BRUSSELS: The European Commission has approved Inter Continental Exchange s proposed $8.2 billion takeover of NYSE Euro next, saying the two are not direct competitors in most markets and will continue to face strong competition.
The deal will give ICE control of London-based Liffe, Europe s second-largest derivatives market.
The combined ICE-NYSE Euro next would be the third-largest exchange group globally, behind Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing and CME Group. The European Commission confirmed it approved the merger in an emailed statement Monday.(AP)
Monday, 24 June 2013
16 soldiers dead in Lebanon clashes
BEIRUT (AP) - Lebanese army units battled followers of a hard-line Sunni cleric holed up in a mosque complex in a southern port city on Monday, the second day of fighting that has left at least 16 soldiers dead, the military said.
The clashes in Sidon, Lebanon s third-largest city some 40 kilometers south of Beirut, are the latest bout of violence in Lebanon linked to the conflict in neighboring Syria.
They are the bloodiest yet involving the army at least two of those killed are officers. The Lebanese media has depicted the clashes as a test for the state in containing armed groups that have taken up the cause of the warring sides in Syria, whose sectarian makeup mirrors that of its smaller neighbor.
The two days of fighting between troops and armed supporters of Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir have transformed the city, which had been largely spared the violence plaguing border areas near Syria, into a combat zone.
The National News Agency said the clashes also left fifty wounded. Hospital officials said at least three of al-Assir s supporters died in the fighting.
The military in a statement said the gunmen were using the religious compound to fire on its troops and had taken civilians as shields.
Machine-gun fire and rocket-propelled grenade explosions caused panic among residents of Sidon. Residents reported power and water outage.
The city streets appeared largely deserted Monday. Local media reported many residents were asking for evacuation from the heavily populated neighborhood around the Bilal bin Rabbah Mosque where al-Assir preaches, and where the fighting has been concentrated.
The local municipality said that the city is "a war zone," appealing for a cease-fire to evacuate the civilians and wounded in the area.
Many people living on upper floors came down or fled to safer areas, while others were seen running away from fighting areas carrying children. Others remained locked up in their homes or shops, fearing getting caught in the crossfire. Gray smoke billowed over parts of the city.
The military appealed to the gunmen to hand themselves in. In its statement, it said that it "reassures all Lebanese that it will continue to uproot the strife and will not stop its operations until security is totally restored to the city and its boroughs, and falls under the rule of law and order."
The clashes erupted Sunday in the predominantly Sunni city after troops arrested a follower of al-Assir. The army says supporters of the cleric opened fire without provocation on an army checkpoint.
Early Monday, al-Assir appealed to his supporters through his Twitter account in other parts of Lebanon to rise to his help, threatening to widen the scale of clashes.
The tweets did not give a clear statement on how the battle began. It came after a series of incidents pitting the cleric s followers against other groups in the town, including Hezbollah supporters and the army.
The cleric is believed to have hundreds of armed supporters in Sidon involved in the fighting. Dozens of al-Assir s gunmen also partially shut down the main highway linking south Lebanon with Beirut. On Monday, they opened fire in other parts of the city, with local media reporting gunshots in the city s market.
Fighting also broke out in parts of Ein el-Hilweh, a teeming Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon, where al-Assir has supporters.
Islamist factions inside the camp lobbed mortars at military checkpoints around the camp. Tension also spread to the north in Tripoli, Lebanon s second largest city.
Masked gunmen roamed the city center, firing in the air and forcing shops and businesses to shut down in solidarity with al-Assir.
Dozens of gunmen also set fire to tires, blocking roads. The city s main streets were emptying out. There was no unusual military or security deployment.
The clashes in Sidon, Lebanon s third-largest city some 40 kilometers south of Beirut, are the latest bout of violence in Lebanon linked to the conflict in neighboring Syria.
They are the bloodiest yet involving the army at least two of those killed are officers. The Lebanese media has depicted the clashes as a test for the state in containing armed groups that have taken up the cause of the warring sides in Syria, whose sectarian makeup mirrors that of its smaller neighbor.
The two days of fighting between troops and armed supporters of Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir have transformed the city, which had been largely spared the violence plaguing border areas near Syria, into a combat zone.
The National News Agency said the clashes also left fifty wounded. Hospital officials said at least three of al-Assir s supporters died in the fighting.
The military in a statement said the gunmen were using the religious compound to fire on its troops and had taken civilians as shields.
Machine-gun fire and rocket-propelled grenade explosions caused panic among residents of Sidon. Residents reported power and water outage.
The city streets appeared largely deserted Monday. Local media reported many residents were asking for evacuation from the heavily populated neighborhood around the Bilal bin Rabbah Mosque where al-Assir preaches, and where the fighting has been concentrated.
The local municipality said that the city is "a war zone," appealing for a cease-fire to evacuate the civilians and wounded in the area.
Many people living on upper floors came down or fled to safer areas, while others were seen running away from fighting areas carrying children. Others remained locked up in their homes or shops, fearing getting caught in the crossfire. Gray smoke billowed over parts of the city.
The military appealed to the gunmen to hand themselves in. In its statement, it said that it "reassures all Lebanese that it will continue to uproot the strife and will not stop its operations until security is totally restored to the city and its boroughs, and falls under the rule of law and order."
The clashes erupted Sunday in the predominantly Sunni city after troops arrested a follower of al-Assir. The army says supporters of the cleric opened fire without provocation on an army checkpoint.
Early Monday, al-Assir appealed to his supporters through his Twitter account in other parts of Lebanon to rise to his help, threatening to widen the scale of clashes.
The tweets did not give a clear statement on how the battle began. It came after a series of incidents pitting the cleric s followers against other groups in the town, including Hezbollah supporters and the army.
The cleric is believed to have hundreds of armed supporters in Sidon involved in the fighting. Dozens of al-Assir s gunmen also partially shut down the main highway linking south Lebanon with Beirut. On Monday, they opened fire in other parts of the city, with local media reporting gunshots in the city s market.
Fighting also broke out in parts of Ein el-Hilweh, a teeming Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon, where al-Assir has supporters.
Islamist factions inside the camp lobbed mortars at military checkpoints around the camp. Tension also spread to the north in Tripoli, Lebanon s second largest city.
Masked gunmen roamed the city center, firing in the air and forcing shops and businesses to shut down in solidarity with al-Assir.
Dozens of gunmen also set fire to tires, blocking roads. The city s main streets were emptying out. There was no unusual military or security deployment.
Angelina Jolie urges world to end rape in war
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Actress Angelina Jolie is making her debut before the UN s most powerful body as a special envoy for refugees and urging the world s nations to make the fight against rape in war a top priority.
She told the Security Council Monday that "hundreds of thousands if not millions of women, children and men have been raped in conflicts in our lifetimes."
But Jolie said "the world has yet to take up warzone rape as a serious priority." "You set the bar," she told the Security Council.
"If the council sets rape and sexual violence in conflict as a priority it will become one and progress will be made. If you do not, this horror will continue."
She told the Security Council Monday that "hundreds of thousands if not millions of women, children and men have been raped in conflicts in our lifetimes."
But Jolie said "the world has yet to take up warzone rape as a serious priority." "You set the bar," she told the Security Council.
"If the council sets rape and sexual violence in conflict as a priority it will become one and progress will be made. If you do not, this horror will continue."
Highway shootings: Truck driver arrested in Germany
BERLIN : German police have arrested a truck driver believed to be responsible for a series of more than 700 shootings on the country s highways over five years.
The Federal Criminal Police Office says the 57-year-old man was arrested on Sunday in western Germany and officers seized firearms.
The office said the man, whose name was not released, was brought before a judge Monday and ordered held in custody pending formal charges.
Starting in mid-2008, shots were fired at trucks loaded with cars, other vehicles on the highway and buildings.
Last November, authorities quadrupled a reward for information on the shootings to 100,000 euros ($131,000), saying that the assailant or assailants had started using more dangerous weapons.
In one of the shootings, a woman driving a car was injured.(AP)
The Federal Criminal Police Office says the 57-year-old man was arrested on Sunday in western Germany and officers seized firearms.
The office said the man, whose name was not released, was brought before a judge Monday and ordered held in custody pending formal charges.
Starting in mid-2008, shots were fired at trucks loaded with cars, other vehicles on the highway and buildings.
Last November, authorities quadrupled a reward for information on the shootings to 100,000 euros ($131,000), saying that the assailant or assailants had started using more dangerous weapons.
In one of the shootings, a woman driving a car was injured.(AP)
Berlusconi gets 7-year jail in sex crime case
MILAN (Reuters) - A Milan court sentenced former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi on Monday to seven years in jail and banned him from public office after finding him guilty of paying for sex with a minor and abusing his powers of office to cover up the affair.
The verdict adds to mounting complications facing Prime Minister Enrico Letta, whose fragile left-right coalition government is supported by Berlusconi s centre-right People of Freedom (PDL) party.
Berlusconi was found guilty of paying for sex with former teenaged nightclub dancer Karima El Mahroug, better known under her stage name "Ruby the Heartstealer", during the now notorious "bunga bunga" sex parties at his palatial home near Milan.
The panel of three judges, all women, also found the 76 year-old former premier guilty of abuse of office by arranging to have her released from police custody when she was detained in a separate theft case.
Berlusconi will not have to serve any jail time unless the sentence is confirmed on appeal.
The verdict adds to mounting complications facing Prime Minister Enrico Letta, whose fragile left-right coalition government is supported by Berlusconi s centre-right People of Freedom (PDL) party.
Berlusconi was found guilty of paying for sex with former teenaged nightclub dancer Karima El Mahroug, better known under her stage name "Ruby the Heartstealer", during the now notorious "bunga bunga" sex parties at his palatial home near Milan.
The panel of three judges, all women, also found the 76 year-old former premier guilty of abuse of office by arranging to have her released from police custody when she was detained in a separate theft case.
Berlusconi will not have to serve any jail time unless the sentence is confirmed on appeal.
EU seeks to look beyond Turkey protests over membership
LUXEMBOURG (AP) - Turkey s hope of moving to the next stage of negotiations to join the European Union was kept alive Monday after Germany proposed a compromise that would bind the EU to expanded talks, but only once it approved Ankara s latest reforms.
With the hedged proposal, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said he wanted to make sure the impact of the protests that have rocked the government of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the past weeks would be taken into account without endangering the long-term strategy to draw Turkey closer.
The proposal is expected to be discussed by EU ministers on Tuesday and could still be enshrined at a meetingwith Turkish officials on Wednesday. Any EU decision on Turkey talks needs unanimity among the 27 member states.
"On the one hand we cannot pretend as if these talks here were happening without any context, as if the past days hadn t existed," Westerwelle said. "On the other hand we also have to see that our joint, general, strategic and long-term interests are upheld."
A progress report on Turkey s ability to fit within the EU is expected mid-October.
Germany, which has a sizeable Turkish population, had initially blocked the next step in membership talks last week.
Ministers from countries including Sweden and Belgium agreed that longer term considerations beyond the current political strife should be central to discussions.
"We are not pursuing policies for the day and for the week, we are pursuing policies for the years and the decades," said Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt.
"We can t change the strategy of the European Union, just because there happens to be nervousness in one part or in the other."
EU Foreign Affairs chief Catherine Ashton was also seeking to keep the door open for further Turkish discussions.
"My general view on everything is engagement is a much better option where you possibly can," she said.
Berlin s blocking of the decision to open a new chapter in the long-running accession negotiations last week was a blow to Erdogan s government, which already faces increasing international scrutiny over its crackdown.
"We have to notice at the moment that there has to be some movement from Turkey before starting with negotiations in a new chapter," said Austria s Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger.
"We are waiting for signals from Ankara that they are going to give people in Turkey really their rights," said Spindelegger.
Turkey began EU accession negotiations in 2005, but has made little progress because of its dispute with Cyprus, an EU member, and opposition among some in Europe to admitting a populous Muslim nation into the bloc.
The session of EU talks initially to open next week was to focus on regional policies, one of 35 chapters for aspiring members to address. But some officials expressed concern that such talks could appear to endorse the crackdown on the demonstrations.
Despite the concerns, Belgium too insisted on pressing ahead. "We should never close the door," said Foreign Minister Didier Reynders.
Asked what Turkey will do if the EU does not open a new chapter in the membership talks this week, Turkey s minister in charge of EU affairs Egemen Bagis said the country was also busy working on the issue.
He was quoted as telling Germany s Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily: "We are working on an answer. I can t tell you more, only so much: Turkey has other options."
