Israeli minister justifies decision against toppling Hamas
Jerusalem : Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Ya'alon said Tuesday his country took the right decision to refraining from toppling the Hamas regime during the...
Pentagon halls ‘substantial improvements’ in US-Pakistan defence ties
By NNN-APP,
Washington : The Pentagon praised Pakistan’s recent steps to deny safe haven to terrorists within its borders while also noting in a report to Congress Wednesday that defense relationship between the two allies has seen “substantial improvements.”
“Overall, the United States has seen aggregate improvement in relations with the PAKMIL (Pakistan military) and there have been a series of positive steps taken to dismantle extremist networks and deny terrorists safe havens in Pakistan,” the Pentagon said in a congressionally mandated report.
Iran-IAEA meeting in Vienna postponed
By DPA,
Tehran : A meeting between Iran's nuclear chief and the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog has been postponed until further notice, official sources said Sunday.
Iran's Vice President and head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organisation, Gholamreza Aghazadeh, was supposed to meet with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director, Mohamed ElBaradei, in Vienna Monday.
A more suitable date would be sought for the meeting, Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation public relations office said.
Al Qaeda confirms Osama’s death
By IANS,
Islamabad : Al Qaeda has confirmed the death of its chief Osama Bin Laden in a statement posted on jihadist internet forums.
Mubarak leaves Cairo, says report
By DPA,
Cairo : Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak left Cairo Friday for an undisclosed destination, security sources said.
UAE Foreign Trade Minister meets UAE-US Business Council Members
By NNN-WAM,
Washington : UAE Foreign Trade Minister Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi has hailed the strong relations and trade partnership between the UAE and the United States.
The remarks were made here during her meeting with members of the UAE-US Business Council in presence of Yusuf Manea Otaiba, the UAE ambassador to the US.
"The two countries are more than strong partners, who play a dynamic role in the global economy. The UAE is the biggest US trade partner in the Middle East. It was ranked 21st in the world as being the market for US exports in 2007," she said.
Court snatches Zardari’s amnesty in ‘landmark ruling’, say lawyers
By IANS,
Lahore : Lawyers in this Pakistani city have hailed the Supreme Court ruling declaring the National Reconciliation Order (NRO) null and void as a landmark judgement and demanded that President Asif Ali Zardari step down from his post.
The court had ruled Wednesday that the decree protecting Zardari and his allies against charges of corruption was illegal and against the constitution.
Former Supreme Court Bar Association president Hamid Khan said the judgement was the outcome of the lawyers' movement that had made the judiciary an independent institution.
Hillary Clinton greets Bangladeshis on New Year
By DPA,
Dhaka : US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Sunday sent a New Year message to all Bangladeshis living across the world ahead of the Bengali New Year 1416 - which is celebrated Tuesday.
"I send greetings to all around the world who are observing Pahela Boishakh (the first day of Bengali calendar), the New Year festivity celebrated by those who share common Bengali culture," Clinton said in a message released by the US embassy in Dhaka.
Sharing a common cultural heritage, Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal celebrate the Bengali New Year with huge festivities.
Three civilians killed in Gaza air strike
By IANS,
Gaza: Three Palestinian civilians were killed late Thursday in an Israeli air strike in Gaza, hospital officials and witnesses said.
Explosion in Turkey wounds 16 people
By KUNA,
Istanbul : A bomb blew up in the city of Izmir on Thursday wounding 16 people including policemen and military soldiers, the local news network "NTV" reported.
The bomb blew up close to a police patrol car and a military vehicle moving on a main highway. The explosion wounded eight policemen, three soldiers and five civilians.
Officials accused Kurdish ativists of being behind the bloody incident.
Arab parliamentarians continue discussions over AIPU development draft
By KUNA,
Damascus : The joint meeting of the legal committee and secretary generals of Arab parliaments on Wednesday here continued discussions over the draft project of developing the general secretariat of the Inter-parliamentary Union (AIPU).
In a statement to KUNA, head of the Kuwaiti delegation to the meeting, National Assembly Secretary General Allam Al-Kandari said that Arab parliaments saw that mechanisms to develop the general secretariat work, which have not been developed since 1974, was a must due to constant changes in parliamentarian frame of work.
Musharraf, Pakistani PM meet visiting Chinese FM
By Xinhua,
Islamabad : Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani met respectively with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on Saturday and reiterated their resolve to improve bilateral ties to a new level.
They said Pakistan will always stand with China on the Taiwan and Tibet issues and Beijing Olympics will be a great success.
11th Dubai Air Show begins amid much fanfare
By IANS,
Dubai : The 11th Dubai Air Show started Sunday in the presence of delegates from around the world amid mutual regional and international interests providing impetus to the show, a media report said here.
Iranian FM upbeat on reaching a nuclear fuel swap deal
By IRNA,
Munich : Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki expressed cautious optimism on reaching a nuclear fuel exchange agreement.
Taking part at the "night-owl debate" of the 46th Munich Security Conference late Friday night with Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, Mottaki said,
"The most important point is the political will. Personally, I feel this will is there."
"I personally believe that we have created a
conducive ground for such an exchange in the not so distant future. We are approaching a final agreement that can be accepted by all parties," he added.
Group leader: Egypt to host inter-Palestinian dialogue in October
By Xinhua,
Ramallah : A Palestinian group leader said on Tuesday that Egypt is intending to host a comprehensive inter-Palestinian dialogue next month to end the Palestinian division.
Bassam al-Salhi, Secretary General of the People's Party, one of the left-wing political groups, revealed the dialogue plan while talking to the press about his talks with senior Egyptian officials early this week.
Protests after Musharraf lashes out at veteran London journalist
By Dipankar De Sarkar, IANS
London : Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's charm offensive in Europe is apparently leaving a lot of people unconvinced.
A tirade by him against a veteran and respected London-based Pakistani journalist at a public event has prompted a swift condemnation by the US-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a blog by a shocked British editor and even the threat of legal action by Pakistani students in London.
Candidates” registration proceeding smoothly — official
By Kawthar Al-Ghanim, KUNA,
Kuwait : The election administration did its best to ensure the registration of candidates for the National Assembly (NA) elections would proceed smoothly, an official said Tuesday.
