Ahmadinejad accuses West of intimidation
By IANS,
United Nations: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has accused some "hegemonic powers" of intimidating his country, citing military threats from Israel, Xinhua reported.
Syria freezes ties with Iraq: reports
By DPA,
Dubai : Syria has frozen its ties with Iraq following a cross-border attack by US forces on a Syrian village, the Dubai-based al-Arabiya news network reported Friday.
It said the Iraqi charge d'affaires had been summoned to the Syrian foreign ministry in Damascus and told that economic cooperation was being frozen, as was cooperation between security services.
Syria says eight civilians were killed in Sunday's cross-border, helicopter-backed attack on the village of al-Sukkariya, while witnesses said seven people were killed and one man was abducted.
Pakistan refutes Aghan claim on cross-border incursions
Islamabad : Pakistan Tuesday rejected as "baseless" the remarks by the Afghan foreign ministry that Pakistani troops have intruded into its territory and killed...
Turkey deploys heavy weapons on border with Syria
Ankara: Turkey has deployed additional heavy weapons, including tanks, along the border with neighbouring Syria, a media report said.
Turkish army has increased security measures...
Turkish military says it strikes PKK in northern Iraq
By Xinhua,
Ankara : Turkish warplanes struck a group guerillas of the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq on Tuesday as they attempted to sneak to Turkish territory, the General Staff said on Wednesday.
Tense subcontinental ties detract from war on terror: Nawaz
By IANS,
Islamabad: Tense subcontinental ties will detract from Pakistan's war against terror on its western borders, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif said Thursday.
"Prosperity of the people of India and Pakistan and sustainable peace and stability in the region can be ensured only if both countries enjoy good relations," Online news agency quoted Sharif as telling Indian High Commissioner Sharat Sabharwal at the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader's country villa at Raiwand on the outskirts of Lahore.
Karzai postpones Pakistan visit
By IANS,
Islamabad : Afghan President Hamid Karzai's visit to Islamabad Thursday has been postponed "due to bad weather".
Karzai was to hold talks with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Geo TV reported.
The new schedule for the visit would be released later.
India-born Bhutto applies for Pakistan identity card
By Muhammad Najeeb, IANS,
Islamabad : Sassi Bhutto, the India-born granddaughter of Pakistan's former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, has applied for Pakistan national identity card apparently with an objective to enter politics and claim her share in the family property.
Sassi, 26, in her application submitted to the registration authority has mentioned her place of birth as India. However, the city of birth has not been named in the application.
Jaswant Singh’s book on Jinnah already tops chart
By IANS,
New Delhi : The controversial book "Jinnah: India-Partition Independence" by Jaswant Singh predictably tops the non-fiction section of the bestseller list here in the first week of its release while Ali Sethi's "The Wish Maker: A Novel" continued at the No.1 position in the fiction category for the third week in a row.
The top 10 in each section are:
Non-fiction
1. "Jinnah: India-Partition Independence"
Author: Jaswant Singh
Publisher: Rupa
Price: Rs.695.00
2. "The Idea of Justice"
Author: Amartya Sen
Publisher: Penguin Allen Lane
International Compliance Association opens office in Dubai
By IANS,
Dubai : The International Compliance Association (ICA), a leading global provider of training in anti-money laundering, compliance and financial crime prevention, has opened a new office in Dubai.
The London headquartered ICA has set up its office at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) in order to extend its geographical reach to the world's leading financial centres, a DIFC statement here said.
Civilian helicopter makes hard landing in E. Afghanistan
By Xinhua,
Kabul : A contracted helicopter made an emergency landing in Kunar province of eastern Afghanistan after coming under fire from insurgents, causing no casualties, the NATO-led military said here Monday.
The aircraft made a landing at a base of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in central Kunar "after taking machine-gun fire from an unknown number of insurgents," the ISAF said in a statement.
An ensuing inspection to the helicopter found one bullet hole that "did minor damage" to the aircraft, it added.
Sunni militants seize more Iraqi cities near Syrian border
Baghdad: Iraqi security forces Sunday clashed with Sunni militant groups in several provinces, while insurgents made significant progress in the country's western province of...
Israeli PM to Be Interrogated Again
By Prensa Latina,
Tel Aviv : Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will be interrogated by the police under the suspicion of being involved in a case of bribery late last decade, the public radio reported on Tuesday.
Olmert, who was questioned by the Police Fraud Department two weeks ago, will face a new questioning on Friday over his alleged links with American millionaire Morris Talansky.
The public radio added that the Olmert will be interrogated at his residence Friday morning.
Brigadier escapes terror attack in Islamabad
By IANS,
Islamabad : A Pakistani Army Brigadier and two others escaped a terror attack unhurt Tuesday when the jeep he was travelling in was fired upon in this Pakistani capital.
According to eyewitnesses, the senior army official, along with his mother and driver, narrowly escaped the attack, which took place in sector I/9, Geo TV reported.
"The assailant was waiting for 15 minutes outside the army official's home to launch the terror strike," an eyewitnesses was quoted as saying.
The attacker fled from the scene.
Pakistan’s fight against Taliban displaces 30,000 people
By IANS,
Islamabad : About 30,000 people have been displaced during the military offensive against Taliban fighters in Pakistan's Lower Dir area, a minister said Tuesday.
"Up to 30,000 people have left Maidan in Lower Dir district over the past few days," the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) Information Minister Iftikhar Hussain told the media in Peshawar.
"We are making arrangements for them in Peshawar, Nowshera and Timargarah districts," Dawn quoted Hussain as saying.
Iran to send man into space by 2019
By IANS,
Tehran : Iran has plans to launch its first manned mission into the space by 2019, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said.
The president said the project was originally planned to take place in 2035, but it has been preponed in response to the pressure from the US and the West against its nuclear programme, according to Press TV.
"In response to the enemy's (the United Nations Security Council) resolutions, it was decided that the project be pushed forward by five years," Ahmadinejad said Friday at the closing ceremony of the National Festival of Iranian Youth.
Massacre of Karbala pilgrims aimed at flickering religious crisis – Fazlallah
By IRNA
Beirut : A Lebanese Shi'a source of jurisprudence said here Friday massacring pilgrims of Imam Hussain's shrine in Karbala on Thursday was a new effort aimed at flickering religious crisis.
Seyyed Mohammad-Hossein Fazlallah made the comment in his Friday prayer sermon at a southern Beirut district, adding, "Flickering the flames of religious disputes serves the interests of the occupiers and as a an excuse for them to lengthen their troublesome presence in Iraq."