"We need the EU and the EU needs us," he said. "It is not fair to block the opening of the new chapter in negotiations, which is mainly technical, because of technical constraints."
With the hedged proposal, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said he wanted to make sure the impact of the protests that have rocked the government of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the past weeks would be taken into account without endangering the long-term strategy to draw Turkey closer.
The proposal is expected to be discussed by EU ministers on Tuesday and could still be enshrined at a meetingwith Turkish officials on Wednesday. Any EU decision on Turkey talks needs unanimity among the 27 member states.
"On the one hand we cannot pretend as if these talks here were happening without any context, as if the past days hadn t existed," Westerwelle said. "On the other hand we also have to see that our joint, general, strategic and long-term interests are upheld."
A progress report on Turkey s ability to fit within the EU is expected mid-October.
Germany, which has a sizeable Turkish population, had initially blocked the next step in membership talks last week.
Ministers from countries including Sweden and Belgium agreed that longer term considerations beyond the current political strife should be central to discussions.
"We are not pursuing policies for the day and for the week, we are pursuing policies for the years and the decades," said Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt.
"We can t change the strategy of the European Union, just because there happens to be nervousness in one part or in the other."
EU Foreign Affairs chief Catherine Ashton was also seeking to keep the door open for further Turkish discussions.
"My general view on everything is engagement is a much better option where you possibly can," she said.
Berlin s blocking of the decision to open a new chapter in the long-running accession negotiations last week was a blow to Erdogan s government, which already faces increasing international scrutiny over its crackdown.
"We have to notice at the moment that there has to be some movement from Turkey before starting with negotiations in a new chapter," said Austria s Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger.
"We are waiting for signals from Ankara that they are going to give people in Turkey really their rights," said Spindelegger.
Turkey began EU accession negotiations in 2005, but has made little progress because of its dispute with Cyprus, an EU member, and opposition among some in Europe to admitting a populous Muslim nation into the bloc.
The session of EU talks initially to open next week was to focus on regional policies, one of 35 chapters for aspiring members to address. But some officials expressed concern that such talks could appear to endorse the crackdown on the demonstrations.
Despite the concerns, Belgium too insisted on pressing ahead. "We should never close the door," said Foreign Minister Didier Reynders.
Asked what Turkey will do if the EU does not open a new chapter in the membership talks this week, Turkey s minister in charge of EU affairs Egemen Bagis said the country was also busy working on the issue.
He was quoted as telling Germany s Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily: "We are working on an answer. I can t tell you more, only so much: Turkey has other options."
"We need the EU and the EU needs us," he said. "It is not fair to block the opening of the new chapter in negotiations, which is mainly technical, because of technical constraints."
Sethi says he will try to resolve problems at PCB
ISLAMABAD (AP) - The newly appointed acting chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board said Sunday he will try to lead the organization out of crisis in a transparent manner and will attend next week s annual board meeting of the International Cricket Council.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif appointed prominent journalist Najam Sethi to the post on Sunday after the Islamabad High Court ordered the government to replace PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf last month.
"My job is to resolve all the problems of cricket board in a transparent manner like election, selection and then go back home," Sethi said in Lahore.
Sethi said he met with Sharif two days ago and the prime minister wanted him to represent Pakistan at the ICC meeting and also fulfill the orders of IHC judge Shaukat Aziz Siddique.
The judge had stopped Ashraf from working as PCB chairman last month and termed his election as "polluted" in a petition filed by a former official of the Rawalpindi region. Siddique also ordered the government to appoint an acting chairman, who could represent Pakistan at the ICC meeting in London.
"It was mandatory (to attend ICC meeting) because it has never happened in history that a country s representative on the ICC board did not attend the meeting," said Sethi, who will be accompanied by PCB chief operating officer Subhan Ahmed at the ICC meeting.
Sethi, who is a prominent political analyst in both print and electronic media in Pakistan, also served as caretaker chief minister in the Punjab province before Pakistan s general elections in May.
His appointment came as a surprise after the government s counsel last week informed the court that former captain Majid Khan, cricket commentator Chishtie Mujahid and the former chief of the Federal Bureau of Revenue Mumtaz Haider Rizvi were shortlisted for the post. That list was reportedly passed to Sharif, who was to announce thewinning candidate.
Last year the ICC issued a deadline of June 2013 for all the countries to run their cricket boards along democratic lines and under minimum interference from governments.
But Sethi said the ICC has softened its stance because the game s governing body realizes there are complexities surrounding the governance of cricket in countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh.
"ICC had given guidelines to conduct elections in a democratic way, but now they realize there are problems at grassroots democracy in countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan," he said.
"Previously they took a hard line but now they have softened their stance. We will go listen to them and then we will discuss it here with the courts, government and then take the decision."
Sethi s agenda also includes approval of the team selected for next month s tour of the West Indies where Pakistan will be playing five one-day internationals and two Twenty20s.
"More than 95 per cent of the work has been done and there s not much time left. I will be meeting with the selectors and see what they have recommended before going for the ICC meeting."
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif appointed prominent journalist Najam Sethi to the post on Sunday after the Islamabad High Court ordered the government to replace PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf last month.
"My job is to resolve all the problems of cricket board in a transparent manner like election, selection and then go back home," Sethi said in Lahore.
Sethi said he met with Sharif two days ago and the prime minister wanted him to represent Pakistan at the ICC meeting and also fulfill the orders of IHC judge Shaukat Aziz Siddique.
The judge had stopped Ashraf from working as PCB chairman last month and termed his election as "polluted" in a petition filed by a former official of the Rawalpindi region. Siddique also ordered the government to appoint an acting chairman, who could represent Pakistan at the ICC meeting in London.
"It was mandatory (to attend ICC meeting) because it has never happened in history that a country s representative on the ICC board did not attend the meeting," said Sethi, who will be accompanied by PCB chief operating officer Subhan Ahmed at the ICC meeting.
Sethi, who is a prominent political analyst in both print and electronic media in Pakistan, also served as caretaker chief minister in the Punjab province before Pakistan s general elections in May.
His appointment came as a surprise after the government s counsel last week informed the court that former captain Majid Khan, cricket commentator Chishtie Mujahid and the former chief of the Federal Bureau of Revenue Mumtaz Haider Rizvi were shortlisted for the post. That list was reportedly passed to Sharif, who was to announce thewinning candidate.
Last year the ICC issued a deadline of June 2013 for all the countries to run their cricket boards along democratic lines and under minimum interference from governments.
But Sethi said the ICC has softened its stance because the game s governing body realizes there are complexities surrounding the governance of cricket in countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh.
"ICC had given guidelines to conduct elections in a democratic way, but now they realize there are problems at grassroots democracy in countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan," he said.
"Previously they took a hard line but now they have softened their stance. We will go listen to them and then we will discuss it here with the courts, government and then take the decision."
Sethi s agenda also includes approval of the team selected for next month s tour of the West Indies where Pakistan will be playing five one-day internationals and two Twenty20s.
"More than 95 per cent of the work has been done and there s not much time left. I will be meeting with the selectors and see what they have recommended before going for the ICC meeting."
40 suspects arrested in Diamer incident
DIAMER (Awaaz News) – At least forty suspects were arrested Monday in connection with Diamer-Buner incident in which ten foreign tourists were killed.
Army and police teams along with other supporting agencies are continuing search operation at Babusar‚ Buner and Sarri Maiddo areas to arrest the culprits.
Army and police teams along with other supporting agencies are continuing search operation at Babusar‚ Buner and Sarri Maiddo areas to arrest the culprits.
UK to take cash bond of £3,000 from visitor’s of 6 countries including Pakistan
LONDON (Awaaz News): Britain has decided that visitors from India, Pakistan, Nigeria Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Ghana would have to pay a cash bond of £3,000 ($4,600, 3,500 euros) before entering in the country.
According to reports, the new visit visa policy would start working from November and the submitted money would be impounded if the visitors overstay in Britain after the expiry of visa.
According to foreign media, initially the scheme will target hundreds of visitors, but the plan is to extend it to several thousand.
Last year 296,000 people granted six-month visas were from India, 101,000 from Nigeria, 53,000 from Pakistan and 14,000 each were from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
According to reports, the new visit visa policy would start working from November and the submitted money would be impounded if the visitors overstay in Britain after the expiry of visa.
According to foreign media, initially the scheme will target hundreds of visitors, but the plan is to extend it to several thousand.
Last year 296,000 people granted six-month visas were from India, 101,000 from Nigeria, 53,000 from Pakistan and 14,000 each were from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Musharraf allies in cabinet should also be tried: Aitzaz
ISLAMABAD (Awaaz News) - Former President Supreme Court Bar Association and senior lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan Monday said former president Pervez Musharraf violated the constitution twice and treason case should be proceeded against him.
According to media reports, Aitzaz Ahsan welcoming Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif decision for treason case against Pervez Musharraf said that all democracy lovers and those upholding the law would second the decision of PM.
He said Pervez Musharraf violated the constitution on Oct 12 and Nov 3 2007 and kept 60 judges in confinement treason case should be proceeded against him but action should also be taken against those who are sitting in Nawaz Sharif’s cabinet and had sided with Musharraf.
Aitzaz Ahsan said that Mian Nawaz Sharif would have to think about the fate of those ministers who are sitting in his cabinet who at that time had endorsed the steps of Musharraf instead of resigning.
Without naming PML-N leader Zahid Hamid, he said that if Musharraf gives a statement in court that he was not alone in the Nov 3 2007 steps but others such as Shaukat Aziz and other lawyers were also involved on whose advice he had taken the decision than that could create problems for Nawaz Sharif.
He said that he has always stood against dictators and he is the only person who had countered four dictators.
According to media reports, Aitzaz Ahsan welcoming Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif decision for treason case against Pervez Musharraf said that all democracy lovers and those upholding the law would second the decision of PM.
He said Pervez Musharraf violated the constitution on Oct 12 and Nov 3 2007 and kept 60 judges in confinement treason case should be proceeded against him but action should also be taken against those who are sitting in Nawaz Sharif’s cabinet and had sided with Musharraf.
Aitzaz Ahsan said that Mian Nawaz Sharif would have to think about the fate of those ministers who are sitting in his cabinet who at that time had endorsed the steps of Musharraf instead of resigning.
Without naming PML-N leader Zahid Hamid, he said that if Musharraf gives a statement in court that he was not alone in the Nov 3 2007 steps but others such as Shaukat Aziz and other lawyers were also involved on whose advice he had taken the decision than that could create problems for Nawaz Sharif.
He said that he has always stood against dictators and he is the only person who had countered four dictators.
Musharraf will be tried for treason under Article 6: PM
ISLAMABAD (Awaaz News) - The Pakistan government on Monday decided to go ahead with the trial of former dictator Pervez Musharraf in the Supreme Court on a charge of high treason for abrogating the constitution and imposing emergency rule in November 2007.
Treason case will be launched against Pervez Musharraf under Article 6 of the Constitution, Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif told Parliament.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that Pervez Musharraf abrogated the constitution twice without any lawful reason in October 1999 and again on 3rd of November 2007.
He assured the court and people of Pakistan that every judgement of the judiciary will be respected and implemented.
The prime minister said that government the government will support measures to uphold the Constitution and rule of law.
The government will take all the political forces into confidence in this regard, he added.
Under the law, the interior secretary has to lodge a complaint against Musharraf under the Article 6 of the constitution and the High Treason (Punishment) Act of 1973 for subverting or abrogating the Constitution.
The 69-year-old former military ruler was arrested shortly after he returned to Pakistan in March to lead his party in the polls.
He is currently under house arrest at his farmhouse on the outskirts of Islamabad and is facing charges in three high-profile cases related to the 2007 assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto, the killing of Baloch nationalist leader Akbar Bugti in a 2006 military operation and the imposition of emergency in 2007.
Musharraf could become the first dictator in Pakistan s history to face trial for high treason.
Treason case will be launched against Pervez Musharraf under Article 6 of the Constitution, Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif told Parliament.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that Pervez Musharraf abrogated the constitution twice without any lawful reason in October 1999 and again on 3rd of November 2007.
He assured the court and people of Pakistan that every judgement of the judiciary will be respected and implemented.
The prime minister said that government the government will support measures to uphold the Constitution and rule of law.
The government will take all the political forces into confidence in this regard, he added.
Under the law, the interior secretary has to lodge a complaint against Musharraf under the Article 6 of the constitution and the High Treason (Punishment) Act of 1973 for subverting or abrogating the Constitution.