Head of the administration Ali Murad told KUNA that the process did not face any problems, expecting that the number of candidates would range between 300 and 350 by the last registration day.
He pointed out that the administration provided a center in which journalists and media personnel could make interviews with the candidates.
Seven killed in grenade attack in Azerbaijan
Baku: Seven people were killed and two seriously injured in Azerbaijan after a grenade was thrown into a house, authorities said Wednesday.
The attack took...
Job done, Aussie troops to leave Iraq soon, says Defence Chief
By NNN-Bernama
Melbourne : The job of Australian troops in southern Iraq is done and they can come home mid-year, according to Australia’s defence head Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston.
Houston he told a Senate estimates committee hearing today both Al-Muthanna and Dhi Qar provinces had been under Iraqi security control for almost two years and in that time they had not needed to call on Australian forces for back-up.
Pakistan seeks n-deal, US help in reviving talks with India
By IANS,
Washington: Ahead of its first strategic dialogue with the US, Pakistan has sought expanded military aid, an India type civil nuclear deal and a direct US role in reviving the peace process with India, according to a media report.
The demands have been made in a 56-page document sent to the US ahead of Wednesday's talks in what some American officials believe is an implicit offer to crack down on the Afghan Taliban in return, the Wall Street Journal reported.
India not reciprocating efforts to improve ties: Pakistan PM
Islamabad : Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Thursday said his government made sincere efforts to improve relations with the new government in India, but...
Afghan elections will be challenging: British envoy
By DPA,
London : The presidential elections in Afghanistan later this month will be "very challenging" but measures are in place to "mitigate" threatened disruption from Taliban forces, Britain's ambassador to Kabul said Wednesday.
Mark Sedwill, speaking via videolink to a briefing at the Foreign Office in London, said the recent increased fighting in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan had guaranteed that about 70 percent of the people there would be able to vote.
Israeli troops kill man mistaken for Hamas leader
By IANS,
London : Israel's military has expressed "regret" for having shot dead an innocent 67-year-old man in his bed, after he was mistaken for a Hamas leader, Sky News reported Friday.
Suicide bomb attack in Kandahar leaves 8 dead, 22 injured
By RIA Novosti
Kabul : Eight civilians were killed and 20 injured on Thursday in a suicide attack on a NATO convoy in Afghanistan's southern city of Kandahar, an interior ministry source told RIA Novosti.
The suicide bomber, who was in a vehicle, blew himself up as a military convoy carrying Canadian troops passed by.
The blast caused serious damage to nearby shops.
No terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.
EU Parliament chief denounces verdict against Bahraini protesters
By IRNA,
Berlin : The President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek on Thursday 'strongly condemned' the death verdict passed against four Bahraini protesters.
Afghan officials say air strikes kill at least 10 insurgents
By SPA,
Kabul, Afghanistan : NATO-led and Afghan troops called in air strikes against insurgents in western Afghanistan on Thursday, killing at least 10 of them and wounding four civilians, Afghan officials said.
Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi, a defense ministry spokesman, said tens of enemy were killed during the joint operation in Shindand district of Herat province.
Humayun Azizi, the head of Herat's provincial council, said 10 to 12 insurgents were killed in the air strikes and there were reports of civilian casualties.
Pakistani helicopters save climbers after K2 disaster
By AFP,
Gilgit, Pakistan : Rescuers airlifted two frostbitten Dutch climbers to safety from K2 on Monday, but were unable to reach an Italian stranded by an ice fall that killed 11 men on the world's second highest peak.
The Pakistani military mounted a dramatic helicopter operation to save survivors of the deadliest disaster to hit the 8,611-metre (28,251-foot) Himalayan summit, regarded as far more dangerous to scale than Mount Everest.
‘Orphan’ radioactive material found in Pakistan
By DPA,
Islamabad : Pakistani authorities have discovered two sealed containers carrying radioactive material in the southern port city of Karachi, a news report said on Friday.
The neutron source material was found buried in a workshop of the state-managed Oil and Gas Development Corporation Limited (OGDCL) in an industrial district of Karachi, the Dawn newspaper said.
The oil and gas company informed the Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA) July 2 about the properly waxed and sealed containers, a spokesman for the nuclear watchdog was cited as saying.
US launches global initiative to help Muslim entrepreneurs
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington: Citing Indian entrepreneur Shaheen Mistri's project to provide tutoring to slum children as an example, the US has launched a programme to provide concrete support to new entrepreneurs in Muslim-majority communities before expanding worldwide.
The Global Entrepreneurship Programme and several other ambitious projects were announced Wednesday by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the end of a Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship hosted by President Barack Obama with 250 invitees from more than 50 countries, including six from India.
Bomb explosions unnerve Kerala nurses in Iraq
Thiruvananthapuram : Already coping with reports of Iraqi rebels stepping up their operations, the 46 nurses from Kerala holed up in Tikrit were further...
Palestinian killed in Israeli air strike — witnesses
By KUNA,
Gaza : One Palestinian lost his life and two others suffered injuries in an Israeli air strike on Gaza early on Saturday, witnesses said.
They said Israeli aircraft fired a lone missile in the direction of a group of Palestinians in Al-Shujiah district east of Gaza city killing one and wounding two others. Body of 21-year-old Ihab Al-Mughni was badly disfigured in the air strike.
The air attack coincided with land action by Israeli forces in the same region, with involvement of heavy armor and tanks.
Palestinians Demand Reconciliation
By Prensa Latina,
El Cairo : Organizations from the Palestinian civil society demanded Friday that the 12 factions leaders meeting Monday in Egypt show political willingness to avoid differences for their people's reconciliation.
The claim is one of the agreements of the meeting between representatives of several movements and civil entities in the occupied territory and the Diaspora that is taking place from Friday to Saturday in El Cairo.
Iran denies WikiLeaks report that Ahmadinejad was slapped
By DPA,
Tehran: Iran has denied a WikiLeaks report that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was slapped by the chief of the country's Revolutionary Guards, the Tehran press reported Saturday.
OIC voices concern over escalating violence in Somalia
By IINA,
Mogadishu : The Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu has expressed grave concern at the latest escalating fighting in Mogadishu which has claimed tens of lives and wounded many more others including innocent civilians. Prof. Ihsanoglu, who regretted the upsurge in the deadly clashes in populated areas of the Somali capital in which heavy weapons and artillery are used leading to enormous destruction of lives and properties, called for an immediate end to the hostilities.
