Turkish jets raid northern Iraq, clashes kill
20
Egypt bars
activists from delivering aid to Gaza
Saudi may enrich uranium for N-plants:
Report
Obama fails to improve US image in Muslim
World
Indian
Lover, In Jail Over Love For Pak Model, Freed
Holbrooke pledges
transparency in US aid to Pakistan
Jamaat chief
warns of anti- Ahmadi movement
School melds studies of
faiths
Iranian clerics lash
out on veiling
Ajmer is home
away from home for Pak delegation
One million caught up in
Kyrgyz violence, UN says
China's positive
ratings dip 9% in India, remain high in Pakistan
Gunmen attack security
service HQ in south Yemen
'Alarming' rise
in Afghan violence, says UN
Pakistan to examine
Indian dossier before foreign secretaries level
talks
US missile strike kills 12 in
Pakistan
Headley input on LeT
chief added to fresh 26/11 dossier
MNS stops Pak comedian
from shooting
Threat to Indian
assets in Kabul
Alagiri presses for
holistic approach to rehabilitation
Al-qaida asks
Yemeni tribes not to hand over its
fighters
Kashmir teen died after
firearm injury, says autopsy report
Press Pak to bring
Mumbai accused to book, Hillary told
Seven Iraq troops killed
near Syria border in new ties blow
UN curbs show double
standards: Iran
Nirupama Rao to hold
talks in Islamabad
Yasin Malik,
supporters held
Russian Troops To Guard
Strategic Kyrgyz Sites
Retention Of
N-Capability Compulsion: Pak
Faisal charged with New
York bomb bid
UN launches $71
million Kyrgyzstan emergency aid appeal
Recruiters mount
campaign to hire Thai domestic helpers
27 killed, including
translator, in Iraq
Iraq refugee problem
unresolved despite resettlement
Al-Sistani tipping political
balance?
Sarkozy, Cameron mark
de Gaulle war broadcast
5 NATO troops including 3
Americans killed in Afghanistan
Alert issued for
Afghans gone AWOL from Texas base
Napolitano: US must
balance liberties, security
Turkey: May air raid
killed 100 Kurdish rebels
8 Turkish soldiers,
12 rebels killed in clashes near Iraq border
UN probing Britain over
beating of Iraqis
Thirsty Pakistan gasps
for water solutions
Saudi
philanthropists making a difference
Prince Naif encourages
Haia to be prudent and gentle
Rabbani asked to
resolve Sindh-Balochistan water row
14 soldiers airlifted from
Afghanistan
Child labour linked to
poverty
Working women still to
benefit from protection act
Hizbullah denies
ties to Gaza-bound women aid ship Lift Gaza blockade:
Abbas
Bomb kills one,
wounds eight in Dera Ismail Khan
‘Democracy should flourish,
deliver’
PIA women accuse
pilots of harassment
Corruption in Lebanon:
‘Aspirin’ helps in many ways
‘Pakistan has
enormous potential to cope with crises’
Najamuddin hopes
Afghan Refugees to return in 3 yrs
UN launches $71 million
Kyrgyzstan emergency aid appeal
Ishrat case: Victim's
father files application in Guj HC
Pak to examine Indian
dossier before FS level talks
U.N. Rights Council
Backs 'Censorship' Watchdog, Elevates U.S. Foes
Compiled by
Asit kumar
Photo: Slain Kuwaiti prince Shaikh Basel Salem Sabah Al Salem Al
Sabah
------
Kuwaiti prince shot dead, reportedly by
uncle
June 19,
2010
Dubai: A Kuwaiti prince
has been fatally shot allegedly by his uncle, reports reaching here have said.
In a brief statement, the
Kuwaiti ruler's court has said the country was "mourning the demise of Shaikh
Basel Salem Sabah Al Salem Al Sabah, who passed away at the age of 52," without
giving details of what caused his death.
The court said Shaikh
Basel will be buried today. However, Arabic media reports said Shaikh Basel was
allegedly shot several times by an uncle on Thursday evening at his weekly
meeting place while the two had an argument over cars. He was rushed to a local
hospital, but died on the way.
Reports also said the
prince had been shot several times from a close range and that the alleged
killer has been taken into custody.
An investigation has been
launched into the incident. Shaikh Basel was the grandson of Kuwait's 12th Emir
Shaikh Sabah Al Salem Al Sabah.
http://www.zeenews.com/news635078.html
------
Egypt bars activists from delivering aid to
Gaza
June 19,
2010
Cairo: Egyptian
authorities have barred activists from delivering aid to Gaza through Rafah
crossing despite opening it for an indefinite period to allow humanitarian aid
into the Palestinian territory, an opposition MP has claimed.
Egypt on June 1 decided
to open the order after a raid by Israeli commandos on an aid flotilla bound for
Gaza, in which nine peace activists were killed.
"Three convoys were
recently barred entry into the Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing and the relief
aid including the foodstuffs were seized," Muhsin Radi, Member of the Muslim
Brotherhood Parliamentary Bloc at the Egyptian People's Assembly, said.
Radi and one of the
participants in the convoy dispatched by the professional associations loaded
with relief aid from the al-Qalyubiyah Governorate said that the decision to
open of the Rafah crossing was a pure media show which is meaningless in
practical terms.
Radi noted that they
faced many problems as they were heading with the convoy. They were stopped more
than once and as soon as they arrived in al-Arish, their convoys were seized.
The trucks were carrying 50 tons of relief aid and three tons of medicines.
He said that the Egyptian
authorities asked them to go to the al-Awjah crossing, and this request made the
organisers more furious and they rejected to admit the relief aid via a Israeli
crossing.
He said that he refused
to hand over the convoy to the Zionist entity and declared a strike in front of
the Rafah crossing along with the delegations that were supportive of the Gaza
cause.
Radi pointed out that the
Egyptian authorities threatened them but they continued their strike and
insisted on breaking the siege that was clamped on the destroyed Gaza Strip.
Opposition groups have
accused Egyptian authorities of complicity in the Israeli blockade and have
demanded a full, unrestricted opening of the border.
He noted that Egypt is
duty-bound by history and geography to help the 1.5 million encircled
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Radi said he would table
a question at the People's Assembly condemning the violations that have been
committed against the relief convoys dispatched to support the Gaza people and
against the lack of Egyptian sovereignty concerning the continued opening of the
crossing on permanent basis.
http://www.zeenews.com/news635147.html
--------
Turkish jets raid northern Iraq, clashes kill
20
June 19,
2010
Ankara: Turkish warplanes
launched air raids at suspected Kurdish rebel positions in northern Iraq
Saturday after a rebel attack on a military outpost in Turkey touched off
clashes in which eight soldiers and 12 rebel fighters died, Turkey's military
said.
