NATO kills over 30 Taliban in Afghan gunbattleHouse arrest for Maldivian opposition
LeT threat to Commonwealth Games: Stratfor
Maldives oppn demands president’s resignation
Turkey, Israel hold secret talks
Hatim Al-Ta’iy fireplace to be turned into tourist site
Kabul pressing for allowing India to use Wagah border
‘Centre’s response to Kashmir crisis an insult to people’
Al Qaeda, Lashkar coming together: US military chief
Pakistan backing Afghan attacks, says UK officer
UK to Repatriate Kids to War-Torn Homes
NATO says district Afghan Taleban chief arrested
Syria detains 400 Kurdish rebels in raids
‘Son of Hamas’ granted US asylum with help of Israeli spies
Social barriers against women disappearing in Balochistan
‘Babar Formula’ on the cards to protect fake degree-holders
South Waziristan free of terrorists: Army
Lal Masjid raid gave birth to vengeful militant group: Pak analysts
Islamabad's new law to gag media on terror images
Pakistan, China to hold joint anti-terror drill
Mumbai attacks: Corrupt Cops Made Karkare 26/ 11 Martyr
'Muslims targeted using terror as excuse'
IAEA offered inspection of Chinese built reactors
Turkey lays out terms for repairing ties with Israel
Tory MP Seeks Ban On Burqa
Al-Qaida under pressure in Afghanistan and Pakistan
Pakistan to train Afghan military officers: report
Why some Saudis are reluctant to talk to the media
Sanctions will not hit N-plan drive: Iran
Nato’s deadliest month in Afghan war
Spy in the sky rakes in millions for Israel
Muslims against Al Qaeda
Why Turkey is looking East
Five years after 7/7
US lawmakers pass Afghan war funding
Indirect talks with Israel not progressing: Fayyad
Turkey not turning its back on West: Gul
New Naif souq before Ramadan
Surprising summer show by Dubai Tourism
Prince Khaled honors flood relief volunteers
Two Uighurs handed 10 years for UAE bomb plot: Emirati newspaper: Emirati newspaper
Prince Naif urges global action against terrorism
Three killed in Taliban US aid group attack in Afghanistan
Reducing trust gap with India to hit terror: PM
Zardari hints at incentive package for bureaucracy
Sindh converted into a colony: JSM-J
Grenade strike in Quetta kills two sisters
Kayani says he did not broker Karzai’s talks with Haqqani
Recall army in Valley: BJP
Mullen's praise for Pakistan
Amid curfew, clashes continue in Kashmir
Nigeria’s Islamic sect leader issues fresh attack threat: Daily Trust
Taliban attack US troops in Afghanistan
LeT harbours ambitions beyond India: Adm Mullen
Pakistan to raise human rights situation in J&K during Krishna visit
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: Security officials examine the site of suicide bomb attacks in Lahore
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43 killed, 180 injured in 3 suicide blasts at Pak shrine
Jul 2, 2010
LAHORE: Three suicide bombers struck a Sufi shrine in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore on Thursday, killing at least 43 people and wounding more than 180, officials said, the second major attack in the city in a month.
Hundreds of devotees were visiting the marble shrine of the 11th century Persian Sufi saint, Syed Ali Hajwairi, commonly known as Data Gunj Bakhsh, in the heart of the city when the attacks occurred.
Muslims in Pakistan visit shrines and mosques in large numbers on Thursday nights and Friday.
"Dead bodies are scattered all over the courtyard of the shrine," Reuters photographer Mohsin Raza said from the scene. "There is blood everywhere. Two of the dead were my friends. It's very horrifying," he said in a choked voice.
One of the attackers blew himself up at the gate of the sprawling, marble shrine while two other attacks took place in the basement of the shrine where people were washing for prayers.
Sajjad Bhutta, a top city administrator, said at least 43 people were killed and 180 wounded.
CHAOS
Mian Rauf, a witness, said devotees were settling down inside the mausoleum and the courtyard for final prayers when the attacks happened.
"First there were three small blasts. People got panicky and started running. But within moments there were big explosions," he said.
"It was all chaos. People were screaming for help and running here and there. It was all smoke. Nothing could be seen and only cries could be heard."
Taliban militants generally abhor the Sufi strand of Islam and disapprove of visiting shrines, which is popular with many Pakistanis.
Militants linked to al Qaeda and Taliban have unleashed a wave of attacks across Pakistan in revenge for the military offensives in their bastions in the northwest of the country near the Afghan border.
While most of the reprisal militant attacks have taken place in the northwest, militants have stepped up attacks in the heartland of the country, mainly the central province of Punjab, in recent months. Lahore is the capital of Punjab.
Officials have blamed attacks in the province on the "Punjabi Taliban," a term used for the militants drawn from Punjab who have joined ranks with Taliban in the northwest.
More than 80 people were killed in twin attacks on the mosques of the minority Ahmadi sect in May.
The shrine at Data Darbar is one of the most famous in Pakistan, attracting hundreds of devotees every night, with Thursdays being the most popular nights. The complex includes a mosque and a police station in the basement.
Farahnaz Ispahani, spokeswoman for President Asif Ali Zardari, condemned the attack: "This sickening poison of extremism will be driven out of our nation and we will not be cowed."
Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani said the attack on the shrine showed that "terrorists have no consideration for any religion, faith and belief."
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Pakistan/41-killed-120-injured-in-3-suicide-blasts-at-Pak-shrine/articleshow/6117912.cms
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NATO kills over 30 Taliban in Afghan gunbattle
02 Jul. 10
KABUL: The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) said on Thursday its forces had killed at least 31 Taliban fighters and captured a rebel chieftain after a four-hour gunbattle in southern parts of Afghanistan.
After record casualties in June, the military alliance also announced the first death for July, saying a soldier whose nationality was not revealed died following an insurgent attack in southern Afghanistan. NATO said it troops had called in air support during gun battle in southern Helmand province where fighting erupted after rebels attacked soldiers moving in on their compound with machine guns and rockets.
In a statement, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said that the Taliban chief of Naw Zad, a restive district of Helmand, was injured and detained following the fighting. “Afghan and international security forces captured the Taliban district chief of Naw Zad and killed a large number of insurgents during an operation in remote Baghran district in northern Helmand province last night,” it said.
ISAF spokesman General Josef Blotz said at least 31 insurgents had been killed in the operation in Baghran. “Throughout the four-hour firefight enemy forces attempted to use improvised explosive devices against the security force,” he told reporters, referring to homemade bombs regularly used by the Taliban. However, the Afghan and the coalition forces employed precision air fire and suppressed the enemy, he said.
A huge arms cache and a quantity of opium had been discovered and destroyed, he said. Troops captured several wounded insurgents following the fighting, the ISAF statement said, and no civilian or soldier was hurt. This operation dealt another significant blow to the Taliban network, said Colonel William Maxwell, ISAF Joint Command Combined Joint Operations Centre director.
As Afghan and international troops work to weaken the insurgency, President Hamid Karzai has signed a decree launching an Afghan Peace and Reintegration Programme, which has been in the works for months, to lure Taliban foot soldiers off the battlefield. The initiative would attract low- to -midlevel fighters with promises of security, jobs, literacy and vocational training plus development aid for their villages. agencies
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\07\02\story_2-7-2010_pg7_38
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House arrest for Maldivian opposition
02 july 2010
A Maldivian court has ordered the house arrest of two key opposition lawmakers amid a power struggle between the country’s president and parliament, an official said Thursday.