About 100 arrested in Iran post-poll violence
By IANS,
Tehran : An unknown number of people were injured during a night of violent protests in Tehran following the Iranian presidential election and there were reports Sunday of up to 100 people being arrested.
Thousands of opponents of re-elected president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took to the streets of Tehran setting off a cycle of protests and violence after the Interior Ministry announced Ahmadinejad had been re-elected with more than 62 percent of votes.
Three killed in Iraq violence
By IANS,
Baghdad: Three people have been killed and 13 injured in separate bomb and gunfire attacks in central and northern Iraq, the police said.
Israel won’t attack Gaza if rockets stopped: Olmert
By DPA
Jerusalem : Responding to Palestinian calls for a truce in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reiterated that Israel would stop its attacks if rocket fire from the area at its southern towns and villages stopped.
"If there is no Qassam fire at Israel, there will be no Israeli attack on Gaza. We don't rise in the morning and think how to attack Gaza. If they don't attack us, we won't attack them," Olmert said after meeting Hungarian President Laszlo Solyom Wednesday.
One killed, 20 injured in gas explosion in Bangladesh
By Xinhua,
Dhaka : One person was killed and 20 others were injured in a microbus gas-cylinder explosion Saturday in Bangladesh's Narayanganj district, 20 km southeast of capital Dhaka.
Private news agency UNB reported that the engine of a microbus, which was parking on the road, caught fire and was spewing smoke. Local people rushed there to douse the fire. At one stage, the gas cylinder of the microbus exploded, leaving one person dead on the spot.
The gas explosion at 2 p.m. (0800 GMT) also left 20 other people injured.
Seerathunnabi Campaign by India Fraternity Forum in Saudi Arabia
By TCN News,
Dammam, Saudi Arabia: India Fraternity Forum, organized public campaign ‘Seerathunnabi’ delivering message of Prophet Mohammed(pbuh) across Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. As part of the campaign the programs took place in Hafar Al Batin, Dammam, Khobar, Al-Hasa and Jubail.
GCC Sec-Gen condemns Saudi oil-tanker hijacking
By NNN-KUNA,
Riyadh : Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Abdulrahman Al-Atiyyah has condemned the hijacking of a Saudi oil-tanker seized several days ago about 800 kilometres off the Kenyan coast and anchored at present somewhere on the Somali coast.
Al-Attiyah Wednesday described the incident as "despicable," and a "direct threat to maritime navigation."
He also expressed his extreme anxiety towards the increasing phenomenon of maritime piracy witnessed in the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea, calling the threat a form of terrorism.
GC: 82 percent of Iranians participated in elections
By IRNA,
Tehran : Guardians Council (GC) spokesman Abbasali Kadkhodaie said 82 percent of the eligible Iranians turned out in the 10th Presidential Elections on Friday.
He said while the GC initially anticipated 70 percent voter turnout, the figure rose to over 82 percent, according to the latest reports attained.
Saying that the GC experts were inspecting the complaints received about the procedure of the yesterday’s polling, he stressed that the complaints have been very few.
Pakistan Army chief backs Taliban talks
Islamabad : Pakistan's army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif has extended his support to talks with the Taliban for putting an end to terrorism and...
Malaysian Indians moving away from opposition alliance: Report
By IANS,
Kuala Lumpur : Ethnic Indians in Malaysia are "drifting away" from opposition alliance Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and are veering back to the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN), a media report said.
Singapore sends landing ship tank to Gulf region
By Xinhua,
Singapore : A Singapore Navy Landing Ship Tank (LST) left the country's Changi naval base early Saturday for the Gulf region to support the multi-national reconstruction efforts in Iraq.
According to the statement issued by the Defense Ministry on Saturday, RSS Resolution and its crew of about 175 personnel will undertake tasks such as protecting the waters around key oil terminals, conducting patrols and boarding operations, as well as providing logistics support for coalition vessels and helicopters during the three-month deployment.
Israel intensifies Gaza air strikes, one more killed
By IANS,
Gaza: Israel Friday intensified its air strikes on targets in the Gaza Strip, where medics said another Palestinian militant was killed.
At least 40 dead in slum fire in southern Pakistan
By RIA Novosti,
New Delhi : At least 40 people were killed after a fire broke out in a shanty town in Karachi, in southern Pakistan, local media reported on Friday.
Some 15 children and women were among those killed in the fatal blaze that occurred in the north of the city just before midnight when most residents were asleep, Geo TV said.
Another 40 people were injured and hospitalized, according to preliminary reports.
Hamas, Israel Talks at Standstill
By Prensa Latina,
Ramallah : The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS) suspended negotiations on the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit, the Arab media reported Friday.
“Hamas has suspended indirect negotiations with the enemy over (Corporal Gilad) Shalit because of the non-respect by the enemy of the terms of the truce, notably the opening of crossing points and authorising the entry of all merchandise into the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip", said spokesman Osama al-Muzeini on Friday.
Indian journalists told to leave Pakistan by May 20
Islamabad: The only two Indian journalists stationed in Pakistan have been told to leave the country by May 20, a media report said Thursday.
Snehesh...
India frees 88 Pakistani fishermen for Ramadan
New Delhi: India said on Friday it has released 88 Pakistani fishermen lodged in Gujarat jails, following a decision Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed...
Five injured in Pakistan blast
By Xinhua,
Islamabad : Five people were injured Thursday in a blast in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province, a media report said.
The blast occurred on Hangu road in Kohat town, Geo TV reported.
Iran wants expanded ties with all states except Israel
By NNN-IRNA
Tehran : Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said here Sunday that Iran wants expansion of relations with all nations and countries, except the illegitimate Zionist Regime.
President Ahmadinejad told representatives and ambassadors of more than 100 countries based in Tehran that spirituality, ethics, human dignity, fraternity, kindness, passion and mutual respect are bases of such relations.
US drone attack kills four Al Qaeda militants in Pakistan
By DPA,
Islamabad : Four Al Qaeda militants were killed and several others injured Thursday in a suspected US drone attack in northwestern Pakistan, an official and residents said.
