Presidents of Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan pleased with outcomes of Tehran Conference
By IRNA,
Baku : Presidents of Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan republics said here Monday night during a ceremony for signing a number of documents they are pleased with outcomes of 5 Caspian Sea Littoral Countries Summit.
Turkmenistan's President Berdymuhammedov during the ceremony expressed satisfaction over the results of the summit, arguing, "The two countries pursue the same policies on the matter."
Indirect Israel-Palestine talks to resume Monday
Cairo : Egypt-brokered indirect talks between the Palestinian and Israeli sides is scheduled to resume Monday morning.
The talks are a fresh attempt to reach...
Malaysia frees Sri Lankan after four-year detention
By DPA,
Kuala Lumpur : Malaysia has freed a Sri Lankan businessman who was jailed four years ago for allegedly supplying nuclear weapon components to Libya, a government minister said Monday.
Buhary Seyed Abu Tahir, who was alleged to have deceived a company partly owned by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's son to buy the components, was reported to have been released from detention June 6, the Star daily said.
Intelligence official shot dead in Pakistan
By IANS,
Islamabad : An intelligence official was gunned down Friday in Pakistan's Peshawar city. His 13-year-old son, who was riding pillion, was injured in the attack, police said.
Obama, shifting focus from Iraq, eyes more troops for Afghanistan
By NNN-APP,
New York : Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has said he would, if elected, send “at least two additional combat brigades” to fight in Afghanistan and pull out the bulk of US forces from Iraq by mid-2010
“Ending the war (in Iraq) is essential to meeting our broader strategic goals, starting in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where the Taliban is resurgent, and al-Qaeda has a safe haven,” Obama wrote in a New York Times article on Monday.
Draft Iran deal has Israel worried
By DPA,
Tel Aviv: As the world awaited Iran's formal reply Friday to a proposal under which it would send most of its low-enriched uranium abroad for processing, voices in Israel against the compromise were growing.
The latest was Israeli opposition leader Tzipi Livni, who warned the enrichment agreement "will blow up in our face and in the face of the international community".
"Iran should know that all options are on the table," Israel Army Radio quoted her as telling a farmers' union symposium near Tel Aviv.
NATO, Iran hold first talks in 30 years
By Xinhua,
Brussels : Diplomats from the NATO and Iran held their first talks in 30 years here, focusing on possible cooperation on Afghanistan, an official said here.
An Iranian diplomat met NATO's Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy Martin Erdmann, the alliance's spokesman James Appathurai told reporters.
Appathurai said that it was "a first informal contact" and the Iranian side is interested in cooperation on Afghanistan. The spokesman refused to identify the Iranian diplomat.
Blast, gunshots rock Afghanistan’s Kandahar
By IANS,
Kandahar (Afghanistan) : A blast rocked Kandahar city, the capital of Afghanistan's Kandahar province, Saturday night followed by gun shots, officials said.
Pakistani army chief discusses security with Zardari, PM
By Muhammad Najeeb,IANS,
Islamabad : Top government officials on the last day of year Wednesday continued discussions on relations with India after the Mumbai attacks amid a report in the US media that top Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Zarar Shah has confessed to the group's involvement in the Nov 26-29 mayhem in India's commercial capital.
Pakistani Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani held important but separate meetings with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and according to the presidential spokesman "discussed with him professional matters".
Pakistan yet to reply on Mumbai dossier: Pranab
By IANS,
Lalgola (West Bengal) : India has not yet received any official communication from Pakistan on a dossier over the Mumbai terrorist attack, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said here Sunday.
"We've not yet received any official communication from Pakistan till Saturday. We have already given all documents on the matter to Pakistan," Mukherjee told reporters after attending a Congress rally in Lalgola, about 220 km north of Kolkata, in Murshidabad district of West Bengal.
"But, I don't know if they (Pakistan) have sent anything today (Sunday)," he added.
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:
Sri Lankan eye banl in Pakistan
By NNN-Govt Portal
Colombo : Sri Lankan eye specialists have announced that an eye bank will be set up in Sialkot, Pakistan to provide free eye treatment including transplanting of corneas.
A.P.S. Abeysuriya, a Sri Lankan eye specialist said at the launching of a free cornea transplanting camp at the Aleem Welfare Hospital on Wednesday (26) that the proposed eye bank would be functional by December 2008 and that Sri Lankans will be donating corneas directly to the facility.
