Saturday 31 August 2013
Brussels schools overcrowded
Brussels: Schools in Brussels, from nursery and primary to secondary education, are increasingly prone to overcrowding. By 2020, some 42,000 additional places will need to be created in order to accommodate the growing population. This is according to a study published today by the Brussels Studies Institute (BSI), titled Education in Brussels: a complex crisis. Demographic growth provides the main explanation for this increasing need for space, with an estimated 60% of the world's population - some five billion people - expected to be living in cities by 2020. The effects of this urbanization will be most greatly felt in Brussels primary schools, where an additional 20,000 places are to be provided by 2020 . In secondary schools, the number is 12,500, and in nursery schools 9,500, according to BSI.
Brussels speed cameras disguised as garbage bags
Brussels: Drivers in Brussels may be surprised lately when they are flashed by speed cameras disguised as garbage bags. According to the Brussels-Capital Region/Ixelles police department, the guise has helped them catch nearly a third more speed demons, writes Het Nieuwsblad. The idea came to the police by accident when, on a rainy day, agents decided to protect the device by covering it with a plastic garbage bag. This resulted in a sudden increase in the number of violations, and some €65,000 in fines. Since then the disguise has been systematically applied, and the number of drivers flashed remains significantly higher than before, "an increase of 30 percent," confirms police commissioner Thierry Vandenhoute.
Friday 30 August 2013
Belgium wants British Queen and Obama in Nieuwpoort and Ieper
Brussels: The ceremony in Ieper and Nieuwpoort takes place on 28 October next year and is only one of several major events to remember and honour the victims of the Great War (1914-1918). Apart from the Queen and the American president, some 50 other heads of state and government leaders can look forward to an invitation to visit the Westhoek region in West Flanders, which was the scene of one of the most notorious battlefields in the First World War.
"It is not certain that all of them will accept King Albert II's invitation", Paul Breyne told Het Nieuwsblad. Mr Breyne coordinates the preparations for the different commemoration services. 28 October 2014 may seem a long time from now, but the preparations are already going on.
"We are working out the exact schedule, also taking into account security and mobility aspects. But, as things are looking now, we will start the day in Nieuwpoort and head to Ieper later during the day."
"It is not certain that all of them will accept King Albert II's invitation", Paul Breyne told Het Nieuwsblad. Mr Breyne coordinates the preparations for the different commemoration services. 28 October 2014 may seem a long time from now, but the preparations are already going on.
"We are working out the exact schedule, also taking into account security and mobility aspects. But, as things are looking now, we will start the day in Nieuwpoort and head to Ieper later during the day."
Number of teenage mums in Flanders hits record low
Brussels: Researcher Marjolein De Wilde combined Flemish, Belgian and European data, and concluded that the number of teenage girls giving birth to a child dropped to 6 per 1,000, coming from 7.96 in 2002. That's a 25 percent drop in 10 years' time.
Flanders traditionally has fewer teenage mums than other regions: the figure for Brussels is 14.79, compared to 13.19 for Wallonia. "The cultural background and the standard of living are determining factors. Poverty creates a higher number of teenage mothers," says Marjolein De Wilde. The figure for the whole country puts Belgium close to the European average.
All West-European countries are seeing a ten-year low, with often a specific drop after 2007. De Wilde cites a better prevention at a regional level but also the crisis as possible explanations. "Different future prospects can affect sexual behaviour within certain groups of the population."
The study shows that the crisis hits youngsters hardest. When they leave school, they don't know if they will find a job. This could trigger a higher number of abortions, and thus a lower number of teenage mothers.
Flanders traditionally has fewer teenage mums than other regions: the figure for Brussels is 14.79, compared to 13.19 for Wallonia. "The cultural background and the standard of living are determining factors. Poverty creates a higher number of teenage mothers," says Marjolein De Wilde. The figure for the whole country puts Belgium close to the European average.
All West-European countries are seeing a ten-year low, with often a specific drop after 2007. De Wilde cites a better prevention at a regional level but also the crisis as possible explanations. "Different future prospects can affect sexual behaviour within certain groups of the population."
The study shows that the crisis hits youngsters hardest. When they leave school, they don't know if they will find a job. This could trigger a higher number of abortions, and thus a lower number of teenage mothers.
Iraq bombings, house raid kill at least 80 people
BAGHDAD (AP) - Car bomb blasts and other explosions tore through mainly Shiite districts around Baghdad during morning rush hour Wednesday in a day of violence that killed at least 80, intensifying worries about Iraq s ability to tame the spiraling mayhem gripping the country.
It was the latest set of large-scale sectarian attacks to hit Iraq, even as the government went on "high alert" in case a possible Western strike in neighboring Syria increases Iraq s turmoil.
A relentless wave of killing has left thousands dead since April in the country s worst spate of bloodshed since 2008. The surge in violence raises fears that Iraq is hurtling back toward the widespread sectarian killing that peaked in 2006 and 2007, when the country was teetering on the edge of civil war.
Most of Wednesday s attacks happened in within minutes of each other as people headed to work or were out shopping early in the day.
Insurgents unleashed explosives-laden cars, suicide bombers and other bombs that targeted parking lots, outdoor markets and restaurants in predominantly Shiite areas in and around Baghdad, officials said. A military convoy was hit south of the capital.
Security forces sealed off the blast scenes as ambulances raced to pick up the wounded. The twisted wreckage of cars littered the pavement while cleaners and shop owners brushed away debris. At one restaurant, the floor was stained with blood and dishes were scattered on plastic tables.
"What sin have those innocent people committed?" asked Ahmed Jassim, who witnessed one of the explosions in Baghdad s Hurriyah neighborhood. "We hold the government responsible."
The northern neighborhood of Kazimiyah, home to a prominent Shiite shrine, was among the worst hit. Two bombs went off in a parking lot, followed by a suicide car bomber who struck onlookers who had gathered at the scene. Police said the attack killed 10 people and wounded 27.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, but they bore the hallmarks of the Iraqi branch of al-Qaida, which operates in Iraq under the name the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The group frequently targets Shiites, which it considers heretics, and carries out coordinated bombings in an attempt to incite sectarian strife.
Charles Lister, an analyst at IHS Jane s Terrorism and Insurgency Center, said the group is increasingly showing "huge confidence and military capability."
"Both the increasing frequency, and statistically, the increasing deadliness of (their) coordinated nationwide bombings in Iraq underlines the extent of their operational reach and the huge depth of their resources," he said.
In one particularly brutal attack, a Shiite family was shot dead at home in the largely Sunni town of Latifiyah, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) south of Baghdad. Four children, ages eight to 16, were killed along with their parents and an uncle, police said. Authorities said they had previously fled the town after being threatened and had returned only three weeks ago.
Many of the day s blasts targeted morning shoppers. One parked car bomb in a commercial area in Baghdad s northern Shaab killed nine.
Parked car bombs that went off in outdoor markets killed 19 in the sprawling slum of Sadr City, the northeastern neighborhood of Shula, the southeastern Jisr Diyala district and the eastern New Baghdad area.
Blasts also hit the neighborhoods of Bayaa, Jamila, Hurriyah and Saydiyah, killing 12. Yet another car bomb exploded in the evening in Baghdad s southwestern Amil neighborhood, killing four.
Outside the capital, a suicide bomber blew himself up near a restaurant in Mahmoudiyah, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) south of Baghdad, killing five. And in Madain, about 25 kilometers (15 miles) southeast of Baghdad, a roadside bomb struck a passing military patrol, killing four soldiers.
While Shiite areas bore the brunt of the attacks, Sunni areas were targeted late in the day.
A parked car bomb exploded late Wednesday as worshippers left a mosque in Baghdad s western Yarmouk neighborhood, killing four.
Several Sunni mosques have been attacked in recent months, raising the possibility that largely inactive Shiite militias are starting to carry out retaliatory attacks.
Later, police said a parked car bomb hit a coffee shop in the largely Sunni neighborhood of Azamiyah, killing six.
Medical officials confirmed the casualty figures, which included more than 250 wounded. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release information.
The deputy United Nations envoy to Iraq, Jacqueline Badcock, condemned the blasts and urged authorities to do more to protect the Iraqi people.
The violence follows months of protests by Iraq s Sunni minority against the Shiite-led government that began late last year. Attacks have been rising since a deadly crackdown by security forces on a Sunni protest in April. In response, clerics and other influential Shiite and Sunni leaders have called for restraint.
More than 510 people have been killed so far in August, according to an Associated Press count.
It was the latest set of large-scale sectarian attacks to hit Iraq, even as the government went on "high alert" in case a possible Western strike in neighboring Syria increases Iraq s turmoil.
A relentless wave of killing has left thousands dead since April in the country s worst spate of bloodshed since 2008. The surge in violence raises fears that Iraq is hurtling back toward the widespread sectarian killing that peaked in 2006 and 2007, when the country was teetering on the edge of civil war.
Most of Wednesday s attacks happened in within minutes of each other as people headed to work or were out shopping early in the day.
Insurgents unleashed explosives-laden cars, suicide bombers and other bombs that targeted parking lots, outdoor markets and restaurants in predominantly Shiite areas in and around Baghdad, officials said. A military convoy was hit south of the capital.
Security forces sealed off the blast scenes as ambulances raced to pick up the wounded. The twisted wreckage of cars littered the pavement while cleaners and shop owners brushed away debris. At one restaurant, the floor was stained with blood and dishes were scattered on plastic tables.
"What sin have those innocent people committed?" asked Ahmed Jassim, who witnessed one of the explosions in Baghdad s Hurriyah neighborhood. "We hold the government responsible."
The northern neighborhood of Kazimiyah, home to a prominent Shiite shrine, was among the worst hit. Two bombs went off in a parking lot, followed by a suicide car bomber who struck onlookers who had gathered at the scene. Police said the attack killed 10 people and wounded 27.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, but they bore the hallmarks of the Iraqi branch of al-Qaida, which operates in Iraq under the name the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The group frequently targets Shiites, which it considers heretics, and carries out coordinated bombings in an attempt to incite sectarian strife.
Charles Lister, an analyst at IHS Jane s Terrorism and Insurgency Center, said the group is increasingly showing "huge confidence and military capability."
"Both the increasing frequency, and statistically, the increasing deadliness of (their) coordinated nationwide bombings in Iraq underlines the extent of their operational reach and the huge depth of their resources," he said.