The drone fired two missiles targeting a vehicle carrying several Islamist insurgents at around 11:15 a.m. in Kari Kot area of South Waziristan tribal district, a known sanctuary for Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters, bordering Afghanistan, a security official said.
News Analysis: Israeli aggression has little leeway for retrogression
By Deng Yushan, Xinhua,
Jerusalem : As Israeli ground troops fight their way in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, various signs indicate that the government and army have to accomplish a substantial achievement in what Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called an "unavoidable" incursion.
Howard Berman meets PM, discusses AfPak crisis
By IANS,
New Delhi : A US Congressional delegation led by House Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Howard Berman met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday and discussed terrorism and the situation in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Berman is leading a seven-member delegation, including Congressmen Gary Ackerman, Ted Royce and Jim Costa to India.
The Congressional delegation also met National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan and Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon.
Malaysian PM assures all help to Telugu community
By IANS,
Kuala Lumpur : Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has assured all help to the Telugu community on the occasion of the Ugadi new year celebrations Tuesday.
"We will carry on helping the Telugus so that they will be able to enjoy the nation's prosperity," he said, adding he hoped the celebrations would "strengthen unity among the people".
Malaysia has an estimated 300,000 Telugus who trace their origin to India's Andhra Pradesh state.
Music is the healer, think Afghan musicians as they perform in Guwahati
By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Guwahati: On most of the occasions, when we talk of Afghanistan, it’s either Taliban or the prolonged conflicts at the land locked country. The country was almost devastated by many from both inside and outside yet there are some beautiful things to be appreciated in the country.
UN to call for another probe into Gaza conflict
By DPA,
New York : Fourteen months after the outbreak of the Gaza war, the UN General Assembly was set to again tackle the conflict with a new draft resolution to be debated Friday.
Similar to a resolution the Assembly passed last year, Friday's draft would again urge Israel and the Palestinian Authority to each investigate the Israel-Hamas fighting in Gaza Strip in the winter of 2009.
The draft resolution, already endorsed by 19 Arab states and the Palestinian Authority, calls for an investigation that is "independent, credible and in conformity with international standards".
Chinese firm to invest in Pakistan hydel power projects
By IANS,
Islamabad : A Chinese firm is looking at investing in Pakistan's hydel power projects that would add nearly 9,000 MW of electricity to the national grid, a media report said Wednesday.
Top Punjabi Taliban commanders captured
By IANS,
Islamabad : Pakistani security agencies have arrested two top Taliban commanders in Punjab province who are believed to have masterminded the audacious Oct 10 attack on the military's headquarters in Rawalpindi and other high-profile strikes in Lahore.
The two commanders, identified as Iqbal and Gul Muhammad, are from Faisalabad. They were arrested earlier this week by law-enforcement agencies, Dawn reported Friday, quoting senior officials.
Pakistan: Soomro again Chairman senate after four months
By NNN-APP
Islamabad : Muhammadmian Soomro on Tuesday resumed his charge as Chairman Senate after serving as Pakistan caretaker prime minister for four months.
Soomro took charge as caretaker Prime Minister on Nov 16 last year and remained on the post till Tuesday (March 25) after Yousaf Raza Gilani sworn-in as country’s new Prime Minister.
During his absence from the Upper House, Deputy Chairman Jan Muhammad Jamali has been conducting the sessions.
For the first time in country’s history, the caretaker government was tasked to hold general elections.
Released Britons relate horrors of Israeli massacre
By IRNA,
London : Released British activists have returned to the UK speaking of the “horrors” of Israel’s massacre in international waters of passengers aboard the Gaza Freedom Flotilla.
“The last 72 hours have been the most harrowing in my life,” said director of campaigns and operations at the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Sarah Colborne, who was a passenger on the Mavi Marmara, the main ship in the convoy.
Canada seizes passport of Mujib’s killer
By IANS,
Dhaka : Authorities in Canada have seized the passport of a former Bangladesh army officer convicted for killing the founder-president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, an official said here.
Major (Retd) Noor Chowdhury has been "illegally" living in Canada since his passport was seized in July last year. He has to report to police every week, Star Online reported quoting Law Minister Shafiq Ahmed.
India to strengthen ties with Qatar: Pranab
New Delhi : President Pranab Mukherjee said Wednesday India looked forward to "strengthening and deepening" its ties with Qatar as he wished the country...
Defeated Bangladesh party questions neutrality of poll observers
By DPA,
Dhaka : The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of former premier Khaleda Zia Friday questioned the neutrality of international elections observers during Monday's polls, in which the party faced an embarrassing defeat.
"Their observations were never intensive; how could they (foreign observers) claim that the polls were free and fair without visiting majority of polling stations?" Khandaker Delwar Hossain, secretary general of the party, told reporters.
Thousands demonstrate in Britain against Israeli raids on Gaza
By DPA,
London : Tens of thousands of people took to the streets here and in other British cities Saturday to protest the Israeli air raids on the Gaza Strip.
An estimated 10,000 people demonstrated in London, where witnesses said around 100 shoes were thrown at the fence protecting the Downing Street entrance to the residence of Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
The shoe-hurling - an extreme insult in Arab culture - was reminiscent of that by an Iraqi reporter targeting US President George W. Bush at a press conference in Baghdad last month.
Iran to post Web response to Dutch anti-Islam film Fitna
By RIA Novosti,
Tehran : Iranian authorities plan to post a film on the Internet on Thursday designed as a riposte to a controversial anti-Koran documentary by a Dutch politician, an Iranian newspaper said.
According to the Tehran Times, the new documentary, entitled "Beyond Fitna", was directed by a group of Iranian filmmakers and produced by the Islam and Christianity Nongovernmental Organization.
9 picnickers killed, 30 injured in road crash in Bangladesh
By IRNA,
New Delhi : At least nine picnickers were killed and 30 others injured as a bus carrying them crashed into a ditch in Lohagara in Bangladesh's southeastern district of Chittagong Thursday.
The bus of the picnic party fell into the ditch as its driver lost control over the steering, leaving the nine people killed on the spot, UNI reported quoting police sources.
The victims were returning to their homes after a picnic in sea resort town of Cox's Bazar.