The 69-year-old former military ruler was arrested shortly after he returned to Pakistan in March to lead his party in the polls.
He is currently under house arrest at his farmhouse on the outskirts of Islamabad and is facing charges in three high-profile cases related to the 2007 assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto, the killing of Baloch nationalist leader Akbar Bugti in a 2006 military operation and the imposition of emergency in 2007.
Musharraf could become the first dictator in Pakistan s history to face trial for high treason.
MEPs vote to drop immunity for French Far Right Leader
Far right leader, Marine Le Pen, is widely expected to face criminal charges after MEPs in the legal affairs committee today voted overwhelmingly in favour of waiving her immunity.
Le Pen, leader of France’s far-right National Front party, is likely to face an investigation by French authorities over racist remarks aimed at the Muslim community during a party rally in December 2010.
As with most national parliaments, the French MEP enjoyed protection from prosecution with her European Parliamentary immunity; however today’s vote is likely to leave the politician in a precarious situation. A further vote by MEPs in Strasbourg in July will decide whether or not her immunity is lifted.
British Conservative MEP and member of the legal affairs committee, Sajjad Karim, said after the votes today that Le Pen is hiding behind the EU:
“Marine Le Pen is an extremist right wing politician who has campaigned fervently against the EU, but who now wants the EU to protect her from her own country’s prosecuting system.”
Mr Karim, the Conservative legal affairs spokesperson who has been involved in Le Pen’s hearing, confirmed reports that there was almost total agreement to remove her protection.
“There is a red line between freedom of speech and inciting racial hatred. I, along with many other MEPs, today voted to drop Ms Le Pen’s immunity and I am confident that the majority of the European Parliament will follow our lead in July.”
“The legal affairs committee had a very thorough discussion on this issue including inviting Marine Le Pen to the hearing. The vote will now go before all MEPs in the Parliament and it will be telling to see which, if any, MEPs support her call.”
The furore began with remarks Ms Le Pen made to her supporters at a party rally in Lyon where she likened Islamic prayers to Nazi occupation.
Sajjad Karim, also vice-president of the European Parliament Anti-Racism and Diversity Intergroup, spoke out about Le Pen's inflammatory remarks.
"Using Nazi occupation in France as a comparison to Muslims praying on the street is appalling, insulting and highly inflammatory on so many levels. Her remarks do the complete opposite of trying to forge a social fabric of peace, understanding and respect."
The Front National party has been a source of controversy with Jean-Marie Le Pen, the party's founder and father of Marine Le Pen, having several convictions of racism and anti-Semitism.
The current investigation dates back to Marine Le Pen's remarks made on 10th December 2010 when she was a presidential candidate in France's elections. She said:
"For those who want to talk a lot about World War II, if it's about occupation, then we could also talk about (Muslim prayers in the streets)," she said. "There may not be any tanks or soldiers, but it is nevertheless an occupation."
The vote is set to take place when the European Parliament sits in Strasbourg on Wednesday 3rd July.
Le Pen, leader of France’s far-right National Front party, is likely to face an investigation by French authorities over racist remarks aimed at the Muslim community during a party rally in December 2010.
As with most national parliaments, the French MEP enjoyed protection from prosecution with her European Parliamentary immunity; however today’s vote is likely to leave the politician in a precarious situation. A further vote by MEPs in Strasbourg in July will decide whether or not her immunity is lifted.
British Conservative MEP and member of the legal affairs committee, Sajjad Karim, said after the votes today that Le Pen is hiding behind the EU:
“Marine Le Pen is an extremist right wing politician who has campaigned fervently against the EU, but who now wants the EU to protect her from her own country’s prosecuting system.”
Mr Karim, the Conservative legal affairs spokesperson who has been involved in Le Pen’s hearing, confirmed reports that there was almost total agreement to remove her protection.
“There is a red line between freedom of speech and inciting racial hatred. I, along with many other MEPs, today voted to drop Ms Le Pen’s immunity and I am confident that the majority of the European Parliament will follow our lead in July.”
“The legal affairs committee had a very thorough discussion on this issue including inviting Marine Le Pen to the hearing. The vote will now go before all MEPs in the Parliament and it will be telling to see which, if any, MEPs support her call.”
The furore began with remarks Ms Le Pen made to her supporters at a party rally in Lyon where she likened Islamic prayers to Nazi occupation.
Sajjad Karim, also vice-president of the European Parliament Anti-Racism and Diversity Intergroup, spoke out about Le Pen's inflammatory remarks.
"Using Nazi occupation in France as a comparison to Muslims praying on the street is appalling, insulting and highly inflammatory on so many levels. Her remarks do the complete opposite of trying to forge a social fabric of peace, understanding and respect."
The Front National party has been a source of controversy with Jean-Marie Le Pen, the party's founder and father of Marine Le Pen, having several convictions of racism and anti-Semitism.
The current investigation dates back to Marine Le Pen's remarks made on 10th December 2010 when she was a presidential candidate in France's elections. She said:
"For those who want to talk a lot about World War II, if it's about occupation, then we could also talk about (Muslim prayers in the streets)," she said. "There may not be any tanks or soldiers, but it is nevertheless an occupation."
The vote is set to take place when the European Parliament sits in Strasbourg on Wednesday 3rd July.
Saturday, 22 June 2013
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Friday, 21 June 2013
Russia raises questions on non-nuclear US weapons
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) — Russia's foreign minister said Friday that conventional weaponsmust be taken into account when Washington and Moscow meet to discuss President Barack Obama's proposal to make radical reductions in their nuclear arsenals.
Obama said Wednesday in a speech in Berlin that he wants U.S. and Russian nuclear stockpiles reduced by one-third, more than required by a treaty that took effect two years ago.
But Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told The Associated Press and Bloomberg news agencies Friday that talks on further nuclear reductions should also factor in new types of American weapons, such as so-called "prompt global strike" weapons that would let the U.S. strike targets anywhere in the world in as little as an hour.
Lavrov didn't specify how Russia wants to limit such weapons, but noted that they have a capability comparable to nuclear weapons.
"Imagine a weapon which is delivered to any part of the Earth in one hour, that's the goal," he said. "It doesn't have an inhumane effect of a nuclear weapon, but militarily it's much more efficient. We have to take this into account before we decide on any further reductions."
Lavrov's comments reflected Moscow's reluctance to conduct further nuclear arms cuts at a time when it is lagging far behind the United States in designing new weapons, and its conventional forces are a shadow of the Red Army's former might. All that has prompted Moscow to rely increasingly on its nuclear deterrent, and it has invested a large share of its petrodollars into modernizing its nuclear missiles and atomic submarines.
The minister said U.S. missile defense plans have remained a top concern for Moscow, and the U.S. refusal to conclude a treaty that would bar space-based weapons has worried Moscow. He added that NATO's edge in conventional forces also should be taken into account.
"And besides, if we speak about further reductions, provided we agree on all these things comprehensively, then the reductions would already be meant at a level which would be very commensurate with the level of the nuclear weapons of other states, not just the Russian Federation and the United States," he added. "It has all to be taken into account."
He said that U.S. and Russian experts will meet to discuss those issues in detail.
EU ministers to decide who pays when banks fail
LUXEMBOURG (AP) — European Union finance ministers struggled Friday to broker an agreement on how best to downsize or close banks without spreading panic or having to call on taxpayers to bail out ailing lenders.
A marathon negotiating session of the EU's 27 finance chiefs went into the night, seeking agreement on the order in which investors and creditors would have to pay for bank restructurings. A key stumbling block was who to hit hardest: Should losses be limited to banks' shareholders and creditors, or should small companies and ordinary savers holding uninsured deposits worth more than 100,000 euros ($132,000) also be included?
Two diplomats from different EU countries said that there were still fundamental differences after 12 hours of negotiations.
The most controversial issue was how much leeway member states should be granted in making decisions on winding down banks. Some countries like Britain don't want to be bound by rigid European rules. Other nations warned that too much flexibility would create new imbalances between the bloc's weaker and stronger economies and destroy the project of establishing a single set of rules that creates certainty for investors and restores trust in the financial system.
"A lot of countries this morning were asking for more flexibility, so we introduced more flexibility and it had gone too far for somemember states," said one of the diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door talks. "There are still fairly diverging views."
An agreement on the rules would be another important step to stabilize Europe's financial system and establish a so-called banking union, which aims to give the supervision and rescue of banks to European institutions rather than leaving weaker member states to fend for themselves. It is a key part of the EU plans to restore financial and economic stability to the region.
In addition to how much capital a bank must hold, the new European rules would also establish a minimum level of funds — be it capital, bonds, or deposits — that banks must have on their books to ensure that there's always enough privately held assets on which losses can be forced, thus shielding taxpayers from the burden of propping up the bank.
Following the 2008-2009 financial crisis, countries like Ireland, Britain and Germany each had to pump dozens of billions of fresh capital into ailing banks to avoid the financial system from collapsing.
"It's about ensuring that people in Europe know ... what happens when a bank is being wound down," said Luxembourg's Finance Minister Luc Frieden.
If the finance ministers reach an agreement on the package, they will then start negotiating the legislation with the European Parliament. If the ministers fail, they would likely schedule another meeting soon. Still, pushing the long-anticipated agreement down the road could undermine confidence in Europe's ability to repair the financial system.
Europe has already had to deal with problems involved in restructuring banks this year. Cyprus had to seek a rescue loan after it could no longer shoulder the cost of bailing out its banks.
An initial agreement with the island's European creditors and the International Monetary Fund sparked market fears since it exposed small savers with deposits under the 100,000 euro guarantee to losses.
The deal was rapidly overhauled, but holders of large deposits in some banks were forced to take harsh losses.
In the U.S., the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s rules specify that deposits larger than $250,000 might have to take losses in case of bank failures, but Europe still lacks a common rule.
The new rules being discussed Friday will also foresee the establishment of national bank restructuring funds, which will eventually be merged into a European resolution authority, one of three planned parts of Europe's banking union.
Another part will be centralized oversight of big banks anchored at the European Central Bank due to be operational next year. But the discussion on the third section, a jointly guaranteed deposit insurance, is only in its early stages.
"The banking union is built brick by brick," stressed French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici.
At their meeting, the finance ministers also rubber-stamped a seven-year extension of maturities on the bailout loans for Portugal and Ireland, granting the countries more financial leeway.
On Thursday, the finance ministers of the 17 EU countries that use the euro agreed on broad guidelines on how to use the bloc's permanent bailout fund to inject fresh capital into ailing banks as a means of last resort to keep banks from failing.
Enabling the 500 billion euro ($670 billion) rescue fund to shore up struggling banks directly is another long-promised building brick of the banking union.
Several finance ministers, however, have cautioned that despite a political agreement on the broad strokes for the new ESM mechanism, many details have yet to be hammered out before it can become operational.
"Given the fact that these steps are not exactly taken at lightning speed, the banking union should be up and running just in time to prevent the next crisis but clearly too late to make a difference in the current crisis," said analyst Carsten Brzeski of ING bank.
EU Parliament in push to limit U.S. data access
BRUSSELS : European Union lawmakers want to forbid the United States from accessing European citizens' data without the approval of a judge or equivalent authority, a response to the revelations about the Prism spy program.
Lawmakers from the European People's Party (EPP), the biggest group in the European Parliament, on Wednesday backed a proposal that would force U.S. officials to use an existing international agreement to gain access to citizens' data.
That agreement, known as the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT), asks that a judge - or equivalent "competent authority" - approve any transfer of data outside the EU.
The European Commission pushed for such a stipulation during negotiations over data privacy in 2011, but backed down after lobbying by the United States, which was worried it would slow access to data needed to combat terrorism threats.
The EPP's backing for the change - which would force all non-EU countries to go through a judge or equivalent authority in the relevant EU country - increases the likelihood that it will become law, although it would still require approval from EU member states as well as majority backing in parliament.
"It prevents third countries from accessing our data at will or at random - an important protection for citizens in light of the recent PRISM ‘net-tapping' revelations," Sean Kelly, an Irish member of the EPP, said of the proposal.
U.S. officials have confirmed the existence of PRISM, a program to collect data from Google, Facebook, Skype and other U.S. companies, after a whistleblower leaked documents to the Guardian and Washington Post revealing the operation.
Viviane Reding, the European commissioner for justice, has expressed her frustration about PRISM, writing to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder last week to demand an explanation for its activities in Europe.