Special Forces were also
immediately sent to reinforce the border area where the clashes occurred and
Turkish warplanes bombed detected Kurdish rebel positions in northern Iraq the
military said, without providing any further details.
Fourteen other soldiers
were wounded in the fighting, it said.
Kurdish rebels have
dramatically stepped up attacks in Turkey in recent months, threatening a
government attempt to end one of the world's longest guerrilla wars. The
military said yesterday more than 40 soldiers had been killed since March,
including six who died in a rocket attack on a vehicle near a naval base in
southern Turkey, and warned it anticipated more attacks.
Turkey's military has
responded by sending warplanes across the border for raids on suspected rebel
bases while elite commandos crossed the border in pursuit of the rebels in a
day-long incursion earlier this week.
http://www.zeenews.com/news635196.html
------
Saudi may enrich uranium for N-plants:
Report
Jun 19,
2010
Saudi Arabia may mine and
enrich uranium to fuel power plants if it embarks on a civilian nuclear energy
programme, a newspaper report citing a draft nuclear strategy for the Kingdom
has said.
According to the report,
Saudi Arabia would want to play a role in as many of the stages of generating
nuclear power as possible eventually.
“Enrichment could happen
there and the same with mining uranium. But outsourcing will happen initially,”
David Cox, president for energy at the UK branch of Finnish management
consultancy Poyry was quoted by Arab News as saying.
Saudi Arabia instructed
Poyry to evaluate the economic and technical feasibility of its involvement in
all stages of the nuclear power generation cycle.
“They want to be
involved in as many aspects as possible and our study is to evaluate what part
of it is possible at a reasonable economic cost,” Cox said adding that the study
will be completed in a couple of months and includes an overall strategy from
technical, economical and institutional dimensions for starting the development
of nuclear plants.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/263578/Saudi-may-enrich-uranium-for-N-plants-Report.html
------
Indian Lover, In Jail Over Love For Pak Model,
Freed
Jun
19th, 2010
Love for a Pakistani
woman — stated to be a model — drove an Indian youth to try illegally go across
the border before he ended up in a jail.
The youth, 24, was nabbed
by Indian customs department at Attari railway station on Thursday when he was
attempting to board in Samjautha Express train to Pakistan without passport and
visa.
Assistant customs
commissioner custom V.K. Mahajan said the young man, a post graduate in MCA and
a resident of M M M Engineering College in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, was
apprehended when he had attempted to cross over to Pakistan by the Samjautha
Express.
Mr Mahajan said the
youth, during a long interrogation session here on Friday, claimed he fell in
love with a Pakistani model during an Internet chat. When she said that if he
loves her he must try to reach Pakistan at any cost, the youth, without applying
his mind, attempted to cross into Pakistan by train.
A court here set
the youth free on Friday evening after slapping a Rs 1,000 fine on him. His
lawyer D.K. Sharma said the court took a lenient view as he is a student.
http://www.asianage.com/india/indian-lover-jail-over-love-pak-model-freed-159
------
Holbrooke pledges transparency in US aid to
Pakistan
Jun 19,
2010
US Special Representative
for Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke has promised “accountability” and
“transparency” in America’s civilian aid to Pakistan, a fortnight after a top
Senator had expressed serious concern that the funds might end up in bank
accounts of corrupt politicians and officials of the country.
In a letter to Chairman
of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senator John Kerry, Holbrooke said the
State Department and the USAID are taking several measures to improve
accountability, including requiring separate bank accounts for US assistance and
placing US-hired accountants inside ministries.
Pledging more
transparency as the money starts to flow, Holbrooke in his letter dated June 14
said: “We are beginning to communicate our plans to the [Government of Pakistan]
and the Pakistani people.
“Your suggestion of
providing more information about our efforts on the Internet is a good one, and
we plan on putting more information on the USAID and embassy websites as our
plans become more concrete.”
Holbrook’s letter to
Kerry is in response to the strong-worded letter written by the Senator last
month in which he apprehended that the massive civilian aid flowing into
Pakistan would be squandered or stolen and argues that the high level of
corruption in Pakistan would make effective aid distribution a
challenge.
“Among the Pakistani
population there is already a fear that the funds will merely enrich the corrupt
elite. Channeling so much of the money through untested institutions so quickly
could serve to confirm these suspicions,” Kerry wrote. “If significant portion
of the Kerry-Lugar-Berman funds are, for example, siphoned off to private bank
accounts, political support for continued appropriation of the money could
evaporate in Washington and Pakistan,” he said.
“We agree completely,”
Holbrooke said in his response to Kerry’s letter.
In his four-page letter,
Holbrooke, confirms that half of the US $1.45 billion in aid to Pakistan in 2010
will be channeled through Pakistani federal and provincial agencies, 13 per cent
of which will go to direct budget support.
“We also have established
USAID and State Inspector General Offices in Islamabad, and are asking them to
lend their expertise in the project design phase to help develop better
mechanisms to guard against waste and fraud,” Holbrooke said.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/263564/Holbrooke-pledges-transparency-in-US-aid-to-Pakistan.html
------
Jamaat chief warns of anti- Ahmadi
movement
19 Jun,
2010
LAHORE, June 18:
Jamaat-i-Islami chief Syed Munawwar Hasan on Friday warned of a fresh
Khatm-i-Nubuwwat movement if the “Qadiyanis did not accept their minority
status” in Pakistan and the government kept silent about “their blasphemous and
unconstitutional activities”.
Addressing a Friday
congregation, he said the killings at the Ahmadi worship places in the city were
condemned by all sections of society. These attacks, he said, had been carried
out not by Muslims but by the enemies of Islam. However, after these attacks,
the Ahmadis projected themselves as an oppressed community and were not prepared
to accept their minority status, he added.
According to the Jamaat
chief, all this was being done at the behest of foreign powers and a section of
the press was also supporting them. He warned that people would be forced to
launch a fresh movement against the Qadiyanis if the present situation
persisted.
He condemned target
killings in Karachi and Balochistan and asked the interior minister to name the
foreign powers involved in that.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/national/jamaat-chief-warns-of-anti-ahmadi-movement-960
------
Obama fails to improve US image in Muslim
World
June 19,
2010
WASHINGTON—Struggling at
home, President Obama continues to have the most difficulty in improving United
States image in Muslim countries. In Egypt, where Mr. Obama gave a much-heralded
address in Cairo in June 2009, only 17 percent of those surveyed said they had a
favorable view of the United States, the lowest rating in the five years
Egyptians had been polled. Last year, 27 percent of those polled said they had a
favorable view.
According to a survey of
nearly 25,000 people in 22 countries published Thursday by the Pew Research
Center, the popularity of the United States in Muslim countries has declined.