The Criminal Court of Male told the police on Wednesday night to keep the two men under house arrest for three days, but the government immediately appealed to the High Court to keep them detained for longer, the official said.
‘The government argues that these two MPs have been trying to bribe independent lawmakers to vote against the government,’ the official said. ‘Investigations are still underway.’
MPs Abdulla Yamin and Qasim Ibrahim, both leaders of smaller opposition parties, were arrested by the police on Tuesday shortly after a political crisis erupted when the cabinet resigned en masse.
The president, Mohamed Nasheed, and the opposition-controlled parliament are at loggerheads over how to run the atoll nation of 330,000 Sunni Muslims two years after the Indian ocean state held its first multi-party elections.
Nasheed’s 13-member group of ministers quit on Tuesday, saying parliament was blocking all its efforts to govern the country, South Asia’s most expensive tourist destination, and undermining the authority of the executive.
Officials said Nasheed, 43, who came to power in 2008 as the Maldives’ first democratically elected leader, would hold off on re-naming a cabinet as the administration functioned with deputy ministers and civil servants.
Opposition People’s Party, or DRP, said it was pressing for Nasheed to resign. ‘People are demanding Nasheed’s immediate resignation,’ DRP spokesman Mohamed Shareef said.
The opposition-led parliament does not have the required two thirds majority to impeach Nasheed who has no power to dissolve the legislature.
Under the Maldives’ presidential system of government, the president handpicks his cabinet and each nomination must be approved by parliament, which can later seek to remove a minister through a no-confidence vote.
The opposition had planned to bring a no-confidence motion against the education minister on Wednesday, but the cabinet resignation pre-empted the move.
Nasheed was elected in October 2008 for a five-year term while the majlis was elected at separate election in May 2009, also for a five-year term.
http://www.newagebd.com/2010/jul/02/inat.html
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LeT threat to Commonwealth Games: Stratfor
02 Jul. 10
The Commonwealth Games face a threat from Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba and other militant outfits, which, according to a US think-tank, may be planning an attack during the event.
Vice-President of Tactical Intelligence, Stratfor, Scott Stewart replied in affirmative when asked whether the sporting event scheduled in October faces any terror threat.
"Yes. Two days after the February 13, 2010 blast in Pune, Ilyas Kashmiri (wanted al-Qaeda terrorist) threatened the Field Hockey World Cup, the Indian Premier League cricket competition and the Commonwealth Games," Stewart said in an interview to PTI.
In support of his claims, the Stratfor analyst quoted a warning of "continue attacks all across India until the Indian army leaves Kashmir" posted by Kashmiri via the Asia Times Online on February 13 this year.
In his message, Kashmiri had also warned the world against sending participants to upcoming global sporting events —- including the Field Hockey World Cup, the Indian Premier League international cricket competition and the Commonwealth Games -- to be held in India this year.
"If you are a militant group planning an attack, the last thing you want to do is to provide a distinct warning and place the security forces on high alert.
"... There are, however, many different militant outfits (such as the LeT) that have an interest in hitting India and it is possible that one of them may be planning something," Stewart said.
He, however, added, "Again, we would not expect to hear a threat from a group that was planning an attack, especially the closer we edge to the event they want to attack. They would be very quiet.
"Publicised threat statements made by militants are not a reliable way to judge the true threat to an event," said the Stratfor analyst./
Over 70 countries are likely to participate in the mega sporting event scheduled from October 3-14 this year. Delhi Police and Central security agencies are striving hard to ensure fool-proof security for the event, which is being hosted by the country for the first time.
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/78783/let-threat-commonwealth-games-stratfor.html
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Maldives oppn demands president’s resignation
02 july 2010
The political deadlock in Maldives continued on Thursday with the opposition demanding President Mohamed Nasheed’s resignation followed by a fresh election to tide over the clash between the executive and legislature.
Two opposition leaders arrested on Wednesday on corruption charges have been put under house arrest. The opposition did not rule out more arrests and crackdowns.
While there was no report of any violence, Male for one remained deeply polarised between the government and its opponents; former President and dictator, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, continues to have support among the elite and business class in the city of around 1.2 lakh residents.
Known for its white, sandy beaches, secluded holiday islands and lately for its fight against global warming, this 20-month old democracy has been stuck in a political stalemate since Tuesday. That was when its 13-member cabinet resigned en masse saying legislations were being blocked by the opposition-controlled 77-member Parliament.
Nasheed, it was learnt, is currently running the administration with junior ministers and bureaucrats and there’s no word yet about renaming the cabinet.
The opposition had planned to bring a no-confidence motion against the education minister on Wednesday, but the cabinet resignation pre-empted the move.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Maldives-oppn-demands-president-s-resignation/Article1-566196.aspx
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Turkey, Israel hold secret talks
Jul 1, 2010
ANKARA: Turkish and Israeli ministers met secretly in Brussels to seek ways of mending fences amid a deep crisis over a deadly raid on Gaza-bound aid ships last month, officials said on Thursday.
Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Israeli trade minister Benjamin Ben Eliezer met Wednesday in Brussels, where Davutoglu was on a visit to discuss his country's EU membership bid, a Turkish official said.
The talks "took place yesterday in Brussels upon a request by Israel," he said on condition of anonymity.
"We had already conveyed a note to Israel explaining our expectations from them... Those expectations were repeated at the meeting," he said.
An official at the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Ben Eliezer held talks Wednesday with "a Turkish official" but would not give other details.
It was the first meeting on a ministerial level since relations between the once-close allies plunged into deep crisis on May 31 when Israeli commandos raided a Turkish ship leading an aid flotilla to the Gaza Strip.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Turkey-Israel-hold-secret-talks/articleshow/6115694.cms
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Hatim Al-Ta’iy fireplace to be turned into tourist site
By MD AL-SULAMI
Jul 1, 2010
JEDDAH: The fireplace of Hatim Al-Ta’iy, a pre-Islamic Arab whose generosity has become proverbial in the Arab world, is to be turned into a tourist site in the northern Saudi city of Hail.
An acclaimed poet, Al-Ta’iy is famous for his legendary hospitality and generosity. Even till today, Arabs who wish to compliment a person’s kindness often say, “He is more generous than Hatim.”
Details of the upcoming tourist attraction were announced at a special function to launch Al-Samra Tourist Resort Project held at Aja Palace in Hail on Saturday evening. “Al-Ta’iy’s fireplace will be a tourist landmark in the region and attract tourists,” said Prince Saud bin Abdul Mohsen, governor of the Hail province.
Prince Saud said the SR200 million project will be implemented over three years, adding that the first phase of the project will be completed in the middle of next year. Businessman Ali Al-Faiz, who is financing the project, said the resort will consist of a closed commercial market, a hotel, chalets and restaurants.
He also said a tower in the shape of a flying saucer would be constructed close to the fireplace to draw tourists.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article77085.ece
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Kabul pressing for allowing India to use Wagah border
Friday, July 02, 2010
By Mehtab Haider
ISLAMABAD: The Karzai-led government in close collaboration with USA is again forcing Pakistan to accept and sign their liked draft on Afghan Transit Trade (ATT) agreement by allowing India to use Wagha-Khyber route for enhancing trade with Kabul, it is learnt.