In one particularly brutal attack, a Shiite family was shot dead at home in the largely Sunni town of Latifiyah, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) south of Baghdad. Four children, ages eight to 16, were killed along with their parents and an uncle, police said. Authorities said they had previously fled the town after being threatened and had returned only three weeks ago.
Many of the day s blasts targeted morning shoppers. One parked car bomb in a commercial area in Baghdad s northern Shaab killed nine.
Parked car bombs that went off in outdoor markets killed 19 in the sprawling slum of Sadr City, the northeastern neighborhood of Shula, the southeastern Jisr Diyala district and the eastern New Baghdad area.
Blasts also hit the neighborhoods of Bayaa, Jamila, Hurriyah and Saydiyah, killing 12. Yet another car bomb exploded in the evening in Baghdad s southwestern Amil neighborhood, killing four.
Outside the capital, a suicide bomber blew himself up near a restaurant in Mahmoudiyah, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) south of Baghdad, killing five. And in Madain, about 25 kilometers (15 miles) southeast of Baghdad, a roadside bomb struck a passing military patrol, killing four soldiers.
While Shiite areas bore the brunt of the attacks, Sunni areas were targeted late in the day.
A parked car bomb exploded late Wednesday as worshippers left a mosque in Baghdad s western Yarmouk neighborhood, killing four.
Several Sunni mosques have been attacked in recent months, raising the possibility that largely inactive Shiite militias are starting to carry out retaliatory attacks.
Later, police said a parked car bomb hit a coffee shop in the largely Sunni neighborhood of Azamiyah, killing six.
Medical officials confirmed the casualty figures, which included more than 250 wounded. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release information.
The deputy United Nations envoy to Iraq, Jacqueline Badcock, condemned the blasts and urged authorities to do more to protect the Iraqi people.
The violence follows months of protests by Iraq s Sunni minority against the Shiite-led government that began late last year. Attacks have been rising since a deadly crackdown by security forces on a Sunni protest in April. In response, clerics and other influential Shiite and Sunni leaders have called for restraint.
More than 510 people have been killed so far in August, according to an Associated Press count.
US readies possible solo action against Syria
WASHINGTON (AP) President Barack Obama prepared for the possibility of launching unilateral American military action against Syria within days as Britain opted out in a stunning vote by Parliament.
Facing skepticism at home, too, the administration shared intelligence with lawmakers Thursday aimed at convincing them the Syrian government used chemical weapons against its people and must be punished.
Despite roadblocks in forming an international coalition, Obama appeared undeterred and advisers said he would be willing to retaliate against Syria on his own.
"The president of the United States is elected with the duty to protect the national security interests in the United States of America," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.
Even before the vote in London, the U.S. was preparing to act without formal authorization from the United Nations, where Russia has blocked efforts to seek a resolution authorizing the use of force, or from Capitol Hill. But the U.S. had expected Britain, a major ally, to join in the effort.
Top U.S. officials spoke with certain lawmakers for more than 90 minutes in a teleconference Thursday evening to explain why they believe Bashar Assad s government was the culprit in a suspected chemical attack last week. Lawmakers from both parties have been pressing Obama to provide a legal rationale for military action and specify objectives, as well as to lay out a firm case linking Assad to the attack.
Afterward, the House Democratic leader, Rep. Nancy Pelosi pointedly sided with Republican Speaker John Boehner in urging the administration to do more to engage with Congress on the matter, even as she expressed "my appreciation for the measured, targeted and limited approach the president may be considering."
She said in a statement she agreed with Boehner and other lawmakers who say the administration needs to consult more with "all members of Congress" a reference to the limited circle briefed Thursday night and provide "additional transparency into the decision-making process."
The high-level officials who spoke to the lawmakers offered more details of the suspected chemical attack and their firm conviction that the Syrian government was to blame but little new evidence backing up that conviction. It remained to be seen whether any skeptics were swayed by the call, given the expectation in advance that officials would hold back classified information to protect intelligence sources and methods.
The officials told lawmakers 1,300 men, women and children died in the attack, said Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. That s a far higher death toll than has been reported; the humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders says the attack outside Damascus killed 355.
A number of lawmakers raised questions in the briefing about how the administration would finance a military operation as the Pentagon is grappling with automatic spending cuts and reduced budgets.
Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, the top Republican on the Armed Services Committee and a participant on the call, said in a statement that the administration presented a "broad range of options" for dealing with Syria but failed to offer a single plan, timeline, strategy or explanation of how it would pay for any military operation.
It remained to be seen whether any skeptics were swayed by the call, given the expectation in advance that officials would hold back classified information to protect intelligence sources and methods.
"The main thing was that they have no doubt that Assad s forces used chemical weapons," New York Rep. Eliot Engel, top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and a supporter of Obama s course, said after the briefing.
But he said the officials did not provide much new evidence of that.
Democratic Sen. Sen. Bob Menendez, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said the briefing "reaffirmed for me that a decisive and consequential U.S. response is justified and warranted to protect Syrians, as well as to send a global message that chemical weapons attacks in violation of international law will not stand."
Republican Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and a call participant, told reporters that administration officials are in the process of declassifying the evidence they have of the Syrian government using chemical weapons.
"When they do that, we ll understand. But it s up to the president of the United States to present his case, to sell this to the American public. They re very war weary. We ve been at war now for over 10 years," McKeon told reporters at a post-call news conference at his office in Valencia, California.
In London, Prime Minister David Cameron argued a military strike would be legal on humanitarian grounds. But he faced deep pressure from lawmakers and had already promised not to undertake military action until a U.N. chemical weapons team on the ground in Syria released its findings about the Aug. 21 attack.
The prime minister said in terse comments after the vote that while he believes in a "tough response" to the use of chemical weapons, he would respect the will of the House of Commons.
Caitlin Hayden, Obama s National Security Council spokeswoman, said the U.S. would continue to consult with Britain but Obama would make decisions based on "the best interests of the United States."
It was not certain the U.S. would have to act alone. France announced that its armed forces "have been put in position to respond" if President Francois Hollande commits forces to intervention against Syria. Hollande does not need French parliamentary approval to launch military action that lasts less than four months.
Obama discussed the situation in Syria with Republican House Speaker John Boehner, who wrote to the president earlier this week seeking a legal justification for a military strike and the objectives of any potential action.
Assad, who has denied using chemical weapons, vowed his country "will defend itself against any aggression."
Some of the U.N. chemical weapons experts will travel directly from Syria on Saturday to different laboratories around Europe to deliver "an extensive amount of material" gathered, U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq said. While the mandate of the U.N. team is to determine whether chemical agents were used in the attack, not who was responsible, Haq suggested the evidence which includes biological samples and witness interviews might give an indication of who deployed gases.
Obama and other top officials have not revealed definitive evidence to back claims that Assad used chemical weapons on Syrians. U.S. officials say the intelligence assessments are no "slam dunk," with questions remaining about who actually controls some of Syria s chemical weapons stores and doubts about whether Assad himself ordered the strike.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the intelligence publicly.
Despite shortcomings in the intelligence, the White House signaled urgency in acting, with Earnest, the White House spokesman saying the president believes there is a "compressed time frame" for responding.
Obama continued making his case for a robust response to world leaders, speaking Thursday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. With national elections scheduled in Germany for next month, Merkel is unlikely to pull her country into a military conflict.
Merkel also discussed Syria by phone Thursday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, insisting that the attack "requires an international reaction," Merkel spokesman Steffen Seibert said.
Obama has ruled out putting American forces on the ground in Syria or setting up a no-fly zone over the country. He s also said any U.S. response to the chemical weapons attack would be limited in scope and aimed solely at punishing Assad for deploying deadly gases, not at regime change.
"We do have to make sure that when countries break international norms on weapons like chemical weapons that could threaten us, that they are held accountable," he said during a television interview.
The most likely military option would be Tomahawk cruise missile strikes from four Navy destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. At a minimum, Western forces are expected to strike targets that symbolize Assad s military and political might: military and national police headquarters, including the Defense Ministry; the Syrian military s general staff; and the four-brigade Republican Guard that is in charge of protecting Damascus, Assad s seat of power. Assad s ruling Baath Party headquarters could be targeted, too.
U.S. officials also are considering attacking military command centers and vital forces, communications hubs and weapons caches, including ballistic missile batteries.
Facing skepticism at home, too, the administration shared intelligence with lawmakers Thursday aimed at convincing them the Syrian government used chemical weapons against its people and must be punished.
Despite roadblocks in forming an international coalition, Obama appeared undeterred and advisers said he would be willing to retaliate against Syria on his own.
"The president of the United States is elected with the duty to protect the national security interests in the United States of America," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.
Even before the vote in London, the U.S. was preparing to act without formal authorization from the United Nations, where Russia has blocked efforts to seek a resolution authorizing the use of force, or from Capitol Hill. But the U.S. had expected Britain, a major ally, to join in the effort.
Top U.S. officials spoke with certain lawmakers for more than 90 minutes in a teleconference Thursday evening to explain why they believe Bashar Assad s government was the culprit in a suspected chemical attack last week. Lawmakers from both parties have been pressing Obama to provide a legal rationale for military action and specify objectives, as well as to lay out a firm case linking Assad to the attack.
Afterward, the House Democratic leader, Rep. Nancy Pelosi pointedly sided with Republican Speaker John Boehner in urging the administration to do more to engage with Congress on the matter, even as she expressed "my appreciation for the measured, targeted and limited approach the president may be considering."
She said in a statement she agreed with Boehner and other lawmakers who say the administration needs to consult more with "all members of Congress" a reference to the limited circle briefed Thursday night and provide "additional transparency into the decision-making process."
The high-level officials who spoke to the lawmakers offered more details of the suspected chemical attack and their firm conviction that the Syrian government was to blame but little new evidence backing up that conviction. It remained to be seen whether any skeptics were swayed by the call, given the expectation in advance that officials would hold back classified information to protect intelligence sources and methods.
The officials told lawmakers 1,300 men, women and children died in the attack, said Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. That s a far higher death toll than has been reported; the humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders says the attack outside Damascus killed 355.
A number of lawmakers raised questions in the briefing about how the administration would finance a military operation as the Pentagon is grappling with automatic spending cuts and reduced budgets.
Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, the top Republican on the Armed Services Committee and a participant on the call, said in a statement that the administration presented a "broad range of options" for dealing with Syria but failed to offer a single plan, timeline, strategy or explanation of how it would pay for any military operation.