Not only the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but also the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan have reined in some of the enthusiasm generated by Obama’s election
in November 2008.
Full report
at:
http://dailymailnews.com/0610/19/FrontPage/FrontPage5.php
------
School melds studies of
faiths
By
NARDINE SAAD
June 19,
2010
CLAREMONT, Calif. -- A
rabbi, a minister and an imam walk into a classroom, and it's no
joke.
The Claremont School of
Theology has taught Methodist ministers for more than a century. This fall it
will try an unorthodox approach: cross-training the nation's future Muslim,
Jewish and Christian religious leaders as they work toward their respective
degrees.
The experimental approach
launched this month aims to create religious leaders who not only preach
tolerance in a time of religious strife, but who have lived it with those in
other Abrahamic faiths.
The idea has met
resistance from conservative elements in some faith communities; its architects
say that only underscores the need for such an approach. Topics will include
inter-religious conflict resolution, Scripture and ethics.
Full report
at:
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=942778&category=REGION
------
Iranian clerics lash out on
veiling
By Meris
Lutz
June 19,
2010
One top leader criticizes
Ahmadinejad for suggesting a cultural campaign would better address the issue of
'badly-veiled women,' not morality police.
Hard-line Iranian clerics
determined to reverse the trend of what they regard as "badly veiled women" took
aim Friday at an unlikely target: conservative President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad.
In a televised interview
last week, Ahmadinejad suggested a "cultural campaign" against interpretations
of Islamic dress that have been deemed improper by authorities rather than the
humiliating high-profile police crackdown already underway.
His comments came weeks
after law enforcement agencies stepped up efforts to curb what many within the
regime see as a threat to the ruling ideology. Morality police have been
stopping cars carrying women and shutting down stores that sell clothing
considered immodest.
Full report
at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iran-veil-20100619,0,4985399.story
------
Ajmer is home away from home for Pak
delegation
Akhilesh
Kumar Singh
Jun 19,
2010
Ajmer: Two lahariya
Rajasthani saris top the wishlist of Rawalpindi resident Aamir Sattar Qureshis
family.Then,sohan halwa,bangles made of lac,the holy thread of dargah
sharif,cotton lungis and Ajmers special namazi topis complete the list. These
are things I had budgeted for,but there is always scope for more, says
40-year-old Qureshi.
This visitor from
Pakistan is part of a 454-member delegation that arrived in Ajmer on a special
train to participate in the ongoing 789th urs (death anniversary) of the 12th
century Sufi saint,Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti.
Lunching at the residence
of their khadim (priest) Haji Syed Mohammad Ehsaan on Thursday,these
delegates,who had started their journey in Rawalpindi last Sunday,talk about the
cultural ethos that they share with people in India.
Full report at: Times of
India
------
One million caught up in Kyrgyz violence, UN
says
Jun 19
2010
Kyrgyzstan : More than
one million people have been affected by the violent conflict in Kyrgyzstan and
need food and other aid supplies, UN officials said on Friday.
They include some 400,000
people left homeless after fleeing ethnic clashes in the southern cities of Osh
and Jalalabad that erupted a week ago. Some 300,000 are displaced within
Kyrgyzstan while another 100,000 people have crossed over into
Uzbekistan.
"For the moment, we
estimate that we will probably need to respond to the needs of more than one
million people, displaced people, refugees and people in host families who have
been affected by the conflict," Christiane Berthiaume, spokeswoman of the UN
Children's Fund (UNICEF), told a news briefing.
Full report
at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/one-million-caught-up-in-kyrgyz-violence-un-says/635903/
------
China's positive ratings dip 9% in India, remain
high in Pakistan
Jun 19,
2010
BEIJING: China's positive
ratings in India have dipped with a new opinion poll showing 34 per cent of
Indians view it favourably compared to 43 per cent in an earlier survey, but 85
per cent of Pakistanis rated it as a friendly nation.
The survey, conducted by
US-based Pew Research Centre to gauge the world wide perspectives about China,
showed that 52 per cent Indians viewed China unfavourably while 34 per cent gave
it a favourable rating.
The new polls showed a
nine per cent dip in the favourable rating enjoyed by China in India as an
earlier survey conducted by Chinese firm Horizan research consultancy group
between 2000 and 2009 showed that 43 per cent Indians considered China as a
partner and 23 per cent regarded it as hostile.
Full report
at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/China/Chinas-positive-ratings-dip-9-in-India-remain-high-in-Pakistan/articleshow/6066808.cms
------
Gunmen attack security service HQ in south
Yemen
19 June
2010
Gunmen have attacked the
headquarters of Yemen's Political Security Service in the southern city of
Aden.
At least two members of
the security forces have been killed. Unconfirmed reports said up to 11 people,
including six security personnel, were dead.
Heavy exchanges of
gunfire continue and smoke is rising from the area.
Local officials blamed
the raid on al-Qaeda, which has urged supporters to take up arms against the
government in response to a crackdown in the east.
During Saturday's attack
several suspected militants were set free from the intelligence service's
building, which is situated in the al-Tawahi district near the city's port, the
officials added.
Full report
at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/10356975.stm
------
'Alarming' rise in Afghan violence, says
UN
19 June
2010
Violence in Afghanistan
increased dramatically in the first four months of this year, the UN
says.
In a quarterly report to
the UN Security Council, it said roadside bomb attacks rose by 94%, compared
with the same period in 2009.
On average, the report
said, there were three suicide bombings a week, half of them in the country's
volatile south.
The findings come amid a
major Nato-led operation in Helmand and a surge of US
reinforcements.
US President Barack Obama
ordered 30,000 extra troops to Afghanistan in December.
Full report
at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/asia_pacific/10356741.stm
------
Pakistan to examine Indian dossier before foreign
secretaries level talks
Jun 19,
2010
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's
interior ministry will examine the eleventh dossier handed over to Islamabad by
India on the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks ahead of a crucial meeting of the
foreign secretaries to bridge the trust deficit between the two countries.
Foreign Office spokesman
Abdul Basit said in a brief statement that arrangements were being made for
"receipt of the material from New Delhi".
He said: "The material
will be forwarded to the interior ministry for examination when received."
Talking to a TV news
channel, Basit said the Pakistan government is of the firm opinion that
whosoever was involved in the Mumbai attacks should be punished.
"Pakistan is conducting
the trial of the accused on its soil in a transparent and professional way and
the recently extended evidence by Indian authorities would be analysed
appropriately," he said.
Full report
at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Pakistan-to-examine-Indian-dossier-before-foreign-secretaries-level-talks/articleshow/6067515.cms
------
US missile strike kills 12 in
Pakistan
Jun 19,
2010
MIRANSHAH: A US drone
aircraft fired two missiles in Pakistan's North Waziristan region on the Afghan
border on Saturday, killing 12 militants, intelligence officials said.
