Sarkozy seeks Syrian help in Iran nuclear standoff
By RIA Novosti,
Damascus : French president Nicolas Sarkozy has asked for help from his Syrian counterpart to ensure that Iran does not produce nuclear weapons.
Sarkozy said after meeting President Bashar Assad in Damascus Wednesday: "I told the president that Syria can play a role in the Iranian issue. Iran must not obtain the atomic bomb, but it has the right to nuclear energy for peaceful use."
US to announce moving troops from Iraq to Afghanistan
By IANS,
London : The Bush administration in the US is considering moving the country's troops from Iraq to Afghanistan to tackle the growing insurgency in the war-ravaged country, a British newspaper reported Tuesday.
The US will withdraw about 8,000 of its 146,000 soldiers in Iraq by February and send 4,500 more to join the 33,000 strong contingent in Afghanistan, the Daily Telegraph reported, citing a speech which President George W. Bush is expected to deliver before the US National Defence University later Tuesday.
Israel completes list of prisoners to be released
By NNN-QNA,
Occupied Jerusalem : A special ministerial task force has completed drafting a list of Palestinian prisoners whom Israel would be willing to release in exchange for kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit, the Israeli Haaretz newspaper reported.
The newspaper said Tuesday that the list which includes the names of 450 Palestinian prisoners has been submitted to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert before sending it to Hamas through Egypt.
Israel is threatening to take "various active measures" should Hamas continue to delay talks over the captive soldier.
Zardari advised to accept resignation of PML-N ministers
By Xinhua,
Islamabad : Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani has advised the President Asif Ali Zardari to accept the resignations tendered by the Federal Ministers of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), official Associated Press ofPakistan (APP) reported Wednesday.
The APP quoted Pakistan People's Party (PPP) member of National Assembly Farzana Raja as saying that PPP would respect the decision of PML-N to sit on opposition benches in the center.
With two begums free, Dhaka in poll mode
By IANS,
Dhaka : Bangladesh's military-backed interim government has mounted efforts to bring together the two battling begums - former prime ministers Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina who have been provisionally freed from detention - to prepare for the December parliamentary polls.
"We will bring the two leaders across the table to create an atmosphere of trust and a new mode in politics," Commerce and Education Adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman told reporters after Zia, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson, was Thursday released on bail after more than a year's imprisonment.
Suleiman: Lebanon likely sets diplomatic ties with Syria before year-end
By Xinhua,
Beirut : Lebanese President Michel Suleiman Wednesday said that Beirut and Damascus were likely to exchange ambassadors by the end of 2008, local Daily Star reported Thursday.
Suleiman's remarks came during a meeting with a delegation from the French-Lebanese Friendship committee at the presidential palace, in the presence of French ambassador to Lebanon Andre Parrant.
The President praised the French role in improving relations between Lebanon and Syria.
IMF asks Pakistan to raise revenue target
By IANS,
Islamabad : The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has asked Pakistan to raise its tax collection target of Rs.1,250 billion ($16 billion) during the current fiscal, but no figure has been specified.
"Due to depreciation of the rupee by 24 percent against the dollar and higher inflationary pressure in the range of 20 to 25 percent, (the IMF says) the tax collection target should be fixed on the higher side of earlier target of Rs.1,250 billion," The News Friday quoted official sources as saying.
140 Iraqi refugees in Syria head home
By SPA,
Damascus, Syria : Some 140 Iraqi refugees living in Syria headed home Wednesday on a free trip organized by the Iraqi government, citing improved security in their country.
The refugees boarded a chartered Iraqi Airways flight to take them to Baghdad, where they will receive an official reception at the airport. The Iraqi Embassy says it is
planning several such trips in the coming weeks, Associated Press reported.
RSF raised concern on Hamas strengthen control over Gaza strip
By NNN-WAFA,
Paris, France : Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is concerned about a new system of certification that Hamas has announced for all telecommunications companies, Internet service providers, broadcast media and news agencies based in the Gaza Strip, which has been controlled by the Islamist party Hamas since June 2007.
The press freedom organisation also called for the release of three journalists who have been held without explanation since 12 October in the Gaza Strip town of Deir Al-Balah.
UK MP welcomes launch of Int’l Jewish Anti-Zionist Network
By IRNA,
London : Backbench Labour MP John McDonnell is urging the British parliament to follow his lead and support the launch of the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN).
Its founding charter "gives voice to the great and growing number of Jewish people worldwide who refuse to allow the Israeli state to act in their name and who condemn Israel's ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people," McDonnell said in an Early Day Motion.
White House quiet over raid in Syria
By DPA,
Washington : The White House refused to comment Monday on reports of a deadly US military strike in Syria near the border with Iraq that has outraged Damascus and other Arab countries.
"I'm not going to comment on it at all," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.
The Syrian government and Arab leaders in the region have expressed anger over the purported US helicopter raid Sunday targeting militants in the town of Abu Kamal.
The Syrian government says civilians, including children, were among the eight dead.
Missile attack kills 4 in NW Pakistan
By Xinhua,
Islamabad : At least four people were killed in a missile attack in northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, private TV channel Geo reported.
Some unknown militants fired a missile in Andi Khel area of Frontier Region of Bannu district in North West Frontier Province, killing four persons and injuring several others, said the report.
The injured were shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment. Security forces cordoned off the area after the incident.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Activists want end to Israeli blockade of Gaza
By IRNA,
London : Human rights activists are calling on Egypt to open its border with Gaza to prevent the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the strip.
Parliamentarians, community leaders, NGOs and human rights activists, from different countries, have written a letter to be delivered on Saturday by the Egyptian Embassy to President Hosni Mubarak to ask him to open Gaza crossing.
Violence escalates in Karachi, over 40 killed
By KUNA,
Islamabad : More than 40 people have been killed in the violence in Pakistan's southern Karachi port city, erupted Saturday night between two local ethnic communities.
While the violence continued to escalate in Pakistan's commercial hub, the provincial government Monday issued orders of "shoot on site" and banned pillion-riding.
Members of two ethnic communities went on a rampage and attacked each other on Saturday night in Karachi. The violence spread like fire in various parts of the city and have brought the daily life on standstill.
Water to be pumps in Mina in preparation for the 8th of Thu Al-Hijjah
By SPA,
Makkah : The General Directorate of water in the Makkah Region will begin pumping water through networks in Mina in preparation for the day of Tarwiyah (watering), the Eighth of Zil-Hijja.
On the Tarwiyah day the pilgrims spend in Mina day and night hours prior to moving to Arafat in the morning of the next day (Sunday).
This was announced by general supervisor of the General Directorate of water in the Makkah Al-Ahmad Baghdadi.
Two anti-Qaida fighters killed in shooting attack northeast of Baghdad
By Xinhua,
Baghdad : Two Awakening Council group fighters were killed and two others injured on Saturday in a gunfire attack on a security checkpoint in the city of Baquba, capital of the volatile province of Diyala, a provincial police source said.