Hamas: Barak’s threats to storm Gaza “stupid”
By Xinhua,
Gaza : An Islamic Hamas movement's spokesman in Gaza disparaged on Tuesday Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak's statements that the Israeli army would storm the Hamas-ruled enclave sooner or later.
Fawzi Barhoum, Hamas spokesman in Gaza said in a written statement that statements of "the Zionist minister of war Ehud Barak to carry out a large-scale military operation against Gaza are stupid statements."
Sharjah port back in action after fire
By IANS,
Dubai : Business is back to normal at Port Khaled in Sharjah after a huge fire engulfed it Saturday.
“Sharjah port will remain open and business will be conducted as usual,” said Rashid Al Leem, the director general of ports in Sharjah.
The fire broke out early Saturday at a storage area of the Emirates Oil Refining Co (ERCO), the state-run Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported. It destroyed the storage facility. ERCO mainly produces sunflower oil.
UN condemns attack on French institute in Kabul
United Nations: The UN Security Council has condemned "in the strongest terms" the suicide attack at the French Institute of Afghanistan in Kabul which...
18 killed, 44 injured in Iraq attacks
By IANS,
Baghdad: At least 18 people were killed and 44 wounded in separate attacks, including a suicide truck bombing, in central and northern Iraq Tuesday, police said.
Putting Timbuktu back on the map
By Charlotte Wiedemann
Abdelkader Haidara is a man who answers his emails quickly. But alongside his connections to the modern world, he is also at home in an entirely different epoch: the centuries when his hometown of Timbuktu was a stronghold of Islamic scholarship.
Palestinian police find body of shot policeman
By KUNA
Gaza : Policemen found on Saturday deady body of member of the froce in the southern sector of Gaza city, police said.
The body of Shaaban Daghmash bore bullet marks, police said, adding that THE slain man was brother of Zakariah Daghmash, in charge of Salah-Eddine Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees.
Daghmash had been shot three times in head.
Pakistan deports Osama family to Saudi Arabia
By IANS,
Islamabad : Pakistan early Friday deported slain Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's three widows and 11 other family members to Saudi Arabia.
At least 10 killed, 80 injured in Baghdad’s Sadr militia battles
By Xinhua
Baghdad : At least 10 people were killed and some 80 others injured during the clashes between Muqtada al-Sadr's militia and the U.S.-backed Iraqi troops Wednesday in Baghdad, a police source and witnesses said.
After midnight, Mahdi Army fighters started fierce clashes with Iraqi and U.S. forces in their Sadr City Shiite bastion in eastern Baghdad and continued sporadically during the day, the police source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
US expects more violence in Iraq ahead of pullout
By DPA,
Washington : The US military believes there will be an upsurge in violence in Iraq ahead of the planned withdrawal of its forces from major Iraqi cities at the end of this month.
Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell told reporters Wednesday that violence in Iraq had typically spiked ahead of key dates such as elections and predicted the same for the June 30 pullout.
"Our forces have been alerted to the possibility that we will likely see an uptick in violence leading up to the June 30 deadline for US combat forces to leave Iraqi cities and towns," Morrell said.
Malala sent to Britain for treatment
By IANS,
Islamabad : Pakistan's teen peace campaigner Malala Yousufzai, who was shot at by the Taliban last week, has been sent to Britain for treatment, the Pakistani military has said.
Pakistan launches operation to trace envoy
By Muhammad Najeeb, IANS
Islamabad : Pakistani has started a massive operation to trace its missing ambassador to Afghanistan Tariq Azizuddin who is believed to hav been abducted by militants on his way to Kabul Monday, an official said Thursday.
"The Political Administration of Khyber Agency started a massive crackdown for the recovery of ambassador Tariq Azizuddin and arrested six members of the Junda Khel tribe," the interior ministry official told IANS Thursday.
Eid Collection – Pakistan brand’s special offer for Indian consumers
New Delhi : Pakistan's textile brand Lala has been catering to the fashion industry for over four decades with their specially crafted lawn assortments....
Iran reveals second uranium enrichment plant to IAEA
By DPA,
Vienna : Iran has told the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) it is constructing a second, so far unknown uranium-enrichment facility, diplomats in Vienna said Friday.
Until now the international community was only aware of the operating enrichment plant in Natanz, which some countries fear could one day be used to make material for nuclear arms.