No relief for Gaza while Israel enjoys impunity, warns UK peer
By IRNA,
London : A British peer has returned from Gaza warning that there will be no relief for the Palestinians from another pulverisation while Israel enjoys impunity for its continuing war crimes.
“Israel – cradle of lawyers – is in cavalier breach of International Law, the United Nations Charter, its Conventions and Resolutions, and yet is protected from the consequences which should follow,” said Liberal Democrat peer Lord Phillips.
ISESCO condemns Israel’s decision to demolish Mosque
By NNN-WAFA
Rabat : The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) strongly condemned the decision taken by the Israeli occupation authorities to demolish the Al-Omari Mosque, built more than 700 years ago in Umm Tuba, a small village southeast of Al-Quds city.
In a statemnt, ISESCO faulted the pretexts used by Al Quds Municipality under Israeli jurisdiction to justify its decision to demolish the Mosque as being manifestly unfounded.
Iran proposes OPEC to consider another oil cut
By Xinhua,
Tehran : Iran Saturday proposed the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to again consider an output cut of one to 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd) to help maintain a balance between oil supply and demand, the state television IRIB reported.
"It is better for a decision to be made for another cut of one million to 1.5 million barrels per day," Iran's OPEC representative Mohammad Ali Khatibi was quoted as saying.
"So that a balance between supply and demand is reached," he added.
Bomb attack on Afghan army kills three civilians
By KUNA,
Kabul : A remote-controlled bomb attack in Afghanistan's central capital Kabul on Sunday killed three civilians including a woman.
The Afghan Defense Ministry said the blast targeted a bus carrying military personnel to their duty place. The bomb exploded in the western part of the city as the bus was passing. The ministry's officials said all the three people killed were civilians. They said the bus was partially damaged in the blast that also injured three soldiers and three more civilians.
Nawaz Sherif will not contest by-elections: spokesman
By Xinhua,
Islamabad : Former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif will not contest the by-elections scheduled in June, his party spokesman Siddiqul Farooq said Saturday.
Sherif was banned from taking part in the Feb 11 parliamentary elections because of the corruption charges against him during the regime of President Pervez Musharraf.
Earlier, he had hinted he would contest the by-elections. His spokesman Saturday said Sharif had indicated in a meeting with party leaders Friday he would not take part in the polls.
Malaysia: call for state governments’ cooperation in harmonising syariah law
By NNN-Bernama,
Seremban, Malaysia : Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has asked the state governments to help realise the federal government's efforts in streamlining the syariah (Islamic) law in the country.
He said with cooperation of the state governments, the syariah law could be raised to the level of the civil law.
Dhaka verdict on fatwa hailed with caution
By IANS,
Dhaka : Bangladesh's civil society and Islamic scholars have hailed a court verdict on he fatwa, but asked the government to specify who could issue it so as to prevent misuse.
Foreigner among eight killed in Denmark’s Pakistan embassy: Advisor
By IRNA,
Islamabad : At least eight people, including a foreign, were killed when a car bomb exploded near the Denmark Embassy in Islamabad, the Interior Advisor said.
Rehman Malik said policemen and private security guards deployed for security of the embassy were among those killed.
The bomb exploded at the main gate of the embassy at 1:20 pm. The blast badly damaged building of the embassy, according to witnesses.
Rehman Malik said the car used in the blast was registered in Islamabad and a high level inquiry has been ordered.
Syria says car used in blast from neighboring Arab country
By Xinhua,
Damascus : The car used in a terrorist car bombing in Damascus that killed 17 civilians on Saturday was from a neighboring Arab country, the official SANA news agency reported on Monday.
A preliminary investigation into the attack revealed that the car entered Syria from a neighboring Arab country on Friday, SANA said, without mentioning the name of the Arab neighbor.
Syria's Arab neighbors include Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan.
India offers fresh assistance for Afghanistan, to jointly fight terror
By KUNA,
New Delhi : Notwithstanding the mindless terror attack on its mission in Kabul, India Monday announced a fresh development assistance of USD 450 million for Afghanistan and described the suicide strike as an attack on Indo-Afghan friendship. Describing the July 7 suicide attack on Indias Kabul embassy as an attack on Indo-Afghan friendship, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today asserted that it would not prevent New Delhi from continuing its reconstruction programme in Afghanistan and declared a fresh assistance worth USD 450 million for it.
In death, Iranian woman gives voice to resistance
By DPA,
Washington/Tehran : In the four days since her murder on the streets of Tehran, Neda Agha Soltan has become the face of the anti-government movement in Iran.
The amateur video of Soltan collapsing on the street Saturday after being shot through the chest, her eyes hauntingly staring into the camera, has now been seen by millions across the world.
The 26-year-old philosophy student was believed to have stepped out of her car for fresh air on a street near demonstrations against the disputed June 12 presidential elections. Her music teacher was with her.
Top UN relief official spotlights worsening conditions in Gaza, West Bank
By NNN-UNNS
Jerusalem : Concluding a five-day visit to the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel, the top United Nations relief official Monday highlighted the worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza and the West Bank resulting from closures and restrictions on movement.
“Medical services in Gaza are deteriorating, private industry has more or less collapsed, and there are real worries about education,” Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes said at a press conference in Jerusalem.
Blast at Pakistan’s Elite Force headquarters in Lahore
By IANS,
Lahore : An explosion took place at the Elite Force headquarters in Pakistan's the provincial capital of Lahore.
According to Geo News, a loud blast was reported at the Elite Force headquarters situated at Bedyan Road.
Police, Punjab Rangers and the army quickly moved into position and surrounded the building following the blast.
Four Elite Force personnel were reportedly injured in the incident.
Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said that the situation was under control.
Iran, EU agree on nuclear negotiations timetable
By RIA Novosti,
Tehran : Iran and the European Union have agreed on a timetable for negotiations on the Islamic Republic's controversial nuclear program, the Iranian news agency IRNA reported Sunday, referring to a well-informed source.
The agreement on the timetable for nuclear negotiations was reached between EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili.
"The parties are holding consultations on the place of negotiations," the source said, adding that the talks would resume very soon.
Militants behead Afghan man for ‘spying’
By IANS,
Islamabad : Unidentified militants beheaded a 60-year-old Afghan man for allegedly "spying" for the US military based in neighbouring Afghanistan, media reports said.