It remained to be seen whether any skeptics were swayed by the call, given the expectation in advance that officials would hold back classified information to protect intelligence sources and methods.
"The main thing was that they have no doubt that Assad s forces used chemical weapons," New York Rep. Eliot Engel, top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and a supporter of Obama s course, said after the briefing.
But he said the officials did not provide much new evidence of that.
Democratic Sen. Sen. Bob Menendez, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said the briefing "reaffirmed for me that a decisive and consequential U.S. response is justified and warranted to protect Syrians, as well as to send a global message that chemical weapons attacks in violation of international law will not stand."
Republican Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and a call participant, told reporters that administration officials are in the process of declassifying the evidence they have of the Syrian government using chemical weapons.
"When they do that, we ll understand. But it s up to the president of the United States to present his case, to sell this to the American public. They re very war weary. We ve been at war now for over 10 years," McKeon told reporters at a post-call news conference at his office in Valencia, California.
In London, Prime Minister David Cameron argued a military strike would be legal on humanitarian grounds. But he faced deep pressure from lawmakers and had already promised not to undertake military action until a U.N. chemical weapons team on the ground in Syria released its findings about the Aug. 21 attack.
The prime minister said in terse comments after the vote that while he believes in a "tough response" to the use of chemical weapons, he would respect the will of the House of Commons.
Caitlin Hayden, Obama s National Security Council spokeswoman, said the U.S. would continue to consult with Britain but Obama would make decisions based on "the best interests of the United States."
It was not certain the U.S. would have to act alone. France announced that its armed forces "have been put in position to respond" if President Francois Hollande commits forces to intervention against Syria. Hollande does not need French parliamentary approval to launch military action that lasts less than four months.
Obama discussed the situation in Syria with Republican House Speaker John Boehner, who wrote to the president earlier this week seeking a legal justification for a military strike and the objectives of any potential action.
Assad, who has denied using chemical weapons, vowed his country "will defend itself against any aggression."
Some of the U.N. chemical weapons experts will travel directly from Syria on Saturday to different laboratories around Europe to deliver "an extensive amount of material" gathered, U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq said. While the mandate of the U.N. team is to determine whether chemical agents were used in the attack, not who was responsible, Haq suggested the evidence which includes biological samples and witness interviews might give an indication of who deployed gases.
Obama and other top officials have not revealed definitive evidence to back claims that Assad used chemical weapons on Syrians. U.S. officials say the intelligence assessments are no "slam dunk," with questions remaining about who actually controls some of Syria s chemical weapons stores and doubts about whether Assad himself ordered the strike.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the intelligence publicly.
Despite shortcomings in the intelligence, the White House signaled urgency in acting, with Earnest, the White House spokesman saying the president believes there is a "compressed time frame" for responding.
Obama continued making his case for a robust response to world leaders, speaking Thursday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. With national elections scheduled in Germany for next month, Merkel is unlikely to pull her country into a military conflict.
Merkel also discussed Syria by phone Thursday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, insisting that the attack "requires an international reaction," Merkel spokesman Steffen Seibert said.
Obama has ruled out putting American forces on the ground in Syria or setting up a no-fly zone over the country. He s also said any U.S. response to the chemical weapons attack would be limited in scope and aimed solely at punishing Assad for deploying deadly gases, not at regime change.
"We do have to make sure that when countries break international norms on weapons like chemical weapons that could threaten us, that they are held accountable," he said during a television interview.
The most likely military option would be Tomahawk cruise missile strikes from four Navy destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. At a minimum, Western forces are expected to strike targets that symbolize Assad s military and political might: military and national police headquarters, including the Defense Ministry; the Syrian military s general staff; and the four-brigade Republican Guard that is in charge of protecting Damascus, Assad s seat of power. Assad s ruling Baath Party headquarters could be targeted, too.
U.S. officials also are considering attacking military command centers and vital forces, communications hubs and weapons caches, including ballistic missile batteries.
Russian, US air forces unite for tracking exercise
OVER ALASKA (AP) - Flying at 34,000 feet (10,300 meters) over the Bering Strait, the Russian pilots had a singular focus: making sure they smoothly received the hand-off of a "hijacked" jetliner from their U.S.-Canadian counterparts.
Up here, there were no thoughts about strained Russia-U.S. relations over U.S. intelligence leaker Edward Snowden, whom Russia granted asylum, or President Barack Obama s recent canceling of a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The training exercise was to make sure the forces could find, track and escort a hijacked aircraft over international borders.
NORAD is a bi-national command of Canada and the U.S. Its director of operations, Canadian Major Gen. Andre Vien, said Thursday there were never any discussions about canceling the exercise, known as Vigilant Eagle.
It s been held five times since 2003. But the exercises on Tuesday and Wednesday were the first since U.S.-Russian relations became strained because of Snowden, Syria, human rights and other issues.
"I see no problems," said Vien s counterpart, Gen. Major Dmitry Gomenkov, commander of the Aerospace Defense Brigade for eastern Russia.
Col. Patrick Carpentier, the deputy commander of NORAD s Alaska Region, was an observer on the "hijacked plane" and said the exercise is about cooperation.
Up here, there were no thoughts about strained Russia-U.S. relations over U.S. intelligence leaker Edward Snowden, whom Russia granted asylum, or President Barack Obama s recent canceling of a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The training exercise was to make sure the forces could find, track and escort a hijacked aircraft over international borders.
NORAD is a bi-national command of Canada and the U.S. Its director of operations, Canadian Major Gen. Andre Vien, said Thursday there were never any discussions about canceling the exercise, known as Vigilant Eagle.
It s been held five times since 2003. But the exercises on Tuesday and Wednesday were the first since U.S.-Russian relations became strained because of Snowden, Syria, human rights and other issues.
"I see no problems," said Vien s counterpart, Gen. Major Dmitry Gomenkov, commander of the Aerospace Defense Brigade for eastern Russia.
Col. Patrick Carpentier, the deputy commander of NORAD s Alaska Region, was an observer on the "hijacked plane" and said the exercise is about cooperation.
Bashar Al-Asad has to be punished: Brok Elmar
Brussels: Chair of Foreign Affair Committee European Parliament Mr. Brok Elmar said in a press conference after meeting of committee that there are enough witness against Bashar Al-Asad for the usage of chemical weapons against the innocent people. But for the attack we need some more evidence. So we request US to give us more clearance about the situation.There was a house full meeting of the foreign affair committee about Egypt, Syria and Ukraine. The next meeting will be held on 4th of September 2013.
Mr Brok, a German member of the EPP group, spoke out following a special meeting of the foreign affairs committee on 28 August to discuss the situation in Syria and Egypt as well as EU relations with Ukraine. He stressed there was only so much military action could achieve: “Even if a military strike comes, we believe that a political solution still is needed. It should not be the result that at the end of the day there is a fundamentalist government which might even be worse than what was there before.”
The chair of the foreign affairs committee also hit out at the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria: “It is unacceptable to use mass destruction means like it were used there and this indeed are red lines that are for the international community not acceptable.”
EP president Martin Schulz warned against rushing into military action in a tweet: “No to hasty and unilateral intervention in Syria. International community has to act together and on the basis of UN report's results.”
Mr Brok, a German member of the EPP group, spoke out following a special meeting of the foreign affairs committee on 28 August to discuss the situation in Syria and Egypt as well as EU relations with Ukraine. He stressed there was only so much military action could achieve: “Even if a military strike comes, we believe that a political solution still is needed. It should not be the result that at the end of the day there is a fundamentalist government which might even be worse than what was there before.”
The chair of the foreign affairs committee also hit out at the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria: “It is unacceptable to use mass destruction means like it were used there and this indeed are red lines that are for the international community not acceptable.”
EP president Martin Schulz warned against rushing into military action in a tweet: “No to hasty and unilateral intervention in Syria. International community has to act together and on the basis of UN report's results.”
Irish poet Nobel winner Seamus Heaney dies at 74
DUBLIN (AP) - Seamus Heaney, Ireland s foremost poet who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995, died Friday after a half-century exploring the wild beauty of Ireland and the political torment within the nation s soul. He was 74.
Heaney s family and publisher, Faber & Faber, said in a statement that Heaney died in a Dublin hospital. He had been recuperating from a stroke since 2006.
The Northern Ireland-born Heaney was widely considered Ireland s greatest poet since William Butler Yeats. He wrote 13 collections of poetry, two plays, four prose works on the process of poetry, and many other works. Heaney was the third Irishman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, joining Yeats and Samuel Beckett.
Irish President Michael D. Higgins, himself a poet, led a torrent of tributes from political leaders and fellow writers from across the political divides, north and south, Irish Catholic and British Protestant. "The presence of Seamus was a warm one, full of humor, care and courtesy," Higgins said.
" We are blessed to call Seamus Heaney our own and thankful for the gift of him in our national life. ... There are no words to describe adequately our nation s and poetry s grief at the passing of Seamus Heaney," said Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny.
The eldest of nine children, Heaney went to Catholic boarding school in Northern Ireland s second-largest city,
Londonderry, a bitterly divided community that soon became the crucible of "the troubles," the quaint local euphemism for a four-decade conflict over the British territory that has claimed more than 3,700 lives.
Life in 1950s Londonderry, where Catholics outnumbered Protestants two to one but were gerrymandered from power, provided Heaney his first real taste of injustice and ambiguity Irish-style.
His early work was rooted in vivid description of rural experience, but gradually he wedded this to the frictions, deceptions and contradictions rife in his conflicted homeland.
In 1972, the most deadly year of Northern Ireland s conflict, Heaney left his academic post in Queen s University in Belfast to settle in the Republic of Ireland. That year, he published "Wintering Out," a collection of poems that offered only oblique references to the unrest in the north.
His follow-up 1975 collection, "North," captured the Irish imagination with his pitch-perfect sense of the evils of sectarianism.
One of its poems, "Whatever You Say Say Nothing," became a Northern Ireland catch phrase for the art of avoiding identifying one s religion to probing strangers.
Heaney s family and publisher, Faber & Faber, said in a statement that Heaney died in a Dublin hospital. He had been recuperating from a stroke since 2006.
The Northern Ireland-born Heaney was widely considered Ireland s greatest poet since William Butler Yeats. He wrote 13 collections of poetry, two plays, four prose works on the process of poetry, and many other works. Heaney was the third Irishman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, joining Yeats and Samuel Beckett.