The information was contained in a letter sent Monday to the Vienna-based IAEA.
It did not contain information about the location of the new plant, nor about how far advanced the project is, the diplomats said.
Lebanon marks fourth anniversary of Hariri killing
By DPA,
Beirut : Amid tightened security measures, hundreds of thousands of Lebanese rallied Saturday at the Martyrs Square in central Beirut to mark the fourth anniversary of the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri.
The demonstrators carried Lebanese flags and banners reading "Independence, Sovereignty, Freedom", "Lebanese Unity", and sang the national anthem of the country.
Pakistani PM says judiciary to be made independent
By NNN-APP,
Multan : Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani vowed for independence of judiciary and institutions and restoration of 1973 Constitution.
Addressing a large public meeting here on Saturday, the Prime Minister said that people have voted overwhelmingly for the democratic forces in the February 18 elections.
“We will fight to ensure independence of judiciary, media and institutions and restore the 1973 Constitution,” he said in his address.
Israeli Police on highest alert
By KUNA,
Gaza : Israeli Police put all its units on highest alert Sunday across Israeli territory, Radio Israel reported this morning.
"This step was taken after security authorities received detailed intelligence and traced leads to Palestinian factions in the process of executing planned attacks inside Israel," the radio added.
The station added thousands of policemen, border guards, and volunteers were deployed in all Israeli cities, and most particularly in crowded cities.
Bangladesh opposition may get another front-row seat in parliament
By IANS,
Dhaka : The speaker of the Bangladesh parliament Tuesday mooted one more front row seat to main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) to end the latter's year-long boycott over the seating arrangement.
"I can request the prime minister to allocate one more front row seat to the opposition if they raise the demand inside the parliament," Star Online quoted Speaker Abdul Hamid as saying.
Judge walked out, did not recuse himself from Musharraf case
Islamabad: Justice Faisal Arab who heads the special three-member court constituted to try former military president Pervez Musharraf for high treason has said that...
Bangladesh: PM stresses working together with Maldives of global warming
By NNN-BSS,
Dhaka : Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Tuesday expressed willingness to work unitedly with the Maldives to face the adverse impact of climate change as both the countries are facing similar threats due to global warming.
"Bangladesh and the Maldives are facing same threats of climate change. So, we have to work together to face the challenges of environmental degradation," she said when the newly appointed the High Commissioner of the Maldives to Bangladesh Ahmed Sareer called on her at her office here.
Dubai marks world kidney day
By IANS/WAM,
Dubai : The Dubai Health Authority conducted free health screenings Thursday to mark the 7th World Kidney Day.
After UAE and Kuwait, Bahrain cuts interest rates
By IANS,
Dubai : Bahrain’s central bank Thursday cut its key policy interest rate by 25 basis points as Gulf markets went on a freefall in the face of the global financial crisis.
The Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) said in a statement that the rate on its one-week deposit facility now stands at 1.75 percent from the previous 2 percent.
The decision comes in the wake of similar moves by the central banks of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kuwait.
Iran to inform IAEA about future nuclear programmes
By DPA
Tehran/Vienna : Iran is to inform the head of the UN nuclear watchdog chief in Vienna about its future nuclear programmes, a senior Iranian nuclear official told state television Saturday.
Diplomats in the Austrian capital confirmed that Iran's Vice President and head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organisation, Gholamreza Aghazadeh, would go Monday to Vienna for talks with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head Mohamed ElBaradei.
Everything possible done for fair polls: Bangladesh
By IANS,
Dhaka : Everything possible has been done to create a level playing field and hold fair polls Dec 18, Bangladesh's caretaker government has said in a clear message to recalcitrant former premier Khaleda Zia and her Islamist allies.
The Zia-led Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has been pressing the military-backed government to meet its seven-point charter of demands for, what the party says, creating a level playing field. The demands include lifting of the state of emergency for the election.
Pakistanis chew up $64.7 mn worth of betel nuts a year
By IANS,
Islamabad : Pakistan spent a whopping $64.7 million on import of betel nuts and betel leaves during 2009-10, a minister told the National Assembly.
Indian soldiers did not behead Pakistani troops, says Antony
By IANS,
New Delhi : A report that Indian soldiers had tortured and decapitated Pakistani troops along the Line of Control (LoC) was baseless, Defence Minister A.K. Antony said Thursday.