In the name of “facilitating” both sides aimed at breaking the existing deadlock on ATT negotiations, Afghanistan’s minister for finance along with 12 members delegation is scheduled to visit Islamabad on July 6 with renewed efforts to convince Pakistan to move ahead by signing the controversial ATT draft on immediate basis.
The incumbent regime, the sources said, has silently shifted mandate of facilitating on ATT draft to newly sworn Minister for Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh who has convened first meeting today (Friday) at 11:00am in order to develop its know-how about the issues related to ATT. The main negotiator led by the Ministry of Commerce has been sidelined which is causing annoyance among its high-ups.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=248389
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‘Centre’s response to Kashmir crisis an insult to people’
02 Jul. 10
Opposition Peoples Democratic Party patron and former J&K Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has said response of Union Government to the current crisis in the State borders is an insult to people of Kashmir. Commenting on the official announcement at the end of the meeting convened by PM on Wednesday to discuss Kashmir situation, the Mufti said linking the genuine anger and anguish of people here with terrorism was nothing short of an assault on their self respect and dignity.
Mufti said it appears disconnect between the Centre and the State is deliberately being fuelled to push the people and justify the crackdown on unarmed people.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/266402/%E2%80%98Centre%E2%80%99s-response-to-Kashmir-crisis-an-insult-to-people%E2%80%99.html
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Al Qaeda, Lashkar coming together: US military chief
02 Jul. 10
A top US military official sees greater synergy between terrorist groups with the Al Qaeda leadership living in Pakistan and the Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT), blamed for the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, looking beyond India.
Pakistani-Americans involved in terrorism
“Al Qaeda does live in Pakistan and strategically, I’ve felt, for some time, which is one of the reasons I’ve worked on the relationship with Pakistan so hard,” Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said at Aspen Institute, Aspen, Colorado.
“They are also a country, now, very much under siege from terrorists, internally,” he said in an interaction at the think tank suggesting Pakistan was “very focused on, obviously, the threat against them from “Al Qaeda and the other terrorist groups that are out there.”
“One of the things I’ve watched over the last couple of years is the synergy between terrorist groups,” he said citing LeT and cases of Pakistani-Americans involved in terrorism, including David Coleman Headley, Faisal Shahzad and Najibullah Zazi. Headley has confessed to his role in the Mumbai attack. Shahzad made the failed bombing attempt in Times Square and Zazi has admitted being part of the 2009 US Al Qaeda group accused of planning suicide bombings on the New York subway system.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/americas/Al-Qaeda-Lashkar-coming-together/Article1-566179.aspx
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Pakistan backing Afghan attacks, says UK officer
02 Jul. 10
LONDON: Bomb attacks on US and Nato forces in Afghanistan are being funded and planned from Iran and Pakistan, a senior British officer has said.
Major General Gordon Messenger, who is the spokesman for Britain's mission in Afghanistan said Taliban insurgents were altering their tactics to launch more long-range sniper attacks on Nato forces.
He told newspersons here that British military intelligence has found "evidence" that some of the IED attacks are being supported from outside Afghanistan.
"We are looking beyond Afghanistan in terms of the provision of some of the more sophisticated components and the provision of finance," he said.
"There is evidence that something is coming in from Iran, something is coming in from Pakistan".
Last month, a London School of Economics report said that Pakistan's ISI intelligence service gives extensive backing to the Afghan insurgency.
However, Maj Gen Messenger said there was no evidence of foreign "institutional" support for IED attacks in Afghanistan in the same way that parts of the Iranian regime backed bomb attacks on international forces in Iraq, the Daily Telegraph reported on Friday.
He said there was a constant "arms race of tactics and technology" between Nato forces and their opponents.
Recent weeks have seen an increase in the number of British troops killed by gunshots.
Maj Gen Messenger said, "There has been an increase in a tactic which is more accurate single-shot fire rather than loosing off a magazine in our direction. Our tactics are evolving to counter it".
However, he insisted that the increase in casualties from gunfire was "not statistically significant" and said: "We are not drawing too many conclusions from it".
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UK to Repatriate Kids to War-Torn Homes
Thursday 01 July 2010
By Thea Garland
Amid immigration stresses, Britain plans to turn asylum-seekers away.
London, UK - Amid growing controversy over the treatment of refugees, the British government plans to begin forcibly returning child asylum seekers to Afghanistan, possibly as early as August, according to government officials.
The United Kingdom Border Agency aims to initially deport 12 boys a month to a 4 million pound (nearly $6 million) “reintegration” center in Kabul, which would provide care for minors when their families cannot be found, a Home Office official said.
The deportation proposal represents a major shift in British policy; previously, the government was reluctant to return children out of fears for their safety.
Immigration Minister Damian Green said that the government was acting responsibly and that “the best interests of the young person is a primary consideration in the decision-making process.”
Full report at:
http://www.truth-out.org/uk-repatriate-kids-war-torn-homes60963
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NATO says district Afghan Taleban chief arrested
Jul 1, 2010
KABUL, Afghanistan: President Hamid Karzai has signed a decree launching an Afghan program to lure Taleban foot soldiers off the battlefield, as troops continue rounding up mid- to senior-level militant commanders including a Taleban leader captured in a four-hour gunbattle in the south, NATO said Thursday.
NATO said the Taleban district chief of Now Zad was captured and an unspecified number of insurgents were killed during an Afghan-international force operation Wednesday night in the remote Baghran district in northern Helmand province.
Taleban fighters inside the compound fired rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns before troops called in a precision airstrike, NATO said.
Full report at: http://arabnews.com/world/article76878.ece
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Syria detains 400 Kurdish rebels in raids
Jul 1, 2010
ISTANBUL: Syrian security forces detained 400 people in five cities in Syria in an operation against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) separatist guerrilla group, Turkey's state news agency Anatolian said on Thursday.
Turkey has sought the support of its neighbors in the region and the United States in its fight against the outlawed group, which has killed more than 50 Turkish soldiers in the last two months in escalating violence.
Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, facing public anger at the government's inability to stem the rising violence ahead of next year's elections, has called on allies to cut off funds for the rebels and extradite suspected militants to Turkey.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article76931.ece
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‘Son of Hamas’ granted US asylum with help of Israeli spies
Mosab Hassan Yousef
By BARBARA FERGUSON
WASHINGTON: The US dropped deportation proceedings against the son of a Hamas founder who served as a spy for Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence service before moving to California in 2007.
Mosab Hassan Yousef will be granted asylum in the United States following a routine background check, an immigration judge ruled Wednesday during a deportation hearing in San Diego, Calif. A US Department of Homeland Security attorney said during the short hearing that the government was dropping its objections to the asylum request.
The former Israeli spy said he feared for his life if he were deported. The eldest son of Hassan Yousef, a founder of the Palestinian group, Yousef, 32, was recruited by the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency, in 1997. Israeli agents have been quoted as saying that his information prevented multiple attacks.