She also wants the United States to make any requests for data via MLAT, which was signed by the European Commission and the United States in 2003 and came into force in 2010.
A Commission official said checks by a national authority can be done within 24 hours of a request being made, dismissing any concerns the United States may have about the treaty slowing down access to critical data.
While there has been widespread outrage in Europe at the revelations surrounding PRISM - President Barack Obama faced demands for further explanation during talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday [ID:nL5N0EV0AC] - there is no evidence U.S. authorities broke the law.
Since Google, Facebook, Apple and the other companies taking part in the program all operate under U.S. law and the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court permits the monitoring, European authorities have limited scope to act.
"No European law can credibly deter the U.S. from coercing Cloud companies to cooperate with secret mass-surveillance if there is no risk of detection," said Caspar Bowden, a privacy campaigner who previously advised Microsoft on data privacy.
"What is really needed is U.S. political recognition of European human rights in a full-binding Treaty."
The EPP's push to amend the law to ensure that MLAT is used is the start of a process that could take several months. Parliament's civil liberties committee is expected to hold a first vote on the proposal in September or October.
But even if parliament does approve the changes, it is far from certain EU member states will give them their backing.
(Reporting By Claire Davenport; editing by Luke Baker)
MQM MPA Sajid Qureshi, son killed in Karachi
KARACHI: Unknown gunmen shot dead a Muttahida Qaumi Movement MPA Sajid Qureshi and his son in North Nazimabad area of the city, police said Friday.
According to reports, unidentified assailants opened fire on the Member of Sindh Assembly Sajid Qureshi and his 26-year old son when they came out of a mosque after Friday prayer.
He was elected from PS-103 constituency of the Sindh Assembly.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif have strongly condemned the killing of the MPA and expressed sympathy with bereaved family.
The Prime Minister taking strong notice of the incident has directed for immediate arrest of the killers of Sajid Qureshi.
According to reports, unidentified assailants opened fire on the Member of Sindh Assembly Sajid Qureshi and his 26-year old son when they came out of a mosque after Friday prayer.
He was elected from PS-103 constituency of the Sindh Assembly.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif have strongly condemned the killing of the MPA and expressed sympathy with bereaved family.
The Prime Minister taking strong notice of the incident has directed for immediate arrest of the killers of Sajid Qureshi.
CIA and the US military operatives train rebels in Turkey and Jordan – report
The CIA and US special operational troops and have been secretly training Syrian rebels at bases in Jordan and Turkey since November 2012. Up to 100 from all over Syria have gone through courses in the last month alone, according to US media reports.
At the two-week courses trainees are taught to use Russian-designed 14.5-millimeter anti-tank rifles, anti-tank missiles, as well as 23-millimeter anti-aircraft weapons, Los Angeles Times reported citing anonymous US officials and rebel commanders.
One of such US covert training session, conducted by American, Jordanian and French, has allegedly been taking place in Jordan for the last month or so, the newspaper cited Brig. Gen. Yahya Bittar, the head of intelligence for the free Syrian Army.
The exact number of rebels given instruction in both countries since the training began at a new American base in southwest Jordan could not be determined. But according to a different rebel commander the training in Jordan involves 20 to 45 insurgents at a time.
The training reportedly started months before President Obama approved sending arms to anti-Assad rebels for the first time in mid-June. The secret courses have involved fighters from the Free Syrian Army, according to US official, who spoke to the newspaper anonymously. They have been selected when US military set up supply lines to provide nonlethal assistance to rebels, according to the official.
So far, about 100 rebels from Dara have attended four courses, while rebels from Damascus have attended three courses, according to a rebel commander in the Syrian province of Dara.
“Those from the CIA, we would sit and talk with them during breaks from training and afterward, they would try to get information on the situation inside” Syria, said the commander, who helps oversee weapons acquisitions.
Graduates are sent back across the border to re-join the fight, Brig. Gen. Bittar said.
The rebels have been promised supplies of armor-piercing anti-tank weapons and other arms to resist President Assad’s army, the Dara commander said. Since last year, the weapons sent through the Dara military council, apparently from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries, have included four or five Russian-made heavy Concourse anti-tank missiles, 18 14.5-millimeter guns mounted on the backs of pickup trucks and 30 82-millimeter recoilless rifles, the commander told the newspaper.
“I’m telling you, this amount of weapons, once they are spread across the province [of Dara] is considered nothing,” the rebel commander was quoted as saying. “We need more than this to tip the balance or for there to even be a balance of power.”
The White House and CIA officials have declined to comment on the alleged training programs while other US officials have confirmed the training, though disputed details provided by rebels.
President Obama has announced that some 700 combat-ready troops have stayed behind in Jordan at the request of the Jordanian government.
The troops will remain until the security situation stabilizes. "This detachment that participated in the exercise and remained in Jordan includes Patriot missile systems, fighter aircraft, and related support, command, control, and communications personnel and systems," Obama was quoted by Reuters.
Jordan and Turkey also appeared in another recent report by the Washington Post citing US officials said that CIA is preparing to deliver arms to rebel groups in Syria through its bases in these two countries.
“The bases are expected to begin conveying limited shipments of weapons and ammunition within weeks,”the report read.
“We have relationships today in Syria that we didn’t have six months ago,” the WP quoted Benjamin J. Rhodes, Obama’s deputy national security adviser, as saying.
Meanwhile, Syrian rebels have confirmed the shipment of new weapons from “friendly countries” to battle the government forces, according to spokesman for the opposition fighters, Loay Al Mikdad. The shipment, the representative assured, did not come from the US. Earlier this month the Associated Press also learned that the Gulf States delivered new anti-tank missiles and anti-aircraft missiles to the opposition.
The surge in weapons shipments follows US claims earlier in June that it had strong evidence that the government has used chemical weapons against opposition forces contrary to an earlier finding the UN in May, with lead investigator Carla Del Ponte concluding that the rebels were behind at least one chemical weapons attack.
Following the announcement, US officials claimed that President Obama authorized sending weapons to Syrian rebels, without providing much detail.
The Syrian insurgent are awaiting the US shipment. “We believe that the United States will implement its commitments to us very soon," Al Mikdad said on Friday.
Speaking at the Russian economic forum on Friday, President Vladimir Putin has once again said that the West should not arm the rebels because they include “terrorist” groups.
“If the United States ... recognizes one of the key Syrian opposition organizations, al-Nusra, as terrorist ... how can one deliver arms to those opposition members?” Putin said, adding “where will (those weapons) end up? What role will they play?”
“It's clear that without deliveries from abroad, what is happening in Syria now would simply be impossible. Money is going in, weapons are going in, and well trained armed groups are going in,” Putin said.
The escalation of tension around the Syrian conflict coincides with an international effort, agreed by US and Russia in May to bring all parties and major regional player to the negotiating table. The date for the Geneva 2 conference has not been set. But in light of recent developments Russia is beginning to doubt US intentions.
“The [West’s] message the opposition is getting: ‘Guys, don’t go to Geneva. Don’t say that you are going to negotiate with the regime. Soon things will change in your favor,’” Russia’s FM Sergey Lavrov told Bloomberg on Friday. “So, that’s what we want to clarify. It’s either the conference or the instigation of the opposition not to be flexible. I don’t think it’s possible to do both at the same time.”
At the two-week courses trainees are taught to use Russian-designed 14.5-millimeter anti-tank rifles, anti-tank missiles, as well as 23-millimeter anti-aircraft weapons, Los Angeles Times reported citing anonymous US officials and rebel commanders.
One of such US covert training session, conducted by American, Jordanian and French, has allegedly been taking place in Jordan for the last month or so, the newspaper cited Brig. Gen. Yahya Bittar, the head of intelligence for the free Syrian Army.
The exact number of rebels given instruction in both countries since the training began at a new American base in southwest Jordan could not be determined. But according to a different rebel commander the training in Jordan involves 20 to 45 insurgents at a time.
The training reportedly started months before President Obama approved sending arms to anti-Assad rebels for the first time in mid-June. The secret courses have involved fighters from the Free Syrian Army, according to US official, who spoke to the newspaper anonymously. They have been selected when US military set up supply lines to provide nonlethal assistance to rebels, according to the official.
So far, about 100 rebels from Dara have attended four courses, while rebels from Damascus have attended three courses, according to a rebel commander in the Syrian province of Dara.
“Those from the CIA, we would sit and talk with them during breaks from training and afterward, they would try to get information on the situation inside” Syria, said the commander, who helps oversee weapons acquisitions.
Graduates are sent back across the border to re-join the fight, Brig. Gen. Bittar said.
The rebels have been promised supplies of armor-piercing anti-tank weapons and other arms to resist President Assad’s army, the Dara commander said. Since last year, the weapons sent through the Dara military council, apparently from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries, have included four or five Russian-made heavy Concourse anti-tank missiles, 18 14.5-millimeter guns mounted on the backs of pickup trucks and 30 82-millimeter recoilless rifles, the commander told the newspaper.
“I’m telling you, this amount of weapons, once they are spread across the province [of Dara] is considered nothing,” the rebel commander was quoted as saying. “We need more than this to tip the balance or for there to even be a balance of power.”
The White House and CIA officials have declined to comment on the alleged training programs while other US officials have confirmed the training, though disputed details provided by rebels.
President Obama has announced that some 700 combat-ready troops have stayed behind in Jordan at the request of the Jordanian government.
The troops will remain until the security situation stabilizes. "This detachment that participated in the exercise and remained in Jordan includes Patriot missile systems, fighter aircraft, and related support, command, control, and communications personnel and systems," Obama was quoted by Reuters.
More backdoor US aid?
Jordan and Turkey also appeared in another recent report by the Washington Post citing US officials said that CIA is preparing to deliver arms to rebel groups in Syria through its bases in these two countries.
“The bases are expected to begin conveying limited shipments of weapons and ammunition within weeks,”the report read.
“We have relationships today in Syria that we didn’t have six months ago,” the WP quoted Benjamin J. Rhodes, Obama’s deputy national security adviser, as saying.
Meanwhile, Syrian rebels have confirmed the shipment of new weapons from “friendly countries” to battle the government forces, according to spokesman for the opposition fighters, Loay Al Mikdad. The shipment, the representative assured, did not come from the US. Earlier this month the Associated Press also learned that the Gulf States delivered new anti-tank missiles and anti-aircraft missiles to the opposition.
The surge in weapons shipments follows US claims earlier in June that it had strong evidence that the government has used chemical weapons against opposition forces contrary to an earlier finding the UN in May, with lead investigator Carla Del Ponte concluding that the rebels were behind at least one chemical weapons attack.
Following the announcement, US officials claimed that President Obama authorized sending weapons to Syrian rebels, without providing much detail.
The Syrian insurgent are awaiting the US shipment. “We believe that the United States will implement its commitments to us very soon," Al Mikdad said on Friday.
Speaking at the Russian economic forum on Friday, President Vladimir Putin has once again said that the West should not arm the rebels because they include “terrorist” groups.
“If the United States ... recognizes one of the key Syrian opposition organizations, al-Nusra, as terrorist ... how can one deliver arms to those opposition members?” Putin said, adding “where will (those weapons) end up? What role will they play?”
“It's clear that without deliveries from abroad, what is happening in Syria now would simply be impossible. Money is going in, weapons are going in, and well trained armed groups are going in,” Putin said.
The escalation of tension around the Syrian conflict coincides with an international effort, agreed by US and Russia in May to bring all parties and major regional player to the negotiating table. The date for the Geneva 2 conference has not been set. But in light of recent developments Russia is beginning to doubt US intentions.
“The [West’s] message the opposition is getting: ‘Guys, don’t go to Geneva. Don’t say that you are going to negotiate with the regime. Soon things will change in your favor,’” Russia’s FM Sergey Lavrov told Bloomberg on Friday. “So, that’s what we want to clarify. It’s either the conference or the instigation of the opposition not to be flexible. I don’t think it’s possible to do both at the same time.”
Tuesday, 18 June 2013
G-8 declaration won't mention Assad's fate: Russia
ENNISKILLEN, Northern Ireland (AP) - A senior Russian diplomat says the G-8 summit s joint statement on ending the Syrian civil war will not mention whether Bashar Assad must step down from power as part of any peace settlement.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters Tuesday that the eight nations have agreed they should not specify any outcome from peace talks that all agree should start soon in Geneva.
Ryabkov says the talks should aim to create a transitional coalition government for Syria, but should not predetermine whether Assad can participate in that government.
The formal Syria declaration is expected to be published later Tuesday.