NATO trucks denied entry to Pakistani province
By IANS,
Islamabad: A provincial government in northwest Pakistan Wednesday denied entry of NATO supply vehicles over fear of terrorist attacks, a media report said.
The government of Kyber-Pakhtoonkhwa province has denied entry to 50 NATO vehicles, Geo TV said.
Intelligence agencies have informed the government that terrorists could target the container trucks and, therefore, the vehicles have been stopped at Attock Bridge to avoid any untoward incident.
Report: Barak mulls ultimatum to Olmert
By Xinhua,
Jerusalem : Israeli Defense Minister and Labor Party chairman Ehud Barak is contemplating delivering an ultimatum to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, whereby he will demand the premier either resign or agree on a date for early elections, local daily Ha'aretz reported Wednesday.
Barak will hold consultations with senior party officials on Wednesday, after which he is expected to make a statement at a 1:30 P.M. (1030GMT) press conference.
Badawi to announce new Cabinet
By SPA
Kuala Lumpur : rime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is set to announce his new Cabinet, albeit a relatively smaller one, by Tuesday, which will likely see a host of new faces who emerged victorious in the just-ended general election, reported Bernama.
Early indications show the line-up may consist of between 26 and 28 ministries from the previous 31, with some ministries to be merged.
President Zardari to attend trilateral, regional summits with Turkish, Afghan counterparts
By NNN-APP,
Istanbul : President Asif Ali Zardari arrives here on Sunday afternoon to attend a Trilateral Summit meeting with his Turkish and Afghan counterparts, aimed at steadily enhancing relations among the three countries and to continue efforts for bringing a lasting, durable peace to Afghanistan.
Wave of Attacks Shakes Iraq
By Prensa Latina
Baghdad : At least 13 people died and more than 20 were injured Monday in several dynamite attacks in Iraq, said police sources.
The biggest attack was produced against the host of an organization managing religious goods in Iraq, where 7 people died and nearly 20 were injured, press media said Monday.
Commander Riad al Samarrai was killed, and the rest were employees or collaborators of this Iraqi cultural institution, said an Iraqi high official.
NATO urges calm following terror attack in Kabul
By EuAsiaNews,
Brussels : The Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organsiation (NATO), Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, "wholeheartedly condemned" the bombing at the Indian embassy in Kabul Monday.
"The loss of life and injuries to so many is a tragedy, and a clear attempt to undermine regional relations. I call on all parties to remain calm in the face of this provocation,'' said the head of the 26-member Alliance.
Scheffer stressed that NATO remains determined to continue its mission to help bring security and stability to Afghanistan, including against the scourge of terrorism.
Iran-IAEA cooperation, transparent
By IRNA
Foreign Ministry spokesman, Mohammad-Ali Hosseini said on Sunday that Iran's cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency is clear and transparent.
Addressing the 17th session of Iran-Japan Joint political Committee, Hosseini underscored the need for continued Iran-IAEA cooperation.
The Islamic Republic of Iran insists on ensuring its full rights in the area of peaceful nuclear energy, he added.
Referring to the great potentials in both Iran and Japan, Hosseini called for further boost in bilateral cooperation.
Temple demolition: Pakistani Hindus seek redress
By Sandeep Datta,
New Delhi : As Pakistani authorities are all set to raze a 79-year-old temple in Rawalpindi, anger and disappointment prevail among the...
Gilani seeks drone technology from US
By IANS,
Islamabad : Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has urged the US to provide drone technology to Pakistan, a media report said. He also demanded an end to the US drone attacks inside Pakistan.
Gilani made the request during a meeting with US special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke at his home Monday. He also discussed a range of other issues, The News reported.
Nuclear science professor killed in Tehran
By DPA,
Tehran : An Iranian university professor of nuclear science was killed and another professor injured in attacks Monday in Tehran, the city's police chief said.
Israel plans to celebrate 60th birthday in big way
By DPA,
Tel Aviv : Israel turns 60 this month, and despite its troubled history and the uncertainty in the Middle East - or perhaps because of it - the country plans to celebrate its birthday in a big way.
The festivities are to cost almost 100 million shekels (nearly $28 million), sparking fierce criticism by taxpayers that the money could be better spent elsewhere.
The programme includes dozens of events, some of which are to continue into the next year. A central theme of many of them is set to be Israeli children.