Yousef published his memoir in a recent book, “Son of Hamas,” and now promotes the book on the conservative and pro-Israel speaking circuits.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article77121.ece
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Social barriers against women disappearing in Balochistan
By Iftikhar A. Khan
Friday, 02 Jul, 2010
QUETTA, July 1: Social barriers against women in Balochistan appear to be crumbling as an increasing number opt for learning skills which ensure their economic empowerment.
A number of girl students, during a media team’s visit to Pakistan army-run Balochistan Institute of Technical Education, here expressed their desire to establish their own businesses or join the teaching profession after learning skills in different disciplines.
Most of them are taking courses in make-up, cutting, sewing and embroidery as well as computer skills’ courses to either start their own businesses or seek jobs to help support their families.
Some of them from far-flung areas of the province said the culture of preventing girls from going to schools was fast vanishing with the realisation that education was a key to success.
“Our parents give up their opposition when they learn that their children are studying in institutions having credibility,” Mehtab Kanwal, a student, said. Kanwal, who is taking sewing and embroidery courses, said she intended to run a boutique where she would like to teach her skills to others.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/national/social-barriers-against-women-disappearing-in-balochistan-270
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‘Babar Formula’ on the cards to protect fake degree-holders
By Irfan Ghauri
ISLAMABAD: The government’s legal pundits led by Federal Law Minister Babar Awan have come up with a new national reconciliation bill to bail out fake degree-holders, informed sources told Daily Times on Thursday.
The government is currently engaged in taking into confidence its allied parties, as well as the PML-Q over the proposed bill. As pressure mounts on fake degree-holders with each passing day, the Federal Law Ministry has devised a formula — known amongst political circles as the Babar Formula — to save the parliamentarians from any further embarrassment.
“The political ground work is almost complete and the bill has also been drafted”, the sources said, adding that, “It would be presented in the upcoming session of the National Assembly”. Though no more valid now, possessing a bachelors’ degree was one of the prerequisites for contesting national and provincial assembly elections back in 2008.
According to estimates, more than 150 members of the assemblies contested elections on fake degrees and they might have to resign in a move that could have huge political implications for the current government. The bill, if approved by the National Assembly and the Senate, would have a retrospective effect.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\07\02\story_2-7-2010_pg7_9
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South Waziristan free of terrorists: Army
02 Jul. 10
LAHORE: The South Waziristan Agency has been cleared of the Taliban and there are no more insurgent hideouts in the tribal region, a private television channel quoted Pakistan Army’s operations commander in South Waziristan, Major-General Nawaz Khan, as saying on Thursday.
Briefing the media at the Rata Kulachi Stadium in Dera Ismail Khan, the operations commander said that foreign forces were responsible for the situation that had developed in the region, adding that the Pakistan Army had also arrested foreigners and seized foreign-made arms and ammunition from their possession. After the successful completion of operation Rah-e-Nijat, the political administration of the region was responsibly fulfilling its duties, he said, according to the channel.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\07\02\story_2-7-2010_pg7_7
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Lal Masjid raid gave birth to vengeful militant group: Pak analysts
Jul 2, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities now believe a dangerous new militant group, out to avenge a deadly army assault on Lal Masjid in Islamabad three years ago, has carried out several major bombings in the capital previously blamed on the Taliban.
The emergence of the Ghazi Force was part of the outrage among many deeply religious Pakistani Muslims over the July 2007 attack by security forces against the Lal Masjid, a stronghold of Islamic militants.
The fierce attack, in which scores of young, heavily armed religious students died, inspired a new generation of militants. These Pakistanis have turned against a government they felt has betrayed them and, to their dismay, backed the US role in neighbouring Afghanistan.
The brief but bloody history of the Ghazi Force illustrates the unintended results of Pakistan's policy of promoting Islamic extremists to fight India in Kashmir. That policy, which Pakistan denies it pursues now threatens regional stability as the United States and Pakistan's other Western partners pour billions of dollars into the country to stop the rise of Islamic militancy.
The new group is made up of relatives of students who died in the Red Mosque assault. It is named after the students' leader, Maulana Abdul Rashid Ghazi, who was also killed. The mosque's adjacent religious school, or madrassa, had been a sanctuary for militants opposed to Pakistan's support of the US-run war in Afghanistan.
Private television stations broadcast vivid scenes of the assault commandos in black fatigues repelling down ropes, the crackle of gunfire, bodies of black-shrouded girls carried out through the smoldering gates.
Those images stunned the nation, especially families of the students and Pakistanis with deep religious feelings.
Islamabad's inspector general of police, Kalim Imam, said that the Ghazi Force was behind most of the deadliest attacks in the capital during the last three years. The attacks targeted the military, the ISI, which had ties to a number of militants and a five-star hotel frequented by foreigners and the Pakistani elite.
The Ghazi Force helped recruit a security official who blew himself up inside the office of the World Food Program last October, killing five people, according to Imam. The force also sent a suicide bomber in September 2007 into the mess hall of the commando unit that attacked the Lal Masjid, killing 22 people, he said.
Although the assault on Lal Masjid turned many Islamic hard-liners against the government, Pakistan remains unwilling to break all ties to the militants, instead following a high-risk strategy of coddling "good militants" while fighting those deemed "bad militants," analysts say.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Lal-Masjid-raid-gave-birth-to-vengeful-militant-group/articleshow/6116968.cms
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Islamabad's new law to gag media on terror images
Jul 2, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan government is framing new "policy guidelines" to grant permission to foreign media for reporting in the country, even as it is exploring ways to "dilute and ultimately eliminate the Indian media infiltration".
A law is also being framed to restrict graphic coverage of militant attacks, and possibly curb harsh criticism of the government, by increasingly independent television channels. If approved by the National Assembly, the bill, known as the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority Bill, would ban live coverage of the militant attacks, as well as broadcast of "anything defamatory against the organs of the state".
Information secretary Mansoor Sohail has convened a meeting of the hitherto unheard of 'Media Coordination Committee on Defence Planning' to discuss the formulation of guidelines for electronic and print media and preparation of a standard operating procedure for giving permission to foreign media for reporting and making documentaries, Dawn newspaper quoted sources in the information ministry as saying.
The committee will also "suggest measures for dilution and ultimate elimination of Indian media infiltration in the country".
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Islamabads-new-law-to-gag-media-on-terror-images/articleshow/6116985.cms
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Pakistan, China to hold joint anti-terror drill
Rezaul H Laskar | Islamabad
A contingent of Pakistan army’s special forces on Thursday left for China to participate in a joint anti-terrorism drill coinciding with President Asif Ali Zardari’s July 6-11 visit to that country.
The bilateral military training exercise, codenamed Youyi or Friendship III, is the third drill of its kind. The week-long exercise coinciding with Zardari’s visit will be held in Qingtongxia in northwest China’s Ningxia Hui autonomous region.
Troops of the Special Services Group of both countries will participate in the exercise, the Pakistani military said in a statement. “The aim of the exercise is to practice counter-terrorism mechanisms (and) drills in mountains and developing inter-personal rapport between participants of both sides,” the statement said.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/266321/Pakistan-China-to-hold-joint-anti-terror-drill.html
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Mumbai attacks: Corrupt Cops Made Karkare 26/ 11 Martyr
By Ashish Khetan in Mumbai
Missing pages from slain ATS chief ’sfile show top Mumbai officers trashed quality norms to order faulty bulletproof vests
MAHARASHTRA’S slain Anti- Terrorism Squad ( ATS) chief could have survived the bullets of the perpetrators of 26/ 11 had top officers of the Mumbai Police not trashed a recommendation against the purchase of his sub- standard bullet- proof jacket.