Ryabkov dismissed Western claims that Assad s forces used chemical weapons as unproven and said they require further investigation.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters Tuesday that the eight nations have agreed they should not specify any outcome from peace talks that all agree should start soon in Geneva.
Ryabkov says the talks should aim to create a transitional coalition government for Syria, but should not predetermine whether Assad can participate in that government.
The formal Syria declaration is expected to be published later Tuesday.
Ryabkov dismissed Western claims that Assad s forces used chemical weapons as unproven and said they require further investigation.
Mardan blast death toll rises to 34
PESHAWAR (AFP) - A suicide bombing at a funeral in Pakistan on Tuesday killed at least 34 people including a provincial lawmaker, police said, the deadliest attack to hit the country in more than three months.
The attack in Shergarh town in Mardan district, 145 kilometres (90 miles) northwest of Islamabad, came during prayers for the owner of a local fuel station.
Police said the politician appeared to be the target of the blast, which highlights the security challenges facing the new government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, sworn in earlier this month after winning the May 11 general election.
Local police chief Tahir Ayub told AFP "at least 34 people were killed and 52 others wounded in the blast" and that it was a suicide attack.
Another local police official, Jaffer Khan, confirmed the toll.
"The bomber came on foot and blew himself up near Imran Khan Mohmand, who seems to have been the target," Khan told AFP.
Mohmand was elected last month to the provincial assembly in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where former cricketer Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf party heads the new coalition government.
The attack in Shergarh town in Mardan district, 145 kilometres (90 miles) northwest of Islamabad, came during prayers for the owner of a local fuel station.
Police said the politician appeared to be the target of the blast, which highlights the security challenges facing the new government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, sworn in earlier this month after winning the May 11 general election.
Local police chief Tahir Ayub told AFP "at least 34 people were killed and 52 others wounded in the blast" and that it was a suicide attack.
Another local police official, Jaffer Khan, confirmed the toll.
"The bomber came on foot and blew himself up near Imran Khan Mohmand, who seems to have been the target," Khan told AFP.
Mohmand was elected last month to the provincial assembly in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where former cricketer Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf party heads the new coalition government.
US, Taliban to start talks on ending Afghan war
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - In a major breakthrough, the Taliban and the U.S. announced Tuesday that they will hold formal talks on finding a political solution to ending nearly 12 years of war in Afghanistan but President Barack Obama warned the process won t be quick or easy.
The comments came on a day in which Afghan forces took the lead from the U.S.-led NATO coalition for security nationwide, marking a turning point for American and NATO military forces, which will now move entirely into a supporting role. It also opened the way for the full withdrawal of most foreign troops in 18 months
After months of delays, the Taliban opened a political office in the Qatari capital of Doha, paving the way for talks to begin. The decision was a reversal of months of failed efforts to start peace talks while Taliban militants intensified a campaign targeting urban centers and government installations.
In Doha, Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naim said the group opposes the use of Afghan soil to threaten other countries and supports the negotiating process, two key demands of both the U.S. and Afghan governments before talks could begin. He made the statement shortly after the deputy foreign minister of Qatar said the Emir of the gulf state had given the go ahead for the office to open.
Naim said the Taliban are willing to use all legal means to end what they called the occupation of Afghanistan. He thanked the leader of Qatar, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani for allowing them to open the office.
Obama administration officials said U.S. representatives will begin bilateral meetings with the Taliban at the office in a few days, and Afghan President Hamid Karzai s High Peace Council is expected to follow up with its own talks a few days later.
Obama later called the opening of the Taliban political office an important first step toward reconciliation between the Taliban and Afghanistan s government, although he said the Taliban still must denounce al-Qaida and predicted there will be bumps along the way.
Obama, who spoke after meeting with French President Francois Hollande at the G-8 summit in Northern Ireland, also praised Karzai for taking a courageous step by sending representatives to Qatar to discuss peace with the Taliban.
The administration officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record, vowed to continue to push the Taliban further and said that ultimately the Taliban must also break ties with al Qaida, end violence and accept Afghanistan s constitution including protections for women and minorities. Officials said that Obama was personally involved in working with Karzai to enable the opening of the office, and that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had also played a major role.
The U.S. officials said the first meeting in Doha will focus on an exchange of agendas and consultations on next steps. The Taliban have for years refused to speak to the Afghan government or the Peace Council, set up by Karzaithree years ago, because they considered them to be American "puppets." Taliban representatives have instead talked to American and other Western officials in Doha and other places, mostly in Europe.
Karzai also said he will soon send representatives from the High Peace Council to Qatar for talks but expressed hope the process would quickly move to Afghanistan, something U.S. officials said was unlikely.
"We are hopeful that after starting negotiations in Qatar, immediately the negotiations and all the peace process should move into Afghanistan. Afghanistan shouldn t be center of the discussions outside of the country," Karzai said.
"We don t have any immediate preconditions for talks between the Afghan peace council and the Taliban, but we have principles laid down," Karzai said, adding that they include bringing an end to violence and the movement of talks to Afghanistan so they are not exploited by other countries.
The U.S. and its Western allies are trying to foster a peace process as foreign troops prepare to end their combat mission by the end of 2014. The U.S.-led NATO coalition formally handed over responsibility for nationwide security to Afghan security forces earlier Tuesday, with foreign troops moving entirely into a supporting role. The transition comes at a time when violence is at levels matching the worst in 12 years, fueling some Afghans concerns that their forces aren t ready.
The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, said the only way to end the war was through a political solution.
"My perspective has always been that this war is going to have to end with political reconciliation and so I frankly would be supportive of any positive movement in terms of reconciliation particularly an Afghan led and an Afghan owned process that would bring reconciliation between the afghan people and the Taliban in the context of the Afghan constitution," he said as reports were breaking that the Taliban were about to open an office.
For U.S. and other foreign combat troops on the ground, the transition means they will not be directly carrying the fight to the insurgency, but will provide training and mentoring, and back up as needed with air support and medical evacuations.
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the coalition will help militarily if and when needed but will no longer plan, execute or lead operations.
"This is a historic moment for our country and from tomorrow all of the security operations will be in the hands of the Afghan security forces," Karzai said at the ceremony, held at the new National Defense University built to train Afghanistan s future military officers.
Karzai said that in the coming months, coalition forces will gradually withdraw from Afghanistan s provinces as the country s security forces replace them.
In announcing the fifth and final phase of a process that began at a November 2010 NATO summit in Lisbon, Portugal, Karzai said "transition will be completed and Afghan security forces will lead and conduct all operations."
Alliance training since 2009 dramatically increased the size of the Afghan National Security Forces, bringing them up from 40,000 men and women six years ago to about 352,000 today.
Afghans will now have the lead for security in all 403 districts of Afghanistan s 34 provinces. Until now, they were responsible for 312 districts nationwide, where 80 percent of Afghanistan s population of nearly 30 million lives. Afghan security forces were until now carrying out 90 percent of military operations around the country.
By the end of the year, the NATO force of 100,000 troops from 48 countries will be halved. At the end of 2014, all combat troops will have left and will be replaced, if approved by the Afghan government, by a much smaller force that will only train and advise.
There are currently about 66,000 American troops in Afghanistan. Obama has not yet said how many soldiers he will leave in Afghanistan along with NATO forces, but it is thought that it would be about 9,000 U.S. troops and about 6,000 from its allies.
The comments came on a day in which Afghan forces took the lead from the U.S.-led NATO coalition for security nationwide, marking a turning point for American and NATO military forces, which will now move entirely into a supporting role. It also opened the way for the full withdrawal of most foreign troops in 18 months
After months of delays, the Taliban opened a political office in the Qatari capital of Doha, paving the way for talks to begin. The decision was a reversal of months of failed efforts to start peace talks while Taliban militants intensified a campaign targeting urban centers and government installations.
In Doha, Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naim said the group opposes the use of Afghan soil to threaten other countries and supports the negotiating process, two key demands of both the U.S. and Afghan governments before talks could begin. He made the statement shortly after the deputy foreign minister of Qatar said the Emir of the gulf state had given the go ahead for the office to open.
Naim said the Taliban are willing to use all legal means to end what they called the occupation of Afghanistan. He thanked the leader of Qatar, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani for allowing them to open the office.
Obama administration officials said U.S. representatives will begin bilateral meetings with the Taliban at the office in a few days, and Afghan President Hamid Karzai s High Peace Council is expected to follow up with its own talks a few days later.
Obama later called the opening of the Taliban political office an important first step toward reconciliation between the Taliban and Afghanistan s government, although he said the Taliban still must denounce al-Qaida and predicted there will be bumps along the way.
Obama, who spoke after meeting with French President Francois Hollande at the G-8 summit in Northern Ireland, also praised Karzai for taking a courageous step by sending representatives to Qatar to discuss peace with the Taliban.
The administration officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record, vowed to continue to push the Taliban further and said that ultimately the Taliban must also break ties with al Qaida, end violence and accept Afghanistan s constitution including protections for women and minorities. Officials said that Obama was personally involved in working with Karzai to enable the opening of the office, and that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had also played a major role.
The U.S. officials said the first meeting in Doha will focus on an exchange of agendas and consultations on next steps. The Taliban have for years refused to speak to the Afghan government or the Peace Council, set up by Karzaithree years ago, because they considered them to be American "puppets." Taliban representatives have instead talked to American and other Western officials in Doha and other places, mostly in Europe.
Karzai also said he will soon send representatives from the High Peace Council to Qatar for talks but expressed hope the process would quickly move to Afghanistan, something U.S. officials said was unlikely.
"We are hopeful that after starting negotiations in Qatar, immediately the negotiations and all the peace process should move into Afghanistan. Afghanistan shouldn t be center of the discussions outside of the country," Karzai said.
"We don t have any immediate preconditions for talks between the Afghan peace council and the Taliban, but we have principles laid down," Karzai said, adding that they include bringing an end to violence and the movement of talks to Afghanistan so they are not exploited by other countries.
The U.S. and its Western allies are trying to foster a peace process as foreign troops prepare to end their combat mission by the end of 2014. The U.S.-led NATO coalition formally handed over responsibility for nationwide security to Afghan security forces earlier Tuesday, with foreign troops moving entirely into a supporting role. The transition comes at a time when violence is at levels matching the worst in 12 years, fueling some Afghans concerns that their forces aren t ready.
The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, said the only way to end the war was through a political solution.
"My perspective has always been that this war is going to have to end with political reconciliation and so I frankly would be supportive of any positive movement in terms of reconciliation particularly an Afghan led and an Afghan owned process that would bring reconciliation between the afghan people and the Taliban in the context of the Afghan constitution," he said as reports were breaking that the Taliban were about to open an office.
For U.S. and other foreign combat troops on the ground, the transition means they will not be directly carrying the fight to the insurgency, but will provide training and mentoring, and back up as needed with air support and medical evacuations.
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the coalition will help militarily if and when needed but will no longer plan, execute or lead operations.
"This is a historic moment for our country and from tomorrow all of the security operations will be in the hands of the Afghan security forces," Karzai said at the ceremony, held at the new National Defense University built to train Afghanistan s future military officers.
Karzai said that in the coming months, coalition forces will gradually withdraw from Afghanistan s provinces as the country s security forces replace them.
In announcing the fifth and final phase of a process that began at a November 2010 NATO summit in Lisbon, Portugal, Karzai said "transition will be completed and Afghan security forces will lead and conduct all operations."
Alliance training since 2009 dramatically increased the size of the Afghan National Security Forces, bringing them up from 40,000 men and women six years ago to about 352,000 today.
Afghans will now have the lead for security in all 403 districts of Afghanistan s 34 provinces. Until now, they were responsible for 312 districts nationwide, where 80 percent of Afghanistan s population of nearly 30 million lives. Afghan security forces were until now carrying out 90 percent of military operations around the country.
By the end of the year, the NATO force of 100,000 troops from 48 countries will be halved. At the end of 2014, all combat troops will have left and will be replaced, if approved by the Afghan government, by a much smaller force that will only train and advise.
There are currently about 66,000 American troops in Afghanistan. Obama has not yet said how many soldiers he will leave in Afghanistan along with NATO forces, but it is thought that it would be about 9,000 U.S. troops and about 6,000 from its allies.
Budget 2013: Once again Billions eschewed in the name of subsidy
(Lahore) The Punjab Government is making high claims on the Budget 2013 for the province. The total volume of the budget is 897 Billion rupees. Contrary to the statements issued by the various sectors the budget is claimed to be a very balanced one.
