Abdul Latif Jameel
Community Services Programs (ALJCSP), created 4,323 job opportunities in May for
young Saudi men and women.
Through the direct employment program and assistance from the Human
Resources Development Fund (HRDF), BRJ created 465 jobs for men and 203 jobs for
women.
Jobs provided for young men included cashiers, security guards, auto
mechanics and production worker in several companies, including Al-Hukair,
Al-Sharq Electricity Company, Tadharis Najd Security Services Company, Panda
Al-Aziziah and Aqwat Food Company.
For women, jobs included production-line workers, merchandisers,
security guards, receptionists and kindergarten teachers in several companies,
including Arabian Talents Company, Saudi Malls Company and certain private
schools.
Full report at
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article62491.ece
--------
Iran's first women-only bank opens
Jun 8, 2010
TEHRAN: Iran's first women-only bank branch opened on Monday,
allowing women to manage their finances without dealing with unrelated men —
something likely to appeal to religious families who oppose mingling between the
sexes.
Bank Melli — one of Iran's biggest retail banks — opened the
women-only branch in the holy city of Mashhad as a service to women, Iran's
official IRNA news agency reported. In recent years women-only taxis, with
female drivers, have become available in some Iranian cities, as well as public
gardens where men are not allowed. Buses in Iran are segregated, with women
sitting at the back. A local judiciary official said last month that the maximum
fine for breaching the Islamic dress code — which decrees that women must cover
their hair and wear long shapeless coats — was 13 million rials (over
$1,300).
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article62507.ece
--------
Watchdog urges Kuwait to stop prosecuting
blogger
8 June 2010
KUWAIT - New York-based
rights watchdog Human Rights Watch called on Kuwait on Monday to stop
prosecuting a blogger on trial for insulting its head of state, and lift a court
ban on news coverage of the case.
Blogger and journalist Mohammad Abdul-Kader al-Jassem, who faces up
to 18 years in prison if convicted, according to his lawyers, was detained on
May 11 after a complaint against him was issued by the office of Kuwait’s Emir
Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah.
“Kuwait, once relatively tolerant of free speech, is increasingly
punishing individuals for their political views, Joe Stork, Middle East deputy
director at HRW, said in a statement.
“The Kuwaiti authorities should stop persecuting Mohammad al-Jassem
just for criticising Kuwait’s rulers.”
Full report at
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/June/middleeast_June286.xml§ion=middleeast&col=
--------
Nigerian conjoined twins separated in Bangalore
Seethalakshmi
Jun 8, 2010
BANGALORE: Conjoined twins, 25 doctors and nurses and 10 hours.
Result: medical marvel. At 6.30 am on Monday, Nigerian twins Peace and Patience
were blissfully sleeping when doctors came knocking.
The eight-month-olds had travelled all the way from their home in
Nigeria to Bangalore’s Narayana Health City to get their conjoined bodies
separated.
Even before the sisters were wheeled into Operation Theatre-6 at the
Narayana Hrudayalaya Multi-speciality hospital, the medical team had readied
everything from scissors to single beds (once they are separated).
Considering the rarity and complexity of the surgery as Omalgaphagus
co-joined twins occur only one in 1,00,000 births, the mood at the OT was upbeat
and tense. Led by Dr Ashley Dcruz, the team was ready at the word go from the
crack of the dawn.
Full report at
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/Nigerian-Conjoined-Twins-Separated-In-Bangalore/articleshow/6021646.cms
--------
HC appoints new lawyers for Kasab
Jun 8, 2010
MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday appointed lawyers Amin
Solkar and Farhana Shah for Pakistani terrorist Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab,
sentenced to death for the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.
The Maharashtra State Legal Cell on Tuesday appointed Solkar and Shah
as Kasab's legal representatives after the terrorist requested that a lawyer be
appointed to represent him in the High Court.
Kasab was found guilty for his role in the Nov 26, 2008, Mumbai
terror attacks and awarded the death penalty by special judge M L Tahaliyani May
6.