The body, identified as that of Wadeen, was found in Darpa Khel village, five km from Miranshah, in North Waziristan tribal area bordering Afghanistan, Xinhua reported citing a statement in the Daily Times.
A piece of paper found near the body said the man was beheaded was spying for the US and that anyone else doing the same "would meet the same fate".
80 Saudi, Arab experts attend digital Arabic Dictionary Project meeting
By SPA,
Tunis : The Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) will participate on Monday in a meeting organized by the Riyadh-based King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology for a number of Arabic specialists and experts in the Active Arabic Dictionary Project.
A statement issued today by ALECSO said this comes in accordance with the initiative of The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz to enrich the digital Arabic content.
Syrian President stresses on intensified European efforts to pressure Israel
By NNN-SANA,
Damascus : President Bashar al-Assad has stressed the necessity for the European states to intensify their efforts to put pressure on Israel to stop the Israeli aggression immediately, lift the siege imposed on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and to open all crossing points without exception.
Pakistani envoy in Germany to attend Bonn meet?
By IANS,
Islamabad : The Pakistani ambassador in Germany is likely to attend an international conference on the future of Afghanistan to be held in Bonn Dec 5, a media report said Friday.
Voting under way in violence-hit Bangladesh constituency
By IANS,
Dhaka: Voting was under way Saturday morning in Bhola-3, a parliamentary constituency in southern Bangladesh that had witnessed pre-poll violence.
Polling began at 8 a.m. in Lalmohan and Tajumuddin towns in the constituency amid tight security, reported Star Online, the website of The Daily Star.
Violence continued on the eve of the polls and the opposition candidate said 300 of his supporters had been injured by the Awami League. He said 50 of them had been injured Friday, New Age newspaper said Saturday.
Pakistani troops kills 16 militants in troubled Swat valley
By ANTARA,
Peshawar : Pakistani troops killed at least 16 militants in the troubled northwestern Swat valley, the military said Sunday.
One soldier died and two others were injured during gunfights with militants over a 24-hour period in the town of Chaharbagh, it said in a statement.
"At least 16 militants were killed and many injured, in an exchange of fire with security forces near Derai, Aligrama and Chaharbagh in the last twenty four hours," the statement said.
It was not possible independently to verify the claim.
Pakistan could charge 125 for Mumbai attacks
By IANS,
Islamabad : Pakistan could prosecute as many as 125 people for their alleged role in the Mumbai terror attacks - but none of the top suspects India has named figure in the list, a media report said.
The group, including "anyone who made any suspicious contacts inside India as the attacks began", would be charged under Pakistan's cyber crimes laws because the suspects used Internet phones to communicate, ABC News quoted an unidentified intelligence official as saying.
इस शुक्रवार को पेरिस ही नहीं, लेबनान में भी गयीं मासूम जानें
TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
नई दिल्ली: आज जब समूची दुनिया पेरिस में ISIS का निशाना बने 150 मासूम लोगों की मौत पर दुखी हो रही है,...
Iraq ready to cooperate with Turkey in fight against PKK
By Xinhua,
Ankara : Iraqi ambassador to Turkey Sabah Umran has extended Iraq's support to Turkey's fight against the banned Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) and said that they were ready to cooperate with Turkey in that fight.
Umran said Tuesday that Turkey's Special Envoy to Iraq Murat Ozcelik held a series of contacts in Iraq with the bilateral relations and the issue of PKK high on his agenda.
The ambassador said that Iraq supported Turkey's fight against the PKK, adding that they were ready to cooperate with Turkey to this end.
Death toll rises to 30 in NW Pakistan blast
By Xinhua,
Islamabad : The death toll in northwestern Pakistan blast has risen to 30 as more bodies were recovered from rubble on Saturday.
The blast took place when an explosives-laden car hit a police station on Kohat Road of Peshawar, capital of North West Frontier Province (NWFP). Two buildings near the police station collapsed in the blast and a number of people were buried under the rubble.
The blast has left 30 dead and about 80 injured, News Network International (NNI) news agency quoted police chief Kashif Alam as saying.
Zardari warns of civil war in Pakistan if polls rigged
By IANS
London : Former premier Benazir Bhutto's widower Asif Zardari says her Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) will "take to the streets" if the results of Monday's polls are rigged in favour of President Pervez Musharraf.
At the same time, Pakistan Muslim League (N) leader Nawaz Sharief said Sunday morning he believed Musharraf was "bent upon rigging the elections".
"Up till now I've shown absolute patience," Asif Zardari, who is co-chairman of the PPP, told the Sunday Times Saturday night after campaigning ended.
Israeli attacks on schools ‘unacceptable’: UN chief
By DPA,
New York : Israeli attacks on three schools run by the United Nations in the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours, including one that killed more than 46 civilians Tuesday, were "totally unacceptable and must not be repeated," UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said.
The three schools were operated by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Gaza. The UN said about 15,000 Palestinians, who fled the fighting between Israel and Hamas, had found refuge in these schools as well as in more than 20 other schools in the territory.
Iranian president arrives in Islamabad for stopover visit
By Xinhua,
Islamabad : Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Pakistan's capital Islamabad on Monday morning on a stopover visit to the country.
Ahmadinejad is expected to meet Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani during his three-hour stopover.
The leaders of the two sides will mainly discuss their energy and electricity cooperation, local media said.
Two Afghan policemen die in bombing
By IANS,
Kabul: Two policemen were killed and three others wounded when a roadside bomb struck a police van in the northern Afghan province of...
UN Security Council slams IS for persecuting minorities in Iraq
United Nations : The UN Security Council Tuesday condemned the persecution of minorities in Iraq by the extremist group Islamic State (IS) and warned...
Dhaka to set up tourism authority
By IANS
Dhaka : Bangladesh is set to enact a law to establish a National Tourism Authority to monitor the industry and ensure the safety of domestic and foreign travellers.
All tourist organisations will need to register with the body and take licences for tourism-related business, the New Age newspaper said Sunday.
Tour operators will be responsible for providing security to visitors.
Pakistan dismisses govt. employees over militants’ links
By IRNS,
Islamabad : A Pakistani provincial government has dismissed nearly 30 government officers and other employees on suspicion of links with militants, official sources said here Friday.
The Education Department in the insurgency-hit North West Frontier Province (NWFP) sacked the government employees after investigated their links with the Taliban militants, they said.
The Provincial Home Department, after a probe to trace links with militants of the government employees, had recommended to the government to remove 29 employees of the education department.