Irish President Michael D. Higgins, himself a poet, led a torrent of tributes from political leaders and fellow writers from across the political divides, north and south, Irish Catholic and British Protestant. "The presence of Seamus was a warm one, full of humor, care and courtesy," Higgins said.
" We are blessed to call Seamus Heaney our own and thankful for the gift of him in our national life. ... There are no words to describe adequately our nation s and poetry s grief at the passing of Seamus Heaney," said Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny.
The eldest of nine children, Heaney went to Catholic boarding school in Northern Ireland s second-largest city,
Londonderry, a bitterly divided community that soon became the crucible of "the troubles," the quaint local euphemism for a four-decade conflict over the British territory that has claimed more than 3,700 lives.
Life in 1950s Londonderry, where Catholics outnumbered Protestants two to one but were gerrymandered from power, provided Heaney his first real taste of injustice and ambiguity Irish-style.
His early work was rooted in vivid description of rural experience, but gradually he wedded this to the frictions, deceptions and contradictions rife in his conflicted homeland.
In 1972, the most deadly year of Northern Ireland s conflict, Heaney left his academic post in Queen s University in Belfast to settle in the Republic of Ireland. That year, he published "Wintering Out," a collection of poems that offered only oblique references to the unrest in the north.
His follow-up 1975 collection, "North," captured the Irish imagination with his pitch-perfect sense of the evils of sectarianism.
One of its poems, "Whatever You Say Say Nothing," became a Northern Ireland catch phrase for the art of avoiding identifying one s religion to probing strangers.
Pakistan beat Zimbabwe by 90 runs in 2nd ODI
HARARE: Mohammad Hafeez s 136 helped Pakistan draw level in the ODI series against Zimbabwe, setting up a 90-run win in the second game in Harare.
Zimbabwe were all out at 209 while chasing a target of 299 set by Pakistan.
With the series at stake, Pakistan hit back strongly by posting a total well beyond Zimbabwe s reach, thereby giving the final match greater context.
Mohammad Hafeez led the way with an attacking, unbeaten 136 to lift Pakistan to 299, and although Zimbabwe had their moments in the chase, they failed to stretch Pakistan over a sustained period.
A clump of wickets towards the end widened the gap between the two sides, as the margin of victory suggested.
Zimbabwe didn t get the solid start they would have hoped for to set the platform for their tall chase of 300, losing three wickets by the halfway mark.
However, Brendan Taylor kept their hopes alive with a positive fifty - his first in 13 innings - and a fifty-plus stand with Sean Williams.
The challenge was keeping up with the increasing asking rate, which had crossed seven.
Vusi Sibanda fell top edging a pull off Mohammad Irfan that landed safely in Sarfraz Ahmed s gloves. Hamilton Masakadza and Sibanda had, until this game, produced opening stands of 53, 50 and 107 so it was a relief for Pakistan that the openers disbanded early as the third over.
Masakadza found early momentum with some powerful boundaries off Irfan.
He looked uncomfortable with the rising delivery, but when Irfan adjusted to fuller lengths, Masakadza made room and smashed it past cover for consecutive boundaries.
A promising knock turned out to be just a cameo as Masakadza lost his off stump to Junaid Khan, beaten for pace and lower bounce.
Timycen Maruma s indifferent form in the series extended with a run-out, sent back after setting off for a risky single to cover.
Much depended on Taylor to lead the way. He wasn t afraid of reverse sweeping the spinners, finding the boundary on two occasions, and also using his feet to them, chipping over the off side.
Williams and Taylor targeted Pakistan s main bowler, Saeed Ajmal, in his first over, playing the conventional and reverse sweeps to give the chase some momentum.
Zimbabwe were all out at 209 while chasing a target of 299 set by Pakistan.
With the series at stake, Pakistan hit back strongly by posting a total well beyond Zimbabwe s reach, thereby giving the final match greater context.
Mohammad Hafeez led the way with an attacking, unbeaten 136 to lift Pakistan to 299, and although Zimbabwe had their moments in the chase, they failed to stretch Pakistan over a sustained period.
A clump of wickets towards the end widened the gap between the two sides, as the margin of victory suggested.
Zimbabwe didn t get the solid start they would have hoped for to set the platform for their tall chase of 300, losing three wickets by the halfway mark.
However, Brendan Taylor kept their hopes alive with a positive fifty - his first in 13 innings - and a fifty-plus stand with Sean Williams.
The challenge was keeping up with the increasing asking rate, which had crossed seven.
Vusi Sibanda fell top edging a pull off Mohammad Irfan that landed safely in Sarfraz Ahmed s gloves. Hamilton Masakadza and Sibanda had, until this game, produced opening stands of 53, 50 and 107 so it was a relief for Pakistan that the openers disbanded early as the third over.
Masakadza found early momentum with some powerful boundaries off Irfan.
He looked uncomfortable with the rising delivery, but when Irfan adjusted to fuller lengths, Masakadza made room and smashed it past cover for consecutive boundaries.
A promising knock turned out to be just a cameo as Masakadza lost his off stump to Junaid Khan, beaten for pace and lower bounce.
Timycen Maruma s indifferent form in the series extended with a run-out, sent back after setting off for a risky single to cover.
Much depended on Taylor to lead the way. He wasn t afraid of reverse sweeping the spinners, finding the boundary on two occasions, and also using his feet to them, chipping over the off side.
Williams and Taylor targeted Pakistan s main bowler, Saeed Ajmal, in his first over, playing the conventional and reverse sweeps to give the chase some momentum.
Portugal asks for 2 more planes to fight wildfires
LISBON (AP) - Wildfires are scorching large areas of forest in Portugal and the country has asked other European nations to send two more water-dropping aircraft to help battle the blazes.
Jorge Dias, spokesman for Portugal s National Civil Protection Authority, said Friday that France and Spain have each sent three Canadair planes designed for dropping water on wildfires, but more are needed.
Some 1,300 firefighters were fighting six major blazes in the north of Portugal amid continuing hot weather and high winds.
The two biggest wildfires were in dense, hilly woodland near Viseu, about 200 kilometers (120 miles) north of Lisbon, the capital.
More than 900 firefighters and 288 vehicles were deployed at those blazes.
Jorge Dias, spokesman for Portugal s National Civil Protection Authority, said Friday that France and Spain have each sent three Canadair planes designed for dropping water on wildfires, but more are needed.
Some 1,300 firefighters were fighting six major blazes in the north of Portugal amid continuing hot weather and high winds.
The two biggest wildfires were in dense, hilly woodland near Viseu, about 200 kilometers (120 miles) north of Lisbon, the capital.
More than 900 firefighters and 288 vehicles were deployed at those blazes.
UN has nothing to add on Syria intel: Kerry
WASHINGTON (AP) - Secretary of State John Kerry says the United Nations cannot tell the world anything about a chemical weapons attack in Syria that the U.S. doesn't already know and hasn't already made public.
He says President Barack Obama will ensure the U.S. makes decisions on its own timeline, based on its own values and interests.
Kerry says UN investigators probing last week's chemical weapons attack are limited by a mandate to determine if an attack took place. He says they won't say who is responsible.
Obama has been seeking international support for a potential military strike against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. But the UN Security Council has not backed a strike.
Kerry says the UN cannot galvanize the world to act the way it should.
He says President Barack Obama will ensure the U.S. makes decisions on its own timeline, based on its own values and interests.
Kerry says UN investigators probing last week's chemical weapons attack are limited by a mandate to determine if an attack took place. He says they won't say who is responsible.
Obama has been seeking international support for a potential military strike against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. But the UN Security Council has not backed a strike.
Kerry says the UN cannot galvanize the world to act the way it should.
SC bars President Zardari from leaving Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has barred President Asif Ali Zardari from leaving the country over the investigations to be held on the Abbottabad operation conducted by the United States on May 2, 2011 to kill Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
The apex court on Friday issued a notice to the federal government to bar President Asif Ali Zardari from leaving the country to enable him to be present for a court hearing on the Abbottabad Commission revelations.
The court has also constituted a two-judge bench under the supervision of Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali and case’s hearing has been scheduled for September 3.
Meanwhile, Asif Ali Zardari will be completing his presidential tenure on September 8.
The Abbottabad Commission report had earlier revealed the incompetency of the Pakistan government to track the hide-out bin Laden.
The US Navy Commando team had conducted a two-hour operation to kill bin Laden on the soil of Pakistan without the government knowing about it.
The apex court on Friday issued a notice to the federal government to bar President Asif Ali Zardari from leaving the country to enable him to be present for a court hearing on the Abbottabad Commission revelations.
The court has also constituted a two-judge bench under the supervision of Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali and case’s hearing has been scheduled for September 3.
Meanwhile, Asif Ali Zardari will be completing his presidential tenure on September 8.
The Abbottabad Commission report had earlier revealed the incompetency of the Pakistan government to track the hide-out bin Laden.
The US Navy Commando team had conducted a two-hour operation to kill bin Laden on the soil of Pakistan without the government knowing about it.
Imran opposes military operation in Karachi
ISLAMABAD: Talking to media persons here on Friday, PTI chief Imran Khan said that military operation was not a solution to Karachi unrest.
He said that 150, 000 military personnel were fighting terrorists in the tribal areas and Balochistan and it will be inappropriate to engage the military in Karachi in this situation.
“Peace should be restored in the country’s commercial capital by using police”, he mentioned.
Khan suggested that police should be de-politicized in Karachi in order to maintain peace in the city.
Responding to statements of Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Imran Khan said that the JUI-F chief was doing politics by selling religion.
“Maulana has termed me as an agent of Jews but he should explain that how he owns big vehicles and what is his source of income”, Imran Khan said”.
Khan said that PTI’s leadership has declared its assets on party’s official website.
The PTI chief said that the Governor House in Khyber-Pakhtunkhawa would be used for social welfare while Punjab’s Governor House was also on his target for the same purpose.
He said that 150, 000 military personnel were fighting terrorists in the tribal areas and Balochistan and it will be inappropriate to engage the military in Karachi in this situation.
“Peace should be restored in the country’s commercial capital by using police”, he mentioned.
Khan suggested that police should be de-politicized in Karachi in order to maintain peace in the city.
Responding to statements of Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Imran Khan said that the JUI-F chief was doing politics by selling religion.
“Maulana has termed me as an agent of Jews but he should explain that how he owns big vehicles and what is his source of income”, Imran Khan said”.