He last week wrote a letter to the Bombay High Court saying the death
sentence was not acceptable to him and that he wanted legal assistance to fight
his case.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/HC-appoints-new-lawyers-for-Kasab/articleshow/6024262.cms
--------
Bomb attack leaves at least 15 injured in Istanbul:
Report
Jun 8, 2010
ISTANBUL: A bomb attack targeting police in Turkey's biggest city
Istanbul Tuesday injured at least 15 people, most of them police officers,
officials and media reports said.
Police said it was not immediately clear who was behind the blast in
the Kucukcekmece district, on the European side of the city straddling the
Bosphorus Strait.
The bomb went off as a police minibus carrying officers to work was
passing in front of a hospital in the morning rush hour.
"It looks like a bomb that was placed by the side of the road...It
may have been set off by remote control," Istanbul police chief Huseyin Capkin
told the Anatolia news agency.
"We currently have no information on the perpetrators of the attack,
we are investigating," he added.
Full report at
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Bomb-attack-leaves-at-least-15-injured-in-Istanbul-Report/articleshow/6023479.cms
--------
UN Security Council to meet again on Iran
Jun 8, 2010
UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council has agreed to hold new
closed-door consultations on Tuesday on a fourth sanctions resolution against
Iran over its suspect nuclear program, with sponsors aiming for a vote later
this week.
The 15 members met Monday for nearly an hour after Brazil and Turkey
asked for "a meeting on Iran at some point prior to adoption of sanctions on
this issue," the Mexican presidency of the council said.
Diplomats said no consensus emerged during the closed-door session
and US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice told reporters the council would hold
fresh consultations on the sanctions draft early Tuesday.
The council's five council permanent members -- Britain, France,
China, Russia and the United States -- are co-sponsoring the sanctions draft and
believe they have the votes to secure passage.
Full report at
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/UN-Security-Council-to-meet-again-on-Iran/articleshow/6021987.cms
--------
India, Iran discuss underwater gas line bypassing
Pak
Jun 8, 2010
NEW DELHI: The prospect may not have sounded feasible initially, but
India is now coming round to the idea of having an underwater gas pipeline with
Iran which would allow it to bypass Pakistan.
As India's participation in IPI pipeline remains bogged down by
concerns over security and pricing, official sources said New Delhi has already
discussed building a pipeline under Arabian Sea with Tehran.
According to officials, the underwater pipeline will not just help
India evade Pakistan but also allow government to engage Iran in a more fruitful
manner. In fact, when Turkmenistan president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov visited
India last month, the two sides discussed the prospect of transporting gas from
Turkmenistan to northern Iran with help from India and using the underwater
pipeline option to transport gas to India from southern Iran.
Full report at
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-Iran-discuss-underwater-gas-line-bypassing-Pak/articleshow/6021888.cms
--------
Iran aid ships to challenge Israel
Jun 8, 2010
TEHRAN: The Iranian Red Crescent said on Monday that it will send
three aid ships to Gaza in the latest bid to break the blockade imposed on the
Palestinian territory by Iran’s archfoe Israel.
It will also send a plane carrying 30 tonnes of medical equipment to
Egypt for onward delivery to Gaza.
Red Crescent director for international affairs Abdolrauf Adibzadeh
told Iranian media that two ships would leave for Gaza this week, followed at a
later date by a third vessel. The first two ships will head to Gaza in
coordination with the Turkish government.
Of the two ships, “one will carry 70 aid workers such as nurses and
medics and the other will have foodstuffs and medicines”, Adibzadeh was quoted
as saying on the state television website. “The (two) ships will be sent to Gaza
by end of this week,” Adibzadeh added.
Full report at
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Iran-aid-ships-to-challenge-Israel/articleshow/6021407.cms
--------
Will safeguard human rights in Kashmir: PM
M Saleem Pandit
Jun 8, 2010
SRINAGAR: In a move to soothe tempers over Army methods that
bedevilled his visit to Kashmir, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday said
security forces have been "strictly instructed" to respect human rights and
pledged to remove deficiencies in implementation of the
instructions.