The missile attack took
place hours after the US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard
Holbrooke, landed in Islamabad for talks as part of the Pakistan-US strategic
dialogue initiated in March.
The drone targeted a
suspected militant compound in Sokhel village, about 25 km (16 miles) east of
Miranshah, the main town of the region and known as a hotbed of Taliban and
al-Qaida militants, the intelligence officials said.
"Twelve militants have
been killed and three wounded in the attack on a compound which is linked to
Taliban and al- Qaida," one intelligence official said.
Full report
at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/US-missile-strike-kills-12-in-Pakistan/articleshow/6067255.cms
------
Headley input on LeT chief added to fresh 26/11
dossier
Jun 19,
2010
New Delhi: In the 11th
dossier handed over to Pakistan since the 26/11 attack,India has provided
details on the 34 terrorists,including fugitives who have been recruited by the
ISILashkar combine to launch terror attacks as part of the Karachi Project,in
the form suggested by Pakistan.
India gave Pakistan the
full copy of the Mumbai trial,a copy of the verdict,the chargesheets,evidence
presented and used,and confessional statements.Pakistan had asked India for all
of these in its last dossier.The Hafiz Saeed evidence,Indian officials feel,is
crucial.Although nobody was willing to confirm it,its believed the Indians have
got this from the David Headley interrogations.
Full report at: Times of
India
------
MNS stops Pak comedian from
shooting
Bharti
Dubey
Jun 19,
2010
Mumbai: A day after
Maharashtra Navnirman Senas film cell issued a letter to Sony Television warning
it of dire consequences if it didnt remove Pakistani artiste Shakeel Siddiqui
from its laughter show immediately,both the channel and the comedian seem to be
defiant.Siddiqui is in Mumbai and will return to Pakistan only after completing
shooting for the show.He did not shoot on Friday.
At the set,there was
heavy police bandobast on Friday. Anticipating disruption of shooting by MNS
men,there was a large police deployment.The producers dont want to take any
chances.So,Siddiqui did not shoot on Friday, said a source.
Full report at: Times of
India
------
Threat to Indian assets in
Kabul
Jun 19,
2010
Indian Embassy in Kabul
and other assets in Afghanistan may face terror attacks in the near
future,according to intelligence inputs which warn of heightened threat from
elements based in Pakistan.Security personnel guarding the Embassy,which has
already been targeted twice since 2008,and Indian nationals working on
developmental projects have been alerted to the possibility of attacks,sources
said.PTI
Times of
India
------
Alagiri presses for holistic approach to
rehabilitation
Jun 19,
2010
New Delhi: Besides
exploring the feasibility to extradite former CEO of Union Carbide Warren
Anderson,the Group of Ministers (GoM) on Bhopal gas leak on Friday also took
note of the medias focus on the case,stressing that there was little room to
reinforce the perception of leniency.
A discussion is at hand
on calculating the quantum of the hike in compensation at current prices.There
is difference of opinion on the issue but the possibility of a significant hike
is strong.Sources said chemicals minister M K Alagiri,who framed the
agenda,argued for a switch from individual claims to a better relief and
rehabilitation scheme.He pointed out that Rs 3,000 crore had already been
disbursed in 574,000 cases,and that even the NGOs who presented the case before
the GoM in its last meeting have not pressed for a hike in individual
compensations.
Full report at: Times of
India
------
Al-qaida asks Yemeni tribes not to hand over its
fighters
Jun 19,
2010
Sana'a: Militant outfit
al-qaida has called on tribes in oil-rich Yemen not to hand over its fighters to
the government, saying such an act would put the tribes to shame.
"The (al-qaida) fighters
are your sons, and you (tribal leaders) would put yourself to shame if you hand
over them to the government or cut off ties with them," Xinhua quoted the
al-qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) statement as saying Friday.
al-qaida has directed its
statement to powerful tribes in Marib province, where a tribal leader and the
province's deputy governor, Jabir Ali al-Shabwany, was killed by mistake by an
unmanned drone that was targeting al-qaida hideouts.
Full report
at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Rest-of-World/Al-qaida-asks-Yemeni-tribes-not-to-hand-over-its-fighters/articleshow/6066292.cms
------
Kashmir teen died after firearm injury, says
autopsy report
Muzamil
Jaleel
Jun 19
2010
Srinagar : The post
mortem examination of Tufail Ahmad Mattoo has concluded that the teenager died
of a firearm injury to his head — not, as the government has claimed, after
being accidentally hit by a teargas shell.
The 17-year-old student
was killed while on his way back from tuition on June 11. The four-member team
of doctors that carried out the autopsy has said he died as a result of “fire
arm injury” caused by an “Intermediate Range Rifled Weapon”. The Indian Express
has a copy of the autopsy report.
Eyewitnesses to the
incident had said Mattoo, who had taken shelter in the Gani Memorial Stadium as
the police battled some stone-throwers, collapsed after a policeman “fired” at
him. Area residents had lifted the unconscious teen from the pool of his blood
and requested two men driving by in a Maruti to take him to hospital. Mattoo had
died on the way.
Full report
at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/kashmir-teen-died-after-firearm-injury-says-autopsy-report/635848/
------
Press Pak to bring Mumbai accused to book,
Hillary told
Jun 19,
2010
A delegation of Indian
lawmakers have asked Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to press Pakistan to
bring Mumbai attack accused, including Hafiz Saeed and Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, to
book and ensure that Islamabad does not divert US aid for anti-India
activities.
The delegation led by
Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi met Clinton here and also expressed
concern over the proposed China-Pakistan nuclear deal.
The visiting MPs also
raised these issues during a series of meetings with Congressmen, policy makers
and officials of the Obama Administration.
Full report
at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/263569/Press-Pak-to-bring-Mumbai-accused-to-book-Hillary-told.html
------
Seven Iraq troops killed near Syria border in new
ties blow
June 19,
2010
RAMADI:
Unidentified gunmen killed seven Iraqi troops near the Syrian border on Friday,
the provincial security spokesman said, in an action that could inflame security
tensions between the two states.
"Two minibuses loaded
with gunmen ambushed an army humvee in the main street in Akashat and killed
seven troops and wounded one," a military spokesman for the western province of
Al-Anbar told media.
Witnesses said the
assailants mutilated the corpses of the dead.
The desert in the far
west of Iraq along the Syrian border has seen frequent attacks by insurgents
against US or government targets.
Full report
at:
http://thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=106931
------
UN curbs show double standards:
Iran
Jun 19,
2010
Iran’s top security body
on Friday rallied against the latest UN sanctions imposed over Tehran’s
controversial nuclear programme, saying they show world powers are applying a
double standard.