This dark truth has come to light from 15 missing pages of the Karkare files that have been accessed by Headlines Today . These pages reveal how standards and procedures were ignored for the purchase of defective bullet- proof jackets — one of which Karkare wore. They also expose the elaborate operation to hide the misdeed after the ATS chief’s death.
The post- mortem report of Karkare shows his death had been caused by bullets that went through his defective jacket. The ATS chief had been felled by three bullets — two had struck him on the right side of the chest and one below the right shoulder — in the thick of a gun battle with terrorists near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus.
Full report at: Mail Today
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'Muslims targeted using terror as excuse'
Jul 2, 2010
NEW DELHI: The Indian government is using counter-terrorism measures to arbitrarily detain large numbers of Muslims, says a new report slamming India's record of protecting minority rights.
No action is being taken against officials who sanction such detentions, even when they are proved illegal, say the authors of the report.
The South Asia chapter of the 2010 State of the World's Minorities and Indigenous People, brought out by the London-based Minority Rights Group (MRG) International, was released in the capital on Thursday. Farah Mihlar, author of the South Asia chapter, said that the perpetrators of acts of violence against religious minorities in India are allowed to act with impunity and noted the poor rate of arrest and conviction, especially of political leaders orchestrating violence.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Muslims-targeted-using-terror-as-excuse/articleshow/6117335.cms
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IAEA offered inspection of Chinese built reactors
02 Jul. 10
MULTAN—Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would be allowed to visit the civil nuclear reactor to be built by Pakistan and China in future for examining. Talking to media persons here on Thursday, Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that Pakistani nuclear arsenals were in safe hands and nobody could dare to cast an evil eye on these assets of Pakistan.
He said that economic stability in the country was important and necessary for stability of politics therefore the government was devising plans for stabilizing economy of the country and enhancing trade among others foreign countries He said that PPP government was making negotiations with foreign countries for joint start of mega projects in Pakistan to overcome power crises. “We are making efforts to gain access to the European markets to enhance trade and we are negotiating with Turkey in this regard because Pakistan can trade with European country through Turkey,” Shah Mehmood Qureshi said.
Full report at:
http://dailymailnews.com/0710/02/FrontPage/index.php?id=3
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Turkey lays out terms for repairing ties with Israel
02 Jul. 10
ANKARA (Turkey)—Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu laid out Turkey’s conditions for improved ties with Israel during a secretly held meeting with an Israeli Cabinet minister, his spokesman said Thursday. Davutoglu met with Israel’s Industry Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer in Brussels on Wednesday in an attempt to mend rapidly deteriorating ties over the deadly raid on Gaza-bound aid ships.
The meeting, which became public after it was reported by Israeli TV, was the first contact between Turkish and Israeli government officials since relations between the two former allies reached a new low over the deaths of eight Turks and a Turkish-American in the raid. Few details have emerged about the meeting, but Foreign Ministry Spokesman Burak Ozugergin said that the two discussed “the latest state of relations.” Davutoglu “once again relayed the steps that Israel needs to take relations further,” Ozugergin told The Associated Press.
Full report at:
http://dailymailnews.com/0710/02/FrontPage/index.php?id=12
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Tory MP Seeks Ban On Burqa
Jul 02nd, 2010
An MP belonging to UK’s ruling coalition has moved legislation in the House of Commons to ban the “burqa” or Islamic veil in public places on the ground that it is “against the British way of life”.
Philip Hollobone, the Conservative MP from Kettering, has moved a private members bill called the Face Coverings (Regulation) Bill, which had its first reading in the House on Wednesday.
The legislation seeks to regulate the use of “certain facial coverings” in public. He said this “would obviously have a big impact for those who wear full-face Islamic veils”.
He has previously described the “burqa” as being “against the British way of life”.
Explaining the bill, Mr Hollobone said: “I think it’s inappropriate to cover your face in public, whether it’s a burqa, a balaclava or anything else. “We are never going to get along with having a fully integrated society if a substantial minority insists on concealing their identity from everyone else.”
http://www.asianage.com/international/tory-mp-seeks-ban-burqa-048
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Al-Qaida under pressure in Afghanistan and Pakistan
Jul 1, 2010
WASHINGTON: Al-Qaida and its extremist allies are under tremendous pressure in Pakistan and Afghanistan and the global terror network has been weakened elsewhere by popular Muslim disaffection due to its targeting of the community people, a top US official has said.
"In the key countries of Pakistan and Afghanistan, the group is under serious pressure," Robert F Godec, principal deputy co-coordinator for terrorism in the State Department said. There us "growing resolve" in both Afghanistan and Pakistan to "defeat" al-Qaida, he added.
While al-Qaida has had some successes over the years, it has also suffered a number of important setbacks recently.
Al-Qaida has been weakened by popular Muslim disaffection from its indiscriminate targeting of Muslims in Algeria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Indonesia, and elsewhere.
The number of imams, clerics and former militants speaking out against the organisation is increasing. This is a positive and important story," he said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Al-Qaida-under-pressure-in-Afghanistan-and-Pakistan/articleshow/6113687.cms
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Pakistan to train Afghan military officers: report
By Anwar Iqbal
Friday, 02 Jul, 2010
WASHINGTON, July 1: In a significant policy shift, Afghan President Hamid Karzai has agreed to send a group of military officers to Pakistan for training, a decision which could raise eyebrows in India.
“An agreement has been worked out,” confirmed Rangin Dadfar Spanta, President Karzai’s national security adviser, who said that under the arrangement a “limited” number of officers would be sent for training.
The new deal comes on the heels of recent high-level contacts between the two countries.
“The move is a victory for Pakistan, which seeks a major role in Afghanistan as officials in both countries become increasingly convinced that the US war effort there is faltering,” The Washington Post reported on Thursday.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/pakistan-to-train-afghan-military-officers-report-270
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Why some Saudis are reluctant to talk to the media
By SIRAJ WAHAB
02 Jul. 10
ALKHOBAR: In the wake of some controversial foreign television programs that had ramifications for participating Saudis, many people prefer not to go on record about anything for fear of being misquoted.
Part of the problem may be that some Western journalists mistakenly believe that all people can express themselves with impunity as people can do in their parts of the world.
“One reputable Western agency asked for my comment, and the next day I saw it had been manipulated. My words were juxtaposed in a way that they only added to the sensationalism that the story was trying to peddle. Ever since, I have been wary of talking to the media people,” said a well-known and oft-quoted Saudi intellectual. Since then he has asked media people to submit their questions via e-mail. “That gives me better control of formulating my opinion and ensuring that I am not misquoted, and when I am misquoted I have the documentation in the form of the e-mail to prove my innocence.”
Rasheed Abou-Alsamh, a Saudi-American journalist who has reported in the past about Saudi Arabia in some of the best American publications, including The New York Times, admits that some Saudis are reluctant to talk to the press for fear of being misquoted. “However, I also think that as Saudi media develops more and more, Saudis are becoming used to answering questions from inquisitive journalists,” he said. “As in all societies there are some newspapers that tend to sensationalize the news and deliberately misquote people, but I think the ranks of Saudi journalists are improving and becoming more professional.”