"Sometimes innocent civilians suffer, but whenever such incidents
happen it becomes necessary to act against those responsible. I'm aware of some
complaints related to human rights," said the PM, who arrived in Srinagar to
review the security situation and inspect development projects. He was
addressing a convocation at Srinagar's Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural
Sciences and Technology.
Full report at
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Will-safeguard-human-rights-in-Kashmir-PM/articleshow/6021666.cms
--------
Gadakari attacks Manmohan, Sonia on Afzal Guru
issue
Jun 7, 2010
HYDERABAD: BJP president Nitin Gadkari on Monday demanded an apology
from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi for the
delay in hanging convict Afzal Guru, who is on a death row in connection with
the Parliament attack case.
Addressing a party meeting, he said Singh and Gandhi should tender
their apologies within eight days, else the BJP would launch a nationwide
agitation to seek justice and to expose the elements behind the pendency of the
file pertaining to Afzal Guru.
"Sonia and Manmohan owe an explanation to the families of the
security personnel who have sacrificed their lives while fighting with
terrorists."
Full report at
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Gadakari-attacks-Manmohan-Sonia-on-Afzal-Guru-issue/articleshow/6021156.cms
--------
Indo-Pak FMs meet to focus on action against terror:
US
Jun 7, 2010
WASHINGTON: US feels that Kashmir issue won't be part of the agenda
during talks between foreign ministers of India and Pakistan next month as the
meeting will focus mainly on action against terrorism and the progress Islamabad
has made into the Mumbai attacks probe.
Assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia Robert Blake
said: "I don't think Kashmir is really the question that's on the table now."
He said the real question now is to get some progress on the trial of
the Mumbai suspects, those who are already in custody in Pakistan and also see
progress by Pakistan on stopping actions by Lashkar-e-Taiba and other
Punjab-based terrorist groups against India.
"I think those are really the redlines that they've established for
really establishing or reestablishing their composite dialogue. And so those are
areas where I think we can help and encourage our Pakistani friends to move
forward, and indeed we have," he told BBC in an interview.
Full report at
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/6019000.cms?prtpage=1
--------
Israel govt defeats no-confidence bid over flotilla
raid
Jun 8, 2010
JERUSALEM: The Israeli government on Monday easily defeated
no-confidence motions over its May 31 raid on Gaza-bound activist aid ships but
faced more calls for a probe of the deadly commando operation.
A motion by the main opposition party Kadima, which objected to the
handling of the raid, was defeated 59-25 while another two brought by Arab
parties opposed to the Gaza blockade both went down 81-8.
Defence Minister Ehud Barak defended last week's raid when special
forces stormed the flotilla in international waters, killing nine Turks aboard
one of the six ships.
Full report at
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Israel-govt-defeats-no-confidence-bid-over-flotilla-raid/articleshow/6021591.cms
--------
Suspension of Indo-Pak talks helped non-state actors:
Gilani
Jun 7, 2010
ISLAMABAD: The suspension of the India-Pakistan composite dialogue in
the wake of the 2008 Mumbai attacks allowed non-state actors to succeed in
"dictating their agenda", Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Monday.
Reiterating Pakistan's desire for the "negotiated and peaceful
resolution" of all disputes with India, Gilani said: "By suspending composite
dialogue following the Mumbai attacks in November 2008, non-state actors
succeeded in dictating their agenda."
The premier made the remarks while addressing a gathering of top army
officials, including army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, at the Command and
Staff College in Quetta.
Full report at
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/6019648.cms?prtpage=1
--------
SC refuses to stay HC order on fresh CBI probe in Rizwanur
death
Jun 07 2010
New Delhi : The Supreme Court refused to stay the registration of
murder case and a fresh CBI probe directed against industrialist Ashok Todi by
the Calcutta High Court into the mysterious death of computer graphics teacher
Rizwanur Rahman.
A Bench of Justices Deepak Verma and K S Radhakrishnan, however,
sought response within six weeks from the CBI and the complainant Rukbanur
Rehman, Rizwanur's brother, on Todi's appeal challenging the May 18 court
direction.