The Supreme National
Security Council said that US and other nuclear-armed powers have punished Iran
with the sanctions even though it doesn’t have nuclear weapons, while at the
same time they support Israel, which is widely believed to have a sizable
nuclear arsenal.
The Jewish state, which
unlike Iran has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, maintains a
policy of deliberate ambiguity about its nuclear programme, neither confirming
nor denying that it has nuclear weapons.
Full report
at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/263560/UN-curbs-show-double-standards-Iran.html
------
Nirupama Rao to hold talks in
Islamabad
Jun 19,
2010
NEW DELHI: Aimed at
reducing the “trust deficit'' between them, India and Pakistan will embark on a
set of meetings, beginning with the Foreign Secretary-level talks in Islamabad
on June 24.
Foreign Secretary
Nirupama Rao, besides meeting her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir, will also
call on Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, External Affairs
Ministry said in a release.
Manmohan-Gilani
talks
Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh and his Pakistan counterpart Yousaf Gilani met recently in Bhutan capital
Thimpu and decided to bridge the “trust deficit” between the two
nations.
The Foreign
Secretary-level talks are expected to set the agenda for a meeting between
External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and Mr. Qureshi in Islamabad on July
15.
Full report
at:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/06/19/stories/2010061960890100.htm
------
Yasin Malik, supporters
held
Shujaat
Bukhari
Jun 19,
2010
SRINAGAR: Jammu and
Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief Yasin Malik courted arrest along with 30
of his supporters as part of his party's weeklong ‘jail baro' agitation that
began on Friday to protest against the killing of Kashmiri youth in the recent
past.
Accompanied by
Jamiat-e-Ahli Hadees chairman Moulana Showkat Shah, senior lawyer Zaffar Shah,
Kashmiri Pandit leader Kumar Ji Wanchoo, Sikh leader Amarjeet Singh and
chairperson of the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons Parveena
Ahangar, Mr. Malik appeared at Maisuma.
Nearly 25 of his
supporters joined him and raised slogans. All of them were arrested and taken to
the Kothibagh police station. They were being shifted to the Central Jail in
Srinagar, the police said.
Full report
at:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/06/19/stories/2010061963460900.htm
------
Russian Troops To Guard Strategic Kyrgyz
Sites
Jun
19th, 2010
Russian troops will be
deployed to guard some strategic sites in Kyrgyzstan, the Central Asian
country’s interim leader Roza Otunbayeva said on national radio on
Friday.
“Russian troops will
guard some strategic sites in Kyrgyzstan,” Ms Otunbayeva said. “This decision
has been taken to ensure security for these sites.”
Ms Otunbayeva had earlier
asked Russia to send military forces to help quell ethnic clashes that exploded
in the Central Asian state a week ago.
The Kremlin dispatched
humanitarian aid but rejected Ms Otunbayeva’s request for military help, saying
the violence was an internal affair that had to be brought under control by the
government of Kyrgyzstan.
Full report
at:
http://www.asianage.com/international/russian-troops-guard-strategic-kyrgyz-sites-222
------
Retention Of N-Capability Compulsion:
Pak
Jun
19th, 2010
The retention of an
essential nuclear capability is a “compulsion” for Pakistan because of the
growing imbalance created by India’s massive military build-up and “assertive
posturing”, a top Pakistani military commander has said.
General Tariq Majid, the
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, made the remarks while
addressing a convocation ceremony at the National Defence University on Thursday
night.
Though Gen. Majid did not
name India in his speech, it was obvious he was referring to the neighbouring
country as he referred to Indian military doctrines and the India-US nuclear
deal.
Full report
at:
http://www.asianage.com/international/retention-n-capability-compulsion-pak-221
------
Faisal charged with New York bomb
bid
Jun 19,
2010
The 30- year- old was
held while trying to catch aflight to Dubai
THE Pakistani- American
arrested over last month’s botched car bombing in New York’s Times Square was
formally charged on Thursday with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction
and terrorism.
Faisal Shahzad, 30, has
been in custody since his arrest at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport on May 3
as he was pulled off a flight to Dubai two days after allegedly leaving a Nissan
Pathfinder packed with a homemade explosive device parked in the city’s busy
theatre district.
The 10- count indictment
handed down on Thursday by a federal grand jury linked Shahzad to the Pakistani
Taliban, saying he had received explosives training in Waziristan, a Taliban and
al- Qaeda stronghold on the Afghan border.
Full report at: Mail
Today
------
UN launches $71 million Kyrgyzstan emergency aid
appeal
Jun 19,
2010
UNITED NATIONS: The UN is
launching a $71 million emergency appeal for humanitarian aid for Kyrgyzstan,
where about 400,000 people are displaced due to ethnic violence, the UN
secretary-general said on Friday.
"At this very moment OCHA
is launching a $71 million flash appeal for Kyrgyzstan," Ban Ki-moon told
reporters. He was referring to the UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs, headed by John Holmes.
Holmes "is now meeting
with donor member states," he said. He also added that an appeal for Uzbekistan
will be issued early next week.
Full report
at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/UN-launches-71-million-Kyrgyzstan-emergency-aid-appeal/articleshow/6066499.cms
------
Recruiters mount campaign to hire Thai domestic
helpers
Jun 19,
2010
RIYADH: A campaign to
hire domestic workers from Thailand instead of Indonesia has gathered steam in
the wake of the steady increase in recruitment costs for Indonesian
manpower.
While slamming the
“unreasonable and unjustifiable” hike in recruitment fees for workers from
Indonesia, especially commissions for agents, a number of Saudi recruiters have
called on the authorities to begin procedures to hire domestic workers from
Thailand, Al-Riyadh newspaper reported.
“Indonesian agents are
engaged in types of blackmailing and have been putting pressure on Saudi
recruitment offices by increasing their commission to $800 per visa this month
from the $200 that was charged six months ago. We are the victims of the greed
of these unscrupulous agents,” said one Saudi recruiter. His views were echoed
by many others.
Full report
at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article68491.ece
------
27 killed, including translator, in
Iraq
Jun 19,
2010
BAGHDAD: An Iraqi
interpreter for the US military was gunned down on Friday by his son and nephew
north of the capital after he refused their demands to quit his job, a police
official said.
The attack occurred as at
least 27 people were killed nationwide, a grim reminder of the dangers facing
Iraqis despite a sharp drop in violence over the past few
years.
In the deadliest attack,
insurgents ambushed a checkpoint near the Syrian border, killing seven Iraqi
soldiers and wounding an eighth.
Hameed Al-Daraji, who had
worked as a translator for the US military since 2003 against the wishes of his
family, was shot in the chest in his house in Samarra, 60 miles (95 km) north of
Baghdad, police Lt. Emad Muhsin said.