"Unknown gunmen attacked early in the morning a security checkpoint manned by Awaking Council Fighters and policemen in theal-Wajihiyah town some 12 km northeast of the provincial capital Baquba," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
Israel Considers Offensive against Gaza
By Prensa Latina,
Tel Aviv : Israel hinted at the possibility to launch a mass offensive against Gaza in the wake of expiry of the truce with Islamic Hamas group and a day after an air attack resulting in one Palestinian killed.
Outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said to have "planned several scenes with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Defense Minister Ehud Barak to face the situation."
"The scenes, plans and determination are clear, and we have variants for each step," said Olmert during a Sunday Cabinet meeting, while warning that "we will take all necessary steps."
Medvedev support to Palestinian president
By DPA,
Moscow : Russian President Dmitry Medvedev Monday ensured Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Russia's continued support for the Palestinians in the Middle East.
The number of problems has definitely not grown less," said Medvedev as he received Abbas for an official meeting at the Kremlin, reported the Interfax news service.
Dhaka steps up vigilance along border with India as bombs, explosives seized
By NNN-APP,
Dhaka : Bangladesh Monday put all border outposts of paramilitary Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) on high alert with neighbouring India as police retrieved a powerful bomb on a timer and two hand bombs in southwestern bordering district of Jessore on Monday.
Explosive experts were called in immediately to defuse them, police guarding the spot said.
India shares Mumbai evidence with Pakistan
By IANS,
New Delhi : India Monday handed over to Pakistan the evidence linking Pakistan-based militants to the Mumbai carnage and ratcheted up international pressure on Islamabad to eliminate terror infrastructure.
"We have today given evidence to Pakistan of links between elements in Pakistan and the terrorists who attacked Mumbai," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters here Monday morning.
Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon handed over to Pakistan’s High Commissioner Shahid Malik the material linking the Nov 26 Mumbai attack to elements in Pakistan.
Israeli “pause” in Gaza offensive aims to allow humanitarian aid reach Gazans – US
By NNN-KUNA,
Washington : An Israeli "pause" in its bombings and invasion of Gaza was done for humanitarian assistance to be able to reach Gazans, White House press secretary Dana Perino said.
Israel has not endorsed a ceasefire plan negotiated by the Egyptians and the French, and while the Israelis "are open to the concept," they want to learn more details on the plan, Perino said during a White House briefing Wednesday.
The Israeli pause in its military operations was something US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice worked with the Israelis on overnight, Perino said.
Differences in Malaysian opposition over Islamic law
By IANS,
Kuala Lumpur : Differences have cropped up in Pakatan Rakyat (PR), Malaysia's opposition alliance, over the desirability of introducing Islamic laws in a multi-religious society, with one of its ethnic Indian leaders opposing it.
Lawyer-lawmaker Karpal Singh, chairman of Democratic Action Party (DAP), one of the PR constituents, has lashed out at the alliance chief Anwar Ibrahim, saying his assertion that Islamic hudud laws apply only to Muslims "is a fallacy", The Star newspaper reported Friday.
Over 1,000 New Zealanders stage demonstration against Israel
By Xinhua,
Wellington : More than 1,000 people held rallies in New Zealand's largest city of Auckland Saturday in protest against Israel's attacks on Gaza.
The protesters marched from Aotea Square at midday to the U.S. consulate, where they threw about 100 shoes at the building, considered a grave insult by Arabs.
The march then returned to Aotea Square for speeches. Israeli flags were also burnt during the protest, according to the demonstrators.
Some of the protesters were clothed in Palestinian flags and held placards of dead and mutilated children.
Militant violence leaves 30 people dead in Pakistan
By DPA,
Islamabad : At least 30 people were killed Tuesday in militant violence in Pakistan's restive tribal region bordering Afghanistan as the country's military asked external powers to stop demanding it to do more against Islamic militancy.
Pakistani military jet aircraft attacked militant positions in Kandharo village of Mohmand tribal region before ground troops moved in to clear the area.
Palestinian killed, four Israeli militants injured
By KUNA,
RAMALLAH, Feb 2 (KUNA) -- A Palestinian was killed and four Israeli militants injured by gun shots in Al-Khalil (Hebron) on Monday.
A Spokesman of the Israeli Army said a Palestinian opened fire on forces in Hebron, which returned fire killing him and injuring four others.
The spokesman did not reveal the name of the militant who was killed or the four others who were taken into Israeli territory. He added, however, that the man had opened fire while in his vehicle.
Turkey denies US request to establish sea base
ANKARA, Feb 20 (KUNA) -- Turkey Friday denied the US asked Ankara to establish a sea base after Kyrgyzstan announced closure of the US air base in the Central Asian Republic.
"We have not received any request in this regard up until now," Turkish army spokesman General Metin Gurak told a weekly press briefing. He, however, did not deny press reports that the US might ask for the sea base.
Gurak declined to comment if the US asked Turkey to establish a sea base near the Black Sea city of Trabzon to replace the Manas air base in Kyrgyzstan.
Security forces kill 10 militants in Pakistan’s Khyber area
By DPA,
Islamabad : Pakistani security officials Monday claimed to have killed 10 militants in the country's restive tribal district along the Afghan border.
Helicopter gunships and artillery shells targeted a militants' location in the Khyber area, which serves as a vital route for supplies for NATO troops deployed in landlocked Afghanistan, said an official from Frontier Corps, the paramilitary troops fighting the Taliban.
"Our forces destroyed their communication system, 15 vehicles and killed 10 of their men," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Four injured in gunfight in Bangladesh Rifles headquarter
By IANS,
Dhaka : At least four civilians were injured in a gunfight that broke out at Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) headquarters here Wednesday morning, media reports said.
"The four injured civilians were admitted to hospitals with bullet wounds," Xinhua reported witnesses as saying.
Residents close to the BDR headquarters said they heard sounds of gun shots and mortar shells Wednesday morning.
The army has been called to put down the trouble.
President: 200 cabinet approvals in 2-day WAzarbaijan tour
By IRNA,
Tehran : President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in northwestern Azarbaijan Province Thursday that during his two-day tour of West Azarbaijan, his cabinet had passed 200 approvals.
President Ahmadinejad told reporters that cabinet had agreed on implementation of 33 big industrial, mining and production projects in different provincial cities in the coming years.
He said the cabinet has also endorsed a plan which will extend a 10-year tax exemption coverage for the enterprises making investment in the province in the coming years.
Is Zardari on the way out?
By IANS,
Islamabad : Is Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari on the way out in the wake of the government's capitulation on the lawyers' demand for reinstating the Supreme Court and high court judges who were sacked in 2007?
Even if he stays, one thing is for sure: his reputation is in tatters and many of his powers could be taken away from the presidency and restored to the prime minister's office.
Israel-Hamas talks on prisoner exchange fail
By DPA,
Tel Aviv : Talks between Israel and Hamas in Cairo over a prisoner exchange failed to reach an agreement, Israeli media reports said.
The office of outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said late Monday that the talks collapsed because Hamas was making excessive demands and hardened its stance.
The Israeli envoys, domestic security chief Yuval Diskin and diplomat Ofer Dekel, said Hamas has also backed away from agreements that had already been reached in the talks, according to the Haaretz newspaper.