30-year-old Rizwanur was found dead on September 21, 2007 near a rail
track, just a month after his marriage to Priyanka, daughter of Ashok Todi who
owns the Rs 200-crore Lux Cozi hosiery brand.
Full report at
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/6019648.cms?prtpage=1
--------
US military holds soldier in classified video
leak
Jun 08 2010
Washington : A US soldier has been arrested in connection with the
release of a classified video showing a 2007 helicopter attack that killed a
dozen people in Baghdad, including two Reuters news staff, the US military said
on Monday.
Army Specialist Bradley Manning, 22, of Potomac, Maryland, who was
deployed to Baghdad, is being held in pretrial confinement in Kuwait, "for
allegedly releasing classified information," according to a US military
statement.
The statement did not provide details of the information in question
but in an emailed response to a query, a US official confirmed that the case
involved a US military videotape made public in April by WikiLeaks, a group that
promotes the leaking of information to fight government and corporate
corruption.
Full report at
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/us-military-holds-soldier-in-classified-video-leak/630944/
--------
Headley issue didn't hijack Strategic Dialogue with India:
US
Jun 08 2010
Washington : Refuting media reports that the Headley episode had
hijacked the last week's Indo-US Strategic Dialogue, a top American official has
said that the issue "did not even come up" during the discussion between the two
countries.
"Let me just say that this in no way hijacked the strategic dialogue.
This didn't even come up in the strategic dialogue," Assistant Secretary of
State for South and Central Asia, Robert Blake, said in response to a question
that the strategic dialogue was hijacked by the Headley
case.
The official pointed out that the issue of access to Headley was "not
a topic of great conversation" during the Strategic Dialogue between India and
the United States.
"It was not a focus of our discussions," he
said.
Full report at
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/headley-issue-didnt-hijack-strategic-dialogue-with-india-us/630939/
--------
Iran Kurds buried in secret location after execution:
Lawyer
Jun 07 2010
Tehran : Iranian authorities refused to hand over the bodies of
Kurdish militants executed last month to their families and buried them in a
secret location, their lawyer told an opposition website
today.
"Our search shows the executed Kurds have been buried secretly and
they (the authorities) refuse to disclose the burial site," lawyer Khalil
Bahramian told Rahesabz website.
"It is about a month that the mourning families have been looking for
the bodies of their dear ones and have not heard any responsible comments," he
said.
Bahramian represented Shirin Alamhouli and Farzad Kamangar, hanged in
May along with two other Kurds and another man, after convicting them of armed
opposition to the Islamic republic.
Full report at
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/iran-kurds-buried-in-secret-location-after-execution-lawyer/630487/
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US used cluster bombs, killed civilians in Yemen:
Amnesty
Jun 07 2010
London : A US cruise missile carrying cluster bombs was behind a
December attack in Yemen that killed 55 people, most of them civilians, Amnesty
International (AI) said on Monday.
The London-based rights group released photographs that it said
showed the remains of a US-made Tomahawk missile and unexploded cluster bombs
that were apparently used in the December 17, 2009 attack on the rural community
of Al-Maajala in Yemen's southern Abyan province.
"Amnesty International is gravely concerned by evidence that cluster
munitions appear to have been used in Yemen," said Mike Lewis, the group's arms
control researcher.
"Cluster munitions have indiscriminate effects and unexploded
bomblets threaten lives and livelihoods for years afterwards," he
said.
Full report at
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/us-used-cluster-bombs-killed-civilians-in-yemen-amnesty/630484/
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‘India, Pak Ties Must Be Strong’
Jun 08th, 2010
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Monday that he would like to
say to the neighbours across the Line of Control that they should help in
creating an environment in which people from both the sides can live in peace
and harmony and work together.
He said, “Our issues with Pakistan are well known. Good neighbourly
relations between India and Pakistan are in the interest of both the countries,
at the same time they are necessary for peace and harmony, stability and
development our region.”
Dr Singh added that the relations between the two countries over the
past one and a half years have been under the shadow of the terror attacks in
Mumbai. “As you are aware, I met the Prime Minister of Pakistan in Thimpu last
month. Both the countries accepted that there is a trust deficit between us. We
also agreed that this distance between the two countries must be
reduced.”