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article77039.ece
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Sanctions will not hit N-plan drive: Iran
Friday, 02 Jul, 2010
TEHRAN, July 1: Iran has written to the 15 members of the UN Security Council insisting that new sanctions slapped on the Islamic republic will not affect its nuclear programme, the state news agency said on Thursday.
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said in the letters Iran “considers that the adoption of such (UN) resolutions will not affect its utterly peaceful nuclear programme,” the IRNA news agency reported.
Instead, Mottaki added in his letters to the foreign ministers of the Security Council member states, Iran is now “more determined” than ever to develop its atomic programme.
He criticised “the hasty adoption, at the insistence of America and its allies, of an unjust and illegal resolution against the great nation of Iran.” On June 9, 12 members of the Security Council, including all five permanent members, voted in favour on imposing a fourth set of sanctions against Tehran over its uranium enrichment programme, the most controversial aspect of the nuclear drive.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/sanctions-will-not-hit-nplan-drive-iran-270
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NATO’s deadliest month in Afghan war
By Sardar Ahmad
Friday, 02 Jul, 2010
KABUL: The loss of more than 100 foreign troops in the Afghan war in June serves as a grim reminder to the international community of why Afghanistan is known as the “graveyard of empires”.
At 102, the June toll almost tripled the number of US and Nato soldiers killed in May, making the month the deadliest since the war began in 2001.
The new commander of the Afghan war, US General David Petraeus, warned this week the fighting will get tougher before the situation on the ground improves.
Petraeus, speaking on Tuesday at a senate hearing on his nomination to replace his sacked predecessor General Stanley McChrystal, said foreign troops in Afghanistan were fighting an “industrial-strength insurgency”.
“My sense is that the tough fighting will continue; indeed it may get more intense in the next few months,” he said.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/natos-deadliest-month-in-afghan-war-270
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Spy in the sky rakes in millions for Israel
By Charly Wegman
Friday, 02 Jul, 2010
PALMAHIM AIR BASE (Israel): The eyes in the sky of modern warfare, whose hallmark hum is heard over Afghanistan, Iraq and Gaza, drones are a key weapon and a major cash earner for Israel, the world’s largest exporter of pilot-less planes.
With more than 1,000 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) sold, Israel has raked in several hundred million dollars over the years.
Israel’s fleet ranges from aircraft which fit in a soldier’s backpack to planes the size of a Boeing 737 that can fly as far as Iran.
The flying robots can be used to watch, hunt and kill.
Interest is such that a Turkish military delegation reportedly made a secret trip to Israel last month for training in remote piloting of the Heron drone, despite a major diplomatic crisis between the two countries.
“It’s good for reaching remote targets, wherever it’s needed,” an officer who would only identify himself as Captain Gil, said, pointing to an IAI Heron on the tarmac of the Palmahim Air Base, near Tel Aviv.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/spy-in-the-sky-rakes-in-millions-for-israel-270
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Muslims against Al Qaeda
02 Jul. 10
Al Qaeda and its extremist allies are under tremendous pressure in Pakistan and Afghanistan and the global terror network has been weakened elsewhere by popular Muslim disaffection due to its targeting of the community people, a top US official has said.
Estimate of strength
“Al Qaeda has been weakened by popular Muslim disaffection from its indiscriminate targeting of Muslims in Algeria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Indonesia, and elsewhere.
The number of imams, clerics and former militants speaking out against the organisation is increasing. This is a positive and important story," Robert F Godec, Principal Deputy Co-coordinator for Terrorism in the State Department said.
There is “growing resolve” in both Afghanistan and Pakistan to “defeat” Al Qaeda, he added.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Muslims-against-Al-Qaeda/H1-Article1-566181.aspx
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Why Turkey is looking East
Abdulaziz Sager
1 July 2010
The Turkish wish to shift to the East is not a new one, and it certainly did not begin with the Israeli war on Gaza or with the “Freedom Flotilla” accident.
It stems from higher national interests that have accumulated since the mid-1970s, i.e. after Turkish troops entered parts of Cyprus in 1974 and after Turkey hosted the summit of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference in 1976.
Success in this area will depend on several factors including mutual economic interests, the need of the region to create a positive balance to counter extremist groups, and a concerted move away from political hegemony, polarisation and the policies of axes and military or ideological alliances. Does the Turkish shift toward the East mean that Turkey has abandoned the West? Is this shift transitory and governed by the interests of the ruling Justice and Development Party? Is this rapprochement with the Arab world contradictory to American and Israeli interests or not? And are Arabs prepared for ?this rapprochement?
To begin with, Turkey has never been distant from the Arab region. Ottoman Turkey maintained strong relations with the Arab world over four centuries until the Caliphate fell and the Republic of Ataturk was founded in 1923. It was the Ataturk Republic that moved the country in a Westward direction. Consequently, Turkey joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in 1952. Turkey was also the first Muslim country to recognise Israel in 1949.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=/data/opinion/2010/July/opinion_July2.xml§ion=opinion
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Five years after 7/7
An editorial in Khaleej Times
Neil Berry
2 July 2010
Once Britain boasted of being the home of liberty, a haven for refugees. Nowadays it is only too quick to brand refugees as undesirable aliens, especially if they hail from the Muslim world. The other day, the United Kingdom Border Agency unceremoniously deported 42 Iraqi asylum-seekers, manhandling them onto a plane back to Baghdad.
It was an image that contrasted starkly with the way former British Prime Minister Tony Blair presented Britain as the Iraqi people’s staunchest friend, pledging to do everything in his power to help them.
The official British line is that, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Iraq is now much safer than it was; in other words, Iraqis simply have no cause to seek asylum. In truth, the expulsions were dictated by crude domestic politics. If Britain’s new Conservative-dominated Coalition Government led by Prime Minister David Cameron is adopting a tough stance over immigration and asylum-seeking, it is because much British opinion believes that under the former Labour Government Britain effectively ceded control of its borders, extending indiscriminate hospitality to all manner of foreigners, not a few Muslim fanatics among them. For all their vaunted commitment to human rights, the Conservatives’ Coalition partners, the Liberal Democrats, do not seem inclined to challenge Cameron’s stance.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=/data/opinion/2010/July/opinion_July11.xml§ion=opinion
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US lawmakers pass Afghan war funding
2 July 2010,
The House of Representatives approved funds to pay for President Barack Obama’s Afghanistan troop increase despite growing unhappiness with the war among his fellow Democrats.
The House’s Democratic leaders, who had procrastinated for weeks over the bill, did not act in time to get the $33 billion to the troops by July 4 as the Pentagon had requested.
They added billions of dollars in non-military spending before passing the bill, so the measure must now return to the Senate. It passed the troop funds and its own set of disaster relief add-ons in May.
Both chambers must agree to the same legislation before it can go to Obama for his signature into law. But the Senate is not in session again until July 12, and it is unclear how it will view the additions the House has made.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/July/international_July59.xml§ion=international
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Indirect talks with Israel not progressing: Fayyad
2 July 2010,
PARIS- Indirect Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have not yet made enough progress to justify the start of face-to-face negotiations, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said on Thursday during a visit to France.