Full report
at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article68461.ece
------
Iraq refugee problem unresolved despite
resettlement
Jun 19,
2010
HASAKEH, Syria: More
refugees from violence-racked Iraq are being resettled but the country's
displacement problem is not going away, the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees said on Friday.
"Many have been living in
limbo for years. This will increasingly be the case if states don't continue to
welcome Iraqi refugees for resettlement," said Antonio Guterres, who is in Syria
to mark World Refugee Day on June 20.
Guterres said around
52,000 Iraqis have been resettled, mostly in the United States, since 2007. The
refugee agency has recommended another 48,000 should be accepted by host
countries.
Full report
at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article68503.ece
------
Al-Sistani tipping political
balance?
Jun 19,
2010
NAJAF: Iraqis hoping for
a secular, nonsectarian government are worried about signs that the country's
most revered Shiite cleric has stepped into the postelection fray with moves
that appear aligned with Iran's own ambitions in Iraq.
The March 7 election gave
a narrow victory to a bloc led by Ayad Allawi, a secular Shiite with Sunni
backing. But Allawi's chances of heading the next government were dampened when
two major Shiite blocs, one of them overtly religious, struck an alliance after
the votes were in.
Now Allawi faces a fresh
challenge in the shape of Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, the 83-year-old sage
who was revered by Sunnis and Shiites alike as a uniter standing above politics,
but who is now seen by many as the man who shut out Allawi and brokered the
alliance that put the Shiites on top.
Full report
at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article68456.ece
------
Sarkozy, Cameron mark de Gaulle war
broadcast
By DAVID
STRINGER
Jun 18,
2010
LONDON: French President
Nicolas Sarkozy marked the 70th anniversary of Charles de Gaulle’s defiant World
War II broadcast from London on Friday, visiting the studio where the leader
urged his compatriots to resist the German occupation.
Sarkozy and his wife,
Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, traveled to Britain and toured Broadcasting House, the
British Broadcasting Corp. complex in central London where UK officials
initially refused de Gaulle’s request to air his appeal, but relented after the
intervention of British wartime leader Winston Churchill.
Full report
at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article68471.ece
------
5 NATO troops including 3 Americans killed in
Afghanistan
Jun 19,
2010
KABUL, Afghanistan: Five
NATO troops including three Americans died in fighting Friday in Afghanistan,
raising to 34 the number of US troops killed in the war so far this
month.
NATO said Friday that the
two Americans died in an insurgent attack and another died in a roadside bomb
explosion, but did not provide further details. The US
command confirmed their
nationalities but did not specify where they died.
In London, the British
Defense Ministry said one of its soldiers was killed by in an explosion in
Helmand province.
NATO said a fifth soldier
was killed in eastern Afghanistan but did not give the
nationality.
Full report
at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article68648.ece
------
Alert issued for Afghans gone AWOL from Texas
base
By
MICHELLE ROBERTS
Jun 19,
2010
SAN ANTONIO: US military
investigators are asking US law enforcement officers to be on the lookout for
Afghan military members who went AWOL while training in Texas, though none is
believed to be a national security threat, officials said
Friday.
Air Force spokesman Gary
Emery said 17 Afghans disappeared from Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio
one-by-one over the last 18 months, but a federal law enforcement official says
seven have been accounted for. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity
because privacy rules prevent disclosure of details about individual
cases.
Full report
at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article68645.ece
------
Napolitano: US must balance liberties,
security
By
LOLITA C. BALDOR
Jun 19,
2010
WASHINGTON: Fighting
homegrown terrorism by monitoring Internet communications is a civil liberties
trade-off the US government must make to beef up national security, the US
homeland security chief said Friday.
As terrorists
increasingly recruit US citizens, the government needs to constantly balance
Americans' civil rights and privacy with the need to keep people safe, said
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.
But finding that balance
has become more complex as homegrown terrorists have used the Internet to reach
out to extremists abroad for inspiration and training. Those contacts have
spurred a recent rash of US-based terror plots and incidents.
Full report
at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article68646.ece
------
Turkey: May air raid killed 100 Kurdish
rebels
Jun 19,
2010
ANKARA: Turkey's military
said Friday it killed as many as 120 Kurdish rebels in an air raid on rebel
hideouts in northern Iraq last month and a daylong incursion by elite commandos
into Iraq this week.
Kurdish rebels have
dramatically stepped up attacks in Turkey in recent months in an escalation that
poses a dire threat to a remarkable attempt at ending one of the world's longest
guerrilla wars. The Turkish military responded to the rebels by sending its
warplanes across the Iraqi border to bomb Kurdish rebel positions after
acquiring intelligence, apparently from the United States and recently purchased
drones from Israel.
Full report
at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article68513.ece
------
8 Turkish soldiers, 12 rebels killed in clashes
near Iraq border
Jun 19,
2010
ANKARA: Kurdish rebels
attacked a military outpost near the Iraqi border early on Saturday, sparking
clashes in which at least eight soldiers and 12 Kurdish rebel fighters were
killed, the military said. Fourteen other soldiers were wounded in the fighting.
The military immediately
sent special forces as reinforcements to the area as helicopter gunships and
artillery fire targeted rebel positions, the military said in a statement.
Separately, Turkish
warplanes attacked rebel positions across the border in northern Iraq, it said.
On Friday, Turkey's
military said it had killed as many as 120 Kurdish rebels in an air raid on
rebel hideouts in northern Iraq last month and in a daylong incursion by elite
commandos into Iraq this week.
Full report
at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/8-Turkish-soldiers-12-rebels-killed-in-clashes-near-Iraq-border/articleshow/6067230.cms
------
UN probing Britain over beating of
Iraqis
Jun 18,
2010
GENEVA: The UN refugee
agency said Friday it is investigating claims by Iraqi asylum seekers that they
were mistreated by British officials before being deported back to
Iraq.
Fourteen failed asylum
seekers told lawyers of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Baghdad that
they were beaten by staff from the UK Border Agency in a London airport before
being forced onto the plane to Iraq late Wednesday, said UNHCR spokesman Andrej
Mahecic.
“We've met with six of
them and saw fresh bruises that indicated mistreatment could have occurred,” he
told reporters in Geneva.
Full report
at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article68479.ece
------
Thirsty Pakistan gasps for water
solutions
By SAHAR
AHMED
Jun 18,
2010
KARACHI: Pakistan is
facing a “raging” water crisis that if managed poorly could mean Pakistan would
run out of water in several decades, experts say, leading to mass starvation and
possibly war.
The reliance on a single
river basin, one of the most inefficient agricultural systems in world, climate
change and a lack of a coherent water policy means that as Pakistan's population
expands, its ability to feed it is shrinking.