In Palestine, the mobile phone is the placement agency
By Aroonim Bhuyan, IANS,
Dubai : A chance meeting between an unemployed Palestinian youth and a Canadian aid worker in 2005 has resulted in a service that is today helping hundreds of unemployed Palestinian youths find jobs on their mobile phone screens.
Souktel, a cell phone-based company that uses SMS technology to link young people with jobs and aid agencies with people who need help, this week unveiled its new customized SMS JobMatch service for students, in partnership with Harvard University and Palestine's Birzeit University.
Palestinian official urges Israel to open commercial crossing with Gaza
By Xinhua,
Gaza : A Palestinian official said Saturday that the flow of goods into Gaza will remain weak unless Israel opens a key commercial crossing point into the besieged territory.
"The promises to increase the amount and sorts of products that Israel sends to Gaza can not be met unless al-Muntar (Karni) crossing is opened," said independent lawmaker Jamal al-Khodary, who leads a campaign against the sanctions that Israel imposed on Gaza last year.
Save me, Musharraf urges Saudi Arabia
By Muhammad Najeeb, IANS,
Islamabad : Disappointed by his American friends, President Pervez Musharraf, who faces impeachment by the ruling coalition, has sent an "SOS message" to the Saudi authorities, a source said Monday.
"The message was sent through a senior Saudi diplomat based in Islamabad," the source told IANS, adding the president has received a response that is "not very positive".
The source said the Saudi authorities, however, are sending a senior government official to gain a first hand view of the situation arising out of the impeachment move.
Afghan army set to assume more duty in Kabul: German minister
By IRNA,
Berlin : The Afghan army is expected to assume more security responsibilities in Kabul over the next six to nine months, German Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung told the daily Rheinischen Post newspaper on Saturday.
"Afghan (security) forces have to ensure Kabul's security over the next six to nine months," Jung said.
The German army will also step up the training of the Afghan army to 7,500 soldiers, he added.
The annual cost of the Afghan deployment of the German military is estimated to increase from 466.9 to 500 million euros, according to Jung.
Many in Pakistan opposed to safe passage for Musharraf
By Muhammad Najeeb, IANS,
Islamabad : A large number of politicians, lawyers and civil rights leaders are opposed to the idea of Pervez Musharraf being given safe passage out of the country after his resignation as president, though there are reports his bete noire Nawaz Sharif has agreed to it after a meeting with an envoy from Saudi Arabia.
Bahrain commissions study on small, medium sector
By IANS,
Dubai : Bahrain has commissioned leading American provider of credit information on businesses and corporations Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) to conduct a detailed study of the Gulf nation's small and medium enterprises (SME) sector.
Bahrain's Labour Fund has engaged D&B Research & Advisory Services to develop a customised business-scoring model in order to streamline financing support for SME development in Bahrain, according to a D&B statement.
The scoring model will enable SMEs to identify growth opportunities and utilise feedback for improved business performance.
Pakistani-origin men in possible plot against British queen
By IANS,
London : A cell of young Pakistani-origin men found guilty of terror offences may have been plotting to attack the queen and other members of the British royal family, a newspaper reported Tuesday.
Those targeted included Queen Elizabeth II, her husband Prince Philip, their sons Princes Charles, Andrews and Edward and daughter Princess Anne.
Also on the list were Princess Michael of Kent, the duke and duchess of Gloucester and the duke and duchess of Kent, the Daily Telegraph reported.
Iran to develop independent missile headquarters: commander
By Xinhua,
Tehran : Iran is planning to establish an independent headquarters of missiles, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported Wednesday, quoting a top military commander.
The agency quoted Brigadier General Mohammad-Ali Jafari, commander of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), as saying that forming of an independent commandership of missiles aimed at strengthening the structure of the missile section.
"We should not allow the basic spirit of success and victory to be diminished in Revolution Guards", Jafari said.
Malaysian Indians coming back to us: MIC chief
By IANS,
Kuala Lumpur : Many ethnic Indian voters who abandoned the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) during the March general election are now returning to the party, claims its long-time president S. Samy Vellu.
"Hundreds of people" have started thronging the party's offices, knowing that "only the MIC could help them", Vellu told reporters Sunday after opening a workshop on what he calls "re-branding" of the party.
More than 250,000 Afghan refugees repatriated this year: UN
By Xinhua,
Kabul : More than a quarter million Afghan refugees, mostly from Pakistan, have returned to their country so far this year with the support of the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), a statement of the body released here Tuesday said.
"Since January this year, UNHCR has assisted a total of 251,880 registered Afghans to repatriate from the neighbouring Pakistan and Iran," the statement said.
It noted that 248,951 refugees have returned from Pakistan and another 2,929, from Iran.
The UNHCR would provide a cash of $100 to each person returning to Afghanistan.
Alleged coup plotters go on trial in Turkey
By DPA,
Ankara : The trial of 86 people accused of plotting to prepare the ground for a military coup got under way in Istanbul Monday.
The long-awaited trial of the so-called Ergenekon gang began some 17 months after police discovered hand grenades in an Istanbul house belonging to a former non-commissioned officer.
An investigation found that the grenades were from the same batch that was used in an attack on the Istanbul offices of Cumhuriyet newspaper in 2006.
Israel to hold snap election in mid-February
By Xinhua,
Jerusalem : An Israeli parliamentary spokeswoman said Tuesday that a general election has been tentatively set for Feb. 10, with possibility of a one-week delay, local daily Ha'aretz reported.
Hila Mizrachi made the announcement after Parliament Speaker Dalia Itzik met with leaders of parliamentary factions to decide on the date for the polls, originally scheduled in 2010, a day after President Shimon Peres told the legislature that he saw no chance of forming a new government.
‘Myanmar continuing gas exploration in Bangladesh waters’
By IANS,
Dhaka : Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Touhid Hossain left for Myanmar Tuesday for talks after Dhaka accused Yangon of "ignoring" its warnings and continuing with exploration in the Bay of Bengal, where a territorial dispute remains unresolved.
Dhaka has complained that three exploration vessels looking for hydrocarbons, escorted by two Myanmar warships, which intruded into Bangladesh's territorial waters Saturday, are yet to be withdrawn.
Karzai in touch with senior Taliban leaders: Afghan official
By Muhammad Najeeb, IANS,
Islamabad : Afghan President Hamid Karzai is in touch with the senior leadership of former ruling Taliban that went underground after the US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) troops landed in the war torn country after 9/11, says a senior Afghan official.
"Yes, Hamid Karzai is in touch with them (Taliban) for some time and wants to establish long term peace in Afghanistan," the senior Afghan official visiting Pakistan told IANS, while requesting anonymity.
U.S. optimistic about approval of security pact with Iraq
By Xinhua,
Washington : The United States is confident that the Iraqi parliament will approve a controversial military pact that allows American troops to remain in Iraq until the end of 2011, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Wednesday.
"We think we're on a good trajectory right now," Perino told reporters. "All we need to do is to have them have the reading, let the parliament debate, as you would in a democratic society, and then have a vote. We think they'll be able to do it later this week, or early next week, or next week."