The government has announced a number of taxes and cancellation of discretionary grants to the Ministers but most people have perhaps missed looking to the huge amount of 36 Billion of subsidies in the form of Cheaper Flour, Ramzan Package and Public Transport. Everyone knows that these amounts bring no change except filling the pockets of the few. It is through this type of amounts that Punjab government is trying to lay hand on. These packages bring in nothing for the public. These are just political shows through which millions of rupees will be usurped. Loop holes of corruption must be closed if real change is needed.
Punjab Government Employees Housing scheme has failed miserably to bring about positive results. Retired Employees are now asking for at least Plots to be delivered instead of constructed houses. Aashiana schemes are also going to prove wastage of funds.
The world believes in work, our religion supports worker then why should government announce any thing free to anyone where neither goods nor services are got in exchange. This practice is also against the injunctions of Sharia'at and Islam. No employment opportunities are there in the budget, no national projects, no sound resolution to power shortage except allocating huge amounts for the purpose.
In order to curtail corruption in the departments pay should have been increased keeping in view the price hike ratio or rate of inflation instead their services to the nation have been completely overlooked and they have been considered a burden on the economy . This like attitude towards the working class is extremely derogatory and negative for the future development of the country.
The government has announced a number of taxes and cancellation of discretionary grants to the Ministers but most people have perhaps missed looking to the huge amount of 36 Billion of subsidies in the form of Cheaper Flour, Ramzan Package and Public Transport. Everyone knows that these amounts bring no change except filling the pockets of the few. It is through this type of amounts that Punjab government is trying to lay hand on. These packages bring in nothing for the public. These are just political shows through which millions of rupees will be usurped. Loop holes of corruption must be closed if real change is needed.
Punjab Government Employees Housing scheme has failed miserably to bring about positive results. Retired Employees are now asking for at least Plots to be delivered instead of constructed houses. Aashiana schemes are also going to prove wastage of funds.
The world believes in work, our religion supports worker then why should government announce any thing free to anyone where neither goods nor services are got in exchange. This practice is also against the injunctions of Sharia'at and Islam. No employment opportunities are there in the budget, no national projects, no sound resolution to power shortage except allocating huge amounts for the purpose.
In order to curtail corruption in the departments pay should have been increased keeping in view the price hike ratio or rate of inflation instead their services to the nation have been completely overlooked and they have been considered a burden on the economy . This like attitude towards the working class is extremely derogatory and negative for the future development of the country.
Dr Imran Farooq murder: Scotland Yard raids 2 Houses in NW London
LONDON: The Scotland Yard on Tuesday morning raided Two Houses in North West London in connection with Dr. Imran Farooq’s murder. Awaaz reported.
A spokespers
According to Police, no arrests have been made so far in the search operation being conducted by the Metropolitan Police’s Anti-Terrorism Command.
The houses were located close to the deceased own residence. According to sources,The raid lasted for five hours and police took evidence into custody.A Pakistani-British was also interrogated in relation to this case today.
Imran Farooq was murdered in London on 16th September 2010 as he was returning home.
(By Raza Syed)
Sunday, 16 June 2013
Change for New Pakistan- a slogan turned into reality
LAHORE:The facts were quite against and odds were more than evens in Pakistan in the recent past but she emerges surprisingly enough through all crises successfully. When the terrorists activities reduce a drone appears to trigger the temperature in Northern areas to keep Pakistan unstable.
According to foreign media reports the rhetoric of unstable Pakistan has settled somewhat. Pakistan remains a shaky nation, but a nation proving a tenacious will to survive. On May 11, the country, for the first time in its history, saw a democratic transition of power on Election Day. And despite the near-daily attacks by Taliban militants that marred the campaigning period, more people came out to vote than in any other election in four decades.
The warmth and enthusiasm caught many international observers by surprise. Despite the warnings from the Pakistani Taliban, people poured onto the streets. The reports proved false. Moreover, it rejected the horror image of Talibanized Pakistan.
More than a month has passed since then but the buzz is still in the air. Something has changed in Pakistan. The signs of it were there during the vote, there was one passion that reigned and that was ‘Vote for Change’ popular slogan of Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) of Imran Khan Ex-cricketer turned politician. The PTI could not get the expected seats in the assemblies yet it has made a paradigm change- voice for change and hope of future.
It was U.S. President Barack Obama’s 2008 promise to Americans transplanted to the other side of the world, taken up by what some might view as his political doppelgänger–the former cricket star Imran Khan. His promise of a new kind of politics in Pakistan, free of corruption and nepotism, resonated with many. Khan’s Party for Justice (PTI) took control of Pakistan’s most tumultuous and arguably most critical province in terms of Islamic militancy, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, formerly the North-West Frontier Province, bordering Afghanistan. The PTI has also showed significant gains at the national level, garnering the third-most seats in parliament and nipping at the heels of the much more seasoned Pakistan Peoples’ Party. More important, however, was this: The religious parties failed miserably, garnering a mere five per cent of the popular vote. “The key success of the PTI is that it energized the Pakistani youth. “Historically, young people have never come to the polls in very large numbers, nor have they been a large constituency for the religious right. But this time around was different. The new generation of Pakistanis is starting to take control of their political future.”
Instead, young people voted for specific issues: solving the electricity crisis, creating jobs, and confronting U.S. foreign policy, particularly drone strikes. The drones issue had received a boost during President Obama’s May 23 speech at the National Defence University in Washington, But now they must realize that the entire Pakistani nation is against these attacks. The might have targeted a few terrorists but has damaged greatly the peaceful country and shattered its economy.
It was Pakistani armed forces that checked the occupation of entire northern belt up to Swat. US is just destroying her image for its candidacy of world leadership. Islam is a symbol of peace; if you distort it you pave way for anti-peace forces in the world. Lesser vote to Islamic radicals organizations does not mean that Pakistani Muslims have (God forbid) forsaken Islam; they have just rejected some religious-political organizations in face of PTI also an overwhelming Muslim majority party. A good Muslim is always moderate in thinking and practice.
The youth supporting Imran Khan are literate Muslim youth Enthusiasts with strong Faith and hopeful of future of Pakistan. They are builders of new Pakistan. Pakistan and Islam are two sides of the same coin. But Islamic Pakistan is a good addition in the comity of nations because Pakistan is ideologically peaceful and strong enough to deter any aggression. Pakistan has no plans against any nation Muslim or Non-Muslim but minimum deterrence is a necessary tool for peaceful coexistence in this world. World must understand this simple logic.
According to foreign media reports the rhetoric of unstable Pakistan has settled somewhat. Pakistan remains a shaky nation, but a nation proving a tenacious will to survive. On May 11, the country, for the first time in its history, saw a democratic transition of power on Election Day. And despite the near-daily attacks by Taliban militants that marred the campaigning period, more people came out to vote than in any other election in four decades.
The warmth and enthusiasm caught many international observers by surprise. Despite the warnings from the Pakistani Taliban, people poured onto the streets. The reports proved false. Moreover, it rejected the horror image of Talibanized Pakistan.
More than a month has passed since then but the buzz is still in the air. Something has changed in Pakistan. The signs of it were there during the vote, there was one passion that reigned and that was ‘Vote for Change’ popular slogan of Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) of Imran Khan Ex-cricketer turned politician. The PTI could not get the expected seats in the assemblies yet it has made a paradigm change- voice for change and hope of future.
It was U.S. President Barack Obama’s 2008 promise to Americans transplanted to the other side of the world, taken up by what some might view as his political doppelgänger–the former cricket star Imran Khan. His promise of a new kind of politics in Pakistan, free of corruption and nepotism, resonated with many. Khan’s Party for Justice (PTI) took control of Pakistan’s most tumultuous and arguably most critical province in terms of Islamic militancy, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, formerly the North-West Frontier Province, bordering Afghanistan. The PTI has also showed significant gains at the national level, garnering the third-most seats in parliament and nipping at the heels of the much more seasoned Pakistan Peoples’ Party. More important, however, was this: The religious parties failed miserably, garnering a mere five per cent of the popular vote. “The key success of the PTI is that it energized the Pakistani youth. “Historically, young people have never come to the polls in very large numbers, nor have they been a large constituency for the religious right. But this time around was different. The new generation of Pakistanis is starting to take control of their political future.”
Instead, young people voted for specific issues: solving the electricity crisis, creating jobs, and confronting U.S. foreign policy, particularly drone strikes. The drones issue had received a boost during President Obama’s May 23 speech at the National Defence University in Washington, But now they must realize that the entire Pakistani nation is against these attacks. The might have targeted a few terrorists but has damaged greatly the peaceful country and shattered its economy.
It was Pakistani armed forces that checked the occupation of entire northern belt up to Swat. US is just destroying her image for its candidacy of world leadership. Islam is a symbol of peace; if you distort it you pave way for anti-peace forces in the world. Lesser vote to Islamic radicals organizations does not mean that Pakistani Muslims have (God forbid) forsaken Islam; they have just rejected some religious-political organizations in face of PTI also an overwhelming Muslim majority party. A good Muslim is always moderate in thinking and practice.
The youth supporting Imran Khan are literate Muslim youth Enthusiasts with strong Faith and hopeful of future of Pakistan. They are builders of new Pakistan. Pakistan and Islam are two sides of the same coin. But Islamic Pakistan is a good addition in the comity of nations because Pakistan is ideologically peaceful and strong enough to deter any aggression. Pakistan has no plans against any nation Muslim or Non-Muslim but minimum deterrence is a necessary tool for peaceful coexistence in this world. World must understand this simple logic.
Saturday, 15 June 2013
Moreira welcomes launch of EU-US Trade talks
Awaz News: "The European Parliament clearly welcomes the launch of trade negotiations with the US and will monitor closely the entire process, which should be as transparent as possible", said the European Parliament's International Trade Committee chair Vital Moreira (S&D, PT) on Friday, following today's EU Trade Council decision to grant EU negotiators a mandate to proceed with the talks.
He noted that the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership between the EU and the US has great potential for economic growth and job creation, but warned that the "Parliament will only give its final consent to the deal if it is in the best interest of our businesses, workers and consumers".
He noted that the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership between the EU and the US has great potential for economic growth and job creation, but warned that the "Parliament will only give its final consent to the deal if it is in the best interest of our businesses, workers and consumers".
Putin: "Western Countries Support in Syria Same Forces They Fight in Mali"
Awaz News: The Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday the Western powers are fighting in the African state of Mali the same forces they are supporting in Arab state of Syria against the President Bashar al-Assad.
“The West is supporting some forces in Syria while fighting them in Mali,” he stated in an interview with the state-run "Russia Today" channel.
Putin, moreover, stressed that the Syrian government should have recognized the need for fundamental changes in the appropriate time in order to prevent what happened in the country.
"Radical transformations have been matured in Syria, and the Syrian government had to touch it at that time and take the initiative to make the required changes.”
“If they have done so, what happened wouldn’t have been happened," Putin said.
During the interview, the Russian leader reiterated that his country is not "a lawyer for the current Syrian government and President Bashar al-Assad," yet “any opposition is acceptable if it behaves within the framework of Law,” he stressed.
Warning of the risks waged by the so-called al-Nusra Front, which fights in Syria alongside the Syrian opposition, and does not hide its link to al-Qaeda terrorist movement, Putin pointed out that the West lacks a clear policy toward the group.
“Al-Nusra Front is a major component of the armed opposition and is blacklisted by the U.S.,” he said, while recalling the military support the group has gained from the west.
Putin also expressed hope that the international initiatives, including the Egyptian, the British and the American-Russian ones, will contribute to the creation of new opportunity for a political solution in Syria.
Touching on the US war on terrorism, the Russian President noted that there is a terrorism axis waging in the region between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
“This worries us. The region is close to our borders,” he stated.
However, Putin indicated that the United States “does not seek to avoid civilian casualties in its battle against terrorism,” stressing the need to impose control on drone attacks.
Regarding the world development during last week, Putin said he notices escalating tension in the Middle East, making it clear that the West criticizes Russia and the eastern countries on how they deal with their oppositions, “knowing that it (the West) deals with its opposition in the same way.”
“We don’t want to interfere in relations between Sunnis and Shiites,” he voiced.
As for the Iranian peaceful nuclear program, the Russian leader denied his country has any evidence that the Islamic Republic violates the international law in developing its nuclear program.
Poland, Czech Reluctant on Blacklisting Hizbullah
Awaz News: As for the Dutch representative, he had expressed unreserved support for the British proposal to blacklist Hizbullah.