“Pakistan faces a raging
water crisis,” said Michael Kugelman, program associate for South and Southeast
Asia Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in
Washington.
Full report
at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article68462.ece
------
Saudi philanthropists making a
difference
By SAEED
AL-BATATI
Jun 19,
2010
MUKALLA: Saudi
philanthropists have significantly contributed to the development of Yemen
through their donations.
Recently, the
philanthropists started establishing their own charities which are used as
channels for funding development projects like building hospitals, schools,
roads, holding medical camps and sending students abroad for studies. In the
past they used to send donations to their agents — mostly individuals — and the
money was spent on building mosques or giving cash handouts to the
poor.
There are three pioneer
charities: The Charitable Fund for Supporting Outstanding Students (CFSOS),
Hadramout Establishment for Human Development (HEHD) and Al-Awn Foundation for
Development (AFD) founded by Saudi businessmen who are descendants of tribes in
Hadramout.
Full report
at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article68444.ece
------
Prince Naif encourages Haia to be prudent and
gentle
Jun 19,
2010
JEDDAH: Second Deputy
Premier and Interior Minister Prince Naif urged Haia members to be prudent and
gentle in their dealings with people.
Prince Naif made the
comments during a meeting at his Jeddah office with the head of the Haia, Sheikh
Abdul Aziz Al-Humain, and members of the Prince Naif Chair for Studies on the
Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice at Madinah Islamic
University.
“We hope the Haia members
work in a manner befitting them. We hope the chair will help the Haia improve
its activities and choose employees of good reputation, who are reasonable,
sympathetic and capable of working under any circumstance with composure and
gentleness,” the prince said.
Full report
at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article68515.ece
------
Rabbani asked to resolve Sindh-Balochistan water
row
By Asim
Yasin
June 19,
2010
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister
Yousuf Raza Gilani on Friday referred the issue of the water row between Sindh
and Balochistan to his adviser on inter-provincial coordination Mian Raza
Rabbani to settle the issue.
He made a decision in
this regard in a meeting with Senate deputy chairman Jan Muhammad Jamali, and
senators SM Zafar and Senator Najma Hameed at the Prime Minister House. Jan
Muhammad Jamali, in the meeting, complained that Balochistan was not getting its
due share from Sukkur Barrage due to which his province was facing water
shortage. On his complaint, Prime Minister Gilani talked to Sindh Chief Minister
Qaim Ali Shah on the telephone and referred this issue to Raza Rabbani, who is
also chairman of the 18th Amendment Implementation Commission.
Full report
at:
http://thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=29547
------
14 soldiers airlifted from
Afghanistan
By
Mushtaq Yusufzai
June 19,
2010
PESHAWAR: The 14
paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) men, who were caught by Afghan security forces
in Kunar province, were brought home in a special military helicopter on
Friday.
Also, Taliban militants,
led by Maulvi Omar Khalid in Mohmand Agency, handed over six bodies of the slain
soldiers, including a junior commissioned officer (JCO) Janas Khan, to a tribal
jirga and claimed that they were still holding 10 other
soldiers.
Military authorities said
34 soldiers were still missing and they have no clue about their whereabouts.
They said the 14 FC men, who had mistakenly crossed into Afghanistan’s Kunar
province, were arrested by the Afghan security forces.
Full report
at:
http://thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=29550
------
Child labour linked to
poverty
June 19,
2010
MANSEHRA: Speakers at a
seminar titled ‘Role of media to protect child rights’ said here Friday that the
government must address poverty and unemployment to resolve the child labour
issue.
The seminar, organised by
Saiban Development Organisation, was attended representatives from
non-government organisations and journalists. The speakers, including Akhtar
Naeem, Nisar Ahmad Khan, Babu Fazlur Rehman, Basharat Ali, Shaukat Tanoli, Jamil
Sadiq, Romail Qamar and Sultan Hameed, said despite tall claims by the
government a large number of children were working in workshops, fields and
steel mills in Mansehra district.
Full report
at:
http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=245889
------
Working women still to benefit from protection
act
Riaz
Khan Daudzai
June 19,
2010
PESHAWAR: Working women
are yet to get remedy under the Protection against Harassment of Women at the
Workplace Act as the law could not be fully implemented so far despite the
directives by Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani. Both the provincial and federal
departments have not taken measures for awareness of the harassment
victims.
President Asif Ali
Zardari signed into law the Protection of Against Harassment of Women at the
Workplace Bill on March 9, 2010 to provide legal cover to the working women in
both private and public sectors organisations, but none of the departments in
all the provinces have taken the measures mentioned in the Act for its
implementation so far.
Full report
at:
http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=245886
------
Hizbullah denies ties to Gaza-bound women aid
ship Lift Gaza blockade: Abbas
June 19,
2010
RAMALLAH/BEIRUT:
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday told US envoy George Mitchell that
Washington must press Israel to lift its blockade of the Gaza Strip. “President
Abbas insisted during the meeting on the need for a continuation of US efforts
to achieve the complete end of the Gaza blockade,” his spokesman Nabil Abu
Rudeina told AFP following talks in Ramallah, the political capital of the
occupied West Bank.
He stressed that
lifting the blockade would favour a restart of direct negotiations between
Israel and the Palestinians that were halted when Israel launched a devastating
22-day genocidal offensive in Gaza in December 2008.
Full report
at:
http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=245972
------
Bomb kills one, wounds eight in Dera Ismail
Khan
June 19,
2010
DERA ISMAIL KHAN: A
roadside bomb targeting a police patrol killed a passer-by and wounded eight
people in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday, police said.
Senior police official
Aslam Khatak said the attack happened as the patrol vehicle traveled through the
town of Dera Ismail Khan.
Among the wounded was an
area police official who played an important role in arresting militants, he
said.
Six policemen and two
civilians also were wounded.
Dera Ismail Khan lies
near Pakistan's troubled South Waziristan tribal region.
A bomb that also targeted
a police patrol in the city in May killed 13 people, including an area police
officer who had received threats.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/provinces/14-five-injured-in-dear-ismail-khan-blast-zj-05
------
‘Democracy should flourish,
deliver’
By
Nabeel Anwar Dhakku
19 Jun,
2010
CHAKWAL, June 18: Lahore
High Court’s Chief Justice Khwaja Mohammad Sharif has said that democracy in the
country is the result of historic defiance shown by Chief Justice of Pakistan
Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry before a dictator.
“We want to see democracy
flourish. We want the stability of democracy. But at the same time it is the
prime duty of democracy to deliver. Democracy should provide equal facilities to
every citizen,” Justice Sharif said while inaugurating the Tehsil Judicial
Complex in Choa Saiden Shah on Friday.