India, Pakistan agree on visa liberalization
By IANS,
Islamabad : Pakistan and India have agreed on the need for visa liberalization and decided to discuss ways to cooperate in curbing cross border crime, according to Online news agency.
A joint statement, issued at end of the home secretary level talks, said the Federal Investigation Agency of Pakistan and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) of India will meet soon to discuss cooperation in addressing issues like human trafficking, illegal immigration, and counterfeit currency.
Turkey hosts trilateral summit meeting to help bringing Afghnistan,Pakistan closer
By Xinhua,
Ankara : Turkey on Friday hosted a trilateral summit meeting with Afghanistan and Pakistan in a bid to bring the two troubled neighboring countries closer.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul chaired the meeting with his counterparts, Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan and Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan, in the Turkish largest city of Istanbul, which was also attended by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to the semi-official Anatolia news agency.
Saudi Arabia Watchful with Hajj
By Prensa Latina,
Riyadh : Some 100,000 Saudi troops are patrolling the Islamic Holy City Mecca, to provide security to over three million Muslims at the Hajj or annual pilgrimage beginning Saturday.
Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz said pilgrims from all over the world would flood every sacred place every Muslim must visit at least one in his lifetime.
The crowd virtually paralyzes the Islamic world as prelude to four days of Eid Al-Adha, main feast of the Muslim calendar 70 after Ramadan.
Israel’s expulsion of human rights envoy is dangerous: UN
By DPA,
New York : Israel's decision to expel a US expert on human rights was a "dangerous" move that contravened mandates given to rights advocates working for the UN, president of the UN General Assembly said Monday.
Richard Falk was detained at Jerusalem's airport Sunday and then deported back to the US. Falk's mandate given by the 192-nation UN assembly is to assess the situation in Palestinian-occupied territories.
The Israeli foreign ministry Monday said Falk was "unwelcome in Israel".
New rockets fired from Lebanon at Israel
By Xinhua,
Jerusalem : A second barrage of rockets were launched from Lebanon on northern Israel, Israeli media reported on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, four Israelis were wounded by rockets launched from southern Lebanon on northern Israeli towns of Naharia and Galeli, pan-Arab al-Jazeera TV reported.
Hamas blames Abbas for activist’s death
By Xinhua,
GAZA/RAMALLAH : Gaza ruler Hamas on Monday blamed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas over the death of a Hamas detainee in the West Bank, threatening not to engage in any dialogue with Fatah movement unless all Hamas activists are freed.
"Abbas shoulders the legal and national responsibility of the wild acts of his security forces that have no job except protecting the (Israeli) occupation soldiers and settlers and chasing down on the resistance," said Ahmed Bahar, deputy speaker of the Hamas-dominated Parliament, in a statement faxed to the media.
Pakistan seeks more information on 26/11, India terms it insincere
By IANS,
Islamabad : Pakistan said Monday it needed more information on the Mumbai terror attacks and New Delhi expectedly reacted in anger, accusing Islamabad of insincerity in prosecuting the perpetrators of the carnage.
A statement issued here after Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani chaired a meeting of the cabinet Defence Coordination Committee said the evidence India has furnished, pointing to involvement of elements from Pakistan in the Mumbai mayhem, was insufficient.
UN hostage deadline extended in Pakistan
By DPA,
Islamabad : Pakistani insurgents holding a US citizen working for the UN said Monday they would extend the deadline given for the hostage's execution.
A previously unknown group, the Baloch United Liberation Front, Friday released a video of John Solecki, who leads the UN refugee agency's operations in the southwestern Balochistan province, and issued a 72-hour ultimatum for the acceptance of their demands.
Khaleda-led opposition returns to Bangladesh parliament
By IANS,
Dhaka : The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Monday joined the ninth parliament, ending its row of 17 working days with the speaker over seating arrangements in the house.
The party led by two-term former prime minister Khaleda Zia said it was joining the house following an assurance after prolonged negotiations from Speaker Abdul Hamid of "respectable seating arrangements in the House", Star Online reported.
Israeli forces open fire at farmers, journalists
By KUNA,
GAZA : Israeli Army forces opened fire at Palestinian farmers and foreign journalists and supporters in the southern parts of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.
The attack, which took place in the small town of Absan near Khan Younis, did not cause casualties, head of the Ambulance and Emergency Department in the Palestinian Health Ministry Moawiya Hasanain told KUNA.
Foreign supporters had accompanied Palestinian farmers to their farms to harvest their crops.
Taliban commander surrenders in Pakistan
By Xinhua,
Islamabad : A senior Pakistani Taliban commander Saturday surrendered to the authorities in the country's tribal region, TV reports said.
Security forces Saturday surrounded the house of Iftikhar Ahmed Khan, head of the Taliban in Khyber agency, and forced him to surrender, state-run PTV said citing officials.
Khan, 35, was wanted for attacks on NATO supply trucks and security personnel, the report said. Khan was also accused of sheltering foreign militants and kidnapping people for ransom.
Graft cases against Hasina, Zia being reviewed
By IANS,
Dhaka : While Bangladesh's courts hear the government recommendation that 11 cases against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina be dropped, a senior law officer Monday began scrutiny of documents relating to 20 graft cases against opposition leader Khaleda Zia and her family.
The cases were instituted by the military-backed caretaker government that ruled the country 2007-08. Both the women leaders were in jail for several months.
US condemns Iran’s detention of British embassy staff
By DPA,
Washington : US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton Monday deplored the detention of Iranian staffers at the British embassy in Tehran and called for their release.
"We find that the harassment of embassy staff is deplorable, and we will continue to support the United Kingdom in calling for their release," Clinton told reporters.
Iranian authorities reportedly detained at least five embassy staffers, accusing them of participating in the ongoing demonstrations over the country's disputed election.
Two more British soldiers killed in Afghanistan
By DPA,
London : Two more British soldiers have died in separate bomb blasts in Afghanistan, bringing the total killed there so far this month to 22, the defence ministry in London said Monday.
It said one of the men who died was taking part in the second stage of Operation Panther's Claw, the US-led offensive in southern Afghanistan. Both deaths occurred Monday.
July has proved the "bloodiest" month so far for British troops in Afghanistan, where 191 service personnel have now died since operations began in 2001.
Over 100 schools constructed by UNICEF in Pakistan after 2005 quake
By NNN-UNICEF,
Islamabad : More than 100 new schools have now been constructed and handed over to the government in Pakistan-Administered Kashmir and the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), in an initiative by UNICEF and Pakistan’s Earthquake Reconstruction and Recovery Authority (ERRA) to “build back better” in areas where schools were destroyed in the 2005 earthquake.
An additional 186 schools are expected to be completed by the end of 2010.
10 killed in Peshawar suicide bombing
By IANS,
Peshawar : At least 10 people were killed and 30 injured Friday morning in a powerful suicide bombing outside a Pakistani intelligence agency office in this northwestern city, an official said.
Inspector General of Police Malik Naveed said it was a suicide blast in which 10 people, including security personnel, were killed and more than 30 were wounded, Geo News reported.
The suicide bomber, who was travelling in a car, was trying to reach the intelligence agency's office located at Kyber Road.
The bomber blew himself up when he was stopped at a security check post.