Full report at
http://www.asianage.com/india/%E2%80%98india-pak-ties-must-be-strong%E2%80%99-693
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Pak: Taliban Leaders Have Fled From AfPak
Jun 08th, 2010
Pakistan’s military operations in tribal areas have forced some
important Taliban leaders to flee outside of Pakistan and Afghanistan,
Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Meh-mood Qureshi said on
Monday.
Afghanistan-Pakistan relations had seen a “dramatic shift” since
Pakistan returned to civilian-led democracy, Mr Qureshi added after three-way
talks with Turkey designed to help dispel years of mistrust between Kabul and
Islamabad.
“(Taliban leaders) have fled the region because of very successful
military operations Pakistan has undertaken in the tribal belt, in Swat and
Malakand,” Mr Qureshi told a joint news conference with his Afghan and Turkish
counterparts in Istanbul after the meeting.
Full report at
http://www.asianage.com/international/pak-taliban-leaders-have-fled-afpak-726
--------
Pakistan court frees two French scribes
Jun 08th, 2010
A Pakistani court has ordered the release of two French journalists
from custody about 10 days after they were held in northwest Pakistan, Xinhua
reported on Monday.
Police arrested Francois Lino Candona and Christopher Phillips
Beneyre May 28 for travelling to Peshawar city without required documents. They
were filming in the Peshawar cantonment area.
Earlier, a lawyer had submitted a bail application on behalf of the
two journalists. One of the journalists had applied for Pakistani visa in New
Delhi.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/261051/Pakistan-court-frees-two-French-scribes.html
--------
Israeli sea raid kills four Gaza ‘commandos’
Jun 08th, 2010
Israeli forces on Monday shot dead four Palestinian ‘commandos’ off
Gaza as the Jewish state scrambled to cope with mounting fallout over an earlier
deadly sea battle.
Last week, Israeli naval forces stormed a Gaza-bound aid boat,
killing nine people, most of them Turkish, US Vice President Joe Biden said
Washington was eyeing ‘new ways’ to deal with Israel's blockade of the
Hamas-ruled enclave.
And Ankara, still furious over the death of eight Turkish nationals
in the raid, vowed that normalisation of ties with Israel would be out of the
question if the Jewish state refused to accept an international inquiry into the
attack.
Palestinian witnesses said they saw Israeli forces firing on a vessel
off the coast of central Gaza at 4 am (0100 GMT). Two hours later, four bodies
in diving suits were pulled from the water, medical sources and witnesses said.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/261041/Israeli-sea-raid-kills-four-Gaza-%E2%80%98commandos%E2%80%99.html
--------
Iran says no talks on nuclear issue if
sanctioned
Jun 08 2010
Istambul : Iran will not agree to talks on its nuclear programme if
the UN Security Council adopts fresh sanctions, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
said on Tuesday.
"I have said that the US government and its allies are so mistaken
that if they think they can brandish the stick of resolution and then sit down
to talk with us, such a thing will not happen," the Iranian leader told a news
conference here.
He urged Western powers not to dismiss a nuclear fuel swap deal
brokered by Turkey and Brazil.
The deal "was an opportunity for the US government and its allies...I
hope they will put this to good use. Opportunities will not be repeated," he
said.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/iran-says-no-talks-on-nuclear-issue-if-sanctioned/631011/
--------
India, Pak, US should address terrorism seriously:
Blake
Jun 08 2010
Washington : Asserting that it will never be soft on terrorism, the
Obama Administrating today said it is in the interest of the US, India and
Pakistan to work together to address the serious issue.
"United States will never be soft on terrorism. This is our highest
priority, and this is the area where probably we've made the greatest progress,
in terms of our cooperation with India in terms of not only law-enforcement
cooperation, but also intelligence cooperation," the Assistant Secretary of
State for South and Central Asia, Robert Blake, told reporters at a news
conference here.
"We take extremely seriously the threats against both of our
countries, because we believe that there is increasingly a syndicate that is
operating in countries like Pakistan that threatens both of our countries, and
it also threatens Pakistan itself," Blake said.