US settlement freeze demand unreasonable, says Netanyahu
By DPA,
Jerusalem : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday called US President Barack Obama's demand for an absolute freeze on settlement construction in the occupied West Bank "unreasonable".
Israel "will not freeze life in Judea and Samaria", Netanyahu told a parliamentary committee in Jerusalem, using the Biblical names for the southern and northern West Bank.
Netanyahu told the foreign affairs and defence committee that his government would not build any new Jewish settlements on the West Bank.
‘Sharif, not Zardari calling the shots in Pakistan’
By IANS,
Islamabad : Contrary to popular perception, it now emerges that it is former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and not Asif Ali Zardari, co-chair of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) that heads the country's ruling coalition, who is calling the shots in Pakistan's political roller coaster ride.
This view is reinforced by the fact that Sharif has even managed to build bridges with two of his most bitter rivals in the erstwhile Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and could persuade them to cross over to the faction of the League he heads.
Lebanese Speaker on European, Arab tours for support
By Xinhua
Beirut : Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri is on tours to Europe and Arab countries lobbying support for a new round of dialogue among Lebanese rival groups, in afresh attempt to solve the current political crisis, local Al Balad daily reported Wednesday.
Berri who leaves Paris for Italy on Wednesday is expected to meet with senior officials at the Vatican to discuss the Lebanese problem, the daily added.
Israel enforces total closure on W. Bank
By KUNA
Ramallah : In an apparent reaction to the double attack against west Jerusalem earlier this night, the Israeli occupation authorities have enforced a total closure on all crossing points, blocking all roads, in the West Bank.
The Israeli army beefed up its forces and imposed a strict siege on all cities of the West Bank, especially East Jerusalem and Ramallah, eyewitnesses told KUNA here.
Suicide bomber kills 12, wounded 18 in Mardan
By NNN-APP,
Peshawar : A suicide bomber blew himself up on Sunday at busy PRC market in a cantonment area in Mardan district, killing at least 12 persons and injuring 18 others, police said.
The suicide bomber, thought to be a teenager, blew himself up in front of the gate of a bakery while he was trying to enter it. Police said that four security personnel were killed in the attack. Eyewitnesses said that blood and human flesh littered the ground outside bakery shop while smoke billowed into the sky.
Britain’s Brown in Israel for official visit
By SPA,
Jerusalem (Al-Quds city) : Gordon Brown has arrived in Israel for his first official visit as Britain's prime minister, the Associated Press reported.
Brown is to meet later today with the country's ceremonial president, Shimon Peres. He will also speak at an Israeli-British business conference alongside Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
Brown is also set to visit the Palestinian town of Bethlehem, where he will meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
American diplomat killed in the Islamabad hotel suicide attack
By IRNA,
Islamabad : An American diplomat was killed in the huge suicide truck bomb attack on Islamabad's Marriot Hotel, which also killed up-to 40 people, hospital sources said.
According to hospital sources injured foreigners included three Americans, four Germans, British, Saudis, Danish, Swedish and Libyans.
Saudi ambassador said that 6 members of Saudi Airlines have been missing since the suicide attack at the Hotel Marriot.
He confirmed that four Saudi nationals were injured who were taken to a private medical facility for treatment.
Lebanon: Army ‘under tremendous pressure’ but still united
By NNN-IRIN,
Beirut : The army’s pledge to use force if necessary to impose law and order puts the only fully functioning national institution into the centre of Lebanon’s violent crisis. But although strained, analysts say the military remains united.
“There is no civil authority in the country now, so the army is under tremendous pressure,” said Timor Goksell, a security expert and former spokesman of UN peacekeeping forces who coordinate with the military in south Lebanon.
US court orders Iran to pay $25 mn for killing Israeli soldier
By DPA,
Washington : A US court has ordered Iran to pay $25 million plus interest to the family of an Israeli soldier kidnapped and killed by Hamas 15 years ago.
Nachshon Wachsman, a 19-year-old soldier with both US and Israeli citizenship, was kidnapped by four members of Hamas in 1994, while waiting for a ride on a street in Lod, Israel.
He was held captive for six days before being executed by his captors as the Israeli military staged a rescue operation to free him oustide Jerusalem.
60 held from areas near Pakistani military HQ
By IANS,
Rawalpindi: More than 60 suspicious people, among them numerous Afghans, were arrested Sunday during a search operation in areas near the Pakistani military headquarters, which was the scene of a hostage drama eight days ago.
Police sources told Online news agency on Sunday that more than 60 suspicious people have been arrested during search operation in the areas located near the headquarters.
Sniffer dogs were also used during the operation.
Muslims of Sri Lanka or in Sri Lanka?
By Imaad Majeed,
Former advisor on Muslim issues to the Howard government in Australia, Dr Ameer Ali is a graduate of the University of Ceylon who went on to read for a Master of Philosophy from the London School of Economics and obtained his PhD from the University of Western Australia with a thesis on the religious precepts and economic practices of the Muslim community in Sri Lanka. Dr Ali is of the opinion that Muslims have played pragmatic politics in the past by joining national parties and have achieved political gains for their community. However, he regards the advent of the Sri Lanka Muslim Council (SLMC) as unnecessary and counterproductive. Speaking to The Sunday Leader, Dr Ali claimed with conviction, “Ethnic politics is the bane of this country”.
Japanese FM thanks Iran for efforts to release Japanese student
By IRNA,
Tokyo : Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura, in a statement issued on Sunday appreciated Iran's efforts to release the abducted Japanese student safely on Saturday.
Satoshi Nakamura, a 23-year-old Japanese student was abducted by bandits on October 8, 2007, in an Iranian southeastern region bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan as he headed from his hotel for the ancient mud-built citadel of Bam in Kerman province.
A bandit called Esmail Shahbakhsh, blamed for the kidnapping, had reportedly demanded the release of his arrested son in exchange for Nakamura.
UAE to mark Eid Al Fitr Sunday
By IANS,
Abu Dhabi: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will mark the first day of Eid Al Fitr Sunday.
Iraqi parliament approves key provincial election law
By Xinhua,
Baghdad : The Iraqi parliament approved on Tuesday a key election bill, despite a walk-out by lawmakers from the Kurdish coalition bloc, Iraqi official television reported.