Pakistan nuclear facilities at risk: expert
By NNN-PTI,
Toronto : A Taliban insurgency and the war in neighbouring Afghanistan have put Pakistan's nuclear arsenal at risk giving rise to a "troubling" situation, an arms control expert who served as former US President George W Bush's national security adviser has said.
"The situation in Pakistan is troubling from a lot of perspectives," Stephen Hadley, who now advises Washington- based think-tank the US Institute of Peace said.
Israeli troops kill six in Gaza, West Bank
By DPA,
Tel Aviv: Israeli troops killed six Palestinians in two separate incidents in the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank early Saturday, an Israeli military spokeswoman and media reports said.
The military spokeswoman said Israeli soldiers patrolling the border fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip noticed several suspicious figures crawling toward the fence and opened fire.
When the figures still continued crawling, an aircraft was also called in to fire at them, and reported a direct hit.
Malaysian Indian Congress bids for by-election
By IANS,
Kuala Lumpur: The Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), a member of the ruling alliance, hopes to field its deputy president to re-claim a parliament seat which Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has said it is capable of winning.
The MIC has indicated its choice of G. Palanivel, a journalist-turned-politician, to contest from Hulu in Selangor state which he held between 1990 and 2008.
The by-election was necessitated after the death of Zainal Abidin Ahmed, the opposition nominee who defeated Palanivel in March 2008.
UAE students to get training for space mission
By IANS/WAM,
Abu Dhabi : Three engineering students of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will be trained for space missions by the US space agency NASA.
The training is organised as part of an agreement between NASA and the UAE-based Arab Youth Venture Foundation signed last year.
As per the agreement, NASA will provide three to 12 UAE engineering students each year the opportunity to work with the US students, scientists and engineers involved in NASA projects.
Taliban militants get life term in Pakistan
By IANS,
Islamabad : A Pakistani court has handed down life terms to six Taliban militants accused of planning attacks on foreigners and manufacturing suicide jackets, officials said.
The court gave the sentence Saturday.
Police had arrested the six Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan militants, including a would-be suicide bomber near Lahore in February, and seized hand grenades, explosives, suicide jackets and five detonators, Xinhua reported quoting court officials.
Four detained over failed UK envoy attack in Yemen
By IANS/AKI,
Sana'a : Yemen has detained four people in relation to a failed suicide attack on the British ambassador here in April, the ministry of defence said.
Authorities are questioning the four over the attack that killed the bomber and wounded three people, a statement posted on the ministry's website said Thursday.
"The criminal prosecution dealing with terrorism affairs began interrogating the four suspects in connection with the assassination attempt on the British ambassador, who include a German, Iraqi and two Yemenis," the statement said.
Afghanistan war may be lost in Pakistan: US think tank
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : The Afghanistan war may be lost in a home-grown insurgency hit Pakistan unless US takes some "game-changing steps" including talks on an India like civil nuclear deal, suggests a US think tank.
"The Afghanistan war may be lost on the battlefields of Pakistan, where a vicious conflict is now being fought by Pakistan against a home-grown insurgency spawned by the war across its Western frontier," said the Atlantic Council of the United States in a report released Monday.
Egypt destroys Gaza smuggling tunnels
By DPA,
El Arish (Egypt): Egyptian security forces have destroyed four tunnels leading across the border to the Gaza Strip, one of them large enough to smuggle cars, officials said Saturday.
Friday Prayer over, 1000s gathering at Tahrir Square for ‘Day of Departure’ rally
By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
Egyptian jubilation ‘premature,’ says British author
By IRNA,
London : A British author and lecturer has cautioned Egyptians celebrating the victory of their revolution following the ousting of former president Hosni Mubarak.
Text of India, Pakistan joint statement
By IANS,
New Delhi : Following is the text of the joint statement issued after two days of talks between Home Secretary G.K. Pillai and his Pakistani counterpart Qamar Zaman:
Suicide blast in Indonesian mosque injures 28
By IANS,
Jakarta : A suspected suicide bomber blew himself up during Friday prayers in a mosque in Indonesia, injuring 28 people, BBC reported.
Pakistan is largest CNG user in the world
By IANS,
Islamabad : Pakistan is the largest user of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) for running automobiles in the world and is way ahead of India, a media report said Friday.
Youth teases girl, angry father shoots his parents
By IANS,
Islamabad : A retired Pakistan Army officer, who flew into a rage after a youth teased his daughter, shot dead youth's parents.
Pakistan has permanently stopped NATO supply: Minister
By IANS,
Islambad : Pakistan has permanently stopped passage of NATO supply through the country following an airstrike that left 25 soldiers dead, said Interior Minister Rehman Malik.
Militants kill three in Pakistan
By IANS,
Islamabad: Militants killed three people in Pakistan's northwest tribal region Wednesday, local media reported.
Pilot dies as Pakistani Air Force trainer crashes
By IANS,
Islamabad : A Pakistani Air Force (PAF) pilot was killed when his trainer jet crashed in Balochistan Wednesday, the authorities said.
Etihad Airways Targets Six Million Passengers In 2008
ABU DHABI, Jan 8 (Bernama) -- Etihad Airways is targeting six million passengers this year against the five million passengers it recorded in 2007, the Emirates news agency (WAM) reported Tuesday.
Eithad's CEO, James Hogan, said the UAE national airline is set to hit the ultimate in providing the best services and performance to its growing number of passengers and clients in the new year.
In spite of being relatively very young, he added that the airline had made its mark at the local, regional and international levels as one of the most reputable airlines in the world.
Israeli artillery strike kills Gaza militant
By Xinhua
Gaza : A Palestinian militant was killed and five others wounded on Wednesday morning in an Israeli artillery strike on northern Gaza Strip, witnesses and hospital officials said.
The witnesses said the Israeli army artillery fired three surface-to-surface missiles at a group of militants who were trying to launch homemade rockets from the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahia into Israel.
Two Palestinians killed in Israeli raid in Gaza – witnesses
By KUNA
Gaza : Two palestinians were killed and six were injured in an Israeli air raid in the town of Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza Strip, eyewitnesses said.
They added in press remarks that Israeli warplanes unleashed a rocket at an apartment building killing the two and injuring the six others.
Khedra Wahdan, 30, and Mohammad Kafarneh, 22, were killed in the air strike, they added.
Abbas: Mideast peace starts from Holy Land in Palestine
By Xinhua
Ramallah : Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Thursday that the peace in the Middle East starts from "the Holy Land in Palestine."
In a joint news conference with visiting U.S. President George W. Bush in Ramallah, Abbas called on Israel to fulfill its commitments to a Mideast peace plan, saying he hopes "this will be the year for the creation of peace."
Israel, Palestinians will sign treaty in 2008: Bush
By DPA
Ramallah : US President George W. Bush said Thursday he believed he would be able to "nudge" Israel and the Palestinians toward a joint peace deal this year.
"I believe there will be a signed peace treaty by the time I leave office," Bush told a joint news conference in Ramallah with President Mahmoud Abbas, on the first visit of an American president to the central West Bank city.
When asked what he intended to do to help, Bush answered, "Nudge the process forward," apply "pressure" and "be a pain if I need to be a pain."