Full report at
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/india-pak-us-should-address-terrorism-seriously-blake/631014/
--------
Pak frees 20 militants in return for arms seized by
Taliban
Jun 08 2010
Islamabad : Pakistani authorities have released 20 Taliban militants
in exchange for vehicles and weapons the terrorists had seized during an ambush
on an army convoy in the volatile North Waziristan tribal
region.
The militants were released after a 'jirga' or council of tribal
elders and clerics brokered a truce yesterday between the security forces and a
Taliban faction led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur, 'The News daily' reported
today.
The authorities released 20 of 54 Taliban men they had detained in
the area and also agreed to remove some check posts that the militants and local
tribesmen had objected to.
In return, the Taliban released some vehicles, arms and ammunition
that they had captured after attacking the army convoy in Hamzoni area on April
23. At least seven soldiers, including an officer, were killed in the
ambush.
Full report at
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pak-frees-20-militants-in-return-for-arms-seized-by-taliban/630999/
--------
Car bombs, gunmen kill 11 in Iraq
Jun 08 2010
Baghdad : Bombs and gunmen killed eleven people in a series of
attacks in Iraq today, including a car bomb that exploded in a Baghdad shopping
area.
The late morning blast in the capital's western Mansour neighborhood
killed three and wounded at least nine people and damaged several shops,
security and hospital officials said.
Ball bearings, apparently packed inside the car to increase the
number of casualties, littered the bomb site.
Although violence has fallen sharply in recent years, Iraqi security
forces still struggle to stop deadly attacks as US troops prepare to withdraw.
The violence threatens to further destabilise the country as political leaders
jostle for control three months after indecisive parliamentary
elections.
Full report at
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/car-bombs-gunmen-kill-11-in-iraq/630996/
--------
Lal Masjid commandos seek Supreme Court’s
intervention
June 08, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Two Army commandos of Zarar Company, who had allegedly
opposed the Lal Masjid operation in 2007 and were subsequently court-martialled,
have been denied the right of appeal in superior courts.
The Judge Advocate General (JAG) Branch of the Pakistan Army has also
refused them copies of the verdicts, considering it as “prejudicial to the
safety and interests of the State”. Lance Havaldar Ghulam Ahmad, ex-Army number
3260368, and Sepoy Shahid Shehzad, ex-Army number 3261567, were arrested
allegedly for opposing the Lal Masjid operation on May 2, 2007, two months
before it was launched.
They were kept in solitary detention for 15 months before they were
court-martialled in August 2008, sentencing Ghulam Ahmad to 14-year rigorous
imprisonment and Shahid Shehzad to seven years, said an application sent to the
Chief Justice of Pakistan. “That the applicant wants to challenge the
controversial verdict of unjustified punishment delivered by Field General Court
Martial before the honourable High Court but JAG Department of GHQ has denied
the copy of proceedings and judgment,” Ghulam Ahmad has written to the Chief
Justice.
Full report at
http://thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=29350
--------
Twelve Americans held in Yemen: State
Department
June 08, 2010
WASHINGTON: Twelve US citizens have been detained in Yemen, US State
Department spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters here Monday, following
reports of foreigners arrested with links to Al-Qaeda.
"I'm not going to get into any specifics," Crowley said at a briefing
where he was queried by journalists about the alleged links to the extremist
group. The spokesman added words of praise for the two governments' joint
efforts against terrorism.
"We have great cooperation with the government of Yemen," Crowley
said. "Together we are doing our best to help Yemen reduce the threat posed by
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula."
http://thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=106256
--------
Israel denounces ‘incitement’ in wake of flotilla
fiasco
08 Jun, 2010
JERUSALEM: Faced with world outrage over its deadly raid on a
Gaza-bound activist flotilla, Israel is circling the wagons and lashing out at
critics, accusing them of “incitement” against the Jewish
state.
But opponents claim it is Israel which is doing the
inciting.