The Iraqi state-run television said that the parliament passed the controversial bill in a closed-session.
A source from the parliament anonymously said that 127 lawmakers backed the bill out of 140 lawmakers attended the session of the 275-seat parliament. The session was ordered to be a closed one by Parliamentary Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani.
American friends welcome to help better ties with India: Zardari
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari says he hopes to build better relations with India after its parliamentary elections and "if our American friends can help us, they're welcome to."
"I know they are busy at the moment. Democracies are always willing to work with democracies," Zardari told reporters after a meeting Thursday with members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee along with his Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
"I'm hoping for better relations. And if our American friends can help us in doing so, they're welcome to," he said.
Egypt unrest might cause economic collapse: Boutros Ghali
By IANS/AKI,
Cairo: The current revolt against President Hosni Mubarak in Egypt could cause a collapse of the economy, former United Nations secretary general Boutros Boutros Ghali has said.
Iran installing 3,000 new centrifuges
By DPA
Tehran : Iran has started to install 3,000 new centrifuges at the Natanz nuclear plant in central Iran, the website of state television network IRIB quoted President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as saying Tuesday.
"Last year our scientists installed 3,000 centrifuges in Natanz and we entered the phase of uranium enrichment at industrial level and today we have started the installation of 3,000 new centrifuges," the IRIB website quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.
Also, the ISNA news agency reported the installation of only 3,000 new centrifuges.
16 killed in strike by U.S. and Afghan forces
By SPA
Kandahar, Afghanistan : An Afghan governor says 16 people were killed during strikes by U.S. and Afghan forces in northeastern Afghanistan while the troops were hunting for fugitive leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.
Gov. Tamim Nuristani says police have reached the site of Sunday's battle Nuristan province, where Afghan and U.S.-led coalition forces believed Hekmatyar was meeting with top deputy Kashmir Khan.
Other provincial leaders say many civilians were killed in the hours-long clash, which included airstrikes in remote villages.
Iranian president says its country’s nuclear program is peaceful
By Xinhua,
United Nations : Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in his speech to the UN General Assembly's general debate on Tuesday, asserted that his country's nuclear program is peaceful and slammed "a few bullying powers" for putting hurdles in the way of Iran's nuclear activities.
Al-Maliki declares Al-Amarah weapon-free area
By KUNA,
Baghdad : Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, in his capacity as Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, has issued on Saturday instructions to the forces to turn Al-Amarah governorate, near the Iranian borders, into a demilitarized zone (DMZ) as of Sunday.
The instructions include an explicit declaration of the start of a large-scale military campaign against insurgents who fled to the governorate following the recent military operations in southern Iraqi cities.
Suicide attack in Afghanistan kills policeman
By DPA,
Kabul : A suicide bomber attacked a police station in the southern province of Kandahar Thursday, killing one policeman and wounding four, a police commander said.
The attack, the third in as many days in the war-torn country, took place Thursday morning in Spin Boldak district close to border with Pakistan as a bomber tried to enter the district's border police headquarters with his explosive-packed vehicle, said General Saifullah Hakim, the border police commander in the region.
Blast kills 20 in Rawalpindi Shia procession
By IANS,
Islamabad: Twenty people have died in Pakistan's Rawalpindi city when a powerful explosion ripped through a Shia procession, police said Thursday.
I don’t know who to deal with in Pakistan: Manmohan Singh
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington: With power virtually resting with the army in Pakistan even in a democratic regime, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wonders "who to deal with" or negotiate with in Islamabad.
"I think the most important force in Pakistan is the army," he said in an interview with CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS" Sunday coinciding with his four-day state visit to US when asked who he thought was running Pakistan right now?
UK has moral duty to intervene, Miliband insists
By IRNA
London : Foreign Secretary David Miliband argued Tuesday that mistakes made in Iraq and Afghanistan must not cloud the moral imperative of the British government to intervene, sometimes militarily, to help spread democracy throughout the world.
The rise of China means that the world can no longer take "the forward march of democracy for granted" and that Britain must unambiguously be on the side of "civilian surges" for democracy, Miliband said, according to extracts of a new speech.
Dubai police seizes internationally wanted drug trafficker
By Xinhua,
Abu Dhabi : The Dubai police have arrested a British national, who is wanted in Spain for trafficking more than200 kg of cocaine and against whom the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) has issued a warrant, local newspaper Khaleej Times reported on Thursday.
The suspect named Robert Dawes was arrested by the Dubai police upon his arrival at the Dubai International Airport, according to the report.
Dawes was believed to have masterminded trafficking of huge quantities of drugs in several countries, including Britain and Spain.
Pak envoy’s remark on war criminals angers Dhaka lawmakers
By IANS,
Dhaka : A remark by a visiting Pakistani envoy that the "time is not ripe" for Bangladesh to try "war criminals" who are accused of atrocities on civilian population during the 1971 freedom movement has angered Dhaka's lawmakers.
People who collaborated with the Pakistan government during the freedom movement are called "war criminals" in Bangladesh.
During a heated discussion in Jatiya Sangsad (parliament), Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari's special envoy Mirza Zia Ispahani was asked to "apologise for his audacious remark", New Age newspaper said Thursday.
Iran says n-meet with EU ‘fruitful’
Tehran : A senior Iranian official has said the meeting between the Iranian foreign minister and his European Union (EU) counterpart in Istanbul was...
Muslim Peace Coalition condemns Paris attacks, reiterates need for comprehensive strategy to combat terrorism
By TCN News
The Muslim Peace Coalition joined a host of global organisations in unequivocally condemning the terrorist attacks in Paris that killed more than...
NATO outlines long-term engagement in Afghanistan
Cardiff: Western leaders meeting for a NATO summit in Wales Thursday outlined the long-term engagement in Afghanistan after the end of the NATO-led combat...
Nuclear deal within reach: Iranian president
Tehran : A nuclear deal with the world powers on Iran's nuclear programme is within reach and achievable, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on...
US, UK need high-level engagement with Iran, says American adviser
By IRNA,
London : An American academic who advises the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution on strategic policy has called on both the US and British governments to initiate high-level negotiations with Iran over its nuclear energy program.
"The US, and the UK for that matter, has yet to send any official representative of high standing," government relations adviser, Michael Shank said Tuesday.