Yamani chairs meeting of Protection of Competition Council
By SPA
Riyadh : Minister of Commerce Dr Hashim Yamani chaired here today an extraordinary meeting of the Protection of Competition Council.
The Council’s Secretary General Mohammed Sindi said the participants of the meeting had reviewed issues pertaining to the hike of the prices of diaries and their derivatives.
The Council has ordered its General Secretariat to investigate in this respect.
Car bomb hits police patrol in northern Iraq
By Xinhua
Mosul, Iraq : A car bomb explosion targeted a police patrol near the city of Mosul, the capital of Nineveh province, on Monday, wounding six people, provincial police source said.
"A car bomb parked in the Ghizlany area, south of Mosul City, near a police patrol, wounding three policemen and three civilians," Brigadier Abdul Kareem al-Jubouri, head of Nineveh's police operations office, told Xinhua.
The blast also damaged a police vehicle along with several civilian cars, Jubouri said.
Sarkozy’s visit in Saudi Arabia focuses on economic co-op
By Xinhua
Riyadh : French President Nicolas Sarkozy left Saudi Arabia earlier on Monday after wrapping up a two-day visit here which local analysts said focused on economic and energy cooperation rather than security issue.
Contrary to a visit by U.S. President George W. Bush, which is to focus on security topics, business and economic issues were high on the agenda of Sarkozy's trip here, local analysts said.
Rice to discuss with German officials Iran, Afghanistan
By KUNA
Washington : US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice is set to travel next week to Germany to discuss Afghanistan and Iran, said the State Department on Wednesday.
"The secretary will participate in bilateral meetings with senior German officials, during which she will discuss the wide range of issues the US and Germany cooperate on, including the NATO effort in Afghanistan", said State Department spokesperson Sean McCormack in a statement.
PNA refuses to discuss border issues with Hamas
By Xinhua
Ramallah : Palestinian National Authority (PNA) rejected a call from Hamas for a meeting in the Egyptian capital of Cairo to discuss arrangement for opening a border crossing between Egypt and the Hamas-run Gaza round the clock.
"The Palestinian Presidency will not talk with Hamas in any issue before it retreats its coup and we will not discuss Rafah crossing issue with Hamas because it is irrelevant in this regard," said Nemer Hammad, political advisor to President Mahmoud Abbas.
The Scotland Yard gets hold of 18 clues in Bhutto’s assassination
By SPA
Islamabad : The Scotland Yard team has got hold of 18 major clues in former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto s assassination case and would report to the government of Pakistan before elections, Caretaker Interior Minister Lt-Gen (retd) Hamid Nawaz said.
He told the reporters that the proof has been found against Baitullah Mehsud in connection with the assassination and that operation is being carried out against him.
The minister said in the valley of Swat and other sensitive areas, local Taliban factor has been controlled and now only few groups are active.
At least eight killed, 17 wounded in Iraqi violence
By SPA
Baghdad : At least eight people were killed Saturday and 17 wounded in separate attacks in Iraq, Iraqi officials and media reports said. Detentions and arrests were also reported.
In Samara, some 125 kilometres north of Baghdad, joint US-Iraqi forces killed four militants and wounded three, security sources told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.
In the Northern city of Mosul, four Awakening Councils members were killed and nine injured when an explosive device targeted their patrol, the Iraqi News Agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) reported.
Abbas calls on Israel to lift siege on Gaza
By NNN-KUNA
Ramallah : Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday called for lifting the Israeli siege on Gaza paving the way for basic commodities to enter that area.
Abbas, who spoke to reporters in Ranallah during a joint press conference with visiting Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik, called for stopping the Israeli mass punishment of the Palestinian people.
He renewed the Palestinian Authority's readiness to assume control of the Rafah border crossing into and out of Egypt and said "we have expressed readiness to assume such control."
Israel vows to intensify Gaza operations
By Xinhua
Jerusalem : Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak Thursday vowed to step up operations and strikes in the Gaza Strip if Palestinian militants continue to fire Qassam rockets into Israel, local media reported on their website.
If the Qassam rocket fire from Gaza continues, then Israel will strengthen its operations, which will increase the Palestinian casualties, Barak said during a tour of a military base in the western Negev.
NATO defeat in Afghanistan a real possibility
By IRNA
London : Former High Representative to Bosnia Paddy Ashdown Wednesday called for a new Nato strategy in Afghanistan, not a "disconnected collection of unco-ordinated tactics."
Ashdown, who was rejected for the post as the UN's special envoy in Afghanistan by President Hamid Karzai, warned that the transatlantic alliance will lose if it does not start doing things differently.
Iran summons Danish envoy as cartoon row resurfaces
Tehran (ANTARA News) - Iran summoned Denmark's ambassador to protest the reprinting on Wednesday of a cartoon of Prophet Mohammed that caused bloody riots in the Islamic world two years ago, the state run IRNA news agency reported.
The cartoon, one of a series of 12 cartoons first published in September 2005 that sparked protests in early 2006, was reprinted in at least 17 Danish newspapers a day after Danish police foiled a murder plot against the cartoonist.
KFAED signs loan agreement with Sudan to finance traffic dam project
By NNN-KUNA
Kuwait : The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) has announced it will soon sign a loan agreement worth 16 million Kuwaiti dinars (USD 59 million) to contribute in the financing of a traffic dam project in Sudan.
KFAED said in a statement Thursday the project aims to meet the demand for electric power and reducing the cost of electricity production through the establishment of a dam and a hydroelectric station on the Nile River.
Hamas slams Abbas for keeping on talks with Israel
By Xinhua
Gaza : A day after eight people died in a mysterious Gaza explosion, Islamic Hamas movement on Saturday harshly slammed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for not announcing an end of talks with Israel.
"Abbas should be ashamed of those martyrs... he must immediately boycott the occupiers (Israelis). Otherwise, the history would register him in its black pages," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoom told reporters in Gaza.
The first flight of PIA leaves for Kuwait
By SPA
Islamabad : The first flight of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) left the newly built Sialkot international airport (SIA) for Kuwait, officials said.
It had 102 passengers on-board. The PIA would operate a weekly flight on Sialkot-Kuwait route.
The airline is considering expanding its network to other international destinations in near future, with a focus on initiating Haj and Umrah flights from Sialkot.
The cargo flights would also be started in the near future from this airport.
Afghan army launches operation against militants
By Xinhua
Kabul : The Afghan security forces have launched an operation against the Taliban insurgents and their associates in the country's western Farah province Saturday, the interior ministry said in a statement.
Units of Afghan national army and the police backed by the US-led coalition forces have launched the operation at 6 a.m. (0130 GMT) Saturday, in the Khak-e-Safid district of the province, it said.
Death toll from cold, snow mounts to 926 in Afghanistan
KABUL, Feb 16 (KUNA) -- The number of Afghans killed by the chilly weather continued in the snow-covered Afghanistan has reached almost 1,000 since the beginning of the winter this year.
About a fortnight back, the Health Ministry had said that some 600 people and thousands of cattle have expired while hundreds more people living in remote areas of Afghanistan have been cut off from the big cities due to the excessive snowfall in the impoverished country.