The Wall Street Journal has also reported that Austria is opposed, while The Jerusalem Post quoted unnamed "Israeli" officials as saying that Ireland was also against.
The source also reported that a Bulgarian representative said the link between Hizbullah and the Burgas explosion was "weak," and earlier this month, Bulgaria stated it only had an "indication" not solid proof that Hizbullah was behind the Burgas bus bombing in July, which does not justify any European Union move to list it as a terrorist group.
"It is important that the [EU] decision be based not only on the bombing in Burgas because I think the evidence we have is not explicit," Foreign Minister Kristian Vigenin, whose government took office last week, told national state radio BNR.
According to the source, representatives from the Baltic nations were among several envoys who stayed silent during the discussion.
On Wednesday, EU spokesman David Kriss responded to various accounts of the June 4 meeting with a general statement, saying that "any decision requires the unanimous support of all of 27 EU member states."
Female converts to Islam facing growing scrutiny in America
When Karen Hunt Ahmed and her Muslim husband divorced four years ago, many friends asked her, “Now you can stop this Islam stuff, right?”
Some friends, she thought.
“Like it was a hobby I took up when I got married and now I’m supposed to drop it,” said Hunt Ahmed, president of the Chicago Islamic Microfinance Project, which she founded with two colleagues in 2009.
Hunt Ahmed, 45, is part of a growing sorority of female American converts to Islam, especially those who are or were married to Muslim men, who must deal with the perception that they converted to Islam because of domineering boyfriends or husbands.
The stereotype was revived in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings, when news emerged that the wife of bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, Katherine Russell, converted to Islam after meetingTsarnaev in 2009 or 2010 when she was about 21.
Tsarnaev, 26, was shot and killed during a standoff with Boston police while his 19-year-old brother, Dzhokhar, was taken into custody and now faces a raft of terrorism charges.
“It’s not just Fox. A lot of the media have portrayed her as someone who was brainwashed and who didn’t know what she was doing,” said Edlyn Sammanasu, who was born to Catholic parents and started studying Islam when she met her Muslim husband in college, and converted when she was 21.
“When I saw the coverage, I thought this was ridiculous,” said Sammanasu, now 32, a technical writer in Fremont, Calif.
Seema Imam, an education professor at National Louis University in Lisle, Ill., has seen the same thing. She grew up as an observant Methodist but converted to Islam 40 years ago at age 17.
“Whenever someone talks about Muslim converts being involved in something negative, it’s done in a way in which people say, ‘Be careful, look what happens when you become Muslim,’” she said.
Converts to Islam are as diverse as the rest of America, racially and ethnically, as well as in their interpretations of the faith. Some female converts wear a headscarf, some don’t. What they share is the perception from others that they are incapable of making their own choice in a decision that involved substantial spiritual wrestling.
It’s as insulting as it is inaccurate, they say.
“These reports are misogynous in nature, reducing women to creatures who cannot think for themselves,” said Malika MacDonald Rushdan, who converted in 1995 after divorcing her Christian husband. She made her “shahada,” or declaration of faith, at the Islamic Society of Boston mosque in Cambridge, which the Tsarnaev brothers occasionally attended.
“My faith, by definition, is for the Creator, not for my husband,” wrote Ohio attorney Sarah Anjum, who converted almost 10 years ago, while she was in college studying Islamic political movements and Arabic, and four years before she met her husband.
While some American Muslim women converted while single, those who started reading about Islam after meeting future husbands are incredulous over the idea that they converted to please them.
When Kelly Wentworth, 35, told her Yemeni boyfriend that she was interested in learning about Islam, he pointed her to a Muslim professor who taught at Tennessee Tech, where the two were students at the time. When she later told him she wanted to convert, he didn’t celebrate.
“He was worried people would think that I converted because of him, or that I was being forced to convert,” said Wentworth, a software engineer in Atlanta and board member of Muslims for Progressive Values, a national advocacy group. “The stereotype is out there. That’s something I fight with now.”
Wentworth became so worried about how friends and family would judge her after the Katherine Russell stories that she couldn’t sleep for several nights.
A 2011 study from the Pew Research Center found that about 20 percent of an estimated 1.8 million Muslims in America are converts, while a 2007 Pew study found that 49 percent of converts converted by the age of 21. The 2007 study also found that 58 percent of converts converted for religious reasons, and 18 percent for family and marriage reasons.
Female Muslim converts acknowledge that they have heard about Muslim women trapped in abusive relationships, but say that such relationships affect women of other faiths as well.
“That has nothing to do with religion,” Wentworth said. “That’s a problem with personality.”
Katherine Wilson, a convert and Rhode Island resident who works with female victims of violence and sexual assault, said the media, by focusing on Russell’s faith, missed a chance to speak about domestic violence. She believes Muslim women converts are perceived negatively because some people see their choice of faith as a knock against their own decisions.
“I believe this is partially due to white privilege in that there is not an understanding why an ‘all-American girl’ would give up her privilege-assumed, carefree lifestyle,” said Wilson. “I think it bothers people that an ‘all American woman’ would walk away from what they think is a great life, which is a stereotype within itself.”
While such stereotypes still annoy these women, many say they have grown tired of having to explain their decisions to convert. Which doesn’t mean they aren’t trying to change minds.
“There will always be those who judge based upon ignorance. They are of no concern to me,” said MacDonald Rushdan. “I will keep on doing what I’ve always done. I will not apologize for being a God-fearing woman whose faith provides her with inner peace and contentment.”
Facebook got 9,000-10,000 government data requests in second half 2012
Awaz News: The Internet giant said on Friday that the requests, which involved 18,000 to 19,000 of its users' accounts, covered issues from minor crime to national security.
The disclosure comes after the British daily The Guardian on June 6 revealed a top secret US court order that allows the National Security Agency (NSA) to collect data on millions of Americans who are customers of the major US phone company, Verizon.
Also on June 9, former CIA employee Edward Snowden, leaked documents exposing the widespread surveillance of US communications under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), as well as a separate NSA program code-named PRISM that allows the government to access private conversations conducted over Facebook, Google, Skype and other services.
Facebook’s General Counsel Ted Ullyot wrote on the company’s blog that the requests included topics “from things like a local sheriff trying to find a missing child, to a federal marshal tracking a fugitive, to a police department investigating an assault, to a national security official investigating a terrorist threat.”
Meanwhile, he declined to say to what extent the company had met the requests, but noted that Facebook had “aggressively” safeguarded its users' data.
“We frequently reject such requests outright, or require the government to substantially scale down its requests, or simply give the government much less data than it has requested,” he added.
Facebook was not permitted to release how many orders it received from a particular agency or on a particular subject.
The Washington Post also on June 6 reported that the NSA had direct access to Internet servers, saying their source, a career intelligence officer, was horrified of the capabilities of the systems used by the top US spy agency.
The administration of US President Barack Obama has already come under fire for secretly obtaining the phone records of the Associated Press journalists as well as the emails and phone records of a Fox News Channel reporter.
Rouhani Wins Iran's Presidential Election
Awaz News: Iran's Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar announced Saturday evening that from a total number of 36,704,156 ballots cast in Iran's 11th presidential election on Friday June 14, Rouhani won 18,613,329 votes, accounting for 52.49% of the votes cast in the election, while his main rival Mohammad Qalibaf could secure only 6,077,292 votes.
Hassan Rouhani, born on November 12, 1948, is an Iranian politician and Shiite Jurisprudent.
He has been a member of the Assembly of Experts since 1999, member of the Expediency Council since 1991, member of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) since 1989, and head of the Center for Strategic Research since 1992.
Rouhani has been also vice-speaker of the 4th and 5th terms of the Iranian Parliament and secretary of the SNSC from 1989 to 2005.
Rouhani was the country's top negotiator with the world powers on Iran's nuclear program for 16 years.
Iran's chief negotiator and Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Secretary Saeed Jalili stood 3rd with 4,168,946 votes.
Former Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Commander and current Expediency Council Secretary Mohsen Rezayee Mir-Qaed secured 3,884,412 votes and ranked 4th in the race for the Islamic Republic's top executive post.
Iran's former Foreign Minister and Supreme Leader's senior Advisor for International Affairs Ali Akbar Velayati gained 2,268,753 votes and former Iranian Oil and Telecommunications Minister Seyed Mohammad Qarazi came last with 446,015 ballots cast in his favor.
The Interior Ministry's election headquarters said turnout among the electorate was 72.7 percent.
It also said spoilt votes stood at 1,245,409.
A number of 50,483,192 people were eligible to vote in the elections. 1.6 million youths came to be eligible to vote for the first time in their lives as the voting age in Iran is above 18 according to the law.
The 11th presidential and the 4th city and village councils elections were held at some 58,764 polling stations in Iran and 96 other world countries on Friday.
Campaigning for the June 14 presidential election kicked off in Iran on May 22 after the Guardian Council released the list of 8 qualified candidates, although only 6 remained for the race.
The qualified candidates represented a wide range of political streams from Principlists to reformists.
Election-2013: Unexpected turnout in Iran’s presidential poll
(Tehran) The Friday Election Day showed – In separate interviews with the Mehr News Agency on Friday, a number of Iranian political figures commented on the outcome of the presidential election which was held on the same day. Iranians went to the polls in large numbers on Friday to cast their ballots in a presidential election that was mainly a contest between centrist and principlist candidates. The six men competing to succeed incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were centrist candidates Hassan Rohani and Mohsen Rezaei, principlist candidates Ali Akbar Velayati, Saeed Jalili, and Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, and independent candidate Mohammad Gharazi.Ahmadinejad was constitutionally barred from running for a third four-year term.
Two other candidates -- pro-reformist Mohammad Reza Aref and principlist Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel -- had been approved by Iran’s top electoral supervisory body, the Guardian Council, but later dropped out of the race. Polling stations opened at 8 a.m. and were scheduled to close at 6 p.m. However, the voting was extended at a number of polling stations to accommodate voters who were in line at closing time.
According to the Interior Ministry, 50,483,192 people were eligible to vote on Friday.
Voter turnout was reported to be high.
The results of the election, which many political analysts believe will go to a run-off, are expected to be announced on Saturday. In the Iranian system, if no candidate receives 50 percent of the vote, the two top candidates must face off in a run-off election a week later.
According to the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, 455 foreign reporters representing 205 media outlets from 40 countries covered the election. In Western Iran, the borders of Ilam, Kermanshah, and West Azarbaijan provinces with neighboring countries were closed to maintain security on election day.
Former Majlis speaker Ali Akbar Nateq Nouri said that he believed that the outcome of the presidential vote would be determined in the first round of the election.
He also said that the candidates were obligated to abide by the law after the announcement of the election results.
Former Majlis speaker Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel, who dropped out of the race just ahead of election day, said that it was likely that the election would run to a second round.
Former vice president Sadeq Vaezzadeh predicted that a pro-reform candidate and a principlist candidate would contest a run-off election.
Former MP Hassan Ghafourifard also said that it was more than likely that the election would go to a run-off.
In addition, an unnamed member of the Guardian Council told the Mehr News Agency that the election outcome was unpredictable.
Hassan Rohani, who formerly served as the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator and who has been endorsed by Expediency Council Chairman Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and former reformist president Mohammad Khatami, and Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who is the current mayor of Tehran, are widely believed to be the front runners in the election turn out more than what was expected. Prayers leader Ayatollah Ebrahim Amini said on Friday that any candidate who is elected president should seek consultation with experts in regard to the management of the country. “The next president should make use of the views of specialists and experts,” Ayatollah Amini told worshippers in the city of Qom.He also called on other candidates to cooperate with the elected president.
Two other candidates -- pro-reformist Mohammad Reza Aref and principlist Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel -- had been approved by Iran’s top electoral supervisory body, the Guardian Council, but later dropped out of the race. Polling stations opened at 8 a.m. and were scheduled to close at 6 p.m. However, the voting was extended at a number of polling stations to accommodate voters who were in line at closing time.
According to the Interior Ministry, 50,483,192 people were eligible to vote on Friday.
Voter turnout was reported to be high.
The results of the election, which many political analysts believe will go to a run-off, are expected to be announced on Saturday. In the Iranian system, if no candidate receives 50 percent of the vote, the two top candidates must face off in a run-off election a week later.
According to the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, 455 foreign reporters representing 205 media outlets from 40 countries covered the election. In Western Iran, the borders of Ilam, Kermanshah, and West Azarbaijan provinces with neighboring countries were closed to maintain security on election day.