Khan said that PTI’s leadership has declared its assets on party’s official website.
The PTI chief said that the Governor House in Khyber-Pakhtunkhawa would be used for social welfare while Punjab’s Governor House was also on his target for the same purpose.
Japan discomfort with UN chief''s remarks on history
TOKYO: The Japanese government expressed on Tuesday discomfort with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's rare remarks about Japan's historical awareness on the previous day. "It's highly doubtful that a UN Chief made comments based on recognition of Japan's position," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a press conference. "We will ask through the UN Secretariat what he intended to say the remarks. We will also continue explaining about our stance on historical issues at the UN," the top government spokesman said.
At a press conference in Seoul on Monday, Ban, a former South Korean Foreign Minister, urged Japanese political leaders to have deep self-reflection and an international and future-oriented vision on how they will understand history and foster friendly ties with neighbors, amid rising tension in Japan's relations with South Korea and China.
"Japan has said we should have dialogues with South Korea and China even though there are pending issues between us," Suga said. "Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has expressed his willingness to exchange views with Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Park Geun-hye for the peace and stability in the region," he asserted.
South Korea and China suffered Japanese occupation during the World War II. Japan is currently engaged in separate diplomatic crises with China and South Korea over two groups of disputed islands.
At a press conference in Seoul on Monday, Ban, a former South Korean Foreign Minister, urged Japanese political leaders to have deep self-reflection and an international and future-oriented vision on how they will understand history and foster friendly ties with neighbors, amid rising tension in Japan's relations with South Korea and China.
"Japan has said we should have dialogues with South Korea and China even though there are pending issues between us," Suga said. "Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has expressed his willingness to exchange views with Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Park Geun-hye for the peace and stability in the region," he asserted.
South Korea and China suffered Japanese occupation during the World War II. Japan is currently engaged in separate diplomatic crises with China and South Korea over two groups of disputed islands.
Merkel hopes Russia, China reconsider Syria''s UNSC support
BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel hoped Friday Russia and China would reconsider their backing to Syria within the UN Security Council (UNSC).
"We hope the security council can reach a unified position over the Syrian file, and that nobody in the security council closes his eyes from the Syrian regime's crime of using chemical weapons against its people," Merkel spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a statement.
The German government earlier confirmed it would not take part in any military action against Syria.
Merkel and Russian president Vladimir Putin discussed yesterday how to act against the use of chemical weapons in Syria, and finding a political solution for the conflict.
Russia had vetoed UNSC resolutions against Syria since the conflict began in March 2011.
"We hope the security council can reach a unified position over the Syrian file, and that nobody in the security council closes his eyes from the Syrian regime's crime of using chemical weapons against its people," Merkel spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a statement.
The German government earlier confirmed it would not take part in any military action against Syria.
Merkel and Russian president Vladimir Putin discussed yesterday how to act against the use of chemical weapons in Syria, and finding a political solution for the conflict.
Russia had vetoed UNSC resolutions against Syria since the conflict began in March 2011.
Russia warns of military intervention in Syria
MOSCOW: Russia Sunday called for refraining from unilateral steps vis-a-vis the conflict in Syria in the wake of reported chemical weapons' attacks in the troubled Arab country.
"The threats to use force against Syria will send wrong signs to the Syrian opposition," foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in a statement, commenting on US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel who reportedly said Washington was ready to intervene militarily in Syria.
The Americans and Europeans should realize the "catasrophic dangers of this policy in the Arab and Muslim worlds," he said.
The threat to use force, he added, would abort the international community's endeavors to find a political and diplomatic solution for the conflict in Syria, which killed over 100,000 people and displaced millions others.
Lukashevich said the foreign intervention in Syria would escalate tension in the region and undermine chances of holding an international conference on Syria.
He, meanwhile, welcomed the Syrian government's approval to UN inspectors to investigate the use of chemical weapons in Ghouta, outside Damascus.
"The threats to use force against Syria will send wrong signs to the Syrian opposition," foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in a statement, commenting on US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel who reportedly said Washington was ready to intervene militarily in Syria.
The Americans and Europeans should realize the "catasrophic dangers of this policy in the Arab and Muslim worlds," he said.
The threat to use force, he added, would abort the international community's endeavors to find a political and diplomatic solution for the conflict in Syria, which killed over 100,000 people and displaced millions others.
Lukashevich said the foreign intervention in Syria would escalate tension in the region and undermine chances of holding an international conference on Syria.
He, meanwhile, welcomed the Syrian government's approval to UN inspectors to investigate the use of chemical weapons in Ghouta, outside Damascus.
Hollande, Obama agree no tolerance on chemical weapons'' use
PARIS: French and US Presidents, Francois Hollande and Barack Obama, agreed Friday the international community should not tolerate chemical weapons' use.
Hollande and Obama, during a phone call, agreed to send a "strong message" to the Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad's regime, the Elysees said in a statement.
They said they were highly confident that the Syrian regime was responsible for the chemical weapons' attack against civilians in Ghouta, outside Damascus, last week that killed hundreds of people, it added.
The two leaders also asserted importance of punishing the Syrian regime for that crime.
Hollande did not rule out France's participation in any possible military action against Syria but also said the military option did not aim at removing Al-Assad from power but punishing the regime for the use of chemical weapons.
The French leader said in an interview with Le Monde newspaper that his country could go ahead with plans to strike Syria for allegedly using chemical weapons.
President Obama said earlier that he was currently in the process of reviewing a limited air strike against Bashar Al-Assad's regime, but he did not take a final decision yet.
Hollande and Obama, during a phone call, agreed to send a "strong message" to the Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad's regime, the Elysees said in a statement.
They said they were highly confident that the Syrian regime was responsible for the chemical weapons' attack against civilians in Ghouta, outside Damascus, last week that killed hundreds of people, it added.
The two leaders also asserted importance of punishing the Syrian regime for that crime.
Hollande did not rule out France's participation in any possible military action against Syria but also said the military option did not aim at removing Al-Assad from power but punishing the regime for the use of chemical weapons.
The French leader said in an interview with Le Monde newspaper that his country could go ahead with plans to strike Syria for allegedly using chemical weapons.
President Obama said earlier that he was currently in the process of reviewing a limited air strike against Bashar Al-Assad's regime, but he did not take a final decision yet.
India should disclose whereabouts of missing people in IHK: Says Ali Raza Syed
Brussels: Kashmir Council EU Chairman Ali Raza Syed has urged international community to pressurize Indian government in order to disclose whereabouts of missing people in Indian Held Kashmir (IHK)In a statement issued here in connection with International Day of Disappeared Persons, Ali Raza Syed said, it is duty of Amnesty International, Asia Watch and the UN Human Rights Council to conduct probe into the enforced disappearances and the mass graves discovered in IHK.He said, a large number of Kashmiri youth have been killed in the recent years and such genocide is continued unabated.Thousands of unnamed graves have been discovered in the different areas of IHK and it is firmly believed that most of the buried in the graves are Kashmiri youth died in the fake encounters with the Indian security forces.This genocide of the Kashmiri people should be stopped immediately, military personnel involved in extra judicial killings should be brought to the justice. The International Community should come forward and voice their concerns, the chairman Kashmir Council EU concluded.Ali Raza Syed announced that the council would continue its struggle to highlight the conflict of Kashmir at international level.He asked the international community including UN and EU to pressurize New Delhi to stop the human rights abuses perpetrated by the Indian forces in the Indian held Kashmir (IHK).He also called India to end of atrocities against the people of Kashmir by th Indain secuurity forces and implimentation of US Secuity council resolutions on Kashmir dispute.He expressed his concerns on continued and unabated use of torture, rape which has been a routine of Indian occupation governance in Kashmir for the last 63 years and most recently killing of more innocent civilians in occupied territories and on the Line of Control (LOC).He strongly condemned the atrocities, massacres, extra-judicial murders, custodial deaths, reprisal killings, arbitrary detentions, torture, destruction of houses, shops and villages and rape which are being used as instruments of suppression by the Indian Government through its military, paramilitary and mercenary forces.He asked India to immediately repeal the draconian Laws i.e. AFSA (Armed Forces Special Act) and PSA (Public Safety Act) that are enacted within Kashmir, as tool of Occupation.
Thursday 15 August 2013
“Black Day” in Brussels :Kashmir Council EU
Kashmir Council EU has held a protest demonstration to mark the “Black Day” on Thursday, 15th August 2013 in front of Indian Embassy in Brussels, the capital city of Belgium.
It is important to mention that Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control and across the world observe the Indian Independence Day as "Black Day’’ on Aug 15 every year.
A large number of EU based Kashmiris and their supporters attended the gathering led by Chairman Kashmir Council EU Ali Raza Syed. On the occasion, a memorandum was handed over to the officials of the embassy. Addressing the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the memorandum called for end of atrocities against the people of Kashmir by th Indain secuurity forces and implimentation of US Secuity council resolutions on Kashmir dispute.
In this memoraundum, the protesters expressed their concrns on continued and unabated use of torture, rape which has been a routine of Indian occupation governance in Kashmir for the last 63 years and most recently killing of more innocent civilians in occupied territories and on the Line of Control (LOC).
The protesters strongly condemned the atrocities, massacres, extra-judicial murders, custodial deaths, reprisal killings, arbitrary detentions, torture, destruction of houses, shops and villages and rape which are being used as instruments of suppression by the Indian Government through its military, paramilitary and mercenary forces.
The demonstrators also expressed moral support for the Kashmiri people's legitimate right of self-Determination as recognized by the United Nations.
The memorandum asked India to immediately repeal the draconian Laws i.e. AFSA (Armed Forces Special Act) and PSA (Public Safety Act) that are enacted within Kashmir, as tool of Occupation.
Beside Belgium, a number of people from other EU counties also attended the demonstarion on Black Day in Brussels. Representatives of the different human rights organisations in Europe including Kashmir Centre Holland also participated in the protest gathering against human rights violations committed by New Delhi in Indian Held Kashmir (IHK. On the occasion, Mr. Ali Raza Syed determined that the peaceful struggle for liberation of Kashmir would be continued.
Expressing serious concerns on the current situation in IHK, Chairman Kashmir Council EU said, people in IHK are even deprived of peaceful demonstrations.
He called for immediate international attention on the existing situation in Indian Held Kashmir and repeatedly shelling of Indian forces on LOC.