UN Security Council fails again to address Gaza situation
By NNN-KUNA
United Nations : The Security Council once again failed to issue a press statement on the deteriorating situation in Gaza because of US objection.
Council president Ricardo Alberto Arias of Panama spoke to reporters in his national capacity following a council discussion of the matter late Thursday, saying he is "profoundly concerned about the increased violence in the Middle East region."
He added that "we are concerned about the effect it has on the civil population and with the effect it has on the deteriorating humanitarian situation.
Hamas calls to protest Israel crimes
By NNN-Prensa Latina
Gaza : The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) called for protests after Friday prayers to denounce Israeli crimes against Palestinians, 32 of whom were reported dead in the last two days.
Hamas issued a release after convening massive marches today "to condemn the crimes against our people," and called for Arabs and Muslims all over the world to express solidarity with their cause.
Zardari favours setting Kashmir issue aside
By IANS
Islamabad : Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, whose party is set to led the country's next government, has said the Kashmir issue should be set aside to focus on other aspects for improving relations with India.
"The idea is that we feel for Kashmir, the PPP has always felt for Kashmir. We have a strong Kashmir policy. We have always had one," he said.
Israeli ground troops pull out of northern Gaza
By Xinhua
Jerusalem : Israel Defense Forces (IDF) pulled out the ground troops from the northern Gaza Strip early Monday morning, completing the first stage of the activity dubbed Operation Hot Winter.
An IDF spokeswoman told Xinhua that counter-terror operations were expected to continue.
Jerusalem : Israel Defense Forces (IDF) pulled out the ground troops from the northern Gaza Strip early Monday morning, completing the first stage of the activity dubbed Operation Hot Winter.
An IDF spokeswoman told Xinhua that counter-terror operations were expected to continue.
British Prime Minister phones Musharraf
By SPA
Islamabad : British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has phoned President Pervez Musharraf Pakistan and said that Pakistan should return to the fold of Commonwealth and resume its role as an important member, according to an official statement.
Brown congratulated Musharraf on the successful holding of general elections in Pakistan.
He said he would be sending his Foreign Minister David Miliband to Pakistan soon to discuss matters of mutual interest and situation in the region.
Lebanese PM says willing to go to Damascus if “convenient”
By Xinhua
Beirut : Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Seniora has said that he is willing to visit Damascus and participate in the upcoming Arab summit "if all circumstances were convenient," local As-Safir daily reported Saturday.
"The visit, (however) does not mean any change in our convictions," Seniora was quoted as noting on Friday.
Allied soldier killed, another injured in Afghan blast
By KUNA
Kabul : One allied soldier was killed and another wounded in a roadside bomb blast in southeastern Afghanistan, the multinational force said on Saturday. The soldiers were on patrol in the southeastern province of Paktia when their vehicle hit an improvised explosive device (IED), said the military.
Four PKK rebels captured in SE Turkey
By Xinhua
Ankara : The Turkish security forces captured four rebels of the banned Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) in southeastern Turkey, a military statement said on Sunday.
The statement posted by the Turkish General Staff on its website said that the security forces captured the four PKK rebels in Ergani town of Diyarbakir on March 6.
Four Taliban insurgents killed
Kabul, March 23 (Xinhua) Four Taliban insurgents have been killed in a clash with the police in Afghanistan's southern Zabul province, a police official said Sunday.
The fighting took place in Shahjoi district Saturday, also leading to the arrest of three insurgents, a police officer said.
Taliban's purported spokesman Qari Yusuf Ahmadi denied the casualties, saying two policemen were killed in the firefight he said lasted a few hours.
Taliban-related violence has left more than 220 people dead this year in the war-torn country.
PPP led coalition agree to distribute Ministries
By IRNA
Islamabad : The coalition of PPP-PML-N, ANP and others has agreed to distribute the Ministries in an equitable way and decided to appoint five Federal Minister in the first phase to resolve the matter within a week.
Reliable sources said Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi of PPP will hold the office of Foreign Ministry and PML-N leader Ishaq Dar will be appointed as Finance Minister, Sherry Rehman as Information Minister and Syed Khurshid Shah as Minister for Parliamentary Affairs.
Former head of FIA Rehman Malik will be inducted as Advisor to Interior Ministry.
Bush waives law, restore aid to facilitate democratic rule in Pakistan
By SPA
Islamabad : U.S. President George W. Bush has waived restrictions in a democracy related law to pave the way for assistance to Pakistan this year, saying the step would help in transition to democratic rule in the country and is important to US counter-terrorism efforts, officials said.
The waiver of the law came as Pakistan entered a new era of democracy with Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) taking oath as head of a coalition government following Feb 18 parliamentary elections.
Iraqi Vice President arrives in Damascus for Arab summit
By Xinhua
Damascus : Iraqi Vice President Adel AbdulMehdi arrived here on Friday to attend the forthcoming Arab summit due on Saturday and Sunday.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had previously planned to come for the summit, but he changed his schedule after deciding to enforce crackdown on Shiite gunmen as Iraqi troops battled militias in the cities of Basra and Kut. Iraq was strongly present in the Summit given the current regional circumstances, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told reporters before Abdul Mehdi's arrival.
Charges dropped against Marine in Haditha case
By DPA
Washington : Prosecutors have dropped charges against a US Marine accused in connection with the killing of 24 Iraqi civilians near Haditha in 2005, officials said.
Lance Corporal Stephen Tatum faced court martial on charges of involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment and aggravated assault.
But they were dismissed "in order to continue to pursue the truth seeking process into the Haditha incident", according to a statement posted by the Marine Corps on the website of the Camp Pendleton, California Friday.
Palestinian resistance factions attack Israeli settlements, military base
By KUNA
Gaza : Several Palestinian resistant factions claimed responsibility on Friday for firing several missiles and mortar shells on several Jewish settlements.
The military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), Al-Quds Brigades claimed responsibility for firing two 80-milimeter mortar shells on Israeli military base Abu-mutaibeq in east of Gaza.
In press statement received by KUNA, the group said their Mujahideen were able to target the Israeli military base Friday evening.
Iraqi government vows to demilitarize Basra
By SPA
Baghdad : The Iraqi government vowed Monday to demilitarize Basra as relative calm was returning to the southern city, an interior ministry spokesman said, a day after Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr ordered his followers to stop fighting government troops, according to dpa.
"Security forces will carry out orders of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to take away all weapons in Basra by the April 8 deadline," interior ministry spokesman Brigadier-General Abdel-Karim Khalaf told the Voices of Iraq (VOI) news agency.
Gunmen kill Pakistani soldier in southwest
By IRNA
Islamabad : Unidentified gunmen on Tuesday attacked a vehicle of paramilitary forces in Pakistan southwest, killing one soldier and injuring three others, witnesses and hospital sources said.
Members of the Frontier Constabulary were traveling in their official jeep when came under fire at Saryab road in Quetta, the capital of southwestern province of Balochistan.
No group claimed responsibility of the attack.
Authorities blame such attacks on anti-government Baloch insurgents.
The injured soldiers were taken to the civil hospital.