Former Majlis speaker Ali Akbar Nateq Nouri said that he believed that the outcome of the presidential vote would be determined in the first round of the election. He also said that the candidates were obligated to abide by the law after the announcement of the election results.
Former Majlis speaker Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel, who dropped out of the race just ahead of election day, said that it was likely that the election would run to a second round.
Former vice president Sadeq Vaezzadeh predicted that a pro-reform candidate and a principlist candidate would contest a run-off election.
Former MP Hassan Ghafourifard also said that it was more than likely that the election would go to a run-off.
In addition, an unnamed member of the Guardian Council told the Mehr News Agency that the election outcome was unpredictable.
Hassan Rohani, who formerly served as the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator and who has been endorsed by Expediency Council Chairman Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and former reformist president Mohammad Khatami, and Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who is the current mayor of Tehran, are widely believed to be the front runners in the election turn out more than what was expected. Prayers leader Ayatollah Ebrahim Amini said on Friday that any candidate who is elected president should seek consultation with experts in regard to the management of the country. “The next president should make use of the views of specialists and experts,” Ayatollah Amini told worshippers in the city of Qom.He also called on other candidates to cooperate with the elected president.
Regional integration holds the key to Economic Development :Abdul Basit
Sunday, 9 June 2013
PJA condoles with A Sheikh on death of his brother
LONDON: Pakistan Journalists Association UK (PJA) has condoles with chief editor “The Star News” Mr A Sheikh for the death of his younger brother who died Saturday in Pakistan.
PJA has issued a statement offering sympathies and conveyed its condolences on the tragic loss of Mr Sheikh. PJA also showed solidarity at this difficult time with the grief family and shared its sorrow. In a condolence message issued here on today, PJA executive committee and other members stated that May Allah rest his brother soul in peace and give his bereaved family the strength to bear this irrecoverable loss.
Mr A Sheikh may contacted on his UK Mobile number 07466 383700.
PJA has issued a statement offering sympathies and conveyed its condolences on the tragic loss of Mr Sheikh. PJA also showed solidarity at this difficult time with the grief family and shared its sorrow. In a condolence message issued here on today, PJA executive committee and other members stated that May Allah rest his brother soul in peace and give his bereaved family the strength to bear this irrecoverable loss.
Mr A Sheikh may contacted on his UK Mobile number 07466 383700.
Syria: Western-backed terrorists running like rats
The western-backed terrorist filth which has infested many parts of Syria in the last two years is being systematically exterminated and removed from its hideouts before the areas are sterilized by the Syrian Armed Forces, heroically waging a winning war against NATO's mercenaries, special forces and Islamist terrorists they have brought into the fray.
As the west becomes desperate and the common EU policy literally falls apart while bully boys France and the UK gnash their teeth to launch another imperialist spectacular, as they did in Libya, the terrorist strongholds collapse like a house of cards and the demented vermin which has infested so much of Syria over the last two to three years runs screaming.
In the border town of al-Qusayr, the Syrian Armed Forces are progressing steadily, exterminating pockets of takfiri terrorist bands of murderers, rapists, arsonists, thieves and torturers. Sources quote "significant losses" among the terrorist forces as they fled, after denying access to the civilian population of the city to flee, something which the Syrian Armed Forces had insisted upon.
The towns of Mansoura, Aldalbh, Tal Saka and Saka have been cleansed and sterilized, and large numbers of terrorists have been liquidated. The leader of the Descendants of the Prophet brigade, Abdullah Alkhator, was killed, as was the Benghazi Libyan terrorist Ayman al-Bosifi (terrorist filth exported by NATO?).
Meanwhile, there are reports from the Syrian Arab News Agency that another stash of chemical weapons has been found among terrorist forces, this time Sarin Nerve Gas, taken by the Syrian Armed Forces during a raid against terrorist elements in the city of Hama. Along with the nerve gas, a large number of weapons and munitions were apprehended.
The west has repeatedly accused the Syrian authorities of using chemical weapons - there is not one shred of evidence that it has, while on the contrary there have been several incidents pointing towards the "opposition" deploying such weapons, met with a wall of silence by the western backers of those who fight President Assad and wish to turn Syria into an Islamist State.
Russia and Syria have insisted that every alleged case of the use of chemical or biological weapons should be exhaustively investigated by an independent commission. Why have such commissions not materialized and who is blocking them? Not Syria, not Russia. Then, we have our answer.
The UN Commission into the use of chemical weapons did carry out a study in Aleppo, where it discovered that the chemical weapons deployed were fired from a rebel-held area.
Who is carrying out the west's dirty work? There are allegations that the terrorists are moving freely inside Turkey, that Qatari money has been used to finance the terrorist groups inside Syria and that the Saudi government has opened up old smuggling routes through the south-western tip of Iraq.
Increasing number of areas back to normal
BY Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey
The Syrian Armed Forces have sterilized the capital city, Damascus, with peace returning to all its districts after the liquidation of bands of terrorists, rapists, murderers, child molesters, thieves and arsonists. A unit of the Syrian Armed Forces exterminated terrorist bands in Huseinieh village, Um al-Shaker, Kherbt Gimrah, Aqrab and the countryside of Daraa.
Jabhet al-Nusra terrorists were eliminated in the Lattakia countryside as they fled. Among the dead was the Libyan terrorist commander. Finally, dozens of terrorists were exterminated in Bait Shurooq and al-Suda, where the terrorist commander of the Nour Eddin al-Zinki battalion, Bashar Wadfa, was destroyed.
Right from the very beginning, the West, buoyed by its imperialist escapade in Libya to destroy the dream of the African Union which Colonel Gaddafi was financing, got it wrong in Syria. Finally, after all these years, we see who the evil ones are and we see who sides with terrorists.
Shame on the FUKUS Axis (France- UK- US) and their partners in murder, NATO. Their foreign policy has been exposed for what it is: pandering to the whims of the corporations which control these.....er.....democracies.
As the west becomes desperate and the common EU policy literally falls apart while bully boys France and the UK gnash their teeth to launch another imperialist spectacular, as they did in Libya, the terrorist strongholds collapse like a house of cards and the demented vermin which has infested so much of Syria over the last two to three years runs screaming.
In the border town of al-Qusayr, the Syrian Armed Forces are progressing steadily, exterminating pockets of takfiri terrorist bands of murderers, rapists, arsonists, thieves and torturers. Sources quote "significant losses" among the terrorist forces as they fled, after denying access to the civilian population of the city to flee, something which the Syrian Armed Forces had insisted upon.
The towns of Mansoura, Aldalbh, Tal Saka and Saka have been cleansed and sterilized, and large numbers of terrorists have been liquidated. The leader of the Descendants of the Prophet brigade, Abdullah Alkhator, was killed, as was the Benghazi Libyan terrorist Ayman al-Bosifi (terrorist filth exported by NATO?).
Meanwhile, there are reports from the Syrian Arab News Agency that another stash of chemical weapons has been found among terrorist forces, this time Sarin Nerve Gas, taken by the Syrian Armed Forces during a raid against terrorist elements in the city of Hama. Along with the nerve gas, a large number of weapons and munitions were apprehended.
The west has repeatedly accused the Syrian authorities of using chemical weapons - there is not one shred of evidence that it has, while on the contrary there have been several incidents pointing towards the "opposition" deploying such weapons, met with a wall of silence by the western backers of those who fight President Assad and wish to turn Syria into an Islamist State.
Russia and Syria have insisted that every alleged case of the use of chemical or biological weapons should be exhaustively investigated by an independent commission. Why have such commissions not materialized and who is blocking them? Not Syria, not Russia. Then, we have our answer.
The UN Commission into the use of chemical weapons did carry out a study in Aleppo, where it discovered that the chemical weapons deployed were fired from a rebel-held area.
Who is carrying out the west's dirty work? There are allegations that the terrorists are moving freely inside Turkey, that Qatari money has been used to finance the terrorist groups inside Syria and that the Saudi government has opened up old smuggling routes through the south-western tip of Iraq.
Increasing number of areas back to normal
BY Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey
The Syrian Armed Forces have sterilized the capital city, Damascus, with peace returning to all its districts after the liquidation of bands of terrorists, rapists, murderers, child molesters, thieves and arsonists. A unit of the Syrian Armed Forces exterminated terrorist bands in Huseinieh village, Um al-Shaker, Kherbt Gimrah, Aqrab and the countryside of Daraa.
Jabhet al-Nusra terrorists were eliminated in the Lattakia countryside as they fled. Among the dead was the Libyan terrorist commander. Finally, dozens of terrorists were exterminated in Bait Shurooq and al-Suda, where the terrorist commander of the Nour Eddin al-Zinki battalion, Bashar Wadfa, was destroyed.
Right from the very beginning, the West, buoyed by its imperialist escapade in Libya to destroy the dream of the African Union which Colonel Gaddafi was financing, got it wrong in Syria. Finally, after all these years, we see who the evil ones are and we see who sides with terrorists.
Shame on the FUKUS Axis (France- UK- US) and their partners in murder, NATO. Their foreign policy has been exposed for what it is: pandering to the whims of the corporations which control these.....er.....democracies.
‘Kill and dump’ incidents grip Balochistan
QUETTA:BNP-Mengal chief Sardar Akthar Mengal has said that the incidents of “kill and dump” are still on in Balochistan and mutilated dead bodies are being discovered from various parts of the province.
He stated this during his meeting with central leader of JI Liaquat Baloch who called on him at his residence on Saturday. He said that the number of missing persons had increased manifold, adding that political workers were being taken and their decomposed bodies are thrown away.
Referring to May 11 polls, Sardar Akthar Mengal, a member of the Balochistan Assembly, said that through a well-knitted plan real representatives of the people were kept away from parliament. “Our winning candidates were declared losers,” he claimed, adding that the election commission and returning offers used delaying tactics to rig the elections. He said that despite reservations, the BNP-Mengal took part in the elections and the masses voted for the party. “But conspiracy deprived the people of their true representatives.” JI Secretary General Liaquat Baloch said Sardar Akthar Mengal had rendered sacrifices for the democracy in the country. He said that Balochistan was facing numerous issues and the rulers should resolve them on priority basis.
He stated this during his meeting with central leader of JI Liaquat Baloch who called on him at his residence on Saturday. He said that the number of missing persons had increased manifold, adding that political workers were being taken and their decomposed bodies are thrown away.
Referring to May 11 polls, Sardar Akthar Mengal, a member of the Balochistan Assembly, said that through a well-knitted plan real representatives of the people were kept away from parliament. “Our winning candidates were declared losers,” he claimed, adding that the election commission and returning offers used delaying tactics to rig the elections. He said that despite reservations, the BNP-Mengal took part in the elections and the masses voted for the party. “But conspiracy deprived the people of their true representatives.” JI Secretary General Liaquat Baloch said Sardar Akthar Mengal had rendered sacrifices for the democracy in the country. He said that Balochistan was facing numerous issues and the rulers should resolve them on priority basis.
Is Erdogan’s political honeymoon nearing its end?
Turkey has been protesting for over a week now, thousands have gathered in huge numbers in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Mugla, Antalya, and many other cities and towns.
According to initial media reports the protests were in reaction to a planned demolition of Gezi Park, a traditional gathering point for rallies and demonstrations, the park is also a popular tourist destination and Istanbul’s last green public space.
The number of protesters has only increased with each passing day and Istanbul’s Taksim Square has become the center of protests. What started as a peaceful sit-in protest soon turned violent when the police force; under direct orders from the government, started using violence to disperse the protesters. Amnesty International observers at the protests witnessed the use of water cannon and tear gas against peaceful protestors. Later in the week, two major trade union members with a huge strength of 600,000 went on a strike to express their support for the protesters facing police brutality.
Testimonies of protesters, lawyers, civil society observers and medical professionals at the scene and video evidence confirm the use of widespread brutal tactics employed by the police at demonstrations continuing across central Istanbul.
Reports suggest that thousands of protesters have been injured and at least three have succumbed to their injuries. According to a press release by Amnesty International on 3 June 2013, “The Turkish Medical Association has said that as many as 4,100 people injured during the police response to protests have been treated in hospitals across Istanbul over the past two days. Two of them had life threatening injuries and five remain in intensive care as a result of injuries sustained at demonstrations in the city.”
It may be too early to predict Erdogan’s fall, but a careful observation of the recent events in the Middle East makes one wonder whether Taksim Square will turn out to be another Tahrir Square.
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