Pakistan denies presence of IS supporters in country
Islamabad: Pakistan Thursday denied any presence of supporters of the Islamic State (IS) Sunni extremist group in the country and reiterated that it is...
UAE to set up new agency for nuclear energy
Abu Dhabi, March 24 (IANS) The United Arab Emirates (UAE) cabinet has approved a memorandum for the development of a peaceful nuclear energy programme by setting up a 375-million dirham ($102.1 million) body for the implementation of the programme according to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recommendations.
Israeli PM calls on Palestinians to resume peace talks
Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday called on the Palestinians to start "open-ended" direct peace talks with Israel "without preconditions".
Speaking to reporters...
Canada-NATO rift on Afghanistan mission widens
By Gurmukh Singh, IANS
Toronto : Reacting to Canada's threat Monday to pull out of Afghanistan, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Tuesday warned Ottawa that any withdrawal will amount to abandonment of the Afghan people.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper had announced in the House of Commons Monday to withdraw 2,500 troops from Afghanistan by February 2009 if NATO allies didn't send 1,000 soldiers to fight alongside its forces in Kandahar.
The failure to send in extra troops, Harper warned, would put the reputation of NATO on the line.
Saudi ambassador, Egyptian Official hold talks on Hajj affairs
By SPA,
Cairo : Saudi ambassador to Egypt Hisham Nazir received here today Egyptian minister of state for administrative development and head of the Egyptian Hajj mission Ahmad Derwaish.
During the meeting, Derwaish conveyed to Nazir the appreciation of the Egyptian leadership for the successful efforts exerted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to ensure comforts of pilgrims ease performance of their Hajj rituals.
He highlighted the existing distinguished relations between the Kingdom and Egypt.
US lawmakers question aid for Pakistan’s F-16 upgrades
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : US lawmakers have questioned a Bush administration plan to divert more than $250 million in military aid to Pakistan to help it pay for upgrading F-16 fighter aircraft, with some suggesting that Islamabad may use them against India.
"Do we have flying Al Qaeda?" asked Gary Ackerman, Democratic chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia at a hearing called by him on "Defeating Al Qaeda's Air Force: Pakistan's F-16 Programme in the Fight Against Terrorism".
AU Permanent Representatives tackle report to Summit in Egypt
By Xinhua,
Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt : The African Union (AU) Permanent Representatives Committee on Wednesday tackled its report to the upcoming AU summit in the Egyptian Red Sea resort Sharm el-Sheikh.
During the second-day of its ordinary session, the AU Permanent Representatives or ambassadors discussed the administrative and financial issues and are expected to adopt the Committee report on regional political, economic, social and cultural issues to the 11th AU summit, according to the session schedule.
Iran seeks Malaysia’s help in beefing up its Tourism Industry
By NNN-Bernama,
Kuala Lumpur : Iran is seeking Malaysia's expertise in developing its tourism industry back home, Malaysian Tourism Minister Azalina Othman Said said Tuesday.
To this end, the minister urged the private sector in Malaysia to undertake more joint ventures with their Iranian counterparts.
D-8 countries should also find ways to boost the industry among themselves, she told reporters on the sidelines of the Sixth Summit of the Group of Eight Islamic Developing Countries (D-8) here.
Shoes thrown at Zardari: Pakistani media battles government
By Awais Saleem, IANS,
Islamabad : A pair of shoes hurled at Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari during his Britain visit threatens to pit the Pakistani media against the government with TV channels charging the ruling elite with victimising them for airing the incident.
Pakistan's leading TV channels, GEO and ARY, have accused the government of using pressure tactics to put their broadcast off air.
A pair of shoes were hurled at Zardari during a meeting in Birmingham Aug 7. The channels are accusing the government of picking on them for airing the news.
The death toll of suicide attack in Pakistan rises to 46
By SPA
Islamabad : The death toll in Friday night s suicide attack in Pakistan s North West Frontier Province (NWFP) on the participants of a funeral prayer shot up to forty-six, police said.
It was reported late night that forty persons were killed in the suicide bombing at a congregation that was offering funeral prayer for a senior police official in Mingora.
More than eighty persons were wounded in the attack.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Javed Iqbal Khan had been killed in a terrorist attack in Lakki Marwat.
Impossible! 49 stations had more than 100 percent voting
By IANS,
Islamabad : Forty-nine polling stations in Pakistan achieved the impossible -- the votes polled were more than the total number of voters.
Three more infants die in drought-hit Pakistan area
Islamabad : The severe drought in the Tharparkar district of Sindh in Pakistan has claimed the lives of three more infants raising the death...
Hamas militants fire rockets at Tel Aviv after warning
Jerusalem : Hamas militants launched two rounds of rocket attack on Tel Aviv Saturday night after a warning, causing no injury, according to the...
Modi hails all-women IT centre as ‘glory of Saudi Arabia’
Riyadh : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday described an all-women IT centre set up by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) here as the “glory...
At Least 22 Killed in Northern Iraq
By Prensa Latina
Baghdad : Several clashes between rebels and groups allied to the Iraqi government caused at least 22 dead people in Mosul, said Fawaz al Jarba, head of so-called Awake Council in this Iraqi city Sunday.
Al Jarba stated the anti-governmental groups attacked the towns of Khamis Tilul and Al Madina where they faced the members of the Awake Council.
The structure links communities with war directly, and faces Iraqi groups against each other.
Ex-minister announces candidacy for Syria presidential poll
Damascus : A former minister has registered his candidacy for the Syrian presidential election, becoming the second person in the running for the executive...
Pakistan ruling coalition denies rift over judges
By Muhammad Najeeb, IANS,
Islamabad : Pakistan's ruling coalition denied Wednesday it was split over the restoration of Supreme Court judges sacked nine months ago and said an announcement giving them their jobs back was likely Friday.
A two-member committee of Awami National Party (ANP) chief Asfanday Wali Khan and Jamait Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) head Maulana Fazlur Rehman met here to finalize the modalities to restore the judges the posts taken away by then president Pervez Musharraf in November last year.
3 Pakistan policemen arrested for looting a superstore
Islamabad : Three policemen were arrested in Pakistan Friday for allegedly looting a superstore recently, media eported.
The policemen broke into a superstore located on...
500,000 to be moved from Swat ahead of military action: Minister
By IANS,
Islamabad: Some 500,000 people are to be evacuated from Swat in Pakistan's restive northwest ahead of an expected military operation against the Taliban, a provincial minister said Tuesday.