The U.S.-mediated discussions kicked off in May and are due to last four months, with American diplomats seeking to find common ground to bring the two sides to the same table.
“We have yet to see the kind of progress that would be able to justify the consideration of ... direct talks,” Fayyad said following a meeting with senior European officials over aid.
“The issue really is not so much about whether the talks are direct or indirect. The issue is about political progress,” he told reporters.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he wants to move to direct talks “without delay and without preconditions” and the issue is expected to be raised next week when he visits U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/July/middleeast_July26.xml§ion=middleeast
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Turkey not turning its back on West: Gul
2 July 2010,
LONDON - Turkish President Abdullah Gul said in a newspaper interview that Ankara saw itself as part of Europe and remained committed to the West regardless of its close links to countries in the Middle East.
“I consider it very wrong to interpret Turkey’s interests with other geographic regions as it breaking from the West, turning its back on the West or seeking alternatives to the West. Turkey is part of Europe,” Gul told the Times newspaper.
Concern has risen in Europe and the United States in recent months that Turkey, a NATO member and close Muslim ally, is drifting away from the West.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/July/middleeast_July27.xml§ion=middleeast
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New Naif souq before Ramadan
Sajila Saseendran
2 July 2010
Trade and shopping in the holy month of Ramadan will get an additional boost as DM has decided to open the new Naif market before the holy month to replace old Naif Souq.
The Dubai Municipality has fixed August 6 as the date for opening the new two-storey souq for the public, a senior official confirmed on Thursday.
“This is in view of trade activities in the holy month of Ramadan. If we open the souq before the holy month, it will boost the business activities in the market,” said Khalifa Hareb, director of the assets management department of Dubai Municipality.
“We have been receiving calls from people in Qatar, Bahrain and Oman asking when we are opening the souq for the public,” the official said highlighting the popularity of the market.
he new market built in the same locality where the gutted souq was situated now boasts of several modern amenities including Wi-Fi connectivity for the visitors, Hareb said.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/July/theuae_July46.xml§ion=theuae
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Surprising summer show by Dubai Tourism
Lily B. Libo-on
2 July 2010
Dubai is bucking the trend of the slowdown experienced in the tourism sector around the world and is posting gains.
The emirate is also aggressively wooing Chinese and Indian tourists this summer — a surprising move, again.
Kulwant Singh, managing partner of Lama Desert Tours and Cruises, told Khaleej Times that an impressive twist is seen in this year’s inbound trend — many families from China and India are availing themselves of the ‘Kids Go Free Programme’ of the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM). “Before, most of our family bookings used to come from the GCC countries,” he said.
Indian and Chinese families are responding enthusiastically to the programme because the offer is very good, the economies in both India and China enables their people to travel, and the summer in Dubai is different from what they have in their countries, he said.
Started in May 14 this year, the ‘Kids Go Free Programme’ is participated in by 80 hotels in the five- and three-star categories giving two children below 16 years of hotel guests complimentary flight tickets, accommodation, meals and entry to Dubai’s amazing children’s entertainment facilities.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/July/theuae_July40.xml§ion=theuae
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Prince Khaled honors flood relief volunteers
By SULTAN AL-TAMIMI
Jul 2, 2010
JEDDAH: Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal honored 5,000 volunteers who helped residents affected by the Nov. 25 flash floods on Wednesday here in Jeddah.
The night ceremony was held in the indoor auditorium at Jeddah’s Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal football stadium.
Addressing the audience, Prince Khalid Al-Faisal praised all the young volunteers involved in helping to pick up the pieces following the disaster. Describing them as the city’s heroes, he said that Saudi Arabia’s future was safe because of spirit these youths showed in administering swift humanitarian aid.
“We are in the midst of building a new park in eastern Jeddah in honor all those who volunteered in the aid efforts in the aftermath of the flood. We will have all the names of those involved inscribed on a sign in the park,” he added.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article77086.ece
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Two Uighurs handed 10 years for UAE bomb plot: Emirati newspaper: Emirati newspaper
Jul 1, 2010
DUBAI: An Abu Dhabi court has jailed two Chinese Uighurs for 10 years for plotting to bomb a massive shopping center in Dubai, an Emirati newspaper said on Thursday.
The men, arrested last year after a tip-off from the Chinese embassy, were convicted of plotting to blow up a statue outside Dubai's DragonMart, home to nearly 4,000 shops mainly selling Chinese-made goods, The National newspaper said.
The court heard that the men did not intend to cause casualties but the explosives they planned to use would have caused damage up to 80 meters from the blast site, the paper said. The verdict, issued by the State Security Court, cannot be appealed.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article76919.ece
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Prince Naif urges global action against terrorism
By GHAZANFAR ALI KHAN
Jul 2, 2010
RIYADH: Prince Naif has called for an intensification of collective efforts on a global level to locate and wipe out terrorist activities.
The second deputy premier and interior minister said the Kingdom had foiled at least 220 terror attacks over the last 10 years.
Prince Naif was addressing a graduation ceremony at the Riyadh-based Naif Arab University of Security Sciences (NAUSS) on Wednesday night.
Prince Naif said a large number of terrorists and criminals involved in acts of terror were being tried in the Kingdom.
He thanked Saudi security agencies “for preventing the attacks, which would have caused many casualties had they not been foiled.”
The thwarted attacks, he said, were targeting specific locations populated by many people and would have caused significant casualties.
He said the best methods for preventing terrorist attacks on a global level were effective intelligence, information sharing, and coordinated counterterrorism operations to stop attacks before they are put into operation.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article77087.ece
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Three killed in Taliban US aid group attack in Afghanistan
Friday, July 02, 2010
KUNDUZ: Suspected Taliban militants stormed the compound of a US aid organisation in Afghanistan Friday, killing three people including at least one foreigner, a senior Afghan official said.
At least four suicide bombers attacked the premises of Development Alternatives Inc (DAI) in Kunduz city, two of whom detonated explosive vests, Mohammad Omar, the governor of northern Kunduz province, told foreign news agency.
"The first suicide attacker detonated at the entrance of the DAI compound, the second detonated inside the premises, killing one foreign national," he said, adding that one security guard and one policeman were also killed.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=107765
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Reducing trust gap with India to hit terror: PM
By Saad Saud
ISLAMABAD—While expressing satisfaction over meeting of the Interior Minister of Pakistan and Home Minister of India, Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani hoped that it would pave way for bridging the trust gap between the two neighbours. In a meeting with Interior Minister, Rehman Malik here Thursday, the Prime Minister reiterated the need for more coordination between the two countries in confronting the ulterior motives of the terrorists.
The Prime Minister has directed the Ministry of Interior to take all necessary steps for implementation of the Joint Declaration of the SAARC’s Interior Minister’s in letters and spirit. Talking about the scourge of militancy, the Prime Minister said that Pakistan is the front line state in this war and its high time the world should extend complete support in rooting out this menace. He paid rich tribute to the martyrs and all those who suffered in this fight. He however emphasized that unity among the political and social fabric of the society is essential to achieve the desired results.
Full report at:
http://dailymailnews.com/0710/02/FrontPage/index.php?id=4
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Zardari hints at incentive package for bureaucracy
02 ju. 2010
* President says young bureaucrats looking for jobs in private sector due to low salary packages in government
ISLAMABAD: The federal government is working on an incentives package for the civil bureaucracy to attract the educated youth from all parts of the country to join the civil services, President Asif Ali Zardari said on Thursday.