Drone strikes inside Pakistan successful, says CIA chief
By IANS,
Washington : CIA Director Leon Panetta has said that the US aerial attacks against Al Qaeda and other extremist strongholds inside Pakistan have been successful and would continue despite concerns about a popular Pakistani backlash.
He said the drone strikes have so far turned successful in accomplishing goals.
"Nothing has changed our efforts to go after terrorists, and nothing will change those efforts," Panetta said in response to questions about CIA missile attacks launched from unmanned Predator aircraft.
Nawaz Sharif, Saudi prince discuss issues faced by Muslims
Islamabad : Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Thursday met Saudi Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz and discussed the situation in the Middle East.
During the...
Why can’t Hasina, Zia talk, asks Bangladesh court
By IANS,
Dhaka : A Bangladesh court Wednesday asked why Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her predecessor Khaleda Zia can't be asked to sit for talks to end the ongoing political impasse.
Analysts rule out possibility of Pak-India war despite tension
Islamabad, Dec 24, IRNA ,Senior Pakistani analysts on Wednesday ruled out the possibility of war between India and Pakistan despite the high tension between the two countries, adding that India is just building pressure on Pakistan.
Talking to IRNA they said that war would be disastrous for the whole region and would only serve the interests of the militants.
Pakistani political/defense analyst Lt Gen (Retd) Talat Masood viewed that the chances of war are very remote though Indian attack cannot be completely ruled out.
First French education fair in UAE
By IANS/WAM,
Abu Dhabi : France will organise an education fair in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to highlight the education opportunities in that country.
The fair will be held at HCT Men's College here April 18.
The event, organised by the French embassy and Agence CampusFrance, will be attended by over 20 French higher education institutions.
IAEA receives information from Tehran on n-plan
Vienna: The UN nuclear agency on Tuesday said it received substantive amount of information from Iran about its nuclear programme and the agency is...
Tehran to respond to IAEA within its commitments – IAEO
By NNN-IRNA,
Tehran : Tehran will give its response to the remaining questions raised by the United Nations nuclear watchdog in line with its commitments, Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation (IAEO) deputy head Mohammad Saeedi said.
Speaking to reporters here Sunday, he said Iran's cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is systematic based on regulations of the Safeguards Agreement.
He said that Iran-IAEA cooperation is normal and will continue in the future.
Two dead, 100 injured in Pakistan train collision
By IANS,
Islamabad: At least two people were killed and over 100 others were injured in Pakistan early Monday when two passenger trains collided.
Conference on development of Saudi-Egyptian Sea Trade in offing
By SPA,
Cairo, Egypt : The Egyptian Society for the development of sea trade will hold early May a national conference on the development of the sea trade between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
The participants of the two-day conference will review the integration strategy in shipping industry between the Kingdom and Egypt.
One killed, 2 injured in roadside bomb explosion in SW Pakistan
By Xinhua,
Islamabad : One person was killed and two others injured in a roadside bomb explosion in southwestern Pakistan on Thursday.
The bomb was planted in a motorcycle parked on the roadside and exploded as a security forces' vehicle carrying troops was passing by near Khuzdar town in Balochistan province, according to official Associated Press of Pakistan.
The killed was identified as Lal Baksh who was passing along the road when the explosion took place.
The injured were rushed to hospital for treatment.
Air strike kills 20 Taliban militants in Afghanistan
By IANS,
Kabul : At least 20 Taliban militants were killed in air strikes on the militants' hideout in Afghanistan's eastern Paktika province, authorities said Saturday.
"The international troops' warplanes targeted the suspected hideout of the militants in Urgon district Friday evening, killing over 20 rebels at the spot," administration spokesperson Hamidullah Zuwak told Xinhua.
Pakistan Institute starts training policemen
By SPA
Islamabad : Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Islamabad has started a phased training of 4000 policemen to reduce traffic incidents rate, according to an official statement.
The PIMS is imparting training on Emergency Life Support Skills in collaboration with the Motorway Police.
The training is designed to enhance the life-saving skills of the police officers, usually the first to respond to emergencies on the highways and motorway.
France prepared to send more troops to Afghanistan, says Sarkozy
By IRNA
London : French President Nicolas Sarkozy emphasised France's commitment to the Nato-led alliance in Afghanistan ahead of a state visit to Britain Wednesday.
Sarkozy said his country had no intention of pulling out troops and may even be prepared to send in more under the right conditions.
"In Afghanistan what's at stake, it's part of our battle against world terrorism," he told the BBC radio. "Do we need a new strategy in Afghanistan? Perhaps. Placing more trust in the Afghans themselves? The answer is yes."
Lebanon’s Hezbollah campaigns defending its weapons
By Xinhua,
Beirut : Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah launched a verbal campaign against pro-government majority coalition which criticizes Hezbollah's adherence to weapons, LocalAn-Nahar website reported Monday.
"The state which does not preserve the right of the resistance, will not preserve the interests of its people," Hezbollah member of Parliament Mohammed Raad said.
Pointing to the non-stop Israeli threat to Lebanon, Raad said that Israel has even hinted it would target Lebanon for "simply sensing that a protection force is built to protect our country."
Turkish officer accuses Iraqi Kurds of aiding PKK rebels
By Xinhua,
Ankara : A senior official of the Turkish military on Sunday criticized the Iraqi Kurds for aiding the outlawed Kurdish Worker's Party (PKK) militants against Ankara.
General Staff deputy chief Gen. Hasan Igsiz made the criticism in a speech at the military headquarters in Ankara, following a PKK Friday attack that killed some 15 Turkish soldiers in southeastern province of Hakkarion from northern Iraq.
German-Turk believed to be behind suicide attack on US Afghan base
By IRNA
Berlin : A German Islamist of Turkish origin is believed to have blown up himself in a suicide attack on a US military base in eastern Afghanistan on March 3 which killed two soldiers of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and two Afghan workers and injured six others, the press said Saturday.
Quran in Braille distributed in Yemen
By IANS/WAM,
Sana'a: The Khalifa bin Zayed Humanitarian Foundation of the UAE has distributed 40 copies of the Quran written in Braille language for blind students in Yemen.