Large numbers of people were already being evacuated the Swat Valley, Iftikhar Hussain, the information minister of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), said at a press conference in capital Peshawar. The situation vis-a-vis the Taliban was getting complicated with the passage of time, he added.
Pakistan has become ground zero for terrorist threat: John Kerry
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : Even as Pakistan has become "ground zero for the terrorist threat", an influential US senator has advocated support for Islamabad and helping it and India to return to bilateral peace talks disrupted by the Mumbai attacks.
"As America's second post-9/11 President takes office, a single country has become ground zero for the terrorist threat we face," said John Kerry, the new Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman in an Op-Ed piece in the Washington Times Friday.
Third ‘border haat’ along India-Bangladesh frontier opens
By Sujit Chakraborty,
Srinagar (Tripura) : Tripura's first "border haat" - the third such market along India's frontier with Bangladesh - was inaugurated here Tuesday...
SIO Hyderabad shows solidarity with Palestinians
By Mohd. Ismail Khan, TwoCircles.net,
Israeli PM’s lawyers examine key witness in corruption case
By Xinhua,
Jerusalem : Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's lawyers on Thursday began cross-questioning a key witness in the ongoing "money envelopes" investigation that might unseat the embattled leader.
The questioning session is expected to last five days, when lawyers of the probes-laden Olmert will put American Jewish businessman Moshe Talansky on the grill.
Talansky previously testified that he gave Olmert some 150,000 U.S. dollars, much of it in envelopes, as campaign contributions before the latter became prime minister in 2006.
Scandinavia’s scarred Mr Dialogue
By Roger Cohen, CGNews,
Scandinavia does reasonableness well, even when faced with unreason. The Oslo Accords of 1993 were as close as Israelis and Palestinians have come to looking each other in the eye, admitting neither side is going away, and jettisoning a bitter past for a better future.
The mediation habit stayed with Norway, despite Oslo's collapse. Jonas Gahr Store, the Norwegian foreign minister, is a battle-hardened Mr. Dialogue. He took a personal terrorism course earlier this year while on a diplomatic mission to Afghanistan.
Jordan, EU launch project on fighting terrorism, organized crime
By Xinhua,
Amman : Jordan and the European Union (EU) Wednesday launched a project to boost the kingdom's efficiency in fighting terrorism and organized crime.
The project, known as Jordan-Euro Anti-Terrorism and Combating Organized Crime Partnership, eyes to bolster skills of Jordanian security personnel in detonators management and homicide fields, Jordanian Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Suheir Al-Ali said on the signing ceremony.
Afghanistan: 6 civilians killed during attack on fuel truck
By SPA,
Kabul, Afghanistan : A provincial official says an insurgent attack on a fuel tanker has killed six civilians in eastern Afghanistan.
Abdul Wakil Atak says the truck was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade fired by insurgents in Laghman province on Sunday. Atak is a spokesman for the provincial governor.
Atak said Monday that two people were killed inside the truck and that four others died in a minibus that was caught in the blast, the Associated Press reported.
Pakistan recognizes Iran right to peaceful nuclear technology: spokesman
By IRNA
Islamabad : Pakistan recognizes Iran's right to peaceful use of nuclear technology, the country's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
Foreign Office spokesman Muhammad Sadiq made the remark when asked about the latest UN sanction against Iran. "At the same time it wants Iran to fulfill its international obligations as member of the NPT," the spokesman said.
Sadiq said as a neighbour, Pakistan is concerned about any development that could lead to instability in Iran and further escalate the tension in the region.
UN chief reiterates call for immediate Gaza ceasefire
By DPA,
Tel Aviv, Jan 15 (DPA) Elements are in place for a ceasefire in the Israeli-Hamas fighting in the Gaza Strip to come "reasonably soon", UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday.
He told a news conference in Tel Aviv that what was needed was an immediate end to the fighting, after which the parties could continue deciding on the conditions for a more durable truce.
He said a UN Security Council resolution from one week ago calling on the sides to end the fighting was binding and Israel had to abide by it.
Iranians hold shoe-throwing contest in capital’s university
TEHRAN, December 26 (RIA Novosti) - A shoe-throwing competition using a portrait of George Bush as the target took place on Friday in Iran's capital, Tehran, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported.
Iranians in the capital were invited to throw their shoes at a poster of U.S. President George Bush after the country's traditional Friday Muslim prayers were over. The event was held at Tehran University.
Once there were enough direct hits and the portrait became shabby, the crowd tore the poster down and ripped it to pieces.
Pakistan troops violate ceasefire in Jammu
Jammu: Pakistan troops violated the ceasefire in Jammu district Saturday targeting Indian positions with small arms and automatic weapons, an officer said.
"Pakistan Rangers fired...
Iraq still a challenge – UN Sec-Gen
By NNN-KUNA
Cairo : UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said that, despite recent progress achieved at internal security level in Iraq, its environment still represents a challenge.
He pledged, in an interview with the Egyptian daily Al-Ahram published Saturday, to maintain the UN's role as an "objective mediator" in international conflicts.
The UN's main objective is to defend the interests of the Iraqi people, he said and added that the international community was determined to live up to its mission in that country against all odds.
First British minister to attend OIC summit
By IRNA
London : International Development Minister Shahid Malik has begun a two-day visit to Senegal to become the first member of the British government to attend a summit of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in its 40-year history.
"It is an honor to be attending the Islamic Summit as Britain's first representative. The heads of state at the summit will increasingly play a crucial role in helping to alleviate poverty," said Malik.
Jordan signs nuclear co-op deal with France
By NNN-Xinhua,
Amman : Energy-scarce Jordan and France signed a cooperation agreement to develop peaceful use of nuclear energy, the official Petra news agency reported.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Salah Basheer and his visiting French counterpart Bernard Kouchner inked the agreement in Amman on Friday, which outlined the framework for peaceful nuclear cooperation between the two countries, said the report.
The two also signed a second deal on military and economic cooperation, it added.
Iran plans manned spaceflight by 2021
By RIA Novosti,
Tehran : Iran would send its first man into space on board its own spacecraft by 2021, the head of Iran's Aerospace Agency announced Thursday.
"Scientific research has already begun in Iran," Reza Tagipur was quoted by Iranian media as saying. "According to our plans, a successful Iranian manned spaceflight will be carried out before 2021."
"India and China were able to send their astronauts into space after 15 years of research and preparations. We will also go the same route, but believe we will achieve our goal in a shorter period," he said.
Israeli PM orders demolition of synagogue assailants’ homes
Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Tuesday ordered security officials to demolish the homes of two Palestinians that perpetrated a deadly attack on a...