An Arab-Israeli MP who had been on the aid-laden Turkish ferry Mavi
Marmara when Israeli commandos killed nine activists on May 31 has received
death threats after fellow legislators accused her of being a
traitor.
Rightwing commentator Hagai Segal, meanwhile called for the
Al-Jazeera news network to be kicked out of Israel, and possibly designated as a
“terrorist organisation,” claiming its coverage of the flotilla was marked by
“lies, incitement and hatred for Israel.”
Full report at
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/21-israel-denounces-incitement-in-wake-of-flotilla-fiasco-sk-07
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Afghan heroin killed millions, says Russia
08 Jun, 2010
MOSCOW, June 7: Heroin trafficked from war-torn Afghanistan has
killed more than a million people worldwide in the past decade, the head of
Russia's federal narcotics control agency said on Monday.
“In the first 10 years of this millenium, more than a million people
have died because of Afghan narcotics,” Russian news agencies quoted Viktor
Ivanov as saying. “More than 16 million have been affected, physically and
mentally.” Moscow says 30,000 Russians died last year from using Afghan heroin.
The Russian authorities have repeatedly voiced alarm at the growth in
drug trafficking from Afghanistan, blaming current US policies in the country
which focus on netting traffickers rather than producers.
Full report at
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/afghan-heroin-killed-millions,-says-russia-860
--------
Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey agree to enhance cooperation against
terror
June 08, 2010
* Istanbul meeting condemns Israeli attack on Freedom Flotilla
* Freight train service between Turkey and Pakistan also discussed in
meeting
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turkey on Monday reiterated that
terrorism is a crime against humanity and agreed on various steps to decisively
counter the lethal nexus of terrorism, extremism and
narcotics.
The understanding was reached at a trilateral meeting of the three
countries in Turkey, which was attended by Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister
Ahmet Davutoglu, Afghan Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Zalmai Rassoul and Foreign
Minister Mahkdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
The ministers of Afghanistan and Pakistan also condemned the Israeli
aggression on the Freedom Flotilla, and underlined their solidarity with the
government and people of Turkey. They also paid their condolences to the people
of Turkey and families of the victims.
Full report at
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\06\08\story_8-6-2010_pg1_3
--------
Five killed in Kalat, Khuzdar violence
June 08, 2010
QUETTA: Five people were killed and another two injured in two
separate incidents of violence in Balochistan’s Khuzdar and Kalat districts on
Monday. Four people were killed and two were injured in a tribal clash in
Mongechar area of Kalat. Following the incident, Levies Force rushed to the
scene and took the bodies and the injured to a nearby hospital. The deceased
were identified as Rehmatullah, Ghulam Nabi, Babo and Haji Mohammad Siddiq,
while Dawood Shah and Abdul Hayee were injured in the clash. In Khuzdar,
unidentified gunmen killed a man in the district’s Zehri tehsil. The assailants
opened indiscriminate fire, killing Naseer Ahmed on the spot. Police registered
a case and started investigation. Officials said the incident was a case of
motorcycle-snatching, as the assailants had fled with Ahmed’s bike. Also, a man
committed suicide over a domestic dispute in Ustha Mohammad
area.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\06\08\story_8-6-2010_pg7_5
--------
Security forces kill 12 terrorists in Orakzai
Agency
June 08, 2010
PESHAWAR: Security forces killed at least 12 militants and injured 20
others in Orakzai Agency on Monday, official sources said. According to sources,
helicopter gunships targeted militant hideouts in Ismail Zai tehsil and others
adjoining areas of the agency, killing 12 militants and wounding 20 others.
Three vehicles of the Taliban were also destroyed in the attack, they
added.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\06\08\story_8-6-2010_pg7_7
--------
12 Afghan terror suspects held
June 08, 2010
Lahore—Foiling another attempt of terrorism, Law Enforcement Agencies
on Monday arrested 12 Afghan Nationals who were in injured condition.
According to Media Reports, Law Enforcement Agencies have arrested 12
Afghan nationals from various areas of Lahore and were mostly injured besides
huge cache of arms and ammunition have been recovered from their possession.