Millionaire beggar nabbed in Saudi Arabia
Riyadh : Police in Saudi Arabia have arrested a beggar, who, it later turned out, has been sitting on a fortune of over $300,000,...
Israel not to halt West Bank construction fully: Netanyahu
By DPA,
Jerusalem : Israel will not completely freeze all construction in its West Bank settlements, as the United States and the Palestinians have demanded, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday.
"A freeze for me means zero construction. I prefer to call it a building slowdown," he said in interviews broadcast on Israeli television channels to mark the two-day Jewish new year festival, which begins Friday night.
Ramadan around the world: Lebanon, Indonesia and Guinea
By Juliette Schmidt
Last week I began a virtual tour of Ramadan around the world, inspired by the stories of my Moroccan, Pakistani and US-based colleagues at Search for Common Ground, a non-profit conflict transformation organisation. This week, as even Toronto buzzes with invitations to fast-breaking iftar dinners, I look to Lebanon, Indonesia and Guinea.
Pakistanian govt to step up Balochistan development
By NNN-APP,
Islamabad : Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has said that the government would ensure development of Balochistan to bring it at par with other provinces.
In a meeting with Governor Balochistan Nawab Zulfiqar Magsi at the PM House, the Prime Minister said the government would leave no stone unturned to provide basic facilities of life to the people in the province.
Gilani said a committee on Balochistan had completed its work and the government would soon take decision in this regard.
Hasina chooses 25 novice ministers, makes personal physician foreign minister
By IANS,
Dhaka : Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has made her personal physician the foreign minister in her 32-member team in which as many as 25 are newcomers.
The new foreign minister Dipu Moni is a physician who has been treating Hasina since she escaped attempt on her life in 2004 that left her hearing and vision partially impaired.
Israel’s Ehud Barak to quit politics
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Tel Aviv : Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak Monday announced he was leaving politics and would not run in the January general elections.
U.S. military say 9 insurgents killed in raid in S Afghanistan
By Xinhua,
Kabul : The US-led Coalition forces in a statement released on Thursday said that Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and Coalition forces killed 9 insurgents during an extended patrol in Shah Wali Kott district of Kandahar province in the south from Nov. 3 to Nov. 5.
Insurgents ambushed a coalition security patrol using rifles, machine guns, rocket propelled grenades and mortars while ANSF and Coalition forces responded with a variety of weapons, killing nine insurgents, the statement said.
34 dead in Afghan suicide attack, IS claims responsibility
Kabul: At least 34 people were killed and more than 100 injured on Saturday in a suicide bombing outside a bank in Jalalabad city...
Taliban commander, four civilians killed in Afghan violence
By DPA,
Kabul : Two rebels including a top Taliban commander have been killed in Afghanistan by government troops, said officials here Saturday.
The interior ministry said Taliban commander Mullah Usman was killed during an operation conducted by Afghan forces in Kalafgan district of northern Takhar province late Friday.
"Mullah Usman was killed when militants under his command attacked a police checkpoint in Kalafgan district last night," the ministry said.
Six killed in bomb attacks northeast Baghdad
By Xinhua,
Baghdad : Six people were killed and six others injured in separate bomb attacks in a village in Diyala province on Tuesday morning, a provincial police source said.
A roadside bomb detonated near a civilian car, carrying an anti-Qaida Awakening council group member, while driving in the village of A'bbara near the city capital of Baquba, 65 km northeast of Baghdad, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
The blast killed the driver and destroyed his car, the source said.
Four NATO soldiers die in southern Afghanistan
By IANS,
Kabul: Four NATO soldiers lost their lives during separate incidents in restive southern Afghanistan, the military alliance said.
Britain, US to fund joint counter-terrorism unit in Yemen
By DPA,
London : Britain and the US will jointly fund a counter-terrorism unit in Yemen, a British government announcement said Sunday.
The British administration said the plan had been agreed upon by the two nations in response to the failed attempt by an Al Qaeda operative to down a passenger jet in Detroit, Michigan, on Christmas Day.
Additionally, the two countries will seek more UN intervention against the growing terrorism threat out of Somalia, where a weak central government has been unable to control the growing threat of local terrorist groups.
Iran, Pakistan to expedite process for 1000 mw power import
By IRNA,
Islamabad : Pakistan and Iran have agreed to expedite the process of importing 1000 MW power by Pakistan from Iran on fast track basis for its early completion, officials said on Thursday.