Sixteen Afghan civilians reported killed in airstrike
By SPA,
Kandahar/Kabul : At least 16 civilians, including women and children, were killed in an airstrike by NATO-led forces in Afghanistan's eastern Nuristan province, officials said Saturday.
Tamim Nuristani, the governor of the province, said the civilians were killed as they were travelling out of the area after an announcement by security forces that civilians should leave ahead of an operation against Taliban insurgents.
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.
Bush and Ahmadinejad fighting for time
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Pyotr Goncharov) - Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and U.S. President George W. Bush visited the Middle East almost simultaneously.
Bush went there to whip up support for an anti-Iranian coalition, while ElBaradei was in Tehran for a meeting with Iran's senior officials. The IAEA and Tehran agreed to broaden cooperation and step up efforts to resolve outstanding ambiguities in Iran's nuclear program.
At least 111 injured in Northern Egyptian riots, report
By ANTARA News/Xinhua
Cairo : At least 111 people were admitted to hospital for treatment due to wounds sustained during riots that continued from Sunday until early Monday in northern Egypt, the official MENA news agency reported on Monday.
Egyptian Health Minister Hatem el-Gabali on Monday went to the city of el-Mahala el-Kobra in Gharbiya governorate, some 100 km north of Cairo, to inquire after the conditions of the victims in the riots, a ministry statement said.
Most of the wounded, including a number of security men, are now in stable condition, the statement said.
Muslim leaders call for introspection for solutions
By DPA,
Kuala Lumpur : Muslim leaders Monday called on Islamic nations to stop claiming to be victims of the West and start solving their internal problems to begin bridging a rift with the rest of the world.
Former Pakistani prime minister Shaukat Aziz said a growing distrust of Islam in the West is largely because of the failure of Muslim countries to project the correct view of Islam, which is that of peace and non-violence.
"The Islamic world is currently looked at in a very derogatory view," Aziz told delegates at an Islamic conference held in Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur.
Senior US official to attend talks over Iran’s nuclear plan
By Xinhua,
Washington : A senior US official will attend the meeting this weekend between European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Iran's chief negotiator Saeed Jalili over Tehran's nuclear programme.
Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns will be present during the Geneva talks as a gesture of Washington's commitment to a peaceful solution, media reports said.
Burns would be at the meeting to "reiterate that our terms for negotiations remain the same, that Iran must suspend its enrichment and reprocessing activities," an official said.
Muslim TV channel’s Pakistani owner held as wife beheaded
By IANS,
New York : A Pakistani American, who started a Muslim TV channel in the US to counter negative protrayal of Islam after the 9/11 terror attacks, has been arrested after his estranged wife was found beheaded.
Forty-four-year-old Muzzammil Hassan, who set up Bridges TV in Buffalo city in New York state, was charged at the weekend with the murder of his 37-year-old wife Aasiya Hassan.
The estranged wife, who had recently filed for divorce, was found beheaded at the offices of the television channel, reports quoted police as saying.
Only 55 women contesting Bangladesh poll
By IANS,
Dhaka : Despite two women dominating Bangladesh's political spectrum, the ninth general election later this month will see only 55 women among the 1,565 candidates vying for 300 seats - but this is still higher than at any time in the past.
Women candidates are contesting from 60 constituencies, indicating that in most places, they will face each other.
A consolation would come in the form of nomination of 30 women after the election.
Man arrested for arson on Islamic Community Centre in US city
Washington: A homeless man has been arrested and charged with arson for a fire that destroyed an Islamic community centre in the US city...
Major fire breaks out in Bangladesh’s Sunderbans
By DPA,
Dhaka: A major blaze has broken out in parts of Bangladesh's southwestern Sundarbans, a World Heritage site, ravaging trees in the world's largest mangrove forest, officials said Sunday.
Foresters, nearby villagers and fire-fighters have been trying to douse the flames which engulfed over 20,000 square metres inside the forest at Chandpai Range, 300 km southwest of capital Dhaka, divisional forest officer Mihir Kumar said.
Taliban commander among six militants killed in Afghanistan
By Xinhua,
Kabul : Six Taliban militants, including a rebel commander, were killed in fighting with the security forces in Wardak province in Afghanistan, police said Saturday.
The special forces backed by the international troops attacked a Taliban hideout in Chek district Friday, killing Mullah Yasin, a senior Taliban commander, along with his five associates, senior police officer General Abdul Razaq said.
Gordon Brown pledges support for Pakistan
By DPA,
London : Britain Thursday pledged to give further support to Pakistan in the fight against terrorism while acknowledging the "sacrifices" the country and its army made for the cause.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown made the promise after talks in London with Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, which focussed on the war in Afghanistan and the connected rise of terrorism in neighbouring Pakistan.
UAE’s GDP grew by 5.2 percent in 2007
By IANS,
Abu Dhabi : The gross domestic product (GDP) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) grew by 5.2 percent in 2007, according to the latest figures released by the UAE's ministry of economy.
The country's economy also expanded to 729.7 billion dirhams ($198.6 bilion) in 2007, the official Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported citing the figures.
GDP in the non-oil sector grew by 16.8 percent, touching 467.9 billion dirhams ($127.4 billion). This accounted for 64.1 percent of the total GDP during 2007.
Ban bats for continuing UN military observers in India
By IANS,
New Delhi : UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Friday defended the presence of the UN Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), saying it was playing "an important role" in maintaining peace and stability in the region.
“In the last six decades, the UNMOGIP has been playing an important role in monitoring the border situation and peace and situation in the region,” Ban told reporters at the end of his two-day visit to India.
Iraq signs security pact with US on stationing troops
By Xinhua,
Baghdad : Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari and the US envoy to Iraq Ryan Crocker signed Monday the long-awaited security pact which would allow US forces to remain in the country for three more years, state-run TV reported.
"This is an historic day for the Iraqi and US relations," Zebari said during the signing ceremony.
He said the agreement has to be approved by parliament before it goes into force, adding that "there is a positive atmosphere among the political leaders."
Violence erupts as Pakistan’s by-elections underway
By Xinhua,
Islamabad : Violence has erupted in a couple of constituencies when Pakistan's parliament by-elections started on Thursday amid tight security in polling stations.
The by-polling is set to be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for vacancies of the National Assembly, lower parliament, and provincial parliament seats.
But the polling has been suspended at one polling station in Jahania of Punjab province after a severe clash between two rival groups. The street firing during the clash injured several people and created panic among the voters.