Chairman Kashmir Council EU called for an end to the detention of the Kashmiris particularly recent detention of political leadership in unlawful action by the security forces in IHK.
Ali Raza Syed emphasized that the Held Kashmir has been converted into a huge prison by India through depriving the people of their fundamental rights.
He made it clear that today Kashmiris are closer to the logic fruition of their aspirations to determine their fate as assured by the UN Resolutions.
Appreciating recent statement of Ban Ki-moon on Kashmir, Chairman Kashmir Council EU urged that UN should take its responsibility on the issue of Kashmir by taking serious action against Indian atrocities. He declared that Kashmir Council EU would continue peace full struggle for rights of the people of Kashmir. Other participants also addressed the gathering.
It is important to mention that Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control and across the world observe the Indian Independence Day as "Black Day’’ on Aug 15 every year.
A large number of EU based Kashmiris and their supporters attended the gathering led by Chairman Kashmir Council EU Ali Raza Syed. On the occasion, a memorandum was handed over to the officials of the embassy. Addressing the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the memorandum called for end of atrocities against the people of Kashmir by th Indain secuurity forces and implimentation of US Secuity council resolutions on Kashmir dispute.
In this memoraundum, the protesters expressed their concrns on continued and unabated use of torture, rape which has been a routine of Indian occupation governance in Kashmir for the last 63 years and most recently killing of more innocent civilians in occupied territories and on the Line of Control (LOC).
The protesters strongly condemned the atrocities, massacres, extra-judicial murders, custodial deaths, reprisal killings, arbitrary detentions, torture, destruction of houses, shops and villages and rape which are being used as instruments of suppression by the Indian Government through its military, paramilitary and mercenary forces.
The demonstrators also expressed moral support for the Kashmiri people's legitimate right of self-Determination as recognized by the United Nations.
The memorandum asked India to immediately repeal the draconian Laws i.e. AFSA (Armed Forces Special Act) and PSA (Public Safety Act) that are enacted within Kashmir, as tool of Occupation.
Beside Belgium, a number of people from other EU counties also attended the demonstarion on Black Day in Brussels. Representatives of the different human rights organisations in Europe including Kashmir Centre Holland also participated in the protest gathering against human rights violations committed by New Delhi in Indian Held Kashmir (IHK. On the occasion, Mr. Ali Raza Syed determined that the peaceful struggle for liberation of Kashmir would be continued.
Expressing serious concerns on the current situation in IHK, Chairman Kashmir Council EU said, people in IHK are even deprived of peaceful demonstrations.
He called for immediate international attention on the existing situation in Indian Held Kashmir and repeatedly shelling of Indian forces on LOC.
Chairman Kashmir Council EU called for an end to the detention of the Kashmiris particularly recent detention of political leadership in unlawful action by the security forces in IHK.
Ali Raza Syed emphasized that the Held Kashmir has been converted into a huge prison by India through depriving the people of their fundamental rights.
He made it clear that today Kashmiris are closer to the logic fruition of their aspirations to determine their fate as assured by the UN Resolutions.
Appreciating recent statement of Ban Ki-moon on Kashmir, Chairman Kashmir Council EU urged that UN should take its responsibility on the issue of Kashmir by taking serious action against Indian atrocities. He declared that Kashmir Council EU would continue peace full struggle for rights of the people of Kashmir. Other participants also addressed the gathering.
Saturday 10 August 2013
French industrial production shrinks again in June
PARIS (AP) - French industrial production continued to decline in June, widening the economic gap with Europe s largest economy, Germany, and raising concerns about its ability to emerge from recession.
France s national statistical agency, INSEE, said in a statement Friday that industrial production shrank 1.4 percent from a month earlier. That followed a 0.3 percent monthly drop in May. Within manufacturing, steep declines were recorded in the food and car industries.
France s figures stand in stark contrast to Germany, where industrial production grew 2.4 percent in June.
This is bad news for French President Francois Hollande. He s promised to reverse the rise in unemployment by the end of the year, but that is looking increasingly unlikely.
Unemployment hit 10.8 percent in the first quarter, and some economists say it won t peak until at least next year.
The government sought to gloss over the June performance, with Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici saying he s "delighted at the favorable evolution." He pointed out that for the second quarter as a whole, manufacturing production was up 1.5 percent.
The International Monetary Fund this week called on Hollande s government to accelerate economic reforms, saying the rigid labor market, high taxes and inefficient public spending are dragging down the economy.
There are concerns a recovery may not get traction. France s economy is now officially in recession again, after gross domestic product shrank 0.2 percent in the first quarter.
INSEE will release its first estimate of second-quarter GDP on Aug. 14.
The French government expects a 0.2 percent rise in growth during the quarter, bringing the country out of recession.
But some independent analysts expect a flat reading and, after Friday s figures, the risk is GDP will undershoot expectations.
France s weak economy has raised concerns even in the US.
Earlier this week, Dallas Federal Reserve President Richard Fisher said in an interview with German newspaper Handelsblatt that he was worried about the country, saying the financial risks there shouldn t be under estimated.
France s national statistical agency, INSEE, said in a statement Friday that industrial production shrank 1.4 percent from a month earlier. That followed a 0.3 percent monthly drop in May. Within manufacturing, steep declines were recorded in the food and car industries.
France s figures stand in stark contrast to Germany, where industrial production grew 2.4 percent in June.
This is bad news for French President Francois Hollande. He s promised to reverse the rise in unemployment by the end of the year, but that is looking increasingly unlikely.
Unemployment hit 10.8 percent in the first quarter, and some economists say it won t peak until at least next year.
The government sought to gloss over the June performance, with Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici saying he s "delighted at the favorable evolution." He pointed out that for the second quarter as a whole, manufacturing production was up 1.5 percent.
The International Monetary Fund this week called on Hollande s government to accelerate economic reforms, saying the rigid labor market, high taxes and inefficient public spending are dragging down the economy.
There are concerns a recovery may not get traction. France s economy is now officially in recession again, after gross domestic product shrank 0.2 percent in the first quarter.
INSEE will release its first estimate of second-quarter GDP on Aug. 14.
The French government expects a 0.2 percent rise in growth during the quarter, bringing the country out of recession.
But some independent analysts expect a flat reading and, after Friday s figures, the risk is GDP will undershoot expectations.
France s weak economy has raised concerns even in the US.
Earlier this week, Dallas Federal Reserve President Richard Fisher said in an interview with German newspaper Handelsblatt that he was worried about the country, saying the financial risks there shouldn t be under estimated.
Hot Spot inventor calls for removal of bat coating
CHESTER-LE-STREET, England (AP) Protective coating should be removed from cricket bats for Hot Spot to achieve "optimum" results, the technology s inventor has said.
The current Ashes series between England and Australia has been blighted by a string of contentious decisions, with Hot Spot s thermal-imaging cameras appearing not to detect some edges behind.
Warren Brennan, the managing director of the company which owns Hot Spot, has carried out internal testing over the past three days and said he achieved "conclusive findings."
"The type and thickness of the protective coating unquestionably affects the thermal signature of the Hot Spot system," BBG Sports said in a statement released late Friday. "In layman s terms, the protective coating definitely diminishes Hot Spot marks."
"BBG Sports believes that in order to achieve optimum Hot Spot results, then the removal of protective coating from bats edges needs to occur," the statement continued. "This will allow for the best thermal signatures between cricket balls and natural timber cricket bats."
Brennan says he will pass results of tests carried out this week to the International Cricket Council.
Hot Spot became part of the Decision Review System from 2009, but only in this series have doubts crept in about the effectiveness of the technology.
Australian broadcaster Channel Nine claimed this week that silicon tape might have been attached to the edges of bats during the Ashes series to "fool" Hot Spot. Those allegations have been angrily denied by England and Australia, and the ICC isn t investigating the claims.
"At the end of the day, no technology is 100 percent perfect, however at BBG Sports we are continuously researching and developing our products to provide the best technological service for sport," Brennan said.
The current Ashes series between England and Australia has been blighted by a string of contentious decisions, with Hot Spot s thermal-imaging cameras appearing not to detect some edges behind.
Warren Brennan, the managing director of the company which owns Hot Spot, has carried out internal testing over the past three days and said he achieved "conclusive findings."
"The type and thickness of the protective coating unquestionably affects the thermal signature of the Hot Spot system," BBG Sports said in a statement released late Friday. "In layman s terms, the protective coating definitely diminishes Hot Spot marks."
"BBG Sports believes that in order to achieve optimum Hot Spot results, then the removal of protective coating from bats edges needs to occur," the statement continued. "This will allow for the best thermal signatures between cricket balls and natural timber cricket bats."
Brennan says he will pass results of tests carried out this week to the International Cricket Council.
Hot Spot became part of the Decision Review System from 2009, but only in this series have doubts crept in about the effectiveness of the technology.
Australian broadcaster Channel Nine claimed this week that silicon tape might have been attached to the edges of bats during the Ashes series to "fool" Hot Spot. Those allegations have been angrily denied by England and Australia, and the ICC isn t investigating the claims.
"At the end of the day, no technology is 100 percent perfect, however at BBG Sports we are continuously researching and developing our products to provide the best technological service for sport," Brennan said.
China probes drug maker Sanofi for bribing doctors
BEIJING (AP) Chinese authorities have launched an investigation against French drugmaker Sanofi following a news report that accused the company of bribing hundreds of Chinese doctors in 2007.
An unnamed whistleblower told the Guangzhou-based, state-owned 21st Century Business Herald that the French company had paid 503 doctors a total of $274,000 to prescribe Sanofi products, disguising the payments as grants for research programs.
China s official Xinhua News Agency said Saturday that the Beijing municipal health bureau was teaming up with disciplinary authorities to look into the research programs and determine whether the payments were actually bribes.
Sanofi did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to the 21st Century Business Herald report, Sanofi said it took the claim "very seriously" and had started to investigate the allegations.
The investigation of Sanofi comes amid a crackdown by China s drug regulator on misconduct in the country s pharmaceutical market.
Last month, Chinese police detained four employees of British pharmaceutical manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline on suspicion of paying bribes to doctors and hospitals to encourage them to prescribe medications.
In China s dysfunctional health system, low salaries and skimpy budgets drive doctors, nurses and administrators to make ends meet by accepting money from patients, drug suppliers and others. The practice has long been common knowledge.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet s planning agency is investigating production costs at 60 Chinese and foreign pharmaceutical manufacturers, according to state media, possible as a prelude to revising state-imposed price caps on key medications.