The agreement came in a meeting between Iranian Ambassador Masha’Allah Shakeri and Pakistan Minister for Water and Power, Raja Pervez Ashraf who also discussed matters of mutual interest, bilateral relations to further boost economic ties between the two countries, the Ministry of Water and Power said.
Two car bombs kill four people, wounds 20 in N Iraq
By Xinhua
Mosul, Iraq : Two car bombs detonated on Wednesday in the northern city of Mosul, the capital of Nineveh province, killing four people and wounding 20 others, a provincial police source said.
A booby-trapped car detonated in the evening near a police patrol in the Sa'ah neighborhood in Mosul, Brigadier Khalid Abdul-Sattar, spokesman of the provincial security operations office told Xinhua.
Minutes later, another car bomb went off at the scene as many people gathered to check the casualties, Sattar said.
U.S. envoy welcomes Pakistan’s operation against militants
By Xinhua,
Islamabad : Visiting U.S. Assistant Secretary f State Richard Boucher said on Wednesday that the United States welcomes the military operation against militants in Khyber tribal agency.
The Pakistani government on Saturday started a military operation against three extremist groups in northwestern Pakistan's Khyber tribal agency just adjacent to Peshawar, capital of North West Frontier Province.
It marks the first major operation since the new government took power in March. The operation entered the fifth day on Wednesday.
Etihad Airways named the best in Middle East
By IANS/WAM,
Abu Dhabi: Etihad Airways has been recognised as "Best Airline in the Middle East" for 2012 by the readers of Premier Traveler magazine in the US.
We are close to victory in Afghanistan: Mullah Omar
By IANS,
London : Taliban guerrillas are winning in Afghanistan because the NATO-led campaign has been "a complete failure", elusive rebel chief Mullah Omar has said in a rare statement.
Pakistan floods toll tops 670
By DPA,
Islamabad: The death toll in floods rose to 672 Saturday as rescue workers tried to reach thousands of people stranded in north-western Pakistan, officials said.
Rivers bloated by monsoon rains submerged thousands of villages, washed away dozens of bridges and telecommunication installations, blocked roads and inundated millions of acres of agricultural land.
Mujahid Khan, a spokesman for the Edhi Foundation, said that 635 people were killed in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, the worst-hit area with more than 400,000 people displaced.
Two foreigners go missing in Afghanistan
By IANS,
Kabul : A search operation has been launched after two foreigners - an American and a Canadian - went missing in Afghanistan, police said Sunday.
Radical cleric Sufi Muhammad’s deputy killed in rescue bid (Lead)
By IANS,
Islamabad: The Pakistani military seemed to be speaking in twin voices Saturday on radical cleric Sufi Muhammad, whose deputy was killed in a blotched rescue attempt by the Taliban in the country's restive northwest, saying he was not in their custody.
Maulana Muhammad Alam, the deputy of Taliban-backed fundamentalist group Tehreek-e-Nifaz Shariat Muhammadi (TNSM), and his spokesman Ameer Izzat Khan were killed in crossfire with militants, the army said.
Catastrophe if aid not ‘quickly forthcoming’, says Pakistani media
By IANS,
Islamabad : With the Pakistani military's anti-Taliban operations in the northwest displacing 3.8 million civilians, the country was "staring a catastrophe full in the face" and many refugees would start "dying very soon" unless international aid was not "quickly forthcoming", an editorial in a leading English daily warned Monday.
Afghan mayor killed in suicide blast
By IANS,
Kabul : The mayor of Afghanistan's Kandahar city was killed Wednesday in a suicide attack when he was attending a meeting, Xinhua reported.
Israel provides NATO with intelligence on Iran’s nuclear program
By Xinhua,
Jerusalem : Israel has provided the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) with substantial intelligence about Iran's nuclear program, local daily Ha'aretz reported Sunday.
Citing diplomats in Jerusalem, the report said that the Jewish state has also provided the Brussels-based bloc with intelligence about the development of long-range missiles by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
Iran accuses Britain, U.S. of being related to Shiraz mosque blast
By Xinhua,
Tehran : Iran blamed Britain and the United States for having links to a "terrorist group" which engineered a mosque blast last month in the southern city of Shiraz, the state IRNA news agency reported Thursday.