Situation of the ground undermines Mideast peace process – UN
By NNN-KUNA,
United Nations : A UN official has said that although the peace process in the Middle East is still continuing, developments on the ground remain the biggest challenge to building lasting peace.
Japanese firm to design Dubai’s new $95-bn city
By IANS,
Dubai : Japanese architectural firm Nikken Sekkei has bagged the contract to design a new 350-billion dirham ($95.3-billion) city to come up within the emirate of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Meraas Development, the Dubai-based developer owned by the Dubai government, awarded the contract to design the proposed Jumeira Gardens to the Japanese firm at the ongoing Cityscape 2008 real estate exhibition here.
Tension escalates in Iraq
By XINHUA,
BAGHDAD : Top U.S. officials and military commanders in Iraq congratulated Iraqis for the country's provincial elections, describing it as a milestone in Iraq's democratic development, a joint statement by U.S. embassy and military said on Sunday.
The statement congratulated the Iraqi people for holding the provincial elections and hailed the large turnout of voters.
It also congratulated the Iraqi government and the security forces for their efforts that brought a success for the elections.
Yemen to launch US$13.7 billion investments programme
By NNN-SABA
Sana'a : Yemen plans to launch a programme of $13.7 billion investments in areas of agriculture and tourism during 2008-2010, the London-based alhayat daily reported on Tuesday.
The newspaper quoted sources at the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation as saying that the government would undertake about 43% of the total programme's sum and about 37% was provided from the Gulf states and donors.
Pakistan Taliban leader denies Mehsud’s death
By Xinhua,
Islamabad: A senior leader of the Pakistani Taliban Saturday denied its chief Baitullah Mehsud was killed in a US drone strike and said his recorded message would be made public in two days.
Hakimullah Mehsud, the spokesman of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), said Mehsud was alive and hiding at an undisclosed location, TV channel ARY News reported.
According to an Arabic TV channel, Hakimullah said Baitullah Mehsud had gone into hiding as "a part of strategy".
He added that Baitullah will talk about the US drone attack in his message.
Free zones Corporation Chief calls for Jordan-Iraq free zone
By NNN-Petra,
Amman : Director General of Free Zones Corporation Mahmoud Qteishat discussed Friday with his Iraqi counterpart Atif Abdul Khaleq issues related to cooperation in free zones sphere.
Qteishat presented a detailed briefing on the public and private zones as well as their success in Jordan, based on security, stability, services, incentives, exemptions presented for investors who wish to invest in Jordan.He added that joint free zones amongst Arab countries are very important, noting to the success of the Jordanian-Syrian free zone.
Hamas leader makes historic visit to Gaza
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Gaza: Khaled Meshaal, political leader of Hamas, has reached the Gaza Strip, setting foot on Palestinian soil for the first time in 37 years.
Election commission official kidnapped in Afghanistan
By Xinhua,
Kabul : Unknown armed men Sunday abducted an election commission official in charge of voters' registration in Paktika province of eastern Afghanistan, his family and officials said Monday.
"Armed men sneaked into the house of Mawlawi Abdul Manan, the director of voter registration department, in Yusuf Khil district Sunday night and took him to an unknown location," his brother Hajji Abdul Hanan told Xinhua.
Hanan did not blame any groups or individuals, but added negotiations are going on to ensure the safe release of the abducted official.
Sharif approves release of 12 Taliban prisoners
Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has approved release of 12 Taliban prisoners as a goodwill gesture for bolstering the peace process, Dawn reported...
Taseer’s killer must be punished: Musharraf
By IANS,
Islamabad : Condemning the killing of Punjab province governor Salman Taseer, former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf has said the killer must be punished.
Israeli jets strike Gaza smuggling tunnels
By DPA,
Gaza : Israeli F-16s carried out an airstrike late Tuesday against underground smuggling tunnels at the Gaza Strip-Egypt border, witnesses and security sources said.
No casualties were reported.
The witnesses said that the Israeli warplanes circled over southern Gaza before rocketing the border area and destroying several tunnels.
Nepal Muslims criticise government’s Haj ‘ban’
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : After protests by Buddhist monks against the Nepal government's alleged intervention in their religion, now the Muslim community is in an uproar over the bid to control the number of devotees making the annual pilgrimage - Haj - to Saudi Arabia's holy city Mecca, warning to take to streets in protest.
The protests started after the new government of Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal formed a 20-member Haj Committee this month to facilitate the passage of Haj pilgrims to Mecca in November.
UAE ministry warns against fake herbal products
By IANS/WAM,
Dubai : The UAE health ministry has warned the public against fake herbal products.
UN chief condemns attack on Somali presidential palace
By IANS,
United Nations: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon Friday condemned "in the strongest terms" an attack against Somalia's presidential palace in the capital city...
Kuwait hopeful wishes executive-legislative cooperation
By KUNA,
Kuwait : A Kuwaiti hopeful for the forthcoming parliamentary elections wished on Monday that there could be better cooperation between both legislative and executive authorities at the next parliament.
Rawdan al-Rawdan, candidate of the Third Constituency, stressed that the State of Kuwait should largely capitalize on soaring oil prices in the revamping of the health, educational, investment and development domains just as is the case in neighboring countries.
Kayani, top US official have short, crisp talk
By IANS,
Islamabad : Pakistan Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani had a "short and crisp" talk with a top US military official during which they discussed ways to improve regional security.
UAE, Ethiopia discuss cooperation
By IANS/WAM,
Addis Ababa: The UAE and Ethiopia Tuesday pledged to boost trade relations.
Man’s eyes gouged out in Pakistan
By IANS,
Islamabad : A peasant was tortured and his eyes gouged out by a group of men in Pakistan's Punjab province, a media report said Thursday.
Capturing bin Laden still priority: Petraeus
By IANS,
Washington : Capturing or killing Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden is still a priority for the US, General David Petraeus, commander of the US and NATO-led forces in Afghanistan, says.
Bin Laden "remains an iconic figure and I think capturing or killing is still a very, very important task for all of those who are engaged in counter-terrorism around the world", Xinhua reported Sunday quoting Petraeus as saying on NBC's "Meet the Press" programme.
Ba’asyir calls on the Indonesian govt to take stern action against Ahmadiyah sect
By NNN-Antara
Bandung : Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Ba`asyir, who is also chairman of the Indonesian Mujahidin Council (MMI) called on the government to take a firm stance on the existence of the Ahmadiyah sect in the country.