During initial investigations, they confessed that they had come from
Afghanistan, Quetta, Karachi and other areas for involvement in suspicious
activities.
Police say that some of the Afghans were in critical condition as
they were badly wounded with gun bullets and were staying in a house. The
arrested Afghan were of the view that they came for treatment in Lahore. Police
Sources say that they could be dangerous hence they have been shifted to an
isolated place for interrogations after formally being arrested.
The Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) police apprehended 12
foreigners, including two Arabs and 10 Afghans, in injured condition in Township
area here Monday.
http://dailymailnews.com/0610/08/FrontPage/FrontPage8.php
--------
Iran rounds up 25 Pakistani for trespassing
June 08, 2010
CHAGHI—At least 25 Pakistani nationals were arrested by Iranian
authorities when they were trespassing into Iran without legal documents at
Teftan border region. The detainees were later handed over to Pakistani
authorities, official sources said here on Monday. “These men have been arrested
by Iran Levies when they were trying to enter Iran illegally,” official sources
said adding that the 25 people will be charged for trespassing. “The arrested
Pakistanis have told that they wanted to go to Egypt,” sources said they have
paid an agent to traffic them to Egypt.
http://dailymailnews.com/0610/08/Brief/Brief4.php
--------
MIS Jeddah marks literary day
Jun 8, 2010
JEDDAH: Mahd Al-Uloom International School Jeddah (MISJ) students
marked a literary day recently with cultural displays, catwalk, mimicry and
various other presentations.
Indian International School, Jeddah, Principal Syed Masood Ahmed was
the chief guest. The program started with the recitation of the Holy
Qur’an.
Dr. Mohammed K.M., principal of MISJ, welcomed the gathering with an
expressive speech.
He quoted Mahatma Gandhi, when he said, “Education is the overall
development of the human being: mind, body and spirit.” He said students in Gulf
countries have talent that requires proper exposure. MISJ aims to hone its
students talents by organizing weekly literary competitions.
Masood, who was presented a memento from the school manager Syed
Habib Thangal, expressed his pleasure in attending the event. He said he always
appreciated all student-teacher gatherings.
Full report at
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article62487.ece
--------
Distraught Saudi father disowns ‘stupid son’
Jun 8, 2010
ABHA: The father of an Al-Qaeda terrorist, Saeed Al-Shehri, who was
formerly detained in Guantánamo Bay and then underwent a correction program in
the Kingdom after which he fled to Yemen to join other militants, has spoken out
against his son whom he described as stupid and disloyal to his family and
nation.
“I wished I could kill him with my own hands after I found him
deceiving me and shaming and humiliating my family, tribe and nation,” said Ali
Jaber Al-Shehri. “He accused me of being an infidel before he left for Yemen.”
Speaking to Al-Madinah newspaper, Ali, a retired military officer, said he has
lost all hope in his son returning to the Kingdom to live a normal life after he
fled to Yemen where he assumed the leadership of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian
Peninsula.
Full report at
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article62475.ece
--------
Yemen says second Al-Qaeda suspect surrenders
Jun 8, 2010
SANAA: Yemen said Monday that an Al-Qaeda operative turned himself in
to authorities in the country's northeastern province, the second such surrender
in two days.
The development came as Yemen intensified its campaign to drive
Al-Qaeda militants from their strongholds across this impoverished Arabian
Peninsula country.
According to a statement by Yemen's Supreme Security Committee, the
suspect gave himself up late Sunday in the province of Marib, surrendering to
the local governor there.
The suspect was identified as Hamza Ali Saleh Al-Dayan, who is
believed to have trained suicide bombers and helped plan the July 2007 suicide
attack that killed seven Spanish tourists and two Yemenis in the same
province.
Al-Dayan was among 23 Al-Qaeda members who escaped from a Yemeni jail
in Feb. 2006, through a tunnel dug under the prison. He was later accused of
taking part in the 2008 mortar attack against the US Embassy in Sanaa that
killed a policeman and a young girl at an adjacent school. He and three
accomplices fled in a car after that attack.
Full report at
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article62509.ece
9:49 PM
Sultan Shahin
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