In the baby formula market, the government has fined six milk suppliers, including Mead Johnson and New Zealand s Fonterra, a total of $108 million for price-fixing after an investigation that shook the country s fast-growing dairy market.
An unnamed whistleblower told the Guangzhou-based, state-owned 21st Century Business Herald that the French company had paid 503 doctors a total of $274,000 to prescribe Sanofi products, disguising the payments as grants for research programs.
China s official Xinhua News Agency said Saturday that the Beijing municipal health bureau was teaming up with disciplinary authorities to look into the research programs and determine whether the payments were actually bribes.
Sanofi did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to the 21st Century Business Herald report, Sanofi said it took the claim "very seriously" and had started to investigate the allegations.
The investigation of Sanofi comes amid a crackdown by China s drug regulator on misconduct in the country s pharmaceutical market.
Last month, Chinese police detained four employees of British pharmaceutical manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline on suspicion of paying bribes to doctors and hospitals to encourage them to prescribe medications.
In China s dysfunctional health system, low salaries and skimpy budgets drive doctors, nurses and administrators to make ends meet by accepting money from patients, drug suppliers and others. The practice has long been common knowledge.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet s planning agency is investigating production costs at 60 Chinese and foreign pharmaceutical manufacturers, according to state media, possible as a prelude to revising state-imposed price caps on key medications.
In the baby formula market, the government has fined six milk suppliers, including Mead Johnson and New Zealand s Fonterra, a total of $108 million for price-fixing after an investigation that shook the country s fast-growing dairy market.
Mexico drug kingpin Caro released after 28 years
MEXICO CITY (AP) - A Mexican court on Friday ordered the release of infamous drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero after 28 years in prison for the 1985 kidnap and killing of a US Drug Enforcement Administration agent, a brutal murder that marked a low point in U.S.-Mexico relations.
The court overturned Caro Quintero s 40-year sentence for the murder of Enrique Camarena, ruling he was improperly tried in a federal court for a crime that should have been treated as a state offense.
A court official who was not authorized to speak on the record said that Caro Quintero would be released because he had already served his time on other charges.
The 61-year-old Caro Quintero is considered the grandfather of Mexican drug trafficking.
He established a powerful cartel based in the northwestern Mexican state of Sinaloa that later split into some of Mexico s largest cartels, including the Sinaloa and Juarez cartels.
Mexico s relations with Washington were damaged when Caro Quintero ordered Camarena kidnapped, tortured and killed, purportedly because he was angry about a raid on a 220-acre (89-hectare) marijuana plantation in central Mexico named "Rancho Bufalo" Buffalo Ranch that was seized by Mexican authorities at Camarena s insistence.
The raid netted up to five tons of marijuana and cost Caro Quintero and his colleagues an estimated $8 billion in lost sales.
Camarena was kidnapped on Feb. 7, 1985, in Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco state and a major drug trafficking center.
His body and that of his Mexican pilot, both showing signs of torture, were found a month later, buried in shallow graves.
American officials accused their Mexican counterparts of letting Camarena s killers get away. Caro Quintero was eventually hunted down in Costa Rica.
At one point, U.S. Customs agents almost blocked the U.S. border with Mexico, slowing incoming traffic to a standstill while conducting searches of all Mexicans trying to enter the United States.
Camarena s fellow U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents consider him a hero in the war against drug trafficking and the El Paso Intelligence Center, where U.S. federal agencies collect information about Mexican drug barons, is named after him.
Caro Quintero is said to have pioneered links between Colombian cocaine cartels and the Mexican smugglers who transport their drugs into the United States.
The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City had no immediately comment on the court decision.
The court overturned Caro Quintero s 40-year sentence for the murder of Enrique Camarena, ruling he was improperly tried in a federal court for a crime that should have been treated as a state offense.
A court official who was not authorized to speak on the record said that Caro Quintero would be released because he had already served his time on other charges.
The 61-year-old Caro Quintero is considered the grandfather of Mexican drug trafficking.
He established a powerful cartel based in the northwestern Mexican state of Sinaloa that later split into some of Mexico s largest cartels, including the Sinaloa and Juarez cartels.
Mexico s relations with Washington were damaged when Caro Quintero ordered Camarena kidnapped, tortured and killed, purportedly because he was angry about a raid on a 220-acre (89-hectare) marijuana plantation in central Mexico named "Rancho Bufalo" Buffalo Ranch that was seized by Mexican authorities at Camarena s insistence.
The raid netted up to five tons of marijuana and cost Caro Quintero and his colleagues an estimated $8 billion in lost sales.
Camarena was kidnapped on Feb. 7, 1985, in Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco state and a major drug trafficking center.
His body and that of his Mexican pilot, both showing signs of torture, were found a month later, buried in shallow graves.
American officials accused their Mexican counterparts of letting Camarena s killers get away. Caro Quintero was eventually hunted down in Costa Rica.
At one point, U.S. Customs agents almost blocked the U.S. border with Mexico, slowing incoming traffic to a standstill while conducting searches of all Mexicans trying to enter the United States.
Camarena s fellow U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents consider him a hero in the war against drug trafficking and the El Paso Intelligence Center, where U.S. federal agencies collect information about Mexican drug barons, is named after him.
Caro Quintero is said to have pioneered links between Colombian cocaine cartels and the Mexican smugglers who transport their drugs into the United States.
The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City had no immediately comment on the court decision.
Police decry Belfast 'anarchy' as 56 officers hurt
DUBLIN (AP) - Northern Ireland s police chief vowed Saturday to hunt down and imprison scores of Protestant militants after they attacked and wounded 56 officers protecting a parade by Irish Republican Army supporters.
Friday night s outbreak of violence in downtown Belfast could be the first in a tense weekend involving disputed parades by both the Irish Catholic and British Protestant extremes of society.
Senior police said Protestant extremists encouraged by social-media messages rallied to block the parade on Royal Avenue, Belfast s major shopping boulevard. Some wore British flags as capes or masks, and tore up scaffolding and pavement stones to attack police girded in full riot gear.
Police responded by striking rioters with water cannons and 26 plastic bullets blunt-nosed cylinders designed to deal punishing blows without penetrating the flesh.
Several protesters could be seen staggering away from the confrontation zone with bloodied faces.
Protestant politicians said security officials should never have authorized what they called a deliberately provocative march by Irish republican hard-liners opposed to Northern Ireland s peace process.
After rival crowds of march supporters and opponents briefly outflanked police lines to trade salvos of rocks and bottles, march organizers abandoned their plan to parade past Belfast City Hall and diverted it back into Catholic turf.
Britain s government minister for Northern Ireland condemned the Protestant mobs for "utterly disgraceful" behavior.
"Whatever people think about the merits of the parade or the views of the people taking part in the parade, the rule of law has to be respected," said Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers.
Chief Constable Matt Baggott said Northern Ireland s prison population soon "will be bulging" as detectives used video footage to identify and arrest rioters.
Baggott said seven people were arrested Friday night for attacks on police and the hijacking of cars, one of which was set on fire in the middle of the parade route. "You can be assured that many more (arrests) will follow," he said.
He noted that more than 500 rioters, mostly Protestants confronting police in the streets of Belfast, already had been charged and convicted for earlier spasms of street violence in December, January and July.
Baggott said the Protestant demonstrators lacked organization, self-respect or dignity. He said his officers had put their own lives on the line "to prevent that anarchy from spreading. Without that courage, many lives may well have been lost."
This year s unusually protracted street trouble reflects rising working-class Protestant anger at Irish Catholic gains from the peace process.
The U.S.-brokered Good Friday peace accord of 1998 sought to end IRA and other paramilitary violence, spur police reform and British military withdrawals, and forge a joint Catholic-Protestant government.
Those goals have largely been achieved. But the supposed "unity" government continues to reflect fundamental divisions in Northern Ireland society.
They have failed to reach a common position on each side s disputed marches. And as the Irish role in government and policing has risen, Protestant opposition to that changing face of authority has grown.
The winter violence followed Catholic politicians surprise decision in Belfast City Hall to curtail the flying of the British flag, a practice that had persisted year-round for a century.
July s violence followed a decision by the government-appointed Parades Commission to block an annual Protestant parade by the Orange Order brotherhood from skirting an IRA power base in north Belfast, scene of heavy Catholic-police clashes following previous years Orange parades.
While the major IRA faction, the Provisionals, renounced violence and disarmed in 2005 after killing nearly 1,800 people in a failed bid to force Northern Ireland out of the United Kingdom, breakaway IRA factions have continued to mount bomb and gun attacks. Last year they formed a "new" IRA that does garner some support, and Friday night s march reflected that.
But even the Provisionals, with their Sinn Fein party now at the heart of Northern Ireland s government, still justify and glorify past IRA violence, a fundamental sore point that shows no signs of easing.
On Sunday a Sinn Fein-backed march honoring Provisional IRA members in the religiously divided town of Castlederg is proceeding, despite local Protestants complaints that the IRA killed dozens in their community.
One local politician compared it to permitting an al-Qaida parade through New York honoring the suicide attackers of 9/11. Sinn Fein insisted it would be dignified.
Friday night s outbreak of violence in downtown Belfast could be the first in a tense weekend involving disputed parades by both the Irish Catholic and British Protestant extremes of society.
Senior police said Protestant extremists encouraged by social-media messages rallied to block the parade on Royal Avenue, Belfast s major shopping boulevard. Some wore British flags as capes or masks, and tore up scaffolding and pavement stones to attack police girded in full riot gear.
Police responded by striking rioters with water cannons and 26 plastic bullets blunt-nosed cylinders designed to deal punishing blows without penetrating the flesh.
Several protesters could be seen staggering away from the confrontation zone with bloodied faces.
Protestant politicians said security officials should never have authorized what they called a deliberately provocative march by Irish republican hard-liners opposed to Northern Ireland s peace process.
After rival crowds of march supporters and opponents briefly outflanked police lines to trade salvos of rocks and bottles, march organizers abandoned their plan to parade past Belfast City Hall and diverted it back into Catholic turf.
Britain s government minister for Northern Ireland condemned the Protestant mobs for "utterly disgraceful" behavior.
"Whatever people think about the merits of the parade or the views of the people taking part in the parade, the rule of law has to be respected," said Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers.