"Ahmadiyah, either the Qadian or the Lahore version, is deviant because it recognizes Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as a prophet after the Prophet Muhammad," Ba`asyir said after attending a discussion organised by the Muslim Ulema Forum (FUUI) here on Monday.
Police officer shot dead during pro-Morsi protest
Cairo: An Egyptian policeman was shot dead here Friday after dispersing a protest staged by supporters of ousted Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, the interior...
Turkish army bombards PKK targets in northern Iraq
By NNN-KUNA,
Istanbul : The Turkish army has issued a statement saying its jetfires bombarded once more targets in northern Iraq beloning to the PKK.
The shelling took place in the areas of Zap and Tahataha, destroying a PKK hideout in a cave and killing 30 to 40 members of the outlawed organisation in it, said the statement Tuesday.
The bombardment came two days after the terrorist explosions in Istanbul which killed 17 people and wounded 154 others.
Iraqi PM oversees military operations in Basra
By SPA
Baghdad, Iraq : Iraqi security forces were battling militia members in the southern city of Basra Tuesday -- and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is personally overseeing the operation, officials said.
Ali Hadi, an official in the al-Maliki's office, said the prime minister met with high-ranking Iraqi security officers ahead of the operation, which was launched around 3 a.m. Tuesday.
A Basra city council official said that the fighting erupted when security forces entered strongholds of the Mehdi Army militia, according to a report of CNN.
Arab Parliament expresses readiness to mediate between Eritrea, Djibouti
By NNN-KUNA,
Cairo : Chairman of the Arab Interim Parliament (AIP) Mohammad Jassem Al-Saqer has expressed readiness to mediate between Djibouti and Eritrea to resolve their border problems peacefully.
Al-Saqer, in a press release Thursday, said the parliament is keen on maintaining good neighbourly ties among the Arab countries, as well as resolving border problems through peaceful means.
He called on leaders of the two warring African nations to hold a meeting to demarcate the border line between the two countries.
Indian barbers in Malaysia told to shut shop
By IANS,
Kuala Lumpur: An estimated 2,000 Indian barbers in Malaysia face a crisis. The government has decided that foreigners are not required to ply their trade in this sector.
In Penang, 50 of the 70 barber shops have closed down in the last six months.
Penang Indian Hairstylists Association committee member K. Selvakumaren told New Straits Times that the home ministry had informed the association that foreign workers would not be allowed to work in the sector.
Fuel crisis to halt UN food aid in Gaza
By DPA,
Jerusalem : The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees will have to halt its food distribution program Monday due to a shortage of fuel for its vehicles, an official said Sunday.
"We did not receive our supplies of fuel today, so we will have to stop food distribution," said Chris Gunness, a spokesman for UNRWA, adding that other services including busing children to school would also be affected.
Zardari to attend NATO summit in Chicago
By IANS,
Islamabad : Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari will attend the 25th NATO Summit to be held in Chicago, US, the country's foreign ministry said Thursday.
Two NATO soldiers killed in Afghan chopper crash
By IANS,
Kabul: Two NATO soldiers were killed Tuesday when a helicopter crashed in Afghan region, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said.
Sanctions benefited Iran, says Khamenei
By IANS,
Tehran : Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said during Friday prayers that Western sanctions have helped the country realise its potential.
Film on Benazir Bhutto gets US award
By IANS,
Washington : A documentary on the life of Benazir Bhutto has received a prestigious electronic media award in the US -- the George Foster Peabody Award.
21 killed, 45 injured in Iraq violence
Baghdad:At least 21 people were killed and 45 wounded in separate violent attacks across Iraq Saturday, police and medical sources said.
In Iraq's western province...
Al-Maliki ends security operations against Shia militia
By DPA
Baghdad : Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ordered an end to security operations against the Shia militia loyal to radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr Friday to allow militants to lay down arms.
In a statement issued by the prime minister's office, al-Maliki said the move was aimed at the restoration of security across Iraq. It would also allow a chance for all militants to lay down arms and hand over their weapons, the statement said.
Iraqi families, who had left their houses during the attacks, would be able to get back to their homes.
Women healing Pakistan
By Ayeda Naqvi
Last week, six relief workers in Mansehra, a city in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP), died after an attack on their office. In 2008, gunmen killed four staff members of another international aid agency. Charities and international aid organisations are under constant threat in Pakistan, particularly in the NWFP, yet a group of women continue their humanitarian efforts in the region, despite the risks.
Turkish police detain 22 suspects after hostage shootout
Ankara : The Turkish police on Wednesday detained 22 suspects after the hostage siege in an Istanbul courthouse that left a prosecutor dead, media...
Pakistan’s bomb has prevented war with India: A.Q. Khan
By Arun Kumar,IANS,
Washington : Pakistan's nuclear arsenal has prevented a conventional war with India and made the "nation walk with heads held high", boasts notorious Pakistani scientist A Q Khan, considered the father of Islamabad's clandestine nuclear weapons programme.
"Our nuclear programme has ensured our survival, our security, and our sovereignty ... I am proud to have contributed to it together with my patriotic and able colleagues," the man accused of running a nuclear black market said in a published interview.
Veteran linguists honored
By IRNA,
Tehran : Veteran Iranian linguists were honored on the sideline of the inaugural ceremony of the Second Conference on Linguistics, Inscriptions and Texts in Iran's National Museum.
Leading linguists honered at the event included Yadollah Samareh, Ali Mohammad Haq-Shenas, Katyoun Fardapour, Zohreh Zarshenas and Mohammad Dabir-Moqaddam and Shirin Bayani.
Second Conference on Linguistics, Inscriptions and Texts opened here on Saturday to mark World Day of Mother Tongue and will continue until February 23.
Iraq’s neighbours gather on security cooperation
By Xinhua,
Damascus : The third meeting of the Security Cooperation and Coordination Committee of Iraq's neighbouring countries kicked off in Damascus Sunday, the official SANA news agency reported.
The meeting would discuss means to bolster cooperation among Iraq's neighbours to help in establishing security and stability in the war-torn country.
Businessman wants to withdraw graft complaint against Hasina
By IANS,
Dhaka : Bangladeshi businessman Azam J. Chowdhury has filed papers to withdraw an extortion case against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her cousin Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, saying he had complained due to "misunderstandings" and "under adverse circumstances".
Denying the charge that led to her being jailed for 11 months, Hasina, now on bail, has accused the current caretaker government of drumming up this and five other cases, including a murder charge, due to "political vendetta".