However, he warned that
“those sitting in glass houses should not throw stones at us, otherwise, they
should be reciprocated in the same way”.
Full report
at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/national/democracy-should-flourish,-deliver-960
------
PIA women accuse pilots of
harassment
By
Khawar Ghumman
19 Jun,
2010
ISLAMABAD, June 18:
Female employees of Pakistan International Airlines have submitted five
complaints to the ministry of women development in which they have accused their
male colleagues of sexually harassing them at the workplace.
Adviser to the ministry
Yasmin Rehman told Dawn on Friday the complaints had been forwarded to the
defence secretary, who is the principal accounting officer for PIA.
The parliament recently
passed Protection Against Harassment of Women at Workplace Act of 2010 which
carries a set of minor and major punishments for those involved in the
wrongdoing.
Full report
at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/national/pia-women-accuse-pilots-of-harassment-960
------
Corruption in Lebanon: ‘Aspirin’ helps in many
ways
19 Jun,
2010
BEIRUT: Whenever Elie, a
successful Lebanese architect, starts a new project, he loads up on “aspirin” or
“Panadol” — the codeword in his entourage for bribe money doled out to
officials.
“You need to hand out a
lot of ‘Panadol’ to municipal officials, police, building inspectors and anyone
involved in a project in Lebanon to be able to keep it moving,” said Elie, who
asked that his last name not be used.
“Otherwise they can find
any excuse to delay the project for months if not years,” he added.
“And the amount of
Panadol given depends on the size of the project, its location and the rank of
the official taking the bribe.” Transparency International, a Berlin-based
watchdog, ranks Lebanon as one of the world’s most corrupt countries, placing it
130th — the same ranking as Nigeria and Libya — among 180 nations considered in
a report it released this year.
Full report
at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/corruption-in-lebanon-aspirin-helps-in-many-ways-960
------
‘Pakistan has enormous potential to cope with
crises’
June 19,
2010
KARACHI: Pakistan has
enormous potential to cope with any crisis and the state and nation has proved
this capability in the past.
Javed Jabbar said this
while speaking at the launch of his book titled “Criss-Cross Times –selected
writings about conflict and confluence 2001-2009”, on Friday.
During the period of 2001
to 2009, from common to elite, our country and the international community has
faced sudden and sharp changes in life, Javed pointed out.
He said that Pakistan
possessed a great potential and the dynamic nation has proven itself in the past
to be capable of coping with any situation, adding the nation currently was
passing through a very crucial period of disappointment, grief and
pain.
Full report
at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\06\19\story_19-6-2010_pg12_11
------
Najamuddin hopes Afghan Refugees to return in 3
yrs
By Asad
Shah
June 19,
2010
ISLAMABAD—Minister for
States and Frontier Regions Najamuddin Khan has said that Pakistan will continue
its efforts to ensure the safe and honourable repatriation of Afghan refugees
within the next three years. Addressing a function in connection with World
Refugee Day-2010 here Friday, Najamuddin Khan said Pakistan has adopted a
comprehensive policy in line with the international laws for the safe return of
the Afghan refugees to their homes.
He expressed the hope
that the Afghan government will rehabilitate them permanently and provide them
full opportunity so that they can live in their country in an honourable way. He
also urged the Afghan refugees to return home and live in their country
peacefully.
Full report
at:
http://dailymailnews.com/0610/19/CityPage/CityPages7.php
------
UN launches $71 million Kyrgyzstan emergency aid
appeal
Jun 19,
2010
UNITED NATIONS: The UN is
launching a $71 million emergency appeal for humanitarian aid for Kyrgyzstan,
where about 400,000 people are displaced due to ethnic violence, the UN
secretary-general said on Friday.
"At this very moment OCHA
is launching a $71 million flash appeal for Kyrgyzstan," Ban Ki-moon told
reporters. He was referring to the UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs, headed by John Holmes.
Holmes "is now meeting
with donor member states," he said. He also added that an appeal for Uzbekistan
will be issued early next week.
Ban said there were
shortages of food, water and electricity in parts of Kyrgyzstan due to looting,
lack of supplies and restrictions on movement.
Full report
at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Rest-of-World/UN-launches-71-million-Kyrgyzstan-emergency-aid-appeal/articleshow/6066499.cms
------
Ishrat case: Victim's father files application in
Guj HC
Jun 19
2010
Ahmedabad : Father of one
of the persons killed in a police encounter in 2004 along with college student
Ishrat Jahan on Friday moved the Gujarat High Court demanding that hearing on
his pending plea seeking CBI inquiry into the case begin at the
earliest.
Gopinath Pillai, father
of Javed Ghulam Sheikh alias Pranesh Kumar Pillai who was one of the three
persons killed along with Ishrat, in his application requested the court to
expedite the implementation of Supreme Court order of April
19.
In its April 19 order,
the apex court had asked the Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court to
constitute a division bench on the petitions filed by the deceased's kith for a
CBI inquiry.
According to Rajesh
Mankad who filed the application on behalf of Pillai, the matter would come up
for hearing sometime next week.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/ishrat-case-victims-father-files-application-in-guj-hc/635910/
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Pak to examine Indian dossier before FS level
talks
Jun 19
2010
Islamabad : Pakistan's
Interior Ministry will examine the eleventh dossier handed over to Islamabad by
India on the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks ahead of a crucial meeting of the
Foreign Secretaries to bridge the trust deficit between the two
countries.
Foreign Office spokesman
Abdul Basit said in a brief statement that arrangements were being made for
"receipt of the material from New Delhi".
He said: "The material
will be forwarded to the Interior Ministry for examination when
received."
Talking to a TV news
channel, Basit said the Pakistan government is of the firm opinion that
whosoever was involved in the Mumbai attacks should be
punished.
Full report
at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pak-to-examine-indian-dossier-before-fs-level-talks/635929/
------
U.N. Rights Council Backs 'Censorship' Watchdog,
Elevates U.S. Foes
Jun 19
2010
The United States and its
allies suffered a series of setbacks at the United Nations on Friday as the
Human Rights Council flirted with media censorship and was poised to elevate an
anti-American politician and a Cuban to key positions.
Concerns about censorship
were raised after the 56-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC),
which has tremendous sway in the United Nations, successfully pushed through a
resolution that creates a watchdog to monitor how religion is portrayed in the
media.
The OIC says it will
promote religious tolerance by ensuring that religion is not defamed, as it
claims occurred when Danish cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad provoked
Muslim riots. But the United States and the European Union members on the
council opposed the resolution, fearing that it will censor the press and muzzle
freedom of expression.
Full report
at:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/06/18/suffers-blow-united-nations-council-backs-censorship-watchdog/?test=latestnews
6:30 AM
Sultan Shahin
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