Egypt, Jordan coordinate for peace in region – FM
By NNN-KUNA
Cairo : There is constant coordination among leaders of Egypt, Jordan, and Palestine to push forward the Mideast peace process, emphasized Egyptian foreign minister Ahmad Abulgheit and his Jordanian counterpart Salahuddin al-Bashir, at a joint conference they held here on Wednesday.
The two ministers were holding the conference in the wake of the summit here that brought togehter Jordan's King Abdulla II, Egypt's president Hosni Mubarak, and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.
Georgia backs Iranian nuclear program
By IRNA,
Tehran : Visiting Georgian Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze said on Monday that the Islamic Republic of Iran as signatory to Non-Proliferation Treaty should benefit from nuclear energy for civilian utility.
The Georgian foreign minister made the remarks in a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki in Tehran.
The issue of confidence-building is of prime importance which should be taken into account in talks between Iran and the international community, he said.
45 killed in Boko Haram attack in Nigeria
Lagos : Members of the armed terrorist group Boko Haram have killed at least 45 people in a village near Mafa city in the...
Burqa ban in Europe – Arresting cultural freedom?
By A. Mirsab, TwoCircles.net,
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has upheld France's controversial law of banning face-covering Muslim veils or burqa from the...
US air strikes in Iraq successful: Obama
Washington: President Barack Obama said Saturday that the US air strikes have "successfully destroyed arms and equipment" that terrorists with Islamic State of Iraq...
Abbas forces detain 21 Hamas members in West Bank
By Xinhua,
Ramallah : Islamic Hamas movement denounced on Monday that 21 Hamas members have been arrested by the security forces of President Mahmoud Abbas in different West Bank areas.
"The security forces of the interior ministry in the caretaker government of Salam Fayyad has escalated its actions and detained 21 people allover the West Bank," said a Hamas leaflet sent to reporters.
According to the leaflet, the arrests took place in the towns of Nablus, Jenin, Hebron and Bethlehem.
Pakistan’s ‘disappeared’ still remain an unfinished business
By Zofeen T. Ebrahim, IANS
Karachi : Emergency has been lifted and a brand new apex court set up in Pakistan, but the bench still refuses to entertain cases of human rights violations, specially those of enforced disappearances, says former law minister Iqbal Haider.
"We should wash our hands off these cases," says Haider. Those who have disappeared have often been labelled terrorists or threats to national security, yet none have been charged with any crime so far.
Israel building rocket battalion
By IANS,
Tel Aviv : The Israeli military is setting up a rocket battalion to help minimize civilian casualties in future combat operations in the Gaza Strip.
Saudi Arabia to launch two satellites
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Cairo : Saudi Arabia is set to launch two indigenous satellites with a precision navigation system within the next few years, Prince Turki Bin Saud Bin Muhammad has said.
Laws discriminatory to minorities to be repealed: Bangladesh
By IANS,
Dhaka : Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that her government will repeal all laws and rules discriminatory to minority communities, including indigenous people.
"Our government believes in freedom of all religious faiths and equal opportunities for all," Hasina told a visiting French military delegation Wednesday.
Hasina said the government would ensure protection of freedom of all religions and the minority groups' freedom of expression in the country, United News of Bangladesh reported.
Conflicts claim 15 lives in Afghanistan
By Xinhua,
Kabul : Conflict and violent incident have claimed the lives of over a dozen people including 12 suspected insurgents in Afghanistan, officials said Saturday.
"Operation against Taliban fighters left 12 militants dead and 20 others wounded in Syedabad district of Wardak province on Friday night," Adam Khan Seerat, the spokesman for provincial administration, told Xinhua.
Taliban local commander Mullah Asif was injured during the operation backed by air power, he further said.
Taliban outfit has yet to make comment.
UN sees no military solution to Libya conflict
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
United Nations : There can be no military solution to the Libyan crisis, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said.
NATO chief to discuss Afghanistan with UN Secretary General
By KUNA,
Brussels : Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Jaap de Hoop Scheffer is visiting New York on Wednesday to meet with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to discuss a range of issues including Kosovo and Afghanistan, said a brief NATO statement.
Israeli army detains 10 wanted Palestinians in W Bank
By Xinhua
Ramallah : The Israeli troops arrested early on Monday morning 10 Palestinians in the West Bank, said to be wanted for being involved in planning attacks against Israel, Palestinian security sources reported.
Israeli Radio, which also confirmed the report, quoted an Israeli army spokesman as saying that 10 Palestinians, wanted by Israel, were detained in the West Bank cities of Nablus, Tulkarem, Hebron and Jericho.
14 killed, head of press syndicate injured in Iraq
By DPA
Baghdad : At least 14 militants of the Al Qaeda terrorist network were killed and the head of the Iraqi press syndicate was wounded in violence Saturday, Iraqi officials and media reports said.
Joint US-Iraqi forces killed 14 Al Qaeda militants in separate military operations in the city of Samra, some 125 km north of Baghdad, security sources said.
Sources said the forces had shot dead 10 of the militants in al-Tharthar area of western Samara, adding that six of them were Arabs. The other four were killed in different parts of the city.
Slain Pakistani governor’s son kidnapped
By IANS,
Islamabad : The son of assassinated Punjab governor Salman Taseer was kidnapped Friday from Lahore, a media report said.
13 Pakistani soldiers killed in Afghan attack
By IANS,
Islamabad : At least 13 Pakistani soldiers were killed Monday in a cross-border attack launched by militants from Afghanistan. Of the total, seven were found beheaded.
Kuwait, Seychelles sign double taxation deal
By NNN-KUNA
Kuwait : Kuwait and Seychelles have inked an agreement on double taxation avoidance and tax evasion prevention at the Bayan Palace here.
The deal was signed Tuesday by Kuwaiti Minister of Finance Mustafa Al-Shimali and Seychelles's Minister of National Development Jacqueline Dugasse.
Arab League head rules out normalization of relations with Israel
By RIA Novosti,
Cairo : Arab countries see no reason to normalize relations with Israel as Tel Aviv continues building illegal settlements on the occupied Palestinian land, Arab League head Amr Moussa said on Wednesday.
"The issue of normalizing relations with Israel has been closed," Moussa told journalists following a session of the League of Arab States at the level of foreign ministers.