Mubarak meets Abbas on Palestinian-Israeli talks, regional developments
By Xinhua
Cairo : Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak held talks Wednesday morning with visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on the latest development in the Middle East, particularly the future of the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks.
At a press conference following the talks, Abbas said he briefed Mubarak on the outcome of the 20th Arab Summit ended Sunday in Damascus and his short visit in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
Pakistan military appoints new intelligence chief
By Xinhua
Islamabad : Pakistan's army chief General Ashfaq Kayani has appointed new chief of the Military Intelligence(MI), the military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas confirmed on Thursday.
Abbas told Xinhua that Major General Mohammad Asif replaced Major General Nadeem Ejaz as the MI director general, and the new MI chief will take the post Friday.
Ejaz, appointed MI chief by then army chief Pervez Musharraf in 2006, has been posted as the General Officer Commanding (GOC), Bahawalpur of Pakistan's Punjab province.
Iran sends letter to UN over three Persian Gulf islands
By NNN-IRNA
Tehran : Iran has sent a letter to the United Nations over its ownership of the three Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf region, a senior Foreign Ministry official said.
Speaking to reporters at his weekly press conference Monday, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, Mohammad-Ali Hosseini, announced the above while commenting on a recent claim of the United Arab Emirates officials over the three islands of the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb and Abu Mousa.
Latest Israeli-Palestinian round of talks centers on basic issues — official
By KUNA
Gaza : A senior Palestinian official said on Wednesday that talks that were held between the Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams on Tuesday addressed a host of issues namely those related to the final status.
Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, told Voice of Palestine Radio that the discussions that involved him, along with the head of the Palestinian team, Ahmad Qurei, and the Israeli team, led by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, centered on final-status issues.
The three-hour meeting, held in Jerusalem, was attended by experts from the two sides, he added.
Israel completes border fence with Egypt
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Tel Aviv: Israel has completed the construction of a 230-km security fence along the Egyptian border, an official said.
Afghan women getting jailed for ‘moral crimes’
By IANS,
Kabul : The Afghan government should take urgent steps to halt an alarming increase in women and girls imprisoned for “moral crimes,” Human Rights Watch said Tuesday.
Turkey to lift Twitter ban
Ankara : Turkey’s president said Sunday the government would soon lift its ban on Twitter, which has sparked criticism at home and abroad.
“It is...
‘Holistic approach being adopted for strengthening higher education sector in Pakistan’
By Aslam Chandio, TwoCircles.net,
Islamabad: Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman Higher Education Commission of Pakistan said that the confidence shown by the Government of Pakistan in HEC’s capacity to develop higher education will be honoured and a holistic approach is being adopted to further strengthen this sector in all regions of the country.
Muslims in Britain take part in flashmob style ‘Big Iftar’
London : The tradition of breaking fast among friends, neighbors and the needy has been part of the Islamic tradition for centuries. Here in the UK, the desire to share the spirit of Ramadan has given rise to a growing popularity of flashmob Iftars and public Iftars at places of worship, community centers and even parks. This year is no different, Al Arabiya News reported.
Syria’s President Assad sworn in for new seven-year term
Beirut : Bashar al-Assad has been sworn in for a third term as Syria's president in a ceremony in Damascus, after an election his...
Will Britain’s powerful Zionist lobby forgive Sayeeda Warsi?
By M Ghazali Khan,
The first ever female Muslim Minister in the history of Britain, Sayeeda Warsi, has displayed extraordinary courage by resigning as a Foreign Office Minister over David Cameron Government’s “morally indefensible” stand on Israeli barbarism in Gaza.
Europeans see China as biggest threat to global stability
By ANTARA News/AFP,
London : Europeans see China as a bigger threat to global stability than the United States, Iran or North Korea, according to a poll published Tuesday.
The Harris survey for the Financial Times showed that an average of 35 percent of voters in Britain, France, Germany, Spain and Italy saw China as the biggest threat to global stability, compared to 29 percent who thought the same of the United States.
In Italy, 47 percent of voters named China as the biggest threat, up from 26 percent in a similar poll last year.
Death toll rises to 40 in Iraq’s Diyala car bombing
By Xinhua,
Baghdad : The death toll from a car bomb explosion in the city of Baquba, the capital of Diyala province on Tuesday, rose to 40 with some 70 others injured, a provincial police source said.
"The latest reports said that up to 40 people were killed and some 70 others injured by the Baquba car bombing," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
Earlier, the source put the toll at 12 killed and more than 40 others wounded.
EU welcomes Pakistani steps on human rights
By IANS,
Brussels : The European Union has welcomed steps taken by Pakistan to improve its human rights record, including its ratification of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).
Pakistan also signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment Thursday, EuAsiaNews reported.
"The steps taken by Pakistan represent a positive development," noted a EU presidency statement Friday.
Rice “pleased” with progress in Iraq-Turkey relations
By KUNA,
Kuwait : US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said here that she was "pleased" with the progress in relations between Iraq and Turkey.
The US official made the remarks following a meeting with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari and Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan on the sidelines of the Third Expanded Ministerial Conference of the Neighboring Countries of Iraq Tuesday.
"We just had a very good discussion on the cooperation the US, Turkey and Iraq are undertaking" on a number of issues related to Iraq's security and economy.
Suicide bomber kills at least 16 in eastern Afghanistan
By RIA Novosti,
Kabul : A suicide bomber blew himself up on Tuesday in eastern Afghanistan, killing at least 16 people and injuring over 40, the local Tolo TV channel said.
The attack came after militants had fired shots and rocket-propelled grenades at a police station in the town of Khogyani. The suicide bomber then detonated his device in the middle of a crowd as civilians fled the fighting.
Iran warns Europe not to cross “red lines” in nuclear offer
By Xinhua,
Tehran : Iran on Saturday warned European countries not to cross its "red lines" in a new offer of incentives to coax Tehran to roll back its nuclear program, the official IRNA news agency reported.
The European countries are well aware of Iran's red lines, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said during a joint press conference with his Yemeni counterpart Abu Bakr al-Qurbi.
Malaysia to spend $778 million on food security
By IINA,
Kuala Lumpur : Malaysia will spend 2.49 billion ringgit ($778 million) this year to increase food production, a top minister said amid soaring costs globally for staple items like rice.
I’m powerless, says Zardari after seven hours of talks
By Dipankar De Sarkar, IANS,
London : The two leaders of Pakistan's ruling alliance have failed to reach agreement on the important issue of reinstatement of judges sacked by President Pervez Musharraf, agreeing to disagree after seven hours of inconclusive talks here.
Lebanese Army deployed in Mount Lebanon
By NNN-KUNA,
Beirut : The Lebanese army has been deployed to the area of Aitat and other towns in Aley, Mount Lebanon.
Security sources told KUNA that the army was deployed after the Mount Lebanon areas witnessed three hours of intense fighting which claimed Sunday the lives of six people.
Pro-government Druze leader Walid Jumblatt stated that the clashes would lead to more tension between the Druze and Shiite sects, adding that he had assigned head of the Democratic bloc Talal Arsulan to negotiate with the opposition's gunmen.