The president made these remarks while meeting Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) Chairman Justice (r) Rana Bhagwandas, who called on him at the Presidency to present the annual report of the commission. Zardari said that he had advised the government to construct high-rise apartment buildings in the major cities of the country for allotting apartments to the bureaucrats and young recruiters on a mortgage basis.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\07\02\story_2-7-2010_pg7_12
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Sindh converted into a colony: JSM-J
Bureau Report
Friday, 02 Jul, 2010
HYDERABAD, July 1: Leaders of the Jeay Sindh Mahaz (Junejo faction) have said that Pakistan has become a colonial state and Sindh has been converted into a colony.
Addressing the 40th anniversary of the dissolution of One Unit held at the local press club here on Thursday, they said that Sindh was being exploited politically and economically.
The gathering adopted several resolutions demanding that Pakistan should be acknowledged as a multination state and the nations should be given complete sovereignty including the right to self-determination.
It also demanded that the right of Sindh over all its natural and financial resources should be accepted unconditionally, the influx of outsiders should be stopped forthwith and those who had entered Sindh after 1954 should be repatriated.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/national/sindh-converted-into-a-colony-jsmj-270
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Grenade strike in Quetta kills two sisters
By Saleem Shahid
Friday, 02 Jul, 2010
QUETTA: Two little girls were killed and their brother was injured in a grenade attack on their house here on Thursday.
According to police, the grenade was hurled at the house of Sarfaraz Dost Agha, a retired schoolteacher, in the Sariab Road area.
The grenade exploded in the courtyard, injuring the three children who were taken to the Civil Hospital where 10-year-old Rabia and her six-month-old sister Iqra who had suffered multiple wounds in the head died. Their six-year-old brother Jalil is admitted to the hospital.
ROCKET ATTACKS:
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/06-grenade-strike-in-quetta-kills-two-sisters-270-rs-04
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Kayani says he did not broker Karzai’s talks with Haqqani
Friday, 02 Jul, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani on Wednesday denied organising secret meetings in Kabul between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and a senior al Qaeda-linked militant.
Gen Kayani’s brief statement came days after a media report claimed that he and the head of Pakistans intelligence services facilitated a meeting between Mr Karzai and Sirajuddin Haqqani, who heads the Haqqani network.
“General Ashfaq Kayani has said that during his last two visits to Kabul, he met President Karzai to discuss issues of mutual interest,” the military said in a statement.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/kayani-says-he-did-not-broker-karzais-talks-with-haqqani-270
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Recall army in Valley: BJP
Mohit Kandhari | Jammu
The State unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday demanded recall of the Army in areas of Kashmir Valley from where it had been withdrawn, to restore peace and ensure safety of Amarnath pilgrims.
This year the annual pilgrimage to the holy cave shrine was flagged off at a time when curfew was imposed in large parts of Kashmir Valley due to deteriorating law and order.
The demand, to recall the Indian Army in certain districts of the Valley from where it has been withdrawn, was put forward by State BJP president Shamsher Singh Manhas while addressing a large gathering of demonstrators in the walled city of Jammu.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/266409/Recall-army-in-Valley-BJP.html
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Mullen's praise for Pakistan
Anita Joshua
ISLAMABAD: After months of being at the receiving end for its track record on handling terrorism, Pakistan on Thursday was riding high over the confidence expressed by the U.S. in Islamabad's ability to secure its nuclear arsenal.
The words of appreciation came from Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mike Mullen. Admiral Mullen — who was in Pakistan last week — recently noted that while the nexus between terrorists and nuclear weapons was a matter of concern, the Pakistani leadership, especially the military, had made “extraordinary efforts to both protect and secure'' the nation's nuclear weaponry. While admitting that the U.S. had only limited knowledge about the Pakistani arsenal, Admiral Mullen said Washington had invested “a little worth of'' $100 million to improve their security. Asked if Pakistan was still wary of taking the U.S. into confidence about the location of the nuclear weapons, he sought to justify that reluctance by describing them as “their crown jewels''.
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/07/02/stories/2010070254121600.htm
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Amid curfew, clashes continue in Kashmir
Shujaat Bukhari
SRINAGAR: Even as Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah asked his Ministers to visit various areas to restore peace, life in the Kashmir Valley remained affected for the fifth day on Thursday with curfew in force and eruption of clashes.
With roads wearing a deserted look and uneasy calm prevailing, life remained hit for the fifth day in Sopore and for the third day in Anantnag and Baramulla, besides adjoining areas.
Despite restrictions enforced by the police and the Central Reserve Police Force, people took to the streets in Sopore, Sangam, Bijbehara, Malak Nag and Anchidora and staged demonstrations in protest against the killing of 11 youths by the CRPF and the police in the past 11 days.
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/07/02/stories/2010070256610100.htm
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Nigeria’s Islamic sect leader issues fresh attack threat: Daily Trust
Jul 2, 2010
ABUJA: Apparently following the footsteps of fugitive al-Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, a supposedly dead deputy leader of a sect whose onslaught led to the death of more than 700 persons in northern Nigeria has issued threat of further attacks in a video.
Imam Abubakar Shekau could be seen in a 25-minute video clip brandished an AK-47 gun and proclaiming himself the new leader of the Boko Haram sect whose founder and leader Mohammed Yusuf was killed by the police.
The 25-minute video clip was made available to the local Daily Trust newspaper and its authenticity could not be confirmed.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Nigerias-Islamic-sect-leader-issues-fresh-attack-threat/articleshow/6117662.cms
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Taliban attack US troops in Afghanistan
Jul 2, 2010
KUNDUZ: Taliban militants attacked a guest house of US troops in Kunduz city, capital of Afghanistan's Kunduz province, Friday morning, a top official said.
"Taliban insurgents intruded a guest house of US military in Kunduz city this morning and some have been killed," Mohammad Omar, governor of Kunduz province, was quoted as saying by Xinhua.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack that took place at around 3 a.m.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Taliban-attack-US-troops-in-Afghanistan/articleshow/6117829.cms
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LeT harbours ambitions beyond India: Adm Mullen
Jul 2, 2010
WASHINGTON: Lashkar-e-Taiba, which so far had focused primarily on India, is having global aspirations and has spread its tentacles beyond Pakistan and Afghanistan, as manifested by the David Headley case, a top US general has said.
"Generally, LeT was east, focused on India. They're now in the west. Actually, they're not just in the west, focused on Pakistan. There are LeT elements focused on Afghanistan," Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/LeT-harbours-ambitions-beyond-India-Adm-Mullen/articleshow/6116975.cms
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Pakistan to raise human rights situation in J&K during Krishna visit
Jul 1, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will raise the human rights situation in Jammu & Kashmir with external affairs minister S M Krishna during his visit here later this month, foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Thursday.
The issue of Jammu and Kashmir and alleged human rights violations there will figure in talks to be held with Krishna when he comes to Pakistan on July 15, Qureshi told reporters during a function in his hometown of Multan.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pakistan-to-raise-human-rights-situation-in-JK-during-Krishna-visit/articleshow/6116018.cms
3:39 AM
Sultan Shahin
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