"The main agent of the Shiraz mosque blast was arrested through police efforts, five other suspects had also been arrested in relation to the blast," Iran's Intelligence Minister Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejeie was quoted as saying in Shiraz Wednesday night.
Taliban kill 21 security men in Pakistan
By IANS,
Islamabad: The Taliban have killed 21 Pakistani security personnel whom they abducted a few days ago from a check post, a media report said Sunday.
Berlin rejects judicial bid to ban Turkey’s ruling AKP party
By IRNA
Berlin : The German government here Monday dismissed efforts by Turkey's chief prosecutor to ban the governing AKP party of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul branding it "incomprehensible and worrisome".
"The AKP is clearly a democratic party which became the strongest party as a result of free, fair and democratic parliamentary elections in 2007," deputy government spokesman Thomas Steg was quoted saying at a routine press briefing.
US judge dismisses Blackwater case; Iraqis upset
By IANS,
Baghdad : Iraq has said it regretted the decision by a US judge to dismiss the charges against five Blackwater security guards who allegedly killed innocent Iraqi civilians in 2007.
"The Iraqi government regrets and is disappointed by the decision," Ali al-Dabbagh, spokesman for the government, said in a statement Friday.
"The investigations conducted by the Iraqi authorities confirm clearly that the Blackwater guards committed murder and violated the rule of using arms under the circumstances of being threatened," Xinhua reported quoting the official.
Iran ‘fundamentally’ opposes nuclear weapons: Khamenei
By Xinhua
Tehran: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Sunday rejected the West's charge that his country wants to develop nuclear bombs, saying Tehran is "fundamentally" opposed to such weapons.
"Accusing the Islamic Republic of seeking nuclear arms is a blatant lie. We are fundamentally opposed to nuclear weapons," Press TV quoted Khamenei as saying.
"We consider the use and proliferation of nuclear arms as forbidden," he added.
Musharraf to launch political party soon
By IANS,
London : Former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf will launch a new political party soon, the Online news agency reported Tuesday.
A councilor of Britain's Conservative Party disclosed this to a TV Channel here.
Musharraf will discuss about his new party with his supporters during Iftar dinners in London, he said.
He added that Musharraf offered free Iftar Parties during Ramadan for his supporters.
Palestinian children in Gaza return to school without heat or light – UNICEF
By NNN-KUNA
Geneva : The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said Friday that when 374 government schools re-open their doors in Gaza to a quarter of a million students returning from winter break tomorrow, parents, teachers and children will be hoping classrooms will operate without having heat nor light.
An official who runs schools in Rafah, Gaza's southernmost district, Saeed Harb, said that even before the fuel cuts, power shortages meant that children were already cold in classrooms.
Iran’s action on UAE island flayed by Arab parliament
By IANS,
Dubai : The Arab Interim Parliament (AIP) has asked Iran to end its occupation of the three islands of Abu Musa, Greater and Lesser Tunbs belonging to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
In a resolution adopted at the end of the second session of AIP committee meeting Monday, the AIP strongly criticised the recent Iranian action of constructing two offices on the Abu Musa Island, the state-run Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported from Cairo.
Bomb attacks kill two policemen, civilian in Pakistan (Lead)
By DPA,
Islamabad : Two policemen and a civilian were killed Saturday in two separate bomb attacks in restive north-west Pakistan, officials said.
A powerful roadside bomb exploded next to a police vehicle near an Afghan refugee camp in Nasir Bagh, located on the outskirts of Peshawar, the capital of North-West Frontier Province (NWFP).
Area police chief Khaista Khan and his driver were killed and two more law enforcers were injured in the bombing, Senior Superintendent Police Peshawar Imtiaz Shah said.
Abu Dhabi to host aviation expo
By IANS/WAM,
Abu Dhabi : The UAE will host an international aviation exhibition March 6-8 in Abu Dhabi, it was announced Saturday.
Commander: Iran’s naval forces ready to protect Gulf
By Xinhua,
Tehran : Commander of Iran's Navy Forces Habibollah Sattari said Wednesday that Iran's naval forces are fully ready to protect the entire Gulf, the official IRNA news agency reported.
Sattari told reporters on the sidelines of his visit to a naval base in Sirjan, a city in southern province of Kerman.
The forces will defend the territory of the country as well as the sea borders powerfully, the report quoted Sattari as saying.