Chief Constable Matt Baggott said Northern Ireland s prison population soon "will be bulging" as detectives used video footage to identify and arrest rioters.
Baggott said seven people were arrested Friday night for attacks on police and the hijacking of cars, one of which was set on fire in the middle of the parade route. "You can be assured that many more (arrests) will follow," he said.
He noted that more than 500 rioters, mostly Protestants confronting police in the streets of Belfast, already had been charged and convicted for earlier spasms of street violence in December, January and July.
Baggott said the Protestant demonstrators lacked organization, self-respect or dignity. He said his officers had put their own lives on the line "to prevent that anarchy from spreading. Without that courage, many lives may well have been lost."
This year s unusually protracted street trouble reflects rising working-class Protestant anger at Irish Catholic gains from the peace process.
The U.S.-brokered Good Friday peace accord of 1998 sought to end IRA and other paramilitary violence, spur police reform and British military withdrawals, and forge a joint Catholic-Protestant government.
Those goals have largely been achieved. But the supposed "unity" government continues to reflect fundamental divisions in Northern Ireland society.
They have failed to reach a common position on each side s disputed marches. And as the Irish role in government and policing has risen, Protestant opposition to that changing face of authority has grown.
The winter violence followed Catholic politicians surprise decision in Belfast City Hall to curtail the flying of the British flag, a practice that had persisted year-round for a century.
July s violence followed a decision by the government-appointed Parades Commission to block an annual Protestant parade by the Orange Order brotherhood from skirting an IRA power base in north Belfast, scene of heavy Catholic-police clashes following previous years Orange parades.
While the major IRA faction, the Provisionals, renounced violence and disarmed in 2005 after killing nearly 1,800 people in a failed bid to force Northern Ireland out of the United Kingdom, breakaway IRA factions have continued to mount bomb and gun attacks. Last year they formed a "new" IRA that does garner some support, and Friday night s march reflected that.
But even the Provisionals, with their Sinn Fein party now at the heart of Northern Ireland s government, still justify and glorify past IRA violence, a fundamental sore point that shows no signs of easing.
On Sunday a Sinn Fein-backed march honoring Provisional IRA members in the religiously divided town of Castlederg is proceeding, despite local Protestants complaints that the IRA killed dozens in their community.
One local politician compared it to permitting an al-Qaida parade through New York honoring the suicide attackers of 9/11. Sinn Fein insisted it would be dignified.
Anti-India protests erupt in Kashmir
SRINAGAR (AP) - Indian forces used tear gas and pellet guns to quell thousands of stone-throwing protesters who took to the streets after special Eid prayers on Friday in the Indian portion of Kashmir.
A police officer said dozens of protesters, police and paramilitary officers were injured in the clashes at several places in Srinagar, the main city in Kashmir. He spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to talk to reporters.
The protesters chanted "We Want Freedom," and "Down with India" as they marched through the streets of Srinagar after offering prayers in mosques.
The clashes erupted as thousands of policemen and paramilitary soldiers deployed in the city asked them to disperse.
The injured included 19 police and paramilitary soldiers, said Kishore Prasad, a spokesman for the Central Reserve Police force.
Several separatist leaders had been put under house arrest on Thursday night to stop them from leading the protests on the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which caps the fasting month of Ramadan.
The protests spread to several towns across the Indian portion of Kashmir, with clashes between police and resident reported in the towns of Sopore and Anantnag.
Shops and businesses were closed in the region because of the Eid holidays.
Anti-India feelings run deep in Kashmir, where about a dozen rebel groups have been fighting against Indian rule since 1989. More than 65,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed.
The rebel groups have largely been suppressed by Indian troops in recent years, and resistance is now principally expressed through street protests.
The Kashmiri insurgents have been fighting for independence from India or merger with Pakistan.
Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan. They have fought two wars over its control since they won independence from Britain in 1947.
A police officer said dozens of protesters, police and paramilitary officers were injured in the clashes at several places in Srinagar, the main city in Kashmir. He spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to talk to reporters.
The protesters chanted "We Want Freedom," and "Down with India" as they marched through the streets of Srinagar after offering prayers in mosques.
The clashes erupted as thousands of policemen and paramilitary soldiers deployed in the city asked them to disperse.
The injured included 19 police and paramilitary soldiers, said Kishore Prasad, a spokesman for the Central Reserve Police force.
Several separatist leaders had been put under house arrest on Thursday night to stop them from leading the protests on the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which caps the fasting month of Ramadan.
The protests spread to several towns across the Indian portion of Kashmir, with clashes between police and resident reported in the towns of Sopore and Anantnag.
Shops and businesses were closed in the region because of the Eid holidays.
Anti-India feelings run deep in Kashmir, where about a dozen rebel groups have been fighting against Indian rule since 1989. More than 65,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed.
The rebel groups have largely been suppressed by Indian troops in recent years, and resistance is now principally expressed through street protests.
The Kashmiri insurgents have been fighting for independence from India or merger with Pakistan.
Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan. They have fought two wars over its control since they won independence from Britain in 1947.
23 picnickers drown in various parts of country
LAHORE: Twenty three people drowned while picnicking in various parts of the country on Saturday.
Eight people drowned in River Indus at Taunsa near Muzaffargarh while six persons drowned while taking bath in the sea near Bin Qasim in Karachi.
And nine holiday-makers drowned in River Indus near Kund Park in Nowshera.
Rescue workers could recover only two bodies out of eight people who drowned at Tounsa Baraj.
The search operation was abandoned Saturday night due to darkness.
Eight people drowned in River Indus at Taunsa near Muzaffargarh while six persons drowned while taking bath in the sea near Bin Qasim in Karachi.
And nine holiday-makers drowned in River Indus near Kund Park in Nowshera.
Rescue workers could recover only two bodies out of eight people who drowned at Tounsa Baraj.
The search operation was abandoned Saturday night due to darkness.
India activates atomic reactor for indigenous nuclear sub
NEW DELHI (AP) - India on Saturday activated the atomic reactor onboard its first indigenously designed and built nuclear submarine, paving the way for its deployment by the navy in the next two years.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the development represented a giant stride in the progress of India s indigenous technological capabilities.
The vessel is the first ballistic missile submarine to be built outside the five recognized nuclear powers the United States, France, Russia, Britain and China.
Rahul Bedi, an analyst for the independent Jane s Information Group, said the submarine would now undergo sea trials. The vessel has been undergoing harbor trials in eastern India.
Last year, India acquired a Russian Nerpa nuclear submarine for its navy on a 10-year lease from Russia at a total cost of nearly $1 billion.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the development represented a giant stride in the progress of India s indigenous technological capabilities.
The vessel is the first ballistic missile submarine to be built outside the five recognized nuclear powers the United States, France, Russia, Britain and China.
Rahul Bedi, an analyst for the independent Jane s Information Group, said the submarine would now undergo sea trials. The vessel has been undergoing harbor trials in eastern India.
Last year, India acquired a Russian Nerpa nuclear submarine for its navy on a 10-year lease from Russia at a total cost of nearly $1 billion.
SRK's 'Chennai Express' breaks Bollywood records
MUMBAI (Web Desk) - The film broke the previous record set last year by Salman Khan s Ek Tha Tiger.
"Let s begin the day with a smashing news. Chennai Express smashes all previous records, collects Rs 33.12 cr on Friday. Creates history," confirmed Bollywood trade analyst Taran Adarsh.
The Rohit Shetty-directed action romance has also set new first day figures for a Bollywood film in the UK.
"Chennai Express is on a record-smashing spree in UK as well. Collects £ 258,598 on Friday. Highest opening day for a Hindi movie," posted Adarsh.
The project additionally broke previous records for Thursday night paid previews, previously held by Aamir Khan s 3 Idiots.
In the UK, the film has opened with a higher number of prints than most Bollywood films, releasing at a number of cinemas that do not typically screen Indian cinema.
Khan s film is expected to surpass 100 crores within 5 days of its release.
"Let s begin the day with a smashing news. Chennai Express smashes all previous records, collects Rs 33.12 cr on Friday. Creates history," confirmed Bollywood trade analyst Taran Adarsh.
The Rohit Shetty-directed action romance has also set new first day figures for a Bollywood film in the UK.
"Chennai Express is on a record-smashing spree in UK as well. Collects £ 258,598 on Friday. Highest opening day for a Hindi movie," posted Adarsh.
The project additionally broke previous records for Thursday night paid previews, previously held by Aamir Khan s 3 Idiots.
In the UK, the film has opened with a higher number of prints than most Bollywood films, releasing at a number of cinemas that do not typically screen Indian cinema.
Khan s film is expected to surpass 100 crores within 5 days of its release.
Govt's silence over terrorism shocking, says Khurshid Shah
SUKKUR: Opposition leader Khurshid Shah has said that Islam is being defamed by terrorists who have nothing to do with ideology and practice of universal laws of Islam.
While talking to the media on Saturday, he said that the government has only concern with hike in taxes and prices. The Opposition would protest against the silence of the government in the next session of the National Assembly, said PPP leader.
He said that he would like to appeal the masses to defend themselves without having any expectation from the government as it has nothing to do with their rights of life and property; rather its motto is to collect funds in the name of so called progress and prosperity.
He said that likely All Parties Conference on terrorism postponed due to stubborn attitude of Imran Khan.
Commenting on MQM’s secret communication with the PML-N and the PPP, he said it should avoid riding two horses at the same. Politics is a serious matter not a child play.
Furthering his statement, he said that the people who are shedding blood of innocent people for their vested interests are not actually Muslim.
He concluded that the entire nation from Karachi to Khyber should stand in face of terrorism by shunning away their fear.
While talking to the media on Saturday, he said that the government has only concern with hike in taxes and prices. The Opposition would protest against the silence of the government in the next session of the National Assembly, said PPP leader.
He said that he would like to appeal the masses to defend themselves without having any expectation from the government as it has nothing to do with their rights of life and property; rather its motto is to collect funds in the name of so called progress and prosperity.
He said that likely All Parties Conference on terrorism postponed due to stubborn attitude of Imran Khan.
Commenting on MQM’s secret communication with the PML-N and the PPP, he said it should avoid riding two horses at the same. Politics is a serious matter not a child play.
Furthering his statement, he said that the people who are shedding blood of innocent people for their vested interests are not actually Muslim.
He concluded that the entire nation from Karachi to Khyber should stand in face of terrorism by shunning away their fear.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)