He also said the country's naval forces are controlling and closely watching all movements in the region now.
Pakistan throws spanner in the works blocking three Saarc pacts
By Anil Giri,
Kathmandu : In what was seen as a setback to regional cooperation and the ongoing Saarc summit here, Pakistan Wednesday blocked three...
Indian expatriate killed in Oman accident
Muscat : A 29-year-old Indian expatriate died in a road accident in Oman, media here has reported.
P. Najeeb, who worked in a private firm...
Egypt to supply Gaza power plant with gas
By Xinhua,
Cairo : Egyptian Minister of Petroleum Amin Sameh Samir Fahmi said on Tuesday that Egypt would supply gas to the Palestinian Gaza power plant, the Egyptian MENA news agency reported.
Fahmi made the remarks at a meeting with visiting head of the Palestinian energy and natural resources department Omar Kattana, the report said.
Jordanians jailed for hiring fighters in Iraq
By Xinhua,
Amman : Jordan's State Security Court (SSC) Tuesday sentenced 16 men to two years in jail after convicting them of recruiting people to fight Americans in Iraq and carry out suicide attacks, local Jordan Times reported on Wednesday.
The defendants were convicted of possessing illegal weapons with illicit intent, selling illegal weapons, undermining Jordan's relations with another country and illegally infiltrating a neighboring country.
Pakistan: death toll in Friday’s explosion rises to 93
By NNN-KUNA,
Islamabad : The death toll in Friday's suicide explosion in northern Pakistani district has increased to 93 while several of the 70 people who were wounded were said to still be in critical condition, said officials on Saturday.
A suicide bomber drove his explosive-laden vehicle into the outer wall of a field, where volley-ball match was being played, in Lakki Marwat district of North-West Frontier Province (NWFP).
District Coordinating Officer (DCO), Ayub Khan, told reporters that the bomber had used an explosive of 300 kilograms.
14 killed as Iraq undergoes parliamentary polls
Baghdad:Iraqis Wednesday participated in their country's first parliamentary elections since withdrawal of US forces in 2011. Held amid heavy security, the polls were still...
Drone strike kills four in Pakistan
By IANS,
Islamabad : Four people were killed Monday in a US drone attack in northwest Pakistan, Xinhua reported.
UN humanitarian chief deplores living conditions in Gaza
UNITED NATIONS, Feb 16 (APP): Decrying the “miserable” daily living conditions inside the Gaza Strip, the UN humanitarian chief Friday deplored the restrictions on the flow of aid and goods in and out of the area, saying he would raise his concerns with Israeli and Palestinian officials.
John Holmes, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, made a day-long visit Friday to assess the impact on the restrictions on Gaza’s estimated 1.4 million inhabitants, according to a press statement issued at UN Headquarters in New York.
12 killed in two bomb strikes in Baghdad
By Xinhua,
Baghdad : Eleven civilians and a policeman were killed and up to 26 injured in bomb explosions in two neighbourhoods of the Iraqi capital Tuesday, an interior ministry source said.
An explosive charge hidden in a vegetable stall in a popular market in Mashtal detonated in the afternoon, killing seven people and wounding 18 others, the source said on condition of anonymity.
The blast destroyed several nearby stalls, shops and cars, the source said.
Iran ready to consider allowing U.S. diplomatic presence
By RIA Novosti,
Tehran : Iran is prepared to consider allowing a United States 'interests section' in its capital, Tehran, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Wednesday.
The United States broke off diplomatic relations with Iran in 1980, the year after the Iranian Revolution, when the Washington-backed shah was deposed, and during the 444-day embassy hostage crisis.
"We believe that restoring relations between the American and Iranian nations would be a positive move," Mottaki was quoted by the official IRNA news agency as saying at Iran's UN mission in New York.
Israel and Palestine – Bush’s cowboy ways
MOSCOW. (Political commentator Maria Appakova) - After the talks in Jerusalem and Ramallah, George W. Bush said that a peace agreement between the Palestinians and the Israelis would be reached by the end of the year.
He was less optimistic on the settlement within Palestine - he is not sure that the head of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) Mahmoud Abbas will be able to resolve this problem in the foreseeable future.
NATO helicopter crashes in Afghanistan
By IANS,
Kabul : A NATO helicopter may have crashed in eastern Afghanistan Saturday, Xinhua reported.